Archive for the ‘health’ Category:
Adolescent Mental Health
What some parents can not understand is that their teenagers can have huge problems with their mental health. This is mostly because their teens do everything they can to appear normal thanks to pressure from peers and family alike. Some parents dont know how to separate what teenagers go through as they grow in comparison to what might be problems with adolescent mental health problems. Teens are hard to read, so it makes sense that these problems can go largely undiagnosed for some children.
There is a large group that has problems with adolescent mental health issues that go undetected. At times, this goes on until it is too late. As parents, it can be hard to think that your child has these problems at such a young age, and even when the teen is throwing hints around, it can go ignored. It does not make that parents bad people, it just means they know very little about adolescent mental health. For some, when a teen tries to or succeeds are suicide, parents look back and see the signs when it is too late.
Depression and anxiety are two very common adolescent mental health problems that can occur. If you know that depression runs in your family, do not dismiss that this could happen to your teenager. Things growing up as a teenager are hard enough, but if you add depression to the mix, it could be overwhelming. Anxiety is a problem of adolescent mental health when teens are overwhelmed and feel that there is no way out of those feelings and the issues that might be causing that anxiety.
Some signs that parents miss in regards to adolescent mental health issues are thing that teens hide very well, and it is not too questionable that they are missed at first. Some teens deal with their problems by cutting themselves. They do this in areas where the cuts can not be seen and they go to great lengths to hide them. Those with adolescent mental health problems can also get caught up in underage drinking, drugs, and very questionable sexual activities. Those are things that some teens can easily hide as well, though not always.
If you think you see signs of mental health issues with your teenager, keep an eye on what is going on and see if you can get them to go in to see someone for evaluation. They may not like the idea, but if they are really having problems, they will probably give in – even if they act like you are forcing them. Dealing with and admitting to adolescent mental health problems can be very hard for a teenager, so keep that in mind. If you feel strongly enough that the signs are all there, do what you have to do to keep them safe and healthy. You dont want things to get out of control.No health insurance? Here are some affordable alternative health insurance options
Anyone who’s spent just a day in the hospital for emergency care knows that just one day can result in a bill that mounts into the thousands, depending on the care and procedures you need. Lab tests, various imaging tests, anesthesia and surgical procedures can easily produce a bill that’s enough to make you sick after you’re all fixed up and going home. If you’re without health insurance, you might be paying off this bill for a long while into the future.
No one is invulnerable. Young people tend to think health insurance isn’t all that important, as they are unlikely to suffer a major condition, such as a heart attack. However, what if you go on a ski vacation and end up breaking your leg? Things happen! These days, it’s imperative that everyone have some form of health insurance.
If you’re working, but your employer doesn’t provide health insurance coverage, or if you’ve lost your job and your health insurance as well, you’ll want to look into the affordable alternative health insurance options that are available.
Your first stop should be your local Department of Human Resources. Every state provides some form of no-cost or affordable alternative health insurance for low income or even no income people. Coverage varies and may be limited. For example, some services, such as dental, may be limited to emergency services, such as a impacted or abscessed tooth. Your premium is based on a sliding fee scale, depending on your income.
Look online for professional association memberships in your field. The memberships are generally paid yearly and many include an affordable alternative health insurance program in the membership benefits. Membership fees vary, as do the benefits, so be sure to check the fine print before you lay down the cash.
Another, newer type of affordable alternative health insurance products are not technically insurance, but a membership for which you pay a monthly fee and receive substantial discounts from health providers. You need to be careful in choosing one of this type of affordable alternative health insurance membership products. Before you sign up, go through their listings to see if there are participating providers in your local area and if the price you’ll need to pay for particular services is affordable for you. For example, if you need extensive dental services, such as root canals and crowns, be sure that you can afford the discounted prices. While this type of health insurance product typically discounts pricey procedures by 20-60%, it can still be more than you can pay. Be aware that the provider may not offer a payment plan, so look into the details before you sign up.
