Does trauma make you more resilient?

Does trauma make you more resilient?

    It is said what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. Scientists suggest that dealing with major traumatic experiences like losing a loved one, facing a natural calamity or some sort of abuse in childhood can be psychologically damaging but small amounts of trauma may actually make you more resilient. In a study, it was discovered that people who went through major traumatic situations rarely are more distressed as compared to people who faced daily crisis.
EXPERT SPEAK There is no one who is so strong emotionally that he/she will not breakdown if they have to face something as traumatic as the loss of a loved one. Everyday problems and crisis are obviously more easier to deal with and in a way, prepare a person to handle bigger problems. But, on the other hand it depends from person to person and their definition of trauma. To give a common example work pressures can be traumatic sometimes. However, how one copes with crisis depends on how his/her family handles such situations as a unit or as individuals. The attitude a family should adopt is that life goes on.
    –Anjali Chhabria,
    Psychotherapist It all depends on the personality of a person. I will not agree completely with this study because there are some people who are strong from the core and can snap out of a traumatic experience in a decent amount of time. But then, I have had patients who have become weaker when they go through something really big. Moreover, it also depends on your support system—who all have been there with the person? Did they have someone to talk and share their feelings? Such people tend to isolate themselves completely and end up having phobias relating to a crowd of people. They also start questioning their abilities and in some cases suffer from low self-esteem.
    –Dr Seema Hingorrany, Trauma Therapist A person who goes through a major trauma sometimes ends up suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which results in them becoming extremely sensitive. It affects their mind, body and soul. On the other hand, a person who goes through small amounts of trauma learns to cope with life in a much better manner. These experiences empower the person to deal with any situation in a mature way.

When let down,girls feel more upset

When let down,girls feel more upset

    Girls are just as likely to feel offended or sad as boys, especially when let down by friends. In a study by an international university, researchers found that pre-teen girls may not be any better at friendships than boys, despite previous research suggesting otherwise. The study was co-authored by Julie Paquette MacEvoy assistant professor and Steven Asher, professor of psychology and neuroscience. The findings suggest that when more serious violations of a friendship occur, girls struggle just as much and, in some ways, even more than boys.
    The girls were as likely as boys to verbally attack the friend who told one of their secrets to other children. The girls also reported being more bothered by the transgressions, felt more anger and sadness, and were more likely to think the offense meant their friend did not care about them or was trying to control them.
    MacEvoy and Asher showed 267 fourth and fifth-grade children 16 hypothetical stories in which they were asked to imagine that a friend violated a core expectation of friendship. For each story, the nine to 11-year-olds were asked how they would feel if the incident really happened.
    “Our finding that girls would be just as vengeful and aggressive toward their friends as the boys is particularly interesting because past research has consistently shown boys to react more negatively following minor conflicts with friends,” Asher said. The study found that anger and sadness played significant roles in how boys and girls reacted to offending friends.

You are more prone to a heart attack during winter

why you are more prone to a heart attack during winter and what you can do to prevent it

    Winter doubles your chances of getting a heart attack. This is especially true for people with one or more risk factors — high BP, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, obesity and a family history of heart disease.
Winter predisposes you to heart ailments:
• The cold leads to constriction of blood vessels. This reduces blood supply to the heart and can precipitate blockage in the arteries leading to an attack.

•The oxygen demand of the heart increases because the heart has to work harder to keep the body warm.

•Early morning surge in BP is an important reason for heart attacks being more common at this time of the day.

•Because of fewer daylight hours in winter, people try and finish all outdoor work during the day. The shift of activities to morning hours also leads to a change in the circadian rhythm or body clock, leading to an increase in heart rate, BP, and cortisol levels. The combination puts pressure on your heart and increases risk of a heart attack.
Awareness helps: It is, therefore, important to use preventive strategies during this period. If you are at risk and want to get on to a healthy heart exercise regimen, start slow. The cardiovascular system can adapt to slow, progressive changes, but has a difficult time adapting to sudden changes. When you exercise, do it for just 15 minutes at a stretch and let the body recover. But don't go inside and have a cup of coffee or smoke a cigarette because caffeine and nicotine just put that much more burden on the heart. Restart after 15 minutes. Don't overdo and get an evaluation done by a doctor before starting an exercise regimen.
The golden rule to avoid heart attacks:
•Keep your BP less than 140/ 90 mms Hg.

•Your fasting sugar should be less than 100 mg/dl.

•Keep your blood cholesterol less than 150 mg/dl.

•Avoid tobacco in any form.

•Check your weight .

•Avoid getting stressed out.

Breastfeeding cuts blood pressure risk in women

Breastfeeding cuts blood pressure risk in women

 To-be-moms please take note: Mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies for at leat six months can lower their risk of developing high blood pressure later in life by a quarter, a new study has claimed.
    Researchers at the University of North Carolina in the US found that women who gave their babies formula or breastfed for less than three months were almost a quarter more likely to develop blood pressure problems.
    The study involving nearly 56,000 women with at least one child concluded that mothers who breastfed for at least six months were less likely to develop hypertension over a 14 year period than those who bottle fed.
    The research, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, estimated that up to 12% of high blood pressure cases among women with children could be linked to “suboptimal” breastfeeding.
    While the findings do not prove breastfeeding was behind healthier blood pressure, the researchers said it added to evidence that it was good for both mothers and babies.

Mood swings that time of the month may be treatable

Mood swings that time of the month may be treatable

 Ladies, here’s some good news! Your monthly mood swings could soon be treatable, claim scientists.
    A team at Umea University in Sweden says that women who suffer from severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and mood swings once a month may soon be able to reduce the symptoms as it may be easily treatable.
    Their research in to premenstrual syndrome showed the affliction was due to a hormone that occurs naturally in the body. But women suffer the physical and emotional symptoms of PMS depending on sensitivity to the allopregnanolone hormone. The hormone is released in the body after ovulation and during pregnancy, and when changes occur in the course of the menstrual cycle. Most women are more sensitive to the hormone immediately after menstruation, and less sensitive before.
    However women who suffer severe symptoms of PMS experience the opposite — a high sensitivity before their period — that may mean they’ve less ability to adapt to hormonal variations. So, a high sensitivity to allopregnanolone before menstruation results in mood swings and heightened emotions before menstruation.
    “Greater knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of pronounced PMS can ultimately provide clues for new methods of treatment.”