family health news

Update on the American Dream

2006-09-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

After falling for five years, inflation-adjusted median household income rose 1.1%, to $46,326; THE CENSUS BUREAU ISSUED its annual snapshot measuring how well the typical American family is doing, and a second report comparing communities across the country. The reports look at household income, poverty levels and health insurance among other topics. Here's a look at some of the key statistics. See related article

After falling for five years, inflation-adjusted median household income rose 1.1%, to $46,326.Households in the East brought home the highest median household incomes in the country. New Jersey took the top spot with $61,672. Maryland was close behind with $61,592.

via rase.newsvine.com

The 10 Commandments of Family HEALTH

2006-08-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Family feuds can cause depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, sadness, confusion and rage. No one wants to live like that! Here are some simple rules for turning family feuds into family fun. Try following some of the Ten Commandments of Family Harmony to find some familial relief.

l. THOU SHALT ZIP IT.
Learn to think before you speak. Bite your tongue before that provocative remark comes out of your mouth and you get embroiled in a huge fight.

2. THOU SHALT CLEAN THY SPLEEN.
Write a really hateful, nasty letter to your family, telling them all your resentments and rages. Drop the letter into your personal "dead letter box"; and move on with a smile on your face. :)

3. THOU SHALT LISTEN. THOU SHALT NOT DISPUTE.
Hey, words are only words. Sometimes people vent frustration in inappropriate ways by going on wild diatribes. Don't get sucked down to their level. When your Mom blows her top and starts howling about the time you came home late when you were nineteen and how you never come to see her any more and how Mrs. Johnson's daughter is SUCH a better daughter than you... you can hear her out and simply say, "I'm sorry you feel that way." When your mom cools off, she'll probably feel bad, but you won't have to. Avoiding that tit-for-tat argument kept you from having to spend a week in the "burn center."

4. THOU SHALT REMEMBER: GOOD FENCES MAKE FOR GOOD FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS.
Create boundaries, set limits. You know how much contact you can take and how much will ignite your internal nuclear bomb.

5. THOU SHALT REMEMBER OCCASIONS AND EVENTS.
It costs merely 37 cents postage by snail mail, zip if your family's on e-mail, to remember birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa. Whatever the occasion, a card makes people feel remembered, and when people feel remembered, they feel loved and hence, another feud is avoided.

6. THOU SHALT NOT OVERREACT, EVER.
When family members feel neglected, they often will present a scenario that invites your overreaction. Invites? Heck, BEGS for it! But remember -- overreactions can cause all-out wars. Don't do it!

7. THOU SHALT GIVE IN.
If you want to win the war (or in our case, avoid the war all together), sometimes it's strategically advantageous to lose the battle. Assess a family situation carefully, strategize, and weigh your gains and loses in any given situation. For example, if your ageing mom needs a weekly phone call to avoid starting a fight with you, why not give it to her? Is the inconvenience of the call really weightier than the inconvenience of a brawl? Practice artful dodging if necessary, call when you know she won't be there and leave a message telling her you love her and miss her. A little can go a long way.

8. THOU SHALT LET BREVITY AND PAUCITY BE THY MOTTO.
In volatile families, keeping contact limited and utilizing a cordial and polite silence to avoid fights, can often extinguish the flames of conflict. Again, artful dodging is a useful tool. If your Dad calls and you can tell he's looking for trouble: "Got to go Dad, the Pastor's at the door for his annual visit. Speak to you later!"

9. THOU SHALT CHANT: "WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET."
Do not ever try to change your relatives. Remember, people can change themselves, but we cannot force another to change. Accept your family for who they are, whether you like them or not: trying to change another causes battles, poor self-esteem (because you're trying to do something that can't be done and are doomed to failure), and depression.

10. THOU SHALT STAY IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT.
Take control of potentially volatile family situations and take charge of managing them. For example, if you come from an alcoholic family and you know that going out to dinner means that cocktail hour is the main course and family flambe is the dessert, arrange breakfast meetings where drinking won't occur.

by Mark Sichel, LCSW (www.linkup-parents.com)

Choice? Weight or pleasure of a life?

2006-08-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

The stereotype of the cheerful fat man was destroyed by the American scientists who have found out, that adiposity is closely connected with depression and other mental frustration. Nevertheless, researchers meanwhile could not come to a final conclusion, whether adiposity influences mental frustration or depression forces an organism to type weight.

Both theories have the right to existence. On the one hand, depression frequently forces people to give up work and other kinds of activity, and some of energizers can lead to increase in weight. On the other hand, adiposity is often perceived as a brand, and people suffering by it become objects of sneers, as causes depression.

