Archive for March, 2007

Among all types of depression manic depressive disorder or bipolar disorder is by far the least common. Nonetheless, according to recent studies and depending on the interpretation of the results of these studies about 1.3 to 6.4 percent of the population can be classified as having manic depressive disorder. This type of depression is characterized by mood swings between severe emotional lows (the depressive state) and highs (the manic state. In general manic depressive disorder is categorized as either Bipolar Type I or Bipolar Type II — the former defined by mania in its extreme form, the latter characterized by a less extreme expression of mania called hypo-mania. The manic phases of manic depressive disorder are defined by a dramatic increase in energy leading to over-activity and over-confidence. The patient is also commonly over-talkative with a high speech-rate. The attention span is drastically lowered as is the ability to think rationally and to behave properly in social settings. This in turn leads to the affected person devising and pursuing unrealistic and oftentimes dangerous ideas, as well as to the unintentional creation of embarrassing situations in public. If left untreated mania can develop into a psychotic state. The hypo-mania characteristic for Bipolar Type II is less destructive than full-blown mania insofar as the symptoms are much weaker and usually last for a shorter period of time. The hypo-manic state can even lead to creative outbursts and, at least temporarily, to unusually high innovative problem solving skills. The depressive phases of manic depressive disorder are in no way different than the depressive phases of other kinds of depression. The patient experiences prolonged phases of sadness, often without a cause, and a loss of energy leading to lethargy. He is indifferent and pessimistic; feels guilty and worthless; shows a loss of appetite and a change in sleep patterns — with insomnia being very common; is indecisive and unable to concentrate; experiences anxiety, irritability and anger. Furthermore, the patient may have recurring thoughts of death or suicide. Sometimes manic depressive disorder patients experience a mixed state where certain aspects of the manic and the depressive state occur next to each other. For example it is possible that a patient experiences insomnia, paranoia, anxiety and suicidal thoughts as well as agitation, aggressiveness and hyperactivity. Mixed episodes of manic depressive disorder often are the most destructive mental state leading to self-mutilation, suicidal activities and substance abuse if untreated. While some sufferers of manic depressive disorder experience only a few manic and depressive episodes during their lifetime the opposite is true for many other cases of this type of depression. Rapid cycling of mania and depression is hard to control and has a worse prognosis than the other types of manic depressive disorder. Interestingly the use of antidepressants can have a negative effect on patients experiencing rapid cycles or can even induce the rapid cycling state. Concluding it has to be said that manic depressive disorder is a serious condition and arguably the worst of all types of depression. Probably to a large extent genetically pre-determined it cannot be healed. However, the condition can be alleviated and controlled by proper medicinal management and anyone suffering from manic depressive disorder is well-advised to seek medical help as soon as possible.

To learn more on the <a
href="http://www.beatdepression.org/types-of-depression.html">
three types of depression</a> and how to treat them go to <a
href="http://www.beatdepression.org">
www.beatdepression.org</a>, your depression resource.

Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 at 06:00 | 0 comments
Categories: Depression
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How many times have you been to a high school sports game? Have you ever noticed the amount of sports drinks they consume during a 40 minute basketball game? Have you ever wondered how much of that stuff they may drink in a day, even a week? Perhaps everyday for many years. Did you ever think it may cause Type2 Diabetes? I never did until it happened to me.

In high school I played three sports and lifted weights everyday. I was very active and healthy. My body was not overweight, although I ate like most teens do. Fast food, junk food, whatever I could call a meal.

Fast forward ten years. I was now over weight. I did not play sports anymore and I was still eating the same meals as before, Fast food. It was the same lifestyle I had ten years before, but without the exercise. What happened next was I got Type2 Diabetes.

This may sound a little odd. After many talks with my doctor , we concluded that sports drinks may have been the underlying cause of my Type2 Diabetes. While I was in high school I consumer a huge amount of sports drinks that were loaded with sugar. By a huge amount I mean close to a gallon a day. That may seems like a lot , but drinking a 32 oz sports drink four times a day is easy.

Now if you have never looked at the label of a sports drink let me share some facts with you. In a leading sports drink 12oz bottle there are 310 calories and 42 grams of sugar. In a 32 oz bottle there is almost 930 calories and close to 126 grams of sugar. Multiply that by four and the numbers are sickening. My doctor believes that I consumed so many sports drinks that it destroyed my pancreas, giving me type 2 Diabetes. Drinking a sports drink that I thought was good for me.

