Help for Parents of a Child with ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition that becomes apparent in some children in the preschool and early school years. It is hard for these children to control their behavior and/or pay attention. A child with ADHD faces a difficult but not insurmountable task ahead. In order to achieve his or her full potential, he or she should receive help, guidance, and understanding from parents, guidance counselors, and the public education system.

Does my Child have ADHD?
If the parents doubt whether their child has this disorder, they are advised to consult a doctor. And as we know ADHD cannot be diagnosed from a single person's view, several people who are familiar with the child's behavior are interrogated by the doctor, like the child's class teacher and the neighbor. He could then examine the behavior of the child and look for any possible differences in behavior as compared to other children.

As the next step, the doctor would advise the parents to have taken various tests for the child that includes vision, hearing and blood tests. As a preliminary step, the doctor might suggest some medications that could possibly retard the hyperactive behavior of the child. However, this alone cannot narrow the diagnosis procedure. Yet, this can play a significant role if the child is surmised to have ADHD.

Moreover, the doctor might suggest consulting a psychologist, because, in most of the cases, the child may show a few symptoms of hyperactive behavior at the doctor's place, yet possess this disorder.

How should my Child be Taken Care of?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder results in the children being mentally suppressed since it affects the nervous system and retards them from living their normal life. The disorder has no proper medical cure although proper parental guidance can prevent the child from getting weaker. Parents must remember certain points when taking care of their children in their normal way of life. Some of the guidelines are as follows,

• Spend as much time as possible with your child and try to listen to what they convey. Listen to their feelings and expressions rather than to their words.
• Do not expect a lot from the children. Accept whatever they are able to deliver but boost them to do to their potential.
• Compensate their negatives with their positives. Encourage their every small talent and support them in their interests and their positive abilities.
• Praise their deeds however small they may be. Appreciate them with kind words and warm smiles, once in a while.
• Whenever they do any mistake, do not chide them harshly. Rather make them understand that what they did was not right and make them feel what is right.
• Plan and schedule the daily work and make them follow them daily. Make it a practice to abide by the rules whatever they might be.
• Engage them as an important and useful member in imposing the family rules and schedule.
• Express your love to them by showing physical contact like hugging or playing with them. Showing physical affection develops a sense of security in them.
• Assign small household works to them. Giving them responsibility oozes confidence into them.
• Involve them while managing the monthly budgets of your house. Teach them about planning and management.
• Provide them with small amounts of money and ask them to spend it sensibly and manage the expenditures.
• Engage yourself in their games and extra curricular activities. Providing them company in the fields that they are interested can make them feel contented.
• Encourage and make them develop their talents. Give them independence to work in the field that they are fascinated.
• Give them company at nights by orating nice and pleasing stories. Also, listen to what they speak and to the stories that they tell. Boost them to ask questions and doubts in your stories. Encourage and improve the creativity in them.
• Create calm and serene places for them to study and work for their school activities. Such an environment can increase their concentration levels and their self-confidence.
• Make their mind clear and safe. This not only needs a peaceful environment but also calm and soft people to interact with them.
• Make sure that they feel the same at school too. Interact with their teachers and arrange the needed formalities to assist the child. Make every arrangement to provide a clear environment for the children to learn and develop personal qualities.
• Never scold or chide them if the fail to score good marks in their academics. Instead, inject positive attitude and encourage them by citing good examples of improvement so that they tend to develop on their own and prove themselves the next time around.
• Most important of all is your personal activities. Always behave decently and act properly so that they learn by themselves from your activities. On the whole, act as a role model to them so that they start admiring you and wish to develop the good qualities from you.

Thus, it is an important point that the parents have to take the sole responsibility in the natural treatment of their child's disorder. It needs a collective effort of the doctor, the neighbor, the teacher and the parents themselves to effectively help the child. The doctor proves to be handy in certain situations, recommending some treatments. It is important to note that such children have to be given concrete explanations on various concepts, so that they actually grasp whatever they are told. Counseling has also proved to be useful in some cases.

