tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62493872202708627122024-03-14T14:34:13.970+08:00PSYCHCAFEMINDING YOUR MENTAL HEALTHms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-7545915438612524662012-08-02T16:51:00.004+08:002012-08-02T16:51:38.083+08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDTF52OCVW0/UBo_N2lH1_I/AAAAAAAAAbc/m-vu8bkO_Qs/s1600/Bella+Rocca+536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDTF52OCVW0/UBo_N2lH1_I/AAAAAAAAAbc/m-vu8bkO_Qs/s320/Bella+Rocca+536.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Life as I Imagined...</span></h2>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-64129484713081805782012-08-02T16:46:00.002+08:002012-08-02T16:46:32.168+08:00Just Because....Hello Everyone! I'm back. After months of hiatus, i'm writing something in my blog again. Nope, i'm not going to post some dramatic rhetoric about my rebirth or reawakening because i know it ain't. I am not going to throw out some piece about how i'll be a better, consistent, and hard-working blogger this time because i know it will be just another empty promise. What i am going to post is something just like this. I'm posting this.......... just because!ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-60913810665441052412012-02-13T21:48:00.010+08:002012-02-13T22:50:57.360+08:00Soulmate: A Valentine's Special<div>Its that time of the year again when everything red, sweet, and "heartsy" becomes a precious commodity.</div><div><div><div><br /></div><div>No, it is not Christmas time (although the descriptor above may seem fit). It is what every modern day "caveman"cringe of and what every modern day lothario grabs on.... no, it is not breast cancer awareness week... it is VALENTINES!</div></div><div><br /></div><div> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-htXI6xYVVIk/Tzka3Tor5CI/AAAAAAAAAaw/uta2LA7rZO0/s1600/hearts.jpg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-htXI6xYVVIk/Tzka3Tor5CI/AAAAAAAAAaw/uta2LA7rZO0/s200/hearts.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708623540134863906" style="cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 200px; " /></a></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><span style="text-align: left; ">Valentines Day. A day were conflict and differences is set aside and love is supposed to overcome all things. And, to the singles, it is a day to set their quest in finding their soulmate.</span></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div> </div><div> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n8MlZA2EouU/TzkdFBEPYWI/AAAAAAAAAbI/i3qs8wdtwbo/s1600/soulmate.jpg"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n8MlZA2EouU/TzkdFBEPYWI/AAAAAAAAAbI/i3qs8wdtwbo/s200/soulmate.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708625974691586402" style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; " /></a></div><div>oh... so sweet right? well, think again because here is what an expert have to say about the peril of valentine fever and how looking for a "soulmate" can actually be harmful to you.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-av2JyUzwtEo/Tzkd-LQc36I/AAAAAAAAAbU/7CZXHNs_Arc/s1600/danger.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 175px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-av2JyUzwtEo/Tzkd-LQc36I/AAAAAAAAAbU/7CZXHNs_Arc/s200/danger.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708626956679700386" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>*<i> <span>Below is an article taken from www.psychologytoday.com</span></i></div><div><i><span><br /></span></i></div><div><span style="font-size: large; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto; ">Danger: Beware of the Soul Mate Fallacy </span></div><div><div class="article-abstract" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "> How a destiny mentality could hurt you.</div><div class="article-meta" style="padding-bottom: 10px; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; "><span class="submitted" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 11px; "> Published on February 13, 2012 by <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/experts/bjarne-holmes-phd" title="View Bio" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-decoration: none; ">Bjarne Holmes, Ph.D. </a>in <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love-the-numbers" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-decoration: none; ">Love by the Numbers</a></span></div><div class="content" style="font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="article-content-top" style="clear: both; padding-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; "><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/punishment" title="Psychology Today looks at Punishment" class="pt-basics-link" style="color: black; text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); "></a><p>There are seven billion people in the world and one <em>soul mate</em> out there somewhere for you to find, right?</p><p>Research has quite clearly shown that a strong belief in <em>destiny</em> can actually be harmful to you and your relationship. Here's why. Having the mentality of believing that you've found your <em>soul mate</em> is related to all kinds of unhealthy thinking about your love life.</p><p>Let's illustrate. You fall in love and start a relationship. Relationships have processes and phases that they tend to follow. <em>Infatuated love</em> (when most of your time is spent thinking about that special person) will most likely only last a number of months(<sup>1)</sup>. What really matters is what happens next! </p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">How will you react when your <em>soul mate </em>starts looking a bit less perfect?</span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline; "></span>People who hold strong beliefs in <em>destiny</em> are prone to lose interest much faster in their partner and prone to give up much easier when the relationship looks a bit less rosy(<sup>2)</sup>. Why? Look at it this way - if you believe that "we're either meant to be together or we're not" then you're more likely to see negative things in your relationship as an indicator that perhaps that "special one" actually isn't your<em>true </em>soul mate after all. Perhaps you were simply mistaken: if you were <em>meant</em> for one another, then why should you have to work so hard at your relationship?</p><p></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; "><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">Do you have a 'work it through' mentality?</span></p><p>Are you the type of person who naturally faces hardships with a "work it through" mentality? In other words, do you see the good things and the bad things as equally part of the process of life? All relationships will go through hardship, and it's how you respond to that hardship that matters. The best predictor of whether your relationship will succeed in the long term is how you resolve disagreements(<sup>3)</sup>. Research shows that people in relationships who have a "work it through" mentality will cope much better when trials come and that the relationship will stand a better chance of long-term survival(<sup>4)</sup>.</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline; ">My advice.</span></p><p>* Ask yourself what kind of general view you have: do you believe that things are either <em>meant</em> to happen or not OR do you believe that things happen as a consequence of how much effort and hard work you put in? Try to realize what you can control and what you can't. Understand that to get really good at anything (including relationships), thousands of hours of practice are needed.</p><p>* Start looking at "working on your relationship" as romantic! There is no predetermined <em>soul mate </em>waiting to be found. That said, over time, you can certainly experience the feeling of a specific person being your <em>soul mate. </em><em>That feeling comes from </em>working on the relationship, compromising, and learning to understand your partner very well. </p><p>* Beware of the <em>S</em><em>oul Mate Fallacy</em>. People who believe in <em>fate</em> are likely to also believe that a partner can read one's mind without the communication of needs ("if he's my <em>soul mate</em>, he'll understand what I need"), that men and women are extremely different in their relationship needs (not consistent with relationship science), or that <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/sex" title="Psychology Today looks at Sex" class="pt-basics-link" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); ">sex</a> in a relationship will always be good (evidence shows that sex will change as a relationship changes; a good sex life needs to be nourished and needs continous practice).