Have you ever suffered from a panic attack? A panic attack occurs when feelings of intense anxiety and fear overwhelm you and manifest themselves in a variety of symptoms, including a pounding heart, shaking, dizziness, nausea, sweating, chills, shortness of breath, or others. The attack can last for a very short period or for hours. Sometimes, you may be able to see an obvious trigger for a panic attack, such as a busy workplace or a loved one that is ill. Other times, you may not see any reason for why you are experiencing a panic attack. Sometimes, just the thought of having a panic attack can trigger one.

What is most important is to realize what your body is doing, and to try and pinpoint what is causing you to feel anxious and fearful. If you are unable to figure out why you are suffering from panic attacks, it is best to see a doctor. Dont be worried that your doctor will think you are weird many people suffer from panic attacks, and often the cure you need can be very straightforward, such as a small change in your routines or lifestyle. It is good to speak with someone else to get their opinion on what you are experiencing, and a doctor or psychologist is an excellent person to speak with because they have the knowledge that can help you overcome these symptoms.

If your symptoms are severe, and you are unable to stop them on your own, there are medications which your doctor can prescribe to help you combat the panic attacks. The body is a complicated system that works in all different ways, so what some people might find helpful may not work for other people. Dont give up if you still experience panic attack symptoms; you may help in confronting different factors in your life that cause anxiety, or you many need to try a different medication or treatment.

Often, even if you are unable to figure out what is causing your symptoms at that moment, you can take action to stop them. Get away from people, or have a friend be with you. Sit or lie down. Focus on breathing deeply and thinking positive, calming thoughts. Even if you feel like you are not in control, make every effort to stop the symptoms. Know that you are not alone in this your friends, and especially your doctor, can help you overcome panic attack symptoms.

Asthma is often misdiagnosed in older adults because of the common belief that it is just a childhood disease. But according to the American Lung

Association, experts now think about 10 percent of the people with asthma are over age 65.

Some adults with asthma have dealt with the disease all their lives. Others may have had asthma as a child and experienced it again after many symptom-free

years. But if you’ve developed breathing problems as an adult, you have lots of company. Lateonset asthma is becoming more common and is often triggered by a

serious respiratory infection.

Women are more likely to be affected than men, possibly because of their smaller airways. Researchers think hormones may also play a part. They’ve found that

women who are on hormone replacement therapy HRT are 50 percent more likely to develop asthma than women who aren’t on HRT.

Although asthma is a serious and potentially fatal disease, you can protect yourself by avoiding things that trigger an attack. Cigarette smoke, cold air,

dust, and mold are a few examples of asthma triggers. And research shows that eating foods rich in certain nutrients may help reduce your asthma symptoms.

Nutritional blockbusters that fight asthma

Vitamin C. Researchers say antioxidant vitamins could play an important role in preventing asthma or controlling its symptoms. Vitamin C is the perfect

example. Studies have found that vitamin C not only improves asthma symptoms, it helps you avoid the disease altogether. For top-notch asthma protection, mix

up a fruit salad with oranges, pineapple, strawberries, kiwifruit, and papaya. Then pile your dinner plate with high-C vegetables like broccoli, red and

green peppers, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and peas.

Vitamin E. Another antioxidant powerhouse that may cut your risk of asthma is vitamin E. A study in Saudi Arabia found that children who had the least

vitamin E in their diets were three times more likely to get asthma. Research also shows that vitamin E helps protect you from developing this condition as

an adult. For extra lung protection, sprinkle some vitamin E-packed wheat germ, almonds, peanuts, or sunflower seeds on a salad or in baked goods.

Vitamin A. This vitamin completes the asthma-fighting trio of antioxidants. Studies find that people who eat vitamin A-rich foods tend to have clearer air

passages, which makes breathing easier. You’ll find vitamin A in meat and dairy products, especially beef and chicken livers, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese,

and egg yolks.

Lycopene. Think pink – or red – to help avoid asthma symptoms. Lycopene, the carotenoid that gives foods their pink or red coloring, may protect against

asthma, according to a recent small study. Researchers gave people with exercise-induced asthma 30 milligrams of lycopene each day for one week. At the end

of the week, more than half the people showed significant protection against asthma symptoms.

It’s always best to get your nutrients from foods, and in this case, it could earn you double protection. Many foods that contain lycopene, such as tomatoes,

pink grapefruit, and watermelon, are also high in vitamin C.

Magnesium and selenium. These minerals may be the dynamic duo of asthma-fighting minerals. Magnesium acts as a bronchodilator, which means it helps open up

your airways, making it easier to breathe. Selenium’s power against asthma may come from its antioxidant abilities. Studies show that people with low levels

of selenium are more likely to have asthma. You’ll find selenium in meats and shellfish and in vegetables and grains grown in selenium-rich soil. Food

sources of magnesium include avocados, oysters, and beans. Broccoli is a good source of both minerals.

Water. A tall glass of water could be your ally if you’re asthmatic. Researchers at the University at Buffalo UB discovered that the symptoms of people

with exercise-induced asthma got worse, both before and during exercise, when they didn’t drink enough water.

