November 10, 2009
By Brian Tracy
The best salespeople prepare thoroughly before every call. This principle is so simple that it is often overlooked. The hallmark of the true professional is thorough preparation, reviewing every detail, before every sales meeting. The very best salespeople are those who review their presentations and study the details of their products and their sales materials repeatedly prior to every new sales contact.
The Customer's Situation
The salesperson with the best knowledge of the customer's real situation will be the one most likely to make the sale. The more time you take to thoroughly understand your prospective customer and your prospective customer's situation, the more likely you will be in a position to sell at the critical moment.
Sales Professionals Plan their questions in Advance
There is a direct relationship between the quality of the problem focused questions that you ask a customer and the likelihood of a sale taking place. The only way of assuring that your questions are clear and penetrating is by writing them out, word for word, in advance. Some of the most successful salespeople who have ever lived have been "question experts."
Discover the new rules to ramp up your sales.
Notes
The power is on the side of the salesperson with the best notes. Plan your sales-call objectives thoroughly in advance of meeting the client. Write down and itemize exactly what you hope to accomplish in this visit. After the call, quickly write down everything that was said. Don't trust it to memory. Remember the Chinese saying, "The palest ink lasts longer than the finest memory." Prior to every sales call, and no matter how many times you have visited this same customer, take a few minutes to review the customer's file, the customer's situation, and your own notes on what has taken place in the past. You'll be amazed at how impressive you sound when you go into a sales interview having just reviewed the customer's file a few minutes before. And customers always know if you have done your homework.
Prior to Closing a Sale
The top salespeople in every field prepare exhaustively prior to selling, prior to their presentations, and prior to closing. They think everything through in advance. And they leave nothing to chance. Remember, it's the details that make the difference. The salesperson who has taken the greatest amount of time to acquaint himself or herself with the most specific needs of the customer is the one who builds the highest level of trust and the best sales relationship. Thorough preparation is the essential precondition for successful selling.
Courtesy:Brian Tracy Newletter
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Psychology of Time Management
By Brian Tracy
The Law of Correspondence says that your outer life tends to be a mirror image of your inner life. Everywhere you look, there you are. Everywhere you look, you see yourself reflected back. You do not see the world as it is, but as you are—inside. If you want to change what is going on in the world around you—your relationships, results, and rewards—you have to change what in going on in the world inside you. Fortunately, this is the only part of your life over which you have complete control.
The Starting Point of Success
The starting point of excelling in time management is desire. Almost everyone feels that their time management skills could be vastly better than they are. The key to motivation is "motive." For you to develop sufficient desire to develop Time Power, you must be intensely motivated by the benefits you feel you will enjoy.
Gaining Two Extra Hours Each Day
Your productivity can dramatically change if you add to extra hours to your day. Two extra hours per day, multiplies by five days per week, equals ten extra hours a week. Ten extra hours a week multiplied by fifty weeks a year would give you 500 extra productive hours each year. And 500 hours translates into more that twelve, forty-hour weeks, or the equivalent of three extra months of productive working time each year. By gaining two productive hours each day, you can transform your personal and working life.
"Perform at Your Best - No Matter What!"
YOU Can Reach Your Goals and Achieve the Unthinkable.
The real secret to living the life of your dreams is this: learn to live at Peak Performance every day and you will be unstoppable.
Improving Your Productivity Performance
Your productivity, performance, and income will increase by at least 25 percent over the next year. Two more productive hours, out of the eight hours that you spend at work each day, is the equivalent of at least a 25 percent increase.
Increasing Your Sense of Control
When you leverage the power of time, you will have a greater sense of control over your work and your personal life. You will feel like the master of your own destiny, and a power in your own life. You will feel more positive and powerful in every part of your life.
Take Control of your Time and Your Life
One of the keys to developing a stronger internal focus of control is to manage your time and your life better. The more skilled you become at managing your time, the happier and more confident you will feel. You will have a stronger sense of personal power. You will feel in charge of your own destiny. You will have a greater sense of well-being. You will be more positive and personable.
