Cosmetic Ingredients for Pregnancy

The post below was written by Dr. Kayla Kaiser on her blog "Bitch on a bike" and can be originally found here.



It's funny how time slows down when you're in the middle of a big transition. What I mean by that is that when you're going through IVF and FET, you count time in weeks+days. Then in pregnancy, you count by weeks or months. Then when you have an infant or toddler, you report their age in months. I was noticing this last night at my new FIT4BABY group in the West San Fernando Valley (Woodland Hills).

I started getting itchy legs at 9 weeks pregnant and it continued throughout the 2nd trimester. I switched up my skincare routine at 16 weeks pregnant and haven't looked back. I've written vaguely about this product before, but the Mentha Vitamin Body Lotion is awesome. My former skincare routine has changed during pregnancy.

Sepideh Yaghmaei, owner of CT Organics

First of all, I changed out my deodorant for this:
https://ctorganics.com/collections/deodorize/products/all-natural-deodorants
I placed a big order on July 29th, 2019. By then I would have been 5 weeks past frozen embryo transfer , or 3 weeks after the two week wait. But I've been blogging about CT Organics products since at least 2017. And after searching my Gmail, I found that I was using it as early as 2013. Our Kaiser Wellness Center website shows that we were working on the formulations in 2012.

Diatomaceous Earth Deodorant Ingredients: organic coconut oil, raw beeswax, organic shea butter, diatomaceous earth, arrow root powder, baking soda, activated charcoal, tea tree essential oil, cold pressed lemon peel oil, frankincense essential oil

Secondly, I started using this lotion on my legs and hands:
https://ctorganics.com/collections/hand-body/products/coconut-shea-butter-lotion-nerloi-frankincense
I don't even know when I got this lotion, I know that I didn't really need it until pregnancy. I used it on my stretching skin (belly and back) during the first and second trimester and on my itchy legs and raw, red and itchy, cracked hands. The version I have came in a pot not a tube, so it must have been a sample that Sepi gave us. But you can get your hands on it by ordering through her website or on Amazon.

Coconut Shea Butter Lotion (Tahitian Vanilla Blend) Ingredients: purified water, sweet almond oil, organic coconut oil, organic Shea Butter, raw beeswax, non-GMO sunflower lecithin, , frankincense essential oil, ceteareth 20, Glyceryl oleate citrate, caprylic triglyceride, gluconolactone, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, vanillin, Tahitian Vanilla Essential Oil (CO2 extract), calcium gluconate

After I confirmed that I was pregnant, I was terrified of doing anything in the first trimester that would jeopardize the fetus. I found a list of banned chemicals on one of my pregnancy apps and wrote them all down on this markerboard.

There are an alarming number of chemicals in skin-care products and it doesn't make sense to me that these things are not good for pregnancy but allowed for non-pregnant people. If these substances are bad for human life, why are they allowed at all?

Xom3 Balm Ingredients:

So I threw out lots of things such as nail polish and put aside all the aluminum-containing deodorants. I got rid of any products with salicylic acid and packed up my chemical sunscreens. I checked all my shampoo, conditioners and moisturizers for the other ingredients listed there under bullet points 4, 6 and 7. I also read that no drinking herbal tea and no using essential oils. Despite this, I did use a bit of my pal Mandy's balms.

Mandy Gough, owner of XoM3

When my hands are cracking, there's nothing like a layering of Mandy's balm, topped with Sepi's Coconut Shea Butter lotion, and if they're still itching a coating of C.O. Bigelow Mentha Vitamin Body Lotion. There's another hand lotion I used that contains Jojoba oil and it is formulated to soothe and deodorize gardener's hands, I'll have to add this later since I can't find it on a Google search.

Finally, I wanted to discuss some commercial products that I can't live without now. The first is from Bath and Body Works called Tahiti Sweetie that is a body lotion with monoi oil. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued. I remember buying like 5 tubes of it when I realized it was going out of production, but I think I'm on my second to last tube now!

 

This is my gentle cleanser for every day.

 

This is what I put on immediately after cleanser.

