Health, Mind, Body & Soul

ANXIETY

SEEKING REFUGE IN ART

A CONVERSATION WITH CARLOS SEVAN GARZA

COVID-19 SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

SELF EXAM FOR CANCER

health MIND, BODY & SOUL

KNOWING WHAT TO DO

SERVING FRIO & LA SALLE COUNTIES

MAY 2020

health Mind, Body & Soul A Special Publication of the

FRIO-NUECES

CURRENT May 2020

COVID-19: What to Know 2-3 Understanding Depression 4 Fidget Mats: Simple, Effective 5 Self-Exams: Detecting Cancer 6 Childhood Anxiety: A Personal Story 8 Refuge in Art from Adult Anxiety 10 Insomnia: Cause & Effect 13 Mumps: It’s Preventable 14 Publisher Craig Garnett cgarnett@ulnnow.com Production Manager Lonnie Herrera lherrera@fncnow.com Managing Editor Manuel Azocar III mazocar@fncnow.com Editor Marc Robertson mrobertson@fncnow.com Business Manager Kasie Gonzales kgonzales@fncnow.com Advertising Sales Tony Perez tperez@fncnow.com Staff Writers Breyana Segura bsegura@fncnow.com Teresa Villarreal asktencha@gmail.com

Frio-Nueces Current

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COVID-19: It’s time to get real A message from Mary Moore, PA

O

Breyana Segura Frio-Nueces Current

ne of South Texas’ most well-known physicians’ assistants is speaking out this month on the very topic that is on everyone’s mind: the ongoing threat of a potentially deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Mary Moore is not only a healthcare professional; she is also the mayor of Pearsall. Her community work has given her clear insight into the many issues that affect local residents daily, not least of which is the virus.

Today, Moore spends her time calming fears, issuing strict cautions and level-headed professional advice to her fellow South Texans.

“COVID-19 is very contagious and people may actively spread the disease before they even show any symptoms fo infection themselves,” Moore says. “The virus can incubate in a person for up to fourteen days before they even develop their first symptom.”

The virus, far more contagious than influenza, commonly know as the flu, has run rampant through larger cities due to people downplaying its seriousness. Moore applauds the governor and local government for their attempts to rein in the pandemic by enforcing preventive measures.

“Wearing masks, social distancing, washing your hands and self-isolation are essential,” the physician assistant says.

Moore refutes the idea that the virus only targets the elderly and the weak, citing data that shows the majority of patients requiring assistance from a ventilator are those in the 20to 50-year-old range.

No one is safe or immune from the virus, she says.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the virus is spread through droplet and airborne transmission. Researchers have found that the virus can remain suspended in

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air for up to three hours and can remain active on surfaces for days.

“This means you can get the virus from just talking to someone,” Moore says.

Moore acknowledges the similarities in symptoms between the flu and COVID-19 but she says there are critical differences as well, including the death rate.

“I tell people to ask themselves the following questions: Does the annual flu require mandatory quarantine of millions of people and basically make the economy of the richest countries come to a halt; does the annual flu require the construction of new hospitals or the conversions of stadiums to house infected people; and does the annual flu require lock-down of an entire country to slow the spread?

“The answers to all are a resounding, firm, no,” she says.

COVID-19 AND YOUR BODY Due to the complexity of the symptoms and the way the virus affects people differently, experts are continually gathering new data.

Despite how much remains unknown, medical experts know for sure the virus enters the body through the mucus membrane of the eyes, nose or mouth. Once inside the body, the virus begins replicating. As it multiplies, the

(See VIRUS, Next Page)

“I understand the frustration this pandemic has caused...”

^Virus (From Previous Page) infected person may shed copious amounts of the virus, especially during the first week.

Symptoms may be absent during that stage of the infection.

An infected person will soon develop a fever, dry cough, sore throat, loss of smell and taste, and begin to have body aches. This is known as the incubation period.

As the virus continues to infect the body, the victim will begin to experience more severe symptoms that include confusion, shortness of breath, chest pain, bloody urine, severe vomiting and diarrhea.

“It gets more serious than that,” Moore says. “It can affect the brain by causing headaches and seizures,

redness of the eyes, heart problems that mimic a heart attack, kidney failure to the point the patient needs dialysis, and damage to the liver.”

The most serious effect is the virus’ impact on the respiratory system.

When the coronavirus enters the body, a person’s immune system immediately begins to try killing the virus.

If the immune system does not overpower and kill the virus in the nasal or upper respiratory tract, replications of the virus particles cause a larger immune response and the process of pneumonia begins.

Pneumonia then causes fluid buildup in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

As a result, the body is starved of the oxygen it

* Associate Degree In Nursing * Radiologic Technology * Vocational Nursing

needs to survive.

