Health & Wellness

Let There Be Light

admin — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 09:26:00 -0600

Presents to shop for, parties to go to, family visits to plan, big dinners to prepare. The holidays can wear down even the heartiest souls among us, as our to-do lists get longer and the days get shorter. But for the 14 million Americans who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the winter blues can last well into January and February.

Laugh More!

admin — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 07:14:00 -0600

Peggy Stabholz loves to laugh. In fact, that's exactly what she's doing now, on the phone from Canton, Ohio.

Giggling like a teenager, Stabholz recounts her favorite scene from The Pink Panther Strikes Again—where Inspector Clouseau, the bumbling detective played by Peter Sellers, asks an innkeeper about a dog that's next to him.

Food and Mood

admin — Tue, 01 May 2007 07:54:00 -0500

It's true what you learned in grade school: You are what you eat. More and more nutritional research is revealing that the foods you consume affect the chemicals in your brain, which in turn affect everything from your emotional state to your level of alertness to your ability to react to change and stay calm.

Unburdened

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:19:49 -0500

"John, I'm going to pick up some birdseed," I called to my husband. I had to get out of the house. My husband was suffering from depression, and lately I had been overwhelmed by the burden of caring for him.

Driving to the store, I felt frazzled. I have to be strong for John and the kids, I thought. But at times I needed someone to lean on.

I bought a 25-pound bag of birdseed and was barely able to load it into the cart. Outside in the parking lot I noticed the cart rails blocked the way to my car. Now what am I going to do?

Soldier Hopes Personal Story Will Help Others

batch — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:05:20 -0500

Army Captain Emily Stehr worked as a physical therapist helping other soldiers in Iraq, but after returning from deployment she found herself fighting against feelings of suicide.

In an interview with American Forces Press Service, Stehr said she wants others to read her personal story of living with depression and be motivated to seek help.

Secret of the Vision

batch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:19:38 -0500

Schizo-affective disorder is a disease of the mind, a cruel malady that derails normal human thought processes and transforms the mind into a house of mirrors. It combines symptoms of both schizophrenia and bipolar mood disorder.

The Baby Blues

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:04:39 -0500

Thought "baby blues" was just a description of those beautiful baby eyes?

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 80 percent of mothers experience postpartum blues: headaches, mood swings, exhaustion and feelings of hopelessness three to four days after delivery.

If symptoms persist, the condition could develop into postpartum depression (PPD)—a more serious problem marked by panic attacks, crying bouts and lack of interest in mothering.

A Tender Touch

mcherkezian — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:06:34 -0600

It’s no secret that my wife, Elizabeth—I call her Tib—battles depression. She’s written about her illness in GUIDEPOSTS (with great honesty and grace, I might add, though perhaps I’m not objective).

Today, in our seventh decade of marriage, we have many ways of coping when that “dull gray mist” descends. Yet so much of what we’ve learned came during that first incapacitating bout early in our marriage.

The Denial Trap

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:22:18 -0500

Sitting next to Steve in the counselor's office, I wanted so badly to reach out and take his hand. But I knew he would pull away, just like he had so many times in our nine years of marriage. We were talking to the counselor because only the day before, Steve had taken a handful of pills. I had walked through the front door with our two daughters to find him curled up on the floor, barely conscious.

"Steve, I believe you're suffering from acute depression," the counselor said.

A Gift of Song

admin — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:01:00 -0600

Kate Munger's childhood had the loveliest soundtrack: her mother's singing. Every night her mom would make her way down the hall, stopping to sing a different lullaby to each of her five children. Kate continued the family vocal tradition, joining school and community choirs, and eventually leading them.