Understanding Depression

Recession, inflation, climate change, natural calamities, and terrorism--the combination of these global problems may just be the reason for the increase in the number of people suffering from depression. Add to that advances in technology that have virtually made real-world social interactions obsolete, and we get the modern-world’s depression equation.

Depression is a disease that remains to baffle scientists and researchers. There are countless theories that hope to explain this phenomenon of the human mind and all of them give plausible explanations.

Medically, depression is considered a disease, reasoning that it is due to an imbalance in neurotransmitters (substances that transmit signals from the body to the brain) or because of a poor diet leading to an imbalance in vitamins and minerals.

Psychologically, depression is a result of traumatic events that may come in the form of a loss in the family or the presence of a serious disease or illness.

The good news is, many health professionals assert that depression as a disease is treatable.

Untreated depression can lead to many undesirable behaviors -- from oversleeping and over-eating to self-flagellation and even suicide. Even minor depression could affect one’s productivity at work and relationships, that is why once identified, depression must be treated with professional help.

However, there are ways that could help one cope with depression and a strong support group, family and peers, plays and integral part in this.

Keeping a positive outlook on life’s events would also help minimize the occurrence of depression. This can be accomplished by understanding one’s mind and realizing one’s purpose and goals. Yoga and meditation helps promote positive thinking.

A balanced vegetarian diet can also help battle depression. Meat eaters consume large amounts of protein, which is found to prevent the conversion of tryptophan into serotonin, known as the body’s “good mood hormone.” It should be noted that of all the essential amino acids, only tryptophan can be converted into serotonin. Because of the low amount of serotonin in the body, there is an increased likelihood that one would easily experience depression.

Ironically, tryptophan is present in high-protein food including red meat. However, it should not be misconstrued that because of the high levels of tryptophan in meat it follows that serotonin levels would be elevated. On the contrary, studies show that consumption of too much protein decreases the level of conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.

In addition, there are also countless procedures used in the treatment of depression, although medical professionals would agree that the disease can be treated by complementing anti-depressant medication with psychotherapy sessions and family counseling.

However, before any treatment can be made, the patient must first be able to accept and recognize his condition.

The National Institute of Mental Health has identified the following to be symptoms of depression: Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood; feelings of hopelessness, pessimism; feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness; loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities; decreased energy, fatigue, being “slowed down”; difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions; difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping; appetite and/or weight changes; thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts; resslessness, irritability; and persistent physical symptoms.

These symptoms may not necessarily be experienced as a whole. Some would experience just a few while others suffer several of these symptoms. The NIMH advices that should these symptoms be observed, a professional healthcare provider should be sought.AC

Top 10 Common Dental Problems

A healthy mouth and a great smile can be invaluable to our sense of wellbeing and self confidence. But good dental health is not something to be taken for granted. Check out these Top 10 Dental Problems and you would be surprised how easy it is to prevent many of them. Good nutrition and a few minutes of oral care every day would save a lot of trouble later and save money too. The idiom about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure, really says it all.

Here's the list of Top 10 Common Dental Problems courtesy, About.com Dental Care pages:

Bad breath

Tooth decay

Gum disease

Oral cancer

Mouth sores

Tooth erosion

Tooth sensitivity

Toothache and dental emergencies

Unattractive smile

And the list is of course about common dental problems in adults.

You can find out more about avoiding or preventing the above conditions in the "Dental Problems" section on FreeDentistFinder.com. Be pleasantly surprised how you can save on dental bills! Also, don't forget to visit the Dental Treatments section for the solutions offered by dentists and other dental professionals.

But, what about kids?

What is the top dental problem for American children? The most common dental problem in children is dental caries, or tooth decay.

If tooth decay is not attended to early, you child faces a lifetime of pain and complications. This is why the American Dental Association recommends that you take your child for a dental visit within six months after the first tooth comes and no later than the first birthday.

Think of this first dental visit as a "well baby checkup" for the baby's teeth. On the first visit, your dentist will check for tooth decay and other problems. Your dentist can also show you how to clean the child's teeth properly. After the first visit, it is recommended that baby visits the dentist every six months.

And that is not bad advice for adults either. Regular dental visits can sure help you deal with, and often entirely avoid, most of the common dental problems

The evils of Caffeine

Charles Czeisler, a neuroscientist and sleep expert from Harvard Medical School explains: “When the nature of work changed from a schedule built around the sun to an indoor job timed by a clock, humans had to adapt. The widespread use of caffeinated food and drink—in combination with the invention of electric light—allowed people to cope with a work schedule set by the clock, not by daylight or the natural sleep cycle.” In addition, scientific studies have shown that the power boost of caffeine is connected with its interference with adenosine – a chemical in our bodies, which has hypnotic effect and works as a natural sleeping pill. Caffeine actually ceases adenosine and in this way our alertness gets increased and our sleep habits are disrupted. As we all know, there’s no such thing as a free lunch and we pay for this extra wakefulness.