This is what I put on top of my moisturizer.

Clinique Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 6.3% , Zinc Oxide 4.0%

Ingredients: Water\Aqua\Eau , Dimethicone , Butyloctyl Salicylate , Polydiethylsiloxane , C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate , Isononyl Isononanoate , Diethylhexyl Succinate , Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate , Methyl Trimethicone , Butylene Glycol , Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene , Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone , Silica , Dipentaerythrityl Tri-Polyhydroxystearate , Laureth-4 , Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone , Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer , Dimethicone Silylate , Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/Pvp Crosspolymer , Triethoxycaprylylsilane , Dimethicone Crosspolymer-3 , Isostearic Acid , Caprylyl Glycol , Polyhydroxystearic Acid , Dipropylene Glycol , Phenoxyethanol , Iron Oxides (Ci 77492) , Iron Oxides (Ci 77491)

I am realizing now that I sound like a total hypocrite, since the ingredients for the products I am discussing here may not be safe for pregnancy. But at some point, I must have decided to abandon the safety of the first trimester and go for whatever could soothe my dry skin and acne.

Just like Bill Cosby says in the 1983 standup routine called "Himself," you've fooled around long enough. I have to start doing something work-related since I've been here for 3 hours and all I've done is write this blog post.

Anti-Aging Skin Series Post 16: The Thermodynamics of Cosmetic Formulations!

Source: Shutterstock

Where has that series gone called 'anti-aging skin care' products?  For those new to the series, here is a quick refresher of the series. The point of the series was to demystify the world of cosmetics through discussing the ingredients on the back which make them up.  How do ingredients help define the cosmetic product's function?  I had to put the series on hold for a while (until now) do to other writing responsibilities.  But now I am back.  Thank you for being patient with me.  I needed to learn how to engage you (the reader) more effectively.  And give myself a little practice writing in other forums.



Anyways, I left off with analyzing a journal article about anti-inflammatory agents and skin barrier function.  In the next blog post, I will continue where I left off.  For now, I wanted to deviate a little and talk about skincare formulations and chemistry behind them.  Specifically, I want to touch on 'emulsification.'  Emulsifiers have an important role in skincare formulations.  Read on below and find out how emulsifiers stabilize solutions of different phases.  Enjoy!



A few months ago, I ran across an article (which is below) with a question which dives deep into the molecular interactions involved in an 'emulsifier'.



At this point right now, you may be scratching your head wondering what an 'emulsifier' is?



Fair enough.



If you think of the following bottle of Salad dressing shown below:

Source: Jesica Gavin

Notice how the Salad dressing on the left contains two distinct (i.e., very different) phases of liquids.  The phase on top is 'less dense' (i.e. lighter, less matter per unit volume) than the phase on the bottom.



Phases with two different densities are around us each day.   Ice water with ice cubes is the most frequent example.  Ice is a phase of water that is less dense than liquid water.  Meaning that there are fewer molecules per volume.



Water is a special substance.



Why?  Typically, when the molecules in a liquid slow down to form a crystal, the unit density is larger than that of a liquid of the same substance.  But I did not write this article to discuss one property exclusively -- i.e., density.  If we dig a little deeper, the two distinct phases above can be made into a single phase.  Of course, that would require a molecular phase with properties of both phases above.

What is Thermodynamics?

Thermodynamics can be introduced by Wikipedia as follows:

Thermodynamics is the branch of physics that deals with heat and temperature, and their relation to energy, work, radiation, and properties of matter. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of thermodynamics which convey a quantitative description using measurable macroscopic physical quantities, but may be explained in terms of microscopic constituents by statistical mechanics. Thermodynamics applies to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering, especially physical chemistry, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering, but also in fields as complex as meteorology.

Historically, thermodynamics developed out of a desire to increase the efficiency of early steam engines, particularly through the work of French physicist Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot (1824) who believed that engine efficiency was the key that could help France win the Napoleonic Wars.[1] Scots-Irish physicist Lord Kelvin was the first to formulate a concise definition of thermodynamics in 1854[2] which stated, "Thermo-dynamics is the subject of the relation of heat to forces acting between contiguous parts of bodies, and the relation of heat to electrical agency."

