When we eat, our gallbladder contracts and pushes bile into small intestines where it helps with digestion of fats. Bile is made up of water, cholesterol, fats, bile salts, proteins and bilirubin. Under certain conditions, substances in bile, especially cholesterol or bile pigment (bilirubin) can harden into stones – gallstones. Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. We can develop one large stone or a multitude of smaller ones.

Many people with gallstones have no symptoms at all. Others go through life relatively symptom free, experiencing minor symptoms such as abdominal bloating, intolerance to fatty foods, belching, intestinal gas and indigestion. For others, however they may suffer what is called a gallstone “attack”. Gallstone attacks often follow a fatty meal. Symptoms of an attack include steady, sever pain in upper abdomen that can last from 30 minutes to several hours. Sufferers may also experience pain in back between shoulder blades or under right shoulder. A gallstone attack is often accompanied by nausea or vomiting. If symptoms such as sweating, chills, a fever or a yellowish color to skin or whites of eyes occur, it is important to seek medical assistance.

There are a number of factors that increase your risk of having gallstones. Those at a higher risk include women, especially women who are pregnant, on hormone therapy or taking birth control pills, people over 60 years of age, Native and Mexican Americans, overweight individuals and individuals who fast or go on crash diets and lose a lot of weight quickly.

At best, sufferers may waste money on inappropriate 'wonder cures' or even legitimate treatments that unfortunately are not suitable for their particular needs. At worst, some people may be risking their health by self-prescribing powerful pharmaceutical drugs. I don't have a problem with hair loss sufferers saving money by purchasing cheap generic drugs on internet, but I feel strongly that they should at least seek confirmation from their physician that a given drug matches their individual needs.

Before examining most common causes of premature hair loss we need to understand that some shedding of hair is perfectly normal. Hairs grow from follicles that are tiny organs in skin designed to grow a single hair that follows this repetitive cycle:

1. Lengthy growth period (Anagen Stage) - this phase usually lasts between two and seven years with an average growth rate of six inches (15cm) each year.

2. Short transition period (Catagen Stage) - this period of transition lasts for roughly two to four weeks. During this phase hair shaft becomes detached and moves upwards within follicle.

3. Resting period (Telogen Stage) - this phase lasts about three months allowing hair to detach itself prior to falling out.

At this point a new hair begins to grow thus repeating normal cycle of hair growth. Unfortunately a number of factors can interfere with natural hair growth process leading to forms of hair thinning or premature baldness.

Androgenetic alopecia is most common cause of hair loss, probably accounting for as much as 95% of pattern hair loss for both men and women. It is usually associated with aging and develops in predictable stages over varying periods of time. Each follicle follows a genetically programmed growth cycle with some follicles coded to remain active for a shorter time than others. This results in development of hereditary baldness patterns that are so familiar to us all.

For this type of baldness to occur, following factors must be present:

1. A genetic predisposition for hair loss to occur (as explained above).

2. The presence of male hormones.

3. Aging - in other words, enough time for first two factors to exert an influence.