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  • Drug Addiction in Senior Citizens

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    Drug addiction in senior citizens is a significant and growing problem in the United States that few people are aware of. In fact, addiction that occurs later in life can be difficult to detect, and sometimes the person suffering from this disease might not even know that they are physically and emotionally dependent on a particular substance. Therefore, a policy of education about the dangers of addiction in older people is essential in order for those who are close to them to recognize any problem and know what options are available to get help. This is especially important considering that recent increases in the amount of older people entering drug rehab programs indicate this problem is probably far worse than we might think.

    The primary way that seniors get addicted to drugs is as a result of chronic pain management. Even under strict medical supervision, addiction to pain medications can and does still occur. This is because these types of narcotics work the same for everyone: they initially manage pain well, then the body develops tolerance and more of the drug is required. With an increase in dosage and consistent use, tolerance increases and eventually leads to physical dependence. Physical dependence almost invariably leads to outright addiction at a mental and emotional level. Therefore, seniors who are taking pain medications regularly are at increased risk for addiction. And because these medications are prescribed by doctors, most people consider them harmless and don’t think that addiction will ever become an issue. However, once it sets in, addiction is a lifelong affliction that can cause serious health issues.

    Another primary reason that older people become addicted to drugs or alcohol is as a result of lifestyle changes. These changes include the celebration of a life of toil and work, but can lead to some very bad habits. For instance, frequent dinners that include wine or beer can quickly become problematic. Before a person knows it, they’re having cocktails with lunch and dinner, and eventually Mimosas or Bloody Mary’s with breakfast.

    As a result of inactivity after a lifetime of working, some seniors have difficulty sleeping. Medications designed to help people get to sleep are extremely addicting and can lead to significant problems with memory loss. Older people who are addicted to sleeping pills often engage in strange or erratic behavior while having no recollection of doing so. And because sleep aids can lead to a persistent state of confusion, it can be difficult for a person to understand that they have a problem.

    Grief and depression is often a significant problem for senior citizens. As people get older their friends, family and associates age as well, and the loss of these people becomes a common occurrence. This combined with decreased levels of activity can lead to a state of depression that some people might seek to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. Boredom and lack of exercise serve to exacerbate these problems.

    If you have an older loved one with a drug or alcohol problem, their very life could depend on you. The following options are readily available:

    Individual Therapy/Counseling

    Intervention

    Outpatient Rehab

    Inpatient Rehab

    Group and Family Therapy

    Don’t wait a moment longer to take action; the earlier addiction or alcoholism is treated, the higher the likelihood of success.

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    Source by Jim Debbies

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  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Alternative Medicine

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    There are reasons why people chose alternative medicine and reasons why they avoid it, preferring conventional medicine. Alternative medicine is safer than standard health treatments and usually works. It’s true that it can’t be used in severe conditions like car accidents or other severe emergencies, but be that as it may, there are enough situations in which alternative medicine is recommended. When it comes to emotional and spiritual needs, non-conventional medicine may come up with the solution. Furthermore, it’s better for preventing illnesses than standard medicine. More and more physicians nowadays agree upon the benefits of alternative medicine and also even advise their clients to choose the best natural treatment for them.

    One of the advantages of alternative medicine is that it encompasses a broad range of therapies, treatments and products, thus the search for obtaining positive results doesn’t flow on a narrow path at all.

    A pretty important disadvantage states the idea that, even though the expenses of using acupuncture or chiropractic are sometimes covered by health insurances, the majority of alternative treatments are not reimbursed.

    There are certain risks that come along with the usage of natural remedies. Despite the use of herbs throughout the years and even ancient times, not all of them have been studied regarding their safety and efficiency. There are issues concerning their purity and their possible interaction with other substances related to conventional therapies. The majority of information regarding herbs have been perpetuated throughout history and with the help of tradition. Many people assume that herbal medicines are better than synthetic drugs simply because, well, they are natural and not synthetic, therefore present no risk. But they are not risk free; they can do more harm than good if taken without having the details of their effects over the body.

