Efficient Strategies on the Way to Market Acupuncture Training
Acupuncture is among the best substitute therapeutic practices for people going through diverse kinds of discomfort. The medical practice is performed by inserting thin needles inside the acupuncture points of the body. The procedure is done to alleviate diverse kinds of pains and abnormal wellness conditions like stress. Because of its excellent outcomes and amazing responses from diverse sorts of individuals, acupuncture has been one of probably the most sought following therapy. And this is the reason why acupuncturists are looking for helpful approaches on the way to marketplace their acupuncture practice.
Effectively, really there’s no such issue as formula or magic formula method to stand out. It is more about mass promotions and difficult operate. Should you know the best way to marketplace your training well, and then you’ll have much more customers. Even so, it really is not simple to marketplace this kind of practice. It is not like promoting a beauty bar or maybe a weight loss pills. It needs more explanation and persuading techniques to become acknowledged by men and women.
The great factor is we’ve got more accessibility to the globe nowadays. World wide web has brought us closer to men and women and we can make this benefit to help us within our advertising campaigns. The initial issue to complete to create people get those services is usually to explain what acupuncture is. Though a great deal of men and women are generally employing it, you will find nonetheless some who don’t be aware of positive aspects they can get into acupuncture.
You should also let them know that acupuncture isn’t hurtful. The typical myth of individuals about acupuncture is the fact that it’s painful, but actually, it’s not. You ought to have the ability to explain that entirely details and make them think that acupuncture is just not painful and can actually aid them to obtain eliminate their physique pains. Whenever you accomplish that a lot more men and women can actually engage in this kind of medical practice.
Apart from explaining, you should be able to promote nicely. You may possibly have a good concept and thought, but if you tend not to have a superb advertising structure, then nothing will come about. Marketplace your practice by posting in diverse directories and back linking your web page in it. The far more ads posted, the a lot more chances of getting far more customers. This may assist you to in getting a good deal of consumers and informing them about your practice at the same time.
You should also discuss the quantity that can expense them to have this type of medical therapy. Be confident and answer all of their concerns. Obviously, men and women will trust an individual who actually knows what he could be performing. You need to seem friendly but intelligible.
These are generally some effective techniques to market your acupuncture practice. Don’t forget that it is going to all be determined by how you will present your data. Which means you genuinely must be ready prior to promoting and marketing and advertising.
Essential Oils and Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the oldest system of natural medicine that we know. And the principles of Ayurveda can bring deep insights to help us understand and prescribe the use of essential oils in modern day aromatherapy.
Ayus means ‘life’ or ‘lifespan’, and Veda means ‘complete knowledge’. So Ayurveda is complete knowledge about life, and about health and how to maintain it.
The central tenet of Ayurveda is that good health is a natural state of life — a state of balance. So health becomes disrupted when imbalances accumulate. Therefore it aims to detect early accumulation of imbalances in the system, and prevent them from developing into symptoms by using a variety of methods. In this way, Ayurveda is primarily preventive in its outlook.
One of these approaches is through massage, which is highly rated in Ayurveda. Massage is recommended in terms of daily self-massage (you can try a self massage using warm natural sesame oil every morning before taking a shower; some people notice massive benefit continue through the day, particularly if they suffer from poor circulation), and also using macerated oils in specific treatment regimes.
This is very similar in outlook and approach to our approach to aromatherapy, which uses essential oils blended into a ‘carrier oil’ (vegetable oil), so let’s see what our modern understanding can learn from the ancient approach.
According to Ayurveda there are three principles (doshas) that operate in the physiology and in Nature: vata, pitta, and kapha.
Vata governs the function of the nervous system, and is quick, light, cold, rough, moving. People who have a strong vata constitution tend to walk quickly, talk quickly, listen quickly (so they may interrupt you before you’ve finished your sentence). They tend to be of thin build, frequently very bright and alert. When they become imbalanced, this may lead to anxiety, worry, restlessness, insomnia, and also cold hands and feet. They would tend towards dry hair, and dry skin.
Pitta is hot and sharp, and governs metabolism and digestion. People with a preponderance of pitta tend to have energy, ambition, and drive. Because pitta is hot, they suffer less from cold; but on the other hand may tend to overheat in the summer, and may suffer from skin disorders.
