One of the things that sets Bell’s Palsy apart from other types of facial paralysis is the speed with which it appears.

Usually people wake up one morning and they have it. Sometimes a slight symptom may be noticed the night before and within the same 24 hours all the symptoms have been manifested.

It can, however, take longer. From a day to a few days, as did my experience. This can be very worrying because one wonders, or more accurately, panics, about what is going to happen next.

The main thing to remember is that this will only affect your face as that is the only purpose of the 7th cranial nerve and that is the only thing that has been affected.

It IS going to stop, which was my major worry especially as it started to go down the other side of my face (a very rare occurrence).

Remember - it is the 7th cranial nerve that is struggling, not anything else. This point is well worth reminding yourself of, very often at first.

So what does, or will, your Bell’s Palsy actually look like?

We will concentrate upon physical symptoms here. I deal with psychological symptoms throughout the book where relevant.

This is a list of the common physical symptoms with which I have included others that I either had or felt that I had. These are not exhaustible lists and you may or may not get some or all of them.

I have found that just to know that a symptom is possible and has happened to others and is therefore nothing to worry about, is in itself very helpful.

Most common symptoms of unilateral Bell’s Palsy.

ALL THESE SYMPTOMS AND HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY COPE WITH THEM ARE COVERED IN THE RELEVANT CHAPTERS OF THE BOOK

• Facial muscle weakness or a paralysis of the facial muscles giving an overall droopy appearance on one side of the face.
• Wrinkling of the skin disappears (ironically you will be so happy as they start to come back)
• An inability to completely close the eye on the side of the paralysis
• A constantly watery eye or a constantly dry eye due to the above.
• Lower eyelid extremely drooped, allowing more of the eye surface to be exposed to dust, dirt and water.
• A particular sensitivity to light probably due to the fact that you cannot close one of your eyes completely.
• Teeth pains (unlike toothache more as if the teeth on the affected side of your face have been frozen into one block – with myself this passed within a few days and was odd rather than truly painful)
• Your nose may run more than normal or feel constantly blocked.
• Difficulty speaking in the same way as you normally do
• Difficulty eating and drinking (you can eat and drink, it is just very different)
• Sensitivity to sound in one ear
• A feeling of your ear being blocked upon facial movement when facial movement starts to return
• Pain in or near the ear
• Difficulty closing your mouth properly.
• A drooping bottom lip (especially in Bilateral Bell’s Palsy)
• A constant thirst due to the above and your saliva glands or, an overactive saliva gland making you dribble because of the above
• An inability to whistle
• Facial swelling or a feeling that your face or parts of it are swollen
• Diminished or distorted taste
• Inability to raise the eyebrow on the affected side
• A distorted looking face when expressions are made with the good side of the face and when

speaking

• Slight feelings of being off balance, slightly dizzy or giddy (this can usually be associated with the stress of the event (hypervigilance), but may also be a slight giddiness as you get used to the fact that one side of your face feels different to the other)
• Chronic tiredness as would be associated with having a virus (this goes incrementally, the more rest that you give yourself)
• As things start to improve you may feel either a tingling or slight pain, or experience twitching before that muscle “wakes up” and starts to work again. I must warn you here that sometimes they can wake up and then go back to sleep which is very upsetting (they do awake again though usually) Believe me, as ridiculous as this sounds, it is one of the most wonderful experiences in this whole event when you get a new “twitch”.

To summarise all the above it is very difficult or impossible to show any facial expression including a smile on the affected side of your face.

The best way to describe how it feels is to remember when you have visited a dentist and they have “numbed” one side of your face. The reason that I put the word “numbed” thus, is that your skin does not actually go numb it just feels as though it should be.

The Symptoms of Bilateral Bell’s Palsy are some or all of the above, but on BOTH sides of the face. As you can read in the chapter “My Experience”, although the first side of my Bell’s Palsy manifested itself mainly within 24 - 48 hours, the second side was a more gradual process and took another 3 days to be fully manifested.

If you think that you are experiencing any of these please go back to your doctor and make him aware of your concerns.

If paralysis develops slowly, over more than a few days then go to your doctor and inform him of your concerns as this could be a different condition that could require different treatment tests for other causes of the paralysis.

If this is not the first time you have had Bell’s Palsy fret not. However, if it has only been a short time since your last experience then it would be better to have some further testing just to make sure that there is no other condition underlying that may be causing the attacks. Your doctor will most probably recommend this to you anyway.

Robert Wilkinson is the author of All Bells and No Whistle - the self help guide for living with and recovering from Bell’s Palsy. He is currently writing his latest book on the subject of stress.

