I don't want to catch your sadness

The attitude of a person could rub off on people but can it literally rub off on people?

Happiness and sadness can actually be infectious. As Fox News reports studies from Harvard University. The study featured a sample of 1801 people. They monitored the feelings of the person at each visit by the people that they came in contact with.

When it came to being content it was less "contagious" but once "caught" the effects lasted longer than discontent. Discontent was easier to "catch" and easier to shake off.

So, when you are with someone who is unhappy or happy their feelings can literally rub off on you. Sometimes it's just a matter of events in their life but other times it's the people that surround them.

"While emotions can be contagious like disease, they also show that they can result from one’s own life events, rather than just being contagious."

Pull the plug or hold on

When your computer starts acting up it's easy to just pull the plug but when your friend is in a vegetary state is pulling the plug really the right decision?

Richard Rudd was in a comatose state and hooked up to life support when they pulled the plug. But then Richard Rudd blinked and they realized that he could hear and feel but he couldn't speak.

After realizing that he could blink they asked him if he wanted to live and he answered with blinks. . . he did.

This story will possibly cause an uproar for people who are in a vegetable state and hooked up to life support. How does a person know when the plug should be pulled? How do you deal with the guilt of keeping someone alive when they would be better off dead but how would you deal with the guilt of pulling the plug when there's a possibility of that person living.

Many bloggers write as to whether or not they support the idea of pulling the plug. In the end it depends on the situation and the family.

Rush Limbaugh, an influential Republican radio broadcaster, confessed his addiction to pain med in 2003. Celebrities all over the world are addicted to pain meds and are constantly being put in rehab whether it's Brittany Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Robert Downy Junior Kurt Cobaine, or Janis Joplin.

In a recent news story on ABC news it talked about how pain med addiction is up 400 percent in just the last decade, "In 2008, nearly 10 percent reported abusing common prescription drugs such as Vicodin, OxyContin or morphine, according to the study released Thursday."

With so many addicted to these substances what are some signs to look for in order to not further the addiction.

• Loss of control over medication use
• More frequent use of the medication per day
• Taking medication for other reasons besides pain, such as when depressed
• Taking medication that was prescribed for another person

With addiction to pain medications steadily rising, it's become apparent that these signs are significant to look for if you or someone you love is taking pain medications.

Warning: Art may cause suicide

Music, art work, books, television encourage the thoughts to suicide.

In a recent story on CNN it said that "Images of suicide, be they in art, cinema or news media, can make the act seem more real to vulnerable people, who have probably been suffering from depression or other mental illness and feel stressed, experts say. Something like the mosaic at Dostoevskaya isn't all bad or good, but it can affect people already at risk, said Nadine Kaslow, a psychologist at Emory University."

Listening to the wrong music or reading the wrong book can lead someone who is already weak to commit suicide. My own mother swears that my brother experience suicidal thoughts because of the music he listened to. Do we sometimes listen to songs that encourage sadness? Just as listening to a song can make us happy it can also make us sad.

Studies have shown that when the music is preferred it doesn't tend to have negative emotional effects but when it comes to heavy metal and not liking it, it leaves you feeling hostile and angry.

Wearing heels is a heel

Your high heels may create an air of professionalism and they may make you look "hot" but what effects do they have on your body?

A recent news story on CNN said, "Wearing two-inch heels (or higher) five or more days a week shrinks a woman's calf muscle fibers by 13 percent, on average. It also thickens her Achilles tendon -- which attaches the calf muscle to the heel -- by 22 percent, according to the study, which was published Thursday in the Journal of Experimental Biology."

Apparently this news isn't too new. www.personalhealthzone.com shows several studies where wearing high heels can be an impediment and have negative effects on feet. It can cause heel problems, toe problems, postural problems and of course there are the safety effects of wearing heels.

There is also the rumor that heels were invented for the benefit of men. Some see heels as a sex symbol or making us more submissive to the male gender. So are wearing high heels really worth it?

Paranoid hypochondriac. Is what you're feeling, what you think you're feeling really a medical issue or has a past medical issue made you think your every scrape or bruise is a disease?

This was how it was for Jason Zimmerman, who was diagnosed with cancer three times. Even today, when it's been over a decade since his cancer went into remission, he still gets scared that a bruise could mean cancer. But how many people have this problem or are just paranoid or a hypochondriac.

Hypochondria, as defined by www.medterms.com is "a disorder characterized by a preoccupation with body functions and the interpretation of normal body sensations (such as sweating) or minor abnormalities (such as minor aches and pains) as portending problems of major medical moment. Reassurance by physicians and others only serves to increase the hypochondriac's persistent anxiety about their health."

