October 2008
Finding Life’s Candles for Dark Moments
Tragedy doesn’t make an appointment. It attacks! A terrifying surprise that explodes in the midst of a family. Tragedy brings with it multiple consequences as well…financial disaster, depression, guilt and blame. Devastating fallout! Marriages fall apart, family members commit suicide, personalities change. Yet tragedies occur daily. Tornadoes and earthquakes rip apart communities, car accidents claim thousands of lives, and children drink poisons or drown in swimming pools. People kill their friends and families, co-workers and peers. Here is what helped me make it through a horrendous time, so should it happens to you or to a close friend. You have some suggestions to fall back on.
Words are not necessary– a loving presence conveys support. Initial shock and denial are numbing and intensely painful. When we received the dreadful news of our daughter-in-law’s murder, we called our minister immediately. He and his wife came over and sat with us silently in the middle of the night. They made coffee, experienced our grief and comforted us with their presence.
Ask people you trust to handle immediate logistical problems. We had to cancel plane reservations, and make new ones. Airlines offer a reduced fare for situations when grieving families need to rush in an emergency. My brother, who travels a lot, made reservations for us. Caring friends wanted to keep our children and pets. Don’t hesitate to ask or accept.
Keep inspirational reading with you. Ask your minister or a caring friend to loan you an inspirational book if necessary. I found the book of Psalms particularly helpful, as well as a book loaned to me from an Al-Anon friend. Our minister mailed a wonderful book he had written. Another minister had
comforting words about the sweet relief experienced when dying.
Keep a journal. I purchased a thick, spiral notebook and kept it with me. In it put information as well as feelings, events, and questions. I taped business cards of police, investigators, and wrote down addresses of helpful strangers. My portable office became invaluable.
Buy thank you notes. Thank you notes help you to focus on the love and support you receive during this painful time rather than your helplessness or loneliness. Strangers brought us food and took us to dinner. Our church sent flowers to our hotel room. Friends held mass at home for our daughter-in-law. People who admired her came to see us, gave us religious pictures, and bought us sodas. I concentrated on building a new support system by writing immediate thank you notes. When we returned home, more thoughtfulness awaited us including food, vitamins, and an invitation to go cherry picking (a perfect thing to do when processing grief).
Stay connected to home. If the tragedy takes you away from home, arrange a time that you will talk with a calm, clear- headed family member daily. My brother called me at four every afternoon. I looked forward to his call and found comfort in his familiar voice. I took my laptop computer with me which enabled receiving caring messages via email. With my brother’s phone calls and emails, our home community stayed informed of our trauma. They organized needed support as soon as we returned. The church “casserole brigade” had food ready, gift baskets, cards and prayers. A special service at our church and a prayer service with our Marriage Encounter Group provided us with loving friends who listened and cried with us as we worked through our emotional pain. One can’t carry such a burden alone.
In the months that follow…. Tragedies attract media, curious people, gossips, and people intrigued by dramatic life events. Sometimes people who had nothing to do with the tragedy become obsessed with the details. With our tragedy, information changed constantly upsetting our perspectives and tearing our shreds of hope. Phone calls and emails came from strange sources. Be careful not to answer media questions or give out information to the wrong people.
A year might not be enough…. Grieving takes time. Any healing does. For us, ongoing legal trials fester the guilt, doubt, and confusion. Even though life has basically returned to “normal,” my energy level has not. I seem to accomplish far less than before. I remember having a long “to do” list and happily checking off task after task. Now, I check off two. (Three if I count my exercise.) My focus has become a wild animal, difficult to train. Yesterday, I had to write down take a shower. Initially, I asked friends to take me places as a distraction. Immediately after I asked, it seemed as if I lacked time to go anywhere. Time became unmanageable. I let go of my career goals, a difficult challenge for an achiever like me. Making sales and booking presentations did not seem relevant any more.
Even now, a year and a half later, I am still in the healing process only now I have a deep understanding of what other people are going through.
Let go of what you didn’t do to prevent the tragedy. Focus on what you can to help others now. Both my husband and myself have felt called to serve people in new ways. A year after the tragedy occurred, my husband got laid off from his lucrative computer-consulting job. He wants to make a career change to teach high school. I took volunteer training to answer hotline phones for sexual abuse and family violence. The experience has been rewarding, I’m sorry I waited until now to do this. Both of these activities stem from the helplessness we felt after our tragedy. Even our children respect us for taking them on. We know our values are changing.
It has been said that our tragedies make us who we are. We would agree with Corita Kent, “Flowers grow out of dark moments.”
Ana Tampanna, “The Alligator Queen,” is author or the “The Womanly Art of Alligator Wrestling.” To learn more about her books in addition to her speaking and coaching services, visit her site at http://www.alligatorcoach.com/index.html
Risks VS Benefits of Taking Anti-Depressants : To Take or Not To Take
By now you’ve probably heard that the FDA warned that depressors on certain anti-depressants should be monitored closely for warning signs of suicide. This came after a teenager committed suicide while on antidepressants and after a study involving 4,000 subjects showed that 2% to 4% of children and teens who were given anti-depressants for the treatment of depression became suicidal, that is they had suicidal thoughts, or made suicidal attempts of one kind or another.