PROTECT YOURSELF Moore’s recommendations for personal health and safety follow those made by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and include the following: Avoid large events and mass gatherings; stay six feet apart from other people.

Wear a cloth mask in public areas.

Wash your hands often, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds, or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

Cover your moth and nose with your elbow when sneezing; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Clean and disinfect surfaces you often touch on a daily basis.

“Those who have a preexisiting medical diagnosis

are at a higher risk of serious illness,” Moore says. “I recommend those people contact their regular doctor for other ways to protect themselves.”

CALMING FEARS “It is easy to be cynical right now,” Moore says, “but I understand the frustration this pandemic has caused by overturning our everyday lives. We have a lot of people dealing with secondary anxiety from this pandemic. It’s okay. Anxiety is a normal emotion and serves as a signal to pay attention so we can protect ourselves.

“Staying active helps keep your balance and reduces stress,” she says. “Exercising or finding outdoor activities, while practicing social distancing, generates hormones that boost the body’s immune system. We will get through this with everyone’s cooperation.”

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3

A sorrow so profound that a person can cease functioning...

Understanding Depression W

Teresa Villarreal Frio-Nueces Current

hen it comes to sadness, depression does not discriminate.

It affects people of all types - male, female, old, young, rich and poor.

Feeling unhappy or blue during hard times is a natural reaction, but when the sadness leads to hopelessness and it doesn’t go away, and it may be more than simple unhappiness.

It could be a medical condition called depression.

Depression is a common but serious mood disorder that can interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy your life. It has also been known to cause severe symptoms that can affect how you feel, think and handle daily activities. Depression is more common among women than men, likely due to certain biological, hormonal, and social factors that are unique to women.

Researchers have yet to understand what causes depression. Current studies suggest that depression may be due to a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors, but scientists agree that although those may be factors, they are still not the cause.

The American Psychiatric Association

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(APA), the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, recognizes that are many types of clinical depression.

Major depression typically strikes without any apparent cause. It may last a few months or less and often recurs many times in a person’s life. It can cause a sorrow that is so profound that a person can cease functioning to the point of not being able to get out of bed or eat for days at a time. It is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder in the U.S. that has been known to affect 16.2 million people in a given year.

Dysthymia is a low-grade, chronic depression that doesn’t impair a person’s ability to live normally but nevertheless it can last two years or longer, with recurring depressive episodes. It roughly affects 1.5 percent of adults in the U.S. every year. It is more prevalent in women than men, and half of all cases are considered serious.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that strikes annually based on the changes in seasons.

SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year, usually occurring in the fall and continuing into the winter

months. It usually clears up in the spring or early summer. A biological reaction to the lack of sunlight during winter’s shortened days causes excessive sleeping, weight gain, and melancholy.

However, depression is more than just sadness. People with depression may experience a lack of interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

The simple truth is that most people who experience severe depression will need treatment to get better. One positive thing about depression is that it can be treated.

Talk to your doctor if you have experienced any of the signs and symptoms of depression. Asking questions and providing information to your doctor or health care provider can improve your care. Be honest. Talking candidly with your doctor builds trust and can lead to better results, quality, safety, and satisfaction.

Happiness is never promised, but it can be achieved.

The APA recognizes that there are many types of clinical depression

Photo by Claudia Wolff (unsplash.com)

Alive and Fiddling ‘Fidget Mats’ help reinvigorate tired souls

Breyana Segura Frio-Nueces Current

P

lacing a loved one in a nursing facility is often a heart-wrenching decision, especially following a dementia diagnosis.

Many times dementia patients become agitated and choose not to speak.

This was all something too familiar to Li Cross, founder of Fidget Chick Mission in Granbury, Texas.

“My dad had Alzheimer’s and would play with the zipper on my mom’s purse,” the woman says. “He couldn’t talk at this time and it broke my heart.”

People with dementia may develop various restless behaviors such as fidgeting, pacing and agitation.

These behaviors are often caused by a feeling of anxiety, boredom or communication problems.

“I would often walk into a nursing home and see the residents sitting in silence drooling or staring at the floor,” Cross says.

Cross wanted a way to help her dad communicate and determined to find a way.

She began making the sensory mats, which she calls Fidget Mats, having observed how some people with communication problems found comfort in the tactile items.

Cross has designed a number of mats that

are based on solidcolor table placcemats onto which she has sewn or other wise attached a variety of odds and ends that are attractive to look at or touch. Each mat is themed with the sole purpose of helping to focus attention, stimulate senses, and bring out the communication.

“There was a lady who had not talked in over two years, not to her family, the staff, to anyone,” she says.

“We gave her a salonthemed fidget mat and she just started talking.”

As the woman reminisced about her younger days of going to the beauty parlor with her mother, the entire room was filled with tears.

