Tag Archives: depression

“Gluten-Free Diet Linked to Depression” is Another Gross Misrepresentation of Medical Research

“Gluten-free diet linked to increased depression and eating disorders” – the headline immediately caught my attention. As I read the first article, I was theorizing in my head about the chemical impact of gluten and carbohydrates in our brains and bodies, as well as the mental strain of adhering to a strict diet and the extra effort it requires. I thought a correlation between depression and a gluten-free lifestyle was possible, I thought about all my friends and family members living gluten-free, and I started digging for the actual research to investigate the experimental method used. What I found was that the alarming headline was taken from partial statements made by an experimenter, but the entire findings were not taken into account.

Unfortunately, this can be common in the news media and blogosphere where the focus is more on attention-grabbing sound bites rather than in-depth analysis and education. It is my sincere hope that everything I write (here and elsewhere) and everything you read at DietsInReview is researched and thought out, and we are not jumping to conclusions or publishing alarmist headlines simply because it is provocative.

In this case, the research found that those women with celiac disease (177 surveyed) who were most compliant with a gluten-free diet reported “increased vitality, lower stress, decreased depressive symptoms, and greater overall emotional health,” according to Josh Smyth of Penn State. This sounds like the opposite of the alarmist headline that grabbed my attention. The caveat is that those surveyed, even those managing celiac disease well through a gluten-free lifestyle, reported “higher rates of stress, depression, and a range of issues clustered around body dissatisfaction, weight and shape” compared to the general population.” (more…)

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Brooke Randolph

Time Magazine Confuses Healthy Stress with Anxiety

The TIME Magazine cover article from December 5, 2024, by Alice Park titled The Two Faces of Anxiety has raised a bit of a ruckus online. Mostly, bloggers have questioned the choice to make Why Anxiety Is Good For You the cover art in the United States, while a graphic image of the Egyptian revolution was published in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific editions. It has been questioned whether TIME believes Americans do not care about world events or are simply that self-focused. It seems to me that the editors of TIME simply believe “anxiety” is a buzzword that will sell in America, and apparently more than an uprising in Egypt. This seemed even more likely after watching the interview the senior editor of TIME did with CNN to discuss the problem of anxiety that they claim 18 percent of American adults suffer from.

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Posted on December 9, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

How to Not Feel Lonely When You are Alone During the Holidays

By Deb Roby from Weight for Deb

The holidays are fast upon us, but maybe -for you- this year is different. Either through a move, a divorce, or a death, someone isn’t going to be at your holidays. Maybe nobody will. You might be looking at a week or more of spending quiet days and nights with a spouse or an adult child and you just Do.Not.Feel.In.The.Mood.

Fourteen years ago, I moved across the country from all of my family. In the years since then, parents have died, nieces and nephews have moved to new cities. There is no reason to return to hometowns. It’s just the two of us. Yet here, all our friends are with their families. Some have extended an invitation; it always feels like being the outsider looking in. It’s easier to decline than go.

So I’m speaking from experience. How do you keep from feeling alone when you’re alone during the holidays?

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Posted on December 5, 2023 by GuestBlogger

12 Steps to Relieve Internet Addiction and Digital Depression

Are you one of the millions of Americans who depend heavily on your laptop or cell phone to get you through the day? Do you come home from work and instead of spending quality time with friends, exercising or doing chores you find yourself logging on to your Facebook or Twitter account? Do you incessantly check your email, the weather report or the news hoping something exciting will snap you out of feeling bored with your life? Do you feel lost without some sort of digital device that can dole out information in less than a few seconds when you have a burning curiosity about something?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, a digital detox plan might be the best gift you can give yourself this year.

Read these steps, tips and guidelines designed to help you dismiss digital depression. When you are finished reading, shut down your computer, turn off your Smartphone, completely unplug, and give yourself a well-deserved break.

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Posted on November 17, 2023 by Jill

Guided Imagery to Survive the Dark Days of Winter

It is estimated that at least 6 out of 100 people suffer from some type of light deficient depression during the dark days of winter, but turning your clock back an hour doesn’t have to leave you in the dark. If sunshine on your shoulders makes you happy and being starved for daylight puts you in a funk, imagining the sun can be the next best thing to keep your spirits up this winter.

Your imagination is very effective since your mind and body sometimes don’t know the difference between whether your brain is just thinking something or if you are actually experiencing something. According to the American Psychological Association, studies have associated the use of guided imagery techniques with positive outcomes such as reduced anxiety and depression. So, whenever you need to bask in some radiant sunshine, whether you are inside or out, this simple guided imagery can help.
Practice the following sequence as often as necessary and start to feel brighter, more cheerful and full of positive energy.

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Posted on November 16, 2023 by Jill

Women with Breast Cancer Benefit Emotionally from Yoga

We know that a regular yoga practice offers many health benefits whether you are an experienced practitioner or just starting out to try yoga for the first time, but more and more often, studies have shown yoga has many benefits that stretch way beyond having flexible hamstrings.

If you or someone close to you is the estimated one in eight women with breast cancer, please read and share this article. Yoga is scientifically proven to help in many positive ways.

