Attention deficit hyperactive disorder, also called ADHD, is a condition that commonly involves hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, and the inability to pay attention. This condition used to just be called ADD or attention deficit disorder. This condition always begins in childhood and can be carried into adulthood. About 4 to 5% of adults have ADHD and not everyone seeks treatment. Some people even go undiagnosed but start to take notice later in life. As an adult it can be difficult to manage a job, be timely, or even trying to set goals.
This behavioral condition is more common in boys than it is in girls. Typically during the school age years a child begins to have trouble paying attention or sitting still at school. The symptoms can be categorized into three forms: hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and impulsivity. A child with hyperactivity has trouble staying seated and tends to bounce or fidget. They’re restless and climbing on things. They also talk excessively. Inattention is characterized by being distracted, having a hard time following directions, trouble getting organized, daydreaming, and losing things. Impulsivity is marked by interrupting others, blurting out, and impatience. These characteristics spill over into adulthood and can cause problems at work, result in anger problems anxiety, mood swings, feeling bored a lot, relationship problems, and depression.
ADHD might be caused by a number of reasons, and the exact or direct cause is unknown. Most of the time, this condition runs in families, it can also be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, toxins that could affect the brain, a brain injury, or any substance abuse during pregnancy. Contrary to assumption, sugar does not cause ADHD. It is also not caused by watching too much T.V. or going to a bad school.
Although there is no cure for ADHD, medication and therapy is available. Medications called stimulants can help. There are also non-stimulant medications which can be prescribed after age 6. Omega 3s have also been found to be effective. Therapy might involve behavior modification, transitioning into a special education classroom to learn structure and have a more conducive environment to addressing the issue, counseling that can help with emotional control, and there are support groups.
Many people with ADHD live happy lives and are successful despite diagnosis. Catching the signs and symptoms early can really help modify behaviors and learn coping skills. Sometimes the body adapts to medications and may need to be adjusted. Some people even grow out these behaviors. Every individual is different and certain management therapies are effective for some and not others. When daily life gets hard to manage, seeking help is always important.
Breast implants can be performed for a number of reasons including to enhance size and fullness, cosmetic reasons, or reconstructive reasons after cancer or a mastectomy. There are two types of implants: saline or silicone gel. Saline are silicone shells that are filed with a salt-water called saline. Silicone are silicone shells filled with a gel called silicone. There are pros and cons to both types. The most commonly discussed difference is that women popularly agree that silicone breast have a more real feel, however, they run the risk of leaking. The bottom line is that is a matter of preference when making this decision. Depending on the size, texture, insurance, or cosmetic nature, this surgery ranges between $5,000 and $10,000.
A person must be over the age of 18 to have their procedure performed. This is because a woman is still developing her breasts prior to this age and the FDA has enforced these requirements. A person must be at least 22 years old to have silicone implants. A person considering this surgery will meet with a surgeon and consult on what is the best approach or recommendation. Typically, the procedure will take one to two hours and can be impatient or outpatient. General anesthesia is normally administered. Depending on the procedure, a doctor will make incisions under the arm or breast and near the nipple, in order to insert the implant. Once the implant is in the place, the surgeon will close the incisions. Post- surgery, one is told to take it easy and to not lift anything heavy for at least 6 weeks. Drainage tubes may need to be worn for a couple days. Often times, pain medication is prescribed. Swelling will diminish and any scars will fade over time.
This surgery does have risks. Breast pain can become consistent. There may be visible scars. There can be changes in feelings to the nipple or breast area. Infection can occur. The implants may not be symmetrical. The implants can rupture and then leak. When a silicone implant ruptures, the body will absorb the fluid. When a silicone implant ruptures, the implant actually deflates.
Breast implants are not designed to last for the rest of a person’s life. They may have to be replaced over time. Silicone implants require a three-year checkup and an MRI at these visits to check for ruptures. Implants can also require special mammograms to be performed so that the x-ray can be done. They can also make breastfeeding more difficult. Receiving this surgery is a personal decision and the reasons vary. As with any surgery there are risks to consider, but plastic surgery can be life changing in many positive ways.
Migraines
Debilitating headaches can really ruin a person’s day and lead to time spent in bed or yes, even throwing up. Persons suffering from migraines have a difficult time performing daily tasks, which means missed time at work, missed workouts, and missed time spent with loved ones. Some have found this head throbbing pain to be so unbearable they have opted to undergo scientific studies to get to the bottom of the cause. This terrible condition can feel isolating, hopeless, and there’s a looming fear when the next headache will hit.
Migraine 101
By definition, “A migraine can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on just one side of the head. It’s often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can cause significant pain for hours to days and can be so severe that the pain is disabling. Warning symptoms known as aura may occur before or with the headache. These can include flashes of light, blind spots, or tingling on one side of the face or in your arm or leg” (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/dxc-20202434) . Imagine being bed ridden for a couple days by such intense pain.
