Pain Therapy - New Pain Therapies - Laser Therapy Treatments

New Treatments for Chronic Treatments - Laser Pain Therapeutic Techniques

For some the agony of daily pain ruins the quality of their lives leading to reduced productivity at work, unemployment, immobility, and depression. The pain itself can actually lead to further health related problems since pain sufferers can't get the exercise they need or participate in social activities. Kids and grandkids, and even friends rarely are able to understand what chronic pain does to their parents, grandparents, or friends lives and disposition. The daily anguish creates an insidious process where they spiral downward emotionally and physically.

Pain sufferers often lose their ability to deal with the pain because it clouds the mind. They naturally become more obsessed with their pain perhaps thinking they can do something about it. All too often, there is little they can do about it on their own. Even by keeping still and not using the joint, inflammation can go on for days or weeks without abatement. Turning to pain killers is the first response to pain, but for chronic sufferers the pain killers can cause kidney, liver and other bodily organs to suffer.

One noted pain doctor in Canada is quoted, "Most people suffering from muscle pain have been living with the pain for a long time, but they may be unaware of their options to accelerate healing. Many take drugs daily to manage the pain and inflammation, but their problem may continue to get worse. They may have poor health habits and their body structures may be declining. They may avoid activities for both work and fun, and have a poor quality of life. It may be difficult for them to get a good night's sleep. As a result, they may feel discouraged and frustrated."

Ending Pain Suffering - Acupuncture

Depending on the affliction, there are a variety of therapeutic treatments from physiotherapy to chiropractics to acupuncture to ease pain suffering. A combination of these treatment modalities can deliver relief for pain sufferers. A new form of treatment is actually an improvement in acupuncture. Acupuncture is an old therapy extending back thousands of years when acupuncturists would insert sharp bamboo shoots in a pain sufferer's skin. The needle would be inserted into specific locations on the body. Through centuries of empirical research and observation, the Chinese discovered that certain parts of the skin were connected with other parts of the body. They theorized the existence of a bodily energy network extending throughout the body just below the surface of the skin. This network includes all the interior organs. This energy works in harmony with the body's circulatory, nervous, muscular, and digestive systems.

When the needles are applied to the ear, knee, back and hands, the human body's response is to release endorphins, natural chemicals which served to make the person feel better and experience less pain. Some people decline the use of acupuncture because they heard it may not work, but laser therapy brings it to a new level.

Laser Pain Therapy

Low Level or Cold Laser Therapy has been used for about 30 years in Europe and Asia. The treatment is relatively safe and uses low output levels, short treatment times, and low energy levels. Treatment success rates have been as good or better than other pain therapies.

Using a low level verilase laser, a qualified therapist can apply an even more precise and improved stimulation of endorphins. Low level lasers send cold light through skin layers to soft tissue cells and result in enhanced blood flow and cell metabolism. The laser light generates the bioenergy in the body's cells at a specific location. The cells transform the energy into endorphins which promotes natural healing of tissues and of course, pain relief. Laser therapy can work well on its own, but it may be best to use it in combination with other pain treatments including physiotherapy regimens, ice, massage, ultrasound, and stretching.

Although muscles and joints are separate matters, they actually conspire together to create a chronic affliction. It is not enough to mask the pain with medications. Your pain condition needs to be assessed by a qualified pain doctor.

It doesn't take much time to make an appointment at a laser therapy pain clinic but it could be one of the smartest things you can do. Why not get some expert examination of your pain issue so you can isolate exactly what's wrong? Don't continue on with your chronic back pain, foot pain, knee pain or hand pain.

Read More

Natutral Treatment For Rheumatoid Arthritis: Options For You To Consider

Turning to a natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is an option you can consider. Such a treatment does not usually involve the use of prescription medications and would have virtually little or no side effects.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that refers to the inflammation of your joints. When your joints are inflamed, you experience pain, swelling, stiffness and general discomfort. It results from infection, trauma, degenerative changes, metabolic disturbances, or other causes.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease whereby your immune system starts to attack its own body tissues. It is also considered a progressive disease. This means that over time, your arthritis symptoms can worsen.

There are over 100 different classifications and types of arthritis. It is likely that if you have been diagnosed with one of these, your doctor would have prescribed you the appropriate drugs for it. Although drug medication can be used effectively to treat many kinds of arthritis, there are potential side effects when you become over dependent on them for arthritis pain relief.

