Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in teenagers is a baffling and complicated disease for practitioners to diagnose and learn. 

Teens with CFS feel overwhelming tiredness and lack of energy that abides for months with no clear-cut cause. It becomes extremely complicated to get out of bed, get dressed, or even eat. It affects school, work, and even what someone does for pleasure such as going to a movie or playing an instrument.

Generally teens get better more quickly and recuperate from CFS more completely than adults do.  Therapy and support groups can be highly helpful for teens with CFS.  Just Google “cfs support groups” for a list of local groups near you.

What Causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

Quite frankly, no one can say absolutely, with absolute authority what the definite cause is.  Until now, no one actually had a agenda geared to actually healing CFS sufferers.

How Is CFS Treated?

Typically experts mention that the following way of life changes can help:

1.   Include regular, carefully planned exercise in your every day routine.  For a few teens, the disease is so severe that exercise can only mean doing some hand stretches or picking up objects. Teens with CFS should pace themselves while doing any physical task that needs extra exertion.   Consult with a physician to find out what’s right for you — you don’t want to overdo it and get discouraged.  People with CFS are often “out of shape” so getting back into exercise in stages helps.

2.   Eat a healthy diet.  Specialists agree that people with CFS should avoid heavy meals, alcohol, caffeine, and large quantities of junk food. A registered dietitian (RD) or nutritionist can advise menu plans to help reduce shows of fatigue.

3.    Think “alternative.” Acupuncture, massage, and stretching, seem to help a large number of teens with CFS but it’s a good idea to keep your practitioner informed about any other treatments you’re trying.

Coping with CFS from day to day:

Keep a positive approach and pay attention to getting well instead of negative, discouraging issues.  Even without knowing the precise cause of CFS, teens who take action and approach their condition with a positive outlook fare much better.

Some more feasible and effective considerations that will help you to cope with CFS:

1.   Rest is recognized as a vital treatment, but a careful balance between work and rest must be maintained.  Learn to pace yourself. Know your limits and work within them, day by day, week by week, month by month.

2.   Evaluate and express your feelings.  Deep emotions are a part of this illness.  Recognizing emotions (rather than suppressing them or pretending you’re OK) can help you decipher what’s behind your feelings and enable you to deal with them rationally.

3.   Write it down.  Keep lists and make notes to help keep yourself on track and assist your memory. It can also help to keep an every day diary. This will help you to share information that might help your specialist. You can in addition track trends; for example, if your energy is high at a precise time of day and low at another. This will help you comprehend when to exercise or do other required tasks.

4.   Allow more time to do things, especially those things that need more concentration or physical exertion. Seek assistance from family, teachers, and friends.

5    Get information about CFS from reputable sources. There’s so much misinformation and confusion about this disease that it’s definitely important to know and trust your sources.

According to the CDC, almost half of all CFS patients experience partial or full recovery within 5 years after the CFS indications begin — once again, the outlook is better for teens than for adults.

Earlier we stated that “Until now, no one actually had a program geared to actually healing CFS sufferers.”  Well finally, a former CFS sufferer himself,  Clive L. Haslam (M.Sc, PG.Dip)  , has developed a program called “Total Healing In Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”.  The program promises to give you everything you need to know to recover your health and help you revive from CFS. If you or your teenager have tried everything else with no relief you should absolutely obtain your own personal copy of this remarkable progam.  You can request your personal copy right now by clicking on this kids teenagers with chronic fatigue syndrome link.
Click the link now.  kids teenagers with chronic fatigue syndrome

Technorati Tags: chronic, chronic fatigue syndrome, pain, teenage chronic pain

Lower abdominal pain is one of the most frequently experienced musculoskeletal problems in the world. Nearly two-thirds of adults around the world are believed to have had some experience of abdominal pain at some point in their lives and approximately 2.5 million of the general public have low back pain each day of the year. So natural solutions are a welcome offering.

Lower left abdominal pain is the most frequent area for abdominal pain. You will know how debilitating such pain can be – whether it is an acute episode or chronic condition. The effects of abdominal pain can be devastating not only for the person having the problem, but also for their family, friends and carers. The simplest chores and activities from shopping to walking may perhaps become impossible. Constant physical pain can impact on an individual’s emotional well-being as it drains you of energy. People living with a chronic condition can become depressed, and in some cases may even be driven to suicide to escape the hurt!

Herbs and natural healing remedies can provide lower left abdominal pain relief by using  herbal medicine and natural therapies, where most citizens go to take conventional medicine. With herbal relief the muscles that support the spine buy time and a chance to recuperate and strengthen. This in turn kick starts the normal healing processes of the body.

Here is one common home remedy for the treatment of abdominal pain

Peppermint - The leaves or oil of peppermint have traditionally been used to cure indigestion, nausea, and abdominal cramps. An antispasmodic, peppermint relieves discomfort caused by spasms inside the digestive tract. It also stimulates bile circulation and gastric secretions.

To make a tea, pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped leaves. Steep for 5 to 10 minutes, then strain

The purpose of herbal medication is not to take the place of necessary orthodox medical treatment. A combination of treatments together is probably a better choice.

