Lifestyle Choices

Have you ever wondered why it is that you enjoy visiting some people at home more than others? You may visit people who are not your best friends but their social gatherings go on until late and everyone is reluctant to leave. (more…)

We don’t just look at our surroundings, we experience them with all our senses. We drink in the sounds, scents and tactile sensations around us. Many places deny us these sensory perceptions. A dead and sterile environment is therefore a form of sensory deprivation and our home could induce us to feel cold and isolated. (more…)

A number of different terms are commonly used to describe the various types of nerve pain encountered. The main terms used are neuralgia (meaning pain resulting from injury to a nerve, particularly in the face), sciatica (pain mediated by the sciatic nerve, running from the lower part of the spine down each leg), and neuritis (inflammation in any nerve).

Nerve pain—aching, tingling, pins and needles, and a stabbing or burning sensation are the most common—can be caused by a number of factors, both physical and psychological, but the main ones are circulatory insufficiency, poor posture, wrong diet, stress, and over-exertion. Natural therapies can ease discomfort and accelerate the recovery process. (more…)

Depression Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

CBT works on the basis that there is a close connection between thoughts (cognitions), feelings and behaviour. The treatment focuses on patterns of thinking that are negative and examines their underlying dysfunctional beliefs. For example, a person who i_sdepressed may have the belief: “I’m useless”. The underlying belief could be: “If I am not as competent as my colleague, I might as well resign from my job”. While the person in distress likely holds such beliefs with great conviction, with a therapist’s help, the individual is encouraged to view such beliefs as hypotheses rather than facts and to test out such beliefs. Furthermore, those in distress are encouraged to monitor and record the maladaptive thoughts which pop into their minds (called “negative automatic thoughts“). (more…)

Wile drug treatments have demonstrated their effectiveness in treating biological symptoms such as poor appetite, interrupted sleep, low energy and psychomotor retardation, they have little effect on psychological symptoms, for example, pessimism, low confidence, feelings of hopelessness, guilt, self-hatred and the like. These should be addressed using psychological approaches. The most common approach is Supportive Psychotherapy. (more…)

Psychological approaches work best for persons who are able and willing to describe their thoughts and feelings. In other words, they must be reasonably verbal about their problems. Many patients are so preoccupied with physical symptoms that they are unwilling to discuss their thoughts and emotions. Some are obviously anxious and or sad but deny experiencing these emotions. They will be less likely to benefit from psychological therapies. (more…)

Besides wrinkles, which come to us all, many people may have their faces marred by rough scars, of diverse origin, or permanently marked as a result of acne or chickenpox. There are three treatments which may correct some or all of these problems, depending upon their extent. They are — chemical face peel, dermabrasion, and collagen implants. (more…)

Read

There are thousands of self-help books available that actually have some very good advice. While some of the advice may not apply to your situation, most books at least have one nugget of knowledge that can be useful. Visit your local bookstores and libraries, and read as much as you can. The internet also has useful information to offer although care must be exercised as some sources of information may not be reliable. If in doubt, one should check with one’s mental health provider concerning the validity of information obtained from the internet. Some people have a problem when they read self-help books. (more…)

Keep a Diary

Each day, confide in your diary. This is a way of expressing your feelings. You may not always have friends with you, but your diary can take the place of friends for the time being. Write freely about what most bothers you. Make a list of things you are most grateful for each day. Looking at the good side will help you to have a balanced view of yourself, the world and your future. If you have not made it a habit to keep a diary, start one today. It is therapeutic. (more…)

Express Your Feelings

Depressed feelings need to be expressed. Keeping a tight lid on one’s feelings will, in the long run, intensify the feelings and drive one to deeper levels of depression. If you have a friend or a confidant, speak to him candidly about how you feel. The tendency in depressed people is to withdraw from others and this adds to their sense of isolation. Loneliness is not good for depression. It can worsen depression. So resist the tendency to withdraw into your own world. (more…)

