Heavy snoring is not only annoying but it has its fair share of health hazards as well. It could lead to lack of energy, decrease in productivity, high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke.

There are many reasons why people snore, it could be that they are too tired and they snooze it all right away, or there is an excessive intake of alcohol, drinking sleeping pills and excessive weight gain.

According to professionals, there are a lot of ways to stop heavy snoring and the key to this is by getting a proper diagnosis of the problem itself. There are a lot of surgical techniques that will surely help patients.

If you think that your spouse is about to kick you out of your place because you never let her sleep at night, then get some help immediately before your relationship takes a deep sleep and snooze away.

In New York City, there were speculations that an ambulance who will be equipped with a selected group of paramedics will be roaming around the city waiting for a deceased body and shall preserve the organ so that it can be donated to those who are in desperate need of replacements.

This will be a rapid organ recovery ambulance who will also have a counselor on board who will then talk to families about donating the organs. Of course, this action would raise a lot of ethical questions. There will be a point wherein people would think that the paramedics will simply let the patients die so that their organs could be donated. Another thing is that most family members may think that this act is rather ghoulish in nature although top medical officials would say that this is a very good move in order to save lives of several hundreds of people.

There is no absolute time yet as to when the ambulance will begin to roam the streets. As a precaution, they have noted that the ambulance will have no contact with paramedics on duty and that a supervisor will be the one to call the organ recovery team in not less than 5 minutes after the patient is declared dead.

Their next step for now is to consult with a large number of New Yorkers which will include religious groups. They said that if the general public is not yet satisfied with their answers, then they will not push forward with their pilot test.

According to a new research, asthma is significantly linked to suicidal thoughts and attempts. But then when mental health conditions and smoking comes into play, this theory is somehow weakened.

There were a number of studies that have shown an increase in the rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts among people who have asthma and other respiratory ailments. However, there is still no concrete evidence why this is happening.

During the investigation of researchers on an analysis of data that was gathered from 5692 individuals, there were an overall rate of 8.7 percent who had suicidal ideas without actual attempts at some point in their lives and there were 4.2 percent of them who had the idea but somewhat attempted to take their own lives. There were many factors that correlated with the suicidal thoughts. These factors include younger age, being female, current smoking, dependence in nicotine, major depression and alcohol abuse.

Asthma was associated with suicidal ideation with suicide attempts according to researchers. However, the strength of the link went down with the adjustment for smoking, nicotine dependence, age, sex and race. But then, we could not count out the possibility of depression, panic disorder and alcohol intoxication.

However, as they concluded, there is still a major link between asthma and suicidal tendencies with attempts involved. But, more research needs to be conducted to make the link stronger. As an additional finding, if we could just modify the use of cigarettes and make use of effective treatment of depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse and asthma are important in preventing suicide.

In a couple of months after a devastating attack, stroke victims are more likely to succumb to depression but then taking a few antidepressant drugs may reduce that risk according to a new study. While antidepressants are proven to work, problem-solving therapy also has the ability to lower the risk of depression among the victims.

Being a survivor of stroke carries the possibility of having a lot of difficulty in recovering the activities of daily life which will in turn lead to depression. This happens to more than half of the estimated 700,000 people in the United States who will have stroke.

The study in itself is centered in post-stroke depression which is a very important clinical problem. It gives evidence that pharmacological treatment will help decrease the chances of survivors from having post-stroke depression and that there could be a possible role for behavioral intervention as well. It is an important study because it can convince more people to start on preventive therapy and monitor closely for depression and then immediately start the therapy.

As of now, researchers and experts are still working on the proper treatment pattern and that what professionals should focus on right now is to evaluate patients through physical, occupational and speech therapy to help them cope up with their regular lifestyle before they went through the terror of stroke.

The Harvard University and the London Institute of Psychiatry is offering free therapy in Auckland for those who are suffering depression for the first time. The team of International researchers will also get help from Massey University’s Centre for Psychology by getting data from therapy sessions with volunteers. This data will be used to understand further the dynamics of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

The people behind this great activity says that the findings of this study will be used to offer hope for those who are suffering depression and to help them out since some of them do not have access to affordable and effective treatment. They said that the treatment will also teach them how to become their own therapists so they can learn how to deal with their own problems in very difficult situations.