    People might abuse of natural medicines the same way as they do it in the case of synthetic drugs. They have the misconception that if unconventional medicine consists of herbal products which are natural, then there is no harm done if they triple the dosage or more. This is totally wrong and can have serious consequences. Take vitamins for example. They are just vitamins, right? They can’t possibly do any damage inside the body. But they do. Vitamin overdosing or vitamin toxicity can lead to unpleasant effects depending on the vitamin that has been taken one too many times. Vitamin A over dosage can cause liver problems, osteoporosis, hair loss and other dangerous effects and Hypervitaminosis D leads to dehydration, vomiting, anorexia and even kidney stones.

    An advantage of using herbal remedies concerns the effectiveness related with chronic health issues that don’t respond well or even at all to traditional medicines. If long term medication is needed, then herbs are pretty much safer than conventional drugs. The alternative medicine industry takes advantage from this and keeps evolving and developing due to the constant need for natural remedies.

    Another advantage is the low cost of herbal products compared to synthetic drugs which are highly priced for the simple reason that researching and testing the products is expensive. Furthermore, herbal products can be bought without a prescription and are easy to procure. The availability of natural remedies is outstanding; chamomile for example can be easily picked out from a nearby field.

    The advantages of using herbal medicines are numerous, but so are the disadvantages. The best idea would be to consider modern medicine according to the severity of the illness, to consult a physician upon the proper medication and dosage and if you do chose the alternative medicine, try to gather enough information upon both kinds of treatments, natural or synthetic, so you may reassure yourself that you took the right decision to balance your health situation.

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    Source by Peter Rosenblum

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  • Will You Really Lose 23 Pounds in a 3 Week Period?

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    The three Week diet system has gained popularity inside a very short space of time. This program was only developed back in 2015. It has been is actually a weight reducing plan that aims to experience more positive results very rapidly. This healthy eating plan is made this means you lose weight quickly – between 12-20 lbs within only a 3 week period – provided that you follow the diet towards the letter.

    The majority of people who start healthy eating plan are basically not able to achieve their desired goal as they give up prior to discover the results they want. Diets which aim to reduce weight by two pounds every week are all thoroughly but my motivation, like my willpower, declines pretty rapidly unless I have a compelling an opportunity to meet your weight loss goals.

    I’m not alone. Dieting for weeks with limited results demotivates people and these people tend to stop trying. This was the reason that nutritionist Brian Flatt developed all three Week Diet; a system which caused your body to lose body fat rapidly and accelerated weightloss.

    Shedding any additional fat and after that keeping the momentum to sustain your weight can be difficult the three week diet manual not exclusively tells you what needs to be done for 21 days it also informs what needs to be done using the a three week period considering the diet in order to maintain your new weight.

    So how does the Week Diet Work?The main overwhelming comprehensive 3-week diet plan happens to be the healthier food plan which consists of 4 different phases.

    Phase 1 was the most difficult for me. It lasted and get a week and such was the phase in which I lost by far the most weight. I came to be 9 pounds lighter by the end of the week.

    Phase 2 was nearly 1 day however I also lost a pound this time

    Phase 3 was from day 9 till 11. This was rather unusual and I lost another 3 pounds.

    Phase 4 was when it comes to the remaining days i.e. 12 to 21. The main target associated with this 9 day phase would be to continue losing weight while returning to better “normal” diet. I came to be another four pounds down via the end of the phase. So less drastic, but effective none the less.

    As so many weight loss diet plans are, it has been both a diet and exercise program. The movement plan is comprised of a walk daily (not too strenuous!) and an optional workout which accelerates fat.

    Phase 1 of the three Week Healthy eating plan in Action

    There’s no getting away from it. Phase 1 was hard. It’s a 3 meals each day product of any accident diet. It’s heavily restrictive in the different kinds of food, and methods of cooking I was just free to eat. Fortunately you had include unlimited quantities of some vegetables, and so I was capable of submit upon them beyond the prescribed volumes of meat and fish.

