Imagine - Issue 11

imagine May 2015 FREE

IMPOTENCE A MANS WORSE NIGHTMARE! What to Do

If you STRESS MANAGEMENT Happen to Fall in LoveADVICE With Two BEST FOR Men at the Same Time

PANE ALLA BIRRA E SEMI

FINDING YOUR OWN STYLE

LOOKING AT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO GET YOUR LIFE BACK AGAIN

BREASTFEEDING IN PUBLIC

CHANGING YOUR ATTITUDES TO COMBAT DEPRESSION YOU ARE THE KEY

BEER GRAIN BREAD

ACUPUNCTURE AS H A REMEDY FOR G FA BACK PAIN AB

TOP 6 TIPS TO CONSIDER SELF ACCEPTANCE WHAT TO DO

La mia kitchenette TOP NOSH FROM THE ITALIAN LADY

FEATURES 04

Best Advice For Breastfeeding in Public

LIFESTYLE 08

Impotence A Mans Worse Nightmare!

10 Acupuncture As A Remedy for Back Pain

FOOD & DRINK 12

La Mia Kitchenette

WELLBEING 16 Changing Your Attitudes to Combat Depression 20

Top 6 tips to consider acceptance

FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to May issue of IMAGINE. Coming soon will see the release of my second book on depression. This practical guide to managing depression with Mindfulness will help you understand your depression, identify solutions to your problems, and maintain your gains and avoid relapse. Managing Depression with Mindfulness is a practical guide to using Mindfulness based CBT to demolish depression by identifying and correcting negative thought patterns, recognising the destructive power of ruminative thinking, confronting problems • Helps you understand depression and how it develops • Shows you how to understand your mind and how it can be your friend and your enemy • Gives you tried-and-true CBT techniques to combat your depression The pre order option will be available shortly via amazon.co.co.uk.

Payments are much easier from you devices when paying for services at CBT in the City

Editor In Chief Matt Broadway-Horner, matt@imaginemagazines.com

Associate Editor Susie Smith, info@imaginemagazines.com

Contributing Writers Dawn Callery & Patrick Anderson

Contributing Writers Elisabetta Ludica & David A Griffiths

Art Director Pradeep De Silva pradeep@imaginemagazines.com

CBT in the City via iPhone & iPad

Graphic Artist Wayne Thomas & Jaie Miller

Circulation Officer Brian Morton brian@imaginemagazines.com

Sales Officer Rosangelie

http://www.imaginemagazines.com • 3

Best Advice For Breastfeeding in Public Best Advice For Breastfeeding in Public

by Dawn Callery

The advice on breastfeeding seems to flow thick and fast. Please forgive the pun. Some advice is often quite prescriptive; particularly to new mothers in the beginning, from well intentioned and busy midwives. Often the best advice comes from other Mums who have been there recently and learnt from their experience. Forums such as mumsnet are often invaluable sources of frank and honest advice.

They may have slightly different feeding patterns, or yours may have a bigger appetite than others!

Photo by Wayne Thomas

If you read just some of the posts, the main thread of advice that comes through is; relax, take the prescriptive advice with a pinch of salt, let baby take the lead a bit and don’t get stress about it! After all, the alternative is far from the end of the world!

It is important to know that babies are individuals. They may have slightly different feeding patterns, or yours may have a bigger appetite than others!

Newborns can cluster feed in the evenings. Feeding all night for the first few weeks doesn't mean they've got night and day mixed up and is actually not to bad a situation, because night is when

levels of hormones are higher and it helps get breastfeeding established. Also, wear a sleeping bra, but make sure it isn't too tight or you could end up with mastitis.

One of the main initial problems women encounter when breastfeeding is latching on. There are many sources of advice on this, not least your midwife, and it is wise to establish that the baby is latched on properly and is getting milk before you leave the hospital. If you are unsure what you are doing is working, don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.Then comes the issue of feeding in public. After all, baby

does not know when you are meeting a friend for coffee or sat in the doctors waiting room waiting for a check up. This can be another substantial source of anxiety and another reason why mums choose to stop early on.

