Tag Archives: Distresses

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Stress management amidst busy schedule

August 19, 2016
Stress management

Stress management amidst busy schedule if not corrected can land you in an hospital bed

Stress management amidst busy schedule: Keep stress from ruining your life

Even though we are forced by circumstances to be working under very tight schedule, this must not be an excuse for us to be stressed up to the point of being unhealthy out of it. Because of that it is a fact that we’re all living with stress each day which brings us to the question how do you react to daily stress? Is stress management amidst busy schedule a problem to you? Let’s sample how people react to stress. For some people, life’s stressors cause them to become irritable, short-tempered, or unable to concentrate on their assignments and tasks. Others have sleep disturbance (trouble falling asleep or waking early in the morning with racing thoughts). And yet again there are those who react by eating a lot of junk food which has its own consequences (not forgetting that desserts is stressed spelled backward!). In all these we have some good news for you. Doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center says that it may not matter how busy your schedule may be, stress management is still possible because it is only by doing so that you will be able to keep it from ruining your life.

Stress management amidst busy schedule: Causes of stress

Stress is all about the many demands and pressures that we all experience in our daily lives. These demands may be physically, mentally, emotionally, or even chemically instigated. Beside the word stress actually comprises both the stressful situations known as the stressors and the symptoms you experience under stress, your stress response. One of the problems with stress is that it activates people’s sympathetic nervous system which then stimulates the release of stress hormones throughout the body. It is these hormones that gives you the energy and causes other changes in the body such as the “fight or flight” response.

Stress management amidst busy schedule: The fight or flight response

The “fight or flight” response makes your heart beat faster. You might feel very nervous, making it difficult to breathe. Short term, the “fight or flight” response causes changes that allow you to handle sudden stressful events. When you face fear or even recall a stressful or frightening event from the past the resulting hormonal changes super-charge your body to a state of high arousal which then compels you to react to situations. Nonetheless, long-term stress can be particularly difficult. When stress hormones stay elevated over time, there is a gradual and steady stream of harmful changes to the body. Long-term stress can suppress the immune system, which may lead to the development of diseases.

Finally stress can either be positive or negative, depending on the situation. Positive stressors (called eustress) may include an upcoming wedding, the holidays, or pregnancy. On the other hand, negative stress (called distress) results in the full-blown stress response. If continuous, negative stress can lead to loss of productivity, health problems, and exhaustion. And that explains why timely solutions would be necessary. Therefore if you’re that kind of person that suffers negative stress quite often, calling doctor Akoury today for remedial action would be the starting point.

Stress management amidst busy schedule: Keep stress from ruining your life

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Increasing sex performance

Understanding stress through the symptoms

August 19, 2016
Understanding stress

Understanding stress through the symptoms for immediate action to be taken

Understanding stress through the symptoms: The universal sign of stress

Even though the nature of life demands today contributes greatly to people being stressed in life, we can also take time in understanding stress through the symptoms they portray. And from the expert’s opinion, doctor Dalal Akoury MD has been working with stressful people in her line of duty for several decades now as an addiction specialist and according to her, stress symptoms vary greatly from individual person to another. That is the true position, however, it is also important to appreciate that, the most universal sign of stress is the feeling of being pressured or overwhelmed. Therefore if you are that person that suffers from consistent stress that is way above what is considered normal, you may want to seek for professional help from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury today before it is too late. As you consider doing that, the following are also some of the other symptoms that are associated with being stressed up:

  • Changes in behavior at home (short temper, unexplained anger, crying for no reason).
  • Communication difficulty or personality changes, such as becoming withdrawn or requiring much more attention than usual.
  • Dysfunctional sleep patterns, including nightmares, too little sleep, difficulty falling asleep, or even oversleeping.
  • Impatience.
  • Physical complaints (stomachaches, headaches, chest pains, nausea, and diarrhea, and a sensation of numbness or tingling in your hands, arms, and face.)
  • Problems getting along with family members, friends, and teachers.
  • Regression behavior that is not age-appropriate.

If you are experiencing a few of these symptoms, chances are that your level of stress is high. If left untreated, stress can lead to permanent feelings of helplessness and ineffectiveness. The sooner you take action the better for you and your family.