Written by: Lisa Kift

People who suffer with the distressing symptoms of anxiety often experience rumination, or recurrent worry and thought spinning. This can greatly impact sleep and daily living. The negative cyclical thinking tends to have a spiraling effect - where the person ends up at the worst possible scenario - “Something bad will happen to me,” or “She’s going to leave me…,” etc. There is often absolutely no evidence to support the beliefs yet the emotional reactivity they stir up makes them feel very real to the person thinking them!
If you feel invaded by fear based thinking, here are some steps you can take to get the thoughts out of your head right now:

1) Anchor your awareness in the present by taking slow deep breaths, keeping focused on your breathing. Do so for several minutes.
2) Notice your feelings and label them. Think of the “big four,” mad, sad, glad and afraid.
3) Acknowledge the feelings rather than try to push them away as you continue to breathe deeply.
4) Give yourself a break. Imagine how you might be with a friend who was struggling in the same way you are. Would you be compassionate? Empathetic? Be the same way with yourself.
5) Breathe slowly for another minute or so as you refocus your attention to the day.

These steps will provide the framework for a good start in decreasing thought spinning. There are a lot of other great tools that can be learned to use on your own. In my work with people struggling with anxiety, a combination of family of origin exploration and cognitive behavioral therapy has been highly effective in diminishing the effects of many types of anxiety.

Lisa Brookes Kift is an Individual and Relationship Therapist in San Diego who helps people resolve their individual issues and have more satisfying relationships. See more of her mental health and relationship articles, tips, tools and advice at http://www.lisakifttherapy.com.

None of us has unlimited time. Professionals or executives often find themselves in a pressure-cooker environment as they manage people, make costly decisions or determine directions of their organizations - on top of their obligations to family and friends. How they manage their time is critical to how they will be able to manage their stress – and more and more admit that stress is impacting their jobs, emotional life, relationships and ultimately their health.

The first step in managing stress is to become more aware of all of the things that trigger it. Keep a stress journal documenting all of your stressors for one week. Don’t forget to include the less obvious stressors like commuting or family arguments. This way you at least have a starting point to do some self examination of your stress – and then figure out how you’re going to cope. Obviously, some stressors will not change and must be accepted - but others might benefit from being adjusted to lessen their impact.

Time management and effective delegation are two of the leading ways to combat unusually stressed professionals in higher level positions. In addition, learning tools to counteract the body’s “fight or flight” response associated with the unhealthy type of stress should be implemented.

Lisa Brookes Kift is an Individual and Relationship Therapist in San Diego who helps people resolve their individual issues and have more satisfying relationships. Learn about Lisa’s practice or read more of her mental health and relationship articles, tips and tools at http://www.lisakifttherapy.com.

Who have read the book of Paolo Coelho? I am a huge fan. Funny as it may seem, my friend’s psychiatrist recommended this book to him after one of their sessions. He was there because basically, after losing the relationship that he loved the most, his whole world collapsed and there he was, sitting alone with so many thoughts in his mind but he has no power to accomplish anything. He was a total bum.

Why did the psychiatrist recommend this book? Because it is a very inspirational novel that is well written and everyone can make a deep connection with the characters of the story. It all began with a boy who had a dream or a personal legend. He was doubtful at first but he listened to the voice of his inner heart and before he knew it, he became an alchemist himself. The story was touching, compelling and moving. I guess this was the novel that made Paolo Coelho the ultimate magician who made his books disappear from stalls right after the release.

I suggest that you read this novel too. It is moving and may end up being one of the best therapy methods you have evern encountered.

Unbelievable as it may seem, some men think that their genitals are shrinking. This is called the Koro Syndrom or the shrinking penis syndrome. It is a genital retraction syndrome wherein there is a pathological fear that the genitals are shrinking into the body. It is the fear of a man that his penis is being sucked into his body which sometimes result to death.

There are no cases that are documented to show that there is an actual deduction in a man’s penis. Some are suffering because they are frantically trying to stretch their genitals. It is somewhat related or similar to a panic attack only that it is with sexual elaborations. This disease is mostly in Asia and Africa. Rehabs and treatment will help solve this psychological problem.

Is there such as thing as sex addiction? Many professionals believe there is. I believe in it myself. If you could still remember Pamela Roger, the one who got 13 counts of statutory rape last 2005, she is a sex addict. She confessed what she done and is willing to go through rehabilitation.

Sex addiction is often the problem of men. Some would say that it is an excuse for cheating and some would say that it is a disease. Yes, professionals consider it a disease or an addiction. Although it is not through chemical means, it has something to do with the urge to do it just like gambling for example.

Professionals say that some are addicted to sex because of low self esteem and they needed an outlet to prove that they are something. Everything starts with just searching and watching porn for a few hours a day and then it will lead to using prostitutes whenever they can. This is very alarming since it can destroy lives, careers and more importantly - families.

This addiction is being dealt with by professionals and if you think that you are having this problem, seek help before it is too late.