Having More Time for Your Family
You will have more time for your family and your personal life as you get your time and your life under control. You will have more time for your friends, for relaxation, for personal and professional development, and for anything else you want to do. When you become a master of your own time, and recapture two hours per day, you can use that extra time to chase your dreams.
Action Exercise
Figure out how you can add two hours of productivity to your day. Make a schedule of your day and find where you can squeeze two hours of time out for maximum efficiency.
Courtesy: Brian Tracy Newsletter
The Law of Correspondence says that your outer life tends to be a mirror image of your inner life. Everywhere you look, there you are. Everywhere you look, you see yourself reflected back. You do not see the world as it is, but as you are—inside. If you want to change what is going on in the world around you—your relationships, results, and rewards—you have to change what in going on in the world inside you. Fortunately, this is the only part of your life over which you have complete control.
The Starting Point of Success
The starting point of excelling in time management is desire. Almost everyone feels that their time management skills could be vastly better than they are. The key to motivation is "motive." For you to develop sufficient desire to develop Time Power, you must be intensely motivated by the benefits you feel you will enjoy.
Gaining Two Extra Hours Each Day
Your productivity can dramatically change if you add to extra hours to your day. Two extra hours per day, multiplies by five days per week, equals ten extra hours a week. Ten extra hours a week multiplied by fifty weeks a year would give you 500 extra productive hours each year. And 500 hours translates into more that twelve, forty-hour weeks, or the equivalent of three extra months of productive working time each year. By gaining two productive hours each day, you can transform your personal and working life.
"Perform at Your Best - No Matter What!"
YOU Can Reach Your Goals and Achieve the Unthinkable.
The real secret to living the life of your dreams is this: learn to live at Peak Performance every day and you will be unstoppable.
Improving Your Productivity Performance
Your productivity, performance, and income will increase by at least 25 percent over the next year. Two more productive hours, out of the eight hours that you spend at work each day, is the equivalent of at least a 25 percent increase.
Increasing Your Sense of Control
When you leverage the power of time, you will have a greater sense of control over your work and your personal life. You will feel like the master of your own destiny, and a power in your own life. You will feel more positive and powerful in every part of your life.
Take Control of your Time and Your Life
One of the keys to developing a stronger internal focus of control is to manage your time and your life better. The more skilled you become at managing your time, the happier and more confident you will feel. You will have a stronger sense of personal power. You will feel in charge of your own destiny. You will have a greater sense of well-being. You will be more positive and personable.
Having More Time for Your Family
You will have more time for your family and your personal life as you get your time and your life under control. You will have more time for your friends, for relaxation, for personal and professional development, and for anything else you want to do. When you become a master of your own time, and recapture two hours per day, you can use that extra time to chase your dreams.
Action Exercise
Figure out how you can add two hours of productivity to your day. Make a schedule of your day and find where you can squeeze two hours of time out for maximum efficiency.
Courtesy: Brian Tracy Newsletter
Friday, October 30, 2009
More WORDS OF WISDOM to inspire and guide us...
"It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness."
- Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady
"It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours, and you'll drift in that direction."
- Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathaway, CEO
"We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."
- Marie Curie, physicist
"The highest form of success... comes... to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph."
- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president
"Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way."
- Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. president
"Strategic advantage lies in the leverage of knowledge."
- Robert Buckman, leadership coach
"Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so."
- Charles deGaulle, statesman
"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."
- Harriet Beecher Stowe, Writer
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard Shaw, Writer
"Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it's because you've started to think of failure."
- Tommy Lasorda, baseball manager
"Happiness is mostly a byproduct of doing what makes us feel fulfilled."
- Benjamin Spock, Pediatrician
- Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady
"It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours, and you'll drift in that direction."
- Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathaway, CEO
"We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."
- Marie Curie, physicist
"The highest form of success... comes... to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph."
- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president
"Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way."
- Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. president
"Strategic advantage lies in the leverage of knowledge."
- Robert Buckman, leadership coach
"Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so."
- Charles deGaulle, statesman
"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."
- Harriet Beecher Stowe, Writer
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard Shaw, Writer
"Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it's because you've started to think of failure."
