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20 Quotes to Help You Beat The Symptoms of Anxiety Attack

January 17, 2020 by Deborah Tayloe

When anxiety strikes, the world starts to feel small and heavy. We get weighed down by our problems and can’t move to fix anything. People suffer from these feelings every single day. While a permanent solution may require a lot of hard work and personal reflection, here are 20 quotes to help you beat the symptoms of an anxiety attack.

20 Quotes to Remember When You Feel the First Symptoms of an Anxiety Attack

1. “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” ~ Amit Ray

When anxiety strikes, it’s important to stay in the moment. Many experts suggest focusing in on the things around you to help get out of your own anxious thoughts. Count how many red things are in the room or count your breaths. This will bring you back to reality.

2. “Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems” ~ Epictetus

We all have problems. These problems do greatly affect our lives. Most of the anxiety does not come from these problems but instead our worst fears about these problems. It’s best to focus on the actual problem itself.

3. “Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.” ~ C. H. Spurgeon

We are not at our strongest when we are in the middle of an anxiety attack. The anxiety made us weak for the current moment, but it didn’t fix anything we were worried about. If you want to stay strong, you need to gain control over your anxiety.

4. “Anxiety’s like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you very far.” ~ Jodi Picoult

Anxiety is a way to fill the mind. Unfortunately, the thoughts aren’t the most productive. You tend to think in circles and end up in the same spot you started.

5. “Anxiety was born in the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it—just as we have learned to live with storms.” ~ Paulo Coelho

Anxiety is part of life. Anxiety is worse for some people than others, but we all experience it. To get through life, we need to learn how to adjust to the anxiety we experience. Just like we can’t get rid of thunderstorms, we can’t get rid of it.

6. “In an era of stress and anxiety, when the present seems unstable and the future unlikely, the natural response is to retreat and withdraw from reality, taking recourse either in fantasies of the future or in modified visions of a half-imagined past.” ~ Alan Moore

Anxiety gives us a perception of the past and future that does not truly match reality. We escape to this altered reality but when we come back, the reality is just as we left it. We would do better to stick to what’s happening.

7. “Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith. I don’t agree at all. They are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the Passion of Christ” ~ C.S. Lewis

People can feel bad about their anxiety, especially when it causes them to miss certain events or hurt people. It’s important to remember that you should not have to apologize for your anxiety. It will likely only cause greater anxiety. Instead, try to fix it from within yourself.

8. “The little cares that fretted me,

I lost them yesterday

Among the fields above the sea,

Among the winds at play.”

~ Unknown

This childlike poem reminds us exactly how we should deal with our nerves. We should just let them go. When we let them go, they will fly away with the wind. We will feel lighter and just generally better about ourselves. The only problem is that letting go of the symptoms of an oncoming anxiety attack is easier said than done.

9. “Fear and anxiety many times indicates that we are moving in a positive direction, out of the safe confines of our comfort zone, and in the direction of our true purpose.” ~ Charles F. Glassman

Fear isn’t always bad. It could be a sign that we are doing the right thing. Sometimes the right thing can be scary.

10. “You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” ~ Dan Millman

Many people try to stop anxiety from happening at all. Instead, the goal should be to not let the anxiety make an impact. Allow it to flow through you and escape without affecting you. When you have this control over your emotions, you will be able to handle things with a clear mind.

11. “How does one kill fear, I wonder? How do you shoot a spectre through the heart, slash off its spectral head, take it by its spectral throat?” ~ Joseph Conrad

In this cheeky quote, Joseph Conrad pokes fun at the idea of trying to destroy our anxiety. It’s not a physical thing that we can stab with a sword. However, there may be some useful tools at our disposal.

12. “Free time is death to the anxious, and thank god I don’t have any of it right now.” ~ Jon Stewart

If you tend to get anxiety, one great solution is to keep yourself super busy. When you are busy, you don’t have time to worry. Keep yourself busy with work and family.

13. “You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Much of our anxiety comes from a bit of narcissism. This is especially true when we are worried about what other people think of us. The truth of the matter is that most people probably don’t care nearly as much as we think they do.

14. “Overthinking is not a disease; it is due to the underuse of your creative power.” ~ Amit Ray

Another great way to tackle anxiety is to focus that energy into something creative. During a panic attack, it’s best to turn to music, art, or writing. Letting out the intense feelings of the panic attack can make it much more manageable.

15. “So much of anxiety was anxiety about having anxiety.” ~ Maureen Johnson

When you are prone to anxiety attacks, you may understand this one. You can get anxiety about getting social anxiety before you even go out. Wait for the anxiety actually to come before you freak yourself out even more.

16. “But you can’t hide from the day forever. The day happens anyway, you know.” ~ Megan Atwood

Anxiety can cause people to hide in the house all day. While they hide inside all day, the world still tuns. The person hiding because of their anxiety may miss out on the beautiful things that happened that day. It’s best to get out there and life live.

17. “Sometimes it is useful to fear something too much, for it makes the real thing quite bearable.” ~ Sarah Dunant

Have you ever been so worried about a test or the dentist that you almost cried but when you got there, it wasn’t that bad? That’s one of the few benefits of anxiety. When you do finally face the real problem, it’s probably far less serious than you anticipated.

18. “Action wanes anxiety because when you act, you improve the circumstance you were anxious about which then improves the thought you’re responding to.” ~ Daniel V Chappell

Probably the absolute best solution to anxiety is to take action to fix the thing you are anxious about. When you take action, you gain control over the situation. It makes everything much more manageable.

