Vicky and the 'Taboo Subject'

Vicky Tucker - Actress Rachel Atkins

Well done to Vicky Tucker in The Archers for raising the issue of menopause.  In recent years The Archers has dealt with many controversial issues including rape, abortion and drug abuse but women talking about menopause issues is a bit of a taboo.  

In fairness it was only a short conversation between two female characters, Vicky and Lynda.  Vicky was concerned that entering the menopause and starting to have symptoms might be a bit of a turn-off for her new husband who normally looks at her like ‘a boy in a sweetie shop’!  Lynda, not normally the sexiest of characters, reassured her that she and her husband still enjoy a very fulfilling sex life.

This short conversation provoked over 200 messages on the BBC Archers blog.  They ranged from being disgusted that the subject had been raised to serious comments about the nature of menopause.   But why is menopause still such a provocative subject?

Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life that can be compared with puberty.  It begins naturally between the ages of 45 to 55 and may last 15 – 20 years.  Menopause that occurs before the age of 40 is called ‘premature menopause’ or ‘premature ovarian failure’.   Menopause can also be precipitated by illnesses and medical interventions.

Some women think that if they take HRT they will not have to go through menopause but they are only delaying it.  At some time you have to stop taking HRT and at that stage you may get symptoms.

A significant percentage of women will pass through the menopause with minimal symptoms.  There are a number of factors that affect the nature of the menopausal experience.   Genetics is one factor and the experience of female relatives can give an indication of the timing and symptoms.  More important to having a good menopause experience are diet and lifestyle.  It’s never too early to start eating well, exercising and leading a healthy lifestyle in preparation for a better menopause.

And if you are having symptoms that concern you, you may want to consult your doctor.  You might also want to talk to your best female friend.

Lack of Exercise More Harmful Than Smoking?

A new report published in the Lancet today, 18 July, has concluded that a lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths across the world  as smoking.  The team of researchers was drawn from centres across the world.   They concluded that about one third of adults are not getting enough exercise and this causes about 5.3m deaths a year.

Dr I-Min Lee who co-authored the report said that “Being inactive increases your risk of developing chronic diseases”, these include heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer.  This does not mean that it is ok to smoke as long as you exercise.  It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle by not smoking, eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight and taking exercise.

So how much is enough exercise?   The Report recommends that adults do 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.  You don’t have to do this all in one session, in fact it’s better to spread it over the week in manageable amounts. And you don’t have to go to the gym, you could try brisk walking, cycling or gardening.  It’s whatever would fit into your daily routine.

Start off by setting yourself a target for the week that you know you can achieve and then schedule the time into your diary.  Next remove any obstacles to you achieving your target.  Get the trainers and the gym kit out of the wardrobe and leave them somewhere handy.  You want to get into the habit of taking exercise so that it just becomes part of what you do.

Finally make a commitment to yourself or, even better, to someone else that you are going to do this.  Remember physical activity improves your physical, emotional and mental health.

For more details see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-18876880

Top Revision Tips

If you are revising for exams at the moment, you may find that no matter how hard you study or how many hours you spend revising, the information just isn’t sticking.  If that is how it is for you, you need to try something different.  Here are some tips to make your study more effective:

1.      Set yourself revision goals for each day and plan your work to achieve them.  Make sure you include some rest times every 40-50 minutes.

2.      Rewards yourself for study goals achieved for example call to a friend or have 10 minutes on a favourite game.

3.         Make it easy to do your revision by keeping your study area tidy and well-ordered.  Keep books and notes for different subjects separate and easy to find.

4.         Make it hard for things to distract you.  Keep your mobile phone on silent, turn off Facebook, Twitter etc.  Leave your computer games in a different room

5.      Understand how you prefer to take on and remember information.   Some people take in information most easily through images and pictures, some through sound and some through physical experiences.  If you are someone who can picture things easily, mind maps will be a useful revision tool (see How to Mind Map by Tony Buzan). If pictures don’t work so well for you, try recording your revision notes and listening back to them or just saying them out loud. If you are someone who learns by doing or experiencing things, try walking while reading your notes or tracing key words in the air with your finger.

6.      Exercise first thing in the morning to increase your brain power. Exercise increases levels of hormones that are important to neurotransmitters and generates new brain cells. Study the subject you find most difficult immediately after exercise for the best effect.

7.      Have some peppermint or rosemary essential oil in your revision room. Both scents have been shown to stimulate the brain. If you find it helpful, you can put some on a tissue to take into the exam room.

8.      Baroque music is frequently used by trainers as background music to aid learning. You can try playing Bach, Handel or Vivaldi while you are studying.

9.      Have a laugh! The Von Restorff Effect predicts that material that is outstanding in some way is easier to remember. That distinctiveness can come in the form of humour or by making something bizarre or funny. So if you are having trouble remembering something see if you can put it into a joke or cartoon or make a humorous mnemonic for it.

10.  Drink plenty of water – you can’t think straight when you are dehydrated.

Good Luck!

World Hypertension Day, 17 May

World Hypertension Day was set up to highlight the health issues associated with high blood pressure for example greater vulnerability to preventable stroke, heart and kidney diseases.  High blood pressure affects 1 in 3 people but almost 50% of people don’t realise that they have the condition.  This is particularly worrying because hypertension causes 62% of all strokes and 49% of heart disease cases.

Hypertension is often referred to as ‘the silent killer’ because it may cause no symptoms for a long time.  Most common symptoms are: 

•  Chronic headaches
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Blurry or double vision 
•  Drowsiness and general tiredness
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations

If you any combination of these symptoms or think you may have high blood pressure it is important to consult your doctor.  