What can be Done at Home?
The most important thing necessary for the parents is patience. They must be patient enough to modify their home life so as to pay more attention to their child. Parents are advised to do the following:

• Make a routine. Make your child do his routine work such as sleeping, eating, doing his homework, waking up, doing the chores, and playing computer games at specific hours.
• Be sure he understands you. Whenever you make a conversation with your child, maintain eye contact and explain things in a clear tone. Avoid speaking too much at a time and ask him to repeat what you say.
• Compliment the child. It is important to reward the child when he keeps up the routine and constantly shows a good behavior.
• Keep in touch with the teachers. Do not ignore talking to the teacher about the child's behavior at school from morning till evening. Make sure the child behaves in the exactly same way as he does at home.
• Appreciate his efforts. Parents are advised to pay attention to the efforts that the child puts in, instead of the outcomes of those efforts.
• Impart social skills. Children who suffer from ADHD often find it hard to develop good social behavior. So make sure that the child spends a considerable time with his friends.
• Have a constant eye on them. Since the children with ADHD are impetuous, constant adult supervision is required.

Will my dear one overcome ADHD?
It has been scientifically proved that, as the child grows older, the symptoms of this disorder get better. Hyperactivity gradually gets diminished as the child reaches his teenage. Though, there are children who reach their teenage and yet have mood swings, lack of concentration and are impulsive. Such children also find it hard to have the task completed on time. However, it lies in the hands of parents, who, along with the doctor and the teachers must put in the best of their efforts to give the child, a bright chance of overcoming this disorder.

Peptic Ulcer Surgery

Peptic ulcers have become more common with the changing lifestyle and dietary habits. These ulcers can develop in the lower part of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum. While, duodenal ulcers are the most common ones, esophageal ulcers are very rare. Peptic ulcers are commonly known as stomach ulcers and include gastric (ulcers in the stomach), duodenal and esophageal ulcers.

Peptic Ulcers - Symptoms and Causes

Peptic ulcer causes include regular smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, stress, regular intake of certain drugs, helicobacter pylori infection, etc. The last two causes are more common, when compared to others. As far as the peptic ulcer disease symptoms are concerned, abdominal pain is experienced by almost all peptic ulcer patients. It is described as a sharp, gnawing pain that may develop on any location that lies between the belly button and the lower ribs. While gastric ulcer worsens the abdominal pain after consuming food, in case of duodenal ulcers, the same happens if the stomach is empty. Other peptic ulcer symptoms include, nausea or vomiting, bloating and fullness, etc. Severe symptoms include bloody or tarry stools, blood in the vomit, anemia, etc.

How are Peptic Ulcers Treated

The treatment for stomach ulcers may differ from one person to another. The course of treatment is decided by the doctor, after assessing the condition of the patient. Stomach ulcer diagnosis is usually done with the help of endoscopy. Even a helicobacter pylori test and barium enema may be conducted as part of the diagnosis. Mild to moderate ulcers are often treated with medication. Stomach ulcer medication include antacids, anti-inflammatory agents, etc. In case of bacterial infection, antibiotics are also prescribed. Even proton pump inhibitors and H2 blockers are used for this purpose. Switching to a stomach ulcer diet along with medication prove beneficial. In most cases, the ulcers heal with the above said medication and diet control. However, some people may not respond to medication, resulting in worsening of the condition. In some other cases, complications that necessitate peptic ulcer surgery may arise.

Peptic Ulcer Treatment - Surgery

Surgery is performed as the last option, when all other treatment methods fail or in emergency situations like bleeding or perforation of ulcers or obstruction. Surgery is performed either to remove the ulcers that do not heal or to reduce the acid in the stomach or as emergency peptic ulcer disease treatment measures. Basically, three forms of stomach ulcer surgery are performed for treating ulcers. This include vagotomy, antrectomy and pyloroplasty.

