Emotional Upsets As We Age - Adult Health and Wellness

By Erica Goodstone, Ph.D.

As we age, it is more likely that we will eventually experience emotional upsets, loss and change. Many of us go from busy, full time workers or full time parents to partial workers, empty nesters and grandparents, to full time retirees, with or without a life partner, adequate financial resources, secure housing, or a network of close family and friends. We may move from a familiar neighborhood to a different retirement community. Friends, neighbors, close relatives and even our beloved house pets may become ill and pass away. Depending upon whether we have developed the positive mental attitudes, uplifting and life affirming spiritual connections, healthy lifestyle, social contacts, and continued passion for living - which researchers describe as the formula for healthy aging - we are more likely to suffer more from illness, disability and emotional instability as we age.

Complications of Emotional Upsets and Stress

Stress Accelerates Cellular Aging

Research is beginning to substantiate the devastating effects of long term stress on health and aging. Telomeres, the DNA-protein structures that cap the ends of chromosomes and promote genetic stability, appear to play important roles in cellular aging and disease. Elisa Epel and colleagues examined the effects of psychological stress on telomere maintenance in 58 healthy premenopausal women. Results, appearing in the December 1, 2004 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicate that the psychologically stressed women had shorter telomeres and less telomerase, a telomere producing enzyme which affects immune function cells in the blood.

Stressful Jobs Affect Health of the Elderly.

In workers over age 60, problems on the job raise blood pressure in although these older workers often claim to be less upset and less sad than younger employees when work problems hit. They seem to "feel" less emotion, but their bodies reveal greater stress factors. Older workers may be more vulnerable to heart and cardiovascular problems if they remain in high-pressure jobs or situations.

Emotional Stress May Precipitate Heart Problems

Emotional stress can precipitate severe left ventricular heart valve dysfunction in patients who do not apparently have coronary disease. This reversible condition, called myocardial stunning, cardiac stunning or myocardial stress, is brought on by severe emotional stress. Research corroborates the phenomenon that severe emotional stress and heartbreak, such as the break up, loss, or death of a a loved one, can release an onslaught of stress hormones that cause the heart muscle to contract and spasm, possibly leading to severe complications and even loss of life.

Emotions Affect Blood Cells

Photos of frozen water crystals imbued with different emotions appeared in the book, The Hidden Messages in Water by Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto. Inspired by these photos, Rebecca Marina attempted to replicate the experiment by having her own blood samples photographed on slides while she caused herself to feel specific emotions.

She focused first on sadness. In this photograph, her blood cells seemed to actually take on the formation of teardrops and were seen moving rapidly (rather than slowly and sluggishly as we might expect) with a lot of white blood cells predominant, more so than in a normal blood sample.

When she felt fear, the blood cells moved around rapidly and frantically with an increased number of white blood cells and then stopped moving rather abruptly, as if exhausted.

Feelings of love produced slower, more placid movement and some sparkly substance in the fluid. Interestingly, when she felt love, the blood cells on the "sadness" slide that had remained on the screen began to change. In other words, even when her blood was no longer inside her body, her feelings of love actually affected the movement, shape and quality of her blood cells on the slide.

But the most astounding effect was when she focused on Divine Mother or spiritual love and peace. The fluid part of the blood became clear, the movement of the cells was placid, and the cells were just gliding along. The white blood cells that showed had a white glowing center and a pulsation in that center almost like a heartbeat! And some of the cells actually took on a heart shape. (EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique Research)

Dr. Erica Goodstone has helped thousands of men, women, couples, and groups to develop greater awareness of the issues in their relationships and their lives, to overcome and alleviate stressors and discords, and revitalize their relationships and their own mind-body-spirit connection. Dr. Goodstone can be contacted through her web site at http://www.DrEricaWellness.com

The Importance of Senior Health

By Stephanie Rice

Growing older often means a heightened awareness of our bodies and common ailments that can occur more frequently. Issues such as incontinence, joint and muscle stiffness, or lack of balance become normal parts of our lives that we can minimize by pursuing a healthy, active lifestyle. Listening more closely to what your body is telling you, and incorporating some basic habits into your daily routine can greatly improve quality of life and possibly prevent some more serious health issues in the future.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a senior is very important and can be implemented with a few simple changes. Proper senior care and senior health can not only improve your quality of living, but can also extend the length of your life. It keeps the mind and body fit, protects against and fights off disease, and keeps current ailments from growing worse.

Ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle includes staying active. Participate in fun, rigorous activities such as water aerobics, brisk walking, golf or tennis. With increased activity, it's important to maintain a healthy diet as well. A complete daily vitamin is vital for supplementing your daily food intake. Make sure to eat well-balanced meals and in moderation. Taking in more calories per day than is burned could lead to obesity and other serious health ailments such as diabetes. Overall, you should remain active as you grow older and continue to eat foods that are full of nutritional value that also contain important vitamins and minerals to sustain a healthy, active body.

Common Senior Health Ailments
The natural aging process occurs both mentally and physically over the years, and it's our job to make sure we are providing both our brain and our body with regular tune ups. Medical experts believe that there is a strong correlation between staying physically active and maintaining a sound mind. When the body constantly utilizes the mind to perform physical activities, the mind grows stronger and, as research has shown, can slow down the progress of mental diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Although age undeniably takes its toll on the mind and body, there are numerous ways to prevent or even ease the progression of certain ailments. For instance, osteoporosis can be prevented early by getting daily recommended amounts of calcium and Vitamin D. Frequently participating in weight-bearing activities or exercise also helps to lessen the chances of developing osteoporosis. Diabetes can be prevented or delayed by increasing your level of physical activity and maintaining a healthy well-balanced diet. A healthy diet and regular exercise along with maintaining an active physical and social life has also been suggested to prevent or slow down Alzheimer's. While these are only a few ailments many seniors face today and some potential preventative measures for each, preventative health care and treatment options are available for nearly all senior health concerns.

Advice for Living an Active Adult Lifestyle
Healthy adult lifestyles can often prevent health care issues from occurring or help seniors to improve their quality of life. Preventative senior care is vital to senior health and for keeping our body and minds fit as we grow older. Certain activities may thwart off illness, and will actually improve mental and physical functions. Here is a list of preventative health care activities for both the body and mind:

• Maintain a healthy diet - A healthy diet, rich in fiber, calcium, fruits and vegetables, is key in preventing or delaying most senior-related ailments. Providing your body and mind with necessary nutrients and vitamins is essential for senior health.
• Exercise - Regular, non-strenuous daily exercise keeps your heart, bones, and other vitals working as they should. Physical activity can prevent a variety of physical ailments including heart attacks, and can help build up bone mass (helpful in the prevention of osteoporosis). However, it also has a large range of mental benefits, and helps to improve brain function - which is important in thwarting the progression of Alzheimer's.
• Leisure Activities - Leisure activities encompass anything that provides a relaxing environment combining a social, physical, and mental aspect. This improves areas in both the body and mind which has proven effective in preventing or slowing the progression of Alzheimer's as well as many other senior health concerns.
• Exercise Your Mind - Exercise your mind on a daily basis by learning something new, playing games, participating in social activities, reading, and anything else that challenges your brain and offers an opportunity to expand your knowledge.

Preventative Senior Care
Generally, your family practitioner can help you decide where to go for certain diagnostic tests, or will perform the tests themselves. These tests may include anything from a bone density analysis to hearing tests to sleep studies. If you're concerned about symptoms, see your doctor for advice on the correct path to take.

Stephanie Rice is has been devoted to senior health and [http://www.floridasenior360.com/learn/health_wellness_for_seniors]senior care for over 11 years. She works as a social worker with a diversity of long term senior health facilities and has been influential in the building of http://www.FloridaSenior360.com - a Website dedicated to senior health and elder care.

Preventing Falls In The Older Adult

By Sharon Rowe

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), in 2005 433,000 adults 65 years and older were hospitalized due to injuries related to nonfatal falls. 15,800 people in this same age group died as a result of injuries sustained from falls. These numbers are staggering and they have grown significantly in the last decade.

With many older adults living alone today and with an increase of older adults in our population; this due primarily to the baby boomers ( people born from 1946 to 1964) the number of older people in our population is expected to make a dramatical increase over the next several years.