19. “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

People search for solutions from panic attacks in several places. They will try medication, different foods, and even drugs. The best solution is internal. You need to find peace within yourself to make a long term difference.

20. “You are not alone…please know that hope can fly in on the most unexpected of wings.” ~ Tracy Shawn

One of the biggest misconceptions about anxiety is that no one else will ever understand what you’re going through. The truth of the matter is that many people suffer the same way every single day. Instead of sticking to yourself, you should seek support from other people. You may be surprised to find how many people want to help you live a happier life.

Final Thoughts: Know the Symptoms of Anxiety and Panic Attacks, Then Remember These Quotes

You may suffer from the symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks for the rest of your life. However, it’s important to learn how to manage them to the best of your ability. Use these quotes to help give you the strength to fight to get the help you need.

13 Ways To Nurture A Child’s Innate Genius

January 17, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Every parent wants their child to be a genius in some way. You want them to be smart, strong, capable, and the best that they can be! But are you doing all that you can to make this happen? Or are you missing out on golden opportunities to help them grow?

Here Are 13 Ways To Nurture A Child’s Innate Genius

1. Encourage Reading

Reading proved to have positive links to school success for years, and it can even improve intellectual empathy.

Why does this happen? Well, when you read, your brain is learning to make connections based on the information given, building a world around the book. Additionally, reading can help a child to better grasp and absorb knowledge throughout their life – even with non-fictional concepts like math and science. And that’s how your child connects with his or her innate genius!

To encourage your child to read, you can:

Let them see you reading
Leave books out for them to access easily
Tell your child about what you’re reading
Read to them

2. Don’t Get Hung Up On Mess or Mistakes

Kids are messy, and they also make a lot of different mistakes. That’s part of the learning and growing process. You’re obviously going to reprimand them for bad behavior, but some kinds of mess are right for them!

The types of mistakes you’ll want to encourage are creative ones. Let them make terrible drawings with oddly mixed colors. Let them pour all the paint into one bowl, even if it means you’ll have to buy later. Or, let them stumble upon the words they read or break something they were trying to build.

When you encourage these types of mistakes, teach them to learn from each one. Some questions you can use, depending on your child’s age, are:

Why did the wrong thing happen?
How did it make you feel?
How can you fix it?
What can they do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

3. Don’t Be So Strict With Playtimes

Kids need to get the chance to play in a way that feels right and natural to them. If you turn playtimes into organized structures of rules and plans, you’re restricting your child’s freedom. Instead of making them build the exact thing on the box of a set of building blocks, for example, give them the container and let them decide what to do.

As your child plays, or after, ask them questions about what they did. Ask all sorts of creative questions, like:

How lives in the house you built?
Why does the dinosaur you made eat?
What superpowers does that action figure have?

When they answer your questions, pick specific areas to praise them for. This activity will build their confidence. Plus, the lack of rules and suggestions allows a child to learn to think independently, without relying on your input.

4. Take Advantage of Teachable Moments

There are so many teaching moments in everyday life that you probably don’t notice. When you’re busy, it’s easy to let them slip by. But take advantage of them, and your child will learn self-discovery and curiosity. Instead of merely commenting on or ignoring everyday situations, you can:

Ask your child to guess what happens in individual buildings, such as windmills or factories.
Show them how you add up simple prices in the store.
Ask them what they think about the animals you drive past.
Let them write their grocery lists.
Ask to help you find something in the house.
Tell them the names of the vegetables you’re putting away.

5. Ask Them Questions

If you’ve noticed, many suggestions we share in this article have to do with asking questions. And that’s for a reason! If you want to nurture their innate genius, you have to teach a child to think for themselves. As such, make sure you’re allowing and encouraging your budding genius to hold unique and creative conversations, no matter how silly.

Examples of great open-ended questions are:

What would happen if we stopped for a snack before going to the cinema?
How would you use this tool?
If you could run as fast as a cheetah, where would you go?
How do you think a dog feels every day?
What do you think is in that box?

You also shouldn’t shy away from “advanced” words – even if your child doesn’t understand, they will pick up sooner or later, or ask you what the words mean.

6. Encourage Curiosity

We’ve briefly discussed this, but it bears repeating. Curiosity teaches your children to educate themselves as many things as possible and never to be afraid of asking questions. Answer their questions and continue to encourage them to ask more – or to find out the answers themselves!

Similarly, you should entertain your child’s curiosity with your own. If they excitedly talk about video games, toys, or a TV show, even if you don’t understand, listen. Ask questions. Make them feel like their pursuit of knowledge is worth it!

7. Don’t Label Your Child

Labels are restrictive, and children often aren’t old enough to understand the nuances of them. Regardless, labeling is rarely ever a good thing – even when the labels are good ones, as you may be thinking of using! Here’s why:

Positive labels, such as “gifted”, “genius,” “responsible”, or “smart,” can become a burden.
Labels are always self-fulfilling prophecies; kids who receive positive labels outperform those who receive negative labels.
A child is boxed in by labels; they believe their label is all that they can be.
Good labels can give them a sense of superiority that stunts their social growth.

8. Encourage Reflection

Here’s an excellent routine for teaching reflection. Every night, when you tuck your child in, make this a bedtime habit. Discuss the good and bad experiences you’ve had throughout the day. You can choose to focus more on the positive instead when you first begin doing this, then slowly build up to discussing the mishaps as time goes on.

