Knee Arthritis|Knock Knees|Virtual Knee Surgery

Thai boxing is the English translation of Muay Thai, Thailand's national sport. This form of boxing is a form of hand-to-hand combat that was adapted from the Thai army. Boxers in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. areas are becoming more and more interested in this form of boxing.

Thai boxing in early Muay Thai bouts put companies of the Siamese army against one another with very little rules, weight division and time limits. However in the early 20th century it was determined that boxing gloves and rules were needed to regulate the sport for more modern times. After these rules and regulations were implemented the sport began to be exported from country to country. Today, hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the sport for self defense reasons and for competition.

Training in Thai boxing includes kicks, grappling, head-butts, punches, elbows and knees being used in an effort to wear down or knock out their adversary. The training helps develop power, speed and cardiovascular health. It is considered an art form that calls on the bodies own natural weapons to create a competitive fighting style. It is used not only in the ring as a competitive sport but also by military and law enforcement agencies as well as self defense instructors.

This type of martial arts combines Thai boxing hand techniques with almost any natural weapon your body has such as: feet, elbows, knees, legs, head and shoulders to deliver powerful blows to an adversary. It is known specifically for its power, effects, simplicity and conditioning. In addition, it renders the Thai boxer a physical fit body with self control and an understanding of how the ancient Thai boxers must have felt when fighting for their own self defense.

When first entering a Thai boxing class, the beginner will learn the basics and concentrate on the proper form. They will learn defensive strikes, the proper footwork and simple combinations of simple strikes. This is the perfect class for a young child of about 7 years of age.

A normal Thai boxing class is fast paced and concentrates primarily on the traditional Muay Thai. The art of using strikes from hands, feet, elbows and knees to defend themselves in the ring as well as outside of the ring. This class of Thai boxers can become a strong ring fighter in a relatively short period of time.

Mixed martial arts are a combination of different martial art traditions. It includes styles of Thai boxing, Kali-Silat from both the Philippines and Indonesia and jujutsu and judo from Japan. This class is used to give students a variety of fighting styles. Students are taught to defend themselves in a variety of situations and be given the opportunity to specialize in an area of interest such as striking, grappling, clinching and other moves associated with mixed martial arts.

Talk to instructors at one of your local Thai boxing schools to see if Thai boxing may be the sport you are looking for. Maybe even attend a tournament to see all of the skills that Thai boxing provides.

In the Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC area, you can check out Lloyd Irvin's, Mixed Martial Arts Academies. You have the benefit of signing up for a 30 day free trial. What better way to get started on Muay Thai Boxing than this!

When was the last time you took a good hard long look at your overall health? Was it days, weeks, months or even years ago? Do you think that you are an iron man and can persevere through anything? I was once in that state of mind, nothing could knock me down, maybe just pushed back a bit which allowed me to recover well. Not anymore!

A lot of things have changed since those days. Those days weren't all that long ago. Today my overall health is one of the most important strategies in my personal business plan and a key in my life plan. I am no good to anyone dead. To my family, business, friends or anyone that cares about me.

The wakeup call occurred one day when I was pushing close to the three hundred pound mark and my knees were seriously hurting due the strain of the extra weight I was carrying around.
Some days my knees would lock up tight to the point where I couldn't even get up because of the amount of pain. I was tired all the time, and I was no good to anyone, I lost the drive and desire because I was frustrated with myself and that I chose to gain all this weight. No one force feed the hot dogs at the hot dog stand to me as I went between clients or the extra plate at the buffet. I chose that lifestyle.

Since then I have dropped close to fifty pounds and starting to feel a lot better, not as tired, I have more energy and I do not need to sleep nearly as long to feel totally rested. This a great place to be. How did I get there?

No miracle diets, no special potions, simple eating the right feeds with a combination of a good exercise program. That is it, pretty straightforward. Instead of taking that quick hot dog on a way to a client's office, I plan daily to eat healthy, have a good lunch in the middle of the day, something that will contribute to my overall well being and give me long lasting energy for the entire afternoon. Another tip - cut out the junk food snacks. Bring snacks in the office or carry along with you that are healthy. I am not a healthcare professional; I recommend that you consult with someone that specializes in diet to understand what is best for you.