</p><p></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-11215847537037947402011-01-18T16:15:00.003+08:002011-01-18T16:23:18.579+08:00Depress? Stop Playing Video Games.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TTVNy8q5l2I/AAAAAAAAAaU/zhDCjKI7f4w/s1600/video%2Bgame.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 193px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TTVNy8q5l2I/AAAAAAAAAaU/zhDCjKI7f4w/s400/video%2Bgame.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563438452360976226" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">A Recent study has supported popular belief that playing too much video games may lead to the development psychological disorders.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Read the Article from Yahoo:</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">MONDAY, Jan. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Video game addiction among children and teens may lead to the development of psychological disorders such as depression, researchers say.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">The new study found that children who are more likely to become addicted to video games (which the researchers call "pathological" video gaming) are those who spend a lot of hours playing these games, have trouble fitting in with other kids and are more impulsive than children who aren't addicted. Once addicted to video games, children were more likely to become depressed, anxious or have other social phobias. Not surprisingly, children who were hooked on video games also saw their school performance suffer.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">"What we've known from other studies is that video gaming addiction looks similar to other addictions. But what wasn't clear was what comes before what. Gaming might be a secondary problem. It might be that kids who are socially awkward, who aren't doing well in school, get depressed and then lose themselves into games. We haven't really known if gaming is important by itself, or what puts kids at risk for becoming addicted," said Douglas A. Gentile, an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University in Ames.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Not only did the study reveal risk factors for pathological gaming, "the real surprise came from looking at the outcomes, because we had assumed depression might be the real problem," explained Gentile. "But we found that in kids who started gaming pathologically, depression and anxiety got worse. And, when they stopped gaming, the depression lifted. It may be that these disorders [co-exist], but games seem to make the problem worse."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Results of the study were released online and will be published in the February issue of <i>Pediatrics</i>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">The study included 3,034 children and teens from Singapore; 743 were in 3rd grade, 711 in 4th grade, 916 in 7th grade and 664 in 8th grade. The children came from six primary schools and six secondary schools. Five of the schools participating were all-boys' schools. Almost 2,200 of the study participants were male.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">The children -- although not their parents or teachers -- were surveyed annually from 2007 through 2009.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Eighty-three percent of the study volunteers reported playing video games sometimes, and another 10 percent said they had played video games in the past. The average time spent playing video games was around 20.5 to 22.5 hours a week.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">But, Gentile pointed out, "A lot of video gaming isn't the same as an addiction. Some kids can play a lot without having an effect on their lives. It's when you see other areas of your child's life suffer that it may be addiction. Parents might notice that a child doesn't have the same friends any more, or that he's just sitting in his room playing video games all the time. Or, there might be a drop in school performance," he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">In this study about 9 percent of the children surveyed qualified as being pathological video gamers, and Gentile said that number is fairly consistent with the U.S. population's rate of pathological gaming.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Playing video games more than 30 hours a week, lack of social competence, less-than-average empathy and greater impulsivity all contributed to the addiction, the researchers found.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Gentile said the researchers aren't sure how gaming is contributing to depression, anxiety and other social phobias, but in this study, "the gaming precedes the depression. We don't know if it's truly causal, but gaming has an effect on its own, and you can't just ignore gaming and treat depression," he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Although pathological video gaming appears to share a number of characteristics with other addictive behaviors, such as pathological gambling, the researchers noted that "pathological gaming" is not yet an established psychological disorder.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">"Getting highly involved with video games can become addicting, and parents need to be cautious about how many hours kids play," said Dr. Richard Gallagher, director of the Parenting Institute at the New York University Child Study Center in New York City.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">"In this study, it looks like kids with less than 19 hours a week didn't get involved in pathological gaming, so no more than two hours a day," he suggested.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">But Gallagher also emphasized that time spent playing is less important than the effect that gaming is having on your child. "If they're attracted to games so much so that they don't get involved in other things, or they talk about gaming and don't talk about anything else, there may be a problem," he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Both Gallagher and Gentile said the finding that video games can lead to poorer school performance is likely due to the time spent gaming. "Gaming is taking away time that could be spent on activities that have educational benefit," Gentile said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Gentile also recommends no more than two hours a day of "screen time," in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics' guidelines. And, screen time includes TV, computer, video games and even the newest music players and smart phones that have computer-like capabilities.</p></span>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-51888360664537016842011-01-06T22:27:00.003+08:002011-01-06T22:40:10.162+08:00Headline news on Autism and Vaccination link.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">The debate over the Vaccine and Autism link is once again up as todays headline at Yahoo reads:</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "></p><blockquote></blockquote>LONDON – The first study to link a <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110106/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_autism_fraud#" class="kLink" target="undefined" id="KonaLink0" style="color: rgb(230, 123, 0) !important; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-bottom-width: 2px !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-top-color: transparent !important; border-right-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; border-left-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; text-transform: none !important; display: inline !important; font-variant: normal; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; "><span style="color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; "><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">childhood </span><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">vaccine</span></span></a> to autism was based on doctored information about the children involved, according to a new report on the widely discredited research.