All of these options offer affordable alternative health insurance coverage. The state funded Department of Human Resources is probably your best bet, if you can qualify to receive coverage. Naturally, as with any government program, be prepared for a significant amount of paperwork. With recent funding cutbacks, some states will no longer accept applications until new funding is received, so give a call before going in to apply.
Run through all of the affordable alternative health insurance options and find the one that best suits your health needs and budget. Good luck!
Finding Affordable Health Insurance
I know what you are going to say after reading the title of this article. You may think there is no such thing as affordable health insurance, and there may be some truth to that. However, you probably need it, and that means you have to find the best deal that you can get. What you can get through work, and how much money you make, often are huge factors in when and how you can get your insurance. If you are on your own when searching, you may find that there is no such thing as affordable, but some policies are less than others.
If you have healthcare through your job, you may have the only type of affordable health insurance that is out there. Some have theirs paid for through their company completely, and if you have that, you are one of the luck ones. Others, like my husband, have to pay a bit of their insurance out of their check, but this may not be a lot. In some cases, affordable health insurance means paying a larger amount out of each check, but it is still cheaper than if you were to go out and buy a policy on your own with the benefit of being in a group plan through your employer.
There are some ways you can get affordable health insurance when you can not get it through work. One way would be to join your local chamber of commerce if you have a home based business or if you are selling a service through self employment. Though not all of them have health insurance that you can buy into, some do. You can also see if you can join a union that would accept you, and then see if they have any type of affordable health insurance that you get as part of being in the union and paying your dues.
There are going to be other times when you are on your own when looking for affordable health insurance. You are just going to have to take some time and search. You may find some deals online, but you do have to do your research. If a policy seems too good to be true, it probably is. That does not mean that there are not some good ones out there, so dont give up until you find one that can give you some affordable health insurance, even if you have a high deductible. Dont forget about state funded insurance for you if you are pregnant, or for your children if you have no other way to cover them.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Alternative Health and You
Alternative medicine has long been used to treat a variety of conditions from psoriasis to dysentery. Today the amount of holistic therapies is staggering, and not all of it created equal, which is why its so important to keep up to date on the latest happenings in this rapidly growing field. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is a part of the US National Institutes of Health, located online at www.nccam.nih.gov, which is undertaking research, training, and dissemination of data to the public and professionals regarding the most popular health topics. This is a comprehensive site that discusses at length what consumers should know about the latest in alternative health claims, and other consumer concerns and issues. Check out current clinical trials, research funding opportunities, and the continuing education series for all alternative health professionals.
From Natural Solutions at www.alternativemedicine.com find complementary and alternative health medicine information about common health conditions, including natural remedies, holistic healthcare, healing foods, as well as healthy solutions and practical strategies for self-care and prevention. A popular topic for this time of year is seasonal affective disorder or SAD, which results from shorter winter days and less sunlight. Decreased energy levels are a common complaint that can be reversed simply by tanning or light therapy for twenty minutes every morning, eating more protein and omega-3, and by squeezing in any type of outdoor exercise whenever possible to boost serotonin levels from the natural sunlight. In extreme cases it may even be worth relocating to a sunnier locale to avoid the winter blues altogether.
Find true health, and empower yourself to make informed nutritional decisions, holistically. Health resources with remedies A-Z for your alternative health needs can be found online for information on alternative, ayruvedic, aromatherapy, homeopathic, essential oils, flower remedies, herbs, and more alternative treatments and therapies. Also discover sites devoted to medical systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine, including sections for spiritual self-healing. Its important to be knowledgeable about combining alternative medicine, supplements, vitamins, herbs, and nutrition with conventional medicine too, so be sure to advise your health care professional of everything. If youre not sure where to start, health counseling is available online for your convenience for help to feel better in your body and achieve your ideal weight. This is also a great way to manage and reduce your stress, increase your energy levels, find healthier ways to eat, and take on a truly holistic approach to life.
Alternative Health For What Ails You
There are people who refuse to use any type of medicine other than what they consider to be alternative health care. This usually means they want to use natural remedies as apposed to what is known as western medicine. Alternative is a tough word, because these practices are actually things that were used long before any type of western medicine was practiced. However, because it is not mainstream in the United States, natural remedies are still considered alternative.
