A teacher wrote this note in one of her students’ records; “Always late in class. Seems inattentive during discussions. To inquire regarding his situation.” One day after class, the teacher met with this student to ask regarding his condition. She was expecting that her student might relate some problems with his family or financially that interferes with his academic performance. She was surprised, however, to learn that the reason for her student’s constant tardiness and poor performance in school is lack of sleep and difficulty in sleeping. She thought that her student was just making up a lame excuse and reprimanded him severely. Later that week, when she casually related this to her friend who happens to be a doctor, he told her that her student may actually have a serious medical problem called insomnia. Insomnia is defined as a sleeping disorder where a person has difficulty sleeping or remaining asleep, thus, lacking a high-quality of sleep. The length of time that this condition persists may vary; from a single night to possibly a week or more. This condition may be caused by different factors such as physical illness or psychological problems. Moreover, its effects may largely impair a person’s life which is why this condition must be regarded seriously. However, like most health problems, insomnia is manageable or cured given proper treatment. The length of time that the sleep problem is experienced serves as basis for classification of the different types of insomnia. The first type which is called transient insomnia or short-term insomnia may last one night, a few nights or a few weeks. Another type of insomnia which persists for a longer period of time, a few months or even years, is termed as chronic insomnia or long-term insomnia. Another classification of the condition depends on the factors or causes related to it. If the problem exists without any underlying condition and is mainly caused by harmful sleeping habits, it is considered as primary insomnia. On the other hand, when sleeping disorders arise as a symptom of another preexisting condition it is then classified as secondary insomnia. The latter method of classification helps a lot in determining what form of management or treatment should be applied to cure the problem. As mentioned earlier, insomnia may be brought about by different factors or causes. It can be triggered by mental conditions, food or drugs, sleeping behaviors or habits, sleeping environment and medical or health condition. When a person is under stress, anxiety or fear, this may have an effect in his or her quality of sleep. Some medications, caffeine, nicotine and some herbal supplements may also affect sleep. Sleeping can be hindered or interfered by events such as a change in time zone or work shifts and by activities such as napping during the day, exercising before bedtime and eating or drinking too much before sleeping. A noisy environment, disruptive sleep partner, uncomfortable type of bed and unwanted room temperature can also make it difficult for a person to fall asleep. Lastly, trouble in sleeping may also be experienced when a person has any illness or pain, undergoes hormonal changes or has medical conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Having this condition can greatly disturb or trouble a person’s sleeping and waking hours. Usually, people with insomnia will undergo undesirable changes in their mood and daily activities. They may feel irritable and impatient most of the time and experience difficulty in concentrating and focusing on tasks. This condition may also lead them to often feel depressed and anxious. As a result, they exhibit poor performance in school and at work, and somehow become more accident-prone. Those who are diagnosed to have insomnia, however, should not panic or feel hopeless because of their condition. Fortunately, various treatments or solutions are already available to address this problem. Medications such as hypnotics and sedatives such as benzodiazepines, ramelteon and anti-depressants can be prescribed by sleep doctors to help decrease or eliminate difficulty in sleeping. Another therapy available is called cognitive-behavior therapy where a person is advised to modify his or her daily activities towards having better sleeping habits. Alternative and traditional Chinese medicine such as acupuncture and aromatherapy as well as other substances like herbal supplements can also be used to treat sleeping disorders. These treatments, however, should not be taken or undergone without proper prescription or advice from medical professionals. Inappropriate use or application of these may cause untoward reactions and side effects such as nausea, dizziness and diarrhea, cognitive and memory disturbance, substance abuse and even death. It is therefore necessary to always seek professional advice regarding matters of treatment. Insomnia is probably one of those unfamiliar or misunderstood health problems. This does not mean, however, that the condition is uncommon. Everyone probably has experienced or knows someone who had experienced one or more causes of insomnia. Everyone is also vulnerable to having it. Therefore, it is important to be knowledgeable of this condition to be able to address it properly. Had the teacher in the situation stated earlier known what insomnia is, what causes it, how it affects one’s life and what treatments or solutions are available, she may have appropriately done something to make her student’s life better.
