What Triggers Anxiety While Driving, and What Are Some of the Solutions?

Anxiety while driving is a mental disorder affecting both males and females. This involves feelings of immense dread, anxiety and or apprehension towards driving with no justifiable reason. Experts have shown that this condition affects about one in ten people at some point in life. Anxiety while driving falls under mental disorders known as neuroses. Neuroses are phobias that affect individual´s behaviour but not their rational thinking. They may exhibit anxiety every time they sit in a car driving or not. Though it affects both men and women, women are more affected by this condition regardless of their age.
This condition may be triggered by a traumatic experience in the past that affected the motorist like a collision, car accident or any other event. This may cause a motorist to be more apprehensive, unsafe and insecure while driving. The condition may also be triggered by driving under stressful conditions like speeding vehicles on a motorway, or traffic congestion regardless of previous driving experience or accidents encountered. The signs that show a motorist experiencing an anxiety attack are dizziness, trembling or shivering, nausea, headaches, flushing and stomach upset. As these anxiety signs progress, the motorist develops driving phobia. Phobias tend to protect the body against potential dangers. This is when the mind conditions the body into believing that driving is dangerous, so the person may be apprehensive and he may experience panic attacks while on the road.
A motorist may consider consulting a medical professional like a psychiatrist or a psychologist after experiencing such symptoms; he must get a proper diagnosis and know which treatment options are available. This condition is not permanent and, with help, one can overcome it. A motorist may positively affirm him or herself by thinking positively, instead of thinking about the bad experiences in the past. He can reaffirm himself by saying that he is an excellent driver and by thus doing boost his confidence on the road. He or she may also avoid hesitation as this triggers anxiety and panic while driving. If a motorist stops without knowing which way to go, he may worsen the situation causing snarl ups, and he becomes unsure. A motorist may try to relax the body and mind, and ease tension every time he sits in the car, through meditation and he may strengthen his respiration system by trying out some breathing exercises. Another therapeutic means of trying to get back to driving is taking a few minutes a day driving from home, around the neighbourhood and back.

Medical experts suggest that an affected person should do this every ten minutes and have regular five minute breaks. This helps the motorist view driving as a relaxing experience.

Panic attack causes are mostly related to fear and anxiety and are found strikingly different in each and every case. Some people are overanxious during traffic jams. The traffic on high-speed freeways can generate excessive stress. With driving come anxiety and stress. So, panic attacks while driving are quite common. It is a type of claustrophobia due to which some people are extremely afraid of being trapped in a vehicle. Some are always anxious of being hit by an oncoming vehicle while some worry excessively about the failure of brakes or breaking down of their cars or puncturing of a tire while driving. For most of us, there is always a slight fear of driving. Memories of frightful incidents of the past may linger in your mind while driving.

Juicing Information For A Healthy You

Juicing means that you will be taking the load off of your digestive system and feeding high quality nutrients directly to your body. This is only one of the advantages of juicing. In fact it is huge, not only do you get more nutrients than if you simply ate the fruits or vegetables that you are juicing but you are getting nutrients that you wouldn't otherwise access. You see the peel, that most people cut off and throw away, often has a higher concentration of nutrients than any other part and with juicing you throw the whole fruit or vegetable in with the peel intact. Juicing makes the nutritional value quickly available by bypassing the digestion process. This lets you quickly absorb all the vitamins, minerals, and micro nutrients in the food. The nourishment of the fruits and vegetables are easily delivered across the intestinal walls and into the blood, where your body can use them immediately. Not only that but with juice the food is never cooked. Cooking destroys enzymes and some of the vitamins and thus you avoid this destructive process. Enzymes change the food you eat into body tissue and energy, thus increasing your metabolic rate. This means that you will burn more calories with the accompanying weight loss.

Are you interested in age extension and longevity? You'll be happy to know that juicing also promotes longevity and delays the effects of aging, this goes along with better energy. With juice, you will have access to all of natures nutrients locked up in raw fruits and vegetables with none of it lost by cooking and other preparation methods. Know too that by not cooking you will also be preserving the antioxidants. Your body uses antioxidants to cancel free radicals in your system. Free radicals are responsible for aging and degenerative diseases and preserving these antioxidants is akin to finding a fountain of youth.

