It is not easy to prevent stress. This is the number one health problem for most people. Although stress it self cannot be a cause of death, the side effects from it can be. So many things cause stress in daily life. It can appear in the body in many ways and forms. Stress is brought on differently in every person and for some people; it is a debilitating disease that can ruin an entire life.

Some of the reasons for stress can be work, family, a terrible or sudden loss of a loved one, an ended marriage or relationship or problems in health and diet. Stress can come from anything and take over a person’s life very quickly. It is important for people to learn to prevent stress or more stress in their life.

One way to help prevent stress is to have a good diet. You need to make sure that you are filling your body with healthy foods that will support your mental and physical health. The more junk that you eat will in turn make you gain weight or hurt your health. Eating too much of this junk food will only make a person feel bad and may cause depression for some people.

Having a good exercise program is another important factor in relieving stress. Exercise can make a person feel better, when they are feeling bad. Exercise will help take stress out of the body and help you feel better inside and out. You will be burning off calories and helping your body becomes stronger and healthier by reducing stress that you are accumulating.

There are also medications for people that are dealing with stress. There are different forms of prescription medication that that a doctor can prescribe for a person. There are also forms of vitamins that can be used to help a person deal with stress as well. These vitamins are going to help with the support of the mind and help people to maintain a better outlook.

One of the most important things in preventing stress is to have a good support system. This means that you should have the help that you are going to need from your friends and family. You will want have someone to lean on when you are in need and they will be there with your through all of your stressful situations. You will be able to manage your stress and feel more confident in finding a way out of it.

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If you suffer from...

• Palpitations
• a pounding heart, or an accelerated heart rate
• Sweating
• Trembling or shaking
• Shortness of breath
• A choking sensation
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Nausea or stomach cramps
• Derealization (a feeling of unreality)
• Fear of losing control or going crazy
• Fear of dying Numbness or a tingling sensation
• Chills or hot flashes

(Source: American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) 2000 Washington, DC.)

...then you've experienced firsthand some of the possible symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack. If you are reading this page because a loved one suffers from these symptoms and you are trying to understand or help, it's hard to appreciate what they go through.

Just try to imagine what it feels like to experience one, if you can.

Here is a typical example:

Standing in a supermarket queue, it’s been a long wait but only one customer to go before you make it to the cashier. Wait, what was that sensation? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and what do you know—your heart skips a beat. “Please, God, not here.”

A quick scan of the territory—is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack.

There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus: Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Think relaxing thoughts, and again, while breathing in, think “Relax,” and then breathe out. But it doesn’t seem to be having any positive effect; in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel self-conscious and more uptight.

Okay, coping technique 2:

Gradual muscle relaxation. Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Try it again. No; still no difference. The anxiety is getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you could feel more confident in dealing with this situation.

Now, the adrenaline is really pumping through your system, your body is tingling with uncomfortable sensations, and now the dreaded feeling of losing complete control engulfs your emotions. No one around you has any idea of the sheer terror you are experiencing. For them, it’s just a regular day and another frustratingly slow queue in the supermarket.

You are out of options. Time for Plan C.

The most basic coping skill of all is “fleeing.” Excuse yourself from the queue; you are slightly embarrassed as it is now that it is your turn to pay. The cashier is looking bewildered as you leave your shopping behind and stroll towards the door. There is no time for excuses—you need to be alone. You leave the supermarket and get into your car to ride it out alone. Could this be the big one? The one you fear will push you over the edge mentally and physically. Ten minutes later the panic subsides.

It’s 10:30 a.m. How are you going to make it through the rest of the day?

If you suffer from panic or anxiety attacks, the above scenerio probably sounds very familiar. It may have even induced feelings of anxiety and panic just reading it. The particular situations that trigger your panic and anxiety may differ; maybe the bodily sensations are a little different. Or maybe it happened to you for the first time on a plane, in the dentist chair, or even at home, while doing nothing in particular.

If you have ever had what has become known as a “panic attack,” take comfort in the fact that you are by no means alone.

