Regular Exercise has been proven to reduce Anxiety

Good news for those of you still suffering from Anxiety. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce Anxiety and promote well-being.

There is now empirical evidence showing the benefits of 20 to 40 minutes of exercise 3 times a week on Anxiety. Several studies have tested whether it is effective and all  the results converge to the same conclusion, it works. Furthermore, exercise has been shown to provide the same benefits as a drug treatment (e.g., clomipramine), thus providing an alternative choice to a drug treatment.

More studies are on the way, but so far the results are very positive.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201111/phobias/exercise-anxiety

Jazzie,

Living with Anxiety

Dreaming reduces the impact of negative emotional events

Dreaming not only helps consolidate memories but a new study shows that it may also help process negative emotional events better.

The study involved participants who viewed emotionally arousing images. One group viewed the images in the morning and in the evening, while the other group viewed the same images in the evening and in the following morning (after sleeping).

The results indicated that the second group showed a decreased emotional reaction to the images compared to the first group. That conclusion was further corroborated by brain scans taken during the study that revealed reduced activity in the amygdala, an almond-shaped brain structure associated with the fear response and anxiety.

Thus, sleeping after experiencing an emotionally-arousing event may contribute to good mental health.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=dreams-help-soothe-your-bad-memorie-11-11-28

Jazzie.

Living with anxiety

Dreaming reduces the impact of negative emotional events

Dreaming not only helps consolidate memories but a new study shows that it may also help process negative emotional events better.

The study involved participants who viewed emotionally arousing images. One group viewed the images in the morning and in the evening, while the other group viewed the same images in the evening and in the following morning (after sleeping).

The results indicated that the second group showed a decreased emotional reaction to the images compared to the first group. That conclusion was further corroborated by brain scans taken during the study that revealed reduced activity in the amygdala, an almond-shaped brain structure associated with the fear response and anxiety.

Thus, sleeping after experiencing an emotionally-arousing event may contribute to good mental health.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=dreams-help-soothe-your-bad-memorie-11-11-28

Jazzie.

Living with anxiety

Thyroid problems can be the cause of Anxiety

The thyroid is a gland wrapped around the trachea that produces hormones. Those hormones contribute to a host of physical processes from hearbeat regulation to cognitive functoning, and more recently their effect on moods is being explored.  

Often people presenting psychiatric symptoms like anxiety or depression also exhibit abnormal blood levels of thyroid hormones. More specifically, links were found between an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and anxiety, as well as between an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and depression. For example, a patient suffering with both anxiety and depression for 10 years saw her anxiety and depression simply disappear after undergoing treatment for her thyroid (with synthetic thyroid hormone replacement).

There is a caveat though and that is that it can be diffcult to diagnose abnormal blood levels of thyroid hormones when the actual levels range between the two extremes (too low and too high) as there is no consensus yet about what constitutes an abnormal level. In any event most doctors agree that a person presenting physical symptoms of an abnormal thyroid hormone (e.g.,fatigue, weight gain, inability to concentrate or palpitations, weigh loss and sweating) with psychiatric symptoms should check their thyroid. 

Jazzie

Living with Anxiety

Thyroid problems can be the cause of Anxiety

The thyroid is a gland wrapped around the trachea that produces hormones. Those hormones contribute to a host of physical processes from hearbeat regulation to cognitive functoning, and more recently their effect on moods is being explored.  

Often people presenting psychiatric symptoms like anxiety or depression also exhibit abnormal blood levels of thyroid hormones. More specifically, links were found between an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and anxiety, as well as between an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and depression. For example, a patient suffering with both anxiety and depression for 10 years saw her anxiety and depression simply disappear after undergoing treatment for her thyroid (with synthetic thyroid hormone replacement).

There is a caveat though and that is that it can be diffcult to diagnose abnormal blood levels of thyroid hormones when the actual levels range between the two extremes (too low and too high) as there is no consensus yet about what constitutes an abnormal level. In any event most doctors agree that a person presenting physical symptoms of an abnormal thyroid hormone (e.g.,fatigue, weight gain, inability to concentrate or palpitations, weigh loss and sweating) with psychiatric symptoms should check their thyroid. 

