Eating Disorders

Perhaps no psychological disorders are more unique than period of adolescence than the eating disorders that afflict adolescent girls and young women. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia have become more common in recent years. And both are serious—indeed, potentially fatal – conditions that are difficult to cure.

Anorexia nervosa, which literally means nervosa loss of appetite, has been defined as a refusal to maintain a weight that is at least 85% of the expected weight for one’s height and age.

Anorexic individual are also characterized by a strong fear of becoming overweight; a distorted body image (a tendency to view themselves as fat even when they are emaciated); and, if they are females, and absence of regular menstrual cycles. Up to one 1% of adolescent girls suffer from this condition, and 95 out of 100 of its victims are females.

Bulimia nervosa, the so-called binge/purge syndrome, is also rooted in a strong “fear of fat”; it’s victim believe they are far fatter than they are and want to be far thinner. Bulimia is more prevalent than anorexia, affecting up to about 5% of high school and college male.
Eating Disorders

Healthy Mind

Healthy Mind
There is more to good health than just a physically healthy body: a healthy person should also have a healthy mind. A person with a healthy mind should also be able to think clearly, should be able to solve the various problem faced in life, should enjoy good relations with friends colleagues at work and family and should feel spirituality at ease and bring happiness to other in the community. It is aspects of health that can be considered as mental health.

Even though we talk about mind and body as if they were separate, in reality they are like two sides of the same coin. They share a great deal with each other, but present a different face to the world around us. If one of the two is affected in any way, then the other will almost certainly also be affected. Just because we think about the mind and the body separately, it does not mean that they are independent of each other.

Just as the physical body can fall ill, so too can the mind. This can be called mental illness. Mental illness is “any illness experienced by a person which affects their emotions, thoughts or behavior, which is out of keeping with their culture beliefs and personality and is producing a negative effect on their lives or the lives of their families”.
Healthy Mind

Aging Factors

Aging Factors
Life quality encompasses a whole raft of considerations from the physical, psychological to the social and cultural and there may be difficulty fostering change dealing with thoughts and physical conditions that have been part of life from early childhood. Stress is possibly the major cause of early aging. The stress response becomes problematic when the body becomes over-stressed and impacts on the capacity to cope with day to day stuff. Body response to stress is to activate the nervous system and trigger the hypothalamus to initiate greater production from the adrenal glands of two hormones adrenaline and cortisol for release into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. The physical changes prepare you to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.

Failure to control stress levels over an extended period can have dire consequences on health generally and if sustained will cause premature aging. The cardiovascular system becomes constricted, the immune system less efficient and the body's capacity for carrying out normal and vital functions is hindered.

Stress management techniques are well known but require discipline to implement. Stress circuit breakers can be simple things such as taking a periodic 5 minute break or set aside one possibly two 15 - 20 minute periods each day and just sit with a still mind. If really time restrained just step away from whatever is demanding your attention and take 2 or 3 deep breaths exhaling slowly through pursed lips. Breathing releases nitric oxide into the circulatory system causing blood vessel relaxation, improved circulation and stress reduction.

More time intensive stress control measures may be learning a yoga technique, Tai Chi, boating, golfing or just getting out into nature. A good night's sleep in conjunction with reduced alcohol intake can have wonderful rejuvenating qualities.

Malnutrition is a major cause of aging. Perhaps a little surprising when most people reading this live in a "land of plenty". Plenty in this context could be read as plenty of junk, junk food. For the first time in decades average life expectancy in many developed countries is forecast to decline over the next 20 to 30 years, the reason is poor diet. Obesity is now a major epidemic and is rapidly becoming a leading cause of serious health problems and premature death.

There is absolutely no better option to home prepared meals using fresh ingredients, eaten slowly whilst sitting down either by yourself or with the family or friends. Ingredients should be fresh and preferably organic as their nutrient value will be higher than conventionally farmed produce and free of chemical residues.

Exercise is the third plank in a healthy body strategy Observation of older persons suggests weakening muscle strength is an inevitable part of aging. Age related hormonal changes will result in loss of muscle mass although the rate of loss can be substantially reduced with an appropriate exercise programme. Three to four times per week of varied activity (aerobic and resistance exercise) lasting a minimum of 30 minutes per session will see dramatic improvements in fitness levels, general health and feelings of well being.

