Posts Tagged ‘ Disorders ’

Eating Disorders in Men

January 22, 2011
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Eating disorders have often been associated only with women, but increasing revelations show the prevalence of eating disorders in men too. Men and boys also have an obsession with a perfect body. The only reason it is less identified is because perhaps, men do not like to be perceived as suffering from the problems of a woman. As such, they will not express themselves, and succumb to the pressures of society and the demand for a perfect physical appearance in the form of these eating disorders. Let’s take a look at the types of eating disorders they may suffer from, their signs in general, and the causes of eating disorders in men.

Types and Signs of Eating Disorders in Men

These are common eating disorders that are suffered by men and women alike. It is thus, important to identify the types and their relevant symptoms.

Anorexia Nervosa
This disorder is characterized by continual starving and dieting. The fear of weight gain is at its peak, which is why the diet is completely restricted. Another sign of anorexia nervosa is the need to binge, vomit, or excessively exercise, to lose and maintain weight. The psychological basis of this disorder lies in the need to cope with life. They hope to gain some control by following the norms of weight loss and developing what according to them is a ‘perfect’ body image. However, they don’t realize when to stop, as for them, no amount of weight loss is satisfactory. This further aggravates the disorder and may become life threatening at a later time, as the body is going to use up all the reserve supplies of energy and ultimately become very weak. This disorder also affects the mental balance, which may affect the direction of thought.

Bulimia Nervosa
Those suffering from this condition eat large amounts of food in a short span of time. This induces guilt, which they deal with by making themselves vomit, or use laxatives and diuretics. They may even starve themselves in some cases. This creates a cycle which continues in the same pattern, resulting in weakness of the body. Those suffering from bulimia nervosa often experience feelings such as disgust, poor self esteem and are even victims of depression. The most serious concern regarding bulimia is that it is not visible like anorexia, and may remain hidden for a long time, until its effects finally start showing. They appear confident, but are actually seriously disturbed within.

Binge Eating Disorder
Not all eating disorders are related to weight loss. Binge eating refers to someone who binges on high calorie foods to fill the emptiness they feel within, similar to those suffering from bulimia. However, these people do not feel guilty about the same, and in some cases, reportedly feel better after eating. This has most to do with depression and low self esteem, and they use food as a means to cope with these emotional issues. This eating disorder serves to hide feelings of vulnerability that one may experience. Finally, they become overweight and develop the risk of several other health problems.

Exercise Disorders
The urge to constantly exercise, and either lose weight, or build a body that they perceive as puny even though they may be well built, is what characterizes an exercise disorder.

Compulsive Exercise Disorder: This usually accompanies anorexia and bulimia, where a person may compulsively exercise for several hours in a day, in an attempt to lose weight and burn calories.
Bigorexia: This is the opposite of anorexia, particular only to men, where a man or boy may perceive himself as lean and puny, in spite of having a good body build. As such, he will resort to prolonged hours at the gym, and may even use steroids to develop the shape of the body he desires. They may ignore all their family and social responsibilities in their endeavor to build a good, muscular body, which they are usually never satisfied with.
Causes of Eating Disorders in Men

Following are some of the reasons why men may develop eating disorders.
Some men, as kids, may have been overweight, and constantly been teased about it, which is why they may have developed a poor self image, leading to the development of an eating disorder.
If men belong to a profession that requires them to be thin and good looking at all times, such as acting, modeling, and providing any kind of entertainment, then men may succumb to the pressure that results in an eating disorder.
Even sportsmen are at a risk of developing eating disorders, because of the demands of a particular body shape. They could require to be lean, or have a muscular built. It has been found that eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are more prevalent in athletes. Sometimes, wrestlers who are asked to lose weight quickly to compete in a match that has a lower weight category, are also at a risk.
Adhering to the wrong diet pattern, in an endeavor to improve body image, often triggers eating disorders in men and boys.
A research has suggested that homosexual or bisexual men are at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder. This is because of the pressure to look good and attract the attention they desire. Even the fear of openly admitting to homosexuality may cause stress triggering off these eating disorders.
Men, just like women, also get affected by the idea of a projected body image, by those in showbiz. They sense the pressure, just like women do, and desire to look exactly like those models and actors, with their perfectly chiseled body. In a desire to attain this body type, they fall victim to eating disorders.
To be able to overcome these eating disorders, the sufferer requires family support. As mentioned above, men themselves may not like to admit that they are suffering from such a problem. As such, one should watch out for the signs of eating disorders in men, and help them overcome these problems. This can be done by joining support groups, and undergoing relevant therapy, as this problem is mostly psychological. Ultimately it should be remembered, that it is not physical appearance but good health that matters in the long run, and one should only resort to the norms of healthy weight loss combined with the right amount of exercise, if they wish to enhance their appearance and overall health.

