Managing Panic Attacks

As a parent of a child with Down syndrome, you play a critical role in helping your child to develop to his or her full potential. Some parents feel overwhelmed and incapable of offering the necessary love and support, so they opt for foster homes or adoption. However, most parents meet the challenge head-on, with the support of National Down Syndrome Society programs aimed at helping prepare new parents for everything they are about to face. Raising a Down child is not easy, but neither is raising any child, really! Your Down syndrome baby will face all the same developmental milestones, which you will celebrate just the same; you will just have to be a little more patient. Be sure to take care of yourself, first and foremost, to prevent frustration and exhaustion during the early years.

At home, your attitude is critical to your child’s development. Here are some Down syndrome facts. While acceptance and social normalcy are a reality now more than ever, your child will still face hurdles with cruel children at school. A Down child is also susceptible to depression, so your love and acceptance is very important. Many parents attend support group meetings through the National Down Syndrome Society to learn how to better care for their Down syndrome child and to address any negative emotions.

Patience is more than just a virtue here; it is an absolute necessity. While your child may learn to breast feed, roll over, walk and talk later than his or her peers, you will still find these achievements just as significant. Set aside time each day to practice daily skills like getting dressed, using silverware or helping with chores. Being organized with a routine, as well as a system of lists, behavior contracts and rewards is the best way to encourage your child against the effects of Down syndrome.

As your child with Down syndrome gets older, grooming, hygiene and sexuality become very important issues. There are many books you can get that will help you explain these awkward topics to disabled children in ways they understand. Ensuring that your child attends school well-groomed and properly cared for will have a strong impact on how other adolescents perceive him or her, so this area cannot be ignored. Boys must learn that erections are natural, and what to do when one arises. They must also learn that public masturbation is against the law, as well as socially unacceptable. Girls must learn about the changes their bodies go through as well and must understand how to use pads, as well as how to have respect for their bodies. Like any other teens, Down syndrome children will want to date, socialize and develop intimacy, so be sure to address these issues.

Know the health risks of your child with Down syndrome. Find a good medical practitioner who specializes in Down syndrome obstacles. Heart defects, visual impairments, hearing problems and difficulty breathing are all common ailments children with Down syndrome may face. Diet is also very important for the disabled. Be aware that obesity can be a problem, and that high-sugar/additives/preservatives may be upsetting. Try a natural diet with alpha-ketoglutaric acid supplements. You may also need to limit dairy if your child is prone to ear infections. Additionally, a Down syndrome child may sleep poorly, with frequent awakenings and interrupted REM sleep. This could lead to more difficulty focusing and learning, research suggests. Discuss treatment options with your health care practitioner if you suspect this condition may be prevalent.

There are two main treatments for anxiety disorder.One treatment is the use of medications. The other is Psychotherapy.These two treatments can be symbiotic or individual.Getting the right treatment the first time is very lucky.  In almost all cases it will take some different combinations until you find something that works for you. 

There are many different types of medications that can be used to treat anxiety symptoms.  One of these medications are anti-anxiety medications.Benzodiazapines can give you relief in a time frame anywhere from thirty to ninety minutes.This group of drugs can be addictive in a very short time span.Some side effects of these drugs are drowsiness and loss of balance.  If you use this family of drugs over a long period of time your memory may also be affected.

Another medication used in the treatment of anxiety are the family of antidepressants.   Some examples of antidepressants are paxil, cymbolta, lexapro and prozac.  These medications effect a specific set of nuertransmitters in the brain that doctors believe play a part in anxiety disorders.

You may have to try combinations of medications or one at a time to find what will work for you.Some of these medications, like lexapro, can take up to 3 weeks to take effect.  While you are waiting for these drugs to have an effect on your anxiety, psycotherapy can be a bridge.

This therapy can help an individual in seeing unhealthy situations, thoughts and beliefs and replace them with positive thoughts and beliefs.  You can learn to change a situation to a positive.  If that doesn’t work, you can change your thought process to perceive the situation in a positve manner thus decreasing the level of anxiety.

Treatments for anxiety need to be made specifically to an persons needs.Everyone will not respond to the same treatment.These treatments are done as an outpatient for most people.   Treatments for anxiety of severe cases may require a hospital stay.

Sue woke up in horror to find a stranger sleeping next to her and shouted, “Who are you?!” Sue is 77 years old and suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and the man next to her is her husband of 57 years, one who has loved her all his life and slept beside her ever since they were married.

Alzheimer’s disease, also known as senile dementia, is named after Alois Alzheimer (164-1915). People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease often lose their memory overtime and it is the worse ever form of memory loss. People who are affected by it can recall events decades ago but cannot remember what they just ate for lunch!