Tag-Archive for ◊ anxiety ◊
It is often said that each person is unique and totally distinct from the eight billion other people on the planet. Different people have different interests, biases, wants, needs, and desires. Where these interests and desires take a person in life totally depends on each decision that is made every day. For example, a typical teenager in college can choose between being a “do-gooder” whose life revolves around the home and the classroom; or going just a bit wild and experiment with all sorts of new things. Experiencing new things can be as simple as meeting girls, having intimate relationships, to drinking alcohol, or to something as risky as taking drugs. Teens who experiment with drugs often do so because of peer pressure and the need to belong. Poor choice in friends can lead an otherwise normal teenager to go over board and become addicted to illegal drugs. Sometimes, the pressure and bad influence from peer groups can overcome a teenager’s sense of right and wrong, or the values and principles taught to them from the home and the church. Some who do not get hooked on drugs say that they tried doing drugs just to satisfy the curiosity about how it feels to “get high.” The usual period for a person to experience and try new stuff would be during their teenage years, since their curiosity for the world is at its highest point around that age. Almost all of us have been exposed to drugs and alcohol at some point in our life. Alcohol is considered as a social drink for some, but this could lead to a more difficult alcohol addiction, or alcoholism. A more alarming fact would be to know that a certain number of teenage boys and girls get addicted to drugs, such as marijuana, “crystal meth”, or even LSD. This addiction could lead into a more dangerous position, causing them to go into drug rehabilitation. Of course, a recovering addict would naturally be anxious or frightened by the prospect of being confined in a drug rehabilitation facility. Anxiety is present and felt at all times since they do not know what to see and think after they get out of rehab. Turning them into rehab may also cause depression, not just for the patient, but for the parents as well. Of course, the addict does not want to be into rehab because of the fact that they cannot use their drug inside the premises and that they will be separated from their drug- addicted friends. This isolation or separation would naturally cause depression. It would be a hard time for both the parents and the patient since this would be a time for detoxification, counseling, and basic addiction treatment. Being inside a rehabilitation center would be like punishment for the addict. In this scenario, they are required to attend, listen, cooperate, and learn the benefits of having a healthy, drug-free life, instead of being addicted and enslaved by a chemical substance. In case they have to stay there for a set period of time, thoughts of depression and feelings of withdrawal from their drug may arise. These patients may be hard to talk to or communicate with due to their withdrawal symptoms. By having a relaxed and calm environment, this could help in releasing stress and anxiety from the patients, as well as giving them a fresh perspective on life. Whether the addict is registered in the rehabilitation center as an out-patient, short term in-patient, or long term in-patient programs, they would have to deal with drug counseling activities, open forums, and educational facilities that might help in decreasing their need for drugs. Depression should decrease as time flies because through the rehabilitation sessions, the patient would learn how to be set free from the addiction and get back on the road to recovery.
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Rachel looks in the mirror and notices a mark on her cheek. Immediately her breath becomes shallow, her heart races, her chest tightens, and she feels nauseated. She checks the spot more closely, and sees that it’s just a speck of dirt. She washes it off and tells herself firmly that she is fine – it wasn’t the beginning of skin cancer, it was nothing. It’s gone. She is okay. Although she keeps telling herself she is okay, hours later, Rachel still doesn’t feel okay. What if seeing that spot was a “sign”? What is she is about to develop skin cancer? What if she already has skin cancer and she just hasn’t seen it yet? Should she go see her doctor? Recurring thoughts of cancer hover in the back of her mind for the rest of the day. Weeks later she notices she is still spending an increased amount of time inspecting her skin for unusual marks or blemishes. Like an estimated 13-16.5% of adults, Rachel has an anxiety disorder. Types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. At times the symptoms of anxiety can become so debilitating that those affected will not leave their home or attend social functions – and their lives may become consumed by the effort to avoid people, places or situations which are likely to trigger feelings of anxiety. Traditional treatment for anxiety disorder has involved medication to help to lessen the symptoms of anxiety, and behavioral therapy to assist with coping and challenging irrational thoughts. Treatment is generally expected to be long term. Zensight Process offers new hope to those with anxiety. In many cases, a practitioner who is very skilled with both Zensight and in working with those with anxiety, can help someone to experience dramatic improvement – and in some cases a complete elimination of symptoms – in just a few sessions. In most situations, many individuals will be able to use Zensight on their own – without ever consulting a practitioner at all – to considerably improve and sometimes even eliminate their symptoms altogether. Those who do choose to work with a therapist or practitioner to help support and accelerate their healing will also benefit from doing Zensight self-healing in between sessions, in order to obtain the best results. How to Use Zensight Process Zensight Process involves working with the subconscious mind in a way that is similar to hypnosis – and yet no hypnosis is actually used. Instead, we begin by creating a “healing symbol”. This symbol can be a word, picture, or colour. Some people choose to use a symbol such as “ocean”. They then can focus on the word “ocean” when that feels right, and at other times may actually visualize the ocean. When this healing symbol is used or focused upon with intent, it allows the fears, concerns, and “blocks” that someone is experiencing