This prompt FDA to put a “black box” label you will now find on those drugs. The “black label” is the highest warning that the FDA would put on a label. The new labels would apply to both pediatric and adult usage of bupropion (Wellbutrin), citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (Lexapro), and venlafaxine (Effexor).
Most of these drugs belong to a class of anti-depressants known as SSRIs or SSRI-like drugs which act through the brain chemical serotonin; while Remeron, Serzone and Wellbutrin, operate differently. The FDA however, confirmed that Prozac doesn’t lead to increased suicidal tendencies.
Some of the possible side effects of taking anti-depressants are that some teens tend to get more aggressive, more hostile, increased anxiety, insomnia and increase in suicidal thoughts.
So, what now? Should I take anti-depressants or not? Studies show 15% of children and teens with depression who receive no treatment will commit suicide. These 15% will not just think about it, but will actually kill themselves.
The risk of not treating depression is much, much greater than the possible side effects of treatment. However that doesn’t mean you should just go out and buy some of the shelf. Anti-depressants should always be taken with the doctor’s prescription.
Ask your doctor what are the possible side effects you should look out for. The doctor will most likely ask you to start with low doses for a week or two. If you think you show any signs of the side effects, consult your doctor IMMEDIATELY. Also, remember that psychotherapy along with medication is the most effective way of treating depression.
The Importance for Obtaining Public Liability Indemnity
Public liability indemnity is recommended for the reason that all organisations are at jeopardy to some level. Even if nothing dreadful has yet taken place to your corporations premises, doesn’t mean that it will not sometime. If an individual or group of people are harmed or their belongings stolen, it’s your legal responsibility to suitably repay them. This expense might be massively costly, depending on each & every case.
Nevertheless, you do have a chance to guard yourself against this likelihood. Picking public liability insurance permits you to breathe slightly easier. If a particular claim is very expensive, the insurance corporation will be around to supply a protection net. Its their sense of duty to guarantee that you are sheltered from claims & legal charges brought against you. This leaves you free to focus on actually doing business, rather than worrying about what might happen. The following are good instances of times when public liability cover have in the past come in helpful. Protect yourself and your business with a Professional Indemnity Insurance quote from Insured Risks.
Managers of plumbing companies as a rule get the job completed quick and right. Nevertheless, now and then something can go very wrong. For instance, if you smash up a client’s gas pipes whilst on the job, affecting possessions like that of work stations and flooring, public liability indemnity will be there to cover the expenditure.
An additional illustration is that of an advertising firm. If a customer were to sprain an ankle in your workplace, even if it is not your fault, you would be held legally responsible. Nevertheless, with public liability cover you would not have to pay the claim at all.
In a comparable instance, physical injury caused to an onlooker by a member of staff on a construction site is the legal responsibility of the organisation’s owner. This kind of claim can easily get very expensive indeed, unless you get the suitable protection.
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Mind Over Matter - Proven
THE ACTS OF CREATION:
The following quote is a review I found on Amazon.com for a book I have only read about but seems to confirm many other things. The book is written by a former Chair of Material Sciences at Stanford and I think it fits the work of Dr. Don Robins as well as other Intelligent Design researchers we have discussed.
“Mind Over Matter — Proven!, June 11, 2002
Reviewer: Dave Stein, Scientific Editor, Frontier Perspectives
In striking contrast with many books focused on next-generation physics, mathematics, biology, psychology, or medicine, Conscious Acts of Creation combines a brilliant theoretical model with several rigorous experiments that explore the influence of human intention on physical reality - in living as well as inanimate systems. It is in these convincing demonstrations that the principle “as above, so below” comes to life. Even more profoundly, the book establishes that repetition of the experiments in given locales can dramatically increase the power of the locales to reproduce the results - with some locales retaining their conditioning or “charge” for more than a year! These findings lend plausibility to that which mystics know as “sacred space.”
A postulated theoretical model provides a launch point for interpreting the experimental results. Its major cornerstone is an eight-dimensional biconformal base space with two four-dimensional, Fourier transform related subspaces. One subspace corresponds to our everyday world, whereas the other subspace is a reciprocal or inverse “etheric” space - roughly analogous to k-space but with additional postulated properties including superluminal “velocities” (presumably in inverse units) and interchanged roles of electricity and magnetism. The model incorporates nonlocality, a scientific principle that may someday prove to be the underpinning for phenomena such as parapsychology and distant healing. Furthermore, the authors note similarities between their model and models proposed by other scientists, some highly prominent. Granted, the model becomes more speculative when it associates even higher dimensionalities with emotion, mind, and spirit. Even then, however, it remains consistent with various esoteric teachings, and it may yet provide the empowering mechanism for manifestation of intention (where the two subspaces, in some ways mutually symmetric, appear to play asymmetric roles) and in otherwise connecting science with spirit. Readers who disagree with the postulated model will nonetheless benefit from the authors’ brilliant insights.
