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Archive for September, 2009

Treatment of Allergies

21 Sep



Does your head feel like it’s stuffed with old socks? Do you feel like you can’t stop itching your eyes and is your nose running like a leaky tap? Don’t worry you’re not alone. You are probably one of the 20 million Americans who suffer from hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis. So what could have set off this allergic reaction? More importantly, how can allergies be prevented or controlled?

The bad news is that for many people allergy season lasts all year round. But wait! The good news is that a combination of preventive medicines, avoidance of allergens and allergy shots or vaccines can minimize the discomfort from the symptoms of allergies.

Minimize Exposure

The first step is to minimize exposure to the allergens that trigger off your allergies. These maybe pollen, mold, animal dander. Complete avoidance, although the best treatment, is an extreme solution and can be quite difficult to achieve as it may offer only temporary relief. A person may be sensitive to one allergen but over time may become sensitive to more such irritants. So the next best thing to do would be to avoid places where you know that allergen is present. For e.g. if you’re allergic to dogs, stay away from homes with dogs. Reduce exposure to mold allergens [http://www.central-air-purifiers.info/second-wind-air-purifiers.html] by making sure your garden is mowed and raked, your bathrooms and basements are as dry as possible (you could use a dehumidifier), and control the moisture levels in the house through central air-conditioning. Of course keeping your house clean will prevent dust mites, pollen, animal dander and insects from bothering your allergy prone system. You could try using an air-purifier to cleanse the air of these contagions. Make your home a no smoking zone. Avoid using hairsprays and rooms fresheners as even strong fragrances can set off an attack.

Using Medication

Your doctor may advise you to take an antihistamine. An antihistamine, like the name suggests is able to counter the effect of histamine, the chemical that is released by the body and causes the allergy symptoms. These drugs have had proven success in alleviating the common symptoms of an allergic reaction. You may be given an over the counter or a prescription decongestant like a nasal spray or drops. These will ease congestion, swelling, excessive secretions of the nose and sinus. Alternatively your doctor may recommend prescription anti-inflammatory steroid drugs if you have severe symptoms.

Allergy shots are also available to help your body cope better with allergens. Small mounts of allergens are injected into the body to sensitize it to the allergens [http://www.central-air-purifiers.info/blueair-air-purifiers.html] and help the body to learn how to deal with them. more effectively. This mode of treatment it is also termed as immunotherapy or allergy desensitization. However, this treatment can take over a year before it shows results.

 
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Natural Remedy For Eye Allergy Relief

19 Sep



Eye allergies either happen when the immune system is down, or your eyes are exposed to a new substance that your system cannot control.

In order to receive eye allergy relief, one may consider utilizing an unconventional method of treatment. Not everybody favours drugs and chemicals and when possible would rather use a natural cure. The best way to treat an eye allergy naturally is with herbs made into an eye wash. The following list of herbs is helpful for providing eye allergy relief.

Cayenne- with this herb you must exercise care, as an eye wash solution does not require much cayenne to be very effective in providing eye allergy relief. In this case, a little goes a long way. Cayenne super powers any other herb it’s combined with. In addition, cayenne improves circulation, & this increased blood flow to the eyes will aid in releasing toxins, allowing the eyes to cleanse themselves, A great form of relief.

Eyebright- this herb is stupendous in shrinking inflamed tissues, soothing inflamed mucous membranes & is a natural antiseptic. Combined with cayenne, this herb is excellent for gaining eye allergy relief.

Red Raspberry Leaves- also shrinks inflamed tissues, red raspberry leaves are excellent for providing relief to the eyes as there are pain relieving constituents contained in this versatile herb.

Rowan Berry Herb- this herb has been used for centuries for the treatment of many eye disorders, including night blindness, cataracts, glaucoma, retinopathy & macular degeneration.

Bayberry Bark- well known throughout the ages for its great healing properties, bayberry bark will help give eye allergy relief through its ability to reduce pain, shrink inflamed tissues & reduce secretion of fluids.

Once you have your ingredients you need to know how to use them. Don’t worry, I have you covered.