• VAGOTOMY is a surgical procedure, wherein the vagus nerve, which is responsible for transmission of messages from the brain to the stomach is severed. This surgery aims at reducing acid secretion in the stomach, but, various side effects are found to happen due to this procedure. The patient may experience constant and severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. In some people, vagotomy affects the stomach emptying too. In order to rectify these problems, a newer version of this surgery has been introduced and in this procedure, only those parts of the vagus nerve that regulate the acid secretion in the stomach are cut off. This procedure is found to produce minimal side effects, but, do not affect stomach emptying.
• Another peptic ulcer surgery is ANTRECTOMY, which removes the antrum that is the lower part of the stomach. Antrum is responsible for producing the hormone that induces the stomach to secrete digestive juices. By removing the antrum, the acid production in the stomach is reduced. Even the areas lying near the antrum are removed, so as to block the production of pepsin. In most cases, vagotomy is also performed, along with antrectomy.
• PYLOROPLASTY is a surgery that aims at enlarging the pylorus, the passage from the stomach to the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine. The pylorus that is widened through surgery enables the free flow of the contents of the stomach to the small intestine. In this case too, vagotomy is done.

Most of the above said surgeries are measures to control and treat stomach ulcers. Nowadays, most of the bleeding ulcers too are treated without surgery, as the treatment is provided through the endoscope. Bleeding ulcers may be cauterized or injected with medication (for healing) through the endoscope and thus peptic ulcer surgery is avoided. Even some of the perforations and obstructions can be rectified during the endoscopy. However, in some cases of peritonitis caused by perforated ulcer, surgery may be needed. So, to avoid complications and surgery, it is always better to diagnose and treat peptic ulcers at the earliest.

Stomach Ulcer Natural Treatment

Stomach ulcer occurs when the acid which is present in our stomach starts eating away on the inner wall of the stomach as well as the intestine. Open sores are created in the inner wall and sometimes if it's severe and if medical attention is not given properly then these sores or ulcers might start bleeding and might also pain a lot. The main cause of this ulcer are the Helicobacter pylori bacteria which causes Helicobacter pylori infection. These bacteria are present in the inner wall of the stomach, but sometimes when they start destroying the inner lining of the stomach, then stomach ulcer might take place. Excess secretion of stomach acid also leads to the illness. Consuming spicy food and also increase in age, further accelerates the whole process of formation of ulcer in the stomach. There are various drugs which gets rid of this problem. But there are also some natural means by which one can treat and prevent ulcers. Here are some stomach ulcer natural treatments which you can try out at home.

Causes and Symptoms

Before we learn how to treat the illness, it would be better if we first learn more about the causes as well as its symptoms. Some of the important causes has already been mentioned above. There are however few more causes that you can add to the list and that's smoking and consumption of alcohol or excess intake of drugs specially the ones which are non steroidal anti-inflammatory ones. There are also certain symptoms which indicates ulcer in the stomach, but the symptoms might vary from one person to another. Some of the common symptoms are pain in the abdomen, loss of appetite, vomiting blood (this is a serious case and immediate medical attention is required), bloated stomach and constant burping.

Natural Remedies

The treatments are one of the best treatments that you can undergo in order to control and prevent ulcers in stomach. True there are several over - the - counter medications that are available to treat ulcer, but the stomach ulcer home treatments are safe and they work wonders when it comes to getting relief from ulcer pain. Here are some of the best cures that you can carry out.

• Drinking a glass of raw goat's milk is highly effective for treating gastric ulcer. If you want instant relief from the gastric pain, then drinking a glass of cold milk, without adding any sugar to it, will help you a lot.
• Cabbage is also good for treating the problems. Boil some cabbage, let the water cool and drink twice daily. You can also extract the juice of cabbage and drink it, but since the juice is quite strong, it is better if you mix it with some carrot juice.
• The juice of lime is also a good method. The citric acid and the minerals which are present in the juice, are good for treating this problem.
• One of the best options are bananas. This fruit has an unidentified compound in them which forms a coating on the inner walls of the stomach which in turn reduces the irritation of the ulcer pain. It also neutralizes the acidic juices in the stomach. If a person is in the advanced stage, then the diet that they can follow is two bananas and a glass of sugarless milk everyday.
• Almond milk from blanched almonds, are a good source of protein and it is also useful in neutralizing the acid which is present in the stomach, thus making it a good natural treatment for stomach ulcer.
• Drinking the water in which wood apple was soaked the entire night, is another good remedy for ulcer. Hot pack on the abdomen will help you get rid of the discomfort instantly.
• Fengreek tea is also good for ulcer as they create a lining on the walls of the stomach which prevents the acid from eating away the inner lining.
• Yoga and various exercises are also superb for treating stomach ulcer naturally. Ask your physician or Yoga instructor in order to learn which is the best exercise for your problem.