This practice can teach your child how to reflect on the day, their actions, and their likes and dislikes. These reasoning and self-awareness skills will be advantageous as they grow up!

9. Praise Your Child

The ways you communicate with your children will have a massive effect on their self-esteem, positive thinking, and empathy as they grow up. That’s why remembering to provide them with positive reinforcement is essential.

But a lot of parents manage to go wrong here. They give endless praise to their children all the time, even when their child hasn’t done anything praiseworthy. The celebration seems like a nice confidence-booster, but what it’s doing is teaching your child that they never fail. When they do eventually make a mistake, you can’t praise them out of it’s going to be a tough learning curve.

So, instead, try praising them appropriately. When they do a fantastic job at something, congratulate them all the way! But when they’ve done poorly at something, whether at arts and crafts, grades, sports, or even communication, only praise them with the truth. Praise their effort, not their skill! For example, you can say:

I’m proud of the progress you’re making!
I’m so proud that you never give up!
It’s terrific that you found an alternative answer.
I’m so proud of you for trying something new.
You tried your best, and that’s good!

10. Diversify Their Experiences

If your child does the same thing day in and day out, they stop learning new things. They’ll get good at the things they already know, but everything outside of that narrow area of expertise will become foreign to them. This inexperience means that, when the time comes that they must learn new things, they won’t know how to go about it.

This is why you need to diversify the experiences of your child. To do this, you can:

Bring them to try new things regularly
Teach them new subjects and skills
Let them read books on different topics
Let them choose new things they want to do
Encourage exploration
Don’t reprimand them when they’re bad at something
Lead the way – do new things, too
Enroll them in a class

11. Tell Them Stories About Great People

Mixed in with your regular stories and reading, tell your children about amazing figures from history. Make them a diverse group of people, focusing most on people most similar to them first. This storytelling can help inspire them, or at least give them an idea of what they’re capable of!

It’s even better if you can narrow the scope down and start with great people whose stories you know will inspire them. For example, an artistic child may want to hear about great artists, while a child inclined towards science may wish to hear about similar figures!

12. Allow Your Child To Lead (Sometimes)

Letting your child take control can sound scary, and it certainly feels that way for many parents! But this act can help them to learn confidence and teach them that their ideas and wants are worth going for. So take a deep breath, get your positive thinking on, and let your child lead.

Supervise them, of course, and steer them away from dangerous endeavors. But other than that, give them half an hour or a full hour to do as they please! For example:

Take them to the park and let them lead the way
Let them decide what game you’re going to play together
Let them pick what book to read or show to watch
Ask them where or what they want to eat
Tell them to pick out their new item when you go shopping

13. Give Them The Chance To Develop Their Inner Genius

There isn’t much point to talent if you don’t let your child develop it. So make sure that your child’s passions, gifts, and skills don’t sit rusty or go to waste.

How can you do this? It’s simple! If your child is good at music, gift them a ukulele. If they love math, offer up fun math puzzles. Or if they like to cook, let them help out in the kitchen. They will get to hone their talents, and who knows, it may be a lifelong skill for them!

Final Thoughts On How To Nurture Your Child’s Innate Genius

Nurturing a child’s innate genius doesn’t have to be complicated. You can do it in so many different ways! But don’t forget whether they’re good or bad at something, the important thing is that you encourage them. After all, what matters most is their happiness, not the achievements they have under their belt!

5 Ways To Be More Successful In Life

January 17, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Everyone chases success. We all dream of great achievements and accomplishments. Unfortunately, reaching those dreams is easier said than done, and many people struggle with overcoming hurdles, staying motivated, and getting through failure or rough times. Being successful is hard work!

But this doesn’t mean you can’t have a successful life if you’re willing to work for it. As long as you know the right ways to go about reaching your goals, you’re capable of doing just about anything you set your mind to. Still, there are tips that can help you out.

Here Are 5 Ways To Be More Successful In Life

1. Don’t Get Distracted

Distractions are always going to affect your life, and they can cause you to lose sight of what is really important. Here are some tips for avoiding distractions and removing them from your life:

· Turn Off Notifications

The constant chiming, vibration, or illumination of a phone screen informing you of new notifications can quickly sidetrack you when you pick up your phone to check them. Turn off notifications for non-important applications, like non-work social media, games, and casual group chats – or turn them all off whenever you need to focus.

· Take Breaks

Instead of spending time every five minutes distracted by other things, push aside all non-work activities for a set amount of time, they give yourself 5-15 minutes to do what you wanted to do. This will actually have positive effects on your productivity. And, of course, don’t work 24/7 – get enough sleep and have days off.

· Cut Out Negativity

Negative people can cloud up your headspace and occupy your thoughts. Cut off toxic individuals and pay them no more mind.

· Write A List

Take note of the distractions that most commonly get to you and win you over. List them down and stick the list somewhere you can see it, pledging to avoid them.

· Do The Worst Things First

Have a big task that you’re really dreading, or that you know will be difficult? Get it done first thing in the morning when you’re freshest and have the most energy.

· Stay Healthy

If your body isn’t healthy, you’re not going to be able to devote everything to your work. Eat well, exercise regularly, and take care of yourself.

2. Manage Your Resources

If you don’t know how to keep your resources in check, then all the talent, skill, and business acumen in the world won’t help you!