You may notice that in the last few years, despite the fact that you are taking general treatment as per your doctor’s suggestion, your medication tends to be increasing instead of decreasing your problems.

But whoever takes peppermint herbals and other natural treatments with this trouble will possibly reach a time when he will not need conventional medicines. Sometimes he will find himself tapering down requirement of medications and may not require them at all after a time.

Even as correction of the problem the peppermint essence is not just to control this health trouble but also serves as a detoxification and rejuvenation of the body and correction of this deep-seated health problem. Mix with oral supplements to cleanse and rejuvenate your body and skin to make it fit and energetic. The results are terrific since herbs are not restricted to one state but can be a combination of best likely herbs. You can practice Yoga and meditation to enhance the effects.

Physical Techniques To Prevent Low Abdominal Pain

Steps you can take to prevent abdominal pain

• Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes.

• Have your gait evaluated and corrected, if appropriate, with fitted shoe inserts

• Make sure your work surface is at a comfortable height for you.

• Use a chair with excellent lower back support that may perhaps recline slightly.

• If you should sit for long periods, rest your feet on the floor or on a low stool, whichever is more comfortable.

• If you should stand for long periods, rest one foot on a low stool.

• If you need to drive long distances, place a pillow or a rolled-up towel behind the little of your back. Also, be sure to stop often and walk around for some minutes.

• Boost your health through simple laughter exercises! Learn how

• If you have trouble sleeping, sleep on your back using a pillow beneath your knees or sleep on your side with your knees bent and a pillow among your knees.

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Technorati Tags: abdomen, abdominal, acute, back, chronic, condition, herbal, herbals, left, low, lower, medication, medicine, pain, peppermint

High blood pressure is one of the most common chronic illnesses in the West today and it is mostly down to a high paced stressful lifestyle

As the name implies, hypertension is simply having a blood pressure higher than the usual. When it is lower than the usual, we call it hypotension. But this is not as common as hypertension.

Lower hypertension through simple laughter exercises! Learn how

In this fast paced, career-demanding world, who is not under stress? I bet everyone is! But have you ever considered that this can lead to hypertension? I have news for you – both good and bad. But I will start with the bad news.

The bad news

In our modern society, because of our lifestyles, demanding work schedules and the economic pressure, we all stand the risk of having a high blood pressure or hypertension.

If you think you are not a target for hypertention, you are deceiving yourself. In fact, as long as there is an amount of pressure or stress on you, there is every chance that you can have hypertension.

If you have been ‘overwhelmed’, ‘anxious’, ‘irritable’, ‘depressed’, ‘burned out’, ‘on the verge of losing it’ before, then you know what stress is about. It is this condition of stress which can lead to hypertension. Even more unfortunate for those who have high blood pressure, the stress levels make their situation worse.

How these stress levels come about

Traffic jams, workload, financial pressures, strained relations, rejection, negative or pessimistic thinking, etc. These are the usual causes of stress. Who doesn’t go through these these days?

The good news

Now the good news is that there are ways to  manage stress levels. Doing this will help us reduce our risk to hypertension.

If your blood pressure is high, then you need to critically follow these suggestions too

• Learn how to meditate and practice regularly. Deep relaxatiuon is an excellent remedy for hypertension

• Talk to a friend or close relative regularly – when you have a problem and when you don’t.

• Talk to yourself positively – constantly and train yourself out of negative thinking

• Set and develop realistic goals and expectations for yourself – so that you don’t feel you are under achieving.

• Organize and plan your days – so that you don’t get disorganized and overwhelmed

• Take regular breaks from busy schedules – it helps to release stress

• Eat well balanced and nutritious diets

• Learn to say NO (politely but firmly) to things you cannot do.

• Get a regular hobby – play is as important as work!

• Laugh more often – it’s a medicine

• Learn to exercise regularly and get plenty of rest

• Learn how to do EFT and tap every day for good health

If you are looking for natural hypertension remedies – for yourself or to help someone – you will need to consider the suggestions above seriously. They will help you. Drugs will not do and no amount of therapy programs will be of any use if you forgo the suggestions above.

Lower hypertension through simple laughter exercises! Learn how

The main problem has always been the discipline to follow through. If you think this is hard and a waste of time, consider the other side – stressing yourself up and ultimately having to deal with hypertension.

If you are also hypertensive, then you need to practice these suggestions too.

See the list of natural remedies on this page: Chronic Illness Management

Your may or may not see results immediately – as it is with any natural remedy – but you will find out that in the long term, you will live longer and will be able to add 10 or 15 more years to your life and it will likely be that much more enjoyable

Technorati Tags: blood pressure, causes, chronic, eft, exercise, high, how to, hypertension, illness, information, learn, levels, manage, meditate, nutritious diet, stress, treatment

Active and happy self management for chronic illness is becoming an increasingly viable option and the following article looks at what’s involved and what is available in the way of support

In The Meantime Here Is A Powerful Shortlist of Natural Pain Relief Solutions To Support Your Self Management

• Laugh Your Way Free of Pain It works! Try it and see.