Jazzie

Living with Anxiety

Direct Instruction VS Play-based Instruction in preschool linked with subsequent emotional problems

Preschool as we know it is disappearing as more and more schools are adopting direct-instruction programs while leaving little to no room for playtime. As a result children as young as 5 year-old learn cold facts such as the geographic location of Vietnam on a map and which they can regurgitate on command to the delight of their parents. Nevertheless, under those circumstances children do not make the connections between that piece of knowledge and their environment that are necessary to make it permanent. In other words, learning becomes dry and empty.

The assumption is that educating children earlier will increase their chances of being accepted in good schools where the competition is so fierce that quantity is now emphasized over quality during the admissions process. What they seem ignorant about is that play lays the foundation for subsequent learning; it allows the child to interact physically with the world and to manipulate it. That in turn titillates their imagination and expand their minds.

To make matters worse, recent research has linked early academic experiences with subsequent emotional and behavioral problems. More distrubing is the fact that since this type of instruction literally feeds children information instead of letting them discover it on their own, their brain may not develop to withstand life stresses and other frustrations thus making them more susceptible to anxiety disorders and depression later in life.

Our society is already slowly killing childhood, but now it is even attacking early childhood with the "baby einstein" trend. What is next, will we take away a baby's cooing and babbling?

Jazzie

Living with Anxiety

Direct Instruction VS Play-based Instruction in preschool linked with subsequent emotional problems

Preschool as we know it is disappearing as more and more schools are adopting direct-instruction programs while leaving little to no room for playtime. As a result children as young as 5 year-old learn cold facts such as the geographic location of Vietnam on a map and which they can regurgitate on command to the delight of their parents. Nevertheless, under those circumstances children do not make the connections between that piece of knowledge and their environment that are necessary to make it permanent. In other words, learning becomes dry and empty.

The assumption is that educating children earlier will increase their chances of being accepted in good schools where the competition is so fierce that quantity is now emphasized over quality during the admissions process. What they seem ignorant about is that play lays the foundation for subsequent learning; it allows the child to interact physically with the world and to manipulate it. That in turn titillates their imagination and expand their minds.

To make matters worse, recent research has linked early academic experiences with subsequent emotional and behavioral problems. More distrubing is the fact that since this type of instruction literally feeds children information instead of letting them discover it on their own, their brain may not develop to withstand life stresses and other frustrations thus making them more susceptible to anxiety disorders and depression later in life.

Our society is already slowly killing childhood, but now it is even attacking early childhood with the "baby einstein" trend. What is next, will we take away a baby's cooing and babbling?

Jazzie

Living with Anxiety

Happiness in a Box: Light Therapy to Combat The Winter Blues

For people suffering from the winter blues, a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), there is an easy and affordable remedy: Light Therapy.

Indeed, there is evidence that light therapy effectively reduces the symptoms of SAD in as short a time as a week with very few side effects. Patients generally sit in front of the light box for 30 to 45 minutes every morning while reading or doing other things as it is not required to look directly at the light (staring at the light is proscribed).

The premise behind light therapy is that during the winter months as daylight starts later, people suffering from SAD have difficulty being energized and cheering up, so they are in the grip of depressed moods and fatigue. Light is known to affect the Hypothalamus, which is a gland in the brain responsible for regulating mood, energy and appetite. In addition, light influences serotonin and norepinephrine (brain chemicals necessary to regulate mood) that are also found to be really low in depressed individuals. Therefore, exposure to light in the morning helps reset these systems and raise the mood.

Furthermore, light therapy is currently being investigated for the treatment of Depression, Sleep disorders, Bipolar disorder and a slew of other disorders.

The advantages are that light therapy does not require prescriptions and the box can be purchased online (about $200) or rented. The disadvantages are that it does not yet qualify for insurance reimbursement and that it may cause headaches and hypomania (overstimulation).

Your pick!

Jazzie _ Living with Anxiety

For more info visit the Society for Light Therapy at www.sltbr.org

Happiness in a Box: Light Therapy to Combat The Winter Blues

For people suffering from the winter blues, a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), there is an easy and affordable remedy: Light Therapy.

Indeed, there is evidence that light therapy effectively reduces the symptoms of SAD in as short a time as a week with very few side effects. Patients generally sit in front of the light box for 30 to 45 minutes every morning while reading or doing other things as it is not required to look directly at the light (staring at the light is proscribed).

