Drug Addiction Treatment

Almost everyone knows someone affected by this insidious disease. Drug addiction is a complex but treatable brain disease. It is characterized by compulsive drug craving, seeking, and use that persist even in the face of severe adverse consequences. There are many addictive drugs, and treatments for specific drugs can differ. Treatment also varies depending on the characteristics of the patient. Drug addiction treatment can include behavioral therapy (such as counseling, cognitive therapy, or psychotherapy), medications, or their combination. Drug and alcohol addiction can be devastating to individuals and family members.

Behavioral therapies can assist to cut the danger of disease infection. Behavioral therapies provide folk strategies for coping with their drug cravings, learn them ways to avert drugs and forbid relapse, and assist them trade with relapse if it occurs. Treatment medications, such as methadone, LAAM, and naltrexone, are accessible for individuals addicted to opiates. Nicotine preparations (patches, gum, high-pitched spraying) and bupropion are accessible for individuals addicted to nicotine. Case administration and referral to new medical, mental, and cultural services are critical components of handling for many patients.

0 Comments : 01.31.08

Weight Loss Supplements and Stress

Weight loss is not just about a better body and good health. Weight loss, in the context of medicine or health or physical fitness, is a reduction of the total body weight. In a world of diet fads, drinks, pills and standards of beauty that are often defined by an air brush. Weight loss occurs when an individual is in a state of negative energy balance. Many people who are dieting are looking for ways to make the process of losing weight quicker or easier. Health is more than diet. Don’t concentrate on losing pounds, which may be inconsistent as your body retains water in the fat cells for a short period. The body may periodically dump this water, keeping you up all night.

Guarana may have a balmy desire for diet suppressant consequence over the brief condition which is also useful under stress conditions. HMB supplements are used by system builders in hopes of increasing muscle people. Others weight loss supplements is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). It is an efficient supplement for weight loss. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) helps in reducing system fat and increasing slim body people. CLA is establish naturally in dairy foods and beef and is mostly considered secure. Another weight loss supplement is pyruvate. Pyruvate is establish naturally in nutrient and in the system as an outcome of the dislocation of carbohydrates and protein. Citrus Aurantium (Bitter Orange) herbal distill is a normal origin of synephrine (a compound related to ephedrine.

0 Comments : 01.24.08

What is Stress - Stress Information

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. Too much stress on your mind and body can make you feel miserable, worried, sad and ill. Stress can cause both mental and physical symptoms. Common stress reactions include tension, irritability, inability to concentrate, and a variety of physical symptoms that include headache and a fast heartbeat. However, anything that forces us to adjust can be a stressor. This includes positive events such as getting married or receiving a promotion. The potential causes of stress are numerous. Your stress may be linked to outside factors such as the state of the world, the environment in which you live or work, or your family. Stress affects your body as much as food and exercise. A combination of emotional and physical pressures, it can either help you with challenges and problems or make them many times worse.

Stress can affect both your body and your mind. Stress affects virtually everyone at some time in their life. Stress can be brought about by a traumatic accident, death, or emergency situation. Stress can also be a side effect of a serious illness or disease. Stress triggers changes in our bodies and makes us more likely to get sick. It can also make problems we already have worse. The long term and short term effects of stress on the body manifest itself irrespective of the age groups. When the trigger is repetitive, prolonged or unanticipated, then it becomes pathological. The effects of stress affect not only man, but also animals. Like pain, stress should also be viewed as a warning. One of the more debilitating symptoms of stress is panic attacks, which can be really frightening, and take over your life if you don’t learn how to deal with them.

Causes of Stress

The common causes and risk factor’s of stress:

  • Alcohol or drug abuse.
  • Caring for a chronically ill family member.
  • Lack of social support.
  • Family history.
  • Perfectionism.
  • Threats of physical violence.

Symptoms of stress

Some sign and symptoms related to stress are as follows:

  • Shortness of breath.
  • Lack of confidence.
  • Moods change for no reason.
  • Excessive fatigue.
  • Tired a lot of the time.
  • Disturbed sleep.

Treatment of stress

  • The treatment of your stress will vary greatly depending on the types of symptoms you are experiencing and how severe they are.
  • Behavioral therapy helps you weaken the connections between troublesome situations and your habitual reactions to them.
  • Estrogen therapy can be used to improve urinary frequency, urgency and burning in postmenopausal women, and the tone and blood supply of the urethral sphincter muscles.
  • Meditation can help relaxation, and practising yoga or the alexander technique may help to relieve muscle pains and help to control breathing in stressful situations.

0 Comments : 08.31.07

How to Prevent Suicide

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the united states. Suicide, like any medical disorder, does not happen instantly or “out of the blue.” Usually, it is preceded by emotional turmoil such as depression, agitation, significant anxiety, impulsivity, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Many young people who attempt suicide are afflicted by depression or other mood disorders or substance abuse. Other emotional problems linked to suicide include conduct disorders (especially aggressive behavior), borderline personality disorder, and high levels of hopelessness. Suicide among children under the age of 14 is rare. Suicide by children under the age of 9 is extremely rare. Suicide prevention is as much a science as it is an art. Although applying scientific psychotherapeutic techniques can be effective, the gentle art of dealing with the suicidal person makes all the difference.

