how to relieve stress

Listen to Music

If you're feeling overwhelmed by a stressful situation, try taking a break and listening to relaxing classical music. Playing calm music has a positive effect on the brain and body, can lower blood pressure, and reduce cortisol, a hormone linked to stress.
We recommend cello master Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach, but if classical really isn’t your thing, try listening to ocean or nature sounds. It may sound cheesy, but they display similar relaxing effects to music.
 

Call a Friend

If you're feeling overwhelmed, take a break to call a friend and talk about your problems. Good relationships with friends and loved ones are important to any healthy lifestyle, and there's no time that this is more evident than when you're under a lot of stress. A reassuring voice, even for a minute, can put everything in perspective.

Talk Yourself Through It

Sometimes calling a friend is not an option. If this is the case, talking calmly to yourself can be the next best thing. Don’t worry about seeming crazy—just tell yourself why you're stressed out, what you have to do to complete the task at hand, and most importantly, that everything will be OK (trust us, it will be).

8 Ways to Make Your Diet More Heart-Healthy

Alcohol in moderation - that's one drink a day for women and two for men -- can help increase your HDL "good cholesterol." But beyond these recommended amounts, it can have harmful effects. Researchers agree that people who don't drink should not start. There are many other dietary and lifestyle changes that can give nondrinkers similar heart benefits.

For an easy dietary boost, try enjoying a vegetarian meal a few times a week, suggests researcher Wahida Karmally, RD.

When losing hair becomes a problem

Telogen effluvium

Telogen effluvium is a phenomenon that occurs after pregnancy, major surgery, drastic weight loss, or extreme stress, in which you shed large amounts of hair every day, usually when shampooing, styling, or brushing. It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as antidepressants, beta-blockers, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. During telogen effluvium, hair shifts faster than normal from its growing phase into the "resting" phase before moving quickly into the shedding, or telogen, phase.
The symptoms: Women with telogen effluvium typically notice hair loss 6 weeks to 3 months after a stressful event. At its peak, you may lose handfuls of hair.
The tests: There are no tests for telogen effluvium, but your doctor may ask you about recent life events and look for small "club- shaped" bulbs on the fallen hair’s roots. The bulbs mean the hair has gone through a complete cycle of growth, suggesting that the cycle may have sped up due to stress.
What you can do: In some cases, such as pregnancy or major surgery, you may have to bide your time until the hair loss slows. If medication is the culprit, talk to your doctor about lowering your dosage or switching drugs. If it’s stress-related, do your best to reduce anxiety. Try these simple tips for relieving stress and worrying.

Hereditary hair loss

Hair loss that is genetic is known as androgenetic alopecia and, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, is the most common cause of hair loss. The gene can be inherited from either your mother's or father's side of the family, though you're more likely to have it if both of your parents had hair loss.
The symptoms: Women with this trait tend to develop thinning at the hairline behind the bangs, says Pamela Jakubowicz, MD, a dermatologist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. The condition develops slowly and may start as early as your 20s. You may be vulnerable if your mother also has this pattern of thinning. In some cases, the hair loss may be diffuse, meaning it's spread across the entire scalp.
The tests: Your dermatologist will examine the pattern of hair loss to determine if it’s hereditary and may order blood work to rule out other causes, Dr. Jakubowicz says. A biopsy of your scalp is sometimes done to see if the hair follicles have been replaced with miniaturized follicles, a surefire sign of hereditary hair loss.
What you can do: Slow the hair loss by applying minoxidil (Rogaine) to the scalp twice a day. The drug works on both women and men, although women should use a lower-strength formula to prevent unnecessary side effects. Women should not use minoxidil if they are pregnant or nursing. Men may be treated with finasteride (Propecia), an oral medication.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is a disease that causes inflammation of the liver. It can be either acute (lasting less than six months) or chronic (lasting more than six months).

Several viruses are known to cause hepatitis. Common forms of viral hepatitis include Hepatitis A, B, and C:

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

SARS is caused by the SARS coronavirus (SARS CoV). There are a large number of coronaviruses linked to infections in humans and animals.
There are two recognised human coronaviruses that cause mild respiratory infections, such as the common cold . This type of virus can also include strains that cause more severe illnesses, such as SARS.
SARS originated in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002. The infection quickly spread to other countries (a pandemic), and resulted in more than 8,000 cases and 774 deaths before the virus was eventually brought under control.

