Are we in for a new pandemic of Asian flu?

In 1957 there was a very serious Asian flu pandemic that killed anywhere from 1 million people to 4 million people. Different bodies give different numbers but even at one million you are looking at a huge number of people. Anyway this Asian flu strain was finally dealt with and all was fine again until October of 2004. This is the year that an American lab sent out samples of this deadly, deadly strain of Asian flu to different labs all over the world. Now I am not talking about a few measly deadly samples of the Asian flu, I am talking about 3,700 samples of the Asian flu. Did you get the all over the world part?

Now of course the US is scrambling to try to fix this horrible mistake, they are doing their best to get all of these wayward samples of the Asian flu destroyed but, well, good luck. He labs did not know they were going to be getting such a potentially deadly virus sent to them. So how did this happen you ask?

There is a body known as the College of American Pathologists and what they do every now and then is send different viruses to labs all over the world. They do this so that these labs can test to see how good they are doing. The CAP is supposed to know what they are sending out though, it is only the receiving lab that is in the dark. Well, the CAP thought that they were sending out a regular old Influenza A virus but ooops, not so much. Instead they sent out one of the most deadly viruses in human history: the Asian flu.

The thing is that if this Asian flu has gotten out or if it does the world could be in big trouble. None of us who are born after 1968 will be able to fend this Asian flu off at all, we all have absolutely zero immunity to it, this means that the Asian flu will hit us just as hard or worse than it did the people in 1957.

Supposedly this whole Asian flu episode is some sort of misunderstanding, though how this could have happened really is still a mystery. How could 3,700 samples of Asian flu get put out into the world by accident? They were sent to Asia, the Middle East, North America and South America as well as Europe.

What strikes fear into the heart of so many in the know is that these test kits that got sent out were treated like other test kits are treated which is not a good thing when what they contain is a deadly Asian flu. These samples of the Asian flu should have been handled with extreme care and a high level of containment but they were not. Since these types of kits usually contain something harmless they were treated as such. This doe not bode well for us, the public when it comes to protecting us from the Asian flu.

Print

Living on the Edge of Anger

When we are living on the edge of anger, we are merely wasting time, energy and possibly money. We are also allowing our emotions to control our lives, and hurting our mind and body along the way. In some cases, we might even hurt others as a result of uncontrolled anger. Some socio-biologist believes that aggressive anger is hereditary and that we all have the ability to loose control of our emotions and anger. Other socio-biologists believe that the aggressive portion of the brain if injured or suffering tumor is linked to anger. When a man murdered his wife, and then murdered more than 30 other individuals before killing his self. It was found that the man had an outsized growth developed on the limbic system of the brain. Likewise, when a person has epileptics they often explode in violence on occasions. The majority of violent offenders incarcerated were tested and it was found that most suffered antisocial personality disorders. There are many reasons we become angry and some of us act out violently while others are less prone to violence. It is also said that the hormones and certain chemicals may be linked to anger. The problem then is learning to deal with anger on different levels, while getting testing on our medical condition and mental health. The testosterone if higher than average has proven to be linked to anger also, as well certain chemicals found in women offenders has linked to anger. In fact, most of the violent criminals have proven to have higher testosterone. We see that anger has a root, but in most instances, fear is the root of the problems. If experts would have taking steps to prevent the first case scenario by running tests on the man’s head it might have saved some lives. We know that most violent offenders will not seek mental health, but they do visit doctors since most have a grandiosity personality type. They often worship themselves more so than the average person, and will often feel as though the world owes them. If these types are visiting a doctor and complaining then someone needs to pay attention to the symptoms and do something about. Anger management is available to everyone, but the downside is anger management will not work in all cases. For example, if an Antisocial personality type visits anger management classes he or she will walk out the door and continue his or her behavior. Unfortunately, some diagnosis, including antisocial, psychopathic, sociopath, histrionic, and a few others are known to fail in anger management and mental health combined. These types often rarely find a resource that helps them control their anger and often increases their chances by adhering to substances. This is a real life situation where the person is living on the edge of anger and walking on the road to destruction. If you are an average individual and find your self exploding from time to time acting out of anger you might benefit from anger management classes. The classes teach you to learn your behaviors, find a way to minimize the eruptive behaviors and control your anger. They will help you to learn more about your triggers and how to cope with the triggers as they come your way. You will benefit when you learn how to express your anger without blowing up or feeling threatened by communicating your feelings. If the problem is persistent, you might want to get a check up with your physician or possibly see a mental health expert. Do not expect more of your self than what you can do. If you are attending classes or seeing, a profession does not expect changes overnight. Try taking it slow using the one day at a time method, unless you are overly wrought then you might want to take it one second at a time to start out. If you notice changes in your behaviors within a week or two of your therapy be sure to commend your self for doing a good job. You might even reward your self with something that you have been wanting for some time. Finally, stop living on the edge of anger and enjoy life.