Frank Cerny, Ph.D., stresses the importance of drinking water, especially if you have asthma. “The message continues to be, Drink fluids whenever you get

the chance,” says Cerny, chairman of the UB Department of Physical Therapy, Exercise, and Nutrition Sciences. “If you have asthma, dehydration may make it

worse, particularly during exercise.”

Your body needs water long before you feel thirst so don’t wait until you’re thirsty to wet your whistle. Make sure you drink at least six full glasses of

water every day – more when you exercise.

Caffeine. Start your morning with a fragrant cup of coffee, and you may ease your asthma. Caffeine is chemically related to theophylline, a drug used to

treat asthma. When you have an asthma attack, the muscles around your airways tighten up and your passages swell, making it difficult to breathe. Caffeine

helps relax your bronchial tubes so your airways stay open. Research shows that caffeine can help improve symptoms for up to four hours.

Cancer Courage and Love By Lorraine Kember

Everyday we hear of people dealing with incredible sadness and loss and we wonder; how do they do it? Where do they find the courage the strength? We may even ask ourselves how we would cope under the circumstances. Sadly, we only become aware of the answer, when tragedy visits us and our own lives are thrown into turmoil.

When some one we love is diagnosed with a terminal cancer, life as we knew it changes forever. Suddenly we enter a new world, a world filled with helplessness, despair and fear of the unknown. We no longer walk aimlessly around shopping Malls; we walk the Hospital corridors and sit in chemotherapy waiting rooms and are shocked by the number of people afflicted by cancer. We can not help but wonder if one day we too may be a patient and we fear for our own mortality.

Sitting in a Chemotherapy ward is an experience not to be forgotten. Cancer has no respect for gender, age or wealth. There are people from every race, color and creed; rich, middle class and poor; and none of this makes the slightest difference. They are all untited in their suffering, fellow human beings on the same sad journey.

One can not bear witness to the incredible courage of those who have cancer, without being deeply affected. My husbands courage in the face of his terminal mesothelioma cancer held me in awe and I decided to do everything within my power to help him.

I learned about the stages and symptoms of his disease; the pain he would experience and ways to bring it under control, so that I could work with his doctors, to achieve for him, the best possible quality of life for what ever time he was granted. It was incredibly hard to wake each day with the knowledge that my husband was dying; my anticipatory grief often overwhelmed me but somehow I managed to carry on. One day a lady said to me, You are such a strong woman. and I wondered what had made her say that. I didnt feel strong, I felt like I was breaking.

Despite a prognosis of three to nine months, my husband survived for two years and was not bed bound until three short days prior to his death. My journey beside him as he traveled to the end of his life, has taught me many things, above all the true meaning of love and the strength of the human spirit.

Deep within ourselves there is strength and courage to sustain us in times of personal tragedy. I have come to realize that during my husbands illness, I was indeed strong. I may have staggered with the burden of my grief but I did manage to help my husband achieve a quality of life few thought possible considering the nature of his disease. And, thanks to the expertise and dedication of the Palliative Care Team, I was able to fulfill my promise to him that he would not die in hospital. His death at home was as loving, sharing and peaceful as anyone could wish for.

I have witnessed courage; that of my husband as he battled his disease and of my own as I stood beside him, determined to improve the quality of his life. The knowledge that I was successful in this has brought me much peace. My husbands illness and death have wounded me deeply yet I have emerged far stronger than ever before and gone on to achieve things I never thought possible.

My experience has taught me not to take life for granted and to live each day with thanks for the wonderful gift that it is. I have witnessed death; my awareness of the fragility of life, despite the strongest of wills strengthens my determination to grasp everything life offers me, with both hands.

In our last article, we briefly discussed Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. This article will take a close look at the cause, symptoms, and current treatment used for Osteoarthritis. So lets take a second look at what Osteoarthritis is.

Osteoarthritis is known by many as wear and tear Arthritis. It is one of the most common forms of Arthritis and is the result of cartilage wearing away from the joints. This cartilage is responsible for the smooth gliding of joints, and once it begins to deteriorate, the patient is left with pain, joint swelling and inflammation, and even deformity.

Osteoarthritis patients usually state that their pain is greatest during times of movement, and then lessens significantly during periods of rest. Osteoarthritis affects many more women than men. There is an estimated 24 million Osteoarthritis sufferers in the United States and roughly 74 are women.

The cause of Osteoarthritis is not known, yet doctors have many suspicions. Some of the symptoms of Osteoarthritis boggle the minds of scientists and more research needs to take place to determine the actual root of the disease. For instance, X-rays can tell that Arthritis is present, yet the amount of pain reported by Osteoarthritis sufferers differs from the results of the X-ray. Though many people refer to Osteoarthritis as the wear and tear disease, evidence shows that this disease and its mysterious cause are not as simple as that definition. In fact, wear and tear does not take place in just one joint, but affects joints simultaneously throughout the body. An example of this, is that sufferers with Osteoarthritis of the knee, offer suffer Osteoarthritis in the hand. Also, doctors have noted that patients dont suffer with Osteoarthritis on just one side of the body as would be expected due to wear and tear but because it seems to affect the body concurrently, it appears that Osteoarthritis is a systematic disease affecting all of the cartilage at once.

