Fibromyalgia Fatigue - Exhaustion Multiplied

Fibromyalgia fatigue can often be misunderstood. Until a correct diagnosis, the pain and exhaustion experienced may easily be put down to hypochondria or laziness produced symptoms. For the past thirty years, fibromyalgia along with fibromyalgia fatigue has been a recognized disorder, but there is still much research required prior to finding either its cause or cure. Currently, it is estimated that around four or five million people worldwide suffer from fibromyalgia; the figures for the American population standing at around two per cent. Not every sufferer will experience all symptoms however, so it has historically been difficult to diagnose and these figures may still not be truthful to the actual numbers.

Along with the pain, weakness and stiffness of joints and muscles that all fibromyalgia victims suffer, various additional problems arise to create fibromyalgia fatigue. One of the most common of these is the feeling of malaise, exhaustion, or lack of energy known as fibromyalgia fatigue. The depletion of energy can be either physical or mental, many victims experiencing problems with memory and concentration as well as flu-like symptoms just as if suffering from an all over illness with the lack of body energy. The fatigue is often the reason that many sufferers first consult a doctor, after having overridden the pain with common over the counter analgesics such as aspirin and putting it down to ill health rather than a disorder.

The various methods of controlling or eradicating fibromyalgia fatigue depend on each specific case. In some patients, balancing the exercise partaken of can remove the symptom altogether, whereas for others meditation and diet alterations may make significant difference. When diagnosed with fibromyalgia it is therefore essential to reconsider your entire lifestyle, not only to ascertain the best methods for coping with health maintenance whilst suffering a chronic disorder, but also for personal well being and general health purposes. Some of the areas needing consideration include diet, exercise, work life, medication, meditation and therapy.

If fibromyalgia fatigue is a predominant symptom, you may be better off to seek an alternative position or shorten the length of time you spend at work if this is preferable and possible. If you have any inclination to a more suitable career, it is best to get serious with your consideration, as this may help greatly in the long run. Dietary alteration can often accomplish much in the reduction of fibromyalgia fatigue, in the area of maintaining an overall health and well being, reducing problems from sleep deprivation, and improving energy levels by inclusion of adequate vitamin and mineral intake or supplement.

Sometimes, the presence of fibromyalgia fatigue can be controlled by gentle exercise. Calming both the mental and physical strains of fatigue, taking a daily walk or practicing Yoga and meditation for an hour a day can both address the two sides of the problem at once. These are often also popular methods for reducing other symptoms within fibromyalgia, as they are low cost choices available to nearly everyone and cover many of the possible problems of the disorder. To take up walking, you basically only require a suitable pair of shoes and a gradually inclining effort, whereas to participate in Yoga you will initially need to attend classes unless already experienced but can then practice at home long term without further financial burden.

Additional ways to treat fibromyalgia fatigue include meditation, medication, and therapy. Whilst meditation is freely available and assists with many aspects of the syndrome, the latter two solutions cost higher financially and may be difficult to sustain suitably for some sufferers. Doctors will often prescribe medication firstly, and then gradually help you to introduce lifestyle changes to lessen your dependency upon medication. In any case, it is advisable to seek their advice on all possible aspects of fibromyalgia maintenance inclusive of fibromyalgia fatigue.

Autor: Sara Jowers

Sara Jowers is a research writer specializing in illnesses that predominantly affect women. For more great tips and advice on coping with fibromyalgia fatigue

Added: February 28, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What is Fibromyalgia - What You Should Know!

Fibromyalgia is a mysterious conglomeration of various and variable complaints linked together as a syndrome and was not recognized officially as a complaint until two or three decades ago. Therefore, the question of what is fibromyalgia did not arise until recent times.When investigating the question what is fibromyalgia one has to take into consideration the fact that the medical profession has not yet arrived at a final answer to this question, but currently associates the amalgamated problems with the central nervous system or that of an overactive pain system.

Among the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia sufferers are muscle pain and weakness, problems with sleeping, fatigue and exhaustion, tender spots where pain erupts on slight pressure, and morning stiffness. Other conditions that may be attributed to fibromyalgia include excess sensitivity, depression, headaches, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, numbness or tingling of the extremities, chest pain and mood changes.

Due to the vast array of possible symptoms, diagnosis is often a difficulty; prior to two decades ago, medical staff usually put down the fibromyalgia symptoms to hypochondria or exaggeration, as there was no physical representation of the problems such as damaged tissue or inflammation visible in response to their tests. Now that it has been officially recognized as a disorder and is the cause of further scientific and medical research, perhaps the question of what is fibromyalgia can eventually have an answer.

Currently, diagnosis depends mainly on two factors. The first contributinge factor being a history of generalized pain that has affected the entire body, left and right as well as upper and lower, for a duration of at least three months. The second factor being based on their being tenderness located in at least eleven of the eighteen specific points known as tender points.

When originally recognized as a medical syndrome, fibromyalgia was attributed to the family of rheumatology and arthritis, due to the essential factor of joint pain and muscle stiffness. It remained unrecognized as a disorder or illness by the American Medical Association until 1987, despite having first been accepted as existent in the early eighteen hundreds under former titles such as fibrositis and muscular rheumatism.

The question of what is fibromyalgia precisely has yet to be answered; however, various treatments to assist sufferers have been suggested and developed whilst medical scientists further explore the question. What is fibromyalgia is a question still to be completely answered.

Currently, the question of how to best treat the symptoms to ease the discomfort of sufferers is prevalent over the question of what is fibromyalgia. There are numerous additional factors present in some patients, whilst others simply experience the overall sense of exhaustion, have difficulty sleeping, and suffer from joint and muscle problems.

Dependent upon the conditions present, once diagnosed, the medical profession may offer medication and other treatments, suggest herbal remedies and lifestyle changes, or prescribe various alternate forms such as acupuncture, yoga and dietary changes. However, the medical profession has yet to fully comprehend and answer the question of what is fibromyalgia.

Each specific has to be considered and treated separately, as there remains no answer to the question of what is fibromyalgia and hence no cure. Current research is attempting to establish the connectivity between fibromyalgia and pain sensitivity, reaction to current medicines and treatments, and the significance of the hereditary factor.

Until medical research can establish further information and facts related to fibromyalgia, it can only offer ways to alleviate the various symptoms and suggest that patients suffering fro the disorder attempt to obtain sufficient sleep, take their prescription medications, make alterations to their diet and possibly their working habits also, and partake of proper levels of exercise. Yoga, herbal remedies and acupuncture will often assist with the pain problem in the meantime. What is fibromyalgia is a question that has yet to be completely answered.

Autor: Sara Jowers

Sara Jowers is a research writer specializing in illnesses that predominently affect women. Go here for more great tips and advice on chronic fibromyalgia

Added: February 26, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Weird Science on Satellite TV

Science is a vital part of civilization and permits us to have such luxuries as medicine and fancy machinery. As important as it is, getting people interested in science is no easy task. Aside from making things explode in chemistry class and dissecting frogs in biology, science can easily teeter over to the boring and dry side of life. Luckily, television has stepped in to jazz up the notion of science and give a boost to its popularity. Satellite TV gives people a whole range of great shows to choose from to get a nice little dose of entertainment with a hint of education.

In the wake of Bill Nye the Science Guy, the Discovery Channel offers a great show for scientists and regular civilians alike called "Mythbusters". Taking commonly held beliefs, this group of quirky scientists takes their expansive scientific knowledge and applies it to each idea in order to prove that it is fact or fiction. While it often includes the appeal of explosives, they also explain the science behind each experiment in an exciting and rather easily understood fashion. Using common myths also makes the science more relatable. Instead of seeing science as some lofty, far removed subject only relevant to government, medical, or technological endeavors, people can apply the science to parts of their everyday life. Even if people cannot execute the experiments themselves it is still entertaining to watch someone blow things up in high definition.

If the reality of "Mythbusters" is just too real for certain viewers, shows like "House" and "CSI" bring drama and science together. The personality ticks and poor bedside manner of Dr. House adds to the narrative appeal of the show, but the peculiar illnesses are another key draw. While the odd ailments might inspire a few cases of hypochondria in the audience, they also bring attention to the complexity of the human body and its possibilities. The dramatic diseases that grace Dr. House's chart make science and medicine intriguing, taking biology out of the textbook and putting it in an interesting context. Sports pale in comparison to the intense race of trying to find the cause and cure of a fatal disease before it claims its host.