“That’s Santy Claus,” said a little old man who had not spoken in years the moment a Christmas-themed fidget mat was placed in front of him.

“It melted my heart,” Cross says.

Since 2017, Cross has distributed over 4,000 fidget mats in the Granbury area.

Recently, she has attracted the help of many women volunteers in the area and now loads her car up and delivers the mats to the Fort Worth and Weatherford area.

“We do not do this for self-recognition, we do this to inspire groups of ladies across the US to make them and supply mats to their nursing homes.”

Fidget mats have been distributed in their thousands to patients suffering from conditions that have prevented them from communicating, and users have found the tactile comforts helpful in reanimating their conversations with healthcare staff and, most importantly, loved ones who long for a time when family members can share cherished memories.

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5

Life-saving self exams: Do you know what to do?

Teresa Villarreal Frio-Nueces Current

T

he phrase “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure� has everything to do with awareness and understanding of your personal health.

As the cases of cancer continue to rise in numbers, physicians are encouraging their patients to become proactive in maintaining good health practices.

Early detection of life-threatening diseases is the reason many people are living longer today, and self-exams are part of that reason. Paired with regular exams by your doctor, they could very well save your life.

According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2019, roughly 1.8 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States.

An estimated 268,600 women and 2,670 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, which makes it the most common cancer diagnosis.

BREAST SELF-EXAM Although breast cancer cannot be prevented, early

detection through breast self-examinations can increase the chances of finding breast cancer before it spreads.

The best time to examine your breasts is about a week after your menstrual cycle, when swelling and tenderness caused by hormonal changes have disappeared. If you are pregnant or past menopause, do your exam at the beginning of every month to make it easier to remember.

If you do not know how to examine yourself, you can ask your physician or you can follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Stand in the shower, where soap and water will help your hands glide easily over your skin.

Lift your left arm over your head and with the pads of your three middle fingers of your right hand, press gently in a series of small circles on the outer rim of the left breast. Slowly move clockwise and inward toward the nipple. Check the entire breast and armpit area by pressing down with light, medium, and firm pressure.

Then, repeat this process to the right breast in the same

Early detection is the reason many people are living longer today

6 2020 INSPIRE HEALTH - MIND, BODY & SOUL

fashion with your left hand.

Do this each month, feeling for any lump, thickening, hardened knot, or any other breast changes.

Step 2: Stand in front of a mirror with your arms at your sides and look at your breasts, then look at them with your arms raised over your head.

Search for any changes in their contour, swelling or dimpling of the skin, or changes in the nipple. Next, firmly place your hands on your hips and flex your chest muscles. Keep in mind that the left and right breasts will not exactly match, but look for any dimpling, puckering, or changes to the

appearance of your breasts.

Step 3: Lie on your back while on your bed or on the floor with a pillow under your right shoulder. Place your right hand behind your head and using the same technique used in Step 1, check your right breast with your left hand. Then, place the pillow underneath the left shoulder and check your left breast with your right hand. Gently squeeze your nipples to see if there is any blood or discharge.

If you find any unusual lumps, thickening, or discharge, make an appointment (See EXAM, Next Page)

^Exam (From Previous Page) with your doctor right away.

Although 80 to 85 percent of breast lumps are noncancerous, only a physician can make an accurate diagnosis.

SKIN SELF-EXAM Absorbing some Vitamin D with sunlight feels fantastic and helps maintain healthy blood levels, but too much exposure may lead to future skin complications. Cancer of the skin kills more than two people every hour in the US. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 9, 500 people in the US will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

Luckily, two of the most common types of skin cancer, basal-cell and squamous-cell carcinomas, are rarely fatal.

In fact, if detected early, 99 percent of these cases are curable. Even malignant melanoma, the most dangerous skin cancer, can be cured if caught early.

This is where a skin selfexam could make the world of difference. Studies have proven that about half of melanomas are self-detected.

For your skin self-exam, you will need a full-length and hand mirror, as well as a relative or friend to help you check the hard-to-see spots.

Inspect your entire body, front to back. Check the inside of your legs and under your arms as well. Check your feet, including the soles and skin between the toes. Finally, part your hair or use a blow dryer to examine your scalp.

Normal moles are brown, tan, or black; flat or slightly raised; and round or oval in shape with sharply defined borders.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that your skin should be checked once a month. You should be looking out for suspiciouslooking moles where melanomas may have taken root.

There is a simple guide that has been created to help people recognize the warning signs of melanoma. The first five letters of the alphabet

are a great guide to help you know what to look for.

MELANOMA’S ABCDEs A is for Asymmetry. Most melanomas are asymmetrical, meaning irregular. If you were to draw a line through the center of the mole and the two halves don’t match, you have found an asymmetrical mole.

B is for Border. Moles that have smooth, even borders are less likely to be dangerous. Melanoma borders tend to be uneven and may have scalloped or notched edges.