- Tommy Lasorda, baseball manager
"Happiness is mostly a byproduct of doing what makes us feel fulfilled."
- Benjamin Spock, Pediatrician
Monday, October 26, 2009
Endorphins: Nature's Wonder Drugs for Total Success
By Brian Tracy
Every time you complete a task of any kind, your brain releases a small quantity of endorphins. This natural morphine gives you a sense of well-being and elation. It makes you feel happy and peaceful. It stimulates your creativity and improves your personality. It is nature's "wonder drug."
Create the Winning Feeling
Everyone wants to feel like a winner. And feeling like a winner requires that you win. You get a feeling of being a winner by completing a task 100 percent. When you do this repeatedly, eventually you develop the habit of completing the tasks that you begin. When this habit of task completion locks in, your life will begin to improve in ways that you cannot today imagine.
The Pain of Procrastination
If you have ever had a major assignment that you have put off, you know what I am referring to. The longer you wait to get started on an assignment and the closer the deadline approaches, the greater stress you experience. It can start to keep you up at night until you finally launch into the task and push it through to completion; you feel a great sense of relief and well-being. It is almost as if nature rewards you for everything that you do that is positive and life enhancing. At the same time, nature penalizes you with stress and dissatisfaction when you fail to do the tasks that move you toward the goals and results that are important to you.
"Unlock your potential and become everything you are capable of becoming, right now!"
When you learn how to Unlock Your Potential, you will be able to visualize your future goals and turn them into reality, simplify your life and overall feel fantastic about yourself and every area of your life.
Learn more here >>
The Balanced Scoreboard
One of the most popular movements in modern management is toward a "balanced scorecard." Using these scorecards, every person, at every level of the business is encouraged to identify the key measures that indicate success and then give themselves scores every day and every week in each of those key areas. Here is an important point. The very act of identifying a number or score and then paying close attention to it will cause you to improve your performance in that area.
Close the Loop
The third C, after commitment and completion, is "closure." This is the difference between an "open loop" and a "closed loop." Bringing closure to an issue in your personal or business life is absolutely essential for you to feel happy and in control of your situation. Lack of closure—unfinished business, an incomplete action of any kind—is a major source of stress, dissatisfaction, and even failure in business. It consumes enormous amounts of physical and emotional energy.
The Key Ability
Perhaps the most important ability in the world of work is "dependability." Nothing will get you paid more and promoted faster than to develop a reputation for getting your tasks done quickly, done well, and on schedule. Whatever your goals, make a list of all the tasks you will have to accomplish in the achievement of those goals. Put a deadline on every one of those tasks.
Action Exercise
Determine a single measure that you can use to grade your progress and success in each area of your life. Refer to it daily.
Courtesy: Brian Tracy newsletter
Every time you complete a task of any kind, your brain releases a small quantity of endorphins. This natural morphine gives you a sense of well-being and elation. It makes you feel happy and peaceful. It stimulates your creativity and improves your personality. It is nature's "wonder drug."
Create the Winning Feeling
Everyone wants to feel like a winner. And feeling like a winner requires that you win. You get a feeling of being a winner by completing a task 100 percent. When you do this repeatedly, eventually you develop the habit of completing the tasks that you begin. When this habit of task completion locks in, your life will begin to improve in ways that you cannot today imagine.
The Pain of Procrastination
If you have ever had a major assignment that you have put off, you know what I am referring to. The longer you wait to get started on an assignment and the closer the deadline approaches, the greater stress you experience. It can start to keep you up at night until you finally launch into the task and push it through to completion; you feel a great sense of relief and well-being. It is almost as if nature rewards you for everything that you do that is positive and life enhancing. At the same time, nature penalizes you with stress and dissatisfaction when you fail to do the tasks that move you toward the goals and results that are important to you.
"Unlock your potential and become everything you are capable of becoming, right now!"
When you learn how to Unlock Your Potential, you will be able to visualize your future goals and turn them into reality, simplify your life and overall feel fantastic about yourself and every area of your life.