One additional tip that I can share with you on my experiences is that I have cut out drinking soft drinks and other beverages along the same lines. During the day, I drink nothing but water and try to cut down on the amount of coffee that I drink. I find that drinking water during the day keeps my mental retention high and focused on my tasks at hand. I can't say what water is better than others, I just have the regular water in our water cooler, and it seems to be working for me.

Your health as an IT consultant or business owner is critical to your success, without you running your business, will your business survive? How would poor health affect your family life? These are questions you need to ask yourself. It is even more critical when you are a sole entrepreneur, when you are not able to function, create your work, sell your solutions - where is the money coming in from? Having a healthy lifestyle combined with the recommended amount of exercise will aid in you having that competitive advantage in the marketplace. Give you the energy to shine over perhaps your competition that can't keep pace with you. There are a lot of reasons to choose a healthy standard of living, what is yours?

The roundhouse kick when preformed properly is one of the most powerful strikes that exist.

Some people believe that this type of technique is too fancy, elaborate, and not practical. This misconception may be due to movies where people do a very high or spinning roundhouse kick.

While these are not bad, they are difficult for most people to do effectively with speed and or strength.

The fastest, easiest and most powerful roundhouse kick is the one that is below that waist of the person kicking. If the roundhouse kick is higher then the waist of the person performing the strike, it looses power and take more time and flexibility.

It can be used very effectively by targeting the lower targets of the inner or outer thighs or more importantly to target the nerves that supply these large muscles. It can also be used to target the knees and cause serious damage.

You can use it as a very effective distracting strike from your front leg or as a very effective power strike from your rear most leg.

A low roundhouse kick is also good because many people while fighting or sparing are too concentrated on their upper bodies and a low attack may be unexpected and harder to block.

The reason the roundhouse kick is one of the more powerful strikes is because it is a whole body motion. The roundhouse kick using the back or front leg starts with bringing the leg up, turning the non-kicking foot so that is parallel with the object that is being struck, and extending the kicking leg while rotating the upper body through. This, if done correctly, can generate a powerful force able to stun or knock down most opponents.

An important note to remember while performing the roundhouse kick or any strike is to aim at least six inches past the target. This will ensure that this technique strikes through the opponent, not just hit the outside of the target without the maximum force that could have been applied had the aiming been correct.

Aside from points of aim, the roundhouse kick offers several options for the person kicking. The target can be struck with the top of the foot, shin, or the ball of the foot when the foot is pointed instead of flat. All of these options offer distinct advantages. Striking with the top of the foot offers a greater reach if the opponent is further away, while striking with the shin creates a stronger force since the shin is a stronger and harder then the top of the foot. Striking with the shin also provides a larger area to strike and therefore there is a greater chance of making contact with the target.

Another option is to strike with the ball of the foot. This option allows the kicker to penetrate into deep tissue or access nerves more effectively. While this technique can look fancy it is very practical, simple, and powerful while offering many different options to the kicker on what part of the foot or leg to use.

For these reasons, the roundhouse kick is one of the best options to use whether sparring or if involved in a real fight.

Knock knees can be described as a condition where a person's knees bend inwards and possibly touch one another when the person straightens his or her legs. This condition is caused due to a weakness of the person's abductor muscles that are present outside the thighs and hips. To straighten knock knees, practicing abductor-strengthening exercises would be a good option. Many muscles like the tensor fascia lata, gluteus medius, etc... are involved in the abduction. Here are some of the exercises that may help people with a knock knee condition:

Side lunges: This form of exercise is capable of offering workouts for the quadriceps, hamstrings and abductors in the patients. Here, the patient will have to stand with his feet hip-width apart and arms in front of his chest. In a stable movement, he will have to take a big step crossways to his left. When his foot reaches the ground, he will have to bend his knees and will have to push his butt backwards. When a strong contraction is felt on the hip and the other thigh, the foot should be brought back to its position and the same should be repeated on the other side. For more resistance, he can hold a medicine ball in front of his chest.

Side step-ups: For doing this exercise, a chair or a weight bench will be required. Here, the exercise should begin with standing with the right side facing the bench and the arms should be in front of the chest. Then, the right foot should be placed on the bench and the other foot should be pressed on the floor, the body should then be lifted slowly. The same should be repeated with the other leg as well.

