Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Health”
We’ve come a long way! We now have a whole month for mental health awareness, and we have seen real awareness growing in so many ways throughout our society. While stigma remains, it is much easier now to speak out, discuss the issues and educate people about mental illness and mental health. MoodSurfing has been celebrating people, famous and not …
Self-care is critical for a healthy life. Because we can’t meet others’ needs if our own go unheeded. Because to lead by example for our families, for our workplaces, for our communities, we have to show what a healthy life looks like. Because self-care is not a reward, it’s the basic fuel that keeps the whole show running. But how …
Lisa, a patient of ours, was excited to share her use of brown noise for getting a good night’s sleep. “All I gotta say is, I’m waking up refreshed and rested, where before I just felt awful in the morning. I haven’t even looked into the data on my sleep app, I just know I feel better when I use …
Bipolar Disorder II is less well understood than BP I, even though the rate of prevalence in the wider population seems to be about equal. Previously considered a “lesser form” of bipolar, doctors note that rates of illness severity and suicide risk are very comparable in the two forms of bipolar. Less research has been done on BP II, with …
Are you breathing wrong? Breathing is about the most basic thing we do as living beings, and it’s hard to imagine there being a right and wrong way to do it, but experts say that constant high stress stimulates rapid, shallow breathing, which raises the heart rate, suppresses digestion, and heightens the brain’s tendency to detect danger, whether real or …
New smartphone app shows promise in control of bipolar Apps, apps everywhere! There are hundreds of apps you can download to your phone or computer that are supposed to help you live a healthier lifestyle. But, sadly, we know that many of them are just money-makers, with no clinical research or experience backing them up. We’ve been following the field …
Late night meals limit weight loss Does it matter what time of day you eat meals if you are trying to lose weight? Until recently, dieticians encouraged dieters to concentrate on the number of calories consumed, no matter what the time of day. New research, however, is showing distinct differences in the effect of consuming heavy meals in the morning …
The actress and singer Selena Gomez has just released a documentary: “My mind and me”, available on Apple+ TV. In the documentary, Gomez describes her struggle with the autoimmune disease, lupus, in parallel with severe bipolar disorder. For several years, she suffered from extreme mood swings and dangerous manic episodes followed by depressive episodes when she couldn’t get out of …
Abundant evidence shows that exercise is helpful in depression and anxiety, in fact, some specialists suggest that exercise should be the first intervention attempted in cases of mild to moderate depression. However, research into the relationship of exercise and bipolar has been spotty, at best. The available studies have used very small study groups, and have not considered different types …
Growing evidence shows a strong correlation between poor diet and mental illness. People suffering from severe mental illness consume more calories, more salt and sugar, and fewer nutrient dense foods like vegetables, nuts and fruit. Evidence also shows that the poor diet is not a result of mental illness, but is discernable in the months and years before diagnosis. Furthermore, …
Get close to the people you’re close to. We all know how easy it is to take people for granted, and everyone has had the experience of attending a funeral, or just hearing of someone’s death, and thinking “I wish I had told her I love her one more time!” But close relationships can also be draining, stressful, and many …
“I was losing hope that I would ever feel like myself again… but I finally got my full self back.” In an open-hearted and moving op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, Dr. Devika Bhushan, who has been serving as Acting Surgeon General of the State of California, told her personal story of bipolar disorder, which was diagnosed …
Diets and Moods Evidence for the importance of diet for mental health is slowly gathering. People are looking into the importance of specific diets like the Mediterranean diet, which we have highlighted here before. And the next big area of research into diet and mental health looks like being the ketogenic diet. Many people have heard of the Atkins diet, …
Some reflections by Denise Collins on The Mighty We were struck by this great post on The Mighty, (which is a fascinating site with lots of discussion groups to explore). One of their discussion groups is about depression, and Denise Collins is a regular contributor there. Recently, she posted this reflection on how writing helps her when she is depressed. …
Consumers’ Checkbook for the San Francisco Bay Area has a ratings table for medical care practitioners in the area that looks at a number of important criteria, including patient recommendations and peer recommendations (other doctors). This is a subscription service, and you have to sign up for at least the free 7-day trial period to get the list, but if …
People with mood disorders often struggle to establish healthy circadian rhythms. They often go to sleep later than they should, and wake up later as well. This affects mood as well as ability to participate in normal life. For someone who is going to sleep at 4:00 am and waking up at 1:00 pm, changing to a better sleep pattern …
Many of our patients want to reduce their use of medications, and move to a more natural regimen, utilizing herbal medicine, dietary supplements, and other traditional or less invasive methods of controlling mood swings and increasing stability. However, we have to recognize that “natural” medicine is still a form of medical treatment, and requires patient participation and discipline just as …
Exercise is more than just cardio Moderate exercise is associated with lower rates of depression, longer life and reduced cognitive impairment in a number of recent studies. Evidence is accumulating that exercise is for more than just cardio-vascular health, and confers significant benefits at all stages of life. A 2019 observational study looked at exercise rates correlated with depression rates …
Inflammation in the body may be associated with depression, but until recently, the evidence was confusing. Now, a study has looked at symptoms of depression separately, and has found that certain symptoms associated with depression are also correlated with systemic inflammation. Common symptoms of depression that are classified as physical: “changes in appetite”, “felt everything was an effort”, “loss of …
Bipolar and sleep disruption People with bipolar can have as much sleep disruption in a week that those without mood disorders will experience in a much longer time frame. Mood swings can cause major changes in sleep patterns and disrupted sleep makes it much more difficult to maintain mood stability. That’s why MoodSurfing offers so many resources about sleep and …