Media’s Influence on Eating Disorders

December 31, 2010
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Media plays an important role in influencing people’s opinions and choices. Especially in terms of body images, the media has created certain ideal body images, which are continuously being flashed via various mass media. The magazines, newspapers, television, radio as well as the Internet are full of images of slim and slender models, which are often perceived as the most-sought-after or desirable body images. Most of the celebrities seem to be flaunting their chiseled bodies and flat stomachs and although some of them might be actually the result of strenuous workouts and healthy diets – there are huge number of models that are plain anorexic.

Why aren’t there enough voluptuous models on the ramp? Why does a television advertisement for some toothpaste commercial have to be a size zero model? Why is the petite size the most sought-after size? Why do programs about celebrity news criticize a particular celebrity when he/she gains a few extra pounds? Ever wondered about the messages that the media is sending out with these trends? Does an average teenager know what body mass index is? Does she/he know that there is a body type that exists between being skinny and being overweight?

Although there are increasing numbers of people who are propagating the benefits of a healthy body and warning people about the ill-effects of unhealthy body weights, a large number of media messages just can’t seem to shift the focus from slim and slender bodies to healthier body images. Although there might be people who would want to cite the references of plus-size models, when was the last time you saw a huge number of voluptuous models walking for the biggies? Or when was the last time you saw a beauty pageant contestant who didn’t have a slender figure?

Media’s influence has resulted in creation of ideal body images, which are almost impossible to achieve for each and everyone. Failed attempts at reducing weight and getting skinnier tend to result in unhealthy eating disorders, which culminate in severe medical condition and finally affect the overall health of the person. There are thousands of teenage girls who have fallen prey to these trends and have gone through traumatic experiences, which led to a physical as well as a psychological imbalance.

Eating Disorders

Although toned bodies and petite sizes seem to be the most sought-after assets for millions of young girls out there, not everyone is ready to adopt the healthy road to fitness. A large number of the victims of eating disorders are young girls and women who are constantly running after a mirage of petite sizes rather than aiming for health and fitness. Here are some of the eating disorders that are commonly observed:

Anorexia: Anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder, which is characterized by distorted perceptions of the body image and persistent fear of weight gain, which results in self-starvation and an extreme weight loss. A large number of teenage girls fall prey to the portrayal of ideal body images on the media and in an attempt to attain this body image, they reduce their food intake by going on dangerous crash diets, which result in conditions like anorexia.
Bulimia: Bulimia nervosa which is commonly referred to as bulimia, is a psychological condition and an eating disorder which is marked by binge eating, followed by guilt and intentional purging to compensate for the binge eating. Purging can be means of vomiting, fasting, use of laxatives, enemas or even diuretics. Women between ages 16-40 constitute for the majority of people suffering from this eating disorder.
Compulsive Overeating: Compulsive overeating or food addiction is an eating disorder, which is marked by frequent episodes of binge eating, where a person cannot exercise control over the intake of food. However, in this disorder the person does not try and purge the food, but instead tends to keep on eating even when he/she is not hungry. Compulsive overeating usually leads to obesity since the person uses food for comfort.
Effects of Media on Body Image Perception

