Alopecia and Hair Loss

Dealing with hair loss and alopecia areata.

Coping with Alopecia - http://www.alopeciaonline.org.uk/coping-with-alopecia.asp

National Alopecia Areata Foundation - www.naaf.org

Alopecia UK - www.alopeciaonline.org.uk/

http://www.alopeciaworld.com

Have your own story of hair loss? Let me know in the comments how it affected you.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.com
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

How to manage Perfectionism and the Pursuit of Perfection

A video about perfectionism and how, in the extreme, it could be detrimental to health and well-being. This video contains some guidance on how to gain a more balanced outlook.

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself” - Anna Quindlen.

I really hope you enjoy watching the videos and that they can help you or someone you know. I would love to hear from you if you have anything you would like to say.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Drugs and Medication: It's re-think time!

I got an email from a lovely lady called Judy from The American Recall Center asking if I would like to contribute a blog post to help raise awareness about the importance of drug safety. The reason they wanted a post is because this week (January 26th - 31st) is National Drug Facts Week. 
As I believe strongly in being as informed as possible about medications and drug therapies I thought it seemed like a great opportunity to join the conversation and write a piece for National Drug Facts Week. Thank you to Judy for bringing this to my attention (and thinking of my blog!) and also for providing the informative pictures included below.

This is going to sound like a silly statement to make but I'm going to make it anyway...It's really important to understand what the medication you're taking is, why exactly you're on it and what it aims to do for you.

So many of us are now on some kind of prescriptive medication or taking over-the-counter drugs.

In western society we 'pop' pills like they're Tic Tacs, often with no thought to what the medications are really for, what prolonged use of them can mean or whether they're actually solving the problem.

I'm not trying to scare-monger, nor am I advocating ditching medications. Far from it. Many conditions require the use of drugs to control or lessen symptoms. There's no disputing that. I myself have, over the years, needed a cocktail of drugs to manage symptoms and try to 'cure' my ill health.

However, there's also no disputing the fact that a lot of the time we may not fully grasp the impact that taking prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications has on our psyches and our bodies.

All I'm aiming to do with this short post is to highlight the need for us all to be a little more selective and careful when adopting new drugs or medication regimes. 

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if there is anything you can do that will compliment or support your health, without the sole help of medication or even before you try taking medication.

Would a more holistic approach to well-being not reduce the amount of unnecessary antibiotics, antidepressants, sleeping pills etc. that are prescribed?

An holistic approach could involve looking at the underlying cause for repeated infections, insomnia, low mood etc. I believe that the stresses and strains of modern life can make us more susceptible to becoming run-down. 

Some doctors fail to grasp the need to ask questions of their patients, to be more sensitive to their needs and to have empathy with their ills and ailments. Those few extra minutes of concern and care may alleviate the patient's worries and address their concerns. This could help set about a positive chain of results, rather than ending up with the patient clutching a sheaf of prescriptions for unnecessary drugs, which may end up masking the main problem.

It's not necessarily a simple solution as it would involve a rather radical re-think in mainstream medicine. However, I believe it's an achievable and important solution to an endemic problem.

Let's start seeing, hearing and treating people as a whole.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Christmas - Help to get through the festive season

(Please excuse the ridiculous screenshot!)

A short film with guidance on coping during the festive season.

Blog post with more information: http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/merry-christmas-from-life-in-recovery.html

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” Dr Seuss - How The Grinch Stole Christmas!

I really hope you enjoy watching the videos and that they can help you or someone you know. I would love to hear from you if you have anything you would like to say.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

My UNA-UK article on the need for holistic healthcare

A few months ago I was asked if I would like to write an article for the United Nations Association - UK (UNA-UK) quarterly magazine New World. I jumped at the opportunity, of course! I'm happy to be able to say that the magazine and web exclusive articles have now been published.

If you've never heard of UNA-UK before then this little blurb taken from their website might help explain who they are and what they do. 

"The United Nations Association - UK (UNA-UK) is the UK's leading source of independent analysis on the UN, and a UK-wide grassroots movement.

UNA-UK believes that a strong, credible and effective UN is essential if we are to build a safer, fairer and more sustainable world. We advocate strong government support for the UN and demonstrate why the UN matters to people everywhere.