Understanding stress through the symptoms: How can stress affect your health?

One serious problem with stress is that it can be cumulative. That is to say, if you don’t have a healthy way of responding to stress or balancing the “fight or flight” response, constant exposure to stress hormones overloads the body. These changes in levels of hormones produced by daily stress can hurt your health. When stress levels increase, it results in an overproduction of stress hormones that weaken the immune system. This can lead to physical and psychological problems and that is why understanding stress through the symptoms is very important.

Finally it is important to note that chronic, or long-term, stress often results in high anxiety, insomnia, depression, gastrointestinal problems, and can even cause dependency on drugs and alcohol (a self-medication solution that makes an already bad problem worse). Some studies have established that the hormones associated with chronic stress are linked to increased fat in the abdomen which in turn, increases the risk of chronic and serious illness such as diabetes. All these put together should be motivate you to take timely action if you notice any signs and symptoms of stress in your life by calling on doctor Akoury for help today.

Understanding stress through the symptoms: The universal sign of stress

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Understanding the Distress in People with Cancer

May 2, 2015

Understanding the Distress in People with Cancer: What is normal or abnormal?

Understanding the Distress in People with Cancer

Understanding the Distress in People with Cancer will help in offering quality ant timely treatment solutions.

With the prevalence of chronic diseases like cancer, there are certain questions that we need to answer well if we want to keep distance from such diseases. Being distressful is one common problem that is associated with cancer, and this brings us to the first question to respond to. “How do you know when your distress level is normal or more serious?” according to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, responding to this question directly may be very difficult due to the fact that some distress are normal and are expected when one is struggling with cancer. However doctor Akoury, who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, says that certain signs and symptoms can warn you that your distress level is too high and is becoming serious. Some of those sign and symptoms may include:

  • Feeling flabbergasted to the point of panic
  • Being overcome by a sense of anxiety
  • Being overwhelmed with sadness to the point that you think you won’t make it through treatment
  • Being unusually irritable and angry
  • Feeling unable to cope with pain, tiredness, and nausea
  • Poor concentration, fuzzy thinking and sudden memory problems
  • Having difficulties in making certain decisions including very little and simple things.
  • Feeling hopeless – wondering if there is any point in going on
  • Thinking about cancer and death all the time
  • Trouble getting to sleep or early waking (getting less than 4 hours of sleep a night)
  • Trouble eating (a decrease in appetite, or no appetite) for a few weeks
  • Family conflicts and issues that seem impossible to resolve
  • Questioning your faith and religious beliefs that once gave you comfort
  • Feeling worthless and useless

Understanding the distress in people with cancer can be very complicated because a lot of things can be involved. Like for instance in some cases and many of them historical things from the past may put you or your loved one in danger of greater distress and in need of help. The following are some examples of past events that can cause distress to be worse when you have cancer:

  • Having a loved one who died from cancer
  • Having a recent serious illness or death of someone close to you
  • Having had depression or suicidal thoughts in the past
  • Memories of painful events from your past that come back as nightmares or panic attacks

If any of these describe you or a loved one, then you need to talk to your doctor immediately for direction. This could be an indication that you need help in dealing with distress. Remember that currently doctors and nurses and even other health professionals have established that emotional distress is closely associated with having cancer and should be treated along with the physical symptoms of cancer. If you are looking for the best cancer treatment centers, remember to have this problem of distress treatment in mind. Look for facilities that offer both cancer and distress treatment all together.

Understanding the Distress in People with Cancer: Tools to help measure distress

Sometimes it’s hard to talk about distress in a way that helps your cancer care team understand how much distress you’re having and how it’s affecting you. There’s a distress tool that’s much like a pain scale to help measure your distress. The pain scale works like this:

When asking about pain, the doctor might say, “How is your pain right now on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 the worst pain you can imagine?” This has proved to be a helpful way to measure pain. A score above 5 is a sign of significant pain, and tells the cancer care team that the patient needs more help to manage it.