With the exception of cayenne, which uses (1/16th or 1/8th part), use 1 part of each herb steeped in 1 cup of boiling water & strained through a nylon stocking & thoroughly cooled.

Using an eye cup, place a teaspoon of the solution in the cup & bend the head forward. Now place the eye cup firmly but gently over your eye so that the liquid will not leak out, & then tip the head back while holding the cup against the eye area. Open the eye & blink several times, allowing the fluid to wash over the eye.

You will feel a slight burning sensation when the cayenne makes contact with the eye. This is normal- it may be uncomfortable for some people, & in that case, tip the head forward & remove the eye cup; then place a cold, wet wash rag or paper towel over your closed eye & hold until the burning subsides.

As you build up your ability to handle the burning, this formula will provide you with effective eye allergy relief.

Repeat the procedure for the other eye. Do this three to four times a day, until you experience permanent relief & maintain the procedure several times a week until your problem has subsided.

 
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Why the Proper Dog Allergy Treatment Makes Life Easier

19 Sep



My wife and I like to help out the local no-kill animal shelter by fostering dog and cats (and sometimes puppies and kittens). Not only do we get the satisfaction of helping out a great organization that is running out of space, we all get to have fun with different animals. We are very fortunate that our Golden Retriever and Chocolate Labrador have good personalities for this and adapt well to their temporary friends. But there is a down side…

Sometimes when we get foster kittens and puppies, they are rescued through part of the network and then need to find a temporary place to live while they wait to be spade or neutered. Sometimes this can be a few weeks or sometimes months. Now the down side, recently every animal we’ve fostered has had fleas. Not just the ordinary variety where they bite one of our animals that have an active flea treatment and then die. No, these little buggers are immune to a lot of the conventional flea treatments.

This presents a bit of a dilemma and we’ve had to work hard to stay on top of it. Now you’re probably wondering what these fleas have to do with a dog allergy treatment. Well, my dogs (and a lot of others out there) are allergic to fleas. All it takes are a few bites and they get small, inflamed red dots in the area where they were bitten and it drives them crazy.

Since an adult flea can bite over 300 times in a given day, this can make them miserable. When dealing with a dog flea allergy, its very important to recognize that your dog’s inflammation, scratching, licking and even chewing are probably all related. If allowed to progress, a flea allergy can cause other seemingly unrelated symptoms like dog ear infections and dog hot spots.

 
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Stop Arthritis and Joint Pain by Eating Right

19 Sep



Doctors usually give people who suffer with joint pain painkillers. However, painkillers do not always work for some people. In an attempt to stay away from drugs and medications joint pain sufferers tend to turn to supplements or some type of alternative means to control their pain. Nevertheless, did you know that a growing majority of people are having success with curing their joint pain just by eating right?

When you eat the right foods, curing joint pain forever is a definite possibility.

Foods that are good for inflammation of the joints are oranges, limes, grapefruits, and lemons. These citrus fruits contain vitamin C, which is known to help people with arthritis. A good habit to form is to try staying away from too much sugar. Sugar is known to cause inflammation. Instead of drinking juice in the morning, try squeezing a lime or a lemon into a glass of water. Lemon or limewater is not only good for your joints, but it is a very refreshing drink to get your day started right.

Other foods that can benefit your joints are foods rich in bioflavonoid, which have the ability to expel toxins from the joints. Foods that are rich in bioflavonoid are apples, berries and cherries. The best way to take advantage of these joint pain-relieving foods is to blend them up into a nice refreshing smoothie.

Vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and kale are also good for joint pain. You can prepare them by microwaving, saut

 
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Treatment of Fungal Infections of Sinuses

17 Sep



If you feel like you are experiencing symptoms of fungal infections of sinuses, you must go to a medical specialist right away to have your condition assessed. It is important to immediately determine the type of infection that you have in order to begin the corresponding treatment.

Non-invasive fungal infections of sinuses do not spread to surrounding parts of the sinuses, which is why many medical practitioners consider this type to be the less dangerous of the two.