Learn more here >>
The Balanced Scoreboard
One of the most popular movements in modern management is toward a "balanced scorecard." Using these scorecards, every person, at every level of the business is encouraged to identify the key measures that indicate success and then give themselves scores every day and every week in each of those key areas. Here is an important point. The very act of identifying a number or score and then paying close attention to it will cause you to improve your performance in that area.
Close the Loop
The third C, after commitment and completion, is "closure." This is the difference between an "open loop" and a "closed loop." Bringing closure to an issue in your personal or business life is absolutely essential for you to feel happy and in control of your situation. Lack of closure—unfinished business, an incomplete action of any kind—is a major source of stress, dissatisfaction, and even failure in business. It consumes enormous amounts of physical and emotional energy.
The Key Ability
Perhaps the most important ability in the world of work is "dependability." Nothing will get you paid more and promoted faster than to develop a reputation for getting your tasks done quickly, done well, and on schedule. Whatever your goals, make a list of all the tasks you will have to accomplish in the achievement of those goals. Put a deadline on every one of those tasks.
Action Exercise
Determine a single measure that you can use to grade your progress and success in each area of your life. Refer to it daily.
Courtesy: Brian Tracy newsletter
Friday, October 23, 2009
Counterattack!
By Brian Tracy
October 23, 2009
"A bold, vigorous assault has won many a faltering cause."
- Ira Eaker, General
When you-know-what hits the fan and the survival of your business is endangered, you must begin thinking like a military commander in battle. Often the situation is so serious that you have to step forward and make hard decisions, and make them immediately. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Military Strategy
Top military leaders have been studied going back to 600 B.C. Over the centuries, several principles of military strategy that lead to the victory of defeat have been identified. They are now taught to student officers in every military school in the world. By applying these principles of military strategy to your life and your business, you can often turn the situation around and achieve extraordinary results.
Be Clear in Your Objective
The first principle of military strategy is the Principle of the Objective. It requires that you be perfectly clear about the goal (or goals) that you want and need to get through a crunch point. In business, the practice of this principle is usually focused on goals related to sales, revenues, and cash flow. You need plans, schedules, and the right people doing the right jobs to achieve your most important objectives. Everyone should be absolutely clear about what they are expected to do, and they must be committed to success, to victory, no matter how serious the crisis.
"Out-Think, Out-Market and Out-Sell the Competition"
Clear planning and goal setting are essential to seeing your business succeed.
Turbostrategy will help you revitalize your business and personal life and help you achieve the results you're looking for to make your business dreams become reality!
Take Bold Action
The second strategic principle is the Principle of the Offensive. It requires that you take action—that you move forward boldly to confront your difficulties and solve your problems. As Napoleon said, “No great battles are ever won on the defensive.” Since your natural tendency when you hit crunch time is to withdraw, cut back, and play it safe, you must resist this urge and instead dare to go forward, to seize control of the situation, and to attack your difficulties with firmness and decisiveness.
Crunch Point Mantra
Whenever one of my companies has experienced a cash crunch, my mantra is, “When in doubt, sell your way out.” You cannot cost-cut your way out of a financial crisis. You have to generate revenues, and the only way to do that is by selling something to someone. Always think in terms of generating revenues from sales. Become very aggressive and focused in this area. Every single company that has rebounded from a crisis, including companies like IBM in 1991, turned itself around by focusing single-mindedly on generating sales revenues. You should do the same.
Action Exercise
Discipline yourself to focus single-mindedly on this number-one target, resisting temptations to clear up small things at first.
"21 Secrets Guaranteed to Empower You When You Need It The Most"
Whatever you do in life...unexpected stuff is guaranteed to happen. Will you be ready? Setbacks in your life and your business are unavoidable.
What happens next will determine whether you fail or succeed in meeting your challenge.
(Another pragmatic lesson from BRIAN TRACY's Newsletter.)
October 23, 2009
"A bold, vigorous assault has won many a faltering cause."
