Hot flashes. Brain fog. Emotional ups and downs. Some people treat the very real and challenging symptoms of menopause as if they’re the punch line of a bad joke. However, if you’re going through this stage of life, the process can be anything but funny. Along with the very uncomfortable physical symptoms that often occur,…
Has your search for feeling better reached the level of obsession? The more you acknowledge that there is a part of you that is OK, the more you can feel OK and just relax. Depression, anxiety, personality disorders–for many women, we manage our symptoms while we manage a busy family life. Feeling bad (and “bad”…
Treatment-resistant depression is a form of major depression marked by a poor response to the treatment options typically used to address depression symptoms. When depressed people fail to respond to standard medications called antidepressants, doctors frequently rely on a form of controlled brain stimulation called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, for a number of reasons, some…
Major depression (major depressive disorder) is a severe condition that centers on an inability to properly regulate mood and emotion. For a long time, doctors and scientists have believed that the condition produces its effects by altering the normal function of several areas of the brain. However, according to the results of a study published…
Testosterone is a human hormone normally associated with teenage boys, men, and the development of male sexual characteristics. However, this hormone is also normally found in small amounts in teenage girls and women. Scientific evidence gathered throughout the 2000s indicates that abnormally low or high testosterone levels can increase a woman’s chances of developing some…
Fish oil is the common name used for a liquid derived from the bodies of several different coldwater ocean fish species, including tuna, salmon, bluefish, mackerel, and sturgeon. This oil contains substances called omega-3 fatty acids, which the body needs to support certain essential aspects of everyday health. According to the results of a number…
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a brain-stimulating technique that uses very low levels of electrical current to change the amount of activity taking place in the brain’s main nerve cells, called neurons. This technique differs from another similarly named form of brain stimulation called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Current evidence indicates that tDCS can…
It may start with the end of a relationship or the death of a loved one. Perhaps it is increased stress at work or the loss of a job that starts the internal process of questioning and self-doubt. Physical health problems and the accompanying sense of loss of your vitality or youth might be the…
Most parents are familiar with the term low grade fever. A child who has a slight temperature, not high enough to arouse alarm and yet, not quite normal is described as running a low grade temperature. Dysthymia is a term used by psychologists to describe something similar in terms of mood function. Dysthymia describes a…
