Matters of the Mind: Alternative Healing Techniques for Mood Disorders

Matters of the Mind: Alternative Healing Techniques for Mood Disorders
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As a caregiver and someone who is watching a loved one
struggle with a mood disorder, figuring out if and how to
involve alternative therapies is one more challenge.

Alternative therapies ­ techniques that usually fall
outside of the realm of conventional treatment -- is a hot
topic for many traditional therapists and psychiatrists.
It is certainly true that traditional therapy and
medication or a combination thereof have provided relief
for many suffering mental disease. Yet a great many other
affected people don't receive the relief they seek. And
the truth is we don't know how many people are actually
"cured" or "healed" from traditional therapies. Perhaps
this is why alternative therapies have assumed a place
alongside conventional healing modes. In fact, they are
also called "complimentary" therapies because they are
often utilized in concert with traditional approaches.

When people feel bad, they usually start with a trip to a
therapist who can conduct a screening, develop a diagnosis,
and then recommend where to go for help. Typically, the
standard treatment is talk therapy in conjunction with
medication. As a result of managed care, increasingly
people seek treatment first through their primary care
physician, which has its own pros and cons. Caution is
recommended, since mental illness is a specialty. You would
not go to your primary care physician for heart surgery, so
think twice about asking a primary care doctor to diagnose
and treat you or a loved one for a mood disorder, such as
depression or bi-polar disorder.

What role do alternative therapies play in treating mood
disorders?

For many suffering from mood disorders, alternative
therapies are used in conjunction with medication and/or
talk therapy. Some of the more serious alternative
treatments include: repeated transcranial magnetic
stimulation (TMS); the use of lightboxes for people with
seasonal affective disorder (SAD); eye movement
desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy; massage
treatments; hypnosis; sleep deprivation therapy; Chinese
herbal medicine; group therapies; support groups and
psychosurgery.

Many people report being helped or even healed by
alternative therapies. Exactly why or how the therapies
work is not a question to be answered here. In his book,
The Noonday Demon, Andrew Soloman eloquently states:
"Depression is a disease of thought processes and emotions,
and if something changes your thought processes and
emotions in the correct direction, that qualifies as a
recovery. Frankly, I think that the best treatment for
depression is belief, which is in itself far more essential
than what you believe in."

Simply put, a great variety of factors ­ including
situation, openness, genetics, sociological and
physiological issues -- all play a role in the "healing"
factor. Very often there is no "cure" and the pain may or
may not subside over time with or without help from
medication therapy and other methods of alternative
healing. Still, who are we to instruct the person
struggling with mental disease to stop searching for ways
to assuage their pain?

If your loved one is struggling with depression, for
example, and wants to try alternative therapies how should
you respond? This may have more to do with your finances
than anything else. But based on Mr. Soloman's thorough
examination of depression, it is a good bet that supporting
your loved one's search is not meaningless if they hold a
belief in the cure.

Suggestions and ideas for offering support to someone with
a mood disorder who is interested in alternative therapies:

1.Assist them in getting educated. Read everything you can
about potential therapies. Keep an open mind and curiosity
about the various approaches that interest them.

2. Seek advice from on line support groups for people who
have gone through the types of therapies you are
investigating. Real stories from real people can provide
useful information.

3. Find the best in the field. If your loved one wants to
try hypnosis, EMDR, or other type of therapy, find the best
people available to provide it. Treat this as you might a
research project and get the best information and medical
help possible. Many traditional therapists increasingly are
adding techniques like EMDR to their repertoire. Getting a
referral from a professional is usually preferable to
finding someone in the yellow pages.

4. Don't give up your existing support system (e.g.,
individual or group therapy and/or medication).

5. Remember, these therapies cost money and most often are
not covered by insurance, so be mindful of prioritizing and
setting limits if finances are a factor. Occasionally,
alternative treatments are available at low or no cost
through community agencies or medical institutions, which
could offer the opportunity to try a particular therapy and
perhaps arrange for affordable, quality treatment. But
usually these therapies are an out-of-pocket expense. In
the end, alleviating personal pain is the ongoing,
consistent goal. For some, it is critical that they receive
professional help in conjunction with alternative
therapies. For others, the quest might involve healing of a
different sort. Keep an open mind and, as always, don't go
it alone: seek professional guidance in support of getting
well.