Cable abduction: With this method, a cable machine is used, to strengthen the outer hips and thighs. Here, an ankle cuff should be attached to the low setting and it should be attached to the lower right leg. The person should stand with his left shoulder facing the weight stack.

Lying abduction: This is done by lying on the floor in side position, where the patient should lie on his right side with his legs stacked. The left leg should be lifted at a 45 degree angle and should be held at the same position for some seconds. Then, the leg should slowly be lowered and the same should be repeated 10-12 times. The same should be done on the other side of the body as well. These exercises will be of great use to patients, who want to straighten knock knees.

So, are you also engaged in the multi level marketing business? That's great, because right now, multi level marketing is one of the easiest yet most rewarding businesses that you can engage into right now - but for what reasons? Personally, for someone who does multi level marketing while raising a family and being active in socio-civic volunteer work, multi level marketing is just very convenient because it allows me to earn money without actually having to go regularly to work. Plus, I get to share the stuff with my fellow volunteers and friends. The perks associated with multi level marketers are great, too, especially if they're health products or cosmetic products. You get freebies, which include free products and services. One time, my teenage daughter was able to earn 1,000 freebie points in her own cosmetic business line. She used these points to garner free facial from the company. So you see, it does not bring benefits to grown up's, it can even teach your kids to be responsible about money, too.

However, the glitch with multi level marketing comes forth if you don't know how to do sales talk. Add to that the fact that there are just some multi level marketing companies that, though they have great products for sale, do not offer ample training for their employees. Now if you're naturally shy, you'll definitely get into problems making the programs work for you as you might not be able to come up with sales leads at all.

Adwords: The Key To Non-Stop Leads

Do you know what? Not all leads are really smart enough leads. And as someone who has long since first ventured into the multi level marketing business, I know that if your lead isn't smart enough, you definitely won't be able to sell.

That's why I suggest that each one who wants to go into the multi level marketing business have a hand first on adwords. AdWords are basically those promotional things you say or write down that are sure to click into the hearts of your target buyers. Here is how you use AdWords to rev up your leads:

o Make up a script that will show people how using the product or service you peddle will be of an advantage to them. For example, this medicine will help hasten healing of cancer, heart diseases, etc.

o Show your prospective buyers what you yourself can do for them. Show them that you're not just there to sell them wares, but you're also there to really help them. That's why you're showing them your products. (That's why for me, it's easier to sell to friends. I can kid them easier)

o Lastly, come up with a header that's really going to knock knees out. What I mean is, come up with a really clever cliché that will make people curious as to what you have in store for them. Your header or cliché should also make people want to, of course, purchase your product or avail of your services. One word of caution though: please try not to make promises in fine print or that are false. Not only are they irking to customers or to the law, they also affect your credibility as a businessperson.

The knee is one of the most powerful weapon in your body. A simple knee to the head can knock a guy out quickly and simply. It can also break bones and stop any kicks quickly in its tracks. It is one of the most offensive and defensive weapons that we have on our body. All martial arts have knees, and the most effective martial arts know how to use the knees better than anyone else. Here are 3 secrets how to get lightening fast and hard knees like no other!

1. Squats

To get the most strongest knee that you can ever have is to squats as many times as possible and quickly! The power of the knee in martial arts mainly come from the hip flexor muscles of your body. So to strengthen them quickly and easily, you have to do squats as much as you can which work on your hip flexor muscles. Squats also make you jump higher and faster because you need to bend down and then push up from your feet to straighten up!

2. Kneeing your chest

If you knee your chest as fast and quickly as possible, you help strengthen your knees and also flexibility. To have fast knee speeds, you have to have good flexibility. Also kneeing yourself helps you to build toughening and resistance to pain.

3. Running

To have fast and strong knees, you have to run as much as you can. At least 5 miles a day is the minimum to get knees as strong as a bull. This will help build up endurance and strength of your knees.

Most people would agree that being tall is a valuable attribute in our society. If you aren't sure about this, let me tell you some interesting statistics:

• If two people who are equally qualified, go for a interview for the same job. The taller person will get the job in 72% of cases. That means the taller person has a three times better chance of getting the job than the short person.


• In all but 3 of the Presidential elections in the last 110 years, the taller man has won. 


• Women will tend to rank shorter man as less desirable than taller men. Even if (using objective measures) the taller man is uglier than the shorter man.