While we are discussing this Fountain of Youth realize that juicing helps you combat degenerative diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and other conditions that most people pick up as they age. In the case of type 2 diabetes, it means your body has become resistant to the insulin produced by your pancreas. Research shows that eating raw foods can help combat diabetes. Raw foods supplies nourishment to your body and stabilizes your blood sugar in ways that only raw food can. Traditional opinion tells you to stay away from all sugars, even the sugars found in fruits. That advice has now been counteracted by research which shows that nutrients found in fresh fruits an vegetables help to control the disease naturally. In particular, the vitamin B7 which is found in mangoes, nectarines, and peaches aids your digestive process and activates your enzymes. Diabetes means your body fails to process sugars that you eat and your digestive health is important. Then there is manganese -- which is found in carrots, celery, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, beet greens, parsley, and spinach -- it helps lower insulin resistance and improve glucose metabolism.

Juicing is the Fountain of Youth that people have long sought. It is the best way to optimize your health and energy.

Many people turn to juicing for weight loss.
What a simple alternative to surgery or irritating diets!

Juicing allows you to consume a large amount of vegetables without sitting at the dinner table for hours eating the same amount you can just drink in a glass.

If you are anything like me, you have grown up liking a few favorite veggies, and maybe have found yourself even in adulthood not putting yourself out there to try new veggies…maybe you aren’t sure how they taste, or unsure of how to prepare them, so you stick with what you know.  Juicing gives us a chance to step out of that veggie rut and just stick it in the juicer and try it out.

Juicing has been a super fun journey in my life and I find when I step away from it my energy level decreases to a substantial and noticeable low.
juicing for beginners

Sun Kiss Skin
Simple, Juicing for Weight Loss Recipes

In the beginning, stick with veggies that you are familiar with and enjoy eating.

I also think adding lemon and or an apple to any recipe can really make the drink lighter and not so earthy tasting, for you newbies out there…over time, if you are like me, you may come to love the earthy taste.

Effects of Radiation From Electronic Gadgets on Humans

Each of the gadget emits some sort of radiation. So is this good for you? For many years, people were questioning if the radiation from mobile phones had any effect on humans. However, in the past 5 years, the discussions in mainstream media seem to have died down. So has the radiation simply went away? The answer is no. It is still around, and although each device might be emitting less radiation, we are now using more devices. Even though people have stopped talking about it, it is still a problem. Worse of all, the experts still cannot be sure if they are good or bad for humans.

Do a search on Google for "cellphone radiation effects on human". Look through the first few pages and you will see that the opinion is very divided. Some experts say it causes cancer, can destroy brain cells, increases human reaction time and affects sleeping patterns. However, some experts say that a small amount of radiation can actually improve your health and thinking ability. There are also those that says that the small amount of radiation simply does not make any difference.

We could stop using all our electronic devices from now. Alternatively, there is a very specific branch of research that is looking into ways to balance the bad radiation that humans absorb from electronic devices. Their aim is to attempt to emit the inverse radiation so that the total balances out. Think of it a +1 plus -1 creates 0. They call the balancing radiation positive radiation and the area of research electromagnetic balancing. We do not get anything positive out of it, but at least it neutralises the negative effects of radiation, which by itself is a big improvement.

This is cutting edge research but at least there is hope. Whether you believe that radiation from electronic gadgets is good or bad for you, it is important that you understand the risks and take adequate measures to protect yourself. It is a real problem that affects everyone.

Extremely hazardous effects have been observed in humans who have direct exposure to microwaves, without even having eaten food made in such ovens. There is ample research material available and easy to find on the internet, therefore I would just like to mention that persons near operating microwave ovens experience a breakdown of their life-energy fields. This of course increases relative to the length of exposure. Furthermore their cellular energy decreases, their metabolism destabilizes and there is evidently cell damage. There are many more factors, for example that humans, animals and plants within a 500 meter radius of operating microwave equipment suffer long-term, cumulative loss of vital energies, all the way to hormone imbalances and psychological disorders in humans.

