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Education
Education is the best Medicine since knowledge is power and can be used to improve your life in a myriad of ways.
You can't control what happens to you. However, you can control how you respond to what happens to you. The better you understand what is happening to you, the easier it is to make healthy choices that improve your life. This is why Education is the Best Medicine.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms
The symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can arise suddenly, gradually, or come and go over time. Sometimes symptoms appear seemingly out of the blue. At other times, they are triggered by something that reminds you of the original traumatic event, such as a loud noise, an image, certain words, or a smell. While everyone experiences PTSD differently, there are three main types of symptoms:.
Re-experiencing the traumatic event
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Intrusive, upsetting memories of the event
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Flashbacks (acting or feeling like the event is happening again)
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Nightmares (either of the event or of other frightening things)
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Feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma
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Intense physical reactions to reminders of the event (e.g. pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating)
PTSD symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing
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Avoiding activities, places, thoughts, or feelings that remind you of the trauma
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Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
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Loss of interest in activities and life in general
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Feeling detached from others and emotionally numb
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Sense of a limited future (you don’t expect to live a normal life span, get married, have a career)
PTSD symptoms of increased excitability
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Difficulty falling or staying asleep
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Irritability or outbursts of anger
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Difficulty concentrating
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Hyper vigilance (on constant “red alert”)
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Feeling jumpy and easily startled
Other common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
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Anger and irritability
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Guilt, shame, or self-blame
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Substance abuse
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Depression and hopelessness
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Suicidal thoughts and feelings
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Feeling alienated and alone
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Feelings of mistrust and betrayal
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Headaches, stomach problems, chest or back pain
Education Tip of the Day:
If you suspect that you or a loved one has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it’s important to seek help right away. The sooner PTSD is confronted, the easier it is to overcome. For more info go to www.helpguide.org
Why Should I Seek Help for PTSD?
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Early treatment is better. Symptoms of PTSD may get worse. Dealing with them now might help stop them from getting worse in the future. Finding out more about what treatments work, where to look for help, and what kind of questions to ask can make it easier to get help and lead to a better outcome.
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PTSD symptoms can change family life. PTSD symptoms can get in the way of your family life. You may find that you pull away from loved ones, are not able to get along with people, or that you are angry or even violent. Getting help for your PTSD can help improve your family life.
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PTSD can be related to other health problems. PTSD symptoms can worsen physical health problems. For example, a few studies have shown a relationship between PTSD and heart trouble. By getting help for your PTSD you could also improve your physical health.
Source: National Center for PTSD
Recommended Reading
"Unspeakable Truths and Happy Endings: Human Cruelty and the New Trauma Therapy" By Rebecca Coffey
Truths and Happy Endings traces the progress made by its author in learning to listen well to tales of trauma. These three threads -- survivor tales, expert commentary, and author's journey -- together bring a refreshing slant to the controversies about recovered memory.
How to buy the book - Click here
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Community Support heals wounds
Veteran Services Officer Michael L. Mennis
provides insights for returning Veterans and their families
Interview by: George Y. Pearson
Founder, Education is the Best Medicine
Michael L. Mennis, of the Alameda Veteran Services offices assists Veterans and their families with their Veteran Services applications. The organization was established in the early nineties to assist veterans understand the process. Currently the definition of a veteran is someone who has served for a minimum of 90 days.
You can count on Michael Mennis and his staff to help you deal with all the forms. The qualifications for eligibility are different for each assistance program. Veterans and their family or survivors of war victims are encouraged to receive the help they need. This war has been very challenging for the returning veterans and their family. Ask for help!
Anyone who is suffering from the ravages of his/her activities in the war should know about Michael Mennis. The VA offices are backlogged you will find the experience with Michael's office much better and more helpful.
His team knows the rules and they know how to go about finding out what is right for you. For instance: National Guard members will have had to serve over 90 days during war time. They are eligible regardless whether they were active enlisted persons or part of the national guard.