• Natural ease with Eazol, made with natural ingredients

• Physiotherapy Exercise Guide pain management for chronic pain

• Meals That Heal Inflammation, a nutrition guide for inflammatory pain relief

• Relieve Chronic Back Pain through a gentle home managed program

• Pain Relief With EFT a simple and natural energy therapy technique you can easily learn and apply at home. It worked for me. I can highly recommend it!

• Meditation Guide and how to manage chronic illness by deeply relaxing

• Transform Pain to Joy. Taking Control of Chronic illness instead of it controlling you

Introduction to Chronic disease managament

Are You an “Expert Patient”? Can your Doctor(s) say the following about you?

“My Patient knows more about the disease than I do; as much about the disease as I do, and enough about his/her symptoms that it is easy to communicate with him/her.”

Why is becoming an Expert Patient so important?

There is plenty of emerging research about the needs of 21st century patients. Most of that research centers around the concept of “Illness Self-Management”, for what is called “chronic illness”.

What, you ask, is a “chronic illness”

Acute Illness

Health concerns are usually classified as either acute or chronic. Acute illnesses usually begin abruptly and last only a short time. Most people with an acute illness can expect to return to normal health. A strep throat is an example of an acute illness: it is easy to diagnose with a lab test and is cured with antibiotics.

Chronic Illness

Chronic diseases are different. They usually develop slowly, last long periods of time, and often are never cured. In most cases, there is no cure. The long-term effects may be difficult to predict. Some conditions cause few problems. Others cause only episodic problems or symptoms that can be controlled with medication.

However, in some cases, a chronic disease may severely limit a person’s ability to work, go to school or take care of routine needs. Examples of chronic diseases include, but are in no way limited to: diabetes, congestive heart failure, asthma, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, emphysema, fibromyalgia, parkinsons symdrome, chronic fatigue and multiple sclerosis – just to mention a few.

Why is “Chronic Disease Self-Management” so important a concept for those with a chronic condition?

For the person with a chronic condition, there is no way not to self-manage the disease/illness. If one retires from life and stays at home as a depressed person this is a type of self-management. On the other hand, many people learn to deal with their conditions and remain active, happy participants in life.

Laugh Your Way Back to Health  Learn How

Chronic Disease Self-Management covers the following areas:

• knowing how to recognize and respond to changes in a chronic disease

• dealing with problems and emergencies

• using medicines and treatments effectively

• finding and using community resources

• getting enough exercise

• coping with fatigue, pain and sleep problems

• maintaining good nutrition

• making decisions about when to seek medical help

• working with your doctor(s) and other care providers

• talking about your illness with family and friends

• managing work, family and social activities

It is the learning of the skills necessary for this later type of proactive disease/illness self-management that is the subject of this document. The information about developing the skills is fascinating; and, they (the skills) really are the key to deciding and remaining active, happy participants with a quality of life as full as you can make it.

Research and practical experience in North America and Britain are showing that today’s patients with chronic diseases need not be mere recipients of care. They can become key decision-makers in the treatment process.

By ensuring that knowledge of their condition is developed to a point where they are empowered to take some responsibility for its management and work in partnership with their health and social care providers, patients can be given greater control over their lives.

(Note: Once again, this process of acquiring the knowledge of your condition so that you can reach the self-management level with your Doctor(s) is one of the primary purposes behind the www.disabilitykey.com website.)

Self management programs can be specifically designed (between you and your Doctor(s)) to reduce the severity of symptoms and improve confidence, resourcefulness and self-efficacy (a big word that basically means self reliance).

Chronic Pain Self Management with EFT Access Free Training Video Here

Why become a chronic disease self-manager?

For those of you who have had an opportunity to read about my professional career , you will see that I started out as a “Federal Auditor” of Human Resources practices, policies and procedures (which is why I was able to create the Disabilitykey Workbook in the first place). As an Auditor, I always wanted to know what is the “ROI” (Return on Investment) as they say in the business world, for anything I worked on, or for any initiative I tackled.

Why would people with chronic illnesses want to learn how to manage their disease symptoms? Why would their Doctors want them to learn and do these things? What is in it for both patients and Doctors?

Laugh Your Way Free of Pain It works! Try it and see.

First of all, it was a fascinating subject for me to research! And, imagine my surprise to learn that, even though the original Chronic Disease Self-Management study was conducted here in the United States at Stanford University, it appears that, at this point in time, (mid-2005), England, Scotland, and Australia appear to be further along in actually implementing programs than we are here in the US!

And, imagine my chagrin to find out that to be able to take the great online training program to become certified in chronic disease management, you have to live in England!

In the United Kingdom, their Department of Health came to the following conclusion:

• Little has been done to prepare patients for long-term management of their diseases

• They face many challenges in coping with discomfort and disability and carrying out treatment programs on a regular basis.

• They need to modify behavior to minimize undesirable outcomes, adjusting their social and work lives to accommodate their symptoms and functional limitations and deal with the emotional consequences.

• For their care to be effective, they must become adept at interpreting and reporting symptoms, judging the trends and tempo of their illness and participating with health professionals in management decisions.

(Note: language has been “Americanized” for greater ease of understanding here in America on, what they [the United Kingdom] call, “the other side of the Pond”.)