The first and possibly most crucial resource you should manage is money. You can manage your financial resources by utilizing these tips:

· Understand How Income Works

Figure out taxes, insurance payments, loan and debt repayments, and bond payments. Don’t assume you have all of your income to spend.

· Keeping A Handle On Your Expenses

Calculate your monthly disposable income, create a savings account, and review bank statements to see where you overspend.

· Save

Make a savings account and put aside at least 10% of your income monthly. If your employer will allow it, you can ask that a portion of your monthly income is deposited directly into a savings account.

· Invest Carefully

A retirement savings plan is really your best investment. For every other kind of investment, be smart about it!

· Reduce

If at any point you find yourself overspending, cut back. Take a look at your statements and expenses to see what is unnecessary.

· Manage Time

Time is another resource that is often overlooked. You must manage time for positive results, and do so in the right way for success. You can manage it by utilizing these tips:

· Set Reminders

If you always have your phone with you, a smartphone calendar and schedule will keep you on task with reminders.

· Use A Planner

For a more old-fashioned approach, purchase a planner and use it to maintain your organization.

· Schedule Tasks

Important tasks should be scheduled first so you don’t wind up procrastinating. Big tasks that take up large chunks of time should be added to a schedule first, then pepper in smaller ones around them.

· Make Daily To-Do Lists

Stay motivated and organized with daily checklists that you can tick or cross off as you go.

3. Successful People Seek To Learn, Not Win

A lot of people make the mistake of only aiming for accomplishments. This means that no matter how much they learn or progress, as long as they don’t get a big, gold star-worthy success, in the end, they feel demotivated.

Some people don’t consider the process of learning to be part of success, but this isn’t logical. No one is going to succeed the moment they begin something (aside from those rare bursts of beginner’s luck). You have to learn, fail, and learn from failure in order to succeed. That’s just how life works.

So don’t focus so much on winning. Focus on the journey – the process of discovery, understanding, experimenting, and getting better and better. There is so much joy to be found in the improvement and exploration process. Here are some ways to become an active, relentless learner:

Mentor and be mentored by others
Don’t pretend to know when you don’t, and don’t stay silent when you have a risky question
Make new friends and learn from them
Keep yourself up-to-date on news and current events
Involve yourself in a hobby or class
Read new books, takes notes while reading, and keep building your reading list
List failures and lessons, and be grateful for each
Share your knowledge with others
Listen to differing points of view
Ask for help when you need it

4. Be Committed

Many people focus too much on motivation instead of commitment. Motivation is not everlasting – it will dip and fold after a while. Commitment is what prevents the pile of unfinished projects from growing, and it is what you need to stick to your plans and goals.

Here are some tips to improve your commitment levels:

· Be Realistic

If you set unrealistic goals or make lofty promises you can’t keep, it’s going to become apparent as you go along that you’ve dug yourself into a difficult situation. This will likely cause you to abandon the entire project.

· Devote Time To Change

Whatever it is you’re working on improving in your life, devote time to it every day. If you’re trying to be more active, spend 15 minutes walking around the neighborhood. If you want to sharpen your chess skills, solve chess puzzles for half an hour daily and devote a couple of hours to practical practice on the weekends. It’s easy to forget smaller goals. Don’t let that happen.

· Replace Instead Of Eliminating

If there’s a behavior or habit you’re trying to cut out of your life, you must find something to replace it with. Without a replacement, you’re likely to fall to temptation and slip back into old habits.

· Don’t Cancel On Plans If You Can Help It

Try not to cancel plans unless an absolutely unavoidable emergency, and especially not twice in a row with the same person. If you keep making plans that need to be canceled, take a step back and figure out why your commitments are too much for you.

· Ask For Support

Have someone in your life keep you on task. If they notice you slipping up, they can tell you that you’re becoming complacent, and they won’t accept your excuses the way you may!

· Never Stagnate

If your progress towards your goals has not moved in a while, something is wrong, and you may wind up forgetting about them or becoming too disinterested in continuing.

5. Stay Positive

Positive thinking is often overlooked when it comes to becoming successful. It’s more important than many people may believe. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will, and good things won’t come to you.

You have to be able to envision your success in order to achieve it. While this is easier said than done, it is definitely possible to work on your positive thinking to the point that you 100% believe in yourself and know that, with the right methods, you can succeed at anything you set your mind to.

This will be especially important when you wind up facing setbacks – which everyone will face in life. Positivity will allow you to keep moving forward, even when it’s difficult. Here are some tips to help cultivate positive thinking:

· Enjoy The Present

While it’s important to learn from the past and prepare for the future, the present moment is crucial too. Love the present and keep yourself grounded. Focus on the now instead of what may happen tomorrow, and pay attention to the little details in the world that make it better.

· Try Positive Affirmations

Repeat phrases that are specific and motivational to yourself every day in the mirror. It’s a “fake it till you make it” process, but it can work if you set your mind to it. Eventually, the repeated positive affirmations will be internalized, and you will believe them with all your heart.

Read ten life-changing positive affirmations that will help you succeed.

· Be Grateful

When you’re on the grind, it’s very easy to forget about all the good things in your life that you can be thankful for. Keep a journal or diary where you can list down a few things you’re grateful for every day – at least three of them. On bad days, you can list simple things: your basic needs being met, the people in your life, your favorite movies or shows, and more.

