WOMENSHEALTHANDSTYLE

Depression Targets More Women Than Men

Did you know, statistically women have more chances to get depressed?

There are nineteen areas in our brain linked to depression, sixteen of them connected to female sex.

Women are more prone to hormonal changes – PMS, pregnancy, post-natal depression, menopause – you name it, they have it.

Men’s brain produces more serotonin, which is a brain chemical that makes us happy.

So, that’s why women eat more chocolate than men! In fact, statistically, we consume 60% more chocolate when we are feeling down. And I imagine now, that women do need it more than men, with less serotonin and all.

We also look at our problems differently.

Men tend to distract themselves, watch TV, play computer games (I’m generalizing here, people).

Women keep mulling over the same problem or event. I do know that female brain is tenacious. If I muck up, my wife remembers it for ages.

Socially, women are more under pressure today. Not only they need to have good education and a successful career to be considered accomplished, they’re expected to marry and raise kids in between.

But what’s the difference in signs of depression for men and women?

Men get irritable and angry, our mood swings. We blame someone else for the cause of our depression and want to confront them. We stay on the sofa and watch TV 24/7, browse Internet for hours, self-medicate and generally become restless.

On the other hand, women close up. They feel pathetic and worthless, their self-confidence plummets. Women tend to blame themselves, not anyone else, for their troubles. They try coping with their apathy and avoid conflict at all costs.

These signs should occur for at least two weeks, most of them daily, for the doctor to diagnose you as clinically depressed.

Good news for women, – they are more likely to acknowledge that they are depressed and seek medical attention, so their percentage of recovery from this illness is higher than in men.

So, how to determine that you are clinically depressed?

* First, they rule out that some physical ailment caused changes to your mental state. They do some tests on your thyroid – a gland that, if destabilised, plays havoc with your hormones. They check your central nervous system or if you have some kind of cancer.

* You’re asked what other medications you’re taking, as some of them (for example, steroids for your arthritis) can lead to depression. Even over-the-counter diet pills can make you feel low.

* Last, you probably go through the blood check to make sure that your liver and kidneys don’t have any problems and can process prescribed medication at normal pace.

* Obviously, you’re also questioned about your state of mind. But this baby – is a topic for some other day.

So, folks, share with me how you feel.

Is it really different for men and women? Did you try to go to the doctor? Does chocolate truly help?…

Natural Anxiety Recovery 101 – Tips To Catapult Panic Attacks

Have you been in the situation where you think there’s something wrong with you? It’s a normal thing that could happen to anyone. Unpleasant feeling takes place because of several stressors like money, delays, emotional issue and death of family member. Stress if not addressed the soonest time as possible could result to anxiety. This is defined as the body’s response to the upcoming danger. Anxiety is the combination of worry and alertness. If you suffered from anxiety, it will appear that you’re under the influence of drugs. You can’t eat well, you can’t sleep at night and most of all you can’t focus on what you’re doing.

In the modern day, there are several methods used in overcoming anxiety. Some make used of therapy, relaxation exercises and motivation. There are also over-the-counter depressants available. But the sad thing is that, anxiety could not be healed by drugs. According to experts, anxiety is an inside job and could be only healed by a person suffering from it. No matter how often you take drugs, it won’t be healed unless you changed your inner concept. Actually it’s easy to overcome this unpleasant feeling with the help of natural anxiety recovery.

Here’s the good can overcome anxiety in a short period of time without suffering from side effects of pills and other medications. Just by changing your lifestyle, you’ll be able to do such thing. Alcohol and cigar are two of the main factors that trigger panic attacks. As you know, alcohol is a stimulant and is the one that produces hormones in the blood.

These hormones are therefore the roots of the so-called adrenaline rush. Some of us often drink alcohol when we have problems. According to some people, this is one way to forget problems. Wrong move! How could you forget your problems with this bottled chemical? It would only make your situation worse! Instead of taking alcohol why not entertain yourself by playing video games or by undergoing exercise every morning? These are just some of the natural anxiety recovery approaches that really work.

When you play games, your negative thoughts are diverted into positive thoughts. Instead of thinking the possible harms that could happen, you’ll end up thinking the solution to your problem. Playing games will change your inner concept. By the end of the day, you will realize the real value of life. You should live happily and gratefully. You should forget your problems and take care of your health.

Anxiety, in conclusion is a short-term psychological and behavioral issue. However, anxiety if not treated properly could become a lifetime responsibility. Don’t let panic attacks take over your normal life. Get rid of it before it’s too late……

Things That Raise Your Blood Pressure

There are two types of high blood pressure; the first common high blood pressure is essential hypertension while the second is secondary hypertension. The essential hypertension is merely accumulated of 95% of hypertension and is categorized as a chronic condition that could bring many diseases. On the other hand, the secondary hypertension is amassed 5% hypertension, which is considered as a reason for a specific abnormality in particular organ of your body.

