CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Canada favored immigration destination in 2011

Thursday, 25 November 2010
According to Canadian Government officials, immigration levels will be higher than ever as the population ages and the birth rates stay low. Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, expects between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents in 2011.

"Canada's post recession economy demands a high level of legal immigration to keep our workforce strong. All of the country's labor force growth will come from immigration within the next five years," said Kenney.

Expectations in 2011 show the Federal Skilled Worker Programme to be the most popular means of entry. An estimated 25% of newcomers will be destined for provinces outside of Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec; this is an increase from 1997 at 11%. The Federal Skilled Worker Programme accepts workers in such fields as technicians, skilled tradespersons, managers and professionals.

Canada has shown to be a popular immigration destination for Irish immigrants. As there has been a significant influx of Irish expats looking for jobs abroad, finding significant success in Canada. Those looking for jobs in Canada are quite varied from mechanical engineers, IT system analysts, construction managers, accountants and marketing executives. Irish companies are also looking to the Canadian market as more than 220 Irish companies sell goods and services into Canada, with an additional 45 Irish companies operating offices and facilities in Canada.

Recently, the largest Irish trade mission in history was led by Mary Coughlan, Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, to Canada, visiting Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa. The missions focus was to demonstrate and promote the success of world-class Irish companies that have had a break through into the Canadian market.

If you are interested in Immigration to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.

Neuropsychaitry (part 2)

Here's the part to of what ive recently posted regarding neuropsychiatry: This really will help student nurses and nurses alike in their review in understanding psychiatric nursing. Enjoy and learn:

❍ What are some other terms for “pseudoseizure”?
Conversion reaction, hysteroepilepsy, and nonepileptic seizure (the preferred term).

❍ How can a seizure disorder be distinguished from schizophrenia?
Altered mentation from a seizure tends to be ego-dystonic, and the patient can talk about the symptoms in a detached manner. There is generally no evidence of interictal changes on the mental status examination, and the premorbid social histories are generally good. The seizure disorder is characterized with abrupt rather than gradual alterations in personality, mood, and ability to function that are unresponsive to psychiatric or psychological intervention. The patient generally does not quite meet DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia.

❍ How can a seizure disorder be distinguished from a panic disorder?
Often a difficult distinction, because both conditions have overlapping symptoms—depersonalization, fear, d´ej`a vu and jamais vu, dizziness, illusions, paresthesias, chills, and flushes, which are in part mediated by a similar underlying limbic dysfunction (the temporal lobe modulates fear, for example) and amenable to similar pharmacologic intervention, i.e., benzodiazepines. However, in panic disorders, consciousness is preserved, an EEG will be normal, there are seldom olfactory hallucinations, family history is usually positive, there are no
automatisms, and a positive response is found not to anticonvulsants but to antidepressants (which would typically worsen complex partial symptoms). In addition, panic attacks usually last longer than seizures, and agoraphobia is a prominent symptom in panic but not seizure.

❍ Is there a particular personality type associated with seizure disorder?
Of the qualities traditionally associated with the “epileptic personality type”—dependency, humorlessness, hypergraphia, hyposexuality, religiosity, viscosity, paranoia, and a preoccupation with philosophical or moral concerns—evidence exists only for hyposexuality, as a reflection of a secondary endocrine abnormality evoked by seizures.

❍ Are seizures associated with aggression?
Aggression during a seizure is very unusual, and when it does occur is typically disordered, uncoordinated, undirected, and associated with restraint or postictal paranoid psychosis.

❍ What strategies can be used in treating psychiatric symptoms associated with a seizure disorder?
Strategies that can be used to treat the neuropsychiatric aspects of seizure disorders include assessment of the social factors that aggravate the seizure disorder; adjustment of the anticonvulsant as necessary to minimize seizures, using monotherapy if possible; use of psychotropic medications to target specific psychiatric symptoms, anticipating interactions, using low initial dosages, and waiting for a response plateau before changing the dose again; targeting psychotherapeutic approaches to specific behaviors or stressors; and finally collaboration with all caregivers.
❍ What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s is a progressive, nongenetic disorder that presents with both motor and cognitive symptoms. The motor symptoms typically have an asymmetric onset, and consist of bradykinesia and muscular rigidity, flexion at trunk and neck leading to postural instability, difficulty initiating movements, lack of facial expression, and a 4 to 6 Hz resting tremor. Ninety-three percent of those with Parkinson’s suffer cognitive deficits—reduced verbal fluency and naming difficulties, deficits in visual analysis and constructional praxis, and executive dysfunction similar to frontal lobe syndrome—difficulties in selective attention and set maintenance. Recognition memory is usually unimpaired, but procedural memory shows deficits.

❍ What is the etiology of Parkinson’s disease?
The etiology is unknown, although some hypothesize that it is related to exposure to environmental toxins. The bradykinesia and rigidity can be related to progressive loss of neurons in the substantia nigra. There is reduced
dopamine uptake in the putamen. In addition to dopamine, neurotransmitter abnormalities are found in the somatostatin and CRF systems. There is an increase in the number of muscarinic cholinergic receptors (unlike in Alzheimer’s) but a decrease in nicotinic. Pathology shows Lewy bodies in the locus ceruleus, substantia
nigra, and hypothalamus (in contrast to Lewy body dementia, in which Lewy bodies are found in the cortex also).
❍ What are the neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson’s disease?
Depression occurs in 40% to 60%, often before the onset of motor symptoms, and is unrelated to either the duration or severity of the disease or the response to medications, but is associated with dementia. Parkinson’s depression is characterized more by dysphoria, sadness, irritability, pessimism, and suicidal ideation, less by guilt and self-blame. Actual suicide is rare, unlike in Huntington’s chorea. Psychotic symptoms are common (occurring in up to 50% of patients at some point of the disease) usually as a side effect of anticholinergic medications, but can also occur as a result of mood disturbance, other medications, sleep deprivation, or the dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease. The psychotic symptoms can range in severity from hallucinations that cause no distress to delusional states with agitation and terrifying hallucinations of all types.

❍ What tests can help diagnose Parkinson’s?
PET scans show decreased uptake in the striatum, while CT scan and MRI show decreased volume in the substantia nigra of advanced cases. EEG shows nonspecific slowing.

❍ What percentage of patients with Parkinson’s disease manifest dementia?

From 10% to 40%, the risk rising with age. Other risk factors for dementia in Parkinson’s disease are family history, depression, and motor disability.

❍ What are some treatments for Parkinson’s and its associated neuropsychiatric symptoms?
l-Dopa is a dopamine agonist that can help compensate for the bradykinesia and rigidity, as do anticholinergics, but there is no treatment for the postural instability except for physical and occupational therapy. Antidepressants work normally on Parkinson’s patients, but this population is very sensitive to the anticholinergic, sedating, and orthostatic effects of these drugs. ECT is effective for both the affective and motor symptoms. If antipsychotics must be used, atypicals with minimal extrapyramidal side effects will have the least effect on motor symptoms. Quetiapine and clozapine have been shown to be the most effective in controlling psychotic symptoms in Parkinson’s-related psychosis, while aripiprazole is minimally effective and can exacerbate motor function. Risperdal is generally poorly tolerated in these patients and should be avoided. Whenever the use of atypicals is indicated in patients with Parkinson’s disease, monitoring for neuroleptic malignant syndrome–like symptoms is essential, and can be very difficult to distinguish from baseline symptoms. Again, the use of typical neuroleptics such as haloperidol is generally contraindicated, although may be necessary when agitation becomes a safety issue.

❍ What symptoms can occur as a side effect of treating a patient with Parkinson’s disease?
Anticholinergic drugs, while being the most effective in suppressing the parkinsonian tremor, are also the most prone to induce psychosis. Delusions are usually dose related, frequently persecutory, and preceded by vivid dreams or visual hallucinations. Risk factors for delusions are age and concurrent dementia. Thirty percent of treated Parkinson’s patients will hallucinate fully formed animal or human figures, typically at night and with the hallucinations associated with sleep disturbance. These differ from typical anticholinergic hallucinations in that
they are less threatening, more fully formed, not combined with tactile or auditory stimuli, and not associated with delirium. Delirium occurs in 5% to 25% of patients as a medication side effect, with bromocriptine and pergolide particularly implicated. l-Dopa can cause anxiety.

