By: Erin Stair, MD, MPH When I became depressed, I was also anxious, stressed, sleep-deprived, eating terribly and poorly focused. I was everything BAD and the embodiment of the Chicken/Egg dilemma, as I had no way of knowing if poor sleep and a terrible diet were leading to my depressed and anxious state, or vice […]
By: Erin Stair, MD, MPH Even though there are things I would love to forget, I definitely want to do what I can to prevent Alzheimer’s disease when I’m older. I’m hoping, by that time, I’ll have more experiences that I want to remember. 😉 A new study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and […]
I just started drinking Black Currant juice made from “Blackadders,” types of black currants from New Zealand. Usually after I eat lunch, I crave something sweet. I always try to eat fruit, and now since I am trying to introduce Black Currant juice as a permanent part of my diet, I’m alternating between the juice […]
I have to write this since I’ve heard it so much in the aftermath of Robin Williams’ suicide, and it bothers me: People who commit suicide are not selfish. To say so only highlights a much bigger systemic issue, which is that the majority of people do not understand the pathology or phenomenon of depression […]
The blooming field of psychoneuroimmunology continues to shed light on how powerful the mind-body connection is and both the physical and mental benefits of being positive. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside and Duke Medical Center are experimenting with treating depression with positive activity interventions ( PAIs). Positive Activity interventions are intentional acts to increase […]
The Mind-Body Connection: Depression linked to Adult-Onset Asthma. In a study involving 31,848 African American women followed from 1999 to 2011, women who were depressed were 2.08 times as likely to develop asthma. The risk of clinically depressed women developing asthma was higher in women being treated with antidepressants, women who smoked, women who were not […]
A colleague mentioned that antidepressant prescriptions for kids were increasing. I didn’t believe him. I figured the prescriptions decreased after 2004 when the FDA issued a boxed warning stating that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide in kids. I was wrong. Antidepressant prescriptions decreased for about 4 years after the boxed warning, but then started to […]
I was reading a study published in the most recent issue of The Journal of Sex Research in which it was concluded that casual sex and hookups leads to higher levels of anxiety and depression. The study surveyed 3,900 college-aged students across the United States, and interestingly enough, the feelings of anxiety and depression were similar […]
Hi guys. Since I’m on a “Food for Mood” blogging roll, today’s blog is about Vitamin B12 and how it relates to depression. Some research indicates that low levels of Vitamin B12 can manifest as depressive symptoms. One of the most convincing studies is from the year 2000, and was published in the American Journal […]
Hi guys. A few blogs ago, I wrote about fish oil and depression and presented the evidence for and against. I also described the many theories for depression that are less well known. The “serotonin hypothesis” is the main theory floating around out there, but there are many other theories that don’t make it into […]
An interesting study was recently published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. It involved following 12,600 people over a 14-year period and was meant to decipher whether going to a place of worship ( or church attendance) had any effect on depression. The researchers discovered that it did. Monthly church attendance was linked to a 22 […]
Many people are turning to natural supplements and teas to treat their anxiety issues, since a lot of the medication has nasty side effects. This blog covers Kava-Kava, its side effects, profile and pertinent research. Though research traditionally lags behind in the realm of alternative and natural, mental health, smaller studies have been […]
In the realm of utilizing the 5 senses to obtain and maintain a great mood, listening to preferred, soothing sounds is an effective way for our ears to help us do so. Think of how you feel when you are listening to the melodic voice of the ocean and compare that with how you feel […]