These were some of the treatment methods which you can try out. They are sure to give you instant relief from the pain and discomfort. These methods are also safe and great help in preventing and controlling ulcer in the stomach.

Low Purine Diet for Gout

Gout is the most painful type of arthritis which was earlier known as the 'rich man's disease'. But today we are all aware that it is that type of arthritis which is most easily identified and hence can be easily prevented and treated. It is an outcome of very high level of uric acid in the blood. But having a high blood uric acid level doesn't mean that you will necessarily fall prey to gout. Normally, the body gets rid of the uric acid by biological metabolism of the purines. Now you must be wondering what are purines and how do they enter our body.

What Are Purines?
Purines are vital components of the genetic materials present in plants and animals. They are the nucleoside bases present in DNA, RNA, energy molecules like ATP, GTP and coenzyme A. They enter our body through our diet and are used up in structuring our genes. A lot of protein rich foods are also rich in purines. Foods rich in purines include mushrooms, yeast, organ meat, legumes, etc.

Under normal conditions the purines in the body are metabolized to uric acid which is a waste material removed by the kidneys. Gout is a condition in which the uric acid crystals get deposited within the joints, especially the base of the big toe. Now this deposition causes severe pain as well as stiffness in the joints. As I said earlier gout can be easily prevented by little changes in your diet. A low purine diet helps alleviate potential pain caused by gout. Hence gout patients are often prescribed a low purine diet.

Low Purine Diet And Gout
Adopting a low purine diet can help one defeat the gout attacks which involve swelling, redness and severe joint pain. It helps prevent the damage caused by these gout attacks which sometimes cannot be cured even by surgeries. People find low purine diet the safest way to fight against gout.

Purines are present in almost all the foods that are considered to be healthy. This is one reason why people find it hard to choose the right low purine diet for them. In their effort to avoid purines, people sometimes tend to avoid some essential nutrition. Therefore, it is very essential to properly understand which foods come in the list of low purine diet for gout. Some of them may not be all that healthy and may not be a part of the 'balanced diet'. One must therefore make a wise decision to find the diet which suits him the best.

According to the American Dietician Association (ADA) foods containing more than 150mg of purines per 100g are considered to be purine rich foods and should be avoided. Here is a list of low purine foods for gout.

Fruits
Cherries have proven to be the best to fight off gout. This is because they contain compounds known as anthocyanins which help keeping the level of uric acid low. All types of fresh cherries-sweet or sour can be eaten raw or can be cooked as per your choice. You can also have cherry concentrates or cherry extracts if you can't find the raw ones. Both will be effective in the same way. Apart from cherries, other fresh fruits like bananas and fruit juices also help in reducing the symptoms of gout.

Vegetables
All green leafy vegetables prove helpful in keeping gout attacks away. Your diet should include cabbages, peas, beans, celery, parsley, potatoes, bell peppers and spinach. Avoid having too much of anything.

Dairy Products
Always look for fat free or low fat dairy products like skim milk, and low fat cheese. Try having baked foods instead of the fried ones. This can have a dual effect in keeping gout away and also keeping your weight in control.

Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates include rice, bread, pasta, cereals, whole grain which can be consumed if you are suffering from gout attacks.

Beverages
Fruit juices, soups especially cream style, coffee and tea in moderate amounts, can be a part of your low purine gout diet. Avoid the intake of alcoholic beverages as they can flare up the gout attacks. Drinking lots of water can be beneficial as it helps in flushing the uric acid out of the body.

One must have a low purine yet balanced diet. Include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables along with adequate fluids, preferably water or fruit juice in your regular diet. This will keep you healthy and you will be less prone to gout attacks. Do not forget to consult your nutritionist before making any drastic changes in your diet. Dietary changes will prove beneficial for gout but don't forget to consult your doctor and take the necessary medications.