In addition to these eating disorders, there are other disorders like body dysmorphic disorder, which tend to distorted perceptions about self body image. The media creates a tremendous hype about the beautiful celebrities who have bodies, which are touted as the most desirable looks or body images. There are people who are ready to go under the knife to look good. People are resorting to cosmetics surgeries to have Jennifer Anniston’s nose or Angelina Jolie’s lips without giving it a second thought! The media is giving out the wrong messages no doubt, but then it is also the passive blind-followers of media trends that are at fault. Communication schools have spotted this issue and are studying the various aspects of media effects on body image perception. A large number of research projects are focused on studying the effects of media on adolescents’ body image distortions. A large number of studies in this area have cited a relationship between fashion magazine reading and eating disorders and even television viewing and body dissatisfaction, which is a clear indicator of the fact that media does play an influential role and is one of the major causes for a large number of people who are suffering from eating disorders. Parental mediation and media literacy seem to be some of the possible solutions, which have been suggested to tackle this problem.

On a personal level, what you can do is to try and redefine your outlook towards perceiving ideal body images and knowing what works the best for your body type. At the same time let us hope that the media awakens to the fact that role models and celebrities are people that we want to relate to and look up to. The society is ready to accept full-figured models that are healthy rather than being skinny and famished. There are a large number of plus-size models, struggling to make their mark in the fashion industry but have limited opportunities. There are several teenagers who are recovering from their bulimic and anorexic lifestyles and are ready to embrace a healthy lifestyle. A majority of the audiences are gradually accepting the healthy body image portrayal, but is the media ready to shift the focus from size zero?

Eating Disorders – A Serious Problem

October 29, 2010
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As mentioned earlier, almost 1% of the global adolescent population is currently suffering from eating disorders. The most common among them is anorexia nervosa. The typical symptoms of a person suffering from this are:

• When a person refuses to maintain normal body weight for age and height, consistently weighing 85% or less than normal for her height and weight.
• Menstrual problems occur in young girls, often menstruation fails to start normally. In women, menstrual periods stop, while in men levels of sex hormones fall.
• Psychologically, she/he is terrified of putting on even an ounce of fat and repeatedly denies that she is conspicuously underweight.
• In addition, depression, irritability, withdrawal, and peculiar behaviors such as compulsive rituals, strange eating habits, and division of foods into “good/safe” and “bad/dangerous” categories.
• Sociological skills like managing new situations and assuming adult responsibilities may also suffer or be completely non-existent.

The second most common eating disorder is bulimia nervosa – the diet-binge-purge disorder. The most common symptoms of this problem are:

• Believes self-worth requires being thin.
• The person eats like there’s no tomorrow, and then immediately feels guilty about this loss of self control.
• The next step is that she vomits, uses laxatives, exercises, or fasts to get rid of the calories.
• Shoplifting, promisciousity, alcohol or drug abuse may be present.
• Bulimics are extremely insecure people, even though they may look normal. In most cases they are ashamed of everything about themselves, anxious, depressed, and angry with their existence. Irresponsible social behavior and abnormal bouts of rage are commonly seen.

Then there are people with binge eating disorders who do not do anything about their eating binges, and as a result, become obese, depressed individuals getting sucked deeper and deeper into the vortex of depression about their physical demeanor. Depression leads to more binging and the problem generally gets out of hand about now. Sometimes they are genetically predisposed to obesity and so try to diet, then get cravings and binge, then blame themselves.

In addition to these general symptoms, young persons with eating disorders have other very typical symptoms too. They exhibit disgust for heavy foods, like red meats and creamy desserts, even if these were their favorites just a little while ago. Most of them develop a tilt towards vegetarianism, believing that this will help eliminate excess fat from their diet. They tend to choose primarily low fat items and avoid oils etc, (which form an essential part of the veggie diet too). Their obsession with the health attributes of what they consume is sometimes irritating for others in their proximity. There are some who WANT to be discovered as anorexic or bulimic and leave behind trails, stinking bathrooms, spots of vomit, empty health food cans…all pointing towards a conscious effort at being `disordered’ so to speak.

