How can I diagnose my anxiety?
July 1st, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
How can I diagnose my anxiety? Medical experts estimate that millions of adults will have troubles with anxiety at one point in their lives. But that doesn’t mean you need to suffer silently. At www.cureforanxiety.net you can get the best advice for diagnosing and treating back pain with the eBook, “All About Alleviating Anxiety and Stress.” It tells you absolutely everything you need to know about anxiety and treating anxiety, including possible treatments for managing and preventing anxiety in the future. Here is an overview of the steps to diagnosing your anxiety issues: Symptoms of anxiety Anxiety can take make forms. Often, when you have physical symptoms that have no other medical explanation, you tend to be suffering from anxiety and stress. The most common symptoms include sweating, rapid heartbeat, and trembling. How can I diagnose my anxiety? While you might already understand your problems with stress and anxiety, it will take a completely physical with your primary care doctor to know for sure if you have anxiety related troubles. There are also medical conditions that can have anxiety as a symptom, so these need to be ruled out. Causes of anxiety Though many of us can easily write down the causes of anxiety in our lives, there are other causes that are out of our control. By learning how your environment and your genetics can affect your predisposition to anxiety, you can begin to understand how to change your life. Medical conditions with anxiety-like symptoms In truth, there are many physical disorders that have anxiety symptoms too. From a heart attack to low blood sugar, learning to differentiate between stress and a life-threatening disorder is crucial. If anxiety is a new condition for you, you might want to head to a doctor before brushing the symptoms aside.
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ADHD Meds - The Story
June 30th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
ADHD meds are not miracle drugs that instantly get rid of all ADHD symptoms. The meds may not work properly and also cause side effects. To find the right levels and types of meds can take time in order to get good results. Here are five tips on how to best work with doctor in order to obtain the finest from ADHD meds.
Tip #1: Find a Good Doctor
You need to find a doctor who is willing to monitor the medication and your child on a regular basis. You may need to find a doctor who specializes in treating ADHD or other mental health disorders so you can ensure that the treatment given is appropriate and that you find the right type of treatment or ADHD meds.
Tip #2: Start with lowest does and adjust as needed.
ADHD meds are prescribed in doses that are not based upon age or weight. A good doctor will start out at the lowest dose possible and then adjust it up if needed. Doctors will usually allow three to seven days to elapse between adjusting doses and run an adhd test.
Due to the side effects get more common and more severe with increased doses so the giving of the lowest dose possible is necessary. In addition there is unnecessary to over medicate the child.
Third Tip: The need to use daily medication consistently.
Some parents want to give their child the ADHD meds only during the week and then do not give it to them on the weekend. This type of dosing will not give accurate results.
The latest research suggests that the giving of the medication inconsistently can cause the medication to not work as efficiently. Since the children have to take the meds they can get problems resent going to school.
Fourth Tip: Include everybody is monitoring for side effects and other effects of the meds.
Because of combined efforts of teachers, doctors and parent, most children are diagnosed with ADHD. To medicate as a group effort is the only thing that makes sense. Everybody should watch the effects of medication. The participation of teachers, doctors and parents in taking care of the child can greatly improve the chances of ensuring the right meds are found and used.
Fifth thing to do is to comprehend the effects of diet on ADHD meds.
Some meds given for ADHD can be greatly affected by what your child eats. High fat diets can lessen the effectiveness of medications like Adderall or Ritalin. Drinking acidic drinks or drinks with a lot of Vitamin C can cause Ritalin to not be absorbed into the body properly. You should also watch on any add symptoms with other possible interactions.
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What Do Anxiety Attacks Feel Like?
June 27th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Believe it or not, over 20 million individuals in America alone suffer from panic attacks, but many more are living with this condition and aren’t even aware of it. In fact, panic attacks are one of the most commonly mis-diagnosed health problems within healthcare.
how can I tell if I’m having an anxiety attack? This article will discuss the most common signs and symptoms of panic attacks, how to know the difference between this condition and other health problems that mimic it, as well as the most effective therapies for panic attacks.
