Researchers have discovered a new human disease in the Northeast transmitted by the same common deer tick that can infect people with Lyme disease. The bacterial illness causes flu-like symptoms, the researchers from Tufts, Yale, and other institutions reported Wednesday, but they also described the …
More than 46 million adults over the age of 18 have experienced some element of mental illness. In fact, the rate is 50 percent higher for those between the ages of 18 to 25, compared to those above the age of 50. The impact of mental illness on the American society is crippling our national …
Depressive illness is such a physically and socially debilitating condition. It restricts you from doing the normal day-to-day activities and jeopardizes your work, friendships and how you deal with others.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that more than 11.6 million Americans are suffering from depression. More specifically, clinical depression. According to the latest research findings, early symptoms of depression should be dealt with immediately with appropriate treatment.
Otherwise, major depression sets in and may result to other cardiovascular complications such as heart disease.
Let us first review the various symptoms manifested by people and their relative causes to fully delineate the path of its origin and occurrence from a more clinical viewpoint.
Again, depression is a psychoneurotic illness where patients manifest some or all of the following symptoms: sadness, sudden decrease or increase in appetite, concentration difficulty, inactivity, and hyperactivity (manic depression), feeling of rejection and setting in the idea of committing suicide.
To understand better how depression works in the human body and its possible adverse effects, it is better to know some of the essential scientific and physiological basis of this rather unusual condition.
Physiology of Depression and its Causes
Clinical depression is basically a neurological condition. It is caused by an imbalance of hormones present in the body, which is in that case, produced by the brain itself.
Hormones are small biologically active molecules that direct the function of other organs. They are responsible for the direct physiological activity and characteristic behavior of a person through various social and environmental circumstances.
Imbalance in the hormone levels in blood serum can cause a massive effect on your state of emotional health. This sudden increase or decrease of these chemical messengers may cause you to become overly excited over any situation (manic depression) or may feel very low to the point of becoming apathetic, and choose not to respond to their everyday needs.
Some evidence points to a genetic cause of depressive illness, although not fully confirmed.
Most individuals who manifest genetic predisposition do not outwardly exhibit such illness. It is found that all people can develop this condition if triggered by appropriate environmental factors.
The of physical effects of depressive illness depends on the severity of the depression you are experiencing. For people with mild depression (dysthymia), it may last for months or even years and individuals who do not get proper and individualized medical treatment may progress into a severe depression.
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By: Lauralee Lemons
Posted:
Date Taken: 2008-03-10 13:43:52
Owner: Coventry City Council
physical health
Anorexics suffer from a disorder that causes them to have distorted mental images of their body’s causing them to stoop to unhealthy levels to lose weight it very unhealthy and can even be deadly if the anorexic does not get the help that they need.
Everywhere we look, the vision of a beautiful woman always seems to be one who is waif thin. On television or in the movies, any celebrity over a size 2 is considered “fat” and is ridiculed endlessly by the media and other outlets. This kind of thinking has lead to an influx of girls who feel that they need to be thin or die trying. The ideas to lose weight fast like anorexia are popular with teenage girls who think that it is a glamorous way to be skinny, but they do not realize all of the bad things that this disease can cause.
If you are planning to go on a diet to lose weight fast, it is best to eat a healthy, balanced diet. By following a healthy diet of lots of fruits and vegetables, a small amount of proteins and a small amount of complex carbohydrates each day and getting plenty of exercise, you can lose weight much faster than you think you can. There is no need to jeopardize your health over shedding a few pounds. If you are serious about getting thinner and healthier, you must do it in a healthy way. Yo-yo dieting and following severely restrictive diet plans can cause irreversible damage to your metabolism and the functioning of your organs. In severe cases, this way of losing weight can even cause death.
Before taking such drastic measures to lose weight, look around at other weight loss plans that are much healthier. Losing weight doesn’t have to be deadly. There are many safe diet plans out there to choose from that work with your body to burn fat and calories. There is no magic thing that will make the weight disappear. It will take discipline and dedication, but it can be done.
You cannot simply become anorexic just because you think that is the way you want to lose weight. Anorexia is not something a person can turn off and on. It is a disorder that requires professional treatments and is not something to take lightly. If you feel like you are fat when you eat, have stopped eating all together, hide your food so that others do not see that you are not eating, vomit after eating, or other signs of anorexia, please tell someone and get professional help immediately.
By: Stephen Choy: the Lose Weight Expert
Posted:
Date Taken: 2006-05-29 16:30:34
Owner: star5112
lose weight
Give them just half an opportunity and teenagers will eat junk food! While you cannot control what they eat while away from you outside the house, you should and you can induce them to eat healthy at least while they are in the house.
Teenagers often suffer from tiredness, acne, and low energy, increased susceptibility to illness, constipation and moodiness. Most of these problems are related to unhealthy diets. Here’s how we can create healthy eating for teenagers:
A teenager still has a lot of growing to do and so needs proper nutrients to get them through a typical school or college day. Teenagers need an average of about 2,000 calories per day and lot of carbs, proteins, calcium and iron. If your teenager participates in a lot of sporting activities then he (or she) could need up to 2,800 calories per day.