❍ What is delirium?
Delirium is a pattern of diffuse, reversible cognitive deficits with acute onset, and a waxing and waning course. The deficits can include delusions (20%–70%), perceptual disturbances, mood alterations, language (50%–90%) and thought disorders (95%), sleep/wake disturbance (50%–95%), hallucinations (30%), and psychomotor alterations. Disorientation is common, to time (80%), place (70%), and person (20%). Twenty percent of hospital patients will become delirious, and if elderly, the 1-year mortality will be 40%. Some clinicians distinguish between acute confusional state, a disorder of attention associated with frontostriatal dysfunction, and acute agitated delirium, a disorder of emotion associated with middle temporal gyrus dysfunction, but many patients present with a mixed picture.

Neuropsychiatry (part 1)

Here is again another installment to one of my favorite subjects in nursing which is psychiatric nursing.. I wanna help those aspiring students out there who want to be a nurse in the future. I hope this will help you learn more about your chosen profession:

❍ What percentage of brain tumors will cause psychiatric symptoms?
Fifty to eighty percent.
In 20%, the psychiatric symptoms are the first indicator that a tumor exists. Of psychiatric patients, between
0.1% and 3% will have a brain tumor.

❍ What is the most common psychiatric presentation of a brain tumor?
Apathy, depression, irritability, agitation, and an altered level of consciousness—all caused by an increase in intracranial pressure. Often, tumors will cause an exaggeration of previous character traits and coping styles.
Delusions caused by tumors are typically less complex than those characteristic of schizophrenia, and hallucinations are more often visual than auditory. Left-sided tumors are associated with depression and akinesia, while right-sided tumors present with euphoria and an underestimation of the seriousness of the illness. Focal neurologic signs are
common.

❍ Does the psychiatric presentation depend on the type of tumor?
Rapidly growing tumors tend to cause severe, acute agitation or psychosis with associated cognitive dysfunction, while slow-growing tumors tend to present with vague personality changes, apathy, and depression, often without cognitive dysfunction. Tumors with multiple foci are associated with a greater frequency of psychiatric symptoms. Gliomas often present with psychiatric symptoms because they are fast growing with multiple foci, as do meningiomas, which are slow growing but often found in the frontal lobes where they interfere with higher-level
cognitive functions while producing few focal signs. Supratentorial tumors are twice as likely as infratentorial to produce psychiatric symptoms.

❍ What are the most important factors that predict a psychiatric presentation of brain tumor?
Important factors include the extent of the tumor, rapidity of growth, and the propensity for increased intracerebral pressure. Also important, but less so, are the patient’s past psychiatric history, prior level of functioning, and coping
mechanisms. Least important is the location of the lesion.

❍ What are the most common psychiatric presentations of frontal lobe tumors?
Irresponsibility, childishness, indifference toward others, disinhibition, facetiousness, inappropriate sexual behavior, and witzelsucht—a tendency to make light of everything, albeit with a sarcastic, angry edge to the humor. Previous
cognitive skills are preserved and formal intelligence is unaffected, but “executive functioning” can be severely disrupted. Right frontal damage is associated with euphoria; left frontal damage with akinesia, abulia, and flattened
affect.

❍ What percentage of frontal lobe tumors present with psychiatric symptoms?
Ninety percent.

❍ What is the most common psychiatric presentation of temporal lobe tumors?
Cancer in the temporal lobes often presents with a schizophrenia-like illness, but can also cause depressed mood, apathy, irritability, euphoria and hypomania (because of interference in the connections between the temporal and frontal lobes/limbic system), lability and intensification of premorbid personality traits, anxiety, and panic attacks.

❍ How can temporal lobe tumors be distinguished from schizophrenia?
Temporal lobe tumors will often be associated with visual, olfactory, and tactile hallucinations as well as auditory hallucinations, while affect is typically spared. The psychosis will usually present as repeated “spells,” staring
behavior or dreamlike episodes, and there can also be episodic mood swings. Tumors in the dominant lobe are associated with receptive aphasia or deficits in the ability to learn and remember verbal information; those in the nondominant lobe with disruption in the discrimination of nonspeech sounds.

❍ What is the psychiatric presentation of parietal lobe tumors?
Symptoms of parietal lobe tumors are often more cognitive than behavioral. There is often a marked lack of awareness of deficits or even frank denial on the part of the patient (anosognosia or “neglect syndrome”), and the often-bizarre neurologic presentation can lead to incorrect diagnoses of conversion or somatization
disorders.

❍ How about occipital tumors?
Also fairly silent psychiatrically, fewer than 20% of occipital tumors have an initial behavioral presentation. The characteristic visual hallucinations tend to be simple and unformed, often little more than flashes of light, but can be associated with agitation, irritability, fatigue, suspiciousness, and prosopagnosia (an inability to recognize familiar faces). Homonymous hemianopsia is common.

❍ What is the psychiatric presentation of diencephalic tumors?
Tumors of the thalamus, hypothalamus and the area surrounding the third ventricle often interrupt the cortical–striatal–pallidal–thalamic–cortical loop, affecting many frontal functions and presenting as a frontal lobe syndrome. Hypothalamic tumors can cause hyperphagia, daytime somnolence, or anorexia nervosa. Diencephalic
tumors often cause a subcortical dementia affecting memory and causing slowing of thought processes, apathy, abulia, depression, and inability to manipulate acquired knowledge. Interruption of CSF flow by tumor growth can cause hydrocephalus and consequent generalized cognitive dysfunction.

❍ What are the five signs that should lead one to suspect a brain tumor in a psychiatric patient?
Seizures, especially if focal or new onset (this is the initial manifestation of 50% of brain tumors), headaches (especially if dull, new onset, poorly localized, nocturnal or positional, present on awakening, and worsening with time), nausea and vomiting, sensory changes (especially visual changes, vertigo, or unilateral hearing loss), and focal neurological signs (such as weakness, ataxia, or localized sensory loss).

❍ What procedures may aid the diagnosis of a brain tumor?
CT scans are good for identifying small soft-tissue mass lesions and concomitant calcifications, obstructive hydrocephalus, and midline shift. They may not reveal very small tumors, however, and can miss isodense tumors and carcinomatosis (diffuse meningeal involvement). MRIs have better resolution and are thus better at revealing very small tumors; the drawbacks are cost, the inability to detect calcifications, and the restriction of subjects to those without metal in their heads. Cisternography, in which dye is injected into the ventricles, can aid in the
differential diagnosis of intraventricular tumors and tumor-associated hydrocephalus. Skull x-rays can diagnose craniopharyngiomas, pituitary tumors, and “empty sella” syndrome, but bone scans are better at detecting bony metastases. Chest x-rays are useful for detecting primary neoplasms of the lung, the most frequent source of brain metastases. A lumbar puncture is useful only for diagnosing meningeal carcinomatosis or leukemia if other tests are unrevealing, and requires a preliminary CT scan or MRI if there is any suspicion of increased intracerebral pressure. EEGs are frequently normal, but sometimes there are diffuse or focal spikes or slow waves, either continuous or paroxysmal. Angiography is useful for establishing the vascular supply of a tumor prior to surgery. Neuropsychiatric testing, formerly used to localize the lesion before the advent of modern imaging, now is useful to establish the extent of the dysfunction, provide a baseline measurement of cognitive function, and help to optimize rehabilitation posttreatment. The advantages of SPECT, PET, BEAM, and MEG scans over the above diagnostic tests are as yet unclear.

❍ How should therapy be altered if a patient with preexisting psychiatric disease presents with a brain tumor?
Clinicians should be especially aware of drug–drug interactions, drugs that cause delirium, and those that cause seizures, because patients with cranial neoplasms become more sensitive to all three. Drug dosages should be decreased (use 1–5 mg of haloperidol, for example, instead of 10–20 mg) and serum levels should be monitored. To decrease the risk of delirium, it is better to substitute haloperidol, carbamazepine, valproate, or benzodiazepines for lithium. Likewise, SSRIs, MAOIs, or secondary amines are better tolerated than TCAs, high-potency neuroleptics are safer than low-potency, and the antiparkinsonian agents amantadine or diphenhydramine much less likely to cause anticholinergic delirium than benztropine, trihexyphenidyl, or orphenadrine. Attention should also be paid
to the seizure-causing potential of antipsychotics—haloperidol, molindone, and fluphenazine are somewhat safer than chlorpromazine or clozapine for the control of psychotic symptoms; and lithium, bupropion, and maprotiline are best avoided for mood control for the same reason. Methylphenidate does not lower the seizure threshold and offers the advantage of rapid onset of action. Psychotherapy should be concrete and reality based, involving the family and focusing on education and issues of loss and death. Denial is a useful defense mechanism early in the
course of the illness but becomes maladaptive later on. ECT is contraindicated if there is any evidence of increased intracranial pressure, but a tumor per se is no longer an absolute contraindication.

