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So in this blog about helpful hints for quitting smoking it seems oddly appropriate to speak about my dad, who passed away last week. He was not a smoker, so that was not the issue. But the one thing I have to say is that for the past few years he was truly not enjoying his life.

In the last years of his life, my father could not see to watch the movies he enjoyed. He was unable to sing, which had always been the joy of his life. He could not jump about and play with his grandchildren, or make them laugh- another joy gone. And in fact he could not do much except sit in his chair at the house- and later move from the chair to the bed in the hospital where he was sent for his diabetes.

Now it may seem odd to talk about this in a blog entitled “Helpful Hints for Quitting Smoking.” So I will tell you that I consider this blog to be more along the lines of an inquiry- and I do not have all the answers.

No, I never claimed to be the world’s foremost specialist on quitting smoking- if there is such a person. But I am pretty highly trained in why people do what they do, and how people can shift that. And I know a heck of a lot about addiction. And that is all very well and good, but neither I nor anyone else can quit smoking for you, no matter how much we know.

So in this inquiry about quitting smoking I have to take note of the fact that for my dad, and for a lot of people who leave us, it is often true that the heart and soul, or a person’s will to live, is gone. And even though my dad struggled over the idea of leaving the people he loved, there was certainly a large piece of him that was done with the whole business.

So I take this into the realm of our inquiry by saying that if you are struggling in your life for some reason, or if you have terminal and ongoing upsets and pain in your life- if you are in short unhappy- how much chance will there be that you will actually quit smoking? You will be living, like my dad, in the confusion, with conflicting desires. And one can hardly argue that smoking is one easy, socially acceptable way to fulfill on some hidden wish to die.

Now I don’t claim that everyone who does not quit smoking has a death wish. Far from it. I know the physiological and mental pull that an addiction, any addiction, has on a human being. But I do claim that if your life is not happy, loving, and content- if you are living in some terminal upset, or pain- you’d better deal with it if you want to be successful- regardless of all of my helpful hints for quitting smoking.

My dad, before he became so desperately ill, had a strong love of life and a high level of happiness no matter what his situation was. You can have that too. You can begin to do this by being honest with yourself about the true state of your happiness and then taking the steps to live a life you love. This in turn will increase your will to live. As you do that you can also be using Hypnosis or Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or some other tool to help you to quit smoking. Taken together, I would see this as a good formula. Now living a life of happiness can seem to be a bit elusive. However, it is a subject I speak about in my other blogs, so visit them as well, and they should be a help.

Everyone will suffer pain at some point in their lives and strange as it may sound, some pain is necessary; it’s a signal from our brain that something is wrong which we need to address to protect our health and well-being. Pain can come from any type of injury, illness or condition but it is then our job to locate where the pain is originating from to stop it. Normally once the cause of the pain is treated, the pain will gradually disappear but not always.

This is called ‘chronic’ pain and is distinguishable from ‘acute’ pain by its persistence and common examples of chronic pain include backaches, migraine headaches, and arthritis. Untold millions of people suffer from chronic pain and despite medicines best efforts there is no way currently to eliminate or prevent the cause of it. Often the cause of chronic pain is actually cured but the nerves still believe the condition is still present and the pain will often become the condition itself.

The problem with prescription medication is that it is easy to become dependent and as time progresses the drugs become less effective but the dependence remains; or there are serious side effects to be considered and many are now turning towards natural pain relief treatments as long term alternatives. Although there are a number of natural pain relief systems in use, probably the most often used is acupuncture especially by those who unfortunately suffer with chronic pain. The Chinese use acupuncture to treat and cure many ailments by inserting long very thin needles into the skin.

Patients claim acupuncture has proven effective in treating ailments such as neck pain, migraine headaches, arthritic pain, and even depression. Herbal remedies are another time-tested alternative to conventional therapies, providing natural pain relief to sufferers without many of the unwanted side effects of conventional medicines. For the reduction in arthritic pain, Emu oil can be used and people with scarring pain can try vitamin E; these are just two natural pain relief remedies of the many available.