One form of alternative health is acupuncture. This has been used for centuries as a way to cure just about anything. Small needles are put into the body near pressure points and are meant to open the flow of energy through the body. It is believed that if these energies are blocked, illness ensues. Those that use this type of alternative health swear by it, and think it can do just about anything. Some even us it for things like help with quitting things like smoking and drinking, and they also use it to help lose weight.
Alternative health may also mean using natural herb and potions to cure what ails you. You do have to be careful with this however. Natural does not always mean safe. If you are taking any medications, you want to talk with your doctor before you take any type of herb or plant. This is because they can react with your medications with very bad results. You dont want to take anything that could harm you further rather than helping you. That is not the point of alternative health practices, nor western medicine for that matter. Your doctor may not like that you want to try other things, so if they wont help you, find another doctor that will. Never stop taking medications without the say so of a medical doctor for your own sake.
You can learn about and practice natural health remedies on your own, but you do have to know what you are doing. That means you have to find someone qualified in the field to teach you what you can and can not do, and how to do all treatments in a safe manner. If you are treating your children, you really want to be sure you know what you are doing. Alternative health practices can be very effective, but as with other medical procedures, you have to be careful not to do further harm when trying to help.
What is alternative health care?
Health care has become a major issue for most Americans. Costs are skyrocketing, many of us do not have health care coverage and a visit to the doctor can prove both costly and unfruitful. The typical medical doctor has spent about eleven years in college and residency programs to earn their degree. While well educated, sometimes they don’t have all the answers.
Due not to poor education, but perhaps a limited scope, the M.D. can not always help the patient resolve their health issue. In the last thirty years or so, alternative health care has sought to fill in the gaps. Allopathic medicine is the purvue of the medical doctor, dealing with the strict science of disease conditions. Pharmaceutical prescriptions, lab analysis and surgery are the main treatments available.
Alternative health care encompasses diagnosis and treatment programs which analyze body systems as a whole. While the medical doctor treats the symptoms of the patient, the alternative practitioner approaches disease as a systemic condition. The condition which brings the patient to the doctor may be only a symptom of an underlying problem of another area or organ.
For example, if you are frequently prone to bronchitis, the allopathic practitioner may prescribe antiobiotics to resolve the infectious condition and thus bring it under control. The holistic practitioner may instead view the bronchitis as an underlying weakness of the immune system. The naturopathic, or holistic practitioner, recognizes that the bronchitis must be treated and may dispense a number of herbs which are natural antibiotics, such as garlic or elecampane root, a specific for respiratory problems to eliminate the coughing and excessive accumulation of phlegm. However, the alternative health practitioner won’t stop there. He or she may also prescribe a natural immune system booster, such as echinacea, to get at the root of the problem which is causing the recurrent bouts of bronchitis. This alternative approach can eliminate the problem altogether.
Other examples of alternative health approaches include quit-smoking programs. While your regular M.D. may prescribe nicotine patches, they don’t work for everyone. One alternative health discipline, accupuncture, employs the use of fine needles, placed along one of the 700-plus meridians established in Chinese medicine, to eliminate the desire to smoke. Many people successfully quit with such an alternative health approach.
Have you been plagued by migraine headaches? This can be a very difficult medical condition. While there are pharmaceutical prescriptions available to counter and alleviate this painful condition, these medications may not work and may also carry serious baggage in the side effects. Alternative health practitioners may offer herbs or aromatherapy as an alternative solution, minus the side effects.
Good health is of concern to all of us. If you have unresolved medical conditions, you owe it to yourself to investigate what alternative health has to offer. To your best health!
Popularity: unranked [?]
Affordable Health Insurance
Affordable health insurance is a topic that politicians love to debate about. The slowness of the economy and rising prices surrounding the nation have not been too good for the health insurance industry. In fact, finding affordable health insurance can be not only a challenge to some people, but an absolute nightmare as well. If youre lucky enough to work for a company that offers health insurance of some sort, you may not have to worry about finding anything else. However, if you work part-time or are in need of health insurance, you may find yourself up against that challenge.