❍ How should one modify one’s pharmacologic treatment of anxiety disorder in someone with a cranial mass?
Short-acting, low-dose benzodiazepines are much less likely to cause a paradoxical reaction of increased arousal and agitation than longer-acting agents, which also have an increased propensity to cause delirium, especially in older people. Benzodiazepines also raise the seizure threshold. Buspirone does not cause paradoxical reactions or delirium; its only disadvantage being delayed onset and weak effects. Panic attacks from temporal lobe tumors may respond to carbamazepine, valproic acid, and primidone as well as more conventional antidepressants and anxiolytics.

❍ What are the characteristics of a seizure?
Impairment of consciousness (if complex), involuntary movement, behavioral changes, or altered perceptual experiences.

❍ What is temporal lobe epilepsy?
Although the term no longer officially exists, it is still used clinically to describe seizures that are associated with
sensory hallucinations (particularly olfactory), flashbacks, d´ej`a vu or jamais vu, complex verbalizations, automatisms, and autonomic symptoms such as piloerection and nausea. Rarely, TLE can present with cataplexy or catatonia.

❍ How can TLE be differentiated from complex partial or petit mal seizures?
TLE may be either complex or simple. The term “complex partial seizure” is restricted to patients with focal firing combined with an altered level of consciousness; automatisms alone do not make a complex partial seizure.
Petit mal or absence seizures tend to be shorter in length without automatisms or postictal features, unlike TLE.

❍ What characteristics can help confirm the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy?
Subjective alterations, postictal confusion, impaired memory of event, postictal depression, other episodes of nearly identical behavior, and observer confirmation of characteristic automatisms.

❍ Is there any relation between TLE and psychiatric pathology?
The incidence of psychiatric problems is four to seven times greater in those with TLE than in those without.

❍ What psychiatric issues confront patients with epilepsy?
Epileptic patients daily confront the fear of performing normal social activities (such as dating, during adolescence), because their interpersonal relations typically suffer if a seizure is witnessed. American culture stigmatizes epileptics
as an inferior minority group, with consequent negative effect on the self-esteem of those affected by it. Restrictions on activity (operating machinery, driving, swimming, etc.) can be burdensome, and epileptics suffer guilt and possible legal consequences when they ignore these restrictions. As a result of this, family relationships can evolve into abnormal patterns of isolation or dependency.

❍ What patterns of psychopathology are common in those with a seizure disorder?
There are three patterns of psychopathology associated with seizure disorders, but they are poorly characterized and overlap. The first pattern is characterized by perceptual changes, alterations in consciousness, and poor memory of events. The second is more chronic, associated with paranoia, simple auditory hallucinations, and perceptual changes. The third is characterized by persistent depersonalization and/or visual distortions.

Some facts about schizophrenia

• Schizophrenia is a biological disease of the brain. Research suggests that
schizophrenia may be a developmental disorder resulting from alterations in
the maturation of the nervous system.

• In Australia, 1 in 100 people will develop schizophrenia during their lifetime
and it is usually life long. Rates of schizophrenia are very similar from country
to country - about 1 percent of the population.

• Around 2000 people between the ages of 15 and 25 will be diagnosed in
Australia this year. It tends to be slightly more prevalent in males than
females (60:40).

• Schizophrenia ranks among the top 10 causes of disability in developed
countries worldwide.

• Many of those affected do not seek medical help and as a result may not
receive appropriate treatment for 2 - 8 years from the first onset of symptoms.

• The disease is characteristically marked by a retreat from reality with delusion
formation, hallucinations, emotional disregulation, and disorganised
behaviour.

• There also subtle signs that develop over time - slow decline in mental
function and social relationships leading to marked personality change, social
isolation, and occupational disability.

• It is a major cause of youth suicide – 30 percent of people with schizophrenia
will attempt suicide, 5 percent will succeed.

• People with schizophrenia have 2.5 times the death rate of the general
population and a life expectancy reduced by an average 10 years (WHO,
Mental Health Report 2001).

• There are genetic factors involved –for example a child of a parent with
schizophrenia has a 10 percent greater chance than other children of
developing the illness. Estimated heritability is 80% - that is, genetic factors
contribute 80% to the cause(s) of schizophrenia.

• Aside from the emotional cost to families, the disease costs the Australian
community more than $2 billion per annum in both direct health costs and
loss of productivity. 85 percent of sufferers receive welfare benefits.

• There is, as yet, no known cause or cure.

brain boosters

Diet for a healthy brain:

Necessary vitamins for the brain:

Vitamin B -1: It is necessary for the brain. The main sources are-sprouted cereals, green-leafy vegetables and groundnuts.

Vitamin B-2: This is also very important for the brain and is found in milk, cheese, green vegetables, tomato and apricot.

Vitamin B-6: The brain needs this vitamin and is mainly found in whole grains, yeast, dried beans, potato, fruits, and green vegetables.

Vitamin B-12: It is very important for the proper functioning of the brain. Its main sources are milk, curd and cheese.

Vitamin-C: It keeps the brain healthy and the main sources of this vitamin are tomatos, melons, myrobalan, lime, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, strawberry, and turnip.

Vitamin-E: It gives strength to the brain and the main sources of this vitamin are tomato, dried beans, pulses, grains, spinach, and green vegetables.

High Blood Pressure: Anyone?

High blood pressure has been known to affect alot of individuals throughout the world. It is known as the "silent killer". Its still considered as one of the causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Here are some ways of reducing or preventing high blood pressure:
1. Garlic is a proven remedy for those exhibiting symptoms of high blood pressure but as garlic thins the blood consultation with your physician is recommended before treatment begins.

2. Fish oil has also been used effectively in high blood pressure treatment. Studies have shown that it is the docohexaenoic acid, or DHA, which is the active ingredient in the treatment of high blood pressure.
3. A potassium-rich diet Very often, blood pressure levels depend on the sodium/potassium ratio in the blood. If there is enough potassium in the blood, then it acts as a buffer and mitigates the effects of high sodium levels, known to increase blood pressure. Potassium rich food includes bananas, oranges and potatoes can therefore be a natural treatment for high blood pressure. Both children and adults should eat 4500 mg of potassium a day. A significant reduction in the symptoms of high blood pressure are seen when supplements like folic acid are added to the diet. Studies have showed positive results in smokers who were given a folic acid treatment for high blood pressure.

4. Exercise High blood pressure can be lowered by regular exercise, which in turn will help keep weight down. Research has shown that there can be a fall of 1 mm Hg in blood pressure for every 2lbs lost. Keep food intake at a reasonable level and ensure that through diet, exercise and supplementation, the medical treatment of high blood pressure may never become necessary.

Psychiatry Assessment

❍ What are the three types of clinical psychiatric evaluations according to the American Psychiatric
Association (APA)?
The general psychiatric evaluation, the emergency psychiatric evaluation, and the clinical psychiatric consultation.

❍ What are the goals of a general psychiatric evaluation according to the APA?
To establish a diagnosis, generate a case formulation, develop a treatment plan, and ascertain if any symptoms (such
as suicidal ideation) need emergency treatment. Development of an empathic rapport is also essential to initiating
and maintaining treatment compliance.

❍ How do the goals of an emergency psychiatric evaluation differ from the goals of a general psychiatric
evaluation?
Not much, in reality. However, out of necessity, there is a greater emphasis on safety and willingness to participate
in treatment during the emergency psychiatric evaluation. In the event that a person is unable to maintain his or
her own safety (and/or others), and unwilling to participate in an appropriate level of care, involuntary
commitment processes are indicated.

❍ What is the essential component of the clinical psychiatric consultation?
The reason for the evaluation. If you do not answer the question the consulting physician, court, therapist, or
caseworker is asking, you will not be consulted again. When the reason for the psychiatric consultation is vague,
it is best to ascertain (from the person/institution requesting the evaluation) the exact reason for the evaluation
(i.e., psych 2C = call 2U).

❍ True/False: The patient is not to be informed of who requested a psychiatric consultation or the reason for
the evaluation.
False. The person/institution requesting the psychiatric evaluation should ideally ask the patient to participate in a
psychiatric evaluation and the reason why, while the consultant should clearly state who is requesting the evaluation
and the reason thereof. When psychiatric consultations are requested for nonclinical reasons, the limits of
confidentiality should be reviewed and agreed to by the patient and/or their guardian before the evaluation
begins.

❍ What are the components of a clinical psychiatric examination?
The components of a clinical psychiatric examination are the reason for evaluation, history of present illness; past
psychiatric history; review of collateral sources of information including previous psychiatric records, psychological
testing, and rating scales; past medical history; review of pertinent laboratory and radiology studies; review of
systems; developmental history; family history; social history; mental status examination; physical examination; risk
assessment; multiaxial diagnoses; and treatment recommendations.