Here is a quick run-down on some of the newest and most popular natural rheumatoid arthritis treatments. They may be used alone, or in conjunction with each other.

Physical therapy. This is a very popular natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis as it is highly effective. In many cases, regular prescribed exercises can even improve the range of physical motion substantially. Physical therapy can also help you deal with muscle and joint stiffness, increase muscle strength, and reduce allover pain.

Acupuncture. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese healing method that dates back more than 3,000 years ago. It is used to effectively treat the symptoms of arthritis, in addition to other health ailments. Acupuncture is a procedure used in which specific body areas (or meridian points) are pierced with fine needles for therapeutic purposes or to relieve pain or produce regional anesthesia.

As a natural treatment method, acupuncture is fast gaining popularity in America and other western countries. By 1993, Americans were making 12 million visits per year to acupuncturists, and spending $500 million annually on acupuncture treatments. By 1995, there were an estimated 10,000 certified acupuncturists practicing in the United States; as of 2000, there were 20,000.

Acupresure. Acupressure is another ancient Chinese form of therapy that has been used for thousands of years. It is also used to as a natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. In contrast to acupuncture, here, the acupressure practitioner uses his or her fingers instead of needles. Studies have shown that acupressure seem to release endorphins in patients, causing feeling of pleasantness and comfort. It appears that acupressure has strong anti-inflammatory healing abilities for rheumatoid arthritis.

Relaxation therapy: Relaxation therapy is a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates several different therapies working toward a common goal. The goal of relaxation therapy as a natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is to release muscle tension and joint rigidity to reduce your overall pain and discomfort. The different relaxation therapies include meditation, yoga, stretching exercises and Pilates.

Hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy is fast becoming a popular therapy for rheumatoid arthritis patients as it is fun and can be very effective. It involves a series of water exercises, usually done in lukewarm water. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis report that the feeling of warm water helps to relax them and provide much relief from their pain.

In addition, several studies have shown that hydrotherapy is an effective therapy that helps reduce the weight and pressure on the joints. The warm water relaxes the muscles and helps reduce the feeling of stiffness. Hydrotherapy is also effective in weight management, which is particularly important if you have rheumatoid arthritis.

Occupational therapy. Occupational therapy is often used as a complementary and natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. In occupational therapy, you learn how to use their body parts more efficiently. Occupational therapy helps in ensuring that you can go about your everyday chores and tasks so that less tension is placed on the joints. Specially made splints are often used to help patients accomplish certain tasks without placing excess pressure on their joints. You and your occupational therapist can work together to tackle any specific challenges that you face. Your occupational therapist can design specific exercises for this purpose and train you in the use of special assistive devices.

Hot and cold therapies. These therapies take advantage of the effects of certain temperatures on the joints. Compresses, ultrasound devices, and warm wax may be used to apply heat to the joints. Ice packs may be used to apply cold temperatures to the affected areas. The efficacy of heat and cold therapies varies according to the patient.

In most instances, the benefits of using the above mentioned natural treatment for rheumatoid arthritis outweigh any instant results, but far more damaging, derived from consuming drugs and medication. The only drawback is that usually a natural treatment does not produce instant reliefs. You may need to use it over a period to know if it works for you. It will also be a good idea to maintain a journal to keep track.

Read More

The 411 On Treatment For Fibroids Options Available To You

Fibroids are the most common tumor that affect women and about 99 percent of them are benign (non cancerous). Although uterine fibroids are so common, the good thing is that most of them usually pose no problems for the women that have them. For other women, dealing with the various symptoms of uterine fibroids can be a challenge. They may suffer from pain, pelvic pressure, heavy bleeding, infertility, pregnancy complications, constipation, etc. For women with these tumors, here are the different options available to you when considering treatment for fibroids.

Treatment for Fibroids

1. Ignore the fibroid tumors

Many women choose this option with varying degrees of success. Choosing this option to ignore fibroids and any symptoms is a fearful approach which is not the healthiest approach to have. Hoping that they go away is not the best way to go. They may go away but they may also become much worse.

2. Watch and wait

Although you are not treating the fibroid tumors, you are also not ignoring them either with this approach. As most uterine fibroids do not cause any problems, this may be the approach that your gynecologist recommends which is fine.

With this approach, your gynecologist will monitor the tumors up to four times annually. This option also requires that you do your own monitoring by keeping good records of your symptoms (if any) and noting any changes you notice. You also need to monitor your menstrual cycles and record any changes you notice as well as any lifestyle changes that may impact your symptoms (if any). Keeping a diary or journal can actually be beneficial and eye opening for you.