The initial application of thermodynamics to mechanical heat engines was extended early on to the study of chemical compounds and chemical reactions. Chemical thermodynamics studies the nature of the role of entropy in the process of chemical reactions and has provided the bulk of expansion and knowledge of the field.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Other formulations of thermodynamics emerged. Statistical thermodynamics, or statistical mechanics, concerns itself with statistical predictions of the collective motion of particles from their microscopic behavior. In 1909, Constantin Carathéodory presented a purely mathematical approach in an axiomatic formulation, a description often referred to as geometrical thermodynamics.

The introduction above may seem confusing.  Thermodynamics is concerned with the various forms of energy in a system and its surroundings.  Some people find thermodynamics to be confusing and incomprehensible.  Terms such as entropy and heat may throw a monkey wrench into a person's understanding of a chemical system.  Although, thermodynamics is good at explaining various large scale properties of systems -- such as heat transfer, the entropy within the system, etc.  Confused yet?



Anyways, during the learning process, I have scoured the internet for various explanations or clarifications to different concepts.  That is part of an investigation into learning about cosmetic products.  Incorporating the chemistry behind the product requires a person to think about the energy within a system.  How is the system work with its constituent ingredients?  How does the system hold itself together?  How does thermodynamics achieve this?



Thermodynamics is the accountant for the energy of the system.  A person cannot help but investigate thermodynamic properties of a system to understand how the individual molecules mixed into a solution interact such that collectively they form the macroscopic system -- i.e., cosmetic product.



One such concept was that of an "Emulsifying Stabilizer".  Below is an example of a question/answer query that I found on a website called "Research Gate":



Question:

How does an emulsifier stabilize an emulsion?

Emulsion can be stabilized by increasing the repulsion between the dispersed phase i.e., by increasing the electrostatic repulsion (which is long range) or steric repulsion (short range). Emulsifiers are amphiphiles that reduce the interfacial tension between the two phases and contribute to the stabilization of dispersed droplets with electrostatic or steric effects. 

I wish to know the detailed mechanism by which emulsifiers stabilize an emulsion. References will be of real help.

Thanks.

One possible Answer that intrigued me was the following:



Answer:

When a surfactant adsorbs on the interface the interfacial tension between the two phases decreases. The reduced interfacial tension depends on the concentration of the surfactant according to the Gibbs’ isotherm.

Adsorbed surfactants or solid particles stabilize emulsions via two main mechanisms:

1. steric stabilization

2. electrostatic stabilization

Steric stabilization arises from a physical barrier to contact and coalescence. For example, high-molecular-weight polymers can adsorb on the surface of the dispersed phase droplets and extend significantly into the continuous phase, providing a volume restriction or a physical barrier for particle interactions. As polymer coated particles approach, the polymers are forced into close proximity and repulsive forces arise, keeping particles apart from each other. Surface-active solid particles such as clays have also been shown to sterically stabilize emulsions.

Electrostatic stabilization is based on the mutual repulsive forces that are generated when electrical charged surfaces approach each other. In an electrostatically stabilized emulsion, an ionic or ionisable surfactant forms a charged layer at the interface. For an oil-in-water emulsion, this layer is neutralized by counter ions in the continuous phase. The charged surface and the counter ions are termed a double layer. If the counter ions are diffuse (thick double layer), the disperse phase droplets act as charged spheres as they

approach each other. If the repulsive forces are strong enough, the droplets are repelled before they can make contact and coalesce, and the emulsion is stable.

In general, electrostatic stabilization is significant only for oil-in-water emulsions since the electric double-layer thickness is much greater in water than in oil.

Both electrostatic and steric forces can prevent aggregation or coalescence and hence stabilize emulsions.

Reference: Urrutia P.I., Predicting Water-In-Oil Emulsion Coalescence From Surface Pressure Isotherms, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary M. Sc. Thesis, 2006.

I hope it was useful for you.