Because no longer is the Marketing message, “We want your money”. To day the Marketing message has to be “We want your opinions”.

Because the moment you put that into real practice you can have everything you’ve always wanted, sales, customer relationships and also Brand loyalty.

And the next time you hear those words “Let’s research it” remember that research works against the very thing you desperately need in your Marketing efforts, creativity and risk taking, both crucially necessary to the successful development of your products or services.

However replacing research with interaction changes all the opportunities to successful marketing. “Yes”, you can say,” “Interactive Events will create my new products”

However at the moment Big Business is not making the correct decisions regarding interaction. Maybe some people within these organisations know and understand what’s happening out there in consumer land. But the dreadful fact is that giving their voice to such statements would, more probably, seriously damage their career growth!

These days I search everywhere for the headline “Interactive Communication is a winning combination for all…The Client…The Media…and last but by no means least…your customer”!

It never appears.

Interactive Communication finally allows the revolution to commence. The revolution against one-size fits all advertising; the bland all-knowing corporate voice, the lack lustre politicians busily furnishing their own nests…from our money.

The fact of the matter is your customers, you, me and everybody else, do not trust business. We find it highly insulting to be treated this way and we mistrust you in numbers far greater than you or your advertising/marketing people allow for.

Dialogue, two-way conversations, would start to change these hostile attitudes. You really do need to commence interactive events – right now. And you can do so in existing media.

Before I go on, I must emphasise that on no account let your Advertising Agency tempt you into spending big bucks on the Web. Already the Advertising-as-Usual crowd is pouring billions into the Web, however be warned, as they said in the “Cluetrain Manifesto”, “So you advertise on the Internet…so what”? If you think you are wasting money on Advertising-as-Usual be very careful. The Internet, possibly is a bigger waste of money than Advertising-as-Usual, and, as we all know, right now that is one Mother of a huge waste of money!

“Why?” you may ask “has it all changed from the safe secure way of marketing in the past”.

Simply put, Advertising-as-Usual, together with its handmaiden Broadcasting-as-Usual have treated us with too much contempt. According to a recent article in the Times, TV executives commonly think of viewers’ phone revenue as “moron tax”. And this attitude of utter contempt pervades the executives of advertising and Broadcast-as-Usual, and expresses itself in all the offerings of a rip-off culture, from government to TV companies.

And bear in mind that Advertising-as-Usual and Broadcast-as-Usual hold Clients in great contempt as well. They rejoice in removing large chunks of your Marketing Budgets, to then waste them in rip-off ventures that only worsen the publics’ contempt for you…so in effect they are spending your money to get you into a ever worsening situation.

Trust is a must have asset. You now must harness interactive communication to get the trust, and results, because if you don’t somebody else will and they, in turn, will drive you out of business.

Trust based relationship lies between the extremes of command and control and empowerment in business. Interactive marketing communication, using existing media, is a practical way of reaching out and building up a powerful relationship, and trust, with every single person you need to make your business successful.

Paul Ashby pioneered interactive communication to the advertising and marketing communities some twenty-five years ago. The communication issues he addresses have been neglected during the explosive grown of advertising in the 60s, 70s and 80s, these are Cognitive Dissonance, Selective Retention and Selective Exposure.

Would you like to discover the incredible results to be attained by using interactive communication? Well these are revealed for FREE at http://effectiveaccountablecommunication.blogspot.com or contact Paul directly on paul.ashby@yahoo.com

The Importance of Bounce Free Email Accounts for Safelists!

Are You using safelists to market on the internet? If so, then
You need a reliable bounce free email account for Your Safelists.
Not having one will result in being put to vacation mode very
fast or having Your membership deleted by the safelist provider.
Let me show You how to overcome this problem in this article.

Especially when You are using many safelists, for example as a
user of a safelist submitter, You will have problems with bouncing
emails with most email providers. They simply can`t handle the
huge amounts of mail You will receive.

This is not a question of how big Your inbox is. Rather it is
important that You will get too many emails per Hour for most of
the email providers. Your mails will start bouncing even if Your
inbox is not full.

If Your Mails are bouncing, the safelists will put Your account
in vacation mode and You will not be able to post to them. That
is unless You reset Your account, but with hundreds or even
thousands of subscribed lists You will have a hard time keeping
up with resetting Your accounts.

Many safelist providers will even cancel Your account if Your mail
bounces to often, so You will loose a lot of Your memberships if
You do not have a 100% reliable email account.

Fortunately there are some companies out there, that will supply
You with a huge bounce free email account, especially designed
with the safelist marketer in mind. They guarantee You that Your
mail will not bounce.

This way You will never be set to vacation mode or loose Your
account. This will ensure that Your ads are really going out to
all the lists You have subscribed to.