A complementary approach to the treatment of high blood pressure is Hypnotension ©.   The Hypnotension approach aims to help anyone with primary/essential hypertension to lower their blood pressure naturally.  The treatment puts the client back in control by identifying and addressing the lifestyle factors that contribute to hypertension.  Each client is assessed and a treatment plan devised to effectively address the factors that contribute to the client’s high blood pressure.

You can find Hypnotension practitioners in the UK, Australia and many other countries. 

Now where did I put my...

A research project was reported on the BBC PM programme recently which said that if you are looking for something you will be more successful at finding it if you repeat the name of the item out loud several times.

So how does that work?  I don’t know what the researchers concluded but I think that when you are looking for something you probably go into one of several everyday trances:

• Negative Hallucination -  where something is in front of you and you just don’t see it.  This could be because you are using focussed vision and you just do not see things around the periphery. 
• Age progression – this is where you start imagining the future in which there are negative consequences associated with not finding the lost item eg “I can’t find my purse and that means that I’m going to be late for work and my boss will be annoyed…”
• Age regression – this is where you start to imagine what happened previously when you couldn’t find something eg “The last time I couldn’t find a file my supervisor made me stay late to get the work finished…"
• Time distortion – you might imagine that you have been looking for the item for much longer than you have and this makes you anxious about being late.

Do any of those sound familiar?  Once you are in your trance, it makes the task of finding something more difficult as you become more stressed.  By repeating the name of the item you interrupt your trance and start to be more effective at looking for and finding things.

Now, where are my glasses, glasses, glasses….

National IBS Awareness Month

April is National Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month in the UK.  IBS is a common gut problem which can cause a number of symptoms including constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, flatulence and bloating.  Generally speaking, a combination of these symptoms need to have existed for 3-6 months before a diagnosis of IBS can be made.

It is thought that between 10-20% of people experience IBS at some point in their lives (www.nhs.uk).  It tends to affect more women (63%) than men (37%) and the average age of patients is 41 (Michael Franklin, 2005). Although this illness is not fatal it is painful and embarrassing for those who experience it.

Doctors do not know what causes IBS but there appear to be a number of potential factors including diet, parasites in the gut and stress.  Treatment by orthodox medicine is limited and sufferers may be prescribed medication to deal with the symptoms.  They are also likely to be advised to make changes to their diet and to try relaxation techniques. 

Studies have been done that indicate that stress and the general state of mind of IBS sufferers can have a profound effect on the severity of their symptoms. Therefore techniques for relieving stress and anxiety could enable sufferers to be in control of their IBS.

 

Research by The University of Gothenberg (2012) in Sweden showed that hypnotherapy alleviated the symptoms of IBS in 40% of the people tested and that the results were long term.  Cognitive Hypnotherapy can help control the symptoms through deep relaxation and individual hypnotic suggestions. Clients can also be taught how to use these techniques in their everyday lives.

In 2010, Dr Roland Valori, editor of Frontline Gastroenterology, said 'Of the relaxation therapies available, hypnotherapy is the most powerful'.

The Real Causes of IBS by Michael Franklin, Positive Health Magazine

Effects of gut-directed hypnotherapy on IBS in different clinical settings Lindfors P; Unge P; Nyhlin H, Bjornsson E, Abrahamsson H; Simren M; University of Gothenburg 2012

Dr Roland Valori http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8572818.stm

Hypnotherapy in the treatment of IBS by Wendy M Gonsalkorale and Peter Whorwell 2005 Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins

Controlled trial of hypnotherapy in the treatment of severe refractory IBS by Whorwell PJ; Prior A; Faragher EB., The Lancet 1984

Getting into Good Habits

The last time I had an essay to write I found all sorts of jobs to do instead.  Suddenly tidying the cupboards, washing the kitchen floor and even cleaning the drains seemed very urgent – anything that meant I didn’t have to sit down and concentrate.

Delaying things, procrastination, is a common problem.  It is part of the ‘freeze’ response that our subconscious activates to protect us from anything new or that has a fear attached to it.  Setting up good habits can take a while to achieve.  Whether it’s starting a new fitness regime, studying or doing something new at work, overcoming procrastination starts with recognising what is going on and planning to do something about it.

The first thing to do is to set yourself a goal and plan the steps towards achieving it. Writing down the goal and the plan makes it more real – don’t just think it, ink it! If you can commit to your goal and plan in front of other people that will make it even more powerful.

Next, identify the things that are stopping you from getting on with what you need or want do.  At this stage you can be easily put-off by small obstacles or distractions.  In a book I read recently* the author suggested that if you want to go running in the morning, sleep in your running clothes – that way you won’t have the excuse of looking for your gear and putting cold clothes on!  If the Internet and emails distract you, make it harder to switch the computer on or put in additional passwords.  To make studying easier, keep your books, notepaper, pens etc in one place so that you can get going quickly.

If there’s a fear that’s attached to the task, what can you do to overcome it?  Could you get advice from someone you trust?  Do you need some training or a new skill?  Could you do some research?

Finally, set yourself some rules that you know you can stick to.  For example ‘I’ll study for forty minutes and then I’ll have a 10 minute break to look at my emails” or “I’ll run for 10 minutes, walk for 5 minutes and run for 10 minutes”.  Once you have the good habit established you can start to break the rules.  

You’ll be surprised how much happier you will feel when you just get on and do that thing that’s been bothering you.  So, make a start today.

*The Happiness Advantage, 2011, Shawn Achor