What really concerns me now is that teenagers have taken to these exotic energy drinks that are loaded with caffeine and huge amounts of sugar. Five times the amount of a sports drink. Could there possibly be a diabetes epidemic in 10 years? Sixty percent of people between the age of 25 and 35 with Type2 diabetes in the year 2017? I think it is really a possibility. Can we stop this before it happens? Most likely not. Can you prevent yourself or your child athlete from getting Type2 diabetes? The answer is yes. Drink water instead of sports drinks. It will do more for you than what the sports drink label say their product will do.


Exercise is also the key to staying healthy. Just because you have left high school and the opportunity to play sports are limited to you does not mean that you have to stop being active. In almost every town there are adult recreation leagues. Basketball, weight training , roller hockey, are almost always available to adults. Just going for a walk after dinner for 20 minutes is better than nothing at all.

Shannon Hooven is a Diabetic. He is also the webmaster of http://www.diabeticsportal.com.
Get "How to Fight Type2 Diabetes And Win!" at http://hoov7472.dwarrior.hop.clickbank.net

Saturday, March 17th, 2007 at 06:00 | 0 comments
Categories: General Articles
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The diagnosis “depression”, while it may sound terrible to the one suffering from this mental disorder in the first instance, actually has lost much of its scariness over the past decades due to much better means to beat depression than available in the past. In addition, the causes of depression are also known in much more detail leading to an increased likelihood to find further new treatments to beat depression within the next years. The first line of treatment for depression sufferers is without doubt the use of anti-depressants prescribed by a medical practitioner, usually combined with some kind of talk therapy by a psychotherapist. In cases of mild depression the use of alternative methods to beat depression, such as herbal remedies (in particular St. John’s wort) may be indicated. Apart of those treatment options, which are more or less driven by the patient’s doctor, there are many supportive measures a depressed patient can and should actively use in order to increase his chances to beat depression and to prevent it from coming back once he has been successfully treated. Among the most important patient-driven activities that can help to beat depression are a healthy diet and sports. It has been shown over and over again that a proper nutritional mix of fruits and vegetables, fish, milk products and meat has a profound positive effect on the depressed patient (apart of generally increasing ones health). Vitamin- and mineral supplements may also be added to such a healthy diet. It is also well known that activities such as brisk walking, jogging or any other kind of sports, if pursued in reasonable quantities, are very helpful. Another important step to be taken that helps to beat depression is to mingle with other people such as family members and friends as much as possible. It is commonly very hard for any depressed patient to do this especially during acute phases of depression, since having no real interest in or even an aversion for meeting people is one of the common symptoms of depression. However, if a patient can push himself (or can be pushed by a caring friend) to meet people and to enjoy himself (as much as possible under the given circumstances) much can be gained. Getting lots of sleep and the possibility to relax and to avoid stress at work and at home are further important stepping stones on the way to beat depression. Especially the strong positive correlation of stress to depression and many other diseases has been repeatedly shown. While stress avoidance in itself is a good means to beat depression further support can be provided by special relaxation techniques and meditation. Finally, another important contributor to furthering the chances to successfully beat depression is to increase the self-confidence of the depressed patient, since this mood disorder often is connected to a weak self-confidence and even self-hate. Concluding, there are many ways to beat depression in addition to depression medication and talk therapy. A combination of all of the mentioned activities will significantly improve the chances to beat depression and to prevent it from coming back.

To check out what possibilities exist <a href="http://www.beatdepression.org"> to beat depression and to prevent it</a> visit <a href="http://www.beatdepression.org">www.beatdepression.org</a>, your information portal on depression.

Saturday, March 17th, 2007 at 06:00 | 0 comments
Categories: Depression
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Androgenetic alopecia a.k.a. male pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss among men and women. The only difference lies in the pattern of hair loss. The condition is called male pattern baldness in the case of men, and female pattern baldness in the case of women. This is androgenetic alopecia definition in a nutshell. Male and female pattern hair loss In men, androgenetic alopecia causes hair loss in a well-defined pattern. The process starts above both the temples. Gradually the hairline recedes to form a characteristic “M” shape. Hair loss is also witnessed at the crown (near the head top), often resulting in either partial or complete baldness. In the case of hair loss in women hair becomes thinner all over the head. However, the hairline does not recede. Total baldness caused by the disease among women is rare. Causes of male androgenetic alopecia? Androgen can be called the root cause of male androgenetic alopecia. It is a generic term referring to any natural or synthetic compound (usually a steroid hormone) stimulating or controlling the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors. The latter is an intracellular steroid receptor specifically binding the two types of androgens – testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This receptor binding allows the androgens to stimulate and regulate the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics in vertebrates. Male androgenetic alopecia is caused by androgenetic function and androgen receptors are at the centre of androgenetic functions. Genetic factors in androgenetic alopecia Androgenetic alopecia is influenced by genetic factors. People with a strong predisposition to the disease start balding in their teens. Those with a weak predisposition may start balding in their 60s or 70s. Less than 15 per cent of men have little or no baldness by the age of 70. As per research, several genes that one inherits from both of his parents play a role in this disease. Paternal hair loss reportedly correlates with alopecia possibility in sons. On the other hand, androgen receptors (AR) – that can correlate with baldness – are X chromosome linked.