A panic attack always comes with the acute sense of impending doom. You feel you are either about to lose your mind or one of your vital bodily functions is about to cease functioning and you will end your days right there among the canned goods and frozen food.

You are by no means alone; you’re not even one in a million. In America, it is estimated that almost 5% of the population suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. For some, it may be the infrequent panic attacks that only crop up in particular situations-like when having to speak in front of others, while, for other people, it can be so frequent and recurring that it inhibits them from leaving their home. Frequent panic attacks often develop into what medical physicians refer to as an “anxiety disorder.”

One of the first steps to regaining control of your life is getting helpful information. This site will give you that, and more.

The beginning of your recovery starts here. What you will learn is that there is a very good chance you are about to end the cycle of panic attacks in your life. You will learn not only to regain the carefree life you remember once having, but will also gain new confidence in living. Your answer to living free from “panic” or “anxiety attacks” is at hand.

This site demonstrates that the panic and anxiety that you have experienced will be the very key to your courage and success.

Begin the road to recovery by browsing through the site. While many of you may have read almost everything you can possibly read relating to panic and anxiety I assure you this site offers something very effective.

Did you know...?

The key difference between someone who is cured of panic attacks and those who are not is really very simple. The people who are cured no longer fear panic attacks. I’ll try to show you how to be one of these people as well.

What if I told you the trick to ending panic and anxiety attacks is to want to have one. That sounds strange, even contradictory, but let me explain.

The trick to panic attacks is wanting to have one-the wanting pushes it away. Can you have a panic attack in this very second? No!

You know the saying that "what you resist, persists." Well that saying applies perfectly to fear. If you resist a situation out of fear, the fear around that issue will persist. How do you stop resisting–you move directly into it, into the path of the anxiety, and by doing so it cannot persist.

In essence what this means is that if you daily voluntarily seek to have a panic attack, you cannot have one. Try in this very moment to have a panic attack and I will guarantee you cannot. You may not realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make the choice by saying this is beyond my control.

Another way to appreciate this is to imagine having a panic attack as like standing on a cliff's edge. The anxiety seemingly pushes you closer to falling over the edge.

To be rid of the fear you must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you fear most.

How do you jump? You jump by wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day asking for anxiety and panic attacks to appear.

Your real safety is the fact that a panic attack will never harm you. That is medical fact. You are safe, the sensations are wild but no harm will come to you. Your heart is racing but no harm will come to you. The jump becomes nothing more than a two foot drop! Perfectly safe.


Learn more
http://www.panicportal.com

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:http://www.panicportal.com

Panic and anxiety attacks

The diseases most commonly seen in travellers are diarrhoea, malaria (if you travel in a malaria-infested area), accidents (when travelling by car or swimming), wound infections and sexually transmitted diseases.

- Diarrhoea is caused by contaminated food and drinking-water. You must therefore be careful if your are travelling in poor hygiene conditions.

- Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes, so the first thing to do is to protect yourself against these mosquitoes.

- In order to prevent accidents during travelling, it is wise to apply the same precautions as those taken at home. In addition, it is very important that all wounds should be thoroughly disinfected in order to avoid infection.

· TRAVELLER’S DIARRHOEA

Many intestinal infections are attributable to infections picked up by mouth or hands. With a little care most of these illnesses can be prevented. Hepatitis A, typhoid fever, polio and cholera still occur in countries with poor hygiene, but these diseases are easily prevented.

However, the chance is rather large that you will still contract a light and/or nondangerous form of traveller's diarrhoea. Traveller's diarrhoea almost always spontaneously clears up after a few days, but can nevertheless be irritating. And a risk to your overall and travel health.

In the first place measures must be taken against dehydration. Likewise, treatment of the symptoms must be considered in order to reduce the number of bowel movements and relieve other symptoms such as fever, vomiting and stomach cramps. Sometimes a more serious form of diarrhoea occurs, for which specific treatment with antibiotics is indicated or where hospitalisation or fluid replacement appears unavoidable.