· Don’t Compare Yourself To Others

Everyone has their own journey, with a unique set of difficulties and privileges. Comparing yourself to those around you is unfair to both yourself and them. Of course, your progress isn’t the same – you’re different people! Besides, these kinds of comparisons can harm your thinking and make it difficult to stay motivated.

Click to read motivational quotes from successful college football coaches.

Final Thoughts on Leading a Successful Life

Success is elusive, but not as much as you may think. By putting positive habits into practice and working smarter, not harder, you’ll be able to achieve more success in your everyday life. These tips will be able to help you as you navigate the difficult waters of the world.

Don’t forget to be grateful for all the successes, even the small ones. You’re going to have your fair share of big and small accomplishments, and each one is just as valuable. Be kind to yourself, but be strict with yourself too, and you can do anything!

Doctors Reveal a Nerve Freezing Treatment to Eliminate Pain Medication

January 16, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Anyone who has lived in chronic pain or has cared for someone living in constant pain knows that it is draining, emotionally, and physically. Breaking the cycle of pain is essential to any recovery, yet addiction is a real hazard of being on pain medication. You need not be ashamed if you’re on pain medications. However, if you have another method to explore, why not give it a try? Fortunately, more methods are becoming available to aid in pain management. Doctors reveal a nerve freezing treatment to eliminate pain medication.

The Cycle of Pain

Unless you have experienced long term pain or cared for someone who lived in chronic pain, you may not know how pain creates a cycle that exasperates the sensation of pain and can sabotage your ability to get out of pain. The Pain Cycle works like this:

Develop an illness or disease, injury, or have a surgery that initiates a source of pain.
Your muscles automatically tense up to protect the vulnerable area, which causes more pain and less ability to be mobile, which would allow therapy to decrease the pain.
An individual becomes fearful, angry, and frustrated at the lack of mobility. Additionally, they are sleeping less, which not only increases the sensation of pain but also decreases emotional stability and cognitive ability.
Over time, this creates depression, hopelessness, the feeling of a lack of control, and other negative feelings. The individual will feel alone and isolated. They will decrease or eliminate any social interaction furthering the isolation.
Increased fatigue due to lack of sleep, inactivity, pain, depression, and potentially other complications from the injury or disease.

Without significantly decreasing or eliminating the pain, this cycle will continue, and the pain, decreased mobility, and emotional stress will only increase. This is why pain management is essential. An individual cannot begin to heal without being out of pain properly.

Using medication to eliminate pain

Medications are the first step we all reach for when we are in pain. Most of us are familiar with over-the-counter pain medications. We may use them for occasional aches and pains from illnesses, dental treatments, muscle strains, headaches, fevers, and mild to medium back pain. They each have their pros and cons in their use, and the effectiveness may vary per person. They consist of:

Over the Counter NSAID medicines

Most often advised due to its lessened irritation of the stomach and decreased chance of liver damage. Many sinus and cold or flu medications commonly have this ingredient. Doctors often recommend this medicine for pregnant women or children due to fewer side effects.
It can be more irritating to the stomach but acts quickly and doesn’t stay in the system as long. Pharmacists call it NSAID or a non-steroid, anti-inflammatory drug.
One of the oldest pain medications. Pharmacists often recommended that patients take this drug in a buffered form to reduce stomach irritation. Additionally, they don’t recommend it for children. However, it is a proven potential quick treatment if you believe you are having a heart attack as it thins the blood, reducing blood clots.
One of the newer NSAIDs and generally considered a preferred treatment for mild arthritis or any inflammatory condition. It might also be harsh on the stomach. Therefore, patients shouldn’t take it over extended periods.

All of these over-the-counter medications can cause liver damage or other complications to the system if they are taken too frequently and regularly. They are intended for short durations of time.

Opioids

The next batch of pain killers is commonly referred to as Opioids or prescription pain killers. Currently, there is an epidemic of addiction-related to these pain killers as they can be very addicting due to their ability to block the sensation of pain to the brain and produce the sensation of pleasure.

They are commonly prescribed for a short term after a surgery or injury or if you have been diagnosed with cancer or another long term disease, which creates pain. These consist of:

Codeine sometimes also mixed with acetaminophen
Hydrocodone and also can be combined with acetaminophen. Usually recognized under the name of Vicodin.
Hydromorphone or it’s brand Dilaudid
Meperidine or its common name of Demerol
Morphine
Oxycodone or as its most commonly known, OxyContin
Propoxyphene or the brand name of Darvon. Currently, this drug is no longer available in the United States, according to WebMD.
This is the strongest and most addicting opioid available. It is usually reserved for cancer patients or patients with a painful terminal illness. Unfortunately, it is also mixed in illegal street drugs, adding to the opioid addiction crisis.

In addition to the risk of addiction, if used for extended periods of time, these medications can create a long list of side effects such as:

Depression
Severe drowsiness
Constipation
Sweating
Itching
Nausea
Foggy thinking or impaired judgment
A weakening of the immune system

Meet 12 brave people who beat addictions.

Alternatives to eliminate pain medication

While pain medication has been the first route in handling pain, it is not always effective. Many people who live in chronic pain receive little benefit from taking pain medicine. This is especially true if the pain is due to an extensive injury or surgery. Due to this, and the addictive tendencies and additional potential health complications, alternative treatments have been devised.

One such treatment that doctors have revealed is a freezing treatment. It is known as Cryoneurolysis or Cryotherapy. In short, it is the freezing of a particular nerve bundle related to the cause of the pain. The ice acts as a nerve blocker without using any steroid, medication, or electrical stimulus.