Print

Cornerstones of Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is something that all of us need if we have to do well in life. It gives us the courage to face the most difficult of situations, something which cannot be said of people who lack self-confidence. They often break down in front of challenges.

The question, however, is how do you achieve self-confidence? You can do so if you define your tasks, and priorities, correctly. You then need to ask yourself as to how you can accomplish these tasks. A good strategy is to break your goals into smaller tasks. This makes the main task seem less daunting. You then need to pat yourself every time you reach a milestone. This increases your self-confidence, and makes it easy for you to achieve your goals.

You also need to look at the image that you have of yourself. If you don’t have a good image of yourself, and are always running yourself down, then your chances of being successful are minimal. Your self image or what you believe about yourself can be hurt easily if you blame yourself for any setback in your life like a business failure, loss of a job or a divorce. So, avoid self-flagellation. It feeds on your negative thoughts, and can easily become a monster. You need to write off your failures, and plan for new challenges. This is a positive approach to adopt, and can shore up your shaky self-confidence.

Those who are close to you play an important role in shaping your self-confidence. If they happen to critical or negative, they will have a negative impact on your self-confidence. Your priority should be to distance yourself from such people, and find friends and supporters who are imbued with a positive outlook. Without your knowing, they will add to your self-confidence.

Another issue that matters is your reaction to the events in your life. You should consider yourself a unique person who has his own special place in the world. This will lead to a development of positive attitudes, beliefs and values, qualities that can give you the self-confidence to succeed against all odds. However, there is an inherent danger in such a world-view. You may become too over-confident, and stop listening to what the others say. Don’t allow this to happen. Listen to all criticism, filter out the points that can make you a better individual; junk the rest. This constant course correction will make you a better individual.

At the same time, you need to monitor your internal dialogue. You must talk yourself into believing that you can take up any reasonable assignment. This will drive away negative attitudes and beliefs, and add to your self-confidence..

In fact, the picture you have of yourself needs constant monitoring and care. You cannot afford to let it take care of itself. Your self-confidence, happiness and success depends on it. You need to guard against selling yourself short. Don’t underestimate yourself and prevent feelings of inferiority from creeping in. Aim high and feel that you are capable of achieving anything you choose. Write down how you would like to see yourself five or ten years from now.

Make a list of your strong points, the things you do well and the compliments you receive. Write down a few of the things about yourself, which you think need improvement. Think of yourself as a self-confident person and act as if you are very self-confident, even if you don’t feel that way. Try to keep negative attitudes and beliefs away from yourself and maintain a safe distance from negative and destructive people.

If you take responsibility for your life and practice these methods regularly, your self-confidence will rise. What’s more, it will remain high.

Print

A Surge of Anger

We walk through life searching for ways to understand how anger interrupts so many lives, including our own. We can see through the history that anger has been a major problem from the beginning of a corrupted world. We know that we have a variety of people, which includes different classes, genders, race, ethnicity, and so forth. We know that society has its own rules, the criminal division has its rules, and the religious leaders have their rules. We also know that there are different countries that have their own beliefs, separating their understanding from our country. This means we are living in a diverse system and that understanding needs to be in order to reduce the number of anger problems around the world. Anger is an emotion that all of us share. When anger gets the best of us then it is time to find anger management solutions to deal with the stress. The many people that are angry find it difficult at times to adhere to the different techniques offered since all of us differ in our own way. Some of us can go for a walk and cool down, while others may walk and find it difficult to find relief. This is because the person is focusing on his or her madness and refuses to let go. When this occurs, it might be best to find another strategy that works for you. You might find a soft cushion and beat it until your frustrations are exhausted. You might even try writing down your feelings on paper and reviewing the list once your anger is vented on paper. If you have a computer, you might want to go online and find an opponent and kick his butt in a game of chess, or what game you choose to play. Winning always enhances a mood. If you find this difficult, you may want to take a blank paper and draw ugly faces. You can draw your emotions and feelings on a piece of paper and this often works for some of us to relieve anger. After you find the technique that works best you, then it is time to learn how to deal with anger by finding the triggers and learning strategies to avoid them. Anger management classes teach us to control our anger, by looking at the triggers, emotions, and person as a whole. If you are angered because someone ate the last cookie then you know you have a problem with selfishness. A cookie is no reason to explode and vent your anger on another person. Material is irrelevant compared to hurting another individual. When you cuss, argue, fight or threaten someone because of your anger you are not only harming your self since anger harms your body, you are hurting the other person as well. Dancing is also great for relieving tension, stress, anxiety, and depression. If you have skills put them to good use, since this can help you manage your anger. Once you step to the beat, put your heart into by listening to the sounds and voices of the musicians. Absorbing your mind into music has proven effective for relieving emotional stress. Getting lost in a world of illusion can benefit the mind when the mind has taking all it can take. Your problem is deeper than the cookie, therefore you can learn by each strategy what really makes you mad. We all have problems we face each day, and some of has more than others do. Therefore, facing reality in full light is great for controlling anger. When you realize you are not centered out and attacked because of whom you are, you will then realize that problems are solvable. If you are in financial problems, you can research and learn how to find a resolve for this problem. Once you get positive insight, it will lead you to take the steps to relieving your stress and anger. If the problem is family, you might look at both sides to see where you can make things better. If someone else is the problem, you might ask this person in a cool voice to better him or her selves, since they are creating a problem. A surge of anger is great if you have control!

