Author Archives: schatzi

Depression and the Mind

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Depression is one of the most devastating mental illnesses. Unlike other physical ailments, depression deprives you of the capability to live well.

If you are suffering from mental depression, you are not alone. There are millions of people all over the world who have this disorder. You can go on for years without getting anything done, or, worse, having any idea what you want to do with your life. You just get lost, and so you drift from one thing to another, not knowing what you want from life. If you mental conditions further deteriorate, you may even lose the ability to be present to almost anything. No matter what you do, you do it only half-heartedly. As a result, you have no sense of achievement, and you are not getting anything done in your life. You will be spiraling down into a bottomless pit of despair.

In depression, you tend to see things with your brain, instead of with your eyes; similarly, you hear with your brain and not with your ears. Perception is all in the mind. But, unfortunately, these deceptive perceptions become so “real” to you that you begin to “believe” in them, especially when they continually talk to you as internal dialogues.

People with mental depression usually have muddled thinking: there are too many thoughts filtering through their minds. As a result, they have a tendency to analyze or to explain their perceptions so as to make some sense of or to draw some conclusions from what is going through their mind. Unfortunately, analyzing or thinking through what is in the mind will only create more mental blockages that only perpetuate the inertness and sense of loss, which are characteristic of a depressive mind.

Instead of explaining or striving to explain any given situation or event, you just learn to let go. The ability to let go of what you are holding on to holds the key to recovery. Many individuals suffering from mental depression turn to the use of medications as a miracle cure. Medications may lift their moods through the enhancement of neurotransmitters, but they do not get to the root of the problem — which is the mind. It is always mind over matter.

To sum up, do not analyze or explain whatever that happens in your life. Just learn to let go. Yes, letting go is the answer to the confusion of a depressive mind. Those suffering from mental depression must have undergone some traumatic experiences that triggered their mental depression. Depression does not just happen to any individual without a reason. It is the inability to let go of the past that perpetuates the recurrence of depressive thoughts. Medications can suppress these symptoms, but they do not remove them for good.

Now, the burning question: how to let go?

Letting go is easier said than done. Your conscious mind might have relinquished all depressive thoughts of past experiences, but your subconscious mind may still be clinging on to them like leech. The only way to access your subconscious mind is through meditation, which can give not only clarity of mind, but also the perception of priorities in life. Once your mind is clear, and you see the top priorities in your life, you will begin to look at everything in perspective. Knowing what is the most important and the least important may help you let go. Through meditation, you can conduct internal dialogues, which are affirmations, with your subconscious mind, thereby instrumental in changing your conscious mind. Your subconscious mind can influence your conscious mind to let go.

Once the mind becomes uncluttered, depressive thoughts may dissipate. If you wish to heal your depression, you need to heal your mind first. It is always mind over matter.

Copyright (c) 2010 Stephen Lau

Understanding The Other Dental Specialty Your Dentist Might Practice

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Twice a year, we make that same appointment to have our teeth checked by our dentist. But what we don’t know is what other specialties our dentists practice. You can ask them directly so you know what other things they can or cannot do. And, this may just make you more interested in what they do.

It’s important to know what your dentist can do so that you know you are going to the right one. You will also get to learn more about dentistry and all the things that can help in your very own dental care. There is also the possibility o you saving money by changing your dentist because there might be a better one who knows what you need.

Knowing what the other dental specialty is that your dentist practices in will definitely give you more input about what your choices are when it comes to your dental health. Here are a few dental specialties that you can research about. You will definitely learn something new.

Saving Your Teeth

There are some dentists out there who work with the other dental specialty known as Endodontics. This is a specialty that revolves around how to save problem teeth instead of getting rid of them. Basically, a dentist who has this other dental specialty will look for ways to treat your teeth and prevent them from becoming problematic. One of the procedures that fall under this specialty is the root canal. You may have heard of this Endodontic procedure.

Fixing Teeth

Once of the nice things to know is that we don’t always have to have a tooth pulled, especially if it’s not causing any real problems. One other dental specialty is all about fixing teeth and it is known as Orthodontics. Dentists in this field look for ways to fix problems like the realignment of your teeth. What they can do is straighten your teeth if they are crooked. The Orthodontist is the person who provides braces or retainers.

Dentist’s For Children

While dentists can fix teeth for anybody, it is advisable that a child visit one who can work with the other dental specialty known as Pedodontics. This basically is an area or branch of dentistry that specifically addresses the oral care of children. A pediatric dentist also has training in child psychology because children have to deal with different fears that adults are already used to.

Beyond The Teeth

There are also dentists who study things specifically other than teeth. These dentists study the other dental specialty known as Periodontics. This is the study of the gums and other areas that surround the teeth. Dentists who study the problems around the teeth can pinpoint and prevent many problems that people suffer from today. A dentist will usually send someone to a Periodontist if that person is suffering from any gum diseases or gum complications.

Restoration

You may have heard of someone getting new teeth after having experienced an accident. This situation is not unheard of and it is something that can be addressed medically. Through the other dental specialty known as Prosthodontics, one can get a new set of replacement teeth. This is the area of dentistry that specifically deals with restoring dental health in someone who has suffered dental losses through injury or major disease.