However, herbal treatments do take longer to become effective against the almost immediate effect of conventional pain killers but on the plus side to this there are only natural products used so they cannot harm the body. If the truth be known then one way of even having to avoid natural pain relief is to change the way you life by eating healthier which means cutting back on processed foods but increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables. Many people cut back on the amount of sleep they have which is a mistake as sleep in the correct amounts is a time when the body repairs itself but exercise should not be forgotten either as even walking is a very healthy physical activity.

Alternative health therapy is often used instead of conventional treatment. Integrated therapies use a combination of either alternative or complementary therapies with normal medical treatment, for the practice of which a high level of expertise is required. Alternative therapies make available services which are not offered in conventional medicine. Some of the alternative therapies include: herbal medicine, folk medicine, and homeopathy, diet fads, new age healing, faith healing, naturopathy, chiropractic, and music therapy even though this isn’t an exhaustive list. Alternative therapies very often promise cure or help in areas where conventional treatment might not wish to do so.

Quality of life and general health improves with alternative health therapies. Reducing stress, tension, sleeplessness, anxiety, depression and making you feel more relaxed. They can even help to reduce the symptoms of cancer, such as pain, feeling sick, breathlessness, constipation, diarrhea, tiredness and poor appetite as well as help to moderate some of the side effects of traditional cancer treatment.

A combination of alternative health therapies and conventional medicine has been noticed to be very effective in alleviating pain, even when there is a serious condition. Some cancer support groups for example, offer these therapies for free or make a small charge and some hospitals and hospices provide as part of cancer care, alongside conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Many cancer patients currently use alternate therapy to manage and sustain themselves through the difficult cancer treatments. These therapies are very valuable in that they identify and support spiritual and emotional characteristics and physical features, but they should not be used as the only alternative line of treatment.

More than billion is spent by the Americans annually on vitamins and herbs which are alternative health products. The recent studies that were conducted by Phillips, Tindle, Eisenberg and Davis, reflected that there was roughly seventy two million adults within the United States that use alternative and complementary therapies. The studies conducted by Herman, Craig and Caspi in 2005 also show an out of pocket spend of about billion annually on these therapies.

Nevertheless it is important to find out which particular alternative health therapies offer the most effective treatments for your needs, as well as discover which treatments you feel comfortable with. The quality of life for many people has improved especially those who have Motor Neuron Disease. Individual therapies like reiki and reflexology, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, massage, meditation, acupuncture and aromatherapy have proved beneficial. It is important to consult the treating physician before using alternative therapies and to check out all additional treatment, so that there is no adverse or cross reactions that affect the treatment.

In the event, that you make the decision to integrate some of the alternative health therapies into your specific treatment plan, you are going to need to discuss all of your choices very openly, regularly and honestly with your physician and others that are part of your health care team. Find out where the treatment is available, at your clinic or hospital or then though the doctors own practice. Today doctors are more and more convinced that alternative therapy does have a place in the overall healing of a patient. This gives them the ability to maybe recommend alternative therapy practitioners. Most find that this type of therapy gives them back some control of their lives and lessens the anxiety and it also helps them cope with side effects of conventional treatment.

Socialization is not as easy as it sounds, and to completely understand and it is an on going process throughout life. There are a lot of different parts to socialization so we will try to cover them as brief as possible. The infamous psychologist Sigmund Freud stated that biology pays a significant part in human development. He believed that humans have two simple needs, and the first is the need to bond, and the second is the aggressive drive in which he coined as death instinct. Freud stated that these are two opposing forces that works in the unconscious level and causes some internal torment. The unconscious theory of psychology is both controversial and debatable because there is really no concrete proof that it exists. He also combined personality and the basic drives into three separate parts which are known as the id, ego, and superego. The id is an individual’s basic drives in the unconscious mind, and it demands attention from people.

