Talk: The Impact of Technology on Children
Why choose Waldorf Education ?
“Why Waldorf?” – a new film about Waldorf education. See in what way the curriculum and the values differ from mainstream education, and offers not only academics, social skills and social responsibility, but also how to do sports, music and arts. The program respects a child’s developmental level and helps children want to learn. This video greatly explains the benefits in addition to showing you how the school program actually works by seeing children live in classes.
Take a look by clicking on this link: Waldorf
Recommended book for Depression
A great practical workbook for treating depression. Currently available at Costco at a reduced price, and at Amazon.ca.
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Ten Foods to Boost Your ADHD Brain
Source: ADDitudemag.com
https://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/5774.html
Medication helps many adults and children with ADHD, but it doesn’t work for everyone.
“Parents and adults see me either because the medication isn’t doing the job, or they want more improvement and can’t increase the dosage without increasing side effects,” says Richard Brown, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and coauthor of the recent book How to Use Herbs Nutrients and Yoga in Mental Health Care.
Medication does not cure ADHD, and it should never be the only treatment, says Edward Hallowell, M.D., coauthor of the best-selling Driven to Distraction. “Diet and nutrition play key roles in how well the ADD brain operates.” Toward that end, here are 10 foods, supplements, and herbs that you should add to your treatment plan. As always, talk with your doctor first before doing so.
Food for Focus
Poor nutrition can cause a child or adult with ADHD to become distracted, impulsive, and restless. The right foods, on the other hand, can lessen those symptoms.
PROTEIN
Foods rich in protein — lean beef, pork, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, soy, and dairy products — are used by the body to make neurotransmitters, the chemicals released by brain cells to communicate with each other. Protein can prevent surges in blood sugar, which increase hyperactivity.
“Because the body makes brain-awakening neurotransmitters when you eat protein, start your day with a breakfast that includes it,” says Laura Stevens, M.S., a nutritionist at Purdue University and author of12 Effective Ways to Help Your ADD/ADHD Child: Drug-Free Alternatives. “Don’t stop there. Look for ways to slip in lean protein during the day, as well.”
BALANCED MEALS
Hallowell suggests that you divide your lunch and dinner plate in the following way: Half of the plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables, one fourth with a protein, and the remaining fourth with a carbohydrate, preferably one rich in fiber — whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread, brown rice.
This combination of foods will minimize swings in behavior caused by hunger or by a shortfall of a particular nutrient. Fiber prevents blood-sugar levels from spiking and plummeting, which can increase inattention.
Brain-Boosting Supplements
“Many diets are deficient in key vitamins and minerals that may improve attention and alertness,” says Brown. Supplements can often fill in the dietary gaps.
MULTIVITAMIN/MULTIMINERAL
If your child is a picky eater or eats lots of take-out food, he won’t get the daily recommended value of vitamins and minerals. A daily multivitamin/multimineral will ensure that he does, no matter how finicky he is.
>> To purchase: Hero’s Yummi Bears Multi-Vitamin & Mineral are free of artificial colors and flavors, which increase hyperactivity in some children with ADD.
B VITAMINS
Studies suggest that giving children who have low levels of B vitamins a supplement improved IQ scores (by 16 points) and reduced aggression and antisocial behavior. “Vitamin B-6 seems to increase the brain’s levels of dopamine, which improves alertness,” says Brown.
>> To purchase: Drugstore chains offer inexpensive high-quality, store-brand B-vitamin formulations. Many of the studies on vitamin B and ADD used a Swiss formulation called Bio-Strath (available at vitacost.com. It comes in pill and liquid forms.
ZINC, IRON, and MAGNESIUM
Zinc synthesizes dopamine and augments the effects of methylphenidate. Low levels of this mineral correlate with inattention.
Iron is also necessary for making dopamine. In one small study, ferritin levels (a measure of iron stores) were low in 84 percent of ADHD children compared to 18 percent of the control group. Low iron levels correlate with cognitive deficits and severe ADHD.
“Adequate levels of magnesium have a calming effect on the brain,” says Brown. While diet is the safest way to increase mineral levels, a multivitamin/multimineral with iron will ensure that you or your child will get the daily reference value (DRV) of all three.
Natural remedies to relieve symptoms of anxiety
A great number of people of all ages suffer from anxiety . There are natural remedies to relieve symptoms of anxiety, which have been proven effective in studies which included control groups. If you are not willing to take prescriptions drugs and prefer to try the natural route, you may benefit from these natural and safe alternatives.
Research has shown that cognitive behaviour therapy and some natural herbs have been quite effective at treating various anxiety disorders for children, teens, and adults alike. Many of the strategies used by therapist can easily be learned by individuals.
There are cognitive and behavioural aspects to anxiiety disorders and both need to be addressed in otder to best treat anxiety. Let’s start with the easier components which are the behavioural components. There are three main strategies that can be used: visualization, deep breathing (or diaphragmatic breathing) and progressive muscle relaxation.
For the cognitive aspect of anxiety disorders, peole need to look at the source of their anxiety. It can be a place, an object, an animal, a situation. etc. Whatever it is, there are a few cognitive techniques to address these fears: progressive exposure, exposure and response prevention, flooding. These techiniques can be done in imagination or in vivo. The ultimate goal is to become skilled to do the exposure in vivo. The main key, whatever the approach chosen, is to remember to resist the urge to avoid or escape the feared stimulus. Doing so will only reinforce your fear and solidify it. Finally, thought stopping is another important cognitive strategy to reduce irrational thoughts related to the anxiety provoking stimulus.