The premise behind light therapy is that during the winter months as daylight starts later, people suffering from SAD have difficulty being energized and cheering up, so they are in the grip of depressed moods and fatigue. Light is known to affect the Hypothalamus, which is a gland in the brain responsible for regulating mood, energy and appetite. In addition, light influences serotonin and norepinephrine (brain chemicals necessary to regulate mood) that are also found to be really low in depressed individuals. Therefore, exposure to light in the morning helps reset these systems and raise the mood.

Furthermore, light therapy is currently being investigated for the treatment of Depression, Sleep disorders, Bipolar disorder and a slew of other disorders.

The advantages are that light therapy does not require prescriptions and the box can be purchased online (about $200) or rented. The disadvantages are that it does not yet qualify for insurance reimbursement and that it may cause headaches and hypomania (overstimulation).

Your pick!

Jazzie _ Living with Anxiety

For more info visit the Society for Light Therapy at www.sltbr.org

Low Calcium Levels can Make People Anxious

Low blood calcium, while rare, can cause severe physical problems like heart failure and osteoporosis, but it can also trigger psychological problems like anxiety and psychosis.

All muscles (including the heart muscle) require calcium to function, which is why it is the most carefully regulated element in the body. Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium regulation to the extent that vitamin D deficiency leads to calcium disregulation. So it is essential to have enough vitamin D, of which the primary source is the sun.

The telltale signs of calcium deficiency are swollen legs, hand twitching, and diffculty breathing as he lungs fill with fluid.

So if you are experiencing sudden anxiety and show those symptoms, take a blood test to check your calcium level.

Also,make sure you get plenty of sunshine!

 

Jazzie722

Living with Anxiety

Altering Frightening Memories: A Potential Treatment for PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is marked by debilitating anxiety triggered by traumatic memories. The individual becomes paralayzed with fear arisen by recollection of the traumatic event or by neutral events that are associated to the original trauma; for example a scent or a place can conjure up the traumatic memory.

Thus, it is the memory that triggers the anxiety and that is what researchers at NYU University are looking to alter. When people experience and learn something, it is immediately placed in short-term memory (temporary storage of information that will be used right away before being deleted, such as a phone number) where subsequently it will either be forgotten or be stored in long-term memory for future recall. According to the researchers every time a memory is recalled, it requires a process called consolidation to put it back into long-term memory and it is that mechanism that is targetted for the treatment of PTSD. In fact, the traumatic memory that is being recalled is then replaced with a more neutral memory, a process called reconsolidation. Interestingly, reconsolidation has only a 10-minute window of opportunity after wich time the memory can never be modified.

This method has not yet been applied to patients suffering from PTSD, but the results are so far very promising. 

Jazzie.

Living with Anxiety

Altering Frightening Memories: A Potential Treatment for PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is marked by debilitating anxiety triggered by traumatic memories. The individual becomes paralayzed with fear arisen by recollection of the traumatic event or by neutral events that are associated to the original trauma; for example a scent or a place can conjure up the traumatic memory.

Thus, it is the memory that triggers the anxiety and that is what researchers at NYU University are looking to alter. When people experience and learn something, it is immediately placed in short-term memory (temporary storage of information that will be used right away before being deleted, such as a phone number) where subsequently it will either be forgotten or be stored in long-term memory for future recall. According to the researchers every time a memory is recalled, it requires a process called consolidation to put it back into long-term memory and it is that mechanism that is targetted for the treatment of PTSD. In fact, the traumatic memory that is being recalled is then replaced with a more neutral memory, a process called reconsolidation. Interestingly, reconsolidation has only a 10-minute window of opportunity after wich time the memory can never be modified.

This method has not yet been applied to patients suffering from PTSD, but the results are so far very promising. 

Jazzie.

Living with Anxiety

Focusing Attention on Breathing Can Soothe your Nerves

Paying attention to your breathing, also called mindful breathing, has been shown to reduce negative moods.

A study looking at mindful breathing and depression showed that the participants who spent18 minutes maintaining continual awareness of their breathing displayed less negative thinking and fewer symptoms of depression.

In order to obtain desirable results, it is recommnded to try it for 20 minutes at first until it becomes easy, after which point it can be pacticed anywhere and for any amount of time.

This is definitely good news for people suffering from anxiety, because that technique could also apply in a case of a panic attack or high anxiety.

 

Jazzie,

Living with Anxiety

Focusing Attention on Breathing Can Soothe your Nerves

Paying attention to your breathing, also called mindful breathing, has been shown to reduce negative moods.

A study looking at mindful breathing and depression showed that the participants who spent18 minutes maintaining continual awareness of their breathing displayed less negative thinking and fewer symptoms of depression.