Everyone has their own idea of what affordable health insurance is, but yet, everyone wants the best coverage. Depending on your age, your health and your habits you may end up paying far more or far less than someone else that you know. A neighbor may have gotten insurance through a certain company for incredibly cheap. You head to the same agency assuming that you can get the same rates. They take into consideration the fact that you smoke and are a few years older and you suddenly get a quote that is twice what hes paying. It doesnt seem fair.
Your best way to find affordable health insurance is to shop around. You cant expect to call the first place you find and get the very best deal. You should get at least three different quotes from different companies. Depending on what youre focusing the most of receiving a low deductible, low co-pay for doctor visits or prescription plans, you can find exactly what youre seeking as long as youre willing to be patient and perhaps a little bit flexible. You might find that you have found a great price for a package but your current doctor wont accept your new insurance. You have to decide if you want to change your doctor or your package. Little decisions like that can have a major impact on the prices that you will pay.
You could scour the internet looking for sites that will allow you to compare varying companies or trying to sell you their packages, but it could end up being incredibly confusing. If you are able to find an insurance broker that is local for you, they might be your best solution. The broker can listen to what you want to find and search several different companies until they find affordable health insurance that will suit your needs. If you happen to find a site online that allows you to compare various companies as well, you will soon have several individuals calling you to get you to buy whatever package theyre selling. They might have something absolutely perfect for you or they may just end up harassing you for days until you finally speak to them. But, shopping around and getting the best quotes are in your best interest. Finding a local broker and putting them to work for you may also be a very wise decision in finding affordable health insurance.
How do you define affordable health insurance?
Today, health care costs in America are patently ridiculous for the average wage earner. Unless you are lucky enough to have employer-paid health insurance, you can easily shell out $500 a month to protect you in the case of a life-threatening event such as cancer or a massive heart attack. Should you require an extended hospital stay, you can expect your bill to amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical care, not to mention ongoing requirements of prescription medication costs which may amount to hundreds of dollars for a single prescription, which you need to refill every month.
Despite government incentives in the form of tax breaks to promote affordable health insurance for small business employees in group plans, few employers have availed themselves of this option. It’s simply too expensive. Small business owners are already strapped and the tax breaks offered don’t measure up.
This leaves citizens in the lurch. If you are forced to pay your own insurance premiums, you may well find yourself in the position of choosing between eating and being insured. Frankly, there is no such thing as affordable health insurance. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer a costly medical emergency, you may have to go bankrupt in order to stay alive.
If your income falls at or below the poverty line, you may qualify for affordable health insurance. Most states have Federally funded programs which pay for medical treatment in the case of life threatening conditions. You then are allowed medical treatment on a level that sustains life, but are disallowed certain procedures afforded a person with full coverage. Premiums are determined on a sliding fee scale, depending on household income and the number of persons in your family. Such premiums do fit the description of affordable health insurance, but are lacking in the quality of care you receive.
Recent cuts in health insurance funding have been characterized by a reduction in what are deemed necessary services. For example, in 2006, the Feds required State agencies to cut their health care costs by a certain percentage. States responded by making cuts in a rather arbitrary manner. Dental services were cut to emergency services only. At the same time, the current administration notified the VA to cut dental funding to Vietnam vets, so that Iraq war vets could receive treatment. This directive resulted in Vietnam vets, with crumbling teeth due to the effects of Agent Orange, removing their own teeth with a pair of pliers. They had no other choice. Such a failed health insurance program is a disgrace to our nation.
With a new crop of candidates aspiring to the Presidency, affordable health insurance is a hot issue. This rich nation should address the issue of affordable health insurance with more than lip service. All of our citizens deserve decent health care without regard to income.
Alternative Health
Many people are pretty polarized on the alternative health care debate. They are either completely for or completely against it. On the one hand, there are people who stand with tradition entirely and are unwilling to compromise. They believe that normal medical health is the highest level that the treatment of diseases has ever reached. They don’t believe in any alternative health treatment at all, viewing it as unscientific and probably unhelpful as well.