"CSI" employs the same suspense and drama that "House" does but with a few more special affects. The whole basis of the show is the application of science to solve a crime, elevating chemistry to a whole new level of hip. While the investigators are quite a bit better looking than your average lab geek, the instruments and experiments they handle cannot help but peak a person's interest in the capabilities of chemicals. The show also specializes in high definition exploration of wounds and dead bodies for the extra gore affect that could be quite satisfying to those who lean more towards biology. The science of these fictitious shows might be fudged a little bit and much more glamorous than the humble real life science nerds of "Mythbusters" but they excite the mind all the same. Having people get science on the mind is a good first step in the direction of boosting its popularity.

Autor: John R. Harrison

Direct TV is America's number-one satellite TV services company. For the best in sports programming, movies, and high-definition entertainment, check out the many great Direct TV packages available right now.

Added: February 25, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Healing Thyself

'None but you can be your own healer, your own physician.' Do you agree with the statement? Before proceeding to react in negative as per your conditioning, give a pause. Remember! All truths had been amazing and mind-boggling until worked upon with sincerity of will and spirit of trust. I can appreciate overshadowing impact of the modern science on most aspects of life, but the same scientists who in their enthusiasm to break the old myths are trying to research again the essence in the naturals- once forgotten, the very basics. They are searching old and tested essentials in a new light.

Body and mind though considered earlier to be different and independent parts and this analytical thinking has damaged and already brought more than fifty percent human race on the threshold of psychological disorders, are naturally correlated, congenially inter related and synergistically and holistically interdependent like two sides of the coin. But the way new science looks- one-eyed way; seeing one part as the whole thus creating a duality, is the real problem. The whole is always healthy, at ease but the duality pulls and naturally healthy people are made to live miserably ill.

Latest studies have confirmed what masters could see with insight that mind governs the body and so does the body to mind. All yogic and natural exercises simply allow you to be associated with your body, away from the mind; the mind gets a rest and makes people healthy with inner beauty of happiness.

"It's all in your head" - we have heard this expression more than once in our lives when we complained about this or that physical ailment, emotional difficulty or some stress-associated experiences.

And mind it! That the mind will never agree when we try to see this point, that it has a problem. How can the same element, same ego agree to be at fault; not in unison. This sequence of 'headiness' further leads to dreamy hallucinations, sticky impressions and a person starts seeing first and feeling later from weakness creeping into the legs to dreaded dreamy progressions of events. All this happens in the same mind that dictates and symphonizes symptoms in the body; depression is the output.

A depressed mind is simply unable to think or rationalize or it is the result of over thinking, brings us to unanswerable question mark. Is it unanswerable? No, if we try to see both body and mind as one and the role of connecting energy. Any blockage in the natural flow of energy creates situation where body is not-at-ease or dis- eased.

All inputs of thoughts, food and surrounding environment directly and subtly influence the energy mechanism of the body. Sitting for long periods in front of computers- hey! I usually take a break to go outside to inhale fresh air, couching before 'idiot box' and all sedentary styles of life create blockages. Simply go out, have few deep breathes, move your body and half your illness disappears.

Look now, the psychologists usually prescribe depressants thus further depressing the process of conscious thinking; patient remains in daze unable to think and work realistically. Sometimes some medicines seem to work as do the placebos, but it is the correction of one's thinking that works more and gets the sufferer out of is sufferings.

Placebo is as old as medical science where a physician knows that the patient has problem only in the mind and not with the body. All symptoms which body reflects sometimes are imaginary, simply psychological. This happens when the mind overpowers the body, it dictates; comes to its being; the real unmasked face and this is the main task of the mind. The masters and sages established long ago the cunning strength of the mind through innate desires like greed, ego, anger and sex but the scientists have only recently re-established the need to look into this crucial aspect.

Medicines do work, but remember it is due to the fact that our mind has accepted, believed and trusted the doctor or the medicine. When body is simply relieved of its pain either by the intake of medicine or simple rest or natural ways like a walk or yoga; the resultant stress is gone in the part that had pain. And mind starts working harmoniously. We can infer that most medicines are nothing but placebos; otherwise it should work on all the patients all the time. Then each human being should have been living in the healthy state of body and mind, but it does not happen because all minds and bodies are uniquely different. .

Now, scientists are closing in to this aspect that most of the symptoms except in trauma and serious infection take root in mind. Mind is the main culprit while body just responds unnaturally.

To understand the nature of body and enjoying the maximum of the life through this body, the learned sages have advised three things:
- Sensible food,
- Sensible body movements (exercise) and
- Sensible thoughts.

Today every individual is continuously under the systematic high pressure of media blitzkrieg, burdened with all senseless junk food, remaining comforted for hours before idiot box and allowing drifting and impure matters to take over the command of mind- the later being the most crucial from healing angle.

The plethora of today's problems like stress and tension in the Belly and body; regular pain of knees, shoulders, back and neck, sleeplessness, premature aging, frigidity and impotency, heart ailments, feeling of hopelessness, being unworthy and incapable, hypochondria and alike are nothing but life style problems. These cannot be classified as diseases. It is an established fact now that most of these are due to long hours of sittings on chair before the computer or sofa watching the TV, munching whatever one can catch hold off without realizing the need and requirement of the body and our thought process is being controlled, conditioned and hypnotized to buy one or the other product.

Ironically, you all know this. You have read all this, watched on TV screen umpteen times, yet your lazy sleep- not literal sleep but your being doing everything unconsciously as if drugged, has done harm to you. I read about a Japanese doctor who confessed, "What people earn from the age of thirty- five to fifty-five, they give almost half of their earnings to doctors between the age of fifty-five to seventy-five or more."

Now try to see and watch but watch closely, candidly your relentless running around; not caring for the medium called the body, the real tool for prime twenty years is going to land you into a bigger gully where pain of visiting doctors and staying in hospitals causing equal pain and anguish to nears and dears ones. Your presence on this planet earth is till your body serves you healthily.

As regards the mind, the head we have to be clearly careful and watchful as to what kind of thoughts and words and pictures need to be fed to it. What is needed is the true positivism; and only harmonious thoughts can be healing to body and mind. We have to understand deeply that both body and mind work coherently and if one goes out of order another just follows. So the good and healthy food that doesn't burden or causes extensive and painful expansion of the stomach and at least half an hour to one hour of exercise with relatively clear vision of understanding of body, mind and soul as one medium can not only heal you of minor and major illnesses but will shower in an era of pleasant, melodious and healthy living.

All the best! Heal thyself from within.

Autor: Grover Narendra

Dr. Grover Narendra is writer, author and motivational speaker on Happiness. His book Only Better Parents have Best Child was published in 2005. http://www.lifeispassion.com

Added: February 23, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What Are the Causes of Anxiety Disorder?

Anxiety disorder is the sum of a number of influencing factors that help development of the problem. Many of these factors in one's life come by his or her chance of being born in a family that ultimately influences his or her lifestyle, inherited traits, family conditions, personality development under specific culture of the family, child raising habits and financial conditions, marital relation etc. Larger parts of these remain, uncontrollable except one's own personal will and choice.

The problem is substantially enhanced by alcoholism and drug abuse, or sometimes even due to prolonged usage of therapeutic drugs. Sometimes the disorder is associated with illness like hypoglycemia.

The interrelated factors that cause anxiety disorder are:

Environmental:

The immediate environment of an individual influences ones life the most in shaping up the character. Of course there is a great amount of hereditary influence. The roles of family, financial conditions, childhood experiences and so on are the inputs which shape up ones attitude towards the life.

Individual Personality:

Negative attitude assuredly works towards building lack of confidence in people as also their ability to withstand. Such people always feel neglected, and treat others with suspicion keeping the self on the inferior side of comparative scale. Thus they are always fearful and stressed.

Heredity:

It is often observed that the presence of inherited traits largely influences one's behavior, thoughts and action. One's family history, if examined appropriately, would reveal previous existence of such disorders, or closely resembling mental make up which reflects upon the behavioral pattern of an individual.