Mysticism aside, the postulated “mind over matter” mechanisms include a possible role for variation in atomic and molecular ground state energies. The observed space conditioning is discussed in the context of gauge symmetries. Rounding out the model are the insightful discussions of augmented electromagnetism (which the authors associate with Qi), inner self-management techniques such as Qi Gong and Yoga, and even the existence of two phases of liquid water. In Chapters 9 and 10, the authors become futurists as they suggest possible implications of reciprocal space engineering for medicine, pharmacology, communications, and manufacturing.
On the experimental side, the authors set the example in thoroughness and scientific rigor, although the in-depth discussion of the protocols as well as the order of topics may impact the book’s readability. A mitigating factor is the brilliant introduction to gauge theory and the elucidation of several other topics including self-sustained oscillations, crystallography, and reciprocal space. In fact, the book is a mini physics course that presents various principles of electromagnetism, thermodynamics, solid-state physics, and quantum mechanics in a readable and understandable way. Also included is a brilliant discussion of enzymes, coenzymes and the electron transport chain as they relate to the experiments.
Scientists, healers, and others who investigate or work with subtle energies will appreciate the authors’ insights on repeatability of experimental results. In the mainstream scientific community, replication of results is a test for credibility; yet consistent results in healing, dowsing, remote viewing, and ESP are often elusive. Armed with successful demonstrations of space conditioning, the authors shed new light on this longstanding issue - although they discuss other factors, both geocosmic and human, that can also impact repeatability of results.
Conscious Acts of Creation makes a convincing case that the powerful effects of intention and emotion can no longer be disregarded - in healing, in scientific research, or even in everyday life. The authors’ findings may indeed have profound consequences for the concept of scientific “objectivity.” More significantly, this book will take the reader beyond the realm of the everyday world and will expand one’s view of himself or herself as a co-creator of reality. It is for this reason that Conscious Acts of Creation is essential reading - not only for scientists, engineers, and health care practitioners (both mainstream and complementary) but also for others who seek to maximize their human experiences. Conscious Acts of Creation indeed heralds and points a way ahead for ‘the emergence of a new physics.’”
Water Crystals Respond:
Dr. Masaru Emoto has shown some really fantastic interactions not unlike Tiller’s experiments in lattice formation and interactions between mind and other energy around us.
“My efforts to photograph ice crystals and conduct research began to move ahead. Then one day the researcher - who was as caught up in the project as I - said something completely out of the blue: ‘Let’s see what happens when we expose the water to music.’
I knew that it was possible for the vibrations of music to have an effect on the water. I myself enjoy music immensely, and as a child had even had hopes of becoming a professional musician, and so I was all in favour of this off-the-wall experiment.
At first we had no idea what music we would use and under what conditions we would conduct the experiment. But after considerable trial and error, we reached the conclusion that the best method was probably the simplest - put a bottle of water on a table between two speakers and expose it to a volume at which a person might normally listen to music. We would also need to use the same water that we had used in previous experiments.
We first tried distilled water from a drugstore.
The results astounded us. Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, with its bright and clear tones, resulted in beautiful and well-formed crystals. Mozart’s 40th Symphony, a graceful prayer to beauty, created crystals that were delicate and elegant. And the crystals formed by exposure to Chopin’s Etude in E, Op. 10, No. 3, surprised us with their lovely detail.
All the classical music that we exposed the water to resulted in well-formed crystals with distinct characteristics. In contrast, the water exposed to violent heavy-metal music resulted in fragmented and malformed crystals at best.
Can words affect water, too?
But our experimenting didn’t stop there. We next thought about what would happen if we wrote words or phrases like ‘Thank you’ and ‘Fool’ on pieces of paper, and wrapped the paper around the bottles of water with the words facing in. It didn’t seem logical for water to ‘read’ the writing, understand the meaning, and change its form accordingly. But I knew from the experiment with music that strange things could happen. We felt as if we were explorers setting out on a journey through an unmapped jungle.
The results of the experiments didn’t disappoint us. Water exposed to ‘Thank you’ formed beautiful hexagonal crystals, but water exposed to the word ‘Fool’ produced crystals similar to the water exposed to heavy-metal music, malformed and fragmented.” (4)
What laws of science or lattice formation are at work here? How connected is life and what amount of soul or ‘chhi’ is in all things? Could the ancients and even more materialistic man of the present use these energies to find water or minerals?
Author of Diverse Druids
Columnist for The ES Press Magazine
Guest ‘expert’ at World-Mysteries.com
How to Resolve Relationship Conflicts
One minute you seem like lovesick turtledoves teasing, laughing and giggling with all your might. Then a few minutes later, you begin yelling and berating each other and a lover’s quarrel is already in progress. A little bantering was all it took to stoke up a rising emotional tension.
Every now and then, no matter how close and intimate a couple is, an argument occasionaly looms to create a tide in the relationship. Although sometimes it shakes a relationship down to its very core, if handled well, it is healthy and can help create lasting relationships. Here is a list of what couples like you usually argue about and what you should do whenever you are faced with another petty bickering.