- Ira Eaker, General
When you-know-what hits the fan and the survival of your business is endangered, you must begin thinking like a military commander in battle. Often the situation is so serious that you have to step forward and make hard decisions, and make them immediately. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Military Strategy
Top military leaders have been studied going back to 600 B.C. Over the centuries, several principles of military strategy that lead to the victory of defeat have been identified. They are now taught to student officers in every military school in the world. By applying these principles of military strategy to your life and your business, you can often turn the situation around and achieve extraordinary results.
Be Clear in Your Objective
The first principle of military strategy is the Principle of the Objective. It requires that you be perfectly clear about the goal (or goals) that you want and need to get through a crunch point. In business, the practice of this principle is usually focused on goals related to sales, revenues, and cash flow. You need plans, schedules, and the right people doing the right jobs to achieve your most important objectives. Everyone should be absolutely clear about what they are expected to do, and they must be committed to success, to victory, no matter how serious the crisis.
"Out-Think, Out-Market and Out-Sell the Competition"
Clear planning and goal setting are essential to seeing your business succeed.
Turbostrategy will help you revitalize your business and personal life and help you achieve the results you're looking for to make your business dreams become reality!
Take Bold Action
The second strategic principle is the Principle of the Offensive. It requires that you take action—that you move forward boldly to confront your difficulties and solve your problems. As Napoleon said, “No great battles are ever won on the defensive.” Since your natural tendency when you hit crunch time is to withdraw, cut back, and play it safe, you must resist this urge and instead dare to go forward, to seize control of the situation, and to attack your difficulties with firmness and decisiveness.
Crunch Point Mantra
Whenever one of my companies has experienced a cash crunch, my mantra is, “When in doubt, sell your way out.” You cannot cost-cut your way out of a financial crisis. You have to generate revenues, and the only way to do that is by selling something to someone. Always think in terms of generating revenues from sales. Become very aggressive and focused in this area. Every single company that has rebounded from a crisis, including companies like IBM in 1991, turned itself around by focusing single-mindedly on generating sales revenues. You should do the same.
Action Exercise
Discipline yourself to focus single-mindedly on this number-one target, resisting temptations to clear up small things at first.
"21 Secrets Guaranteed to Empower You When You Need It The Most"
Whatever you do in life...unexpected stuff is guaranteed to happen. Will you be ready? Setbacks in your life and your business are unavoidable.
What happens next will determine whether you fail or succeed in meeting your challenge.
(Another pragmatic lesson from BRIAN TRACY's Newsletter.)
Monday, October 19, 2009
The conclusion (the end?) of STDs
STD 10
I've started seeing this guy I'm crazy about and, yes, we're having sex. Or we were. Now I've got these horrible symptoms. I'm having a lot of greenish yellow, frothy discharge from my vagina. I'm sore all around my vaginal area and upper thighs. My boyfriend is just fine. Is it just me or what?
Answer:
Men usually don't get symptoms of trichomoniasis infection. But if they look early in the morning, infected men may see a slight discharge from the penis. Sometimes, women get only a slight discharge.
The bug that causes trichomoniasis is a protozoon. See a doctor -- both of you. A single treatment almost always does the trick, if both partners are treated at the same time. If you have more than one sex partner, all of your partners must be examined and treated.
STD 11
OK, I had an affair. But I broke it off after just a couple of times. I feel terrible about it. I'll never do it again. Since my wife doesn't know about it, I don't want to hurt her feelings for no reason. Only problem is, about three weeks later I got this sore. Just one of them. It was on my penis, but it didn't hurt at all. I made excuses not to have sex with my wife, and it healed after about a month. I thought it was all over. But now I'm getting these rashes on my palms and soles. Any connection?
Answer:
Syphilis used to be a terrible thing. It still is -- if not treated. The sore on your penis is called a chancre. It's the sign of primary syphilis. Secondary syphilis comes next. The symptoms begin with a rash, usually starting on the palms and soles. These rashes come and go, but cover various places on the body. Mucous membranes may erode in the mouth, penis, vulva, or anus. Hair falls out in patches, leaving a moth-eaten look. And that's still not the worst of it. Untreated syphilis eventually damages the heart and brain. In fact, if you've already got secondary syphilis the germs that cause the disease may already have invaded your brain.