Trauma:

The root of anxiety disorder in one's life may arise out of certain traumatic experiences, immaterial in which stage of the life, like split in the family, death of a very dear one, or an accident.

Hypochondria - constantly visiting the Doctor:

Many falls pray to this kind of obsession that they must have to visit a doctor for most minor discomfort assuming it to be a beginning of some serious ailment.

Depression:

A Situation that turns into a mental illness that every situation is at a hopeless state of affair with possibility of reversal.

Sexual problems:

The mind numbing thought of underperformance.

Others:

Many a feelings are beyond our control of our body or mind, but these greatly influence actions and behavior which ultimately lead to promotion of anxiety disorders. The examples could be aggression, uncalled and unlikely entanglement in messy situations.

Medical situations that contribute to Anxiety Disorder:

Asthma

Adrenal Diseases

Cardiac problems

Diabetes

Epilepsy

Hypoglycemia

Migraines

Sleep Disorders

Thyroid problems.

Autor: Ryan Taylor

Do you want to discover more about anxiety disorder? Drop us a visit and find out more articles about topics such as adjustment disorder with anxiety and signs of anxiety disorder.

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Added: February 20, 2009
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See More And Do More With A Tiger's Eye

Tiger's eyes, which is a semi-precious stone also known as African cat's eye or crocidolite cat's-eye possesses bands which resemble the eye of a tiger, and therefore its name. In the past, Roman soldiers wore these stones to serve as their protection when they go into battle. Because of its appearance, Tiger's Eye has been believed to be an "all seeing " stone.

It has rich yellow as well as golden brown stripes and has a fine golden luster after being polished. It is a crystalline quartz variety which is formed through the alteration of crocidolite which is an asbestos mineral. When it is viewed in some kind of reflected illumination, there is a band of light or a ripple, which resembles a cat's eye that follows the asbestos' original fibrous structure. It has a hardness of 7 on the Moh's scale. The largest deposits of this stone could be found in Burma, South Africa, Australia, the United States and India. The best stones are mined in Griqualand West.

Tiger's eye has a lot of spiritual and holistic properties. It has been used to gain confidence, courage and protection. It has a solar plexus stone, which helps by improving self-perception and self-clarity. It has also been known to be good for the conceptualization or vocalization of ideas and making visualizations and ideas a reality. It has been believed to be helpful in obtaining goals through taking direct action as well as through learning when to wait or act. It could also counteract any feelings of hypochondria and psychosomatic illnesses and is effective for improving the condition of asthma patients.

Autor: Priyanka Arora

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Added: February 19, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Choose Happiness!

In order to be happy, you just need to choose happiness. It really is that simple!
Depending on your personal situation, outlook and beliefs, choosing happiness might seem effortless, extremely hard or anything in between.

Regardless, choosing happiness - or any other emotion - is always possible. Our thoughts create our emotions, and we can always choose our thoughts. Therefore...

We always choose our feelings!

In fact, consciously or unconsciously, you always choose every emotion you feel. So by choosing your thoughts consciously, you take charge of your emotions!

Many of us still live with the perception that our emotions just "happen" in response to to what goes on around us. Although this is a misperception, created and enforced by ego, we create our life experience according to our perceptions. Therefore, if we're unaware of the misperception then we just reinforce our separation from each other and the world around us. And enforcing separation is what ego is all about.

External influences have an effect as well: news and media, movies, television... even music lyrics. So much of it is based on the idea that we have much less influence over ourselves than we actually do.

"I can't help how I feel!"

"She made me feel that way!"

"You made me so sad when you left."

"He made me do it."

"We were forced to take these actions."

How often have you heard someone say something like that? How often have you said something like it yourself?

Well, statements like that simply cannot be true. They are all based on the belief that things outside ourselves have ultimate control over our thoughts, emotions and actions.

Yes, there are many cases where things can influence us to feel or act a certain way... but the final choice is always ours.

For every self-aware, mentally competent person on this planet, the idea that we do not choose what we think, feel and do is a false belief, nothing more. But many still cling to that belief because it's all we know. We don't believe that we can choose happiness; we believe that it all depends on what's happening around us.

It's what we were taught by others because they believed the same thing, and it's what many of us still believe. Much of our world - society, governments, world events; even entertainment and culture - reflects this.

It can also be a way to avoid taking responsibility for our actions... no matter how harmful those actions may be. For example, one of the most common traits of criminal behavior is the tendency to blame outside sources for negative actions. As mentioned above, it's certainly possible for outside sources to influence us. But ultimately it all comes from within.

The idea that nothing "makes" you happy, or unhappy, or anything else, can be hard to accept. The idea that we, and we alone, are responsible for our emotions is often hard to believe. The idea that we choose the emotions we feel at all times sounds even more preposterous. But we do choose - often unconsciously. We choose happiness, or sadness/unhappiness, or anger, or any other emotion or emotional state. No one chooses it for us.

Our thoughts - and therefore our emotional state and actions - become conditioned responses to our environment, based on our beliefs. But even conditioned responses are chosen, unconsciously. If something occurs to "make" us happy, then we unconsciously choose happiness. If not, we unconsciously choose whatever our conditioning selects as the appropriate response.

Start living consciously!

The change comes when we move out of conditioned emotional response and start choosing our emotions consciously. Then, regardless of the situation, we can consciously choose our thoughts - and therefore our emotional state - and act from it.

We begin to live consciously, as opposed to treading more or less mindlessly through life, unconsciously thinking, feeling and acting in response to our environment.

Consider the advantages of conscious living.

Let me give you a simple example: someone cuts you off on the freeway as you're driving to work. For many of us, the conditioned response would be to take it personally and get upset - even fly into a rage - for whatever reason.

"S/he endangered my life! S/he has no idea what courtesy is! S/he shouldn't have a license! What's his/her hurry anyway?"

Does this response make any logical sense? All it does is upset you, raise your stress and anxiety, and bring your energy down. You'll become a big magnet for more negative energy, and you might end up having "one of those days."

What's more, if you continue to allow negative emotions - triggered by your ego - to get the better of you, you'll probably start to drag others down with you.

You might start a "complaining session" at the water cooler or on coffee break, where everyone vents about something that's annoying them. Do you notice how often this happens? It may not seem like much, but the truth is that it's toxic.

It perpetuates negative energy and, believe it or not, it provides fuel for more and more negative events to take place in the future. (See below.)

Choose a positive response - choose happiness!

If you choose to respond to the erratic freeway driver with a positive attitude and a level head, you invite further positive energy into your life. You can look at things objectively.

Of course, if the driver appears to be impaired in any way you can alert the proper authorities. But if he or she is just driving irresponsibly, it's probably just the antics of ego. It might be some emergency that you don't know about. Again, if the driver appears to be impaired or in some kind of distress, then by all means contact authorities.

If not, choose happiness. Choose to respond with compassion. Give the driver lots of space and let him or her go. If you feel annoyance, that's okay - don't repress it. Allow it to flow through you, and take some deep breaths. You'll feel much better. As you begin to relax, send positive energy and light to the other driver and you'll feel your annoyance dissolve as it's replaced by happiness.

We can always choose happiness... but we have to want it!

Often, we have been living unconsciously for so long that choosing happiness seems like an impossible task. In some cases, our egos try to keep us unhappy because we receive some perceived benefit from it. Have you ever met a "self-described hard-luck case"? This is someone who always seems to have something to complain about; some disaster, ailment or other dramatic situation, big or small, to tell everyone about.

Sometimes a person will behave like this because of the attention and sympathy s/he gets from it. The attention is a perceived benefit... so, unconsciously his/her mind will continue to create "hard luck" situations in order to gain further attention and sympathy. This can even go beyond external events and affect the person physically as well. Ailments, illness, disease, hypochondria and other physical issues can be traced back to a psychological source in many cases.

In other words, a person will sometimes subconsciously create poor health because, at some level, s/he gains some benefit from it. The suggestion that s/he can choose happiness may be rejected. On the surface his or her response might be something like, "I could never be happy. Look at my situation. How could I be happy?"

But underneath, his or her conditioned mind/ego says, "I get a lot of attention and sympathy from this behavior. It might be killing me, but the attention and sympathy still makes me feel loved."

Negative behavior like this is toxic. It can affect others, and it does. It feeds on itself, and it grows. And it certainly affects the person who creates it within themselves! But we all choose happiness, and everything else, ourselves. No one can choose it for us. Ultimately, a person must want to change before s/he can or will change.