Jealousy
Jealousy is a natural human emotion. It is not negative in itself. How people react to jealous feelings make it negative. Usually, jealousy stems from the lack of trust or lack of assurance from one’s partner. It can also come from a low self-image or an inferioriy complex. If you’re the jealous one, learn to act by reason and not by emotion. Your jealousy is just a product of your own mental-emotional patterns that only exist in your head. Just because your lover admired something about another person, does not mean that you are loved any less, or that the person is more attractive than you are. Voice out how you feel to your partner so that you can discuss things and he can help you alleviate your jealousy. If your partner is the green-eyed monster, assure him of your devotion and reassure him of his innate worth as your love mate. Perhaps your partner needs more attention and affection than you are giving him.
Individual Differences
When you first met, it may be the similarities you found with each other that instantly created the bond and rapport. However, as you knew each other better, it’s your differences that potentially fashioned the strength of your relationship. Hence, it is important that you value the differences that make you unique as a couple. Perhaps, there might be times when you may want to change your partner into your view of his potential. But even if you’d succeed in your crusade, chances are you’d lose respect for him for allowing you to have done it and for not having the personal strength to be himself. So it is better that you both learn to compromise and meet halfway everytime a conflict surges. Be ready to recognize each other’s weaknesses and learn to appreciate what the other has to offer. Instead of seeing yourselves as separate individuals, practise seeing each other as an aspect of yourselves. In this way you shatter the illusion of separation and bridge the gap that’s keeping you asunder.
Unmet Expectations
When a dispute recurs but too many times like a bad case of athlete’s foot but you have no clue as to what’s really causing the problem, odds are it was because your partner did not meet your expectations or he didn’t meet yours. When expectations are not met, a spat usually ushers in. Depending on the expectations you may want to concede in your relationship, it is highly commendable that you bring your expectations upfront from the very start of the relationship. Determine which expectations are most important to you and which are most important to your partner. Spend some time tossing around what you both desire and need from the relationship and what you must have and won’t tolerate from each other. Remember, love works best when it involves both give and take.
You’re-Wrong-I’m-Right Attitude
Instincts often tell us not to give up and admit defeat in times of disagreements especially if we are certain that we are right. But come to think of it, does it really matter who’s right and who’s not? In a relationship, it is never good to assert too much if it means you could hurt your partner. Let go of having to “be right!” If you must speak up, do it lovingly. Never tell your partner that he is wrong straight in the face. If you do this, you may just stir a storm in a teacup and set about a violent outburst. Instead of having to be RIGHT, decide between your mate that it is more important to be HAPPY. Discuss in a loving way areas of mutual concern then agree on certain terms so that you prevent yourselves from meshing with future disagreements.
Money Matters
When you’re going through the honeymoon phase of your relationship, money may not be much of an issue. Nonetheless, as the relationship progresses, power struggles and control issues around money may just start surfacing. This creates tension that if not resolved, can put a serious damper on the relationship. Where critical differences exist in your financial expectations, try to negotiate. Work out a way of managing your finances that gives you both some control. In any case, if one is earning more than the other, he/she shouldn’t hold all the control because even if the other is contributing less in the financial aspect, that does not mean he/she is contributing any less in other areas of the relationship. Over all of this, if there are still issues, sit and talk things over. Discussion and cooperation may not confer instant solutions to difficult financial issues, but knowing you and your partner agree about how to approach the situation will help maintain the zing in your relationship.
Arguments by nature are difficult and can even be hurtful and frustrating. And yet, they are a normal natural aspect of any relationship. Like the salt to meat dishes, they add flavor to the lives of couples and help build better relationships. On the other hand, if disputes are handled poorly, they can also potentially wreck a strong relationship. So, in order to avoid this, every disagreement should be carefully handled in a way that would boost relationship satisfaction and pave the way for new growth together. Truly, it’s fun to fight and make up (and out) after knowing you have worked together through it all.
© 2005 Rachelle Arlin Credo. All rights reserved.
Making Your Entertainment More Rational and Less Selfish
Since we are human animal, I believe, entertainment is indispensable to make us even more human, more integrated into the human society. But again, human being is bounded with rationalism, creativity, problems to be settled, focus and most of all humanity. From the aforesaid principles; rationalism, creativities, problems to be settled, focus and humanity, human shall not be ignorant to even their entertainment, which is one of the fundamental rights or I would say, the natural rights of human being. But everything should be in the human context.
The purpose of this essay is to depict an entertainment that I think are too selfish and too inhuman. This entertainment that I depict as “too selfish” and “too inhuman” is FISHING. I will take very simple approaches for our considerations over this issue, but philosophical, legal grounds will be taken into accounted.
I claim that I do eat fish and I do like fish to any other animal, but what I do is necessary, I eat fish so that I can live (filling my physiological needs, which is the most fundamental), but I don’t entertain my self by killing or wounding fish, because I don’t thing this is a “must”, I can escape from it, and enjoy myself with another kind of entertainment.
I. One’s Life is not just for another’s Flashlight Entertainment
Regarding to the concept of humanity, we will definitely can’t seek any rational to defense that fishing is human-like. I once heard a phrase “animals are people too”. This phrase in a very simplistic denotation, means that animal do have hurting-sense and the sense to survive in their own worlds. Many times, after questioning many people; “what do you like dong?”, the answers are mostly fishing.