PMS Symptoms But No Period

Delayed, missed or no period often raise huge anticipation for pregnancy in women who are trying to conceive. In fact during the reproductive years of a woman's life, a failure to menstruate or no period is often considered as an indication that she is pregnant. But not always will a missed or no period be considered as a pregnancy symptom. This is because there are many cases wherein a woman experience PMS symptoms but no periods, and she is not pregnant. But what is PMS and its symptoms and what are the various factors that contribute to this problem, we will know in the following sections.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

PMS is physical and psychological changes that a woman experience just a couple of hours or days before her menstruation begins. Majority of the women world wide experience PMS symptoms, though the severity, onset and duration of these symptoms vary from one woman to another. Hence for some women these symptoms are so mild that they subside in a day or so after the period begins while for others, these symptoms can be severe and may cause too much discomfort. These symptoms include breast tenderness, cramping, mood swings, bloating, hot flashes, weight gain, nausea, backache and many more.

The major cause for premenstrual syndrome is the hormonal changes the body undergoes during the entire menstrual cycle. Normally an average menstrual cycle is 28 days and it can be divided into three stages, which are the follicular, ovulatory and luteal stages. The follicular stage begins with menstrual bleeding along with shedding of the uterine wall lining. The levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones are low but as the day progresses the level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) starts increasing in order to stimulate the ovaries to release an egg. During the ovulatory stage, the levels of luteinizing hormones and FSH increase, as a result the egg or ovum is released by one or both the ovaries in case of fraternal twins.

Finally in the luteal stage, if the released egg is fertilized, a woman is considered to be pregnant and there will be no period. But if it is not fertilized, the levels of luteinizing hormones (LH) and the follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) fall, the egg starts disintegrating and the body starts preparing itself for having the next period. Hence all these hormonal changes and fluctuations in the estrogen and progesterone levels lead to the various PMS symptoms in women. All these factors also contribute to PMS symptoms after periods.

Causes

As explained above, the major causes for the symptoms of PMS without periods are hormonal imbalance and pregnancy. Here are some other probable causes for this.

• Stress: Mental or physical stress, anxiety or tension can be one of the major reasons for PMS symptoms but no period.
• Birth Control Pills: Another cause can be the use of birth control pills as they can affect your regular menstrual cycle and delay your period by a few days.
• Certain Medications: Certain medications for some illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, etc. can also delay your periods by a couple of days.
• Eating Disorders: Eating a diet which is deficient in essential vitamins and minerals required for normal functioning of the body can lead to irregular menstrual cycle.
• Menopause: Menopause which is the end of a woman's monthly menstruation cycle or the fertile period of her life can also bring some substantial changes in the frequency, duration as well as the nature of the menstrual cycle.
• Other Illnesses: Other diseases like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) or ovarian cyst, Premature Ovarian Failure (POF), ectopic pregnancy, Bulimia, etc., can also be some probable causes.

The causes can be myriad and not all of them may be of serious health concern. However, if there is a considerable delay in your period and the symptoms become severe with time, do a pregnancy test and if it comes negative, consult your gynecologist to diagnose the underlying cause for having these PMS symptoms but without periods.

How to Stop Anxiety Attacks

Anxiety attacks occur mainly when there is too much or excess worry and fear in one's mind. Worrying is a natural part of our thought process and there is nothing wrong with it, as long as you keep it under control. When you are worrying excessively, it can affect your work, your night's sleep, etc. If it continues unchecked for a long time, then your behavior and mental state can also get badly affected. People of any age group, including children, can suffer from panic attacks. It has been found that certain factors like traumatic childhood, lack of support system, loss of job, divorce, death of closed ones, etc often contribute towards this condition to a great extent. There are medicines that can be used to stop anxiety attacks, but most of them are addictive and have other side effects. For this reason, we are highlighting the natural ways to stop anxiety attacks.

Natural Ways to Stop Anxiety Attacks

Anxiety symptoms can show up at any point of time. Here are simple methods that can be effective as anxiety cures:

Face the Problem: Acceptance of the feelings of an anxiety attack can solve your problem to a great extent. We often try to deny the feelings, which in turn give rise to some other negative emotions like anger. Identify the kind of feelings you get during a panic attack and find out the reason that why you are getting them. Then it will be much easier to find a solution for the existing problem.