Some cancer teams measure distress in the same way, using a 0 to 10 scale. Just as with the pain scale, you are asked to choose the number from 0 to 10 that reflects how much distress you feel today and how much you felt over the past week. Ten is the highest level of distress you can imagine, and 0 is no distress. Most people can use this scale to rate their distress in a way that helps the cancer team. If your response is 4 or more, you are likely to have a moderate-to-high degree of distress. Your doctor and/or cancer team should find out more and offer some help with your distress.

Not only does this tool tell your team about your emotional health, but it also gives you a chance to talk and work out problems during your visit. Surveys done in cancer clinics have shown that up to 4 in 10 patients have significant levels of distress. It therefore means that no matter how distressful you may be, you are not alone in your distress situation.

Another part of the distress tool is the “Problem List,” or a list of things that may be causing your distress. For this, you read through a list of common problems and mark possible reasons for your distress. This helps your doctor to know whom you need to see to get help. The list of physical problems helps you remember those you should tell your treatment team about.

Understanding the Distress in People with Cancer: Do you need extra help for your distress?

People are affected differently with some people having a higher risk of serious distress. Like for instance if you have any of these experiences, then you will need some extra help:

  • Have had depression or other major mental health problems in the past
  • Have made a suicide attempt in the past
  • Suffer from other serious medical problems besides cancer
  • Have communication problems (such as a different language, trouble reading, or hearing problems)
  • Have some type of social or family problems
  • Have ever been physically or sexually abused
  • Are younger
  • Are female
  • Live alone
  • Have limited access to medical care
  • Have young children in the home
  • Lived with very high stress levels (even before the cancer)
  • Have ever abused alcohol or drugs
  • Have financial problems
  • Have spiritual or religious concerns
  • Have uncontrolled symptoms

Both you and your cancer care team may also notice when there are times when you are at risk for greater distress during the course of illness and treatment. Cancer is often said to be “like being on a roller coaster.” These times for more distress are often at points of change in the illness and treatment:

  • Finding a suspicious new symptom
  • During work-up and diagnosis
  • Waiting to start treatment
  • Changing treatment
  • Going home from the hospital
  • Finishing treatment
  • Going back to your cancer doctor for follow-up visits
  • Going back to a “normal” life after treatment
  • Cancer comes back
  • Treatment doesn’t work
  • Cancer gets worse or becomes advanced
  • Nearing the end of life
  • Going into hospice care

If your distress reaches moderate to severe levels at these times, you may need extra help. And up on understanding the distress in people with cancer, you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for that much needed professional help.

Understanding the Distress in People with Cancer: What is normal or abnormal?

 

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Identifying Distress in People with Cancer

May 2, 2015

Identifying Distress in People with Cancer: What is distress?

Identifying Distress in People with Cancer

Identifying Distress in People with Cancer. Distress suffering is not just physical but also emotional and psychological

If you have been in company of any cancer patient you need not to be told o the suffering those cancer patients go through. The suffering is not just physical but also emotional and psychological. These put together brings a lot of distress to patients and if not addressed, treatment becomes very difficult. It is because of this reasons that we want to focus our discussion towards identifying distress in people with cancer. To do this we are going to be speaking to experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of Doctor Akoury’s care. Distress is a word with many connotations. However for our discussion we are going to use “distress” to describe unpleasant feelings or emotions that may cause problems for you as you cope with cancer disease and its treatment. It is also important to note that distress is also common with the family members and loved ones of people with cancer. Doctor Akoury says that distress is a big hindrance in cancer treatment and can make it harder to deal with all the changes that come with a cancer diagnosis. When we talk about being distressed in normal circumstances it would mean that you are feeling:

  • Unhappy or sad
  • Hopeless
  • Powerless or helpless
  • Afraid and fearful
  • Guilty
  • Anxious
  • Panic
  • Discouraged
  • Depressed
  • Uncertain

The impact of stress can be very complicated when dealing with cancer since it may affect areas of your life other than your feelings. It can affect your thoughts, your behavior, and how you interact with others says doctor Akoury.

Identifying Distress in People with Cancer: How to know when your distress level is normal or more serious?