A popular example for this is why a young child demands a bundle of attention and materialistic objects. However, this is usually neutralized that’s why one of the common words added to an individual’s dictionary is no. To avoid being angry and unsatisfied a child most come to think consciously and with rational abilities. It will be illogical and impractical if a child could get everything they want and this is known as the ego stage. The last part is known as superego and this happens when an individual use cultural norms to help make decisions. This happens during the conscious stage as well, and an example is study hard to get good grades and get accepted into college. The id and the superego will always have a battle with each other, but with a socially adjusted individual the ego helps balance these two out. The superego is an important stage because if an individual don’t have it then they will develop an attitude that center around themselves and would not be willing to make sacrifices in life. During his time, sex was a controversial topic and was not viewed as a basic drive for human beings. Now-a-days things have changed quite greatly but are still controversial because it shines women in a negative light.

Another psychologist that did great discoveries for the development of children around their environment is Jean Piaget. He was a Swiss psychologist that main concentration was in cognition or the mental processes of individuals. He put together four basic stages for cognitive maturing. The first stage was known as the senorimotor stage. During this stage an individual experiences things solely through their senses such as smelling, tasting, and listening. The second stage is called the preoperational stage and occurs around age 2. This is the stage when a person starts talking and use signals such as the classic “good bye” wave. In this stage an individual sill lacks abstract development. For example if you pull liquid into two separate containers and one is tall while the other is wide, then children in this stage will automatically assume that the taller glass contains more liquid even though it’s the same amount of fluid in both containers. The third or concrete operational stage is which individuals can experience a more logical connection to their surroundings. An example is when an individual can note that a day can have one the more significance. If it’s Sunday than not only do an individual go to church but they also have no school. The last stage is known as the formal operational stage and an individual has the ability to think very abstractly. They have a deeper understanding of things can solve some concrete math or logic problems. Even though Piaget based his theories on cognition he didn’t really consider the effect that society would have on an individual developing stages, and some individuals don’t go through all stages as a result of this. In some parts of the world especially in the very traditional cultures individuals don’t go through all stages. However don’t think that his only happens in the United States because it may surprise you that a large portion of Americans can’t read or write.

A sociologist that built on Piget’s discoveries was named Lawrence Kohlberg. What he studied is individual’s moral rationalizing capabilities or how they how they come to reason on what is right, and what is wrong. As young children we don’t rely on our guilt feelings but more like what feels good to us. What feels good is usually associated with what is right, and this is known as the pre-conventional stage. In the next stage or conventional stage, which usually happens in the teen years, individuals usually will become less selfish and try to adjust to society’s needs. In the final or post-conventional stage people look up and beyond their society’s norms and ethics to help make their decisions. An example of this is debating the law because the average person will not question it, but some people may think that just because something is not against the law doesn’t mean its right. Most individuals will not make it to this stage. However, there were some common errors in Kohlberg’s study and this was a very common one.

There was a gender bias because all of his subjects were male and he generalized female morality based on males and you can see the obvious flaw here. Luckily, Carol Gilligan fixed this error and compared the moral development of boys and girls. What she concluded that men were more by the rules. If they hear that someone broke into a hospital and stole medicine then they will view it as wrong. However, a woman may look into it deeper and consider why an individual would break into a hospital and steal medicine and would be more sympathetic to those that steal for a meaningful purpose such as Robin Hood. Perhaps it was to save his sickly life when he didn’t have the capital to pay for it.

How does it feel to be like a god? Well according to a new breed of scientists, sociologists, philosophers and quantum physicists, we should know. It seems that many of these folks with long strings of university degrees are now telling us that we, like mini-gods here on earth, have the power to create our world through our minds and this thing called manifesting.

Now hold on, all you devout Christians, and don’t get nervous. No-one is saying here that we are God, with that capital G. Just that we have some god-like characteristics. And one of them is the power to create. Now this is not a foreign concept to Christianity. If you remember your bible, it says that we are created “in the image and likeness of God.”

But actually if you know religious history then you know there has been fervent debate over the meaning of this quote for the past two thousand years. Well perhaps we are hitting on some answers now.

As we look at things like the movie The Secret, author Ekart Tolle, and Oprah Winfrey’s new-age concepts it seems that we are learning about our true power as human beings. And it seems we can create our world, at least to some extent. And ‘how to manifest anything you want’ is largely about the type of person you are being and hence the energy you send out.

And if you look carefully, this is not such a strange idea. Who could argue, for instance that our mood and outlook colors our world. Who would deny that hidden agendas, subconscious wishes, and how we go around in life makes a difference in who is attracted to us and what they do with us.