That is what occurs when the mixture is shaken up as shown in the right-hand side.  Over time, the emulsifier is not strong enough to stabilize the two phases from forming again.  The interactions of repulsion and attraction play a dominant role in all of chemistry.  The scale on which these interactions occur is so small that typically we do not see them (or think about them).



Chemists think about them on a daily basis -- especially, formulation chemists at a cosmetic product manufacturing company.  The energetics associated with interactions determine whether a reaction will occur or not.  Chemistry plays a beautiful role in our world every day.  Although, most of us choose not to look or think of these interactions.  Which is fine too.



Although, when a consumer goes into a store and purchases a cosmetic product, the questions he/she asks the vendor are involving the interactions of the ingredients.  Further, the questions include the interaction of the ingredients with the customer's skin and thermodynamic variables -- temperature, pressure, volume,  and environmental conditions.  After reading this brief article, I would expect your picture and thinking involving cosmetic ingredients to have widened -- which is great.

Fresh Produce and Healthy Fats

In 2018 I was obsessed with cooking whole grains and beans. Unfortunately this low-cost, high-carbohydrate diet did not help me escape obesity. In 2019 I have been following The IVF Diet, which I also refer to as a Garden of Eden diet. I have lost about 15 pounds so far, but I would have to lose 50 pounds more to reach a "normal" BMI. Now that I have found a method that is working, I will be sticking to it until it does not work anymore.

Farmer's Market haul from May 19, 2019

Living in California has been great, since we can go to the Farmer's Market and get most of what we need. If I had the discipline, I would write down the prices we pay for these items at the Farmer's Market, but to be honest I do not enjoy tracking cash transactions. Many people have an idea that the Farmer's Market will be more expensive, but I doubt that. When you consider that you are eliminating carbon cost associated with supply chain, and you are getting fresher produce (less wasting rotted fruit and vegetables), then you might be getting more than what you pay for.

What I can share with you is saved receipts from the grocery stores for the past few weeks. We have been eating according to a Two Week Cleanse that eliminates most dairy and gluten. Here are my results. The items are in no particular order.

Cheapest source is highlighted in green

Similarly to what I found in a previous analysis, Winco is the cheapest place to get the items we need for the diet. It is not as dramatic since the items above are fresh and not found in bulk bins, but there are a few notable exceptions. The almond butter machine inside the store at Winco is amazing! I also discovered that Winco has pitted dates in the bulk section.

Side note: I was almost forcibly removed from Walmart when they noticed that I was writing down prices in my notebook. Their argument was that I could have checked all the prices from home using their shopping app, but I preferred to check them in person at the store. I explained that the information was "just for me" since I am on a new diet and eating the same items every two weeks. I believe I have a right to comparison shop to get the best prices in my local area (Los Angeles).

Unfortunately, we live 40 miles from the nearest Winco. We have a car that gets 25 mpg highway. With gas prices around $4 per gallon, it costs $13 to drive to Winco and back. Compared to our local store (Von's) and the organic retailer (Whole Foods), the savings are worth the drive. You can find the shopping list for week 1 of the diet in the previous post. Happy shopping!

Why am I not losing weight while working out?

I asked myself this question exactly 6 months ago. I started using MyFitnessPal (a free app for tracking what you eat, drink and do). I did not have an answer to that question at the time, because I was not experiencing success. But since I am having success now, I want to tell you what I am doing that is working.

Full disclosure, I am a 38-year old woman with a BMI between 35 and 40. Although I was intaking 1700 calories per day, working out, and taking vitamins (micronutrients), I was not considering macronutrients. I did not imagine that balancing protein, carbs and fat would have any impact. After taking a break from MyFitnessPal tracking due to a software issue that did not allow me to log in, I restarted using it in the new year.

