Alternative Health News

Living with a partner or spouse who has been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder is a challenge but it is not insurmountable. If you are willing to put in some work together then you can get through the issues that this disorder causes.

So your partner has a diagnosis. Do you feel relieved? Frightened? Guilty? There are lots of emotions associated with finding out that a loved one has Bipolar. Remember that you couldn’t have seen it coming. You are NOT a qualified psychiatrist. Often you can be too close to a problem to see that the cause could be anything other than unreasonable behaviour and awkwardness. Now you know that there is an underlying medical condition that is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

You can’t FIX someone who has Bipolar because they are not broken. There is no elastoplast, or special ointment that will clear it all up. It’s not like fixing a car with a spare part. This is a condition that requires management.

Love and understanding are your most valuable tools.

People with Bipolar tend to be very talkative or very introverted. There aren’t often any in betweens. You’ll have to be a good listener. Either listen to your partners’ chatter (attentively) or listen to their silence. Filling the silent void with talk will not penetrate their mood in most cases.

You should also ‘listen’ to body language. If your partner’s body language isdefensive and says ‘leave me be’ or ’stay away’ then pay attention. Pushing things at this point is, at best, not going to have a positive or productive outcome. At worst you will get your head bitten off.

The mania associated with Bipolar disorder is not just about a euphoric high that leaves the sufferer in a dizzy spin, free falling towards a crash. It also manifests as rage. If your partner is in a manic rage it is important that you do not take it personally. The rage will leave them out of control and this means things will be said that aren’t meant necessarily.

Often Bipolar people will have specific triggers that set off episodes of mania or depression. It will be trying and emotionally exhausting but you should try to identify those triggers together. A mood diary kept together can be a great way to spot whether these triggers are actions, words, music, even food or smells.

Bipolar people experience inappropriate emotional responses to situations that you would not think twice about. This may lead to obsessive behaviour which you are likely to find emotionally, and often physically, exhausting. Just think about how draining this must be for your partner, who has the disorder, and who has no control over this.

On the subject of exhaustion….

A person with Bipolar will often be completely exhausted only a couple of hours after waking up. But they have to keep on going.

Just raising the energy to get out of bed, eat, or wash can be too much sometimes.

Don’t push them too hard by nagging, but you should feel able to make gentle suggestions or remind your partner that they need to look after themselves.

It is heartbreaking, but if your partner is sad, let them cry. Let them ride out the storm of weeping and sobbing for as long as it takes. It is actually quite cathartic. They may seem very small when they are in this state and your overwhelming urge may be to go to them and hold them and comfort them. This may or may not be welcome. Ask before you do so. Sometimes if you smother their tears you prevent them from releasing the emotion that they need to vent.

Cathartic crying like this is actually a positive alternative to more destructive methods of emotional release that bipolars may devise such as self harming, cutting or even suicide.

I am not saying that following this advice is foolproof. I have 2 (pre-diagnosis) divorces to prove that not everyone can live with someone with a mental illness. So you have to be honest. Brutally honest with yourself. If you can’t stay in the marriage or partnership then leave. Do it quickly and don’t drag things out. The longer you draw things out to save their feelings then the more you will hurt them in the long run.

It’s summer. So what could be nicer than a long cool glass of lemonade in the garden, or a glass of ice cold fizzy cola at a barbeque. Afterall it’s better for you than drinking a beer or a glass of wine right? Wrong!

According to the latest research, 2 cans of fizzy drink per day can actually cause long term liver damage. In fact the damage can be so severe that it could lead to you needing a transplant in later life!

Scarier still is that researchers are also extending the warning to cover many fruit juices too. It seems that water is the only way to go.

The damage to the liver is caused by the high levels of sugar in both fizzy drinks and fruit juices. It has been blamed for a condition known as fatty liver disease.

1 litre per day made up of carbonated non-diet drinks and fruit juices are now 5 times more likely to develop this condition.

Fatty Liver Disease is even caused by just drinking as little as 2 cans of fizzy drink a day.

Other associated health risks are diabetes and heart damage.

The science behind these claims is that there is a chemical called fructose in both fizzy drinks and in fruit juice that is very easily absorbed by the liver. Fructose has no effect on the production of insulin and as it goes straight into the liver, it is turned quickly into fat.

The research, carried out in Israel, was inconclusive when it came to diet or ’sugar free’ drinks that are full of artificial sweeteners. However, the researchers are convinced that the effects will be very similar.

One of the best ways to feel rejunivated is taking a well deserved trip to a health spa, and there seems to be more and more of them out there than ever before, offering various types of popular services. One of the best places to start is a massage, soothing facial or hot towel treatments to help ease your aches and pains. Some spars even offer nail grooming and painting, so while the Towel Warmers are heating up you can treat yourself to relaxing manicures. But if you cannot afford the relatively expensive treatments spa’s have on offer, there are allot of home remedies that you can do in the comfort of your own home using essential oils and natural products found in and around the home such as sea weed, citrus fruits and of course vegetables such as cucumber for the eyes and even chocolate (yes chocolate, it dose actually make a great moisturiser). The main thing to remember is to always use natural products with no harsh chemicals as it strips the skin of its natural oils, making it feel dry and flakey. Another thing to remember is if you can’t eat it then don’t put it on your skin, because the skin is porous and will take in all the natural goodness of the moisturising mixture.

