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Archive for January, 2011

Arthritis is one of the most inflammatory chronic disorders, affects your joints and other body parts. The word arthritis comes from two Greek words, athron’ meaning joints and itis’ meaning inflammation. A large number of people are affected by arthritis at some point of their lives. Mostly, it affects elder people. People who suffer from arthritis faces pain in joints and find difficulties in movements. Generally, the whole body is involved in the early stages and one or two joints may become completely deformed that leaves the patient handicapped and somewhat weakened.

Read more on Arthritis Treatment and Joint Pain Treatment and Skin Care

Causes of Arthritis:

Hormonal Factors: Higher proportion of women suffers from this disease as compare to men due to the hormonal changes in the body that take place during the menopause.

Psychological Factors: Physical stress disturbs the body’s hormonal balance and makes the immune system weak.

Joint Instability: Arthritis may be developed as a result of severe or recurrent joint injury from heavy physical activity, excess overweight-excessive body weight, exercise activities for example long-distance running, basketball, etc. that performed over many years.

Environmental Factors: Moist conditions increase the possibility of arthritis.

Symptoms of Arthritis

Some common symptoms are:

1. Continuous joint pains which create troubles in physical movements like walking, cycling

2. Fever and stress

3. Anaemia

4. Weight loss

5. Joints feel red and warm

6. Mild swelling and stiffness in arthritis-affected area

7. Tenderness in the joints of the fingers, wrists, knees and feet

Diet for Arthritis

1. Food high in proteins, minerals, vitamins are good for arthritis patients.

2. Take fibrous fruits, green vegetables, sprouts, and raw vegetable juices.

3. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which is an effectual diet for arthritis patients.

4. Raw potato juice provides an effective arthritis treatment.

5. Good balance between work and rest is necessary, so take proper rest.

6. Ginger juice is also very advantageous in arthritis treatments.

7. Drink water in copper glasses is good for curing arthritis.

Yoga for Arthritis

Yoga is beneficial for all age group, body types. Arthritis-affected area will gain its strength back by performing yogic exercises. It strengthens joint bones and various muscles, it makes immune system strong (which is very helpful in arthritis cure), decreases inflammation, and has various other benefits. There are number of yoga classes where you can avail these benefits.

Home remedies for Arthritis

Effective Arthritis Treatment is to wrap red flannel gently around painful joint and leave it overnight.

A gentle massage with warm olive oil is very effective to relieve arthritis pain.

Dilute Garlic, Juniper, Lavender, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, or Sassafras oils in the proportions of one part to 10 parts of olive oil and use it to massage the painful joints for immediate relief. This is one of the effective home remedies for arthritis.

The patient should be given a lukewarm enema for a few days to cleanse the bowels, as the first step to prevent arthritis is to relieve constipation.

Steam baths and body massage are beneficial in the arthritis treatment. – Good Home Remedy for arthritis

All general cold-water treatments, such as cold baths and cold sprays, should be avoided.

An extra supplement of calcium, zinc and vitamin C is recommended.

Sea bathing is considered beneficial in the treatment of arthritis.

The first thing in the morning is to have fresh juice extracted from potatoes and diluted with water on 50:50 bases.

Rub the aching joints with hot vinegar before going to bed. This is another good and simple home remedy for arthritis.

Smell is the ability for us to perceive odors within our environment. An odor can revive a memory, give us a feeling, remind us of a person, place or thing, or even enhance our mood. This is why aromatherapy has been introduced as an alternative medicine to be used with or without other modalities to enhance both psychological and physical benefits to the body. Aromatherapy uses naturally extracted aromatic essences or oils from plants such as flowers, bark, stems, and leaves to improve physical and emotional health, and to restore balance to the whole person. Essential oils can benefit the mind, mood, cognitive function and overall health.