More and more safelist hosts also have a huge list of banned
domains, which includes almost all of the free email account
providers like Yahoo or AOL. Your safelist email account will
make sure that You are accepted as a member in all of the safelists.

So if You want to use safelist marketing to promote Your site or
service, then having a bounce free email account is vital to
insure Your success.

Written by Thomas Kraemer
I`m a web marketer from the North of Germany and I´m using a safelist
marketing strategy successfully to promote my sites.
If You are using safelist marketing or plan to do so in the future,
then You might want to visit my Blog about safelist marketing. You
will also find information on bounce free email accounts for Your
safelists there!

The Better Email Expert Marketing Safelist Blog

If you are tired of working for someone else, you might be looking for the best home business ideas. After all, why would you want to work for someone else and go through the daily grind of commuting to and from the office when you can establish a business in your home. This means flexible hours, both travel time and expenses are saved, and no boss to go after you.

Especially for sales personnel who work smart and hard and earn a small commission with your company taking a significant part of the profits. If you worked as smart and hard for yourself, all the profit is yours. Let’s look at some best home business ideas.

1. Internet Business

Home based internet businesses are very popular nowadays, and it will be one of the considerations but it may not be for everyone. There are also other home based businesses that you may want to choose from based on your hobbies, interests, skills and experience.

2. Home-based Day Care

Best home business ideas ideally should be something you like to do. If you like children, then a home-based day care can be an avenue for you to earn that extra money. By having it at home, you can save on the big amount of money that you will need to invest if you think of a center outside your home.

Some parents may also prefer to leave their children in the comfort of a home setting.

2. Pet Sitters

What if you rather not look after children but love to spend your time with pets? Then, just opt to do home-based pet sitting.

All you need to do is to prepare your home for these pets and find some clients. In these days where pets are lavished with so much of attention, this is a viable option.

3. Sell Things

Go through your home and you might find things that you are not using any more. Have a garage sale to sell off these things.

Or if you are good at handicrafts, you could also sell them. Potentially, you could also see if any of the gift shops would like to display your handicraft for sale. If this turns out to be successful, then you can just supply the shops.

If you are good at baking, you could have a home-based cake making business. Again, you could supply the cakes to food outlets if you do not want to be involved in selling them.

Let your creativity run, and see what else you can sell.

It is easy to decide that you want to start a home-based business but before you decide which one, look at some best home business ideas. Be realistic and take stock of your own skills, interests and experiences. You do not have to quit your job straightaway. Start doing it part time if possible to see if it suits you. Once you are comfortable, you can then go into it full time.

Regina Maniam shares information on internet marketing. You can access information on the Top Online Money Making Opportunities at http://www.lifecoachingsecret.com It reviews 8 top internet marketing products.

Foods that cause gout have long been identified as those foods that are linked to cardiovascular disease and foods that have high purine content, a naturally occurring element of human tissue found in many foods. During digestion, purines are broken down into uric acid, which may cause a flare up of gout.

Uric acid collects in the blood and forms crystals which gather in cartilage and tissue surrounding joints, causing intense pain and swelling. People with gout may produce excessive amounts of uric acid naturally, or their kidneys might not be as effective in filtering out these acids. For these people, diets that involve a lot of purines may induce a gout attack.

A diet that limits foods that cause gout that can eliminate outbreaks and reduce suffering. Dark berries, such as cherries, blueberries, strawberries and cranberries have been shown to contain a chemical that helps the body process and get rid of uric acid and should be a part of a diet for gout. They also have properties to reduce inflammation, which can help gout flare ups dissipate faster. Since red meats have been shown to raise the risk of gout, tofu can act as a substitute. Because its protein comes from soybeans, it is a healthy way to get protein out of a diet for gout without flooding the body with gout-inducing uric acid.

Fresh vegetables are also helpful in neutralizing uric acid levels, especially those high in vitamins B and C. Diluted celery juice and distilled water are also useful in helping the body balance uric acid levels in the bloodstream. Foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids, such as salmon, flax, olive oil and nuts have anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the pain and length of a gout attack. A diet high in complex carbohydrates has been found to be beneficial in controlling gout. Less than 30 percent of daily caloric intake should come from fats, and only 10 percent of those fats should come from animals.

Gout is one of the most painful types of arthritis, but by identifying and minimizing foods that cause gout, you will be able to reduce the frequency and intensity of attacks. Purine-rich foods should be reduced, but not entirely eliminated. All food containing protein also contains some purines, but some foods that are especially rich in purines should be eaten sparingly. Some foods to avoid that cause gout are alcoholic beverages, anchovies, caviar, herring, yeast, organ meats such as liver or heart, legumes, meat extracts, gravies, mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower and asparagus. There are other foods to avoid that cause gout, but this is a good starting point.