Fortunately, antibiotics cure the disease. You'll have to see a doctor to get diagnosed and treated. And you'll have to tell your wife. If you've had sex with her, she may be infected.
STD 12
I've got a lot of boyfriends. Sure, they get jealous that I sleep with other guys, but I'm not ready to commit to just one person -- or even just one person at a time. Lately, though, I don't feel like seeing anybody. I'm tired all the time and feel like I'm coming down with something. Usually you don't have to call me twice for dinner. Now my appetite is gone, and I feel sick to my stomach. My belly hurts and my urine has kind of a dark color. What's wrong with me?
Answer:
Only half of people who get hepatitis B infection have symptoms. On the other hand, there may other symptoms besides the ones you mention. Some people get rashes or joint pain in the early stages of infection. Some get jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. About one in 100 people get sudden liver failure and may suddenly collapse with fatigue. Symptoms may first appear six weeks to six months after infection.
Having multiple sex partners is a major risk factor for hepatitis B infection. Also at risk are men who have sex with men, injection drug users and their sex partners, and household contacts of people with chronic infection.
The good news is that the vast majority of adults who become infected with hepatitis B will clear the infection on their own. But 2% to 6% of infected adults get chronic, lifelong infection. That's why it's important to see a doctor if you're at risk for hepatitis B infection.
The bad news is there is no specific treatment. Antiviral medications can keep the virus at bay and may even put hepatitis B liver disease into remission.
Fortunately, there is a vaccine. It's now routine for infants; since 1996 more than 80% of U.S. infants have been getting the vaccine. If your sexual behavior puts you at risk of hepatitis B infection, you should get vaccinated.
-----
NOTE: This entire informative article on "STDs": courtesy of WebMD.com newsletters.
I've started seeing this guy I'm crazy about and, yes, we're having sex. Or we were. Now I've got these horrible symptoms. I'm having a lot of greenish yellow, frothy discharge from my vagina. I'm sore all around my vaginal area and upper thighs. My boyfriend is just fine. Is it just me or what?
Answer:
Men usually don't get symptoms of trichomoniasis infection. But if they look early in the morning, infected men may see a slight discharge from the penis. Sometimes, women get only a slight discharge.
The bug that causes trichomoniasis is a protozoon. See a doctor -- both of you. A single treatment almost always does the trick, if both partners are treated at the same time. If you have more than one sex partner, all of your partners must be examined and treated.
STD 11
OK, I had an affair. But I broke it off after just a couple of times. I feel terrible about it. I'll never do it again. Since my wife doesn't know about it, I don't want to hurt her feelings for no reason. Only problem is, about three weeks later I got this sore. Just one of them. It was on my penis, but it didn't hurt at all. I made excuses not to have sex with my wife, and it healed after about a month. I thought it was all over. But now I'm getting these rashes on my palms and soles. Any connection?
Answer:
Syphilis used to be a terrible thing. It still is -- if not treated. The sore on your penis is called a chancre. It's the sign of primary syphilis. Secondary syphilis comes next. The symptoms begin with a rash, usually starting on the palms and soles. These rashes come and go, but cover various places on the body. Mucous membranes may erode in the mouth, penis, vulva, or anus. Hair falls out in patches, leaving a moth-eaten look. And that's still not the worst of it. Untreated syphilis eventually damages the heart and brain. In fact, if you've already got secondary syphilis the germs that cause the disease may already have invaded your brain.
Fortunately, antibiotics cure the disease. You'll have to see a doctor to get diagnosed and treated. And you'll have to tell your wife. If you've had sex with her, she may be infected.
STD 12
I've got a lot of boyfriends. Sure, they get jealous that I sleep with other guys, but I'm not ready to commit to just one person -- or even just one person at a time. Lately, though, I don't feel like seeing anybody. I'm tired all the time and feel like I'm coming down with something. Usually you don't have to call me twice for dinner. Now my appetite is gone, and I feel sick to my stomach. My belly hurts and my urine has kind of a dark color. What's wrong with me?