A desire to live a long and healthy is not wishful thinking. In the early twentieth century the academic community became aware of populations of people living in various locations on different continents whose life expectancy was well beyond one hundred years, the Abkhasia people in Russian Georgia, Okinawans in Japan, people living in Vilcabamba in South America and the Hunzas of Pakistan. Research defined a common thread with the centenarians in each society, they enjoyed community respect, were amazingly active each day and consumed low calorie highly nutritious diets. Investigation showed that as a group they were remarkably free from illness and diseases common in developed countries. Diabetes was unknown, cardiovascular health was remarkable, cancer almost unknown and without exception they had a bright, optimistic and reverential outlook on life.

Mental fitness for those not suffering an illness is largely the control of stress. The mind body connection is an intimate one with total interdependence Feelings of contentment and wellbeing reflect on body health in the same way physical conditions affect the mental world. The aim of living to 100 is worthy only if those older years are with good health. For most people the years we live and the quality of those years have a lot to do with lifestyle choices made earlier in life. Why not make the decision to bring about change in a measured and determined fashion, you might be surprised how good it feels.
Aging Factors

Health and Weight Loss

Health and Weight Loss
For some, losing weight is a never-ending battle that entails personal and social consequences. Being overweight is now a health problem for about two-thirds of the current U.S. population. Being overweight and obese increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and some forms of cancer, and other diseases. 

As a social problem, being obese or overweight makes a person more susceptible to ridicule and name calling. In fact, it is now common to hear friends and relatives greet each other by saying, “Oh! You gained weight!” The more complimentary form is when people greet others by saying, “Wow! You look like you've lost a lot of weight!” Either way, the subliminal message of these greetings point to society's obsession with physical beauty. No wonder, many overweight and obese individuals struggle with maintaining their confidence and self-esteem in the face of society's aesthetic demands.

Due to these health risks and social consequences, more and more people are now becoming more conscious about their figure and lifestyle. Fitness and health industries are now experiencing a business boom due to the sheer number of people who want to shed excess weight. Somehow, even the busiest executives and hardworking employees are finding time to break some sweat. A lot of people have also become more conscious about their eating habits to the point that they now count every calorie in every meal they have.

Still, not all can afford the expensive gym memberships, much less have time to run on a treadmill or lift weights. Majority of people who need to lose weight struggle with having to cut down on food intake or in staying away from calorie-rich foods. 

Lack of time, discipline, and will to shed off those excess pounds has led many weight watchers to a “quick fix” method --- using so-called ““miracle diets.” While a lot of diet plans offer “guaranteed” results, many do not have the focus to stay with their eating plan. The effectiveness of the trendiest and most popular diet fad ultimately depends on a person's ability and willingness to choose the right food and amount to eat. It's really not about the recipe...but about the person's desire to cut down on food.

Now, for some, there is an even better “quick fix” method of going on a diet. Instead of going to the gym and missing out on one's favorite delicacies, some people take weight loss pills. These weight loss pills work by helping reduce the absorption of fat in food that we eat; or act as an appetite suppressant.
There are a number of weight-loss pills available at the local drugstore, supermarket, and health food store. There are even weight loss pills that can be bought online. However, the safety and efficacy of these pills have not been adequately substantiated or proven. Some fake weight loss pills are downright dangerous.

Most people have heard of contemporary herbal weight loss pills, such as the ephedra (ma huang) pills or Hoodia Gordonii which are very popular today. In the last few years, hoodia has been heavily marketed as the latest in a long list of “miracle herbal products” that promote weight loss and over-all health. 

The ban on certain weight loss diet pills such as ephedra has opened up a new market for Hoodia. The said drug is now sold in health shops and in the Internet in various forms: capsulated, powder, liquid, or as tea. Despite its popularity, there is no published research or random controlled trial in humans to show that Hoodia is safe or effective in pill form. Many of the Hoodia products being sold today are difficult to analyze in terms of purity or freshness.

To provide the public a safer and tested product, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a reduced-strength, over-the-counter version of weight loss ingredient called Orlistat. It is a prescription weight-loss medication for adults aged 18 and older. Orlistat, otherwise known as Alli, helps promote weight loss by decreasing absorption of fat by the intestines. The capsules are taken with meals, up to three times a day. This ingredient or pill is among the list of very popular weight loss diet pills. Still, Orlistat is intended to be used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie and low-fat diet, and regular exercise.