Kapha has the qualities of heavy, cold, oily and stable. Kapha people tend to have large framed bodies, and may put on weight rather easily. The hair is thick, lustrous, and they are often very attractive physically. They frequently exude feelings of stability, peace, and contentment. But when out of balance, kapha leads to a lack of flexibility, inertia and lack of enthusiasm.
A qualified ayurvedic practitioner will be able to determine the relative balance of vata, pitta and kapha to a great degree of accuracy by using pulse diagnosis.
However the simple description above should be able to help us to quickly recognize which essential oils could be indicated.
For someone with a vata imbalance, we want to provide ease, ease and comfort, reducing agitation and excess mental activity. So we should be on the lookout for oils that are sweet, warming, soft, stabilising. Try Sweet Orange, Ylang Ylang, Vetiver, Sweet Basil, Jasmine, Ginger, Frankincense, Patchouli.
For a pitta type, we will be looking for cooling oils. So think in terms of Mint oils, True Lavender, Rose, Sandalwood, and German Camomile.
Remember that kapha is heavy and oily, so we should be looking for essential oils that are light and will cut through that quality. Think in terms of the confers (pines, firs, spruces), Black Pepper, Tea Tree, Rosemary Verbenone, and Lemon.
It goes without saying that the areas of both ayurveda and essential oils are immensely detailed; and either could take a lifetime of study. Yet the principles are simple and have a commonsense value. And best of all, they are easy to apply.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been around for thousands of years and for good reason – it works. While Western science has demonstrated its value in the field of surgical and urgent care procedures, Chinese medicine often provides better preventive and disease management care. Focusing on and using the body’s inner energy, or Qi, to maintain good health, prevent illness, and better handle chronic conditions, Traditional Chinese Medicine has been shown to eliminate symptoms of such “incurable” conditions as chronic joint pain, infertility, Crohn’s Disease, and a host of other conditions.
The fundamental idea behind Chinese medicine is that the human body is able to heal itself of many of the illnesses and injuries experienced, so long as the body’s energy flow, or Qi, is uninterrupted.
What Is Acupuncture?
The first thoughts that come to mind when most people hear the word “acupuncture” are needles and the pain normally associated with injections. The needles used in acupuncture are as fine as a human hair, as they have no need for a hollow tube like those used with syringes. Generally, there is little to no pain experienced during these procedures. The needles are used to stimulate blood flow and bioelectric activity along a specific pathway within the body. While scientific researchers debate over the effectiveness of acupuncture, patients around the globe have found relief from conditions such as chronic pain, insomnia, digestive conditions, headaches, migraines, weight loss, infertility, depression, fibromyalgia, and many other medical conditions.
Teas & Tonics, or Terrible Side Effects
The FDA’s requirement that pharmaceutical companies announce the side effects of their prescription medications in all advertisements has made those commercials tragic enough to almost be humorous. Most often than not, the side effects are worse than the initial condition being treated! Instead of risking other systems within your body to the ravages of prescription chemicals, Chinese medicine offers well-established regimes of herbal teas and tonics to bring about and maintain powerful health.
A Toast to Cupping
Cupping is the practice of using heated glass or ceramic cups to relax muscles and draw out toxins. Cupping draws toxins to the skin surface, where they are more easily removed from the body through sweating and respiration.
If you have not been happy with the results from Western medicine, perhaps it’s time to take a look at a method of healing that has a longer history and some amazing success stories. While not the answer to every health challenge, in many cases, acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can be a part of one’s healing journey when Western medicine have failed them.
Wishing you health and healing!
Hypnosis – The First Session
You are about to meet your hypnotherapist for the first time. How will things go? What will he ask you? What will happen during your first session? There are, naturally, no immutable law and every therapist is free to organize his session as he wishes. However, there are certain guidelines and principles used by most therapists.
A session lasts generally between 30 and 60 minutes and is most often shaped according to the work you and your therapist have done together. The first session is frequently different from the other. You and your therapist don’t know each other yet and maybe you don’t have a clue of what hypnosis is, except from what you may have seen in a documentary. You might be a bit nervous about whom you are going to meet and what is going to happen.