The essential hypertension caused by multifactor things and the underlying defects have not yet known. However, the basic causes can be recognized as a high intake of salt in some certain societies. You are recommended to consume salt less than 5.8 grams each day while the excess use of salt might be causing to several conditions due to hypertension.

Salt servings considerably as the most factor of hypertension in relation of obesity, susceptibility, genetic, the age and kidney failure. According to the study, the salt intake should only 3.8 grams on 19 to be 50 years old. This amount will be enough to change your lost from the perspiration process and supply you for other essential nutrients.

Some study also states that genetic factor play major role to ease the development of hypertension and give you high risk. Genetic is structured from some genes, which are the tiny portion chromosomes. These chromosomes produce proteins that become the characteristic of personal. The study still works to explore the relation of the proteins and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system that is responsible to control salt balance and arteries.

The abnormality of arteries also can lead to hypertension as it is found in vast majority patients. When the arteries cannot its job, it increases resistance in the tiny that are located far away from the heart. These arteries are responsible to provide all o the tissues in your body with oxygen and nutrients.…

Pulmonary Hypertension

What is pulmonary hypertension?

A rare disease, pulmonary hypertension is an elevated blood pressure in the lung vasculature. High pressure is exerted on the walls of the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein and pulmonary capillaries that make up the pulmonary vasculature.

When you ever feel any signs of shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting or other symptoms that are exacerbated by an exertion it might possibly be due to pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension can be a severe disease marked by a decreased exercise tolerance and many a times, heart failure. Thus in case you have any of the aforementioned signs and symptoms it’s my advice you head for complete check up.

There are several general terms that relates to this disorder that should be familiarized to know about this type of hypertension.

Primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) that is characterized by elevated pulmonary artery pressure with no apparent cause it is also termed as pre capillary pulmonary hypertension or more commonly now as idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).

The term IPAH is now preferred for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) of an unknown etiology, and thus IPAH represents pulmonary vascular disease.

This disease was first identified by Dr. Ernst von Romberg in the year 1891. Since then it is under study as a rare but significant disease of the heart and lungs.

According to the most recent classification, it can be one of five different types on which the treatment depends upon;

• arterial

• venous

• hypoxic

• thromboembolic

• Miscellaneous

What is the incidence of pulmonary hypertension?

Being a rare disorder it inflicts approximately 125-150 deaths per year only in the United States while it has an incidence rate of approximately 2-6 cases in each million of the population per year.

Approximately the same worldwide incidence of IPAH is seen as in the US with slight variations worldwide. A registry of IPAH patients in France found about 6 cases per million populations of IPAH patients.

Also observed is the fact that the incidence and prevalence of APAH are considerably higher than those for IPAH.

We will further update you on this disease about all of its aspects so you can have an insight of your disease.…

Is There a Treating Depression Alternative? Looking at Antidepressants, Supplements and Counselling

Ask Woody Allen about psychoanalysis as to whether it might be a treating depression alternative. Or just watch one of his films! The problem with this type of treatment is that there is too much emphasis on finding the root cause of the depression which according to Freudian principles may be based on repressed childhood traumas and conflicts.

There is a lot of energy on focusing on the cause and origin of the depression. Very often we can spend years trying to pinpoint the cause but there may be multiple ones so it could take all our life!

Rather than looking back and reflecting on what went on in our past, we really need a type of counselling which looks forward and concentrates on the steps we need to take to get out of the black hole of depression.

Any form of psychotherapy for depression can be extremely useful in depression provided it is not the passive reflective type. If the therapy can set goals and get the patient actively involved, then it can be very effective.

As regards the studies done on antidepressants versus the effectiveness of herbal remedies for depression such as St. John’s Wort, there has been a lot of controversy. One major manufacturer of an anti depressant did a study on a very small group of 200 patients for severe depression. Their conclusion were that this herb was not effective at all in cases of severe depression. But there are many question marks about how that study was conducted.

However there are over thirty studies which show that this herb can be just as effective in cases of mild to moderate depression. One of the major studies which was published in the British Medical Journal, used 2000 patients. They found that St. John’s Wort was just as effective as the anti depressant but without any of the nasty side effects. In addition it was found to be three times more effective than a dummy pill.