• Shorter men are much less likely to get married (probably as a result of the above point)


• On first impressions, people tend to attribute positive characteristics to tall people and negative characteristics to short people.

So, it's pretty clear that shortness is a liability. Which leads the logical person to look at how they can deal with this situation? What are the options available to the person that wants to do something about their height (And remember you don't have to be short to benefit from a few extra inches in height.).

In this article I want to talk about the three main methods available to people who want to increase their height.

1. Growth Hormone supplements. 

Growth hormone is sometimes given to children with short stature and can result in reasonable increases in height. Although there is some controversy about this, it is carried out and obviously does have some benefits. 

The issue lies with giving growth hormone to adults to increase height. Growth hormone has recently been touted as an elixir that can reverse aging. It attracts big price tags and is offered at exclusive clinics to customers eager to slow their aging. Whether it truly has "fountain of youth" properties is not clear. We are still waiting for the proof. What is most clear is that giving growth hormone for increasing height is not advisable. Here is why:

When a child is growing, their bones grow at points called growth plates. Giving growth hormone can result in increased bone growth at those growth plates found in the long bones (e.g. in the legs). However, after the growth plates have closed (around the late teens/ early twenties) then growth hormone has no effects on these bones. Therefore you could give lots and lots of growth hormone to someone in their thirties and it would have no effect.

So, growth hormone is useless after a certain age. But it does have other effects. The most obvious one is on your wallet. Growth hormone courses can cost up to $20,000. The other issue is that taking excess quantities of growth hormone can have serious side effects, including bloating, major organ damage, heart failure and even premature death.

So basically, taking growth hormone for height is not only ineffective, it is also expensive and potentially lethal.

2. Height Surgery

Height Surgery is a very effective way of increasing height. Originally it was performed to help people with limbs of different length, but more recently to give height to people with short stature. It originated in Russia, but is now being performed around the world.

The basis of the procedure is to break the long bones and then allow them to heal over a period of several months. By careful mechanics, the new bone that heals is made to be longer than it was before the bones were broken. There can be gains of 3-4 inches with this surgery.

The main issues with this type of surgery are the risks associated with any procedure that requires the patient to be put to sleep. But these risks are very small. There are also risks of infection. The cost of the procedure is very high, around $100,000. The other issue is that the procedure requires long periods in bed (up to 8 months) while the external fixation devices are adjusted and tightened. The procedure can be very painful, but pain relief is given.

So, limb lengthening surgery works very well, but is very expensive, time consuming and as well as pain has some other risks involved like infection and anaesthesia.

3. Natural Methods for Height Increase

Which leaves us with how to grow taller naturally. Natural methods focus on things you can do to help with height increase that don't involve drugs or surgery. Natural methods use a combination of exercises, diet and cosmetic strategies to bring about increases in height. 

Some people appear shorter than they are due to postural problems like slouching, knock-knees, tilted pelvis etc. These postural problems can be improved by doing certain exercises. In addition compression of the inter-vertebral discs can result in height decrease. Exercise to improve the strength of muscles and ligaments supporting the spine can prevent this compression.

In other cases, poor nutrition can contribute to poor bone health which affects stature. There is also a possibility of improving "perceived" stature by sartorial (dressing) techniques.

Using natural methods requires effort and responsibility to be taken by the individual. You will need to apply the system in your life. People who expect things to happen without effort will be disappointed.

So, natural methods are cheaper and safer than other methods, but they require effort and application to make them work. Some people may find this taking responsibility for their height increase difficult to do. Of course it all comes down to how much you want to increase your height.

I hope that has given you a clear overview of the options available for height increase. Increased height can be a real advantage in our society and if you have the motivation to do something about it, then there are definite options available. Good luck!

Although training with a partner is the ideal way to train Combatives, quite often we won't have access to training partners. So rather than not train at all, we can train alone and still get a good session in.

A few pointers to keep in mind when solo training:

• Don't try to do too much in one session. Pick just a few techniques or drills to work on throughout the session and stick to them. If you try to cover too much you will scatter your focus and end up learning nothing. Remember that good Combatives training is about repetition. To get good you have to train a select few techniques over and over until you master them. If you try to master too many techniques at one time you will end up mastering none.