Expert patients

It was the chief medical officer for the United Kingdom, who first introduced the name ‘expert patient”. He said that expert patients are “people who have the confidence, skills, information and knowledge to play a central role in the management of life with chronic diseases.” Doesn’t this sound logical?

Here are some Chronic Illness statistics here in the US

In the US for example, less than One Percent of the people who stand to benefit from self managing their chronic arthritis – do so.

Chronic disease has become pandemic in the United States, and estimates are that it will affect 148 million people by the year 2030. Patients with chronic illnesses cost the health care system over three times more than individuals without chronic conditions.

The Population of U.S. adults over 65 is expected to double between 2000 and 2030. Over 80% of adults over 65 years of age have one or more chronic conditions — over 60% have two or more chronic conditions.

Deep Relaxation is known to be deeply healing and helps to boost the immune system and relieve pain

Find Deeply Relaxing Meditation CDs and Downloads here

Consumers with five or more chronic conditions account for two-thirds of all Medicare spending. People with chronic conditions are responsible for 78% of all health care spending, 95% of all Medicare spending, and 77% of all Medicaid spending for community-dwelling adults.

The U.S. has by far the most expensive health care system in the world — but lags most other developed countries in key quality and consumer outcomes.

However, it is the following statistic about how much actual time, on average, that a patient here in the United States spends with their Doctor(s) that really got my attention.

On average, we with a Chronic Disease spend around three hours per year with a health professional. This means that the patient is left to manage his/her own condition for the other 8757 hours of the year.

If you, or someone you know has a chronic illness, wouldn’t you be more comfortable knowing what to do during those “other” 8,757 hours that you are not in a health professional’s presence? I sure did, and I didn’t even know that such a thing as chronic disease management as a concept existed when I did the work depicted in the Disabilitykey Workbook.

I only knew that I needed a way to live the best possible life in spite of my chronic disease; I wanted to control it; I did not want it controlling me! OK, chronic disease management just seems to make sense. But, the Auditor in me asks, are there measurable, objective results that this concept is worthwhile? And, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), there are.

Chronic Disease Symptom Management Program

AHRQ-funded research at the Stanford University Patient Education Research Center led to development of the “Chronic Disease Symptom Management Program” (CDSMP). Standford’s CDSMP is a 17-hour course taught by trained lay people that teaches patients with chronic disease how to:

1) better manage their symptoms

2) adhere to medication regimens

3) maintain functional ability.

Over a period of 2 years, AHRQ-funded investigators compared health behaviors, health status, and health services use in patients age 40 to 90 years (average age, 65) who had completed the CDSMP. When compared to baseline measures taken for the 6 months prior to the CDSMP, researchers found the following:

• After 6 months, CDSMP participants had: Increased exercise. Better coping strategies and symptom management. Better communication with their physicians. Improvement in their self-rated health, disability, social and role activities, and health distress. More energy and less fatigue. Decreased disability. Fewer physician visits and hospitalizations.

• After 1 year, CDSMP participants had: Significant improvements in energy, health status, social and role activities, and self-efficacy. Less fatigue or health distress. Fewer visits to the emergency room. No decline in activity or role functions, even though there was a slight increase in disability after 1 year.

• After 2 years, CDSMP participants had: No further increase in disability. Reduced health distress. Fewer visits to physicians and emergency rooms. Increased self-efficacy. Another source of actual results from people who have made the decision to become Chronic Disease Self-Managers comes from The United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has a website describing the recent results of their Expert Patient “Programme” (EPP). The website provides periodic ‘eUpdates’ to inform people about new developments within the Expert Patients Programme such as new publications, forthcoming events and news from the national team.

The EPP is a National Health Service (NHS) lay led self-management programme for people living with any long-term health condition(s).

Groups of 8-16 participants, with a mix of different conditions, meet over six weekly sessions and are led through a structured course by trained tutors who are also living with a long-term condition.

Each session (lasting two and a half hours) looks at ways to better manage the effects of their long-term condition. For more information about the EPP please visit the EPP website at www.expertpatients.nhs.uk

EPP Pilot Internal Evaluation

Internal evaluation data from approximately 1000 EPP participants who completed the course between Jan 2003 and Jan 2005 indicates that the programme is achieving its aims in:

1) Providing significant numbers of people with long term conditions with the confidence and skills to better manage their condition on a daily basis. – 45% said they felt more confident that they would not let common symptoms (pain, tiredness, depression and breathlessness) interfere with their lives. – 38% felt that such symptoms were less severe 4 – 6 months after completing the course. – 33% felt better prepared for consultations with health professionals.

2) Providing significant reductions in service usage by people with long term conditions completing the EPP course. – 7% reductions in GP consultations – 10% reductions in Outpatient visits – 16% reductions in A&E attendances (US note: note sure what this is.) – 9% reductions in Physiotherapy use

Over 94% of those who took part felt supported and satisfied with the course.

If you want to sign up to receive periodic updated information about what the Brits are doing, you too can sign up to receive an “eUpdate” as they call them. It is FREE, and you can sign up by going to: www.expertpatients.nhs.uk.

What is Chronic disease self-management?

Chronic Disease Self-Management; Self-Efficacy; great terms, but what do they really mean, and how does one start to become a Chronic Disease Self-Manager?

