Newsletter - June 2009
Welcome to our June Newsletter I hope you find something interesting and useful in this edition. If you would like something specifically relating to your particular problem, then please do not hesitate to contact us on anxietyalliance@googlemail.com
Everyone is under more stress now, with the fear of losing jobs, homes and having to cut back on what, a few months ago, we took for granted. The same applies to charities. It is very difficult for us to find funding so we cannot expand in the way we would like, Therefore it is a wonderful thing when two people run the London Marathon, and are sponsored by so many people.
Marcus Head has run the marathon three times, and this year his brother Alistair joined him. Alistair was kind enough to write the following article for us to include in this newsletter.
For the last three years I have entered in to the ballot for a place in the London marathon, but all three times I failed. My luck changed in January when my brother Marcus (who works for Unilever) forwarded me a company email offering late places. I jumped at the opportunity and within 24 hours I was registered and accepted for the London Marathon 2009. The only problem now was training, it was 14 weeks to the marathon and a good training plan needs at least 10 weeks.
At Christmas I had gone for a few 40 minute runs, and my old ITB (runner knee) injury had come back so I had to rest my knee for 4 weeks. During this time I consulted a friend who is a physic and started doing exercises every morning and every lunch time to build up my leg and hip muscles in an attempt to prevent the ITB returning. In early February I cautiously returned to the treadmill to see how my knee felt…everything was fine! Over the next month I ran twice a week in the gym (interval and pace training) then at the weekend I did my long runs, by the end of March I was ready for my first competitive run with my brother. - 21 miles in total. I made 3 miles before my knee felt uncomfortable then I had to walk back into town. My ITB was back. This was a bit of a blow as the marathon as 6 weeks away and to date my longest run had been 2 hours.
For the next 6 weeks I visited an ex Chelsea Sports doctor and physic (thank god for medical insurance) to try and relieve the ITB, but no matter what I did it wouldn’t go away and I couldn’t train. The only option was to have local anaesthetic injections into both knees on race day. At this point I was very frustrated as I had done everything by the book. I had built my training up slowly, I had stretched every day, I had done weights every day, I had even rested when instructed, but it seems like I am not built for long distance running.
The night before the marathon I was very concerned that I wouldn’t make it around the course although I really wanted to finish the marathon with my brother. If I was able to run, I dreamed of completing the course in less than 4 hours, but given my lack of training this seemed only a pipe dream.
On the morning of the marathon I had the injections in both knees and headed to the celebrity start with my brother full of excitement and in trepidation. We watched Sue Barker interview Ronan Keating, Kate Lawler, Gordon Ramsay and Katie & Peter Andre, before taking our place in the starting pens. At 9.45 we were off.
We set off at an 8 minute 30 pace, running side by side and soon past Jordan and Peter after a few miles. For the first 16 miles we continued at a constant pace and everything was going well, then we both hit the wall as we turned into the Isle of Dogs. The remaining 10 miles all past in a bit of a daze when Marcus seemed to suffering I was getting a sugar rush from the gel, when I was suffering, Marcus was getting a rush!! Around 23-23 miles we past Gordon Ramsay who was walking and I offered him some encouragement with a pat on the back (although the pat was more of a slap as I was running and not very co-ordinated at this point) The final straight along the Embankment seemed to go on for ever and I was running from one water stop to the next, matching Marcus’s strides. I thought I was matching my brother but we were actually matching each other and keeping each other going.
With 3.45 on the clock we turned in to Parliament Square. It’s at this point I new we could do the marathon in sub 4 hours. We picked the pace up slightly as we both knew the finish was in sight, as we turned into the Mall I pulled out the Saint Georges cross I had been carrying and we held it between the two of us as we enjoyed the excitement and atmosphere of the finish. 3.50.58 after crossing the start I finished the London Marathon, extremely happy and extremely proud to have done it with my brother.
Our sincere thanks to Alistair and his brother Marcus for the time and effort they put in to train and run the London Marathon, and raise money for Anxiety Alliance. All the money that they raised will be put towards training volunteers and running the self-help groups. If anyone has any other ideas of how to raise funds for Anxiety Alliance we would like to hear from you. We are looking for fundraising volunteers so any help you can give will be greatly appreciated.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
Now the summer has arrived (at least we hope so) we can put away all those winter clothes and try on our summer ones. The only problem being that we’ve probably put on weight over the winter and spring and things don’t fit us quite as well as we’d hoped!! So we go on a diet, do a little exercise and things will be fine. However, for some people this is not enough. I’m not talking about Anorexia though, or Bulimia, but the other problem that many suffer from, and that is body dysmorphic disorder. Most of us are not keen on one part of our body, perhaps we have too many freckles, or we think our nose doesn’t look right. We have straight hair and want it curly, or we have curly hair and want it straight!!
BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) is a preoccupation with an imagined, or slight defect in physical appearance. It affects males and females and can start at any time, although early adulthood is most usual.
To find out if a sufferer has BDD the following questions may be asked:-
Are they concerned about their appearance or some part of their body
Do their worries preoccupy them to a great extent
Do they spend a great deal of time thinking about their "defects"
Does this problem cause a great deal of distress or pain
Does the problem interfere with their social, work, or home life.