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Mary Logan is a professional life coach specializing in
support for the caregiver. Inspiring audios and her free:
"Are you an effective caregiver?" assessment can be found
at http://www.fromsurvivetothrive.com

Refuse to Stress

Refuse to Stress
Copyright (c) 2007 The Brain Code LLC

Stress is too common in most people's lives today. We live
in a fast-paced world with many demands on our time. How we
react to stress sets the stage for much of our health.

Exercise battles stress

We have known for a long time that exercise combats stress.
Regular exercise gives people better control over stress
and this creates a positive cycle.

How does exercise help you keep stress at bay? It turns out
that exercise increase brain cell growth in a part of the
brain called the hippocampus. This brain region is a major
player in controlling stress. The hippocampus helps focus
your attention on what is important in your environment and
needs your attention.

So it makes sense that this part of the brain would be
involved in stress. If you get caught up focusing on
problems and are unable to move toward focusing on
solutions and opportunities then you will feel more
stressed. The Chinese have a saying that on the flip-side
of every problem is an opportunity. When you exercise and
increase the ability of your hippocampus, you help yourself
get past the stress of problems and focus on how to solve
them.

Hippocampus size buffers against stress

Some very cool studies have looked at the relationship
between the size of the hippocampus and the degree that
people suffer from stress-related disorders. It is well
established that a smaller hippocampus is associated with a
greater degree of stress.

The question remains, though, as to whether a smaller
hippocampus makes you more susceptible stress, or whether
stress itself actually shrinks your hippocampus. The answer
appears to be both.

Studies show that war veterans get more severe cases of
PTSD if they had a small hippocampus before going to war.
Other studies show that stress itself can damage or even
kill brain cells in the hippocampus and cause it to shrink.

The hippocampus happens to be the one place in the adult
human brain where we continually make new brain cells. So
the rate at which we make brain cells has an affect on the
size of the hippocampus. Well, exercise increases the rate
of making new brain cells and increases the size of the
hippocampus ­ protecting you against stress.

Exercise improves productivity

As stated above, the other benefit of improving the
hippocampus is increasing your ability to focus, which
increases your productivity. So if you think that you don't
have time to exercise then you probably don't have time to
not exercise. A small amount of daily exercise will
increase your focus, increase your productivity, protect
you from too much stress and free up more time.

If you are not currently exercising, I challenge you to
work with your doctor to develop a sustainable exercise
routine that you enjoy. This part is important. If you
don't enjoy it, you won't stick to it. Find something
physical that elevates your heart rate and gets you
sweating a little ­ even if it's just playing an active
game on the Wii!

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Boost your Family's Brain Fitness in 30 days with Natural
Strategies used by an Expert Brain Scientist and Sports
Coach. Learn how at http://www.thebraincode.com

How To Keep In Shape... After Fifty... And Beyond

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How To Keep In Shape... After Fifty... And Beyond
Middle age is the time when hormones change and metabolism
slows down. Added to this, ailments like arthritis and
joint problems start to creep up on us. These factors and
more tend to drive us into a less active lifestyle.
Menopause and postmenopausal symptoms also beset us at this
age. Even men can experience midlife crisis. These factors
can lead to depression and obsessions with eating. This
leads to the proverbial "middle age spread."

Given these factors it is more important than ever to keep
in shape after 50. However your regime will be a little
different than someone in their 20's. Firstly you may have
any or all of the above problems and more, which will
definitely force you into a less rigorous exercise routine.

Underlying ailments like arthritis can leave you with
stiffness and pain. You will need to gradually ease into a
routine rather than starting a vigorous regime. It is very
necessary to slowly work up a routine rather than straining
your body right at the start.

Your goals should be to gradually strengthen and bring more
use into arthritic joints. The more you do this the better
you will be. You will not make ailments like arthritis
completely go away, but will make the condition much better
with regular exercises. Even a brisk daily walk for a few
miles will help you.

Exercise is a great remedy for depression. Actual physical
exercise can help to alleviate depression, as well as
making you look and feel better. When you exercise on a
regular basis you will not only take your mind off being
depressed but will give you a new purpose in life which
will help you feel better both physically and mentally.

Diet changes: Metabolism slows down considerably in middle
life and beyond, making it important to reduce
carbohydrates and increase fiber and protein into your
diet. You will find you need less food so train yourself to
eat less. Try to be extra careful not to indulge in too
many sweet or fatty foods, as these are harder to digest
and are big weight gainers.