    I weighed myself each day and I really found it motivating to get access to needle toward the scales creeping down. Finally it was a reliable job. I can’t deny that I had become hungry and slightly cranky until I started to drink coffee again!

    I also implement exercises. Again, not easy, but ticking from the days separately, truly understanding that finally it was only for a short time made the difference.

    At the end of phase 1 I was beside myself with delight to see that I’d broken all previous records and lost 9 whole pounds. I remember phase 1 of your eating routine, it felt nearly impossible that I would emotionally for your whole week without cheating – and OK, I conducted cheat little. But after getting through the initial week I soon became quite elated and far thinner.

    Phase 2

    Phase 2 is basically a one day fast. Following the restriction of a given previous week it looked like this is hard, but honestly, I was just shocked to locate this was one of the easiest days on the whole program. In my opinion pursuing the previous week to the letter had set me open to success. And again I was just delighted to become another pound lighter from the following morning.

    I’d seriously tell that whenever you purchase all three Week Diet regime book just don’t skip the fasting phase. There really is a rationale for your way the a nutritious diet is built and, much to my surprise, it certainly does work.

    Phase 3

    This phase lasts 4 days and is actually undoubtedly the most unusual and counter-intuitive. So much in fact that we began to research it myself for you be sure I came to be doing the right thing! Fortunately, I discovered that it also wasn’t as wacky when I thought and there was indeed some solid science behind this phase considering the plan.

    I went to the trouble of doing find this phase quite challenging since it was the very first where I’d was required to calculate the calories I was eating. I discovered that it’s fairly easy in order to get calories values away from the internet for almost any food you could think about and then it’s just a concern of using weighing scales (more accurate than cup measures) to make sure your serving sizes are correct.

    I didn’t lose particularly as much weight when I expected on this phase, but I think it was considering that I didn’t start weighing things so that the 3rd day when I found that my previous estimates of precisely how much I should eat were far off base.

    Still, another phase, another 1.5 pounds and it also is sure to have been more had I planned it properly.

    Phase 4 – The ultimate countdown.Phase 4 happens to be the longest phase and exists for 9 days. It involves a gradual return to more than normal healthy nutrition diet. Specifically how many calories you consume daily during this phase is based upon your whole body Mass Index or BMI. There’s a section among the manual which explains how to calculate this from your body fat and height then how you can work well what you require consume in accordance with the result.

    I continued takes into consideration myself each day plus the pounds did continue to drop – albeit at a slightly slower rate. I was just pleased however to returns a highly competent normally balanced diet where no food resources were expressly forbidden (unless I’d skipped a page in the manual.

    I noticed that my belly fat was gradually disappearing and I my jeans were fitting less snugly – even after they’d just been washed! My waist had shrunk by 2 inches and I was I had the ability to tighten my belt by 3 extra holes.

    Through end of the phase, I was just another four pounds lighter.

    Does that Fast Weight loss program Succeed?

    Absolutely. I followed the 3 Week Nutritional routine and, other than a few cheats, I lost an entire of 14.5 pounds. I went to the trouble of doing most of the mandatory exercise but not much of the optional workouts. I discovered the workouts quite difficult, then again I’m in no way fit to start off with. Despite it being hard, the level of weight I lost in their normal relatively short period of time caused it to be a good idea. Surely I can have lost more if I’d planned better, exercised countless and not cheated.

    I’d a chance for getting a a handful of weeks without gaining some or all of these weight back!! Then implement whole diet again. The other time around phase 1 was much less complicated – I believe my forms was implemented into it and didn’t hand over coffee now. I didn’t lose as much weight, but I’m now 30 pounds lighter than I had become 8 months ago and for the first timers I am able to honestly say I’m satisfied with my appearance.

    The double benefit is currently I know how to sustain my weight and also if I leave mad on holiday and place throughout the few pounds, I’m sure I am able to lose them again without a lot of effort.

