I Miss Going To School...

Category: Random Ramblings

I must say that I miss going to school...
I miss those sleepless nights munching nuts and gulping coffee while reading a tantamount worload of psychology and nursing textbooks...

Now, I am about to plan my future and I am at a lost..
I thought it was easy to decide when you have already two diplomas but I guess being at the fork of the road is the hardest time in my life given all the trials that came my way this year...

I am also overwhelmed my the endless possibilities and opportunities waiting for me..
I wish I could have someone by my side to give me a sound advice such as my beloved mother...
However, she is an angel now...

and in tough times like this I have no one to depend on but myself...
I know that with God's grace I can surpass all of these trials...

Written By: Lani Diana Santos

Date: June 25, 2007

My Mother --- God's Gift To Our Family

Category: Random Ramblings

( a story I wrote when my mother was still alive)

My mom was always there by my side. She was always there for me whenever I needed her. She helps me finish my homework, take care of me when I’m sick, feed me when I’m hungry and put me to bed. She sees to it that I study my lessons well. She also prays with me before I sleep at night. Mom was the best gift God had ever given our family.

But life wasn’t always a bed of roses. Time came when she needed me and my family too. I was twelve years old then and my younger sister was eight. We were too young to be tasked with a very huge responsibility during those times but we had no choice. Our mom was pregnant with our supposed to be third sibling but she was unhealthy and her blood pressure soared up. I don’t really know what happened that very day but my mom was in a coma for five weeks before she became conscious. She was unconscious during those five weeks. I don’t know how I could help her so I just held her hands and prayed with my sister and my dad.It was those times when God had tested our faith. Our mom had a 50-50 chance of survival. Our sister died in her womb after 3 weeks.

Mom was a very strong woman. She gathered up her strength and faith to survive. We were in despair but our faith was strengthened. We held on.Our mom awoke one day. She recognized us and called us to come beside her. She embraced us and enveloped us with her love for us. There were tears in her eyes. Those were tears of love and joy. God was really amazing. He gave her back to us because we still needed our mom.

Right now, mom has fully recovered. Our bonds became stronger than ever after that nightmare eight years ago. I love my mom very much and she loves me too. I can see her working hard just to send me to a good school. She always prays with me and she sets me a good Christian example. Mom was my best friend and my model. I always look up to her. She’s truly God’s gift to us. I just hope and pray to God that I will also be like her when I’m already a mom myself.

Is Alcoholism a Disease?

Category: Psychology

Yes, I think that alcoholism is a disease. It is something called a Substance Related Disorder. The craving of the alcohol is so strong that an alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. The person will eventually experience tolerance and withdrawal reactions ( Davison, 2001). His drinking becomes out of control. He has difficulty to stop the habit. His addictions becomes so strong that his whole life would be affected. In other words, he becomes disabled in some important area of his life. Alcoholism causes poor work performance, quarrels with family and friends, violence, aggressiveness and accidents while driving. According to Uihealthcare, alcoholism, like many other diseases, is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle. The following is an article from Uihealthcare which gave reasons as to why alcoholism has been labeled a disease.

ALCOHOLISM: A DISEASE

In 1956, the American Medical Association decided that alcoholism is a disease, however more than 30 years later this is still debated in certain circles. Besides the medical opinion, there are many others (e.g., legal, sociological, religious) which derive from any number of social pressures. For example, the Supreme Court recently decided that the Veteran's Administration could consider alcoholism an individual choice rather than a disease. This decision, in many peoples' opinion, was made because of the financial implication related to "Service-connected Disability" payments rather than the merits, or lack thereof, of alcoholism as a disease. This in only one example of the many biased opinions (including the medical one) on whether or not alcoholism is a disease.

What does support the concept of alcoholism as a disease?

There is an abundance of information. Alcoholism is often compared to diabetes. Most people are able to eat carbohydrates and metabolize them without difficulty, however this is not the case with people who have diabetes mellitus. Many years ago, we had no idea why people with diabetes got into metabolic difficulty but now we know that it is because of an intrinsic lack of insulin and that this is genetically determined. There is a list of progressive symptoms related to diabetes: polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, blurred vision, and nausea and vomiting are seen acutely. If the disease goes on untreated, then there is end organ failure disease goes on untreated, then there is end organ failure and patients with diabetes develop failure of their vision and kidneys as well as significant cardiovascular disease with heart attack and stroke. How does one treat this problem? The patient needs insulin and a very controlled lifestyle diet, exercise and very special attention to one's habits. This will at least slow down the progression of the disease.

The same concepts of "disease" apply to alcoholism, and the progression of the disease was defined by Jellinek and is shown on the attached was defined by Jellinek and is shown on the attached Jellinek chart. Alcoholism is a progressive and terminal disease if no intervention occurs. It is clear that alcoholism fits the definition of a disease, and there is additional supportive evidence of this concept based on recent research and literature.