A report was published in 2013 in Science Daily about a study performed at Stoney Brook University in Stoney Brook, New York. The medical director of the University, William Moore M.D., headed the research. The study focused on patients with neuralgia. The ending result was the patients were able to get off of or greatly decrease pain medications.

Twenty patients received cryoneurolysis treatment. Prior to the treatment, the average pain measure was between 8-10 on a pain scale. After the treatment, their pain level was down to 2.4 within the first week. Six months later, the pain did increase to about 4. The results and length of time of decreased pain do vary with each patient. Thus, the patient may need to repeat this outpatient procedure. However, some patients remain pain-free for a full year.

How does “freezing” work?

The process itself is relatively easy. Doctors identify the painful nerve bundles. Then, they insert a small probe through a small cut in the skin. They cool the probe using pressurized gas, forming icicles on the selected nerves.

Another study was performed on patients who had knee osteoarthritis. R. Radnovich of the Injury Care Medical Center in Boise, ID in 2017, and a group of other doctors from across the United States led the study. They had 150 patients who either underwent the cryoneurolysis treatment or the customary treatment. The end result was a significant decrease in pain for those who underwent cryoneurolysis for up to 150 days. There were minimal side effects, and they all resolved themselves within 30 days.

Read the connection between moms who take NSAIDs during pregnancy and ADHD.

Final Thoughts on Eliminating the Need for Pain Medication

Finding effective methods to limit or halt the cycle of pain is essential to any person’s recovery and future health. While the availability of over-the-counter medications can be effective for small, short-term pain periods, using opioids for more intense and long term uses carries with them too many hazards. Those hazards include addiction, degradation of your mental facilities through extreme drowsiness, liver damage, depression, and more. Opioids are not a long term solution for conditions that we don’t have an answer for.

Doctors revealing a nerve freezing treatment to eliminate pain medication doesn’t just eliminate medication; it eliminates potential future complications and makes mobility more of a workable solution than pain medication does. Cryoneurolysis offers an alternative treatment as another nerve blocker with no medication complications and no equipment to attach to receive treatment. Side effects were minimal and easily alleviated in a short period of time. This is the kind of treatment that we want to be available, and hopefully, the full capacity of its uses will continue to be investigated.

Neurologist Explains the Causes of Cluster Headaches

January 16, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Cluster headaches are uncommon and short but severely painful headaches that occur every day for an extended period of time. This time period could be a couple of weeks, but it could go on for as long as a month. They are thought to be related to the seasons as those who suffer from them report them during the same time frame each year.

While many may know what these headaches are, fewer know what causes them. Neurologists have worked for many years to determine the exact cause and have narrowed it down to a nerve in the face that causes extreme pain around one eye.

While the cause has been linked to that facial nerve, there are more causes than just that alone. Certain events can trigger cluster headaches. So knowing the causes can help prevent them or ease the pain in the future. Before discussing the causes, however, it is important to narrow down the symptoms so you know for sure that cluster headaches are the problem.

Symptoms of a Cluster Headache

The symptoms of these headaches are unique and are very different from headaches caused by tumors or blood clots. These symptoms include:

pain so intense that it is difficult to do anything except pace
full force pain within 5-10 minutes of onset
one-sided
burning or piercing sensation
pain starts near one eye and spreads to the forehead, temple, nose, cheek, or gum
feeling your blood pulse
short duration (normally 30-90 minutes but can be anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours)
they happen around the same time each day
occur daily for a time period of two weeks to three months
swollen eye
smaller pupil in the affected eye
eye redness and/or watering
congested or runny nose
warm, red face
sweating
light sensitivity

A Neurologist Explains Further

Neurologists say those cluster headaches are caused by your blood vessels widening. This widening causes pressure on the trigeminal nerve, which is the nerve that transmits feeling from the face to the brain.

It is believed that this occurs due to abnormalities in your hypothalamus. To explain further, the hypothalamus is an area of your brain that regulates body temperature, sleep, hormone release, and sleep.

Another reason for cluster headaches–the release of histamine, the chemical that fights allergens. Additionally, the release of serotonin can cause cluster headaches, which is the chemical that regulates your mood.

There are daily events that could cause a headache during a series of them. A simple lifestyle change could help control them.

The Causes of Cluster Headaches

1. Cigarette smoke

An interesting fact is that more than 80% of those who suffer from these headaches have been long-term tobacco smokers. This makes you wonder if there is some type of connection between tobacco and these headaches aside from just triggering them but so far, it has not been determined that it is the ultimate cause. Additionally, many of those who suffer from headaches and are not smokers themselves reporting having had parents who smoked cigarettes around them when they were younger.

Cigarette smoke is known to increase carbon monoxide levels in your body and you receive less oxygen when smoking. Both of these problems can trigger headaches.

2. Alcohol

Skipping any type of alcohol including beer and wine is wise when you are suffering from a series of these headaches. Just a small drink can trigger a headache. Having a drink or two when you aren’t having a cluster series is normally fine, however.

3. Strong smells

Strong scents including cologne and perfume cause your blood vessels to dilate. This could bring on a cluster headache during a series.

4. Irregular sleep schedule

By keeping a regular sleep schedule, you may be able to avoid some of the headaches from coming on. Even a small change in your sleep schedule can bring on a cluster headache. A big change in your schedule, however, is likely to bring on a severe one.