However, you still need to seek treatment for these non-invasive infections as they can still cause significant damage to the affected areas if left untreated for a while.

There are two kinds of non-invasive fungal infections of sinuses. The first is the sinus mycetoma. This infection is caused by the funguses Aspergillus fumigates, bipolaris and the Curvularia lunata. Surgery is necessary to remove the fungus in these types of infections. Oral medication must be taken daily for a couple of weeks after the operation and your condition must be regularly monitored as well.

The second kind of non-invasive sinus infection is the allergic fungal sinusitis. This is caused by the drechslera fungus. In this condition, the sinuses are swollen and they need to be shrunk back to their normal size before the operation. Steroid ointments can work well for this purpose. Some doctors also recommend that you use a nasal wash first. If these methods do not work, that is the only time to go for the surgery.

Invasive fungal infections of sinuses, on the other hand, have a tendency to spread to surrounding tissues and can quickly reach other areas if not treated right away. For these infections, surgery is the only treatment that is guaranteed to work completely and eliminate all traces of the infection.

In most of these cases, the surgery is followed by several days of taking oral medication or steroids to bring down the swelling left in the sinuses. Topical applications may also be required, depending on the type and severity of your condition.

Make sure that you follow your doctor’s instructions to the letter to make sure that you will be completely healed after a few days.

Among these invasive forms are the chronic and acute invasive fungal sinusitis and the chronic granulomatous sinusitis.

Once you start feeling the symptoms of fungal infections of sinuses, it is advisable to go for tests right away. If you turn out to have an invasive form of infection, it is much better to undergo surgery immediately before the fungus has a chance to spread to the surrounding tissues.

The chances of having the same type of Nail fungus
infections of sinuses more than once in your life are very low. This is because the body will develop a long-lasting immunity to the infection.

 
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Recipes For Food Allergies

16 Sep



When searching for recipes for food allergies you will find there are several different sites online that cater to those who have food allergies. There are blogs, as well as popular recipe sites that will help you find the food you can eat without standing in a store for hours. Adults who have just found out they have a food allergy need to be extremely careful in what they fix. Even parents who have children with the problem need to be careful. Many times you will find that there are two meals prepared depending on the food allergies the person has. For instance a person may need such a complex recipe for it that others will not really be interested in eating the food. In either case you will find that there are hundreds of recipes for this problem, and no matter how you decide to prepare the food you have to be careful.

You will want to make sure that when you look up recipes for, you stick to the ingredients recommended and that any food you buy in the store has been looked over. Many of the recipes for it available online will give you brand names of certain foods to help may your grocery shopping for the food allergies a little easier on yourself. You will also find that if you have just one food allergy there are some recipes for food allergies available that just cater to that particular allergy and will leave the other common food allergies ingredients in the recipe.

Here is an example of recipes for food allergies that have been found online. This Mexican Chicken dish allows for chicken, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, oil, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, corn, black beans, and lime to go in the recipe. You will cook the chicken and saut’ the vegetables. Once the ingredients are cooked you are then to combine the ingredients together and allow it to simmer for ten minutes. You can find that you can use dairy, soy, corn, wheat, and gluten free ingredients as needed. Chili powder and corn will contain the gluten. The recipe simply states the ingredients that may need to be omitted based on your personal food allergies, but it is free of the most common problems many suffer from. It is important to make sure you read a recipe thoroughly as well as check the ingredients packages.

 
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Do Stinging Nettles Relieve Arthritis Pain?

15 Sep



The simple answer for many is yes, and certainly acceptable for quick relief. Stinging Nettles have been used for thousands of years for there medicinal properties. Nature provides us with many plants and roots that will aid in the relieving of joint pain and inflammation, with the most radical being the common Stinging Nettle.

The science behind the myth is somewhat confusing, having said that recent studies carried out at the University of Plymouth UK, offer some scientific proof that this ancient folklore therapy can actually work.

During research at the University of Plymouth stinging nettle leaves were applied to the hands of 27 arthritis sufferers daily for a week, The results were then compared to the effect of a placebo, namely, the white deadnettle leaf, which does not sting, the white deadnettle leaf was also applied for a week.

