The Truth About Panic Attacks and Their Effects on the Body

Human beings automatically react to a stressful situation by becoming mentally and physically prepared to defend themselves or flee the situation. Known as “fight or flight” reactions, it is a normal reaction to any situation and is what has kept humans safe since the beginning of time. However, anxiety often causes people to remain in this heightened sense of preparedness and that can have a physical toll on your body.

Anxiety and Cortisol Levels

Cortisol is the stress hormone released by your body to help you become more “aware” of a situation. High levels of cortisol in your body for extended periods of time can lead to:
• Heart disease and heart problems
• High blood pressure
• Weight gain without being able to lose weight
• Insomnia

High cortisol levels are also being studied at this time for connection with other serious diseases.

Anxiety And Gastrointestinal Disorders

In a recent study conducted at Harvard Medical, researchers discovered that people who suffer with high anxiety levels are also at a much higher risk for suffering from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and similar disorders. Researchers also found that those who suffered with high anxiety levels were 30 percent more likely to suffer from these conditions at a more severe level. More hospitalizations and medical care was required for those suffering with gastrointestinal disorders who also suffered from anxiety.

Anxiety and Respiratory Disorders

Doctors have recently discovered that people who have anxiety often have trouble with their respiratory system more often than those who do not. Studies are currently being conducted to determine if this is because the anxiety causes the lung area to constrict more often than normal which in turn causes damage. 

Doctors already understand that people who suffer from asthma and COPD and have anxiety issues are more likely to suffer more severe attacks or be hospitalized from their condition. 


Anxiety and Heart Disease

Two separate studies, one conducted by a group of Canadian Universities and one by Harvard Medical show that people who have heart disease will experience worse symptoms and are more likely to have a heart attack when anxiety is present.

Both of these studies showed that women were more likely to suffer from more severe heart problems when heart disease and anxiety were combined. The study also showed that people who suffer high anxiety from phobias as opposed to other forms of anxiety like PTSD suffered the greatest side effects when anxiety and heart disease were combined.

Treating Anxiety

Everyone experiences bouts of anxiety. Doctors normally do not consider anxiety a problem unless it has continually lasted for over six months and the anxiety is causing interruptions in your life. 

Treatments for anxiety can include many different therapies. Medication may not be necessary and many people can overcome their anxieties through therapy sessions and behavioral changes. Many people can even overcome anxiety by learning relaxation techniques such as meditation.

It is very important, however, that you seek help for anxiety. Anxiety not only can cause mental health distress for you, it can also cause physical health problems. Once these additional issues arise, the anxiety can be intensified and the problems will only become worse.

If you only experience anxiety in certain situations, try learning some relaxation techniques to help relieve the symptoms. This may come as meditation, relaxing with a hobby, or even simply taking a nice afternoon nap. If you cannot find a way to decrease your anxiety speak to someone and ask for help.

The Health Effects of Multitasking

In this busy world, multitasking as a talent is almost a requirement. You must juggle several things at the same time so that all of your responsibilities are covered in an appropriate amount of time. From checking your email on the go to reading a paper during a lecture, multitasking is a habit of many people. However, this supposed talent has some pitfalls when it comes to your health. Take a close look at the health effects associated with multitasking so that you can make better decisions today.

Missing Inherent Cues

Multitasking means that you're processing the bare minimum of several issues at once. Cleaning the kitchen, mentally preparing the dinner's ingredient list and babysitting a child all at once is a situation that arises in many households. You're dividing your attention between too many events. As a result, cues in your immediate environment are being overlooked. You might miss the baby picking up an inappropriate item or leave an open container of cleaning fluid out on the counter, for example.

Forgetting Key Information

When you focus on too many details at once, the brain must make shortcuts. It can only handle a certain amount of information or else it becomes overloaded. Any information entering the mind at this point will only remain in the short-term memory. It'll be long forgotten in no time. By focusing on one concern at a time, the information easily moves from short-term to long-term memory. You should be able to remember this information without any effort.

Applications at Work

Multitasking is an attribute that's often added to career resumes. If a person can do more in a day than another applicant, the candidate is perceived as more valuable. However, multitasking at work has its downfalls too. Medical workers might overlook a symptom that leads to a major, health issue in a patient. Workers in manual-labor positions can quickly overlook a flaw in a building that creates a construction issue. Taking some time to focus on one task at a time will pay off when it comes to quality work.

Physical Decline

Researchers have discovered that there's a real decline in brain matter among multitaskers throughout life. The brain cells are literally breaking down and dissipating. Cognitive functions decline as people age when they multitask on a daily basis. By reducing the multitasking events, it's possible to stop much of this decline. 

When you find yourself juggling too many things at once, it's time to take a deep breath and stop for a moment. Focusing on one task is critical in many situations. By being conscious about your habits, you can change them for the better. Multitask sparingly in this world, and you'll see a difference in your daily productivity almost immediately.