<p></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">The conclusions of the 1998 paper by <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110106/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_autism_fraud#" class="kLink" target="undefined" id="KonaLink1" style="color: rgb(230, 123, 0) !important; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-bottom-width: 2px !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: none !important; border-top-color: transparent !important; border-right-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); border-left-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; text-transform: none !important; display: inline !important; font-variant: normal; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; "><span style="color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; "><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Andrew </span><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Wakefield</span></span></a> and colleagues was renounced by 10 of its 13 authors and later retracted by the medical journal Lancet, where it was published. Still, the suggestion the MMR shot was connected to autism spooked parents worldwide and <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110106/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_autism_fraud#" class="kLink" target="undefined" id="KonaLink2" style="color: rgb(230, 123, 0) !important; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-bottom-width: 2px !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-top-color: transparent !important; border-right-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; border-left-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; text-transform: none !important; display: inline !important; font-variant: normal; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; "><span style="color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; "><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">immunization </span><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">rates</span></span></a> for measles, mumps and rubella have never fully recovered.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">A new examination found, by comparing the reported diagnoses in the paper to hospital records, that Wakefield and colleagues altered facts about patients in their study.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">The analysis, by British journalist Brian Deer, found that despite the claim in Wakefield's paper that the 12 children studied were normal until they had the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110106/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_autism_fraud#" class="kLink" target="undefined" id="KonaLink3" style="color: rgb(230, 123, 0) !important; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-bottom-width: 2px !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-top-color: transparent !important; border-right-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; border-left-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; text-transform: none !important; display: inline !important; font-variant: normal; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; "><span style="color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; "><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">MMR </span><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">shot</span></span></a>, five had previously documented developmental problems. Deer also found that all the cases were somehow misrepresented when he compared data from medical records and the children's parents.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Wakefield could not be reached for comment despite repeated calls and requests to the publisher of his recent book, which claims there is a connection between vaccines and autism that has been ignored by the medical establishment. Wakefield now lives in the U.S. where he enjoys a vocal following including celebrity supporters like Jenny McCarthy.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Deer's article was paid for by the Sunday Times of London and Britain's Channel 4 television network. It was published online Thursday in the medical journal, BMJ.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">In an accompanying editorial, BMJ editor Fiona Godlee and colleagues called Wakefield's study "an elaborate fraud." They said Wakefield's work in other journals should be examined to see if it should be retracted.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">Last May, Wakefield was stripped of his right to practice medicine in Britain. Many other published studies have shown no connection between the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110106/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_autism_fraud#" class="kLink" target="undefined" id="KonaLink4" style="color: rgb(230, 123, 0) !important; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-bottom-width: 2px !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: none !important; border-top-color: transparent !important; border-right-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); border-left-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; text-transform: none !important; display: inline !important; font-variant: normal; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; "><span style="color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; "><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">MMR </span><span class="kLink" style="cursor: pointer; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: rgb(54, 99, 136) !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; text-decoration: none; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">vaccination</span></span></a> and autism.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">But measles has surged since Wakefield's paper was published and there are sporadic outbreaks in Europe and the U.S. In 2008, measles was deemed endemic in England and Wales.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; ">If this is true, then id be damn. I spent my nth year doing (or not doing) my thesis just because i found myself in an impasse but then there goes Mr. Wakefield announcing to the whole world about his incredible discovery when it was actually manipulated. </p></span>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-64909505514318333812010-12-27T11:38:00.006+08:002010-12-27T14:02:19.219+08:00Loose the Amygdala and never fear again.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TRgqlbAr8aI/AAAAAAAAAaM/571HnLvsMxA/s1600/amygdala.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 312px; height: 322px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TRgqlbAr8aI/AAAAAAAAAaM/571HnLvsMxA/s400/amygdala.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555236962755670434" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Recent studies on one of the most important part of he limbic system, the amygdala, found that these little almond shaped organs located within each side of the temporal lobes can actually have a significant impact on future treatment for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and other anxiety conditions. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">In an article released last week, a group of scientist from the University of Iowa described of a female adult patient </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "> who had an extremely uncommon condition in which her amygdala was destroyed. The patient was n</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">ot able to experience fear, even after being placed in situations she once loathe of (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">haunted house, having snakes and spiders placed near her, watching horror films, and talking about life-threatening things). The researchers believe that the reason for</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "> her lack of fear was that her amygdala did not function.</span></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">The amygdala is known to play a key role in triggering fear reactions, as various studies have concluded. These studies, however, are done on animals. "This study is the first to show that it is also the case in humans," wrote the authors. Daniel Tranel, Ph.D, senior study author, states that their findings may impact how health care professionals will treat patients with PTSD and anxiety disorder. Tranel wrote:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><ul style="padding-left: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 13px; "><i>"This finding points us to a specific brain area that might underlie PTSD. Psychotherapy and medications are the current treatment options for PTSD and could be refined and further developed with the aim of targeting the amygdala."