Category: Health

Is Anxiety Really Genetic or is There Something More at Play?

Posted on by Rossel Dacio

anxietyPhoto courtesy of Rawpixels.com on Pexels

Some people subscribe to the idea that anxiety is a genetic problem, and in some situations, this can certainly be the case. However, the reality is that anxiety is a much more complex issue that cannot be chalked up to simply one single cause.

Anxiety can emerge as a result of life situations, experiences, and beliefs, and while it’s certainly true that genetics may influence a person’s development of anxiety, it is far from the only cause. This article will touch on how genetics and other factors can influence anxiety.

What Causes Anxiety?

There are a number of things that can cause anxiety, and some things that can make a person more likely to develop an anxiety disorder at some point during their lives. Some of the most common include:

  • Genetics. A complicated issue, genetics may or may not make someone directly develop an
    anxiety disorder. Instead, they may make someone more susceptible to the effects of certain
    situations or traumatic experiences that could trigger latent anxiety.
  • Brain chemistry. A number of things can influence a person’s brain chemistry, ranging from
    addictions to sex, gambling, or drugs, head injuries, or other issues.
  • Traumatic life experiences can make a person develop anxieties, particularly in the case of
    PTSD where they become anxious around situations that remind them of their
    traumatic experiences.
  • Physical conditions, such as thyroid disorders, can also contribute to the development of
    anxiety disorders.
  • Nutritional deficiencies can lead to the development of anxiety, particularly for people who are
    deficient in magnesium or the B vitamins
  • A person’s upbringing. Someone who is raised in an environment where they are unloved may
    develop certain anxieties, whereas people who are raised in environments where they are not
    shown how to properly socialize may develop social anxiety.

It’s important to note that there are many different types of anxiety, and certain triggers may lead to certain forms of anxiety. For example, a person may develop social anxiety if they experience a traumatic situation at the hands of one of their peers during early life.

Genetics and Anxiety

What is interesting about the link between genetics and anxiety is the fact that a solid conclusion cannot yet be drawn. It is understood that there is a link between genetics and anxiety, but more research is required to be certain of that link.

What is certain is that there are a number of things that can contribute to anxiety disorders, most of which fall outside the category of genetics. Environmental influences, social factors, a person’s upbringing, and their physical or mental health can all contribute to anxiety.

However, one should note that having a family history of anxiety may make someone more likely to develop anxiety disorders as a result of any of these conditions. Whether or not anxiety is an issue that can be caused directly by genetics is yet to be understood.

Things to Consider When Considering Recovery Facilities

Posted on by Rossel Dacio

recovery facilitiesPhoto by Dmitry Schemelev on Unsplash

When life gets to be too triggering, too overwhelming and too much to handle, there are options to help. From therapists and psychiatry, to treatment and recovery facilities, the options are plentiful with dedicated, kind and skilled professionals that have dedicated their professional lives to helping others. Many have experienced something similar themselves, so are generally operating from a place of deep understanding and sympathy. Whatever your situation, there are some things to consider when choosing your route of therapy or treatment.

Intensity of need

Do you need to talk to someone about something that’s going on, and can work through it with an hour session with a therapist, either once or throughout multiple sessions? Finding a local therapist you trust and feel comfortable with might be your best option in this case. If your need feels more severe, finding a men’s or women’s recovery center might be the best resource for your need. Dedicated professionals work in these recovery facilities and are there round the clock with structured sessions, group sessions and activities in place to help enable your progress and processing of your needs.

Proximity and time available

Do you have a few weeks or months available from your job and responsibilities that you can dedicate to your health and recovery? If you do, going to one might be the best thing you can do for yourself. If not, not to worry, there are a lot of other options available to help you where you are, with the time and resources you have available.

Cost

While some people can self fund theirs, others can utilize insurance, scholarships and sponsorship to facilitate their recovery. Where there’s a need, there’s a solution. If this is something you need for the betterment of your life, making the decision is oftentimes the catalyst for things falling into place.

Whatever your needs and resources, there are a myriad of options available to assist with helping you process through your trauma and experiences.

Food Is Your Friend: How to Have a Healthy Relationship With Food

Posted on by Rossel Dacio

food is your friend

Maintaining your relationship with food can be complicated. On the one hand, we love to treat ourselves and indulge, but on the other hand, this can make us feel bad about ourselves.