It takes only a few basic preventive measures to make your trip a success : Total prevention of traveller's diarrhoea is impossible and it is obvious that preventive measures can seldom be strictly followed at all times. But following preventive measures do significantly reduce the risk of contracting serious diarrhoea: In order to maintain good travel health wash your hands before eating and avoid (if possible):

- raw vegetables and fruits that you have not peeled yourself
- uncooked or unpasteurized dairy products
- insufficiently cooked sea foods (+ Hepatitis A !) and meat
- “local meals” which do not smell fresh
- ice-cream bought from street merchants (industrial ice straight from the deep-freeze is probably safe).

Cooked meals should be served hot. The place where you eat is also important. A meal taken from a stall presents a greater risk than a meal taken in a restaurant. Avoid restaurants where there are a lot of insects.
Avoid tap water and ice-cubes. Bottled water and soft drinks are safe. Watch out for bottle caps that have already been used.

It is very important to disinfect drinking-water on adventure trips. Total sterilisation of drinking water is impossible. The following measures considerably reduce the contamination risk and safeguard your travel health:

- Boiling the water is very effective.
- A good alternative is chemical disinfection with chlorine drops (e.g. Hadex®, Drinkwell chloor®; available in sport shops specialized in outdoor activities) or chlorine tablets (Certisil Combina®; chloramine tablets; available at the pharmacy). Their effect can be improved by first filtering unclear water. Silver salts (Micropur®, Certisil Argento®) are not very suitable to disinfect water, but they keep disinfected water germ-free for a long time.

For adventurous travellers conscious to travel health it is best to buy a portable water-filter. The use of antibiotics in order to prevent diarrhoea before it occurs can be dangerous + Also the use of other preventive medications is not recommended.

. How to treat diarrhoea?

It is extremely important to consume sufficient liquid and salt in order to prevent dehydration. You can do this by taking salt solutions, but tea with lemon, broth, soft drinks and fruit juice, supplemented with salt crackers are tastier. Commercial salt products are available on the market (ORS-solution).

Taking an anti-diarrhoea preparation (loperamide, e.g. Imodium®) can greatly reduce the number of bowel movements, with a considerable reduction of the complaints as a result. Imodium® may only be used by adults and older children and only for treating ordinary watery diarrhoea: 1 capsule after every loose movement up to a maximum of 4 per day.

Antibiotics are indicated :

1. If blood, mucus or pus are present in the stools.
2. If after 24 to 48 hours, there is no sign of improvement and the diarrhoea is accompanied by fever (above 38.5 C) or severe abdominal cramps, or if there are more than six stools per 24 hours and especially when these also occur at night.
3. Or if because of travel circumstances a quicker solution is absolutely desirable . Appropriate antibiotics are only to be used on doctor’s prescription

· SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES

Casual sexual contacts tend to be higher while on holiday abroad. Sexually transmitted diseases, particularly AIDS, form therefore an important risk for travellers. Quite often unintentional and unsafe sexual contact takes place under alcohol influence. Prevention while on holiday abroad is no different from the precautions you take at home. Adequate use of a condom, preferably bought at home, is absolutely essential. Only a water-soluble lubricant should be used, but it only offers a partial guarantee (e.g. KY gel). Vaccination against hepatitis B is advised. Always consult your doctor if you think you are at risk, even when there are no symptoms.

· MALARIA (swamp fever, malaria)

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite (called Plasmodium) transmitted by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. There are four different types of which Malaria falciparum is the most dangerous and the most widespread. The incubation period – the time between an infecting bite and the appearance of the disease – varies from ten days to four weeks (rarely several months).

The symptoms include attacks of fever, but can initially be quite similar to influenza. If adequate treatment is not started in time, an attack may sometimes result in death within a few days.

. Where does malaria occur?

Malaria only occurs in those areas in which Anopheles mosquitoes are present : in the tropics and in a large number of subtropical areas. From a height of 1.500 to 2.500 m onwards, depending on temperature and climate, Anopheles mosquitoes are either rare or non-existent.

In most big cities there is little or no risk at all of infection, except in Africa where a real risk exists.