</i></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" >Lead study author, Justin Feinstein, believes that safe and non-invasive ways of diminishing amygdala activity might prove effective in treating PTSD patients.Feinstein said:</span><ul style="padding-left: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 13px; "><i>"This past year, I've been treating veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from PTSD. Their lives are marred by fear, and they are oftentimes unable to even leave their home due to the ever-present feeling of danger. In striking contrast, the patient in this study is immune to these states of fear and shows no symptoms of post-traumatic stress. The horrors of life are unable to penetrate her emotional core. In essence, traumatic events leave no emotional imprint on her brain."</i></ul><ul style="padding-left: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 13px; "><i>"Taken together, these findings suggest that the human amygdala is a pivotal area of the brain for triggering a state of fear. While the patient is able to experience other emotions, such as happiness and sadness, she is unable to feel fear. This suggests that the brain is organized in such a way that a specific brain region - the amygdala - is specialized for processing a specific emotion - fear."</i></ul><ul style="padding-left: 15px; margin-left: 15px; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 13px; "><i>"Without our amygdala, the alarm in our brain that pushes us to avoid danger is missing. The patient approaches the very things she should be avoiding, yet, strikingly, appears to be totally aware of the fact that she should be avoiding these things. It is quite remarkable that she is still alive."</i></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822%2810%2901508-3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 204); "><i>"The Human Amygdala and the Induction and Experience of Fear"</i></a><br />Justin S. Feinsteinsend, Ralph Adolphs, Antonio Damasio, Daniel Tranel<br /><i>Current Biology</i>, 16 December 2010. 10.1016/j.cub.2010.11.042</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" ></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-45827307412156135442010-12-22T09:32:00.002+08:002010-12-22T09:37:37.516+08:00Pacemaker for the Brain<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I was surfing about health and mental illnesses when i found an interesting article from www.medgear.org. It is about a new method for treating depression. It is still in its experimental phase though.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TRFWNiHlSSI/AAAAAAAAAaA/bruTltpMLhI/s400/brain.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553314606021429538" /><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; ">Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) using implants is an emerging research frontier in psychiatry and neuromedicine. DBS technique blocks tremors using implants in brain has already been tried on Parkinson’s patients. More than 40,000 Parkinson’s patients worldwide have these implants and have shown positive results. Now scientists are exploring options to manipulate brain circuits with these implants for other illnesses such as chronic depression and obsessive compulsive disorder as well. The idea is to explore whether these implants can act as antidepressant by changing how the basic brain circuitry fires in patients with severe untreatable symptoms. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; ">The brain is a complex and exciting area of research. Mental illnesses such as severe depression and obsessive compulsion disorder have challenged psychiatrists for decades. Chances of cure by medicinal and surgical intervention are thin for many patients. So brain pace-makers, if they do give positive results, will give hope for many to return to normal life. Deep Brain Stimulation or DBS using implants for treating mental illnesses is still in an initial experimental state. Results are being monitored closely.</span> </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; ">Human Brain is a sensitive complex area for invasive research. In Parkinson’s affected brain areas have been mapped and wire implants are inserted in particular thalamus area. But such areas are yet to be identified and marked in other mental illnesses. Scientists do have a fair idea and are exploring focus areas for depression patients. But such research, which is largely funded by implant manufacturers and with little government intervention, is totally like blind men exploring an elephant. Manipulating nerve circuits in brain can have immense unimaginable behavourial side effects. Each brain is uniquely wired which makes all of distinct individuals. Scientists must tread carefully. DBS cannot be called successful and viable unless psychiatric patients show marked improvement. Experiments till now have shown patients do respond to the treatment but they are far from cured. These experimental studies are being carried out by teams at the Cleveland Clinic, Brown University, and Belgium’s University of Leuven.</span></div>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-64318768762309948142010-12-15T17:04:00.004+08:002010-12-15T17:36:34.629+08:00Gottman's Magic Relationship Ratio<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TQiLc43a-VI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/6l1nvJNyDdo/s1600/425.reynolds.johansson.050508.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TQiLc43a-VI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/6l1nvJNyDdo/s320/425.reynolds.johansson.050508.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550839869151574354" /></a><br />Today's Gossip Headline Reads: Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson Splits. <div><br /></div><div><div>Honestly, the news didn't come as a huge surprise. If you are quite familiar with the Hollywood marriage culture, you must have seen it coming. Hollywood, also called the splitsville, is known to be the Divorce Capital of the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>Reynolds and Johansson are the latest couple to enter the Hollywood's long list of "divorced" couple. It is really unfortunate for these two love birds because they look good together. I don't know what it is with Hollywood that makes most marriage crumble down so easily. Some say its the long working hours and distance, opportunities for temptation, over inflated ego and a lot more. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Headline made me wonder about a concept I've came across just recently: Gottman's Magic Relationship Ratio.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xw9SE315GtA?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xw9SE315GtA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><div> </div><div>According to Gottman, couple who maintain a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions usually succeed more in marriage than those couples who fall below the 1 to 1 ratio. He explained that positive interactions build up "the reservoir of positive feeling". The reservoir of positive feeling is like a filing cabinet into which couples draw "good memories" during rough days. </div><div><br /></div><div>Gottman did not advise against the idea of conflict because conflict helps couples clear the air and work out grievances. Conflict is actually crucial to success, it can be unhealthy for couples to hold in their negative opinions, according to Gottman.</div><div><br /></div><div>If this is true, I hope all couples will have a chance to learn about this at one point in their married life. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-65860042955461024892010-12-13T08:27:00.002+08:002010-12-13T08:36:21.187+08:0010 Things to Say (and 10 Not to Say) to Someone With Depression<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TQVqcZf299I/AAAAAAAAAZI/YEGPz7wEiQE/s1600/depressed_girl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/TQVqcZf299I/AAAAAAAAAZI/YEGPz7wEiQE/s320/depressed_girl.