As outlined by Mike Barrett in Natural Society, a new Greek scientific study (published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine) has demonstrated how frequency electromagnetic fields, namely cell phones, portable phones, WiFi, and wireless computer equipment, alter important protein changes in the brains of animals. Exposure to electromagnetic frequencies is the result of our advancing technologies, but it is important to study these effects so people know exactly what they’re dealing with in order to take the necessary precautionary measures.

It is known that short term exposure of microwaves exuded from a cell phone, depending on how far the antenna is from the head, can penetrate as much as 1 1/2 inches into the brain, but this study focuses more on the long term effects and how EMF impacts specific brain proteins. This provides new evidence of the potential relationship between EMF and health complications stemming from EMF such as headaches, dizziness, sleep disorders, and even tumors and Alzheimer’s disease.

A number of countries are attempting to adopt precautionary protocols to limit cell phone use in an attempt to mitigate the number of adverse effects they have on human health. In 2011, the WHO/IARC released a report stating that cell phone radiation may have a carcinogenic effect on humans. In fact, the World Health Organization actually said that cell phones are in the same cancer-causing category as lead, engine exhaust, and chloroform.

EMF protection and shielding devices are available but in general it is best to start using common sense and make sure to be as little as possible exposed to EMFs. Avoid cafes and restaurant that lure customers by offering free Wifi and have a look around your house and eliminate any gadgets that you don’t really need, switch off those that you aren’t using, remove that cordless phone from your bedside table and don’t sleep with your mobile!

The Truth About Abdominal Fat

The Truth About Abdominal Fat
Abdominal fat is nothing to mess around with. Studies have proven that men and women with excessive abdominal fat are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer, which will likely lead to an early death. "Beer bellies" and "muffin tops" are just as significant of a risk factor as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or having high cholesterol.
Women typically store fat in their butt and hips, while men tend to store it in their abdominal area, putting men at a greater risk. Specifically, women with waists larger than 35 inches and men with waists 40 inches or more, are about twice as likely to die prematurely of heart disease or cancer.
Visceral Fat vs Subcutaneous Fat
Visceral Fat is the fat around your internal organs, while subcutaneous fat is that annoying fat covering up that six pack. While most everyone hates their subcutaneous fat, that is not the kind you need to be most concerned with. The fact is that visceral fat is more closely linked with health problems than obesity in general. Because visceral fat is so much closer to the intestines, it is easily absorbed into the blood stream, which often ends up clogging the coronary arteries. Clogged arteries can lead to hypertension, diabetes, and many other metabolic problems.
How to tell if you have too much belly fat?
People who gain belly fat are at greater risk of serious health problems, even death, than are people who accumulate fat in other areas. Since men are more likely than women to gain weight around the waist, they should not take their measurements lightly.
Your waist size alone can give you a good estimate of whether or not you have too much belly fat. All you need is a tape measure. To measure your waist:
1. Place a tape measure around your abdomen just above your hipbone.
2. Pull the tape measure until it fits snuggly around you but is not pushing into your skin.
3. Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
4. Do not suck in your belly!
If you are a women and your abdomen measurement is >35 inches, or if you're a man with a measurement >40 inches, you may be at risk of developing the following:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Some types of cancer
• Type 2 diabetes
• Insulin resistance
• High triglycerides
• Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol
• Metabolic syndrome
• Sleep apnea

How to Reduce Belly Fat (Diet and Exercise)
Belly fat can be reduced substantially by eating whole grain products rather than refined, due to the fact that whole grains have more volume and fewer calories that keep you satisfied longer. Studies have shown that whole grains "reduce blood sugar levels after a meal because they take longer to digest." Basically, replacing refined grains with whole grains as part of a balanced diet is not only beneficial to your cardiovascular health, but can help you lose abdominal fat as well.
Another way to reduce belly fat is to train the whole body. Spot reduction does not work, so don't waste your time doing a million sit-ups. Strength training and aerobics improve insulin sensitivity and burn calories, which helps to get rid of fat all over the body, including visceral fat. The really good news is that visceral fat is usually the first to go, however, that also means that subcutaneous fat may hang around a little while longer. But don't think that exercise isn't doing a thing for you if your six pack isn't showing; getting rid of that visceral fat will help improve your overall health and may just save your life!

