While the meditation process produces a feeling of quiet, don’t expect it to happen. Just let the meditation process happen naturally and easily. If we expect it to happen, it doesn’t. If we expect it to happen we spend the whole meditation session not meditating, but looking for the quiet and wondering when it will [...]

A panic attack, either spontaneous, cued or situationally predisposed; is diagnosed when we experience four or more of the symptoms described in chapter two. However, a large group of us also experience other sensations as the attack, and we panic as a result (Arthur Jones et al 1994). Notice the separation of the words ‘panic’ [...]

The number of therapies and treatments which people have tried with little or no result is a major area of concern. Not only does this contribute to the general sense of helplessness and hopelessness, it can also generate anger towards the health professions. In some cases this will prevent people from seeking further help. Before [...]

We all feel ashamed and guilty about the effect on our family. Despite these feelings, we need to be careful because we can unintentionally create further disruption. Many of us feel we need to have someone with us at all times. This can be very reassuring for us, but we need to make sure we [...]

Doctors with an interest in food intolerance take a different view – that the psychological problems, where they exist, are largely a result of the illness, or of its rejection by the medical profession, or a mixture of the two. But they would agree that anxiety, tension or depression can make the physical symptoms worse. [...]

A total inability to urinate usually affects men who are in their 70s and older. If an elderly male relative is unable to urinate and feels a pain in his groin, he should head for the emergency room immediately. This condition is called acute urinary retention and is most often caused when an enlarged prostate [...]

If you think you have an ulcer, you should see your doctor, who will conduct a complete health history and physical exam, which may include a digital rectal exam to detect any blood in the stool. He will also ask you a series of questions to find out about your diet and any medications you [...]

Description and Possible Medical Problems If you have a history of asthma, whether it’s been stable or not, if you begin to wheeze and can’t stop and you are also coughing and feeling short of breath, you are experiencing a series of severe bronchospasms, and you need immediate medical attention. This is a condition known [...]

Description and Possible Medical Problems I recently saw a patient I hadn’t seen for about a year. She seemed a little shorter than the last time she had visited me, and I asked her if she thought she had shrunk. “Oh, yes,” she replied. “My clothes fit differently, and when I stand at my kitchen [...]

Have you ever seen a serious weight lifter with neck muscles that seem to bulge in all directions? It almost looks as though he has no neck, when in fact he’s built up his neck muscles to the point where they’ve reached their peak size. The neck muscles are extremely difficult to develop, so if [...]