Risk also exists in the suburbs of the big cities in Asia (e.g. in India). In a number of areas the risk varies according to the season.

. How can malaria be prevented?

It is very important for travel health to avoid mosquito bites : the Anopheles mosquito only bites between dusk and dawn, is rather small and hardly makes any noise.

- In the evening wear light-coloured clothing which covers your arms and legs as much as possible. Apply repellent cream with a DEET basis (20 to 50%, for children and pregnant women preferably 20 to 30%) to the uncovered parts of your body. Repeat this every four to six hours (it will not protect you all night).

Non containing DEET repellents were less examined; Autan-Active. and Mosegor. are however excellent safe products.

- Sleep in rooms that leave no access to mosquitoes, (mosquito nets on the sills, electrically-warmed anti-mosquito plates, air-conditioning) or sleep under a mosquito net impregnated with permethrine or deltamethrine hung over the bed with the edges tucked under the mattress.

If these measures are carried out correctly, the risk of malaria will be reduced by 80 to 90% and travel health is maintained

. The intake of pills as prevention

There is no drug efficient enough to prevent malaria 100%, which means that quite often a combination of measures is preferable. Also the drugs used have changed over the years. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of drugs should be considered against the risk of malaria infection. These risks are dependent on the visited country, and on the region, the season, the duration of your stay and the kind of trip.

Some people might be troubled by the side effects while taking antimalarial drugs. These are usually mild and are not always a reason to stop taking the pills. Sometimes it may be necessary to change to another type of medication due to intestinal problems, allergic reactions or other intolerance symptoms.

Therefore it is the doctor who can best decide for each individual which drug to use. This explains why individuals from the same group may end up taking different drugs.

Finally, as no drug is 100% effective in preventing malaria, it is important that if an attack of fever occurs in the first three months after your return from the tropics, a malaria infection should be considered as a possibility despite the correct use of the drug prescribed.

However, it is reassuring to know that malaria, provided it is recognised in time, is easy to treat without any danger of recurrent attacks. The belief that "once malaria always malaria" is totally untrue.

You can find even more travel health tips in the next pages:

DISEASES FOR WHICH VACCINATIONS ARE AVAILABLE: http://www.spain-holidays-advisor.com/vaccination.html

MORE TRAVEL HEALTH TIPS : http://www.spain-holidays-advisor.com/more-travel-tips.html

CAUTION: The information provided here should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or for the treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies.
Author: Eddy De Vos
Source:Isnare.com

Others infromation

Simple lifestyle and habit changes actually have a huge impact on the health and happiness of people, especially women. In fact, several researches highlight the importance of how simple changes in the things that you do could dramatically improve your physical and mental health.

If you do not want to wallow in self-destructing practices and habits, you better read on so you can learn what healthy and wonderful women do to make themselves more successful and happier.

Exercise Your Mind

Although it is important to go to the gym and exercise your biceps, abdomens and other muscles in the body, you also should have time to exercise your brain muscles. Mind exercises, which is now known as neurobics, is important in keeping your brain buzzing and prevent mental aging.

What you can do to strengthen your mind is to do minor changes in how you do things. Try dressing in the dark once in a while or cooking food that is foreign or unfamiliar to you. These changes could let your brain respond to new situations. Reading, learning a new language or skill, and doing puzzles and crosswords are also helpful in boosting your brainpower.

Learn To Let Go

A lot of women dwell in the past and harbor a lot of negative and guilty feelings. Most of the time, these ill emotions can lead women to feel depressed and unhappy. If you want to takeover your life and be happy, all you need to do is confront your guilt and negative feelings. Learn why you are feeling this way and what you can do about it. Once you have already processed your feelings and thoughts, you have to learn how to let it go. Everybody commits mistakes and has done things that they are not proud of. However, only those who have learned from these mistakes are the ones who truly emerge as wiser and happier.

Love What You Do

Figures show that over 84% of adults in the US are not happy with their work. If you fall into this category, then you are giving yourself another reason to feel stressed out and fatigue. If you are not happy about what you do, then it may be time to look for a new one.