Try to eat less refined foods and more whole grain foods as
your digestive system is not as strong at this age and you
will need more fiber to help your digestive system work
well. More fiber in your diet will help you eat less, as
you will feel fuller with less food. Try to eat more fruits
and vegetables, as you need more vitamins and minerals at
this age. Calcium especially gets depleted and you may
consider taking some supplements.

Try to keep yourself busy with hobbies and social
gatherings to avoid getting obsessed by food. Do not let
advanced years get the better of you. Just because you are
in your middle years does not mean you have one foot in the
grave. Remember you are only as old as you feel. So get
into a regular routine of exercise even if it is just a
good brisk daily walk plus try to be careful with your diet
and you can enjoy a long full life, despite your advancing
years.

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Article by Andrew Jamaz, on behalf of
http://www.refresharticles.com/articles/exercise/
Check out our "Exercise and Keep Fit" category of quality
articles.

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Slow Down For Weight Loss

p>Slow Down For Weight Loss
Ask anyone who meditates or practices yoga regularly, and
they will tell you that either one helps you slow down and
get in touch with yourself. I, like many others, have
always assumed that being in touch with one's self was a
good thing if a little hard to quantify and measure.
However, there is one part of us that can be quantified and
measured, and that is how much we weigh. As a society,
there seems to be a lot more of each of us to get in touch
with than there used to be. There are even those that are
calling obesity an epidemic, both here in the U. S. and in
other countries as well.

There are certainly many people who want to take charge of
their lives and bring their own weight under control but
who either do not know where or how to start, are not sure
how to find the time in busy schedules for regular
exercise, or who are simply daunted by the entire mass of
data and life style change represented by adopting the
proper exercise and nutritional changes that they know must
occur.

Therein lies the crux of the matter. Although many people
may not be aware of this fact, the weight loss equation has
been solved long since. Eat more calories than you burn
and you will gain weight. Burn more calories than you eat
and you will lose weight. Those without this knowledge
pursue all sorts of diet gimmicks, fad diets, and sometimes
dangerous diet pills when simply making a few lifestyle
changes over time would eventually lead to weight loss and
a healthier body. Even those with this knowledge are often
confused about what to do and when to do it, or just feel
that it is one more straw in the pile that surely will
eventually break the camel's back.

While I normally advocate biting the bullet, and not
another fudge brownie, and, say as the commercial says,
"Just do it!", the fact is that a little helpful tip or
hint here or there might help some people start their climb
up out of the obesity pit.

One such tip is simply, as the yoga practitioners and
people who meditate have known for years, to slow down.
Life lived at a hectic pace can not only create stress
which can contribute to weight gain through "stress eating"
and the action of normal chemicals within the body such as
cortisol, but eating too fast can contribute to weight gain
as well. In fact, researchers at the University of Rhode
Island at Kingston have found more than one way that
slowing down at the breakfast, lunch, and dinner tables can
help us lose weight.

In one study, participants lowered their calorie intake
simply because the researchers told them to take their
time. When told to eat as quickly as possible on the other
hand, they ingested more calories. Researchers also used
such tips as having them lay down their spoons between
bites, and chew their food thoroughly, between 15 and 20
times.

This chewing thing is interesting, because I had heard
about a "chewing diet" in which participants were to chew
their food several times before swallowing. It all sounded
a little mystical to me, and I was inclined to write it off
until I read more about research at the University of Rhode
Island. It seems that when the diner chews the food 15-20
times, several things happen. Apparently, the trigger is
that thorough chewing helps to release about 50% more
nutrients in the first minute after the food enters the
stomach. As a result, blood flow to the digestive organs
is raised nearly instantly raising the metabolism. This,
in turn, results in a more rapid onset of a feeling of
fullness, causing the diner to feel full...and
finished...sooner, thus preventing the ingestion of excess
calories.

It has long been known that one problem with weight loss is
that we simply tend to eat more food than we really need or
want. Part of this is the result of the fact that signals
of fullness take their own sweet time getting through to
the brain, allowing us to take in more food than was really
required or desired.

So, slow down. Chew your food carefully. Enjoy the taste
and flavor of each morsel. Maybe even take smaller bites.
The researchers also found that giving the participants
smaller spoons helped. Lists of diet tips have long
included the admonition to serve meals on smaller plates as
that helped the portions appear bigger and more
psychologically satisfying.

