Understanding Hypochondria or Health Anxiety (Lifestyle Therapy)

News for health anxiety on Monday 9 May 2011

Source: www.hypochondria.org.uk

Susan Leigh is Counsellor and Hypnotherapist who works with clients suffering from stress and anxiety related issues. This article is the notes from a BBC Radio interview on January 26 2010.

Many people have times in their lives when their health becomes an area of concern. Some people do not want to know anything further and ignore it, sometimes to their detriment. Other people focus in on every twinge and symptom, fearful that some deadly disease is lurking to imminently take a hold. The truth is, if any of us read the first page of a book of medical symptoms we would probably relate to many of them. Good health is being able to find a sense of balance and proportion in these matters.

Many people have heard of someone who waited too long for treatment or was mis-diagnosed and became seriously ill. The fear of this happening to us can, in some people, become a major pre-occupation. This reaction tends to happen more often with people who have responsibilities, like a young family or older people who rely on them. The fear of leaving dependant people uncared for and vulnerable can weigh heavily on their minds and they may well become obsessed with their own health. The readiness of internet access for these people exacerbates the problem, as typing in symptoms and health issues is now the second most researched area on the internet, the first being pornography.

Hypochondria is now known as Health Anxiety. Its roots are often deep seated. Maybe insecurity as a child, or being surrounded by a lot of illness and feeling that that was an inevitable part of becoming an adult featured. Other people may have had a lot of attention as a child because of fears and concerns over their own health status. They may continue to seek that attention for reassurance.

These underlying issues can then be triggered into an anxiety state in adulthood by stressful situations. The need to be in control of a situation and the fear of not having full control can cause the fears to surface and so begins constant doubt and checking to ensure that everything is okay.

This situation is often compounded by the shame, self-disgust and reproaching that occurs when everything is constantly revealed to be fine physically. Many hypochondriacs are ashamed at being so self absorbed when others in the world are having far greater 'real' problems. The fact is, they cannot help having their fears and anxieties. It is not a choice, but an anxiety condition. Here are some effective treatment options:

• Counselling and Hypnotherapy are an effective combination in dealing with the original causes of the problem, healing them and then reinforcing confidence, control and a positive outlook for the future.
• Self hypnosis and visualisation techniques teach skills that can be used in stressful situations to support good health and coping strategies.
• Emotional Freedom Technique is a meridian therapy that works by tapping parts of the body to free blockages and break patterns and cycles of negative behaviour and conditioning.
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps in understanding the triggers, behaviours and patterns and teaches more productive ways of managing anxiety, rather than repeating the unwanted behaviour.
• Anti-depressants can help elevate a persons' mood and raise them out of a depressive state into a healthier more balanced state of mind. From there they can use counselling to address the underlying issues behind the problem.
• Neuro-Linguistic Programming has many different techniques to help break patterns and chains of behaviour.

There is certainly help out there and finding the most effective way for each person is a personal choice. Suffice to say, this problem has its roots in trying to take good care of the sufferer, trying to look after them and keep them well. There is help that can achieve that result in a more constructive way and help the person achieve a better quality of life. 


POSTED BY MARTHA ORFEO, Ana Lobato´s class

Severn Suzuki: Speaking at UN Earth Summit 1992

Raised in Vancouver and Toronto, Severn Cullis-Suzuki has been camping and hiking all her life. When she was 9 she started the Environmental Children's Organization (ECO), a small group of children committed to learning and teaching other kids about environmental issues. They were successful in many projects before 1992, when they raised enough money to go to the UN's Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Their aim was to remind the decision-makers of who their actions or inactions would ultimately affect. The goal was reached when 12 yr old Severn closed a Plenary Session with a powerful speech that received a standing ovation