So, what are the options for a treating depression alternative? As we have have seen, doctors may recommend certain therapies over others. It is however clear that a herbal remedy for depression should be given much more attention, as it has performed so well in all the studies. While the major manufacturers of the anti depressants will not be making this well known, it is up to everybody to look at all the options when considering a treating depression alternative.…

Yoga for Depression and Anxiety: How to Improve Your Mental Health Through Gentle Stretching

Are you Stressed or Depressed? Try Yoga!

It’s well-known that yoga has numerous health benefits and is often recommended for physical ailments such as back pain, but it’s interesting to delve into the use of the ancient technique to improve mental well-being and provide a healthy outlook on life.

Recent research in the United States found that three sessions of gentle yoga a week can help combat depression as it boosts levels of a chemical in the brain which is essential for a relaxed mind. In 2010, scientists at the Boston University School of Medicine found that the levels of the amino acid GABA are significantly higher in people that carry out yoga than those who do the equivalent of a similarly strenuous exercise, for example walking. This chemical is essential for the function of brain and central nervous system and promotes a state of calm within the body.

Low levels of GABA are associated with various anxiety disorders, and depression. This would suggest then that there is more to the way in which yoga makes us feel happy and relaxed than simply releasing endorphins as other exercise does.

Stress is a common occurrence in today’s society; factors such as the recent credit crunch and job market on top of raising a family, relationships, studies etc. can take a toll on all of us. Our bodies and minds are not designed to handle long periods of stress- which can manifest itself in hypertension, insomnia, skin problems, asthma, ulcers, and as previously mentioned; anxiety and depression.

How to Reduce Stress and Anxiety Through Focused Breathing and Awareness

Yoga provides good results for stress management

-It physically releases stress and tension by the stretching and twisting into different postures (referred to as ‘Asanas’ in yoga) and unwinds knots in the back and neck muscles etc. which may be causing the body to feel tight.

-The physical exercises releases endorphins, natural hormones in the body which create a feeling of well-being.

-Yoga breathing techniques (known as ‘Pranayamas’) make a person take deeper breaths which fill the bloodstream with more oxygen and control blood pressure, but also being aware of your control over breathing is a very effective tool in combating stress.

-Pranayamas and Asanas, together the ‘language of the body’ help us get to know our innermost being, and control over ourselves through learning to control our body. Practising yoga will help realise there is an inter-connection between mind, body and spirit which in turn helps to maintain balance in daily life.

-Yoga clears the mind: Our minds are constantly racing from one thought to another and tiring themselves out in the process! The concentration used in yoga for Asanas and Pranayamas gives the brain a well-deserved break, and puts all other worries and thoughts to the side.

-Yogic philosophy also plays an important role in achieving a more optimistic outlook. Regular practising of yoga can change the way in which a person views the world and their attitude towards achieving goals and success rather than failure. Asanas and Pranayamas impart positive thinking.

-Ending each yoga session relaxing with the ‘savasana’ or corpse pose might feel like an enforced relaxation at first but eventually becomes a total release for both body and mind, transitioning you back into the world refreshed and ready to go!

A few key yoga postures, or asanas, for relieving stress are ‘savasana’ (corpse pose) as mentioned above, ‘balasana’ (child’s pose), ‘makarasana’ (crocodile pose) and ‘vrikshasana’ (tree pose). Take a breather next time you feel stressed out and see how much of a difference yoga makes to your mood!…

Joy and Happiness – Making Yourself Happy

So how do you make YOU happy? Well… you simply can’t deny all the research that shows that optimism and gratitude do lead to happiness, and many people find it to be “The Magic Pill” for happiness. Besides, making yourself happy is a lot easier than you might think. I’m living proof that optimism and gratitude do lead to happiness. As my attitude changed, so did my happiness and health 🙂

Since I’m a lot happier now I want to show you that it’s a lot easier than you might think. For an instant jolt of happiness you might want to read a gratitude board. The real secret to happiness though is in writing out your gratitude and optimism for the whole world to see, even if you remain anonymous, because that helps others remember things they are grateful for as well. Which leads to the other secret to happiness, helping others.

Research shows that those who write out their gratitude on a weekly basis feel better about their lives as a whole, and are more optimistic about the upcoming week. Grateful people also tend to be more optimistic overall, a characteristic that boosts the immune system. Grateful people also report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, and lower levels of depression and stress. Which is key in making you happy.

It’s VERY important to make YOU happy if you want to make others happy. It isn’t selfish at all, it’s a good thing! Yes, making you happy fits in the good things category 😉 So go ahead and make yourself happy today. Join me and many others who KNOW how to make ourselves happy. I am very happy to share this with you, may all your days be filled with happiness, peace, love, and joy. Make yourself happy today, it’s for the good of the planet 🙂…