3. Drug therapy

Conventional treatment for fibroids can start with drug therapy. This can either be done alone or with surgery.

This can start as simply as using pain medication available over the counter to relieve some of the pain from fibroid tumors.

Drug therapy also commonly involves the use of birth control pills in order to control hormones and prevent fibroids from increasing in size as well as to help with other symptoms of fibroids such as heavy bleeding, cramps, etc.

Using birth control pills (low estrogen pills) may work but there is also the chance that the pills may cause the tumors to grow larger.

The other aspect of drug therapy is the use of hormone therapy to treat uterine fibroids. These are drugs that are used to prevent an estrogen dominant state from existing in your body. While the causes of fibroid tumors remain unknown, it is thought that estrogen as well as the activity of other hormones such as progesterone may play an important role in fibroid growth.

Hormone therapy using drugs that suppress estrogen or progesterone growth try to create an environment that mimics menopause which is characterized by low levels of hormones especially estrogen and progesterone. Fibroids are believed to shrink or die during menopause so this is what hormone therapy seeks to do.

Hormone therapy is usually administered through an injection over a period of 1 to 3 months. While the fibroids may shrink during the treatment period and other fibroids related symptoms may lessen such as heavy bleeding, once the treatment stops, estrogen and progesterone will return to normal levels and with that so will the fibroid tumors as well as the various symptoms of uterine fibroids you had been dealing with prior to the treatment.

This therapy is usually recommended if fibroids are affecting fertility and the small window of opportunity provided by hormone therapy may increase chances of conception.

However, since fibroids and symptoms tend to be worsened by the increased hormone activity during pregnancy, choosing hormone therapy in order to increase fertility many not be wise. This is due to some fibroids having the ability to increase greatly in size during pregnancy and causing pregnancy complications as well as increasing the risk of miscarriage.

4. Surgical treatment

There are various types of surgical procedures available as a treatment for fibroids and many more are being researched and developed every day.

The most common surgical procedures for fibroids include;

a. Myomectomy which seeks to remove fibroid tumors while leaving the uterus intact. If you wish to conceive and fibroids are interfering, an abdominal myomectomy may be the answer for you as the fibroids are removed including those impacting fertility while leaving the uterus intact to allow you to get pregnant.

There are other types of myomectomies that can be performed besides the abdominal myomectomy such as the hysteroscopic resection (vaginal) or the laparoscopic myomectomy. Since these do not restore the uterus as close as possible to the original as the abdominal myomectomy does, they are usually not recommended for those who wish to get pregnant after the surgery.

Since the uterus remains intact after a myomectomy, there is always a chance that the fibroids will return in the future.

b. Hysterectomy which is the most common surgical procedure performed in women with fibroids being the most common reason for a hysterectomy each year.

The total hysterectomy removes the uterus along with the cervix while leaving your ovaries and fallopian tubes intact. Without a uterus, fibroids cannot grow so this is a more permanent solution for fibroids than a myomectomy.

On the other hand, without a uterus, there will be no chance of pregnancy after the surgery and in some cases, a hysterectomy may trigger early menopause in addition to many other side effects.

The other types of hysterectomy include the total abdominal hysterectomy (uterus, cervix, ovaries and fallopian tubes are all removed) and well as the supracervical hysterectomy which removes only the top part of the uterus while the cervix, ovaries and fallopian tubes remain intact.

5. Image guided therapy

With this treatment for fibroids option, probes and pictures are used to help shrink fibroids or cause them to disintegrate without actually removing them. The most common type of image guided therapy is the uterine artery embolization (UAE) which is also known as uterine fibroid embolization (UFE).

With the UAE, x-rays are used to get the image of the fibroids and then a probe is inserted into the thigh to get at the main blood supply of the fibroids to cut off or reduce this blood supply to the tumors by depositing small round particles (microspheres) into the uterine artery.

Fibroids are believed to thrive when there is a robust blood supply so by cutting off or reducing this blood supply, the tumors will usually shrink or die.

This is an outpatient procedure and is not performed by a gynecologist. Therefore, when talking about treatment options with your gynecologist, he or she may not mention this treatment option. If so, you need to bring it up.

Other image guided therapies include the myolysis (uses heat to kill the fibroid tumors as well as blood supply using probes inserted into the abdomen) and the cryomyolysis which uses extreme cold to do the same.