Breathing Control: The will help to relax the mind and body and stop anxiety and panic attacks. When we are anxious, our breathing becomes shallow and fast. To check the anxiety attack, what you need to do is to slow down your breathing. Make sure each of your breaths are deep and complete. Focus your attention on the inhalation and exhalation, and make sure that the time taken for both are equal. Another advantage of this technique is that it will divert your mind from the panic attack.

Stop Negative Thoughts: Most of the time, people get panic attacks because they think about negative things again and again. Therefore, it is very important to stop all such negative thoughts from coming to your mind. It may not be very easy to do this, but it is not impossible either. You can shout the word STOP inside your head several times. You can make your mind busy by reading a book, solving a puzzle, or listening to your favorite music. Thus you will be able to replace those ugly thoughts with more calming ones.

Exercise: Spend at least half an hour everyday in doing some exercises. When you exercise, the body uses up all the adrenalin hormones released during panic attacks and protects your body from its adverse effects. Moreover, it also helps to relax the tensed muscles caused by anxiety. You need not join a gym and shell out some money for this purpose. Just a brisk walk or simple stretching exercises will be helpful enough to cope up with anxiety.

Distract Your Mind: You should start doing this as soon as you notice any anxiety symptoms. This will stop the signals of panic attacks from reaching your brain. One of the simplest ways to do this is to pick up any object around you and verbalize its description. Tell yourself everything about it, starting from its color, size, texture and whatever qualities of the object that meets your eyes at that point of time. This way you are actually discarding all the thoughts of panic attacks that tend to creep into your mind.

Now you can understand how simple it is to stop anxiety attacks. An unhealthy lifestyle is often responsible for triggering panic attacks in most people. Therefore, controlling its symptoms will be much easier if you bring about some positive changes in your lifestyle. For this, you have to eat right kind of foods, which include eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid fried foods and junk foods. Most importantly, strictly stop consumption of stimulants like tobacco, caffeine and alcohol.

What is Xanax Used for

Administration of any prescription medication is not recommended, unless it is recommended by a trusted health specialist. This is because such therapeutic drugs contain ingredients specific for a particular condition. Those sold as over-the-counter drugs and medications are formulated with ingredients, which are safe, even if they are taken without the doctor's supervision. So, understanding the specificity of a particular drug is crucial to get its benefits, while avoiding side effects. Coming to what is Xanax used for, first let's take a look at the basic drug information.

What are Xanax Pills?

The generic name of Xanax pills is alprazolam that is classified under the drug class, benzodiazepines. The same class includes other medications like clonazepam, diazepam, flurazepam and lorazepam. And other brand names of alprazolam drug are Xanax XR (extended release of Xanax) and Niravam. Xanax pills are available in varied concentrations (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg and 2 mg ), each of which is used according to the condition of the patient. It is also available in solution form, with a concentration of 1 mg/ml.

Uses of Xanax

Xanax is a prescription medication for managing anxiety symptoms and panic attacks. As per medical researches, anxiety and related medical conditions are manifested due to increased activity of the brain. Thus, antianxiety medications are formulated with an objective to inhibit or slow down brain activity (to some extent) and manage symptoms. Since neurotransmitters are indirectly responsible for initiating brain activity, antianxiety medication targets in reducing effects of these chemicals.

After ingesting Xanax and alike pills of the alprazolam family, they alter the chemical balance of the brain by elevating Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA) effects. Regarding GABA, it is an inhibitory neurotransmitter released by the body under stress conditions. Since Xanax increases GABA production, it provides calming effect and the consequences of nervousness, worries and anxiety caused by depression are reduced considerably.

A major concern with Xanax pills is that they are habit-forming drugs. Regular intake of these medications for some time causes addictive effects to the drug recipients. Hence, treatment for anxiety disorder with Xanax pills should be done only if the doctor prescribes them. Very often, teenagers and adults take these antianxiety medication as a recreation drug. In such a case, one should take immediate medical attention. The doctor may suggest gradual reduction in the dosage to help quit Xanax without manifesting withdrawal symptoms.

Are There any Side Effects of Xanax?

As you now know what Xanax is prescribed for, you can predict its long-term effects on health. Any medication that has something to do with the chemical balance of brain should not be taken lightly. To be more precise, they affect the body's responses and cause associated medical conditions. Some people are allergic to benzodiazepines, which when taken caused mild to severe allergic responses. Hence, individuals who have a medical history of showing allergies to this drugs should abstain from Xanax.