Before we talk about what a panic attack feels like, though, we first need to briefly talk about what happens with this condition so the symptoms and treatments make sense.
Within healthcare, a panic attack is actually classified as a mental condition. But this is actually not completely the case, because this condition is actually more of a problem with the nervous system than it is psychological.
Stress is the most common trigger, but panic attacks actually occur due to how the individual’s nervous system reacts to that stress.
Basically, a person who deals with panic attacks experiences a much more intense reaction to what would make most of us nervous. In order to understand this, we need to first have an understanding of the parts of the nervous system that are involved when we experience stress.
They are called the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). Instead of making this boring like a text book, let me tell you a story to explain how this works.
Let’s say that a bear walks into the room as you’re reading this article. Your brain will perceive the bear as stress, because it threatens your life (and I don’t know about you, but I’m a little on the chubby side, so I’d make a pretty good meal for that bear).
Your brain is hard-wired to survive, so at this moment, it has to make a decision – do you run from the bear or fight it? Either way, the body needs to be prepared for this extra activity, so your brain will turn on the Sympathetic Nervous System.
This part of your nervous system prepares your body to either fight or flee – so your blood pressure raises (you need lots of oxygen to the muscles so they can help you run fast or fight), your heart beats faster, you breathe more deeply, and many other things.
Once the bear is gone, the brain turns on the other part of the nervous system that I mentioned (the Parasympathetic Nervous System), which does the opposite – it calms you down.
When a person suffers with panic attacks, this reaction is intensified – so, their may only be 1 bear in the room, but your brain thinks there’s actually 5 bears. This is where the problem happens.
So, with that said, how can I tell if I’m having an anxiety attack? Well, the signs and symptoms of panic attacks are different for each individual, and they can be experienced to different degrees.
Some individuals will have very minor panic attacks, so may not even realize what is occurring. Others have full-blown, very intense attacks that make them feel like they may be dying.
Click here (how can I tell if I’m having an anxiety attack) to continue reading this article, where you’ll learn the most common signs and symptoms of panic attacks, as well as the most effective treatments available for relief from this health condition.
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Improving Memory and Reducing Fatigue in your Elderly Parents
June 26th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
A few tips for reducing stress in dealing with elderly parents helping with improving memory is what this article is about. Elderly parents can be a medical challenge and a lot of stress for the children. In fact some elderly parents seem to think life is about having the best doctors and their self worth is actually determined by the number of doctors and specialists that they see–a subject that deserves it’s own article.
My mother started having symptoms of fatigue along with an irritable stomach and bowel twenty years ago. I took her to a reputable iridologist (reads the iris of your eyes) who made dietary adjustments (removed fruit and sweets from her diet) and started her on various supplements. Seems that my mother’s diet got skewed–she prefers fruit to protein and after several years of overdoing it with fruit, it fueled her symptoms.
The nutritional supplements and dietary change got her back to normal for a few years until she once again began abusing her diet with coconut syrup and fruit. The symptoms were very similar to what she had before. By now the iridologist had moved away and I have to find another iridologist or a new physician for her. I didn’t live with my mother so I wasn’t privy to her diet but suspected her symptoms were diet related. She, on the other hand, was certain she had some kind of infection similar to what her mother died from fifteen years before.
Finally I found a doctor and took her for weekly visits. It was a twenty minute trip and I soon became frustrated. To cut to the chase I began sitting in on the visits and within two visits it became evident that my mother had a severe case of Candida Albicans. I guided the doctor into having her remove the coconut syrup, sweets, and fruit and within a month she was feeling better once again.