❍ What sources of information are utilized during a clinical psychiatric examination?
The first and foremost source of information for a psychiatric evaluation is the clinical interview with the patient.
Additional information can be obtained from structured interview, various questionnaires, and results of
psychological testing. With written permission from the patient or their guardian, review of previous records and
interviews with appropriate persons involved the patient’s life can yield valuable perspectives as to the patient’s level
of functioning and risk for adverse events.

❍ What factors should be considered when determining the reason for a psychiatric evaluation?
Who, why, and what services the psychiatrist is expected to render. All these factors will influence the nature and
the course of the psychiatric evaluation.
It is important to determine who requested the evaluation, especially if not requested by the patient. Reliability
and willingness to be examined can be significantly compromised if the patient did not request the evaluation (such
as when the patient is in emergency protective custody or when an examination is requested by the courts), and
additional sources of information may need to be pursued more diligently if questions of safety or reliability are
present.
Ascertaining the reason for the evaluation is imperative in order to collect sufficient information and make
appropriate recommendations. Generally, when a patient requests an evaluation, the reason for assessment is to
determine appropriate interventions for distressing symptoms. However, when someone other than a patient
requests an evaluation, it is essential to determine the specific reason why the evaluation is needed, again, so that
specific and appropriate recommendations can be made.
Finally, determining what services are to be rendered by the psychiatrist will influence what recommendations
are made. For instance, if the evaluation is for purposes of disability determination, the psychiatric examination
and recommendations will be somewhat different than if the psychiatrist is expected to be the treating physician.

❍ What information should be included in the history of present illness?
The severity and duration of current symptoms, as well as identifiable stressors. Pertinent negatives as well as
statements regarding dangerousness to self and others should also be included.

❍ True/False: A substance abuse history is not a component of the psychiatric evaluation.
False. A substance abuse history is critical to every psychiatric evaluation, even if it is negative. The use of
substances during any psychiatric illness does tend to expand the differential diagnosis and is a major risk factor
in dangerousness to self or others.

❍ Past psychiatric history should include what information?
The past psychiatric history should include information about any inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations, the reason
for hospitalization, and diagnoses, if available. Information about index hospitalizations are often very helpful as to
the severity of illness and diagnosis, especially if the patient is presenting for treatment in a stable condition. In
addition, prior outpatient services by psychiatrists and other mental health providers should be included, as well as
a history of previous medication trials and the response thereof.

❍ Why is past medical history an essential component of the psychiatric evaluation?
Past medical history is essential in ruling out medical causes of psychiatric symptoms, as well as assessing for
medication interactions that may be present. In addition, a medical illness may be a major stressor, particularly
when that illness is disabling or disfiguring.

❍ What information should be included in a developmental history?
Information regarding birth history, developmental milestones, relationships, and level of functioning in those
relationships are the items that are generally included in a developmental history.

❍ What clinical implications does a family history of psychiatric disorders?
A positive psychiatric family history may help with establishing risk factors for particular diagnoses, predicting
response to various medications, and in developing a greater understanding of the patient’s past and current family
milieu.
❍ What is one of the best means for evaluating the distribution of mental illness in a family?
A genogram.

❍ What does the occupational and social history tell the examiner about a patient’s level of functioning?
An occupational and social history gathers information about a person’s ability to “work and love.” The ability to
hold a job for a period of time demonstrates an ability to structure daily activities, meet expectations, relate
adequately with peers and supervisors, and take on a certain minimum level of responsibility. The ability to have a
long-term relationship indicates an ability to attend to someone else’s needs, control impulses, and make a
commitment.

❍ List some questions pertaining to a patient’s religious background.
Questions to ask about the role of religion in a person’s life could include some of the following: Were there
conflicts between the patient’s and parent’s religious beliefs? How large a role does religion play in the patient’s life?
How do the parent’s religious beliefs impact on the patient’s attitude toward emotions, conflict, and psychiatric
treatment?

❍ An extensive legal history can lead one to consider which two diagnoses?
Antisocial personality disorder, and alcohol and/or substance dependence.
❍ Is physical examination included in a psychiatric evaluation?
Yes. Particularly because some physical findings may be directly related to the patient’s psychiatric condition or
psychotropic medication side effects.

❍ What conditions can cause increased psychomotor activity?
Anxiety, akathesia, hyperactivity associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, elevated mood, agitation
during psychotic episodes, confusional states due to delirium or dementia, and iatrogenic causes.

❍ What are the components of a mental status examination?
The components of a mental status examination include general appearance, movements, speech, attitude, thought
process, mood, affect, thought content, orientation to time and place, immediate and short-term recall,
concentration, fund of knowledge, insight, judgment, and estimate of intelligence.

❍ What aspects of the patient’s speech should be assessed?
Rate and rhythm, quality, volume and tone, grammar and syntax, and vocabulary.

❍ List some possible causes of muteness.
Aphasia, acute depression, conversion disorder, psychosis, and secondary gain.
❍ What is motor aphasia?
Motor aphasia is a disturbance of speech in which understanding remains intact but the ability to speak is grossly
impaired. Speech is halting, laborious, and inaccurate. Motor aphasia is also known as expressive aphasia, Broca’s
aphasia, or nonfluent aphasia.

❍ What is echopraxia?
The pathological imitation of one person’s movements by another.

❍ What is alexithymia?
Alexithymia is the inability or difficulty a person has in describing or even being aware of their emotions or
moods.

❍ A patient states, “It’s one or my mother, I mean, one or another.” Of what psychological phenomenon is this
an example?
Parapraxis or Freudian slip.

❍ What is the difference between a neologism and a word salad?
Neologisms are new, nonsensical words created by the patient, while word salad is an incoherent mixture of words
and phrases.

❍ How is affect characterized?
Affect is described by its range, lability, appropriateness, intensity, relatedness, and congruence with mood.

❍ How is a patient’s mood described in a mental status examination?
In the patient’s own words, usually.

❍ What aspects of thought content are generally included in a psychiatric evaluation?
The patient’s thought content is examined for suicidal or homicidal ideation (and intent): perceptual disturbances such as auditory, visual, tactile, or gustatory hallucinations; delusions, ideas of reference, and ideas of influence.

❍ Name five risk factors for suicide.
Previous attempts, seriousness of attempts, a history of alcohol or drug usage, lack of social support, and presence
of an Axis I disorder.

❍ Does the risk of suicide increase with direct questioning about suicide?
There is no evidence that it increases risk, and it is likely to increase communication and trust with the
patient.

❍ While interviewing a potentially violent patient, what precautions should be taken?
Do not interview the patient alone. Leave the door to the interview room open, and sit between the patient and the
door to allow for unrestricted exit.

❍ What factors are involved in assessing acute dangerousness?
History of violent behavior, current violent ideation, a realistic and premeditated plan, and intent.

❍ Name three kinds of normal perceptual disturbances?
Illusions, hypnagogic hallucinations, and hypnopompic hallucinations.

❍ Should a patient’s delusions be directly confronted?
No, the patient will generally become more defensive and even more fixed in their beliefs.

❍ What exactly is a delusion?
A delusion is a false belief not based on reality.

❍ List five types of delusions?
Paranoid, somatic, delusions of infidelity, delusions of poverty, and delusions of grandeur are five types of
delusions. Other types of delusions include, but are not limited to those of control (thought withdrawal,
thought broadcasting, thought insertion, thought control), erotomania, nihilistic delusions, and bizarre
delusions. In general, delusions can form about anything or anyone, and may not fit into any particular type of
delusion.

❍ How is concentration assessed on a mental status examination?
By patient report, behavioral observation, serial 7’s (or 3’s if there are educational or developmental deficits noted),
or by spelling the word “world” backward.

❍ In a patient who is disoriented, which sphere is the last to be affected; which is the first?
Orientation to person; orientation to time.

❍ What is the best way to infer a patient’s level of intellectual functioning?
By considering the patient’s vocabulary and ability to interpret proverbs.

❍ What is considered to be a normal digit span?
The majority of people are able to recall seven digits forward and five to seven digits backward.

❍ What are the essential differences between delirium and dementia?
Delirium is characterized by an acute state of confusion, disorientation, and varying levels of consciousness, while
dementia is a gradual or step-wise decline in intellectual functioning.

❍ What are the characteristic features and course of delirium?
Delirium is characterized by an acute onset of impaired consciousness, with global impairment of cognitive
functions. The course is usually brief and fluctuating, and rapid improvement occurs when the underlying etiology
resolves.

❍ How can agitation be distinguished from anxiety in the geriatric population?
Agitated individuals do not generally complain of a sense of impending doom or dread.