Especially if you are veteran who has developed a slightly negative attitude toward your entire experience, you may encounter problems when dealing with the VA on your own. Your frustrations and disappointment are typical reactions, you don't have to feel alone and abandoned.
You simply may not be aware of the assistance that is available to you. Or, you may not know how to go about getting it. Dealing with red tape after you just returned form a high conflict situation like Iraq or Afghanistan is too much for many veterans. There is a big difference between being deployed in a war torn country and having to deal with form after form. So be strong and ask for help. Don't wait until you are so frustrated that you want to harm yourself or others.
The Alameda County Veteran Services are free of charge. You may wish to distance yourself from the Veteran Affairs bureau after finally returning home. But perhaps you could greatly benefit from the assistance that you have earned through your service.
For instance you may wish to get a better education and as a result get treated more often and easier with the respect you deserve. There are six different GI benefits and each of them has different qualifications. The Alameda Veteran Services organization assists you in identifying the best programs and with your applications.
You may have had a frustrating experience trying to get assistance on the phone. The Alameda Veterans Services office will assist you. They have established relationships with the VA.
Instead of getting frustrated -- get in touch with the Alameda Veterans Services office. While the VA phone system has been upgraded it is still overwhelmed. You may end up with some VA persons in another country that you don't feel understands or cares about you. Instead of getting frustrated and giving up the assistance that you have earned and that is available to you and your family reach out to the Alameda Services office. The main office contact information:
Alameda County Veterans Services
6955 Foothill Blvd # 300
Oakland, CA 94605
(510) 577-3547
www.acgov.org
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrom
Symptoms, Treatment, and Self-Help
War exposes you to major traumatic experience. If you are having trouble getting back to your regular life and reconnecting to others, you may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
When you have PTSD, you might feel that you’ll never get over what happened or feel normal again. Help is available – and you are not alone.
If you are willing to seek treatment, stick with it, and reach out to others, particularly those who are knowledgeable and sensitive to the issues of PTSD for support, you will be able to overcome the symptoms of PTSD and move on with your life.
PTSD is a response by normal people to an abnormal situation
When trauma has shattered your sense of safety and your trust in humanity, it’s normal to feel disconnected or numb or even a little crazy – and most people do. The difference between people who go on to develop PTSD and those who don’t is how they cope with the trauma. You cannot choose if you end up getting PSTD. It is a bio-chemical reaction in your body. It doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you, it just means that you have been profoundly affected by the trauma. You can get better! It just takes time and knowledge.
After a traumatic experience, the mind and the body are in shock. But as you make sense of what happened and process your emotions, you eventually come out of it. With post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, you remain in psychological shock longer.. Your memory of what happened and your feelings about it are disconnected. In order to move on, it will be important to face and feel your memories and emotions in a safe environment.
Following a traumatic event, almost everyone experiences at least some of the symptoms of PTSD. It’s very common to have bad dreams, feel fearful or numb, and find it difficult to stop thinking about what happened. But for most people, these symptoms are short-lived. They may last for several days or even weeks, but they gradually lift.
If you have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, the symptoms don’t decrease. You don’t feel a little better each day. In fact, you may start to feel worse. But PTSD doesn't always develop in the hours or days following a traumatic event, although this is most common. For some people, the symptoms of PTSD take weeks, months, or even years to develop.
Education is the best Medicine
About George Y. Pearson, Founder, CEO and President of Education is the Best Medicine.
George Y. Pearson holds a degree from Stanford as a certificated licensed Physicians Assistant and has practiced for 25 years. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Behavior. George Y. Pearson has an avid interest in how organizational behavior can positively impact health care. He lectures and teaches around the country.
Physicians Assistants provide mid-level primary care, including evaluation, diagnosis, and medical treatment including writing prescriptions for common ailments.
AB3 passed in California on January 2008. The law expanded the scope of practice for Physicians Assistants as mid-level practioners.
Physicians Assistants, as mid-level practioner providers, are required to recertify every six years in order to maintain their national certification.