However, before you submit a resignation letter, you first need to really consider the reasons why you are unhappy. Do you feel overworked, unappreciated, underpaid or underutilized? If you answered yes, then consider what you can do about these things in your present situation. Try to figure out what you have to do more to excel in your job and to get recognized. Ditching your old job does not guarantee that your new work will be like a trip to heaven.

Find What Workout Works For You

If all your friends are into Pilates, you really do not have to be in the same class if you absolutely abhor being stuck inside a small room for an hour. What you need to do is to determine what types of activities you love and find a workout that will fit or go with such activities. For example, if you love the outdoor, then you can probably try hiking, cycling, walking around the park or mountain climbing as fitness activities of your choice.

Do Something For Yourself

Quite a number of women feel guilty whenever they spend for themselves. But if you want to be happy and healthy, you should never forget about your needs too. Sometimes, spending time to make yourself more attractive can also boost your confidence. Don't be afraid to have a massage or a facial to ease stress a bit. Also, don't skimp on products that will help make your skin smoother like moisturizers and lotions or get rid of your flaws such as wrinkles, pimples and cellulites.

Author: Janet Martin
Source:Isnare.com

No Diet Secret

If you eat fast food every day for lunch, try replacing that even half of the time by having it just every other day. When you start by taking small steps, it does not seem like you are cutting out all of the foods you love and you can take your time to learn about healthy foods which, believe it or not, you can love equally as well.

Keep junk foods and beverages out of your house so that you will not be tempted to snack during the day.With healthy eating, you can manager your life better. Who would not agree to that old adage - health is wealth.

You can enjoy life when you are disease-free and you are able to lead an active life. Proper diet and adding good exercise can keep many diseases at bay. If the body gets what it requires, the immune system gets revitalized and is stronger in fighting off infections and free radicals in the body. With a healthy immune system, your body recovers faster if you get ill for some reasons.

Feeling like they're caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to quick and easy cooking, many people turn to highly processed and frozen meals to feed themselves and their families.

Despite more takeaways and instant foods today more than ever, we are also witnessing today the era of healthy living through the rise of cooking shows featuring healthy recipes and cooking for your kitchen.

What makes these shows truly amazing is the fact that it brings back something very important that was lost in our modern society and that is cooking our own foods at our very own kitchen.

Cook at home.Home cooking provides a better control of food and noticeably reduces consumption of trans fat, sugar, salt, and numerous food additives. Commercially prepared foods like hamburgers, hot dogs, fried potatoes, chips, cakes, and crackers are probably the biggest source of trans fats in our diet. Make your own pizzas, burgers, cakes and other things you like. It takes more time, but your own health is worth it, isn't it?

Cooking at home also provides a more relaxed,laid back,slower

atmosphere for the meal.Joy is a wonderful anti-aging remedy, so enjoy and savor your food! When you eat slowly, you taste the food more and you are satisfied with less. Eating slowly gradually reduces your appetite right from the time you start to eat.

And recently Japanese researches confirmed this. They found that eating fast is strongly associated with obesity and increased body mass index (BMI).

Going out to McDonalds or to Burger King can be an expensive business, especially if you have a few kids with you.

There is an alternative though. You can make your favourite dishes yourself. You will be surprised how easy it is to cook great meals in your own kitchen, after you learn the secrets.

Once you master some of the secrets you can save yourself time and money by cooking your own restaurant meals at home.The positive thing to cooking at home is that it's made with all KNOWN ingredients and your not surprised by what ends up in your dish or what ends up on your waistline.

The hard part about cooking at home is that you sometimes find yourself at a loss for what to make. So you scramble through the cupboards trying to please the whole family with something interesting but everyone responds with "no I don't like that" or "no thats boring" or "no we had that 2 days ago". Well,now can we start creating those famous restaurant recipes and prepare a nice meal out of it?

Want to know how? Simply go to the site below, and find out the answer.

Author: Robert Buford
Source:Isnare.com

As women get older, it can be harder to keep your figure in trim. The metabolism slows down which makes it harder to lose any extra weight. Fat cells also produce estrogen, and as this hormone begins to decrease in the menopause, your body may well try and compensate by producing extra fat cells!

