Getting Over Your Social Anxiety for the Holidays

The holiday season is the time where people set up a lot of parties and events to get together. Fun as it may seem for a lot of people, these kinds of gatherings can be very challenging for people suffering from social anxiety disorder.

Social anxiety disorder can be a very difficult condition to bear with, since feelings of anxiety can be triggered whenever they are in social gatherings. Their irrational fear of being judged and evaluated in such events can be too much that it causes them to withdraw.

Aside from taking anti-anxiety meds and psychotherapy, there are other ways to make managing social anxiety disorder easier, especially when family and social gatherings are afoot. Here are a few tips to help make social anxiety in holiday parties more bearable:

1.Choose the events you go to
You may feel that you're forced to attend holiday gatherings because everybody's going to be there, but you're not. Party organizers may not understand why you're refusing to attend the party, but know that forcing yourself to attend such parties unprepared can only exacerbate the anxiety you'll feel once you get there.
2.Check the attendance list
It may sound weird asking the organizer about the other people who are going to attend the party, but having a brief knowledge of who's coming and what they're interested in can make blending in during the party easier for you.
3.Arrive at the party early
Arriving at a party earlier that most guests saves you the trouble of having to receive a lot of weird stares for coming in late. For anxiety sufferers, receiving such stares can be discomforting to the point of inducing an attack.
4.Do not use alcohol to gain courage
A glass of wine or a sip of spiked eggnog may help you get over party jitters, but drinking too much can have a negative effect on your interacting skills.

The holidays may prove to be the most difficult time of the year for most social anxiety disorder suffers, but with the help of supportive friends and family, along with an effective anxiety coping technique, sufferers need not stay in one corner during parties.

Improving Sleep And Performance of Shift Workers

There are more than 22 million Americans who work at times other than the usual “9 to 5” business hours. They are called shift workers, those who work when most people are in bed, and who attempt to sleep when the rest of the world is starting to get up for work.

Shift workers are usually found in hospitals, on police forces, in the transportation and manufacturing industries. They perform critical functions as emergency personnel who meet the demand of global interaction “round-the-clock.”

Shift workers don't get enough sleep. Night shift workers have to fight against the natural wake-sleep pattern. Since it's difficult for them to stay alert at night, and equally hard to fall asleep and stay asleep during the day, night shift workers get less sleep, and even if they get sleep, it is usually less restful.

More than just a mere “beauty rest”, sleep is essential to the body to help restore and rejuvenate the brain and organ systems for normal function. Lack of sleep may lead to a chronic condition which can be harnful to a person's health, on-the-job safety, task performance, memory, and mood.

In a study at Rush University Medical Center, researchers found that participants who worked a simulated night shift and who were exposed during the wee hours to bright lights for five 15-minute periods became more alert, not immediately but later.

According to one of the researchers, Charmane Eastman, PhD, it wasn't just the lights that helped them. They were also given dark sunglasses to wear on their way home and they went straight to bed at 8:30am.

On the other hand, people in the “control” group who also worked simulated night shifts weren't exposed to bright lights, were given dim but not dark sunglasses, and were allowed unrestricted sleep and all the exposure they wanted to outdoor light.

The study, which involved 24 participants who worked from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. with two days off, was conducted by Eastman and colleague Mark Smith, a postdoctoral fellow, to try to make the participants' body clocks more normal. They discovered that the bright lights, the dark sunglasses, and enforced sleeping times helped the night workers become more alert and feel less abnormal.

Eastman said that the sunglasses cut out a lot of blue light, “that light in the morning is what keeps real shift workers from adjusting. You go outside, that light tells your body clock it's morning. So the real night shift worker never adjusts. We're tricking the body clock to think night is day and day is night.”
The study suggests that light therapy, sunglasses, and strict sleep schedules helped night shift workers create a “compromise circadian phase position,” which may result in increased performance and alertness during their night shift while still allowing adequate nighttime sleep on off days. Those in the study's experimental group had black plastic placed over windows.

One important finding is that night shift workers should wake up late on their off days, but no earlier than noon.

In conclusion, the study suggests that light therapy, sunglasses, and strict sleep schedules helped night shift workers create a “compromise circadian phase position,” which may result in increased performance and alertness during night shifts while still allowing adequate nighttime sleep on off days.

Resource Box : Monch Bravante is a frelance writer and advertising practitioner with special interest in public health issues.

Aggressive Osteoporosis Approach To Curb Hip Fractures

Osteoporosis screening and treatment could cut U.S. hip fractures by 25% or more, according to a new study by researchers who work at Kaiser Southern California, a branch of the Kaiser Permanente health maintenance organization (HMO).

The new study shows that the aggressive three-pronged approach to osteoporosis can go a long way toward preventing hip fractures.

In the first step, bone scans using dual X-ray absorptiometry, which is the gold standard for bone density tests, were given to the following patients:

• All patients over age 50 with a history of fragility fractures or fractures not due to trauma

• All women over age 65

• All men over age 70

• All patients on high doses of corticosteroids and certain other drugs

The second step focuses on osteoporosis education and treatment. Those with poor bone density or previous fragility fractures were included in the osteoporosis education program. In addition to bone drugs, patients who needed osteoporosis treatment also got home safety checks to help prevent falls.