Health concerns:

Experts from the FDA claim that our health is in danger as long as the consumption remains between 200 mg to 300 mg of caffeine per day, which is equal to around two or three cups of coffee. They also say that caffeine contains components such as Niacin, Magnesium and Potassium, which play a vital role for our health: Potassium is essential for nerves function, Magnesium is of importance in our bones and teeth and Niacin aids in the metabolism of sugars and has an essential role for the proper function of intestines. If consumed moderately, caffeine acts as an anti-oxidant, sucking up free radicals. Unfortunately, the refreshing effects of caffeine urge us to constantly increase consumption in order to eliminate brain fog and fatigue.

Caffeine is an addictive drug, which alters our brain’s natural state and stimulates it in a manner similar to mechanisms employed by cocaine and heroin: it provokes a release of adrenalin, so that the body remains active and alert. It also manipulates dopamine production and that’s how we experience temporary high levels of energy; our productivity improves and we become more coordinated. Caffeine affects our whole body, stimulating the cardiovascular system, raising our blood pressure and heart rate. This process speeds up our basal metabolic rate and we burn more calories. As a result we obtain a wakeup jolt, because caffeine evokes a stress response in our adrenal hormones, the so called “fight-or-flight” response. This is how our body prepares for action and remains in the state of alertness, no matter if we are sitting on our desks, or reading our newspaper on the sofa. When stress hormones remain elevated for long periods of time, our bodies experience chronic stress, which provokes exhaustion and craving for the next sip of coffee, coke or soda.

Exactly how caffeine affects us depends on many factors, including the amount ingested, our individual peculiarities (sex, weight and height, age) and whether we are smokers or non-smokers. Studies show that some people are more sensitive to its effects than others. However, when consumed frequently our body develops tolerance to caffeine and this represents a significant health risk. At doses of 600 mg, or 6 cups of coffee, caffeine can lead to:

- Restlessness and anxiety

- Heartburn – caffeine is alkaline, which spurs the stomach to react by dumping more hydrochloric acid as a neuralizer

- Severe headaches and sweating

- High blood pressure

- Heart problems and rapid palpitations

- Nausea

- Muscle stiffness – caffeine increases the loss of calcium and magnesium, which has a negative impact on muscle tissues, impeding their relaxation mechanism.

- Withdrawal symptoms may also occur, even when moderate amounts of caffeine are withdrawn for 18 to 48 hours. One may feel severe exhaustion, depression and poor concentration.

Strategies for reduction of caffeine intake and tips to give it up completely:

In order to gradually reduce the amount of caffeine intake a good tactic is to reduce the number of coffee cups by one every week (For example: 4 cups a day in the first week, 3 in the second, 2 in the third, 1 in the fourth). In this way the withdrawal symptoms will be much less severe.

Another strategy which can help our body get rid of caffeine addiction is to use less coffee. Every morning we should use put less teaspoons of coffee into our coffee machine, until it is so weak that we can live without it.

We can also switch to tea, as it has lower amounts of caffeine. Every day we can switch over one of our coffee breaks to tea. Once we achieve a successful transition to tea, we should repeat the process to transition to caffeine-free tea.

Sleep is a very important natural source of energy and that’s why we need to ensure a quality and regular sleep while we are transitioning to our caffeine-free state.

In addition we could include morning aerobic exercise, like cycling or running. This will make us feel full of energy, because sport unlocks the production of endorphins (one of the hormones of happiness) and we will be able to start our day on a natural high.

We also have to make sure that we don’t lose our connection with nature. In fact, many people suffer from depression because of the unnatural life our modern society leads us into. Thus, make it a ritual to go outside and deep breathe fresh air in the morning.

Change your diet. Drink orange Juice, or eat fresh fruits in order to nourish your body with vitamin C. Coffee is a habit. Replace it with a small glass of fresh pressed orange juice. Have a grain or oats based breakfast (with a low glycemic index). It will keep your brain nourished all morning. Avoid sugary breakfasts like donuts or high sugar cakes or muffins. They lead to a rapid buildup and slump in our blood sugar levels. Also, have an afternoon snack. Keep an apple or banana or a handful of cashew nuts ready for the mid-afternoon snack time instead of coffee. Finally, drink more water: carry a water bottle around and take sips regularly.

Continue reading: Lose weight with a delicious anti-junk food menu