C is for Color. Multiple colors are a warning sign.

Most moles are usually a single shade of brown, but melanomas have difference shades of brown, tan, or black. As it grows, the colors red, white, or blue may also appear.

D is for Diameter or Dark.

Size matters when it comes to melanomas. Diameter is the distance across the center of the mole and should not be larger than the size of a pencil eraser.

Dark colored moles also matter. Searching for moles that are darker than the others is important when detecting skin cancer.

E is for Evolving. Any mole that changes in size, shape, color or elevation is a warning sign of an evolving skin condition. New conditions such as bleeding, itching, or crusting on or around the mole may be a warning sign of melanoma.

There’s a catchy phrase that is being used when practicing skin self-exams. “When in doubt, check it out.” One must remember that selfexams aren’t always enough.

If you find a spot that you find alarming, go and visit your dermatologist.

TESTICULAR SELF-EXAM According to the ACS, testicular cancer is rare and

Self-examination applies to everyone, including guys.

Following simple guides may help in the detection of testicular cancer.

cases that are detected early can often be cured. However, in advanced cases, this form of cancer can be deadly.

Affecting one of every 250 males, the average age at the time of diagnosis is out 33, but 6 percent of testicular cancer cases are diagnosed in boys younger than 15 and adolescents aged 15 to 19.

Testicular cancer forms in tissues of one or both testicles, which are located inside the scrotum, a loose bag of skin underneath the penis. Most testicular cancers begin in cells that make sperm called germ cell tumors.

Regular testicular selfexaminations can help identify growths early, when the chance for successful treatment of testicular cancer is highest.

A testicular self-exam is best performed after a warm bath or shower because heat relaxes the scrotum, making it easier to spot anything abnormal.

The National Cancer Institute recommends following these steps every month:

Testicular cancer has been detected in youths aged under 15

Stand in front of a mirror.

Check for any swelling on the scrotum skin.

Examine each testicle with both hands. Place the index and middle fingers under the testicle with the thumbs placed on top. Roll the testicle gently between the thumbs and fingers. (Don’t be alarmed if one testicle seems slightly larger than the other. That’s normal.)

Note: The epididymis, a cordlike structure in the tail end of the testicle, is occasionally lumpy. This is normaldon’t be alarmed.

The first sign of testicular cancer is ordinarily a slight enlargement of one of the testicles and a lump or small growth called a nodule. Generally these changes in the shape and size of the testicle cause no pain, although some men have experienced a dull ache or a sensation of heaviness in the lower abdomen and groin.

Keep in mind that any abnormalities may not be cancer, but if you believe it warrants a trip to the doctor, it is encouraged. Only a physician can make a positive diagnosis, and early detection is important.

2020 INSPIRE HEALTH - MIND, BODY & SOUL

7

Childhood anxiety: How do we handle this?

K

Breyana Segura Frio-Nueces Current

ids can develop an anxiety disorder.

Children being anxious does not necessarily mean they cannot function – things are just more difficult for them.

Anxiety dominates a child’s thoughts because it is an ‘invisible internal struggle.’

The struggle often goes undiagnosed as people view the child as defiant, lazy and, in some cases, intellectually incompetent.

Childhood anxiety is something I have become all too familiar with. In May 2018, after three years of my fighting for her, my eldest daughter was diagnosed with anxiety.

It had been an everyday battle day to get her to school and I often had the sense her teachers thought I was making an excuse for her academic struggles.

Here she was, a bright, sensitive, affectionate, helpful and independent little girl yet so fearful, shy and easily

frustrated.

Hayden was aware of her academic struggles, which resulted in her becoming upset and crying. A 30-minute homework assignment took hours and usually a box of Kleenex.

Early on, Hayden displayed an inability to handle tactile and auditory stimuli.

Clothes were a big issue for her – socks could not have a seam; pants and shorts needed to be loose; she feared the hairbrush. The tactile intolerance began to grow; she did not want lotion or to be splashed with any type of liquid.

To this day, she does not fare well in big crowds and reacts badly to loud noises.

In May 2018, we decided to have Hayden formally tested and although we knew what the results would reveal, it was still gut-wrenching.

There are three types of anxiety – social, worry and psychological.

“Hayden is in the clinically significant range for anxiety,” the licensed school psychologist reported, “which suggests that Hayden frequently displays behaviors stemming from worry, nervousness

PEARSALL CLINIC

and fear.”

Children with anxiety display outward characteristics that are often seen as withdrawal. At the beginning, Hayden was unwilling to join groups and preferred to be alone.

Anxiety makes a child worry constantly, causing fear, nervousness and often oversensitivity to environmental pressures. These behaviors are due to the child internalizing much of the worry the anxiety causes and becoming overburdened trying to relieve the anxiety.

