Arthritis affects 46 million people in the U.S. That’s nearly one in five people. There are more than 100 types of arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis. It affects men and women in equal numbers. Arthritis is not an inevitable part of aging, most people develop osteoarthritis after 45, but it can occur at any age. And the good news is that there are now better treatments to relieve pain, stiffness, and discomfort. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: February 2011
Broken links warning
This blog is being domain mapped and has been for years now. The traffic on it became so low on my self hosted wordpress.org install that I did not feel the cost of web hosting justified keeping it on paid hosting. So last week the contents have been moved back to free hosting at the root blog here on wordpress.com.
Sadly the result of moving my blog content is thousands of broken links – yes! thousands. Many of the links embedded in the anchor text within my posts and static pages are broken and when clicked they produce a “404″ page not found. Some aren’t broken but most are. As these posts have all been indexed by Google and the other search engines, what’s happening is that those visitors coming into the blog by way of search engines are experiencing “404″s page not found.
In addition to those broken links, for years I have manually included related links to my earlier posts at the end of most of my posts when embedding them in anchor text within posts was not preferable. You guessed it — they are broken too.
I cannot express in polite language how angry and how depressed I am with this result. I have exported and imported from wordpress.com to wordpress.org previously and have never ever experienced such an issue. I believe it’s possible that when this new linking was introduced into the wordpress software it led to what I have experienced but don’t know that for sure. What I do know is that I am not the only one who has experienced this replicating image problem.
I have deleted all the Categories that unexpectedly replicated. I have not yet had the time to delete all the images that also unexpectedly replicated. I discovered something and contacted Staff. I use the Inuit Types theme and when I set a featured image a large distorted image was created by wordpress. All of those large images are now taking up space. I will be slowly going through my blog and editing and deleting the posts they are in one at a time, and will no longer use the “featured images” feature on this blog or on my other blog.
Staff replied to my request for a means of bulk editing of featured images when I contacted them follows:
> 1. My question is: Is it currently possible to bulk edit posts and remove featured images or not?
It’s not currently possible to do this, no.
> 2. If it is not possible to bulk edit posts and remove featured images then I am definitely requesting that this feature be added.
Featured Images are a core WordPress feature and would need to be changed there before such a change would appear on WordPress.com. You may even want to suggest this yourself at http://wordpress.org/extend/ideas/ .
For the next while I will be attempting to create and publish new posts on this blog while ‘fixing” the royal mess in the background. As my family, husband and work come first this work will not be done quickly.
If any of my regular readers would like to submit a guest post for publication then I will be most grateful. I’s also like to express my gratitude to my friend Richard who is the Co-Admin on my blogs. I value his friendship over the course of nearly 4 years and the skills he generously shares very much.
Lightening Up for SAD
February is the time of year when people start complaining about the winter blues. If you spend too much time indoors you could be singing the blues along with them.
Two hundred years ago the working hours of the day were between sunrise and sunset. 75% of the population worked outdoors. Now less than 10% of the population work in natural outdoor light.
There is no doubt that weather affects people’s moods and that weather triggered mood shifts do not affect most people’s ability to cope with daily life. However, some people are vulnerable to a type of depression that follows a seasonal pattern. For us the shortening days of late autumn are the beginning of a type of clinical depression called “Seasonal Affective Disorder,” or SAD that can last until spring.
SAD is less common in countries near to the equator where the hours of sunlight are more constant and bright throughout the year. SAD usually first begins between the ages of 20 to 30, but it can develop at any age. It affects four times as many women as men.
Unsurprisingly, studies suggest that SAD is more common in northern countries, where the winter day is shorter. Deprivation from natural sources of light is also of particular concern for shift workers and urban dwellers who may experience reduced levels of exposure to daylight in their work environments. Symptoms of SAD include decreased energy, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, avoidance of social situations, and feelings of anxiety and despair. — Canadian Mental Health Association
Direct Sun Exposure Required
Sunlight has a direct effect on the brain’s ability to produce serotonin, one of the main chemicals involved in the regulation and stability of moods. Melatonin is an equally important hormone as the body converts serotonin to melatonin. This hormone regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Production of melatonin is inhibited by light and stimulated by darkness.