❍ In distinguishing between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, what single finding on mental status examination would most likely lead to a diagnosis of schizophrenia?
Flat affect.

Ways on how to easily remember clinical facts

1. To remember the difference between
transudate and exudate, focus on
the prefixes …
• Trans- means “across,” as in the
transcontinental railroad
• Ex- means “out of,” as in exhale.

2. To remember the difference between
aerobic and anaerobic, think of jogging …
• When you jog, an aerobic activity, your
body needs oxygen, or air— aerobic means
oxygen is required.
• Anaerobic means without oxygen.

3. To remember what allergies to ask your
patient about before a CT scan that
requires contrast medium, think of SIC …
Shellfish
Iodine
Contrast media (prior sensitive reaction).

4. To remember the signs and symptoms
of a hypersensitivity reaction to contrast
media, think PURR …
Pruritus
Urticaria
Rash
Respiratory distress.

5. To remember what to assess when
evaluating a skin lesion, think of A, B, C, D …
A for asymmetry
B for border
C for color and configuration
D for diameter and drainage.

6. To remember that cones are cells in
the eyes that respond to color, think of
brightly colored ice cream cones.

7. To remember which direction to move
the syringe when you want to slow down
the flow through the tube, think of …
• lower is slower, or …
• slow DOWN.

8. To remember the meaning of myasthenia
gravis …
think of grave muscle weakness.

9. To remember the progression of ARDS,
think of …
Assault to the pulmonary system
Respiratory distress
Decreased lung compliance
Severe respiratory failure.

10. To remember the progression of
signs and symptoms of Lyme disease,
remember LIME …
Lesions, lymph node swelling, like the flu (Stage 1)
Innervation problems, such as meningitis and
peripheral neuropathy (Stage 2)
Movement problems, such as arthritis (Stage 3)
Everything else, such as myocarditis and
arrhythmia (Stage 3).

11. To remember the difference between
depolarization and repolarization, think of …
the R in repolarization as standing for Rest.
Repolarization is the resting phase of the
cardiac cycle.

12. When performing an assessment, remember
this CAUTION from the American Cancer
Society…
Change in bowel or bladder habits
A sore that doesn’t heal
Unusual bleeding or discharge
Thickening or lump
Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
Obvious changes in a wart or mole
Nagging cough or hoarseness.

13. To remember the four causes of cell injury,
think of how the injury tipped (or TIPD)
the scale of homeostasis …
Toxin or other lethal (cytotoxic) substance
Infection
Physical insult or injury
Deficit or lack of water, oxygen, or nutrients.

14. When combining insulins, to remember
which to draw first, think of
“clear before cloudy.”
Who doesn’t prefer a clear day to a cloudy one?

15. Remember this jingle when
converting inches to centimeters …
“ 2.54, that’s 1 inch and no more.”

16. Remember that X factor is often used to
describe a person or event that could cause
uneXpected, or unknown, outcomes.
Keep this in mind when performing dosage
calculations and you’ll remember that X
represents the unknown part of a ratio or fraction.

17. To remember the conditions that affect
the length of patient stay, think of FOCUS …
Functional skills (and disabilities)
Other diseases
Chronicity
Urgency of needs
Support of systems.

18. To remind yourself of the need to
check and adjust flow rates, remember
the following tongue twister …
Fight fickle flow with frequent follow-up.

19. To remember which drugs can be given
safely through an endotracheal tube, think
of ALE…
Atropine
Lidocaine
Epinephrine.

20. To remember which drug should be
inhaled FIRST, think about your ABCs…
A Bronchodilator comes before a Corticosteroid.

21. When using an IN-LINE nebulizer,
remember to…
connect it to the IN-SPIRATORY side
of the ventilatory circuit.

Florence Rape Case: Not Gang Rape

This is an article I've read while surfing the net on one of the websites I go to (The site is at the bottom of this article). It was heartbreaking reading this. This only shows how slow and depressing our justice system here in taking matters and giving justice especially the case of Florence. They always say that they already have leads and that they are looking into the case thoroughly and carefully. Too much talking and less work!! Nurses all over the country should be one in supporting nurses like Florence who have been victimized and are seeking justice.

"The Nurse Florence Case

A 21-year old volunteer nurse was abducted and raped in a corn field of South Upi Maguindanao last September 25, 2010. Passers-by found Florence (not her real name), bare and unconscious on the morning of September 26, 2010. According to some sources, the volunteer nurse was on her way to Brgy. Nuro in Upi to visit a midwife but was dragged and flagged down in a corn field by at least 10 people who took turns in raping her.

Suspects were identified by South Upi town councilor Warlito Bansigan which are all residents of South Upi and have been under the custody of the police. The suspects were Glenn Saldoa (son of a retired employee of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Maguindanao, Eugene Biscara (son of a retired school teacher), Ruscom Sangclap, Michael Candelario, and Jeffrey Fernandez according to GMANews.tv.

Several reports asserted that Florence was seen with the suspects inside a videoke bar in Timanan before the incident. Rey Insular, the videoke house owner where Florence was last seen, said that the alleged suspects were innocent and they were the first to respond and rush Florence to the hospital.

Contrary to the former report, the victim’s friends claimed that Florence was never seen neither smoking nor drinking especially in public places. Co-workers and friends of the raped victim were crying for justice of their friend.

Other speculations unfolded the involvement of a political figure in the gang rape. South Upi, Maguindanao Vice-Mayor Jordan Ibrahim’s name was dragged in the gang rape. Some informants said that the vice mayor was in the area of the videoke bar. When Florence left the place, Fulgencio (the confessed rapist who later retracted) and the vice mayor allegedly followed her.

The rape victim, who was transferred from Cotabato Regional and Medical Center to Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, had regained consciousness already. However, due to the head injuries she sustained, the right side of her body is paralyzed. Dr. Leopoldo Vega of Southern Philippines Medical Center stated that gradual recovery is observed in the victim but because of the physical and psychological trauma that Florence is undergoing, slow progress towards recuperation is noted. The volunteer nurse has difficulty sleeping at night and is always seen crying. Memory loss is also experienced by Florence and according to the doctor there are times that the victim forgets her own name.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had subjected the suspects for DNA testing to determine their involvement in the sexual abuse. A chemist from Davao took the samples of the suspects and the specimens were brought to NBI laboratory in Manila for examination and the result would be out in three weeks.

Early forensic evidence showed that only one DNA profile was found from the volunteer nurse, proposing that she was not ganged rape but abused by one person. Justice Secretary de Lima stated, “The DNA profile points to a single perpetrator. It’s not any of the six, and it’s not Fulgencio. It’s most probably not gang-rape, that is what the NBI is looking into now. It may not be a conclusion yet, but so far the evidence points to that — that it’s most probably not a gang rape.” The suspects together with the videoke house owner were released after they were cleared from the involvement.

According to abs-cbnnews.com, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is giving South Upi, Maguindanao Vice-Mayor Jordan Ibrahim ultimatum to voluntarily submit himself to buccal (oral) swabbing and taking of blood samples for DNA profiling in order to rule him out as suspect in the rape of 21-year-old volunteer nurse, “Florence” last September 25."
http://nursingcrib.com/news-blog/nurse-florence-rape-case/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nursingcrib+%28NursingCrib.com%29

5 Tips For Bonding Better With Her

Wouldn’t it be a relief to finally understand what is happening behind her pretty eyes?
Why is it, for example, that the woman in your life is serene one moment, apocalyptic the next?
How can she remember details about your life you don’t even recall?
And what’s with her taking everything so personally?

Chalk it up to female brain chemistry. Here’s how to tailor your courtship to her cortex, hippocampus, etc.

1. Pay attention to the little things
She’ll see shades of meaning in small gestures, because significant regions of the cortex — the outer layer of a brain that conducts much of its high-level computing — are thicker in the ladies. Therefore, an off-hand comment like, “I’d rather watch the game” might say more than you meant it to. Likewise, a small act of kindness (from a kiss on the cheek to simply calling ahead to make reservations) will blow her away because she’ll consider both the gesture and the thoughtfulness behind the gesture.

2. To keep up with her memory, take notes
It’s a scientific fact: women remember everything. The hippocampus takes up a larger percent of the female brain than the male brain, which is good to know because it’s where memories are formed. So while you remember — maybe — the day you met, she’s recorded your first flirtation, first phone call, first date, first kiss, etc. Bottom line? There’s a reason the PDA and the Google calendar were invented. Use these electronic tools to keep up with her mighty hippocampus.

