Tag Archives: anxiety

What Does a Hug Have to do with Health?

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The next time you hug someone you probably won’t be thinking about how it benefits your health. Who does that?Hugging couple 2 1.7.13

Yet, a researcher at the Medical University of Vienna shared a fun fact in honor of National Hug Day: hugging someone you care about can ease stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and even boost memory. Another benefit? It keeps you warm in the cold winter months, which is apparently one reason for the day landing in January!

Thursday is Valentine’s Day in the United States–a day that celebrates giving and loving– so this week’s blog focuses on the subject of love and compassion and how expressing these qualities relates to well-being.

Truly it’s what’s behind the expression of affection that’s been proven to positively impact health–like caring for others and sharing compassion and empathy.

Nurses are finding that the power of touch can be enough to ease pain and suffering. One Continue reading →

Wearable Health

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Is monitoring your health just a bracelet away? It’s a 2013 trend that’s catching on to people’s wrists across the country. Similar to a trendy watch, these bands–like the Basis–monitor your sleep, heart rate, calories burned, body temperature, etc. With a USB or Bluetooth these gadgets send data right to your computer or smart phone, so you can monitor and track your stats.

A friend of mine got a sleek white one as a Christmas gift and recently showed me how it worked. She was excited to more accurately know how many stairs she’s climbed in a day or how many calories she’s burned.

Other tech devices are catching on, too. And some recognize that simply monitoring body activity isn’t going to cut it. Take, for instance, Huff Continue reading →

Real Answers about Anxiety

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Since 1980 there’s been a 1200% increase in anxiety in the U.S. making it one of the most common mental illnesses in America.

Consider these statistics:

  • In 2011, an estimated 117 million Americans were diagnosed with general anxiety disorder.
  • Only 1/3 of those who suffer from anxiety seek help.
  • Pharmaceutical companies reported some $661 million in sales of anxiety drugs in 2011.
  • There are currently at least 26 new medications slated for the market targeting anxiety.

Clearly, this is a problem. But is it true that Americans are really more anxious now than 30 years ago? It’s easy to come up with some obvious reasons in support of the increasing numbers. With smart phones and the internet, we are instantly and constantly plugged in, connected to our work and the world’s concerns to the point of not being able to turn off fear-inducing scenarios.

According to Psych Central, health anxiety is a major culprit, in which one out of four people with a chronic medical condition suffers from extreme obsession and worry about their health or a particular diagnosis.

Drugs are commonly prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, and while they may calm or reduce symptoms for a time, they can’t claim to stop them permanently. We might ask ourselves the same question Dr. Marcelle Pick asks in her Huff Post article, Are Prescription Drugs Making Us any Healthier? Patients can easily develop a dependency on drugs, suffer from adverse side-effects, or find their prescription negatively impacts their ability to function in their jobs.

I recently heard of an example from a well-established doctor who specializes in anesthesiology. He was going through a very difficult period in his life and suddenly found Continue reading →

Online MD, Honesty, and Early-Risers

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Today’s News & Culture update:

CNN.com: Be Careful When Diagnosing Your Ailments Online

According to a recent report from the Pew Research Center, 80% of Internet users have looked up health information online. The study points out that the social life of health information is alive and kicking, motivated by two driving forces: 1) the availability of social tools and 2) the motivation, especially among people living with chronic conditions, to connect with each other.

The problem is, online diagnosing can lead to fear and misdiagnosing, causing more anxiety and perhaps leading to the very symptoms you didn’t want. Research into the “nocebo effect” shows that merely the power of suggestion can be enough to “bring on real-life symptoms.”

One thing is for sure, the more the conversation turns to self-managed, personalized care through a spiritual approach to health–as I discussed in last week’s blog–the more answers to our questions won’t seem so illusive or fear-inducing. So add your voice to the conversation!

Study Finds that Avoiding Lies Can Improve Your Health

A recent study on honesty has been buzzing on internet health sites. Did you ever think that your honesty index is directly related to your health and well-being? According to this study, telling fewer lies positively affects your physical and mental state.

“Over the study period, the link between less lying and improved health was significantly stronger for participants in the no-lie group.”

Morning is Prime-Time for Self-Improvement

If you’re anything like the average person, just getting out the door dressed and ready for work (not to mention getting the kids out before you) is enough to feel satisfied (or frazzled!) about your morning. Continue reading →

Health Without Side Effects

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Today’s News & Culture update:

I read a recent Boston Globe article, Warning Patients of Drug Side-Effects May Trigger Symptoms, that puts a twist on drug side-effects related to the nocebo effect, sometimes referred to as the “evil twin” of the placebo effect.

Globe health reporter Deborah Kotz writes, “Recent research has demonstrated that when doctors and nurses inform patients about a laundry list of symptoms that a drug can cause — such as headaches, anxiety, dizziness, and nausea — they may unintentionally trigger these symptoms via the power of suggestion . . .”

We’ve all watched commercials for drugs that list possible side effects. I recently saw an ad where the voice-over litany of horrible side-effects never seemed to stop while happy people danced in a field and carried on with a normal life in the background. The side-effects sounded far worse than the targeted problem. I could see viewers thinking, “Um, no, thanks, I’d rather just live with my condition.” Continue reading →

Supermom: Can career women have their cake and eat it, too?

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Women “having it all” has been trending on Twitter ever since the July cover story of The Atlantic Monthly came out and Marissa Mayer was named the new CEO for Yahoo.

Only they seem to be sending mixed messages. Marissa is pregnant (expecting her first child in October) and left the Google giant (net worth pushing $200 billion) to take on the hefty job of turning Yahoo around (net worth $20 billion). She’s also the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The world is watching for nothing short of an Apple miracle, and I for one am excited for women that pregnancy is no longer a barrier to positions of power. At least not in the United States.

But there’s a chorus of women who are asking, “At what cost?” and . . . “What about the baby?”

Anne-Marie Slaughter essentially asked herself that question 18 months into her job as the first woman director of policy planning at the State Department. Slaughter wrote the cover story in the Atlantic Monthly, “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All.” The photo of the baby in a leather briefcase flanked by a skirt and heels caught my attention. Because yes, I can relate.

I came out of full-time motherhood to begin a new career when my third child was barely two. The joke in our home is that when I was working in another state for a month my husband stuck gum in our toddler’s mouth every time he asked for Mama. He still loves gum today. It’s funny, but it reminds me of the sacrifices we made. Fortunately, my husband was between jobs and could care for the children while we sorted out our new lives.

In the end, I didn’t have to choose between work and family. At least not exactly.

I worked hard that first year to earn a flexible schedule so I could be home in time for the school bus, prepare dinner, and help with homework. I kept my two jobs and got less sleep, but that was no reason to complain.

You can read the full article on CNN’s iReport here.

Continue reading →

The price of forgiveness

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How much does forgiveness cost?

That’s what popped into my thoughts as I paced the isles of our local Staples store. All I could think about was what my husband had just confessed.

“You WHAT? You DIDN”T!” Was my first reaction to the news that he’d borrowed (without asking)–and then lost–my Bose quiet comfort headphones (a gift from my husband), along with my iPod (with a lot of personal stuff on it), for a recent business trip. How could he leave them out of his sight at the airport terminal? Unthinkable! Add to that no travel insurance.

So now I was facing a sheepish husband in the Staples store while I added up the damage. That’s when I eeked out a prayer and heard, “How much does forgiveness cost?” Continue reading →