It’s all about finding the balance between eating right, enjoying being healthy and letting ourselves indulge in something naughty once in a while.

Here are a few tips on how you can have a healthy relationship with food.

Remember – YOU Are in Control

Temptation is one of the worst hurdles when it comes to nurturing your relationship with food.

If your kitchen is stocked with items that aren’t healthy or that risk derailing your sensible eating plan, the best thing to do is to get rid of them. If you give yourself access to these items, you’ll resent them being there, tempting you.

You are in control. You do the grocery shopping. You can keep sugary items out of your house so that you don’t slip up.

Explore and Experiment with Healthy Foods

Healthy does not have to be boring.

One of the most exciting things about trying out a new healthy regime is the possibilities it can bring with it.

If you’re cutting out certain foods it doesn’t mean you have to just eat plain salads. Do some research and investigate different types of food and recipes so you can experiment in the kitchen and find fun in being healthier.

There are apps and cookery books out there that offer a plethora of ideas for the eager home cook looking to have some fun in the kitchen and discover a whole new world of healthier choices.

This helps to reduce any stigma you might have with adapting to a food routine that’s better for you in the long run.

Don’t go Down the Rabbit Hole

It’s way too easy to become an emotional eater.

If you’re feeling down or stressed, for example, binging on comfort food can be a go-to reaction. Ditching the diet and seeking solace in sweet treats to lift your mood is often a problem many people face.

While it’s okay to indulge in a cheat day every now and then, it can become routine. A day off can turn into a whole week or even a month off. This is emotional eating at its worst.

You’ll find yourself feeling better initially but then you’ll be down a rabbit hole of indulgence which will, ultimately, make you feel worse as time goes on.

Look into going on a stop emotional eating course if it’s a real issue. If things aren’t that bad yet, self-discipline is all you need.

Set a cheat day of the week where you’re allowed to indulge, but stick to it. This means you won’t resent the ‘bad’ foods you let yourself eat now and again, meaning you have a better relationship with it in the long run.

More Tips on Having a Healthier Relationship with Food

There’s plenty more tips and tricks on how to nurture your relationship with food, as well as advice on general wellbeing and health across our entire website.

For a vast array of articles on the topic, check out our health section.

Common Factors That Prevent You From Reaching Your Goals

Posted on by Rossel Dacio

your goalsPhoto by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

Every year you set goals for yourself. You want to be a better person, have the things you want, and live a meaningful life. Yet, more than halfway through the year you find yourself in the same place (or worse). Unfortunately, you’re no closer to accomplishing your goals. Is it an impossible goal to accomplish? Perhaps it’s just not in the cards for you? All you know is in your mind you want to change but your actions aren’t matching.

Achieving your goals involves a lot more than just wanting them to come to fruition. To reach any level of success in your life you have to have both the right mindset and behaviors. You must stop old habits and develop new ones, eliminate unproductive activities and replace them with actionable steps towards your visions.

This can all be hard to accomplish when you have so many distractions in the way. The first step towards achieving your goals is to identify those factors and remove them:

Fear of Failure

Fear is a natural emotion but it can be very crippling to success. The feeling that you’re not going to succeed in your efforts could essentially keep you from trying at all. Why go out for that promotion if it’s just going to get passed to someone else? What if you start a business and it fails?

It’s not uncommon to get trapped in the land of “what if” when going after something you really want but have never accomplished before. There is also the possibility that you won’t succeed. While this could hurt a bit, it’s not the end of the world.

To overcome your fear of failure you have to start looking at it from a different point of view. When you make mistakes or don’t succeed, perhaps there are valuable lessons that you can take away from it all. If these lessons help you to progress in the future, wasn’t the previous failure then worth it? At the end of the day, even if you failed – at least you tried.

Addictions

If you suffer from substance abuse or addiction but are trying to set goals, the chances of reaching them are slim. That is, at least while you’re still abusing substances. Whether it’s prescription drugs, alcohol, illicit street drugs, or gambling an addiction keeps you trapped. Your life becomes consumed with achieving your next high making it difficult to focus on anything else.

If you struggle with substance abuse or addiction get help now. You can get help for prescription drugs, alcohol, or gambling from rehab centers. Once you’ve completely detoxed and gotten the counseling and support you need to remain sober, you can begin setting goals and accomplishing them.

