• Age-persons over the age of 65 are at the greatest risk and once a person reaches 85, the risk of contracting Alzheimer's jumps to 50%
• Family History- Persons having a close blood relative that has Alzheimer's, such as a child, sibling or parent, are at greater risk for contracting it
• Genetics- Genes play a role in determining whether someone will contract the disease and scientists have identified a gene called apolipoprotein E-e4 (APOE-e4) which contributes and they believe there are many others that have not yet been discovered.

Alzheimer's has no cure, but it is one disease where alternative and complementary treatments are being experimented with.  The herb Ginko Biloba is showing great promise so far and is being studied for use in treating dementia and Alzeimer's by the University of Pittsburgh as well as several other facilities.  Huperzine A, an extract from moss that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries is also showing great promise.  Small studies show that it may be as effective as some of the medications currently being used to treat the disease.  Furthermore, Omega 3 Fatty Acids may play a role in preventing the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's and further studies are merited.  To read about these treatments and others that have been examined, take a look here.  Until next time, stay healthy!

1.  Energy Systems function in their natural state and
2.  Energy flows smoothly without significant blockage or fixation.

The therapy was founded by Dr. Randolf Stone who studied energy in relation to the healing arts over the course of his 60 year career.  He found that many things affect the bodies energy field (either positively or negatively) including diet, exercise, sound, relationships, life experiences and environmental factors, to name a few.  Therefore, Polarity Therapy is a comprehensive system that incorporates energy based body work, diet, exercise and self-awareness in order to release blockages in the bodies energy field and restore the body to it's natural healthy state.

In a typical Polarity Therapy Session, the practitioner uses several techniques to assess the current state of that person's energy field, including observation, interviewing and palpation.  The practitioner then uses "Energy Touch"  which typically involves soft touching and rocking as well as some point specific energy work.  A typical session lasts between 60 and 90 minutes.

The video below shows an example of a Polarity Therapy session and the site I've linked to above is the official Polarity Therapy website with a wealth of additional information.  Until next time, enjoy!

Today I would like to give you more information about autism by focusing on how a person is diagnosed with this disorder. All of the research that I have done says that the earlier a diagnosis is made, the better the prognosis. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to be aware of the early warning signs so that your little one has a better chance of growing up normally. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that infants be routinely examined for developmental disorders like autism and be tested no later than 9 months or earlier. As a diagnostic tool, your doctor should administer a developmental screening test and ask specific questions about your baby's development. Remember, it is better to be safe than sorry, especially where your youngster is concerned.

• Shortly after birth, a  healthy newborn will gaze into your eyes.
• By 5-6 months, your offspring will smile and respond to you by gurgling, cooing and looking into your eyes.
• Babies usually respond to their name by a few months of age.
• After the first year, your baby will be attracted to an object or event that you are looking at. This is known as joint attention. In addition to this, they will shift their gaze from people to toys, or look towards something that you are pointing at. They will also point to things by themselves and show their toys to you.
• A typical baby  of 8-10 months, will mimic you by copying face movements such as sticking out their tongue, or by imitating sounds that you make,etc.
• Babies show emotional responses to others, they may cry if they hear another child crying.
• By age two, little ones pretend to do the same things that you are doing. For instance, they may pretend to change a doll's diapers, or fix their hair,etc.

• There is an absence of eye contact with you.
• Your infant is two months old and doesn't respond to their name when you say it.
• Your baby constantly focuses on an inanimate object in the room, like a ceiling fan.
• You make a loud sound, and your infant doesn't respond by the time he/she is two months old.
• You play with your baby and he/she doesn't respond nor is there a response to their name between 2-4 months.
• Your tyke doesn't react to you with smiles and sounds by 8-9 months.
• Your child doesn't point to objects, gesture or take your hand to locate a toy by 12-16 months.
• Your little one does not say single words by 16 months or two word phrases by 24 months.
• You have noticed a loss of language or social skills at any age.

