Recovering from a cold or a mild fever without taking medication indicates your body is capable of curing minor illnesses because it is built to fight infections. But sometimes a mild fever may turn out to be a big one which may be a way for your body to let you know that something is wrong.  You need to pay heed to ‘warning signs’ that your body may show you and thus ensure that you are keeping yourself safe.

Everyday occurrences may also prove to be troublesome if you don’t keep a close watch. Here are some signs you should look out for:

• Hair fall and dryness: Normal hair fall is common among all women and men. But sometimes there maybe excess hair fall that may go unnoticed. A sudden increase in hair fall is a cause for concern and should be addressed carefully.

There may be various reasons for it like a change in diet which does not suit the person or a change in weather but whatever the cause, a thorough check up is essential to ensure everything is ok.

Even if you take care of your hair in the correct manner, sometimes the hair becomes too dry or too oily. It may just be the weather playing havoc with you or may be a severe case of hormonal imbalance.

• Eyes: Some people may experience a sudden reddening of the eyes and most of them do not realize the cause. Eyes can become red and dry due to many reasons like extreme consumption of alcohol or even straining the eye in front of the computer for a long time. Reddening of the eye can also be labeled to the same cause. In rare cases, it can be a symptom of cataract. Thus, a delay in visiting an ophthalmologist could prove to be troublesome and must be avoided.

• Chronic Cough and Cold: Many people who experience cold and cough especially in the mornings ignore it by saying ‘it is normal and happens everyday’. The general cough syrup will not make a difference. This is because generally, the reason for such chronic cold and cough is stress. Rarely, it can be attributed to polluted air and pollens in the air which are more likely to cause asthma. Either way, it is better if one consults the general physician and takes appropriate medicines.

• Bad Breath: Almost all of us have experienced a ‘bad-breath’ afternoon. Most often, it is because of the garlic or the onion in the food that we’ve consumed. And to cover it up, we’ve always popped in a piece of chewing gum or mint capsules. But, bad breath without any food is an indicator to visit the dentist. Bad breath can mean an unnoticed cavity or plaque planning to damage your teeth.

• A lot of sleep: Sleeping before regular bed time does not only indicate fatigue but also some lacking nutrition in the body. Taking health supplements do help to stay more active throughout the day but one should also visit the nutritionist to get a proper diet plan. This is also an indication of stress and a lot of brain work. Meditation and yoga can help ease out the stress and ultimately lead to good sleep at the right time.

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Winter blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a condition that affects people when the season changes. People who suffer from winter blues manifest symptoms of depression such as major changes in appetite, weight gain, energy loss, prolonged sadness and feelings of uncertainty and remorse. These symptoms may range from milder to severe forms that may require hospitalization and use of anti-depressants. The occurrence of winter blues may be related to the modern way of living that people nowadays adhere to. The sudden shift of their bustling life may have caused an emotional imbalance within that when not controlled, will eventually lead to SAD. Insufficiency of light may also be a factor that disturbs the pineal gland creating hormonal disruptions that cause depression.

Below are 5 ways to conquer the winter blues:

1. REPLACE INDOOR LIGHT BULBS. Create artificial light in your home by changing your standard light bulbs to full-spectrum ones. Ultraviolet rays to infrared plus rainbow colors and a variety of shades in between make full-spectrum lights ideal for the winter season.

2. REGULAR EXERCISE. Exercise promotes the secretion of endorphins, the happy hormones. Opt for at least a 30-minute work out thrice a week indoors or outdoors to relieve your stress and anxieties and alleviate the symptoms of winter blues.

3. EAT A WELL BALANCED DIET AND TAKE YOUR VITAMINS. Winter blues get worse with nutritional deficiencies. It is vital that you maintain eating a healthy diet and supplement it with vitamins to help your body cope up with the seasonal changes. Vitamin D is an essential vitamin needed at this point in time since its best source, sunlight, is not readily available as of the moment. B-vitamins are also crucial to mood regulation and in helping the body cope from stress.

4. WEAR BRIGHT COLORED CLOTHES. Stand out and create a cheerful atmosphere by sporting your colorful beautiful outfits. Not only does it give life to the glum ambiance, it also makes you feel better by boosting your self-esteem.

5. ENGAGE IN SAFE SEXUAL ACTIVITIES. Sex can be a good way to keep your body warm during the winter. It’s also an activity that promotes exercise. Studies show that sexual intercourse releases certain hormones that will improve one’s mood and self-esteem.

Winter is inevitable but winter blues are conquerable. Don’t let SAD get the best of your winter experience. Try these simple steps to add light in your days and gladness in your hearts!

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Everyone knows the feeling of anxiety.

It occurs when we are nervous about something, an event, or even a person, and it causes us to stress, panic, and feel nauseous inside.

Anxiety only ever becomes a health hazard when you experience the symptoms regularly, and not just during abnormal social situations.

If you are constantly on edge, regularly worried and fearful, and avoid certain social situations because you fear them, then you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.

There are six anxiety disorders in total:

Generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

All of these disorders differ in the way that anxiety is experienced.

For example, phobias trigger anxiety when someone is presented with something that the fear, whether it be a spider or just being high in the sky. While for someone with post-traumatic stress disorder, they fell anxiety when they remember a certain incident that has caused them great amounts of grief.