3. Follow her calm lead versus instigating fights
She’s much better at reining in her aggressive impulses than you are. Doctors at the University of Pennsylvania measured the size of the orbitofrontal cortex, an area of the brain involved in regulating emotions. They then compared it with the size of the amygdala, which creates emotional reactions to events. They discovered that female brains have a much larger orbitofrontal-to-amygdala ratio (OAR) than male brains do. That suggests women are better than guys at responding calmly to rudeness or aggression. “The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is the main ‘modulator’ of amygdala action,” explains researcher Ruben Gur. “So if you are at a party and someone insults you, the amygdala, which is a very primitive and old structure in human brains, will be yelling, ‘Kill the guy!’ The OFC is the part of the brain that will say: ‘Consider the context; there are people around.’” Thus, if you want to impress her, quiet your own amygdala and behave as gracefully as she does.

4. Write her a poem... or at least a cute email
“Women excel in something called verbal fluency, or being able to come up with appropriate words, given cues,” says Dr. Larry Cahill of the University of California at Irvine. In general, women’s brains are wired to be more language-centric than men’s. Researchers at McMaster University found that female brains have a greater density of neurons in parts of the temporal lobe cortex, which is the area of the brain associated with language processing and comprehension. This could help explain why women often know the right thing to say, send great cards and love notes, and choose words with such care. In wooing a love interest, it wouldn’t hurt to get the help of a trusted female friend. She’ll know just what to say.

5. Be her serotonin
Women’s brains produce significantly less serotonin — the brain chemical that helps make us happy — than male brains do. So if she has a tough day at work, treat to her to a transfusion: try a pep talk, soothing back rub or long hug.

Ways on how to gain weight

As requested,Ive researched on some tips on how to gain weight safely:

Tip 1:Eat the Right Foods
The most obvious way to gain weight is by increasing your food intake. But don’t binge on those Krispy Kremes just yet. Yes, you can easily gain weight by eating donuts and other junk food, but that’s not a healthy way to do it. You’ll consume lots of fats and sugars, and that’s not good for your body. Choose healthier food options instead: lean meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. This way you’ll get all the nutrition your body needs.

How To Do It: Do a health and wellness assessment first. If possible, approach a nutritionist about it. You need to find out your height, weight, and describe your lifestyle (e.g. eating habits, leisure activities). Based on all these information, the nutritionist will recommend the foods you should consume and how often you should eat.

Possible Problems: You might be exposed to unhealthy foods at home or when you’re dining out. Just control your junk food cravings (say “no" to pizza). Also, managing your calorie intake could be a daunting task, so just be particular about your diet.

Tip 2: Cut out the Bad Fat!

Avoid trans fats like the plaque, and go for the “good fats”. Yes, you want to gain weight, however you don’t want to gain weight that is in fact just fat. So, cut out the cakes, chips and candy. No more visits to McDonalds and steer clear of anything fried. High protein low fat foods like tuna fish (and other seafood), chicken breast, turkey, lean meats, fruits and vegetables etc, are the good clean foods to eat.

Tip 3: Get Drinking!

Drink around a half gallon of water a day and even more if you can. Sure, that’s a lot of water, but believe it or not, it’s that water you need for the energy you need to gain weight! Dehydration can lead to all sorts of health problems, including less stamina at the gym.

Tip 4: Sleep more

Get lots of sleep. This is one of the easiest yet most neglected weight gain tips. Sleep for a minimum of 8 hours night. You’re body needs it to function properly.

Tip 5: Lift

Get in the gym and lift! This is another important step in how to gain weight, so make sure you are doing it correctly. Try at least to increase your protein intake and add some resistance training on top of your other attempts to gain weight and it will make you a bit more filled out while retaining your shape.

Unlock your brain's potential

Unlock your brain's potential

Scientist suggest that Einstein was no smarter than the average person, but he knew how to tap into his full brain power. By the end of this guide you will learn the methods that could make you use as much of your brain as Einstein!
The methods that we were taught in school to use for learning are over three thousand years old and they simply do not work. Most of us have been convinced that we only use about 10% of our brain on a daily basis. Unfortunately the number is more like only 1%, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We can learn to use almost all of our brain all of the time. We simply just need to change our way of learning. What we were taught in school did not work for most people and left many people feeling inadequate, slow and downright stupid. We have used an inadequate and primitive method to learn which is slow, makes learning more work than it has to be and hinders learning challenges instead of facilitating them.


Scientist studied the EEG readings of two groups of people. One group worked on painting masterpieces while the other group just doodled. The scientist expected the group working on the masterpieces to have higher EEG readings than the doodlers. To their amazement, both groups had roughly the same EEG readings. It doesn’t take any more brainpower to paint a masterpiece than it does to doodle stick people. If it takes as much energy to goof off as it does to paint a masterpiece, you might as well work on a masterpiece. The masterpiece in this article is your brain. It deserves your attention and it deserves to be used to its fullest capacity and be filled with information and knowledge that you can use.

People focus on writing things down way to much. This is a very bad habit to get into, and can decrease your ability to remember things. Here are some tips on how to remember things a bit better:

1. Believe you’ll remember it to focus your whole brain on the effort.
2. Will yourself to remember it to activate the internal brain.
3. Visualize, clearly in your mind what it is you want to remember to bring it into focus of your whole mind.
4. Tell yourself to remember it so your unconscious will mark it as special and make it stand out more.
5. Mentally review it the next morning.
6. Review the material again to refresh and reinforce it.

When you first wake up in the morning, you are a lot smarter than you are the rest of the day. Your brain is open. You are in the genius state. This occurs when you first wake up, and Einstein found that out. So, he did something incredible... He learned how to get into it. What he did is sit down holding a ball in his hand. He closed his eyes and relaxed. Then as he started to fall alseep, his muscles would loosen and the ball would drop, thus waking him up. When he awoke, he was in the genius state. Another state that geniuses used taps into your brain, and takes experience from any part of your life, and pretty much gives yourself advice. Here are the steps:

1. Sit in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Imagine that you are in a lush green forest. Imagine it more vividly with each step you take. Invoke the senses so that you not only see the forest, but you can also hear the sounds and smell the scents of the forest.
4. Then imagine that on your path you come to a rustic cabin, a quaint little house. See the house as vividly as you can with colors, shapes of windows, curtains, etc. Also imagine the landscape—what does the yard look like? Imagine it as vividly as possible too.
5. Imagine that you walk up to the door, you see and feel the doorknob, you open the door and then walk inside.
6. Next you visualize that a wise old man or woman is in the middle of the room. Visualize the person as fully as possible. Go to the wise old man/woman and tell him/her your problem.
7. Listen closely to what you think the person might say.

You will sometimes be amazed at what your own unconscious mind will tell you. This is also the part of your mind that spits out things you were trying to remember days or weeks before. It’s that time you are driving along or see something that sparks your memory and all of a sudden the answer comes to you.

We need to reprogram our minds with positive thoughts and messages to change our negative thinking about learning into positive ones. Think about all the things you have learned so far. Tell yourself that you will remember what you’re learning and what you need to remember. Working on these simple tricks will help your memory improve tremendously.

Here are some more small, but extremely useful things you can do to get the most out of your brain:


Deep breathing- Taking deeper breaths enhances your brain's power.See, your brain (all of your body for that matter) needs oxygen to function; And it is proven that the more you get the better.
Not only will this help you think better, but it will increase the strength of your lungs which can help in various circumstances.

Meditation- This isn't a long term thing, but more of a cooldown. Meditating when you are stressed, or are about to do something important is very helpful. Sitting down, closing your eyes, and focusing on nothing but your breath.
This relaxes you, and clears your mind. Do this for 5-10 minutes, and you will feel rejuvinated afterwards.

Using Dead time- When you are in the car, or walking to school, or other things like that just waste your time. Yes, you are getting somewhere, but what more do most people do besides talk or listen to an I-pod while doing it?
Find an audio file that is educational, and burn it to a CD, then whenever you are in the car, you can still be learning something. Or find a video file (like how to setup a rat, etc.) and put it on your I-pod for when you are walking to school, or riding passenger.


Rosemary- There isn't an absolute proven study that this is a working method, but some people swear that their brains get woken up just from inhaling the scent or Rosemary. No harm could be done, so why not try it? Maybe it will work for you.

Music- This isn't about listening to rap or hard rock, but things like Mozart. There was a study at the University of California, that kids who listened to piano and/or sang in a daily chorus were much better at solving puzzles, and scored 80% higher in spacial intellenigence.

Sugar- Do not eat sugar before a test, or something that requires thinking like that. Sugar can cause "Brain fog" and mess up your train of thought.

Fun- Don't be all work. Even if you try to be the smartest person in the world all day long, you will still feel empty. Find a balance that it suitible for you between working and doing something you enjoy. It will relieve a lot of stress, and can take your mind off of things that could be bothering you.