Since symptoms of autism vary so much from individual to individual, a baby or child exhibiting some of the behaviors that I have mentioned should be evaluated further by a multidisciplinary team consisting of a neurologist, developmental pediatrician, speech/language pathologist, a mental health practitioner such as a psychiatrist, or psychologist, a learning consultant or anyone else who is well versed in this condition. Before making a diagnosis of autism, they need to rule out other medical disorders such as deafness, Retts Syndrome, or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) as well as a few others. By using this type of approach you are more apt to get an accurate and thorough diagnosis, as well as a plan for treatment.

Now for some of the screening techniques that are used.

1. CARS rating scale (Childhood Autism Rating Scale), that was developed by Eric Schipler in the 1970s. In essence it is a 15 point scale that is used by your doctor or mental health therapist to look at your baby's "relationship to people, body use, reaction to change, listening response, and verbal communication." This assessment not only identifies autism in children but it separates them from developmentally handicapped children who do not have this disorder.An effective way to describe behaviors in question would be to make a video of your child.
2. Another screening technique is the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT). This is employed to screen for autism at 18 months of age. Developed in the early 1990s by Simon Baron-Cohen, this assessment consists of a short two part questionnaire; one section for parents and the other for the doctor to fill out.
3. An Autism Screening Questionnaire may also be used which is a forty item scale that has been successfully used with children four years old or older. It evaluates communication skills and social functioning.
4. Last, I would like to mention a screening test that is in development by Wendy Stone at Vanderbilt College for two year olds. It employs one to one observations of behavioral characteristics seen in children.  Three skill areas have been identified as key factors in autism, they are play, motor imitation and joint attention or looking at the same object as their mom or dad.

Today I would like to talk about a troubling condition for parents and children alike.  It is called enuresis which is unintentional bladder relief or wetting the bed while asleep.  If you have a little one, aged 3-5, bed-wetting is considered normal and nothing to be concerned about. Usually, the bladder is regulated by a reflex that controls the sphincter and pelvic muscles preventing unwanted urination. More than likely,  bed-wetting occurs because your child has not yet learned to use this reflex.  This is known as primary bed-wetting. If however your little tyke  has learned to control this reflex, and after a few months reverts to this behavior again, it is called secondary enuresis.

• Genetic factors, if one parent had enuresis, there is a 45% chance that the child will be a bed-wetter, if both parents suffered from this condition there is a 75% chance of the child inheriting this problem. This happens because there is not enough of an anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) produced during sleep.
• Bladder size may be a cause of bed-wetting.  If the child's bladder is unusually small, he/she may have a problem holding his water and may have to urinate more frequently.
• Obstructive Uropathy or an abnormality in the structure of the ureter may cause your child to wet his/her pants during the day or night. Consequently, the bladder is unable to hold a normal amount of water and makes the child less able to control his/her urine.
• Urinary Tract Infection or UTI if your child is complaining of burning or pain while going to the bathroom.
• Tonsillar Obstruction if your child breathes through the mouth or snores and is groggy and grumpy in the morning.
• Diabetes may be another physical cause of bed-wetting.

• Stress is an important factor to consider especially if your child has been dry for a long period of time and suddenly begins soiling the bed at night.  Has he/she experienced something traumatic like the death of a loved one, even a pet. Is there a new baby in the house? Have you moved to a new neighborhood so that your child has to go to a new school.  How well is he/she doing at school, has the teacher noticed any changes? Are you having marital problems, or have you been recently divorced?
• Toilet training is a very emotional time, if parents are too harsh, or too lax in their training, a child may revert to bed-wetting. As a parent, do you expect too much of your child, if so he/she may soil themselves. If you were too permissive in your training, perhaps beginning toilet training when your child was older, he/she may have poor impulse control.
• Impulse Inhibition can cause bed-wetting. Is your child able to control his anger? How does he/she act when angry? By not allowing a tyke to express anger often causes daytime incontinence, but may be a factor in bed-wetting. It is not mentally healthy to suppress feelings of anger, grief, rage, etc for adults, let alone children.
• Secondary Gain There are times when a child wants to get back at a parent (usually the mother) and will wet themselves without even being aware that they are doing it. Ask yourself these questions: What does the child get out of this behavior?  How do you as a parent react to this? How do siblings react? Is the child embarrassed wetting the bed? If your little one is not concerned about this problem, he may deriving some satisfaction from it and it will be more difficult to treat. But with patience, kindness and understanding this condition is curable.