to gently heal and transform. The healing symbol is then used together with healing statements and visualization, to soften, dissolve and release the concerns that are being experienced. In a situation of anxiety, the individual is instructed to stop and notice any visual image that comes to mind when she or he thinks about one of their specific concerns – and then focus upon this image while connecting with the healing symbol that was chosen. This use of visualization helps to greatly accelerate healing because it does not rely upon the limits of our conscious mind and awareness. The visual image that comes up may be an actual representation of a specific fear or issue that is being experienced, or it may be something that is metaphorical in nature. I have had people tell me that they suddenly see a picture of themselves with their leg caught in a trap, or that they see a large grey object that they can’t identify or make sense of. The different images that come up are highly variable and are not always understood by the person. The beauty of it is that they don’t need to be understood. The image is simply focused upon while connecting with the healing symbol, and is allowed to transform. What generally happens is that the image spontaneously transforms in a way that feels healing. The individual watches as the trap that was holding the leg simply dissolves and disappears. They see themselves then being able to move about freely and with a sense of contentment and peace. The big unexplained grey object morphs into a big egg which opens up and releases light and a feeling of peace that the person senses themselves absorbing as she or he watches. If the picture doesn’t change, if no picture is seen, or in order to resolve any remaining upset, the individual uses healing statements. After each statement, the person takes a deep breath and lets it go, and focuses upon the healing symbol. Upsets are then healed and transformed, as positive feelings grow and strengthen. Examples of healing statements are: I heal all of the fears that any parts of me have, that I can’t get free of this problem I heal any and all feelings that any parts of me have, that I am trapped. I let all of the parts of me know, deeply and completely, that I am safe. All of the different parts of me now experience a growing sense of peace and comfort. My entire body is relaxing now. Sound simple? It is – extremely simple, and yet powerfully and deeply effective. Best of all, the effects are lasting – providing that energetic imbalances are addressed and healed, results will in most cases be permanent. Energy Balancing Zensight can be used for much more than simply targeting specific symptoms. In the case of anxiety – especially experiences of pervasive fear and anxiety – it is best to begin by targeting energetic imbalances that are most likely being experienced. Someone who experiences frequent and/or pervasive feelings of fear has an imbalance in his or her triple warmer meridian. The energy meridians have been widely recognized in Eastern medicine as impacting upon our emotional, physical, and mental concerns. Acupuncture is only one of many modalities which focus upon bringing healing to the energy meridians. The triple warmer meridian is the meridian in the body which governs the fight/flight/freeze response. Sometimes – often in response to an original event or series of events in which the individual felt intense fear or terror – the triple warmer meridian becomes overenergized. In the case of anxiety, the emphasis will be upon the “flight/freeze” response, and the individual will quickly respond with fear to many situations which may to others appear innocuous. Trying to talk someone out of their fear often has little effect. Rachel rationally knows that the mark on her face was simply dirt and was no more an indicator of cancer than is a stain on her jeans. However, in spite of this awareness, and in spite of her logical mind which tells her she is safe and is overreacting, Rachel can not let the fear go. The problem that Rachel is experiencing is not in her mind so much as in her body and in her energy system. Often patterns of triple warmer overenergization begin in childhood, in response to repeated experiences of terror. Sometimes this may be due to experiences of abuse that were either experienced or witnessed, and sometimes it may be connected with less obviously traumatic experiences that were nevertheless fear-producing for the particular child involved. Rachel knows that she is safe – but her body and energy system need to know it too. In a sense, they need to be reprogrammed. With Zensight, this “reprogramming” can occur gently and easily during a rapid yet extremely relaxing process. Other energetic imbalances may also be involved. Homolateral energy (where the energy runs straight up and down the body rather than crossing over it) may also be involved. Once any energetic imbalances that are involved are addressed, many symptoms of anxiety will lessen immediately. The work then becomes focused on targeting the concerns more directly. Bringing Healing to the “Whole” Person The emphasis whic
h Zensight Process places upon using both visualization and verbal “healing statements” ensures that both hemispheres of the brain are involved during the healing process. This assists people in linking logic with emotion. After using Zensight, not only does Rachel logically understand that the spot on her face was not a sign of impending doom – she emotionally “gets it” as well. Zensight also addresses the experience of parts of self. All of us have parts of self. In many situations where healing is not experienced even when highly effective modalities are being used, the issue is that the person on some level – in some small part of them – may believe that it’s not safe to heal the concerns. Rachel may be afraid to completely heal her anxiety because some small part of her may fear that if she stops worrying about and expecting to develop cancer, that she will pay less attention and will miss warning signs and thus be unsafe. Zensight allows the individual to access and bring healing to – through the use of visualization and targeted healing statements – to even those parts of us that are afraid to heal, or believe it is not in our best interests to do so. By ensuring that the individual is treated at as a whole – physically, emotionally, mentally, and energetically – Zensight enables even concerns that are usually considered to be difficult to impossible to resolve, to be as gently and quickly healed as possible.