The idea of debating (through this article) that fishing is an inhuman form of entertainment comes after I went fishing with my immediate relatives. I do not contradict to fishing as government’s business, daily earning of the ordinary people and fish for the daily protein for human kind, but I strongly contradict to the idea of fishing as an entertainment. Entertainment should not be war-like entertainment. I seem to too irrational and even stupid that just a form of entertainment of a person kills other lives (just for funs). I see with my own eyes that people insert the fishing into the fish barbs, those people feel that the fish do not hurt. Fishing is all about “killing”. In order to kill a fish, another animal’s life has to be killed, which is the worm or any other living creature.
People have choices to make funs, but please and please make your funs more rational, more beneficial to the good of many, make your funs be not the grounds for another’s misery.
II. Fishing Leads to Easier Violence Commitment
I may trying to debate though this article that fishing is another kind of violence, the world has experienced too much trauma, and the most brutal trauma is annihilation. Not body want this trauma to happen again, but fishing as the form of entertainment is, I thing, another form of killing living being. The concept to fell disgust with killing, blood, conflict should start very young, to make the most fundamental principle (peace) of the world’s biggest family, United Nations be more likely to achieve.
III. Conclusion
The very basic and jargon that I want to raise again and again is “living being has the right to existence”, and from this we can draw the analogy that every living being is free from being slave of another. You are playing with fish’s life means that you are making fish your slave, which is contradict to the Cambodian, regional, global and international law, but Cambodia, particularly the schools never teach students about such an illegal conduct.
I need another debate to prove that “fishing is rational”, so it would proceed my endeavor against “fishing” further.
Use Alternative Medicine to Ease Depression
Depression is a problem that faces many of us, young or old; baby boomers or generation X. We have a fast lifestyle, we’re working between sixty and eighty hours a week and we have long commutes into the office keeping us away from our families. Pressures, stress and anxiety can gang up on us to cause an uncontrolled depression. Depression can be a symptom of this stress, or it can have a physiological cause as well. If you have cancer, heart disease or chronic pain, you might know all about depression and how debilitating it can be in your life. If you are one of the millions of people suffering from depression, what can you do about it? Are you ready to jump into the world of antidepressants that your doctor so quickly prescribes? We all want the magic bullet, the answer to just make the pain go away.
If you really want answers, sometimes it isn’t that easy. If you want to make the symptoms of depression go away; you have to first find the cause. Modalities through alternative medicine, can assist you with finding exactly why you have depression and give you ideas on how to ease the pain.
If you are someone that believes in mind-body experiences, you know that taking a placebo can have an effect on your body and what you are experiencing physically. The experts can’t agree if an antidepressant works because of the medicine, or because of the placebo effect. There are so many complementary therapies out there for you to try and experiment with. They may not all be for you, but if you are honest with yourself and are patient; you may find something that works for you without taking pharmaceutical drugs. Some of the options available to you include:
• Bibliotherapy - reading self help books gives you a wealth of information to help you understand what may be happening to you and why. Knowledge is power.
• Ayurveda is the practice of knowing yourself and the 3 doshas of your body. If your body is out of balance, you may become depressed. You may not have a deep understanding of self. Medication and prayer are other ways to become tuned to the Universe giving you answers within. Spirituality and becoming closer to a higher power may be enough to have you feel connected and not so alone.
• Herbal treatments such as St. John’s wort, Siberian ginseng, licorice, basil, clove, ginger, thyme increase serotonin in the brain and may help you with depression.
• Essential oils used in aromatherapy can scientifically help you to feel relaxed if you have anxiety or stimulate you if you feel lethargic. Sometimes when we smell a scent that we love, we just feel better too.
• Acupuncture or acupressure can touch the power points of the body and release blocked energy you are experiencing.
• Yoga, Pilates, or just moving to a type of exercise you enjoy can immediately make you feel better; lifting a depression. These are only a few of the options available to you.
Diet is a huge issue when it comes to depression. Do you drink too much caffeine, or consume too much sugar? Are you drinking too much alcohol? Do you have enough vitamins and minerals in your daily diet? You might have food allergies or are you lactose intolerant causing you to feel sluggish and depressed. A thorough examination by a doctor can tell you if you have a deficiency of some kind and what you can do about it. Imbalances of any kind can cause disease physically and emotionally. I have heard it said that if you put junk into your mouth you are digging your grave with your teeth. So what can you do to stop the progression of making poor choices when it comes to eating? Fresh fruits and vegetables or cereals and beans are a good place to start. Avoid the processed stuff because most of the nutrients have been removed. If you consume complex carbohydrates, such as pasta, pancakes, potatoes and oatmeal; you can increase the levels of serotonin in the brain as well.
We often forget about vitamins and having the right balance in the body. Make sure you have enough thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, vitamin B12 and C. Without the right amounts on a daily basis; you could experience irritability, depression, anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, forgetfulness, memory loss, confusion and more. Combine minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chromium, selenium, iron and zinc with your other vitamins in a daily regimen and you will feel better too.
The body and mind are very complex; and by giving yourself the right combinations of treatments, diet, information and medical attention, you will have a better chance of staying healthy and strong. Combine the modalities of alternative medicine with the care of your physician and you are well on your way to feeling better mentally, emotionally and physically.