• Train with the street in mind. This means you do not train in a sporting manner. So no shadow boxing or long endurance workouts. Everything you do must be combative, not sporting. Warm up first, then practice your drills and techniques in short bursts. A real street fight is an explosive burst of energy that doesn't last very long. There are no rounds. Only periods of intense combat lasting only several seconds. Your training must reflect that. So basically, go like fk for no more than ten seconds then stop and repeat.


• Add emotional content to your training. Whatever you do, you must back it up with the correct mindset. If you hit the bag, do so with full intent and aggression. Really imagine that you are in a situation and you have to put this guy down. Anything less will not do. You are practicing accessing state as much as the physical techniques. Hit the switch, go like fuck and then knock the switch off again, making sure to check state every time. Training in this way, you are making sure the techniques will come out under pressure when you need them. This is the only way to train.


• Resist the temptation to do long sessions. Long training sessions are for endurance athletes and sport fighters. You will benefit most from shorter sessions of about fifteen to twenty minutes, but train at full intensity during that time. If you feel one session isn't enough, train twice a day.

1. FENCE AND STRIKE DRILL

What's good about this drill is that you don't need any equipment and it can be done anywhere.

Start from a square on stance, then move into a fence position with your arms out front as if controlling your space, then from there throw a pre-emptive strike.

Repeat a number of times.

To make the drill more useful, bring your imagination into play. Pretend there is someone in front of you, giving you grief. Control your space as they try to enter it and then, when you think the moment is right, strike with full intent and see yourself knocking the guy out. Remember, emotional content is what makes these techniques stick.

2. FENCE, STRIKE, BLAST AND FINISH

As above, only after you strike pre-emptively you continue to blast your opponent with multiple strikes, moving forward as you do so (forward drive) before finally finishing your opponent off with knees and elbows or some other technique of your choice.

3. IMAGINARY BRAWL DRILL

For this drill you are going to be playing out a whole attack scenario from start to finish. Think of a scenario first. You could be walking to your car in a dimly lit car park after a particularly tiring day at work or you could be standing outside the chippy on after having had a few drinks with friends. Whatever. Your imagination is the limit here.

Once you have a scenario in mind, really put yourself into it, mentally and emotionally. Begin to act it out the way a real actor would.

Let's take the car park example. You are walking to your car when you spot two dodgy looking guys loitering near your car. Your spidey sense starts to tingle and you can feel the adrenaline begin to bubble up inside you. Something isn't right (really feel this!). As you continue to walk to your car, one of the guys (dressed in jeans, black jacket and baseball cap) asks you for a light. You tell him you don't have one. No sooner have you answered him when the other guy (wearing track suit bottoms and a dark coloured hoodie) suddenly rushes towards you, drawing his fist back in preparation to hit you. The fight is on.

That's the set up. What way this scenario goes is up to you. The important thing is that you mimic every move as it happens. If you strike one of the guys, then do so for real and really feel the impact. If you get hit or grabbed, react to that for real.

Fall to the floor and grapple. Enact the whole fight. Then when it's over, walk away.

Done right, with your imagination in full swing, this can end up feeling like a real fight. It's almost like visualisation practice but you are physically acting out each movement instead of just picturing it in your head.

Try to be alone when doing this drill. If anyone sees you, they will think you've lost your mind as you throw yourself around and fight imaginary attackers!

When it comes to the subject of shooting, there is a lot of basketball advice out there. It can be overwhelming for young players to absorb all the information they come across and then implement it when they get on the court. For this article I have tried to simplify the topic as much as possible and cover the key elements of good shooting.

Positioning of Feet and Body

The best shooters will start by shooting just 2-3 feet from the basket when they begin warming up. If you are trying to obtain a new shot, this is the best way to learn it. Start from 2-3 feet, not the 3 point line. Get directly in front of the basket, don't start from the side or try banking shots. Start from directly in from because you'll want to swish each shot. We start from the feet up first and that is by getting your feet shoulder width apart with your knees flexed a little bit. I put one foot slightly ahead of the other. I am right handed so it's my right foot I place forward. If you are left handed it would be the left foot that you would place in front. As we move up to our shoulders, make sure that your shoulders are in balance or squared to your hips. If I am raising my arms to shoot the ball, I need to make sure that my body is in balance and aligned. I don't want to be tipping to a side or tipping too far forward. I need to be in balance with the weight of my body on the balls of my feet.

