Jun
23
Allergic Reactions
Filed Under Allergies | Leave a Comment
I have, in my third and fourth decades of living, discovered some of the most unusual of allergic reactions and have learned the most interesting of realities about allergies. The education began when I was teaching my second semester of college English. As one up to that point who rarely missed a day of work, I was appalled to find one very early summer morning that I had an enflamed face and that every pore on my face had filled with a blister?a tiny pustule that was, as if the redness wasn’t enough, itchy.
When I went to the clinic (not yet having medical coverage of any kind), the clinician seemed nonplussed. She told me with a shrug that 1) I would have to experiment by isolating foods in my most recent diet until I found the culprit (since I ha not changed laundry or body soaps didn’t add any chemicals or perfumes to my repertoire, etc.); and 2) I had developed these allergic reactions?or allergic symptoms?all of a sudden?that my perfect health record of many years had nothing to do with the fact that as we get older, she said, we can pathogenically change: we can develop allergies to foods we have eaten our whole lives.
Allergic reactions as I describe are no big deal, really; and a tube of Benadryl cream and a Benadryl capsule (which makes you sleep, so watch out) are all that were needed. But other allergic reactions are hideous, drastic, and emergent. Many require immediate medical attention, as they are deadly?or, the allergens causing the allergic reactions are.
When we were teens working our first jobs, waiting tables at a private school in the summer, when scientists would come from the world over to have conferences, study, and get fed three times a day, we witnessed the more extreme cases of allergic reactions when a scientist asked if there were any shellfish in the fare we were serving. The stuffing of the meat, it turned out, had shredded something?crab or lobster?and the man swelled, turned red, and had to be rushed to the hospital. What is most frightening, I think, is that such allergic reactions can include the tongue swelling. Think about it. If your tongue swells too far, it will block your breathing passages. You?re done.
In my case, many years after my fear that we had killed an important person?who showed up unshaken the next morning, by the way?it turns out I had allergic reactions to soy products: I loved to (and was so lazy about cooking that I would) eat raw hot dogs. At the same time, I was experimenting with health food store items and had drunk a big glass of soy milk. Imagine: an innocuous little thing like a bean?
Mail this post
Jun
21
Family mental health
Filed Under Health, Mental Health | Leave a Comment
Family mental health covers a wide range of topics from domestic abuse to preventing drug abuse in teens. Depending upon the topic you are searching, this article will cover a few of the places where you can find help.
The first place you can get help with family mental health is your local school or your clergyman. These two groups are often the first help in connecting with the resources you need. Your clergyman is trained specifically to offer help to families. The school also offers counselors who are skilled in dealing with the needs and problems of teens. If they are unable to offer the proper help necessary, they will be able to provide appropriate referrals to therapists who can.
The next option to maintain family mental health is to check with your local county’s Department of Social Services. Here you can find the resources to deal with issues such as domestic violence, the prevention and treatment of drug abuse in young people, and preventing of teen suicides. These can provide referrals to trained counselors and community-based programs to help families in distress. You can check with your local Medical Association or County Medical Board to find the location and availability of certified Family Counselors or Therapists. They also have information on local clinics and programs that offer free or low-cost family and marriage counseling which can address such family concerns as the effects of divorce on children, marriage counseling, family counseling, especially that created by blending families, providing consistent discipline, parenting skills for teens, and dealing with substance abuse or other addictive behavior such as chronic gambling. This resource can give you referrals to peer and support groups like AA, Al-Anon, Ala-Teen or Gamblers Anonymous. These give an important local network of support for anyone having to deal with the effects of problems such addictions in their life and to their well being.
Mail this post
Jun
14
MayoClinic.com provides an overview of how health care providers distinguish and diagnose mental health issues and mental illness.
Rochester, MN (PRWEB) June 14, 2007 — When a student writes dark, violent stories, when a harried adult yells at a store clerk, when a neighbor stops doing household chores — are these symptoms of mental illness?
MayoClinic.com provides an overview of how health care providers distinguish and diagnose mental health issues and mental illness. Sometimes, it’s fairly clear-cut, such as when people with schizophrenia report hearing voices, or when someone suffers from an addiction.
Other times, what’s “normal” is less clear. When a child or young adult carries out school violence, for example, is it simply a normal person committing a horrific crime, or the actions of a person suffering from mental illness?
Read more
Mail this post
Jun
12
Alternative Health Supplements
Filed Under Health, Health Supplements | 2 Comments
Holistic and naturopathic remedies are a part of the average American’s medical arsenal, so the need for alternative health supplements has been rising as well. Now traditional medicine is making use of less traditional treatments and therapies to aid the medical consumer in the treatment of disease. This article will give you some information on where to find alternative health supplements and what they are used for.
Medical practitioners considered alternative health supplements to be little or no value in the treatment of most health disorders. More and more these supplements are finding their place alongside traditional forms o treatment.
Depending upon your doctor’s philosophy, (s)he might advise the use of alternative health supplements in place of usual remedies. There are many supplements which aid with depression, in boosting the immune system, and to aid with menstrual cramps and PMS symptoms. These supplements appear to be better tolerated by some than other drug treatments. Research has shown that other alternative health supplements are good to maintain healthy living.
Magazines today are full of articles outlining how alternative health supplements can improve digestion, give you a better sex life, get a more restful sleep, shore up your cardiovascular health and detoxify the body for an improvement in health.
Several websites can aid in choosing which alternative health supplements are for you. They have information which may be passed on to your doctor as an alternative medical treatment. Read about the desired supplement and discuss its use with your physician. These sites allow you to purchase supplements online, if you have no other way to obtain them, and allows them to be delivered directly to your door via the US mail or UPS. You can locate alternative medical practitioners from these sites who will schedule phone consultations with you.
Alternative health supplements are found at your local health food store. The staff of the store will be knowledgeable in treatments and uses for the supplement. They are a source for the names of Holistic practitioners who you can consult and who will work with your traditional doctor. The store usually sells magazines and books on the subject of alternative holistic practices which can aid your knowledge, if you are unable to find a practitioner in your area.
These alternative health supplements are being carried by your local pharmacies and national stores and the drug section of grocery stores like CVS, Wal-Mart and Pathmark. Your local pharmacist is knowledgeable when it comes to how and when to use these supplements. As with over-the-counter preparations, your pharmacist can tell you whether or not there are any potentially harmful or adverse conflicts between the supplement and any prescription medications which you might be taking for other conditions.
With this information, using your common sense and the advice of your healthcare provider, you can begin to add alternative health supplements to your daily healthcare regimen.
Resources:
http://www.health-doc.com/
http://www.associatedcontent.com/
Mail this post
Jun
5
Yogaworld talks about the benefits of yoga…
Filed Under Exercise, Stress Reduction | Leave a Comment
Yogasworld.com has this great post about the benefits of practicing yoga. As part of a heart-healthy lifestyle, yoga is one of those exercises that relieves stress as well as keeps the body loose and free from many aches and pains of arthritis. Here’s what they have to say:
One of the most common reasons why people practice yoga is to improve their health and well-being. Practising yoga helps the body to get more flexible. Every practice helps in stretching muscles thereby reducing the risk of injuries. Regularly practicing yoga helps to improve balance.
One of the major benefits of practicing yoga is that it reduces pain both emotionally and physically. As tense muscles contribute pain and relax muscles helps in reducing pain. Yoga helps the muscles to relax. It also helps strengthen and toning muscles and builds stamina and endurance.
Read the full article on The Benefits of Yoga
Mail this post