Add to that the increased levels of stress hormones cortisol that often accompany the menopause causing the body to block insulin, which in turn leads to excess sugar being stored in the body as fat, no wonder many women of a certain age complain of an increase in their waist and midriff!

There are no quick fix short cuts to regaining your waistline at this time of life, but with some consistent hard work, and sensible eating, it is possible not only to regain your waistline, but also to keep the weight off.

First and foremost you need to up your exercise. Walking is an excellent exercise for menopausal women. Not only will it burn the calories, and trim the waistline, but it also has a therapeutic effect as well. Most of us feel better after a good brisk walk in the open air!

When you are walking briskly without feeling breathless, introduce some hand held weights and swing your arms as you walk. This will increase the aerobic quality of your exercise, as well as help to tone up your arms.

Walk like this at least three times a week. Purchase a pedometer to monitor how much walking you do each day in the course of your daily life, and try and increase this. Maybe you can take the stairs rather than the elevator and walk sometimes rather than driving or taking the bus.

However, exercise is only part of the solution. Most women of menopausal age need to watch what they eat. As well as eating healthy food, keep an eye on the portion sizes, as this is often the most common downfall of those looking to lose weight.

Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast every day. The key here is 'healthy'. Try and limit your coffee intake and up your slow energy releasing foods such as oats and nuts.

Try and watch the amount of carbohydrates you eat. To help stop excess weight settling on your midriff switch from white carbohydrates, such as white bread etc., to brown. Try not to have any carbohydrates after 6 pm, instead load up your plate with extra vegetables.

Make protein more of a priority. This slows down the speed that your stomach empties, and when added to a brown carbohydrate can help you to feel full for longer. Doing this does not have to be complicated, try sprinkling some nuts over your breakfast, or adding them to a salad. Protein also stimulates the production of glucagons, a fat burning hormone. But again, although protein is good, always watch your portions!

Introduce some small, low fat snacks into your day, in-between your three basic meals. This will keep your metabolism running smoothly and help with weight control.

Ensure that you still eat 'good' fats. These are not the kind found in chocolate! These are 'EFAs that are found in seed, nuts and oily fish.

Always sit down and eat your meals properly. Do no eat on the run if you can help it, and try to eat earlier in the evening rather than later. If you are eating out, try having a small portion of nuts or seeds before you leave, and this will help you order more sensibly.

Keep an eye on the amount of caffeine you have during the day. Caffeine causes corisol to be released into the body, and this in turn leads to excess sugars being stored as fat, as they are not carried away by insulin.

Alcohol is negative calories, that is, there is no nutritional value in alcohol. If you are piling the pounds on around your waist and midriff then try and cut this out totally. Otherwise, try and limit your intake to special occasions.

Don't give up! You do not have to resign yourself to carrying excess weight around your middle just because you are of a 'certain age'. Be committed and you will soon see the results, and banish midriff and waistline weight gain forever!

Author: Bruno
Source:Isnare.com

What Is Bruxism: a Disease, or Simply a Habit That Can't Be Controlled?

Bruxism, which is the medical term for "teeth clenching" or "teeth grinding," may be considered both an uncontrollable behaviour and a medical disease. What is it, though? It occurs when you either consciously or unconsciously clench or grind your teeth either during the day or while you sleep. If you suffer from this condition, you're only rarely aware of your condition, especially because you often grind your teeth at night, when you sleep. It may even be that roommates or sleeping partners are affected more by this condition than others. That's because if someone clenches his or her teeth during the night, it can disrupt not just the sleep of the person suffering the condition, but the person next to him or her as well. There are also different levels of severity to this condition.

A problem both in a medical and dental sense

Usually, bruxism is classified as both a dental and medical disease, both. Some doctors believe that bruxism is caused by stress that's been delayed, for all intents and purposes. That is, stress suffered during the day can come out at night. It may also be caused by psychological concerns like an aggressive personality, anger or frustration.