Does the problem cause avoidance of things or places or people
Other symptoms may be:-
Frequent comparison of the sufferers body with that of others
The checking their appearance in the mirror
Using excessive make-up, or clothing
Seeking out cosmetic surgery
Seeking reassurance constantly
Excessive combing of hair, or shaving
Avoiding mirrors of all kinds
Touching, or picking skin
Feeling self-conscious with other people.
People who suffer from muscle dysmorphia are preoccupied with the appearance of their body as a whole and the sufferer may dedicate themselves to becoming body builders. This does not mean, however, that all body-builders suffer from BDD. It has been known that this type of disorder can lead both men and women to concentrate so much on gaining muscle that they give up both their social and work life.
Little is not known exactly how disabling BDD can be because it varies from a little to a lot. Many sufferers find it difficult to form relationships. It can make regular employment or family life impossible. Those who are in regular employment or who have family responsibilities would almost certainly find life more productive and satisfying if they did not have the symptoms. The partners and family may also become involved and suffer greatly because no matter how reassuring they are, the sufferer does not believe them. Which make life difficult for all concerned.
There has been very little research into BDD. but in general terms, there are two different levels of explanation - one is biological and the other is psychological. A biological explanation would emphasise that there may be a genetic predisposition to a mental disorder which may make it more likely for them to develop BDD. Certain stresses or life events especially during adolescence may precipitate the onset. Once the disorder has developed, there may be a chemical imbalance of serotonin or other chemicals in the brain.
A psychological explanation would emphasise low self esteem and they judge themselves almost exclusively by their appearance. They may fear being alone and isolated all their life or being worthless. They may therefore demand perfection in their appearance and an impossible ideal. Paradoxically, by paying the excessive attention to their appearance they develop a heightened perception of it and become increasingly accurate about every imperfection or slight abnormality. In the end there is a big disparity between what they believe they should look like in their ideal, and their own heightened body image. The way they avoid certain situations, check their appearance and conduct other rituals then perpetuates the condition and maintains their excessive attention on themselves.
Treatment is available for sufferers no matter how long they have had this problem, help is available. Anti-depressants such as SSRl's which include Fluvoxamine, Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Paroxetine and Clomipramine can be helpful and significantly relieve the symptoms and therefore diminish the preoccupation and anxiety.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is also available. Which is based on a structured programme of self-help so that the sufferer can learn to change the way they think and act. Their attitude to their appearance is obviously crucial as we can all think of people who have a defect in their appearance, and yet are well adjusted because they believe that their appearance is just one aspect of themselves.
It is therefore crucial to learn alternative ways of thinking about their appearance and recognising that beauty is subjective. They also need to confront their fears without camouflage and to stop all rituals such as checking and excessive grooming. Like all phobias facing up to the fear gets easier and easier and the anxiety gradually subsides. The idea is to begin with small steps and then gradually working up to more difficult ones, and with the help of relaxation the anxiety at each step will be easier to manage.
There is no need to suffer from this form of anxiety disorder because help is available to you from various sources, so see your GP and talk things over. We do have a fact sheet available if anyone is interested.
ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES.
There are various forms of alternative therapies available to help relieve anxiety disorders, the most common are hypnosis and acupuncture. However, before considering either of these it is important to see your GP first, and also to remember that they do not always work. Not everyone finds that either acupuncture or hypnosis will cure their problems, and both of them can cost quite a lot of money, unless you find that they are available on the NHS for your particular problem.
HYPNOSIS
In theory hypnosis is a deep form of relaxation whereby you can become focused on suggestions that may help. You are always in control and will not be forced to do something that you do not want to do.
Hypnosis does involve going into a trance-like condition, this means that the conscious mind is suppressed that your subconscious mind comes to the fore.
The therapist can then suggest ideas that could well help you to overcome your problems by setting the seeds of positive change. It is a case of trying to change your subconscious mind which is the part of your brain which prevents you from succeeding and keeps hold of the fear.
You must want to change your behaviour towards the stressful situation for hypnosis to have any effect.
ACUPUNCTURE
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years and it works be the insertion of needles in to channels of energy which then stimulates the body’s own healing process. There is no actual scientific evidence that acupuncture will work however many people have felt it useful in dealing with stress.
If you want to try either of these alternative therapies then make sure you contact registered therapists, your GP should be able to inform you of practitioners in your area.
Alternatively you can contact several organisations over the internet, such as the
British Acupuncture Council at http://www.acupuncture.org.uk,
and the British Medical Acupuncture Society ad www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk.
For hypnosis, then you can contact either the Hypnotherapy Association at http://thehypnotherapyassociaction.co.uk
or the hypnotherapy directory on http://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk
There are self-help books and audio tapes and CD’s available for hypnosis, but again, please make sure that they come from reputable organisations or societies.
Have you read a sefl-help book that you have found useful? then please let us know and we can pass the information on to other sufferers. Alternatively, if you have found ways of coping, we would be interested in hearing about them as well.