Such people also take to wearing baggy cloths to hide what they think are imperfect bodies, is constantly whining about how terrible he or she looks and will not believe anyone who contradicts this. Many exercise compulsively, sometimes with punishing schedules. They lose the perspective of their lives, often thinking in extremely illogical ways, cannot concentrate and almost lose the ability to think positively, and feel good about themselves or anyone else. Exacting standards for looks and behavior drive them more and more towards loneliness since such perfection cannot be easily found in the real world.

Most of them try to hide their true feelings, denying that anything is wrong till things get out of control, their extreme self hatred often leading them to insanity or at least deterioration of mental health. Anorexics tend to avoid even sexual relationships since they fear rejection, while bulimics would go for casual sex rather than be in a steady relationship.

The recovery for people with eating disorders is possible but with infinite patience, care and even then, it is extremely slow. It may take a person up to ten years to fully recover from this problem, even though they may feel that the solution lies in just “if I look god, things will be OK”. This is a misguided attitude and requires careful diagnosis (since most sufferers refuse to see they are suffering), then help (but then, no shrink). The time is too long and most of them suffer relapses or just give up. About 80% of those who attempt recovery, do recover while the others…well, just stay so or slowly die.

At present, bulimia has affected about 4 percent of the college going population in the US alone, but the number may be much higher since most bulimics hide their condition or are simply not aware that it is dangerous. An interesting thing is that only about 10% of all bulimic and anorexic persons are male. This clearly points to the warped social trend…that to be good looking, women are prepared to sacrifice their health, while men couldn’t be bothered,…in fact, for males, big is better, beefy is best. Women have only themselves to blame for this skewed thinking, after all, nobody but they themselves needs to confirm to any trend.

In the US, eating disorders are rapidly taking on epidemic proportions. Studies suggest that almost 60% of all adult Americans are overweight and of these, of these almost a third are obese or borderline cases. A large number of these people have eating disorders to boot. In the teenage section of the population, almost 31% of the girls and 28 % of the boys are overweight with almost half this number in both cases, obese. The causes? Fast and junk foods with high fat and sugar content, overall, a pampered and sedentary lifestyle. Other studies place the figure of adults with eating disorder at about 2 million adults in US alone. If this is not alarming, then what is???

Common Menstrual Disorders Of Adolescent Girls

October 6, 2010
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Adolescence is the time when there is sudden transformation in the body and many questions arises in the minds of the adolescents. Firstly they are not able to cope with the changes and secondly the changes bring along problems with them. The most challenging problems are related to menses, in girls. Menstrual conditions are many that may require physician’s attention or any other healthcare professional’s attention. The most common of the menstrual disorders are premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrheal and amenorrhea.

Before the onset of the menses, females face many uncomfortable symptoms which last for a short period, stretching from few hours to few days. But some of them can be very intense and can disturb the normal functioning of the person. These symptoms are grouped as premenstrual syndrome. In usual cases, the symptoms come to a halt when the menses begin, but for some they may last even after the menstrual periods are over. Eighty five percent of the females experience some of the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome at one time or the other. Nearly forty percent experience the symptoms so intensely that their daily chores are affected by it and ten percent are disabled by it.

There are many premenstrual syndrome symptoms which can be broadly classified as neurologic & vascular symptoms, psychological symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, fluid retention, eye problems and respiratory problems. The cause of premenstrual syndrome are fluctuations in the levels of progesterone & estrogen, hypoglycemia, hyperprolactinemia, psychogenic factors, changes in carbohydrate metabolism, excessive aldosterone, progesterone allergy and water retention by kidneys. The good thing is that premenstrual syndrome can be prevented by exercising regularly, eating balanced diet and sleeping adequately.

Dysmenorrhea is feeling intense menstrual pain and cramps. Depending on the severity, dysmenorrhea is stated as primary dysmenorrhea or secondary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea symptoms are felt from the onset of the menstrual periods and are felt life-long. Because of abnormal uterine contractions due to chemical imbalance, severe menstrual cramping is experienced. Secondary dysmenorrhea starts in the later stages. The causes are different for primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. Secondary dysmenorrhea can be blamed on medical conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, tumors, infections, and abnormal pregnancy.