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/reports

We got Fitbit watches about 10 months ago, which initially I thought was a great way of tracking steps without having to carry my phone everywhere. Previously I was using Google Fit, but after they changed their interface to this weird circle thing that I can't seem to understand, I kind of quit paying attention to it. The good thing is that you can sync these apps so that the data is shared among them. That way, you can visualize it in any of the apps.

https://www.google.com/fit/

I find it interesting seeing how Fitbit (Alta HR) tracks heart rate and sleep. What I really wanted was just a rechargeable watch. The battery life is really good, I only recharge it maybe once a week. Yet with MyFitnessPal, Fitbit and Google Fit together, I was not able to lose weight like I needed to.

https://www.fitbit.com/activities

We are on a project now to get pregnant. One of the pieces of advice given was to adjust the macronutrient intake to greater than 25% protein and less than 40% carbohydrates. I had never paid that much attention to "macros" but it seems to have helped my body shed fat. The way it was explained to me is that you log everything you are eating into the MyFitnessPal app and then, click on the diary. Add your foods, then click on the pie chart icon.

MyFitnessPal: Nutrition, Macros, Day View

If you have not had enough protein before dinner, be sure to have a protein-heavy meal as your last meal of the day. But definitely consider adding protein to EVERY meal otherwise it will be impossible to achieve this result. I was relying on my own inspiration and creativity for a brief time in mid-March. It was getting disgusting trying to eat a chicken breast and 5 hard-boiled eggs every day.

Then we got a book in the mail called The IVF Diet, but I also refer to it as the "Garden of Eden" diet. You are taking lots of nuts and berries. At first glance, it seemed too complicated. There were too many ingredients. But I think that is why it is working. It is a diverse array of foods, with an emphasis on lean protein, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), omega-3 fatty acids, and colorful fruits and vegetables.

The IVF Diet: Week 1 Shopping List

The first week, we went to Whole Foods and filled up 2 shopping carts. It cost $350 which we thought would be too expensive to continue. What we found is that each subsequent week got easier. Many of those items last for a month or longer. We actually lowered our monthly food spending since we are eating at home and not getting takeout.

I would say that this could be a diet for anyone. When my doctor told me to "eat healthy," I did not know what that meant. I was so frustrated and disappointed with my unsuccessful attempts to lose weight by caloric restriction and exercise alone. So if you are stuck at a weight that is unsatisfactory for you, maybe it is time to consider tracking your macros.

FDA should finalize Sodium Targets, Although Lobbyists Disagree

Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash

 Too much sodium in the diets of Americans is unhealthy. According to the American Heart Association (AMA), the average American eats more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day. The recommended amount by the American Heart Association is less than 1,500 milligrams per day.



To make matters worse, when asked about the amount of sodium in their daily diet, respondents in one study could not estimate the exact (or approximate) number of milligrams of salt in their food each day. Further, the respondents thought that they were eating less than 2,000 milligrams per day.



In light of this revelation, the amount of sodium in Americans daily diets should not be solely in the hands of the consumers. What about the manufacturers of food? Why are these corporations not held accountable for elevated amounts of salt in their products? Congress has directed the Food and Drug Administration to address the issue of sodium reduction targets in foods sold in the United States. What is the status you may ask? 

Reporting from 'Politico Agriculture' suggests that there is a battle in Congress with lobbyists on one side and Sustainable Food Policy Alliance on the other regarding Sodium reduction targets in food:

Make way for sodium reduction? Health advocates and the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance have asked appropriators to make sure there's no language in the approps bill that could block FDA from advancing long-awaited sodium reduction targets (past bills have pumped the brakes). They also want funding to support sodium cuts in school meals, among other things.

The FDA has said it's preparing to release sodium reduction targets in the coming months, but the effort has sparked late-game lobbying from industry groups. The agency is now expected to finalize only short-term reduction targets, but the final details are unknown.

How much sodium will be in our daily diet? Will the FDA clamp down and ultimately set a lower amount of sodium in each product? Or will the Agency give in to the lobbyists who hit Congress hard and let the status quo exist without change?



Placing the daily sodium intake in the consumer's hand is difficult. Why? Sodium finds its way into foods by different ingredients. Below are different ingredients (chemicals - molecular structures) which contain sodium:

You may recognize the different molecules above as common ingredients in different favorite foods. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is the molecule responsible for enhancing the flavor of food - which tricks the body into eating more. Food packages sold in stores do not list all ingredient concentrations. Which makes determining the total amount of sodium in the daily diet difficult.