This need not be the case though. It is virtually impossible to organise your life around feeding times and therefore it is best to be more relaxed about it and just be prepared. There are many products available that can assist mums (and their babies) to gain confidence in the early days of breastfeeding in public.

6

www.imaginemagazines.com

!

The breastfeeding cover (or apron) is one such product. These covers can work well throughout your days of breastfeeding in public, particularly as baby gets older and is more prone to distraction. The breastfeeding cover / apron creates a nice cocooned environment for you both. This way, if you do feel a little self conscious when breastfeeding in public, you can cover up using an apron. Many mothers use cloths but this tends to not be as comfortable for the baby, and as a mother, you lose eye contact with the baby and cant check as easily whether they are feeding well.

Advice comes from all directions when you are a new mum, and much of it seems contradictory. It can be a great strain when you are worried about doing the right thing. Probably the best advice is to listen but in the end, judge what seems to be right for your baby.

About The Author Dawn Callery is a mother who understands the pressure on mothers to breastfeed. As owner of Freedom Babe, she strives to oer innovative, tried and tested products designed to make life easier for new mothers. The is the first in a planned range of products available from Freedom Babe.

Impotence A Mans Worse Nightmare!

by Patrick Anderson

Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction (ED) is a mans inability to achieve or maintain an erection. This is a condition that is rarely talked about amongst men but can have a devastating effect on a mans confidence and self-esteem. This can subsequently lead to depression which only serves to aggravate the condition further.

Unfortunately, impotence is a very common problem and affects over 2 million men in the UK alone.

In fact, over half the male population over the age of 40 will suffer from some form of impotence at some stage.

Despite these statistics, only

a small number of men, about 10%, will seek medical assistance due mainly to feelings of embarrassment.

Many medical doctors will prescribe chemicalised drugs, such as the blue pills to combat impotence. These are of course, not without their side effects. Most young men in their 20s or early 30s dismiss erectile dysfunction as something that will never happen to them. Yet ED is a condition that can be caused by a number of factors.

Psychological - This is often the laymans reason for the number one cause of impo-

tence. Yet according to studies, psychological factors account for less than 20% of impotence in men. It is the subsequent feeling of depression and anxiety after one incident of impotence that can compound any underlining medical condition and worsen the problem.

High Blood Pressure - Aside from psychological factors, physical condition can also precipitate impotence. It is well documented that high blood pressure and high level of cholesterol can lead to a high risk of impotence.

Although some men find stress to be a motivator, too much stress and fatigue can lead to erectile dysfunction.

This is due to the copious amount of pressure on the blood vessels that causes damage to the arteries of the penis severely restricting the flow of blood to the penis resulting in an ineffective erection.

Stress and Fatigue - This one falls into the category of psychological. Although some men find stress to be a motivator, too much stress and fatigue can lead to erectile dysfunction. Stress can be in the form of financial, sexual, work or relationship and this can cause erectile problems.

Fatigue is normally the result of stress that can zap a persons physical and mental energy. Once the cause of stress or fatigue is resolved, then any erectile challenges should also be resolved.

Excess Weight - Over weight is seen as a contributory factor to increased level of impotence. Excessive fat blocks the arteries in the penis which restrict the flow of

blood to the penis resulting in difficulty in achieving or maintaining an erection.

Strokes - Most men who suffered strokes normally complain of lack of sexual desire and erection problems. It is important that stroke sufferers should immediately seek medical advice upon any indication of any erectile dysfunction whatsoever. Erectile problems after a stroke are not normally permanent.

Treatment- Impotence is a very real and serious concern for the majority of men at some stage in their life.

The causes range from the psychological, to the physical such as high blood pressure. There are preventative actions that one can take such as regular exercise, adequate sleep, reducing levels of stress and consulting your doctor as soon as possible.

Most causes of impotence can be identified and treated.

Many medical doctors will

prescribe the little blue pill or other similar ED drugs to treat impotence. Unfortunately, these are not without side effects. So it is not surprising that millions of men are turning to 100% naturally herbal alternatives to treat erectile dysfunction. As natural herbs have no side effects, the benefits are unsurpassable such as increase in energy, libido boosting and treatment of impotence. So, dont allow impotence to become your nightmare! If you have been struggling with issues raised in this article then contact Matt BroadwayHorner at CBT in the City on 02074671508 About The Author Patrick Andersonn is an expert in issues affecting mens' sexual health and wellbeing.