On the other hand, there are alternative health fanatics. I know some people who will only use holistic health services and nothing else. They won’t even take prescription drugs if they believe they can get better with herbs. They believe that science is overrated and that some things can’t be measured in numbers.
I always try to avoid either extreme in my own practices. I have had some great success with alternative health, and definitely wouldn’t give it up. On the other hand, I think that science is very valuable. Traditional Western medicine has done a lot of great things for us. It has brought us a new understanding of the physical body, excellent drugs and treatment options, incredible scans which allow us to see inside the body, and many other helpful technologies. To throw it all away based on a vague belief in the power of herbs is foolish.
That is why I use both alternative healing and traditional medicine. I think that improving your diet and taking health supplements can do great things for you, and is often a better solution than costly medications with side effects. When you are not treating something severe and acute, you shouldn’t put a lot of stress on your body during the treatment. Otherwise the cure can be worse than the illness. Using herbal treatments can remove the need to strain your body by introducing antibiotics and things like that into it.
On the other hand, I like to keep traditional medicine as an option. Sometimes, things get really bad and you just need a pretty strong treatment. You might not want to start with an operation or even prescription medication, but it might come to that in the end. This is why I have always viewed complimentary medicine as the best approach. It allows you to use both Western and Eastern medicine, combining the best of both worlds. After all, the more tools you have, the more options you have for treatment.
Popularity: unranked [?]
Answer My Health Question
My parents always told me it was good to ask questions when I was growing up, and I definitely took them up on this. I would ask questions whenever something bothered me, and not be afraid to ask a follow-up question if I did not understand their responses. Nonetheless, as a grown-up I have learned that asking a question is not always enough. Sometimes you need specialized knowledge.
Recently, I was looking for someone to answer my health questions. I had been having strange headaches and feelings of nausea lately, and I was worried that something would be wrong with me. Most people told me to just go and make an appointment with the doctor. After all, that was the surest way to answer my health question. The problem was that I wasn’t insured at the time. If there was something seriously wrong with me, I wanted to get insurance so that I could be covered when they did diagnostic tests. I was scared to death that I would be coming down with a serious condition and have no coverage whatsoever.
I tried a lot of the answer questions online sites and looked for some information. The problem was that my symptoms could have indicated any one of a number of different conditions. There are so many different things that could cause headaches and nausea and strange muscle pains, and some of them were very minor. Other ones, however, were much more serious. I still had not found anyone to answer my health question adequately.
Fortunately, I had a friend who was in medical school And she agreed to answer my health question. She was very busy and was only beginning her medical training, so it took her a while to get back to me. Fortunately, she was extremely helpful. She actually performed a physical examination on me. She made me promise not to tell her medical supervisor not that I would have anyway because she wasn’t officially qualified to perform medical examinations. Nevertheless, she was able to answer my health question. It appeared to be nothing serious probably chronic low blood sugar. She prescribed a special diet and, within a week, my health problems went away. To this day, I’m glad that I had such a friend to help me out when things got tough. If I had not, I probably would have spent weeks and weeks more worrying about it.The benefits of children eating healthy foods last a lifetime!
When our kids are babies, Moms are almost fanatical in making sure that every bite of food that goes in their mouths is entirely healthy and loaded with nutrition. While you might eat junk food every now and then, you’d never dream of feeding your baby such fare! Dessert for your baby is applesauce or blueberries. Beverages are fruit juice and milk.
However, by the time your baby reaches school age, she’s soon exposed to the junk food culture. Candy bars and soda creep in to the diet. Before you know it, your first grader is eating chips and drinking soda on a regular basis. Your children, eating healthy foods exclusively, becomes a thing of the past. All of your early efforts comes to naught. Here are some tips on how to avoid the junk food syndrome and keep your children eating healthy foods as the norm. Forming good eating habits will benefit your kids for a lifetime!
