Kathleen
Barrett,
presenting Minister for Agriculture Mr. Simon Coveney with the Valley View Equine Retirement calendar 2014 at the Animal Welfare Conference held on Friday, May 16th in Dublin
Castle.
Athea National School Quiz
The Athea N.S. fundraising Quiz advertised for this Friday, May 23rd at the Top of the Town has had to be postponed until further notice.
Church Gate Collection
The Nano Nagle Special Needs School in Listowel will hold a Church gate collection in Athea this weekend May 24th/25th at all Masses. Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Local Elections
Friday is election day and we need somebody to represent our community in the new council which for the first time includes Limerick City. It is important that as many people as possible cast their votes and try to get our local candidates elected, regardless of party politics.
Enlighten your Day
Reflexology & Panic Attacks/Anxiety
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterised by recurrent attacks of panic, episodes of intense apprehension, fear of terror associated with somatic symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness, vertigo, faintness, or shakiness and with psychological symptoms such as feeling unreality, fear of dying, or loosing control. There is usually chronic nervousness between attacks.
Anxiety develops when we are first faced with a stressful situation – moving house, a big event, redundancies, bereavement or something as simple as a caffeine overload. These feelings of anxiety are the body’s early warning system. Your body recognises that some form of danger is near, so you are kept alert in order to cope with what your body perceives as a potentially life-threatening event. In healthy individuals, the difficult situation is met, overcome and we move on. For some people, it isn’t so simple. When anxiety symptoms prevent you from coping with everyday life, then you may have developed an anxiety disorder
Common Approaches to Severe Anxiety
When a patient is first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, it is not always a given that they will immediately be prescribed anti-anxiety medication. Although anxiety medications exist, the research into anxiety suggests that these medications are generally not as effective as receiving treatment from amongst the talking therapies – particularly cognitive behavioural therapy, psychotherapy and counselling, acupuncture and advanced reflexology. Patients are often encouraged to look at psychotherapy first and/or the range of complementary and alternative treatments available to them that have a track record in reducing anxiety symptoms.
Why Reflexology for Anxiety?
Reflexology has that track record in anxiety management. I have a lot of experience in working with clients that have anxiety and get panic attacks. A study carried out at the University of Canberra indicated that reflexology was extremely effectiveness in relieving anxiety, nausea and pain in cancer patients. Other studies, carried out in Europe, show reflexology to be very useful in treating stress-related anxiety (and reducing staff sick days by 25% over 3 years), and managing both pain and anxiety during labour and childbirth (and reducing the length of time in all stages of labour in the process).
Reflexology is a great way of relaxing and learning to manage your stress levels and anxiety symptoms. As well as the profoundly relaxing experience of having a treatment from a professional Reflexologist, One technique that many find useful is to develop the habit of working the solar plexus point on the hands from the moment you start to feel anxious. This point is easy to find (I will show where this is) and subtle to work – someone watching you is unlikely to notice what you are doing; it just looks like you have your hands folded over each other.
Reflexology may help to increase blood flow to the extremities, slow down heart rate, and decrease blood pressure. This massage work in this type of therapy is soft and has minimal pressure and feels soothing to the patient. The nice thing is that for people looking to chill out and not take medication, this could be a promising natural treatment. No equipment is needed, just a trained professional.
Why use reflexology for anxiety disorders and stress?
1. Supplement existing treatment
2. Natural treatment option
3. Struggling with anxiety
4. Want to try something new
5. Alternative therapy
If you have high levels of stress and anxiety, reflexology may be able to help you calm down and learn to control your anxiety symptoms.
How Does Reflexology Help Relieve Stress, Anxiety and Anger?
Reflexology helps to relieve symptoms of stress, anxiety and anger by stimulating specific points/nerve endings in the feet and hands, which in turn can:
1. Activate the endocrine system, which is made up of glands that include the pituitary, thymus, pineal, thyroid and parathyroid glands. The endocrine system has many influences within the body some of which include your physical health, mental health, personality, nerve operation, heartbeat, blood sugar and hormonal balance.
I would look to stimulate points on the hand or feet that correspond to the endocrine glands, which monitor the release of hormones and neurotransmitters in the body that may relieve symptoms of stress, anxiety and anger when functioning correctly.
2. Activate the Solar Plexus Reflex to induce a state of relaxation that can help to restore harmony and improve the functioning of both the sympathetic and para-sympathetic nervous systems.
3. Promotes a release of the natural feel-good hormones, endorphins, which have been well-documented by science to reduce the body’s stress response
4. Helps the body to eliminates toxins
5. Stimulates the lymphatic system
6. Helps to decongest energy pathways allowing for optimal nervous system functioning.
7. Increases circulation, oxygen & blood flow to the organs promoting relaxation & health
Note: Please discuss with your Doctor before making any changes to your diet.
Should you wish me to write about a specific topic or health issue.
Contact me. Kay McDonnell
Listowel
068 23574
W: kaymcdonnell.com
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