Learning to choose happiness can seem like "work"... but it's more than worth it!

At first, moving your energy to higher levels can take concentration. Simply be aware of your thoughts, and go easy on yourself. Don't get upset or beat yourself up if you find yourself slipping back into old ways of thinking. Notice and acknowledge it, and then gently return yourself to positive thoughts. You'll find that the more you do this, the easier it gets. Eventually, happiness becomes a habit.

Although we ultimately choose happiness ourselves, there are still many things that can enhance our happiness. To help yourself along, do things that "make you happy". Imagine yourself in happy places and situations. Relax, enjoy life, and "be here now". Do what you love and enjoy as much as you can, and also find ways to enjoy things that might be a little less pleasant. The more you focus on happiness, the more you will find that negative things - even people - change, fall away and leave your life for good.

Regardless of what goes on around you, know that you - and you alone - are always in charge of your thoughts, feelings and actions. Let go of the past: it no longer exists. Never mind the future: it hasn't happened yet. All that exists is this moment. So be here now - and choose happiness. You'll find that miraculous things will happen in your life!

Autor: Robin Bhattacharyya

Robin Bhattacharyya is an entrepreneur, writer, webmaster, self-improvement and empowerment facilitator and all-around "student and teacher of life" based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. His website, Creating-Life-Abundance.com, is a "must" for anyone looking to improve their lives and the lives of others.

Check out Robin's new e-book, "Your Passion Point", available here!

Click here to learn how your thoughts and emotions create your life experience.

Added: February 17, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

In Pursuit of Happiness

It does happen, albeit rarely. That day when you get out of bed and everything goes just right. Your face is beaming with happiness and the world is just right; but what about when circumstances spin out of control and one bad thing after another happens without seemingly any reason. Everyone has those days when you just can't seem to get things to go right. The storm clouds hang low and your wondering if you will ever feel happy again.

Just how do you stay happy during those tough times? And as for the old adage "when the going gets tough the tough get going." but you feel whomever said that hasn't walked in your shoes. Positive attitudes can help, but is there really a higher power controlling the intricacies of our lives. Are these bumps in our road of life just part of the overall plan? The deep acceptance of faith is called joy; and hard times have a hard time competing with pure joy.

Of course most of us don't understand why bad things happen to good people, but they certainly do and they always will, just as bad things do happen to bad people, this is just the way things are. We must simply understand that certain things do happen and will always happen through our lives, but there are things that happen that will always help us get through life here. Try to look at things as part of a plan and as a positive experience, find the happiness in the simple pleasures of life and overcome the circumstances of the things that seem to get you down.

Along with unhappiness comes fear. To many people, fear is a part of life. Not your usual type fears such as claustrophobia and hypochondria, but fear that keeps them from pursuing the things that could make them happy. For example that job that you know you would rather have, than the one you are in now. Or making those perceived, huge steps in life that keep us from attempting that step that will take us beyond our comfort zone. Often we are our own worst enemies. Negative thoughts keep us in our own comfort zone. We are surrounded by a fence of comfort, some bigger than others but fences none the less. We should take the time to think about where we are in our search for happiness, it is not something that we can buy or that someone will give us. It is something that comes from within.

Many books have been written on the subject of happiness, read more thoughts on the subject in a book called "Before the Secret" by Charles F Haanel.

Autor: Helen Reid

A desire to share an expertise in a particular field has lead to an effort to supply as much information as possible on a broad range of subjects. Check out the books available at http://www.kankoolbooks.com and best wishes for your future.

Added: February 16, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

English Language Teachers - Seven Common Tropical Diseases You Need to Know

One Experience You Can Well Do Without

Have you relocated to a tropical foreign country to teach English as a foreign language? What ever may be your reason for foreign travel, you are bound to meet new friends, try new foods, use a foreign language and have new experiences. One experience you can well do without however, is the loss of your health by contracting one of these seven common tropical diseases. Some are inconvenient and uncomfortable. Some are serious, but treatable and others can be fatal.

Here Are Seven Tropical Diseases You Should Know About

Malaria

Despite advances in vaccinations and treatment of this centuries-old malady, Malaria still continues to take the lives of thousands each year in Africa, Asia and South America.

Yellow Fever

A mosquito or other blood-sucking insect transmitted disease, Yellow Fever should be treated as soon as possible. It can be fatal in a fairly short period of time if left untreated.

Cholera

Primarily transmitted by means of polluted or contaminated drinking water, there are, in fact, a few other ways of contracting this potentially fatal disease.

Giardiasis

Although far from being fatal, this parasitic infection is uncomfortable and inconvenient as you'll spend much of your day and night in the toilet or a foreign hospital emergency room.

Leptospirosis

Most commonly transmitted by flea, and sometimes rat or other rodent bites, Leptospirosis is not often heard of in many "developed" countries. Nonetheless there are occasional outbreaks in a number of countries.

Leishmaniasis

If you hike in the rain forests of Asia or South America, you can be exposed to this ameba-based infection which is very difficult to treat and even more so to cure.

Rabies (Hypochondria)

Rabies, also known as hypochondria, is most commonly transmitted through a bite from an infected rodent, mammal or other animal. Dogs, cats, bats, raccoons and other small animals are all known to have transmitted this potentially fatal disease.

An Ounce of Prevention

Any time you travel, "an ounce of prevention can be worth far more than a pound of cure", as the old saying goes. Use exceptional personal hygiene. Have up-to-date vaccinations as required. Avoid wearing dark colors which attract mosquitoes and heat-seeking insects. Don't sleep scantily-clothed outdoors, especially at night. Use insect repellent when advisable. Drink only treated or commercially bottled water. And be scrupulous in what you eat or consume. Although this still won't guarantee that you'll escape health problems, it will aid in greatly reducing your risk of contracting these and many other communicable diseases.

Autor: Larry M. Lynch Larry M. Lynch
Level: Platinum
Larry M. Lynch is an Intellectual Development Specialist, ELT Teacher Trainer, expert author, photographer and experienced world traveler who teaches language at a university in ... ...

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, prolific writer, expert author and public speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 120 countries. Get your FREE E-books, English language teaching and learning information at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Contact the author at the above blog address for more information.

Added: February 15, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Overcoming Agoraphobia - How a Fresh Look at Its Causes Can Be the Key to Success

If you've had trouble overcoming agoraphobia, and you feel like you've tried everything and exhausted all your options, it's possible that a simple change of perspective could be the answer.

By redefining the way you see your agoraphobia, you can change the way it affects and controls you. But before you can successfully change your perspective, you'll need to first remind yourself of how you see your agoraphobia right now, and for most people this will be a very stereotypical point of view.

And that stereotypical point of view is this: Agoraphobia is an abnormal and persistent fear of public places or open areas, especially those from which escape could be difficult or help not immediately accessible.

That's what you'll find as the definition of agoraphobia if you look it up somewhere online, and that's how you would probably define it yourself. But for many people with agoraphobia this definition is nothing more than a memorized sentence from a dictionary - it actually means nothing to them.

And because so many agoraphobia sufferers have lost touch with what their agoraphobia actually is, and what it actually means to them on a day-to-day basis, successfully overcoming it can be next to impossible.

The key to beating this problem is to redefine your agoraphobia, because only then will you see it for what it really is, and only then will you have those eureka moments when solutions suddenly begin to suggest themselves.

First of all - what agoraphobia is not (despite many experts who will tell you otherwise). Agoraphobia is not actually a fear of public places or open areas. And it's not even a fear of having a panic attack when you're outside your comfort zone; those are all symptoms of agoraphobia, but they are not agoraphobia themselves.

Agoraphobia is a defense mechanism.

It's a defense mechanism against any unknown thing you fear.

This definition goes against a lot of common and established beliefs, but if you actually take a long, hard, fresh look at what your agoraphobia means to you, I think you'll find that you agree with the "defense mechanism" idea.

To understand why agoraphobia is actually a defense mechanism, it's vital to fully understand it's true cause. And for the vast majority of people, that cause is a different, underlying panic disorder.