Dysmenorrhea symptoms are lower abdomen cramping & pain, lower back pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, fainting, weakness and headaches. Females who are overweight, smoke, and have started to menstruate before turning eleven are at a higher risk of developing dysmenorrheal. Females who drink alcohol during menstrual period experience prolonged pain. After studying the health conditions, age, cause of dysmenorrhea, and extent of condition of the individual, corresponding treatment will be recommended. Regular exercise, abdominal massage, hot bath, vitamin supplements, and dietary modifications can help overcome dysmenorrhea.

Amenorrhea is the condition in which the female skips her menses for more than three consecutive menstrual cycles. Amenorrhea is also classified as primary amenorrhea and secondary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea develops from the onset of menstrual periods. In this condition, the adolescent might not get periods when she enters puberty. Secondary amenorrhea is a condition where periods become irregular after a period of time and not from the start.

There are many causes of amenorrhea such as ovulation abnormality, eating disorders, birth defects, anatomical abnormalities, malnourishment, anorexia, bulimia, pregnancy, over exercising, thyroid disorder, obesity and other medical conditions. Out of these ovulation abnormalities are a common cause for absent or irregular periods. It is a must that an adolescent start getting menses at least by the age of sixteen. If not, anatomical abnormality, birth defect and other medical conditions are the cause. Adolescents who participate in sports actively and are athletic have a lower body fat content because of which they have absent menses. Even because of malnourishment, the body is incapable of sustaining pregnancy. So in turn the body itself shuts down the reproductive system and menses. Extra fat cells in the body interfere with ovulation and that is the reason why obese female have irregular menses. Amenorrhea is treated by dietary modifications, ovulation inhibitors and hormone treatment.

By: Brent Boyd

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Sleep Disorders: Do They Cause Obesity in Children?

September 10, 2010
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Not enough sleep may lead to weight gain for children, according to US scientists. Previously, children’s lack of sleep was found to cause bad school performance or emotional problems, but a recent study connects it to becoming overweight.

Researchers collected data from over 2,000 children with ages between three and eighteen. The results are based on the diaries kept by parents or children themselves where they kept a record of bedtime, hours of sleep, or time of waking up.

An extra hour of sleep may help young children by reducing the risk of becoming overweight from thirty-six to thirty percent. For older children, an extra hour of sleep reduces the risk from thirty-four to thirty percent, according to the study’s lead author, Emily Snell.

The results were not influenced gender, ethnicity, income, or race. They showed that late bedtime for children with ages from three to eight are strongly connected to weight gain. Unlike the other children, those with ages between eight and thirteen are more predisposed to weight gain if they wake up too early.

Children with ages of five to twelve should sleep ten to eleven hours per night while teenagers need to have nine hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The study concluded that later wake up times and earlier bedtimes are a low-cost strategy to help reduce the weight problems for children, said Snell.

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Suffering From Sleep Disorders? Find The Right Sleep Disorder Treatment Today

August 18, 2010
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Millions of people around the world are affected by sleep disorders every year. In the past, such disorders were usually associated with old age, as old people used to suffer from this issue predominantly. Now, however, things have changed a lot, luckily there is a sleep disorder treatment for most cases to cure.

First, thanks to our insanely fast paced lifestyle, even young people suffer from this problem and do not get enough sleep. To understand the seriousness of this problem, you need to first understand how important sleep is for your body.

Obviously, sleep is very, very important for your body. Your body needs rest. When you sleep at night, your body repairs itself and prepares you for the hustle and bustle of the next day. If you do not sleep peacefully at night, you will feel the effects immediately the next day.

You will feel tired, woozy, and find it difficult to concentrate on things. These are just short term effects. When left untreated for a long time, sleep problems could lead to high blood pressure, stroke, depression, and heart diseases. So, finding the cause of the problem and getting the right kind of treatment is of supreme importance.

In order to properly treat this problem, you should find out first what kind of problem it is and its causes. The different types of sleep disorders are insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, rapid eye movement behavior disorder, sleep paralysis, sleep walking, circadian rhythm disorders, and night terror.