The researchers found that stinging nettles not only significantly reduced pain, but also that the level of remaining pain stayed lower through most of the treatment.

How Does It Work

The theory is, the nettle leaf contains thousands of microscopic stinging spines which are thought to pierce the skin similar to acupuncture which triggers histamine (the body’s own anti-inflammatory) as well as a sting, to concentrate on the treated area, the by product being arthritis pain and inflammation relief. Pain relief was most likely to occur if a sting with weal’s (nettle rash) was produced.

This is an ancient folklore, that seems to work for many people all over the world.

The stinging nettle is a freely available plant which grows in may countries around the world and its sting seems a safe treatment.

How to Administer

Quite simple really, the best and the traditional way to treat your arthritis with stinging nettles is to grasp the plants stem with a gloved hand and then thrash the affected joint with the leaves until nettle rash appears, repeat for all affected joints, in most cases this will help reduce the pain and swelling quickly for a short period of time.

Does this all sound a little barbaric?, well nature has provided many long and short term answers for arthritis, with nettles being at the extreme.

There are easier and far less abrasive ways of reducing your pain and inflammation believe me.

 
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Who Needs The Flu Shot?

15 Sep



The season of the flu has arrived. Seasonal flu can make you miserable and wish you were dead. To the elderly or infirmed, it can cause death. There are many categories of people who need to get the flu shot. Health care workers. Anyone over 50 years of age. Children between 6 months and 5 years of age. Pregnant women. Anyone residing in a nursing home or long-term care facility. Children on long-term aspirin therapy from age 6 months to 18 years. Children and adults with chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or other health problems. Immuno-compromised people on chemotherapy or people with HIV. Anyone with lung problems or compromised breathing. Anyone who lives or works with individuals with chronic health conditions listed above.

The flu vaccine is not going to prevent everyone from getting the flu, but it will prevent or reduce most complications from the flu. Flu patients can lose significant time from work and often are bed-ridden for days. The vaccine does not have live virus in it so that you are not getting the flu. Needle phobia is probably a big reason why some people don’t get the flu vaccine. There is vaccine in the form of a nasal mist which has been shown to reduce the chances of getting the flu by 92%. Do not get the flu vaccine 1. If you are allergic to eggs. 2. If you have had Guillain-Barre syndrome in the six weeks following a previous flu shot. 3. If you have had a previous reaction to the flu shot.

Flu shots are available through doctor’s offices, health clinics, pharmacies, and even through places of employment. Many health insurance companies pay for the flu shot and so do Medicare and Medicaid. Some places offer it free as a community service. October is the month to start thinking about the flu.

 
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Arthritis & Joint Pain

13 Sep



Today almost every other person you talk too is living with daily joint pain. It does not matter what the age or physical shape of the person, daily pain seems to be a common complaint. Living with chronic pain can wear a person down, affecting energy levels, mood and overall stamina. The cause can vary however Arthritis is typically the root problem. Arthritis comes in more than 100 forms and one does not need to be of old age to have this debilitating disease. The cost of arthritis around the world is approx $400 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity.

Let’s face it preventative health care is boring and as a result most individuals do not provide their body with nutritional supplements until they are sick or in pain. We do not eat properly to get the nutrition required and even if we attempt to do so there is very little in nutrients remaining once we cook our food at high temperatures. Therefore it is very important to begin to nourish our joints at a young age to prevent Arthritis however very often this is not done until we can no longer stand the pain.

The fight against Arthritis is to begin early in life with good nutrition. Good nutrition also means the taking of daily nutritional supplements along with a balanced diet. A person should begin to supplement the diet as early as 30 years of age to fend off Arthritis symptoms later in life. As we get older our joints begin to lose lubrication, this can also happen earlier due to an injury or excessive stress on the joints as a result of sporting activity or repetitive motion. Once the joint begins to lose moisture we experience the loss of flexibility, and an increase in inflammation which results in stiffness and pain. We need to preserve the cartilage and fluid in all of our joints to maintain flexibility and live an active life.