Bruxism can also have as its cause the physical structure of the jaw and teeth. Perhaps the jaws and teeth have developed or aligned abnormally. It can also be caused by other diseases, or may be a side effect of taking certain medications or drugs.

Getting treatment for bruxism

It's important to get bruxism treated; to do so, you should consult both a doctor and dentist if this is something you suffer from. Normally, you'll go to your dentist first. The dentist will check and see how much wear and damage has been done by the teeth grinding or teeth clenching; he or she will also check and see if the bruxism is caused by a physiological abnormality in the jaws or teeth.

If the bruxism is caused by a physical abnormality of the jaws and teeth, usually, the dentist can treat the problem right there in his or her office. If it is found to be a psychological problem, however, the patient is usually referred to a psychologist or other medical professional, who can then address the problem.

Curing bruxism

If the bruxism is caused by structural defects of the teeth and jaws, usually, surgery is required. In some cases, wearing a teeth guard at night may be enough to break the habit of teeth grinding or teeth clenching, or to at least protect teeth if this behaviour continues to go on.

If it's not treated as soon as possible, bruxism may cause significant tooth or jaw damage. And that could not only mean significant pain and suffering, but also literally thousands of dollars in dental restoration work. If bruxism occurs in a child, though, extensive treatment is usually not necessary because most children outgrow this condition.

If bruxism is caused by psychological problems such as stress, it's best addressed through counselling or a holistic approach, so that the root of the problem can be addressed; once this happens, the bruxism usually goes away on its own.

If underlying disease or other medical concerns cause the bruxism, or if it has developed as a side effect of medications, an experienced medical practitioner will need to find the cause and then implement a cure. Usually, he or she can prescribe a different course of medication that does not have these side effects. There are also medications that can relax the jaw and facial muscles to make the bruxism less severe; this can also be used with other methods, like wearing a teeth guard.

In conclusion

Bruxism is a health concern that needs to be addressed right away, no matter its ultimate cause. You should not try to simply "live with it" or ignore it if it's something you suffer from. As soon as you know you have bruxism, or someone you care about does, you should address it immediately. This will not only save your tooth health, but will also help alleviate secondary conditions like headaches caused by the bruxism.

Author: James Marshall
Source:Isnare.com

It may be an age old symbol of emotion, but everyone knows that the human heart is really nothing more than a pump. Or is it? New research suggests a direct link between your state of mind and the state of your heart. Here’s how to keep it ticking happily.

You’ve seen it on TV. A hospital humming with urgent activity, the echo of footsteps on shiny floors, a roomful of white coated figures, and an unbroken note that pierces the air. A flurry of gloves, a jolt of electrical energy, and the note shifts into a regular, rhythmic pattern. The human heart, pulsing back into life.

But the industrious organ that shepherds your blood and its vital cargo of oxygen through the body is also an age old symbol of emotion. Be it aching or breaking or brimming with love, the heart has always overruled the brain as the supposed wellspring of the way we feel.

As it turns out, this may not be such a fanciful notion. A growing body of clinical research seems to confirm what poets and songwriters have long proclaimed. There’s a real and direct link between our hearts and our minds. Or to put it in the language of the white coated figure; psychosocial factors may present stronger risks for acute myocardial infarction than diabetes, smoking, hypertension and obesity. Which means that stress at work or home, along with your perceived ability to cope with life, can significantly increase your risk of heart disease. The mortality rate in heart failure patients with major depression is two and a half times higher than in heart patients without depression.

Yet, depression in heart failure patients often goes undiagnosed. This is partly because of the overlap in the symptoms of the two conditions (among them: fatigue, loss of energy, poor appetite, and sleep disturbance) and partly because many patients see depression as a character weakness or personality flaw, when it’s really a common clinical condition that affects as many as one out of five patients with heart disease.

It is here that the big question of cause and effect comes to mind. Is depression a natural consequence of the life changing impact of heart failure? Or is heart failure a likely outcome of the physical effects of depression? The answer, in both cases, is yes. If you’re depressed or anxious, you are more likely to develop a cardiovascular problem. How, exactly?