He is an advocate for natural and herbal solution to men's sexual health problems.

Acupuncture As A Remedy for Back Pain

by David A Griffiths

If you suffer from back pain you probably would not consider acupuncture as a treatment until you have exhausted many other alternatives. However, acupuncture is a type of ancient Chinese medicine that's been around for over 2,500 years and throughout this time it has been used for back pain relief, increasingly so in these modern times.

While it is not traditionally a part of western medicine, nowadays your doctor is quite likely to send you for this treatment if you are suffering from back or neck pain either persistently or due to accident or injury. If you are going to have this therapy you may want to know a little about how it works. The general belief is that the body has 20 energy flow patterns called meridians or pathways.

Through these pathways it is thought that the life force or vital energy flows, this is known

as the qi (it is pronounced chee) and is considered to be essential to maintain good health. There are over 2,000 points on our bodies that connect with these pathways and it is at these points which the hair-thin needles are inserted, this is done in varying specific combinations depending on the treatment required.

These actions are believed to either correct the flow of qi or to reinforce it.

Even though it cannot be proven that this works as a type of pain relief, it is thought that as a result the central nervous system is stimulated. Most patients say that they get a pins and needles sensation on the insertion of the needles and indeed into the duration of the treatment, which usually lasts about 15 to 30 minutes. Some people report that they feel energised or even very relaxed so it appears as if the effect can be is somewhat different depending on the individual.

The acupuncturist will use up to 20 metallic needles during a treatment session and the depth they are inserted is dependent upon the area, deeper muscular or fatty areas need more penetration and the scalp for example would be just below the surface. The practitioner may turn the needles one way or another depending on what they are trying to achieve, in my personal experience they were turned on insertion, then again about half way through the treatment.. At no point is the treatment painful, there is a mere sensation of the needles going in and they do not feel sharp at all, this is because unlike needles used for injections, an acupuncture needles tip come to a smooth point without sharp edges. They are also very thin, about 20 times thinner than a hypodermic needle. In my ex-

perience the most troublesome part of the treatment is lying in the same position without moving for up to 30 minutes, especially if you suffer from back pain or similar. Although there are many medical experts who believe acupuncture is an effective way to treat certain conditions such as back pain, there is no true consensus. Some adhere to the theories of qi and meridians whilst others attribute acupunctures benefits to the biological changes that are brought about in the body as a result of treatment. Needless to say there will always be the sceptics who deny that acupuncture has any effect at all, but in my opinion if you are suffering from ongoing back pain it is certainly worth trying.

La Mia Kitchenette Pane alla birra e semi Beer Grain Bread

I often make my own bread at home, experimenting the various ways of turning a simple loaf into a more exciting piece of baking. Very few things compare to the aroma of bread baking in the oven and the enjoyment of slicing a freshly baked loaf, with the steam still exciting whist you cut. When walking in a supermarket or any other food store, I am drawn to the baking isle. I absolutely love looking at the many flours on the shelves. Breads doesn't need to be just a 'plain loaf' and it can become something that little unusual simply by adding a few ingredients that add taste to it.

I picked up some seed & grain flour the other day, which contained wheat, barley flakes, kibbled rye, sunflower seeds, millet and linseed. It sounded very interesting so I happily bought it and went home to bake some good rustic bread. I opened my kitchen cupboard and there they were, a mountain of different grains and seeds for me to choose from so I added pumpkin, more sunflower and some fennel seeds. And to top it all and give an even more distinctive malty flavour...I added Pale Ale! The result was amazing!

For one plait I used: 500g Seed & Grain Bread flour 1 sachet (7g) dried yeast 15ml sunflower oil 1tsp salt 300ml Pale Ale

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 7.

1. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil and yeast and stir well with a fork before adding the beer 2. Add the other seeds and mix well to form a soft dough 3. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and start kneading with your hands until smooth and elastic

4. Cut the dough in two and roll into long sausage like shapes.

Pinch the top of both and overlap them to form a plait 5. Sprinkle with more seeds. Place on a lightly oiled oven tray and cover with oiled cling film 6. . Leave to rise in a warm place until double in size for a couple of hours 7. Remove the cling film and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown 8. The bread is ready when it sounds hollow when tapping underneath. Bake for another 5 minutes if not 9. Remove and serve warm Tip: Add seeds to your taste and herbs, if you wish.

Tip: Add seeds to your taste and herbs, if you wish. as lasagne

!

By Wayne Thomas

!

Slow down in this stressed free world and try developing self compassion rather than self esteem? For info call Matt 02074671508

Wayne Thomas is a Photographer, Videographer and Mentor based in London, using art to bring out the best moments in life.

Changing Your Attitudes to Combat Depression

by Brian Thomson & Matt Broadway-Horner

▶Rebalancing your life more healthily ▶Developing positive attitudes and thoughts ▶Rejecting negative attitudes

Depression doesn’t simply occur when tough, difficult or miserable things happen in your life.

Plenty of people suffer from serious depression when nothing significant appears to be happening to them, and looking on you may think ‘What have they got to be depressed about?’ On the other hand, perhaps you know someone who overcomes one tragedy after another while remaining positive.

So, you may well ask, ‘What’s going on and how do they manage that?’

The answer is what scientists call the attitude effect; in other words, depressed people tend to suffer from depressive attitudes. When something good is happening in their lives, their attitudes may be ‘This isn’t going to last’ or ‘Why can’t I enjoy this?’ Equally, when something negative occurs, they give the event a lot of attention and see it as proof that life is miserable.

Rise above depression with CBT

In this article, we provide you with suggestions for improving your life skills so, as a result, you can improve your attitudes. I help you to recognise where your attitudes may be holding you back and lead you into encouraging a positive outlook and tackling negativity.

Working on these skills begins to put you back on track for a happy and fulfilling life.

Making and Maintaining Positive Changes The truth is that if you want your life to be different, you have to change it. To overcome your depression and get your life back on track, you need to take charge and start to change things, one at a time. You want to rise to new challenges, and planning how you’re going to overcome difficulties helps you to avoid that helpless, hopeless feeling.

Often when you’re depressed, certain aspects of your life are out of balance. In this section, I show you how to rebalance your life more positively. And because you also need encouragement to make changes and stick with them, I detail the advantages of recording your progress so you reinforce your determination to implement positive changes in your life.

If you’re struggling to think how best to respond to a particular situation, ask yourself how a happy, confident person would respond in this situation. Then try taking that action.

Often when you’re depressed, certain aspects of your life are out of balance

you don’t need a doctor to prescribe it for you.

Research shows that rebalancing your life with healthy activities is the most effective way to combat depression.

A healthy, balanced life is made up of several aspects:

Balancing your life

✓ Food: Ensure that you’re getting a good amount of healthy food and a balance of different foods. Vary your diet instead of just eating the same food every day. And avoid comfort eating – it doesn’t work anyway!

One of the most effective antidepressants you can experience doesn’t come in a pill, and

The current guideline daily amounts (in the UK) are 2,000 calories for women, 2,500 calories for

men, and 1,800 calories for children aged 5–10. ✓ Mental stimulation: Anything that requires mental concentration can help: try a crossword or any puzzle, or challenge yourself to memorise all the planets in the solar system or anything else that interests you. Start small, say ten minutes of concentration, and then work up until you can manage an hour of mental activity every day. Minutes of concentration, and then work up until you can manage an hour of mental activity every day. ✓ Physical exercise: This exercise doesn’t have to be in a gym or require fancy equipment but should last for at least one hour each day. The physical activity can be walking, gardening, housework or anything that raises your pulse by at least 30 beats per minute. ✓ Sleep: Too much sleep can make you depressed, so aim for eight hours a night. If your depression itself is making you tired, acknowledge this fact as a sign that you don’t have enough activity in your life and as a result the qual- ity of your sleep is poor.