Alcohol

Depression sometimes drives people to drink and sometimes alcohol abuse leads to depression. In any case, drowning your sorrows will not help you overcome depression in the long run. Some seek out their doctors for sleeping tablets. Merely taking sleeping tablets will not relieve one of depressive symptoms. There are many depressed patients with chronic insomnia. Despite being given sleeping tablets, their insomnia does not get better. What they need are antidepressant medications. Long-term, regular use of sleeping tablets may result in dependence and tolerance whereby there is a need to take higher and higher doses to achieve the same effect. Hence the depressed person should not just look to sleeping tablets but should seek psychiatric help and obtain antidepressant medications instead. (more…)

Women with newly diagnosed breast cancer are concerned about any possible risk to their daughters and sisters. If a woman does not appear to be in a family that has breast cancer in approximately half the women on one side, then she probably does not have either the BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 gene. Gene positivity is associated with bilateral breast cancer, ovarian and breast cancer in the same family, and Ashkenazic Jewish ancestry. Women who are gene positive tend to develop breast cancer at a younger age than women with non-hereditary breast cancer. (more…)

Scientists have also discovered the next defective gene to contribute to an increase in breast cancer susceptibility, which they naturally called BRCA-2. The incidence of BRCA-2 appears to be slightly less than BRCA-1. BRCA-2 is autosomal dominant also and resides on the thirteenth chromosome. Initially, it was believed that the presence of the BRCA-2 gene defect did not appear to increase risk for ovarian cancer. (more…)

All cancer is genetic. That is to say, that in order for a normal cell to convert to a cancerous cell, a genetic mishap must occur. These genetic mishaps, or mutations, occur quite frequently and are usually of little consequence unless the event occurs at a critical location on one of the chromosomes. A single mutation does not lead to a cancer. Cancer results from two to three separate events over time. (more…)

However, if your cancer treatment is completed and you feel an unexplainable anxiety even though your trials are apparently over, read on.

These feelings are common and occur, in part, because the end has come to the frequent visits with your various doctors, which can serve to comfort—giving you the tangible evidence that someone is watching over you and your health. But, aside from that, you may be struggling with the fear of recurrence that many women experience at this time. Remember, during the treatment planning process, you want to develop a plan to optimize your chance of cure and to carry out that plan. When done, it is time for you to go on with your life. (more…)

How to work between the webbing of fingers

The webbing between fingers has many important reflexes, several of which are “assistants” to other reflex areas, such as the neck, sinuses, eyes, ears, and all sensory organs. You will work these reflex areas by placing the first finger and thumb of the opposite hand over and under the webbing. With a pinching, rolling technique, gently work the reflex points next to the small muscles, and up against the bones underneath the skin. Work between all fingers. You will be surprised at the tender spots you find here. (more…)

I have only roundabout evidence regarding HRT in breast cancer survivors. For example, we know that younger women who have had breast cancer and then go on to become pregnant, with the associated high levels of estrogen and progesterone, do not have a worse prognosis or earlier relapse of breast cancer than women who do not experience a pregnancy. If estrogen can theoretically stimulate breast cancer growth, why do I see breast cancer appear in older postmenopausal women who are not on HRT? This is a fairly frequent occurrence, and most of these cancers are hormone receptor positive, yet they are growing in an estrogen-poor environment. This seems to counter what we know about the environment that is conducive to breast cancer, but this is just another reminder of how much we do not understand about this disease. (more…)

The following is a list of lifestyle adjustments that could improve the quality and length of your life:

• Go for a regular medical check-up.
• Keep a record of your and your family’s medical history.
• Avoid pollution as far as possible.
• Try to live in a crime-free area.
• Have your home and workplace tested for radon.
• Live within 50 km of a hospital or emergency unit.

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Consultation Room Etiquette

Need for Privacy

If the patient seems hesitant about speaking to the psychiatrist, it could be that there are things he wishes to discuss in private. If you sense this could be the case, excuse yourself from the consultation room. Your presence may hinder disclosure of sensitive information. It goes without saying that after the consultation, you should not check with the professional what had been discussed in your absence. Most, if not all, caregivers I have dealt with do not have such a problem. (more…)

Arrange for Early Psychiatric Appointment

The most important thing you can do for the depressed person is to help him get a psychiatric referral. This could be self initiated or made by a doctor at a polyclinic or by the general practitioner. Early treatment leads to early recovery from the illness.

Patients may feel apprehensive about contacting the clinic. If so, you may wish to assist in making an appointment and accompanying the depressed person to the doctor. (more…)