The therapist may have as many questions for you as you will have for him. Apart from the standard informations like name, address, phone number, age, etc., there might be more precise questions about your life: Are you married, living in a couple, divorced, single? Do you have children, if yes, how many and how old are they? Do you have brothers or sisters? Are your parents alive? Your place in the family, the one you are coming from as well as the one you have founded, can be very important to some kind of therapies.
Besides that, the therapist will be interested to know if you have any physical illness or weakness. Things like hypertension, heart problems or frequent headache may be of interest. Not because the therapist is going to scare you, so we have to be sure you won’t have a heart-attack, but in fact, because some of these physical problems might be related to your psychological state, and the therapist may include some special relaxing exercises or methods in the treatment. Some physical symptoms might be a clue to some hypnotists about where to find the root of the problems.
Just like any other therapist, the hypnotherapist will most likely ask you if you take medicine regularly and in this case, which one. Some medicine may have an influence on relaxation or treatment. Under the influence of some medicine, the patient may have difficulties to relax or to visualize.
Any physical problem may be of importance. It is very important to know if you, for example, have a hearing impairment. I have sometimes used headphones and a microphone for some patients, or, if the problem was tinnitus, we had to take care of this first or to take it into account in the therapy.
The hypnotherapist will most likely ask you if you have any anxiety or any other problems than the problem you are coming to see him for. For example, are you afraid of heights, of open spaces, closed spaces, etc.? Of course, these problems can be treated too, but they are anyway important to know for the therapist to plan his session. If you are afraid of heights, for example, it won’t be a good idea if, as a relaxation, the therapist makes you visualize yourself flying up and up and up in a hot air balloon. So this kind of details may be really important for the therapy. Of course, it won’t be dangerous if you have forgotten to tell this and if your hypnotherapist makes you visualize a balloon-trip. However, it won’t have the desired effect (relaxing, visualizing) so the treatment will be inefficient.
Then the therapist will very often ask you if you have been in therapy before, or if you are in therapy with another therapist and if you ever have tried hypnosis, meditation, sophrology or any other kind of therapy that could be close to hypnosis. It makes it easier to plan the coming sessions.
You too may have questions to ask your therapist. Don’t hesitate to ask them during your first session. This session is important for the contact between therapist and patient and there are many things to speak about. It will be a big Q and A.
Depending on the questions, on how much there was to talk about, some therapists may have time to make a little hypnosis session, so you at least have tried it. However, don’t be surprised if there is not time. In these cases, I always preferred to make a very good contact with the patient than to make a hypnosis session the first time. That will later on make things move forward much quicker.
How to Find a Good Hypnotherapist
In most countries, there aren’t any official rules about hypnosis. Since it is a science which is still surrounded with a halo of mysticism because of the movies and of the shows, many are unsure about which therapist to choose. Best is, of course, if someone you trust, a friend or a family member, has tried this therapist and recommends him to you. But if not, there are some things, you can do.
In most European countries, there is no special law about hypnosis. In the USA, there are different laws depending on the state, but there is little or no direct regulation over the practice of hypnosis, although, of course, other laws generally affecting the operation of any business will usually apply (truth in advertising, unfair business practices, etc.). Few states require mandatory licensure or registration, for example, Colorado, Connecticut or Washington. Some other do not have mandatory registration, but have specific regulations for the practice of hypnotism and certain rules and guidelines for licensure exemption. That would be states like California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, Utah…
So in short, you will have to check out what registration the therapist you are going to use has and see if he has a valid license. Second, and this is very important, find out if the therapist is a member of one or more professional organizations and in this case, which one and what are the conditions to be a member of this organization. Who taught him hypnosis? Where did he study?
Don’t be afraid to ask these questions in your first session. Best is, if you have prepared your questions in advance. Write them down to be sure you don’t forget any. Every understanding therapist (that should be a pleonasm, but it is, unfortunately not) will know that you are unsure, especially if you never have tried it before and will disclose anything you want. There are no secrets to hypnosis. No question is too stupid to be ask. As we say in France: There are no stupid questions, there are only stupid answers.
If you are insecure about going to the therapist alone the first time, don’t hesitate to bring a friend with you. It is perfectly understandable that you are hesitant and a friend can see or ask some questions you may not think of. As a therapist, the only thing I have to say to that is I like to know it beforehand. But that is merely politeness. If I am waiting for one patient and see two persons arrive, it is no big deal, but I prefer to be warned.