When something hurts or we think something hurts is there something really wrong with us or are we just over reacting. I recently suffered a head injury. Before this I had occasional dizzy spells but they were a monthly occurrence. After my head injury the dizzy spells became a daily incident. Was I paranoid? I thought I was. I avoided the doctors for weeks. After a particularly bad episode I went to the doctor.

With several different studies done on me they still haven't diagnosed what is wrong with me. With these occurrences I have become obsessed with other possible medical issues. I still wonder if my problem is legit or if I am just a hypochondriac.

Love hurts. . .literally

You ever love someone so much that you struggle to breathe when you think about it? Ever been dumped when you loved someone? It hurts.

The Journal of Neurophysiology shows that the rejected crave love the same way a person craves drugs. It's especially noticed in romantic relationships. When you have it and then it's suddenly taken it away, it becomes an addiction. This could explain the rebound. A person goes from having a strong relationship with love and romance and then it's gone. What do they do? They find someone else to have those feelings with but sometimes they find those feelings with the wrong person.

The recovery process isn't easy. But just with drugs the addiction will go away. Some people can do drugs and feel no real addiction while others can and feel totally addicted. It differs with each person. Feelings of love differ with each person and you have to keep that in mind when you are dating someone and you feel that they feel more or less strong about your relationship.















http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/12/rejected.love.addiction/index.html

Raising the price will lower the fat

Raising the prices on soda reduces America’s wasteline.

When the prices are raised on something then the consumption tends to drop. This trend is common and it’s just as common with raising prices on what we call pop, soda or soft drinks.

A hospital in Boston recently experimented with this trend by raising the cost on soft drinks by 35%. The sale of soft drinks dropped 26% with this drop.

By increasing prices on soda it reduces consumption and by reducing consumption it can reduce the waistline of Americans. Fooddemocracy.com said, “The relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times.”

If Americans aren’t drinking soda then they are decreasing their chances of getting fatter and from other health risks, “Adolescents who consume soft drinks display a risk of bone fractures three to four-fold higher than those who do not.”
Soft drinks are unhealthy, they amount to at least 7 percent of all calories consumed by a person daily and sticking a couple coins in a machine won’t buy a soda for much longer when the price keeps steadily increasing.

The sky is falling or maybe you are just depressed

Its not the wheelchair, the lead dog or chemotherapy that ranks the highest patients with disabilities between the age of 15 and 44.

Approximately 14.8 million American adults have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder this year. My sister was one of the 14.8 million people. She dropped out of college, dated men who mistreated her, gained a lot of weight, stopped associating with friends and left the Church.

Why? How can we catch the symptoms of depression before they become a major disorder? If a person has five or more of these symptoms, for over two weeks then something may be wrong:

Agitation, restlessness, and irritability
Dramatic change in appetite, often with weight gain or loss
Extreme difficulty concentrating
Fatigue and lack of energy
Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
Feelings of worthlessness, self-hate, and inappropriate guilt
Inactivity and withdrawal from usual activities, a loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed
Thoughts of death or suicide
Trouble sleeping or excessive sleeping

These symptoms can be treated by making the person aware of them. Seek counseling, advice from a doctor, medication, or a change in lifestyle. Be aware of yourself and others around you. My sister used her depression as an excuse instead of something to overcome.

Can you finish reading this and not get distracted?

A quiz, recently posted on MSN, tested to see if adults had Attention Defecit Disorder (ADHD). More of these quizzes are being posted for more adults than just for children.

It's not just children affected by ADHD. 4.1% of adults in the U.S. suffer from ADHD while children lead with 8% between ages 3-17.

Adults suffering with any of these signs are warned to see a doctor if they are present:
• difficulty paying attention to details and tendency to make careless mistakes in school or other activities; producing work that is often messy and careless
• easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli and frequently interrupting ongoing tasks to attend to trivial noises or events that are usually ignored by others
• inability to sustain attention on tasks or activities
• difficulty finishing schoolwork or paperwork or performing tasks that require concentration
• frequent shifts from one uncompleted activity to another
• procrastination
• disorganized work habits
• forgetfulness in daily activities (for example, missing appointments, forgetting to bring lunch)
• failure to complete tasks such as homework or chores
• frequent shifts in conversation, not listening to others, not keeping one's mind on conversations, and not following details or rules of activities in social situations

While these symptoms may not seem life altering when looked at independently, they are a big deal when several of them are combined. If you feel they are present then consider seeing your doctor to get treatment.

