In meditation, as in any relaxation technique, the first requirement is to let the relaxation process happen. It means not only letting go of our thoughts, feelings and emotions, but letting go of our control. As I have already discussed in chapter three, our need to be in control of ourselves and our environment is [...]
In an effort to help us relax, many of us are prescribed tranquillisers. However, this does not teach us management skills. While we need to be able to control our disorder, our need to be in control prevents us from relaxing. Relaxing means letting go of this dysfunctional control. In letting go, we gain a [...]
Bill Bill walked from his manager’s office. He knew the day would come-when he would be found out and today was that day. He had been caught drinking during working hours in the bar of the hotel, a few doors down from the office. He had been a regular visitor to the hotel, as he [...]
The extent of the disabilities people suffer through the disorders mean that we, as a community, lose the many and varied talents of these people. Not only is there a horrific personal cost, there is also an enormous socio-economic cost to the community. In 1980 the economic cost of panic disorder, calculated in terms of [...]
It will be clear from Table 1, that many of the symptoms seen in psychosomatic illness are also features of food intolerance. Indeed, ‘opponents’ of food intolerance would maintain that most supposed food intolerance is psychosomatic illness. But doctors specializing in the treatment of food allergy and intolerance would disagree. They see innumerable patients who [...]
If you have a family history of prostate cancer, get regular checkups and tests for BPH, including a digital exam of your prostate by your physician. The use of a screening test, such as a ptostatic-specific antigen, or PSA, test, is still controversial, and its results are unproven. Whenever I feel a hard nodule in [...]
If your doctor determines that you have diverticulitis, you will need to be hospitalized. In addition, you will not be able to eat solid food or drink liquids for several days, since you will need to rest the bowel to clear up the condition. You will be given intravenous antibiotics and fluids, and a CAT [...]
Description and Possible Medical Problems We’ve all been thoroughly trained to believe that any mass that suddenly appears anywhere on the body must be cancer, an attitude that often results in unnecessary visits to the doctor’s office. The good news is that if a mass suddenly appears on your sternum, it’s probably not a serious [...]
If your doctor discovers you have polymyositis, dermatomyositis, or polymyalgia rheumatica, he will probably prescribe the corticosteroid prednisone to help reduce pain and inflammation. Prednisone will also help lessen the skin rash and inflammation that accompany dermatomyositis. Prednisone works by reducing inflammation in the blood vessels and tissues by increasing the body’s tolerance to the [...]
Chains of lymph nodes run along the side of the neck from the ear to the shoulder. Lymph nodes feel like small peas under the skin. If they’re swollen, they may also be painful to the touch, and you may also have flulike symptoms, such as nasal congestion, fatigue, and overall aches and pains. Feel [...]