Many people, many experts, believe that you can experience agoraphobia completely on its own, with no other anxiety disorders or symptoms. But these people, and these experts, have usually never suffered with agoraphobia and anxiety and panic disorders themselves. And so they're not in a strong position to make such claims.

As an example, someone with generalized anxiety disorder could become increasingly more withdrawn - their constant, unjustified worrying may cause them to go deep into their "defensive shell." This person will begin to limit their movement away from their comfort zone, simply because any new experiences and interactions could potentially become new worries.

This person will begin to go to increasingly greater lengths to avoid new situations, in order to protect themselves from new situations that could become uncontrollable worries and fears.

And that's why agoraphobia is a defense mechanism.

There are many other forms of panic and anxiety disorder beside generalized anxiety disorder, and each of them has the potential to cause agoraphobia. Health anxiety (or hypochondria), social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even phobias.

They all have the potential to cause agoraphobia. In cases where there are apparently no other panic disorders as the underlying cause, there's often one that's gone completely unnoticed - because the agoraphobia spirals out of control and becomes all that you can focus on, the smaller things, which are often the things which cause and control the agoraphobia, are impossible to see.

That's why anyone affected by agoraphobia should look at identifying any underlying panic disorder causes, and addressing those, instead of addressing the agoraphobia directly.

This has to be a better approach - it allows sufferers to address the cause, and not the symptom. Addressing the symptom will never achieve anything, except masking the problem temporarily.

So the key to discovering a way out of your agoraphobia are these: take a fresh look at it, and don't just see the dictionary definition of it; get a fresh perspective; go hunting for the true underlying cause, which will almost certainly be some other form of anxiety disorder; treat the underlying cause, and not the superficial one.

Following a simple plan like this can work wonders.

Autor: Alex Taylor

Alex Taylor is a freelance writer/researcher from England. Having overcome a lifelong battle with anxiety and panic disorder in 2007, Alex now devotes his time to helping others recover. He achieves this via his highly-acclaimed online course, "Beat Panic Today." You can access "Beat Panic Today" free of charge by visiting Alex's website: http://www.PreventYourPanic.com

Added: February 13, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Hypochondria - Breaking the Habit Naturally

Hypochondriasis is not a derogatory term. It is a somatic disorder that proves to be real and difficult for many individuals. The person may experience symptoms of a physical ailment and yet anxiety is the culprit. An overactive mind and body is the result of constant worry.

Symptoms of hypochondria usually follow a prolonged period of worry, usually concerning an undiagnosed symptom.

Signs of Hypochondria:
Symptoms often "jump" from one area to another, Examples: stomach (digestion, IBS),

headache, skin, dizziness, flushing, lethargy, death and health fears in general.

- Doctor Shopping:
Seeking out doctor after doctor until locating one which will tell them what they wish to hear.

- Appetite Loss: Worry induced

- Adrenal Fatigue:

The Result of Constant Worry: Exhaustion, weakness, fearfulness, lack of appetite, insomnia, tension, irritability, achiness.

- Insomnia: Overactive mind, racing thoughts.
- Feelings of Depersonalization/Derealization: a mind exhausted from worry and elevated cortisol levels.
- Memory Loss/Confusion: Tired mind.
- Lack of Concentration: Exhaustion
- Related Recollections: Recollection of someone close or acquaintance who recently fell ill, with specific disease, specific symptoms.

PRESCRIPTION FOR CURE

- Acknowledgement of this condition and triggers (there are always triggers).

- Boosting Serontonin levels. Specific behavioral changing, neutralizing diet, and specific exercise work as well as most medications for relief.

- Reprogramming the mind, retraining the brain to view intrusive ailments in a less reactive manner...as perspective changes from negative to realistic.

- Learning to put down resistance after experiencing the peace of mind and true control one may exert over every aspect of their lives.

- Nutrition: Using the foods you eat to work for you rather than against you. A good diet will hold these impulses in check and allow you to view your health realistically.

- Behavioral Changes: Learning to take your thoughts and under-react to them...instead of shifting into instant worse case scenario.

Taking life as it comes and enjoying the moment. Remaining in the present instead of looking backward into the past or forward into the future. This is the key to peace of mind.

Autor: Ronnie Freedman Ronnie Freedman
Level: Platinum
Dr. Freedman is the founder of Anxiety Busters, Inc and author of many anxiety/nutrition related programs. She is an advocate of natural treatment as opposed ... ...

Dr. Ronnie Freedman

Anxiety Busters, Inc.

http://www.anxietybusters.com

Your Natural Prescription for Anxiety Relief

Added: February 12, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Overcoming Agoraphobia - A Fresh Approach That Can Work Wonders

Overcoming agoraphobia is often approached in completely the wrong way. In some cases, this delays someone's recovery by months and even years.

The biggest problem is the misconception that agoraphobia is no different to any other mental illness, and so psychologists and books will often suggest traditional treatments - things like psychoanalysis, where you look into your own past for potential causes of your agoraphobia; cognitive behavioral therapy, where you're told to adjust the way you control your own thoughts; and even basic "positive thinking," where you're told to "think" your way happy.

But the truth is, these approaches rarely work. In fact, in those people who've successfully overcome agoraphobia, these methods are rarely responsible.

The vital thing to understand is that agoraphobia is not the root-cause of your problem. And because it's not the root-cause of your problem, addressing the agoraphobia itself will prove ineffective in almost all cases; the best this will do is temporarily mask your symptoms.

The true root-cause of your agoraphobia is the anxiety you experience 24/7. This may be based on another form of panic disorder, such as generalized anxiety disorder, health anxiety (or hypochondria), social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or even a severe phobia of anything.

Or your anxiety may be non-specific and seem random to you.

Whatever the case, it is your anxiety that needs to be addressed, and not the agoraphobia itself.

So the first step in overcoming agoraphobia is uncovering its true cause. Once you've successfully achieved that, you'll be in a much better position, mentally and physically, to begin to work at beating it.

In the majority of cases, the cause will be one of the anxiety and panic disorders I mentioned above. And the good news is that those are generally more easy to successfully treat than agoraphobia itself.

The best approaches to beating any anxiety or panic disorder is to search for those activities and pastimes that calm you, and to concentrate on doing those as often as possible. Any time you can give your mind a break from the constant anxiety you normally experience your body will appreciate it, and your anxiety will decrease.

It would also be a great idea to cut back on all foods and drinks with "stimulant" qualities. The obvious ones are caffeine, chocolate, carbonated drinks, and sugar. So avoid those whenever you can!

The important thing to remember is that your agoraphobia has an underlying cause. The key to quickly overcoming agoraphobia is to find that underlying cause, and then to focus all your attention on beating it.

Autor: Alex Taylor

Since overcoming a lifelong battle with anxiety and panic disorder in 2007, Alex Taylor now devotes his time to helping others recover. He achieves this via his highly-acclaimed online course, "Beat Panic Today." You can experience the same results that many others have experienced by accessing the course right now, free of charge, by going to Alex's website: http://www.PreventYourPanic.com

Added: February 10, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Price of Being Nice

In the history of human beings, can you identify anyone who has ever made a name for themselves for being 'nice'? And if you are thinking of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, or Florence Nightingale, all three used their powerful personas to influence others, not the fact that they were or are 'nice'.

'Nice' really is an insipid little word. It says nothing. It evokes no feeling and generates no dazzling image. Picture your own obituary reading: 'She was always nice'. No reference to character quirks, no personality foibles, just an infinitely forgettable lifetime of being blandly nice.

The dictionary tells the story of the origin of this dull little non-word. It has its history in Middle English and Latin terms that mean 'stupid' or 'ignorant'. In effect, this is what 'nice' looks like because always being nice means having to fit in or go along with, with no confrontation, no argument. So it's no wonder that from the time a girl is squeezed out of the womb, she is programmed to be nice. She's drilled to be society's doormat and like a robot, she's engineered to please.

So conditioned are women to believe in the nobility of niceness that many think congeniality is their default setting. "What's wrong with this?" was a question posed to me by a radio interviewer. "Someone," she said "has got to be nice and look after everyone else." But why does it always have to be a woman?

Of course the pay-off of niceness benefits the males around her, from her father and brothers initially, to her lovers, partners and sons later on. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that we women are conned into being nice. We are led to believe it will get us what we want.