Hands

This is something that isn't taught as well as it should be. Players are usually decent at the legs and shoulders, but terrible when it comes to the hands. You might have read about me referring to players as thumb shooters in other articles. These are players that use their off hand thumb to help propel the ball toward the basket. These players are typically very streaky in their shots because the shot rarely repeats the same release. Take the ball with one hand at first and shoot from 2-3 feet away but don't use your off hand to help yet. Make sure that you are keeping your elbow in and getting the proper rotation on the ball. For practice, make sure that you are shooting the ball from the logo on the ball so you can see the rotation you should be getting. The ball should be shot from your pointer finger and middle finger. If the ball is coming off the last three fingers then you need to do some adjusting before you bring up your off hand. Once your release is solid, then stay at the 2-3 foot range and bring up the off hand. Your off hand elbow should stay in as well and only guide the ball. Make sure that the rotation stays the same by using the guide hand. If you notice the rotation is different or the ball is coming off your shooting hand different, then stop and start over without the guide hand. Nothing should change by using the guide hand.

Aim

This is a great debate as some coaches say to aim for the back of the rim and others on the front of the rim. I believe that is best to aim at the back rim. In my opinion it is better to miss long because throughout the game you will get tired and the ball will be there when you need it. The important thing is to have a spot that you are aiming for and focusing on. Don't think about missing it. Think about making the shot and having a positive attitude. Remember that shooting is like golf in that you would rather miss long than short, you want to give the ball a chance to go in. When you leave it short, it has zero chance of going in.

Jump Shots

The jump shot is one of the most basic fundamentals in basketball. It differs from a set shot in that the player jumps in the air before releasing the ball. For a young player, this is very awkward to accomplish. Don't start too young to shoot these if you aren't ready. I believe that a jump shot started at too young of an age can lead to poor mechanics. What happens is kids aren't strong enough yet to get the ball to the basket from far away and because they have to strain themselves they develop poor habits that are hard to get rid of. A good jump shot is learned from inside the free throw line, not at the 3 point line. One of the prettiest shots I've seen in a long time is from JJ Redick. He obeys all the correct rules. Balanced feet, square shoulders and his off hand is strictly used just to guide the ball. He gets excellent rotation on the ball and shoots the ball above his head where he can see the basket with both eyes. Other great shooters, like Larry Bird followed those same principles. Bird's shot wasn't as pretty as Redick's, but his release was flawless. It came off the right part of the hand and he could see the basket with both eyes. It was simply amazing to watch up close. I say this a lot, but if your elbow is straight when you shoot the ball will probably go straight. Let's not make it any more difficult than it already is.

Lay-Ups

I was horrible at lay-ups growing up. I cost myself hundreds of points because I couldn't make one. I felt it was important enough to cover some of the fundamentals of a solid lay-up.

When I was 12 years old, I went to a basketball camp where the coach filmed us driving in for a lay-up. I was just getting over my lay-up phobia and was OK with being filmed as I thought I was the man. When we watched the tapes we were all amazed at a simple flaw some of us were doing. When we would come in for the lay-up we would bring the ball to the other side of our bodies before we brought it up to shoot with the correct hand. I was worse than everyone at this. By doing this, I was giving the defender the opportunity to slap the ball away or simply knock it away from me. I learned also that this was a major reason I was so bad at lay-ups in the previous years.

When you are shooting a lay-up make sure you are concentrating on using proper footwork. If you are on the right side, typically you will use the left foot to jump off and vice versa from the other side. For younger players this is honestly a major challenge. Young players don't be alarmed if this isn't natural for you right away. Lastly, don't take off too far away from the basket or too late. This can only be learned by practicing and knowing what your personal limitations are. I've recently learned that my limitations have changed as I've gotten older. No fun.

As I am both a service provider and a consumer, I'm quite comfortable saying I believe good customer service is essential to maintaining or growing your business. Excellent customer service is what begins to separate one from the crowd. So, it stands to reason that, regardless of how great your service or product is, poor customer service will eventually bring your business to its knees.

4 Elements of Customer Service

Manage Expectations: Whatever your service or product may be, ensure you consistently deliver on your service promises. If your company promotes that it guarantees a maximum 24-hour turn around on services, make sure that's what you deliver...every time.

