Are You Taking NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)?
Short-term use of NSAIDs can be helpful, especially when used for inflammation that comes from traumatic injuries (sprains, strains, accidents, etc.). They can be effective in relieving pain and inflammation associated with chronic pain syndromes including all forms of arthritis and for some who suffer from FMS. However, long-term use of these medications can cause a host of unwanted side effects. None of these medications actually correct the cause of pain. In fact they can accelerate joint destruction and cause intestinal permeability (which leads to more inflammation).
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as Bextra, Mobic, Ibuprofen, Daypro, Naprosyn, Alleve, and Celebrex, contribute to 10,000-20,000 DEATHS A YEAR.
A person taking NSAIDS is seven times more likely to be hospitalized for gastrointestinal adverse effects. The FDA estimates that 200,000 cases gastric bleeding annually and that this leads to 10,000 to 20,000 deaths each year.
There are numerous, natural ways to reduce inflammation. I recommend Essential Therapeutics Inflammation Support Formula (ISF).
High Blood Pressure
NSAIDs can cause high blood pressure. In one study, 41% of those who had recently started on medication to lower their blood pressure were also taking NSAIDs. NSAIDs more than double a person’s risk of developing high blood pressure.
Physical Exercise and Stress Reduction
Physical exercise is something that is necessary for a healthy lifestyle. Make sure to balance any exercise routine with aerobic, weight bearing, and relaxation exercises. Each form of exercise can be considered an opportunity for stress reduction.
Exercise also improves brain function and can help prevent dementia. Even moderate exercise, such as taking a brisk walk for 30 minutes or more, increases blood flow to the brain, thus keeping brain cells strong and efficient. Adults who exercise at least three times a week have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of developing dementia later in life than those who do not exercise.
Just as you need to exercise to keep your body fit, your brain needs a workout as well. Brain sharpening exercises can be as simple as reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, socializing, going to lectures, listening to sermons, playing video games, or other hobbies that keep your brain thinking. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that among leisure activities, reading, playing board games, playing musical instruments, and dancing were the best for reducing the risk of dementia.
Shyness Study: How the Brain Adapts to Stimuli
Shyness may be the result of deficits in two areas of the brain, new research from Vanderbilt University finds. Extremely shy or inhibited individuals are typically slow to acclimate to new people.
The study, recently published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, found that individuals who identified themselves as inhibited may not be able to adapt to new stimuli in two regions of the brain.
The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine adults with either an inhibited or uninhibited temperament. Study participants were shown pictures of unfamiliar faces multiple times.
Individuals with an uninhibited temperament demonstrated habituation. Their brain response increased when the faces were new but declined as they became familiar. In contrast, individuals with an inhibited temperament failed to habituate across repeated presentations of faces, meaning familiar faces triggered the same brain response as the unfamiliar.
This failure to habituate shows that shy and cautious behavior is characteristic of inhibited individuals. These who familiarize more slowly may find encounters with new people overwhelming and thus avoid new social experiences, whereas those who adjust more quickly may be more likely to outgoing and social.
This failure to habituate in one’s brain, may be a key cause of social anxiety disorder, which is the second most common anxiety disorder and affects approximately one in 10 adults in the United States.