Since these various therapies keep the uterus intact, there is always a chance of the future return of fibroid tumors.

6. Alternative therapies

More and more women with fibroids are turning to alternative treatment for fibroids methods as many of them not only treat the symptoms but may also provide a more permanent solution for the problem of fibroids.

In fact, before considering surgery, it is important to try other treatment methods first including alternative therapy as you may find that these work better without the potential risks and side effects of surgery. Many of them are even able to cure fibroids permanently unlike most conventional treatment methods.

The various alternative treatment methods include;

• Making important diet and lifestyle changes
• Acupuncture
• Herbalism (Chinese or Western)
• Ayurveda
• Homeopathy, etc

Read More

A Teenager Needs Help For Drug And Alcohol Problems

There are times when the curve balls of life are a little more than we can handle on our own. The good news is, you are not alone and healing and treatment opportunities are readily at your disposal. Drug and alcohol addiction can creep up on the best of us, and the slavery that follows can be a period of time where darkness just seems to envelope everything around us. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Addiction treatment can be successful when paired with love, education, diligence, community, motivation and recovery. There are a plethora of counseling agencies, therapeutic communities, specialized drug treatment programs and drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers available that offer hope, freedom and resurgence. Determination and support amongst family members is a vital component of helping addicted youths overcome dependence.

Seeking out educational, reliable information is a good first step. Gaining a better understanding of addiction and the symptoms it brings can help parents and other family members communicate more effectively and convey their love, concern and support. The first step is to get professional help; help that can offer trustworthy, unswerving guidance and therapy, both to teens and their families.

There are many options available for families who have a teen that is involved with substance and or alcohol abuse. Residential facility care is one such option which involves edification, medical care and localized treatment methods. Most programs are founded on the twelve step model, and group meetings are a central component of treatment. Many residential programs are substantially controlled in order to give residents the best possible opportunity for success and triumph over their specific addiction.

Infiltrating free time with structured events, activities, therapy sessions and group meetings allows little opportunity for addictive stumbling blocks. Teens can receive encouraging support and will have time to express themselves freely to trained, licensed professionals. In many cases, these sessions open doors of communication between youths and their family members bridging the painful gap that addiction can cause in meaningful, loving relationships.

Outpatient programs can offer success to those whose schedules and addiction may not require in-house rehabilitation, or who have already completed a more stringent residential program. Outpatient treatment offers a variety of key tools that can help families and those suffering from addiction find confidence, hope and autonomy through sober living. Outpatient services can include drug and alcohol assessments, both group and individual therapy sessions, and specialized counseling for family members. Enlightening and instructive courses on drug and alcohol addiction and methods are used to combat and treat addictions, including drug screening, and medical treatments, if necessary.

The ability to combat and find freedom against addiction and enjoy the wonder and beauty of a sober life is within reach for anyone who desires to make a change. Family members and their teens are not alone and there are facilities, professionals and treatment options that can and will bring additional support and encouragement and create a foundation of healing, not only for the addict, but to the relationships that have been damaged by the dependence. Liberty from addiction is one phone call away and the choice to restore sobriety and renew life is available to everyone. The choice and the opportunity are yours! Success awaits you!

Read More

Non-Surgical Knee Pain Relief With Cold Laser Therapy

Cold laser therapy, also known as low level laser therapy or LLLT, is an alternative, non-surgical method of treatment that has existed since the late 1960s. Cold laser therapy was being utilized in Europe and Asia for decades before the FDA finally cleared the first cold laser in the United States in 2001. Since that time there have been hundreds of clinical studies that support the efficacy of cold laser therapy for knee pain relief. It is a great option for those searching for alternatives to conventional methods that might have failed them in the past.

Which Types of Knee Conditions Does Cold Laser Therapy Help Relieve?

A cold laser is a non-surgical treatment tool used by a licensed physician to help relieve knee pain caused from a knee injury, degeneration, arthritis knee pain, baker's cysts, meniscus tears, bursitis of the knee, tendonitis of the knee, chondromalacia patella, and failed knee surgery. Individuals who suffer from chronic knee pain can benefit tremendously from treatments. The therapy is unique in that it enables patients to experience knee pain relief without knee surgery, medications or knee injections. Unlike pain medications and knee injections cold laser therapy treatments are considered non-invasive,do not cause any harmful side effects, and are completely painless.