Mental well being is one of the most overlooked conditions, your mental health is as important if not more important than your physical well being. There are many causes for these types of conditions such as stress, phobias and depression brought on by things like money worries, like paying for your Self Cert Mortgages ECT. There are lots of preventative measures that we can use to help our mental health such as meditation and a healthy diet to help relieve day to day stresses, but if you work in a stressful environment, taking a vacation can vastly improve and rejuvenate your self well being and help you cope with the stressful situations in life. There are other somewhat alternative methods that can help as well such as hypnosis and acupuncture, and although i have never tried any of these methods myself, i have heard good things of what they have to offer, although i am a little sceptical of the hypnosis treatments for things like losing weight or stopping additions to cigarettes. I believe hypnosis can be used to help with pain during childbirth and has also been known to help with insomnia which can help your mind and body to relax giving heightened mental well being.

Divorce can be one of the most stressful times in anyone’s life, not only for yourself and your ex spouse but also for your children. Keeping open communication between yourselves and your ex partner is key to having a less stressful separation. Issues should be talked about calmly and amicably to reach a common middle ground without rising tempers as this will cause elevated stress levels and if your children are in the local vicinity it can have a deep emotional impact on their lives. If things do get out of hand there are plenty of people who can help through these troubled times, family and friends will most probably be the first people you talk to, but there is allot of professional help such as divorce counselors and support groups who can and are trained to help in these situations . Try to keep yourself active by going for a walk or joining a gym, it is surprising how much stress relief keeping active is or if joining is gym is not an option try to take up an activity that will keep you mind off the divorce as this in the long run will cause you to feel like the world is closing in.

Execersise is very important in keeping yourself healthy, even more so if you have had a limb injury or are wheelchair bound. Sitting in wheelchairs all day can cause the muscles to become soft and overtime serious problems can occur, so it’s very important to keep the limbs active by going to a gym or physiotherapist who can help to strengthen the muscles and along with meditation techniques can give extra vitality and release stress. I have also heard that muscle electro stimulation can help in certain situations by attaching the pads to the calf and thy muscles in a similar fashion to abdomen stimulation to build up muscle mass; although i cannot vouch for these machines personally, i feel they could do great things for wheelchair bound people. It’s not just execersise that you need to keep yourself healthy a good diet will also vastly improve the way you feel and help you keep a good physique; there are lots of good products on the market to help you keep in shape for years to come, such as energy drinks and vitamin supplements that can all help not only to make you feel better but also to help fight diseases.

If you work in a stressful office for long hours, if like myself you tend to get allot of ache’s and cramps from sitting to long. One of the main reasons for this is your posture; sitting in awkward position’s trying to get comfortable and can lead to time off work due to personal injuries as a result. According to “CBI” Confederation of British industries more than five billion a year is lost due to employees on long term sick due to either stress or personal injuries. This can be avoided by office based companies investing in stress relieving ergonomic office furniture which can cut down on a vast majority of work related absences and improve employee vitality and mental alertness as well as the ability to cope with stress. I believe this trend should be carried on at home to with other therapeutic remedies such as aroma therapy with audio and visual aids to help relieve stress at the end of the working day. A long regular walk or cycling trip at the end of the working day can also improve stress relief and help with fitness and wellbeing not to mention allowing you to see the sights of the local airea.

A crystal placed on a lightbox can create different moods and atmosphere in a room.

Gemstones reflect light and they interact with light and a lightbox is a vessel which helps to direct the light.

Choose a flat crystal, possible red for energy, yellow for relaxing, green is calming and violet is a colour which creates mystery.

The flat crystal of your choice should be long enough cover the box. A clear crystal with a coloured bulb placed under it will send filters of light across the room.

Note: a clear quartz crystal which as a base that looks milky cloudy are the best crystals to work with.

If you have a crystal with a fracture or a rainbow in the middle shows up well on the top of a lightbox.

Moss agate is another crystal which is popular and lights up magnificently.

Note: if you are just starting to collect crystals there are so many to choose from. Always choose the crystal which attract you, in effect crystals like to choose their owners.

Do your research and choose from a stockist of good quality crystals.

If you have any doubts consult a crystal therapist.

The beauty industry today as we know are using essential oils as ingredients to enhance their products.
Bergamot essential oil is a popular oil due t it having antiseptic properties. As an ingredient in beauty products this essential oil is powerful in treating acne, skin infections and oily skin.
If you are a person who suffers from urinary infections, try adding a couple of drops of this essential to your warm bathwater. This will bring some relief.
Using Bergamot oil can change a mood of a room or yourself. Place a little of the liquid in a diffuser to send out an uplifting scent and aroma into a room.
The colour of this liquid is a yellow- green colour. Relating this to the alternative therapists who work with healing chakras this oil opens up the heart and solar plexus chakras. These chakras have the responsibility of opening our hearts to bring healing to our bodies.
Recipe for relieving pressure: try two parts Roman Chamomile with two parts Bergamot and two parts Sweet Orange essential oils.
Recipe to relax and uplift your mood: Use two parts Lavender essential oil and one part Bergamot essential.
Method:
Blend the mix into a diffuser or blend with a carrier oil to thin out the concentration and leave in a room to send out the wonderful scents and aromas as a healing treatment.

Nutritionists can help children who suffer from acne to regain their confidence which is lost through teasing from other children.
Parents are inclined to laugh off a child who is upset over acne appearing when they are at puberty age.
If the teasing from school friends continues without any action being taken it is possible both boys and girls can retain confidence issues throughout their life.
Simple home remedies such as keeping fingernails clean, having their own towel for their face and not picking their spots can help in the fight against acne.
If a boy has started shaving the make sure they are using a safety razor so there spots do not bleed.
Wash your face twice a day and apply an herbal cream.
Tip: some creams are available over the counter but may bleach the skin tissue and are of no use in balancing the hormones which cause acne.
Note: if the problem is severe ask your doctor to recommend a skin therapist for their professional advice.