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Cars are the most visible signs of modernity in an otherwise ancient world. No urban environment would be complete without these four-wheeled machines. Most people see them as a convenience, enabling them to get from point A to point B without having to endure the crowds the rush hours associated with public transportation. However, as cars become more and more available, roads become more and more congested. As the congestion worsens, it is inevitable that car accidents occur and people get hurt. Statistically speaking, car accidents have been occurring with increased frequency over the past decade. The statistics also show that there are a number of injuries that have become common to most car accidents during that period. Head and neck injuries are listed as being typical to a car accident. The face, in particular, can suffer laceration and cutting from shattered glass or shrapnel generated by the impact. Dental injuries are also possible, particularly for people in the driver’s seat or were close to the point of impact. Mental health problems and head trauma are also possibilities. Concussions are not uncommon among car accident-related injuries. Some people also tend to experience anxiety for some time after the accident, though this is much rarer than physical injuries. The most common mental health concerns related to a car accident would be helping the victims overcome the stress of being involved in the accident, as well as the chance of post-traumatic stress disorder. The body, however, is much more likely to bear the brunt of the damage caused by a car accident. Injuries to the abdomen and legs can result in chronic pain for prolonged periods after an accident. In some cases, accident survivors have had to endure lower back pain for years since their bodies never fully recovered from the damage. Knee pain and damage to leg muscles like the quadriceps can also occur for those who are involved in relatively minor accidents or were not at the point of impact. Areas that have been cut or injured during the accident may also develop an infection, depending on how quickly the wound or opening was addressed by medical teams. Broken bones and torn muscles are common among car accident victims, though the likely areas to be affected vary depending on the specifics of the accident. Simple and compound fractures can both be experienced, typically requiring extensive time to repair and recover. In a number of cases, surgery may be needed to undo some of the damage done. Most often, drivers will experience trauma and damage to the legs and possibly the torso. Some injuries may not be obvious at first and can only be treated after the victim has been given a full examination. Removal of some of the shrapnel from impact may also require surgery if it enters too deeply into the body. There are some psychological disorders that can come about from being involved in a car accident. The most common to be cited is post-traumatic stress disorder, though it is not the only one. Anxiety is also a possible effect of being in a car accident, though it is not considered to be a common occurrence.
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Watching a child struggle with anxiety can be very difficult for parents. Anxiety may begin to mask their perception and convince them that their child is already psychologically or emotionally impaired. Many parents find it helpful to keep track of the child’s accomplishments and abilities so that they don’t begin thinking of their child as overly anxious and fearful. Instead they can recognize what abilities their child has that might be useful in dealing with anxiety. A little anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, it can even be used to help motivate a person. Being aware of one’s anxiety can also help a person better respond to danger.
Anxiety, the body’s reaction to a perceived, anticipated or imagined danger or threatening situation, is a common and normal occurrence among children. All children experience anxiety. Anxiety in children is expected and normal at specific times in development. For example, from around 8 months through the preschool years, healthy youngsters may show intense distress (anxiety) at times of separation from their parents or other persons with whom they are close. Anxious children are often overly tense or uptight. Some may seek a lot of reassurance, and their worries may interfere with activities.