One suggestion is that Osteoarthritis is a result of cartilage that has stopped functioning at optimum level. Cartilage is continuously undergoing a process where it is broken down, then rebuilt. Some theories state that this process becomes unbalanced and out of hand. This is referred to as End Stage Osteoarthritis. It is at this stage that joint pain and impairment begin to manifest. There are many natural remedies that show promise in the management of Osteoarthritis pain and symptoms. Look for future articles in our Arthritis Series that will offer natural remedies that may prevent enzymes from damaging cartilage.

Some other ideas that point to the cause of Osteoarthritis include

Previous Sports related or Joint Injuries
Genetically Inherited it appears that Osteoarthritis runs in families
Repeated Occurrences of Bleeding into a Joint as occurs with Hemophilia and other diseases
Repeated Occurrences of Gout and Gout like Diseases
Avascular Necrosis- this is a condition where blood near a bone is cut off, this leads to bone death as well as joint damage. Avascular Necrosis typically afflicts the hip joint.
Previous Rheumatoid Related Illness- such as Rheumatoid Arthritis can lead to chronic inflammation of the joints.
Osteoporosis-due to the high risk of bone fractures and injury, Osteoarthritis may develop in joints.
Metabolic Disorders- for example, Hemochromatosis can result in high levels of Iron being deposited in the joints
Joint Infection-It is believed that cartilage may deteriorate in people who have defects in their cartilage and joints.

Weve discussed the potential causes of Osteoarthritis, now it is time to look at the various symptoms of Osteoarthritis. The symptoms of Osteoarthritis include

Joint Pain- this tends to be worse when rising in the morning
Joint Swelling and Inflammation- this occurs during periods of activity
Feeling a Grinding Sensation when a Joint is moved
Loss of Mobility and Flexibility

There is no sure way to prevent Arthritis in any of its forms. There are however some things that you can do to help lower your risk of developing Osteoarthritis or any other type of Arthritis. Some of the preventative methods that you may add to your lifestyle today include

Maintain an Ideal Body Weight
Take steps to prevent the development of Osteoporosis. Some of these include taking adequate Vitamin D and Calcium, exercising, and taking medication if needed.
Do your best to prevent injuring your bones and joints try to avoid accidents such as sports related, implementing joint protection by using splints and braces.

Syphilis is a common and well known sexually transmitted disease STD. Sexual intercoarse is the most common of 3 possible ways to contract it. If it is not transmitted sexually, it is possible, but rare, to get an infection through direct contact. Your body will also accept the disease from your birth mother. This is called congenital syphilis.

Many historic figures have suffered from syphilis, including Pope Alexander VI, Christopher Columbus, King Henry VIII and five of his wives, Francis I of France, Ivan the Terrible, Queen Elizabeth I, King Edward VI, Napoleon I of France, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Al Capone. As you can see, syphilis dates a long way back.

Known to many as “Syphilis – The Great Imitator”, syphilis is a very difficult disease to diagnose. It is very often confused with other sexual diseases. There is a reported 35,000 cases of syphilis each year, 60 being male. Sadly, syphilis can take the life of its victims if it is left untreated. it can also result in damage to the heart, brain, and nerves. To treat the STD, there are two options; daily pills this is the least effective method or penicillin. For treatment, a half dose of penicillin is injected into each buttock. This is extremely painful, so procaine is added for some relief.

Syphilis can be atrocious or mild, but either way, you do not want it. If you are uncertain, get checked anyways, it could be the difference between life and death.

Rash in short is an acute and widespread temporary reddish eruption on the skin. A rash can develop in individuals that are sensitive to a particular drug, prescription or nonprescription. The rashes are characterized by itching of an intensity that can interfere with sleep or normal activities. The rash results from the entire body reacting to the drug itself and usually develops early in treatment rather than after the drug has been taken for a period of time.

Rash is a change in the skin which affects its appearance and or texture. Most often a rash is localised to one part of the body, but other times it can have an affect on the entire body. Rashes can cause the skin to change color, become bumpy, dry, itchy, swell among other things that can result in alot of pain. Because of the wide array of rash symptoms treatments also vary widely. A proper diagnosis should look at all of the visual and physical symptoms of the rash, and also what the possible cause of the rash was. Often times the area in which the rash exists can tell alot about it’s condition, and where it is going. Rashes are often times associated and a result of diseases. For example, measles with cause a rash, that begins a few days after the fever begins.

The most common causes of rashes today are allergies, ex. allerfic reaction to foods, animeals, dyes, medicines, insect stings,etc, skin contact with an irritant, infection or reaction to a vaccine, skin diseases such as eczema or acne, autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis, cancer or other disease, pregnancy and, exposure to sun or heat.