The third step is a fall-reduction program, including physical therapy, for at-risk patients.

From 2002 to 2006, more than 620,000 patients were included in those programs at 11 Kaiser Southern California centers. Based on statistics, hip fractures dropped by 37% overall, ranging from 23% to nearly 61% across the 11 centers during that time.

According to Kaiser researchers, who included Richard Dell, MD, the difference among the centers may be due to the fact that some centers had a longer history of treating osteoporosis aggressively.

Dell and his colleagues reported that achieving that result didn’t require experimental drugs or a radical change in screening. However, it did require a coordinated, aggressive approach.

In the November edition of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, Dell’s team wrote that the first step must be a more active role by orthopedic surgeons in osteoporosis disease management.

Lifestyle Changes Add Motivation To Weight Loss Program

It is not unusual to see some people engaging in physical fitness only once in a while. In fact, many Americans don't even exercise at all. However, there are those few who find time to go the gym and sweat it out to their heart's delight.
While it may be easy to start a weight loss regimen, being consistent is another story. There are people who show so much enthusiasm in the beginning, spending money to enroll in gym memberships or buy those weight loss equipments, only to quit as soon as they start. Either they are too busy that they couldn't find time to keep it going or they quickly lose their interest due to lack of motivation.

To keep yourself motivated, set some specific and realistic fitness goals. Write them down on paper to give them more weight than just saying things to yourself. Unrealistic goals will only lead to disappointment and frustration. While exercise can give you a healthier body and add a certain glow, don't expect that it will help you catch a lover or turn you into an overnight celebrity or supermodel.

Set aside a specific regular time for your weight loss program to keep your enthusiasm going. Most people, especially women, don't exercise because they're too busy doing things for other people: their spouse, their kids, their boss. Incorporate your time for exercise into your daily routine like biking to work or taking a walk to do errands. Be sure to follow it and stick to it to make a great deal in adding physical activity to your lifestyle.

Treat exercise as a social event by joining a group or being with a workout buddy. Camaraderie helps in keeping the spirits up. Make family time a lot of fun by playing catch or kick with your kids, or swimming together in a lake or pool.

Continue being faithful to your schedule and goals even if the changes may not be visible at once. While most of these bodily changes are invisible, they are actually happening and are important in laying the groundwork for a strong, healthy physique.

Birth Control Pills and Health Concerns

Back when the first birth control pill was introduced to the public in 1960, it was considered the most amazing medical discovery for women and contraception. Thanks to the invention of the oral contraceptive pill, women of that time had a safer and more convenient way to control their chances of getting pregnant.

Up to this day, the pill, as it is commonly called nowadays, remains one of the most commonly used female birth control products since the first time it was launched for sale. With more or less 100 million American women trusting the pill, more and more women are using it.

But over the years, a lot of health concerns have surfaced regarding oral contraceptives. There are the occasional side effects that a lot of women complain about. Such side effects as weight gain, nausea, headaches, and loss of libido have been reasons for concern. Also, back in the 70s, reported increased risks of blood clot formation and cardiac problems, among other diseases, have alarmed women wanting to use oral contraceptive pills.

Another source for concern is the fact that certain conditions may be aggravated by the use of pills. Women with unexplained vagina bleeding, liver diseases, migraine, and have a history of cardiovascular or blood clotting diseases, or any form of cancer are strongly discouraged to use the pill to avoid health complications.

Since its original launch in the 60s, a lot of brands like Triphasil and Ortho Tri Cyclen have come up to give more freedom to choose which kind they want to take, and from which manufacturer. Also, a great thing about medicines is that they are continuously being improved to further help consumers. Health concerns like blood clot formations and cardiovascular complications have been resolved by making pill variants that contain lower doses.

Of course, there are still some unresolved health concerns to find solutions for, but for the meantime, it's good news for women to know that as time progresses, each concern is being addressed to come up with a better, safer, more effective oral contraceptive pill that will work to the benefit of women taking it.

Do not forget to consult your trusted physician before taking oral contraceptive pills. This is to ensure that you are cleared to use the birth control product. Again, keep in mind that the birth control pill is not for all women.

Carbon Monoxide Facts

It may be said that one of the greatest and most pathetically hilarious ironies of modern living would be the signs warning of the dangers of cigarette smoking printed right on the pack of cigarettes itself. It has become as commonplace as the cigarette's own brand that smokers and non-smokers alike already consider it as one of the trivialities of daily life. Flipping the top part of the pack to get a stick of cigarette, smokers would probably not even give it so much as a glance, let alone heed its warning.