Take this little bit of information, add a little bit of
exercise, and start making some better choices about what
you eat, and you might find that you have created the start
of an effective weight loss program.

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Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer. He is a University of
West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa, and is retired
from the U. S. Army. Learn more about health and weight
loss at http://informationclickdepot.com/health/index.html .

Spices - Antioxidant Source Throughout the Ages

Spices are the most antioxidant-rich of all food types and
they contain other important compounds that have had
profound health benefits on mankind throughout the ages.
The evolution of spices in our diets is a fascinating story
that shows how important spices are to our health as much
today as they were eons ago.

Thousands of years ago our hunter/gatherer forebears were
forced to adapt to a wide range of climatic and other
environmental conditions. Thus, before agrarian societies
developed, humans consumed a wide variety of plant species.
Some of these plants contained the basic macro and
micronutrients needed for survival (carbohydrates, fats,
proteins, vitamins and minerals). Many of the pungent,
stronger-tasting, and richly coloured plants also contained
an array of "non-nutritive compounds" that had profound
health benefits.

Today we know that the piquant flavours and bright colours
characteristic of spices are hallmarks of the important
phytochemicals these plants contain. The resilience that
characterizes many spice plants means that, during times of
famine, pestilence and drought, these are often the last
edible plants to survive. When taken alone many of them may
be very unpleasant to eat. However, these foods, in the
absence of tastier alternatives, were frequently the only
forms of nourishment available to our ancestors. This was a
fortuitous dietary hardship and one which resulted in
unwitting, but important, self-medication.

However when agrarian communities began to form, the
variety of plant species consumed by these societies
decreased and they became dependent on a small selection of
crops and a limited variety of wild plants. As our
forebears were forced to eat "spicy" foods out of
necessity, they probably enjoyed the intense flavors of
these plants. Another factor that influenced their
palatability was the relative strength of flavors between
different foods. To understand this, it is necessary to
consider that most of the fruit and vegetable species eaten
by early societies were stronger tasting and less sweet
than they are today. In fact, the majority of modern
plant-food cultivars bear very little resemblance to those
varieties that grew thousands of years ago: the bitter,
sour and astringent flavors that characterized fruits such
as apples, melons, pears and many others have been bred out
by generations of selective propagation.

As hunter-gatherer peoples began to be replaced by agrarian
societies, motives for the consumption of spices began to
change. Among settled societies, spices were the source of
flavorings and colorings that could be used to augment the
more monotonous diets based on a restricted number of
crops. Also, in order to establish food security, these
societies began to store the plants they grew or animals
they killed. Drying of food was one solution, as was the
use of the refrigerant effect of the low temperatures found
at higher altitudes and latitudes. However, until recent
times, the desiccation and freezing of food was not a
viable option for those living in hot, humid climates;
these societies discovered chemical preservation, in the
form of salt and spices. As the former was only available
in certain areas spices were often the only other option to
protect food from insect infestation and microbial
putrefaction.

We now know that many of the strongly flavoured
phytochemicals which give plants protection against insect
and microbial attack are the same compounds that "preserve"
our bodies, by protecting us against degenerative diseases.

Today spices are consumed in much greater quantity and
variety in warm, humid countries than in colder climates.
India and Thailand have the highest consumption of spices;
the warm Mediterranean countries follow somewhat behind
these and other Eastern countries but are ahead of the
United States. Chilly Scandinavian countries have the
lowest spice consumption of all. Moreover, the importance
of spices in helping to prevent chronic degenerative
disease can be seen to correspond to the varying levels of
spice utilization that occurs across different temperature
zones. Cold countries – typically the most developed
countries – tend to have much higher incidences of chronic
degenerative diseases when compared to hotter regions.

The dearth of spices in the diets of those of us living in
most Western countries means that we are depriving our
bodies of the important compounds that have, since time
immemorial, been used by our physiological and homeostatic
mechanisms to protect us from many diseases. We need to
consume lots of spices on a daily basis as they can make us
feel better, think better, age more slowly, and help us to
resist the onslaught of scourges like cardiovascular
disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and other
chronic degenerative disorders.

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Dr Keith Scott is a medical doctor with a special interest
in nutrition and complementary therapies. He has written
several books including "Medicinal Seasonings, The Healing
Power of Spices" and "Natural Home Pharmacy". Find out why
spices are the "Missing Links" in nutrition at:
http://www.medspice.com

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