Once symptoms begin the first thing most people resort to is pain medication however this just masks the underlying problem and does not provide nourishment to improve lubrication to the affected area. Natural supplements Celadrin, MSM, Glucosamine, and Chondroitin have been on the market for years and commonly taken to alleviate arthritic symptoms. Taken in pill form these supplements may take up to several months before individuals begin to feel better therefore most people give up before they even begin to see results. Pills are required to be broken down by the digestive system before the necessary ingredients can be absorbed by the bloodstream and intestinal track and it may take that long to get enough of these ingredients into the body to be helpful. Gel-nutrition is a new natural alternative which takes these same proven ingredients and keeps them in a pre-hydrated state so that the body can quickly absorb them into the bloodstream for quick relief of pain and they begins to nourish the body and its joints with-in one hour after ingestion. Positive results have been seen with-in 4 to 72 hours depending on the individual. Now just imagine all 4 natural supplements combined into one powerful gel formula, no more need to take a hand full of pills each day.

Just exactly what are these ingredients and what do they do?

Celadrin – or cetyl myristoleate is a blend of cetylated fatty acids that provides lubrication to the joints. Blended, invented and patented by chemist Harry Diehl PhD cetyl myristoleate was found to circulate in the blood of mice and made them immune to arthritis. Celadrin may also act as an anti-inflammatory agent.

MSM – or methylsulfonylmethane is a naturally occurring, organic, sulfur compound. Taken as a nutritional dietary source of sulfur, which is the 4th most abundant element in the human body, MSM is necessary for making and repairing cartilage. MSM has been shown to relieve pain as a result of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

Glucosamine – is a small carbohydrate molecule which is naturally synthesized (produced) in the body. This synthesis declines with aging therefore the need to supplement. Glucosamine supports cartilage maintenance and strength therefore reducing and relieving joint pain.

Chondroitin – or chondroitin sulfate is naturally synthesized in the body and supports strong cartilage. Chondroitin protects existing cartilage by reducing water loss and by slowing the breakdown of the cartilage. Glucosamine and Chondroitin work together to protect the cartilage from wear and tear and help it maintain its strength.

As you can see each ingredient has its own job to do and how all 4 are necessary to maintaining healthy joints and reducing pain. To learn more about gel-nutrition visit [http://www.agelhealthandwellness.com].

My Story – The straw that broke the camels back was the day that I broke into tears at work over a situation that I found to be frustrating. Never in my 27 year career had I lost emotional control in my work environment. Growing up in a stiff British home very seldom did I ever lose emotional control over anything? The problem….chronic pain. After years of working on a computer that was not properly set up for my work station I had developed osteo-degenerative arthritis in my neck. I lived every day with a stiff neck, to the point that I had difficulty driving a vehicle and I was having weekly migraines. I was eating over the counter pain pills like they were candy and my doctor eventually put me on a pain medication called Vioxx. This drug was pulled off the shelves after I had taken it for 18 months and could no longer be prescribed. I spent over 2 years and thousands of dollars trying to get rid of the pain and put some mobility back into my neck. I worked with a message therapist, physio therapist and a chiropractor on a weekly basis to get the situation under control. Sound familiar to any of you. Well the pain became manageable however it never fully went away until I began to take a gel-nutrition formula which contained all of the above noted ingredients. The pain medication just masked the problem and all the therapy in the world was not going to put lubrication back into my joints, calm down the inflammation and strengthen the cartilage between my vertebrae. Now having said that, the therapy was also necessary to ease the muscle tightness which had happened around the affected area.

Like many I had tried MSM and Glucosamine in pill form however became impatient due to the slow results. People who are living with chronic pain want quick results even thought I fully realized this problem took years to create and would not be fixed over night. Today I am happy to say that I am pain free, even my ankles, which suffered many years of abuse from jogging and sport activity. My pain and stiffness eased after giving my body the proper nutrition for only 1 week. My symptoms were gone after 2 weeks.

