Needle Phobia

Fear of needles is a “specific phobia.” The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) lists a specific phobia as “marked and persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable, cued by the presence or anticipation of a specific object or situation (e.g. flying, heights, animals, receiving an injection, seeing blood)”.

There are several different phobias which fear of needles can fall under:  
Belonephobia: fear of needles 
Aichmophobia: fear of pointed objects 
Trypanophobia: fear of injections 

No matter what the name, however, needle phobia can cause problems when people avoid receiving medical care because of their fear. Today, the diagnostic process as well as preventive medicine regularly includes both injections and blood testing, both that require needles. One common symptom of needle phobia is vasovagal reflex (fainting and possible loss of consciousness), tachycardia (rapid heart rate or heart palpitations) or hypertension (high blood pressure), even at the thought of having an injection or blood testing. 


How do I know if I have an injection or needle phobia?

• If you have a marked, persistent, and excessive fear of needles. 
• If exposure to needles almost invariably provokes in you an immediate anxiety response. 
• If you recognise this fear is unreasonable. 
• If needle-sticks are either avoided, or endured by you with intense anxiety or distress. 
• The avoidance, anxiety or distress significantly interferes with your normal routine, occupational or academic functioning, social activities or relationships, or if there is severe distress about having the phobia.
 

Getting Treatment for Needle Phobia
Taking that first step toward treatment is not easy, but you can do it. You never have to go faster than you’re ready or do anything that you don’t want to do. Take on your phobia at your own pace through personal therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, clinical hypnotherapy, and other types of psychotherapeutic treatment, and slowly build up to being free from your needle phobia. Getting the help you need to conquer your fear of needles starts with a phone call to us (Psychologist Mr.Koo) now.



References: 
http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/disorder-types-273889-5_3.html 

Healthy Eating Plate

How acidic foods affect the body?

Read already? Yes, that's right.
So, how to correct high acid pH with high alkali foods?

Maintaining the correct pH balance in your body is very important to overall health. If your body's pH is highly acidic most of the time, you can increase your risk for a variety of diseases. A pH balance of 0 to 6 is acid, a pH balance of 7 is neutral, and a pH balance of 8 to 14 is alkaline. If you have been eating a lot of acidic foods, you can adjust the balance by learning how to correct high acid pH with high alkali foods.

Steps

1.Use a pH testing strip to test your pH balance. You can either test your urine or saliva. Test 60 minutes before eating a meal and 2 hours after eating. This will give you the best range of pH. Test twice a week.

• Testing the pH of your urine will show how well your body is able to remove acids and maintain optimal amounts of minerals that protect the body from becoming too acidic. The "buffer minerals" include sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. If you are acidic, then your body is not doing a good job at using the minerals to protect against the acid, because there is too much acid in your body. For a healthy range, your urine pH should be between 6.0 and 6.5 when you test in the morning, and between 6.5 and 7.0 when you test in the evening.
• Testing the pH of your saliva will help show digestive enzyme activity in the body. For a healthy range, your saliva pH should remain between 6.5 and 7.5 all day.

2.Eat a variety of alkaline foods. This might include green juice, vegetable juice, fruit juice, garlic, berries, oranges, bananas, kale, pumpkins, squash, peas, green tea, and most other fruits and vegetables. These foods may help reduce the acid in your bloodstream and should be a major part of correcting pH balance with food.

3. Change your diet. Eat more alkaline foods and less acidic foods. Acidic foods may include meat (animal protein), dairy, wheat, rice, and cranberries.

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4. Check your medications, as certain medications can cause your pH balance to be acidic. If you are not sure, speak to your doctor. If the medication is necessary and you cannot avoid it, you may help combat the acidic pH by eating alkaline foods.

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5. Monitor your stress level, as stress can be a cause of acidic pH balance. If you made dietary changes and included less acidic foods in your diet and still notice a high acid pH balance, stress could be the culprit. Utilize stress reduction techniques to help reduce acidity.

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Do you know?

• The amount of acid in a food does not reflect how it will impact the acidity of your blood. For example, highly acidic lemon actually helps the bloodstream become more alkaline.
• Most people benefit from eating a diet comprised of 75% alkaline foods and 25% acidic foods.

All retrieved from http://www.wikihow.com/Correct-High-Acid-pH-With-High-Alkali-Foods