A natural dietary supplement made up of cherry or blueberry extracts can be an important part of a diet for gout. These berries contain Anthocyanins, which in addition to giving the berries their dark color, provide them with powerful anti-inflammatory agents. They likewise stimulate healthy kidney function, which will help the body naturally filter out some purines.

Gout sufferers usually experience extreme pain during an attack. During such flare ups, ibuprofen may be used to treat pain. Cold compresses every couple hours may help ease swelling and inflammation, and also have a numbing property that can help with pain. A doctor should be contacted if you think you have this painful condition; he or she will tell you the foods that cause gout and other ways to manage the disease.

Michael Browne has been studying arthritis and joint pain for many years. He is a contributor to many health sites, including the Gout Treatments section of Arthritis Pain Relief & Treatment.

Mirror, mirror on the wall - which incentive plan is the most effective of all?

Granted, it’s not the most scientific method of determining your course of business this year, but in this age of rapidly changing technology, fickle customer loyalty and increasing distributor expectations, more and more companies are needing to pull out all the stops in order to keep expanding in the coming years. So if you don’t happen to have a magic mirror hanging around, where can you turn for the answers?

Let’s look at the options.

Past Performance- Certainly the person who coined the phrase “the best predictor of future performance is past performance” did not live in the age of technology, where change is the norm and predictability is out the window. Executives today need to think “future focus” not pine for the good old days.

Technology - After a decade of trial and error and billions of dollars invested, direct selling companies have emerged sharper, more efficient and realistic, recognizing that technology is a tool for growth, not the end-all answer to our prayers. Your strategic plan for this year must include advancements in the area of technology, but not rely solely upon it.

Consultants - When you find one who brings a combination of practical field experience in your particular market segment (party plan or network marketing), keen business savvy, a track record of success, and the ability to translate trends into solid strategies for growth, consultants can be very valuable. However, the investment of two precious resources, time and capital, demand that the results generated are both measurable and substantial.

So what is the answer, you ask? Well, at the risk of sounding a little like the keynote speaker you paid to grace your stage at Convention… the answer is in your own back yard! The story, “Acres of Diamonds” comes to mind, about the man who traveled the world searching for riches, only to return to his home and learn that the farm he once considered useless, was home to one of the largest diamond mines ever discovered. The diamond mine that houses your gems, the answer to your question of how to grow your business, is right in your own back yard as well - your distributors!

Want the perfect location for your next Convention that will attract record numbers of attendees? Are you searching for just the right incentive that will inspire even the most seasoned distributor? Is your product line in need of a sizzle item that will boost moral and increase sales? Want to know what would inspire more people to book in-home shows or hold more interviews?

The answers to these questions, and the others you’ve pondered can be answered honestly, accurately and cost-effectively through an ongoing, well thought out Customer Survey Program.

WHO Should You Survey?
A campaign that queries all the experts: distributors, customers and hostesses (if applicable) will result in the most comprehensive data. So don’t make the mistake of focusing on only one segment of your very broad market. Surveying all groups on a regular basis will result in a constant stream of feedback, suggestions and ideas, the likes of which would impress even the most experienced industry consultant.

If you want the truth and nothing but the truth… include in your target groups inactive distributors, one-time hostesses and customers you’ve not served in 18 months. If you are willing to get a little knocked around and can separate the real feedback from the mean-spirited feedback, this is where you will discover how you can truly transform your business.

WHAT Should You Ask?
Here in lies the secret to a good customer survey – the questions.

Some traits of an effective survey are:

• Objective – The tone or nature of the questions must not indicate a preferred answer.

• Non-leading – If asking participants to select from a list of answers, the options must represent a wide range of sentiments.

• Concise – Questions must be short and address only one topic.

• Simple – Keep vocabulary simple, saving the big, impressive words for your annual report.

• Brief – The ideal survey can be completed in 5 minutes.

• Anonymous – Allow participants to offer input without concerns of negative repercussions.

For those who do not have the luxury of a department or staff person who is trained in the area of writing and conducting customer surveys, engage the services of an expert who can provide guidance. For those “do it yourself-ers” who have the time to hone their skills, check out these two resources. “Guide to Customer Surveys: Sample Questionnaires and Detailed Guidelines for Creating Effective Surveys” by Trevor M. Punt and “Talking With Your Customers: What They Will Tell You About Your Business When You Ask the Right Questions” by Michael J. Wing.