Researcher Suzanne Danhauer, Ph.D. from the Wake Forest School of Medicine says, “Mind-body therapies improve mood, quality of life, and treatment related symptoms in people with cancer.”

According to a study published in an issue of Psycho-Oncology, women who participated in a ten week program of 75 minute Restorative Yoga (RY) classes gained differences in their status of mental health; specifically depression, emotions and spirituality (measured by feelings of calm and peacefulness) compared to the control group.

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Posted on October 25, 2023 by Jill

Moving Beyond Depression Utilizes Physical Health to Improve Mental Health

The book Moving Beyond Depression: A whole-person approach to healing by Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D. with Ann McMurray may be a self-help treatment approach that you find fits well with your desires to improve health and lose weight. Dr. Jantz suggests that our culture is over medicated, especially when treating depression, and many find side effects like weight gain and decreased libido contribute to depression even if overall mood is improved. While the book begins with emotional currents, there is also a nice focus on nutrition, movement, and the whole person.

It is likely that Dr. Jantz chose to begin with the various emotions that can be involved in depression because a major part of experiencing depression is what one feels. Also many therapists are most comfortable discussing emotions. There are several examples and stories throughout the book in which you may be able to recognize aspects of yourself.

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Posted on October 18, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

New Research Finds Coffee May Help Women Fight Depression. How Depressing.

By Abra Pappa for NutritiousAmerica.com

Before you refill that coffee mug read this.

Last week a new research study from Harvard was released that stated drinking caffeinated coffee may help women fight depression. Women who drank four or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 20% decreased risk of developing depression over the 10 year period compared with those that consumed one cup or less a week, according to a study released in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A holistic nutritionist weighs in:

I am concerned that this research is giving the green light to an extreme coffee habit, which in my opinion, can be ultimately detrimental to your health. When this study was released last week Twitter was filled with “tweets” of joy like, “coffee brews to beat the blues,” and this tweet from Arianna Huffington, “Caffeine can cure depression in women. One more reason for coffee addicts like me to celebrate our addiction.”  Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy a cup of Joe from time to time, but it’s how people tend to misread research to reinforce an unhealthy habit that’s got me down. Researchers cautioned that more study is needed before they’d recommend adding several cups of coffee a day as therapy, but how many people skipped over that caution?

And what about the negative effects of 4-5 cups of coffee per day? (more…)

Posted on October 7, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Laughter Yoga is About More than Just Fun

When was the last time you had a hard gut-busting belly laugh?

According to researchers at the European Society of Cardiology, laughter has a positive effect on vascular function and blood flow, and plays an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease, much like the benefits of aerobic exercise.

In an effort to induce more laughter into our lives, Madan Kataria, a doctor from India created the very first Laughter Yoga Social Club, gathering with just a handful of people at an outdoor park in Mumbai. Since its debut in 1995, Laughter Yoga has become a worldwide phenomenon with more than 6000 Social Laughter Clubs in 60 countries.

Jeffrey Briar is a master teacher and one of the leading American instructors of Laughter Yoga. As the director of the Laughter Yoga Institute of Laguna Beach, California, Jeffrey founded the first Laughter Yoga Club (outside of India) that meets seven days a week. The club has over 20,000 participants and has gained local and international press.

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Posted on September 7, 2023 by Jill

Ruby’s Garage Sale Brings a Reunion on Episode 3

Episode three begins with Ruby and her friends getting ready for the big garage sale. Ruby is convinced that the sale will bring in loads of money, while the rest of the crew is skeptical.

Since the discovery of the forgotten letters in episode two, Ruby’s depression is escalating and her trainers, Drew and Shazi, are having trouble getting her to the gym. In an effort to keep Ruby active, her trainers are turning the garage sale into a fitness endeavor.

Making each step count, Drew and Shazi accompany Ruby to post signs for the garage sale. The group held small weights in their hands and did lunges down the street.

Depression is ruining Ruby’s motivation to workout but she admits that it helps elevate her mood when she does. “I’m a lot happier,” she says, “I’m energetic… it changes your whole mood.”

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Posted on March 21, 2024 by Theresa

Fighting Depression With P90X

Katrina writes for the award winning website Fickle Feline which she founded in 2004. Her candid writing and bare bones honesty have won her accolades from both the Mental Health and Autism communities. She is an Autism advocate and is currently documenting her Autistic son Max’s journey for a book she is writing on how to achieve a best outcome for Autism through early intervention and intensive therapy.

Depression and I go way back, but it wasn’t until college that I started taking medication to treat it. Thus began my ride on the prescription drug roller coaster. People who don’t understand depression would say things like “you should exercise, you’ll feel better”. I resented those people and thought “yeah right, a run around the block will cure everything”. I could barely get out of bed, let alone go to the gym.

After a particularly rough 2024 resulting in a new medication regimen and considerable weight gain, I decided that I would give the “exercise will make you feel better” advice a shot. Nothing else was working so what the heck, right? Being the extreme person I am, I decided to do the P90X program. I started on December 26th and committed to working out every day for 90 days. I hate to admit it, but I have never felt better.

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Posted on March 4, 2024 by GuestBlogger