I'm so addicted to. . .

Alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling and cigarretes pop into my head when I hear the word addiction but how many Americans suffer from extreme addictions to other things?

I recently looked up types of addictions and while the list mentioned above showed up there were other addictions that listed including: Food, shopping, work, video games, and the internet.

While we frown upon those addicted to the things listed in the beginning we need to be aware of what an addiction is and what we could possibly be addicted to. Addiction symptoms, according to www.addictionz.com are
• Resentful Attitudes
• Risky Behaviors
• Aggressiveness or Passiveness
• Mood Swings
• Physical Symptoms
o Weight gain or loss - using food as a drug to calm the storms
o Addiction to prescription or other drugs
o Nervous twitches and ticks
• Reactive Behavior instead of proactive behavior
• Always feeling overwhelmed
o Not trusting of your own feelings
o Never feeling good enough
o Depression, Anxiety and Lethargy

Addictions can come in any form. Be aware that there are addictions that may not seem so ordinary.
Avoiding addiction should include finding balance and moderation.

Tattoos and FHE brothers

I told my FHE brothers that I was once gothic and had an eyebrow ring, tongue rings and a few tattoos. They believed me, only because I hadn't been to FHE (for good reasons) and they thought I was a rebel. They told me that they would be more than willing to burn my off.

As I was surfing through recent health blogs and news stories I came across one on tattoo removal. I became curious and wondered what the process and effects are from getting a tattoo removed.

The U.S. Food And Drug Administration in, April 2006, estimated that over 45 million people in America have a tattoo. According to The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in March 2005, 24% of the general U.S. population has a tattoo and 17% of those who have a tattoo have considered having it removed. There are currently about 307,000,000 people in America. So according to the statistics about 73 million Americans have a tattoo and of that 73 million at least lhaf;fha;ljf want to get their tattoo removed.

Thats a lot of people wanting to get a tattoo removed. What are their options. About.com suggest several ways to get a tattoo removed the first is laser removal, intense pulsed light therapy, dermabrasion(sanding it off, very painful), do-it-yourself creams or you can just use cover-up.

The most effective way is laser removal but its costly, time consuming and most of the time it doesn't completely remove evidence of the tattoo.

The point of this is....don't get a tattoo and if you have one...good luck getting it removed.

First Gynecology visit

I spent two summers working at a gynecology office and so the words Vagina and pap-smear don't bother me. Actually the pap-smear procedure doesn't bother me at all. I've recently encountered a lot of engaged friends who feel otherwise. A lot of them are either scared, nervous and they think the whole procedure is going to be a nightmare, a life altering experience.

I'm here to tell these women that the experience isn't such a big deal. It doesn't matter if the Doctor is male or female or if they do expect you to strip and put on a gown. Yes, they will expect you to do this. They will expect you to do and know other things as well.

Here is a list of things to remember when you go for your first visit to the gynecologist
-Be aware of any problems
You should always see your gynecologist if you experience:
any unusualy and/ or persistent vaginal discharge,
bleeding between periods,
or bleeding after sexual intercourse.

-Know what questions you want to ask
If you have questions about sex or other female questions don't be afraid to ask. It's his job to know and help you.

-Bring your Insurance card and a photo id
Most times they will send you home if you can't certify as a new patient.

-Know your co-payment
It's not the receptionists job, its yours.
-Ask before hand if they need to draw blood
If they plan to draw blood then you'll probably have to fast that morning, so be aware if they need your blood.
-Know your body. Know when and how often you have your period.
Know your past history and be very open with the doctor. In order for him to understand you'll have to share this information.

Its not just the mother who suffers from postpartum depression. An article by CNN recently said that men, fathers, suffer from postpartum depression

A case of the fats

You're always told not to skip breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day. Did anyone ever tell you why?

It seems easy to just starve yourself of calories. How come this dieting tip doesn't work in the long run? Starving yourself simply slows down your metabolism. Skipping meals in the beginning of the day will only sabotage your goal to lose weight because you'll end up binging later on in the day and it slows down your metabolism.

Studies show that eating the majority of your food earlier in the day will help you to lose weight, from www. scienceblog.com, a University of Texas at El Paso researcher says, "morning meals satisfy our hunger better and seem to reduce overindulgence throughout the day, bolstering the importance of breakfast in controlling our weight."

It's not magical, it's practical. Start your day with a substantial breakfast and eat small portions of healthy and satisfying snacks through out the day. www.mayoclinic.com says, "That's why if you try so-called starvation diets, your body compensates by slowing down these bodily processes and conserving calories for survival."