George Y. Pearson sees preventable medical conditions every day in his medical practice. He conceived "Education is the Best Medicine" to share much of the advice he gives to his patients. His hope is that you, the reader, avoid becoming a patient. He is well-known for creating huge volumes of knowledge and interviewin authorities in many fields of disciplines on behalf of Education is the Best Medicine. He realized that often a little knowledge and understanding can truly improve the health and lives of the patients. This is what motivated him to start Education is the Best Medicine. His experience includes:
• Evaluate, Diagnosis and Treatment of chronic and acute medical problems in diverse/multicultural populations
• Provide education, prevention and counseling to diverse multicultural populations
• Supervise, evaluate, counsel, train clinical staff
• Create and establish procedures, clinic guidelines and policies
• Preparation for and response to medical reviews and state audits
• Provide coordination, collaboration, assessment, and treatment using protocols and evidence-based medicine with supervisor on and off site. Provided coverage on weekends and evenings for a 5 clinic HMO.
• Specialty area of experience in ages 20-90 yrs of age:
• Primary Care of Internal medicine of Acute and Non-Acute mental health disorders:
o Geriatrics
o AIDS/HIV populations
o Addiction and abuse
o Correctional medicine
Go to Mission for more information MORE
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Community
Community is important for a healthy lifestyle. Whether you need information, fun, guidance, celebration, child care, support during challenging times, music, art, sports join us in our exploration of our wonderful community. Learn how you can become a valuable and important part of your neighborhood.
Community Tip of the Day:
Spring is here go outdoors and smell the flowers. Check with your local community about your local gardening program and if there isn't one start one. Studies show that gardening is a great way to relax. By improving the look of your community and the environment in which you live, you and your entire community will be able to enjoy it.
In Oakland’s community gardening program, residents of all ages, cultures and backgrounds steward equitably distributed plots of land to grow organic vegetables, fruits and flowers.
Community Gardening Volunteer Opportunities
Coordinator: Josh Amaris
250 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 3330, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone (510) 238-2197
jamaris@oaklandnet.com
Go to Intro for more information MORE
History
History shows you how the past can affect your behavior today - often without you even realizing it. Understanding your past empowers you to live well in the presents and shows you the way to a better future. Join us on a journey back through time guided by university professors, archeologists and historians. Learn where we come from and what has influenced us to become what we are today. Our history will bring our focus on why we are here today and how we can positively affect our future with today's actions.
Go to Intro for more program information MORE
The Veterans History Project
The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
Talking with others who "get it" or perhaps just reading their stories has found to be helpful to some veterans. It is hard to speak with people who never experienced anything terrible. While they may have heartfelt interest in you. Their attempt to grasp what you went through may naive. It may be frustrating to feel that you have to hold the horrors inside. You may feel that "NOBODY" understands you.
This website is proof that it isn't so. War left open emotional wounds in thousands of veterans. You may feel proud of your accomplishments. You may feel guilty about having had to do things to save yourself or your buddies - that in retrospect haunt your dreams. You are not alone!
Veterans History Project
Who We Are
Education is the Best Medicine, a 501(c) non-profit organization, is a charitable community based, health education, and advocacy resource organization. We strive to educate our audiences on how to use and find the knowledge and resources that are available. Our goal is to provide you with links to community resources. We show you where you can go for public access to media resources, faith-based and community health events and interview individuals who provide health information and education.
The organization targets everyone who wants to learn about what resources are available. This includes those that traditionally lack access, who are often medically under served, and at risk and especiallym the high-risk population in the Bay Area. The goal is to help. reduce and eliminate health care disparities through education. The focus:
- Bay Area counties
- covering local and national issues
- concerns from the community village perspective.
RioVida Networks is an international business consulting firm that specializes in conceptualizing and project managing marketing and media campaigns that brings corporations, entertainment, and non-profit companies together for mutual benefit.
Find out how you may wish to be involved and benefit of some of our current and upcoming projects.
RioVida Network is managed by Edie Okamoto who brings years of media and marketing experience and her many wonderful relationships to all her projects. Feel free to call her at 510-336-2636.
www.riovida.net
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