Apart from that, there is no reason why a therapist would deny you to come with someone. If he does, be on your guards. There is no reason to refuse a third person in session for the first contact where you certainly may have many things to ask. In the following sessions, of course, the therapist may ask your friend to leave the room under treatment.
Don’t be scared to ask the therapist how the session will be and what will happen. One of my patients told me, one of the hypnotherapist she went to before me, asked her to lay down and then started a CD with a hypnosis session on while he was playing cards on his computer. This kind of treatment may not be suitable for you. So ask the therapist how the session will be, what he will do and not do.
Hypnosis is not magic. It is a therapy and the contact and the trust you have in your therapist is the most important. If you, at first contact, feel that something is wrong that you don’t like the person or that the contact between you two isn’t good, find another therapist. This doesn’t mean that this therapist is bad, just that you may not be one for another. He can be very good for someone else. You have to rely on him, to be able to relax in his company, and you won’t be able to do that, if there is any form of antipathy (whether it is justified or not).
Wonders Of Aromatherapy Essential Oils And Pure Aromatherapy
For more than a hundred years, European scientists and doctors have been utilizing the power of smell to alter a person’s mood and health. Countless studies have been able to merge that line between scent and our more inner cognitive psyche by a series of controlled experiments. These scientists discovered that scent influences emotions, while in some very rare cases, even emotions influence our sense of smell. We know far too well of how smell has this distinct, often times, overpowering, control over us. The smell of freshly baked pie may bring you back to your childhood and remind you of your mothers delectable cooking. A whiff of your ex-boyfriends perfume may send you into uncontrollable fits of rage. A study from Rice University in Houston discovered that close couples are able to smell each others emotions both being able to smell each others sadness or happiness. Scent has the ability to control us in ways we have never thought possible.
Enter aromatherapy, an alternative medicine that uses plant materials to create aromatherapy essential oils and alter a persons mood or health. Pure aromatherapy is a treatment or the prevention of sickness and disease by the utilization of aromatherapy essential oils. Aroma has a certain influence on the brain, most especially in the limbic and olfactory regions of the brain, that hastens well being and healing. Hundreds of people have utilized the power of aromatherapy essential oils to treat a multitude of aches and diseases. Reflexologists employ the power of pure aromatherapy to conduct the best massages that bring the best results, and its popularity is growing worldwide.
Aromatherapy essential oils have the capacity to provide physical and psychological benefits when used correctly. Pure aromatherapy is a powerful practice that should be understood properly before usage and application.
Aromatherapy essential oils such as
- Eucalyptus have the power to heal respiratory system ailments, and are often recommended for muscle aches and pains.
- Geranium can relieve nervous tension, pre-menstrual syndrome symptoms, repair broken capillaries, cuts, burns, and certain types of eczema.
- The wonders of peppermint includes its ability to treat asthma, cramps, colds, fevers, headaches, mental fatigue, and even vertigo.
- Sandalwood is one of those aromatherapy essential oils that are great aphrodisiacs. It is valued in dermatology for its skin healing properties.
- Tea tree is well known for its disinfecting, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
There are various aromatherapy essential oils with a multitude of different benefits. To find out which one is the best for you, consult an aromatherapy expert or conduct some research. The variety of oils available may surprise you.
Acupressure Points to Treat Neck Pain Caused From Wry Neck
Acupressure can be used to relieve a number of different problems. In this article we will talk about acupressure for neck pain. Various reasons exist for neck pain. One cause of pain in your neck can be wry neck. Essentially wry neck or torticollis is a crick in the neck. This is usually from sleeping wrong or sometimes from trauma.
Five acu-points are used to relieve neck pain caused from wry neck:
- The first point is Gv-16. This acu-point is located in the hollow at the base of the skull.
- Si-15 is located at a 45 degree angle from the base of the neck (where the neck appears to attach to the body) and just to the side of the spinal column.
- After you have located Si-15, draw an imaginary straight line from the point to the outside of the body. GB-21 will be one fingers width above this line and TW-15 one fingers width below on the mid-clavicular line. Just imagine you are drawing a line down your body dividing it from front to back right at the middle of your collar bone.
- The final acu-point B-10 is located on either side of the neck at the second cervical spine level about three fingers width below Gv-16.