4 Stages
There are actually 4 stages of a migraine and different people either experience some or all of them. (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/dxc-20202434)
- Prodome: you feel changes to your body that serve as a warming system a migraine may be approaching. These might include stiff neck, mood changes, thirst, constipation, and/or food cravings
- Aura: your senses seem “off” including vision, touch, and hearing
- Attack: the actual pain, throbbing, nausea, that can last up to 72 hours during the migraine
- Post-drome: total exhaustion after the attack
Causes
Causes vary among individuals and can be the result of genetics. Here are the most common causes (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/dxc-20202434):
- Hormonal changes in women. Fluctuations in estrogen can trigger headaches, especially in women. Headaches typically occur immediately before or during a woman’s menstrual cycle, when the body is experiencing a major drop in estrogen.
- Foods. Aged cheeses, salty foods and processed foods may trigger migraines. Skipping meals or fasting also can trigger attacks.
- Food additives. The sweetener aspartame and the preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG), found in many foods, may trigger migraines.
- Drinks. Alcohol, especially wine, and highly caffeinated beverages may trigger migraines.
- Stress. Stress at work or home can cause migraines.
- Sensory stimuli. Bright lights and sun glare can induce migraines, as can loud sounds. Strong smells — including perfume, paint thinner, secondhand smoke and others — can trigger migraines in some people.
- Changes in wake-sleep pattern. Missing sleep or getting too much sleep may trigger migraines in some people, as can jet lag.
- Physical factors. Intense physical exertion, including sexual activity, may provoke migraines.
- Changes in the environment. A change of weather or barometric pressure can prompt a migraine.
- Medications. Oral contraceptives and vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, can aggravate migraines.
Migraines are not on our team. But we learn to overcome and know that the show must go on, which means we need to take care of ourselves, seek treatment and help when needed, and try to avoid situations that can trigger migraines. The community of sufferers is quite large, so one must keep hope there’s a medical solution to this phenomenon very soon.
One of the most common questions I am asked is, “How much cardio should I be doing??” We are told we need to exercise and cardiovascular activities are the first item we refer to doing. There are a multitude of benefits when doing cardiovascular activity, but sometimes you might be doing more harm than good if you are doing too much. Just because you run ten miles per day doesn’t mean the weight will melt right off (even though one would assume this). So let’s take a look at the cardio overload affect and see what happens to the body when this occurs.
There are a number of indications your body will show as signs that you are doing too much cardio. Every BODY is different. Here is what we are supposed to be doing: “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 engage in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise spread over three to five days a week. Or do 75 minutes of vigorously intense aerobic exercise spread over three days a week. These minimum recommendations outlined in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans decrease your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and osteoporosis” (http://www.livestrong.com/article/145445-recommended-amount-of-cardio-exercise/). It’s easy to think that the longer I run on the treadmill, the more calories I’m burning, so the more weight I will lose. Wrong!!!!!
Cardio doesn’t have the same after math effects that strength training has for us. Meaning, “Unfortunately, the positive fat-burning effects of cardio exercise are short-lived. Once you stop exercising, your body’s metabolism quickly returns to its normal state. If cardio is your go-to exercise then you are forced to do more and more in order to see ongoing weight-loss results. This becomes problematic because increased cardio training can lead to decreased muscle mass. If your body loses even the slightest bit of muscle, your resting metabolic rate (i.e. how many calories you burn when you’re NOT exercising) dips even further. Your body will begin to shed fat even more slowly…unless you do even more cardio” (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-smith2/4-indicators-that-youre-doing-too-much-cardio_b_9321966.html). And cardio is hard on our joints so having to pound the treadmill longer and longer to see results becomes strenuous on both the body and mind. Plus, one can burn through muscle so although we might be getting smaller and seeing the scale drop, we are not re shaping the body appropriately. It’s similar to the effect of not working out after a surgery or injury. The scale might actually go down, due in part to muscle atrophy.
Training smarter, not harder is the appropriate expression here. The cardio myth goes like this, “There is this horrible misperception in our society about fat loss. A lot of people think that if you starve yourself and do two or three hours of cardio each day, the fat is just going to melt off. Actually, performing too much cardio will put your body in a catabolic state and burn hard-earned muscle. The loss of muscle will not only reduce strength, but it will also slow down your metabolism. If your metabolism slows down too much, you’ll have a tough time burning fat” (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-ripped-dude-how-much-cardio-is-too-much.html).
Personally, I can run for hours (literally). But I have learned, especially while training for my competitions, that at some point I’m actually not doing myself any favors. Mentally, I love the clarity of just running and going until I just have to stop. Physically, I don’t want to burn through muscle. There is no science that says how much is too much, but realistically anything over 60 minutes is probably more counterproductive than good. Females love their cardio, but ladies, we have to use strength training to re-shape our bodies and ward off osteoporosis.
When I meet a client and they ask me why they haven’t seen results when they do the Elliptical or jog every day, well, we know that the cardio myth has come into play. It might be breath of fresh air to hear that you don’t have to run for hours on end to see results. Rather, use cardio in combination with strength training to achieve optimal results. Every BODY is different, and we learn on our fitness journeys what methods work best for us. Don’t be fooled I won’t write you a pass for P.E. that says you don’t have to run the mile haha, but I will tell you that don’t have to run 5 miles every day to achieve your fitness goals.