 
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The Effects of Sleep Disorders and Daylight Savings Time

11 Sep



Dr. Breus: When I was working with Rosie O’Donnell from the television show “The View”, she too had obstructive sleep apnea. We talked about it nationally on television with her, and she stopped breathing in her sleep over two hundred and fifty times in a night.

Kevin: Wow! Then how do you know that it’s happening? They don’t know that it’s happening!

Dr. Breus: They have no idea. And that’s what’s so scary about this situation with sleep. It’s you wake up and you don’t feel so hot, but you have no idea what was going on.

Kevin: Right.

Dr. Breus: So there’s multiple ways to get at that. Sometimes it’s going for a formal sleep study. Sometimes it’s even easier than that. Sometimes it’s just asking your bed partner “Hey, have you heard me snore?” or “Have you heard me stop breathing in my sleep?”, or things like that. Because again that can be a really big factor. But all of these different things – whether it’s a sleep disorder or disordered sleep – cause sleep deprivation.

Kevin: Yeah.

Dr. Breus: And that’s the real big kicker here. It’s not necessarily stopping breathing in your sleep that’s not so great for you, even though, believe me, having low oxygen levels isn’t good. Because it can cause stroke and heart attack and things like that.

Kevin: Mm hmm.

Dr. Breus: But what happens is this – your brain says “Holy cow! There’s no oxygen.” And it wakes you up. And it’s like an alarm clock going off all night long.

Kevin: Two hundred times.

Dr. Breus: [Every] five or ten minutes.

Kevin: Yeah.

Dr. Breus: I mean, think about that. If an alarm clock went off every five minutes all night long, how good would you feel the next morning?

Kevin: [Laughs] Terrible.

Dr. Breus: Right, you’d feel pretty crappy.

Kevin: Yeah.

Dr. Breus: Well, every time you do that – from either sleep apnea or insomnia or restless life syndrome or what I call disordered sleep – it causes sleep deprivation. And sleep deprivation affects several different areas. The first area that it affects is cognition or thinking in creative process. You know when we’re at work, or we’re at home, or we’re trying to problem-solve or come up with new solutions, we have a real big problem if we’re too sleepy to do it. You know what I’m saying?

Kevin: I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of callers on the line right now have experienced that.

Dr. Breus: Yeah. There’s no question about it. Another big area is reaction time. So how quickly do we react to external stimulants?

Kevin: Mm hmm.

Dr. Breus: Turns out to be a major factor, from sleep deprivation. So, what does that mean? Driving a car, big factor. Here’s a great example – Daylights Saving Time. We all just experienced this, the spring forward aspect. What we lose – approximately one hour of sleep -

Kevin: Right. Dr. Breus: Well, did you know that the two days after Daylights Saving Time are the number one and two days for car accidents?

Kevin: Get out of here. That’s incredible.

Dr. Breus: Yeah.

Kevin: Hmm.

Dr. Breus: And that’s from losing one hour of sleep. Now you’d think “Oh so what I lose an hour. It’s not that big a deal.”. The truth of the matter is, it turns out to be a bigger deal because we are a sleep deprived nation. The average individual gets approximately 6.9 hours of sleep per night. But what we’re finding is when we really look at that a little bit closer ( cause that’s what they report ) it’s about 6.9 hours, which you see now, seven hours of sleep. That’s not so bad.

Kevin: Mm hmm.

Dr. Breus: When we actually study them in the lab, it turns out they’re getting closer to 5.9 hours of sleep.

Kevin: Really? And the difference is …

Dr. Breus: About an hour’s worth of sleep, and then when you’re talking about people who are getting six hours worth of sleep verses seven, that’s almost a full sleep cycle towards the end of the night, which can have a tremendous amount to do with memory, reaction time, creativity, you name it.

Kevin: Yeah. Well, without getting too detailed, can you go into a sleep cycle?

Dr. Breus: Sure. So what happens when you go into a sleep cycle? First of all, people should know, that sleep is not just an on-off switch. It doesn’t work that way. You don’t just walk into a room, turn off the light and boom you’re asleep. It’s more like pulling your foot slowly off the gas

Kevin: Yeah.