Aromatherapy has been around for thousands of years dating back to antiquity. Then dried plant materials were infused into fatty oil, heated and then filtered. In addition to the potent odor, these oils were thought to have medicinal healing properties. This is not entirely inaccurate especially since some of the essential oils used today have antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties. During the time of the Crusades essential oils were being distilled and used as medicine. The Crusades are what is thought to have moved essential oils from India, China and Egypt westward. In the 16th and 17th centuries aromatherapy became popular with European herbalists. In 1907 Scientists and doctors began studying the components of essential oils and determining the individual plant chemistry. By 1937 a French book was written on aromatherapy and by World War II Dr Jean Valnet used essential oils as an antiseptic to treat wounded soldiers. By 1950 Marguerite Maury an Austrian beauty therapist introduced essential oils into her massage therapy practice. She went on to establish the first aromatherapy clinics in Britain, France, and Switzerland.

Aromatherapy is a natural, non-invasive therapy designed to affect the whole body and person. The art and science of aromatherapy involves not only the aroma of specific plant oils to treat the mind and body, but by applying the essential oils directly to the skin, the oil can be absorbed into the bloodstream to alter the body chemistry, support the body systems, and improve moods and emotion. Therefore aromatherapy does not just treat a symptom or disease, it assists the body in its natural ability to balance, regulate, health and maintain itself. Overall aromatherapy promotes the health of the body, mind and spirit.

Aromatherapy can be used in three different modes- aerial diffusion, direct inhalation and topical application. When used in conjunction with other modalities the therapeutic potential increases. Aerial diffusion enhances ones environmental fragrance while disinfecting the air as well. Direct inhalation works to disinfect the respiratory system by decreasing congestion, enabling expectoration in addition to psychologically enhancing ones mood, energy and mind. The benefits of direct inhalation include stimulating brain function, uplifting, stimulating the immune system, relaxation and mood enhancement. Topical application can be done through massage, baths, compresses, and therapeutic skin care. Through this method a patient can see a reduction in tension, and pain, while promoting healthy circulation and restoring balance.

Although the efficacy of aromatherapy has not scientifically been proven herbalists, aroma therapists and massage therapists have long used it on their patients. The benefits that patients have demonstrated include pain relief, anxiety reduction, enhanced energy, increased short-term memory, relaxation, hair loss prevention, reduced itching, clarity of mind and mood enhancement. Aromatherapy benefits the person as a whole rather than treating a symptom or illness. The mechanism behind aromatherapy is not fully understood however; the influence of aromas on the brain especially in the limbic system through the olfactory system is thought to produce the desired benefits. Additionally the essential oil constituents (naturally occurring chemicals) have positive effects upon the body. When used correctly aromatherapy is subtle but effective.

Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, evaluation, and criticism. Put another way, social anxiety is the fear and anxiety of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression. If a person usually becomes anxious in social situations, but seems fine when they are alone, then “social anxiety” may be the problem.

Rated as the third largest psychological disorder in the United States, social anxiety disorder or social phobia, is more common an issue for many people than previously known. No one should feel inadequate or alone if suffering from this condition, as millions of people across the world face this traumatic problem everyday of their lives. Someone may face one, some or all of the common conditions associated with social phobia or from a more generalized social phobia. With the right social anxiety disorder treatment these phobias can be overcome.

If searching for a natural cure, Panic Away and the Panic Away One Move Technique would be your solution. Before spending money on expensive medications, various books or even psychiatrist appointments, panic away is a must look option.

In further explanation and understanding of social anxiety the following should be understood. A specific social phobia would be the fear of speaking in front of groups, whereas generalized social anxiety indicates that the person is anxious, nervous, and uncomfortable in almost all (or the majority of) social situations.

Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms:
Meeting new people
Fear of criticism or being teased
Drawing attention; being center of attention
Feeling like you are being watched while doing something or fearing you may be watched
Intimated by people of authority
Staying away from social situations with strangers
Being reserved at parties and fearing starting small talk with others
Performing on stage
Public speaking
Being called on in class
Going on a date

These are some of the more common symptoms associated with social anxiety disorder, but not a complete list.

What you may feel physically when facing social anxiety?