Once more, these techniques have been proven quite effective and there are many resources out there that describe them in detail. They can be found in workbooks available on Amazon or other book stores, web sites and You Tube videos that give very good descriptions of these techniques.
Lastly, in lieu of prescription medication, it is worth consulting an alternative health professional (e.g. homeopath, naturopathic doctor) for their advise on the best natural remedies to calm symptoms of anxiety and its related problems, such as insomnia. Valerian Root, Melatonin are two example of natural sleep aids. St-John’s Wort has been shown to help with mild to moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Always remember to consult with a registered and licenced professional before using any natural remedies, especially if you are also taking prescription drugs; drug interactions are possible and can be dangerous.
Finally, it is important to have a healthy balanced diet. Eating whole foods is always best, organic if at all possible, avoid processed foods, and artificial sweeteners, among other things. Basically, eat real food! Furthermore, the excessive use of stimulants (e.g. cigarettes, cafeine, sugar, soft drinks) can imitate physiological symptoms of anxiety which in turn can be misinterpreted as anxiety or even misinterpreted as a panic attack.
In conclusion, anxiety is a disorder that is treatable and with high success rates with the natural techniques mentioned above. However, if you find you get no relief, it may be helpful to consult a mental health professional. It may be difficult to go at this alone, especially if you have been suffering with anxiety for many years.
(c) 2010 Dr. Gina Madrigrano, All Rights Reserved.
Traits perpetuating anxiety and how to change them
If you are on a quest to finding a natural anxiety treatment, you first need to be aware of what contributes to your anxiety and what perpetuates it. Individuals who suffer from anxiety often share common character traits, some are positive and some are less desirable. Some of these traits are appreciated by family and friends while others can be annoying. While some traits are probably genetic, others are more likely the result of childhood experiences. These traits often perpetuate the problem with those who suffer from anxiety disorders. Four main traits that perpetuate anxiety have been identified. They are: perfectionism, the excessive need for approval, the tendency to ignore physical and psychological signs of stress and an excessive need for control. Do you recognize yourself?
There are various ways you can overcome perfectionism. You need to let go of the idea that your worth is determined by your achievements and accomplishments. You need to first recognize and then overcome perfectionistic thinking patterns (e.g., avoid the use of should, must, can’t, always, never). Human error happens, you must work at stopping to magnify the importance of small errors. Stop focussing on the negatives (there will always be negatives) and start to focus on the positives. Perfectionists often set unrealistic goals; work on goals that are more realistic. Of course you need to work, but you need a good balance in life. Get involved in more pleasure and recreation. Finally, play to play, not just to win, so work on the process of things rather than on the final outcome (i.e., having a process orientation as opposed to an outcome orientation).
Anxious people often feel an excessive need for approval, they must be liked by everyone and they work really hard at it. This places a lot of pressure on the person and he/she would benefit best from developing a realistic view of other people’s approval. There is no need to take everything so personnally or to make rapid conclusions about another person’s comment on you. Be realistic. Not everyone will like you and that’s okay. Do you like everyone? Dealing with criticism in an objective manner may be more beneficial, it may become a positive learning experience. A constant need for approval is often linked to co-dependency. Recognizing co-dependent behaviour and then letting go of it is also key. Stop placing other people’s need before your own and it is a first step to breaking away from co-dependent behaviour.
Another difficulty often encountered with anxious individual is their tendency to ignore physical and psychological signs of stress. This can lead to long term health problems and mental health issues. Individuals who do not suffer from anxiety disorders tend to be more in touch with their bodies. When people are unaware of the toll stress takes on their minds and their bodies, they are at higher risk of illness and burnout. These physical and psychological signs are warning signs that you should slow down. It is important that you become more aware of your own personal signs of stress. For example, signs of stress, but not limited to these, are headaches, backaches, teeth grinding, stomach ulcers, colds, depression, anxiety, mood swings, nightmares, relationship problems, etc. There exists various coping strategies for stress which involve the following: physical and lifestyle strategies; cognitive strategies, emotional strategies, and philosophical/spiritual strategies.
Finally, another character trait we encounter in individuals who suffer from anxiety disorders, is the excessive need for control. Somehow, they believe that if they can control a situation, a person, an outcome, that they will experience less anxiety. The problem with this perception is twofold. First, the only person we can control is ourselves. The minute we try to control other people or situations, the more we increase the odds of failing or encountering relationship difficulties. The fact is that the idea that we can control other things but ourselves is an illusion. The best way to address this need for control is to first accept that we have no control. Second, we need to cultivate patience, which means that at times you will need to tolerate an uncomfortable situation. Another important aspect is to come to the realization that most problems eventually do work out or get solved. Clients who have overcome anxiety have also found that developing a spriritual approach to life has helped them greatly, in addition also to mindfulness.
It is important to realize that these traits have become a way of life and will take time to change and will require your commitment. The first step to successful change is to become aware of these traits. In the end, this shift may bring about a domino effect, where you will not only change these traits but also end up changing certain values and beliefs you hold true and you may even change your lifestyle. Priorities may change also. The ultimate goal is to be freed from the anxiety and lead a happy and fulfilling life.
If you liked this article you can find more details on how to cope with anxety by purchasing the book from which this article was insipred: The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne.
(c) 2010, Dr. Gina Madrigrano. All rights reserved.