In interrogation of scientists from organization Group Health Cooperative have taken part more than nine thousand person. Among people suffering from adiposity depression was observed on 25 % more often, than at not having problems with weight of respondents, informs "Telegraph".

Exception has made only abusing alcohol or drugs which was observed on 25 % more often at thin, than at thick.

According to doctor Wayne Fentona from National institute of psychiatry of the USA, financed research, results of interrogation have shown, " that the cultural stereotype of the cheerful fat man is a fruit of our imagination, than a reality more likely ".

As he said, to attending physicians of the people, suffering adiposity, it is necessary to be especially close to attributes of depression at the patients.

About third of Americans suffer adiposity, and depression every year mentions about 10 % of all population of the USA or 21 million adult inhabitants of the country.

via ura-inform

The family is created not for frequent separations

2006-08-14T01:34:00.000-07:00

The magazine of the British Medical Association recently has published results of research which speak that distant and frequent flights of businessmen in the different countries are dangerous not only to their own health, but as it has appeared, and for their spouses.

- For a long time it is known, that the way of life bound to frequent and distant flights in the different countries to good does not result. Businessmen, businessmen, politicians which work demands frequent absence in family, as a rule, suffer the raised blood pressure, a peptic ulcer of a stomach and a duodenum, depression and other emotional frustration.

And recently it became known, that distant flights also are bound to an opportunity of occurrence of an occlusion of deep veins bloody thrombuses, that at times can lead to sudden mors at an abruption of a venous thrombus and an embolism of a pulmonary artery.

Q: What new in the research presented by the British Medical magazine?

- New there was that by results of research of claims under medical insurances of employees of the World Bank in the United States, from such image of an abnormal life suffer not only businessmen but also their relatives.
It has appeared, that spouses and other close businessmen (and in their research participated more than four and a half of thousand) have raised risk of psychological both emotional frustration and risk of deep depression.

Q: Except for the emotional frustration, what other diseases arise at spouses and close businessmen?

- New there was that by results of research of claims under medical insurances of employees of the World Bank in the United States, from such image of an abnormal life suffer not only businessmen but also their relatives.
It has appeared, that spouses and other close businessmen (and in their research participated more than four and a half of thousand) have raised risk of psychological both emotional frustration and risk of deep depression.

Q: Except for the emotional frustration, what other diseases arise at spouses and close businessmen?

- At the analysis of numerous claims to the insurance companies it was found out, that wives and partners of businessmen often suffered dermal diseases (dermatitises), gastrointestinal frustration, and emotional stresses already mentioned earlier, the insomnia, the raised blood pressure, depression.

For example, in research it is noted, that such diseases in families of frequent travellers met in two, and even in three, time more often, than in those families where husbands had the working day which has been not bound to frequent trips.

Q: So it turns out, what it is better to businessmen to sit at home and to not make distant and frequent trips on the affairs?

- In general, yes. By the nature the family is framed not for frequent separations. But today in the business world to avoid such trips it is almost impossible.

Q: What recommends corporations, firms and the large business organizations the British Medical magazine?

- Results of research specify that such organizations should reconsider seriously a regimen of business trips and loads of the employees.

It is noticed, for example, that frequent though also short-term business trips of employees are more dangerous and conduct to greater frustration of a family way of life, than we shall tell, rare, but a long absence of the spouse in family.

Besides the anxiety in occasion of that occurs in family during absence of the husband as the wife who has remained the house copes with family problems - all this in earnest breaks an overall performance of the employee.

If to summarize all arising problems of businessmen and their families with huge payments of the insurance companies, that, corporations and lose for firms in every respect, including in the financial plan.

Via /bbc

Where it is useful for mums to have a rest from children?

2006-08-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

Working married mum it is much more healthy than the women who have devoted exclusively to family.

Experts of medical college of the London university have drawn conclusions on the basis of data about health, the marital status and an occupation of 1200 women in the age of from 15 till 54 years.
In their opinion, one of awards for overlapping of duties on storage of the center with active work, is a good figure. In Britain only 23 % of working mothers suffer adiposity, that among housewives the percent of too full ladies reaches 38 %.

It is better to be rich and healthy !

Experts also have found out, that working married or women simply living with the reliable partner in life with children complain of health, than all the others much less often.
Constant change of activity means, that women are compelled to watch over the health
More often such complaints act from women who all life have stayed for houses. The similar situation develops also at single mothers and at women without children.
Scientists approve, that the stress from overlapping at once several roles is compensated by set of benefits.
According to Anna Makmann supervised research, housewives are exposed to smaller physical activity and eat - during cooking or eating up for children more. And it conducts to excess weight.
Professor Keri Cooper from university considers, that working mums are more organized, that also benefits health: " Constant change of activity means, that women are compelled to watch over the health, they place priorities is better and conduct more active way of life ".
via bbc