June 21, 20074:11 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

CBT Workshops effective in encourage men with insomnia to seek treatment

Statistically, men seek out treatment for insomnia less than women. One approach that has been successful in dealing with this tread is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) Workshops. According to a study authored by June Brown, PhD, of King’s College in London, UK, their workshops attracted 111 men within a six month period, a large number, of which 50 percent had never approached their PCP about insomnia.

The importance of the study, in practical terms, is the creation of a renewed awareness of the reluctance of men to seek treatment for anxiety and sleeplessness in the minds of physicians, care pastors and others that men may commonly confide in. The following is an excerpt of an article from News-Medical.Net that discusses that study:

Despite the positive results that it brings in the treatment of insomnia, access to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been difficult given the limited awareness of CBT services amongst referrers such as primary care providers.

In addition to the low capacity among services to provide CBT, there is a gender imbalance, and men tend to seek help less frequently for their insomnia than women. The development and implementation of a CBT workshop is an effective means for getting men to seek help for the sleep disorder, according to research presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).

The study, authored by June Brown, PhD, of King’s College in London, UK, was based on the decision to offer men-only workshops with day-long psychological treatment for insomnia. Men could refer themselves to the workshops, which were run in leisure centers.

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4:08 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Ten tips to a restful nights sleep

Job stress, relationships, money issues can all cause trouble sleeping. Cognitive behavioral therapy in conjunction with prescription drugs is more often than not effective in helping people reclaim regular restful sleep. However, there are many practical things that one can do to to ensure a good nights sleep as well. Here are a few tips on how to get a good night’s rest from CBN Health’s Steve Arterburn:

1. Adhere to the three environmental basics of good sleep. First, be sure your room is as dark as you can get it. This may mean additional blinds, blackout curtains or a sleeping mask. Secondly, the room must be quiet. Additional drapes or a white noise sound equalizer may help. Thirdly, the room needs to be cool. The temperature should be 68 degrees or less.

2. Poor sleep is often a symptom of anxiety, worry, obsession, guilt, unresolved anger, depression and many other emotional and spiritual problems. Be sure that you are working to resolve any issues or heal any wounds that leave you tossing and turning. A vital part of the treatment of these problems must be surrendering them to God. Allow Him to handle and heal what is beyond your abilities.

3. Poor sleep often results from a low serotonin level. Serotonin may be replenished through eating foods that promote serotonin production. Turkey, dairy products, and bananas are examples of such foods. Secondly, there are supplements such as 5HTP that may be helpful. Others experience serotonin depletion due to a genetic disorder, which may require medication. Don’t eat protein late at night. It can keep you awake. Eat a light carbohydrate snack an hour or two before bedtime, like a muffin, to get the tryptophan you ate earlier in the day into your brain.

4. After dinner, take a walk or do some type of exercise, but remember to complete these at least 3 hours before bedtime. Exercise too close to bedtime can be over stimulating. Early exercise can help you relax.

Click here to read the entire list

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June 15, 20074:04 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

PTSD is taking its toll in the form of sleeplessness among men in New Orleans

During a presentation at the Associated Professional Sleep Society, Denise Sharon, M.D., Ph.D., of Tulane and the Sleep Medicine Center of the Gulf Coast, discussed some intriguing findings from her clinic’s post Katrina stats. According to Dr. Sharon, “Our data shows an increase in the number of male patients and insomnia complaints after Katrina, despite an overall decrease in initial sleep medicine evaluations…” During the four months before Katrina the clinic saw 21 patients for insomnia; during the four months after Katrina, and despite the dramatic decrease in population in New Orleans, the clinic treated 13 patients for insomnia. Out of those treated for insomnia during the first four months following Katrina, nearly half were men, highly uncharacteristic of insomnia stats. The following is an excerpt of an article from Med Page Today that speculates about the dramatic increase of insomnia cases among men in New Orleans.

However, Dr. Sharon suggested:

* More men than women are engaged in the cleanup efforts. The constant work in a polluted environment might be a factor in their sleep habits.
* Men who came back to New Orleans with their families may have returned not realizing that their work was no longer there — their place of business destroyed by the hurricane. She said these men actually now had time to come to the doctor’s office for long-delayed treatment.
* The fact that these men had lost homes, lost jobs, or lost family members, could have caused them to have sleep disturbances.

