Q: I was diagnosed with prostate cancer several years ago, and had treatments initially with radiotherapy and then with a drug called Zoladex. Zoladex is meant to prevent a recurrence of cancer
Drug treatment for depression usually focuses on ‘normalising’ serotonin. Manipulation of neurotransmitters, however, is poorly understood, difficult to regulate and unlikely to have long-lasting effects.
Many of the diseases we associate with ageing - such as heart disease, cancer, dementia and stroke - may be the result of lifelong, poorly managed stress.
Many things can trigger depression. It is common during life changes such as adolescence, marriage, birth and menopause. It can be a consequence of your upbringing - such as whether or not you were taught effective coping skills as a child.
Q My son, aged 38, was diagnosed with hepatitis C about five years ago. He tried Chinese herbs and acupuncture for some months, but with little success. He was offered the then experimental chemotherapy
Many depressed people get a boost from taking extra nutrients, such as tyrosine, tryptophan, methionine, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e), DHEA, acetylcarnitine, vitamin C, gamma- and alpha-linolenic acid, calcium, magnesium, lithium and zinc.
Not only is cognitive therapy (CT) free from the potential side-effects of antidepressants, it also brings longer-lasting benefits. One study looking at relapse rates with severe depression found that those who had stopped medication were more...
Sadness, isolation and loneliness can cause heart attacks. In one study in San Francisco and another in Eastern Finland, of the 20,000 people observed for up to nine years, those who were lonely ...
There's a certain machismo attached to psychiatry. Friendly counselling may be fine when you have a patient with mild depression, but cases of severe depression need drugs, and quickly, goes the line.
Enough studies have been published to establish, beyond any doubt, the connection between the mind and the body. Our thoughts, moods and attitude have such an influence over our bodily health that it seems extraordinary that doctors persist with an...