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    Source by Saheem Al Kindi

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  • The Number One Way To Cure Acne Completely

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    There is only one way to cure your acne completely. Medication won’t work. Drugs won’t work. Over-the-counter products won’t work. Home remedies won’t work. They will only work on the symptom of your acne, not the real cause. Thus, even though they seem to work at first, it will only be a temporary result. And guess what? You need permanent result, not temporary.

    So, if you want to clear your acne completely (I mean, completely, not partially or just temporary effect), there is only one way to do it. The only way to cure your acne completely is to eliminate the root cause of your acne. You are not going to work with the symptom of your acne. But, you will work with the root cause, the source of all this ugly mess that you call acne. And there is only one effective method to cure your acne from the root cause of it: The Holistic Method.

    Basically the holistic method is divided into 4 main elements:

    1. The Right Understanding

    It is important to understand fully about your acne. Your acne is a condition that is caused by toxic accumulation within your body. It means that since the cause is within your body, then no matter how hard you work to destroy the symptom through external skin treatment methods, they won’t work to cure your acne permanently. Why? That’s because you are not eliminating the cause. If you keep the cause within your body, sooner or later new acne will appear on your skin, and once it appears, it will be worse than before. So, the right understanding needs to be obtained in order for you to be able to work to cure your acne condition in the right way.

    Note: This is not the only information that you need to learn. There are many myths about acne that you need to debunk as well.

    2. The Right Mindset

    Approaching acne with the wrong mindset will only bring you deeper into depression. For instance, if you think that you can’t cure your acne because you already suffered it for many years, it will not help you to cure your acne at all. In fact, your mindset will make you to become more and more stubborn in denying the possibility that you can cure your acne, no matter how bad it seems to be. Having the right mindset will help you to build the strong foundation for your acne healing process.

    Note: Holistic method will seek to balance your mind, body, and spirit at the same time. So, it’s not just a treatment for your body.

    3. The Right Dietary Habit

    “You are what you eat.” Have you ever heard about this saying? That’s true, because what you eat will build your whole body structure. Remember that all your body organs, including your skin, are built with substances that are obtained from your foods. Thus, your foods play an important role in curing your acne. It is a lie to believe that diet and acne don’t have any connection at all. It’s just a marketing gimmick to make you want to buy some over-the-counter products or some other miracle drugs that promise you instant clear skin.

    Note: Holistic method will provide you the most effective dietary plan that will allow you to cure your acne in the most effective way and in the shortest amount of time.

    4. The Right External Treatment

    Just because acne is caused by the substance within your body, doesn’t mean that you should neglect your external skin treatment. It is also very important to treat your skin from the outside. However, the holistic method will usually focus on using only natural products (usually from plants) in order to do it. External treatment alone will not cure your acne, but combined with the other three aspects, this will be a great way to boost your healing process, as well as prevent your acne from coming back to your skin again.

    Note: Most people rely only on external treatment. That’s why they only see temporary result or no result at all. The right way to use external treatment is to combine it with the other treatments (mind, body, and spirit) as well.

    So, that’s it. You already know about the best way to cure acne completely. Let me repeat it: The Holistic Method. The only hope for you, who are suffering from bad and severe acne condition right now, is to cure your acne holistically. This is the only way to be completely free from your acne condition, once and for all.

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    Source by Riz J. Natalie

    Views: 0

  • Healthy Lifestyle in a Modern World

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    During the recent years many people have started doing exercise, taking yoga classes and also following strict diet in many countries. The reasons behind these activities are many, like work-stress, people suffering from diabetes, people taking lots of fats in their food and due to the pollution and the ongoing urbanization. Most of the people living in the cities suffer from heavy pollution due to heavy intakes of carbon monoxide in their bodies. Due to this heavy intake there are many side effects involved in this process.