Although, armed with the list of sodium containing chemicals which are common in foods gives the consumers a fighting chance to curtail their consumption. Congress needs to act on the Food and Drug Administration to reach sodium reduction targets soon. Until Congress pushes the FDA to reach a goal, consumers should be vigilant about the amount of sodium incorporated into their diet. Stay tuned!



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What is the difference between General Anxiety Disorder and Trump Anxiety Disorder?

Source: Time Magazine

Note: This article originally appeared the blog site -- "Mike Thinks"




More people than are commonly thought to suffer from some degree of anxiety disorder.  You may be wondering what is the operational (psychiatric) definition of anxiety.  No worries, I will get to that shortly.  Recently, as in the past two years, research has shown that politics has played a major part in increased anxiety.  How?  A scientific study published in the Journal 'Science' titled "The effect of partisanship and political advertising on close family ties" showed that on average, families spend fewer number of hours together as a result of the division based upon differing political views in the current political climate.  Remember, the study was conducted after the election.  The current political climate has caused noticeable adverse changes in family dynamics.  How does one differentiate between anxiety based on events (politics) and anxiety which is inherent to each of us to some degree.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is commonly viewed as a sharpening tool to keep us alert to any threats -- a survival mode.   For a large percentage of people, anxiety is anything but a 'sharpening tool' and more often associated with feeling of 'excessive nervousness'.   Further, a certain amount of people suffer to a large degree from anxiety on a daily basis from carrying out their normal daily lives.  Which is concerning to say the least.  In order to understand the disorder which inflicts so many people without notice, an operational definition of General Anxiety Disorder is needed.



I just finished a book titled "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump," (organized and edited by Dr. Bandy X. Lee) -- a compilation of written works describing the symptoms which contribute to the informal diagnosis of President Donald J. Trump.  By discussing possible attributes/qualities of different personality and other mental health disorders, the contributors discuss the problems facing the United States along with President Trump.  Without violating the 'Goldwater Rule', the contributors focus on what electing a person with disorders says about the electorate (you and I).



As I just mentioned, the book had a number of mental health professionals contributing to the book.  The author who I would like to highlight wrote a chapter titled "Trump Anxiety Disorder" whose name is Jennifer Contarino Panning.  She is a licensed psycotherapist in Clarkston, Michigan.  The excerpts below are shown to help introduce an operation definition of General Anxiety Disorder along with distinguishing the newly emerging Trump Anxiety Disorder.  First, lets start with a definition of General Anxiety Disorder:

It is important to differentiate generalized anxiety disorder and Trump anxiety disorder.  The "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (5th ed.) (commonly referred to as DSM-V), is widely used among mental health professionals (American Psychiatric Association 2013).  It describes generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) as characterized by excessive, uncontrollable, and often irrational worry--that is, apprehensive expectation about events or activities.  This excessive worry often interferes with daily functioning, as individuals with GAD typically anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about everyday matters such as health issues, money, death, family problems, friendship problems, interpersonal relationship problems, or work difficulties. Individuals often exhibit a variety of physical symptoms, including fatigue, fidgeting, headaches, nausea, numbness in hands and feet, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, excessive stomach acid buildup, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, bouts of breathing difficulty, difficulty concentrating, trembling, twitching, irritability, agitation, sweating, restlessness, insomnia, hot flashes, rashes, and an inability to fully control the anxiety. 

The author goes onto state that these symptoms must be consistent and ongoing to be formally diagnosed by a physician for at least 6 months.  Moreover, that according to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 7 million Americans suffer from General Anxiety Disorder within a year....Wow!  Each of us have felt a sense of anxiety at some point in our life.  Whether that be preparing a work project or presenting a speaking event to a large audience.  That is typically normal anxiety associated with stress of planning.  Some people often have difficulty distinguishing between stress and anxiety.  Regardless, understanding the causes of anxiety or stress are important.