In 2005, 35.9 million people in the United States were aged 65 years or older. This was an increase from 35.0 million older adults counted in 1990. What do all these numbers mean? It simply means we're living longer and these numbers will continue to grow. We are finding more and more older adults who are self sufficient and able to not only live alone, but to take care of themselves. Individuals who are able to take care of themselves but need help with medications or meal preparation live in assisted living facilties, so for the most part they too live alone and manage their own care.

In this day and age we are more conscious of what we eat. We exercise more and are generally taking better care of ourselves so we're living longer. Couple that with the baby boomers and it equals a larger older population. This in turn can mean an increase in the probability of fall related injuries. The sad thing is once an older adult falls and they fracture or break their hip, it immobilizes them which could cause a downward spiral in their health. Basically they are stripped of their independence because they are no longer able to care for themselves. In some cases their zest for life disappears and you find them just waiting to die.

There are so many precautions we can take to safeguard the home and prevent falls. Perhaps you have a parent living with you, or you're an older adult living alone. Here are some things you can do to safeguard your home.

Use non skid floor mats.

Wear non skid slippers.

Watch for wiring on the floor and accidental spills.

Be mindful of objects on the floor.

Use a night light.

Have your vision checked regularly.

Have a physician to review your medications.

Keep your walker or cane within reach.

Start exercising for strength and balance.

Install grab bars in the shower and near toilet.

Use a shower seat if you're unable to stand for long periods.

Avoid stepping stools. Try to keep everything within reach.

Have family or friends to check on you regularly.

There have been reports of older adults who have fallen in the home and have not been found sometimes for days. Please know your neighbor and adhere to the last suggestion. Have friends and relatives to check on you regularly. If a fall does occur and you fracture or break your hip you basically become immobile. If you are someone who has an older adult with you in the home monitor all falls for causes. Look for any recent changes in medication or behaviour. Report these findings to a physician.

REFERENCES:

CDC - Falls among the older adult: An overview http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/adultfalls.htm

Demographics of the older adult. http://www.adha.org/CE_courses/course11/demographics.htm

Sharon Rowe has been a registered nurse for over ten years. She presently operates her own online health form business. She noticed during her years in nursing the growing need for a development of health forms to be used primarily for in home use. Visit her at http://www.yourmedform.com

Emotions and Health

By Matthew Romberg

For many years conventional medicine believed that your health was a matter of genetics, infection exposure, and lifestyle. It was a rare exception when emotional experience also played factor to your health condition. There is now solid science behind the correlation of emotional experience and a host of diseases and health conditions including heart disease, depression, obesity and chronic pain. When looking at the body as a whole, emotional experience now plays a significant part in your overall health. Fatigue and stress have been seen as culprits in hindering your health.

Without dealing with their emotional health, no one can be really well. Little progress can be made curing a physical condition, no matter what therapy is used, until there is progress at the emotional level.

Unresolved emotional issues contribute to failing physical problems. They might be emotional experiences that happened many years ago in your childhood, hidden and festering inside the body that come out later in life in the form of an adverse health condition or disease. Often for women, menopause is a time when your body is telling you it is ready to resolve emotional issues and needs healing. Both your emotional and physical health can be healed together. It can be a time when you can reclaim your self.

The most insightful place to explore the emotional roots of disease may be the breakthrough ACE Study. In the 1990's over 17,000 patients of a large health plan were enrolled in a study to assess the link between emotional experience and adult health. The results were stunning which gave reason to reconsider the structure of primary care in America's medical practice.

Participants were asked whether they had experienced any of eight forms of personal abuse or dysfunctional family behavior before the age of 18, each called an "adverse childhood experience" (ACE). More than half of the patients had one ACE or more. Even more surprising was the correlation to health outcomes. Those who had experienced an ACE were more likely to have an adverse health condition or disease as an adult. The health outcomes covered a wide range including heart disease, fractures, diabetes, obesity, alcoholism, and more.

The truth is that all emotional experience affects our health, whether positive or negative, and whether it occurs in the past or the present. Negative emotional experiences appear to have more lasting health effects, perhaps because we tend to ignore dealing with them.

