Art Therapy for Children with Asthma

Children who suffer asthma attacks have their anxiety reduced by participating in art therapy, according to a recent study. The results seem to indicate that art therapy might have benefits for children with any type of chronic illness.

An excerpt from the release:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 7 million American children, or nearly one in 10, have asthma. The breathing disorder is a leading cause of school absences.

For children, “simply thinking about past asthma attacks can bring on feelings of anxiety,” the authors write, and anxiety can either precipitate an episode or worsen an otherwise mild one.

In art therapy, children work with crayons, paints, and other materials, guided by a therapist to express feelings that they may have trouble communicating in words.

“It’s not about painting pretty pictures,” Anya Beebe, an art therapist at the National Jewish Health in Denver who led the study, told Reuters Health. “It’s about helping people go deeper, and using art as a process to express and release their feelings.”

June 5th, 2010 | Tags: anxiety, Art Therapy, asthma, asthma attacks, children | Category: Art Therapy | Comments are closed

Surfing Exercise Programs – Get Fit While Riding Waves at the Beach

Surfing is a very physically demanding activity, so following a surf fitness program is a great way to drop pounds and get in shape. There are many types of surfing exercise because surfers must have strong upper and lower bodies, solid cores, and good cardiovascular fitness. There are plenty of exercises you can do outside of the water, and then you can follow them up with actual surfing. What could be better than getting fit while riding waves?

Check out this article for more ideas on fitness training through surfing exercise:

… did you know that there are five dimensions to surf fitness? That’s five different types of exercises to help you get the most out of your precious time in the water…

The Five Types of Surfing Exercise

1. Cardiovascular: while brute strength has its place in surf training, you also need to be able to endure long periods of exertion …

2. Core stability: … almost all of your time is spent resisting the force of the water, so it’s critical for your abs and back muscles to be in good shape…

3. Upper body: you use your chest and shoulders quite a bit while surfing, especially when paddling and when popping up to ride a wave…

4. Flexibility and mobility: … will allow you to accomplish more on your board. You can do simple stretching exercises almost anywhere, and yoga is an option for a more structured activity…

5. Lower body and balance: strengthening your lower body will help you balance on your board and make more advanced moves … Examples of lower body surfing exercises are squats, lunges, hip abductions and adductions, and calf raises.

To learn even more about the five types of surfing exercises, including details on training schedules and specific drills, see this comprehensive surf fitness program developed by a licensed trainer.

May 28th, 2010 | Tags: cardiovascular exercises, core strength, strength training, surf fitness, surfing exercise | Category: Fitness Training | Comments are closed

Yoga and Mood Disorders: The Ancient Practice Might Help People with Anxiety or Depression

Yoga, with its combination of mind, body, and spirit, might provide an answer for people with mood disorders such as anxiety or depression. It appears that yoga helps increase the brain chemical GABA, which often is at low levels in people with mood disorders. Here is an excerpt of a news article about the link between yoga and depression:

The study involved 19 people who practiced Iyengar yoga, a type of Hatha yoga, and 15 people who walked at an average pace for one hour, three times a week, for 12 weeks.

Participants filled out standard mood questionnaires throughout the study. MRI images of their brains were taken at the start of the study and at the end of the 12 weeks. Then, participants did one more hour of yoga or walking, depending on which intervention they’d been assigned to, followed by one more scan.

The people who practiced yoga reported greater improvements in mood and greater decreases in anxiety than the walking group.

Also, GABA levels showed a trend toward an increase in the yoga group from the second to third scan, but not in the walking group.

Streeter tells WebMD that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) commonly used to treat depression and other mood disorders also increase GABA levels.

Although the study only involved people without psychiatric problems, this suggests that yoga postures may be helpful in treating people who have depression or anxiety and have low GABA levels, she says.

May 26th, 2010 | Tags: anxiety, depression, gaba, mood disorders, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs, yoga postures | Category: Yoga | Comments are closed
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