One major hurdle you need to surmount is the ‘but everyone else gets to have…’ argument. If all the other kids at school are allowed soda and candy by the carload, it becomes a peer pressure issue. One way of dealing with this is to have a chat with your kids and let them know what some of the consequences of a poor diet are. With so many kids now considered overweight or obese, being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult onset diabetes, you’ve got some pretty persuasive arguments. When you explain how children eating healthy diets tend to maintain a normal weight and suffer less illness than those who load up on junk food and sugar, they might actually listen. Who likes a visit to the dentist to fill a cavity? Not any kids I know! Your chat doesn’t need to be an authoritative lecture. Spread out your lessons on children eating healthy foods over time. Take a casual attitude. For example, bring up the issue of diabetes in the context of something you read today. I wanted to let you know something I ran across today that really shocked me. Have you heard about the illness called diabetes? Take it from there. Chances are good that your kid knows someone at school who has this disease.
Another major impediment to children eating healthy foods is availability. Fortunately, many schools are now removing soda machines and stocking snack machines with healthier choices, such as fresh fruit and juices. Almost all of our behavior patterns come down to habit, good or bad. If kids are given only good food choices at school, they’ll go for those. If they can choose between a candy bar or a bag of trail mix, which do you think they’ll choose? If your child’s school still has vending machines with unhealthy food choices, be proactive in pushing for a change!
Perhaps the most effective way to get your children eating healthy foods, as a matter of habit, is to set the example in your own eating choices. If they see you scarfing down sodas and candy bars for snack food, you’ve already lost the war. On the other hand, if they see you eating fruit or having a glass of milk for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, they’ll tend to follow your lead.
Just as bad habits are hard to break, good habits tend to stick. You go, Mom!
Distance learning is very popular nowadays and suits the lifestyle of many students. The Clayton College of Natural Health, based in Birmingham, Alabama offers graduation programs, master’s levels and PhD programs in a wide range of courses. Alternative or complementary treatments are also popular, as people have become interested in seeking alternatives to conventional medicine.
The courses are valuable to anyone wishing to gain expertise in a specific subject for their own interest or to use in the pursuit of a career as a practitioner. Clayton College of Natural Health is well known with various alumni appearing in the media. Famous graduates include the TV personality and nutrition expert, Gillian McKeith and the author and naturopath, Hulda Regehr Clark.
A doctor of naturopathic medicine, Lloyd Clayton Jr., founded the college in 1980. Traditional Naturopathy is one of the curriculum choices available, along with Holistic Nutrition and Wellness and various natural health degree courses. Naturopathy is a broad subject, offering natural alternatives to invasive surgery and drugs. It includes such disciplines as herbalism, aromatherapy, acupuncture and hydrotherapy.
Nutritional studies introduce the student to the benefits of organic food and a diet, rich in fresh fruit and vegetables and organically raised meat. This reflects a general move away from processed foods and foods treated with chemicals and preservatives. Students learn about the value of foods such as garlic, olive oil, sea salt, nuts, brown rice and beans. There are also many herbs to learn about, including horsetail, papaya, wild yam root and aloe vera. There are also Certificate Programs available in Iridology Studies, Herbal Studies and Healthcare Professional Studies. For those interested in nutrition for animals, there is the Companion Animal Studies program.
Students are taught both theory and practice in all the disciplines and can study at their own pace. There are e-learning programs but students without a computer can also be a student. All the books and coursework is provided and faculty staff is available to answer any queries or to offer advice. Clayton College of Natural Health staff includes doctors of naturopathy, a chiropractor, counselors, a master herbalist and massage therapists.
Students are encouraged to feel part of a community at the Clayton college of Natural Health and a web site is designed so that they can communicate with one another. There are quizzes and recipes posted and a student’s book club. The entry level to the college is a High School Diploma, G.E.D or equivalent.
Popularity: unranked [?]
What’s a healthy diet? It may be all in your genes!
We’re bombarded with information on a healthy diet. We can turn to the new food pyramid and the general consensus of what makes for a healthy diet. Sure, we all know that we’re supposed to eat 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies each day. The dreaded eight glasses of water figure prominently in this healthy diet. Antioxidants, trans fats, saturated fats, monitoring of sugar and salt intake all figure in to a healthy diet program. However, genetics do play a major role in what’s healthy for you, the individual. Let’s see how you can tailor your diet to your specific dietary needs.