Your metabolism works to digest your food but if you're not sticking food in there then it goes into starvation mode. You're body begins to compensate for all of those times you starved yourself. By starving yourself, you confuse your body and it starts converting those calories into fat.

The best way to lose weight is to regulate your metabolism and the best way to regulate is your metabolism is by exercising and eating frequent but smaller, healthier portions of food.

Autism to me

Rage, OCD habits and were things I never saw in my best friend Mariah. I knew she was autistic but I didn't really know what it meant.

I knew Mariah, my autistic friend, couldn't give me a straight answer. I knew she couldn't hold a real conversation but I didn't know the extent of her problem until I talked to my mother about it. Hannah wet the bed, she became very moody and angry with her family. Scars riddled her body where she would pick at her skin for no reason and sometimes she would smear her own feces all over the wall.

I never saw any of this. I once spent a whole week at camp with her. She also stayed at my house on several occasions. She was also capable of practically taking care of herself. She wasn't retarded, as many of my friends assumed she was.

Although it later became apparent that she had these disabilities, I knew she wasn't mentally challenged or as some of the kids would call her, retarded.

While autistic children tend to have communication and learning disabilities, each case is unique. A child with autism isn't the same as a child with retardation. My experience with autism has shown me that it is the inability of a child to focus on things that fully functioning people consider important.

So often autistic children are focused on insignificant details and tend to have a hard time making decisions about practical matters. Many times autism is identified by the age of three. The most defining sign is the child won't make eye contact with people. According to www.autism-society.org, symptoms of autism are these:

Lack of or delay in spoken language
Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects)
Little or no eye contact
Lack of interest in peer relationships
Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play
Persistent fixation on parts of objects

But with their communication and focusing difficulties there is still room for a good deal of improvement. A lot of autistic children, with help, can come out of their shell.

When I first met Mariah she never talked, she never participated and she couldn't make up her mind. After spending countless hours with her, I saw drastic changes. She would dance at dances, go off and do things adeptly on her own and she even told me to shut up when I got on her nerves.

Each case of autism is very unique. There are exceptions to the things on the list above. Their disabilities and their abilities differ significantly in each autistic child.

I worked with a girl in high school who also had autism but her attitude was far different from that of Mariah's. My friends brother has autism and is able to attend college. Many people consider autism a form of retardation but really it is much different.

Falling asleep a little faster

I can’t sleep when I wear socks to bed. Socks are just a restriction, my feet can't breathe. I've found the reasons why I have problems sleeping at night. There could be many reasons why you aren’t getting a good nights sleep and here are a few that I find have an effect on me.

Use your bed just for sleeping
-Doing your homework, watching movies or playing games in bed makes your body think that your bed is a place where you stay awake. Keep the bed as a just a place to sleep.
-If you eat or exercise just a few hours before bed then your body is wired for that. Try winding down by reading or doing something relaxing a couple hours before bed.

Avoid caffeine in the afternoon
-By bedtime that caffeinated beverage from your afternoon is set in your system and you won’t sleep as quickly as you like.

Don’t take naps after 12 p.m.
-Don’t take late afternoon or evening naps. This makes your body think that you’ve had your bedtime all ready. This will only complicate the falling asleep process.

Stress
-Laying in bed and thinking about all your problems isn’t the best thing to do. Your mind is working at it day rate and therefore sleep will escape your grasp for even longer.

Sometimes is a mixture of all of these things or one. Think about what could be keeping you awake at night and try and find remedies to fix the problem.

old people getting better sleep than the young

It’s not just the sleep of death that men and women have to look forward to as they reach or pass the age of 100.

Accoring to www.sciencedaily.com did a survey of 15,638 over the age of 65. 2,800 people surveyed were over the age of 100 and of those 2,800, 70% of them were more likely to report good nights of sleep compared to the younger ones.

Why are older people sleeping better than the slightly over the top middle aged one’s? While extremely old people seem to be getting a better nights rest, why are college students not?

In a 2005 Sleep in America poll 22% report that it takes 30 minutes or more to fall asleep on most night. While a lot of people have difficulties falling asleep, college students are finding that their lack of sleep is having an effect on their performance as students.

USA today interviewed a psychology professor, Pamel Thacher, who said, "if you use all-nighters, your GPA is slightly lower on average," Thacher says. "Pulling all-nighters compromises your (overall) sleep" and makes it difficult to reach full academic potential.

While some of it is students throwing all nighters, some reasons are more subtle. Eating habits, napping during the day and high stress levels may contribute to these poor sleep habits. Read my next blog to find ways to improve your sleep habits.