Ana Lovato's Class

Noelia Rotundo

Codex Gigas: The Devil’s Bible

In the early 13th century, a book came into existence that mystifies the literary and theological worlds to this day. Not much is known about this manuscript called the Codex Gigas (Giant Book).  Many legends and myths have grown around its origins.  That this book has created so much speculation is not shocking.  The very appearance and content of the Codex, also called The Devil’s Bible,  are as mysterious as the quandary of its creation.  It holds the distinction of having once been regarded as the 8th Wonder of the World.
The Codex Gigas is the largest Medieval Manuscript in the world.  Bound within a leather covered wooden folder, ornamented with metal, the giant book is 92 cm (36.2in.) tall, 50 cm (19.7in.) wide and 22 cm (8.6in.) thick.  It originally contained 320 pages, however 8 were removed by unknown hands for unknown reasons.  Weighing in at an incredible 165 pounds, the vellum (calf or donkey skin) pages were created out of approximately 160 animals.

So, who wrote this Giant Book?  It is believed to have originated from the Benedictine monastery of Podlažice in Bohemia in what is now the Czech Republic.  Attributed to a Monk known as Herman the Recluse, the records in the codex end in the year 1229.  Legend has it that good old Herman was a monk who broke his monastic vows.  As punishment, he was sentenced to be sealed alive into the walls of the monastery.  In an effort to circumvent said sentence, Herman vowed to create a book to glorify the monastery for all time.  The book was to contain all vital human knowledge.  He promised to complete this book in one night.

He set about his task, but as the witching hour approached, Herman became convinced that his goal was unattainable.  Rather than praying to God for mercy as a good monk should, he made a plea to the fallen one himself….Satan.  Of course being the agreeable fellow that he is, Satan completed the book, and Herman showed his gratitude by adding the now infamous illustration of the Devil himself.  Of course, the Devil then possessed poor Herman, who was then forced to add a number of exorcism spells within the Codex in an attempt to exorcise himself.

Of course legends are funny things.  It seems that the legend about Herman making a pact with the devil is more likely a mistranslation of the word inclusus, which rather than meaning “walled up alive”, more literally means choosing to live a solitary life.  However, as experts have analyzed the book, it does appear to have been written entirely by the same hand, and is not beyond belief that perhaps Herman was commissioned to write the Codex as a form of punishment. But it certainly took him more than one night.  Scholars estimate that the book would have taken a minimum of 25-30 years to complete, including the time taken to rule the pages, write the text, and complete the illuminations and drawings.

Besides a desperate attempt at exorcising his own demon, what else did Herman put withing the wooden covers of this massive tome?  Well, it contains the entire Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, except for the books of Acts and Revelation. It also contains mystical medical formulas for anything from treating fevers and epilepsy to resolving practical issues such as finding a thief.

Noelia Rotundo

Assessments on students learning languages

Performance assessments versus traditional assessments

Traditional assessments are “tests” taken with paper and pencil that are usually true/false, matching, or multiple choice. These assessments are easy to grade, but only test isolated application, facts, or memorized data at lower-level thinking skills. Traditional assessment provides little evidence of what a language learner actually can dowith the language.

In order to evaluate what a language learner can do with the language, a student must be evaluated using various performance tasks and assessments.

Performance assessments include authentic assessments, alternative assessments, and integrated performance assessments.

Learners must use more complex, higher-order thinking skills. They must reason, problem-solve, or collaborate with others to produce individual responses. Rubrics, provided ahead of time so learners know their expectations, are used to evaluate students on multiple competency levels.

In Herman, Aschabacher, and Winters, 1992, alternative assessment, authentic assessment, and performance-based assessment “require students to generate rather than choose a response.”

Alternative assessments focus on the students’ strengths — what they can do — allowing the teacher to choose an appropriate assessment for students with different learning styles, maturity levels, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and other characteristics that could affect language performance. While one student may choose to write a response, another student may perform better in a role-play situation.

Although paper and pencil tests can be effective when assessing listening and reading comprehension skills, they are not appropriate assessment methods for performance skills such as speaking and writing. In a balanced assessment program, a variety of assessment techniques should be incorporated into daily instruction.

Authentic assessments combine the traditional academic content with the knowledge and skills needed to function appropriately in the real world. The context, purpose, audience, and focus should connect to real-world situations and problems.