Famous individuals who are known to be suffering from Alzheimer’s include late US president Ronald Reagan. When the disease approaches its later stages, patients even become oblivious to whom their relatives of family are. This can cause them to drop into depression and requires a significant change on their family’s part to accommodate the sudden change in behavior and personality of the patient. Unfortunately, it has also been discovered that Alzheimer’s disease is hereditary also.

At present, there is no cure to be found for Alzheimer’s however all around the globe, pharmaceutical hospitals are all trying to formulate out the most effective medication to deal with this disease. However, with our present technology, the best medications work most effectively only during the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

It seems as though as we age, memory loss is inevitable and would sooner or later be part of our lives as it is natural that our mental capacity diminishes with age, however only a few are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Also, even though normal memory improving techniques like mind stimulating games have no known effect to Alzheimer’s, it has the best chance in staving off the disease before you crumble to it. Furthermore, the earlier you start such memory training, the higher your chances of maintaining your mental fitness. Even so, our brain cells are irreplaceable after they perish and with almost everyone born with the same number of brain cells, as we age, more of these cells die off as part of the growing process, thus our mental ability get weaker as we grow older.

Memory loss and aging are very much linked together with each other as memory loss will catch up with us once we reach a certain age.

If you don’t already know it by now - and I find it hard to believe it if you don’t - vitamins are essential for our health, especially that of our brain. Vitamins boost our immune system to prevent us from becoming sick and they also protect certain organs. However, out of all the vitamins we know, those from the B complex have been proven to be more effective in memory improvement. Specifically folate, and vitamins B12 and B6 have shown the best results in improving our mental capabilities and functioning.

However, while B vitamins have been documented to bring about improvement to memory, they do not help us in the improvement of our moods. Also, there have been documented studies that prove emotional and volitional processes of a person could change change over time, if a folate treatment is being used, vitamin B12 and B6 would be followed up with it. In addition, people who are prescribed with vitamins have seen a significant improvement in their mental performance.

There are many factors that can contribute to memory loss, and one of the most common factor is stress. Complex B vitamins which can reduce stress and protect our nerves, and in turn protecting the mental pathways of our brain and keeping them clear. It is scientifically known that a lack of B6 vitamins in a person is related to nerve damage and while supplementing on B6 vitamins, these people express reduced depression, which is another main cause of memory loss. The reason for this happening is because the B vitamin regulates our GABA and serotonin neurotransmitters that are closely related to levels of stress. In certain cases, vitamin B can also help in the prevention of diseases of the heart that can lead to stroke, another cause of memory loss.

The benefit of B vitamins in improving memory can be found in the effect of cobalamin. A lack of this particular vitamin may cause anemia or problems with the nervous system. Even though it may not be able to help us cure dementia, it has caused many patients to improve significantly. Thus, as we know it, many other memory disorders some also associated with dementia can be very much improved by using B vitamins to bolster our immune system.

Besides vitamins, there are also many other methods whereby a person can improve their memory. Memory games or brain stimulating games can help improve our memory very much. However, the important thing to note is to not leave our memory or mind to fend for itself when memory disorders start to occur in our lives, but we should take actions against it.

Did you know that green tea can help you improve your memory? Scientists have managed to prove that some types of foods are indeed fundamental in improving our memory. Besides natural medicinal herbs such as ginseng or gingko biloba, fruits and vegetables too have memory improving purposes.

A main component in fruits and vegetables is sugar which is broken down in our body into glucose. Glucose is the main food for our brain as it is required by our brain to be able to function properly. As a result, if we increase our consumption of fruits and vegetables, we indirectly increase our amount of glucose in our body, resulting in an improvement in our brain’s functioning ability. Yet, like everything else requires moderation, we need not consume excessive amounts of fruits and vegetables too. Excessive glucose levels are known to be damaging to the mind causing memory impairment. Nonetheless, some of the fruits and vegetables you can consider to boost your memory are blueberries, watermelons, red cabbage and sweet potato.

Blueberries not only contain a high amount of sugar content as fruits, but also they carry on them antioxidants which slows the aging process of our brain. Oxidation causes aging and a healthy intake of antioxidants can ‘delay’ the aging process and fight the free radicals. These radicals are very much associated with some fatalistic diseases and some of them have direct relation with memory loss problems as well, like stroke.

Sardines which are rich in omega-3 fats are also great for improving memories. As some of the important parts in our brain are made up of fats, fish oil can indeed help improve our memory and our mental health. Fish oil can help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and has long been associated with better memory and much clearer thinking. Not only is fish oil good for the brain, it can also improve the health of your heart as well.

Another great food that helps improve your memory is soy! Tofu when eaten on a regular basis can help improve our memory and our brain functions. Given the variety of soy products available on the market, it is almost impossible to find that you dislike them all. You can drink soy milk, eat soy beans, and season your food with soy sauce, practically anything soy-based can help you improve your memory!

You need not resort to medication to cure or prevent memory loss; you just have to know the right combinations of food, lifestyle and you can enjoy having a life with improved memory!