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549959151917397970" /></a><br />Do you know someone with depression? Health.com has release a list of things to say and not to say to someone with depression.<div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">I’m here for you</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', lucida, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />You’re not alone in this.<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />There’s always someone worse off than you are.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; line-height: normal; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">You matter</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />You are important to me.<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />No one ever said that life was fair.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; ">Let me help</h2><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />Do you want a hug?<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />Stop feeling sorry for yourself.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; ">Depression is real</h2><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />You are not going crazy.<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />So you’re depressed. Aren’t you always?</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; ">There is hope</h2><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />We are not on this earth to see through one another, but to see one another through.<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />Try not to be so depressed.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; ">You can survive this</h2><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />When all this is over, I’ll still be here and so will you.<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />It’s your own fault.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; line-height: normal; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">I’ll do my best to understand</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />I can’t really understand what you are feeling, but I can offer my compassion.<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />Believe me, I know how you feel. I was depressed once for several days.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; ">You won’t drive me away</h2><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />I’m not going to leave you or abandon you.<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />I think your depression is a way of punishing us.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; line-height: normal; font-size: 17px; font-weight: bold; ">I care about you</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />I love you. (Say this only if you mean it.)<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />Haven’t you grown tired of all this “me, me, me” stuff yet?</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "></span></p><h2 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 4px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; ">We’ll get through this together</h2><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.4em; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: auto; overflow-y: auto; word-wrap: break-word; "><i>What to say:</i><br />I’m sorry that you’re in so much pain. I am not going to leave you. I am going to take care of myself, so you don’t need to worry that your pain might hurt me.<br /><br /><i>What NOT to say:</i><br />Have you tried chamomile tea?</p></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div></div>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-77526749430350371012010-12-02T17:01:00.002+08:002010-12-02T17:04:45.134+08:00AUTISM RESEARCH<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(1, 1, 1); font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; "><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">CNN Reports today that:</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">Scientists are finding more pieces of the autism puzzle of with the help of MRI scans of brain circuitry, according to a study published Thursday online in the journal Autism Research.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; "><span id="more-14916" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "></span>By scanning the brain for 10 minutes using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers were able to measure six physical differences of microscopic fibers in the brains of 30 males with confirmed high-functioning autism and 30 males without autism.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">The images of the brains helped researchers correctly identify those with autism with 94 percent accuracy, says Nicholas Lange, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and one of the study authors.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">"No one has measured what we measured," says Lange of the MRI test he and Dr. Janet Lainhart from the University of Utah developed.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">While previous studies using different types of scans have been able to identify people with autism, Lange says, "no one has looked at it [the brain] the way we have and no one has gotten these type of results."</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(1, 1, 1); "></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">Lange is quick to caution that this type of test is not yet ready for prime time. "We do not want to give anyone false hopes that this is ready for the clinic yet. This method, this test, needs to be tried [and confirmed] with many more subjects outside our laboratory," he says. Plus, the research needs to be expanded to many more study participants and tried on younger people with autism and those who are not as high-functioning as the subjects in this first trial.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">Using the MRI, the study authors measured how the water in the brain flows along the axons or nerve fibers in the parts of the brain that control language, social and emotional functioning. The scans revealed that the wiring of the brains of those with autism was disorganized compared with the brains of a typical person without autism. This is how they could determine which brains scans belonged those study participants with autism.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">The study included only males between the ages of 7 and 28 because they were part of a bigger research project at the University of Utah, which is following males with autism for a longer period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates <strong style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/features/counting-autism.html" target="_blank" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 66, 118); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">1 in 110 children in the United States have an autism spectrum disorder </a></strong>and boys are far more likely to have this neurological disorder that affects language and social behavior – that number is about 1 in 70. However future studies will include girls too.</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">Currently there's no biologic test for autism, so pediatricians look to see if a child is meeting certain developmental milestones as well as <strong style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html" target="_blank" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 66, 118); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">signs and symptoms of autism</a></strong>. (The advocacy group Autism Speaks has posted <strong style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/video/glossary.php" target="_blank" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(0, 66, 118); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">videos to help parents see the signs of autism</a></strong>)</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "></span></p><div class="cnnBlogContentPost" style="padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: arial; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(1, 1, 1); "><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">The earlier a child has been identified as having autism, the earlier behavioral therapies can be applied to lessen the impact of the disorder later in life. Lange believes this brain scans can be done on younger children, as long as they can go to sleep in the scanner – on their own, without sedation (because you can't move during the test).