Beverly Marshall is a successful freelance writer, certified Aromatherapist and Feng Shui consultant. Her many articles offer guidance, suggestions and common sense ideas to change your life. If you are interested in products and information regarding alternative medicine, natural remedies, healthy lifestyles and more; her many articles can be found online.
Shcizophrania
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disease. Approximately 1 percent of the population develops schizophrenia during their lifetime–more than 2 million Americans suffer from the illness in a given year. Although schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency, the disorder often appears earlier in men, usually in the late teens or early twenties, than in women, who are generally affected in the twenties to early thirties. People with schizophrenia often suffer terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal voices not heard by others, or believing that other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. These symptoms may leave them fearful and withdrawn. Their speech and behavior can be so disorganized that they may be incomprehensible or frightening to others. Available treatments can relieve many symptoms, but most people with schizohphrenia continue to suffer some symptoms throughout their lives; it has been estimated that no more than one in five individuals recovers completely.
This is a time of hope for people with schizophrenia and their families. Research is gradually leading to new and safer medications and unraveling the complex causes of the disease. Scientists are using many approaches from the study of molecular genetics to the study of populations to learn about schizophrenia. Methods of imaging the brain’s structure and function hold the promise of new insights into the disorder.
Schizophrenia as an Illness
Schizophrenia is found all over the world. The severity of the symptoms and long-lasting, chronic pattern of schizophrenia often cause a high degree of disability. Medications and other treatments for schizophrenia, when used regularly and as prescribed, can help reduce and control the distressing symptoms of the illness. However, some people are not greatly helped by available treatments or may prematurely discontinue treatment because of unpleasant side effects or other reasons. Even when treatment is effective, persisting consequences of the illness–lost opportunities, stigma, residual symptoms, and medication side effects–may be very troubling.
The first signs of schizophrenia often appear as confusing, or even shocking, changes in behavior. Coping with the symptoms of schizophrenia can be especially difficult for family members who remember how involved or vivacious a person was before they became ill. The sudden onset of severe psychotic symptoms is referred to as an “acute” phase of schizophrenia. “Psychosis,” a common condition in schizophrenia, is a state of mental impairment marked by hallucinations, which are disturbances of sensory perception, and/or delusions, which are false yet strongly held personal beliefs that result from an inability to separate real from unreal experiences. Less obvious symptoms, such as social isolation or withdrawal, or unusual speech, thinking, or behavior, may precede, be seen along with, or follow the psychotic symptoms. Some people have only one such psychotic episode; others have many episodes during a lifetime, but lead relatively normal lives during the interim periods. However, the individual with “chronic” schizophrenia, or a continuous or recurring pattern of illness, often does not fully recover normal functioning and typically requires long-term treatment, generally including medication, to control the symptoms.
Making a Diagnosis
It is important to rule out other illnesses, as sometimes people suffer severe mental symptoms or even psychosis due to undetected underlying medical conditions. For this reason, a medical history should be taken and a physical examination and laboratory tests should be done to rule out other possible causes of the symptoms before concluding that a person has schizophrenia. In addition, since commonly abused drugs may cause symptoms resembling schizophrenia, blood or urine samples from the person can be tested at hospitals or physicians’ offices for the presence of these drugs.
At times, it is difficult to tell one mental disorder from another. For instance, some people with symptoms of schizophrenia exhibit prolonged extremes of elated or depressed mood, and it is important to determine whether such a patient has schizophrenia or actually has a manic-depressive (or bipolar) disorder or major depressive disorder. Persons whose symptoms cannot be clearly categorized are sometimes diagnosed as having a “schizoaffective disorder.”
Can Children Have Schizophrenia?
Children over the age of five can develop schizophrenia, but it is very rare before adolescence. Although some people who later develop schizophrenia may have seemed different from other children at an early age, the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia–hallucinations and delusions–are extremely uncommon before adolescence.
The World of People With Schizophrenia
Distorted Perceptions of Reality
People with schizophrenia may have perceptions of reality that are strikingly different from the reality seen and shared by others around them. Living in a world distorted by hallucinations and delusions, individuals with schizophrenia may feel frightened, anxious, and confused.
In part because of the unusual realities they experience, people with schizophrenia may behave very differently at various times. Sometimes they may seem distant, detached, or preoccupied and may even sit as rigidly as a stone, not moving for hours or uttering a sound. Other times they may move about constantly–always occupied, appearing wide-awake, vigilant, and alert.
Hallucinations and Illusions
Hallucinations and illusions are disturbances of perception that are common in people suffering from schizophrenia. Hallucinations are perceptions that occur without connection to an appropriate source. Although hallucinations can occur in any sensory form–auditory (sound), visual (sight), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste), and olfactory (smell)–hearing voices that other people do not hear is the most common type of hallucination in schizophrenia. Voices may describe the patient’s activities, carry on a conversation, warn of impending dangers, or even issue orders to the individual. Illusions, on the other hand, occur when a sensory stimulus is present but is incorrectly interpreted by the individual.