What Other Conditions Are Treated With Laser Therapy?

In addition to relieving knee pain and inflammation the treatment can be used by physicians for treating a myriad of other musculoskeletal conditions. The treatments have also proven to be effective for neck pain, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain and arthritis pain. Researchers are also investigating the possibilities of cold lasers being used to heal broken bones more quickly, to help regenerate the nerves in injured spinal cords and to help regenerate new skin in burn victims.

How Does The Treatment Work?

Cold laser therapy treatments work by using highly focused, specific wavelengths of light to target the area of injury. The light penetrates deeply into the tissue in the form of non-thermal light photons. This light helps stimulate and excite damaged and injured cells' mitochondria. The mitochondria is considered the 'powerhouse' of the cell. By exciting the mitochondria the metabolic rate of the cell improves thereby healing and repairing the tissue at a faster rate. In addition, to relieving knee pain, treatments have also been shown to improve tissue growth, cell communication, and cell nutrition. As a result of cellular excitation, lasers also accelerate lymphatic activity which ultimately helps reduce edema or swelling in and around the knee joint. Additionally, the therapy aids in achieving an increase in blood flow and in the formation of new capillaries in and around the knee joint.

How Many Knee Treatments Does it Take to Experience Relief?

The exact number of treatments depends on the duration and severity of the pain. In addition, an examination, an x-ray or MRI evaluation of the knee joint must be performed and taken into account in order to help determine an accurate treatment plan. The good news is that the effects are cumulative and improve with each treatment. It usually takes a series of 10 to 30 treatments for knee pain sufferers to get the most beneficial results; however, in many acute cases the relief can be immediate. Moreover, it is important to continue the treatments until the doctor has indicated that the therapy is complete.

Contraindications to Therapy...

While the FDA has classified cold lasers as "non-significant risk" devices, the treatments are not appropriate for individuals who are pregnant, or who observe the presence of potentially cancerous skin lesions near the site of the knee injury. This knee treatment is also contraindicated for individuals who take medications that result in photosensitivity.

The Most Important Step...Choosing The Right Knee Pain Relief Doctor...

Finally, choosing the right doctor that specializes in cold laser therapy for knee pain is as important as the treatment itself. Any health care professional with a license can own a cold laser, but in order to get the best results find a doctor who only treats the knee joint and who has devoted their practice to using this type of therapy. If you choose wisely, you will have a greater chance of achieving knee pain relief and ultimately avoiding knee surgery.

Read More

7 Warning Signs Someone is Heading For an Addiction Relapse

The sad truth is that most people who try to recover from addiction to alcohol or drugs do not stay in recovery. Relapse is commonplace. Rarely does a relapse occur without warning; there are usually significant warning signs that can signal that the recovering person is at high risk for relapse. It is critical for anyone in recovery to understand these warning signs.

First it is important to understand triggers. Triggers are things that tend to lead addicts back to their drug of choice. A trigger can be a person, a place, certain types of events, or strong feelings such as depression or anxiety. When a person undergoes addiction treatment, their therapist will help them understand those things that could trigger them to relapse. The most common triggers are old friends who still abuse substances and significant stress, such as job or relationship problems. For alcoholics, a trigger might be a bar they used to drink at. Some people in recovery will try to revisit their old haunts without the conscious intention of drinking or using drugs; they will claim they just miss their old friends. This is rarely a good idea in recovery.

Here are seven warning signs that you might be heading toward a relapse.

1. You Stop Doing What You Need to Do to Stay Abstinent

The most common thing is for the recovering addict or alcoholic to stop going to 12-step meetings. They will make excuses: they don't like the fact people pray or everyone talks too much about their past substance abuse. Most people who stay in recovery maintain some sort of connection to the 12-step programs, even if it's only a weekly meeting. This allows them to continually be reminded of who they are and what is at stake.

The recovering addict might stop therapy because they find it too uncomfortable. They might stop exercising or doing any other positive behavior that has helped them stay comfortable in sobriety.

2. You Start Romanticizing the Days When You Were Abusing Substances

This might take the form of remembering only the good times when you were drinking or experimenting with drugs. Most addicts had a time during which they had few consequences for substance abuse. They may even have had fun. However, those times were long gone by the time you got clean. At some point they became dependent on the drug and consequences piled up. If you find yourself smiling about the "good times," and conveniently forgetting the misery of your later drug or alcohol use, this is a strong warning sign.