Anxiety can often go misdiagnosed as a child having an attention deficit disorder due to an inability to process real time information.

The right words to describe anxiety are hard for a child. Therefore, children tend to avoid their anxiety, resulting in poor coping skills. This leads to lower self-esteem and academic dysfunction.

We immediately sought a cognitive behavior therapist for Hayden, and she began weekly sessions to help her express herself.

By this point, she had weekly panic

(See CHILDHOOD, Page 11)

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To schedule your Women’s Health Exam, Texas Health Steps, or any other Family Health Issue, please call one of our clinics.

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FRIO REHABILITATION CENTER 205 E. HACKBERRY • PEARSALL, TEXAS 78061 • (830) 334-4152

Now Accepting Accepting Patients Patients Call Now Callus ustoday today Frio Rehabilitation Center strives at providing the best Physical, Occupational and Speech Pathology Services for Frio Community including Pearsall, Dilley and Cotulla and other outlying areas. Our Outpatient Center prides itself in working with both Pediatric and Adults and varying diagnoses across populations. Diagnoses include, but are not limited to:

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Sometimes you need a little help at home.

Maybe you recently left the hospital with a wound that needs more care than your family can provide. Or you’re coming home after having had hip or knee replacement surgery and could benefit from physical therapy.

That’s where Frio Regional Hospital’s Home Health Care Services come in. Our skilled nurses and other specialists can provide a wide range of care in the comfort of your own home. We serve the population of Frio County and the surrounding areas, including La Salle and Medina counties.

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A Life in Anxiety, A Refuge in Art “I want to help broken people”

Marc Robertson Frio-Nueces Current

A

home-built patio roof over a wooden deck between windblown mesquites shelters Carlos Sevan Garza from the afternoon sun as he leans over a wide display board whose brilliant colors and jagged shards of black stand in sharp contrast to their South Texas surroundings.

Garza adjusts a piece of black vinyl that protrudes from the oversized work of art and it becomes clear that his three-dimensional creation includes fragments of old record albums. He cracks an uncharacteristically wide grin.

“These are my brother’s old records,” he says, touching the faded faces of Vicente Fernandez and Michael Jackson that still show between daubs of thick paint and

jagged vinyl. “He’s in jail. I took his records. He might be mad at me, but I’m going to sell this.”

The bright paint has nearly obscured logos from the bands Motley Crue and Nazareth.

Garza sits and looks across the hardscrabble landscape at the edge of his home town. He has come back to Carrizo Springs from Austin to see his parents, and he offers a luncheon of freshly grilled fajitas with pico de gallo.

Yes, please.

“I was born and raised here, went to school here, but I didn’t want to wait until I was eighteen to graduate,” the artist says while we eat. “I wanted to start my life early. I wanted to get out.

“Look where I am now,” he grins again, but his eyes reveal a sadness. “I’m over forty, I’m back where I

10 2020 INSPIRE HEALTH - MIND, BODY & SOUL

started, but I’m back with a better plan for my life.”

Garza is launching a website and informal help center for people like himself who have faced steep challenges in their lives, and that includes the young who may not yet understand what lies in wait.

Artistic video clips, photographs, images he’s painted in various media, sculpture, and - most importantly - his own testimonials and the candid words of others will eventually fill the site, and he hopes that he may in some measure reach the silent ones at the end of their ropes, those people alongside whom he fights a daily war.

It is a war that he’s nearly lost a few times, and he is quick to say that he knows there must be thousands he can never reach with help, because they have already given up the fight.

Garza suffers from an anxi anxiety condition that has been much maligned, misdiagnosed, misinterpreted. Sometimes, it’s a disorder. Sometimes, it’s a dysfunction. And sometimes, it’s a disability.

More than sometimes, it is a burden too heavy to bear.

“I was artistic in high school, you know,” he says. “I was at a level where I could have been in competition.

But my grades kept stopping me.

“Not being able to compete, yeah, that sucked,” he admits. “But I was actually more into video production at the time. I was exploring it.

I realized it was something I could do without being tied down to the school rules. I could do it for myself.”

It would be art that eventually brought Garza back from the brink, as it has done much more than once.

(See ANXIETY, Next Page)

^Anxiety (From Previous Page) “I didn’t learn until recently that I had a disorder,” he says. “I knew something was wrong, something was chewing me up inside, but the connections weren’t there.

“I came across a video that explained how borderline personality disorders were mistaken for bipolar disorder. That’s scary. And that’s when I began to understand.”

When anxiety strikes, Garza feels immobilized.

Stresses over ordinary issues lose all proportion.

Reason is wiped out by worries over things that shouldn’t matter but suddenly do.

He finds that his anxiety breeds strong feelings of anger, frustration, and worry. He believes it causes people to lose patience with each other, and how disagreements turn to arguments and worse.

