Write an article based on this "Familiarize yourself with the possible symptoms. Look for neurotransmitter issues. Take certain pregnancy and developmental conditions into consideration. Pay attention to problems with toxins. Consider complex disorders. Know your family medical history. Understand the value of MTHFR testing."
article: MTHFR gene deficiencies do not exhibit the sort of symptoms you would expect of a disease. Since the problem lies within your genetic code, the symptoms of MTHFR deficiency will actually reveal themselves as other illnesses, conditions, and disorders. Many of the medical conditions linked to MTHFR deficiency are fairly common, and on their own, they may not be indicative of a deeper problem. If you experience two or more of these medical conditions, however, it might be worth getting tested. This is especially true if the conditions you develop otherwise seem unrelated. Inadequate amounts of methionine can hinder the function of neurotransmitters in the brain, resulting in certain mood and memory disorders. MTHFR deficiency could be to blame if you struggle with clinical depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, insomnia, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, chronic fatigue, migraines, and neurological conditions. Additionally, MTHFR related neurotransmitter issues could increase the risk of developing addictions to tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or other chemical substances. MTHFR mutations can also cause the body to have difficulty processing folic acid (vitamin B9). A woman who is unable to process folic acid is more likely to experience problems related to pregnancy, including infertility, frequent miscarriages, still births, and pre-eclampsia. This inability can also affect the developing fetus and might be responsible for certain birth defects, including cleft lips and cleft palates. The fetus can also develop brain defects like spina bifida, in which the bones of the spinal column fail to close around the nerves of the spinal cord, or anencephaly, in which large parts of the brain or skull bone do not form. The baby may have a higher chance of being on the autism spectrum. MTHFR deficiency can also reduce the body's ability to eliminate heavy metals and other toxins, which can cause stress on nearly all bodily systems. Genetic immune and autoimmune disorders can be linked to this deficiency, as can severe allergies, chronic fatigue, frequent headaches, and insomnia. An inability to eliminate toxins can also lead to thyroid disorders, menstrual disorders, kidney damage, and cancer. Medical problems that result from a combination of neurotransmitter, cardiovascular, developmental, and/or toxin elimination problems can also be indicative of MTHFR deficiency. In particular, this can include fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and peripheral neuropathy. Since MTHFR deficiency is a genetic disorder, it will probably run in the family. Others in your family will probably have the deficiency, too, especially close relatives. If one of your relatives has a known MTHFR deficiency, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor about testing yourself, too. This is especially true if you, your parents, your siblings, or your grandparents have experienced any of the known disorders linked to the deficiency. Since medical knowledge about MTHFR is fairly recent, it is possible that your ancestors may have had the deficiency without an official diagnosis. If your family medical history includes many of the disorders linked to MTHFR, there is a stronger probability that an unknown MTHFR deficiency has been passed down to you. By testing for MTHFR abnormalities, you can identify future risk factors and take preventative measures to avoid certain health problems. Since you'll need to develop a condition indicative of MTHFR deficiency before you might suspect a problem, testing for irregularities in the gene might seem pointless at first. By testing for the MTHFR abnormality, though, you can learn whether or not the problem is actually linked to the MTHFR gene. If it is, you can take preventative measures to stop other related disorders and conditions from developing.

Write an article based on this "Wear thicker socks (or multiple pairs). Stuff the toes of your shoes. Use an insole. Use ball-of-foot pads. Use a set of heel strips."