First up is Anorexia, a mental health condition whose most distinguishing characteristic is the desire to be slim.  Granted, most of us women watch our calories so that we can keep our weight down, but anorexics have an irrational fear of putting on even one pound. Consequently, they are always monitoring their caloric intake and feel guilty whenever they eat. Women with this mental illness therefore are painfully thin and have no body fat at all, most of them truly look like skin on bones. Their "starvation diet" may cause a complete breakdown of the the fatty tissue lying just below their skin. We need a certain amount of subcutaneous fat to be healthy.

Anorexics are very much out of touch with reality when it comes to their body image, they perceive themselves as fat, when in actuality they are dangerously thin.  A scale is an important part of their daily routine, they don't merely weigh themselves once a day, but, rather throughout the day.  They are very obsessive about it. If they do eat, they are compulsive about burning up the calories, so they may exercise vigorously. In addition to this, an anorexic may ingest laxatives and pills to stop their hunger, or they may purge themselves. This is the mental health illness call Bulimia, which I will feature in my next blog.  Some of them even refuse to eat at all, at which point their illness  becomes a hazard to their health. If they go indefinitely without food, they will end up being hospitalized and fed intravenously. If left untreated the mortality rate is about 5-18%.

Those suffering from this disorder may actually be  hungry but still refuse to eat.  They have an extremely poor self image and try to control their surroundings and their emotions by starving themselves. Quite often, eating disorders come from internal and external conflicting forces as well as stress, anger, anxiety, and sadness. Unfortunately, refusing to eat is the only way that an anorexic  deals  with these issues, but it is a very negative way of coping. They may think to themselves, "you can't make me eat", therefore gaining the upper hand, or so they think.   Some people truly believe that they don't deserve to enjoy life's simple pleasures, namely eating, hence, they starve themselves .

• 1 oz. dandelion
• 1 oz. centaury
• 1 oz. licorice bark
• 1 oz. peppermint leaves
• Put 1 cup of water that has been boiled, over 1 tsp. of the tea. 
• Let it sit for 10 minutes covered, then strain it.
• Drink 1 cup before meals.

I would like to briefly mention that there are many relaxation techniques they include yoga, deep breathing and meditation to help control stress, discouragement and fear that are part of this illness.

Last but not least is the alternative medical practice of acupressure which can stimulate appetite by working on pressure points.

• Approximately 20 minutes before eating, apply pressure to the area halfway between the sternum and navel, do this for 3 minutes.
• You can also press firmly on the bottom of the nail located on the pinky finger for 5 minutes to accomplish the same thing

 Remember, In order to have a healthy mind and body we need to eat healthy foods!

The holidays are over, It's almost February, the days are cold, the nights are long and you are feeling depressed. There are two more long months of winter and it seems like an eternity. You keep thinking to yourself, "I wish it were spring." Sound familiar? Many of us feel a little blue at this time of year. We may be a bit lethargic, or  wish that we could stay in our warm bed a little longer, some of us even gain some weight. This is normal.  However, if you are really down, have no energy, are having difficulties at work as well as with your significant others and can't see a way through it, you may have the mental health condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This condition can be debilitating because is stops you from engaging in your usual activities.