    Most of the people are also addicted to smoking and alcohol, recent studies by an organization out of 100 people 60 percent drink significantly more than is healthy. Also in most of the countries even the percentage of the female population abusing alcohol is increasing. Due to this many of the doctors suggest people take regular exercises and also play sports in their leisure time. In the last ten years heart diseases has increased enormously from 35% to 70%. In recent years most of the children are born with diseases, a result of their parents poor health and lifestyle. So in these times it is necessary to follow some rules so that our health as well as our younger generations will be healthy.

    Keeping healthy is nothing but keeping our body clean with healthy habits like taking regular exercise. First of all a regular jog of 2 km is enough for an individual of an average age. During the school days till college everyone is involved in one or other sport, but when people find a job they forget about health and they soon become busy in their work. One should consult their doctor every 3-4 months for a regular checkup’s. They should not be stressed – if they find stress they should take yoga classes every day, so that their blood pressure will be normal. Otherwise that would lead them to hyper blood pressure or hypo, which may lead to heart disease. Most of the corporate companies in USA as well as rest of the world are employing dietitians, physiotherapists, and also good doctors to take care of their employees.

    The next thing I want to discuss is the diet because the intake food which we are taking is responsible for all the fats, carbohydrates,proteins and necessary enzymes which will be useful for the energy conversion or utilization in the human body. We should follow the diet very strictly by avoiding the junk food available in the market. A recent survey states that most of the people fall ill by consumption of junk food. A food with little fat is advisable because by taking more fat content the fat will be accumulated in the veins and arteries in the human body which result in high blood pressure which may lead to heart disease. In order to reduce the fats in the human body we should take less oil or cheese or butter in our food there by controlling the fats in the human body. Regular exercise will be helpful to control the fat in the human body.

    By playing sports it will be a good exercise in the human body. Swimming is also a good sport. We should maintain our body weight according to our height. There we can reduce our health problems to most of the extent. I conclude my discussion to the above topic by saying that a regular exercise or yoga and a strict diet and playing sports and regular check ups we can keep our body healthy after all there is an old saying “Health is Wealth”.

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    Source by James Redwood

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  • Lip Biting Habit – The Psychology Behind Our Habits

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    Lip Biting from this articles perspective is the constant chewing on the skin inside your mouth, often referred to as cheek biting or cheek chewing. This is a repulsive habit and like many habits can be very difficult to stop. This habit likely started out from feelings of stress or anxiety. It might also have started if you had a teeth brace and the metal would catch on the skin of your inner cheek and would tear a thin layer of skin off, not doing any real harm. However, this would mean you would roll your tongue over the lose skin and then want to bite it off. You use your fingers to push the skin towards your teeth and bite the excess skin away. Quite oddly, this is actually quite pleasurable and so you continue to bite more skin away.

    Whether you are lip biting due to stress, anxiety or just perceived pleasure, you have created a relationship between the thought you are having and the action you take. You see, the mind and body are linked. The mind affects the body and the body affects the mind. If there is an outer situation that you feel to be dangerous or painful, your subconscious mind will trigger an emotional response. Your body will naturally tense up and then you will feel even worse. These automatic reactions and trigger responses are programmed from a very early age, perhaps when you were learning to walk and you kept falling over. You hurt yourself when you fell over and so you felt pain. This then created a relationship and neural-pathway in the mind.

    Neural-pathways are elongated neurons in the brain that connect one side of the nervous system to the other. Basically they are created when we perform a task. The neural pathway gets stronger when we repeat the action. We perform a task for the first one or few times using our conscious mind (present thought mind) and then as we repeat it goes in our subconscious mind (auto-pilot mind). The action has become familiar and the subconscious mind takes over and acts on auto-pilot. The subconscious mind is where our habits are stored.

    There is a relationship between the feeling of stress or anxiety, and the action you take when lip biting. This relationship is known as Pavlovian Conditioning. This was discovered and named after Ivan Pavlov, a famous Russian physiologist He would ring a bell at the exact time he would feed his dogs. Then after a while he would ring the bell and the dogs would come running salivating. This proves the relationship in the mind of an outside situation can affect the mind and can then affect the body’s reaction to that situation. This same concept is why when you feel stressed, you automatically start lip biting without you even knowing it. It is embedded in your subconscious.