Well where did we get all of these ways of being, then? How did we get to be the person that we are, doing the things we do, seeing life as we do? How did we get to be this way, as opposed to some other way that we could be? In short, how do people and their identities get created?

Well some folks in this day and age are saying that we ourselves have created the person that we are. And even more interesting, that we can recreate ourselves, any way we want to be. And when we do so we will then attract what it is we want- be it physical, spiritual, relational, or whatever. And this concept, my friends, is known as The Science of Being.

I will tell you more about the intriguing Science of Being and how to manifest anything you want in future articles. I am sure you will be amazed at what is possible.

There are a number of factors that trigger the anxiety attacks. Consequently in order to get the immediate anxiety relief very much would depends on those factors.

One of the elements that start out the anxiety attacks is the direct interaction with the root of the stress. As for this condition the sole technique to relief the anxiety attack is to eliminate the origin of the stress.

When another factor of the anxiety attack could evolve from the inherent phobia. The better means to get relief from anxiety attack in this situation is to look for help from the professional therapist.

Occasionally you can also catch an anxiety attacks with no obvious causes. This could be quite difficult. We are going to discuss this subject and how you’ll be able to get relief from such anxiety attack that come about without any known causes.

First step is to relax

I know this is difficult to do, because you would not get anxiety attacks in the first place if you can relax. However you could do it if you calm down and instruct your mind to relax.

Normally before you get an anxiety attacks, you would feel uncomfortable and there are some signs and symptoms that I have discussed in other articles on my websites. At this point make yourself physically relax. Loosen up your shirt and tie if you have one. Do whatever you can just to make yourself relax.

Find yourself a place to sit down but do not lie down, hold your hand straight over some back up. Breathe slowly and deeply. Relieve yourself when you take a breath out

At this period clear up your mind from any thought surrounding you. Assure yourself that you are in a peaceful situations exactly like you are resting on a couch in your living room. Your body will block sending off any sign that stimulate the anxiety to the adrenal glands.

The next step is to clear away all the negative thought.

In order to get relief from anxiety attacks, you have to clear your mind of any negative thought at all. You have to talk to yourself and keep telling yourself that this is just temporary and it will be over soon.

Get in control, be positive and assure yourself that you know how to deal with this situation and you are not in danger. It is very critical to transmit these positive messages to your mind. It will help you to relax and bring down the level of stress and anxiety.

Finally you have accept your condition.

Whenever you accept the circumstance that what you are experiencing is merely a recurring panic or anxiety attack, then it will be more at ease for you to have a better precautions later on.

If your mind has accepted the fact that this is an anxiety attacks, then you can design a strategy on how to manage yourself when you get attack the next time.

When you have the strategy on how to relieve yourself from the anxiety attack should it happen again next time, you would also find that you could minimize the condition that would trigger the attack.

In addition to whatever strategy that you have devised, don’t forget to get professional advice from your doctor or other professionals in the field.

Science tells us that we currently use no more than 70% of our brain’s capabilities. Yet we struggle to cram our brains with content in this, the information age, where it seems to be particularly important to ‘know everything.’ Then too, along with the cramming comes the seemingly fantastical claims that we can ‘have it all’- including wealth, happiness, abundance, and breath-taking love- simply by making up our minds to it, and using our brains in a more productive fashion.

I have come across a myriad of powerful mind changing tools. In the twelve steps of Alanon, AA, or OA for instance, there are wonderful books and slogans that hope to instill in people a new way of thinking. Then too, there are Louise Haye’s affirmations in the form of mini-books and daily reading cards. With these you can work everyday to replace the negative thoughts in your head with positive ones. There are meditations, yoga, and body-mind-spirit practices which seek to unlock the power of the mind by going within the body. All of these practices are very helpful.

How often have you gone to a party in this, the’ new age of enlightenment’ and heard someone talk about ‘mind over matter’ or a way to increase mental power. If you’re like me you nodded your head yes to the person across from you, while also thinking “Well, you can say it- but can you do it?” Or more to the point, you thought ‘But can I really do it.” And there may have been some frustration because you’d been working on that skill for a long time already. And if you’re like me, you were probably not acknowledging your successes- but only how far you seemed to be from your goals.