Which is why after certain events in time, new anxiety can be sourced to a different cause.  Although, the phenomenon on a larger scale calls for a different type of analysis.  Further, the type of anxiety causing issue at a national scale has been traced to a certain number of events.  These events have been surrounding the campaign/election of President Donald J. Trump.  Below, the differences along with the definition of Trump Anxiety Disorder will be highlighted.

What is Trump Anxiety Disorder?

As I mentioned above, suffering from General Anxiety Disorder is terrible enough on a daily basis.  Now, add in the unknown quantity of Trump Anxiety Disorder.  What is the difference between the two anxiety disorders.  Let's define it.  The author of the above excerpt, Dr. Jennifer Panning, goes onto describe Trump Anxiety Disorder in the same chapter as:

Symptoms associated with Trump Anxiety Disorder include: feeling a loss of control; helplessness; ruminations/worries, especially about the uncertain sociopolitical climate while Trump is in office; and a tendency toward excessive social media consumption.  In fact, the polarization that this has created has caused a deep divide between families and friends of differing political beliefs.  Trump's specific personality characteristics, and his use of psychological manipulation tools such as gaslighting, lying, and blaming, are described as contributing factors to Trump Anxiety Disorder. 

Trump Anxiety Disorder, albeit not a formal diagnosis, differs from GAD in regard to several measures. One difference is in the furation of time for the symptoms to develop.  The volatile events leading up to the 2016 election (i.e., false news reports, Comey's report questioning Clinton's ethics) were challenging in themselves, but many Americans were reassured by multiple polls (e.g., Silver 2016) predicting that Hillary Clinton would win the election in a landslide.  This led to a sense of shock and disbelief after Trump was announced as president of the United States. 

An additional symptom of Trump Anxiety Disorder is that symptoms are directly related to the uncertain sociopolitical climate.  An elevated stress level when reading articles about numerous topics--the Muslim ban, the threat/promise of disbanding the Affordable Care Act, tensions between the United States and North Korea, the possibility of Russia's having interfered in the 2016 election and Russia's financial connection to Trump, the US/Mexican wall, immigration issues, the defunding of environmental groups such as the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the defunding of medical research--is strong.  An individual impacted by Trump Anxiety Disorder may be directly impacted by one of these singular issues, have multiple concerns, or worry about the future democratic state in America given these issues.  Therefore, the ruminative worry associated with an anxiety disorder is specific to these events (Clarridge 2017).

Wow! After reading the above excerpt have you ever suffered from a small amount of Trump Anxiety Disorder?  I can easily see myself suffering from a fair amount of the same underlying attributes/sources defined under the Trump Anxiety Disorder.  Have you?  Many of the students from our university are showing signs of suffering from symptoms of Trump Anxiety Disorder.  On a larger scale, people around us are showing signs of symptoms too -- which is completely concerning.

Conclusion...

If you have ever had an anxiety attack or even felt a moderate amount of anxiety, I feel for you.  The symptoms above are real and have been felt by me at one point or another in my graduate career.  To have the added stress or symptoms associated with Trump Anxiety Disorder are even more concerning.  Especially since the latter anxiety is controllable -- he could have been not elected into office.  Instead, we have what we have and have to deal with what we have.



The first step in dealing with anxiety without any outside influences is to identify triggers and find solutions.  Once the triggers are known, then solutions can be found.  But with the added anxiety associated with Donald Trump is unfair.  Although, now with the election over and two years into the administration, the least we can do is to either ignore television and the online world all together.  Or, we can try to understand and move onto find solutions to deal with the current situation.  We might not be in control of other's actions, but we are in control of our own.  Distinguishing between normal anxiety and anxiety associated with Donald Trump will be beneficial in the future.




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Mike's Mental Awareness Journey Update: What happened to that wonderful workout routine? Flu season

Source: Affinia Healthcare

Did you get the flu shot this year?  I did not.  Have you caught the flu which is circulating around this season?  Did you know that there are multiple strains of a flu in any given season?  Why am I more susceptible than others to catching the flu?  These are questions which circulate in my mind when I am laying in bed recovering from catching the flu.  And from asking around in my circles of friends and family, I am not alone in thinking the same thoughts.  Why do I ask such questions?  Simply because I had a great work out regime in place and felt success only to be saddled down in bed recovering.  Have you ever felt these thoughts?