If you have trouble sleeping at night, you could be suffering from any of these problems depending on your lifestyle, age, physical condition, and other factors. You should first consult a good physician to find out what kind of disorder you are suffering from.

It will be easy for you to choose the proper kind of treatment if you know already your problem. For sleep related disorders, you can find a number of different cures on the market today. There are both non surgical and surgical cures available for sleep related problems. Non surgical cures include oral appliances and positive airway pressure devices and medications. Tonsillectomy, septoplasty, turbinate surgery, and other surgeries depending on your problem are included in surgical cure.

There are natural cures for insomnia available for these problems as well. Medicinal herbs are mostly involve in it and making some lifestyle changes to promote healthy sleep patterns. Since natural cures for insomnia related problems do not involve prescription sleep aids and are generally very safe for health, a lot of people are interested in them these days.

Apart from these solutions, sound tracks that promote good sleep are also highly popular these days. These sound tracks are able of promoting healthy sleep patterns in people who have problem sleeping at night. They provoke the brain waves and help you sleep calmly. Listen to these tracks regularly for a few months and when your brain gets used to it, electric signals are made to be conducive for sleep automatically. So, this is considered a very effective treatment by many.

To sum up it all, sleep is very important for your body and you should take it very seriously. Make sure you find the correct sleep disorder treatment for you and treat it immediately. A good night’s sleep will go a long way in keeping you hale and hearty.

By: jessica j

Jessical J. is the author of this article on Sleep disorder treatment Find more information about Sleep disorder treatment here.

Sleep Apnea – One Among Several Long-term Sleep Disorders

July 12, 2010
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There’s a number of categories of chronic sleep disorders. You might be suffering with one or more of them and just not recognize it. One of the main indications associated with a sleep disorder is normally waking up after seven to eight hours of rest but not feeling renewed and not as aware as one really should throughout the course of the day. It’s not natural and it isn’t necessary to suffer and feel this way. This could possibly be because of a lack of quality sleep and is viewed as a medical sleep disorder or other related medical issue for which there are usually treatment methods.

Quite a few chronic sleep disorders can be eliminated simply by initiating some better sleep practices. A majority of these habits usually are pretty simple to put in practice. These can include such items like greatly reducing or eliminating alcohol or caffeine and not enjoying a sizable meal or avoid engaging in strenuous activities just before sleeping. Limit mid-day naps to 10 or 15 minutes at the most. There are lots of mental challenges that may result in brief disruptions in a common sleeping pattern including business deadlines, tests, relationship problems and others.

Among the many types of chronic sleep disorders is sleep apnea. The Greek word for “apnea” stands for “without breath.” Sleep apnea is frequently recognized by a spouse increasingly being awakened by your loud snores and noticing that you are not breathing too. This lapse in breathing could possibly last ten seconds and sometimes up to thirty seconds or longer. Towards the end of each period you begin breathing again accompanied by a significant gasp. This kind of process can quite frequently repeat itself many times in the course of the night.

Sleep apnea affects millions of Americans, largely overweight males over the age of forty. This type of chronic sleep disorder includes several risk factors for example several kinds of cardiovascular diseases, memory lapses, weight gain, impotency and headaches. There’s great news though, once diagnosed sleep apnea is usually treated rather successfully. There are actually three types of sleep apnea, obstructive (OSA) and central (CSA) and mixed.

Within this group of chronic sleep disorders obstructive (OSA) is the most common. What transpires while in these episodes would be that the throat closes while in sleep, blocking the stream of oxygen to your lungs. Once the oxygen ranges become way too low the brain will get the alert to wake and take in air.

Far less prevalent is central sleep apnea also called CSA and this has been documented in only 10% of the incidents. This happens as an effect of the brain’s inability to send out the sign to breathe. This may be because of a heart or neurological situation. If a person suffers from a a mixture of those two conditions it could be referred to as “mixed.”

For anyone who is worried that they may just be going through this type of chronic sleep disorder it is always essential to see your family doctor as soon as possible to find a professional medical diagnosis. The most widespread types of procedures are physical or mechanical therapy, surgery or other non-specific form of care. The most beneficial treatment method for your particular kind of sleep apnea will be determined following lab work and physical exams to determine what is causing it. Frequently you may need to be examined at a sleep center to establish just how acute the condition could be.