WHERE and WHEN Should You Survey?
A thorough Customer Survey Program collects data not just from a broad range of target groups but also catches these groups at significant “moments of truth.”

For example, survey:

• Customers at the close of the product sales presentation.
• Potential distributors at the close of the opportunity presentation.
• Hostesses after the in-home show when the experience is fresh in their minds.
• Show guests who chose not to place an order.
• Customers when they receive their products.
• On-line guests who visit your business opportunity pages.
• And so on…

What Methods Should You Use?
There are primarily three methods of gathering information via customer surveys. They are paper, web-based and telephone surveys.

For the purposes of this article, in-person surveys are not listed because they do not provide participants’ anonymity and therefore taint the resulting data.

Paper surveys This is perhaps the most popular survey method because it is user-friendly and enables you to reach a broad audience. For example, provide distributors with postage-paid survey cards that are given to customers once the sale transactions are concluded. Ask that the completed surveys be given to the hostess who drops them in the mail at no charge. To encourage distributor and customer participation, why not offer an incentive, discount or contest in exchange.

Web-based surveys: Although these surveys reach only tech-savvy customers, it is cost effective, convenient, reaches an international audience and the data is easily stored, retrieved and analyzed. If using this method, invest in the necessary technology that encrypts the resulting data in order to protect the privacy of the survey participants.

Telephone surveys: This method is best used with warm markets that have a vested interest in seeing that the survey is conducted. For example, distributors will be more receptive to a telephone survey as it demonstrates a sincere interest on the part of the company. Cold markets such as customers or inactive distributors often view telephone surveys as a violation of privacy, generating more ill-will than good.

Ten Steps To Mining Your Diamonds
Consider these ten steps when planning your Customer Survey Program:

1. Define the survey objectives and budget.

2. Select appropriate survey methods. (Can be one or a combination of the three.)

3. Design survey questions.

4. Conduct the survey.

5. Extensively analyze the results for core threats and opportunities.

6. Identify core discoveries as a result of the survey.

7. Select three core discoveries to focus on in an Executive Summary. (Use graphs, pie charts and bullet points to easily communicate findings.)

8. Establish recommendations and define strategies for implementation.

9. Implement strategies.

10. Continue to survey, assess and monitor progress toward defined objectives. While steering your direct selling company toward new horizons, it is vital that you allot the precious resources of time and money to areas that will pay the biggest dividends.

A Customer Survey Program just might be that project, resulting in greater needs awareness, smarter strategic decisions, wisely allocated capital, more effective promotions and greater customer and distributor satisfaction. Not bad when you consider that a Customer Survey Program may be the least expensive project on the list.

Jane Deuber is a Co-Founder of http://www.DSWA.org (the only association dedicated to the needs of the independent party plan and network marketing professionals). Discover what makes the DSWA so unique. Listen to three motivating and informative free teleseminars by visiting http://www.mydswa.org/tele_class.asp

Now I am no doctor, medical researcher or pollster but when I hear from over 540 people who have either had or presently suffer from the illness of Bell’s Palsy and every single one of them tells me that their illness occurred during or immediately after a serious bout of stress, I would have to be seriously dim not to suggest that there is a connection.

Bell’s Palsy is a condition that can strike 1 in 60 of us at any time of life. In 93% of those 1 in 60, it will only ever happen once. In the unfortunate 7% it can recur at an average frequency of around 10 years.

It is usually a temporary condition causing paralysis of one side of the face. In around 1% of cases, including my own, it can strike both sides of the face at the same time (bilateral bell’s palsy) and in no uncertain terms, truly “wipe the smile off your face”.

In 50% of cases all of the paralysis will disappear within 3 months. In 20% this will take up to 6 months and in another 10% it may take up to a year to achieve a complete recovery..”And what becomes of the other 20%?” I hear the throng shout.

The healing of the seventh cranial nerve, also known as the facial nerve, can continue at the rate of about 0.5 - 1mm per day for up to around 18 months and some consultants would say up to 2 years.

After this time, it may be necessary to employ the services of a professional facial muscle trainer to “retrain” your facial muscles to work in their originally intended way.

There are other treatments such as Botox injections and decompression surgery, that some suggest can alleviate long term symptoms such as synkenisis (remnants of facial paralysis or incorrect rejuvenation of the facial nerve resulting in movements that are contrary to what was intended).

A number of medical consultants hold the belief that there it is an illness with no known cause. In fact there are over 50 different illnesses that can cause facial paralysis and it is only when these have been ruled out that a diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy is comfortably arrived at.

The most prevalent medical belief however, is that it is the reactivation of the herpes simplex virus (HSV 1) that is the cause of the illness. This is not the sexually transmitted herpes, this is the one that gives you the odd cold sore.