Impatience

It would be really awesome if you could set a goal and accomplish it the next day but most things don’t happen that way. It takes time and patience. Unfortunately, sometimes even more than you anticipated. When it’s not going according to plan it can be easy to throw in the towel, hence, preventing you from reaching your goal.

It’s true, waiting is hard. However, not everything in life happens exactly when and how you want it to. It is, therefore, important to learn how to simply enjoy the journey of getting to the finish line. Be happy with every step that you take towards your goals and before you know it you’ll see them come to fruition.

Dreaming Too Big

There is certainly nothing wrong with having big dreams. However, when trying to reach those dreams you must set realistic goals. Realistically, you can’t expect to earn $1 million in the next 6 months. When you set the bar too high you’re setting yourself up for failure.

In order to make your dreams come true, you have to break them down into smaller steps. Instead of trying to become a millionaire in 6 months you give yourself six years. Then, create a plan for what you’ll do over the next 6 years to make that happen. For instance, you might start a business, reduce your spending habits, increase your savings, or start investing.

Then, break those steps down even smaller to daily tasks like assessing the costs of a startup, collecting receipts and statements to review spending habits, increasing your savings by an increment of $50 each month, or investing $100 a month into stocks of your choosing. As you’re checking each of these tasks off the list it puts you a step closer to your bigger goal.

Setting goals is one thing. Achieving them is another. If you find that year after year you set goals only to end up in the same predicament the following year, perhaps there’s something holding you back. Whether it be the fear of failing, an addiction, impatience, or simply dreaming too big and biting off more than you can chew, you can turn things around. Start by discerning what’s hindering you then make a plan of action such as the advice provided above to overcome it. Once you’ve removed the problem you can begin taking action every day towards making those goals come true.

7 Safety Precautions to Make When Buying Meds Online

Posted on by Rossel Dacio

buying meds onlineImage courtesy of 123rf.com

Buying meds can be expensive. You may wonder if your current supplier is the best value available. A study has demonstrated that with price variations of as much as $52 it’s well worth shopping around.

Buying prescription medication online can be easy & helpful for certain people. Read on to learn safety precautions to keep in mind when buying meds online.

Buying Meds Online

There are many potential problems with buying drugs online but they can be overcome with some simple precautions. Don’t assume that any website claiming to sell prescription drugs is legitimate. Where there is money to be made, criminals will find an opportunity to exploit the opportunity.

Problems include outdated or diluted drugs. You may not be getting the drugs you ordered and they may be counterfeit. If they have not been stored properly they may be dangerous.

Take these steps to shop online and you will be able to safely order Vyvanse online as well as many other drugs.

1. Verified Sites

Only legitimate pharmacists can be approved by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). When they screen online pharmacists, they award them the VIPPS seal of approval.

Only buy from “verified internet pharmacy sites. Check them out with the NABP.

2. State Registration

An online pharmacist in the USA must be registered and licensed. This is done by the state government in the state where they are based. Check the website of the NABP for their registration details.

3. Professional Pharmacist

A legitimate website will give you the opportunity to talk to, email or chat online to a pharmacist or even a doctor. Ask a question and check out how credible the answer is. Ask them for their credentials.

4. Check Drug Conflicts

Be aware that sometimes drugs don’t get along with each other. An online pharmacist may not pick up that you are taking drugs that will conflict with each other. Check this with your medical professional, local pharmacist or with the websites online support.

5. Check the Website

A fraudulent website may be dangerous to your health in more ways than one. Your physical health may be affected if you don’t get the drugs you need. Your financial health may be affected if the criminals behind the site steal your credit card details or identity.

Only make web purchases on websites showing the https:// secure server internet connection. The little padlock next to the web address indicates that the site is secure.

6. Check the Reviews

Online reviews can be a guide. Other satisfied customers can give you confidence that the service is good and the online pharmacy is reliable. Look for any online complaints or negative comments.

7. Too Good to Be True

What if all the reviews are amazing and the prices are fantastic. They seem absolutely perfect. Your common sense should make you cautious.

A pharmacist is a business and they must sell drugs at a profit to be successful. Selling at ridiculously low prices may attract you to buy but why would they do this if the market price is much higher. The chances are that you won’t be dealing with a legitimate pharmacist and won’t be getting the drugs you need.

Nobody is perfect. Be careful if they seem too good. It may not be true.

Go Ahead

With these sensible steps, you can be confident in buying meds online. Get the best deals and convenience too. Check out the rest of our blog for more health advice.