Delusions
Delusions are false personal beliefs that are not subject to reason or contradictory evidence and are not explained by a person’s usual cultural concepts. Delusions may take on different themes. For example, patients suffering from paranoid-type symptoms–roughly one-third of people with schizophrenia–often have delusions of persecution, or false and irrational beliefs that they are being cheated, harassed, poisoned, or conspired against. These patients may believe that they, or a member of the family or someone close to them, are the focus of this persecution. In addition, delusions of grandeur, in which a person may believe he or she is a famous or important figure, may occur in schizophrenia. Sometimes the delusions experienced by people with schizophrenia are quite bizarre; for instance, believing that a neighbor is controlling their behavior with magnetic waves; that people on television are directing special messages to them; or that their thoughts are being broadcast aloud to others.
Disordered Thinking
Schizophrenia often affects a person’s ability to “think straight.” Thoughts may come and go rapidly; the person may not be able to concentrate on one thought for very long and may be easily distracted, unable to focus attention.
People with schizophrenia may not be able to sort out what is relevant and what is not relevant to a situation. The person may be unable to connect thoughts into logical sequences, with thoughts becoming disorganized and fragmented. This lack of logical continuity of thought, termed “thought disorder,” can make conversation very difficult and may contribute to social isolation. If people cannot make sense of what an individual is saying, they are likely to become uncomfortable and tend to leave that person alone.
Emotional Expression
People with schizophrenia often show “blunted” or “flat” affect. This refers to a severe reduction in emotional expressiveness. A person with schizophrenia may not show the signs of normal emotion, perhaps may speak in a monotonous voice, have diminished facial expressions, and appear extremely apathetic. The person may withdraw socially, avoiding contact with others; and when forced to interact, he or she may have nothing to say, reflecting “impoverished thought.” Motivation can be greatly decreased, as can interest in or enjoyment of life. In some severe cases, a person can spend entire days doing nothing at all, even neglecting basic hygiene. These problems with emotional expression and motivation, which may be extremely troubling to family members and friends, are symptoms of schizophrenia–not character flaws or personal weaknesses.
Normal Versus Abnormal
At times, normal individuals may feel, think, or act in ways that resemble schizophrenia. Normal people may sometimes be unable to “think straight.” They may become extremely anxious, for example, when speaking in front of groups and may feel confused, be unable to pull their thoughts together, and forget what they had intended to say. This is not schizophrenia. At the same time, people with schizophrenia do not always act abnormally. Indeed, some people with the illness can appear completely normal and be perfectly responsible, even while they experience hallucinations or delusions. An individual’s behavior may change over time, becoming bizarre if medication is stopped and returning closer to normal when receiving appropriate treatment.
Are People With Schizophrenia Likely To Be Violent?
News and entertainment media tend to link mental illness and criminal violence; however, studies indicate that except for those persons with a record of criminal violence before becoming ill , and those with substance abuse or alcohol problems, people with Schizophrenia are not especially prone to violence.
Most individuals with schizophrenia are not violent; more typically, they are withdrawn and prefer to be left alone. Most violent crimes are not committed by persons with schizophrenia, and most persons with schizophrenia do not commit violent crimes.
Substance abuse significantly raises the rate of violence in people with schizophrenia but also in people who do not have any mental illness. People with paranoid and psychotic symptoms, which can become worse if medications are discontinued, may also be at higher risk for violent behavior. When violence does occur, it is most frequently targeted at family members and friends, and more often takes place at home.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is a common concern of the family and friends of people with schizophrenia. Since some people who abuse drugs may show symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia, people with schizophrenia may be mistaken for people “high on drugs.” while most researchers do not believe that substance abuse causes schizophrenia, people who have schizophrenia often abuse alcohol and/or drugs, and may have particularly bad reactions to certain drugs. Substance abuse can reduce the effectiveness of treatment for schizophrenia. Stimulants (such as amphetamines or cocaine) may cause major problems for patients with schizophrenia, as may PCP or marijuana. In fact, some people experience a worsening of their schizophrenic symptoms when they are taking such drugs. Substance abuse also reduces the likelihood that patients will follow the treatment plans recommended by their doctors.
Schizophrenia and Nicotine
The most common form of substance use disorder in people with schizophrenia is nicotine dependence due to smoking. While the prevalence of smoking in the U.S. population is about 25 to 30 percent, the prevalence among people with schizophrenia is approximately three times as high. Research has shown that the relationship between smoking and schizophrenia is complex. Although people with schizophrenia may smoke to self medicate their symptoms, smoking interferes with the response to antipsychotic drugs. Several studies have found that schizophrenia patients who smoke need higher doses of antipsychotic medication. Quitting smoking may be especially difficult for people with schizophrenia, because the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal may cause a temporary worsening of schizophrenia symptoms. However, smoking cessation strategies that include nicotine replacement methods may be effective. Doctors should carefully monitor medication dosage and response when patients with schizophrenia either start or stop smoking.
What About Suicide?
Suicide is a serious danger in people who have schizophrenia. If an individual tries to commit suicide or threatens to do so, professional help should be sought immediately. People with schizophrenia have a higher rate of suicide than the general population. Approximately 10 percent of people with schizophrenia (especially younger adult males) commit suicide. Unfortunately, the prediction of suicide in people with schizophrenia can be especially difficult.