In order to obtain desirable results, it is recommnded to try it for 20 minutes at first until it becomes easy, after which point it can be pacticed anywhere and for any amount of time.

This is definitely good news for people suffering from anxiety, because that technique could also apply in a case of a panic attack or high anxiety.

 

Jazzie,

Living with Anxiety

Cooling your Brain may Alleviate Anxiety??

In a recent study presented this summer, researchers demonstrated that cooling the brain was an effective treatment for sleep disorders and insomnia.

They equiped insomniacs with a "cooling cap", which essentially used circulating water to cool the prefrontal cortex (front part of the brain located just behind the forehead), to help their brain relax before going to sleep. The results turned out to be positive as in more than 75% of the cases the patients did fall asleep and stayed asleep.

This finding has treatment implication for anxiety disorders, because in anxiety as in insomnia the prefrontal cortex is hyperactive.Therefore a treatment approach that would help slow down activity in that brain region could potentially reduce anxiety. More research is needed to test this hypothesis, but in the meantime it would not hurt to put an ice cap or a cool washcloth on your forehead if you are suffering from anxiety and are having difficulty sleeping. Who knows, you might be in for a pleasant surprise!

Living with Anxiety

Cooling your Brain may Alleviate Anxiety??

In a recent study presented this summer, researchers demonstrated that cooling the brain was an effective treatment for sleep disorders and insomnia.

They equiped insomniacs with a "cooling cap", which essentially used circulating water to cool the prefrontal cortex (front part of the brain located just behind the forehead), to help their brain relax before going to sleep. The results turned out to be positive as in more than 75% of the cases the patients did fall asleep and stayed asleep.

This finding has treatment implication for anxiety disorders, because in anxiety as in insomnia the prefrontal cortex is hyperactive.Therefore a treatment approach that would help slow down activity in that brain region could potentially reduce anxiety. More research is needed to test this hypothesis, but in the meantime it would not hurt to put an ice cap or a cool washcloth on your forehead if you are suffering from anxiety and are having difficulty sleeping. Who knows, you might be in for a pleasant surprise!

Living with Anxiety

Lucid Dreaming: A Potential Treatment Approach for Generalized Anxiety and Phobias

We have all experienced at one time or other a lucid dream, which is a state in which the dreamer is conscious that he/she is dreaming. In certain cases the lucid dreamer can even alter the course of the dream. 

Dreams have always intrigued researchers wanting to understand their function and mechanism, but for a long time lucid dreaming has been shunned because it was still elusive, if not unbelievable. It was the discovery of unique brain waves that draw more attention to it. Indeed, it was found that parts of the cerebral cortex ( the frontal part of the brain responsible for concentration and judgment) were active during that state while usually silent during regular dreaming (REM Sleep).

Recently, lucid dreaming has been considered as a potential treatment option for Generalized Anxiety and Specific Phobias, as the dream state is believed to provide a safe environment where the individual can confront his/her anxieties. The dreamer could thus manipulate his/her dreams to act out his/her fears while being in a relaxed state.However, there is nothing conclusive yet as more research is needed to clarify certain aspects that remain unclear, such as how to train someone to "lucid dream"...

Check out more info on lucid dream.

Living with Anxiety

Lucid Dreaming: A Potential Treatment Approach for Generalized Anxiety and Phobias

We have all experienced at one time or other a lucid dream, which is a state in which the dreamer is conscious that he/she is dreaming. In certain cases the lucid dreamer can even alter the course of the dream. 

Dreams have always intrigued researchers wanting to understand their function and mechanism, but for a long time lucid dreaming has been shunned because it was still elusive, if not unbelievable. It was the discovery of unique brain waves that draw more attention to it. Indeed, it was found that parts of the cerebral cortex ( the frontal part of the brain responsible for concentration and judgment) were active during that state while usually silent during regular dreaming (REM Sleep).

Recently, lucid dreaming has been considered as a potential treatment option for Generalized Anxiety and Specific Phobias, as the dream state is believed to provide a safe environment where the individual can confront his/her anxieties. The dreamer could thus manipulate his/her dreams to act out his/her fears while being in a relaxed state.However, there is nothing conclusive yet as more research is needed to clarify certain aspects that remain unclear, such as how to train someone to "lucid dream"...

Check out more info on lucid dream.

Living with Anxiety