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    Source by Dave Kennedi

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  • The Different Types Of Heart Doctors

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    There is more than one type of doctor in the world, and when people are sick, they generally have to begin by going to their family care doctor. From their general practitioner, people are then referred to various kinds of other doctors depending on what is wrong with them. For people who have problems with their heart, or may be predisposed through their family history to develop heart issues, then cardiologists are the doctors that they have to go see. However, there is more than one type of heart doctor depending on what the exact problem with the heart is.

    For a part of the body that is as important as the heart, there are many different kinds of heart doctors that can deal with problems concerning the muscle itself, the rhythm of the heart, and the circulatory system that it is involved with. However, for people who are unfamiliar with the different kinds of heart doctors, here is information on who they are and what they do:

    • General cardiologist: The first stop for someone who may have a heart issue is a general cardiologist. This is a basic heart doctor that will do things like monitor the overall health of the heart, and treat some problems, but for particular problems, this heart doctor will refer their patient to the next level of cardiologist, which is an interventional cardiologist.

    • Interventional cardiologist: While a cardiologist can do some basic surgical procedures involving the heart, an interventional cardiologist treats more specific heart problems, and those problems are coronary artery disease, diseases of the heart valves, and peripheral vascular disease. The most common procedure that these cardiologists do is the angioplasty, which is when a balloon is inserted into an artery in order to help the blood flow to the heart.

    • Electro physiologist: This type of heart doctor has a very specific area of the heart, and that is the way that the heart beats. In order to circulate blood through the body properly, the heart has to beat in a special way. There are tests that the electro physiologist has to run to determine what is going on, and if a procedure needs to be done, this doctor can do it.

    • Pediatric cardiologist: Pediatric doctors help children who may have been born with some kind of heart abnormality. To make sure the heart is functioning properly in a child, a pediatric doctor will do some in-office testing, and make sure everything is working fine as that child grows into an adult.

    A regular cardiologist can do the general health check of the heart, but if someone needs a heart procedure, there are other cardiologists that specialize in operating on the heart to do things like clear out the arteries and repair the valves. There are also many different kinds of heart doctors that can do things like monitoring the heart to make sure it’s healthy, and also treating various conditions.

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    Source by Robin Khan

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  • Sex As a Natural Treatment For Gout

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    I wanted to laugh when I first came across this rather ridiculous suggestion on some of the online sources about natural treatments for gout. After the initial state of skepticism, I decided to do some study about this interesting topic about having sex as a natural treatment for gout.

    Well, it must somehow works on some of the gout patients until this method is widely spread as one of the treatment option for gout. Some people think it works, but they just cannot explain how it works on reducing the inflammation and pain of the notorious gout attacks. Before I explain how to have good sex as one of the method of treating your gout, you must first understand the chemistry of sex.

    We all know about the temptation and good feelings that good sex gives us. That is part of our natural instinct, and having a healthy sex life plays an important role in maintaining the well being of our body and mind.

    Scientists call sex as a melting pot of the soup of bio-chemicals, the hormones. This scientific statement may somehow kills away some of the romantic side of sex, but whatever you feel as the result of sex can actually be explained by simple science. It is not a matter of what happens between your legs, it is about the chemical reactions happen between your ears.

    There are a few vital hormones that contribute the pleasures (and pain relief) we feel during sexual intercourse. It starts with dopamine, which is one of the brain’s pleasure chemicals. Dopamine is released in the ‘reward centre’ of the brain when we see something that arouses our desire, such as good food and attractive partner. Dopamine increases the pulse rate and cardiac functions which result in the ‘blushing’ effect in some people.