Three years later, my mother’s symptoms returned along with a urinary tract infection. The doctor we had seen was no longer in practice and we had to find another one. The new doctor was young and I hoped would be nutritionally oriented–he wasn’t. He ordered a ton of tests–upper and lower GI track which showed nothing. He treated her for the urinary tract infection with an antibiotic (as I expected) and she responded by having panic attack in addition to all her other symptoms. Ultimately he decided she was suffering from depression and prescribed Prozac. She became more fatigued with more episodes of panic and continued stomach problems. Unfortunately I didn’t sit in on these sessions and now I wish I had.
My suggestions that she look at her diet were met with certainty on her part that she had a tumor in the stomach. In time she became frustrated with the depression diagnosis and we went searching for a nutritionally oriented physician. This time I decided I would accompany her in every session. With my direction, the doctor ordered tests to once again confirm the presence of Candida Albicans. Six months and a dozen doctor visits later, my mother’s panic symptoms were gone along with all stomach and GI track issues. However, the fatigue continued even after many nutritional supplements and chelation therapy with EDTA.
My mother stayed away from sugar to the extent she believed herself to be diabetic–for a while, but her energy never returned.
Another year or two passed and her diet again shifted to carbohydrates in the form of fruits and cookies from the health food store. The fatigue worsened and her stomach symptoms again reappeared. She wouldn’t listen to my dietary advice as she was certain she had this mortal infection. I met with her doctor privately before her session and shared my point of view regarding her diet–he agreed. During the visit he questioned her about her diet. She was eating primarily carbohydrates with no vegetables and little protein. He “read her the riot act.” She began adding veggies and protein and began feeling better.
Her regular doctor wasn’t available for her next med check (Armor Thyroid) and she saw one of the other affiliates in the same office. She never went back to the doctor who read her the riot act, began bad mouthing him as being a bad doctor and she continued being fatigued.
Her new doctor was new to the field of medicine and easy to work with. I suggested a test for Lyme disease and he concurred. We ordered a test from Central Florida Research Center at 1200 S. Pinellas Ave., Units 11 & 12, Tarpoon Springs, Florida 34689 (Phone # 863-956-3538). Chronic Lyme disease often shows up negative with standard tests. The lab uses microscopy and finds it when it’s often missed by standard laboratory techniques. Sure enough the tests came back positive and antibiotics were started.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t tolerate the antibiotics nor the naturopathic remedy of cat’s claw to replace antibiotics. About this time she met a man who recently lost his wife. She had an obvious renewed interest in life and with a fairly strict diet her energy returned–love conquers all.
With the passing of time, for a variety of silly reasons, she didn’t allow the romance to develop–fearful of what others would say. Nothing I could say would make a difference–her limitations are owned by her and her alone which could be the subject of another article.
Feeling much better, her diet began expanding to include more fruit and carbohydrates and within six months I took her to emergency at the hospital. Again she was certain she hada mortal infection and was discharged after a half dozen negative tests.
Now, you’d think that with all her past experience with diet, she’d be open to getting back to a healthy diet. However, her memory was significantly compromised. she had trouble remembering anything for more than a few minutes–a symptom of Lyme disease.
Again, I worked with her doctor in shifting her diet away from fruit. But what’s left to eat? She dislikes meat of any kind (especially fish) and thinks eating two broccoli crowns a week is adequate.
At wits end, I ordered a Vita Mix and began making her a drink comprising of a clove of garlic, a red beet, stalk of celery, and a carrot with a cup of water. I told her doctor of my plan and he suggested I add protein powder, Pro Biotics and Intestinal Support with L-Glutamine (nutrients for the intestinal track), I went one step further and added a dropper of cat’s claw (for the Lyme disease).
After six weeks of shifting her diet towards meat protein and daily vegetable drinks her memory improved dramatically and even in the absence of romance, her energy returned.
Instead of wanting to see her doctor every day for relief, she now looks forward to her daily vegetable drink–a quart a day.