</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">Carissa Cascio, an assistant professor of psychiatry from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, who specializes in autism and neuro-imaging, believes these study results are important. But she cautions that using this method as a true diagnostic tool to detect autism in a child is "a long way off." "What this paper seems to be doing is taking the first steps towards parlaying what we are able to glean from brain imaging into potential diagnostic tools."</p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 12px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 1.7em; ">Zachary Warren, who is the director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), says since there are many types of autism, "it becomes very challenging to capture all these differences with one test." Still he believes this is new study can help pinpoint the earliest markers of concern in developing brains.</p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></span><p></p><p></p>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-85350529541051370462009-01-30T13:41:00.001+08:002009-01-30T13:42:50.892+08:00Psychotherapy shows more promise<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><st1:state><st1:place>Washington</st1:place></st1:State>. Long term psychodynamic psychotherapy (LTPP), which stresses psychological support and intervention for patients based on their specific needs, seems more effective in treating complex psychiatric problems than short-term treatments that focus more on medications, a meta-analysis found. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>“In this meta-analysis, LTPP was significantly superior to shorter-term methods of psychotherapy with regard to overall outcome, target problems, and personality functioning,” said lead researcher Falk Leichsenring of the <st1:place><st1:placetype>University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:placename>Giessen</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, Geramany.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association included 11 randomized controlled trials and 12 observational studies, involving a total of 1053 patients receiving LTPP.<span style=""> </span>“(LTPP) yielded large and stable effect sizes in the treatment of patients with personality disorders, multiple mental disorders, and chronic mental disorders. The effect sizes for overall outcome increased significantly between end of therapy and follow-up,” Leichsenring stressed.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>Patients undergoing LTPP on average saw better results 96 percent of the time than patients who received short-term intensive medication therapies.<span style=""></span>“Evidence indicates that short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy is insufficient for a considerable proportion of patients with complex mental disorders, i.e., patients with multiple or chronic mental disorders or personality disorders,” the authors said. “Some studies suggest that (LTPP) may be helpful for these patients, according to background information in the article,” they added. <br /> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /> <!--[endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal">*Source : Medical Observer, year 17, issue 10, Nov-Dec. 2008</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-78071526100920125672009-01-22T21:24:00.001+08:002009-01-22T21:26:17.629+08:00Gulf War Syndrome alert!<o:p> </o:p>Nearly two decades after the Gulf War, US veterans felt vindicated as congress has finally conferred them the medical recognition of the Gulf War Syndrome.<br /> After coming home from the dusty battlefront terrains of the Middle East during 1991 conflict, more than a quarter of the 700,000 Gulf War troops reported persistent headaches, memory and concentration problems, unexplained fatigue and widespread pain. Some even included skin rashes, respiratory symptoms, and digestive problems. Turning their health concerns over to the medical community, Gulf War Veterans often find themselves in a position where their complaints are met with cynicism and suspicion.<br /> <span style=""></span> Because of the complaints that these soldiers were not receiving adequate health care from the state, <st1:state><st1:place>Washington</st1:place></st1:State>, then, chartered the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veteran’s illnesses to investigate on the nature of the said illness.<br /> Last November 2008, the panel has finally release its verdict. The committee confirmed the legitimacy of their claims. The 450 page-report concluded that Gulf War Syndrome is real and is caused by exposure to neurotoxic chemicals including pesticides and pyridostigmine bromide. The committee’s director, Roberta white of Boston University School of Public Health said that there is compelling evidences that substantiate veteran’s complains and their findings also support<span style=""> </span>veteran’s belief that exposures to the toxic chemical during the Gulf War is related to their health problems.ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-29356681301783964062009-01-17T17:51:00.001+08:002009-01-17T17:54:05.826+08:00Good Autism Practice Developing a Curriculum for Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/SXGqoTt-4JI/AAAAAAAAAVE/xaFDErSmRBE/s1600-h/image020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/SXGqoTt-4JI/AAAAAAAAAVE/xaFDErSmRBE/s200/image020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292198646601670802" border="0" /></a><br /> <p class="MsoNormal">The Center for Autism and Related Disorder, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> (CARD,Phils) and Professionals for Autism Foundation Inc. (PAF) is holding a seminar on the 29-31 January 2009. World Expert on Autism, Ms. Rita R. Jordan shares her knowledge and insight on Autism. The seminar Good Autism Practice Developing a Curriculum for Life will be held on Every Nation – Leadership Institute, <st1:street><st1:address>32<sup>nd</sup> street</st1:address></st1:street> corner, <st1:street><st1:address>University Parkway</st1:address></st1:street>, <st1:place><st1:placename>Bonifacio</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Global</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>City</st1:placetype></st1:place>, <st1:place><st1:placename>Makati</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>City</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For more information, check out their website <a href="http://www.cardphils.org/">www.cardphils.org</a> or call (632) 820-8719</p>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-193978187174849312008-02-07T12:22:00.001+08:002008-03-18T16:51:10.721+08:00Lilly schizophrenia drug has risk of deep sedationUpdate to those who are psycho serious about psychopharmacology.<br /><br /><br />Lilly schizophrenia drug has risk of deep sedation<br />by Jennifer Corbett Dooren<br /><br />Washington- the U.S. Food and Drug administration said yesterday that a long-acting, injectable form of Eli Lilly & Co.'s top-selling drug Zypreexa was effective at treating schizophrenia, but caused "profound sedation" in certain patients.<br /><br />A memo written by Thomas Laughren, the FDA's psychiatry products division director, and posted on the agency's Web site yesterday, said clinical studies of the drug showed 24 out of 1915 patients exposed to the long-acting form of Zyprexa suffered from profound sedation after receiving the injection. The FDA said the sedation typically lasted about one to three hours.<br /><br />The long-acting form of Zyprexa faces a review by an FDA panel of outside medical experts tomorrow. The panel will be asked if that form of Zyprexa has been shown to be "acceptably safe" and effective for the treatment of schizophrenia. The panel's decision will amount to a recommendation about whether the FDA should approve the product. The FDA usually follows its panel's advice but isn't required to.<br /><br />Zyprexia is currently approved as an oral, once-daily medication to ttreat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The drug had $4.8 billion in sales last year. There is also a short-acting injectable form of Zyprexa that is used to treat agitated, noncooperative patients with schizophrenia or bipolar mania, usually in an emergency setting.