Similarly , Vitamin D production is also increased by direct sun exposure. An important prohormone, Vitamin D3, one of the two major forms it takes in the body, is produced in skin exposed to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B radiation. Vitamin D serves its major purposes by serving a vital role in organ maintenance.
Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Low intake of B vitamins is strongly associated with depression. Considerable research points to the mood-lifting benefits of three B vitamins: B6, B12, and folic acid. Vitamin B6 is essential for the body’s production of serotonin, which most anti depressant drugs are designed to elevate. Several clinical trials have pitted St. John’s wort against leading anti-depressant medications and St. John’s wort either matched or exceeded the drug in benefits.
Experts the world over agree that bright light therapy is still the best form of treatment for SAD. Researchers at medical centers and clinics in the U.S. and Canada and abroad have had much success with light therapy in patients with clear histories of SAD for years. Marked improvement is usually observed within a week, if not sooner, and symptoms usually return in about the same amount of time when the lights are withdrawn.
Light Therapy – Therapeutic Levels
Some very light-sensitive people, living and working in dim environments, may feel improvement with increased exposure to normal room light. But studies show most sufferers of SAD require exposure to light levels much higher than ordinary indoor lamps and ceiling fixtures provide. Such therapeutic levels are five to twenty times higher (as measured in lux or foot-candles by a light meter) than typical indoor illumination in the home or office. The strongest therapeutic effect requires exposure to artificial bright light in early morning when it is still quite dark outdoors during long winter nights. (There’s a great deal of information online about these full spectrum lightboxes.)
Treatment Program for SAD
Unlike the areas in the mountains and on the prairies where it snows in winter months, we have very few winter days where there is plenty of sunshine on the west coast. I noticed I had a pattern of winter depression. I was sure I had more than “the winter blues” so I sought medical help, tested as a light sensitive person, and was disagnosed with SAD over 10 years ago. That’s when my doctor suggested trying the full spectrum light box, which is the most common form of light therapy for seasonal affective disorder.
My full spectrum light box provides 10,000 Lux from 14″ to 20″ distance from the head of the lamp, which is pointed toward my face and makes an excellent work light on my computer desk.I start with 30 minutes daily exposure each morning, and increase that gradually to 1 hour daily until the rains are gone and the spring comes shining through.
Dietary Guidelines:
- Vitamin D in foods such as oily fish, eggs, butter, milk and sprouted seeds as well as a good Vitamin D supplement, in the D3 form, is advised for those living in low sunlight areas.
- Tryptophan is a building block of serotonin and some food proteins are naturally high in tryptophans, including lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, soy and legumes.
- A variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts.
- Fruit and vegetables eaten raw whenever possible as cooking destroys folic acid.
Given that SAD’s symptoms closely mirror those of clinical depression, a correct diagnosis of SAD is a very important step towards treatment. Otherwise a false diagnosis of depression could lead to unnecessary prescriptions for pharmaceutical medications. Diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Discussion
Do you or any of your family members experience the winter blues?
Do you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD?
A Bleak February
Skeletal trees silhouetted against a gray sky scratch the windows as the wind shrills. The grass and ground below are so saturated that the squelching sound is audible when trod upon. Dripping downspouts and pervasive dampness that chills the flesh and settles in the bones; a denial of the onset of spring. My depressed state of mind mirrors the bleakness of February. Continue reading
Spread good thoughts!
Have you visited inspired type: where good thoughts are designed? I love what I see there so I’m inviting you to check out these inspirational images. It’s a growing collection with new ideas weekly — thought provoking, encouraging and motivating.
Spread good thoughts!
If you see something there you like, please share it with your own network of friends and followers.
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