    During sexual orgasm, your brain will push the amount of dopamine to the max and then bring it down right after the climax with the release of prolactin which prevents you from over indulge in the rush of dopamine. Prolactin rises sharply immediately after orgasm and it is what gives you the “full” feeling after your intimate moment. Prolactin disengages you from sex after orgasm and makes room for your mind to think of other things besides the naked person lying next to you.

    Beside the roller coaster ride of dopamine, there are two other sex related neurotransmitters that contribute to the whole sensation of sex. Oxytocin, which is also known as the “cuddling hormone” is a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland when you feel the affection to someone you love dearly. Oxytocin helps in creating a strong bond between you and your lover.

    Oxytocin stimulates the production of endorphin which is the ‘happy neuro chemical’ that produces the feelings of ecstasy and pleasure. Endorphins fill you with a sense of well-being and relaxation, and sometimes might even drift you off to sleep. Endorphin has a similar chemical structure of morphine and that explains why it has the pain relief effects.

    The quality of you sex life determine the levels of the above mentions hormones in your body. If you want to have sex as a treatment for gout, you must know how to ‘control’ the release of those hormones.

    The best guideline is to increase the amount of oxytocin and endorphin as much as you can while minimize the fluctuation of dopamine and prolactin. Since oxytocin and endorphin are more emotionally related, so it is good to practice longer lasting sensual experiences with your lover instead of a lustful release of desire.

    Make love, not sex. Those pain and stress relief hormones are hidden in your brain not your sex organ. Cultivate the right feelings and emotions with your love ones by having romantic foreplay and delay the ejaculation for as long as you can while making sure both of you enjoy the pleasure of sex.

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    Source by Heemen Ee

    Views: 0

  • Living Alone with Hemiparesis

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    Safety would be the primary concern of course when people with hemiparesis live alone or are alone for extended amounts of time. Of course your first references are your doctor, physical therapist and occupational therapists especially. This being stated, I can offer insights on some important items to consider in practical aspects of living alone after a traumatic brain injury or a stroke that result in a severe muscle weakness along the left or right side of the body and is sometimes exhibited in slight nerve damage as with me. Perhaps instead of living by them selves, it would be better to consider us living independently. At this writing, I will have reached almost thirty years of living with hemiparesis. Most of this time I was living alone and working as an engineer and writer, author.

    For us, the detrimental effects of hemiparesis are still prevalent even after initial rehabilitation and limited recovery. The effects can change with extreme variation.

    Effects When Tired or Awoken

    When the body is tired, effects can be worse and certainly more dangerous when living alone. An example is if awoken in the night, maybe by thirst, a call, or other concern. Even a healthy person could possibly stumble on sleepy legs or with eyes half open, but for those with left or right hemiparesis, the negative effects are magnified. A stumble can turn into a fall and possibly a head injury since one arm has poor strength, does not react quickly and is not likely to stop a fall. If a foot drags slightly during the day with shoes, then it can be so much worse at night even so unsafe that the person will roll over the toes so as to bruise them and fall forward on the weak side. Lessons learned here emphasize the need for uncluttered floors and hallways. A stray shoe on the floor or even newspaper can prove disastrous. Either could throw off the balance suddenly for a waking person especially in the dark.

    This brings up a suggestion for low level lighting in the home or apartment. Economical battery operated motion detector lights are available at many stores now or a search online. Even if a cane is not needed during the day; it would be wise to have a cane near the bed, even a quad cane for late night awakenings or an early morning rising. In the morning, there are other issues as tightened up leg muscles that need stretching before safely moving.

    Shower and Bathroom Safety

    Morning stretching is important, especially as we who are injured age but more importantly, shower safety needs to be addressed. There is much assistive devices available and occupational therapists can communicate effectively the needs here, however I can give you my thoughts. These are that it can be quite scary at times, especially if you have had an accident, falling in the shower, tub or bathroom before. You will need to be able to have something within reach on your good side to grab onto, basically at all times. Please note that if you can’t use the screwed in support rails and use the bars with suction cups, you really need at least two bars together. Redundant support as these are known t slip and when you have water or soap in your eyes and reach out with the bar slipping, it can be devastating. I would recommend having a bar on the entry or exit and on the opposite side. This way if a person with hemiparesis turns around there is always a bar on the good side.