Now that you have found the correct acu-points, you can begin treatment. Apply firm pressure, hold for three seconds then release. Apply pressure in a circular motion to the trigger points. You may feel a knot or tightness and there may be tenderness at the site. This is a good sign you are in the right place. Continue to apply pressure until you feel the area relax. You can also apply ice therapy to the area.
Many people want to apply heat or use massage to the neck when they have wry neck pain. These treatments can actually worsen the condition. Heat increases congestion to the area and massage can actually increase muscle spasm. Avoid manipulating, pushing or pulling the muscles in this area. Avoid using heat therapy.
Use gentle pressure to the acu-points several times daily. Begin at the first sign of discomfort. You should feel relief of pain that increases each day. If for any reason pain persists, you should see your doctor.
Always use caution with any alternative treatment if you are pregnant, a child or have preexisting medical conditions. Also, if you have an undiagnosed injury acupressure does not take the place of medical treatment.
A very neat site to help you locate acu-points is on the Stanford Medical Education Site. Just type in acupressure point finder online in your browser.
Knee Pain While Running
Have you ever experienced knee pain running all down the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of your leg during a run?
I’m an avid runner. Running gives me a sense of freedom, an escape from reality perhaps and one of the main methods for me to control my stress level throughout the day. Although I run regularly nowadays I was not always able to enjoy running like I do now.
When I first started out taking up running as a recreational activity I had no idea or prior knowledge of the importance of stretching before running. Before I knew it I had intense knee pain running down my legs, straining my tendons and muscles and exploding with spurts of pain all over my knees.
It felt like my knees were about to up give at any moment and I would end up sprawled all over the sidewalk with bruises and cuts. The pain was tremendous and increasing as each day passed by. I just couldn’t stand it any longer.
To be honest I was terrified of the pain as I had never experienced anything like it before. Then seeing no method to ease the tension in my ligaments it looked like I was going to give up my pastime of running altogether. Mexican pharmacy no prescription
Luckily for me every day when I was running I would encounter this guy who lived in my neighborhood. He was a friendly elderly man and extremely healthy for his age. He had also been an avid runner for years and we had some short talks at times about sports and current events when we crossed paths. He was a great guy to talk to and well acquainted with sports, especially cross-country running.
Embarrassed, one day I decided to spill my situation to him. I just couldn’t take the pain any longer. I literally had to drag myself out the door for my run that day. That one day when I discussed with him the details of my knee pain while running changed my whole life.
Malegra oral jelly Not only did he explain to me sincerely what to do when I experience knee pain running long ways down my ligaments and muscles he also began training with me every day to ensure that I was stretching perfectly.
He shared with me all of his experiences on running and now I am able to give back to my neighborhood by doing the same with other runners.
Avoiding knee pain while running is actually rather simple, it’s not rocket science. It takes a lot of consistency and experience on which tendons and ligaments to properly stretch to avoid injuring any parts of the knee.
The most crucial component of the stretching is to do casual, less intense activities before going for a full run. The simplest method to avoid spraining any ligaments or tendons is to take a casual 10 minute walk before running or sprinting.
Running is an extremely strenuous activity on the knees and ankles due to the stress focused on those areas and proper footwear that supports all the stressed areas is also extremely crucial. When you take on running be sure to be properly fitted for an appropriate pair of running shoes first as they will help absorb a lot of your shock and impact when training.
Basically the concepts of running properly are rather simple, but without any experience it can be tough to grasp all the ins and outs.
Walking for 10 minutes before running and buying specialized footwear that supported my legs helped me drastically decrease the knee pain when running. Now that coupled with what I will show you next has made me a successful cross-country runner who does not experience knee pain anymore.
Say Good-Bye to Constipation Through Natural Ways
There are over 65 percent of men and women in the United States who are suffering from constipation. Moreover, at least 2 percent experience intermittent constipation episodes.
Constipation is one of the most common gastro-intestinal disorders. It is characterized by passing of stool less than three times a week. Moreover, the stool is often very small and hard.
You may also experience some difficulty in passing stool. Sometimes it is painful and leads to rectal bleeding. A number of men and women also have bloated abdomen.
