The Forms Of Social Anxiety

The Forms Of Social Anxiety
Social anxiety, or social phobia, is a condition that
doesn't necessarily have a great deal of notoriety, bit
it's a particularly painful and difficult dysfunction to
cope with. Those people who are aware of social anxiety,
perhaps in particular those who suffer with it, are likely
to define social anxiety in terms of being anxious in and
or fearful of social interaction. In truth however, social
anxiety can actually be defined as one of three conditions.

The most prevalent form of social anxiety is classified as
generalized social anxiety. Generalized social anxiety is a
form of social fear or social apprehension that isn't
related to any specific social situation. The person with
generalized social anxiety feels apprehension in the face
of any circumstance where they have the potential to be
noticed by others. This is an especially broad possibility:
the likelihood of being noticed in a social situation would
seem to be a constant. Given this then it's easy to see why
someone with generalized anxiety tends to move through life
in perpetual agitation and fear.

A second form of social anxiety is situation specific
social anxiety. Situation specific social anxiety is not
terribly uncommon in certain forms. Fear of public speaking
for example is a form of situation specific social anxiety
that many people share. There are some forms of situation
specific social anxiety though that can be quite disruptive
in the course of a person's everyday life. Some forms of
situation specific social anxiety include anxiety and fear
over using a public restroom, writing in public, and eating
in public. These are not uncommon activities to undertake,
yet some people will go to great lengths to avoid them,
sometimes even changing how they live their lives in the
process.

The final social anxiety form is often referred to as
avoidance disorder. This is the most extreme form of social
anxiety, and involves literally avoiding most social
situations in order to avoid the apprehension and fear
social situations elicit. Someone with avoidance disorder
can hide themselves away, avoiding any form of social
contact except with things that are completely familiar.
While this sort of behavior may come across and peculiar
and even amusing to some observers, the person with
avoidance disorder tends to suffer greatly because, like
most people, they covet interpersonal connection but can't
move past their fear to achieve it. The result is often a
very painful existence.

While social anxiety, in all of its forms, tends to be
painful and difficult the good news is that social anxiety
is an entirely treatable disorder. It's not necessarily
easy to overcome social anxiety, but it can absolutely be
accomplished. And once social anxiety is overcome, an
entire new world opens up for the person whose life was
once controlled by fear and apprehension.

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Zinn Jeremiah is an online author. Find help for anxiety by
visiting
http://www.hubonline.biz/confident-interactions.htm or
http://www.hubonline.biz/feel-better-today.htm .

Nutrition, Dieting and the "New" Middle Age

Nutrition, Dieting and the "New" Middle Age
Have your heard the media talk about how 50 is the "new"
30, and 60 is the new "40"? Sometimes I like to believe
that true. At 52, (OK, just about done being 52), I feel
like I can run around, eat and drink like I did at 32. But
I also had my first child at 32, and I promise you, I am
certainly NOT interested in seeing that type of activity at
any "new" age.

One of the reasons for this type of hype is that the media
is saying what we want to hear. Who wants to hear about
being old? I'm still having trouble rolling the words
"Middle aged" over my lips. But the reality is-I am 52,
I'm not 32. My body is in fairly good shape (for the shape
that I'm in), but I know my needs are changing every day,
and I have to be realistic about accepting those changes.

As a nutritionist, I know I have to pay more attention to
the types of foods I eat. There are many nutrients found
in whole foods, and I will almost always recommend folks
eat the whole food rather than take the supplement. This
is because most of the time, there are other components in
the food that make the body absorb the nutrient of interest
more efficiently.

One nutrient in particular I'd like to discuss is calcium.
It's so very important to get enough calcium as we get
older, because, at least for me, I know my bones can't stay
as strong as they used to be without my making an effort.
Since I'm not a weight lifter (I strain my neck carrying
the groceries in from the car), I need to make sure I get
enough calcium to help reduce my risk for the fractures of
osteoporosis.

Dairy products are probably the best way to get calcium
into your system. I recommend low fat dairy, especially if
weight is a concern for you. One percent milk is
sufficient if you like milk and want to watch your weight.
I have heard skim milk referred to as "blue water" once too
many times to ever recommend it to anyone. Besides, the
difference between skim and 1% is only 18 calories-and for
many people; the taste in those 18 calories is enough to
make a difference.

Also, dairy products contain other substances that help the
body absorb calcium more efficiently. Lactose, also known
as milk sugar, helps increase the body's ability to use
calcium. For people who are lactose intolerant, low
lactose milk is just as good. It simply contains a
different form of lactose, and is easier to tolerate.

But many people don't like dairy, for a number of reasons.
There certainly are other food alternatives for calcium,
including enriched soy products, and greens such as kale
and chard. Sometimes the calcium in vegetables products
isn't always available to our bodies, because it is tied up
with other plant chemicals in the food, and our systems
can't use it.

This is where calcium supplements come in. Remember, the
idea of taking these is to SUPPLEMENT your diet, not to
REPLACE good eating, OK? However, since calcium is one
particularly tricky nutrient for many people, especially
women, to consume, supplements may be a good alternative.

There are many different types of supplements on the
market. The two major types are: calcium carbonate and
calcium citrate. Calcium carbonate tends to be less
expensive, but it needs to be consumed WITH meals, and for
some folks, it may cause constipation. The calcium chews
contain calcium carbonate. These are a good choice for
many people, but please remember to consume only 1 at a
time. First of all, chew contains 500 mg-which is the
maximum the body can absorb at one time. Second of all, if
you start popping these like candy, you will find yourself
in the market for a strong laxative! So be sure to watch
how much you take at one time.