Racing heart
Intense feelings of fear
Dry throat and mouth
Red or flush face
Difficulty swallowing
Muscle stiffness or twitching
Trembling
Overwhelming, constant feeling of anxiety

People with social anxiety disorder know that their anxiety is irrational and does not make “head” sense. Nevertheless, “knowing” something is never the same as “believing” and “feeling” something. Thus, in people with social anxiety, thoughts and feelings of anxiety persist and show no signs of going away.

There are treatments available for social anxiety, as well as the other anxiety problems. To read or hear that someone with social phobia is just going to “learn to live with it”, is completely ridiculous. No one has to live with this condition, there is help available.

A natural program such as panic away, teaches you how to break the fear of the anxiety cycle, which then may lead to frequent panic attacks. The technique does this by teaching you to reverse your mental state, from the irrational to the rational part of the brain. The irrational part takes over upon the uprising of an anxiety causing situation. You can switch your brain back to the rational side, preventing the attack from happening and controlling your anxiety.

Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment

Getting over social anxiety disorder is not an easy task; yet many thousands have already done it. While you’re in the middle of the problem, it feels as though you’ll never ever get better. Life is just one stomach turning anxiety problem after another. This can be stopped, controlled, and reduced in a relatively short period of time. You must find an established, reputable and continually supportive program that can help your social phobia. Panic Away is just that program.

The most important elements in conquering social phobia are:

An understanding and awareness of the problem.
A commitment to carry through the issues even when it seems difficult.
Practice, practice, practice to get that information deep down into your brain so that it becomes automatic.
Participation in supportive, understanding groups in which they help you work on problems that cause you anxiety in the real world.
Being with others that have similar phobias, but have used specific strategies to conquer there anxiety causing situations.

You may have a need to take social anxiety disorder medication, but before you do consider a more natural remedy such as Panic Away.

Social Anxiety Disorder Medication

Medication is sometimes used to relieve the symptoms of social anxiety, but it’s not a cure for social anxiety disorder or social phobia. If you stop taking medication, your symptoms will probably return full force. Medication is considered most helpful when used in addition to therapy and other self-help techniques that address the root cause of social anxiety disorder.

Types of medication used to treat social anxiety disorder (social phobia):

Beta blockers Beta blockers are used for relieving performance anxiety. They work by blocking the flow of adrenaline that occurs when you’re anxious. While beta blockers don’t affect the emotional symptoms of anxiety, they can control physical symptoms such as shaking hands or voice, sweating, and rapid heartbeat.
Antidepressants Antidepressants can be helpful when social anxiety disorder is severe and debilitating. Three specific antidepressantsPaxil treatment, Effexor, and Zolofthave been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of social phobia.
Benzodiazepines Benzodiazepines are fast-acting anti-anxiety medications. However, they are sedating and addictive, so they are typically prescribed only when other medications for social phobia have not worked.

Detailed description of these medications: Helpguide.org

The bottom line is this. If you’ve tried every social anxiety disorder treatment around or are just starting to look for solutions, you need a proven method. I understand that not every option works for every person, but panic away has helped over 60,000 people and can help you too.

Panic Away is an effective, proven, depression treatment. Stop feeling depressed over your social anxiety which makes you even more reserved and trapped in your own mind. This course is also an alternative panic disorder treatment, using all natural techniques, aiding in the dissolving of your anxieties which lead to recurring panic attacks.

The One Move Technique taught, will also serve as an agoraphobia treatment and generalized anxiety disorder treatment. Stop the endless days of self judgment, negative projective thoughts you perceive others are thinking, and start experiencing the world around you.

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Anxiety and Related Disorders

If you’re sitting in a tornado shelter feeling apprehension about a tornado warning on the radio, then you probably have a normal fear response to your circumstances. If you’re sitting in there on a clear day, trembling, sweating and feeling doomed, then you probably have an anxiety disorder. Webster’s Dictionary defines anxiety as “An abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear with physiological signs such as shortness of breath, a rapid pulse, or chest pain.” Anxiety Disorders are one of the most common psychiatric conditions, affecting fifteen to twenty per cent of the general population.