article: Perhaps the easiest thing you can do to make a loose pair of shoes fit better is to "bulk up" your feet with thicker layers of socks. For example, you might try exchanging a skin-tight pair of dress socks or tights for a padded set of crew socks. You can even wear two or three pairs of socks on top of each other the thicker the padding, the more tightly your foot will sit in the shoe. Best for: Athletic shoes, boots. Notes: This can be an uncomfortable choice in hot weather, especially if you tend to get sweaty feet. In a pinch, you can use cheap, wadded-up material (like cotton balls, tissue paper, toilet paper, or even thin rags) to fill in the space at the the tips of your shoes. This is a great choice if you feel your feet sliding from the fronts of your shoes to the back as you walk plus, it's something you can do almost anywhere. Best for: Flats, boots, close-toed heels. Notes: Not a particularly good choice for athletic situations or long walks the "filler" material can get gross and uncomfortable with heavy use. An insole is a soft pad (usually made of foam or gel material) that sits under your foot in the shoe to provide cushioning and support. Insoles are often intended to help with posture problems and discomfort, but they're also handy for taking up extra space in shoes that are too loose. Insoles can be purchased for reasonably cheap at most places where shoes are also sold. Best for: Most shoes (including heels and open-toed shoes). Notes: If you can, try on any insoles before buying to make sure they are comfortable to wear. Well-known brands like Dr. Scholl and Foot Petals offer comfortable, long-lasting insoles, but any quality insole brand should work. Higher-end insoles can run $50 or more but provide top-of-the-line comfort and support. Sometimes, adding "full" insoles to a set of shoes makes them uncomfortable or awkward to wear. Luckily, other, smaller cushioning devices are usually sold alongside insoles. One such device that's useful for too-big shoes are partial pads that sit directly under the balls of your feet (the part just before your toes begin). These discrete, hard-to-see pads provide friction and a thin layer of support, making them perfect for heels that are just a little too big but that become uncomfortable when wearing a full insole. Best for: Heels, flats Notes: These often come in many colors, so you can try to pick a pad that's in a color that compliments your shoes if you wish. Another "partial" padding option along the lines of insoles and ball-of-foot pads are thin strips of padding sometimes called "heel strips" or "heel grips." As their name suggests, these adhesive pads are often used to pad shoes with uncomfortable, pinching heels, but their strip-like design means you can put them virtually anywhere in the shoe to take up extra space perfect for that odd pair of shoes that nothing else will work for. Best for: Most shoes, especially tight pairs of heels. Notes: Try these on before wearing and be aware that some users report blisters after use.

Write an article based on this "Pick out or buy bamboo stalks. Cut the bamboo in front of its first node. Sand the node area. Measure out your pipes. Clean out nodes between sections. Cut the bamboo according to the measurements."
article:
If you are making your pipes out of bamboo, buy as many stalks as you need. If you live in a warm climate that grows bamboo, you may be able to find bamboo outside or at local shops. If you don't have access to bamboo in your community, order it online. Make sure each stalk of bamboo has around a 5/8 inch diameter. It's important that all the stalks have a similar interior diameter, or else it will be hard to make them sound good together. Make sure the bamboo isn't green, and instead is dried and tan in color. Take a stalk of bamboo and cut it at one end right before the first node using a saw. The nodes of the bamboo are the lines that run horizontally across the stalk that you can see from the outside. The nodes are closed on the inside, so they create a good natural bottom to your pipes. After you have made the cut before the node, use a belt sander to make the outside bottom of the bamboo stalk rounded. This isn't necessary, but it will make the bottoms of your pipes less prickly and spiky, and will also make your instrument look better. Do the same process for all of your bamboo pieces. Use the same measurements for the straw pan pipes, starting with the longest pipe at 17.5 cm and the shortest at 8.5 centimeters. Use a ruler to measure and mark these measurements on the bamboo. After forming the bottom of the pipes around the node, you will want to clear the inside of the bamboo, still keeping the bottom node untouched. Since nodes are closed on the inside, they will stop air from going through the entire pipe and will interfere with your sound. Use a steel rod with roughly a 3/8 inch diameter to break through the nodes inside of the bamboo shaft. An effective way to do this is to clamp down the steel rod, and then take the bamboo shaft and poke the nodes out using the rod. You also will want to use the rod to scrape around the inside of the bamboo nodes so that the inside node area has the same interior diameter as the rest of the stalk. Using the measurements you already marked down, cut the bamboo into differently-sized pipes. Remember that it's better to cut your pipes a little too long than too short, because you can always do another cut.