Performance-based assessments require the learner to perform in realistic situations. Students participate in specific tasks, interviews, or performances that are appropriate to the audience and setting.

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/linguafolio/6305

LEARN NC is a program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education. It provides lesson plans, professional development, and innovative web resources to support teachers, build community, and improve K-12 education in North Carolina

GLOSARY

Authentic assessment: it seeks to evaluate students' abilities in "real-world" contexts, including the application and demonstration of skills and knowledge to tasks or projects likely to be encountered in adult life.

Alternative assessment: Assessment that measures student learning in forms other than traditional pencil-and-paper tests.

Performance tasks: concrete tasks or activities as opposed to standardized multiple-choice tests.

JOANNE MAÑÁ

Forbidden Books

The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie epitomizes contemporary book censorhip. The novel was published by Viking Pengüin in 1988,  causing a bitter controversy between the Western priciple of freedom of speeh and Muslim's outrage. Indeed, in 1989 the UK and the Iran broke diplomatic relations over the Rushdie incident.
After the first book was published, the author became the target of a FATWA ( a death sentences issued by the Muslim clergymen), whereby all pious muslims were urged to assassinate Salman on charges of heresy and apostasy.
In fact, all the controversy may have been caused by a mistranslation of the title into Arabic. "Verses" was translated as "ayat", which is the arabic for "the verses of the Coran" ( exclusively!).Thus, the novel was seemingly denoting that the entire Coran was satanic.
Most of the translators that worked on the novel were systematically murdered but Salman and his family became "intelectual and polititcal" refugees in the UK.
After the FATWA was issued, most Muslims countries prohibited the book. To the contrary, both in the UK and the USA the novel garnered critical acclaim immediately and, to date, the book has been an all-time best seller in the history of Viking Publisher.

Discussion topic: EXAMS

Exams Are Unfair Assessments Of Progress

Most educators believe that exams are the best way to judge a student's ability. They believe that students' ability can be judged depending on the marks or grades that students get in the exams. They also think that studying for exams can help students review and absorb the things they have learned. Actually, many people hate exams because they disagree that exams are realistic tools for rating progress. The three main reasons for me to believe that examsare unfair assessments of progress are: the effects of pressure, the reliability of the exam result and the purpose of study.

First of all, exams cause too much pressure for students. Some students commit suicide before they take an exam because they do not have self-confidenceto face to the exam. Some students commit suicide after their exams because they can’t get good marks in their exams and they can not stand the pressure of their parents. In addition, many students usually forget all of the things that they have already learned when they are taking their exams because they are too nervous, but they can remember all the things again after they finish their exams. Also, many students suffer insomnia because they are too worry about their exams. They do not have enough sleep, so they can not do well in their exams.

Secondly, the exam results of the students are not reliable. Some students cheat in the exams. For example, they just copy the answers from their cheating papers to their answer sheets. Although their answers are correct, they do not really know the answers. Also, some student guess what questions might appear in the exams and only study that part of the course material. They can get good results in their exams without studying hard if they are lucky. Furthermore, many students get poor results in the exams because they do not have enough time to finish the exam papers, but not because they don't know the answers. The marking standard of examiners is also very unsteady. Sometimes, the marking standard might depend on the emotion of the examiners. Last of all, the original purpose of studying is distorted. It is not the right way that people only study for exams. The worst thing is that people do not do anything else except studying for their exams. In conclusion, I agree that exams are unfair assessments of progress because the pressure caused by exams is too large, the result of exams is unreliable and the purpose of studying is misunderstood. I this that day-to-day work done by students is a fairer way for rating progress.

LINK: www.oppapers.com/.../why-some-students-cheat-in-exams-page1.html

CUPEI FCE - Yamila´s students
Posted by Micaela Bocci

BOOK'S FAIR

Here  we are , after the gorgeous conference Ms Walkely and Mr Collingridge  from UK gave at the Book Fair. From left to right Mariana,Yamila, Paola, Pat and Micaela adn Joanne 2-5-11