Women buy this scam because there is an element of truth in it. Others are far more likely to cooperate with people that they like, but does being nice really make women likable? How can anyone be trusted who is nice all the time?

Men get what they want because they are respected, admired or even feared but do women get their needs met, or their own way, because they're being nice? Nice is annoying to be around, it makes people on the receiving end feel awkward. So more likely being nice, rather than being assertive or demanding, means women's wishes are easier to ignore.

Being nice has its price. To behave this way requires being lobotomized from one's real persona. This translates into stifling one's desires and exorcising one's wishes and needs. It is an extreme form of self-censorship that forces women to live half a life.

Such a life prescription is a behavioural straight-jacket that society dictates for women and - because of this - just behind the veil of niceness lurks a dark shadow; rage.

Phyllis Chesler - author of 'Women's Inhumanity to Women' - refers to this as the 'tyranny of niceness' and you'd better believe that the sweeter a woman is, the greater the rage. Through her smile she is hissing her fury and, if confronted, she'll flee into denial. As nice people's lives are one big hidden agenda, they are capable of some of the worst forms of betrayal.

Rage is destructive energy that mobilises us to fight. Stymieing this fighting spirit with a veneer of niceness stuffs the rage into our system causing us to battle with ourselves. This leads to all manner of problems including: depression, panic attacks, phobias, controlling behaviour, perfectionism, hypochondria, addictions, anorexia, bulimia, obesity, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), jaw tightening and self-mutilation. So powerful is this rage that links are also being made to cancer, infertility and an increasing incidence of heart attacks in women.

Instead of gagging your rage, make best friends with the bitch inside, for she's the one who will protect you. The bitch fights injustices; she doesn't nag, whine or squabble about petty things. But she will put her foot down when others take your generosity for granted. Ironically, only with her protection do women feel safe enough to reveal the softer aspects of their authentic character, like vulnerability for instance.

Although the bitch is usually condemned, she's the one who protects the integrity and strength of our genuine female nature, and it is through her that women can reach wholeness. So instead of being inauthentically nice, retrieve your power by stirring the cauldron that feeds the ancient witch/bitch archetype of the wise woman inside.

Autor: Stephanie Vermeulen Stephanie Vermeulen
Level: Basic PLUS
Stephanie Vermeulen of The Effective Training Corporation runs practical training programmes on applied EQ and woman's issues in business and public forums as well as ... ...

Stephanie Vermeulen runs seminars on Applied Emotional Intelligence and Women's Issues in business and public forums as well as being an inspiring speaker, writer and personal coach. Her books, 'Kill the Princess: Why Women Still Aren't Free from the Quest for a Fairytale Life' & 'EQ: Emotional Intelligence for Everyone' are available from leading bookstores and online from Amazon.com and Kalahari.net. She can be contacted via her website http://www.eqsa.co.za

Added: February 9, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

7 Helps For Better Personal Health

Health is one of the important areas of our life. Others are religion, job or business with an adequate income, building a retirement income, and owning a house. But how important are these? They are important. So how does personal health fit into the picture?

Poor health in general does not allow full enjoyment of any of the items important. Specific health problems can be short time and interfere with life enjoyment. Long time specific health problems can be a never ending diminishing of life activities including work and other important areas.

At the same time one does not want to be deluded into frequent doctor visits when there is no real problem. At its worst it is called hypochondria. In less amounts it can be delusions caused by television commercials, and magazines ads.

Some pointers are:

1. Ignore commercials. If you believe you have a real problem, or daily routines are adversely affected by what appears to be real health problems, see your family doctor. At least you can then determine if the problem is real, whether it is an important problem or not, and relieve your mind, and be able to get on with your life. But do not allow commercials to cause you health worries, when in fact there may not be any.

2. Remember that there are few doctors will tell you to get lost. The basic attitude of doctors is to serve the patient. That is good. But realize that you are wasting your time and money and the doctors time if you do not have a real problem.

3. Physicals. At nearly every age regular physicals should become routine. Through these one can learn their general and specific health, whether any areas need attention and then acting on the best plans according to your doctor alleviate them, gain peace of mind even if there is a problem because then you know what it is and what you need to do to relieve it.

4. OTC Drugs. There are a multitude of over the counter drugs most of which you do not need. Aspirin is good, a cough medication may work for light coughs or colds. First one needs to determine with their doctor if they have a problem, and if yes, what is a good OTC remedy. Your doctor can tell you also, in general, what OTC drugs that are useful for you. Remember that you can become sick from too many or too much OTC drugs.

5. Prescription drugs. Doctors have a multitude of choices when prescribing a drug for a particular health problem. That is good, but remember a prescription drug can als cause you problems, and if one does notify your doctor and get a different drug.

6. Food. Good food is a critical part of good health. Take the time to learn healthy foods and then set your diet according to them. Your doctor's office can get you started learning what are healthy foods and those not good for you. And learn to read labels. Most grocery stores and restaurants aim to sell food, and not watch out for your health. Control of your diet is up to you. Exercise that control. Generally foods prepared at home are healthier than restaurant menus.

7. Exercise. If your life style is with little exercise then you probably need exercise. Walking up stairs a level or two is better than taking an elevator or escalator, and may prove faster. Parking away from the store or mall and walking to the store is good exercise. Mowing the yard with a walk behind mower is good exercise. The point is that there are many good exercises about in your daily life. A spa or gym is not necessary. However gyms do provide a community of people doing the same thing and that may appeal to you. Remember that toned muscles are good for they also represent heart exercise. Bulging muscles look good, but they can introduce health problems. Moderation is a good goal when exercising.

Every important area of life is better enjoyed when health is good. Pills may become a necessity, but they are not a substitute for good health. Doctors can be a big help, yet your health is up to you. If you have good health don't waste it. If your health is not where you would like then you need to get working on it.

Autor: Paul Mobley Paul Mobley
Level: Basic PLUS
Now retired, Paul is active doing small farming, maintaining a website, and writing. Though some income is desireable, many efforts are for free both of ... ...

http://www.geocities.com/mobleria/me.html list more information about the author, and provide resources that a publisher would be interested in, and some of the expertise that supports viewing his articles and these materials. Paul's Book are found at http://www.lulu.com/mobleria Paul is interested in writing from article size to books and invites anyone interested to contact him.

Added: February 8, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Fibromyalgia Tender Points - A Guide to Self Diagnosis

If like me, over the years you've had niggling little pains, nothing too debilitating but funny little pains that just won't go away-- you've probably been at a loss as to just what was wrong with you.

One day you could have an ache in your arm & then the next, that will disappear but you could have a pain in your knee. Friends and family get fed up hearing about the latest strange pain and just resign themselves to the fact that there is always something wrong with you.

So are you a hypochondriac or is there actually something going on in your body that can be recognized & then labeled and treated? After all; although you're not in agony, this constant pain is annoying and drains your energy & limits your enjoyment of life. So you surely owe it to yourself to get to the bottom of it, once and for all!

Where are these pains?

Is it tender to touch the following places on the front of your body?

Knees
Hips
Collarbone
Biceps

Is it tender to touch the following places on the back of your body?
(You may need a partner to help test these)

Nape of the neck
Top of the back
Shoulders
In between the shoulder blades
Elbows
Top of each buttock
Point on spine just above bottom

I suspect your answers may have been yes to most of these.

You may have a Fibromyalgia tender point in all of the above areas or just some. Maybe like me, you just have Fibromyalgia tender points on one side of the body only. This is quite common.

The really annoying thing is that there's no other definitive test for Fibromyalgia other than seeing if you test positive on a Fibromyalgia tender point examination.

There isn't a blood test or X ray that can help with diagnosis.

I was lucky. A new General Practitioner came to my local surgery and I was assigned to her books. I'd gone to see her with my usual moans of how my whole left side seemed to be constantly in pain, in different areas at different times. Even I knew that sounded odd & was even on the verge of asking her if there was anything I could take for hypochondria.

By using her knowledge of the 18 tender point examination she was able to diagnose me with Fibromyalgia.

The other doctors at the surgery usually told me I had tendinitis and prescribed anti-inflammatories.These helped in the short term but the pains always came back. Other doctors just put everything down to stress. I agreed. The stress caused by always having constant pain! Up until seeing this new doctor the whole scenario was just a vicious circle.

