Health Expert Amy Hendel shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/6898/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/6898/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/6898/index http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/93542/holiday-stress Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:55:00 -0500 Amy Hendel I love the holidays, especially the winter holidays. The leaves changing color, the chill in the air, the smell of fresh nuts roasting and pumpkin lattes (that's relatively new) and the thought that I am going to be with family for celebrations. Sounds like bliss, and it is for most of us, but the holidays can also be fraught with stress and tension and high standards that we set for our cooking and entertaining skills. Certainly, getting... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/93542/holiday-stress http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86532/parents-anxiety Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:46:00 -0400 Amy Hendel This is the final blog entry in my series on "back to school."  It doesn't matter if you are a first time parent sending your first child off to kindergarten or the parent of four, sending your last child off to high school.  The bond and love you have for a child can be truly challenged when you send them off to the alternative environment known as school.  Luckily for most of us, our kids will thrive in school, making friends,... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86532/parents-anxiety http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86531/high-school Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:43:00 -0400 Amy Hendel Drugs...sex....driving...these are just some of the issues you may be struggling with as you consider your new reality, "my child is entering high school."  You may be feeling very concerned, especially if you son or daughter already seems to be basing a lot of their own decisions on what their peers do or think.  You may be feeling like you're losing a tremendous amount of influence and control as your freshmen goes of to a larger... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86531/high-school http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86675/stress Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:27:00 -0400 Amy Hendel We typically associate stress with a bad week at work, finding out that something we assumed would be easy to accomplish is now fraught with problems, wanting something badly while the waiting period drags on.  Momentary stress can occur just before a public speech, going on a first date, during a first job interview.   You might call that feeling anxiety, and though the terms might sometimes be used interchangeably, there is a... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86675/stress http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86529/nervous-starting Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:39:00 -0400 Amy Hendel The following group of blog postings are address the very unique feelings that younger children, teens and parents can feel when September rolls around and school begins. First up - the little ones. Starting school for the first time can be extremely wonderful and magical.  It can also be a period of time fraught with anxiety.  Imagine what may be going on in your child's brain: Who's going to take care of me because mommy... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86529/nervous-starting http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86678/handling-stress Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:32:00 -0400 Amy Hendel It's easy to say, "Chill out, go meditate, take a walk and just shake it off."  But when stress entrenches itself in your day-to-day life, those recommendations can fall short of the kind of help you need.  Maybe you're a college student, maybe a soldier; maybe a single mother of 4, maybe a middle age man out of work for an extended period of time; maybe a cancer patient.  Though some techniques seem to work universally for most... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86678/handling-stress http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86530/kid-middle-school Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:40:00 -0400 Amy Hendel You're kid is thinking, "Wow - I'm in the big leagues now!!'  You're thinking, "How did my baby grow up so fast!!"  Middle school truly represents a huge milestone.  Often times, middle schools can be on a high school campus, which means your youngster will be exposed to the behaviors of much older teens.  Let's also not forget that middle school kids are typically beginning to develop physically and to lay their claim to... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/86530/kid-middle-school http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/74108/investigate-health Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:17:00 -0400 Amy Hendel Do you suspect that you may have an undiagnosed illness?  Did you go to the doctor for a screening, tests, and a professional evaluation, only to find that his diagnosis is "no disease," but you feel he missed something?  Have you developed new symptoms that do not seem to respond to traditional treatment?   It's called a medical hunch, medical worry or gut feeling, and in the case of our health, sometimes a persistent hunch may... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/74108/investigate-health http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/74102/health-anxious Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:41:00 -0400 Amy Hendel These days, people who engage in healthy habits, like planning their meals, watching sodium, fat and sugar labeling, finding time for daily fitness, getting health screenings and generally "taking care of themselves," are considered health champions....and that's a good thing.  Being aware of health dangers that lurk and being proactive in health is also a good attribute.  On the other hand, becoming obsessed and worried constantly... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/74102/health-anxious http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/73987/passing-depression Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:11:00 -0400 Amy Hendel Here's an important statistic - children of parents with anxiety disorders are up to 7 times more likely than others to develop anxiety problems themselves and children of depressed parents are at high risk of becoming depressed.   According to experts, depressed children are more likely to have trouble at school and are at increased risk for suicide or substance abuse.  Two recent studies, suggest that an intervention that involves... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/6898/73987/passing-depression