Being stressed or distressful can be normal in our daily lives. Actually we all at one time have been stressed while handling our daily activities. The same applies with certain amount of distress when you or a loved one has cancer. These kinds of distress are caused, in part, because of the attitudes and fears people have about cancer. Like for instance, one of the greatest fears people have is that cancer means death or will ultimately lead to death. Nonetheless this idea of cancer leading to death is not true and unfounded. The truth is that today we have millions of people who have had cancer but have survived through the available treatment available in various health facilities.

Of course, people are upset when they learn they have cancer no matter how much progress has been made in treating it. There are many things that suddenly seem uncertain further explaining why identifying distress in people with cancer is very important. The challenges that people have include the worries about changes that will happen to their bodies when attacked by cancer. How their loved ones will cope with this situation and all other things that are likely to happen. The fear of a bleak future dons on them and people often wonder in silence or aloud that “Am I going to die?” and worries as to “why is this happening to me?”

And because cancer is hereditary, once you learn that you or a loved one has cancer, you may no longer feel safe. You may feel afraid, exposed, weak, and vulnerable. Such feelings often last through treatment, and you may feel anxiety and sadness, too. Doctor Akoury says that it’s normal to worry, especially at certain times, such as at the commencement of treatment. A recovering cancer patient acknowledges that, the worst time for him was waiting for that first chemo treatment. “Once it was over, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, I was OK. I actually felt better because I was finally doing something about the cancer” says the patient.

Identifying Distress in People with Cancer: Cancer Surgery

Waiting for surgery is another time of major concern. People often worry about the operation itself, but also about whether the cancer is growing while they wait. Fears about the changes that surgery will cause can be a major source of distress, too. Then there are concerns about work and home life and how they may change. Insurance and financial issues often add to the worries. For some people, one of the hardest times is after cancer treatment. Rather than feeling happy that treatment is over, they feel even greater distress. One patient put it this way: “I’m on my own now and I’m just waiting to see what will happen next.” From that statement you notice that this patient is very distress even though treatment has been concluded.

Seeing the oncologist (cancer doctor) after treatment can feel quite scary. Nearly everyone has some fear the cancer will come back (recur). This is normal, too. “Every time I have aches and pains, I’m convinced it’s the cancer coming back even if it’s a pain in my big toe,” one patient said.

Identifying Distress in People with Cancer: Everything about cancer is Stressful

Dealing with the side effects of treatment such as tiredness (fatigue), hair loss, weight changes, and how disrupted your life seems is also stressful. In fact, everything about having cancer is stressful. Being upset and worried are part of it, so a certain amount of distress is expected when you find you have cancer. But sometimes distress can go from the expected level to one that interferes with your treatment, makes it hard for you to cope with the illness, and affects all parts of your life.

It’s not a sign of weakness that you become so distressed that it interferes with your ability to do your usual activities. When you visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, our team of experts will explain for you the range of distress from what is considered normal to very high and offer some ideas about how to handle your feelings in ways that will be helpful. The very first thing you need to do in coping with distress is consulting with your doctors and cancer support team. Talking to them about how you feel will make you feel much safer. Their purpose is to help you get better and if they notice something that needs to be addressed, then they will direct you to the help you need. Remember that these people are only here to help you not just for the cancer treatment, but they are also counting on you to tell them how you are doing and what you are feeling. This is one assignment that you are the only one that can do and no one else.

Finally when addressing distress of cancer patients, the scope is not just limited to them but it is also applies to their loved ones. These people are a strong source of support, and their well-being is important, too in the delivery of successful treatment. Therefore if you are a loved one and feel distressed, it’s OK to let the cancer care team knows that you need help. You can also schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury for much more professional assistance.

Identifying Distress in People with Cancer: What is distress?

 

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Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration

April 27, 2015

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration: Dealing with the two problems

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration. Prevention is always better than treatment for cure.