How to Deal with It
Often, constipation is manageable. You can reduce its occurrence or completely avoid it by following these tips:
- Don’t fret about it. It’s normal to experience constipation. There are times your bowel movement goes back to normal after a couple of days. You just need to be patient. Further, not everyone goes through the toilet every single day. As long as you pass stool at least three times a week, then you’re fine.
- Don’t skip breakfast. Of all the meals, breakfast is the most important. Breakfast provides you the energy to start your day right. It also activates your bowels, as when you’re sleeping, your bowels are also at rest. Just in case it’s unavoidable to skip breakfast, you can drink at least two glasses of water as soon as you wake up. Before you report to work or go to school, you can drink natural fruit juice of your choice.
- Breathe properly. Correct breathing helps ease the bowels, allowing a more comfortable stool passing. You can achieve that by taking in air through the nose and expelling it through your mouth.
- Avoid strain. One of the most common mistakes people make is to push extremely hard in order to get rid of the stools. Not only is this ineffective, but it’s a possible cause of hemorrhoids, which is equally painful.When you’re ready to pass stool just relax and breathe. Place your feet firmly on the floor and lean forward. You can massage your lower back to stimulate bowel movement. But never push strongly. If after doing all these nothing still happens, then try again later.
- Eat foods that are rich in fiber. You can greatly improve your bowel movement by increasing your intake of fiber. The contraction and expansion of the large intestines, which stimulate bowel movements, happen only when the body recognizes the fullness of the large intestines. Fiber does that. Completely biodegradable fiber easily fills up your intestines, so your body is forced to excrete stool.
- Limit your intake of laxatives. The easiest way to stimulate bowel movement is by taking laxatives. It forces the intestines to contract and expand. But the problem with continuously taking it is your intestines will get used to it. Soon laxatives will no longer work.
- Reduce your stress level. Digestion and bowel problems are typical among those with high levels of stress. When you’re under stress or experiencing depression and anxiety, the intestine muscles contract and restrict the proper passing of stool.
You can minimize stress by using subliminal messages or affirmations. Perhaps a few minutes before you go into the toilet, you can take slow deep breaths and say the following words:
- I am leaving stress behind me.
- I am surrounded by a lot of positive emotions.
- I only accept what’s going to be good for me.
Acupuncture for Stress
Stress is something that could be hard to battle. It’s an extremely powerful feeling that anytime it takes place it becomes like a blockage that disturbs the smooth flow of energy in our system. Our body’s normal energy reserves get exhausted and stops the movement of energy inside our body where ultimately inevitable outcomes develop. It’s then that individuals encounter discomfort along with other health problems. The physical signs of tension overload abound – headaches, backache, insomnia, skin complaints and gastric issues are a few of the far more apparent types
The not so obvious signs tend to be more mental, varying between depression and anxiety to very poor attentiveness and lack of self-assurance. If the pressure carries on and grows more chronic it could result in long-term health conditions like strokes, hypertension and elevated risks of cardiovascular diseases.
Lowering or getting rid of strain is among the initial ways to living an enjoyable life within a better condition of overall well-being. Definitely, the price of minimizing worry at any level can’t be emphasized enough.
Chinese medicine comes with an undeniable record (more than 4500 years) of lowering or reducing the harmful negative effects of stress. It helps manage muscle strain, lessens heart rates and minimizes blood pressure level, all of these aids to produce a tranquilizing impact for people struggling with stress.
Acupuncture can help alleviate feelings of hysteria and melancholy by rousing muscle groups in your body which are accountable for stimulating the release of substances that actually work in opposition to the stress-related toxins, shutting down the stress reaction of your overall body.
These alternative stress reducing therapies are non-invasive and extremely harmless. The procedure method consists of utilizing incredibly small needles which are put in the meridians to open the path ways of the power flow. Ordinarily the tiny needles are about the size of an individual hair.The installation is virtually unknown by the man or woman. In certain situations, a cool ray of light can be used together with the small needles, this boosts the power of the needle treatment. A mild electrical charge is a second alternative in many instances. This increases the healing time and decrease the amount of visits.
Acupuncture may perhaps be just about the most effective treatment methods and may provide an actual experience of rest that may have a substantial effect on people that are afflicted by stress. Nonetheless, it is really worth mentioning that acupuncture won’t do the trick for everyone plus its ideal to complete an entire assessment of the treatment just prior to starting treatment.