    But it does not stop there. Bathroom floors are usually smooth surfaces and with one foot having no or minimal grab, then any water on a smooth tile or marble surface is like ice and can easily cause a fall when drying. Rubber backed rugs are most often used but can bunch up under feet. A work around solution for these throw rugs is rubber strips with adhesive on both sides. The local hardware store will have some rug grippers or search the web

    Dressing

    This is an area again where an occupational therapist assures you are prepared with any assistive devices for reaching around the weak side or fastening in back and collar. However, I can emphasize that so much more time needs to be available, just in case. Even though, there are assistive devices and there is ample training in doing this usually available before even leaving the hospital.

    Food Preparation, Cooking Kitchen Safety

    One’s ability to prepare meals will vary. I understand it’s good to be independent but in the kitchen it just may be smarter to minimize preparation with knives or stovetop. Even the oven can cause burns and fire easily. Having a cardboard pizza box fall onto a hot broiler iron can start a fire that is not too easy for someone with a disability to put out quickly. Sure there are now small convenient fire extinguishers available but some often need two good hands to operate correctly and then even finding it quickly can be an issue for trauma, brain injury or stroke victims.

    Fortunately, there has been an improvement In microwave dinners. This certainly would not be your first option in the past. However, I have been at this for almost thirty years now and I really have seen a great variety come on the market and costs go down. Good, healthy dinners can be cooked in one minute. I still bake chicken and pizze plus a few others but safety really needs to bethe forst priority. Losing balance and reaching out to find as hot frying pan to lean on can happen and I have personal experience, it’s not a quick heal having a burn in the palm of your good hand. Agsin here as in the bathroom, a rug with rubber backing and rug grabbers should be required.

    Mind Body Health Needs

    Concentration and Focus are the key in most everything that the person with hemiparesis might have to overcome. That is why ongoing brain training is so important.

    Human interaction, relationships contribute greatly to complex usage of our brain and even helping to stay young. Well living alone minimizes this benefit ad over time can have an adverse effect. Sure, some will say the upward potential may be limited but start with the objective of not losing ability. Without regular exercise, mind or body can atrophy to borrow a term used to describe not using muscles.

    There are free and paid sources on the web. There are now brain improvement magazines at the local supermarket and brain games are popular and effective, most even for one hand use.

    Geographic Area Specific Issues

    Depending on your locality, power outages can occur during natural events mostly as snow or ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes. When living on the eastern coast, I lost power even when their was a high windstorm. Natural events as this can have an impact on people living with hemiparesis just as they do for others with a disability, elderly or families in general. However preparedness is the key here and living alone increases importance of having battery lighting, food, water, cell phone, radio, all available and easily attainable in possibly in the dark.

    The power loss may be worse in cold weather for this condition as detrimental effects can disable some people with this extreme muscle weakness and possibly nerve damage. This varies of course depending on person or injury but in general arms and legs can start shaking uncontrollably and a serious limitation to mobility. Poor effects are also exhibit in sudden changes of weather. Each person may experience this differently but a check with your physician is best.

    To assist in times as these, warm clothing, even a safe generator where it can be installed in a home as a backup are suggestions with heat packs available at sporting good stores or camping supply shop.

    Summary

    Some of the techniques and tips outlined here may seem obvious to some or simple but they are not always thought of ahead of time before they are used. This is evident in support forums online, knowing individuals and my own thirty years of living with hemiparesis. There are of course more but in general, consideration that movements can be slow at times as can thinking. An important point is if there is a loss of balance or tripping, it will most likely be on the weak side which of course doesn’t react fast nor have enough hand strength usually to hang on to something firmly. This is why safety is the first priority when living alone with this injury.

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    Source by Leon Edward

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