If you are adventurous, you can take a life-changing course called The Landmark Forum. Here you will get to look at “mind over matter’ from a very different perspective. You will delve into the question “What does it mean to be human?” You will look at yourself as a human being and see how your very ’self’ was created. You can then dissect the process if you so desire to shift the very way you are, and become all that you want to be. During the process you will certainly look at how your brain operates, and when it empowers you, and when it (very frequently) dis-empowers you.

You could think of your mind like a ‘answers machine.’ You could consider that when you put information in, an answer comes out. Now the answer is not always a pleasant one. In fact very often what goes in the machine to form the mind’s answer is flawed material. The mind picks out the traumas, painful occurrences, and scarred experiences of life to form an answer for. In essence, the mind does not choose the day-to-day grind to worry about. It only picks the incidents that stand out- hence the answer is based on only one incident out of many- and so flawed. The mind then makes note of what should be done to address this problem. This is quite often in the form of a negative thought such as “Don’t trust anyone.” Some of these thoughts become such a part of us, we can’t even see them.

Are the claims true that the mind can accomplish any task if it truly believes it can? Are the claims true that the mind can produce overnight weight loss, mastery at any skill, no matter how foreign, and even the cessation of incurable illnesses? Is the mind truly that powerful? And if so, how do we tap into that other 70% so that our faith truly will move our own mountains? In my opinion, this faith alone would be a true miracle.

There is a lot of speculation that you can skip over the hard work of ‘mind over matter.’ They say that you can give up your daily affirmations and bathroom books and simply train the brain in any direction you want- while you lay there and relax, and listen to a CD or tape. What a wonderful idea? They call this method brain entrainment, and I am told there are no subliminal methods to worry about. Personally I am inclined to give this method a try, and stop working so hard.

Brain entrainment is one powerful tool to increase mental power and access the power of my mind. The other tool is to do it every day until it sinks in. This may well be the true test of training my brain. And one that many of us need to pass- no matter which methods we choose.

The hippie movement was started in the 1960’s timeframe. Hippie derived from the terms hipster and hip. Hipster first referred to some beatniks who moved into the Haight-Ashbury region of San Francisco. They set up their own communities, indulged in the sexual revolution, listened to primarily psychedelic rock, and used drugs to expand their mind and conscious.

Appearance

Hippies wanted to free themselves from the restrictions of society; by doing so they would choose their own ways and try to find new meanings to life. Hippies dressed differently from societal norms as an expression of independence. The way hippies dressed made it easy for them to recognize one another and their clothing was a symbol of respect for individual rights.

Hippies both of the male and female gender generally wore jeans and had long hair. Both genders also primarily wore sandals or no shoes at all. The men were often bearded, and the women wore little, if any, makeup and did not wear bras. Hippies made most of their clothes such as tie-dyed shirts. Clothing they did not make themselves they normally bought from flea markets and second-hand shops. Hippies were also known for wearing beaded necklaces, headbands, and Native American jewelry.

Transportation

Hippies generally traveled in school busses, VW busses, or they would just hitchhike. Their busses were normally repainted with psychedelic graphics. The hippies liked the busses because it allowed them and large groups of their friends to travel together. The Volkswagen symbol on the VW busses were often changed into peace symbols by hippies. The hippies that hitchhiked liked it because it was a good way to meet new people, it was environmentally friendly, and it was economical.

Hippies took part in doing drugs and hallucinogens. The thought that by doing drugs they would enhance their spirit and expand their mind. Cannabis, or marijuana, was the most commonly used drug by the hippies. Hippies also took hallucinogens like LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline. Opiates and amphetamines were other drugs taken by hippies, but even users of them began to scorn them because they saw them as addictive and harmful.

Hippies believed in pacifistic ideals and peace. Groups of hippies participated in non-violent political demonstrations. Hippies performed protests, held anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, took part in civil rights marches, and burned draft cards. Some hippies were known for their peace demonstrations while others preferred anti-authority and street theater demonstrations. Hippies took part in political movements such as the free press movement, back to land movement, alternative energy, cooperative business enterprises, and organic farming.