Get Out of Jail Free: Stop Being Defensive
When Marcus and Sally first met they immediately felt like
kindred spirits. Marcus was generally warm and open. But as
their relationship continued, Sally noticed that sometimes when
he was upset he had trouble talking. When she asked Marcus what
was bothering him, he would reply that nothing was wrong. Only
when she coaxed him would he eventually tell her. As time went
on, his resistance increased. The more she probed, the more
reluctant he was . . . neither of them felt an ounce of kinship;
they didn’t even like each other. (Taking the War Out of Our
Words, pp. 8-9) Sadly, this is how many of us expect a
relationship to unfold. After the “honeymoon period” and “real
life” sets in, people get into ongoing conflicts that erode the
bond of love between them, imprisoning them in long-term power
struggles. It happens with our children and our own parents, as
well as with our intimate partner or spouse. Is this just the
way things have to be? I don’t think so. I believe that most of
us, whatever our race or culture, have learned a way of talking
to each other that is based on the “rules of war.” So, for
centuries, we’ve been using rules for talking to each other that
actually create and intensify conflict! How does it work? Well,
in a war, whenever you feel threatened by someone, you get
defensive. And that’s just what we do in our relationships, even
with the people we love most. How long does it take you to get
defensive? When I ask audience members how long it takes to get
defensive when someone pushes their buttons or puts them down,
the answers range from “a nano-second” to “instantly!” What
about you? In Sally’s case, she got more aggressive as time went
on. When Marcus would say, ‘I told you, nothing is wrong!”‘
Sally would move quickly into her own anger . . . ‘Look, I am
not a stupid woman. I can tell when something is wrong!’ (TWOW,
p. 9) Marcus is sending a double message, glowering in his chair
while saying he’s not upset, and Sally is trying to force him to
talk. Both are behaving in ways that are manipulative and
controlling. What can we do differently? Well, this is a big
task, but one I believe is well worth the effort. The skills we
need to communicate non-defensively are actually rather simple.
When I teach them to third graders they learn them quickly. As
adults, we have more to unlearn and we often resist change. Here
are some key steps. Number One: The non-defensive mind and heart
setStop trying to control the other person: For example, we can
give up the idea of “getting through” to the other person,
making her or him listen to us or admit something. Whenever we
do that, are trying to force the other person to change. Such
force creates war. Number Two: Disarming questions Focus on
curiosity: When Marcus, slumped and scowling, says he is “fine,”
Sally does have an important piece of information. For some
reason he can’t or won’t talk about what is going on. Sally had
begun to work on her own defensiveness, and one day when Marcus
seemed upset, she asked him gently, without conveying any
coaxing, demand or accusation: Are you going to refuse to talk
to me if I ask you what is wrong?” Sally reported that Marcus
sat stone-silent for a while and then “it was as if the stone
melted, and tears streamed down his face. (Taking the War Out of
Our Words, p. 98) They had the best talk they’d had in years. It
can seem like a miracle when we ask a question that is simply
curious, when we don’t try to control the answer. Sally said she
and Marcus had the best talk they’d had in years. But what if
the person doesn’t open up? What do we do then? Number Three:
Giving FeedbackBe honest without blame: We can tell the person
what we are witnessing without trying to prove our point. Sally
could say to Marcus, (1) “When I hear you say that you are fine,
which usually means to me that someone is in a pretty good mood,
and (2) (2) at the same time I see you frowning and slumped in
your chair, then (3) (3) it seems to me that you are upset, but
don’t want to tell me why.” In one sentence, Sally has given
Marcus information about what she thinks his words are saying,
what she sees his body expressing that contradicts his words,
and what her conclusion is about why he is acting that way. But
she has not tried in any way to force him to admit to anything
or to do anything differently. Number Four: Express your own
thoughts, feelings and beliefsShare your own vulnerability.
Once the person knows how we see the situation, we can express
our own reactions without being defensive. Sally might continue
her statement to Marcus by saying: (4) “So I feel helpless, and
it’s hard for me not to try to make you talk, but I don’t think
that is good for either of us.” Number Five: Predictions (Limit
Setting)Create security by being predictable: We can tell the
other person ahead of time how we will respond to certain
choices he or she might make. Sally can let Marcus know what she
will do if he decides either to talk or not to talk. For
example, she might say, (1) “If you decide to tell me what is
going on, I would really like to talk to you about it. (2) If
you don’t want to talk, then I’m going to go work in the yard so
I don’t get tempted to try to drag it out of you.” The Outcome:
We simply gather information, give information, and provide
security by letting the person know how we are going to respond
to certain choices he or she might make. Never do we try to
control the other person’s responses. Even if the other person
stays defensive, we can be more peaceful and we can communicate
with integrity and clarity. We can set boundaries that keep us
out of power struggle and strengthen our own self-esteem. The
miracle is how often the other person will drop her or his
defenses and open up. After a decade of fighting when Marcus
withdrew in silence, Sally’s single question dissolved his
defenses and he was able to tell her about the war going on
inside of him that kept him from talking when he was upset. This
article is based on the book Taking the War Out of Our Words by
Sharon Ellison, available through your local bookstore or
favorite online bookseller. Sharon Ellison, M.S. is an award
winning speaker and international consultant.