excerpts from articles in this issue

BrainSwitch

by A. B. Curtiss

Children are at a great advantage in life when they learn at an early age that they have two brains: They have an emotional brain and they have a thinking brain and these two brains perform two widely different functions.

According to neuroanatomists, while the thinking brain matures with age and experience, the emotional brain never matures. Thus, we have two-year-old tantrums of infant rage, repeated straight through life by those who don’t know any better. Not just ten-year old tantrums either. We’ve all read about 40-year-olds in road rage and parents at kid league football games.

The other important thing to know about our two brains -- for those who don’t want to get themselves stuck in emotional and social difficulties -- is that the emotional brain, the modern equivalent of our primordial survival instinct, triggers all by itself. But unfortunately this is not true of the thinking brain.

The thinking brain may activate automatically as a result of learned association (think “salt” and the thought “pepper” pops up; think “up” and the thought “down” activates). But to be absolutely sure your brain goes in the direction that would be most helpful in any difficult situation, one must call upon the thinking brain as an act of will.

Here’s where that old saying, “freedom of the will” is not just an ancient platitude. Your brain is your most obedient servant. But you have to know how to direct it. If you don’t know how it works, you can unwittingly give your brain instructions that send it whirling into a place you don’t want to go. Like rage, and jealousy and fear.

These emotions are the very thing that should remind you of your freedom of the will. “Hey,” you can say to yourself. “I’m really upset. I better get out of my emotional brain and into my thinking brain RIGHT NOW.”

The Attack - Information, Resources and Strategies for Coping with Autoimmune Disease

by Christine Kerrigan

Autoimmune Disease

In celebration of the Real Authentic Woman, it is our intention to be a continual resource of information for RAW women everywhere . . . and what is a RAW woman, without her health? Autoimmune Disease is a topic that is pertinent to women everywhere, as 75% of those afflicted with an autoimmune disease are women.

I am not a doctor. I am not a healer. I am not a medical expert. However, I have spent the last seventeen years of my life dealing with, adjusting and readjusting to, autoimmune disease – getting knocked down and getting back up – having surgeries, trips to the ER, severe allergic reactions, misdiagnoses, being sent home with doctors shaking their heads . . . periods of time with no medical insurance -- and beyond my personal experiences are others I know with autoimmune diseases, my volunteer work, public speaking and research experience, combined with simply experience as a patient – I feel comfortable in doling out the basics. Basics of information that can get our RAW women to stand up and pay attention, take care of themselves, develop this knowledge and continue to pass it along. Knowledge is power, and if we don’t spread it, then we are wasting our time. So here I am.

Have You Heard?

Where to begin when describing autoimmune diseases? There is no one list of symptoms that can encompass all. Each case is different. Each patient is different. Many cases take years to diagnose, after extensive medical testing and a multitude of physicians’ opinions. Most patients, though dealing with any number of symptoms -- and in many cases, multiple diseases -- are relieved to finally hear the affirmation of a diagnosis. Sure, they now have it confirmed that they do indeed have this chronic disease, but that disease that they have been mysteriously dealing with for often years – it now has a name. It is real. It can be researched and treated . . . maybe even controlled.

Perhaps you have heard of Multiple Sclerosis . . . Lupus, Chronic Fatigue or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Fibromyalgia? Or how about Hashimoto’s, Sjögren’s or Scleroderma? These names are a mere sampling of what falls into the category of autoimmune diseases -- a category that, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, afflicts 50 million Americans within the scope of more than 80 known diseases that fit this autoimmune profile. Approximately 75 percent of those afflicted with autoimmune diseases are women, who most often discover the onset during their childbearing years. Though largely discovered in women, these diseases are also seen in men and children, and sometimes even show a higher tendency within a particular ethnic group.

Bad Circulation/Poor Blood Flow In Teen, Young Adult & Elderly Men & Women

How To Avoid it & How To Treat it

By Melissa Stepan

Most people can’t help but think immediately of their grandmother, who smoked a pack a day, or grandfather who suffered from Gangrene when they hear the words “poor circulation”, a concept that most of us assume effects only those who smoke and are well over the age of 50. This could not be any further from the truth.

Many of us today, young or old, suffer from the same day-to-day unhealthy routines that, over time, will lead to circulation problems and issues far more serious, such as heart disorders, stroke, circulatory disorders, blood vessel disorders, vein disorders & artery disorders. Knowing if you are suffering from bad circulation might not be easy, since the symptoms are not always easily detected; therefore, deciding to take a step back and review your lifestyle is crucial in trying to prevent future circulation problems. Exercise, which is most commonly used as a solution to weight problems and stress, also plays an extreme role in the prevention of bad circulation and blood flow. Most teens & young adults who find themselves drowning in today’s world that is filled with 9:00-to-5:00 desk jobs and seven-hour college classes, know how difficult it is to find time to exercise. The lack of exercise (a crucial factor in allowing our blood to circulate properly), in addition to eating fatty foods -- which most young adults on a tight budget do -- only add to the problem.

You know already that if you are (1) not getting enough exercise, (2) do not make it part of your morning and/or daily routine to stretch, (3) avoid nutritious/healthy foods and (4) smoke, you are walking down the road that leads straight to poor circulation and Major Health Problems.

Poor Circulation

Poor circulation may be an indication of a serious heart disorder. High Blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, varicose veins, Reynaud’s Disease, and phlebitis are all connected with circulatory system health.