Mindfulness For Stress Reduction

“A great practice for every day.”

— Dr. Dale

Source: Here

What is mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)?

MBSR is a program that helps you learn to calm your mind and body to help you cope with illness, pain, and stress.

MBSR teaches "mindfulness," which is a focus only on things happening in the present moment. Mindfulness is not a time to "zone out" or "space out" but is rather a time to purposefully pay attention and be aware of your surroundings, your emotions, your thoughts, and how your body feels. For example, you may sit quietly and notice your emotions. You might focus only on the sounds around you or how your food tastes and smells. When you are mindful, you do just one thing and you pay close attention to that one thing.

Another important part of mindfulness is to not judge the present moment. This is because judgments may lead you to dwell on (or "get stuck" thinking about) bad situations, feelings, or thoughts. And dwelling on the past does not help you accept or solve problems. It just brings you down.

By training your mind to focus only on the present, you learn not to get lost in regrets from the past or worries about the future. Letting go of such thoughts may help you worry less and accept things as they are. Mindfulness teaches you to be in control of your mind so that your mind doesn't control you.

How does MBSR work?

To help you focus your mind on the present, a class in MBSR usually teaches you to:

• Focus your attention on your entire body, starting with your feet and ending at your head. As you do this "body scan," you might note places where you're tense or have pain. You might notice how your belly rises and falls as you breathe.
• Focus on thoughts and distractions that run through your mind, but don't judge them. For example, you might notice that a thought about work comes to your mind. Rather than worry about your thought, simply note the thought ("work") and feeling ("worry") without dwelling on them. Then turn your attention back to the present moment. It is common for the mind to wander when a person begins to practice mindfulness. If that happens to you, it's okay. Keep trying. This is why mindfulness is called a practiceit takes practice to not judge your feelings and thoughts. It takes practice to stay in the present moment.
• Practice yoga breathing exercises, stretches, and poses to strengthen and relax muscles.

Try MBSR on your own

• When you go outside, take a few deep breaths. What's the air like? Is it warm or cold? How does the warmth or chill feel on your body? Try to accept that feeling and not resist it. Notice any plants, their colors, and the contrast of those colors against the sky and clouds.
• Eat a meal in silence. Don't do anything but focus on your food. Smell your food before eating it. Notice what your food looks like. Eat slowly, and savor each bite. What flavors do you taste?
• When you can, take some time at the beginning of your day to sit alone and think. Focus on your breathing. Gaze out the window, and listen to the sounds outdoors. Or take a slow walk by yourself. Count your steps while you breathe in and out.
• If you can do this at work, try to stop for a few moments each hour. Note how your body feels. Let yourself regroup and let your mind settle before you return to what you were doing.
• If you struggle with anxiety or "worry thoughts," imagine your mind as a blue sky and your worry thoughts as clouds. Now imagine those worry thoughts floating across your mind's sky, almost the same as you would watch clouds float across the sky. Do not judge or resist your thoughts. Just let them pass by as you watch.

How effective is MBSR?

Studies show that MBSR can reduce stress and help people relax. Studies of people who have type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, chronic pain, and other problems show that MBSR helped some people cope better with symptoms and improved their quality of life.

Research also shows that MBSR helped people sleep better and feel less anxious, and it helped ease depression symptoms. In some people, MBSR also helped improve blood sugar and blood pressure. 1, 2, 3

Taking part in MBSR has been linked to positive changes in the areas of the brain that affect how you pay attention, how you feel, and how you think. 4

RELATED INFORMATION

• Mind-Body Wellness

ABOUT WORLD HEPATITIS DAY 2016

“Bringing awareness... We specialize in Hepatitis C treatment”

— Dr. Dale

ABOUT WORLD HEPATITIS DAY 2016

http://worldhepatitisday.org/en/about-us

The theme for this year’s global campaign is ELIMINATION.