The author has been studying &lt;a href= http://www.malepatternbaldness.info/androgens-in-male-pattern-baldness.php&gt;male pattern baldness&lt;/a&gt; treatment for more than 20 years

Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 at 06:00 | 0 comments
Categories: Hair Loss
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The most common symptom of lupus is the appearance of a red colored rash over the cheeks and nose. In severe cases the rash may spread to the rest of the body, and bouts of fever and joint pain could be experienced. Once the condition is diagnosed, you might think that the treatment of lupus could begin. However, lupus is an autoimmune condition where the body creates antibodies that attack its own tissues. Therefore the treatment of lupus is often targeted at relieving the symptoms rather than attacking the root of the problem. The plain fact of the matter is that in 90% of lupus cases the cause is unknown, meaning lengthy, and costly, treatments that never actually deal with the root of the problem.


Despite this, there is hope. Lupus can be treated through a 4-step program:


1. Diagnose the disease


2. Relieve the symptoms


3. Isolate the cause


4. Treat the disease


1. Diagnosis


Diagnosis can only be done by a qualified physician. Besides the main symptom of a red rash covering the cheeks and nose already mentioned, the other symptoms to look out for are:


1. Fever or headaches


2.Joint pain


3.Hair loss


4.Depression


5.Mouth ulcers


6.Chest pains


You might notice that these symptoms are not very unique, and a major problem is that the signs and symptoms of lupus often go unnoticed of misdiagnosed. Besides, not all of the above symptoms need to be present in a lupus sufferer. This is why a definite diagnosis from your doctor is needed. Then, it’s on to the next step.


2. Relieve the Symptoms


Lupus can affect any of the main organs of the body such as the lungs, in which case inflammation would occur, possibly leading to pneumonia. Due to this, the treatment of lupus often starts with the treatment of the symptoms rather than the disease itself. For example, if the kidneys are affected then the only symptoms could be swollen ankles and some abnormality in the blood and urine reading. The treatment of lupus would only address those particular symptoms.


The treatment of lupus, when diagnosed, often starts with corticosteroids. Doctors also advise a vitamin and mineral supplement along with conventional medication. Calcium, folic acid and vitamin D, all help strengthen bones and skin. These remedies can ease the pain and discomfort of the disease so that the third step can begin.


3. Isolate the Cause


It is thought that in many cases lupus is caused by an allergic reaction. Finding an allergy can be like finding a needle in a haystack but with the symptoms already under control using the remedies in step 2, the process becomes much less daunting.


Allergy tests are available, and these can be obtained by your doctor. Alternatively, cutting out different foods (dairy, wheat etc.) for short periods of time could reveal the possible cause. It is important to supplement your diet with an essential vitamins and minerals if you want to cut out certain food-groups from your diet.


Once the cause is found, the key to preventing flare-ups is found and treatment can begin.


4. Treatment of Lupus


The treatment of lupus of course will depend upon the cause found in step 3. For many people, the lupus rash is aggravated by strong sunlight. In this case, patients are generally asked to look out for flare-ups and at the first sign start using a stronger sunscreen.


Stress or anxiety attacks are also known to induce flare-ups, so the treatment of lupus can include relaxation techniques. Reduced stress levels are themselves an effective treatment for flare-ups and skin rashes.


The Lupus Foundation of America spends a lot of time researching the treatment of lupus, its causes, and prevention. It funds research for the development of experimental prototypes and new approaches. Even junior investigators are given grants for 2 years in order to help find a cure or natural remedy. At the moment, general scientific knowledge of the autoimmune system is not very strong, and so the treatment of lupus is still mainly restricted to addressing the symptoms only.


Take Control


Lupus should not be just some condition that lies underneath, waiting to break out into embarrassing rashes at any moment. The root of the disease can be found and effectively treated.

<p>Author Bio: </p>
<p>Mitamins team</p>
<p>bd@mitamins.net</p>
<p>Targeted: Lupus; Safety: Avoid Vitamins Overdose, Supplement Drug Interactions; Quality: Freshly Made with Brand Ingredients.</p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.mitamins.com/disease/Lupus.html">vitamin support for lupus treatment</a></b></p>

Saturday, March 10th, 2007 at 07:00 | 0 comments
Categories: Depression
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