You owe it to yourself to get a proper diagnosis so that you know once and for all, if what you're dealing with is Fibromyalgia & then you can start on the road to recovery.

Book a Fibromyalgia tender point examination today with a Fibromyalgia tender point friendly doctor. Take responsibility for your health and do it today!

In the meantime, I hope my list of tender points has helped you to self-diagnose Fibromyalgia, dispelling any concerns that you too may be a hypochondriac.

Good luck with your own Fibromyalgia tender point examination and I wish you a happier & healthier future.

Autor: Laraine Turner

Find out more about safe and natural remedies to Fibromyalgia pain & symptoms at http://fibromyalgiaholistic.blogspot.com

Added: February 6, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What Your Type of Handbag Uncovers

What you take along with you-just in case you might need them-and in what type of handbag you place them can be quite self descriptive.

Activity Handbag:
Taking with you lots of reading material and other things to do, and actually being admired by others for putting every spare moment to a practical use , if the true meaning behind you taking these objects are to take advantage of the time that has been allotted to you, then you have an intelligent way of cutting all kinds of corners in your life. Nevertheless, if the true purpose behind all of this paraphenalia is to avoid where you are holding in your life, it is actually a means of escape.

Bookbag or Knapsack:
You have more foresight than others.

Business Contents:
Possessing checkbooks, pens, stamps, etc., you are quite business oriented, now try being more people oriented.

Cluttered:
A definite busybody, you take people's telephone numbers at random and place them in your bag amongst all the debris. Although you did promise to call them, it just doesn't seem to be there when you look for it. You love being disorganized.

Color Coordinated:
What you wear and carry must match. You have good fellowship provided this is restricted to your sphere of acquaintances, as you are all structure, uniform and values.

Compartmentalized Handbag:
Having five different areas where to stash your goods, you are highly organized, though you find it difficult when something comes along unexpectedly.

Cosmetic Bag:
Carrying every type of makeup that you may or may not need, how you look is just about all that is important to you. This reflects a lack of confidence in the real you.

Emergency Handbag:
Taking with you anything that you may need, you are primarily concerned with having things in order-especially your life. You do not want anything unexpected to hamper your lifestyle. Although at times laughed at by others, they know who to come to should an emergency arise.

Ethnic Handbag:
You are imaginative, inventive, original and very particular in your pursuit of life.

Florence Nightingale:
Although you have taken care of every possible illness or medical need that may come up, you have not yet found the cure for your hypochondria.

Garbage (Collector's) Bag:
Once something finishes it is hard for you to part with it. Although others find you hysterical because of your basic love of life and being hilarious, people are attracted to you, but they do try to avoid your handbag.

Handbag plus Shopping Bag:
Family minded even if you do not have a family, you rely on yourself and even though this might be a trifle burdensome, you can be depended upon to bring everything home and then some.

Male 'Purse':
Novel concepts attract you.

Medium Sized Shoulder Strap:
Being essentially conventional, you tend to be moderate in most walks of life.

Metallic (Or This Years Fad):
Being very style conscious, not being able to get the latest thing may send you into a rage. Essentially one who takes chances, what other people say and think about you are at times more important than your own view.

Neutral Colors:
You have been accused of being slothful. You avoid the limelight at all costs.

Oversize "Horsefeed" Bag:
Because of your easygoing nature, casting just about everything you possess in your bag, people flock to you. If they could only handle your lack of organization and somewhat lack of accountability.

Physical Comfort:
Taking along with you an arsenal of belongings, thermal underwear, an umbrella in case it rains, gloves in case of a storm, an extra bathing suit in case you decide to swim, essentially being a worry wart, should anything occur that you have not anticipated, you become a nervous wreck.

Sexual Encounter:
Seeing that you hope to spend the night elsewhere than your own home, you take along a battery of supplies, anticipating your need for them.

Small Handbag Inside A Larger Bag:
Flexible, you exhibit an enormous amount of dynamo and can play various parts simultaneously.

Small Nothing Bag:
Inasmuch as there is no room for anything in your bag, you are extremely self confident. A fearless human being, though others may wonder why you bother to take a bag at all.

Straw Bag:
You are beach conscious.

Tote Bag:
You basically gravitate toward vogue, highly considering how other people are reading you.

No Handbag:
You are radical, sometimes even fanatic, you are either in great need of others, or have absolutely no need for them, but you are never in the middle. Nevertheless, an aura of a lack of accountability hovers above you.

Autor: Joel Engel Joel Engel
Level: Basic PLUS
Joel Engel has been a world-renowned graphologist for over 30 years. He is often quoted in the press and scientific journals for his "spot on" ... ...

Joel Engel is the author of "Handwriting Analysis Self-Taught" (Penguin Books) http://careertest.ws
http://www.learngraphology.com

Added: February 5, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

FEAR! - Is This 4-Letter Word Keeping You From Soaring in Your MLM Business?

What is holding you back from reaching your dreams and goals, soaring to higher heights in your life, succeeding in your MLM business? Living with fear means one can never concentrate fully and give one's best to anything. What is fear? False Expectations/Evidences Appearing Real?

Fear is created by the unconscious mind as a protective mechanism. Napoleon Hill in "Think and Grow Rich" defined the six basic fears of life. What are they? Let's explore them and why they have such a devastating, paralyzing hold on people.

1. Fear of Poverty - This fear hinders the faculty of reason, destroys imagination, undermines enthusiasm, leads to uncertainty of purpose, encourages procrastination, and diverts effort. Lack of abundance--not having enough of the basics in life. The fear of poverty is so devastating, yet so many persons are living in poverty. To eliminate this fear, be at peace with whatever wealth one can accumulate and without worry.This does not mean that one doesn't work hard, but that one is no longer grasping, hoarding and clinging on senselessly to money.
2. Fear of Old Age - Looks changing, body mechanisms changing, declining health, and slowing down. Lack of financial preparation and lack of proper diets and exercise make old age less desirable. This causes the habit of killing off one's initiative, imagination and self reliance or making one want to dress younger to feel younger. Refuse to treat old age as a handicap. Instead, leverage one's wisdom, experience and insight for success. Life is about being born, growing older and wiser, fulfilling a mission or purpose, and dying. What one accomplishes in life should be of great importance--pass on a legacy of oneself. Getting older is a given. Just know that it is a natural process of life. Concentrate this fear in the direction of one's success. Produce something that can be passed down to one's children and children's children.
3. Fear of Criticism - Criticism is one of the basic tendencies of human nature. To beat down an opponent, to stand in the competition, to justify ones behavior, one feels the need to criticize the others around him. The fear of criticism grips a person as a result of one's tendency to be a part of the crowd. One tends to do as the masses do to stay away from criticism. The fear of criticism is one of the basic fears and one of the most commonly observed ones. The fear of criticism is manifested in terms of shyness, fear of conversation, shifting of eyes, lack of poise/poster and an inferiority complex.One way to eliminate the fear of criticism is to accept it in the right spirit. One should learn to take criticism positively and use it to improve the personality trait. Consider criticism as the means of betterment, a means to end the ill trait. Taking this approach can be a sure way to help one overcome of the fear of criticism.
4. Fear of Loss Love - When jealous feelings about ones loved one start; when one starts finding faults in the loved one or tends to suspect the loved one of having done something ill, it may result in the person falling prey to the fear of the loss of love. Lack of trust between one and one's loved one is the basic reason for the fear of losing one's love. An intense feeling of insecurity about one's love leads one to fear its loss. The habits of cheating, perpetual lying and disbelief are the important factors causing a fear of the loss of love. An overly possessive feeling is another sure way to lead one to a fear of lost love.Building a trusting relationship will eliminate this fear. One should strictly avoid infidelity, lying, and manipulation, thus eliminating suspicion and suspicious behaviors on both sides. Relationships require mutual respect and admiration of each other's identities and positive qualities. One of the best ways of eliminating the fear of loss of love is to prevent the thoughts of the loss from entering one's mind. Stop thinking about solitude and bear only positive feelings and thoughts about one's loved one.Be comfortable even if one is without a partner. Be at peace even if one doesn't have love. One might be alone but one doesn't have to be lonely. Fill one's days productively.
5. Fear of Ill Health - Also known as Hypochondria (imaginary illness). Fear of disease can produce physical symptoms of the disease feared. Concentrate the mind on being well. Do not be reckless about one's health either; follow up with actions. A not so simple fix can be exercise regularly, stop looking for sympathy, and fill one's mind with positive self-suggestion - Say, "I am healthy"! Eliminate the cause of the illness--avoid watching the world news!
6. Fear of Death - Also known as Thantophobia and is a natural phenomenon. There are theories that address life after death, there are religious beliefs about what happens after a person dies, but there is no conclusive evidence of what will happen to one when one dies. Death remains the ultimate reality and continues to fear most people. However, we should understand that fearing death is harmful for our health. Fearing death prevents us from enjoying life. Dreading the future always deprives us of the joy of the present! Changing our thought patterns and behaviors helps one eliminate the fear of death. One true way to eliminate this fear is to face the reality that it will happen. Think of it as merely transitioning from one form to another-it is only the body that dies not the spirit. Changing one's thought patterns and behaviors helps one eliminate the fear of death. Enjoying life and making adequate preparation for death are essential to that process. The preparation is not difficult. It begins with study, analysis, and understanding that there are three enemies that have to be cleared out. INDECISION, DOUBT and FEAR.