2016 is a pivotal year for viral hepatitis. At the World Health Assembly in May, WHO Member States are set to adopt the first ever Elimination Strategy for Viral Hepatitis, with ambitious targets and a goal to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. This will be the first time national governments sign up and commit to the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis.

To mark this historic moment and to leverage this political commitment, we are using the theme of elimination for WHD 2016, which can be easily adapted for local use; to achieve elimination, greater awareness, increased diagnosis and key interventions including universal vaccination, blood and injection safety, harm reduction and treatment are all needed. This means every activity that addresses viral hepatitis is a step towards elimination. In other words, no matter what your plans are to mark WHD, be it a rally or press briefing or screening events, they can all come under the theme of elimination.

To elevate the theme of elimination NOhep, a global elimination movement, will be launched to bring people together and provide a platform for people to speak out, be engaged and take action to ensure global commitments are met and viral hepatitis is eliminated by 2030.

In order to achieve the NOhep objective of reaching 300 million by 2030, we need your help. Whether you do something as large as launching NOhep on WHD in your country or as simple as signing up to the movement, every action has an impact. Join us and be part of making the elimination of viral hepatitis our next greatest achievement.

HPV-Related Cancers an "Epidemic" in Men, Report Finds

“It is always better to be proactive... Please come see us for any of your questions about HPV.”

— Dr. Dale

HPV-Related Cancers an "Epidemic" in Men, Report Finds

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/hpv-related-cancers-epidemic-men-report-finds-n605546

The number of cancers related to HPV has dramatically increased, a new government report finds. But too few people are receiving the best protection against the preventable and potentially deadly diseases of the cervix, head and neck: a vaccine given to pre-teens which could protect them later in life.

The number of human papilloma virus (HPV)-associated cancers in the United States has increased by 17 percent, to nearly 39,000 cases a year, according a report released Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While men cannot get HPV-linked cervical cancers, they are particularly vulnerable to HPV-related cancers of the mouth, tongue and throat, called oropharyngeal cancers. According to the new CDC report, the rates of mouth and throat cancers are more than four times higher among males than females.

"THERE IS AN EPIDEMIC OF HPV-RELATED CANCERS IN MEN, SPECIFICALLY THOSE OF THE TONSIL AND BACK OF THE TONGUE. WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW IS THAT THERE IS NO SCREENING TEST FOR THOSE."

"In the past, people always felt that the boys needed to be vaccinated to protect the girls but, truthfully, they need to be vaccinated to protect themselves", says Dr. Lois Ramondetta , professor of gynecologic oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center who has made it a personal mission to educate both parents and pediatricians about HPV and the vaccine that can help stop cancer before it starts.

Ever since actor Michael Douglas announced in 2013 that he suffered from HPV-related throat cancer in 2013, people realized HPV poses a threat not only to women, but to males of all ages.

"There is an epidemic of HPV related cancers in men, specifically those of the tonsil and the back of the tongue," says Ramondetta. "What's really important to know about those is that there is no screening test for those."

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that HPV infection raises the chances of throat, mouth or tongue cancer by at least sevenfold. Experts predict that throat cancer will beat out cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer by 2020.

The most effective way to prevent that: Early vaccination.

Boys and girls are supposed to get three doses of the HPV vaccine — starting at age 11 or 12 because the vaccine works best before sexual activity begins.

"The other benefit of giving it early is that our immune response is better. And that it may last longer," Ramondetta explains.

Yet the latest statistic from the CDC shows that in 2014, only 40 percent of teenage girls received all three doses of the vaccine needed. In boys, that number is even lower: Only 22 percent of boys between 13 and 17 are properly vaccinated against HPV, increasing their chances for HPV-caused cancers later in life.

"We actually know the majority of them can be prevented with the HPV9 vaccine that's out now," says Ramondetta. In fact, the new CDC study found that 93 percent of all HPV-caused cancers are preventable with existing HPV vaccines.

According to the CDC, the HPV vaccine — which is usually covered by insurance — is safe and not associated with serious side-effects of the HPV.