Consider the following quotations associated with these concepts.

“Row Your Own Boat” – Chronic Disease Self-Management.

”Every bird flies with its own wings.” Swahili proverb

What do the two quotations have in common? First of all, the desire, then the knowledge, then the action to take back control over your health, and your life.

Here are questions – a ‘mini quizz’ that you can use to ask yourself about your “readiness” to adopt the concept of Chronic Disease Self-Management (or, to assist someone else in their journey toward this objective).

Chronic Disease Self-Management Readiness Test

Created By Stanford University’s Patient Education Research Center, this test is called: Self-Efficacy for Managing Chonic Diseases 6-Item Scale. The test measures how confident you are that you can keep ‘your situation’ (i.e., the situation addressed in each of the following 6 questions) caused by your disease from interfering with the things you want to do?

For each of the following questions, please choose the number (between 1 and 10) that corresponds to how confident you are that you can keep the symptoms caused by your disease from interfering with the things you want to do? #1 represents “Not at all confident”; #10 represents “Totally confident”.

1) How confident are you that you can keep the fatigue caused by your disease from interfering with the things you want to do?

2) How confident are you that you can keep the physical discomfort or pain of your disease from interfering with the things you want to do?

3) How confident are you that you can keep the emotional distress caused by your disease from interfering with the things you want to do?

4) How confident are you that you can keep any other symptoms or

health problems you have from interfering with the things you want to do?

5) How confident are you that you can do the different tasks and activities needed to manage your health condition so as to reduce your need to see a doctor?

6) How confident are you that you can do things other than just taking medication to reduce how much you illness affects your everyday life?

The higher you score toward “10″ on each question, the more “self-efficacy” you have.

(Reminder: self-efficacy is the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the sources of action required to manage situations.)

As you can probably figure out, I score either 9 or 10 on each question. My Disabilitykey Workbook (see www.disabilitykey.com) and the confidence that I received by first, executing the processes contined therein for myself, and then in developing the Workbook to assist others, has allowed my self-efficacy to be high.

OK, you have rated yourself, and you want to know more about the ‘what’ of this topic. First, we will discuss the definition of Chronic Disease Self-Management; next, the stages of a “chronic disease self-help behavioral change”; and, finally, something called “social learning theory”.

Definition of Chronic Disease Self-Management

Based on a comprehensive literature review of over 400 articles, Researchers have proposed the following definition.

“Chronic disease self-management involves [the person with the chronic disease] engaging in activities that protect and promote health, monitoring and managing of symptoms and signs of illness, managing the impacts of illness on functioning, emotions and interpersonal relationships and adhering to treatment regimes.”

There are a number of key elements to this definition that will enable us to develop a practical concept of self-management. It is important to note that these elements are about the behaviors of the patient, rather than models of self-management for health care systems, service providers or health professionals.

These elements suggest that self-management:

• Entails engaging in activities that promote health
• Involves managing a chronic condition by monitoring signs and symptoms
• Entails dealing with the effect of a chronic condition on personal well being and interpersonal relationships and
• Involves following a treatment plan prescribed to you by your Doctor(s).

The definition of self-management encompasses a range of behaviors, as well as knowledge and attitudes and is an important starting point towards the development of a concept of chronic disease self-management.

Help getting from where you are to becoming a Chronic Disease Self-Manager

Stages of Behavioral Change

A model of behavior change that has been applied to chronic disease self-management is based on research on how people change behavior, either on their own or within an intervention program (i.e. some sort of action to assist in the change). The theory is that the ceasing of risk behaviors (eg. smoking) and acquisition of health promoting behaviors (eg. physical activity, relaxation) involves the progression through the stages of change.

Health Promoting Behaviours

Pre-contemplation [not thinking of change] Contemplation [thinking of change] Determination [ taking preliminary steps to change] Action [ actively engaging behavior change] Maintenance [ sustained behavioral change] Relapse [ can occur at any point.]

‘Can do’ Attitude

Behavioral change is facilitated by a personal sense of control.

If people believe that they can take action to solve a problem, they become more inclined to do so and feel more committed to this decision. This “can do” attitude mirrors a sense of control over one’s environment. It reflects the belief of being able to master challenging demands by means of adaptive action. It can also be regarded as an optimistic view of one’s capacity to deal with stress. (Not to sound redundant, but this really is about the glass being “half-full” and not “half-empty”.)

Social Learning

OK, now we understand the behavioral change steps, now on to the social learning stage. The theoretical underpinning of effective chronic disease self-management programs should be based on social learning and behavioral theories.

The key principles of these theories as applied to chronic disease self-management are:

• Disease management skills are learned and behavior is self-directed
• Motivation and confidence (including self-efficacy) in managing one’s condition dictate an individual’s success
• The social environment (ie. family, workplace & health care system) support or impede self-management and
• Monitoring and responding to changes in disease state, symptoms, emotions and functioning improve adaptation to the chronic condition.

Becoming Trained In Chronic Disease Management

How do you become trained in Chronic Disease Self-Management?

Here are the primary resources available

1) Start with your own health insurance company. Call up the Customer Service folks in Plan, and ask if they offer “Chronic Disease Self Management Program” classes. My Internet searches indicate that many of the larger companies are offering such classes for their enrolees. And, in some cases, self-management is becoming a requirement of retaining insurance coverage!

