Question: What are the causes and signs of anxiety?
Answer: Anxiety disorder is a condition that affects perhaps 1 out of every 20 Irish people at any one time, and it is estimated that 1 out of 9 people will be affected by it at some time throughout their life.
In itself, anxiety is a natural and healthy feeling, coming as it does from our original “fight or flight” responses to danger that evolved thousands of years ago. Many ordinary daily situations make us feel anxious, job interviews or exams, even driving on an unfamiliar road. When anxiety begins to inhibit our ability to complete tasks that should not necessarily arouse anxious feelings, however, completing our shopping or talking to others, for example, it becomes more than a natural response and mutates into what can be a serious and upsetting hindrance to living a happy life.
What Causes Anxiety
As far as is known, anxiety is caused by a change in the balance of chemicals, which are known as neurotransmitters, in the brain. When a threat is perceived, hormones and neurotransmitters such as adrenaline are released, causing a change in mood, physiology, and perception. While they help us deal with difficult situations, feeling anxious is necessarily an unpleasant feeling, especially when it occurs frequently and without a suitable reason.
As you would expect with a condition that often goes undiagnosed, an anxiety disorder does not have one definite or singular cause. Rather, it is usually brought about by a combination of genetics, family history, environment, and life experience. Anxiety can also be a secondary problem that occurs as a result of other conditions such as drug abuse and depression. There is also a strong link between the development of an anxiety disorder and alcohol. Binge drinking in particular will affect the brain’s chemical balance, as the rapid intake of alcohol will lead to a surge in neurotransmitters and a corresponding withdrawal as the alcohol leaves the system afterward. Of course, drinking to excess is often a reaction in itself to a deeper underlying problem, which makes its role in the creation of anxiety ironic.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety can manifest itself internally through a general feeling of unease or dread that something bad will happen. You may find that you cannot concentrate, are irritable, and/or restless. This restlessness will often come not with the desire for activity, but actually a reluctance to engage in social events and sometimes to even leave the house. In extreme cases, this leads to the onset of agoraphobia, or the fear of open spaces. Anxiety will often lead to difficulty sleeping, if not outright insomnia. Sometimes, this will force the sufferer to take sick days from work or college, which worsens the anxious condition still more.
The physical symptoms of anxiety include dizziness, as well as excessive sweating, with a quickly pounding or palpitating heart. Sometimes breathlessness and/or stomach ache or headache round off the physical symptoms, which makes for a truly tense and unpleasant experience.
If you feel that you are suffering from an anxiety or any of the problems outlined in this post, you should seek a consultation appointment with your G.P.
What are the benefits of the flu shot when pregnant?
The flu shot is the best defence anyone can have in order to be protected against a harmful and common virus, and will also safeguard the immune system.
But is the flu shot also advisable for pregnant women?
Absolutely.
The flu shot is excellent protection for pregnant women, and it is greatly advised that they get the flu shot at any trimester in order to protect themselves and their unborn child. The shot is even safe after delivery, and for breastfeeding and lactating mothers.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supports the influenza shot to all pregnant women in order to get the following benefits:
Restrain flu and other maternal complications. Pregnancy stages add additional pressure to the heart and lungs of any pregnant woman. It also has a great impact on the immune system which opens up the risk of becoming ill due to flu viruses such as pneumonia.
Obstruct possible problems due to the flu while pregnant. Having flu during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, untimely or premature birth, and low birth weight of the baby.
Provide additional protection to the baby even after birth. Babies are at high risk of getting sick and catching flu, especially as flu vaccines for children can only be done when the baby turns six months old. Infants whose mothers have taken a flu shot during pregnancy are most likely healthy and have a lower risk of being hospitalized. This increases still further for breastfeeding mothers, whose children share their immune system while they are nursing.
Pregnant women who take the vaccine will not only lower their chances of acquiring the flu, but also lower the risk when coming in contact with those who are sick.
In the event that you do come in contact with those already infected, older children, for example, avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth, and make it a habit to regularly wash hands with soap and water afterward. Avoid sharing glasses or utensils with those who are infected by the virus also. Remember that prevention is still much better than cure. Do not hesitate to ask your doctor or a pharmacist on how to keep yourself safe and healthy against viruses.
Nasal Spray Vaccine
For anyone, most especially present and expectant mothers, if you wish to have a flu shot, it’s probably best not to go for the nasal spray vaccine. Flu shots are made from an inactivated virus, which is why it is very safe for both the mother and the unborn during the pregnancy stage. However, the nasal spray vaccine is produced from a live virus, which of course is not appropriate while in the conception process and during gestation.
Do you have allergies?
Please also do take note that some flu vaccines contain minute amounts of egg protein, so if you are allergic to eggs, consult your doctor or specialist before taking the shot. In almost all cases, you can receive the vaccine, but you may have to wait around a half an hour to see if there are any adverse reactions.
How can you help when your child gets acne?
Acne is something of a rite of passage for almost all young people, but if the condition is particularly recurrent or severe, it can be distressing for the sufferer. In the most severe cases, it can even cause scarring.
Acne occurs when hair follicle openings on the face, chest, back, or shoulders get blocked either by the skin’s natural oils, dead skin, or a combination of the two, causing a build-up of bacteria and infection. Despite the fact that it is most commonly seen as a young person’s condition, primarily due to its association with the increased hormones of puberty, acne can actually occur at any age, through causes as varied as stress or diet.
In Mild Cases
In its milder forms, keeping the face clean through daily washing with cold water and a good quality face wash should clear up any outbreaks and clear minor acne blockages. Applying a readily obtainable cream to affected areas will speed up the process even more.
Any good pharmacy will be able to advise and supply these medications over the counter, along with a soap that is known to be effective for the condition. The cream will usually contain a substance like benzoyl peroxide or azelaic acid. They might sound somewhat daunting, but they are harmless when used correctly, only killing the bacteria that may be causing the infection, as well as dissolving the dead skin blocking the pores.
These creams should not be used on areas not yet affected by acne, as overuse will damage the skin, and hands should be washed after use.
Your pharmacist will be able to explain the correct usage if the instructions provided are unclear.
More Serious Attacks
More serious attacks of acne do happen, and they can be deeply uncomfortable both physically and psychologically for the sufferer.
The next step up from concentrated washing and over the counter acne creams are antibiotic tablets, which will have to be prescribed by your G.P. These tablets, known as tetracyclines, will generally take up to a month and a half to show an effect, but they are highly effective and over the course of treatment the rate of improvement can often be quite startling.
The course of antibiotics will usually be stopped after six months and assessment will take place. This is in order to limit the chance that the bacteria will build a resistance to the treatment.
Extreme Acne
In some cases, neither cream nor antibiotic treatments will be effective and it will be necessary to see a specialist dermatologist. They will be able to prescribe stronger treatments than an ordinary G.P., with Isotretinoin, a capsule medication derived in a large part from Vitamin A, the most likely.
It should be noted that the stronger the medication, the more likely the occurrence of side effects. Ensure that these are properly explained to your understanding before embarking on a course of medication and give yourself the best chance of limiting their influence.
