Many women will suffer from hot flashes whether her menopause was surgically induced, such as after a hysterectomy, or if menopause happens as a natural process. Research has found that women who have had a partial hysterectomy, when the ovaries were left intact, will experience menopause earlier than if they had not had a hysterectomy. Those who have their ovaries removed during surgery will experience a menopause immediately. Women who have had a hysterectomy will also more often experience hot flashes immediately after surgery but it will not necessarily indicate that they are in menopause. Taking out the uterus from the body will cause significant changes to take place that often trigger hot flashes.

Hot flashes are a sensation of intense heat, usually in the upper part of the body. Most women will also experience a rapid heartbeat, flushing of the chest and sometimes heavy sweating that can last between 30 seconds to five minutes. These hot flashes can occur any time of the day or night. Some women are awakened during the night and find that their bed sheets are completely saturated with sweat, while other women are unable to get through a business meaning without fanning themselves and turning red.

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A hysterectomy is the second most common surgery which women undergo each year. The easiest form of this surgery from which women may recover quickly is a laparoscopic hysterectomy. This is a relatively new procedure that physicians use to remove the uterus through a small incision made at the top of the vagina. In other words, it requires no open abdominal incision and no long recovery time. During a laparoscopic hysterectomy the doctor uses a small camera that is attached to a telescope inside the body to see the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.

One advantage of the procedure is that the incisions are small and the recovery is very quick. The hospital stay is usually around 1 day as opposed to an abdominal hysterectomy which requires 2 days in the hospital. Women who undergo laparascopic surgery will also be back to their normal activities within 2 weeks instead of the usual 6 weeks estimated for an abdominal hysterectomy.

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Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that are made up mostly of smooth muscle and fiber is connections. These types of tumors generally do not cause cancer or are not considered pre-cancerous. However, because they are dependent upon the hormone estrogen, any fibroid tumor found to be growing quickly or after menopause can signal a pre-cancerous state.

Uterine fibroids can be microscopic in size and cause absolutely no symptoms or become the size of a small basketball. As they grow larger the symptoms will disrupt the life of a woman and cause feelings of heaviness in the public region, urinary frequency, constipation, pain with sexual intercourse and heavy menstrual bleeding that often leads to anemia.

Physicians have several pharmaceutical options that are short-term alternatives in order to shrink fibroids before a more permanent surgical solution. These permanent solutions are usually endometrial ablation, uterine artery or uterine fibroids embolization, laser treatment and hysterectomy. However, most of these options do not retain the fertility for the woman or they cost a permanent loss of the uterus.

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A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon removes part or all of a woman’s reproductive organs – uterus, cervix and ovaries. A total hysterectomy remove all of these, a radical hysterectomy also remove the fallopian tubes, top portion of the vagina and lymph nodes. In contrast a partial hysterectomy usually only removes the uterus.

Both a full and radical hysterectomy are often used for disease processes which may invade more take over all or part of the reproductive system, such as cancer or endometriosis. A partial hysterectomy is often used in the treatment of fibroids and other conditions which cause severe and uncontrollable vaginal bleeding.

A partial hysterectomy can be performed either vaginally or abdominally. This means that the uterus can be removed through the vagina in instances where it is small enough to do so. However, the most common method it is an abdominal approach which is done much like a C-section. The uterus is detached from its blood supply and the ligaments which support it and then removed from the body.

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With over 19 million adults affected by them, anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses in the United States. There are many different types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks, to name a few, but all of them produce symptoms of excessive fear and dread and can be debilitating to those who suffer from them. Learning how to treat anxiety disorders requires time, practice and patience because in almost all cases, anxiety is best treated by behavioral therapy and not by prescription medication.

Panic attacks are a particularly disabling kind of anxiety disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Panic Disorder is characterized by repeated episodes of intense fear that occur frequently and without warning. Panic attacks can last anywhere from a couple of minutes to over a half hour. Most people who suffer from panic episodes usually experience sweating, trembling, rapid heart beat and shortness of breath, and can sometimes also experience chills, cramps, hot flashes, nausea and dizziness.

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What is menopause?

Menopause is the time at “mid-life” when a woman has her last period. It happens when the ovaries stop releasing eggs – usually a gradual process. Sometimes it happens all at once.