Fish- Eating fish actually speeds up your brain waves. Faster brain waves means faster thinking when you are in a fast situation. There are also fish-oil pills that you can use like vitamins, which takes the place of eating fish.

Puzzles- Grab a cross word once every other day, or whatever schedule you want, or even a couple riddles. This makes you think outside the box, and a great way to do get brain exercise. It is even god to do while at an airport, or waiting for a dentist appointment.

Questions- Ask yourself questions, then ponder it for awhile and find the most logical solution possible. If you can't find an answer, ask someone else, because an unanswered question can drive you crazy. Things like "Why are taller buildings better" or "What is the purpose of a curb" or things that you see in your everyday life that can be further thought about.

Exercise- Research shows that exercising for just 12 minutes a day can increase your brain power by 30%!

Memory- If you need to remember something short-term, then is is best to do it in the morning, because of the genius state that Einstein used. Long-term on the other hand is proven to be better in the afternoon. Also, if you are learning the words to a song, or studying for a test, it is best to sleep on it after studying. Before you go to bed, take some problems and put them on a paper, when you wake up, do the problems, then review the informatin, to recap what you learned the previous day (only used for tests or school work).

Listen- When you listen, knowlege comes rushing into your brain through your ears. You will become more aware of your surroundings, understand things better, and a keen ear is a great skill.

Getting dressed- When you get dressed, do it in the dark. It makes you use different senses, and increases awarness.

Soduko- It is a simple game that falls under the category of puzzles mentioned earlier, but it is one of the most powerful and effective ways to exercise your brain.

heart attack key points

1. Heart attack and strokes are major killers in all parts of the world. But they can often be prevented

2 You can project yourself from heart attacks and strokes by investing a little time and effort

3 Tobacco use an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes

4 Stopping tobacco use reduce the chance of a heart attack or stroke from the moment you stop

5 Engaging in physical activity for a least 30 minutes on most days of the week will help help to keep away heart attacks and strokes

6 Eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day and limiting your salt intake to less than one teaspoon a day can help to prevent heart attacks and strokes

7 High blood pressure has no symptoms but can cause a sudden stroke or heart attack. Have your blood pressure checked regularly.

8 Diabetes increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes if you have diabetes control your blood pressure and blood sugar to minimize your risk.

9 Being overweight increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. To maintain an ideal body weight takes regular physical activity to eat and healthy diet.

10 heart attacks and strokes can strike suddenly and can be fatal if assistance is not sought immediately.

Understanding heart attacks and strokes
Every year about 12 million people throughout the world die of a heart attack or a stroke. These diseases affect the poor as well as the rich .Most people think that they are disease of middle aged men .the truth is that both men and women suffer from heart attacks and strokes . Women are much more at risk after menopause.
The good news is that you can take steps to help prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Top Ten Weight Loss Tips

Here is a list of the Top Ten Weight Loss Tips

1. There is no substitute for working out: If you are not going to work out, none of the pills, diets or anything is going to work for you. If you go on a diet without working out, your body thinks it's in a huge trouble and starts saving your fat instead of burning it. This is one thing that you absolutely must do in order to be successful with any weight loss plan. There is no quick and easy magic formula to weight loss if you do not work out.

2. Know what your ideal weight is: I know we would all love to look like those sexy models but knowing your ideal weight is very important. Think of weight loss as being healthy and not as become too skinny. The point is to make you feel good about yourself not to make you unhealthy because you don't have enough fat/muscles to support yourself.

3. Take those Pictures: I know taking those before pictures can be depressing but that's ok, at least they will keep you motivated at trying hard to achieve your goal. I would also recommend using Photoshop to create an after picture of yourself that you can put up on your walls so you can focus on your goals and feel motivated.

4. Know your limits: Install a little calorie counter on your computer or use a notebook to track your daily calorie limits. You need to plan your diet and know what you should and should not eat everyday before you start.

5. Read those labels: Yeah I know, reading those labels is boring but you have to do it if you want to stay on top and make sure that you are only consuming what is right and healthy for you.

6. Read up on Substitutes: There are substitutes for almost everything. Read up on those and make sure you are choosing the ones that are healthiest for you.

7. Tell everyone: I know it sounds intimidating but telling everyone will keep you motivated and help you stop procrastinating with your weight loss because all your friends will be watching your progress. It adds the little bit of pressure that almost everyone seems to need, especially procrastinators.

8. Join Online and Offline Support Groups: It's really helpful to talk to people who are doing the same thing. It keeps you motivated and also helps you make a lot of good friends. So, do not hesitate to join online and offline weight loss clubs.

9. Drink lots of water: Water is good for everyone and for everything. Water also helps you function at your peak which is what you need when you work out. Drinking lots of water balances your body. So, put up reminders or ask someone to remind you to drink lots of water.

10. Do it!: Don't be too scared of whether you can reach your goals or not, just get up and do it. You'll learn lots even if you don't succeed first. Nothing can be achieved by staying home and reading books and tips on weight loss unless you start taking actions.

Being healthy is about a lot more than just going on a diet. It does not help if you lose some weight and go back to junk food and lack of exercise. Healthy living is a lifestyle and I hope some of my tips above will help you not only with your weight loss but also with living a healthy life.

Facts and myths about Masturbation

Masturbation will not, and cannot make you go blind or give you poor eyesight. I cannot find the original source of this blatant untruth, but we can probably assume that it was based in the correlation between puberty and the general age at which those with poor eyesight find out they need glasses.


Masturbation will not, and cannot give you acne any more than any OTHER activity or phase of your life in which you have hormonal fluctuations might give you acne. In fact, almost any sexual activity improves your circulation by raising your heart rate, which is good for your skin and the rest of your body.

Masturbation will not, and cannot make the genitals shrink or grow, and a doctor cannot tell if someone has masturbated unless they arrive at the office with ejaculate on one hand and a vibrator in the other.
Masturbation will not, and cannot make hair grow on your palms. On the Planet of the Apes, it just might, but not here on Earth.


Masturbation will not, and cannot make men or women infertile, or decrease sperm or egg count. It also does not make anyone "lose" their virginity, not "spoil" them for intercourse or other sexual acts. People are not cartons of milk. We cannot spoil or be "ruined." We change and grow, and as long as we act like good people in good conscience, no act or person can make us otherwise.

Plenty of scholars and religious leaders agree, Judeo-Christian and otherwise, that masturbation is not a sin, for those whose religions include the concept of sin (and many do not). There is really nothing concrete in the Bible to support this idea; it does not say masturbation is a sin in anything but a very vague sense that is highly open to interpretation. In addition, in very few religions and traditions is it considered any sort of problem at all. There are, of course, exceptions. In some Islamic traditions, if fasting, masturbating will break a fast, and in some other cultures, like Indonesia, it is considered criminal. Bear in mind, though, that some of these beliefs are very archaic, and are not based on current scientific and medical knowledge, but became tradition when this practice (and many others) were not understood



This said, Masturbation is a healthy way of getting pleasure that does'nt involve the risk of pregnancy or STDs (within reason). Masturbation is a normal way to enjoy your own body and the way it feels. It’s a good way to learn about your body and what feels good and what doesn’t. Masturbation is a normal and healthy way to feel sexually aroused, to get sexual pleasure and to release sexual feelings.

One of the most common worries is about how often it is ‘allowed’ or ‘healthy’ to masturbate. There is no set number of times that people should masturbate—there is no medical reason why masturbating four times a day will do you any harm. Some people masturbate regularly, while other people masturbate only rarely. Some people masturbate several times a day, while others masturbate only once or twice a year. However often you masturbate is normal for you. In adolescence when you’re going through puberty it’s very common to masturbate frequently due to the hormones in your body.

Many people who are not in a relationship will masturbate to relieve sexual tension, and even in a regular relationship it is common for people to masturbate when they are feeling sexually aroused and their partner isn’t around or isn’t particularly interested in sex.

Health risks? NEVER!



Health risks ? NEVER!


Masturbation is a perfectly normal sexual activity; and there is now evidence to show masturbating regularly lowers the risk of getting testicular cancer. In the past there were lots of myths about masturbation causing all sorts of health problems. Also, some cultures disapprove of masturbation, and some religious beliefs consider it a sin. The truth is that it is perfectly okay and normal to masturbate as long as you are not doing it to shock or offend somebody else. Masturbation is healthy as long as it happens in private and without feelings of guilt. It is also okay not to masturbate if you don’t feel comfortable about doing it.

Masturbating one, two, or ten times a day is healthy, as long as it brings you pleasure and you still continue to eat, go to school, and see friends.

