Do you usually eat yogurt for breakfast? If you do, it’s likely because you know it will keep you regular. Many people eat yogurt for the probiotics, the healthy bacteria, which helps keep the digestive tract functioning well. Your gut is full of bacterial cells. These little organisms are there helping you to break down […]
Yogurt Can Affect Brain Function, UCLA Study Finds Read More »
It’s often been said that depression is the “common cold” when it comes to psychiatric disorders, while schizophrenia is likened to “cancer.” While those metaphors may be oversimplified, they’re not far off the mark in many ways. Schizophrenia is one of the most serious — and often one of the most disabling — types of
Schizophrenia – The ‘Cancer’ of Mental Illness Read More »
Millions of people in the U.S. struggle to get a good night’s sleep on a regular basis. In some cases, insomnia is caused by physical ailments, such as seasonal allergies or chronic pain. For many others, however, sleep disturbances are directly linked to mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety. Unfortunately, frequent or chronic
Treating Insomnia Alone Doesn’t ‘Fix’ Underlying Disorder Read More »
There is a relatively new treatment for addiction on the market. It isn’t a new type of therapy or a variation of a 12-step program and it isn’t a replacement for a drug, like methadone, which acts as a replacement for heroin. The new drug, called Vivitrol, is an injection that prevents addicts from getting
Vivitrol Blocks Heroin High Read More »
To look at Jude’s fingernails, you’d think she had an unfortunate disorder, something that affected nail growth and left only jagged bits of rough and misshapen keratin on the ends of her fingers. She chewed at them mercilessly when she thought no one was watching, and though she’d tried everything to quit what she believed
Anxiety: Quieting a Noisy, Troubled Mind Read More »
Problems with the heart have long been diagnosed using tools like electrocardiograms, otherwise known as EKGs. Scans of the brain can already help doctors determine physical and physiological problems, and now researchers think they could improve the accuracy of mental illness diagnoses. The idea holds a lot of promise. If doctors can order a simple,
fMRI Brain Scans May Diagnose Mental Illness Read More »
Through the teachings of Christine Bates, MA, therapist at The Ranch, clients discover that they are not alone, that the puzzling things their minds do are universal.
Mindfulness Therapy Powerful Weapon Over Addictive Thinking Read More »
The message that drinking and pregnancy poses considerable risk to the unborn fetus appears to be getting through. Over the last decade, alcohol use among pregnant women has decreased, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. More troubling, however, is that during that same 10-year period, illicit drug
Pregnant Women Using Less Alcohol, More Illicit Drugs Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled underage drinking a major health concern. There are nearly 5,000 kids aged 12 to 20 who die every year from alcohol poisoning. The year 2010 saw 189,060 emergency room visits tied to underage drinking, with almost 77,000 of those kids being 12 to 17 years old.
Teens Can Quickly Succumb to Alcohol Poisoning Read More »
The most widely used public method of preventing suicides — crisis hotlines — may not be as effective as previously thought. New evidence suggests that teens in particular are highly unlikely to contact a hotline if they are experiencing suicidal thoughts or tendencies. Since adolescents are at higher risk of committing suicide than many others,
Suicidal Teens Turn Away From Hotlines, Seek Solace in Social Media Read More »