Signs of emotional illness or distress

  • Depression.
  • Agitation.
  • Significant anxiety.
  • Impulsivity.
  • Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.

General treatment

  • This depends on the severity of the illness, and on the predisposing factors.
  • Mild illnesses may respond to discussing the stresses, and finding better ways to deal with them.
  • Encouragement to think and act positively (cognitive therapy) may be helpful.
  • Treating depression without medication is like treating diabetes without insulin, especially when it is severe.

0 Comments : 08.31.07

Alcohol and Stress

The term “stress” often is used to describe the subjective feeling of pressure or tension. There is little evidence that stress leads to the development of true alcohol dependency or alcoholism. Because both drinking behavior and an individual’s response to stress are determined by multiple genetic and environmental factors, studying the link between alcohol consumption and stress may further our understanding of drinking behavior. Stress is usually thought of as harmful; but when the stress response is acute and transient, homeostasis is maintained and no adverse effects result. Under chronic stress, however, when the body either fails to compensate or when it overcompensates, damage can occur. A person who is under a lot of stress may experience a greater level of irritability. Alcohol actually induces the stress response by stimulating hormone release by the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands.

Danger signals for abuse of alcohol in reaction to stress

  • Prior history of unhealthy or abusive drinking.
  • Experiencing the stress as severe or unavoidable without the aid of alcohol.
  • Lacking social support.
  • Family history of drinking in response to stress.

0 Comments : 08.31.07

Stress Symptoms

Stress is a feeling that’s created when we react to particular events. In small doses, stress can actually be beneficial to us. It is only when the stress becomes too great, affecting our physical or mental functioning, that it becomes a problem. Everyone reacts to stress differently. Too much emotional stress can cause physical illness, such as high blood pressure, ulcers or even heart disease. Physical stress from work or exercise is not likely to cause such ailments. Everyone reacts to stress differently, but there are some common effects that help us recognise it. In times of extreme stress, people may shake uncontrollably, hyperventilate (breathe faster and deeper than normal) or even vomit. The events that provoke stress are called stressors , and they cover a whole range of situations - everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester’s worth of your toughest subject. Stress can cause headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, eating disorder, allergies, insomnia, backaches, frequent cold and fatigue to diseases such as hypertension.

The specific signs and symptoms of stress vary from person to person, but all have the potential to harm your health, emotional well-being, and relationships with others. The long term and short term effects of stress on the body manifest itself irrespective of the age groups. When the trigger is repetitive, prolonged or unanticipated, then it becomes pathological. The effects of stress affect not only man, but also animals. Stress can also occur as the result of a more positive event such as getting married, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. Whether a stressful event itself can actually cause a person to become depressed is not fully known. In fact, sometimes people become depressed even when there is little or no stress in their lives and everything seems to be going very well. Although you can use drugs to relieve stress temporarily, drugs do not remove the conditions that caused the stress in the first place.

Symptoms of Stress

Some sign and symptoms related to stress are as follows:

  • Excessive fatigue.
  • Tremulousness or restlessness.
  • Nausea and vomiting.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Muscle aches.
  • Sense of being overwhelmed.
  • Rapid breathing.
  • Lack of confidence.
  • Rapid or irregular heart rate.

0 Comments : 08.31.07

Stress Causes

Stress is a part of the human condition, a gift from nature to help keep us motivated. Stress affects virtually everyone at some time in their life. As well as the emotional and psychological disruption it causes, stress-related medical problems are becoming increasingly common. Stress is often associated with situations you perceive as difficult to handle. When you feel that your life is being “pushed” or “pulled” in different directions, then you are undergoing stress. Stress can be brought about by a traumatic accident, death, or emergency situation. Stress can also be a side effect of a serious illness or disease. Stress can take on many different forms, and can contribute to symptoms of illness. Common symptoms include headache, sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating, short-temper, upset stomach, job dissatisfaction, low morale, depression, and anxiety. Some people are simply biologically prone to stress; many outside factors influence susceptibility as well.

When stress is handled in a negative manner it usually leads to depression. To come out of this depression many take the harmful help of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, all of which give a sense of stress relief. Most people can cope with short periods of stress, and it can often be relieved by relaxing, taking a walk, chatting through issues with friends, or having a good night’s sleep. Everyone reacts to stress differently, but there are some common effects that help us recognise it. In times of extreme stress, people may shake uncontrollably, hyperventilate (breathe faster and deeper than normal) or even vomit. Another big negative effect from stress is the way people choose to deal with it. They take serious drugs like nicotine, alcohol, prescription drugs, street drugs, eat food, etc. Stress triggers changes in our bodies and makes us more likely to get sick. It can also make problems we already have worse. There are many stress management techniques in the form of counselling, psychotherapy and hypnotherapy.

Causes of Stress

The common causes and risk factor’s of stress:

  • Threats of physical violence.
  • Family conflicts.
  • Alcohol or drug abuse.
  • Family history.
  • Pressure to perform at work, at school or in sports.
  • Lack of social support.