3. You Start Acting the Way You Did When Using: Selfish and Moody

Sometimes this is called a "dry drunk." You act like you did when drinking, even without the drink. In recovery, addicts attempt to change their attitudes. They learn that they have a tendency to personalize things and overreact. They discover that they have a low tolerance for frustration, and can get rather ornery if they don't get what they want, when they want it. They are the focus of everything. If someone doesn't smile at them, they take it personally. If someone else gets a promotion, it says something bad about their work.

If you have been working on this behavior then start to see it reappear, this is a warning sign.

4. You Start Thinking that Maybe Just a One Drink Won't Hurt

It you find you are talking yourself into "just one," this is one of the most obvious signs of an impending relapse. Those in recovery know full well the consequences of substance use, so the first step in using again is to somehow convince themselves that it wasn't that bad, or that they have "changed" and won't have the same issues this time around. The rule of thumb is that those who relapse pick up right where they left off. It might take a few days or weeks, but you will rapidly be in the same place you were when you last quit drinking or using drugs.

5. You Seek Out Old Friends from Your Substance-Abusing Days

You might excuse this as just trying to find out how old friends are doing, but if you start seeking out old drinking buddies or people who shared your interest in using drugs, you are heading into dangerous territory.

6. You Slowly but Surely Remove all Elements from Your Life that Keep You Anchored and Balanced

Maybe you stop keeping your journal, stop calling healthy friends, and quit that daily walk that always helped you clear your head. You probably already stopped doing the things that are important for sobriety, but now you are removing things that keep you calm and centered. You might say you are getting lazy, and your life is likely getting more chaotic and stressful. You are not taking care of your emotional, spiritual, and physical health.

7. You Are Extremely Defensive If Anyone Mentions Your Changes in Behavior

This feeling will be familiar: it's the same feeling you had when you first were encouraged to get sober and wanted everyone to mind their own business. It is denial crossed with an unhealthy self-righteous attitude. It's very uncomfortable when others begin to notice our movement back toward a way of living that made us and most people around us miserable. Why? Because you are now in the place of moving with purpose back toward drinking and using, and the addict in you is determined to get that drink or drug. For some, this can be the ultimate point of no return: you either wake up and change direction, or end up taking that inevitable first drink or drug.

Read More

Stress and Drugs

When you get stressed out, what is one of the first things that you typically do? How do you deal with unexpected things that happen in your life such as loss of work, deaths in the family or fights with loved ones? For some people, the answer is temporarily found in drugs and/or alcohol. But is this always the right answer?

There are many who would speculate that drugs and alcohol is most often (if not always) the result of some sort of trauma or stress-related incident. The truth of the matter is that drugs and alcohol seldom solve anything. In fact, drug and alcohol abuse does more to break up families, and cause all sorts of problems on top of whatever stress you may be feeling. The next time you are feeling stressed out, try to get to the root of what is bothering you. Figure out possible solutions to your problem on your own. The same money that you would spend on alcohol or drugs, take it and use it towards seeing a psychologist or psychiatrist. These people are skilled in being able to help those who are struggling with internal issues. Additionally, it is important to remember not to isolate yourself. Do you have any friends that you can call on for help?

Often times, when we are struggling or stressed out- or if we have drug problems, it can often be difficult to reach out to others who are there to help us. Little do we know that there are plenty of people out there who care about us and want to see us do well. It takes a lot of courage and honesty to admit that you have a problem- especially when the admittance is to a close friend or a family member. We are often afraid that we will be judged or somehow rejected. Therefore, as a result, many people keep their problems to themselves. There are also those who struggle with denial. They don't want to (and haven't) admit to themselves that there is a serious problem going on. Therefore, why would they need the help if there's nothing wrong.

It is so incredibly important that we don't isolate ourselves from other people- especially those that we love. In a lot of cases, you need to stop and remind yourself that no matter how bad your situation is, there is ALWAYS someone out there who is worse off than you. This isn't meant to be a selfish thing, but rather, it is meant to teach you to appreciate all that you have and to always think of others. In fact, many therapists would suggest that those who are easily stressed get volunteer jobs because when you're volunteering to help someone else, you are too busy to worry about things. You will ultimately feel better about your overall situation if you can find other more creative ways to give back to others who are worse off than you. This isn't to say that your problems aren't important. You still need to deal with your problems without the use of drugs and alcohol. It's just that by helping others, you will help yourself.

Read More