Child Support Vs. Alimony

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When going through a divorce, there are terms being thrown around all the time, and two of the most commonly heard ones are child support and alimony. This is mainly because everyone is usually concerned over money during times like this, and rightfully so as divorce can be insanely expensive. Even though child support and alimony are commonly heard terms, there is a lot of misconceptions as to what these mean exactly and what you can do about them if you find yourself making enormous payments.

First, let’s talk about child support. Child support is mean only to be used for purposes of raising your children when you are not there to do so yourself in person. It is meant to maintain a standard of living between both households and to ensure that the child is receiving adequate care no matter of the circumstances of the parent they are residing with. It is NOT meant to be extra spending money for your Ex to use as she sees fit. Child support also typically, though not always, has a defined end point of when your child or children turn 18.

Alimony, on the other hand, is meant to be used by your Ex explicitly for her purposes. The determining factor in setting an amount for alimony is different for every divorcing couple and usually includes factors such as the education level of the spouse seeking alimony, previous and current jobs, the ability to maintain their current residence, etc. There is also usually an end point to alimony payments, though it is usually much more subjective than with the clear-cut age factor in child support. Usually remarriage is one clear point, but the judge will take all the previously mentioned factors into consideration as well as any other factors you make available when your alimony is set.

When you are submitting your financial paperwork during this process, it is crucial that you only submit your regular salary and do not include bonuses and overtime money earned. We do not recommend this to get you in trouble or lie to the court, but rather than these financial earnings are not consistent and are not controllable by you. If you submit them to the court, it is all but guaranteed that the judge will include them with the regularly reported earnings and set a higher amount of alimony and/or child support than you might otherwise receive.

Cancer in Animals

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Cancer is not restricted to human beings. As a disease it is indiscriminate and completely unbiased when it comes to affecting different species. Our beloved pets are not immune with dogs bearing the brunt of the disease, being affected by tumours twice as often as people. Cats on the other hand develop tumours only half as frequently as humans. Cancer occurs most often in older pets and is in fact the leading cause of death among cats and dogs. If you suspect that your pet has cancer it is vital that you get him or her to a vet immediately as the earlier the cancer is detected, the earlier treatment can begin and the better the chances of survival.

Cancer can be difficult to detect in animals especially as they can’t describe their pain or show you exactly where it is. Here are 10 of the most common signs to look out for:

1) abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow

2) Sores that don’t heal,

3) Weight loss and

4) loss of appetite,

5) bleeding or discharge from any orifice,

6) offensive odour, that is not normal pet odour.

7) difficulty eating or swallowing,

8) hesitation to exercise or loss of stamina, that is not laziness or due to heat,

9) persistent lameness or stiffness and

10) difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating.

Should you see any of these signs you should take your pet to a vet straight away so that the correct tests can be carried out and a diagnosis can be made.

These tests can include x-rays, which will show tumours, abnormal masses of tissue and degradation of bones; blood tests; ultrasonography; a physical exam and a complete medical history. To be entirely sure that it is cancer, however, a biopsy will have to be performed and the tissue graded to assess how serious the cancer is.

Animals get many of the same types of cancers that we do. They even get breast cancer, although spaying your female pets when they’re between the ages of 6-12 months significantly deceases their risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer is also one case where cats are more at risk than dogs, with more 85% of all tumours being malignant in cats and only 50% malignant in dogs. Skin tumours are very common in dogs but quite rare in cats. However, in the case of cats skin tumours are more often than not malignant, while in dogs they are benign. You should take all skin tumours to the vet to be examined. Bone cancer occurs most often in large dogs and seldom in cats. As with humans, it’s most often the joints that are affected, particularly in the legs. Symptoms include swelling in the joint, difficulty walking and persistent pain. Lymphoma is common is both dogs and cats and occurs when one or more lymph nodes in enlarged. Chemotherapy is the most effective treatment for this type of cancer. There are many more types of cancers that animals get; the list is as endless as that for people.

The treatment for animals with cancer is the same as that for people and includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, cryosurgery (freezing), hyperthermia (heating), or immunotherapy. Treatment will depend on the type of cancer, its severity, and the breed of dog/cat and its size and also on you, the owner and what you want to do.

In regards to the side effects of treatment, surgery is usually the easiest to recover from with the animal able to return to his or her previous level of functioning within a relatively short space of time. Chemotherapy, however, does have side effects for animals just as it does for people, even though the dosages are much lower. There can be nausea and vomiting accompanied by a reluctance to eat. Your pet may become lethargic and be reluctant to move or even stand. There may be a fever and if this is the case you should call your vet immediately as it can be lethal. In general most animals that have had cancer and gone through treatment, enjoy a good quality of life. They resume their normal activities and play and have fun the same as before.

On a sad note, it is important to add that in most cases the cancer is not cured it is merely in remission, and that it will eventually come back. This must be thought about and discussed amongst the family before the initial decision is made to treat the animal. It will help you to decide if treatment is worth it in the long run. If it looks as if the treatment is not working or if the animal is experiencing pain and discomfort the vet is ethically bound to tell you. They are also bound to tell you that the pets enjoy their lengthened lives and do not know that they are on borrowed time. But you must know that they will have to go through the whole experience again and so will you. It is up to you, the owner to decide what is the right thing for your pet in that situation. It is a difficult decision to make and one that can only be made with love.

Recommended sites:

Link 1 [http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/cancer/cancer_brochure.asp]

Link 2