Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

Sugar and Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder

Sunday, September 14th, 2008

Sugar and Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder is a book about a middle aged woman who had and managed to survive bipolar disorder also known as Manic-depression, but along the way experiences the bitter and sweet moments of life in a not so normal way. She only knew of her illness when she turned 32. In the book, it is vividly detailed what it is like to live in a family threatened by such an illness, how to fit in school or do work while dealing with the undiagnosed illness. She also describes her ordeal of facing the failure of her marriage and other relationships, how she tries to understand that, however she tries to live a normal life it just bounce back and still she lives a very different and more complicated life than the persons she knew. Until she admits that there is something wrong about her and that she needs professional help.

After the acceptance of the strange malady within her comes the long journey to get treatment as she tries one medication after the other after being mistaken for a psychotic. For more or less five years her life was devoted in seeking the proper knowledge and ways to approach the said disorder that she has been putting up for such a long time until the part came where she realizes that for her to get the proper treatment she needs she had to enter a mental hospital. She illustrates the life she had lived in a locked ward and how fortunate she was when her attending physician finally finds a certain medication that her disorder responds to. She feels that she had the key to break free from her long ordeal and finally she gets the normal feeling she always wanted.

As she makes progress in the medication her disorder responds to she reaches the point where she can now get out of the mental hospital and live like a normal person. Jane had to face the world on her own again and start a brand new life. She was able to get the private life she wanted and the dream job that she had been always dreaming of without her bosses and co-employees knowing her deep, dark secret. But, after ten long years, unfortunately she develops an allergy to the one and only medication that has been of very good service to her and must start the treatment all over again.

At some point in the process, she loses the job she had dreamt about and falls back into the deep ditches of depression. It is a very touching story about a woman’s triumph over her bipolar disorder that for the second time has threatened her and once again she survived it. Find out how she managed to surpass it and how you too can mange the disorder through medication and therapy should you find out that you have such illness or maybe a family member experiences such a scary disease. The author, Jane Thompson has worked as a paralegal, a teacher, as a social worker not to mention as a writer. It’s been several years now since she wrote for the publisher of a certain political encyclopedia and has also served as one of the medical writer for a training corporation.

It was such experiences that she came to learn how to express herself with great conciseness and accuracy. When the author decided to write her very own story which is the Sugar and Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder, her experience aided her in getting her work printed on paper. And so with her experience, as a medical writer and her stock knowledge about mental health issues, those made it a bit easier for her to write the said story. When the author just started, she had twenty short stories printed already and Sugar and Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder is her first book. Currently Jane Thompson is the author of Mosby’s Clinical Nursing, a comprehensive reference in clinical nursing to be included as a reference in the educational program materials of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. She is also the co-author of Secrets Volume 15: The Best in Erotic Romance, Jane Thompson was also the editor of American Express Presents Top Chefs of the Triangle and a lot more.

Need Power? Try Core Power Yoga

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Core power yoga is an energetic yoga exercise that physically and mentally challenges to help connect to inner power without stopping and accompanied by a heated, climate controlled Vinyasa. It heals, detoxifies and stimulates the body and mind through balance and intention.

Power yoga has created a dynamic, challenging program that combines strength, sweat and spirituality. It recognizes power in different levels; first is the physical power which develops the body’s strength and improve health; second is the mental power or the will to concentrate on the practice; and last the spiritual power which is the power behind the physical and mental power.

Core power yoga is the Western version of the Indian Ashtanga Yoga. The term was was given by Beryl Bender Birch, an Ashtanga Yoga teacher. It has been brought to the west by followers of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, a renowned Sanskrit scholar who inspired Western Yogis with his Ashtanga Yoga Style and philosophies.

There are three programs in power yoga. “Core Power” is designed to strengthen abdominals and back and includes both abs-focused Vinyasa power yoga poses and variations of muscle-toning moves. “Unlocking Athletic Power” will develop flexible strength with an emphasis on abs, back, hips and pelvis. “Soul of Strength” on the other hand is a fast-moving power yoga program with a distinct “mid-body” emphasis and some very challenging moves.

Yoga sessions are done in a heated room and composed of different cardiovascular exercises intended to develop strength and flexibility, increase stamina, improves the ability to focus, release tensions and remove toxins through sweating.

Core power yoga practice also requires the execution of yoga poses. Poses are done in a fast pace, some poses are even held longer than the required five breaths. This practice can increase physical endurance and ability to focus on any task for a long time without breaking the concentration.