5. Allergens

These headaches are caused by allergens because the chemical histamine is released when fighting allergens.

6. Stress

When you are stressed, your body released the chemical serotonin, which is known to cause one of these headaches.

7. Sex hormones

These types of headaches are more common in men. They seem to be triggered more often when a man’s testosterone levels drop abnormally low.

8. Strenuous activities

Weight lifting and other strenuous activities can trigger a cluster headache when you’ve been having a series of them. This is because it causes the blood vessels to dilate. Surprisingly, strenuous activities can even cause the blood vessels to burst if you do too much.

9. High altitudes

A change in altitude may affect cerebral blood flow which can cause dilation of blood vessels. Higher altitudes also mean less oxygen, so that could play a part in a headache, as well.

10. Foods with large amounts of nitrates

These foods include bacon, hot dogs and lunch meats. Too many nitrates can cause blood vessels to dilate.

11. Hot baths

It has been proven that increased body heat can trigger a cluster headache. This rise in body heat can occur due to a hot bath, home heating or from the environment. Anytime that your body heat rises quickly, within an hour or so, it can trigger a cluster headache.

When to See a Doctor

While you can try to avoid the previously discussed causes of a cluster headache, it is still always important to seek the care of a neurologist. There are treatment and preventative options available, and a doctor will want to run tests to check on the reflexes and nerves. They will also want to check for tumors or aneurysm, just to be safe.

After the initial diagnosis and health checks, you will likely only need to see your doctor about the headaches if they become so problematic to you that you would like a treatment or preventative. Other times you would need to see your doctor include:

If the pattern of your headaches change
The headaches feel different
An abrupt and severe headache sets in
You get a fever and begin vomiting or experiencing nausea during a cluster headache
You have a stiff neck, mental confusion, a seizure, numbness or trouble speaking
Your headache begins after a head injury, no matter how minor

Five Ways to Prevent or Stop a Cluster Headache

There are several treatment options for a cluster headache. The options include:

1 – Ginger tea

Ginger naturally helps to alleviate headache pain. Make a steamy cup of ginger tea and sip away the pain.

Learn 8 wonderful reasons to add ginger to your diet.

2 – Capsaicin cream

Capsaicin, a topical cream, warms the skin to the touch. The gentle heat will help remedy your headache. However, take care not to apply near the eyes.

3 – Deep breathing

Mastering the science of deep breathing is essential to your well-being. And, if you suffer from cluster headaches, it’s a mush-have trick to keep up your sleeve. This technique will deliver vital oxygen into your blood and brain to help deliver the pain relief you crave.

4 – Peppermint essential oil

Mix two to three drops of peppermint essential oil to a carrier oil, such as rosehip seed oil or sunflower oil. Massage the mixture lightly into your temples and the site of your discomfort for relief.

5 – Light exercise

When you are struggling through a cluster headache exercise might be the furthest thing from your mind. But it’s worth powering through your pain for a light walk or a 15-minute easy yoga session. You’ll get the blood and oxygen flowing and feel better afterward.

Final Thoughts on Pinpointing the Causes of Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches can be unpredictable and debilitating, but knowing what triggers them can allow you to somewhat control the frequency and the severity of them. While nothing will stop them forever, knowing what causes them may help you handle them better.

If nothing helps, you may have to seek the help of a neurologist for medication to prevent and lessen the pain. Neurologists have been studying the headaches for years and are still trying to learn more about them.

All that you can do is follow professional advice and work to avoid triggers, while also working to determine what time of year headaches occur. Once you learn when they usually occur for you, you will know when to have medication ready and available or when you should try to stay home in case one happens.

13 Red Flags That Reveal Toxic Friends

January 16, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Most friendships can be a little stormy from time to time, but if yours feels like you’re riding an emotional rollercoaster more often than not, you may be dealing with a toxic friend.

Here are some signs to look out for that may help you avoid getting tangled up in a toxic friendship.

13 Red Flags That Warn You of Toxic Friends

1. They Make You Feel Insecure

Though they often seem supremely confident, the majority of toxic people have little to no sense of self-worth. Often, they will compensate for their low self-esteem by tearing others down so they can feel superior in comparison.

A toxic friend will try to bring you down to her level through frequent criticism, nitpicking, unsolicited advice, and subtly demeaning “jokes” at your expense. If you react negatively to her mistreatment, she will likely accuse you of being oversensitive. Or, she will insist she only has your best interests at heart.

2. They Compete with You

There’s nothing wrong with a little healthy competition between pals. That is, as long as that competition is limited to the soccer field, bar trivia, or board games. But toxic people like to compete with you at everything. They consider work, love, sex, friendship, material success, beauty, all fair game. What’s more? They are only satisfied when you lose.

Sometimes their competitiveness is overt, like making a move on the man or woman they know you’re interested in, chasing after one of your exes, or applying for a position they know you’re hoping to get.

Other times it’s more covert and takes the form of one-upmanship: If you share a piece of good news, they have to top it with something better. If you’re talking about a recent achievement, they’ll redirect the conversation to brag about their successes.

A competitive, toxic friend will rarely offer congratulations when they’re due or take any sincere joy in your triumphs. Instead, they’ll use them as a jumping-off point to demonstrate how they’re better.

