One of the early symptoms of stage three breakdown is an inability to tolerate high levels of sensory stimulation. Previously enjoyable stimulation can become disagreeable and actually uncomfortable. Sexual stimulation, likewise, can become disagreeable.

In this stage of stress breakdown, men and women, particularly women, who previously enjoyed an active sex life, can be turned off sex for no reason apparent to either partner. The real reason is, of course, simply that the nervous system cannot tolerate high levels of stimulation. However, it is rare that couples have the insight to accept this as an explanation and leave it at that. If they did, there would be less unhappiness arising as a result of what these couples usually wrongly see as a failure of their sexual relationship.

Some women who are accustomed, at times, to having sexual intercourse with their husbands without orgasm, may be satisfied, when they are suffering from stress breakdown symptoms, with the warmth of close contact without orgasm. ‘I just don’t want to be bothered with feeling anything’, she says. Unfortunately, this turning off sex may be misinterpreted, usually by both of them.

There are always enough unresolved difficulties between husband and wife in any marriage which can be used to explain why one or both of them seem to have lost interest in each other sexually. Pressed for an explanation for the current lack of sexual interest, wife or husband might bring up one of their old, unresolved conflicts as a reason. The other partner might erroneously believe, then, that it is necessary to solve this particular problem in order to restore the former sexually-satisfying status quo. When this problem seems to be irresolvable, he or she may feel deceived or humiliated, hurt and rejected.

In our society, where it is culturally acceptable or normal for women to lose interest in sexual activity at times in their lives, a relatively young man who begins to lose interest in sexual relationships with his wife is usually suspected of having another woman, or of being mentally ill. It is often the wrong assumptions and misinterpretations in this situation which lead to trouble. Take, for example, the case where a couple was both experiencing stage three symptoms, behaving in unusual ways, responding strangely. He turns off sex, she thinks he has another woman (he hasn’t); she decides to behave in a way entirely inappropriate for her and goes out and picks up a casual lover. Such an out-of-character change in behaviour is not uncommon in third stage breakdown.

The marriage might then fail, not on the basis of the primary lack of sexual interest, but because of the unfortunate responses which might result.

*60/129/5*

Breast Cancer

In 1990 in the United States, 43,391 women died of breast cancer. Tests for early signs of this disease also are controversial. If, as a woman, you have a family history of breast cancer, ask your doctor when, how, and how often you should be tested. Self-examination of the breasts and mammography has saved lives through early detection. But some doctors rate the tests as ineffective, saying much is missed in self-exams. Because of denser breast tissue in younger women, mammograms don’t always reveal cancerous sites.

Dr. Eyre urges that initial mammograms be taken at age 40, then – depending on the study’s results, the patient’s risk factors, and family history – every 2 years until age 50, and yearly after that.

Some risk factors for breast cancer reportedly include alcohol consumption, a high-fat diet, and obesity. Researchers are testing a diet low in animal fats as a possible preventive. Detection is difficult: “Of women who get breast cancer,” Dr. Eyre says, “seventy percent have no known or identifiable risk factor.”

Lung Cancer

“In America, statistics show that smoking accounts for 90 percent of lung cancer in men and 85 percent in women,” Dr. Eyre says.

The American Cancer Society projects that lung cancer will kill 94,000 men and 59,000 women this year, and it cites a terrifying mortality rate rise since 1960 – up by 104 percent in men and 452 percent in women! And a jump in lung cancer for the young is almost certain: a new study by the University of Michigan showed a 2 percent rise in smoking among schoolchildren in the 8th, 10th and 12th grades.

*21/266/5*

To confront a problem, you first need to identify it. Although this may appear to be the obvious first step, it is a step that many people fail to take, and, once attempted, it is a step that often proves more difficult to take than people think.

As an example, suppose you are frustrated because you are having difficulty removing lids from jars. It may be that the physical act of removing the lids is your problem, but consider that this is easily remedied by calling upon other people to help you or by purchasing an assistive device. If you ask for and obtain assistance from someone else or if you purchase an assistive device and are pleased with the results, then the physical act was the problem, and it has been solved. If using these appliances or asking for assistance makes you feel dependent and helpless, however, the problem is not your inability to remove the jar lids but your response to the need to seek assistance with а task that formerly you could perform easily on your own. In that case, identifying the problem becomes more difficult.

Before you can address it, you must recognize that a problem exists. Before you can solve a problem, you must properly identify it. Solving each of the problems identified above requires different coping strategies. As a general guideline, recognize that there will be times when you will need to think carefully about your own feelings to identify the problem properly.

Assessing a problem is a different matter, in that assessment can best be carried out when you are as informed as possible about factual matters related to the problem. Being informed is particularly important if a physical limitation becomes a major problem, and that is one reason we recommend that you learn as much as you can about arthritis and its possible complications.

Consider this scenario: You have numbness in your fingers that wakes you up at night. Consequently, your sleep is disturbed, and you are constantly fatigued. If you think that feeling sleepy is your major problem, you are mistaken. Instead, numbness-the cause of your restless nights- is the origin of your difficulties. Rather than resorting to taking sleeping pills, a better course would be to pause to identify the problem properly and then to assess it. Seek more information. Dig deep. If you do, you will learn that inflammation in the wrists sometimes causes carpal tunnel syndrome, and you will also learn that wearing a wrist splint at night or taking an injection of a corticosteroid can make the numbness disappear, allowing more restful sleep. The combination of proper identification and appropriate information, then, can often lead to proper treatment and resolution of a problem.

There will definitely be times when you’ll need to consult more than one source of information to assess a problem. When you are consulting a physician, for example, you may want to obtain an opinion from a different physician (a second opinion) to satisfy yourself that you have enough information to assess and address the problem. Sometimes you’ll want to talk with someone else just to get a fresh perspective on the problem. These are fine strategies, but a word of caution is in order here: It is important to avoid over-intellectualizing a problem. If you spend all of your energy analyzing a problem, you will not move any closer to addressing it or solving it. Reading every available book and article on a subject or consulting numerous physicians (doctor shopping) is an exaggerated version of a healthy analysis of your arthritis.

*33/209/5*