<br /><br />Lilly is seeking FDA approval of the long-acting form of Zyprexa for the treatment of schizophrenia, which could be injected every two or four weeks. The product would be administered in a doctor's office.<br /><br />Schizophrenia is a severe, disabling brain disorder that affects the way people think and afflicts about 1% of Americans. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with schizophrenia may hear voices other people don't hear of they may believe that others are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts or plotting to harm them. The disorder is typically diagnosed in a person's latge teens or 20s.<br /><br />The FDA said the panel also will be asked to make recommendations about whether long-acting Zyprexa should carry a "blackbox" warning- the FDA's toughest drug precaution, which appears at the top of a product's label- or if the agency should consider approving the product for so called second line use after other drugs fail.<br /><br />In documents also posted on the FDA's web site, Lilly said schizophrenia is a "chronic and devastating mental illness" and noted that "nonadherence with medication is common." The company said the injectable form of Zyprexa gives patients another treatment option.<br /><br />Lilly said it believes the profound sedation associated with the long acting, injectable form of Zyprexa can be safely managed and said patients and health-care providers can be adequately warned of the risk.<br /><br />The FDA said the sedation seen witht he long-acting form of Zyprexa appears unique to the injectable form of the drug and likely results from the rapid release of the drug into a patient's body after being injected.<br /><br /><br />source: The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 5, 2008 p. 6ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-18087227598499160192008-02-05T14:53:00.001+08:002008-03-18T16:52:06.899+08:00NorepinephrineThere is this interesting article i read. It is about the brain chemical that makes bad memories stay. Here is the copy of the article.<br /><br />We bank on our memory to help us recall things in our daily lives. We welcome good memories, but bad memories are just sometimes here to stay no matter how much we want to forget them. A group of scientists may hold the answer to this mystery.<br /><br />Researchers theorized that stress hormone called Norepinephrine aids in the release of a chemical receptor in the brain called GluR1. This helps the brain to make memories easier, allowing the brain to remember what happened to avoid a certain stressful event from recurring.<br /><br />Hailan Hu, PhD and Roberto Manilow, MD,PhD, from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, tested this theory in mice. They injected a group of mice with epinephrine (which boosts norephinephrine), and another group with salt water (which does not affect norepinephrine).<br /><br />On the first day of the test, the mice were put in a cafe and were allowed to explore for awhile. The next day, the mice got a mild electrical shock as soon as they were placed in the same cage. Scientists then videotaped the mice on the last day of the experiment to see which group of mice stood still longer after being put back in the cage. The epinephrine group was shown to have stood still longer compared to the salt water group. The scientists took that as a sign of "fear-based learning".<br /><br />Additional tests found that GluR1 played a crucial role in that experiment. Although scientists believe that other chemical chain reactions in the brain may have also been involved. STudy results were purblished in the journal <em>Cell.</em><br /><br /><br />Source: Health & Lifestyle, adding life to living. (nov-dec. 2007, p8)ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-70433446923471576842008-01-29T08:32:00.001+08:002008-03-18T16:52:56.210+08:00painful+memories=forgetLearn to Forget:<br />How the mind blocks painful memories<br /><span style="font-size:78%;">by IAN SAMPLE<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Brain scans showing how the mind buries painful memories could lead to revolutionary therapies for emotional problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, psychologists said.<br /><br />The ability to suppress memories has long been a controversial issue in psychology, but researchers at the University of Colorado found that with practice, volunteers could learn to forget, a skill they used to block out images that were chosen to cause them distress.<br /><br />Scans of the volunteers' brains revealed that key neural circuits switched on when their minds were trying to banish painful memories, giving scientists a new level of understanding into how the brain works, and raising hopes that it may be possible to design drugs to help troublesome memories fade away.<br /><br />"We think we now have a grasp of the neural mechanisms at work, and hope the new findings and future research will lead to new therapeutic and pharmacological approaches to treating a variety of emotional disorders." said Brendan Depue, lead schientist on the study at he University of Colorado at Boulder.<br /><br />Volunteers were asked to memorise 40 different pairs of pictures.<br /><br />Each pair consisted of an emotionally neutral human face linked to a disturbing image, such as a car crash, an injured person or an electric chair.<br /><br />The participants were then placed in a magnetic resonance imaging brain scanner and shown only the facial images.<br /></span></span>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-86493354020588994682008-01-27T19:14:00.001+08:002008-03-18T16:53:31.790+08:00THE COST OF PERFECTIONI've read this interesting article. Hope to share it with you.....<br /><br /><br />Do you see issues in black and white or shades of gray? The way you handle conflict at work colors not only your feelings about your job, but also your health.<br /><br />People who think in rigid, evaluative "absolutist" (AB) terms--like perfectionists and control freaks--are more susceptible to emotional and physical problems than those who are open-minded and flexible, or "non-absolutist", says Alistair Ostell, lecturer in psychology at the University of Bradford ManagementCenter in England.<br /><br />AB thinkers get upset if things don't go their way, which impedes their problem-solving and coping skilss, he explains. This may translate into health complications such as insomnia, heart palpitations, chronic fatigue and high blood pressure. Also, says Ostell, "when people are angry, they increase secretion of the (stress) hormone cortisol, which tends to suppress the immune system, making them vulnerable to infection."<br /><br />In Ostell's study, published in the British Journal of Medical Psychology,British "headteachers", or school principals, deemed non-absolutist were in better health, were less stressed and enjoyed their jobs more than absolutist principals. Though the study took place in the classroom, Ostell warns that AB thinking occurs across jobs and personality types.<br /><br />People with AB attitude may find it hard to change their mind-set, says Ostell. But he suggests they consider the link between their attitude and its ill effects--and then try to go with the flow whenever possible.<br /><br /><br />Source: Psychology Today, Feb. 2000 (p.16)ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-55834988772149834512008-01-23T23:54:00.000+08:002008-12-13T15:54:07.548+08:00Just a dream...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/R5djw3moCkI/AAAAAAAAALc/OR6hXO_NaOU/s1600-h/dreaming.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158701589387020866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QMEMSYxmlHs/R5djw3moCkI/AAAAAAAAALc/OR6hXO_NaOU/s200/dreaming.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>This Psycho is no expert in dream analysis but somehow was able to make a sense out of an interesting dream last night.<br /> </p><p><br />…A wild beast stood firm and solid in front of our house. He has the body of a robust bear while carrying the angular head of a wolf. His eyes were sharp and dark, enough to pierce through the wall that separates me from him. His jaw was wide with pointed fangs hanged at each side with saliva trickling down. As I watched him across the window I see his eyes fixed at mine, he was staring at me. My brothers finally said “we can’t stay here forever, we got to do something”. They started culling up household items which will serve as their makeshift weapons. Brooms became spears and the wok became a shield. Somehow, I felt that he knew what was going on inside yet he did not flinch and not once did his eyes move. The boys of the house, fortified with shabby armature, marched forward to meet him. The gates flung open and so they went.