Answer:
Only half of people who get hepatitis B infection have symptoms. On the other hand, there may other symptoms besides the ones you mention. Some people get rashes or joint pain in the early stages of infection. Some get jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes. About one in 100 people get sudden liver failure and may suddenly collapse with fatigue. Symptoms may first appear six weeks to six months after infection.
Having multiple sex partners is a major risk factor for hepatitis B infection. Also at risk are men who have sex with men, injection drug users and their sex partners, and household contacts of people with chronic infection.
The good news is that the vast majority of adults who become infected with hepatitis B will clear the infection on their own. But 2% to 6% of infected adults get chronic, lifelong infection. That's why it's important to see a doctor if you're at risk for hepatitis B infection.
The bad news is there is no specific treatment. Antiviral medications can keep the virus at bay and may even put hepatitis B liver disease into remission.
Fortunately, there is a vaccine. It's now routine for infants; since 1996 more than 80% of U.S. infants have been getting the vaccine. If your sexual behavior puts you at risk of hepatitis B infection, you should get vaccinated.
-----
NOTE: This entire informative article on "STDs": courtesy of WebMD.com newsletters.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
More STDs (Continued)
STD 7
I moped around for more than a month after breaking up with my girlfriend. Just when I started feeling like seeing other women again, I noticed this cluster of moist little sacs of flesh near my vagina. Since then it got a bit bigger and turned whitish. It looks like a little cauliflower! I'm very embarrassed. How can I ever have sex with anybody ever again?
Answer:
The virus that causes genital warts spreads by direct skin-to-skin contact. It's called human papillomavirus, or HPV. There are several different kinds of HPV. Some kinds are linked to cervical cancer, although these HPV strains are less likely to cause warts.
Genital warts appear one to six months after HPV infection. There's no cure, but there are treatments. These treatments must be performed or prescribed by a doctor. DO NOT use over-the-counter wart remedies on genital warts. While treatment can make warts go away, they often come back.
It's common to be upset by genital warts. You should avoid sex until all warts are removed. Condoms can prevent HPV spread, but since they do not cover all of the skin that might be affected, they are not totally effective. Having genital warts does not mean your sex life is over.
Although there is no treatment for HPV infection, most people eventually clear the virus on their own -- usually within two years. If you have HPV infection, it's especially important to see your doctor for regular Pap tests to look for cell changes on your cervix that could develop into cancer.
There is an HPV vaccine for women. It will not cure HPV infection or speed clearance of the virus. But it will protect against the strains of the virus that most often cause cancer. The vaccine does the most good before a person becomes sexually active. That's why it's recommended for girls aged 11 to 12 -- and why it can be given as early as age 9.
STD 8
My girlfriend has a few little red bumps around her vulva, but they don't bother her and they didn't stop us from having sex. We use condoms -- but a few weeks back, a few of the same kind of bumps popped up on my groin. Now it's spread to my thighs. The area is a little tender, but it doesn't bother me all that much. I keep waiting for it to go away. Will it?
Answer:
Molluscum contagiosum, once a disease of childhood, is now sexually transmitted among adults. It's caused by a poxvirus called MCV. It can be spread through sexual contact, or by contact with other objects, such as towels, used by an infected person.
The bumps are small, waxy, and round -- often with a little depression in the middle. Each lesion lasts for about six to eight weeks. But since it spreads, it can take two years or more to go away by itself. Your doctor can speed recovery either by surgical or chemical removal of the lesions.
STD 9
We didn't have sex, I swear! OK, my boyfriend and I did sleep together in his bed -- with our clothes off. We spooned a lot, but we didn't go past second base. And that was over a month ago. Now I'm back at school but I've got this itch on my waist, my groin and the lower part of my butt. It's MUCH worse at night when I go to bed. There are some short, wavy lines on the skin, but the worst are these dozens of itchy bumps. There's no way this is an STD, is there?
Answer:
Sex isn't the only way to get scabies. In fact, this skin-mite infection is hard to get from a brief sexual encounter. But prolonged skin contact does spread infection. If it took a month for symptoms to appear, this must be the first time you've had scabies. People who get it more than once get symptoms in only one to four days.