It’s well documented that persons of a specific, non-Western ethnic descent who adopt a modern Western diet, often suffer from health conditions prevalent in their adopted dietary practices. For example, Eskimos, who survive and thrive on diets high in fat, develop health conditions that are detrimental, due to a lack of fats deemed ‘bad’ in our culinary culture. Native Americans survived well and in good health, on a diet full of animal meat, salted heavily and for the most part, absent of sugar. Scandinavian people have historically subsisted on fish, hale and hearty. In Asian cultures, seaweed, rice and vegetables have been the mainstay of a healthy diet.
When people adhere to the traditional healthy diet of their culture, disease is far less prevalent. The native Eskimo is far less likely to develop heart disease. The Native American, consuming a diet with far more sodium and less sugar, does not develop high blood pressure or diabetes. The person of Scandinavian descent, sticking with the traditional fish overload, is less likely to develop arthritis! On the face of it, it doesn’t make sense. We’re warned about the dangers of a high-fat diet, excessive sodium and the absence of platefuls of veggies. Yet, these traditional diets are a healthy diet, at least for those in specific ethnic groups.
So what’s the secret to a healthy diet? Track down your ethnic roots and see what food prevail in your genetic heritage. Search out statistics on health conditions. It might well be that, genetically, you require more salt, despite what your physician has to say. My husband is living proof. He salts his food to a degree that I cannot enjoy. Yet, his blood pressure and cholesterol levels are perfect! My own Scandinavian roots seem to infuse me with a need for fish. When I consume plentiful amounts of fish (with those bounteous amounts of Omega-3s, I feel in the pink. Deprive me and my health suffers.
When you’re looking for a healthy diet plan, consider your ethnicity. Be sensible, but pay attention to those cultural statistics! This a key factor in melding the food pyramid with your individual healthy diet.
How you can help your children develop a healthy personality
When we first meet a person, much of that first impression is conveyed by their personality. Unconsciously, you ’size up’ a person, based on a number of factors and characteristics. For example, when you go to a restaurant, your waiter or waitress might approach you with a smile, a friendly voice and a helpful attitude. These are all indications of one facet of a healthy personality, which relates to temperament. On the other hand, you may assess the person’s demeanor to lack authenticity, so you decide this person is phony. Another person might come across as angry or bitter. Maybe they’re just having a bad day, but nonetheless that’s the impression you gain. It’s difficult to make a fair assessment of anyone based on a single encounter, but we all do it anyway.
So, how might you describe a healthy personality? There are certain inherent characteristics of personality that we are all born with, such as being outgoing, shy, or aggressive by nature. This is what makes us individual and unique. As parents, we have a great deal of influence in developing those natural proclivities, for good or ill. If a child’s naturally outgoing personality is squelched by an overprotective parent, this alone will modify the formation of that child’s personality as he grows up. Pushing a shy or quiet child into the limelight has an impact as well. As for the aggressive child, it depends, as this can be a two-sided coin. Is the child overly aggressive in ways that are harmful to others, or is this aggressive nature more indicative of a proactive, go-getter attitude?
The point is that, given the individual nature of every child, it behooves parents to help guide their children towards the development of a healthy personality, steering the child who’s always wanting to fight towards a more balanced outlook. Cultivating a healthy personality is not an easy task, but one of the most rewarding jobs of a parent. We all want our kids to grow up to be stable, responsible, happy adults.
It’s important to note that kids do learn by example. If a boy’s father is too authoritarian, punishing him unjustly or with little cause, these actions will do little to shape a healthy personality in that boy. If a girl is a bit of a tomboy and Mom would rather she be the beauty pageant type, this attitude will doubtless breed feelings of inadequacy. In both cases, resentment and rebellion will follow, sooner or later. If Mom and Dad are always fighting, kids tend to feel guilty, assuming it’s their fault. Notice that resentment, rebellion and guilt are all detrimental to an ultimately healthy personality. Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of a healthy personality and see how you can best nurture a stable, responsible and happy adult.
