I Will Quit Smoking – With determination anyone could do it!

Archive for April, 2009

Memories are a part of everyone’s life, they help make us who we are today. Memories can be happy, sad, funny, or in some cases traumatic. Sometimes we wish we could hold on to the happy memories forever and forget all the sad or traumatic ones in an instant. Alas this is just wishful thinking, but what is this were possible, think about how different your life would be.

Think back for a moment, find a memory you would like to relive. Think about how you feel, how the memory makes you feel. Perhaps you want to change something in the memory, think about how this could change your life. Now imagine for a moment that this memory is a traumatic memory. You would be reliving this memory over and over again everyday. The memory will torment you and cause stress and anxiety in all aspects of your life. This is what people with post traumatic stress syndrome deal with everyday. Everyday they relive a painful memory such as a rape, abuse, war memories, or something as simple as a car accident. The memory consumes them and everyone around them. Often they are not able to hold jobs, have families or healthy relationships, and in some extreme cases the person is not able to function at all.

Post traumatic stress syndrome can cause people to of depressed, dysfunctional, stressed and anxious just to name a few. Sometimes the person may not know they are suffering form post traumatic stress syndrome, sometimes they find out because of a trigger such as a honking horn or a certain song. The reaction to a memory or trigger can often be severe. Typically people turn to drugs and alcohol to self medicate. But like most addictions, they begin to consume the person only adding to their stress.

Self destructive behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse are common for people suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome. There is good new though. New treatments are being explored. One of those new treatments is hypnosis. Hypnosis or behavior modification, works with the mind in a unique way. While undergoing hypnosis, you are able to revisit the traumatic memory and learn to look at it in a different way. You learn to deal with your feelings toward the memory in a more positive way instead of letting the feelings consume you and those around you. In some cases you may even be able to forget the memory completely.

According to a Canadian newspaper, Ottawacitizen.com, scientists have been using a drug called Propranolol, commonly used in patients with hypertension, to treat and delete memories in people with post traumatic stress syndrome. The drug is injected to a certain part of the brain while thinking of a specific traumatic memory. Once the drug is injected, studies have shown that particular memory has been deleted or replaced. The treatment is still in the early stages or research and development and there are no concrete studies to prove this drug actually works, only suggestions. People who suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome need help now, everyday is like torture for them, and they need something that will work. Hypnosis fits the bill for both.

Hypnosis offers a safe, non invasive, and readily available treatment for those suffering from painful, traumatic memories. No one wants to feel trapped in their mind and have one memory control everything in their daily lives. These painful memories make everything more difficult, even if they memory it self seems trivial. There are new treatments on the horizon for people who suffer from this condition, there is no need to wait when there is something available to help you now.

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“Healthy Living” is the new tag phrase in Oregon. In the last year alone Portland moved from number 17 to number 9 on the “Americas fittest cities” list in Men’s Magazine. Maintaining a fit or healthy lifestyle can be easy to achieve for many reasons. One, Oregon is heavy on the out door sports and activities. Second Oregon is never short on organic products and healthy foods both on the menu and in grocery stores. Lastly, Oregon has many weight loss facilities all over the state. However, Oregon was not always so health conscious, but over the last decade Oregon has made a pledge to fight obesity one person at a time.

Passing the “bike bill” in 1971 put Oregon as the first state which took the first step toward healthy living. By 2001 3.8% of people were biking to work at least three days per week to according to Oregon.gov. Other fitness activities have also increased over the years. The Nike Hood to Coast Relay Marathon is the largest relay race in North America. It began in 1982 with eight teams. By 1999 it reached capacity of 1,000 teams. If biking or running is not really your cup of tea, there are plenty of hiking trails, gyms and countless dog parks where all activity levels are welcome.

Organic and Trans fat free foods have taken center stage over the last five years. Portland again was at the top of the list as the city had one of the highest percentages of organic food buyers in 2007 (27%). Portland only trailed San Francisco (35%) and Seattle (37%) by a few percentage points according to Vegetarianorganicblog.com. Seeing this demand, grocery stores met with a supply of organic products, a health food section and stocking Trans fat free items. In the past many grocery stores either did not offer items such as tofu or soy and if they did, the cost was through the roof. Now with the increased interest in these products, stores have answered with sales for these items. Grocery retailers are not the only ones seeing the growing health trend, but restaurants also see the benefit to healthier choices.