Dr. Breus: Multiple things have to be released and multiple things have to occur in order for that switch-over to happen. But once [you actually], your body does settle down and calm down enough to fall asleep, that’s when things start to get interesting. So we measure sleep in multiple different ways, but primarily through brainwaves, or what we call EEG. Now people have probably seen it on you know, “[Grey's] Anatomy” and, you know, “E.R.”, normally thinks we see the line flipping across the screen,

Kevin: Mm hmm.

Dr. Breus: Well, there are different wave forms that we can identify that will tell us which stages of sleep people are in. And that has to do with how quickly information is moving across your brain. So right when you close your eyes, you have alpha wave, which is a calm, sort of bio-feedback situation where you’re relaxed just somewhere between seven and nine [hertz], so seven to nine cycles per second of your brain moving back and forth. After that, you move into Stage One sleep. and Stage Two sleep. Now, Stage One and Stage Two sleep are kind of hard to tell apart. There are a couple of different landmarks, and we don’t have to go into all the specifics of it. But basically, Stage Two sleep occupies almost fifty percent of your night, as an adult.

Kevin: Okay.

Dr. Breus: But as a child, it only represents about twenty percent of your night. And as an infant, it [laughs] almost doesn’t represent any of your night.

Kevin: Okay.

Dr. Breus: So, if I take a baby and I hook him up to an EEG, it’s almost all deep sleep, which we as adults are lucky if we get eighteen to twenty percent [of our night hour]

Kevin: Okay.

Dr. Breus: And that’s the wake-up-and-feel-great sleep. That’s the “Wow! I feel recharged. I feel refreshed. I feel ready to meet the day” sleep.

Kevin: Okay.

Dr. Breus: Okay. Infants also have a much larger bit of R.E.M. sleep, or rapid eye movement sleep. Now, a lot of people say “Well, Micheal, isn’t that the sleep where you dream?”. Well, yes and no. You have a greater [preponderance] to dream during R.E.M. sleep. But you can actually dream at any stage of sleep, believe it or not. Most people don’t know that. And the way you can prove that to yourself is if you ever fall asleep on the couch, and you’ve had a dream, you’ll know that you probably want to sleep that long. The average person, it takes them between eighty and a hundred and twenty minutes to get to R.E.M. sleep.

Kevin: Well, okay.

Dr. Breus: So it turns out to be quite a big difference there. So, again, it’s not necessary that you’re only going to dream during R.E.M. sleep. You have a greater tendency to dream then, but you can dream during any stage of sleep.

Kevin: Okay.

Dr. Breus: Let’s get back to some of the facts of sleep,

Kevin: Sure.

Dr. Breus: Provision on health. It also affects how we heal. One of the things we know is that research studies shown here, hospitals show that individuals who have better sleep in hospital actually heal better. We know that people lose weight better when they’re not sleep deprived and when they’re… going into the specifics of that in a little while.

Kevin: Mm hmm.

Dr. Breus: We know that we defend against disease. There was a fantastic study that showed that individuals who take the flu shot actually find that they are less effective when they are sleepy. I mean, think about that. Think about all the people who go out and get flu shots. And if they are sleep deprived, they’re doing themselves no good. You know what I mean? Depression is a whole other factor. One of the things we’re starting to learn about now, is that individuals who are sleep deprived have a greater tendency to have depression. And people who have a genetic propensity for depression, they can kick off in the bed, just like being sleep deprived.

Kevin: Okay.

Dr. Breus: So it’s pretty serious stuff. When we look at just women, in general, there are some pretty amazing statistics here as well. Seventy-five percent of menopausal women experience hot flushes, alright. Hot flushes will affect your sleep. Forty percent of menopausal women have sleep problems caused by hot flushes. So, what we’re talking about now, is we’re talking about roughly thirty- five percent of all menopausal women are having disrupted sleep. And all women go through menopause.

Kevin: Wow.

Dr. Breus: So, that’s a pretty tremendous section of the population who’re going to have sleep problems, just from the life hormonal changes.

 
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