The mites that cause scabies burrow just under the surface of the skin. Females lay eggs that hatch in a few days. The itching is caused by an allergic reaction. You can't get scabies from a brief contact, such as a handshake, but it spreads in households after prolonged contact with infested bedding, carpets, or furniture.
Your doctor can prescribe treatments that will kill the mites. Even after they're dead, you'll still itch for a while. Doctors usually prescribe corticosteroid ointments to relieve this itching. And don't forget that killing the mites means getting rid of mites hiding in your bed, clothing, etc.
(More to come...)
I moped around for more than a month after breaking up with my girlfriend. Just when I started feeling like seeing other women again, I noticed this cluster of moist little sacs of flesh near my vagina. Since then it got a bit bigger and turned whitish. It looks like a little cauliflower! I'm very embarrassed. How can I ever have sex with anybody ever again?
Answer:
The virus that causes genital warts spreads by direct skin-to-skin contact. It's called human papillomavirus, or HPV. There are several different kinds of HPV. Some kinds are linked to cervical cancer, although these HPV strains are less likely to cause warts.
Genital warts appear one to six months after HPV infection. There's no cure, but there are treatments. These treatments must be performed or prescribed by a doctor. DO NOT use over-the-counter wart remedies on genital warts. While treatment can make warts go away, they often come back.
It's common to be upset by genital warts. You should avoid sex until all warts are removed. Condoms can prevent HPV spread, but since they do not cover all of the skin that might be affected, they are not totally effective. Having genital warts does not mean your sex life is over.
Although there is no treatment for HPV infection, most people eventually clear the virus on their own -- usually within two years. If you have HPV infection, it's especially important to see your doctor for regular Pap tests to look for cell changes on your cervix that could develop into cancer.
There is an HPV vaccine for women. It will not cure HPV infection or speed clearance of the virus. But it will protect against the strains of the virus that most often cause cancer. The vaccine does the most good before a person becomes sexually active. That's why it's recommended for girls aged 11 to 12 -- and why it can be given as early as age 9.
STD 8
My girlfriend has a few little red bumps around her vulva, but they don't bother her and they didn't stop us from having sex. We use condoms -- but a few weeks back, a few of the same kind of bumps popped up on my groin. Now it's spread to my thighs. The area is a little tender, but it doesn't bother me all that much. I keep waiting for it to go away. Will it?
Answer:
Molluscum contagiosum, once a disease of childhood, is now sexually transmitted among adults. It's caused by a poxvirus called MCV. It can be spread through sexual contact, or by contact with other objects, such as towels, used by an infected person.
The bumps are small, waxy, and round -- often with a little depression in the middle. Each lesion lasts for about six to eight weeks. But since it spreads, it can take two years or more to go away by itself. Your doctor can speed recovery either by surgical or chemical removal of the lesions.
STD 9
We didn't have sex, I swear! OK, my boyfriend and I did sleep together in his bed -- with our clothes off. We spooned a lot, but we didn't go past second base. And that was over a month ago. Now I'm back at school but I've got this itch on my waist, my groin and the lower part of my butt. It's MUCH worse at night when I go to bed. There are some short, wavy lines on the skin, but the worst are these dozens of itchy bumps. There's no way this is an STD, is there?
Answer:
Sex isn't the only way to get scabies. In fact, this skin-mite infection is hard to get from a brief sexual encounter. But prolonged skin contact does spread infection. If it took a month for symptoms to appear, this must be the first time you've had scabies. People who get it more than once get symptoms in only one to four days.
The mites that cause scabies burrow just under the surface of the skin. Females lay eggs that hatch in a few days. The itching is caused by an allergic reaction. You can't get scabies from a brief contact, such as a handshake, but it spreads in households after prolonged contact with infested bedding, carpets, or furniture.
Your doctor can prescribe treatments that will kill the mites. Even after they're dead, you'll still itch for a while. Doctors usually prescribe corticosteroid ointments to relieve this itching. And don't forget that killing the mites means getting rid of mites hiding in your bed, clothing, etc.
(More to come...)
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