Why sickness?

Of all the reasons to be distracted from a newly gained work out regime, falling prey to the flu circulating is the last reason each of us desire.  Prior to catching the flu, I was working out in the 'High Intensity Interval Training' program offered by my university (my work) called 'Commit To Be Fit'.  I have written recently about the program.  Further, I had met motivational people like the instructor (and veteran) Alex Herrera - read about him here.  Life is good.



When a person get sick (my dad used to tell me), he or she is 'burning the candle at both ends' -- meaning not necessarily taking care of themselves.  I am no different and the way that the month of October was moving at primed me for catching the flu.   As I look back at the month of October, I can clearly see that I was wearing my body down by working out and adding new stressors to my life.



I had recently started engaging in trying out advertising on Facebook (through social media), which can be dangerous at times.  There are all sorts of stressors associated with adding new stress to your life.  Especially, if that stress has no avenue of relief.  I was under the impression, working out through my new found program would relieve the stress.  What I take away from this situation was the fact that each of us must find different ways to diffuse our stress - when stress arises.



There are many stressors in life.  Most people do not realize that upon recovering in bed while sick with the flu, we can still be stressed.  Yes, the possibility of being stressed while sick exists.  I try to tell myself and friends along with family, the best methodology each of us can apply while sick with the flu is to JUST REST.  YES, JUST REST.  Which is difficult to do at times - I admit.



Furthermore, the last lesson about sickness is that each of us need to let our bodies repair themselves on our own respective timeline.  My timeline toward recovery will be different from my wife's timeline.  I remember after feeling better, my wife (Kayla) started feeling sick.  I thought "great, now she is sick.  I gave her the flu and now will get the flu again after she recovers."  What a selfish thought.  Yes, I can be selfish at times too.



I remember after she was sick and recovering, she was talking to her father on the phone.  I was starting to feel better and ready to return to working out.  Although, at times, I did not feel great.  I thought to myself..."man, I feel like sh*t today" but I am getting better.  Anyways, Kayla was talking to her father and received less than positive news about her illness.



He stated that he just had gotten over the flu.  She asked how long he had been down with the flu.  He responded "for 3 weeks and I still don't feel great."  3 weeks.  3 weeks.  Oh My Goodness.  How long must I suffer was my thought after hearing his response.  Again, each of us have our own timeline to recovery.  The take home message was:



Each of us have an unrealistic timeline of our own recovery from any given flu!



Each of us would be much better if we would not fight the process of recovery from the flu.  I have difficulty with the recovery process just like anyone else would.  Although, I know that my body will need a certain amount of time to recover with no activity involved -- yes, just laying in bed.  I might not even eat.  Listen to your body.

Time to workout again?

When is the right time to return to working out?  That question depends on your own body.  What is more important than asking or answering this question is to not push yourself into returning if you are not ready.  Unless you find that you might be abnormally more lazy than the average person and need motivation to return after fully recovering from an illness.  But do not beat yourself up.  The result will be only to catch the flu again.  What?



Yes, the flu will circulate again a few weeks later and if you find yourself still burning the candle at both ends, will end up sick again.  What?  Yes, sick again.  Be careful.  Take care of yourself and try to manage any stress that enters your life immediately.  Even though managing stress comes with time, each of us must work daily in reducing stress in our lives.



Once you feel better, then try to return to your work out program.  If you show up one day and then do not feel well the next day.  Take a day off in between to let your body recover and get used to returning to working out.  Be easy on yourself -- but not too easy.   Listen to your body.  By doing so, you will return to working out and achieve your fitness goals more realistically and in a more healthy manner.  Until next time, have a great day.



Related Blog Posts:


Veterans In Education: Meet Alex Herrera!!!


Veterans in Education: How do veterans fare returning to school?


Mike's Mental Awareness Journey Update: Ever tried High-Intensity-Interval-Training (HIIT)?


20 Tasks to Simplify your Life