2) Go to your State’s Home Website, and look up the Department of Health, and of Aging. In some cases they might be the same, in others, different. Call each and see if and when they will be offering classes in your city or county for a Chronic Disease Self Management Program.

3) Use one of the many Internet search engines to locate this statement: “(your state) Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP)”. This should help you locate classes in your state. In my state, they located classes by county and city. Some of the “bigger” states even offer classes derived from the original Stanford research program.

4) Use one of the many Internet search engines to ask locate this statement: “Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP)”. This should provide you with additional options.

5) Finally, and probably the best source, from the original Stanford site where the concept was created, there is a link to each state’s CDSMP sites: http://patienteducation.stanford.edu/programs/cdsites.html If you go to this site, you can click onto your state and see which organizations in your state are licensed to offer the Chronic Disease Self-Management program.

Conclusion

The National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in their 2004 Health Care Quality Report comments that “the U.S. healthcare system as a whole remains plagued by deadly quality gaps that contribute to 42,000 to 79,000 avoidable deaths every year and $1.8 Billion in excess medical costs due to the system’s routine failure to provide needed care.”

According to Catherine Hoffman of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly half the people in the U.S. are living with chronic conditions, at a cost of $234 billion in lost productivity and $425 billion in medical spending per year. These figures are rising.

Moreover, they do not include billions of dollars in lost productivity of employees who miss work to care for family members who have chronic conditions. Many people with chronic conditions, as well as family members who care for them, also suffer needlessly from the physical and emotional effects of their illness. By helping people change their behaviors and adapt to their conditions, self-management programs often increase people’s adherence to medical treatments, strengthen their control of pain and symptoms, and improve their overall emotional well-being.

About The Author

Carolyn Magura, noted disability / ADA expert, has written an e-Book documenting the process that allowed her to:

a) continue to work and receive her ‘full salary’ while on Long Term Disability; and

b) become the first person in her State to qualify for Social Security Disability the first time, in under 30 days.

Click here (http://www.disabilitykey.com/products.htm) to receive Carolyn ‘s easy-to-read, easy-to-follow direct guide through this difficult, trying process. If you are disabled, don’t let this disabiling process disable you. Read Carolyns Disability Key Blog http://www.disabilitykey.com/disabilitykeyblog.shtml.

Disabilitykey.com is a website designed to assist each person in his/her own unique quest to navigate through the difficult and often conflicting and misleading information about coping with disabilities.

Here are some more posts related to the topic of coping with a chronic illness…

Coping with Chronic Illness in Your Marriage

How can you improve your marriage when you live with chronic illness Bill and Pam Farrel are relationship specialists international speakers and authors of 30 books including best-selling Men are like Waffles Women are like Spaghetti.  

Living with the downs of chronic illness

I recently googled coping with chronic illness and found an interesting article where she says that a Ployanna like existance is not real and that intermittent depression is normal and to be expected. Living in the acceptance stage 

Coping with Chronic Illness in Marriage

It’s easy to become a little self-absorbed when living with chronic illness and, for the spouse, it’s normal to resent MS and the impositions it imposes. The trick is not to resent each other. 

Coping with chronic illness

My Mom has been coping with a crush of medical problems that resulted in an emergency room visit a month ago and surgery one day last week. My mother’s problems aren’t life threatening, thankfully, but they are chronic illnesses 

In Sickness and in Play Children Coping with Chronic Illness

For children who live with a chronic illness, each day is filled with endless treatments, painful symptoms, confusion, and embarrassment. How can an eight-year-old girl understand diabetes, let alone explain to her schoolmates

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Everyone is entitled to get prescription medication in the US at a cut-rate price regardless of their salary, age or pre-existing conditions.

This is good news for sufferers of chronic illness who are relying on regular medication to manage their condition

There is a new prescription medication discount card free to everybody that needs it, and it is free of charge! For too long, individuals with no coverage have been paying full retail prices for their prescription medicine but with this innovative plan they will immediately have someone on their side. Prescription Assistance Programs have been around for many years.

Rx Help began the program to cut the expense of prescription medicine to those persons with no healthcare insurance. This has developed into a nationwide program including cardholders in the entire 50 states. These prescription drug discount cards are accepted at over 50,000 local and national pharmacies.

How The discount Card Works

More than a few non-profit organizations and clinics give out the cards as a technique to fill a need and assist their community in tough times. The discount cards have been mailed to local United Way agencies, clinics, physician offices and pharmacies in addition to neighborhood community health centers. These cards are not medical insurance, although they can cut the price of your prescription medication by up to 55 % or more. The person merely presents their card to the pharmacy and they are certain that they will pay either the discounted price or the pharmacy’s retail charge, whichever is lower.

Making Savings

There are citizens that are saving $10 -$40 on prescription medication and that is funds they can expend to get groceries, pay rent or pay the phone bill. They are in addition able to get the prescription medication they urgently need. The cards are available at no cost to anyone and there is no maximum on how frequently they can be used.