0 Comments : 08.31.07

Stress and Incontinence

Stress incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine. In most cases, stress incontinence starts gradually over time and increases, often to the point of causing women to stop doing many of their normal activities. Stress incontinence is more common in women who are obese. It is a bladder storage problem in which the strength of the muscles that help control urination is reduced. The sphincter is not able to prevent urine flow when there is increased pressure from the abdomen. Stress incontinence occurs because of dysfunction in the mechanisms that normally control release of urine from your bladder. Some people have both stress incontinence and urge incontinence. The weakness may be caused by prior injury to the urethral area, neurological injury, some medications, or after surgery of the prostate or pelvic area. It can worsen during the week before the menstrual period. At that time, lowered estrogen levels may lead to lower muscular pressure around the urethra, increasing chances of leakage.

The incidence of stress incontinence increases following menopause, similarly because of lowered estrogen levels. There are different causes of incontinence, and each cause has different treatments. Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms and how much they interfere with the person’s everyday life. Constipation can make urinary incontinence worse, so dietary or medical treatments to help keep regular bowel habits are recommended. Stress and urge incontinence often occur together in women. Combinations of incontinence - and this combination in particular - are sometimes referred to as “mixed incontinence.” Weight loss has been shown to help decrease symptoms in those who are overweight. Surgical treatment is only recommended after the exact cause of the urinary incontinence has been determined.

Causes of Stress and Incontinence

The common causes and risk factor’s of Stress and Incontinence:

  • Weakened pelvic floor muscles.
  • Smoking.
  • Excess consumption of caffeine or alcohol.
  • Chronic coughing.
  • Obesity.
  • Urinary tract infection.

Symptoms of Stress and Incontinence

Some sign and symptom related to Stress and Incontinence are as follows:

  • Sneezing.
  • Lift something heavy.
  • Laugh.
  • Coughing.

Treatment of Stress and Incontinence

  • Medications can reduce many types of leakage. Five main drugs are used - oxybutynin, flavoxate and tolterodine and the newer drugs, trospium chloride and propiverine.
  • Biofeedback and electrical stimulation may be helpful for those who have trouble doing pelvic muscle training exercises. These two methods help a patient identify the correct muscle group to work.
  • Estrogen therapy can be used to improve urinary frequency, urgency and burning in postmenopausal women, and the tone and blood supply of the urethral sphincter muscles.
  • Various surgical operations may be used to treat stress incontinence. Surgery is often successful.

0 Comments : 08.31.07

Stress and Depression

Some people develop depression after a stressful event in their lives. All people feel stress sometimes, but people react to stress in different ways. For example, some people might feel a lot of stress when driving, while others might find driving relaxing. Events such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship are often negative and traumatic and cause great stress for many people. Stress is characterized by feelings of tension, frustration, worry, sadness and withdrawal that commonly last from a few hours to a few days. Stress can also occur as the result of a more positive event such as getting married, moving to a new city, or starting a new job. Whether a stressful event itself can actually cause a person to become depressed is not fully known. In fact, sometimes people become depressed even when there is little or no stress in their lives and everything seems to be going very well. And, no single stressful event will cause depression to develop in every person. If a person is under continuous stress, a single difficult event may be more likely to induce a depressive episode.

Causes of stress and depression

  • Financial stress.
  • Losing another family member.
  • Job loss.
  • Household changes.
  • Substance abuse stress.

Symptoms of stress and depression

  • Loss of appetite.
  • Restlessness and irritability.
  • Thoughts of death or suicide.
  • Losing interest in sex.
  • Feeling restless, tense and anxious.
  • Being irritable.
  • Sleep disturbance.

Treatment of stress and depression

  • Severe instances of depression should be treated with medication that acts on the brain chemistry, affecting the chemical pathways associated with mood.
  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been prescribed for some time.
  • Exercise on a regular basis helps to burn off and use up the stress hormones and neurochemicals.
  • Less severe forms of depression can be treated effectively with psychotherapy.
  • When medication is not a viable option, when medications are not effective, or in cases of debilitation or high risk of suicide, electroconvulsive therapy may be used to relieve symptoms of depression.

0 Comments : 08.31.07

Stress and Aging

Stress and aging are definitely connected. There are many different causes of stress that affect the aging adult. These causes can produce a variety of responses that include both physical and emotional effects. There are several risk factors that lead to stress and the elderly. Some include a past history of depressive illness, inadequate social support, and serious illnesses such as a stroke. Most people with healthy immune systems take their resistance to disease for granted, but the most common cause of a weakened immunity in healthy individuals are stress and aging. Long-term stress can affect the immune system as well. Fighting stress and aging go hand in hand. There are specific ways to reduce the negative impact of stress along with improving your quality of life. Regular exercise strengthens your body, maintains healthy weight and reduces mental tension.

Causes of Stress in the Aging adult

  • A past history of depressive illness.
  • Serious illnesses such as a stroke.
  • Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

0 Comments : 08.31.07

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