Some psychologists and scientists believe we have five basic feelings: joy, fear, anger, grief and love, with other feeling states being variations on these five. An emotion is what your body does with one of these feelings.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 90% of all visits to the doctor are stress-related. There are hundreds of medical studies linking stress to a host of diseases. Stress is personal. Something that is stressful to one person is not necessarily to another, because of each person's emotional history. Our biography becomes our biology, in a sense. People develop patterns to dealing with stress. It is important to be aware of your personal patterns and to learn to control them for your emotional wellbeing and your physical health.

For information on women's health and to find a [http://www.heartoftexasobgyn.com]Round Rock OBGYN, visit Heart of Texas OBGYN.

About the Author: Dr. Matthew Romberg, a [http://www.heartoftexasobgyn.com]Round Rock OBGYN specializing in obstetrical and gynecologic care, is the President of the Heart of Texas Women's Center. The Heart of Texas Women's Center provides state of the art health care including surgical procedures, family planning counseling, complete prenatal care including high risk pregnancy management, in-house ultrasonography and well-woman services.

Vitamins and Minerals Help Ensure A Good Healthy Heart

By Charlene Nuble

Taking good care of your body means that you are able to maintain adequate amounts of the minerals, vitamins and nutrients that are needed to ensure a totally healthy well-being. Also, it is very important to note that the heart requires a significant amount of attention too, in order for it to be able to function well and be able to have a healthy circulation of blood around the body. When the heart is healthy, it is able to respond efficiently to the body’s changing needs for oxygen and nutrients, which vary with different activity levels throughout the day and night. There are several vitamins and minerals that specifically support the heart in these important tasks.

Potassium is a mineral that is quite important to how the heart can function more properly. At the most basic level, potassium is essential to the rhythmic, smooth and continuous pumping of the heart. This is because potassium supports the nerve transmissions and greatly takes part in making sure that every muscle in the body gets to move. Potassium greatly helps in regulating a person’s heartbeat.

Aside from being an important factor in keeping our teeth and bones healthy, Vitamin D is also important to the heart’s health and its ability to function properly. In fact, recent research has showed that meeting the standard recommended daily intake levels of Vitamin D can significantly reduce the risk of death caused by heart failure. Sufficient intake of Vitamin D has been connected with reducing inflammation, which is a common cause of heart disease. Vitamin D also plays an important role in the ability of the heart to pump blood efficiently, as well as affects the structure of the cells located in the heart.

Children need between 200 and 300 International Units of Vitamin D per day. Adults should have about 400 International Units per day, with those over 55 years of age, actually need to increase their dosage to 800 International Units. It is, however, important to not take Vitamin D in excessive amounts, as it can negatively affect one’s health.

Selenium is another mineral that is important to the function and health of the heart. Together with Vitamin E it actually serves as an important antioxidant in addition to its role in keeping the tissues of the body flexible. Selenium also offers protection against diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Lack of selenium in the body has been connected to various types of heart diseases and conditions including an enlarged heart and compromised heart function in children. For adult males, selenium intake should be about 70 micrograms per day while adult females should have a selenium intake of about 55 micrograms daily.

Magnesium actually helps the heart with its muscle contractions by regulating the neuromuscular activity that assures a regular heartbeat as well as its role in helping the body to make the most out of potassium and calcium - both of which also affect heart health and function. Adult men should have about 350mg of magnesium per day and adult women need 280mg daily. Depending on a child’s age and weight, the standard recommended amount of magnesium are 130mg and 240mg each day.

It is important to note that there are nutritional supplements that can greatly help a person when it comes to having a good bill of health. However, keep in mind that moderation is key when it comes to taking care of one’s health. Nutrient supplements may seem harmless at first glance but it can actually prove to be quite harmful to one’s health once taken in considerably excessive amounts.

Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about Vitamins, please go to: http://vitamins.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/

Brain Damage Leads to Adult Cerebral Palsy

By Low Jeremy

This is a disorder that is always associated with the medical condition of both a mother and child. It can take place as early as in the stages of pregnancy. Cerebral palsy is not only present in infants but likewise with adults.

The brain or mind of a person is one of the focal points of human activities. This is responsible for making decisions on the things that the body should do for a certain situation. From a mere idea that pops up on your mind, you start to scribble and find the best possible solution or action as a response.