An added approach that Rx Help is able to assist uninsured persons is through Prescription Assistance Programs. These programs are operated by all pharmaceutical company and each one is a little different. If a patient qualifies however, they will receive their drugs at no cost. To be eligible you have to be without medical insurance and your family wages must not go over selected guidelines.

There is a enormous need for prescription medication assistance right now, more than ever given that a lot of citizens continue to lose their jobs. A bunch of citizens could do with help at the present more than ever.

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Psychologists studying the science of happiness believe that laughter promotes both physical and psychological health

>>   Boost your health with simple laughter exercises. Click here to learn how

A managed care consultant dies and goes to Heaven. Frankly, he can’t believe his good fortune in being there, given the life he has led. But St. Peter checks the records and says, ‘There’s no mistake, you’re supposed to be here. See, it says right here that you are scheduled for Heaven…and you’re authorized for three days.’

There may be a lot to laugh about in the health care system these days, but as a patient, humor is probably the last thing on your mind. Getting a frightening diagnosis is stressful-emotionally as well as physiologically. However, humor could be just the thing you need to get you through this period. Of course, there’s nothing funny about the fact that one has cancer.

But learning to find the light side of things that happen as a result of your cancer gives you a powerful tool to help you cope on a day-to-day basis. When you can  poke fun at your stressors , you remove some of their emotional power over you. Humor helps you sustain an upbeat, optimistic frame of mind, even on the bad days. This more positive emotional state helps give you the resilience you need to cope with the next problem thrown your way. Your sense of humor also helps bring back some joy into your life.

There’s no rigorous evidence that humor and laughter add years to your life, but they certainly add life to your years. Cancer patients will often say: ‘If it hadn’t been for my sense of humor, I would never have gotten through the treatments, let alone the disease.’ They note that finding a light side of things was essential to maintaining hope and determination to fight the disease.

>>   Boost your health with simple laughter exercises. Click here to learn how

Humor provides a sense of control over the stress that goes along with battling cancer by giving you more control over your daily mood. A good belly laugh also boosts both your energy level and immune system on the days when you don’t want to even get out of bed. This is especially important, since most patients experience fatigue as a result of their cancer treatment. Finally, humor and laughter provide a means of ‘letting go’ of the anger and anxiety.

>>   Sign up for Free ‘Benefits of laughter’  E-Course   >>   — >>

Dr. Bernie Siegel has been reminding us for years that emotional factors can play an important role in battling disease. By sustaining a more positive mood, and reducing the amount of time spent in a state of anger, anxiety, or depression, you are playing an active role in mobilizing your body’s own health and healing resources. Your emotional state begins working for your health, rather than against it. Laughter is one of the most powerful and rapid means you have of replacing a negative with a positive mood.

Ian Gawler, author of Peace of Mind and an Australian doctor who has survived bone cancer for several decades, used the power of laughter to heal himself. There are many similar examples related in Cancer Free For Life where the author describes the amazing  power of positive thinking and positive living for rapid healing of cancer . Watching funny movies and cartoons seem to have a healing and effective impact on cancer patients. They lift the mood and help strengthen the immune system, which through the laughter receives a message of joy and hope. Most stress can be alleviated with laughter, and this again helps the immune system concentrates its resources toward healing and scavenging cancer cells as opposed to reducing the impact of stress on the body.

Dr Magne has been researching the origins and causes of disease and cancer for the past 25 years. Visit www.cancer-free-for-life.com to receive a FREE report on The 10 Ways to Cure Cancer Immediately. This article is available for reprint for your website and newsletter, provided that you maintain its copyright integrity and include the signature.

By: Dr Laurence Magne Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Doctors thees days recommend laughter as a complementary practice alongside traditional treatments for such illnesses since they are regarded as being highly supportive of recovery

What are your thoughts on laughter and health?

Share your ideas in the comments box below

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Headaches are very average among people of all ages in both men and women

Sometimes these headaches could be terrible and may even occur frequently for long periods of time. The headache could be a pain all over the head or a throbbing pain at one particular point. Sometimes you will be in pain as such that you will not be able to carry over any household chore. So in such case where do you look for relief? Over-the-counter prescriptions may not always be working and you may not be able to key out the reason of your headache. What can you do and where can you go to be diagnosed? 

A headache clinic

Headache clinics are well equipped and have staff who are experts in treating headaches. You will find these clinics operating as independent clinics or at hospitals itself. These clinics are run by medical specialists and brain doctors, who are well trained so as to be able to key out the cause of the headache and start the necessary treatment for it. There are several types of headaches ranging in severity from cluster and migraine headaches to mild headaches. Sometimes expert help is needed to determine the type of headache you are suffering from because general practitioners may not always be able to tell the difference if symptoms start manifesting in weird ways.

Headache clinics usually evaluate the patients in detail in relation to their headache history, how often they suffer from the headache, family background of headaches, lifestyle changes etc in determining the cause. These clinics also provide behavior therapy if necessary. Most headache clinics offer both inpatient and outpatient treatment.

Headaches can be the symptom of a more serious problem

Moreover, from time to time headaches can be the symptom of a more serious problem such as a brain tumor, and it is best if such characters are diagnosed at an early stage. That’s another good reason why you should visit a headache clinic.