• Mood changes An overwhelming feeling of gloom, despondency, self- loathing,  easily angered. There  might also be bouts of crying and extreme sensitivity to criticism.
• Lack of energy Feeling listless, and sluggish for no reason.
• Lack of pleasure Things that you loved doing are no longer fun.  Daily activities are now drudgery. You are not satisfied with anything you do and beat yourself up about it by feeling guilty.
• Changes in rest patterns You find yourself sleeping much longer, sometimes all day.
• Difficulty focusing  Little or no motivation to complete tasks that you usually breeze through.
• Changes in diet You have cravings for "comfort foods", like sweets and carbs. You may also experience a weight gain, which of course adds to your feelings of self-hate.
•  Lack of socializing You have no desire to do things with your friends. This effects your self-esteem and enhances the negative feelings that you are having about yourself.

It is believed that diminished exposure to the sun alters the brain's production of  two important chemicals, melatonin and serotonin, that help to regulate our sleeping and waking patterns. Melatonin is essential for sleep and is produced primarily at night while we rest.  During the dark winter months,  the production of melatonin increases and can make us drowsy and lethargic. An increase of light is needed for the production of serotonin.  So as you can see, we have the perfect conditions for depression, too much darkness and not enough light.

• Foot reflexology helps to alleviate the stress and tension from SAD. This type of therapy utilizes the application of tender massage to pressure points on our foot that correspond to various body parts. 
• Herbal teas are helpful Try Hops tea which has a relaxing effect when you are especially nervous and irritable.  Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tsp of hops. Let sit for 10 minutes, strain and enjoy.
• Exercise does wonders because it releases those "feel good endorphins". Try yoga,   tai chi ,  meditation , or even vigorous exercise.

Psychotherapy is an option that I would like to mention.Talking to a well trained professional who understands your mental health, really helps. One of the symptoms of depression is extreme negative feelings about yourself and life in general.  A therapist can help you gain an awareness of why you have this condition and assist in setting up an appropriate method of treatment.  In addition to counseling, prescription medications such as antidepressants may be prescribed as they are used to regulate the production of melatonin and serotonin.

There are millions of people worldwide, who suffer from depression which can be a debilitating mental condition. Research has shown your negative feelings and pessimism are related to physiological changes in your brain. When there is an imbalance of certain chemicals called neurotransmitters that control signals in your brain and nerves, you may feel extreme melancholy. Your brain needs the right amount of these chemicals to keep you feeling good and emotionally healthy. Depression therefore occurs when the messages between brain cells are not distributed evenly causing  a disruption of your inner communication system.

A good example of this concept is the childhood game of telephone, the first person whispers a message to another person, the second person to someone else, and so on. Usually by the time the message gets to the final person and he/she has to repeat it out loud, the information is inaccurate and may be jumbled up so that it makes no sense. This is what occurs when there is miscommunication between neurons, the final signals are scrambled.

• You cannot concentrate on anything
• You may experience insomnia.
• You have a lack of appetite.
• You have intense feelings of sadness with intermittent episodes of crying.
• You are always agitated.
• You feel as if you have no hope.
• You entertain thoughts of suicide.

• B Vitamins help your brain to run smoothly. Emotionally, they lift your spirits, calm your anxiety, and help to keep you energized.
• Amino Acids, are proteins that the neurotransmitters come from. Serotonin, is the chemical that anti-depressant drugs try to replicate, and Melatonin is the transmitter involved with our body's sleeping and waking rhythms. You can well imagine, if these are out of balance, you will not feel good.  Therefore, it is important that you ingest enough amino acids. They are are found in foods like salmon, brown rice and turkey. Another amino acid, Tyrosine, is needed to produce the chemical Dopamine and Norepinephrine which also keep your brain function running smoothly. These are found naturally in bananas, dairy products, almonds and avocados. If you would prefer, you may purchase purchase these amino acids as supplements.  Do not take Tyrosine if your doctor has prescribed an MAO inhibitor which is an anti-depressant drug.

• Mix 2 tbsp each of Yarrow, St. John's Wort and Peppermint leaves.
• Put 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tbsp of the combination. 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, strain and drink.
• You may drink 2-4 cups a day for a few weeks.

"Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere."  ~Glenn Turner

Have you ever been in a crowd of people when suddenly your heart starts to race and your breathing quickens? Then without warning, you find yourself unable to catch your breath, you break out into a sweat, and become lightheaded and dizzy. This is known as a panic attack and is usually manifested by shortness of breath that causes us to hyperventilate. When we hyperventilate, we exhale more carbon dioxide than we generate, thus decreasing the levels of carbon dioxide in our body. When this occurs we feel lightheaded and dizzy. Over 90 million people around the world suffer from this malady. So you are not alone.

A panic attack is a stress related disorder coming from extreme anxiety and fear. People who have this mental health illness may fear that they are having a heart attack because the symptoms are similar. In addition to these signs, you may tremble, have chills, hot flashes, feel nauseous, have cramps, have tingling or numbness in your hands, feel as if you are  choking, and/or feel like you have left your body.  As you can well imagine,  this sickness can hold you hostage and destroy your life.

You may ask yourself why is this happening? Sometimes a panic attack arises for no apparent reason, but most of the time there are underlying psychological issues that need to be dealt with. Studies have shown that most people who have this illness are very uncomfortable in social situations, have suffered a childhood trauma such as abuse, are perfectionists, or merely worry about everything.

There is help out there for those of you who suffer from this debilitating syndrome. If it is severe, you should consult with your physician to make sure you are not having heart problems. Once physical illness is ruled out you may want to consult with a counselor or psychotherapist who will help you get to the root of your problems. Your mental health counselor may suggest prescription medication to help alleviate the symptoms as well as therapy. Alternative, natural remedies may also be effective.

Cognitive and Behavior Therapy

Cognitive therapy deals with the mental processes of perception, memory, judgment, and reasoning. It is quite helpful because it works on changing the underlying thought patterns that are causing your panic attacks. It is important for you to learn how to alter your negative ways of thinking so that your anxiety and fear subsides. Once you are able to do this, the next step is to actually change your behavior, this is known as behavior therapy. In the comfort of a psychotherapists office, he/she will help you to identify the habits that are causing the attacks and teach you to use positive thoughts to alleviate the symptoms. Perhaps your therapist will suggest that you join a support group where you will relate to others having similar symptoms, as well as those who have been successful in controlling their anxieties.

Here are some relaxation techniques that are effective

Take a bath to help you relax and soothe away your fears. Mix 2 tsp of jasmine oil with 5 tbsp of heavy cream. Put this blend into your bath water and submerge yourself for about 20-25 minutes. Jasmine warms you up while helping you to feel more in balance. Lavender and Rose oils are also good for stress and anxiety.  

You may be able to prevent hyperventilating by consciously breathing slowly and deeply as soon as you feel the symptoms coming on. Inhale into your diaphragm and hold your breath for three seconds and exhale.  Your exhale should be slower than your inhale. While doing this, try to visualize yourself breathing the fear out of your body.

Biofeedback has been used extensively in treating panic attacks.  Sit comfortably in a chair and move your buttocks to the edge. Make sure that your feet are flat on the ground. Place your arms on your thighs allowing your hands to dangle between your legs without meeting. Next, let your body collapse inward while your head hangs forward and close your eyes. Remember to relax your neck muscles.  Repeat this technique whenever you feel stressed out and anxious.

Yoga is a wonderful way to ease tension, anxiety and fear. The "fire-breathing" pose, a type of hatha yoga is quite helpful. Sit on the floor or a pillow with your legs crossed. Keep your spine straight and raise your arms above your head. Keep your palms together. Close your eyes and become aware of your abdomen. Inhale and exhale rapidly for a few times. Next, let the air out completely. Finally, take a deep breath as you exhale, drop your arms slowly. You may repeat this exercise whenever you need to.

Try Medicinal Teas

• Motherwort tea is very good for an accelerated heart beat that comes from anxiety. Take 1 cup of boiling and pour it over 1 tsp of the herb that has been dried. Allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes and strain. Drink one cup 3 times a day for 2-4 weeks. Don't add any sweeteners.
• Hops tea is used to reduce stress and nervousness. Add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 tsp of hop flowers. Let sit for 15 minutes and strain. Ingest 1 cup 2-3 times a day.