What if your mind began to malfunction? This will surely be a crucial point in your life because your entire system will be affected. It is the saddening truth about cerebral palsy because a person experiences a loss of brain control over movement.

The causes for the development of a cerebral disorder are not clearly established. Medical researches have been done but nothing is proven yet. These are probabilities alone. The disorder can be caused by the deficiency of oxygen during pregnancy especially if the woman has constant alcohol intake and cigarette smoking. Likewise, it can also be due to certain blood conditions leading to jaundice then to cerebral palsy.

It is also believed that if the child experiences brain damage during his early years because of the constant bumping of his head to the floor or some hard objects, he or she is likely to suffer from cerebral palsy in the future.

When it comes to the adults, cerebral palsy disorder can be determined after you have observed the common symptoms. Sometimes, a person may tend to ignore it because they are inclined to thinking that the said signs are just being part of old age. It is best if an afflicted person will contact their doctors immediately. Frequent to them is the athetoid that results to drooling, grimacing and difficulty in speaking. Others may also encounter the other types of cerebral palsy.

There are four general classifications of cerebral palsy and each of such is distinct in effect and symptoms to the patient. The level of tolerance will also vary. They are called spastic, athetoid, ataxic and mixed. Among these types, spastic is the most common that typically attacks cerebral palsy patients.

You can be well oriented about the effects of the four types by asking your trusted doctors. Don’t worry because if early detection is done, cerebral palsy can still be prevented from worsening.

This content is provided by Low Jeremy and may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more info on Cerebral Palsy, please visit [http://cerebral-palsy.articlekeep.com]cerebral-palsy.articlekeep.com

5 Ways to Counter Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

By Greg Frost

Children are not the only ones who suffer from ADD, many intelligent adults are struggling with this condition as well. Whilst it is nothing to be ashamed of, it is important that you seek help and treatment, as this can significantly improve your quality of life. Most sufferers are apt to hide their condition, and over time experience low self confidence and find that there is little meaning in their lives.

If you have taken active steps to find out more about adult ADD and what it entails, as well as looked for a professional opinion, then you will find that the following 5ways to counter ADD will be highly useful for you.

Method #1: Overcome your Inattentiveness

Being unable to focus or pay attention can be an annoying trait, but it is not difficult to deal with. Train yourself to follow a certain schedule everyday based on what you need to accomplish. This will give you something concrete to follow and focus on, as you have acknowledged the various tasks you are responsible for. This will cause your mind to stop pushing the various thoughts through your mind. It is also handy to keep a notebook with you at all times. When you're concentrating on one task and random thoughts start filling up your mind, simply jot them down to think over at a later time.

Method #2: Face the Problem

Nothing can be more comforting that facing up that you have a problem, and that you are normal. By admitting that you have a problem, you will find that it is easier for you to take active steps to treat the problem. Talk to your friends and family and help them to understand why you behave a certain way sometimes. This will also highlight to you the areas that you need to work on or take notice of. Scheduling regular sessions with a therapist will also help you to work through your problems.

Method #3: Kick the Restlessness

Your mind and body are restless because they find the tasks at hand too boring, or a lack of a challenge. Engage in frequent sessions of exercise, such as going to the gym or playing soccer 4 times a week, to help you get rid of all the extra restlessness that seems to be bugging you.

Method #4: Distance yourself when Necessary

After you've talked to your friends and family, you should be able to identify situations and possible warning signs that you are getting agitated or losing your focus. When you feel the symptoms coming on, take a deep breathe and calm yourself down. Focus on your breathing to relax. If that doesn't work, distance yourself physically by going out to take a breath of air or pace away the excess energy.

Method #5: Boredom, be Gone

If you are aware that your job is too boring for you, find ways to make it interesting and challenging. For example, a particularly tedious job could become challenging if you set yourself a time limit to beat, or if you promise yourself a nice reward for completing the task. Alternatively, you can engage your other senses to keep your mind challenged. Burning aromatherapy candles will have a dual purpose of exuding calming properties and engaging your senses. Listening to music in the background will also serve as a much needed distraction from the boredom of your task.

Greg Frost is a leading innovator in the field of ADHD and the founder of http://www.Attention-Deficit-Disorder.net which specializes in providing a whole range of ADHD Medications topics to improve the quality of people's lives and help them concentrate.