Headache clinics are not only for constant headaches, they treat infrequent headaches as well. So a regular visit to a headache clinic may relieve you from pain while advising you on what to do about your headache.

Whatever your views on Headaches, or any other health issues, you can post your thoughts at the Health and Fitness Blog. You can also find more information and resources on Health & Fitness today at the Health And Exercise Website. Continual Headaches can be a worry and lead to depression, don’t hesitate in contacting your Doctor if you suffer from constant headache pain.

Laughter may not be easy when you have a headache but you can smile!

Smiling has the same effect in aiding recovery as laughter, so find something to smile about and you’re more than halfway there

What are your thoughts on the benefits of a laugh or a smile? Please feel free to share your thoughts below

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Back problems are much more common than you might think.

Back disability will affect almost every single person on this planet at one time or another. The fifth most common complaint that physicians have from the patient is to do with low back pain.

It’s really sad that a lot of people think that there is not much that can be done about their back problems.

Back problems can be very debilitating. Back pain can restrict you so severely that you can lose your job. If the sport you are playing is very physical, you may have to stop it altogether. If you cannot do the same things that your friends can do your social life will be restricted. Another part of your life that may suffer is your sex life.

What is the solution?

A lower back workout can give you the best chance of maintaining a healthy back.

Of course laughter can help too!  Don’t forget that … and it is free!

Have you or someone you know had an experience of pain relief through laughter? We would love to hear about it.

Feel free to add your comment in the comment box below

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If you’re a computer user, or your work involves constant repetitive movements with your hands and arms, you may develop tendinitis.

Tendinitis is the inflammation of a tendon – the tough elastic fibers that connect muscles to bones. You can get tendinitis in any tendon, but it’s very common in the hands and arms.

Your first symptom may be pain, but it’s more likely to be swelling initially, and a sensation of numbness or pins and needles. Then your hands and arms become sore and painful, and you may be woken by pain at night.

Rest Is The First Solution To Hand And Arm Tendinitis

Since most hand and arm tendinitis develops from over-use, your first solution is to rest from the activities which are causing the tendinitis. Of course since we use our hands and arms constantly, this is not completely possible. But try to rest as much as possible. If you suspect that computer-use is the culprit, cut down on keyboarding as much as you can.

Whatever the case is, do not leave a neck pain to continue without treatment or it will become more complicated with the passage of time. The most important thing is to find a way to relieve the pain so as to go on with work as usual, even if the pain is not completely eradicated.

Techniques for alleviating it

For patients who have chronic pain, getting addicted to narcotic painkillers is the last resort. Natural remedies to help alleviate it are preferred. One of the best ways is to learn how to relax.

While this may sound easy, it can take a lot of practice to consciously relax. One way to go about this is with meditation and breathing exercises. The idea is to focus on the breathing or an object and chant a word such as "Om" until one gets into a trance.

Another meditative approach is called osteomyelitis. The goal is to focus all the attention on the pain in a relaxed way as possible. Don’t think about negative thoughts about the pain (such as cursing to yourself or pitying yourself or getting angry). Make the pain a focus of your meditation, observed dispassionately for what it is.

You could also try  EFT to dissolve pain within minutes 

One of the best and most fun ways is to relax through laughter 

Author Francisco Rodriguez H.Trabajar desde casa es f cil si sabes como
Todo sobre Juegos para gente que le gusta jugar Encontrar un Trabajo Empleo es f cil si sabe d nde buscar

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Arthritis is a disease that affects a large portion of the population at some point in their lives

There are many different ways that the chronic illnesss, arthritis can affect your body. Arthritis not only affects joints, but certain kinds can also affect skin, nails and key internal organs. Both rheumatoid and juvenile arthritis are autoimmune diseases where the body’s immune system starts attacking the very body it is supposed to be protecting.

Give your immune system a boost with the wonderful gift of laughter

You might be interested to learn that most forms of arthritis occur 2-3 times more often in women with osteoarthritis being the most common found in both genders. Damage may occur in a joint at any time in a person’s life, but as we age, the body’s ability to repair and maintain homeostasis in the joint declines and all the damage isn’t fully repaired.

Most doctors still prescribe NSAID’s ( non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ) even with the knowledge of the possible side affects such as gastro-intestinal hemorrhage and kidney and liver failure. One of these NSAID’s, Vioxx, was removed from the market because it was found to cause heart attacks. Warnings against the uninterrupted use of these drugs abound even in the literature produced by the drug companies. However, both doctors and patients seeking relief from pain largely ignore the prohibition against chronic use.

The purpose of this article is to let you know there are alternatives to the dangerous drugs that are usually prescribed for arthritis patients. Millions are finding out about these with surprising results and you can too. You may have to open your mind a little, though. There is a saying, one can never learn that which they think they already know. If you will open your mind to the possibility of a pain-free life it could be yours.

Conclusion: Arthritis doesn’t have to mean a life of pain. Millions get relief everyday with  natural alternatives  and avoid the side affects drugs can have. Now you have to decide if you want to join them.

To learn about how many people are living pain-free lives through the use of a natural alternative to dangerous drugs go to http://www.thexanthonejuice.com to read, listen and see what is working so well for them.

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