You might begin with making an assessment of your own personality. Are you generally happy and cheerful, or do you become easily annoyed, snapping at anyone who crosses your path at the wrong moment? Is your behavior generally reasonable, or do you frequently come off on people for minor transgressions? Every parent has their own quirks. Try to change some of your own negative behaviors before you start passing them on to your kids. As Rome wasn’t built in a day, so ingrained patterns of behavior don’t disappear overnight.
If you’re the snappish type who often takes it out on your kids, you’re going to have lapses. When you do, apologize to your kid, letting them know you recognize your own fault. You might say, Hey Jane, I know I’ve got a problem with my temper sometimes and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m trying hard to work on this and I promise to improve this behavior. Guess it’s got to be in little baby steps, one at a time. I’m sorry, Sweetie. Just leave it at that and keep working on the problem.
Believe me, your child will respond favorably and will learn a lesson that helps her along the way to a healthy personality of her own. She learns that everyone has personality flaws, but also that acknowledging them in a purposeful effort towards change is possible. Receiving an apology teaches her that appropriate humility is an asset. Your promise to work on this problem shows that people can change their behavior. So, this one example scenario creates a positive outlook and reasonable approach. Your child also picks up on your honesty and taking responsibility for your own actions. You’ve done quite a bit in this single incident to help develop a healthy personality, simply by example.
You’ve got to be consistent in your own efforts to deal fairly and honestly with your kids it’s an everyday effort. They will copy your example!
Using such a strategy over the years you have your child in your home will reward you and your child. You’ll find that a balanced and moderate approach, using and teaching critical thinking skills, encouraging an even temperament, positive outlook, honesty, authenticity and responsibility are all essential elements of a healthy personality.
Kids are smarter and more observant than many of us give them credit. By the time they’re grown, they’ll be ready for the real world, equipped with the armor of a healthy personality they will surely pass on to their own kids. Set the best example you can and you’ll succeed!
Adolescent Mental Health
Adolescent mental health problems are more common than most people want to admit. As parents, we want to think that our children are normal, if not perfect. Although this is generally far from the truth even in the most healthy families, learning that you have a child with a severe mental illness can be completely devastating for parents. When my Johnny started having adolescent mental health issues, I would not even admit it to myself. I figured that he was just going through a phase. Nonetheless, when he started engaging in self-destructive behaviors, losing contact with the family, and getting worse and worse grades, I knew that something had to be done. I finally faced my worst fear. My son was not normal. He was a good child, but he needed professional psychiatric care.
Of course, finding a good doctor for him was extremely difficult. In many communities, there is a severe shortage of decent adolescent mental health care. Acute care was alright there was a hospital that would take him in almost immediately but finding the sort of long-term care that I really felt he needed was more difficult. Adolescent mental health problems often do improve within a few weeks to a few years, but that still leaves the problem of finding treatment in the meantime. You want the best psychiatrist for your adolescent someone who can be a mentor and role model as well as an excellent doctor. It has to be a decision you take together too. You need to balance your observations and the opinions of your teenager to find someone who they can really work with.
The psychiatrist that I found was an expert in treating adolescent mental health disorders. He treated teenagers with bipolar disorder, acute anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, and many other health problems. He actually worked on a referral basis with the acute treatment clinic that my son went to, so I got his name after the first doctor didn’t work out. I could tell that my kid liked him a lot, and I held him in the highest esteem. It seemed like the first good break that we had gotten since this whole ordeal began, and I was optimistic that more positive developments would follow.
It turns out that I was right. Basically, adolescent mental health disorders come in two flavors. There are the disorders that are simply the product of adolescents anxiety, depression, and that sort of thing and those which become active during adolescence and then don’t go away. If my son had had schizophrenia or some other chronic disease, the prognosis would have been quite a bit bleaker. As an adolescent with chronic anxiety and depression problems, however, he wasn’t destined to face lifelong troubles in the same way.
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