The first order of business for a physician evaluating anxiety is to determine as accurately as possible the patient’s complete state of health. At least one-third of patients with an underlying organic disorder present with anxiety symptoms. These could include too much thyroid hormone, problems with the adrenal glands, an unrecognized heart disorder, or diabetes. Treatment of the underlying medical problem thereby becomes the primary treatment for the anxiety.

The second order of business is to determine if a patient is putting something into their body which is causing the anxiety. This could include alcohol, which is a frequent cause of a cycle of anxiety. Other substances which could cause anxiety would be stimulants like diet pills, amphetamines or cocaine. Finally, some prescription drugs do not mix well together, especially when they are broken down by the same enzymes in the liver, and may cause severe anxiety. There are certain herbal remedies such as yohimbine (a purported male enhancer), which in some individuals, can cause anxiety. Elimination of these substances is the treatment for this type of anxiety, so a patient needs to be forthright about all substances and prescriptions which he is taking.

A type of primary anxiety disorder is the panic attack. This is usually unexpected, peaks in about ten minutes and usually lasts less than an hour. It is characterized by a feeling of losing control or going crazy, trembling or shaking, profuse sweating or chills or hot flashes, rapid heart rate, and a sense of not being able to catch one’s breath. It may be associated with agoraphobia, which is a fear of being trapped or unable to escape. (Agoraphobia can occur by itself, and thus be considered as another form of primary anxiety.)

There is another form of anxiety which most often begins in childhood. It is the fear of separation from an important attachment figure, for example a parent. This leads to a form of anxiety called separation anxiety which can occur at later times in life when one is faced with losing another attachment figure.

Some anxiety sufferers have an inordinate fear of humiliation in social or performance situations. Once again it is the physical symptoms which define the condition. One could be tormented by flushing (or blushing), rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and/or a sense of doom. If it is a fear of social situations it is called Social Anxiety or phobia; fear of performance humiliation is called Performance Anxiety.

Some anxiety sufferers can have symptoms brought on by a specific object or situation. These are called the various and sundry phobias. It might be the fear of heights, fear of crossing a bridge, fear of spiders or germs. Again it is the intense emotional and physical symptoms which make this form of anxiety so disabling.

Another form of anxiety is the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. A person suffering from this may perform certain rituals to allay the anxiety. This could include excessive hand-washing, not stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, or repetitively locking and relocking a door. Jack Nicholson played an Obsessive-Compulsive in a movie a few years ago (Melvin Udall in “As Good As It Gets”), which very poignantly portrayed the interpersonal difficulties which can occur secondary to this condition. Dustin Hoffman’s “Rain Man” portrayed a Tourette’s Syndrome/Autistic patient’s extreme dependence on rituals to alleviate mounting anxiety.

If a person has six months or more of constant generalized anxiety and excessive worry with the physical and emotional repercussions of anxiety, this is called Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Sometimes this particular spectrum of symptoms can be secondary to a mood disorder such as depression or manic-depression. In this latter case treatment would be for the mood disorder.

There is an anxiety disorder which occurs after a person has endured a shocking situation in which he has faced the possibility of his own death. We see this in soldiers who have been traumatized on the battlefield. It can occur after a terrible accident or a natural disaster. The person has panic attacks and vivid nightmares. This type of anxiety is called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The VA Hospital system has developed an extensive body of knowledge about this disorder and various specific techniques for treating it. Adjustment Disorder is a much less intense form of anxiety than PTSD. In this situation, an individual develops anxiety secondary to a new situation such as a new job or a different family arrangement.

Treatment of anxiety usually involves both psychological and medical treatment. Identifying sources of anxiety and likewise identifying physical symptoms can eliminate some of the dread one has for intermittent anxiety. Sometimes with phobias there can be a supportive desensitization which can help alleviate symptoms. Medications can include anti-anxiety agents such as diazepam or clonazepam, but care has to be taken to avoid medication dependency. The SSRI antidepressants like fluoxetine have anti-anxiety properties as well. Tricyclic antidepressants like clomipramine can be used to treat anxiety but have a greater incidence of side-effects.