National chains such as Applebee’s and Red Robin are offering alternatives for dieters and health nuts a like. Applebee’s was one of the firsts to offer Weight Watcher menu items and Red Robin offers meat substitutes for all their burgers. Often those who are trying to be healthier avoid eating out because typically there are few healthy choices besides a salad on menus. Let’s face it salad is boring when steak and potato are on the menu. But now with these new special menus, dieters can feel confident eating out instead of feeling committed to another boring salad.

Being healthy is not simply about eating right but also getting daily exercise. Oregon again has topped the list in this department. While the weather can be temperamental at times, this does not stop people from getting out and enjoying the scenery. Oregon has many parks with pathways, schools with tracks, and parks for dogs. If running or walking is not your thing, many people bike to work. Often in Oregon many companies have “biking groups” with contests for the person who rides their bike the most. Oregon was the first state to pass the “bike bill” in 1971, by 2001 3.8% of people were biking to work at least three days per week according to Oregon.gov. Since Lance Armstrong brought biking back into the spot light over the last few years, biking in Oregon is hitting an all time high.

While the weather might be temperamental at times, there is no denying Oregonians are health nuts and die-hards when it comes to getting out and getting fresh air. Oregon’s healthy lifestyle trend is not likely to change anytime soon. Stop trying to silence the voice in your head telling you to get out and become healthy.

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Many Americans wish they could change something about themselves. Such as being taller, shorter, or being richer just to name a few. There is a fine line between wanting to change something and having low self esteem. Having a negative or hateful view of yourself is associated with low self esteem. Those suffering from low self esteem usually look at themselves and others negatively, lack confidence, and perform poorly. Trying to figure out what percent of the population suffers from low self esteem is nearly impossible as low self esteem is related to many other emotional issues.

Lacking self confidence or low self esteem is not something a person just learns from one random act, it is something that is learned through repetitive criticism. It can come from just about anyone, parents with unrealistic demands of their children, constant comparison to other siblings or children or simply from parents who do not understand he child’s needs can leave them feeling misunderstood and detached. Children can also learn poor self esteem from classmates or teachers through the same techniques. Others feel negatively about themselves because of societies demands. Many young girls have expressed pressure to be thin simply from a magazine article, they begin to self criticize every time they read an article or see a photograph.

In today’s society we are losing one third of our youth to drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, jail, teen pregnancy, crimes and violence, drop outs, and suicide according to Selfesteeminternational.org. All of these problems have one thing in common, low self esteem. Some people of society have a hard time accepting negative self image is the cause for all of these problems. However Selfesteeminternational.org reported that 80-90% of pregnant teens do not give up their children because they feel a baby will give them the unconditional love they never had. High school seniors report using drugs and alcohol as a way to fill a personal void and improve self esteem at the rate of 66%.

There are many programs out there for those who suffer from low self esteem. They range from counseling sessions, take medication, or to reading self help books. There are also new techniques being used to help build confidence, one of those is hypnosis. Hypnosis works with the subconscious mind to uncover what memories are causing painful low self esteem. Once the memory has been identified, the hypnotist and patient work though the memory and the patient’s reaction to it. Together they help rebuild self confidence and work through all feelings, good or bad until the patient is satisfied with their progress. Since it works with the subconscious mind, it is easier to open up and express feelings you might not know you were having.

Some still feel that medication or therapy is the best and only way to treat self esteem issues. However, the medications only work with the chemical reactions in the body, it will not create a positive image or with the memories which are causing the patient pain and agony. Therapy can go on for months before the real trigger and emotional reaction is uncovered and it also deals with the mind on a conscious level. When dealing with the mind on a conscious level, patients often become very censored for fear they are being judged by the counselor. While under hypnosis they sub conscious mind takes over allowing for completely candid thoughts.

You have taken the first step in your treatment, whatever it may be. You have acknowledged that you have issues with low self esteem and want to do something about it. You no longer want to go on feeling the way you do. The choice is yours, will you choose a treatment that could take months and months, will you choose a short term chemical fix or will you choose to open you mind and discovery why you feel the way you do, the choice is simple.

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