The Effects of Stress on the Heart

• Sudden cardiac arrest accounts for about 400,000 deaths in the U.S. a year, and according to research published in the March 3 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology mental stress such as anger can lead to arrhythmias that can trigger sudden cardiac arrest. The study, conducted by the Yale University School of Medicine, followed 62 patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators and found that their response to a mental stress test was a very good predictor of future arrhythmias; those who showed more anger were more likely to have an arrhythmia.
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  Studies have shown that stress has been linked with heart disease, weight gain (or loss), cognitive impairment, your blood pressure (and risk of stroke) and even some forms of cancer. Other physically related health concerns caused by stress can include diabetes, hair loss, hyperthyroidism, sexual dysfunction, tooth and gum disease, ulcers and even hair loss. Of course, there are many causes of stress, such as having too busy a lifestyle, factors at work, personal relationships, inadequate sleep, poor eating habits (nutrition), lack of physical exercise, environment...and the list goes on. All of these stress related factors can impact your physical health.
  
  It has been estimated that as much as 90 percent of doctor's visits are due to stress related symptoms in some way. It has also been noted that one in every seven men will suffer a heart attack or other disabling heart disease before the age of 60. In our anxiety ridden society, that figure does not seem impossible.
  
  There are a couple of different types of stress that can lead to heart problems. The first is chronic emotional stress in which you may be more likely to develop atherosclerosis, the heart disease process that produces coronary artery disease, stroke and peripheral artery disease. If you suffer from this type of stress, the symptoms of which include clenched teeth, a surge of adrenaline with the fight-or-flight reaction (commonly manifested as frustration, anger or hostility) you are more at risk for atherosclerosis.
  
  Stress, even at normal everyday levels, can cause a temporary worsening in your vascular functions. Hormonal changes can increase the amount of adrenaline in your bloodstream. With chronic emotional stress, adrenaline is pumped into your bloodstream at increased levels and those changes can persist, which can lead to increased inflammation, and this is associated with an elevated risk of atherosclerosis.
  
  Along with that, chronic emotional stress often goes hand-in-hand with other cardiovascular risk factors. For example, smokers under stress commonly increase their tobacco consumption (which can lead to an increased risk of cancer), while others turn to overeating (causing weight gain). Cholesterol levels also tend to go up during periods of increased stress.
  
  The second type involves periods of intense stress that can lead to acute heart problems like heart attacks.
  
  Life events can be extremely stressful. Consider the death of a loved one, loss of a job, business failure, exposure to natural disasters (such as a flood or earthquake), being the victim of a violent crime, or the break-up of your family unit. The anxiety associated with these extreme life events produce the type of stress can definitely increase your cardiac risk. This increased risk of stress related heart attack is caused by significant elevations in blood pressure, your heart rate, vascular tone (or vein constriction), inflammation and accelerated blood clotting. All of these factors can lead to stress-related heart attacks.
  
  If you feel that stress is becoming overwhelming in your life and may be affecting your heart health, it may be wise to seek help in finding ways to reduce your stress or find strategies of help you cope with the stress you are undergoing. If you do not take any action, you may find that the effects of stress on your heart may lead to a significant heart health risks.
  
  

Healthy Foods for a Healthy Heart

Here are some healthy foods are good for your healthy heart. Maintaining cardiovascular health should start early. Do not wait until the heart problem, you just keep it. A troubled heart can have a negative impact on other organs and even cause death.

The research conducted by several health institutions indicates that there are millions of people across the globe, who are undergoing with the serious impacts of heart diseases. Sometime the effect of the disease becomes so severe that they have to take the surgeries for it.

But such adverse situation can be easily avoided or overcome if one prepares to eat a healthy heart diet with the proper recommendations from the medical practitioner. Here is the list of food items that you must include in your daily diet to have a healthy heart and living.

Salmon: One of the best foods for the healthy heart is Salmon. It is an easy to cook dish and has great taste. People love eating salmon in pasta dishes, salads, dips and cakes.

Blueberries: Another important heart food is blueberries. Being rich in anthocyanins, vitamin C and fibre, blueberries prove a great antioxidant that can be included in daily diet in the form of frozen, fresh and dried ones.

Oatmeal: Oats tend to become an excellent diet for the morning hours. Being enriched with fibre content oats are primarily used in bread, cookies, muffins, cakes, meat and poultry dishes. It is the best food to avoid the risk of heart diseases.