We pursue this mission by:

• Connecting people to the work and values of the UN
• Influencing decision-makers and opinion-shapers to support UN goals
• Explaining how the UN works and what it can realistically achieve
• Stimulating debate and action on how to make the UN more effective
• Equipping our members and supporters to further all of these aims

UNA-UK derives great strength from its members and supporters, and UK-wide network of local, school and university branches. Together, they form a critical mass of support for the UN in the UK and beyond."

The Winter Issue of New World is a bumper double edition with one publication dedicated to looking at Britain's role on the world stage and the Autumn section addresses the field of global health, the world's major health concerns and the UN's efforts to tackle them. There are also articles published as web exclusives (which mine is one of.)

In both issues there are some incredible articles, essays and infographics. The subjects range from foreign policy to the Ebola virus, HIV/AIDS therapies to concerns about the access to healthcare in developing countries. The magazine also raises fundamental questions about the world we live in and I would strongly recommend giving the current and past issues a read as they are a gold-mine of information and eye-opening stories from people 'in-the-know' and on the front-lines of the issues being discussed.

If you wish to read the article I wrote on the need for a more holistic approach to health then I'd love for it to start a conversation about the importance of assessing and treating individuals' health as a 'whole.'

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2

Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life

Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/

Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Mood-boosting foods and the science behind them

A film on the importance of a healthy diet and the science behind mood-boosting, body-energising, immune-strengthening food.

'One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.' Virginia Woolf (British novelist) A Room of One's Own (essay)

'Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.' Dorothy Day (American journalist)

I really hope you enjoy watching the videos and that they can help you or someone you know. I would love to hear from you if you have anything you would like to say.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Useful Sites/Links - Introducing you to GeesGang

I have recently become aware of a new website and charity called GeesGang.
Set up and run by someone who suffers from depression to help benefit those who are struggling and suffering under the weight of mental illness.

So what's GeesGang's mission? (Direct quote from their website) "To train as a Talking Therapist costs over a £1000.00 and our mission is to raise enough money to pay for people to train as therapists to help the 1 in 4 adults and kids that desperately need their help. We’d also like to open a free phone call centre where people can ring in privacy and know with confidence that the person at the other end of the line can help them. Get Therapists into schools and colleges to help the kids that may be struggling with everyday life."
I personally think this is a hugely admirable mission statement.

You can check out the GeesGang website here. They're also on Twitter and Facebook.

I have been lucky enough to be included on their site http://geesgang.com/recovery and am so pleased that they have lots of other useful information for people including diet, exercise and details on different therapies.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - yourlifeinrecovery@gmail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Creating an Emotional First Aid Kit and Self-Soothing Tips

Tips on how to create your own Emotional First Aid Kit for when you're feeling in need of a pick-me-up.

'In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.'
Albert Camus (French Nobel Prize winner, author and philosopher)

I really hope you enjoy watching the videos and that they can help you or someone you know. I would love to hear from you if you have anything you would like to say.

How to get in touch:

YouTube - http://t.co/CGZBkZnWU2
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/Recovering_Life
Blog - http://yourlifeinrecovery.blogspot.co.uk/
Email - lifeinrecovery@mail.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Recovering.Life

Are making New Year's Resolutions the healthiest way to start your year?

I didn't want the first week of 2014 to pass without writing something about people's fixations for making New Year's Resolutions every year. Don't mistake me in thinking that I'm a cynical and pessimistic kind of person, New Year's Resolutions are a great way to embrace the new year with a list of the things you really want to achieve, work on, experience etc. However, when did it become socially unacceptable to not make resolutions? 

At the beginning of every year the inevitable question is asked by others "So what are your New Year's Resolutions this year?" and the general consensus if your answer is "I'm actually not making any resolutions this year" is that you either aren't ambitious, steadfast, future-thinking or motivated enough or you are depressed about the new year. These may be partly true or all true, you may be dreading the year ahead or you may not want to or feel the need to change anything in your life. On the other hand your aims for the coming year may not be as clear and concrete in your mind as in others. You may just have a general idea of where you would like to be in your life. Just because you haven't sat down and plotted out this next year doesn't mean you don't have hopes and dreams of the future. It doesn't mean that you are blindly entering 2014 with no direction. It doesn't mean that you are accepting that you can't get better/be better/feel better. It doesn't mean part of you has thrown in the towel or is apathetic about life. And it doesn't make you any worse than other people who have made New Year's Resolutions.