It must also be said here that just because you get cold sores, that does not in any way whatsoever mean that you will get Bell’s Palsy. Conversely, I had, and still have not, ever had a cold sore in my life and yet had bilateral Bell’s Palsy. So, there is no more reason to worry about getting it than there is about losing another pound, dollar or euro on the weekly lottery.

The herpes simplex virus is seldom of any medical importance and as stated, is most commonly associated with cold sores. Your immune system usually cures it extremely well if ever it tries to show up.

Most of us do carry this virus around with us throughout our lives. 25% of people will never know they have it and never show any symptoms. 50% of people will have very mild symptoms at some point in life (not of Bell’s Palsy) and 25% may be diagnosed with it upon showing some noticeable symptoms (but again, not Bell’s Palsy).

When we initially contracted the virus through normal human contact as a child we may have shown no significant symptoms at all. However, once contracted, the virus remains with us in a dormant state until it can be reactivated by some future event or when we are run down and our immune system has been weakened.

Without going into all of the medical terms, the resultant reactivation of the virus to cause Bell’s Palsy, means that the virus has been dormantly awaiting its moment of glory on our seventh cranial nerve and causes it to inflame.

The seventh cranial nerve, on its way to the facial muscles, passes through the fallopian canal, a thin bony conduit in the ear area. Because of the inflammation to the nerve, when it is in the fallopian canal it can only inflame so much before it is in effect, crushing itself.

It is when this happens that the “crushing” effect stifles its ability to transmit the impulses that are required to activate the facial muscles and achieve facial expression and therefore, a paralysis of the facial expressions on the affected side are apparent.

Now, that being the most prevalent theory, the herpes simplex virus has been noticed as present in 60-70%% who are diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy. As early as 1970, a study by researcher Shingo Murakami identified HSV-1 as the primary cause of Bell’s palsy and several subsequent studies have consistently verified Murakami’s research.

So, if we accept all of the above theory as being correct (and I would like to ask the obvious question about the other 30 - 40% who did not have HSV-1 present) then it is the virus that has caused the actual inflammation but surely, to be able to reactivate in the first place it must have taken advantage of our physical state.

If our immune system has been perfectly capable of keeping this virus at bay since we were a child, then what has and could, allow this virus to manifest its reactivation within us, in such a way as to cause an outbreak of this fashion.

It is therefore, to our immune system that we must look for the answers.

A perfectly healthy immune system would quite happily take care of this virus’s control and restraint. Therefore it must follow that for it to break out of its cell (excuse the pun) and wreak havoc with our facial nerve, our alarm bells must draw us to the conclusion of a weak immune system at the time of the breakout.

So what depletes the strength of our immune system?

Our immune system is fuelled by the good foods and drink with which we nourish ourselves. It is also strengthened by keeping our physical health in good order and by trying to keep a positive, calm and unworried mental outlook.

Conversely, it is compromised by a lack of the aforementioned good fuels, by illness, stress, and by being generally run down.

I myself, although not suffering from any illness prior to having bilateral Bell’s Palsy, would definitely agree with the other components to making my immune system extremely low, stress being the main cause of each.

I was working too hard in a thankless job whilst not looking after myself properly in the food department due either a lack of self esteem, extreme tiredness, or a feeling that there was not enough time to devote to it. All of which are symptomatic of being very stressed.

The doctor who first diagnosed me, when I had only one side of my face paralysed, gave me a prescription which, on top of the medicinal components, advised total rest, relaxation and rejuvenation.

Having the condition for over 10 months, I have spoken to a great deal of fellow sufferers. Every single one of them truly believes that it was a build up of severe stress or in some cases a severely stressful event, that preceded their Bell’s Palsy.

Most of these people, including myself, have taken a philosophical view of the entire event and had a really good look at our lives, where we are in our lives and how we were living our lives prior to the illness.

Although it can be said with total conviction that stress reduces our immune systems and that a positive and calm mental outlook can actually boost our immune system’s health and responsiveness, it is always a reactive and medicinal solution that is prescribed.

More importance should be placed on the preventative skills needed to live our lives with the awareness of stress and its early symptoms rather than to try to correct the resultant illnesses that it can produce.

It is a known fact that between 80 - 90% of attendees at doctors’ surgeries are there with a condition or problem that has its foundations firmly rooted in a build up of stress.

Is it therefore the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) or for that matter, any other virus, infection or other malady, that has caused the resultant complaint, or is it the tightening grip of the tentacles of stress that has forced the condition?

There apparently is no proven cure or protection from Bell’s Palsy. Time, rest and relaxation are the only widely accepted cures.