Perimenopause is the period of gradual changes that lead into menopause. It affects a woman’s hormones, body, and feelings. It can be a stop-start process that may take months or years.

“Climacteric”is another word for the time when a woman passes from the reproductive to the non-reproductive years of her life.

The ovaries’ production of estrogen slows down during perimenopause. Hormone levels fluctuate, causing changes just as they did during adolescence.

The changes leading to menopause may seem much more intense than those during puberty. The intensity may be affected by a woman’s feelings about aging, including her reactions to social judgments about aging.

Induced menopause occurs if the ovaries are removed or damaged as in hysterectomy or chemotherapy. In this case, menopause begins immediately, with no perimenopause. The time after menopause is called postmenopause.

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Anxiety attacks choose no one. It can happen to happy and perfectly normal people of all ages including children. Many cases of anxiety attacks just come out of the blue, or happen without any logical, clear or apparent reason. It may occur while you are relaxed during the day and even while asleep. Still, there are several ways on how to prevent anxiety attacks.

Learn about anxiety Understanding how anxiety affects the body as well as the mind can go a long way in your effort to prevent attacks. Read articles about anxiety and other psychological disorders that are related to it. Learn what are the things you should watch out for, things you should avoid, and practices you should do in case of an attack.

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Can some foods make you smarter? Research shows that nuts and seeds just might boost your brainpower and balance your moods. That’s right, everything from the most common nuts — such as walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews and almonds — to the more exotic seeds and nuts can clear up that “brain fog” and enable you to think clearer and be happier than you ever imagined.

Both figuratively and literally speaking, walnuts are “brain food.” As Rebecca Wood points out in her “New Foods Encyclopedia,” the walnut looks remarkably like the human brain. “The thin, outer green husk, which is removed before the walnuts are marketed, is likened to the scalp. The walnut’s hard shell is like a skull. The thin envelope inside, with its paper-like partitions between the two halves of the nut, is like the membrane.

The convoluted nut itself represents the human brain’s two hemispheres.” Now, you might not like to remember this resemblance while you’re eating a handful of them, but you will want to remember that walnuts are made up of 15 to 20 percent protein and contain linoleic (omega-6 fatty acids) and alpha-linoleic acids (omega-3 fatty acids), vitamin E and vitamin B6, making them an excellent source of nourishment for your nervous system.

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Just like adults, children experience fear, anxiety and apprehension. These are but normal emotional experiences that a person feels regardless of age. However, if anxiety becomes irrational, recurring and severe, and anxiety attacks happen without any apparent reason, and the reaction is disproportionate to the problem at hand, it can be a cause of concern. This is why on the first signs of problem, have your child get proper diagnosis by a health professional to be able to rule out any possible causes and determine the right treatment to be applied.

Since anxiety attack is a type of anxiety disorder, it is important to know what happens to a child who is suffering from such disorder. To be able to identify it, here are the following symptoms:

Frequent feeling of fear and panic
Bed wetting
Tantrums and excessive crying
Fear of making mistakes
Fear of getting embarrassed
Avoidance of certain activities such as school event and summer camps
Nightmares and night terrors
Compulsive behaviors
Resistance to any change
Low self-esteem, lack of confidence
Overly shy and difficulty making friends
Chronic physical symptoms such as stomach aches or headaches without any apparent reason

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Anxiety attacks can be seen as an abnormal and irrational panic over trivial things or accidents or for no reason at all. Attacks usually occur without warning and a person can simply burst into fear. Triggers can cause anxiety attack like getting stuck in the elevator or being called to recite in the class but in other cases, attacks come out of the blue. An anxiety attack is disproportionate reaction to the situation or the problem at hand, leaving the person excessively fearful, or sometimes incapacitated, which affects life, relationships, happiness and peace of mind.

Symptoms of Anxiety Attack

A person undergoing an episode of anxiety attack shows the following symptoms:

Heart palpitation (increase in heartbeat)
Hot flashes or chills
Hyperventilation
Surge of overwhelming panic
Feeling detached or unreal
Trembling or shaking
Trouble breathing
Feeling of losing control, going crazy; or fear of dying
Choking sensation
Nausea or stomach crams
Sweating
Dizziness
Chest discomfort or pain

Handling anxiety attacks

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