Hippies are still around in today’s modern world. People and hippies alike carry on protests and anti-war parades. Festivals that originated in the hippie era are still held to this day. The Burning Man and the Starwood Festival are two of the biggest hippie festivals and are still around. Fashions started by hippies in the 1960’s can still be seen being worn in this day and age. Hippie lifestyle and culture has been around for generations and continues to live on years later.

Anyone can suffer from panic attack. Its signs and symptoms, though, are easy to spot. Since you’ve come across this article, it’s most likely that you or someone you care for has already experienced a panic attack without knowing it already was one. This article will seek to guide you on spotting the signs and symptoms of a panic attack so that the next time it happens, you will be able to be more aware of the occurring sensations happening to you and later on prevent it from occurring again.

What is a panic attack?

Get acquainted with panic attacks. A panic attack is an extreme form of anxiety that happens only once or twice, but might become habitual once it has developed into a disorder. Usually, it presents the sufferer with a disturbing and vast number of symptoms that recedes when the attack subsides.

Panic Attacks Symptoms

The word ’symptom’ is used to describe the effects of illness. Since a panic attack is not an illness, but rather a behavioral condition, will it also follow that there are no symptoms of the said condition?

Panic attack may not be life-threatening. Still does not change the fact that the sensations brought upon by anxious nerve signals produced by the brain can be very scary and disturbing to the sufferer. Thus, these sensations can also be referred to as symptoms.

Here are just some of the symptoms of panic attacks:

- Dizzy spells that lead to panic - Tightness of throat and chest - Shortness of breath - Obsessive worrying and unwanted thoughts - Racing heartbeat with tingling sensations - Overwhelming fear that something dreadful will happen - Sweating - Nausea

Seek help immediately if you have suffered from one or two of the above symptoms.

Medication

Now, there are already various treatments for panic attack. Remember, you are not alone. It is not incurable, and in fact, you can get treated. You have the choice to free yourself from the anxiety that imprisons your mind and body.

How do I get treated?

Nowadays, there are even e-books available that will guide you in a step-by-step process on techniques to eliminate having to experience panic attacks ever again. These are usually very effective, and you can even read other users’ testimonials to assure you that the techniques discussed in the book works.

Also, the authors of these books are usually professionals that spend their time understanding and researching the disorder, so you can certify its dependability.

Some e-books will even guarantee users’ satisfaction by offering full refunds if the technique discussed did not work for them. This shows that the author is confident and willing to put his reputation on the line, because he believes that it can indeed stop your panic attacks.

Do something about your panic attack now. There’s no need for you to endure unnecessary anxiety because of panic attacks. Spot panic attacks symptoms, take action and get treated, and say hello to a better you.

When an individual feels huge sadness and melancholy he has expired depression. This may push the individual towards madness or even committing suicide. To treat depression, there are many ways, such as selecting the chemical drugs or psychotherapy. Another common way is using herbs.

In fact, using herbs and alternative medicine will be better, since the other methods of treating depression may have dangerous side effects. Herbs can alleviate the state of suffering from depression.

What are the Different Kinds of Herbs for Depression?

Since there are some herbs that treat depression, we can insist that licorice is the best. It is considered anti-depressant and can change the mood of the individual. Several compound in this herb act as MOA inhibitors to affect the mood and get ride depression.

There is another herb called Saint John’s Wort. It is a great herb for treating depression and anxiety. It is considered more effective than any other method of treating depression, such as chemical drugs. This herb has little side effects as well.

The powerful herb, Ginkgo Biloba can increase the circulation of blood, especially in brain, so it affects on mind. It makes mind more alerted to things and also reduce depression. No doubt, it can alleviate the mood of the individual, despite it is not so effective as Licorice and Saint John’s Wort.

Anther herb that shows a great possibility in treatment is called Siberian Ginseng. It is a MAO inhibitor that treats depression well. It causes the equilibrium to the neurotransmitter in the brain.

To include some other depression herbs to our group, we may confirm the actual effects of celery, dill, and coriander. We can include also caraway, nutmeg, and fennel.