I suggest that if you want the best of care for your elderly parents and reduce your own stress accompany them in the visits with the doctor, look at their diet to make sure it’s not lopsided (older folks regress to child like preferences), and the drink I make with a Vita Mix will be healthy for every one–you as well as your parents.
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Facts About Panic Attack
June 26th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
If you’re dealing with panic attacks, the chances are good you feel like the world is closing in on you much of the time. Some people experience these attacks infrequently, while others deal with them on a daily basis. whatever frequency they seems to happen, it can be deavastinting when they do. That’s why it’s so important to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Panic attacks showup suddenly by creating an intense feeling of anxiety. You become fearful and feel very unwell and uncomfortable. There are many different symptoms that occur as a result of having a panic attack — and these depend on both your physiology and mindset.
When you’re having a panic attack, your body releases adrenaline because you mistakenly believe you are in harm’s way. You might feel scared and upset. Unfortunately, these attacks can last anywhere from under a minute to well over a half hour.
Some people who are having a panic attack mistakenly believe they need to go to the hospital. That’s because it can feel like you are having a heart attack or other form of health problem. The silver lining here is that a panic attack cannot truly hurt you. The downside is obviously that you FEEL like your body is under attack and you’re in danger.
There is no singular reason why panic attacks occur. Sometimes it can be handover within families. The chances of you to get your panic attacks to increase, are greater when someone in your family gets it. Within certain groups of people there are two illnesses that could cause the instance of anxiety attack to increase. An example of this is post traumatic stress disorder. Even hyperthyroidism can cause panic attacks!
In addition to these biological reasons, panic attacks can occur as a result of things that have happened to you in the past. Perhaps something scared you in a certain situation years ago, and now you are fearful in similar situations.
Panic attacks can also occur as a side effect of certain medications. Some people experience panic attacks after having used the drug ritalin. The SSRI group of antidepressants have been known to increase anxiety.
Understanding what may be causing your panic attacks is one of the first steps you can take in dealing with them. There are no two ways about it — panic attacks can be devastating and interfere with nearly every aspect of your life. By taking action today, you can start to lead a normal life again.
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Finding Signs Of Bipolar Disorder
June 26th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
The signs and symptoms can be confusing or a person may just believe it is normal. The Signs Of Bipolar Disorder may be easier to recognize from an outside perspective than by the person suffering from the disorder.
Primary Symptoms
Mood swings are the major signs of bipolar. These are unpredictable and dramatic, they can happen for no reason and will go from one extreme to the other. Bipolar is classified as having two phases, hence the name bipolar which means two phases.
Manic Phase
The signs of bipolar include the manic phase. It is also referred to as bipolar mania or hypo-mania. This phase is considered the “high” of bipolar disorder because of the symptoms. The symptoms of the manic phase include:
· euphoria feelings
· easily irritated
· excessive talking
· racing thoughts
· higher than normal self esteem
· excessive energy
· spontaneity
Depressive Phase
The other phase that is including when accessing the Signs Of Bipolar Disorder is the depressive phase. It is also mentioned as main depression or bipolar depression. Where the manic phase if the “high”, the depressive phase is the “low”. There are some symptoms of this phase include :
· self esteem that is low
· feelings of extreme unhappiness
· the energy is low
· feelings of loneliness
· slow speech
· poor concentration
· desperate thoughts
· weak coordination
· lack of interest in activities
Bipolar Diagnosis
Someone who has diagnosed with bipolar must show both of the Signs Of Bipolar Disorder above. Having only one phase is a sign of other mental disorders, but not bipolar disorder. Only a trained professional can accurately diagnose bipolar disorder.
Both phases of bipolar are severe when they occur. It’s important to get help when the first Signs Of Bipolar Disorder occur. The people around you will be more likely to notice the mood swings and the Signs Of Bipolar Disorder.
There are many treatments for bipolar that can effectively treat the disease and prevent extreme mood swings. Someone with bipolar disorder can easily make it through daily life through therapy and medications.
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