</p><p> The beast waited… still not moving. My brothers and my father encircled him and tried to provoke him. They threw their spears in the air, making poking gestures. The beast, for the first time, moved. He snarled with clenched teeth. He was in an attack position this time and all his claws were visible. He jumped to hit my brother but fortunately my brother was able to dodge it. This continued on for a while, neither party was making a major move. Then the beast decided to run away. Aahhhh…. I was able to sigh in relief. My mother told me she is going out to check on the others and told me to lock all the doors and windows. I did what she told me. I went to the front lawn and closed the main gate. I went inside the house and left the door ajar and as I turned around the beast was there waiting for me. He was panting but his eyes were glaring ready to devour……………………………………………………………………. That was the last image of my dream. I woke up. My heart was beating fast but a smile was registered in my face.<br /><br /> This dream seems like the one you see on movies. I am not entirely sure if it is a reconstructed scene of a past encounter but something tells me it is my unconscious speaking. My unconscious is telling me something through my dreams. Yes, do you know that our dreams say a lot about what is inside our minds??? This belief has been espoused by numerous luminaries –psychologist and scientists alike—. Freud himself was one. In fact he said “the royal road to unconscious is through dreams”. So, really, next time you dream, try to uncover the message. Oh… about my dream?? Before I tell you my interpretation, why don’t you try to analyze it and let’s see if you can indeed interpret dreams. </p><p> </p>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-86100426771120683382008-01-19T14:04:00.000+08:002008-01-19T14:14:39.630+08:00TEASE YOUR MIND!!!This one is a classic, people, check it out.<br /><br />Look at the words below and say the COLOR of the word, not the word itself.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#009900;">yellow <span style="color:#cc0000;">blue </span><span style="color:#3333ff;">orange </span><span style="color:#ffcc00;">black </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#009900;">red <span style="color:#000000;">green </span><span style="color:#ffcc00;">purple</span> blue</span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000000;">orange <span style="color:#3333ff;">yellow </span><span style="color:#ffcc00;">green</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#33cc00;">blue <span style="color:#000000;">red </span><span style="color:#cc0000;">purple </span><span style="color:#009900;">black</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#009900;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">did you blow your mind?? so what is the deal? Scientists claim that the right half of your brain is trying to say the color, while the left side of your brain is trying to say the word. </span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">What is the real deal between the bipolar functioning?? what do you think? why is that so?? lets study it in the future. :) in the meantime, try doing it again. </span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#009900;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#009900;"></span>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-3108919513184007532008-01-10T10:41:00.000+08:002008-01-10T10:48:01.369+08:00MUST READ!HEY! someone send this to my email. i found it interesting and compelling.... just wanna share it to ya guys!<br /><br /><span style="color:#9999ff;">I cdnulolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was radgnieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rseearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and i awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorant!</span><br /><span style="color:#9999ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">yes! the power of the human mind.</span>ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-49416267238447091512008-01-02T13:42:00.000+08:002008-01-02T13:44:51.243+08:00YES! i'm a psycho but i can't read minds.Not long ago, when I half-heartedly decided I want to study the human mind, people close to me thought I was a complete nutcase. “Just what would you do after you master the discipline?” was the common question. “Uhm….. I dunno!” was all I can offer. It just seemed like in today’s technology driven world, studying the human mind is as obsolete as the cellphone prototype a.k.a 5110. Another common concern was that people who study the minds ended up losing their own mind (which is slowly becoming a reality to me). But despite their admonitions, my heart or shall I say my stubbornness prevailed. I signed up for the course anyway. <br /><br /> The journey studying the lessons on the human mind was a struggle –sleepless nights and lightless days contemplating matters of the mind—but there were joys as well. The biggest struggle, however, in my case, was getting introduced to people. You see, introduction does not just end with names. People usually expect a brief explanation or description of what you do in life and there lies my dilemma. To better illustrate I cut a snippet of how a usual conversation is for me:<br /><br /> A: Hello! I’m A. How are you?<br /> ME: Hi. I’m good, thank you. How are you?<br /> A: Great! What’s your name?<br /> ME: Phaelun…..<br /> A: So what do you do? I’m an Entrepreneur, it has been my passion ever since. So<br /> what do you do?<br /> ME: uh… I’m a psycho(A cuts in)…. <br /> A: (cuts in) oh wow! You’re a psycho, you read minds!<br /> ME: yeah… but I don’t read minds.<br /> B: hello.<br /> A: B! This is phaelun. Phaelun’s a psycho.<br /> ME: Hi. I’m a psycho(B cuts in)….<br /> B: Psycho. Cool, can you read minds? I’m B. read mine.<br /> A: yeah read B’s mind!<br /> ME: uh…. Actually, I don’t read minds…. I can’t just read minds.<br /> B: Just try!<br /> A: Try!<br /> ME: uh…I can form impressions from observation or interviews so I need more<br /> information and time to get to know you.<br /> B: Just try!<br /> A: Just try!<br /> ME: okay. I think A you are a business savvy person.<br /> A: Duh! I already told you I’m an entrepreneur. Try other. Try B. Read B’s mind!<br /> B: Quick. Read my mind. What am I thinking right now? <br /> ME: (kind of pissed) okay. I trying to read your mind but I’m afraid you don’t<br /> have a mind for me to read….<br /> B:……….<br /> A:………<br /> B: let’s get out of here. I knew it, Psychos cannot read minds!<br /><br /> Yes! Psychos cannot read minds! Mind reading is the kind of work a Psychic does… not Psychos. Since I have already been reduced to a “psycho” might as well introduce me the right way. Okay! I’m a psycho but I can’t read minds. Psychic read minds. Psychologist analyzes human behavior. Psycho… well a psycho ….writes a blog about being a psycho!ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6249387220270862712.post-67659919967423275702007-12-31T12:48:00.000+08:002007-12-31T12:52:53.413+08:00GREETINGS!Farewell to old times and greetings to a new year! They say a new year marks a new beginning…well, I suppose that’s true. But see… I’m writing my first entry on the last day of the year. Does it bear some sort of mystical significance or just a sheer coincidence? You ask me? I don’t know. :) I don’t have the answers to everything. I only have the curiosity for things. Like most of you, I am but a wanderer in search for truth and meaning. So, I make this blog in hope that it will be a portal to discoveries and learning. And I’d like to invite you to join me and together we unlock some riddles in life.<br /><br />While everything around us is a promise for new discovery, those that are within us are also a potential. We have traveled the ocean, the sky, and even the space just to bring home a piece of knowledge that will benefit us. Let us, then, also travel into ourselves and take possession of the truth that has long faded into obscurity. Let us go back inside us, inside the human mind because there resides the most valuable discoveries on earth— treasures worth more than what we can imagine.ms. choyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00312827806396163493noreply@blogger.com1