The other popular supplement contains calcium citrate.
This type of calcium can be consumed anytime of day and it
is not constipating. However, it may be more expensive.
As with the calcium carbonate, don't consume more than 500
mg at a time, b/c, again, that's all your body can handle
at one time. Sometimes these tables come in 300 mg doses.
If you only are able to take them once/day, then go ahead
and take 2, understanding your body won't be using the
entire amount.

Again, if you are able to get all your calcium from foods,
great. But as we, shall we say, mature, our bodies change,
and many of us can't handle dairy products like we used to.
Calcium supplements are a good alternative.

Now, if I could figure out what to take for my, my,,,memory
issues, THEN I'd be in great shape!

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If you would like more information on becoming At Peace
With Food™, as well as access to interesting articles and
links to nutritional resource websites, visit=>
http://www.AtPeaceWithFood.com/freetips.html

An Anecdotal Account Post-Extraction

An Anecdotal Account Post-Extraction
On December 7, 2007 I had my lower left wisdom tooth
extracted while under general anesthesia. Certainly, one of
the benefits of general anesthesia is that I have no memory
of the actual extraction; but according to the orthodontist
the procedure went well and they did not run into any
complications.

Of course, this is not the end of the story! The post
extraction process was an experience in and by itself.
After being awaken from the anesthesia I was under
observation for approximately one hour. My observation
period was perhaps longer than the norm, because I was
particularly nauseous after the anesthesia. The most
difficult part of being under observation was trying to, as
the orthodontist instructed, stay awake while sitting up
for a set period of minutes. As soon as I was able to, I
was moved into the recovery room, where I rested for 20
minutes. The Orthodontist gave me a specific list of foods
to eat the first day, cold soups, Jell-o and milkshakes. As
well as specific instructions regarding oral hygiene: i.e.
to not brush or use mouthwash the first day.

There are some side effects of wisdom tooth extraction in
general; and general anesthesia in particular. For me, the
most intense side effect was the nausea, and at one point,
the orthodontist gave me a shot to alleviate the nausea.
The orthodontist gave me a specific list of foods that I
could eat for the first day, primarily cold soups,
milkshakes and Jell-o. I did not have much of an appetite
for the first 24 hours, and primarily just drank juice. For
me, the side effects from the anesthesia are similar to a
24 hour flu bug, nausea, grogginess and loss of appetite.
You might have notice, that so far, I've made no mention of
my tooth-the reason for the extraction in the first place.
This is because my mouth felt fine. I had some bleeding for
which the orthodontist gave me a gauze pad. I had no
swelling, and even after the Novocain wore off, I only felt
some slight discomfort. Even then, it was less painful than
most tooth aches I've had. As the song goes, "What a
Difference a Day Makes!" The next day, all the side
effects, including the nausea were gone and my appetite was
back. I was still tired; but other than that I was fine.

As part of the post extraction period, I also had to take
medication: Amoxicillin to prevent infection, Motrin to
prevent inflammation, and (if I needed it) Vicodin for
pain. The Amoxicillin prescription was 3 times a day for 5
days; and the Motrin, 4 times a day for 2 days.

To sum up, the most intense side effects were in the first
24 hour period; and they were more related to the general
anesthesia than the actual extraction.

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For more information, you may visit
http://www.chicago-dental.com .

Considering Antidepressants

Considering Antidepressants
Depression is the most common form of mental health
problem. Most estimates are that twenty percent of people
in the US are depressed, with the majority not getting any
sort of treatment. Those people with depression who do get
treatment usually do so in the forms of psychotherapy, some
type of pharmaceutical prescription, or a combination of
both. The pharmaceutical types most often prescribed for
depression are, naturally enough, in the antidepressant
class.

Antidepressants have been in use since the 1950's. The
method for antidepressants is to alter the brain chemistry
in some specific way, often to maintain levels of a
particular chemical. The SSRI antidepressants for example
are designed to keep levels of the brain chemical serotonin
at certain levels, the thought being that reduced levels of
serotonin lead to depression among other dysfunctions. SSRI
is shorthand for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor.
The most well known of the SSRI's without question is
Prozac.

Prozac became commercially available in Europe starting
1986 but work on the drug actually started in the 1970's.
Contrary to what may be popular opinion, Prozac was not the
first SSRI antidepressant but it was the most commercially
successful of the initial SSRI's. This was certainly helped
by the fact that the first SSRI antidepressant, zimelidine,
was banned because it presented serious side effects.
Prozac was marketed as a completely new type of drug, one
that was specifically in contrast to tricyclic
antidepressants, which prior to Prozac were the most
commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals for depression.

Specifically, Prozac was said to be more precise in the way
it worked and to present fewer side effects than the
tricyclic antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants were
known for having particular side effects, including
increased heart rate, constipation, and sexual dysfunction.
Though Prozac may have had fewer side effects than the
tricyclics, Prozac was not an entirely clean drug when it
came to carryover side effects: sexual dysfunction was also
an effect seen during Prozac usage. The side effects from
Prozac use however were generally thought to subside over
time.

Whether Prozac was a miracle drug or not is certainly up
for debate, but it did prove to be enormously profitable.
There were literally millions of prescriptions written for
Prozac, and the drug grossed billions of dollars before its
patent expired. There are now other SSRI drugs similar to
Prozac that are commercially available, and these drugs,
like Prozac, have proven to be exceptionally popular. This
gives credibility to the notion that the SSRI's may be the
most effective type of antidepressant currently available.

----------------------------------------------------
Zinn Jeremiah is a freelance author. For help with
depression, visit
http://www.hubonline.biz/get-better-now.htm or
http://www.hubonline.biz/healthy-mood.htm .