References:
www.gmu.edu/facstaff/facultyfacts/1-1/alcohsm.html
www.uihealthcare.com/topics/alcoholproblems/ alco4133.html
Davison, G.C. and Neale, J.M. (2001). Abnormal Psychology. 8th edition. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Hypnotism: The Power Of Mind Over Matter

Category: Psychology

“You are feeling sleepy – very sleepy,” the surgeon said as he inserted the needle into the patient’s flesh. The patient was not anesthetized but instead, he was hypnotized and he felt nothing. How did that happen?

Questions started to whirl in my head as I continued reading the Reader’s Digest magazine in my hand. I stumbled upon several true to life stories and news reports about hypnotism, which caused me to develop a keen interest about it. So, it was because of this that I decided to do a research about hypnotism in our Communication 2 class. I started to visit websites, magazines and spent hours in the library to have a background information since I have a very little idea about hypnotism.

I found out that hypnosis is a method of alternative healing. It is a simple, natural state of focused concentration that can allow us to use our own tapped resources to overcome our bad habits and feed ourselves positive images that can have a profound impact on our everyday lives. We can do hypnosis with a therapist or we can do it ourselves, a technique called self-hypnosis.No one knows why, but hypnosis does seem to work for certain conditions. Scientists speculate that they clearly occur because of the connections between the mind and the body. Suggestions have the capacity to affect all the systems and organs of the body in a variety of ways.

Scientists also believe that most illnesses are rooted from the subconscious problems of the mind rather than from actual infections or injuries. According to Dr. Dabney Ewin, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Louisiana State University, “ In almost every medical problem people have, there is a significant overlay of anxiety and tension”. This is why hypnotism was found very effective in boosting athletic performance, like in the case of Mary Lou Retton. Time Magazine reported that Mary Lou Retton, an Olympic gymnast, do visualization before her events to achieve top performance, which is a form of self-hypnotism. Mary Lou always perfectly imagined in her mind her gymnastic routines and developed a positive attitude that she would win the game. The results, of course, were great performances accompanied by gold medals, prestige and wealth. When she was asked what could she advise the all the other athletes and aspiring athletes, she just smiled and said, “It is all down to the power of thought”.

Hypnotism was also effective in losing weight, developing positive outlook in life, stopping smoking and use of drugs, reducing pain, preparing people for anesthesia and enhancing memory and mind power. It can also be used for overcoming fears and phobias, eliminating emotional problem and depressions, overcoming insomnia, overcoming inferiority, and anxiety and other character disorders. It was also very helpful in treating psychosomatic diseases such as asthma, high blood pressure, impotence and migraine.

How does it work? Hypnotism works by the power of suggestion. While in a hypnotic trance, the client accepts everything the therapist suggests. The positive ideas and images in turn will be stored in his mind. So by the power of his mind and by thinking positively, the body is likely to follow. For example, the therapist might suggest a person with insomnia that he will be able to sleep peacefully through the night etc.

Hypnotism, if used properly, can therefore be helpful in healing psychosomatic illnesses that might affect us. Although very useful, it should go hand in hand with proper medical attention, a positive outlook in life and a strong faith in God, our creator.

Written By: Lani Diana Santos

Date: 2002

What are the possible family influences on Schizophrenia?

Category: Psychology News

The idea that families cause disturbed experiences, or more specifically that parents are responsible if their children have psychotic experiences, was popular in the 1960s. A term 'schizophrenogenic (schizophrenia-causing) mother' was even developed. These mothers were characterized as rejecting overprotective, self-sacrificing,, impervious to the feelings of others, rigid and moralistic about sex and fearful of intimacy (Davison et.al., 2001)

According to Davison (2001), aside from the influence given above, some findings also suggests that the faulty communication of parents may play a key role in the development of schizophrenia in their siblings. In connection with this, several groups of adolescents were studied with their families and consequently, the results showed that the hypothesis was significant.

Aside from the faulty communication of parents, another influence on the development of schizophrenia might be the high levels of conflict that exists within the family of the individual. In addition, the mistreatment of the family and lack of expression of emotion might also contribute to the disorder.

Recent research has suggested that, as with other problems, difficult family relationships in childhood and adolescence may be an important contributing factor for some people, but not all. It is unlikely that we will ever be able to say with any certainty exactly which combination of factors, in what proportions, has caused any one individual to develop psychotic experiences at a particular time.

However, research has revealed an important role the family can play in helping in the recovery of a person with psychotic experiences. In particular, attitudes of friends and relatives towards the person, and how they understand and react to the person's experiences are very important. They can also influence the extent to which the person is able to recover.

References:
Davison, G.C. & Neale, J.M (2001). Abnormal psychology. (8th ed.). New York: John Wiley
and Sons, Inc.
British Psychological Society web site. Available URL: mentalhealthcare.org.uk/schizophrenia/ causes/familyrelationships

Written By: Lani Diana Santos

Date: 2004

My Role As A Nurse At A Global Perspective

Category: Random Ramblings

A nurse is a health care professional, who is engaged in the practice of nursing. Nurses are men and women who are responsible (with others) for the safety and recovery of acutely ill or injured people, health maintenance of the healthy, and treatment of life-threatening emergencies in a wide range of health care settings.