Garza had a career in human resources with the Texas Workforce Commission, a job he hoped would make the most of his communication and organization skills, but he recently called it quits.

“It was stressing me out, which I couldn’t understand,” he says of the Austin job. “There were a

lot of things going on, and I felt broken. I knew there was something wrong.”

Garza took the independent step of seeking mental health attention.

“I don’t have any money, and then I didn’t have insurance, so I went to the free clinic,” he says. “They prescribed meds for me.

Anti-depressants, mostly.

Other things, too. They said I had a bipolar disorder, but I felt they were playing a guessing game, that they didn’t really know.”

The medication nauseated him. Side effects included extreme fatigue, and Garza was virtually immobilized.

“I couldn’t get up,” he says. “I felt numb. I felt sedated.”

He is stunned by the effects that a physician was willing to make him endure in order to overcome his anxiety.

“The effects of some drugs were ‘suicidal thoughts.’ What is that all about?” he says. “I already had those thoughts. How was this going to help?

Explain that to me.”

Of all the places to find his life’s ambitions crushed, Garza was at his lowest point in Austin, the city

“They said I had a bipolar disorder...

I felt they were playing a guessing game, that they didn’t really know.”

Be a legend.

Insure your life.

(See ANXIETY, Next Page)

^Childhood (From Page 8) attacks that caused her to hyperventilate, flap her arms and cry uncontrollably.

“I don’t know what is wrong with me. I don’t know why I am like this,” she said one morning in the kitchen when her anxiety had become severe.

After a year of therapy, Hayden has learned to manage her anxiety. She is able to identify triggers and practices her calming techniques. These include taking deep breaths, drinking cold water or doing an art project.

Sleep is another struggle for a child with anxiety. If Hayden is excited or worried about an event the next day, she will not sleep. Sleep deprivation will also lead to other avoidance behaviors such as superficial stomach aches or other physical problems.

Anxiety is real and we are our child’s biggest advocates.

Fighting for a proper diagnosis is imperative, as untreated anxiety can lead to depression.

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2020 INSPIRE HEALTH - MIND, BODY & SOUL

11

^Anxiety (From Previous Page)

bleeding to death. “These than what he’d left behind. He are all repressed memories, left again, and bunked with a I think. They come forward friend. when I think about “I didn’t want to party “You’re what affected me, all the time, so I stayed home,” he says of his going to what made me see the world in the way transient period in the need that I do. north. “Then, one day, “In life, you my friend’s dad said he somebody expect something wanted me to pay rent. soon. good from other I couldn’t do that, so but they let he asked me to pay in I hope people, you down,” he says. another way, a very persomebody “I was looking for sonal way.” in life, but The incident affected hugs validation I only found lonelihim deeply, and he feels you.” ness. Looking back, the emotional pain of it to these are some of this day. the ingredients of a border“I started cutting myself, line personality disorder. because I felt angry with “I was taking these meds myself,” he says. “I didn’t want to be angry with other people. I for my issues, but I was sick from them, so I started felt it was my fault.” smoking marijuana,” he Garza came home. says. “I wanted to forget.

“Then my other aunt was Who wouldn’t want to stabbed, and my dad and I had forget? to save her life,” he says, and “My anxiety was down recounts trying to stop her from when I smoked,” he admits.

“It helped me feel that life wasn’t getting me down. I could focus on art.”

Garza is at his most lively when he can talk about his art, both on canvas and in film. What began as a revisit to old but not forgotten skills quickly became his therapy. It’s where he finds peace.

“There are no rules in art,” he says. “In math, English, whatever, there are always rules. You can escape from rules in your art. This is what took me to where I am today. I’ll use any medium I can get my hands on. Oil paints are too expensive, and I’m clumsy. I would make a mess. Acrylics are cheap. I’ll use anything.

“I painted on canvas, and then on people,” he laughs.

“People would help me. I’d paint on them. I put out the word that I wanted to do body art. Really, I couldn’t afford anything, but I was going to make this work. I was going to do whatever I could to escape through 12 2020 INSPIRE HEALTH - MIND, BODY & SOUL where he had gone to earn a living while seeking out the art scene, and where he had earned his bachelor’s degree.

“Being in Austin and feeling this way, I felt that I was sinking,” he says. “People were suddenly very negative around me.

When you’re in the state I was in, that’s what you focus on: The negativity that people feed you.

“I should have been alive and my life should have been vibrant in Austin, but I was torn apart.”

It wasn’t the first time that Garza had required mental health attention.

When he was six years old, he witnessed his aunt being shot to death in front of him during a domestic dispute.

When he was in his late teens, he fled Carrizo Springs and headed north to Minnesota, where an uncle had promised to look after him. The situation he found there was little better

self expression.