Print

Biofeedback: An Instrument of Relaxation

In the 1970s, in some restaurants, you could find biofeedback machines. They offered you all sorts of information about your body. Today, biofeedback is still considered a legitimate way to attain relaxation. It’s a technique that uses monitoring equipment in order to help control stress.

Biofeedback is rooted in the idea that the autonomic nervous system can be trained. For instance, equipment can determine heart rates, muscle tension, and blood pressure while individuals try to change their breathing, thinking, or posture. By working with the machines, individuals can conceivably learn the best methods for relaxation. However, the equipment can only be monitored by someone with specific training in biofeedback.

According to Dr. Leonard Holmes, feedback can come in a variety of forms: a line on a computer screen, a tone of a certain pitch, or a blinking light. A typical type of biofeedback is the EMG, which indicates the tension in your muscles. It is important to note that biofeedback is not active treatment. It is up to you decide what you can do in order to lower your heartbeat and reduce your stress level. If you suffer from migraines or neck pain, biofeedback can also help you to relax your muscles so that you don’t experience as much—or possibly any—pain.

In order to determine whether biofeedback would be effective in your particular case, a stress profile might be used. Monitoring device will determine your heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature. You are then exposed to stress, such as a history quiz. As a result, the biofeedback professional will have some idea how your body reacts to stressful situations.

Interestingly enough, insurance companies have been known to cover biofeedback treatment. For instance, biofeedback may be covered for headaches. However, other companies view biofeedback as entirely experimental. When biofeedback first came onto the scene, some practitioners believed that it would enable us to have nearly complete control over our bodies. However, that is not the case. In many situations, our bodies are basically operating under “automatic pilot.” However, it is true that biofeedback can be helpful to some individuals, particularly those who are looking for a means for relaxation.

Biofeedback is used in a number of cases today. For instance, it has been used to treat headaches, stomach problems, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, epilepsy, and paralysis. A number of different kinds of health professionals use biofeedback, including physical therapists, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, and dentists. Once the biofeedback machine detects certain physiological reactions, patients usually engage in various relaxation exercises. Also, you as a patient may learn about the triggers that cause certain physiological problems. You can also learn how to deal more effectively with stressful issues that appear in your life.

It is important, however, to note that biofeedback is not a quick fix. It cannot in itself cure any illness. It is simply a tool that you can use to take control of your health and well-being. With biofeedback, individuals can be empowered to seek solutions to common health problems. Unlike other treatment programs, biofeedback requires of great deal from the patient in order to be successful.

Would you personally benefit from biofeedback? That depends on your willingness to experiment and your own comfort level. If you believe that biofeedback could be beneficial, you should discuss it with your doctor. He or she might want to determine first whether traditional treatment would be better in your particular case. In most cases, you will need to have a complete physical exam before you engage in biofeedback. You may even have to undergo a neurological test.

If you’re considering biofeedback, you should ask your family physician for a referral to a biofeedback expert. You’ll want to make sure that you are dealing with a trained professional. Keep an open mind during the treatment. If it makes you uncomfortable, you might be better off looking at other treatment options. While it first began in the 1960s, biofeedback remains an experimental technology. Therefore, don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t seem to work in your particular case. However, there is little harm in trying it. In fact, it could make you more attuned to your body and better able to manage the stress in your life.

Print
Rodney's 404 Handler Plugin plugged in.