What is the difference between core power yoga and other exercises?

Core power yoga is a vinyasa style that has a unique program offering and focuses on core strength, balance and flow to build a solid practice based on strength and spirit. It offers diverse classes like Hot Yoga, Yoga Sculpt, Bootcamps, Teacher Trainings and Mat Pilates. Moreover, it provides better instructors that are personally involved in students’ progress, strong and forceful leaders who pays more attention to the students needs. Also the teachers of this exercise work with the students to personalize their programs and creating a sense of belonging and community. And lastly, it provides quality facilities equipped with a unique top tier amenities and a balance aura.

This exercise also offers great health benefits; this lengthens and stretches the muscles and at the same time it builds stamina, strength and lean muscle and mass. It also increases body heat that kills some bacteria and creates a finely tuned state of consciousness of the workings of the body. The focus of core power yoga is on the coordination of the breath movement, connecting the body, mind and spirit to the warmest level.

Core power yoga is best to those who want to improve their performance in their chosen sports like cycling, football, swimming, skiing, surfing, running/athlete, martial arts and other team sports. Some training grounds in sports practice this exercise in transition for aerobics.

Core power yoga can reshape your body and mind!

Bipolar Disorder: A Crippling Disease That You Should Be Aware Of

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Many people believe that having a perfectly healthy body means that they will be able to live a normal and productive life. However, having a healthy body alone is not enough in order to live a normal life. You have to consider that mental health is also very important. Besides, the brain is the organ that controls everything in your body. Having a brain defect means that it can have significant impact on the way you live your daily life.

You have to consider that there are several kinds of brain disorder. Some types of brain disorder can affect your basic motor skills, some can affect your senses, some can affect the memory, and some can affect the emotions and moods of a person. Bipolar disorder is one of the many brain diseases existing today. This particular brain disorder can have negative impact in your life because this disease affects a part of the brain that controls emotions and moods.

With a bipolar disorder, you can never have complete control of your moods and emotions. It will cycle from manic episodes to depressive episodes that can disable you in your daily tasks. The psychological symptoms for bipolar disorder include mania and depression. These are the two classifications of bipolar disorder and this is also the reason why this disease is also called manic-depressive illness.

In the manic episodes, the person suffering with bipolar disorder will experience excessive euphoria or a feeling of high. This means that the mood of a person is at a high where he or she has increased energy, feeling of not needing to sleep, racing thoughts, and also confusion about certain ideas. You will notice that a person that suffers from mania jumps from one idea to another and will seem that they can never make up their mind about it. Another factor that you should consider in the manic episodes of bipolar disorder is that the person will be extremely optimistic, very irritable and cannot concentrate well. They will never admit that something is wrong.

In the depressive episode, the person suffering from bipolar disorder will experience excessive depression. The mood will be excessively sad, very pessimistic, decreased or no interest in doing an activity that is pleasurable which includes sex, and they will often think about death and suicide. In severe cases of bipolar disorder in the depressive episode, the person suffering will actually commit suicide.

As you can see, this particular disease is a very serious illness that needs careful management and care. Because of the constant cycle of the moods of the person suffering from bipolar disorder, they will never be able to concentrate on their daily tasks. This means that having bipolar disorder can disable you because it can affect your performance level at work or at school negatively. You should also consider that because of the effects of bipolar disorder, the person suffering from this illness will also have a poor social life and will often have relationship problems.

Bipolar disorder has no cure. However, there are treatments available today that can effectively manage the disease. The treatment will include psychotherapy, and medications. Sometimes, the psychiatrist will combine the therapy and medication to effectively manage bipolar disorder.

It is important to remember that there is no cure for bipolar disorder and this particular disease is considered as a long term illness that needs long term careful management and care. Also, bipolar disorder can never be detected through X-rays or CAT scans. The diagnosis is purely based on the symptoms shown. So, if you notice that you or a member of your family is showing some symptoms of bipolar disorder, it is important that you should seek help immediately. The psychiatrist you go to will be able to give you some effective bipolar disorder management strategies that you can use to minimize the effect of the illness. The specialist will also prescribe some medications that can reduce the effects of bipolar disorder

Always remember that careful management and care is the key to treat bipolar disorder. This disease is something that you will live with for the rest of your life and knowing how to effectively manage and treat it will mean that you will be able to take control of your moods and emotions again.