Prior to relying on Xanax as anxiety cures, one should inform the doctor about any existing medical condition. For breathing problems, liver disorders and kidney problems, the doctor will perform required tests to check to determine if taking Xanax is safe or not. Also, speak to the physician, if there are any current medications. Xanax may interact with other drugs and alter their effects in the body. Xanax pills cause medical complications in expecting mothers and also, to the developing fetus.

Another consideration for taking this antianxiety medication is to refrain from alcohol. Both the effects of alcohol and Xanax are increased when taken together. Taking a note of general anxiety medication side effects, self medication of Xanax pills is strictly not recommended.

Debilitating Anxiety

Anxiety is a strong negative emotion which is triggered by mental stress. A sense of anxiety grips our mind before an important college examination or going on stage or for any other reason. Usually, we can tackle that nervousness and perform our task. However, a bout of anxiety attack can be described as a condition when a person gets fearful thoughts all of a sudden without any reason. During this time, some feel restless, suffocated, others feel that they may die or they may get killed. It continues hardly for few minutes or hours and then go away on its own. If it is not treated properly it keeps coming back from time to time and that too without any warning signal. As a result, these people live in a fear that they may get the next anxiety attack any moment. In other words, debilitating anxiety has an adverse impact on their personal and professional life.

Symptoms

Many people get debilitating anxiety as they fail to identify anxiety symptoms. Here are a few symptoms of anxiety that are most commonly observed:

• Restlessness
• Breathing difficulty
• Palpitation
• Excessive sweating
• Pain and discomfort in the stomach
• Sense of hopelessness
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Lack of patience
• Sleeping problems like insomnia
• Concentration problem

Treatment

When the physical symptoms of anxiety are debilitating and serious, then doctors try to reduce the intensity of the symptoms with the help of antianxiety medications. These medicines that are used for anxiety cures should not be continued for a long time as they are addictive and does not have any effect on the root cause of the problem. Cognitive behavioral therapy is of great help for debilitating anxiety. In this therapy, a therapist first identify the real underlying cause that trigger the unwanted anxiety feelings and help out the patient to develop skills to stay calm and relaxed under stressful situation. Yoga and meditation are helpful for stress relief.

How to Relieve Debilitating Anxiety

Along with the clinical treatment for anxiety, some changes are needed in daily habits and lifestyle in order to tackle the problem more effectively. Here are a few suggestions in this regard:

Eat Healthy Foods
Fresh fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates lean proteins should be included in the daily diet. Sugary foods, processed foods should be avoided. One should abstain from alcohol as it tend to aggravate anxiety symptoms.

Take Rest
A sound sleep at night for at least 8 hours can reduce the stress levels to a great extent. Those who find it difficult to fall asleep should take a warm bath or listen to a soothing music in order to induce sleep.

Plan Daily Schedule
We feel stressed out when we try to do too many things in a short span of time. It will be better if we prioritize our daily tasks and work accordingly. High priority assignments should be finished off first and then if time permits, then only complete the remaining low priority tasks.

Breathe Easy
Anxiety makes our breathing short and shallow which in turn causes lots of health problems. Therefore, you have to spend 5-10 minutes of the day taking some slow deep breaths. Such breathing exercises have a relaxing effect on the mind.

Stay Active
Let me tell you that the symptoms of debilitating anxiety does not cause any kind of physical harm. So, stop living life in fear and make conscious efforts to lead a productive life. Regular exercising also helps to remain physically active and overcome chronic fatigue.

Debilitating anxiety develop when anxiety symptoms are ignored over a period of time. It can be prevented if some prompt action are taken at the onset of mild panic attack. It includes living a healthy disciplined life, practice of breathing exercises for relaxation and elimination of unnecessary negative thoughts from the mind.

Dizziness and Vomiting

Dizziness is the condition in which one feels lightheaded or faint, with everything around appearing to be spinning. It is generally caused due to high or low blood pressure, anemia, dehydration, heat stroke, heart or brain-health problems or vertigo. Vomiting on the other hand is a condition in which one throws up the contents of the stomach through the mouth. It is generally caused due to a gastrointestinal illness like food poisoning or flu. There are times when both these conditions, occur simultaneously. Going through one is uncomfortable enough, not to mention being troubled by both.