Today it’s threatening to snow, the temperature is hovering below freezing and sunshine is nowhere to be found.  The Christmas parties are over, the bowl games have ended and the presents have long since been returned.  The sun sets at 5:30.  It’s cold and dark when I crawl out of bed in the morning (and will continue to be for several more weeks) and in a few days the mailman will deliver last month’s credit card bills.

It’s a typical January day and I’m feeling down.

I am, however, not alone.  Regardless of whether or not they’ve been diagnosed with depression or other mental illness, millions of people experience January blues.  Therapists often compare the let down that occurs after a two-month celebration to running a marathon.  If you’re like most people, you plan and prepare for the holidays and before you know it, they’re over and you’re exhausted – even sad – for a number of reasons.

For starters, there’s all that time you spend with family.  For me, a family gathering is similar to a high school reunion when I find myself worrying about what “loved ones” will think or say.  My family is an odd lot, a group of people who don’t always mix well.  Over the holidays, tempers flare, sarcastic comments are the norm and I find that I don’t ever spend time with them without some sense of anxiety…and even dread.  When January rolls around, I’ve already had plenty of time to mentally replay conversations, stew about an insensitive remark and reflect on how I’m still stuck in the same place I was a year ago.  Adding to that stress is the arrival of credit card statements and the start of my holiday spending hangover (which means retail therapy is out of the question.)

In the past, it was easy for me to fall into the self-pity mode but recently I learned not to give into the dark moods.  For me, three easy techniques work:  exercise, something to look forward to and reconnecting with friends.  There are some days when I just don’t feel like going to the gym so I pop in a yoga DVD and after about 20 minutes I feel both refreshed and relaxed.   Although I can’t run off to someplace tropical, I can call a friend and start planning our annual 4^th of July trip to the beach.  Pouring over catalogs and choosing the perfect beach house for ’08 is a great way to talk about the good times we had in the past and the great times to come.  If either of those fail, I pull out these pictures of my two favorite guys – my husband Bill and my son Justin.  I can’t look at them and not smile.

Have a nice weekend!

---Danielle

How many of you out there have felt that queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach when preparing for or taking a test? Well, if you have, you are not alone!  A little bit of anxiety is fine since it can actually enhance your performance. But, those of us who have an unhealthy fear of failing, probably will fail because it is the stress about taking the exam that causes the failure, not the exam itself. When anxiety hinders our ability to concentrate and complete tasks, it becomes a mental health disorder and should be dealt with in counseling with a certified therapist.

If you have a headache from anxiety, give yourself a head massage. Put your fingertips on either side of your head, just above the ears. Massage this spot with small circular motions and move to the top of your head.  Finish by massaging your temple and jaw.

Relaxing exercises like yoga are a great way to ease physical symptoms of test anxiety. You might like to try Qi Gong which is an old Chinese routine for health that decreases tension, anxiety and stress. It consists of a series of gentle movements, meditation and breathing exercises.

• Vitamin A helps to maintain healthy adrenal gland function. Carrots, tomatoes and apricots are filled with carotene which changes into Vitamin A.
• Vitamin B Complex strengthens the nervous system and has a soothing effect.
• Vitamin C is found in fruits such as oranges and vegetables like peppers and Brussels sprouts. It fortifies your immune system and it improves your mood.

• Valerian - It might make you sleepy, but it has a calming effect on nerves and allows you to concentrate better. Take a good size dose before your exam.
• St. Johns Wort is helpful for depression and for those who are extremely afraid of failure.  Use caution, however when ingesting this remedy it makes your skin very sensitive to the sun.
• Kava Kava contains ingredients that help the central nervous system ease stress, tension and fear, allowing you to complete your test. Do be careful, however when using this as it may slow down your reaction times.  You may also experience difficulty with coordination and balance.

• Argentum Nitricum for test anxiety, as well as the fear of not meeting a deadline.
• Gelsemium for test anxiety and extreme fear of social situations.