I plan to be a culturally competent person who provides holistic nursing care to a variety of individuals, families, & communities. As a future nurse of the land, I plan to render my services for a few years in our country first before going abroad to help other people in their health care.

To be able to do this is a challenge because I am just a student now without an extensive knowledge or experience in the field. As such, to be able to be a nurse at a global perspective requires competency. To acquire competency, I should know how to integrate the cultural beliefs, values, & practices of individual, families & communities not only of Filipinos but of all the clients of different nationalities into relevant nursing therapeutics with increasing self-direction. Moreover, I should learn how to incorporate the culturally-tied health beliefs & practices to facilitate the client or the patient's abilities to maximize their own health potential.

And as what our professors have told us, nursing is becoming transcultural, meaning that the nursing practice will extend through human cultures. When we graduate, we should render efficient nursing care to all individuals irregardless of race, creed or nationality…That is my role as a nurse at a global perspective.

Three Things I Wish I Have Right Now

Category: Random Ramblings

Three Things I Wish I Have Right Now:

1) A Singing talent

I have dreamed to be a diva since I was a kid. I imagined that I was Celine Dion or Britney Spears singing their hearts out and being applauded by a great number of fans. I have thought about this idea all the time. I really longed for the their talent and their charisma every time they are on stage. It seems they have the magic of drawing their fans into them. Of course, that seems impossible so right now I have narrowed down my wish from being a diva to being just a person who knows how to sing. "Kahit na ano basta marunong lang kumanta puwede na yun", I told myself. You might be wondering why I am writing this down since I am supposed to write down a personality trait but I can't help but include this because I have been yearning this talent since I was a kid. I am a good dancer but singing is one of the things that I cannot do. It is one of my frustrations in life. But then again, nobody is perfect right? However, if I am given the chance to take up singing lessons again..I will. I want to join the singing searches someday. And better yet, I want to establish my own choir or singing group in a church and touch the hearts of the people by our wonderful melodies. That is one reason why I want this talent… I do not know if I can still acquire this since I am already an adult but I hope that someday I can help build a congregation. If not a singer, I'll be a pianist since I know how to play the piano.

2) A Sense of Humor

Humor is the mental faculty of discovering, expressing or appreciating ludicrous or absurdly incongruous elements in ideas or situations. It is something that we enjoy, and we derive amusement from it.

I wish I had more sense of humor. My mother always tells me to loosen up because I am very serious at times but I can't help it because I really have a serious personality. I told her I cannot change that easily. I try to joke sometimes but it doesn't always work. Only a few people laugh at my jokes which means I am not effective. However, my mother told me that taking serious things lightly can often give us a better sense of perspective. Laughing also releases pent-up emotional energy because it even relieves our stress and cure our illnesses. I told her I'll try to do so. Nevertheless, I sometimes envy other people who cracks jokes and laugh so easily. It looks as if they only take things nonchalantly. Also, according to my mother, it prevents headaches and forehead wrinkles from forming. Her advice?

• Read or listen to humorous stories or books- I like reading Pugad Baboy and jokes in the Reader's Digest.
• Try to remember a few jokes that you like and try telling them to your friends. - I am not very effective at this because I forget most of the jokes that I have heard. I am not good in remembering their jokes.
• Avoid jokes that can hurt or offend other people. A lot of jokers tell jokes about facial abnormalities, sex jokes/green jokes and other jokes that make other people feel bad. However, I sometimes ask why do we laugh at other people's absurdities or mistakes. Why do other people's blunder amuses us? That, I do not know.
• Learn to laugh at your own mistakes and blunders. Learn to laugh with others, enjoy and appreciate the things around you.
• Take things lightly.

Whenever you have a problem or something is bothering you, do not sulk in your room and fret. Just pray and laugh and you will realize that the solution is just there around you.
And so, I promised my mother that I'll try to have a good sense of humor in the future.

3) Patience

It is the ability to: Sit back and wait for an expected outcome without experiencing anxiety, tension, or frustration. It is also a feeling of peace, contentment, and satisfaction that you are on the path to recovery and personal growth.

I must confess that I am an impatient person. I do not want to wait for a long time. When I am made to wait for a long duration, I feel tense and edgy. I even feel angry. This is one of the reasons why I dropped all my job applications two months ago. Well, I thought that I graduated from a good school with a good course so why am I being made to wait. When I graduated, I applied for jobs. After two months without phone calls of acceptance from my target companies, I got impatient, stopped applying for jobs and enrolled in Nursing. When I enrolled, phone calls just kept coming. This is my tremendous lesson of patience but I have no regrets whatsoever. I learned that by being impatient I:

• Run the risk of always being dissatisfied, upset, and angry at myself for my slow pace of growth and change.
• Become a member of the "throw away'' generation, discarding relationships, people, jobs, and school whenever things are not working out as quickly as I want them to.
• Be in such a hurry that I neglect to count my blessings and see how far I have come.
  But how do I acquire or develop this positive virtue? Perhaps I should modify my spiritual perspective to include God as a guide on this journey. I should be ready and willing to face my challenges as my strive for personal growth. I should also live my life one day at a time and live my life to the fullest.

Written By: Lani Diana Santos

Date: 2005