Are certain methods of masturbation harmful?
Your balls and penis may feel sore due to the friction involved when you masturbate frequently, so try using some lube. If you are masturbating for long periods your penis could get sore and rubbed raw so it’s often a good idea to use some kind of lubrication. Sexual lubricants (such as KY Jelly or Wetstuff) are the best, as they’re designed for human skin. But some people use vegetable oil, vaseline, spit, etc.

Masturbation is one of the safest sexual activities there is. There is no risk of infection (as long as you don’t insert or use any unclean objects during masturbation). Some guys will insert something into the anus for sexual pleasure during masturbation (eg. vibrator). This is fine as long as it is clean and doesn’t have any sharp edges which could cause damage to the delicate skin of the anus.>>>>

Top 10 Strangest Diets Ever

From time to time we need to shed a few pounds and for most people the solution is to reduce calorie intake – eat less than you burn and you are guaranteed to lose weight. This is the principle behind the reason that the majority of French people are slim: they eat butter, cream, chocolate, and other delicious things, but in small quantities. Unfortunately there is a lot of money to be made in diets and so we are surrounded by bizarre ideas for weight loss. This list looks at ten of the strangest diets around. We have only included diets which are widely-spread; this means that individuals with bizarre eating habits are not included (they will have their own list).


10. Macrobiotic Diet

The macrobiotic diet is actually quite ancient. It involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as vegetables and beans, and avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods. This is probably the least bizarre diet on the list, but it does have one noticeable quirk: some leaders in the field of macrobiotics advocate smoking for good health, claiming that it is the non-macrobiotic foods that cause cancer, not smoking. Michio Kushi, who introduced macrobiotics to the US, had surgery on his colon in 2004. His son said: “[I]n spite of years of his smoking, a fact well-known to many, recent x-rays of Michio’s lungs were surprisingly clean, like that of a twenty year old (remarked his physician)”.


9. Cabbage Soup Diet

The Cabbage soup diet is a radical weight loss diet designed around heavy consumption of a low-calorie cabbage soup over the time of seven days. The diet is actually surprisingly popular and has spawned a whole slew of similar fads. The origins of the diet are unknown but it gained popularity as a word of “faxlore” in the 1980s, because it spread virally through people sharing it via fax machines. The diet is almost universally condemned by doctors as it lacks any substantial nutrition and the weight loss it causes is mostly water-loss not fat-loss, and is, therefore, not permanent. Along with the cabbage soup recipe, the diet is usually touted as being used in hospitals to dramatically reduce weight in patients needing heart surgery; this is not true. Most people trying this diet lose energy and experience light-headedness. The most common side effect is flatulence – a lot of it.


8. Paleolithic Diet

This diet harkens back to the cavemen and their eating habits. It is based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various human species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. Proponents of the diet say that paleolithic men were free of diseases known in modern times and, therefore, following their diet should keep us free from sickness. Centered around commonly available modern foods, the “contemporary” Paleolithic diet consists mainly of lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts; and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. So now, from a diet based on evolution, to a diet based on creationism:


7. Fruitarianism

Fruitarianism is a diet of nothing but fruit, though some people whose diet is not 100% fruit, consider themselves fruitarian, if their diet is 75% or more fruit. Some fruitarians believe fruitarianism was the original diet of mankind in the form of Adam and Eve based on Genesis 1:29: “And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat”. They believe that a return to an Eden-like paradise will require simple living and a holistic approach to health and diet. A fruitarian diet can cause deficiencies in calcium, protein, iron, zinc, vitamin D, most B vitamins (especially B-12), and essential fatty acids. Additionally, the Health Promotion Program at Columbia reports that food restrictions in general may lead to hunger, cravings, food obsessions, social disruptions and social isolation. Gandhi followed a fruit-only diet from time to time, but eventually gave it up due it being unsustainable. Now, if you didn’t think that was weird enough, how about the Bible Diet?


6. Bible Diet

The Bible Diet (or Maker’s Diet) is based on the idea that certain foods are either forbidden (”unclean”) or acceptable (”clean”) to God. The main promoter of the Bible diet is Jordan S. Rubin, who claims that the diet was responsible for his recovery from Crohn’s disease at the age of 19. In 2004 the United States Food and Drug Administration ordered Rubin’s company, Garden of Life, Inc., to stop making unsubstantiated claims about eight of its products and supplements. The diet begins and ends each day with prayers of thanksgiving, healing, and petition. The individual should perform exercises of “Life Purpose” for two to five minutes before the day gets too stressful. To achieve the utmost spiritual benefits from the partial fast days, it is suggested to pray each time hunger is experienced. The diet is broken up into three phases. Phase One restricts meats such as pork, bacon, ostrich, ham, sausages, emu and imitation meat. Fish and sea foods such as fried fish, breaded fish, eel, shark, crab, clams, oyster, mussels, lobster, shrimp, scallops, and craw fish are prohibited.


5. Shangri-La Diet

For people who love to eat, the Shangri-La diet is a godsend. Basically, you can eat what you like. The principle behind this diet is that the body has a set point (the weight that it wants to sustain) and appetite is moderated by the body to ensure that you stay at your set point. The inventor of the diet, Seth Roberts, says that you can lower your set point using his method, thereby lowering appetite and eventually weight. The method? Every day you must drink 100-400 calories of extra light olive oil or sugar water in a two hour window in which you must experience no flavors (including cigarette smoke). It is the consumption of extra flavorless calories which supposedly lowers the set point. While there are some critics of the method (which earned Roberts a spot on the New York Times bestseller list), most doctors consider that the diet, while lacking scientific evidence, is benign. [Image copyright (c) Erik Sansom: source]


4. Fletcherizing

“Nature will castigate those who don’t masticate.” These are the words used by Horace Fletcher at the turn of the 20th century to market his new diet: Fletcherizing. In this diet, a person must chew each mouthful 32 times whilst keeping their head tilted forward. After the chewing is complete, the dieter tilts their head back, allowing the contents of their mouth to slide down the throat. Any food that did not naturally slip down, was to be spat out. In addition, Fletcher advocated chewing liquids, and said that one must not eat when angry or sad. Fletched died a millionaire at 69 – with the majority of his money having come from promoting his diet which was wildly popular.


3.Breatharianism

Breatharianism consists of eating: nothing. That’s right, it is called Breatharianism because you are surviving on nothing but your breath. There are some elements of esotericism in this diet and some of practitioners believe that they are sustained by energy from the sun or a “vital life force” called prana. The Breatharian Institute of America promote the diet and offer a workshop to help you get started for the low price of just $10,000, which, according to their website: “is not a misprint”. These courses are run by Wiley Brooks who previously charged up to 25 million dollars for his courses. Occasionally Wiley eats a cheeseburger and a diet coke claiming that when he’s surrounded by junk culture and junk food, consuming them adds balance. At least three people have died whilst on this “diet”. If you have tried this diet and are not dead yet, be sure to tell us about it in the comments.


2. Sleeping Beauty Diet

As its name implies, this diet involves sleep – a lot of it. The principle behind this diet is: “if you aren’t awake, you aren’t eating”. Consequently, advocates take heavy sedation and sleep for days at a time in order to lose weight. Obviously the diet works but it is such an unhealthy approach to weight loss that it is insane to try it. The diet was originally formulated in the 1970s and was reportedly popular with Elvis Presley who was beginning to have difficulty bending down to tie up his blue suede shoes.


1. Tapeworm Diet

This diet is as disgusting as its name. In this diet, you eat a tapeworm in a cyst and let it grow in your body until it is fully mature. You then worm yourself and poop out the worm. Advocates of this insane diet assure people that they can lose 1 – 2 pounds per week using their method. Because it is illegal to import tapeworms into the US, some organizations run tapeworm farms in Africa and Mexico which tourists can visit to get infected “safely”. On these farms, cows are intentionally infected with tapeworm for harvesting for human consumption. This diet is alleged to work because once ingested, the worm attaches in the intestinal tract and absorbs nutrients from the food you eat.


Bonus
Last Chance Diet

This is not so much a diet as a fast, so it is added as a bonus item. Under this program, developed by Dr. Robert Linn in the 1970s, people ate nothing at all. But several times a day the fast was broken by a small drink of the concoction that Linn had invented called Prolinn. It was a liquid protein that provided fewer than 400 calories a day, consisted of ground-up and crushed animal horns, hooves, hides, tendons, bones and other slaughterhouse byproducts that were treated with artificial flavors, colors and enzymes to break them down. [Source: CBC News]

Not all diet programs work for everybody but there are those that work for specific cases.

via:strangesports