The best ways we can ensure our kids eat well is by educating them on the relationship between food and the body and leave it to them to make the right choices when they eat outside the house. Within the house there are a lot of things you can do to encourage healthy eating plan for teenagers.
Reduce availability of junk food by 80% and substitute with wholesome snacks
For example, instead of buying 10 bags of chips per week, reduce that to 2 bags. Each morning before you leave for work, prepare a couple of turkey or tuna sandwiches and keep them in the fridge. You could also prepare a jug of chocolate milk shake or fresh fruit juice. Let your teenagers know what’s in the fridge.
Make sure your teenagers eat a healthy breakfast
Don’t take no for an answer. A healthy eating breakfast is a must otherwise your teenagers will feel lethargic, dull and lack the concentration required to do well in studies and sports.
If your teenagers won’t be home for lunch, pack them a good lunch box
Encourage your teenagers to come home for lunch. However, if they can’t make it for lunch at least ensure they carry a nutritious lunch as well as a fruit. Apples or bananas are easier to eat and don’t mess your hands.
Have breakfast (if possible lunch), and dinner with your teenagers
Research indicates that teenagers who eat with their parents tend to be healthier and have a healthy eating menu when they’re older. Teenage girls who have meals regularly with their parents have fewer incidences of eating disorders.
Make sure the dinner menu includes lots of fruits, vegetables, healthy salad dressing and protein
Make sure the dinner you cook includes lots of fruits, vegetables and good lean protein. If possible, include your teenage kids in planning the healthy eating food or even helping you with the preparation. Encouraging their participation in the meal preparation will reduce their resistance to eating wholesome nutritive food.
Break down resistance by using portion control plates and portion scoops
You might face a lot of resistance from your teenagers for eating vegetables. Show them a portion control scoop and encourage them to eat just one scoop. Later on you will have to work at encouraging them to take additional scoops of vegetable but that’s a different issue. By showing them a scoop they know the quantity you will put on their plate. Also, if you use portion control plate that has food group demarcations on them, you can encourage your teenage kids to take servings of all the variety of food that is on the dining table.
By: Ed Stephens
Posted:
healthy eating
Mental wellbeing and dependency issues touch everyone. This year, one in four Americans will go through a diagnosable mental illness — disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and addiction. Unfortunately, just one in three of those people will seek out the therapy and support that they need, risking their physical well being and quality of life.
May is Mental Health Month, a special yearly commemoration that started more than 60 years back to raise understanding of mental health issues and mental wellness for all. It’s an ideal time for us to reflect on how far we have come since the first Mental Health Month was celebrated and look toward tomorrow.
Without a doubt, mental health care treatment has changed drastically in the last six decades. Where a mental health disorder was once a hopeless predicament — a source of shame that ensured institutionalization — individuals today can access effective treatments and programs which allow them to get their life back. We now have unprecedented tools to diagnose and address even extreme mental disorders.
Socially, we have come a long way as well. Legislators are certainly more aware of how mental disorder affects our communities, and the important need for robust funding and infrastructure in mental health care. More and more, we’re seeing public figures coming forward to examine their private and familial challenges with many mental health and dependency problems. These kinds of accounts inspire optimism and promote early involvement and therapy.
We now have improved mental healthcare considerably, but we continue to have work to accomplish to see that those who require help and guidance have it. Neglected mental health problems cost our nation in excess of 0 billion per year.
Data shows that mental health conditions are accountable for more disability benefits than chronic illnesses like arthritis and diabetes. Two-thirds of all visits to family medical professionals result from stress-related signs and symptoms. High levels of stress have been discovered to predict heart disease, our planet’s primary reason for death, more frequently than high cholesterol levels, smoking cigarettes or even obesity. Those with depressive disorders have a propensity to acquire diabetes compared to those without symptoms of depression. Serious mental illnesses can reduce a person’s life expectancy by up to 25 years.
With these staggering statistics in mind, we have to ask: Why do two-thirds of people in need of mental health support and therapy never look for help? We would certainly never leave a shattered arm or leg unattended or permit a family member to suffer with unmanaged diabetes. Precisely what is keeping us from caring for our mental health in the same manner that we deal with our physical health?
The resolution to these questions is grounded with our perceptions concerning mental health. Many in our modern society stick to long-held opinions that mental health and dependency conditions are caused by socioeconomic status, character defects, terrible parenting, growing up or aging. Other individuals mistakenly think that those who have psychological health and addiction disorders can never recuperate.
We can correct these misperceptions.
Numerous communities are wonderful supporters of mental well being providers and many people are supporters for their friends and family members who are working towards recuperation in their lives. Let’s take the opportunity that Mental Health Month provides to talk publicly and frankly regarding mental health. Together, we can narrow the gap in between those who need proper care and those who receive it.
By: Jay
Posted:
physical health
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