Symptoms of SARS

SARS has flu-like symptoms that usually begin 2-10 days after infection. They include:

• high temperature (fever) of 38ºC (100.4ºF) or above
• fatigue (extreme tiredness)
• headaches
• chills
• muscle pain
• loss of appetite
• diarrhoea

Between 3-7 days after the start of these symptoms, the infection will begin to affect your respiratory system (lungs and airways). This will lead to additional symptoms such as:

• a dry cough
• breathing difficulties
• an increasing lack of oxygen in the blood, which can be fatal in the most severe cases

The SARS pandemic

It is thought a strain of the coronavirus usually only found in small mammals mutated, enabling it to infect humans.
The SARS infection quickly spread from China to other Asian countries. There were also a small number of cases in several other countries, including four in the UK, plus a significant outbreak in Toronto, Canada.
The SARS pandemic was eventually brought under control in July 2003, following a policy of isolating people suspected of having the condition, and screening all passengers travelling by air from affected countries for signs of the infection.
During the period of infection, there were 8,098 reported cases of SARS and 774 deaths. This means that the virus killed about 1 in 10 people who were infected. People over 65 years of age were particularly at risk, with over half dying from the infection in this age group.
In 2004, there was another small SARS outbreak, linked to a medical laboratory in China. It was thought to have been the result of someone coming into direct contact with a sample of the virus, rather than being caused by animal-to-human or human-to-human transmission.

How SARS is spread

SARS is an airborne virus, which means it is spread in a similar way to flu and the common cold
The SARS virus is spread in small droplets of saliva coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. Infection can occur if someone else breathes in the droplets.
SARS can also be spread indirectly if an infected person touches surfaces, such as door handles, with unwashed hands. Someone who touches the surface may also become infected.
The SARS virus may also be spread through an infected person's faeces (stools). For example, if they do not wash their hands properly after going to the toilet, they may be able to pass the infection on to others.
Evidence from the SARS pandemic in 2002/03 showed that people living with or caring for someone with a known SARS infection were most at risk of developing the infection themselves.

Treatment for SARS

There is currently no cure for SARS, but research to find a vaccine is ongoing.
A person suspected of having SARS should be admitted to hospital immediately and kept in isolation under close observation.
Treatment is mainly supportive and may include:

• assisting with breathing using a ventilator to deliver oxygen
• antibiotics to treat bacteria that cause pneumonia
• antiviral medications
• high doses of steroids to reduce swelling in the lungs

There is little in the way of scientific evidence to show that these treatments are very effective. The antiviral medication, ribavirin, is known to be ineffective at treating SARS.

Prevention advice

You should avoid travelling to areas of the world where there is an uncontrolled SARS outbreak.
To reduce your risk of becoming infected, avoid direct contact with people with SARS (until at least 10 days after their symptoms have gone).
To avoid spreading the infection, it is important to follow the prevention advice outlined below:

• wash your hands thoroughly using an alcohol-based hand detergent
• cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
• avoid sharing food, drink and utensils
• regularly clean surfaces with disinfectant

In some situations, it may be appropriate to wear gloves, masks and goggles to help prevent the spread of SARS.

Future SARS outbreaks

Although the threat of SARS to public health seems to have passed, international health officials continue to remain vigilant. The World Health Organization (WHO) monitors countries throughout the world for any unusual disease activity.
Therefore, if another SARS outbreak were to occur, it should be possible to limit the spread of infection using the same measures implemented during the 2002/03 pandemic (see above).

Eye pain symptoms and causes

Dry, sore eyes

Sore eyes combined with a dry, gritty feeling could be caused by dry eye syndrome. Constantly sore and dry eyes may even water more, as the eyes respond to the dryness and irritation with excess tears. See the information on dry eyes and watery eyes for more details.

Itchy, red, sore eyes

Allergies and eye infections can both cause your eyes to feel sore, red and itchy. Often, itchy or irritated eyes can become sore after excessive rubbing. The eye infection conjunctivitis is a particularly common cause of sore, red eyes. Contact lens irritation can also cause sore, red eyes.

Sharp eye pain

An injury to the eye or trauma can often cause sharp or stabbing eye pain. In extremely rare cases, sharp or stabbing eye pain can be a symptom of a much more serious condition, such as a brain tumour or aneurysm. However, a much more common cause is simply a headache or migraine that feels as if it is directly behind the eye.
If you experience sudden eye pain combined with blurred vision, haloes around lights, nausea or vomiting, it could be symptom of acute closed-angle glaucoma. This is a medical emergency, and you should seek medical attention straight away.

Dull eye pain

If you experience a dull, aching eye pain, or pain that feels deep within your eye, it may simply be caused by eye strain or overuse of your eyes. However, if the pain does not subside, it could be a symptom of a more serious condition or eye disease such as glaucoma.

How is brain cancer prevented?

Although there is no way to prevent brain cancers, early diagnosis and treatment of tumors that tend to metastasize to the brain may reduce the risk of metastatic brain tumors. The following factors have been suggested as possible risk factors for primary brain tumors: radiation to the head, HIV infection, and environmental toxins. However, no one knows the exact causes that initiate brain cancer, especially primary brain cancer, so specific preventive measures are not known. Although web sites and popular press articles suggest that macrobiotic diets, not using cell phones, and other methods will help prevent brain cancer, there is no reliable data to support these claims.