Soy Protein: The most easily available food item that proves to be a healthy heart meal is the soy protein. Enriched with vitamins, minerals and fibre, the soya protein is consumed by every individual at least twice or thrice in the week. The major bi-product of the soy protein is tofu, which is eaten by way of salads, soups or snacks.

Nuts: Nuts are yet other important food for healthy heart that helps in controlling the blood sugar and fights triglycerides in the body. The moderate consumption of nuts like almonds, walnuts in the diet on weekly basis is must for everyone.

Vegetables and Fruits: Vegetables and fruits are the major source to enjoy the healthy heart. Green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, kale, mushrooms, asparagus, sweet potato, tomatoes and carrots tend to have great source of iron and fibre that ensures the regular flow of blood to the veins and arteries to lead a healthy living.

  

From Anxiety to Comfort - A Guide to Treating Anxiety

Anxiety disorders are becoming a common cultural issue affecting more people than one might think. Seeking relief comes naturally under the influence of anxiety and often leads to developing coping mechanisms, which are not necessarily healthy. What might help your anxiety in the moment may make it worse later on hence it is important to draw a distinguishing line between techniques that help and the techniques that do the rather opposite.

Generally avoid the following:

Alcohol and cigarettes - sure they bring immediate relief with each gulp and puff, but also cause considerable damage if you rely on these aids daily and solely. Both exhibit neurotoxic and carcinogenic properties and fighting anxiety by inhibiting/pruning already malfunctioning neural connections does not induce relief, but on the contrary, produces anxiety.

Consuming excess sugars - dwelling on soft, sweet drinks as the primary source of fluids is a habit you might consider dropping. It is true that glucose is absolutely necessary for proper brain function, but only to a certain point. Beyond a saturation point you are inducing more brain fog and mood swings than clarity.

Lacking sleep - Sleep is absolutely necessary for proper body and brain function and regeneration. You might have noticed that a day after an inadequate sleeping session you find yourself experiencing elevated anxiety or depression levels, both of which you are here to avoid.

What you might consider implementing into your daily routine in order to bring relief without sacrificing, but rather preserving, long-term health:

Exercise - Aerobic exercise including jogging, swimming, cycling and many others do more good for your mental health than you would expect. Exercise results in formation of new neural connections within the brain region, inherent to memory formation and retention, known as hippocampus, so it actually induces morphological changes!

Meditate - Meditation too causes changes in brain's structure for the better - it results in thickening of the cerebral cortex, which is associated with a broad set of cognitive functions including self-control and focus.

Eat healthily - try to include, often repulsive yet healthy, vegetables and fruits in your diet and spread your meals into several small ones rather than few ample portions. A healthy diet equals a healthy brain. All the essential amino acids and vitamins, deficiencies and imbalances of which might contribute to the feelings of anxiety, are usually found in green foods.

Millions of Americans have anxiety disorders. Many of these disorders begin in childhood, teenage years, or early adulthood. Women have them more than men. They occur with the same frequency in whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics.

These disorders are diagnosed by an evaluation by a doctor. He will ask questions about medical history and may perform a physical exam. The doctor may do tests to find out if there is a physical cause for the symptoms.

If no cause is found, you may be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist. These are mental health professionals that are trained to treat mental illness. They will use an interview and other assessment tools to evaluate people for anxiety disorder.

Diagnosis will be based on a patient's report of how intense the symptoms are. They will also look at the duration of the symptoms. This will include daily functioning with the symptoms and observation of the patient by the doctor. They will look for the behavior and determine if the symptoms and degree indicate a specific disorder.

Progress had been made in this area in the last few years in mental illness including anxiety disorders. The exact treatment approach will depend on the type of disorder, one or a combination of several therapies may be used. These include:

Medication: medicines used include anti-depressants and anxiety-reducing drugs.

Psychotherapy: This is a type of counseling which addresses the emotional response to mental illness. A trained mental health professional will help the patient by talking through strategies for understanding and dealing with their disorder.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy--People can participate in the type of therapy in which the person learns to recognize and change thought patterns and behaviors that lead to troublesome feelings.