Another point that comes to mind when thinking about New Year's Resolutions involves the words 'pressure' and 'fail.' Does it really help people live happy and fulfilling lives for there to be so much pressure surrounding keeping New Year's Resolutions? Being branded or branding yourself as a failure if you don't manage to attain all your resolutions for the year is such a negative cycle to get into. Doing a quick search online for statistics in relation to New Year's Resolutions there are numerous articles and lots of research into how many people achieve all the goals they set themselves at the beginning of the year. A study in 2007 at Bristol University found that 88% (out of the 3000 involved) did not keep their resolutions, other statistics suggest as little as 8% of people who make resolutions actually succeed in their target. Articles giving advice on being successful in achieving them are generally titled along the lines of 'Why New Year's Resolutions fail. Here's how not to fail yours.' and 'Only ...% of people succeed in their New Year's goals. Our advice on how to be one of them.' The articles may be fantastic and may contain lots of useful tips and advice on keeping to your goals but it does create a sense that there's an 'us' and a 'them' scenario. Of the people who make resolutions there becomes two groups, those who 'fail' and those who 'succeed.'

I think a more healthy way of approaching New Year's Resolutions is to keep any ideas achievable and more general. For example instead of saying that you would like to run this year's London Marathon in under 6 hours why not make it that you would like to just run more. Or instead of setting a target to cut out dairy, wheat and sugar from your diet you could make it a little more flexible by cutting down on them by not buying cakes or cheese with your usual shopping or just eliminating one of them as a more manageable goal. I think the most important thing to do is to not think that it's the be-all and end-all to set and achieve New Year's Resolutions. A few little targets are a great thing to keep in mind throughout the year as a motivational tool but not as a way to beat yourself up or make yourself feel like an underachiever or failure. In conclusion, if you're going to make New Year's Resolutions this year then try to make them more realistic and attainable. Having someone who knows what it is you want to achieve can be a helpful thing or doing something as a joint resolution can be a more fun and fulfilling pursuit than going solo.

Whatever your wishes and goals for 2014 I hope that it's a wonderful year for you all.

Merry Christmas from Life In Recovery: Help coping during the Festive Season

I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmastime. If you are spending this festive season with your friends and family then I hope you manage to enjoy their company to the fullest.

For my household this is an extra special Yuletide as we are spending time together and are all the healthiest and heartiest for over a decade.

With so many years and anniversaries spent unwell I am well aware that this time of year can prove hard for people who are not at their full health. Whether you can't travel to meet family, leave your bed to join in with the festivities around you or get stuck in with the whirlwind of activity surrounding this period I really hope and wish that you are able to feel some of the love and good wishes from your nearest and dearest. 

I also understand that not everyone will have their loved ones with them and because of this Christmas can feel a lonely, frightening and isolating time. Also with lots of people coming together over the next couple of weeks there may be the odd clash of personalities or egos. When there are simmering tensions between people it can make the time rather awful and you go around walking on eggshells. My only advice is to not feel you are responsible for everyone else's happiness and that if there are problems that need resolving to allow them to be aired as in the long run it's a much healthier thing than to suppress any niggling issues. Pushing things down inside you, letting things fester and quietly seething about such-and-such/so-and-so is not the way to find peace within yourself or with others. It may be an uncomfortable experience to be open about things with others but try to be honest about how things are affecting you.

If you are dreading Christmas and New Year this year for any reason (be it for health, family or lifestyle reasons) then I hope that this message might help you feel less alone. I was in a rather poor state health-wise this time last year and if things can improve for me then they can improve for you too.

Please feel free to leave a comment below if you feel there is anything you can contribute to this short post whether it's advice, personal experiences or just a hello. I have found a few articles online that address specific issues around coping during Christmas. Here are the links.

Bereavement: http://www.cruse.org.uk/about-grief/Christmas

Cancer: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/cancer-questions/coping-with-christmas-when-you-have-cancer

Divorce or Separation: http://familylives.org.uk/advice/divorce-and-separation/coping-with-holidays/coping-with-christmas-when-your-divorced-or-separated/

Depression and Stress: http://www.webmd.boots.com/depression/guide/christmas-depression-stress

Christmas alone: http://www.webmd.boots.com/depression/features/lonely-this-christmas

Eating disorder: http://www.b-eat.co.uk/get-help/about-eating-disorders/coping-at-christmas/

M.E./CFS and Fibromyalgia: http://www.cortjohnson.org/blog/2013/11/26/surviving-holidays-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-fibromyalgia-how/

Again I wish you a Happy Christmas 2013 wherever you are and whoever you are with.