However, current developments in modern scientific research combined with an all-out campaign against smoking has yielded favorable results, leading to an increase in the number of people working hard at kicking this very deadly habit. Said to have more than 4,000 chemical components, 69 of which are carcinogenic, tobacco or cigarettes poses very serious risks to our lives in general. Of the many deadly components found in a single cigarette stick, one of them is carbon monoxide. Primarily intended for producing gas, carbon monoxide is not responsible for the addictive effects. However, it greatly contributes to the dangers of smoking, adding to one of the many reasons why we should put an end to it once and for all.

What is carbon monoxide?

In chemistry, CO stands for carbon monoxide; a kind of gas that has neither smell, taste, nor color. It is made by means of the partial combustion of compounds with carbon components. It is the kind of gas that is more likely to be formed than carbon dioxide if there is less oxygen present during the combustion process. Although it is considered generally toxic, it bears a significant fuel value and is very useful in modern technology.

Along with nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide, and ammonia; carbon monoxide is also contained in cigarette smoke. Usually, we already have some of it in our blood due to our surroundings. However, smoking tobacco or cigarette increases it. The amount varies in accordance to an individual's exposure to it combined with the rate at which he or she smokes per day. For a person who regularly smokes at least a pack daily, his or her CO level would be around 20 parts per million. If he or she smokes more than a pack, it only stands to reason that this figure would go up considerably. However, looking at the bright side, the amount of CO could be decreased, too. Given that the concerned individual would cease smoking for a day or two, his or her CO level would diminish to its normal level.

How does carbon monoxide affect our body?

Carbon monoxide makes its way to our bloodstream when we inhale it through the lungs. Once it mixes with our hemoglobin, it displaces the oxygen therein. Thus, it decreases the normal amount of the latter, which is necessitated by our heart. Being exposed to carbon monoxide could produce the following symptoms: fatigue, headache, discombobulation, nausea, vomiting, and increased heart rate. carbon monoxide is lethal, but it is reliant on the amount we are exposed to. If we have been exposed to low concentrations of it for a long period of time, we are likely to develop heart disease. For pregnant women, it could endanger their unborn fetus.



Resource Box: Maricel Modesto is a writer and editor who writes for various health and lifestyle magazines.

Do's and Don'ts in Handling Schizophrenic Episodes

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that causes imbalances in the brain chemicals. These imbalances can lend themselves into excessive paranoia and nonexistent fears which can make it difficult for a patient to determine what is real and not. While it is difficult for the patient to live with the disorder, it is also difficult for his caregivers. His family and friends constantly live with the dread that their loved one will end up dead or hurting another person under the influence of a schizophrenic episode.

If you live with a schizophrenic person or are a family to one, here are some tips on handling schizophrenic episodes that can help you keep your loved one – as well as other persons – safe from harm:

Do's

1.Do watch out for signs of an impending episode.

Schizophrenic episodes do not happen instantly. They are usually the culmination of a long-standing, imagined affair or paranoia. Watch out for signs like sleeplessness, ritualistic obsessions, and increased suspiciousness. As much as possible, encourage the patient to take his medicines regularly which you can keep in stock by buying from a discount pharmacy.

2.Do contact the patient's doctor or the nearest hospital.

When under the influence of a full-blown episode, strong doses of medication and sedative are often needed to calm the patient. He may also seem to possess increased strength due to the adrenalin in his or her system that a medical team is necessary to subdue him. When necessary, you can also contact the police but request that they keep guns out of sight since this might provoke your loved one more.

3.Do play along with the hallucination when reasonable.

Understand that the patient is experiencing an altered reality; he may be hearing or seeing things that you couldn't. Stay calm throughout the ordeal and play along with whatever hallucination he is having as long as it is still within your reasonable abilities. If he asks you to climb a chair or desk because “the pipes burst and are flooding the whole house,” do so. It'll help him feel in control of the situation regardless if it is only imagined.

Don'ts

1.Don't scream and panic.

Screaming and panicking will only agitate the patient more and may result in untoward accidents. Try to stay calm and speak in a gentle soothing voice in order to reach into the turmoil inside the person's head. If you are afraid, call someone to stay with you but never let kids into the room.

2.Don't threaten and bait the patient.

Never patronize a schizophrenic person who is having an episode. Avoid threatening the patient as this can result in a renewed fear and assaultive behavior. It is also unwise to bait the patient into doing what he is threatening to do since this may result in irascible behavior on his part and push him into acting out his threat. It is also necessary that you don't appear to be a threat. If the patient is sitting, you should also take a seat as standing may give the impression that there is a power play going on.

3.Don't let the patient out of sight or out of the door.

As tempting as it is to just walk out and leave the patient alone, don't. He is not in control of his behavior which may result in him hurting himself or another person. To the best of your ability, keep the patient away from the door while keeping it open. Closing the door may give the patient the impression that you are locking him in which can result in violent behavior. But if push comes to shove, remember that you are also responsible for your personal safety. Flee and lock the door if you have to until the medical team and the authorities arrived.



Resource Box:
Kristine Anne Gonzaga is a content writer and researcher who specializes in health topics and health-related issues. She delights in finding tips and ideas on simple and practical health care and sharing them through her writing.