“I tend to go towards dark colors,” he says, pointing out the deep blues and blacks in his work. “This art is bright, but it’s also dark. There’s a lot of black in it. Black absorbs light.

White reflects it. It seems as though we live in a world of grey all the time. People aren’t positive, one way or the other. They tend to stay in the grey area.”

Garza hopes that his fledgling website, found at twistedthotz.com, where he goes by the name of Arcadan, will develop into a place where like-minded young adults will find companionship in their struggles to overcome the obstacles in their lives.

He describes it as a place where people will find the love that they’ve missed.

He wants to share other peoples’ work, their writing and their art, and help them find new purpose in life.

“I want to help broken people,” he says. “People need love. There are lonely people everywhere, going through their own pain.

You’re going to need somebody soon. I hope somebody hugs you.

“When people aren’t shown love and taught how to make the world a better place, they end up in a rut,” he says. “Then they do drugs, to self-abuse. They’re in a low place. Those are the people we need to reach. Those are the people who need to learn love.”

Sevan Garza picks up a shard of an old vinyl record. It’s been discarded.

When he attaches it to his painting beside the other fragments, it becomes an integral part of a striking work of art.

The sun has begun to set beyond Carrizo Springs.

Alone in his breezy studio, the artist is in his element, and he is at peace with himself.

Why can’t I sleep?

A new look at insomnia

I

Teresa Villarreal Frio-Nueces Current

t’s happened to everyone at one point in time.

You find yourself lying awake, staring at the ceiling while rearranging your pillows for the third or fourth time. For some reason you are wide awake, so you try to find ways to help you get back to sleep. For many it doesn’t happen often, but for 30% of the general population, it is a constant struggle.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by poor sleep quality and is one of the most common sleep problems that affect roughly 50 to 70 million people in the United States. According to the National Sleep foundation, there are multiple ways to describe this sleep disorder.

Acute insomnia is a brief episode of difficulty sleeping. It is usually caused by a life event, such as a stressful change in a person’s job, receiving bad news, or travel. Often, acute insomnia resolves itself without any treatment.

Chronic insomnia is a long-term pattern of difficulty sleeping. Insomnia is usually considered chronic if a person has trouble

falling asleep or staying asleep at least three nights per week for three months or longer.

Comorbid insomnia occurs with another condition. Psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety or depression, are known to be associated with changes in sleep. Certain medical conditions can either cause insomnia or make a person uncomfortable at night (such as arthritis or body pain).

Onset insomnia is when someone has trouble falling asleep at the beginning of the night.

Maintenance insomnia is the inability to stay asleep. People with maintenance insomnia wake up during the night and have difficulty returning to sleep.

Classifying insomnia depends on two different factors: duration, as in how long it typically lasts; and how often it occurs.

Discovering the underlying cause of the insomniaas in whether it is directly associated with another health condition or not.

DO I HAVE INSOMNIA? Besides the obvious symptoms, such as difficulty going to sleep at night, insomnia sufferers often complain of problems like waking often in the middle of the night (See SLEEP, Next Page)

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2020 INSPIRE HEALTH - MIND, BODY & SOUL

13

Mumps is contagious but preventable

M

umps is more than just a pain in the neck. New outbreaks of the contagious viral disease appear each year.

Patients typically have fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite.

Their salivary glands become swollen, causing telltale puffy cheeks and jaw.

“The symptoms might not occur until two weeks after the virus has entered the person’s body,” Austin pediatrician and Texas Medical Association (TMA) physician

leader Arathi Shah, MD said.

“This poses a problem. Someone infected with mumps can easily expose others long before knowing he or she is sick, resulting in outbreaks in crowded places like schools and colleges.”

Mumps spreads easily through sneezing and coughing, or just touching infected surfaces. Most outbreaks happen in close-contact settings, such as college dormitories: Students cluster together there, often share food and drinks, kiss one

another, and play sports together. But someone any age could be affected.

“Mumps can be severe for some patients,” Dr. Shah said.

“I saw complicated cases, with meningitis and encephalitis, or swelling of brain tissue.

I also saw orchitis, painful swelling of the testicles. It was heart-breaking to see patients suffer, especially because mumps is preventable.”

In addition to these complications, some mumps patients lose their hearing.

A vaccine prevents

mumps. Health officials first introduced the shot in 1967, and the number of cases soon plummeted 99 percent, according to the CDC. Doctors recommend children have two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (commonly called MMR). Unvaccinated adults and college-age students also can receive the vaccine and high-risk groups may need a third dose.

“Vaccination is the best way to prevent mumps and its complications,” Dr. Shah said.

^Sleep (From Previous Page) and having trouble going back to sleep; waking up earlier than planned, but unable to fall back asleep. You may also feel as if sleep was unrefreshing (nonrestorative), experience excessive daytime sleepiness, general lack of energy, and difficulty concentrating.