The Long Term Effects of Running on Your Knees

The Long Term Effects of Running on Your Knees

Running is an excellent cardiovascular exercise that really gets your blood flowing. It is an ideal way for individuals to combat all types of problems, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Those who run can look forward to all types of benefits in the future, including overall health management and weight loss. However, many people may fear running regularly for fear of wearing away at their joints. 

Both joint wear and the general effects of aging are considered to be major factors behind the development of osteoarthritis. Many high-impact exercises, including running, typically apply large amounts of pressure on the knees, hips and ankles. This leads many to believe that running regularly is one of the strongest ways to wear your joints out over the years. However, studies are beginning to show that this might not be entirely true, and experts believe that the wear itself is not as severe as many people believe, especially if individuals take a few necessary precautions to better protect their joints.

The large amount of concern that those who run regularly may wear out cartilage in their knees as a result of extensive use has led to stigma against distance running. Though the cause for this concern is real, as osteoarthritis is one of the world's most common and damaging joint diseases, it is ultimately better for individuals to know about the effects of the disease and what to expect in the future in order to better avoid its onset. There is no known cure for the disease currently, but, ultimately, the idea that running may cause osteoarthritis has already been extensively studied. 

In 2013, researchers published a study that documented the activities of over 14,000 runners and over 70,000 walkers during a period of seven years in order to determine whether or not they had a higher chance of developing osteoarthritis. The research showed that not only was there no increase in the cases of osteoarthritis, but there were fewer incidents of osteoarthritis and hip replacements among runners, simply because of their lower overall body mass index.

Though the research showed that running may not have a tremendously negative effect on joint health, it is important to be prepared. Studies also show that individuals who are over 20 pounds overweight may actual experience adverse effects on their joints because of how much the extra weight may affect their run. Ultimately, because of how well individuals ended up losing weight after running regularly, researchers agreed that the most important way for individuals to lose weight and improve their overall joint health was to run regularly. 

Like any other similar exercising approach, however, it is important to be as safe as possible in order to avoid damage. Try to take your running slow, especially if you have not done a lot of running in the past. Starting at an easy pace is one of the best ways to proceed because it allows you to adjust according to your exact level of comfort. Not every method of running is right for every person, so do not worry about measuring your progress against another runner. As long as you are moving forward and you are able to push yourself to stay with an exercise plan, you can benefit in the future without worrying about joint pain.

6 Dangerous Effects of High Cholesterol

Exceeding a healthy level of cholesterol is an issue that affects more than 100 million Americans, but most do not truly understand the consequences. Any level above 200 mg/dL is out of the safe range because it significantly increases the risk of heart disease and other complications. Arteries gradually become more narrow as the waxy substance accumulates, but actual symptoms of high cholesterol levels are rare. Adults that are not considered high-risk are recommended to have a physician screen their levels every 5 years, but it may be necessary for individuals over 50 to get checked more often. Understanding the dangerous effects of high cholesterol in your body is the first step in protecting your health. 

Chest Pain
Angina is a condition that feels as though your chest is being compressed or squeezed forcibly, and it occurs often when the blood oxygen supply going to the heart is decreased. Coronary artery disease can cause symptoms like chest pain when the arteries are clogged with plaque, so it's important to pay attention to new or changing sensations in the chest. A heart attack can occur if the muscle is completely deprived of oxygen. 

High Blood Pressure
Cholesterol plaque that hardens the arteries puts extra strain on the heart, and the resulting high blood pressure will cause problems. Hypertension caused by extremely high blood pressure may cause issues with vision, breathing, painful headaches, or an irregular heartbeat. People that are lucky enough to experience these symptoms will know that they need to see their doctor promptly, but others suffer from consequences like a stroke or heart attack. 

Heart Attack
A coronary artery that becomes completely blocked is going to restrict the blood supply to the heart. If a life-threatening heart attack does occur, the patient could experience total heart failure or a dangerously irregular heartbeat. Arrhythmia isn't necessarily fatal, but a ventricular fibrillation requires immediate treatment to prevent deadly consequences. 

Stroke
There is a domino-effect of complications that begin with high cholesterol because it causes the initial buildup of plaque in the large arteries. As this leads to high blood pressure, the risk of having a fatal stroke is significantly increased. If the small blood vessels that lead to the brain are blocked and weakened, they can burst to cause a stroke. People that survive a stroke could experience permanent complications like limb paralysis, weak muscles, vision issues, confusion, and speech loss. 

Peripheral Vascular Disease
Clogged arteries that limit the blood supply to the limbs leads to a circulation disorder called peripheral vascular disease. Individuals with this disease often experience pain, dull aching, tingling, and weakness in their legs or feet. Without adequate treatment, the symptoms and physical damage are going to worsen to an eventual heart attack of stroke. 

Chronic Kidney Disease
The renal arteries that supply blood to the kidneys can become clogged with cholesterol plaque over time. Damage to the kidneys becomes more severe as a patient progresses through the stages of CKD. Kidney function may decrease gradually, but the complete loss of function can eventually occur.