I suggest that the instructions to lead a life with a positive, calm and unworried mental outlook should be folded into a bottle and sold as the preventative medicine for all ailments, in chemists, churches, hospitals, schools and even the workplace vending machine.

I hope that you will always have a special smile and that it be always special to all who have the pleasure of seeing it.

Robert Wilkinson is the author of All Bells and No Whistle - the self help guide for living with and recovering from Bell’s Palsy. He is currently writing his latest book on the subject of stress.

One thing that everyone should do, whether it is a home or business network, is map shared folders to other computers in the network. This enables users to create shortcuts of the shared folder, provides for quick access and ease of use. Once the shared folder is mapped it will appear as a network drive under “My Computer”.

First thing you have to do is enable file sharing for a particular folder:

1. Locate the folder you wish to share.
2. Right click on it and then left click “Sharing and Security”.
3. If you see an item that says to enable file sharing, click that at this time.
4. Then select enable file and print sharing.
5. Select the check box that says “Share This Folder On The Network” and “Allow Network Users To Change My Files”.
6. Click “Apply” and then “Ok”.

So now, that folder is able to be seen by other computers on the network. Now the next step is very important. This is where alot of people run into problems. Every computer on the network MUST have the same WORKGROUP name. To find the workgroup name, right click “My Computer” then left click “Properties”. Now click on the “Computer Name” tab on top. There you will see the name of your workgroup. The Microsoft default is MSHOME or WORKGROUP. You are allowed to change it in this box as well. Again, make sure all the computers in the network have the same workgroup name.

After that has been confirmed, now go to the computer(s) where you wish to access the shared folder. Here are the steps to map it to that computer:

1. Right click “My Computer”.
2. Left Click “Map Network Drive”.
3. The top line will contain the drive letter the computer is going to assign to the mapped drive.
You can change this to whatever letter you like that is not currently being used.
4. Click “Browse”.
5. Select your Workgroup name and click the + sign next to it.
6. Now select the computer name from which the folder is being shared from.
7. Finally select the shared folder and click “Ok” and then click “Finish.”

A new window will open up displaying the shared folder. You can close that out. Now your mapped drive can be found by opening up “My Computer”. It will appear under “Network Drives” with the letter you assigned it. From here you can create a shortcut of that drive and it will place it on your desktop.

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I have many lingering thoughts of both good and bad times while living with the Baptist Home (1953-61) family in Monticello, Arkansas. I would place this next story in the category with the good times.

Donald Dodson is not remembered as a close friend. The truth is, I have very few memories of him at all. However, there is one weekend (1957) in Blytheville, Arkansas when we were thrown together in a most unusual circumstance. That is, most unusual by The Baptist Home standards.

My memory is not too clear as to why we were there. I had been traveling with a representative group around the state all summer, singing duets with Glen Lindsay, Pat Price and others. Donald might have been along for the ride or to give a speech about the home. I just do not remember. What I do remember is that there were three of us teenagers on the trip, Donald, Barbara Price, Pat’s older sister and me.

I don’t remember Barbara normally being along on the trips herself, but Pat was having a problem with her nose and throat that prevented her from singing up to her usual high standards and Barbara may have been filling in for her. I’m still having a little difficulty recalling all the details, but hey! That was more than forty years ago.

Anyway, one evening a boy, in his late teens came over to visit the family with whom we were staying. Actually, he came to visit the woman of the house’s daughter (Alice?). I’ll call the boy, Joe.

That evening everyone enjoyed a wonderful supper as we sit around a long table passing food back and forth, stuffing our guts, talking and just plain having a great time. Most everyone had finished eating but continued to hang around the table visiting when I noticed a biscuit on a platter at the far end of the table.

I have always been a hearty eater and that night was no exception. Therefore, I ate right up to the point of noticing that single solitary biscuit and stopped. My stomach wasn’t ready however and I kept watching the plate cradling that one last biscuit, hoping it would get in someone’s way and they would pass it a little closer down the table in my direction.

Well it never did and I never mustered up the courage to ask. Therefore, I suffered through part one of my little story. Part two, now that is another matter and I will get to it in a minute.

Remember Joe and Alice? Well they were getting rather close over in a corner by the fire and everyone else found a comfortable place to sit (or lie) down and had begun to watch TV.

The older couple retired after a bit, at least they disappeared into the back of the house and I suppose Donald, Barbara and I were feeling somewhat like knots on a log, not knowing what to do or where to do it at. Meanwhile Joe and Alice continuing to cozy up by the fireplace.

Anyway, some time passed when all of a sudden Alice broke the silence. “Do you kids want to go for a ride?” She asked.