There are different types of child anxiety. One such anxiety disorder very common among them is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). GAD is defined as chronic, excessive worry and fear that seems to have no real cause. Children with GAD often worry a lot about things such as future events, past behaviors, social acceptance, family matters, relationship, their personal
abilities, and/or school performance. Although younger children can show signs of excessive worry, children usually develop GAD at about 12 years old. Studies also revealed that many children with GAD also have other anxiety problems. The most common of which are social anxiety, depression, separation anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Worrying too much about things before they actually happen or being too concerned about friends, school or activities are the most common symptoms of GAD. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. It may also include:
constant thoughts and fears about safety of self and/or safety of parents
refusing to go to school frequent stomach aches, headaches, or other physical complaints muscle aches or tension sleep disturbance excessive worry about sleeping away from home clingy behavior with family members feeling as though there is a lump in the throat fatigue lack of concentration being easily startled irritability inability to relax Several anxiety medications are available for the effective treatment of GAD. A few of these medications include Zoloft,Paxil, Xanax, and Prozac. All of these medications are known as SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These
medications are all fairly new anti-depressants and have very little side effects. When a child takes any of these drugs, he
or she may experience overly nervous at first. However, after several weeks the feeling typically fades away. Some side consequences of anti-depressants that children may experience are: sleepiness, tiredness, and confusion.
These medications should only be taken after consultation with the child’s physician. A physician’s decision on what
medications to be taken by a child depends on the child’s physical structure, blood chemistry, as well as how severe the child’s anxiety is.
Parents should not discount a child’s fears. Aside from the symptoms mentioned above, anxious children may also be quiet,compliant and eager to please, thus their difficulties may be missed. Parents should always be alert to the signs of severe anxiety so they can intervene early to prevent future complications.
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Almost 14 million Americans have a history of heart attack or angina. It is now one of the leading causes of death in the United States. More than 1 million Americans have heart attacks each year. A heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI), is permanent damage to the heart muscle. “Myo” means muscle, “cardial” refers to the heart and “infarction” means death of tissue due to lack of blood supply.
Nutrition and energy are delivered to the entire body by blood from the pumping heart. The heart itself requires constant energy in the form of oxygen and nutrients, which all come from the blood that delivered through the coronary arteries. A blockage in the coronary arteries prevents blood flow and causes the heart muscle to starve. The medical term for such starvation is ischemia, a condition that is accompanied by a chest discomfort called angina. If the blockage is severe, some of the heart muscle actually dies. When heart muscle dies, this is called a heart attack or myocardial infarction.
Fortunately, modern medicine already offers medical treatment acute heart attack. Preventive measures have been identified and are now being taught to prevent such an attack from occurring or recurring. Beta blockers are medications used to decrease heart rate and blood pressure. These can be given through an intravenous (IV) line or by mouth. Oxygen is used via nose plugs or a facemask if a person is having a heart attack. This is useful if breathing is difficult or the amount of oxygen in the blood is low.
Aspirin is used to decrease blood clotting. It works by preventing platelets from sticking together. Plavix (clopidogrel) is an additional platelet blocker given to those having a heart attack. Both aspirin and plavix are pills given by mouth. Clotting inhibitors called heparin, lovenox, and 2B3A are given via the IV and can help prevent the blockage from getting worse. A statin, or cholesterol pill, is often given to those having a heart attack. This too can stabilize a blockage and prevent it from getting worse. Chest pain can be decreased with nitroglycerine. This is given in a variety of ways, a dissolving pill under the tongue, a paste on the chest, or via the IV. Nitroglycerine helps dilate the coronary arteries allowing more blood to flow through. Morphine is another medication to control chest discomfort and ease anxiety. These medications mentioned work to stabilize a blockage, however, they are not very effective in removing one that has already formed. This job is done by “clot buster” medications or thrombolytics. T-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) and similar medicines can break apart a blockage and restore blood flow. Alternatively, this can be done with a balloon and stent procedure by a cardiologist.
However, there are practical ways that can lessen the chances of having a heart attack. Consuming at least five fruits and vegetables daily, exercising at least 2.5 hours per week, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking can decrease your chances of heart trouble by 35 percent, and the risk of dying by 40 percent, compared to people with less healthy lifestyles. Research have shown that people who eat a balanced diet and exercise more can substantially reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease and death even if they’re in their 50s or 60s. Most experts agree that a health-promoting lifestyle such as eating well, being active, and not smoking can cut overall risk of heart disease by 80 percent. Indeed, adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle makes a difference.