Blog entries posted in General

Valentine'sDay/Love/Oxytocin

Administrator — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:13:10 +0100

Valentine’s Day next week means literally millions across the country will flock to candy stores, flower shops and favorite restaurants to let that special someone know how much they care. Excellent ideas all. Oxytocin Accelerator approaches Valentine's Day from a more logical stance, the logic being that love is always with us; in our genes, our chemistry, our evolutionary past, our whole nature and there is no faster way to release it.
Click here...

Neurobiological effects of Hyperforin and its potential in Alzheimer's disease therapy

Administrator — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:09:01 +0100

Abstract
St. John's Wort (SJW) has been used medicinally for over 5,000 years. Relatively recently, one of its phloroglucinol derivatives, hyperforin, has emerged as a compound of interest. Hyperforin first gained attention as the constituent of SJW responsible for its antidepressant effects. Since then, several of its neurobiological effect...

Depression and Salt

Administrator — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:03:27 +0100

A new study from the University of Iowa found that salt is a good conductor and probably affects our brain function. According to the study, when deprived of salt rats were far less inclined to participate in activities they typically enjoyed—like pressing a bar that stimulated pleasant sensations in their brains. "Things that normally would be pleasurabl...

10 Steps to Happiness

Administrator — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:16:08 +0100

The gloomy days of January can be the most miserable and stressful of the year, but it doesn't have to be this way. If you follow this ten step guide to distressing your life, then the next few weeks just might become the most serene and fulfilling ones of the year. One step should be carried out on each of the next 10 days. They're based on the ideas found in the i...

Am I addicted to antidepressants?

Administrator — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:03:08 +0100

Q. I have been off and on several different antidepressants over the years. Do I have to stay on them forever? Am I addicted to antidepressants?

Possibly. Pharmaceutical antidepressants can be addictive. Especially for children. There are actually laws in place to prevent children from taking Paxil. People do not get addicted to natural anti-depressants. Some, ...

Oxytocin: the body's love drug offers hope to addicts

Administrator — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:31:24 +0100

The feel-good effects of oxytocin have diminished the impact of drug and alcohol use. Now, Australian scientists have launched clinical trials to determine if intranasal oxytocin sprays, methamphetamine addicts, alcoholics, and chronic marijuana users using oxytocin nasal sprays will benefit from a combination of oxytocin sprays and injections. University of Sydney researcher Professor Iai...

Are you sad? (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

Chris McMullen — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:35:43 +0100

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that generally recurs during late fall or early winter. It is characterized by periods of depression triggered by shortened sunlight and sudden weather changes during the cooler months. Interestingly, SAD is more prevalent in developed countries. For example, 6 percent of the Turkish population—mostly women—are d...

Gary Barlow Admits Depression Fuelled Weight Issues

Chris McMullen — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:51:30 +0100

Boy band singer, Take That star and X Factor judge Gary Barlow admitted he suffered from "a form of depression" after his solo career fizzled out. An original member in one of the U.K.'s most successful boyband in the 1990s, Gary's independent singing career went no where after the band split. His record label dropped him in 1999 so he started eatin...

Oxytocin Gene Linked to Optimism

Chris McMullen — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:21:05 +0100

UCLA scientists have discovered a gene linked to positivity, self-worth and self-belief. The oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) is a hormone whose level raises in response to stress. “I have been looking for this gene for a few years, and it is not the gene I expected. I knew there had to be a gene for these psychological resources,” comme...

Depression, Addiction Oscar de la Hoya’s greatest fight

Chris McMullen — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:43:13 +0100

Boxing champion Oscar de la Hoya has 10 world titles and one Olympic gold medal to his name but says you could put all of the opponents in the ring at one time and it wouldn’t be as challenging as his fight against alcohol and drugs. He even revealed in an interview with the Spanish-language network Univision, that he has contemplated suicide. “This is the b...

Run away from your depression

Chris McMullen — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:52:22 +0100

According to a new study, regular exercise can work as effectively as a second medication for those dealing with depression. After four years of research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center participants from 18 to 70 suffering from depression were divided into two groups and exercised for 12 weeks. The two groups had different exercise regimens. At the end of th...

Why cigarette withdrawal is depressing

Chris McMullen — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:00:03 +0100

A new addiction study has just determined that something, no one is exactly sure what, in tobacco causes the human brain to release mono-amine oxidase A (MAO-A) during cigarette withdrawal. This finding was just published in Archives of General Psychiatry. It partially explains why heavy smokers are at high risk for clinical depression....

Depressed Ricky Hatton announces retirement from the ring

Chris McMullen — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:07:17 +0100

British boxer Ricky "The Hit man" Hatton announced his retirement Thursday, ending his career a mere two years after his devastating 2nd-round knockout loss to Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao. The 2-time IBF and IBO junior welterweight champion said his losses to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao pushed him into depression and alcoholism. "What could I do? Depression is a very serious t...

Antioxidant activity relationship of phenolic compounds in St Johns Wort

Administrator — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:12:57 +0100

The St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been used in traditional and modern medicine for a long time due to its high content of biologically active phenolics. The purpose of this work was to develop a method for their fractionation and identification, and to determine the most active antioxidant compounds in plant extract. Results: An LC-MS method which enab...

Higher levels of appetite-control hormone leptin have fewer symptoms of depression

Administrator — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:24:41 +0100

A new study has found that depression symptoms were mitigated in women with more leptin, the appetite-control hormone.

Long linked to mood disorders, Leptin has now been found to reduce feelings of anxiety. Leptin may indeed have antidepressant qualities," said Elizabeth Lawson, MD, of Harvard Medical School. The results did not i...

Movie review: The Beaver, a gem that shouldn't be missed

Administrator — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:38:47 +0100

Walter Black is a very successful toy executive and family man who finds himself in a downward spiral. Regardless of what he tries he can’t seem to get himself back on track. Of course therapy isn’t one of the things he tried. Enter stage left “The Beaver,” a hand puppet. The puppet becomes Walter’s means of commun...

Low Oxytocin Linked to Postpartum Depression

Chris McMullen — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:36:33 +0100

Study Shows Higher Risk of Postpartum Depression for Pregnant Women With Low Levels of Oxytocin

May 11, 2011 – Pregnant women who have lower levels of the hormone oxytocin may be at greater risk for developing postpartum depression a new study shows.

Sometimes called the “cuddle hormone” or the “hormone of love,&r...

Catherine Zeta-Jones checks into clinic for bi-polar two affliction

Administrator — Sun, 01 May 2011 06:00:00 +0100

The whole world knows that Catherine Zeta-Jones has been helping her husband Michael in his battle with stage 4 throat cancer. The good news is that he has won his fight with the cancer. Now Catherine has confirmed that she has been seeking treatment for bipolar II disorder says a representative for her. “After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine mad...

St. John's wort compound found to reduce spinal tumors and brain cancer

Chris McMullen — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:24:31 +0100

Researchers at the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Southern California found that hypericin—a compound found in St. John’s Wort—not only reduced tumor size in people suffering from cancerous brain or spinal tumors, it also increased the rate of survival from this tragic disease.

Approximately 10,000 Americans...

Depression Awareness Week; UK

Administrator — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:09:55 +0100

Everyone feels a little down from time-to-time. It’s natural. But, people who suffer from depression have an illness which affects them much more profoundly. The World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2020, major depression will be second only to chronic heart disease as an international heal...