Archive for January, 2008
Aching Back? Put Your Mind To It
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Study in Journal PAIN Describes Relief by Mindfulness Meditation
Mood and Food for Thought
Monday, January 28th, 2008
My son is allergic to green peas and his reactions are life threatening. He is intolerant to a lot of other foods as well, and as we’ve found out, so am I.
We changed our family diet some years ago now, for the sake of us all. I used to cheat, but I also kept track of my diet, and after a while my wife noticed that when I ate certain foods I would become very depressed 2 days later. (Almost to the hour.) Unfortunately chocolate was the worst! She mentioned this bizarre discovery to our allergy specialist who said “Yes, food does cause mood swings!”
Food allergies and intolerances are very different things. Food allergies trigger the immune system, and the sufferer’s body reacts, for example with swelling or hives. Food intolerance is about thresholds. You can eat the foods that you’re intolerant to, but you’ll have a reaction if you go over your threshold. Food intolerance is very common; much more than people seem to realize.
The reactions can be amazing. In me the intolerance causes depression. My wife feels bloated and lethargic. The kids get aggressive and irritable. Other people report anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, obsessive compulsive behaviour and even social phobias. Migraines and stomach aches are also common.
So, avoid the colours, flavours and preservatives! Yes. But normal fresh foods also contain natural chemicals like salicylates, amines and glutamates. Many people eat these in abundance, and even on their own they can cause plenty of problems. The chocolate I eat may be free of colors, flavors and preservatives, but it is very high in natural amines which causes me plenty of grief.
If you eat problem foods every day, and take the symptoms of intolerance for granted, then you may be missing something that is key to your mental health. If this could be you, then it is really worth following it through.
Our family kept to a strict chemical-free diet for some years to remove the problem foods. A common way for an allergy specialist or dietician to test for the culprits is to prescribe a strict chemical free diet for a few weeks until symptoms disappear. They will then give a series of oral “challenge tests” to see which food chemicals and artificial additives are causing problems.
I once took aspirin as a challenge, and it won. Apparently aspirin is pure salicylate, and it sent me out of my tree.
More information:
RPAH Allergy Unit
Food and Mood Guide
Your Personality Type Influences How Much Self-control You Have
Monday, January 28th, 2008
A new study from Northwestern introduces personality types used frequently in consumer research to the realm of self-improvement. People are motivated by one of two fundamental needs: they are either "promotion-focused," seeking products that will help them achieve hopes and aspirations, or they are "prevention-focused," seeking items that help achieve a need for safety and security. According to the research, people are better able to exercise self-control when they choose goal-pursuit strategies -- such as diets or money management -- that "fit" with their promotion or prevention focus.
Key Factor In Stress Effects On The Brain Identified
Monday, January 28th, 2008
Acute and chronic stress can have devastating effects on the brain, and Yale School of Medicine researchers have pinpointed one receptor that plays a key role in that harmful cycle.
Laughter Is The Best Medicine
Monday, January 28th, 2008
Laughter is the best medicine. We've heard the expression time and again. For decades, researchers have explored how humor helps patients relieve stress and heal. Melissa B. Wanzer, EdD, professor of communication studies at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, has taken it one step further, with her research on how humor helps medical professionals cope with their difficult jobs. She also looked at how humor affects the elderly and how it can increase communication in the workplace and in the classroom.
New tool probes brain circuits
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
Method applied to learning/memory pathway
Don’t worry, be (moderately) happy, research suggests
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
Could the pursuit of happiness go too far? Most self-help books on the subject offer tips on how to maximize one's bliss, but a new study suggests that moderate happiness may be preferable to full-fledged elation.
Unanimous Union: The mind and body together lean toward ‘truthiness’
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
'Truthiness,' according to television satirist Stephen Colbert, represents the human preference to follow our intuition despite the presence of facts or evidence. For example, the more ambiguous an answer to a question, the more likely an individual will believe it is truthful.
We All Need to Be Embarrassed………….by David
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
If you treat someone differently (poorly) when you are around other people, as opposed to when it is just the two of you, then I believe you need to be told (or embarrassed). If you're told this and you are embarrassed, then you probably didn't realize you were doing it. If you're told this, you may grin and say "yes, dear". In this case you may not even care.
When I encounter people who do this it almost feels like I'm in high school again. If these people could only know or realize how they are acting, they might be embarrassed and make changes in their behavior. This will only happen if they aren't too far gone into the world they call, "me first".
Another thing people do to one degree or another is justifying our bad behavior. We blame our failures in life on other people rather than ourselves. We are so stuck in this behavior that we can't see we are depriving ourselves and our children of a happy life and I emphasize our children, because that is probably how our parents presented themselves to us. Their example for us was by not taking responsibility for ones 'self.
How do we finally change these things from happening, this passing of bad behavior from one generation to another? I believe the only way is to change our behavior and set a good example. If we did that, we would no longer need to be embarrassed.
Please visit:
Ozzie Reviews Avon
When I encounter people who do this it almost feels like I'm in high school again. If these people could only know or realize how they are acting, they might be embarrassed and make changes in their behavior. This will only happen if they aren't too far gone into the world they call, "me first".
Another thing people do to one degree or another is justifying our bad behavior. We blame our failures in life on other people rather than ourselves. We are so stuck in this behavior that we can't see we are depriving ourselves and our children of a happy life and I emphasize our children, because that is probably how our parents presented themselves to us. Their example for us was by not taking responsibility for ones 'self.
How do we finally change these things from happening, this passing of bad behavior from one generation to another? I believe the only way is to change our behavior and set a good example. If we did that, we would no longer need to be embarrassed.
Please visit:
Ozzie Reviews Avon
Sports machismo may be cue to male teen violence
Saturday, January 26th, 2008
The sports culture surrounding football and wrestling may be fueling aggressive and violent behavior not only among teen male players but also among their male friends and peers on and off the field, according to a Penn State study.