Losing weight is important to maintain one's health and to sustain a person's sense of comfort and confidence in social settings. People who are still in search for the best weight loss diet pill should make sure that the products they use are safe and FDA-approved. Losing weight should also be done in a very gradual manner. Starving one's self is a no-no. Indeed, losing weight should ultimately be about regaining one's health and not just to attain physical perfection --- if there is such a thing. Losing weight and reaching the ideal number of pounds takes time. There are no shortcuts to weight loss and to achieving optimum health.
Health and Weight Loss

A Sound Body, a Healthy Mind

Healthy Mind
You eat right, get enough sleep, and see your doctor when you should.

That's all well and good, but a growing body of research shows that a really healthy body relies on a stimulated, contented mind.

Physical and mental well-being are closely intertwined, said a leading expert on the physical benefits of good mental health.

According to expert, achieving a balance among the emotional, spiritual and physical facets of health should be an end in itself. It also means paying attention to those aspects of life that can bring you pleasure or pain.

Work -- where most of you spend one-third of your adult lives -- is one such arena.
One of the main ways in which people seek meaning in life is through their work -- through being productive and feeling productive. And noted that the type of job you have may not be as important as your attitude toward that job.

There was a study done several years ago where they looked at the job satisfaction of people who worked in hospitals -- everyone from the people who scrubbed the bathrooms, the cafeteria workers, the nurses, all the way up to physicians and hospital administrators. Satisfaction with their job had nothing to do with what kind of a job they had, but it did have to do with how much they saw their job contributing, in important ways, to the overall goal of the hospital.

Studies have also shown that job satisfaction can help boost physical health, perhaps by reducing stress. But loving what you do can also create that state of "flow" that psychologists believe is important to mental health. Even more than leisure-time pursuits, work helps put people into that flow state, where they are no longer focusing on themselves but the task at hand.

Then there are relationships, and the emotional ups and downs they bring. For most people, interacting with others enhances well-being.

The research shows that people who are extroverted and people-oriented tend to be happier than people who are introverted and more socially isolated. That’s especially true for long-term, intimate relationships such as marriage, which has been shown in study after study to enhance both mental and physical well-being.

Remember, when you're married, you have someone monitoring your health and your behaviors, helping you make the kinds of changes that you need to maintain your health.

What people tend to get from happy marriages is companionship, social support, emotional support -- all of which people are capable of getting from other relationships, too.

For many Americans, the relationship that sustains them the most is a religious or spiritual one.

Other studies have also shown that stimulating activities -- everything from crossword puzzles to travel to sports -- enhance brainpower and stave off age-related mental decline.

Exercise, especially, “works better than some drugs" at beating depression. Organized sports can also help people achieve that healthy "flow state" while engaging in stimulating socialization.

All of these activities, and more, can work together to create a mental and physical equilibrium that encourages all-around health.

However, the exact recipe will probably be different for everyone.
Healthy Mind

Tips for Happiness

Healthy Mind
Are you truly happy? Do you even know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness? These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves. If you want to be happy you need to understand that you can be happy and that you should be happy.

Many people make the mistake of believing that they don’t deserve happiness and accept their unhappy state as their destiny. The truth of the matter is that happiness, like anything else in life, needs to be nurtured. The following are a few tips to create happiness in your life.

Understand what it is that will make you happy. Everyone has unique requirements for attaining happiness and what makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy. Revel in your individuality and do not worry about whether or not your desires are comparable to those of your peers.

Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your mood will very likely increase as your pursue your goal because you will feel better about yourself for going after something you value.

Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way. Conversely, if you are around people who are happy their emotional state will be infectious.

When something goes wrong try to figure out a solution instead of wallowing in self pity. Truly happy people don’t allow set backs to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the circumstances back to their favor.

Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy. These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continued happiness.

It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself. Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance you will be subconsciously putting yourself in a better mood.

Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. While there are times that require you to be serious, when it is appropriate, find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you unhappy.

Maintaining your health is another way to achieve happiness. Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood. Additionally, exercise has been known to release endorphins that give you a feeling of happiness.

Finally, it is important to understand that you deserve happiness. Those who believe that they are not worthy of happiness may subconsciously sabotage their efforts to achieve happiness. If necessary, tell yourself each day that you deserve to be happy and remind yourself what steps you will take to achieve the happiness you desire.

Happiness is hard to define but most people are aware of whether they are happy or not. Many people believe that happiness is a form of luck and that some people are destined to be happy while others are destined to be unhappy. I try to incorporate the tips above into my life and have had great success in achieving happiness. The tips in this article are small but meaningful steps that you can take each day to lead you to true happiness.
Healthy Mind