A heart attack is cause by a blocked blood vessel to the heart and depression is one of the known contributors to the development of such a blockage. Inside the blood vessels we find the lumen, where the blood is able to flow. Factors such as smoking, high cholesterol and depression can cause fatty deposits to accumulate on the wall, forming a plaque that juts into the lumen. If this plaque becomes damaged or ruptured, your body’s repair system shoots to the rescue, building a blood clot to patch up the gash.

But the clot also seals off the artery’s lumen, blocking the blood flow and leading to possible bypass surgery. Depression is a risk factor for heart disease, but heart disease is also a cause of depression. When your heart is heavy, you may lose your natural inclination to get out and get active, and you’re more likely to drink and smoke and eat the wrong things. Heart failure patients should be screened for depression and treated when depression is found to be present. This may help to improve the patient’s quality of life, and potentially improve long term outcomes.

But it’s not only all up to the doctors. We all need to learn how to make our hearts happy. The heart is an easy organ to please. It all begins with proper exercise and nutrition. Nobody can change their family history, but we can all do something about the foods we eat and the activities we do.

A healthy diet consists of the four essentials: Fats, Fiber, Fruit and Vegetables.

Your body doesn’t need a lot of fat to stay healthy, so try to keep your fat intake low. Fiber is a must because it lowers your cholesterol and fills you up so you eat less. Physical activity is equally important. It boosts your circulation, reduces stress levels and stimulates the release of happy hormones or endorphins. Even if you have a heart condition, exercise can help you get back on track.

Goal number one? Do whatever it takes to keep your heart happy. Love your body. Live your life. And above all, never lose heart.

Author: Sandra Prior
Source:Isnare.com

We all dream of changing in 30 days. We all expect instant rewards at the speed of thought. And, we also expect success at first try. However we were not programmed that way. It takes many years to develop the ingrained pattern for leading our unique lives. The path to winning with positive ageing begins with re- programming the mind.

Once you have chosen the life enhancement of healthy eating, expect success. However your present eating habits and patterns have been ingrained possibly from child hood. Here is a simple behavior that leads to success. Notice yourself. It helps you to identify and learn how you operate with food and how to navigate the path to change to ensure success.

As you create an intention to change, notice your emotions. Let’s say you have an intention to eat healthy. You might have to deal with fear of failure, insecurities of choice of food and resistance to learning new life skills. Holding the intention is the way to success.

Next relish the mistakes. When you perceive a failure, don’t stop trying! Adopt the practice to immediately Start Over. This might sound simple, but it is a powerful mind focusing and behavior altering technique for anyone serious about switching to positive aging using healthy eating techniques.

To maintain your focus, become mindful of your task. Notice if your energy shifts when you fret about a failure. Notice how you feel if you skip the fretting and just Start Over. This helps your new pattern to become truly ingrained in your consciousness as you replace the old pattern. It’s like a musician practicing the same scale on a piano until he feels it is perfect. Musicians don’t say, I made a mistake and give up. Musicians know “it takes a joyful sound to make the world go round” and this is the process it takes to turn your life around.

For instance, at your favorite coffee shop you automatically order your usual 500 calorie sugary drink. Forget about chastising yourself, or accepting your old behavior, just simply Start Over. Order a healthier drink now! Treat the unhealthy drink as a sacrifice and do it with out judgment, without feeling unworthy or feeling that this new path is impossible or that you are designed to be an unhealthy failure. Right then and there you began again. You Started Over. And old wise saying – Now Is the Moment of Power – is working here. It helps you to stay present and not go back to pass behavior or dread the future.

When making positive aging changes it helps to scrutinize your old patterns. Become aware of what automatic behavior brings you comfort and joy. Can you visualize you life without this pattern? These are the times that you will constantly have to remind yourself that you can Start Over. You want to eat a healthy breakfast but you never have time. A starting over pattern would be to reorganize your shopping and preparation time. Winners exceed their expectations by Starting Over.

Author: Celia Westberry
Source:Isnare.com