I don’t recall if the older couple gave their permission or not. Still the five of us ambled out to the garage and crawled into a big black fifty model Buick that was parked out there.

Up in the front seat, Joe took the wheel with Alice at his side. There was plenty of room in the back so Donald jumped in first, taking the seat behind the driver. Barbara crawled into the middle and I took the window on the right.

After leaving the house, we drove around very little, mostly in a straight line to the city park where Joe stopped the car in a secluded spot and switched off the lights. The night was dark but for a few rays from a street lamp located a short distance away.

Joe turned slowly to stare at the three of us for a moment.

“You kids ok”, he asked, smiling. Donald and I were thirteen while Barbara was a very mature fourteen.

He turned back to the front without waiting for an answer and proceeded to put his arm around Alice. They began to kiss.

There was a foot of space on either side of Barbara separating the three of us from each other. I don’t know who made the first move, Barbara, Donald or me. But the distance soon diminished when a beautiful fourteen-year-old girl began teaching a couple of thirteen-year-old boys a thing or two about girls. Of course in those days, things were not as they are today. We mostly kissed.

I do, however, remember it as an experience ranked up there with some of the best sexual experiences of my life. Barbara could sure kiss.

The next morning, on our trip back to Monticello, I felt very sick (love sick). There we were with Barbara evenly spaced between Donald and I in the back seat of a car. But this time, Joe and Alice are not in the front seat. Therefore, we cannot touch this beautiful girl, just inches away as had been the night before.

Our chaperon, Mrs. Jones turned toward the back seat and stared for a moment.

“You kids alright?” she asked. Mr. and Mrs. Jones were nice people and I enjoyed traveling with them immensely but they really didn’t know our feelings that day as the three of us replied in unison, “yes!”

Benjamin J Cox is an author, novelist, poet, speaker, writer and humorist. He has written a book, Insider Dreams, a 911 Novel. He was born on a dirt street in a Waldron, Arkansas, in 1943. He graduated from the University of Tulsa with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He is married with three children, five grandchildren. He is the President of Mayes County Writers Club, the Treasurer of Pryor Creek Investment Club and a member of Will Rogers Toastmasters Club. He is retired and lives with his wife in Pryor, Oklahoma. He like to run, enjoys big band dancing, Speaking before groups, and writes every day.

Family sibling rivalry, or conflict between brothers and sisters, comes in all shapes and sizes and is often similar to conflict seen between adults in the form of loud arguments, the destruction of property or physical fighting. In some cases sibling rivalry does not require parental intervention and kids can be left to work things out for themselves. In other cases however parents do need to step in.

Once children pass the age of about three, although they may well engage in bad behavior because their lack of knowledge and experience has led them to make a poor choice, they will nonetheless have a fair sense of the distinction between right and wrong. Equally, children at this age also have a surprising sense of fairness and justice.

The secret when it comes to sibling rivalry is to know when to leave well alone and when to intervene and, when getting involved, to know how to guide children through their conflicts so that they understand not only that their behavior was inappropriate but also why their actions were wrong.

A good starting point is to consider the issues of safety, property and individual choice.

Clearly if a child’s safety is at risk or property is under threat you need to intervene. Similarly if one child’s action is interfering with another child’s activity because his individual choice is being stifled, then again you need to step in.

Just as in society at large we set boundaries which should not be crossed, so children too need to learn that there are boundaries with respect to their brothers and sisters which must also be respected.

This said, as long as your children remain within these boundaries, then, more often than not, you should stay out of family sibling disagreements and let the kids sort things out for themselves. Indeed, children need space in which to express their thoughts and emotions and to learn by taking their own decisions and discovering the consequences of their actions.

It can often be difficult for parents to know just when to get involved in sibling rivalry and you can do more harm than good by either intervening too often or not often enough. However, in general, more parents will tend to leave the children to their own devices rather than get involved and one commonly heard phrase is “kids will be kids”. While this is certainly true to a point, ‘roughhousing’ can quickly escalate and children can cross the barrier very quickly.

A great deal of sibling rivalry can be avoided if parents focus their attention on the root causes of conflict from an early age and remember that many of the tensions between children are similar to those which we are all familiar with between adults.

One final thing to remember is that part of our role as parents is to set an example for our children to follow. If children are able to see that even mom and dad have their disagreements but are able to deal with these in a fair and just way, and without resorting to heated argument or fighting, then this will provide the children with the best possible starting point for solving their own disagreements.

Parenting4Dummies.com covers a wide range of topics and provides advice on child parenting, tips on the difficulties of only child parenting, information on parenting teenagers, step parenting, adoptive parenting and divorced parenting.