By: David Dean

Are you experiencing one or more kinds of chronic sleep disorders? Maybe you have experienced insomnia, narcolepsy, or sleep apnea? Chronic Sleep Disorders.com can offer answer many of your questions and provide solutions for this condition.

Four Common Mental Disorders

July 12, 2010
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Mental disorders are a commonly occurring problem all over the world. It is an accepted fact that as many as one in six people will suffer from a mental disorder at some point in their lives. This is because of the variety of causes of mental disorders, as well as an increasingly stressful way of life causing difficulties for many people. The following are four very common mental disorders which will probably affect either you or someone you know over the course of their life.

Stress

Stress is rapidly becoming one of society’s biggest killers. Stress is a mental disorder, but manifests itself in a large number of physical symptoms. Stress is caused by the ‘fight or flight’ response being triggered. This is an evolutionary response to danger which has a variety of effects on the body. It floods the body with adrenaline, raises blood pressure and represses the immune system, pushing all energy toward the ability to fight danger or run from it. Stress occurs when the ‘fight or flight’ response is triggered and not allowed to subside by removal of the danger. High pressured jobs often have this effect. This can result in a variety of conditions such as hypertension, stomach ulcers, insomnia and alopecia.

Depression

Depression is a very common mental disorder; it has many varieties and its victims have no barriers of age, culture, race or gender. Just some of the varieties of depression are:

- Bipolar Disorder or Manic Depression, where the sufferers go through periods of intense highs and lows, where the highs are euphoric and the lows result in utter despair.

- SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a condition caused by lack of sunlight. Many people find that in the winter lack of exposure to sunlight causes them to feel depressed. There are many treatments for this such as light boxes which create artificial daylight to mimic the effect of the sun.

- Post Natal depression – this is a result of pregnancy and birth. It can be characterised by a lack of interest in the baby, and usual depression symptoms such as low mood.

There is a lot of stigma surrounding depression, but it is in fact an incredibly common condition, and contrary to popular belief it can be managed and cured as many other disorders can.

Phobias

Phobias are the subject of much hilarity in some quarters; a vaguely irrational fear of spiders can be amusing and entertaining. Some phobias such as phobias of jelly and birds are downright bizarre, but there are more serious phobias which can impair day to day functioning. Some people have a fear of open spaces called Agoraphobia; this can leave them trapped in the house unable to function normally. Phobias can be dealt with through conditioning and a variety of other psychological techniques, often involving a patient being slowly introduced to the object of their fear.

Dementia

Dementia affects elderly members of the population; it tends to develop as people age, and their brains are unable to function to the same level. This can lead to confusion, and some highly unpleasant symptoms such as aggression. It also has an effect on personality and behaviour, often changing someone drastically. Unfortunately there is no cure for dementia, and sufferers will usually become progressively worse until they are no longer able to function without full time care.

The Way to Understand Mood Disorders

July 4, 2010
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Serious conditions are usually linked to people who suffer mood disorders. Unfortunately, mood disorders cannot just disappear by themselves, and neither can you tell the person simply to get over it. A person cannot just get over it that simply since a person cannot control his or her mood disorder. Depression is one of the more common varieties of mood disorders. When we say that the person has certain issues, he or she may in fact be suffering from depression. According to professionals the cause of depression can be linked to a chemical imbalance in the brain and causes the person experience high and low points. This is what is termed as cycling. This erratic change in high and low points can sometimes be called manic depression, is one of the many common varieties of depression that affect people today. If ignored and untreated, this depression can lead to thoughts of suicide and an increased possibility of suicide. Fortunately, there are prescriptions and medicines that can assist in curing manic depression.

Dysthymia is another common mood disorder that affects people. The person affected has a low grade of depression that lasts for at least a year and makes the person highly irritable. However, this can also be treated by general prescription and medication as well as some natural healing methods.