Mood and behavior disturbances such as irritability, aggression, and impulsive behaviors, are further indicators, as well as forgetfulness, decreased performance at work or school, rroubles in personal and professional relationships, and having accidents at work or while driving fatigued.

You have begun experiencing a decreased quality of life, and you may be subject to depression.

In fact, the negative effects of insomnia are attributed to 20 percent of all car crashes and injuries associated with sleepiness and over 100,000 deaths can also be attributed to medical errors due to sleep deprivation, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

WHAT CAUSES INSOMNIA? From the simplicity of drinking coffee before bed to the seriousness of depression and anxiety, many factors come into play when coping with insomnia. These can include excessive worry or stress, jet lag, illness, and emotional or physical pain and discomfort. Environmental factors such as noise, light, or temperature also play a part, as well as stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine and alcohol, and eating spicy, fatty, or gas-producing foods that can cause indigestion before bedtime.

Certain medications, including some that are used to treat sinus allergies,

14 2020 INSPIRE HEALTH - MIND, BODY & SOUL

colds, depression, high blood pressure, and asthma, have been known to contribute to insomnia. Depression, anxiety, and other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, and circadian rhythm disorders likewise affect our sleep.

HOW CAN I REGAIN CONTROL? Although some cases of insomnia often need no treatment and symptoms usually go away on their own, here are some helpful tips that can assist you in beating the battle of sleeplessness.

Wake up at the same time each day. It is tempting to sleep in, especially if you have had poor sleep during the week, but waking up at the same time every day can train your body to wake at a consistent time. With time, your body will get used to sleeping at the time you designate.

Limit naps. While napping seems like a good way to catch up on missed sleep, it is not always so. Establishing and maintaining a regular sleep pattern helps train the body and mind to associate nighttime with sleep.

Exercise regularly. Regular exercise can improve sleep quality and duration, but exercising before bedtime can stimulate the body rather than relax it. Try to finish exercising at least three hours before you go to bed.

Control the use of alcohol and caffeine. The stimulating effects of caffeine can last for several hours, sometimes up to 24 hours, so the chances of it affecting sleep are significant. Caffeine may not only keep you awake, but can also cause frequent awakenings. Although alcohol may have a relaxing effect for the first few

hours after consumption, it can later lead to frequent arousals and a restless night.

Limit activities in bed. Your bed should be used for sleeping, so try to avoid balancing the checkbook, studying, or working while in in the bedroom.

It makes for a restless night if you sleep in a place your mind associates with work.

Try not to eat or drink right before bed. Eating a late dinner or snacking before going to bed can activate the digestive system and keep you up. If you suffer from acid reflux or heartburn, it can make your symptoms worse. In addition, drinking a lot of fluids prior to bed can overwhelm the bladder, requiring frequent trips to the bathroom that disturb your sleep.

Make your sleeping environment comfortable. Temperature, lighting, and noise should be controlled to make your bedroom relaxing and comfortable enough to fall (and stay) asleep. Sometimes replacing an old mattress can bring much comfort as well.

Reduce stress. Relax the mind and the body before going to bed. Listen to soothing music or, if reading a book gives you peace, enjoy it. Sometimes deep breathing exercises or meditation can ease stress levels.

Stop worrying over things before you go to bed. Your stress or problems will still be there in the morning, so why not get some rest and tackle them with a good night’s rest? If you find yourself lying in bed thinking about tomorrow, consider setting aside a period of time in your day to review your plans for tomorrow.

Frio Regional Hospital Primary Care and Urgent Care Clinic Services offered:  Quick Primary Care Access  Adult & Pediatric Services  X-Rays  Lab Services  Health Screenings & Education  Physicals

801 W. Hwy. 117 Dilley, TX 78017 www.FrioRegionalHospital.com

830-326-3171

 Wellness & Prevention  Disease Management  Immunizations  Minor Injuries  Women’s Health/Gynecological Care  Family Planning

200 IH 35 South Pearsall, Texas 78061 830-334-3617 www.FrioRegionalHospital.com FRIO REGIONAL HOSPITAL is a full-service hospital, providing emergency medical care around the clock, and is now partnered with Methodist Healthcare, the largest health care provider in South Texas.

SERVICES INCLUDE:

A State Designated Level IV Trauma Center ● Treatment for a wide range of health care issues/injuries ● 24-hour Laboratory/Radiology Cover ● Physicians on duty 24-hours a day ● Transfer agreements for patients requiring higher level of care ● Every resident of Frio County has coverage under the Methodisdt AirCare TM membership program, to serve those in need of advanced emergency health care and rapid medical transport Frio Regional Hospital is just off Interstate 35 at Exit 101 and serves our surrounding communities.