Communicate Expectations: Let the customer or client know what they can expect from you and what you're going to do to ensure they get it. Ensure everyone on your team is aware of the customer service standards you've set for your company. They should understand how important consistent delivery of superior service quality is to your bottom line.

Exceed Expectations: Once you've set the standard for your customer service, try and find ways to deliver above and beyond. Your client is already expecting what you've promised; now knock their socks off by taking it a step further.

Follow Up: Particularly in the professional service industry the golden rule is "Follow up, Follow up and then, Follow up some more." Never leave a client wondering where things stand. Make certain you have a communication plan in place to always keep clients updated on progress during the project as well as maintaining continued success upon completion.

Too often companies can make the mistake of putting most of their effort into getting new clients and not enough into delivering on the services they've promised. I firmly believe that customer satisfaction from your current clients is the most valuable resource for attracting new customers.

Most clients won't complain about poor customer service, especially when it's the 2nd or 3rd time, they'll just go elsewhere. And, these days, they'll share their bad experience with their network of connections in person and through Twitter, Facebook, as well as various other online business review services. Local business reviews through Google serve as a very public platform for customers to easily comment on the businesses found in their directory. Here's where the impact of bad customer service can begin to drastically impact your bottom line.

Superior customer service is one of the most important tools left that seldom costs money and creates the most impact. It's more costly to attract and secure new clients than it is to keep the ones you've got satisfied.

Customers and clients are not only interested in the service or product you're offering; it's the additional elements of service that create loyalty.

Exposing a psoriatic elbow, or a pair of red knees, can be pretty uncomfortable, but imagine how difficult it can be when the psoriasis is hidden beneath your underwear! It's the most private part, the part that is not normally shown to the world for fear of indecent exposure. How do you deal with psoriasis in this area?

Genital psoriasis affects the most intimate of your body parts, and it can be hard to deal with when the people that see them are the people who matter most - your partners, girlfriends, boyfriends, lovers... Sometimes you just have to take a deep breathe and allow one more person to see it - your skin specialist / dermatologist.

It can lead to a negative knock-on effect on your sex life, the level of intimacy you share with your partner and your body-image... But there are ways of dealing with it!

When it comes to sex and genital psoriasis, the best option is to be open about it. Sit your partner down on the bed and explain what it is, stressing that it's not contagious, it's not an STD (or Sexually Transmitted Infection STI) and they don't have to worry about anything.

Once you turn the lights down, you can't see it any more and the biggest obstacle is the uncomfortable feeling you get during intercourse. So don't forget to moisturise beforehand and use sensitive soaps and body wash in the shower so as not to irritate the skin unnecessarily.

By following these simple steps, you can minimize the impact that genital psoriasis can have on your life (including your sex life) and build an even stronger relationship. Psoriasis doesn't need to be a secret. By concealing it and hiding it from everyone, it can increase your stress levels and actually deteriorate the skin even further.

All The Dirty Details Of Genital Psoriasis

The type of psoriasis normally found around the groin area is called "Inverse Psoriasis". It doesn't sound very nice, but this type of psoriasis usually breaks out in those moist areas hidden by underwear, where there's a lot of sweat, heat and where the skin is already sensitive and thin.

For a man, it can appear on the penis, including the tip/head, the scrotum (yes, this means itchy balls guys) and around the bum (be careful when wiping!), and for the woman, around the vulva on the outside of the skin, and very rarely - inside it. The skin here is very thin and vulnerable, which makes the whole affair much more uncomfortable.

On the statistical side, genital psoriasis is quite common and usually affects one out of three patients with psoriasis. Whilst 33% might sound like a lot, I think that the number is actually higher, maybe even much, much higher.

Many people develop genital psoriasis, and are too afraid to seek professional assessment because they think it might be a sexually transmitted disease! It doesn't blister like herpes, or cause ulcers like syphilis, but people don't know that. They think that somehow they caught something - even if they don't sleep around!

Other people just feel embarrassed about going to their family doctor, unzipping and saying "look - it's redder than a tomato!" Furthermore, some people go to their doctor, but then their psoriasis is misdiagnosed as a fungal infection instead! It's this combination of different reasons that means that genital psoriasis is most probably the most hidden type of psoriasis on the whole body.

All in all, genital psoriasis might be more prevalent than we think. If you have it, remember to consult a qualified professional, because it is treatable and you don't have to suffer in silence!