In any anxiety disorder, people can experience anxiety attacks, which are episodes of heightened panic or fear and can make you endure the following symptoms:

• Surge of overwhelming panic
• Feeling of losing control or going crazy
• Heart palpitations or chest pain
• Feeling like you’re going to pass out
• Trouble breathing or choking sensation
• Hyperventilation
• Hot flashes or chills
• Trembling or shaking
• Nausea or stomach cramps
• Feeling detached or unreal

People with anxiety disorders are urged to contact doctors or health professionals, as the effects of constant attacks will have sever consequences on your body and its health.

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Thanks to many movies and popular culture references, most of the world not think that someone who suffers from the disorder actually just swears and yells out verbal abuse all day long.

While this can be part of the case, it is far from the truth.

Tourettes syndrome was actually named after the French doctor Georges Gilles de la Tourettes, who first described the condition in 1885.

It is thought that in most cases it is a genetic condition that’s inherited, or passed on from parent to child.

health experts still don’t know the exact cause of the problem, but some research suggests that it occurs when there are changes in the brain and problems with how nerve cells communicate.

A disturbance in the balance of neurotransmitters, chemicals in the brain that carry nerve signals from cell to cell, may play a role.

Before you start panicking that you know someone with the disorder and are afraid they could pass it onto you, do not fear. Tourettes syndrome is not contagious!

Symptoms of Tourettes syndrome usually emerge in childhood or in the teenage years.

It is not very common with only about three in every 1,000 people having the condition. Boys are more likely than girls to have it.

To be diagnosed with Tourettes syndrome, a person must have several different types of tics specifically, multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic.

To give people an understanding of just how hard it is to control these tics, it is often referenced to an itch that just won’t go away, and that can only be relieved by scratching it, or in the case of TS, performing the tic.

For more information head to the website:

www.tourette.org.au

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Buddhism is one of Asia’s most popular religions but has extended world wide and includes traditions such as Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon, Tendai and Shinnyo-en.

Nibbana (Nirvana) is a central theme to Buddhism.

 In order to answer what Nibbana is and why it is so complex to answer, one must first understand the basic principles of enlightenment, and the path leading to it.

Nibbana is said to be the state in which one is free from suffering. Nibbana is a Pali word which means “blowing out”; that is blowing out the fires of greed and hatred that we experience in this world (Beyer, 1974). Buddhism views the world as ultimately unsatisfactory and is essentially useless and suffering and thus in Buddhism, one searches for what is not useless and not suffering (Beyer, 1974). Nibbana is the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice that is said to be the cessation of the ego (study guide).

In the Dhammapada it is the Buddha who says that Nirvana is the highest happiness which is enduring and fundamental to the calmness that enlightenment or Bodhi brings about (Bercholz 1994).

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Most people will experience panic attacks a handful of times in life, but some people will experience them more commonly.

The typical symptoms of a panic attack include:
- feeling as though disaster is about to strike
- paranoid, anxious thoughts
- heightened awareness, looking for signs of danger
- trembling or sweating
- tingling in the muscles
- hot flushes
- tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing
- tense muscles

If you feel a panic attack come on, you need to do several things to try to calm yourself down. Firstly, if you have a paper bag nearby then spend some time breathing in and out of it. This helps because the carbon dioxide in the bag will help your body to rebalance the gas levels in your blood and calm down.

If no bag is available, hold your breath and count to ten, and then focus on breathing in and out slowly from the abdomen.

Avoid saying things to yourself like ‘relax’ – instead, try to shift your focus away from your symptoms.

Try to remind yourself that you might feel in danger, but you are probably not in danger. If it is a regular occurrence, remind yourself that you have been in the situation before and nothing bad has happened.

If you have ongoing problems with panic attacks, it is probably worth getting help from a psychotherapist. You might be able to arrange medication, or better still, non-drug relaxation techniques.

Another option is to learn about meditation, and you can use the meditation techniques to slow your breathing and calm your body when the panics occur.

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The disorder is characterised by the walls of the throat meeting during sleep, which blocks of the upper airway near the tongue.

When the blockage occurs breathing stops (normally for somewhere between a few seconds and one minute) until the brain picks up the problem and issues a quick wakeup call.

The sleeper jolts and opens the airway, makes a bit of a snoring noise and then promptly returns to sleep.

Doctors assess the severity of sleep apnoea cases based on the number of interruptions that occur each hour, with a mild case seeing between five and fifteen interruptions per hour and a severe case seeing more than thirty interruptions.

The symptoms are taxing and include poor concentration, irritability, impotence and lower sex drive, and general fatigue and sleepiness.

Obesity is one of the biggest causes of this disorder. Sometimes a person can lose five or ten kilograms and get over the problem immediately. Other causes include alcohol, large tonsils, nasal congestion, some medications and some illnesses.

There are several treatments available, with the most obvious being lifestyle changes. Reducing your weight (if you are overweight) and cutting down on alcohol are the obvious ones.

There is a device known as a CPAP that can keep the back of the through open by forcing air in through the nose. Some people find this to be very irritating.

If you think you may be struggling with sleep apnoea, see your doctor.

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