To deal with cancer, you also need to deal with stress. And that makes cancer and stress the worse collaboration in human health. If the two conditions are merged in an individual patient, treatment becomes very difficult. And in fact the way you handle stress can have a huge impact on the way you and your health team manage cancer. It is therefore very important that when you have been diagnosed with cancer, you must be on top of stress by all means and avoid those things, situations and places that are likely to trigger stress. The information about stress is also very important for you. Doctor Akoury says that many patients risk their healing process by allowing stress to take over the control of their lives. This is what we want to eliminate so that you can face the disease (cancer) with a lot of sobriety.

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration: What Is Stress?

As we have indicated, the information about stress is very important. So what is stress? It is a normal response to feeling threatened or to facing a challenge you’re not sure you can meet. Stress can be chronic, which means it is long lasting and often gets worse over time. Or it can be acute, coming on quickly with short-lived but often severe symptoms. It is possible that you can have emotional stress, like for instance, the feelings you get when you are faced with financial challenges or the feelings that follow when the reality dons on you that you have a chronic ailment like cancer. Besides the emotional stress, you can also have physical stress. For instance, not getting the adequate sleep you need can make it hard for your body to do what it needs to do during the day causing you to feel tired, fatigue and stressed. An illness can put stress on organs and other parts of your body. And some treatments or medications you take can also cause your body to react in stressful ways.

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration: How Might Stress Affect Me?

Emotional stress can be very overwhelmed in an individual’s life. It can trigger the feelings of being helpless in the things you do and what you think about. It can interfere with your sense of well-being and cause you to lose hope that things will improve, and the state of being hopelessness can be very fatal if not addressed in good time. Stress can also lead to depression.

Some people believe stress can play a role in developing cancer. There is, though, very little evidence to show that stress causes cancer in people who don’t already have it. The few studies that have shown a link looked mainly at severe stress. One found that women who lost a spouse through separation, divorce or death had a higher risk for breast cancer. Another showed that people who lived through the Holocaust as children have a higher risk for developing cancer. Even though a lot more needs to be done to authenticate the direct link of stress to cancer, several studies have actually established that those who are already struggling with cancer are very vulnerable and that stress is likely to play a significant role in the way this disease escalates. It is equally important to note that health conditions like trauma, depression and distress have all been linked to more rapid progression.

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration: How Does Stress Affect the Way Cancer Progresses?

The effects of stress may stem from how your body responds to it. When you’re stressed, your body makes certain so-called “stress” hormones to deal with it. In many cancer patients, these hormones bind with cancer cells. That can make the cells more invasive and help protect them as they move from one part of the body to another. This makes it easier for the tumor to grow and the cancer to spread. Nonetheless being stressful can also trigger negativity to your immune system which is the body basic defender from external and internal aggression. It has been established that, stress can interferes with the way certain cells in your immune system work. In particular, it affects cells that find and that kill emerging cancer cells.

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration: How Can I Protect Myself against the Effects of Stress?

People with better support tend to have better functioning immune systems. They also tend to have lower levels of certain stress hormones. This makes it less likely that stress will cause changes in the way a tumor grows. Some studies also show that people with more support have lower levels of chemicals that promote new cell growth and make tumors more aggressive.

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration: How Does Support Work?

Support makes it easier to develop qualities you need to deal with stress. For example, it can help you develop more active coping skills. A strong support network can reduce the effects of stress in several ways including the following:

  • It can lessen the magnitude of the problem and help you see that event as less stressful. That will lessen your body’s response to it.
  • It can improve your management levels and how you cope by providing advice, problem solving techniques and resources for help when you need it.
  • It can help enhance positive health behaviors such as exercise and proper nutrition.
  • It can provide support that makes it easier to adhere to your medical treatment plan.

A number of recent studies have also shown that, in addition to a support network, there are potential benefits from programs that help you learn how to manage stress. Such programs include:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy
  • Mindfulness
  • Yoga
  • Alternative therapies such as Healing Touch
  • Medication

It is important to appreciate that such programs can not only help you in dealing with the stress that comes from having cancer, but the stress that can come from treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation as well. Therefore cancer and stress must not be allowed to ruin your health. There is always something you can do to be safe. You can talk to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of Doctor Akoury’s care for professional assistance today by scheduling for an appointment with her.

Cancer and Stress the worse collaboration: Dealing with the two problems

 

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