3. You’re Always “Walking on Eggshells” Around Them

Toxic friends are people who can dish it out for days but can’t take it for a second. They have no qualms about criticizing you relentlessly. Furthermore, they expect you to tolerate it. But if you offer even constructive criticism, you are “attacking” them. If you disagree with their choices and tell them so, you’re a bad friend. If you point out their hurtful behavior, you’re overreacting.

Ironically, even as they accuse you of being “too sensitive,” toxic people are prone to having angry outbursts, throwing tantrums, and holding grudges. If you find you can’t have difficult conversations with a friend without them erupting in anger, it’s quite probable you’re dealing with a toxic friendship.

4. They Monopolize Every Conversation

Dialogue with a toxic friend is never a two-way street. Every minute you spend talking about yourself is a minute less. They love to be in the spotlight, so it’s common for them to redirect the conversation to themselves at every opportunity.

Toxic friends will rarely ask you about your life or show real interest in what you have to say. They aren’t listening attentively when you talk; they are planning what they intend to say next. When you’re trying to tell them something important, they’re likely looking at their phone.

In healthy friendships, your friends will talk and listen in equal measure, show real interest in what you have to say, and be supportive when you need it. This is rarely the case with toxic people.

5. You Feel Drained After Spending Time with Them

A night out with some good friends feels uplifting and refreshing. In contrast, a night out with your toxic friend leaves you feeling like you need a nap. Toxic people seem to consider complaining a form of recreation, and the more you listen and try to empathize, the needier they seem to become.

Toxic people enjoy indulging in long monologues about their many hardships, and they never seem to talk to you, only at you. In the rare case that they seek your advice, they won’t take it, and next time you meet, you’ll be hearing the same monologue about their latest bad decisions.

Above all, a toxic friend is too preoccupied with his unhappiness to consider that you might be struggling and require support, also – unless he sees an opportunity to give you some patronizing advice.

6. They Only Call When They Need Something

The toxic friend won’t return your calls, but they’ll turn up when they need to borrow money. They’ll forget to invite you to the party, but they’ll remember you exist when they need someone to help them move into their new apartment. They’ll turn down your invitation to go out for coffee, but they’ll come knocking when they’re depressed and need someone to listen to them complain.

It’s common in friendships like these to feel used or forgotten except when the toxic person has some need you can fulfill. If you often feel like your friend takes more from you than they give, you are likely dealing with a toxic friendship.

7. Their Lives are Non-Stop Drama

Everyone experiences bumps in the road from time to time: job loss, a bad breakup, mental health problems, family strife. But the toxic person’s life is like a vortex of constant drama. Problems seem to follow them wherever they go, and conveniently they are always somebody else’s fault.

The toxic person can’t hold down a job for more than a few months. All of their romantic relationships seem to go up in flames, and every ex they talk about is “crazy.” They get kicked out of apartments, lose friendships, and frequently struggle with substance abuse, compulsive spending, or other vices – and they sometimes even expect you to foot the bill.

8. They Can’t Be Trusted

Anything you tell the toxic person in confidence will likely be shared with other members of your social circle. Gossip is one of their favorite pastimes, and you can be sure that if they discuss others’ lives with you, they’re probably talking about you, too.

You often find yourself questioning whether their stories are real, and when you talk to mutual acquaintances, you’ll frequently find yourselves dealing with multiple versions of the same stories. The details never quite add up with toxic people, and it’s common for them to inflate their achievements to seem more impressive to others.

9. You Don’t Like Who You Become Around A Toxic Friend

Toxic people have an uncanny way of bringing out the absolute worst in you. You feel more combative, angry, anxious, and wound up after time spent with them. You might find yourself overindulging in alcohol or drugs, complaining and gossiping more than usual, or having a worse outlook on yourself and your life when you’re around them.

10. You Have to Apologize for Them

Even if the toxic person in your life is decent to you, they’re frequently unkind to others. They’ll be rude to waiters and customer service people, they’ll insult your other friends, and they’ll cause chaos at parties and group gatherings.

You’ll probably find yourself apologizing for their embarrassing behavior more than you’d like, and even making excuses for why they’ve acted the way they have: “He’s been having a tough time since his girlfriend left,” or “She doesn’t always think things through before she says them, but I promise she’s charming once you get to know her.”

Over time, you might find the rest of your social network disappearing as your other acquaintances try to limit their contact with the toxic person in your life.

11. You Have to Apologize to Them

If the toxic person in your life hurts your feelings and you try to confront them about it, the odds are good that by the end of the conversation, you will be apologizing to them.

Manipulation is common among toxic people who find criticism unbearable, so if you try to air a grievance with them, they’ll have a reason why you’re wrong to do so. They’ll claim that you’re too easily offended, they were only joking, but you took it seriously, they were merely reacting to what you did in the first place, and so on.

Toxic people can’t stand to be wrong. Thus, they’ll pull out all the stops to get themselves off the hook.

12. Your Other Friends Dislike Them

It’s nearly guaranteed that not all your besties will get along with each other. Some personalities don’t mesh well. But if most or all of your other friends shun and avoid one, in particular, there’s probably a good reason.

13. You’re Happier When They’re Not Around

Anytime you get a break from your toxic person; you may notice positive changes. Your mood lifts, your self-esteem increases, and you feel better about life. That’s probably not a coincidence.

Final Thoughts on Identifying Toxic Friends

Though you shouldn’t immediately dump a friend over occasional conflict if one of your friends exhibits most or all of these signs, consider opting out of the relationship for your wellbeing.

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