John Drew Laurusonis M.D.

Doctors Medical Center

DOES AROMATHERAPY HELP YOU TO REDUCE STRESS, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION?

What is Aromatherapy?

History in a nutshell:

The concept of aromatherapy and the use of essential oils in healing, altering mood and brain function is not new; aromatherapy has been used in medicine for over 6000 years. Essential oils have been used by Ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese and Egyptians for healing and medicinal purposes since 4000 B.C.The first book describing essential oils and their use in healing was written by Dioscorides, a French chemist in his book De Materia Medica. The book was published in the first century. De Materia Medica described the healing properties and uses of many essential oils that are still in use in today’s alternative medicine.

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses plant materials, such as roots, leaves, blossoms, or seeds. Essential oils are extracted from the plants using different methods for the purpose of altering a person’s mind, mood, cognitivefuction and health. Numerous medical institutions recognize aromatherapy as an efficient alternative medicine. Mayo Clinic, for instance, recommends aromatherapy to be used in treating cancer patients to reduce nausea, pain, and stress caused by the illness and treatment. Among others, Mayo Clinicrecommends aromatherapy for cardiovascular patients recovering from surgery. According to Mayo Clinic’s article, aromatherapy is usedtopromote healing, improves mood, and reduces stress after a surgery.

The uses of aromatherapy in the medical field are numerous. Aromatherapy has been shown to be effective in preventing disease, pain and reducing anxiety, energy enhancement, enhancement of memory, relaxation, focus, and reduction of errors.

How does aromatherapy work?

Even though research shows clearly that aromatherapy is effective in treating many conditions, such as depression, stress, anxiety among others, researchers are still not entirely clear how aromatherapy works. Research has shown that our sense of smell has the main role in aromatherapy. Researchers believe that the receptors in your nose communicate with certain parts of your brain that function to store emotions and memories. Especially the limbic system in your brain is affected through the olffactory system during aromatherapy treatment.

When you breath in the essential oil scent, the molecules stimulate the amygdala and hippocampus of your brain, and influence your physical, emotional, and mental health helping you to focus, concentrate, relax, reduce anxiety and reduce the amount of errors. A study by Toho University in Tokio found that the scent of Eucalyptus in an office reduced computer operator errors by 30%!

The uses for aromatherapy are numerous. Different plants and herbs used have different effects in your brain. Lavender is a good example it stimulates the activity of your brain cells in the amygdala the same way some medications work.

Many clinical studies have shownpositive effects, such as reduction of symptoms of anxiety, drowsiness, lack of energy, and increasing brainwaves, brain function and memory. Aromatherapy has never been shown to cure conditions the essential oils rather help the body to find a natural way to cure itself, improve your own immune response and promote the healing process.

AROMATHERAPY WHILE DRIVING = SAFER DRIVER?

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Knowing all this, SmellThis! 100% product line was created to help users drive safely by usingessential oils that have been shown to increase your brain function- natural oils commonly used in aromatherapy, such as Cinnamon, Lavender, Jasmine, and Eucalyptus.

SmellThis! Air Fresheners donot only freshen your car – even though they create a fresh, enjoyable scent in your car – but more: The natural oils used in SmellThis! products also affect your brain, making it easier for you to focus, concentrate, reduce errors, reduce anxiety and stress, and promotes safe driving.

Different essential oilshave different effects in human brain

- Cinnamon is known to reduce irritability

- Lavender reduces stress and relaxes brainwaves

- Orange affects your mood, lowers blood pressure, and reduces anxiety

- Eucalyptus increases brainwave activity, increases energy level, and fights physical and mental fatique.

What better place to enjoy your daily aromatherapy moment than in your car?

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Drive safely and arrive refreshed!