A good motto is: ‘When you wake up get up, and when you get up wake up.’ If you follow this simple advice, your sleep will improve and you will eventually restore your sleep– wakefulness balance. ✓ Social activity: Everyone needs to feel that they belong somewhere; humans are social animals and without com- pany and someone to talk to can’t be entirely happy. If you feel that the people you know haven’t got time for you, join some social activity and seize the opportunity to make some new friends (I talk more about this aspect in the later section ‘Becoming more friendly’). ✓ Work–life balance: The old saying ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ is good advice.

Make sure that you have a good balance of activities in your life. Too much rest and inactivity is even worse than too much work, so get active today. After you’ve earned it, enjoy some restful relaxation (as I describe in the later section ‘Relaxing when you deserve it’).

Keep a diary of pleasurable things you experience every day: look for, write down and remember the small pleasures in life. Don’t fall into the trap of all-or-nothing thinking; instead, strive to retain a balanced view of your events and experiences.

Keeping track of the evidence Depressed people often find that discounting the positive is all too easy. In fact, when you’re depressed you can fail to see any evidence that you’re improving or making progress. Instead, you tend to focus on the negative feelings that you’re ✓ Ask friends or relatives to let you know whether they see any improvement in you. Believe it or not, they often detect progress before you do.

Don’t discount their opinions by saying ‘They don’t understand how I feel’ or think that they’re just being fooled because you’re more active.

Trust your friends and family to help you.

Any progress in the way you’re behaving leads to an improvement in your mood. Just give it time.

.

Accentuating the Positive: Skills to Combat

Depression When depressed, you may want to bury your head in the sand and ignore your difficulties in the hope that they will disap- pear – but don’t. This attempt to avoid the problem never works and in fact robs you of valuable experience and the confidence and selfrespect that come with that experience.

To be happy, you need to experience the full range of opportunities life has to offer.

Feelings of success, failure, happiness and misery all add to your life skills and make you a wiser, better person. Overcoming setbacks increases your confidence and your ability to think positively – as long as you’re willing to experience what’s on offer.

Many of your life skills and attitudes deteriorate with depression, so rising above this tendency is important, as well as working on rebuilding the parts of your life that have been affected. Practise the positive skills that I describe in this section and get to work on tackling your depression.

The activity itself isn’t what’s important, but your attitude while doing it. Make sure that you adopt a positive attitude when practising each skill.

Many of your life skills and attitudes deteriorate with depression, so rising above this tendency is important, as well as working on rebuilding the parts of your life that have been affected.

Mindfulness courses: Online: Anytime Anywhere

Self acceptance Style Top 6 points to check out how self accepting you are

1.

Your a fallible human being who is allowed to make mistakes. Being human is filled with many meetings, thoughts and actions: its not possible to be careful of all of them; some balls have to drop Drop the rating game.

It does you no favours.

It used to be about esteeming yourself and counting all the good things about yourself. Now what counts is being compassionate to self and others; give it a go

2.

3.

Lets not damn the whole self. If you dented your car would you replace the whole car?! NO so don’t do it to yourself; just repair the bit thats needed

4.

You will always feel inferior its a fact: There is always some one else who knows more that you, thats just life.

You will know more than others and other will feel inferior to you too.

Welcome to the food chain! and welcome to the community and remember we need each other.

5.

Checking in with others: If your unsure what they said just then? Ask them with the opening phrase of; “sorry did you mean” or” Can I just check I got that right…” .

6.

You are on a process of self actualisation.

The job is not finished until the day you die. So don’t stop at the first hurdle; pick yourself up and dust your knees and try again….

Out in June!

This practical guide to managing depression with Mindfulness will help you understand your depression, identify solutions to your problems, and maintain your gains and avoid relapse.

Managing Depression with Mindfulness is a practical guide to using Mindfulness based CBT to demolish depression by identifying and correcting negative thought patterns, recognising the destructive power of ruminative thinking, confronting problems • Helps you understand depression and how it develops • Shows you how to understand your mind and how it can be your friend and your enemy • Gives you tried-and-true CBT techniques to combat your depression

Insomnia and the city Cognitive Therapy For Sleep problems

SLEEP REMEDY PROGRAM weekend intensives

8 week course

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS

1

Sleep clinics: Harley St: Anytime Anywhere Southgate: Anytime Anywhere St Albans: Anytime Anywhere Online: Anytime Anywhere

速

速