Changes in sleeping patterns and eating habits are some of the common systems of mood disorders. A person easily gets irritated when any of his usual patterns and habits is changed. Those with mood disorders have a general feeling of not enjoying things they usually enjoy come to a fore. This is caused by their emotional response being affected by the mood disorder. And in fact a lot of people do not realize how much they are affected by mood disorders.

A person who is depressed will generally no longer hold interest in things they used to enjoy. And this is a phenomenon that occurs with thousands annually. Interestingly it has not been established what one major cause can be the trigger for one’s depression. Those who have imbalances in the brain caused by a chemicals referred to as MAOI’s, should start medication to treat it.

Apart from medication, natural and alternative medicines are available also that assist in making a person feel better when he or she suffers from depression. Some individuals do not take kindly to the idea of taking some sort of medical treatment due to religious or economic reasons. Either way, it may be more helpful to opt for a natural healing .

Fortunately there is hope for those that suffer from mood disorders should they follow certain steps and procedures. First is to visit a doctor to obtain a proper diagnosis. Once done, the person can be placed on a plan of treatment and recovery that will alleviate their mood disorder. It is not impossible to get one’s life back by controlling a mood disorder. Effort and a lot of patience is needed but there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel.

Cardiovascular Therapy – The Best Solution For Heart Disorders Sufferers

May 24, 2010
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Heart disease is a expression that applies to a lot of health conditions relating to the heart. The term Cardio Disease covers a lot of disorders that directly affect the heart and the blood vessel system. It particularly affects the veins and arteries that lead to and from the heart.
No one is resistant to this silent and frequently deadly killer. People could be born with a heart defect or disorder and do not know until they’ve a heart attack, signs and symptoms relating to a stroke or in the most awful case situation, unexpected death.
Heart disease is an issue that influences any society, any race at any age. Some people are more likely to develop heart disease; in general nobody is completely safe from heart disease.

For instance, there are near one and a half million heart attacks alone within the USA each year. Of those there are nearly five hundred thousand deaths. A life lost caused by heart attack almost each minute! Unexpected life lost is more widespread in women than in men.
Heart disease is a major health dilemma in some cultures.
Until recently, heart & circulatory system condition was uncommon in Asian populations. Outcome from a new study of more than half a million Asians indicate that a huge epidemic of heart problem is floating to influence China and numerous other countries in the area.
New study results reveals that in the next twenty years Asia will be confronted with a crippling epidemic of heart & circulatory system condition and stroke on a extent until that time unknown.

A lot of people do not realize they have cardiovascular disease. Often it isn’t acknowledged until they suffer a chest pain, a heart attack, or stroke. These sorts of troubles often need urgent attention and the individual may possibly require to go to the emergency department of a hospital for an assessment.

Way of life options frequently play a vast part in the development of heart disease. Extra weight, lack of training, diets extreme in fat be able to make anybody a nominee for a heart trouble. Smoking active or passive be able to cause the build-ups inside the heart, creating it to not work as effectively as it must.
As soon as it comes to ensuring and keeping the health, the top decision is to do cardiovascular training.

Cardio training requires any motion that demands the exploit of the large muscle groups of the body in a ordinary and continuous way. It elevates the heart rate between 60 to 85 % of the fastest heart rate you might get.

Some of the normal cardivascular training activities are walking, jogging, running, exercises, biking, swimming. Cardio exercise training is considered an aerobic training as one is required to move from one exercise to a new one.

Topmost five Most important benefits of cardiovascular training:

-Get energy to the body
-Prevent diseases
-Cope your mass
-Lose body fatty acids
-Make entertaining

Cardiovascular training is critical when you require to make physical condition improvements. For starters, it is most excellent to do the 30 to forty five minutes of exercises, three to five days a week. If you are aiming for weightloss, the training must be completed 5 days a week. The more frequent you do it; the more possible it is that you will lose overweight. On the other hand, prevent exhausting yourself too much in training. Avoid going beyond 45 minutes. Keep in mind, it has to be done in a regular basis.

By: Milda Richterova

Author is heart disorders specialist and circulatory system health & cardio training therapist

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