Check to see whether from one's own life experiences if one has harbored some of the fears. In the process, one might just be reminded of the several times that one has been held hostage by insecurities, paralyzing one from taking a wiser course of action and preventing one from becoming more generous in spirit. At this point, it is clear to see why abundance has not been flowing through one's life. Fear undermines enthusiasm, discourages initiative, leads to uncertainty of purpose, encourages procrastination, wipes out enthusiasm and makes self-control impossibility.

It takes the charm from ones personality, destroys the possibility of accurate thinking, diverts concentration of effort, it masters persistence, turns will-power into nothingness, destroys ambition, clouds the memory and invites failure in every conceivable form; it kills love and assassinates the finer emotions of the heart, discourages friendship and invites disaster in a hundred forms, leads to sleeplessness, misery and unhappiness--and all this despite the obvious truth that we live in a world of over-abundance of everything the heart could desire, with nothing standing between us and our desires, except lack of a definite purpose. Personal growth and self analysis are necessary in facing up to fears. Facing up to fears requires one to make a conscious choice, a decision. Sure it can be painful initially, but the reward in the end is so worth it. Success in one's quest to help others resulting in Success in one's MLM business!

Autor: Jacquelyn Burns Jacquelyn Burns
Level: Basic
RN turned MLMer. Married-lives in Atlanta, GA with husband. Full-time Expert Internet Marketer. Dedicates her time helping her business partners gain new Internetwork marketing skills ... ...

Are high gas prices and a failing economy of concern to you? The best tax savings and advantages come with owning a home based business. Leverage your time and income simply by sharing fun and sun. Don't wait check it out today! http://EZwaymlm.biz and http://MLMtheEZway.blogspot.com

Added: February 4, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What Your Neurosis Confirms

Antisocial Neurosis:
Your nature is to wield others. Of course being more intelligent, you have a higher self value and the generalized other is a jerk.

Anxiety Neurosis:
This is a self imposed shield. Unacceptable thoughts that you do not allow yourself, the worry wart in you assists you in not having made the wrong choice, and this is why you prefer avoiding having to make any kind of choice.

Borderline Personality:
As the condition implies, this personality is afflicted with an indefinite, doubtful view of self. Suffering from low self worth and disorientation of exactly who you are, you are constantly up down and in the middle, but rarely stable.

Depression Neurosis:
Feeling powerless, you blame others for your misgivings. Your exaggerated anticipations of others have left you disgruntled.

Garden Variety Neurosis:
You have symptoms of various neuroses. You prefer being out of it and dull, believing that you can't be special at anything in particular. You have a touch of every weird reaction-that's certainly outstanding.

Hypochondria:
You are emotionally in need of others-and somewhere in your upbringing, you probably noticed that when someone was sick they suddenly became the center of attention, moreso than when they were well. This having impressed you, you closely followed suit. The slightest symptom of anything convinces you that it's all over.

Hysterical Neurosis:
Violence and passion reflect your get up and go. Your pressing on others is due proportionately to what you believe was actually dished out to you.

Narcissism:
In psychoanalysis, the first stage of sexual development, in which the self is an object of sexual pleasure. This is payment for being unsure of yourself and having false and aggrandized self perception.

Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis:
Only rigorous counsel can prevent impetuous behavior. Your reactions to the 't', both regulates you and does not allow you to wiggle out of your seat.

Paranoia:
The approach that many psychoanalysts take with their patients in dealing with the paranoid personality, is to directly or indirectly ask them what they did wrong to make others stare at them. The marked reaction is often candid. The paranoid builds up a superiority complex, actually due to a self image of very low value, consistent with having divorced himself from reality.

Psychoanalytic Neurosis:
Every person, place or thing gets you mad. Though you know that you must alter something, fear stops you.

Psychosomatic Illness:
You'd love to be sick, then you'd certainly be the center of attraction. Somewhere along the line you have confused being ill and the attention being given to one that is ill, with admiration, and have erroneously linked them.

Schizoid:
A mental disorder characterized by indifference, withdrawal, hallucinations, and delusions of persecution and omnipotence. Being removed and standoffish is your way of self preservation. Now no one can discard you.

Autor: Joel Engel Joel Engel
Level: Basic PLUS
Joel Engel has been a world-renowned graphologist for over 30 years. He is often quoted in the press and scientific journals for his "spot on" ... ...

Joel Engel is the author of "Handwriting Analysis Self-Taught" (Penguin Books)
http://careertest.ws
http://www.learngraphology.com

Added: February 2, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Discover the Secrets of Method Acting - Part 3

Sense Memory is the most important part of Method Acting.

Sense Memory
Sense memory is re-living sensations that were experienced through the five senses. Strasberg stressed the term re-living and not just remembering. The difference lies between knowing something and truly recreating it. That difference is substantiated by psychology.

You have heard of psychosomatic illnesses and hypochondria. The mind can manifest symptoms and responses from simply believing the body is sick. This true even if the body is not sick. Sense memory exercises are designed to train you to be able to elicit a response from your body by concentrating on stimuli associated with an experience.

Sense memory is using your memory of real objects to create sensory objects on stage. You need a great deal on concentration to create a sensory object. When you can create a sensory object, you can invoke a "real" response. You will be re-living a sensory experience and not demonstrating an experience. From this stimulus that you know isn't real, suddenly all the other false things become real and you start behaving truthfully. The audience will believe the performance is real because the actor believes it is real. Sense memory creates great truth performance, which is the actors "ability to experience".

For example, do you know the smell of movie theatre popcorn? When you think of it, do you recall the last movie you saw in the theatre? Does the memory of the smell help trigger other memories? By concentration on the smell, can you recall other aspects of your trip to the theatre? Does concentrating on the smell remind you of the sights and sounds of the theatre? Do the sense memories you recall help you remember the movie, the date and other details? You have recalled the sense memory of the smell of popcorn to re-live the experience of going to the movies.

Smell is the sense most closely associated with memory. It has been shown that smell helps triggers memory recall. Smells become associated with vivid memories.

You must concentrate on the sensory object and it's stimuli. Do not concentrate on trying to elicit an emotion. Through practice you will learn what sensory objects produce the desired emotional response. Then you must simple devote your focus to produce the sensory object without regard for the emotion. The emotional response will follow naturally.

Again, the choice of the sensory object for a scene is up to you. Ideally, you should choose an object that you have practiced with and you know will provide the appropiate emotional response. If possible, make your choice relevant to the scene as well. The more sensory objects you have practiced, and the more scenes you work, the more skilled you will become. Dozens of scenes are waiting for you to use at the website below. You can download them instantly.

Autor: Neils Bohr

from ActingScenes.com

Do you know how to prepare in the 10 minutes before giving your audition? Most auditions consist of a cold read. A typical audition consists of you getting a side when you arrive an audition. You will have 10 minutes to read over the side and prepare to read in front of the casting director or agent. Learn how you can succeed at actingscenes.com

Do you need scenes and dialogues for an acting class or practice? Do you need material to rehearse? How much energy and time do you spend looking for quality scenes and sides? At actingscenes.com you find over one hundred scenes ready for you to download immediately.

Added: February 1, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/