Causes of Vomiting and Dizziness

There are several medical conditions in which these two symptoms; vomiting and dizziness are seen occurring together. They are as follows:

Motion Sickness
Several people experience motion sickness while aboard a ship or riding in a bus, car, etc. The constant motion causes their sense of balance and equilibrium to be disturbed, thereby resulting in a feeling of dizziness and nausea. Vomiting follows. Air hostess are often giving instructions to flight passengers, to use the brown bags provided if they feel nauseous. Dizziness and vomiting-like symptoms of motion sickness occur when conflicting messages are sent to the brain. This confusion and conflict results in these symptoms.

Pregnancy
Dizziness and vomiting during the first trimester of pregnancy, is commonly seen in most women. Dizziness may be a sign of low blood pressure. Moreover, when a pregnant woman stands up quickly, the sudden standing-up movement causes drop in blood pressure (postural hypotension), resulting in a feeling of lightheadedness. Standing in hot stuffy rooms and crowded places also results in overheating of the body and conduces to dizziness and nausea. As the uterus expands in the second trimester, it applies pressure on the blood vessels, which again spearheads dizziness. The high level of hormones in the body during pregnancy is believed to cause nausea and vomiting.

Agoraphobia
This anxiety disorder is believed to involve fear of public places, crowds, crossing bridges and open spaces. This phobia typically affects women in early adulthood. The sufferer gets anxious in unfamiliar environment or places where she feels very little control is in her hands. This condition leaves her feeling trapped in a situation, or surrounding and she begins to panic. Dizziness, vomiting, abdominal distress, excessive sweating, etc. are some of the symptoms of agoraphobia. Dizziness may also cause the person to lose balance or fall unconscious in extreme cases.

Labyrinthitis
This disorder involves inflammation and irritation of the inner ear. The irritation and swelling conduces to dysfunctional ear, wherein the ability of the inner ear to maintain balance is disturbed. Thus, a person feels nauseous and giddy. Besides these symptoms, the person may also encounter hearing loss and tinnitus.

Caffeine Overdose
Taking more than the required amounts of caffeine results in caffeine overdose. Soft drinks, chocolates, coffee, certain teas usually contain small amounts of caffeine and usually do not end up in overdose cases. However, over-the-counter stimulants that help a person stay mentally active, when taken in excess, result in caffeine overdose that conduces to symptoms like breathing problems, muscle twitching, increased heartbeat, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea, hallucinations, tremors and even shock. Dizziness is caused because the stimulant caffeine reduces the amount of blood flow to the brain.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide, the odorless gas emitted from automobiles or anything that burns gasoline, wood, coal, etc. is a reason for causing thousands of deaths every year in North America. This dangerous gas when inhaled replaces the oxygen molecules in the red blood cells of the blood stream. They also prevent oxygen from entering the blood, thereby depriving vital organs like the brain, heart, kidneys, etc. of oxygen supply. Mostly children and elderly folks, are at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and results in dizziness, shortness of breath, headache, shock, nausea, vomiting or unconsciousness. It is important to identify these symptoms quickly and move away from the source of carbon monoxide.

Endometriosis
The uterus is lined with a tissue layer called endometrium, whose actual function comes into play, when a woman conceives. The rest of the time, the uterus gets rid of the endometrium every month, during the menstrual cycle. However, when the endometrium begins to grow outside the uterus, such as fallopian tubes, ovaries and other regions in the pelvic cavity, the person is said to suffer from endometriosis. The symptoms of this condition are dizziness, fatigue, muscle weakness, vomiting, etc. are seen to occur. Heavy blood flow during menstruation is what is mostly responsible for dizziness.

Dizziness and vomiting appear together in many other medical conditions like endometriosis, Meniere's disease, panic disorders, peptic ulcers, flu, hyperemesis gravidarum, etc. Though vomiting and dizziness are not grave situations, they can be indicators of something deleterious. So, if at all these symptoms are accompanied by fever, head injury, blurred vision, shortness of breath or chest pain, one should consult the doctor immediately.