“The change in demographics for insomnia appeared to be a long-term phenomenon, Dr. Sharon revealed. She showed that in the period from Jan. 1, 2005 until August 28, 2005, there were 29 patients at the center, located about 10 miles west of New Orleans, who sought treatment for insomnia. Only seven of those patients were men — less than 25%.”

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3:46 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Faith Following PTSD

Recently, Larry King interviewed a Vietnam Vet hero, Allen B. Clark, author of Wounded Soldier, Healing Warrior. The interview surrounded the topic of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following wartime. Clark, recently retired from the North Texas VA system, is now an advocate on the behalf of soldiers for better post-war transitioning to VA-treatment and compensation systems. In his book, Clark recalls his personal emotional breakdown due to PTSD that ultimately resulted in an in-patient psychiatric stay. Clark tells that following his in-patient stay he found renewed strength from his faith in God. As a result, Clark now spends much of his time working with other vets in a ministry that helps soldiers with PTSD. The following is an excerpt of an article from the Dallas Observer that discusses Clark’s life and efforts:

On June 17, 1967, Clark was serving as a combat medic in a Special Forces camp in Dak To, a base in the so-called “tri-border” area where South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos met. Before dawn the enemy started shelling the camp with mortars. Running with his rifle in one hand and a radio in the other, Clark felt a “sudden jolting thud” knock him forward. A mortar had exploded about 18 inches behind him, sending shrapnel into his body below the waist.
“Oh, God, my legs, my legs! Help me!” Clark screamed. “Oh, God, I’m dead!”
Clark, a Dallas resident, lived through the attack but lost both legs from the knees down. He struggled through rehabilitation but eventually learned to use prosthetic legs to walk. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) took Clark much longer to conquer. Now he wants to take the lessons of his subsequent four decades to soldiers who have been wounded in Iraq.

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June 8, 20073:11 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

Managing Your Stress

The demands of life, if not managed correctly, can cause stress that can be crippling. Sometimes people assume that stress is more often than not a motivating force that enhances performance, increases productivity. However, unmanaged stress can actually cause the opposite. Job performance can drop off, relationships with friends left unattended. The good news is that there are several simple things that one can do to reduce and better manage the stressors of life. Taking the time to become organized, making lists, creating personal boundaries, segmenting your time are only a few things that one can do to help manage life’s stress. The following is a good list of stress relieving activities written by Linda Goldfarb of CBN health:

1. Pray often, multiple times a day. I have found, if we limit our relationship with God to a once or twice a day experience we miss out on a continual flow of His Grace and blessing. Prayer is communication with God, a way to develop a relationship. If we only speak to Him once a day, how can we truly know Him?

2. Make your daily resting-goal a minimum of seven hours of uninterrupted sleep. We don’t need studies to prove lack of sleep results in a less than desired effect on our health, work, and relational habits. We must be refreshed to be refreshment to others.

3. Lay out clothing the night before – an excellent habit to teach your children. If you find yourself standing in front of your closet for more than two to three minutes deciding what to wear, you can benefit greatly by organizing your wardrobe. Match outfits ahead of time, even down to the jewelry you will wear with it, and hang them all together. (This is a great tip from my friend Jill Swanson, an image coach). Guys, you can do the same with ties, socks, and shoes – never assume it’s only the girls spending time in front of the closet.

4. Say “No” more often. Burning the candle at both ends has become an acceptable pastime for all “Good Christians.” But living a multiple-wick life leads to early burn out. Getting our priorities straight — God, family, job, and other – will help in choosing which wicks to light. Just in case you’re asking, spending time at church every moment the doors are open does not fall under the “God” slot; it may be under your “job” slot if you’re a pastor or church secretary, but if not, it’s “other.”

Click here read all fourteen stress reducers

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June 5, 20074:00 pm
posted by Aric Thorpe, MHR

An integration of theology and psychology

Historically, there have been few efforts to incorporate spiritual theory with psychology. Two nationally recognized works authored by F. LeRon Shultz, The Faces of Forgiveness and Transforming Spirituality, address the issues of forgiveness and spiritual transformation from both psychological and theological perspectives. Pastors, Chaplains, and church professionals are invited to join us as Chaplian Bob Wester, MA MDiv, discusses this interdisciplinary approach to the issues of forgiveness and spiritual transformation in light of the works of F LeRon Schultz.

Click here to register for this free seminar online and to view other upcoming minister’s seminars hosted by Brookhaven Hospital.

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