According to a twenty-year study by Kaiser Permanente, between seventy
and eighty-five percent of illness is caused by stress, meaning that in
the U.S. alone stress is costing us about one-trillion dollars per year
in healthcare costs.  Since most absenteeism is due to stress, US
business is losing upwards of $300 billion per year.  

On a more personal level, it is disturbing to realize that aging is
accelerated by stress, and stress is a growing issue with all of us.
Studies show that change is stressful, even "good" change. So as we
computer jockeys settle into the saddle of a new age of rapidly
changing information, we need an edge that can help us stay healthy,
sane, "younger" and more vibrant, even as we are often at the very
center of the hurricane of modern change, such as keeping up with new
hardware and software.

Ironically an ancient mind/body tool provides the perfect balm for our
generation's modern problems — it is called "Tai Chi" (pronounced
tie-chee). T'ai Chi is a gentle series of relaxing motions that cleanse
the body's tissue of accumulated stress and, by doing so, boosts all
aspects of our health systems.  According to emerging research
boosting the immune system's strength dramatically, while reducing the
incidence of depression, anxiety, and even reducing chronic pain
conditions, are just a few of T'ai Chi's myriad benefits.

What makes ancient T'ai Chi the perfect modern balm is that it doesn't
require special facilities or clothing, and doesn't even make you break
a sweat, meaning you can do it in office attire in an empty boardroom
just by kicking off your heels.  Yet, it provides the same
euphoria of a long run, the cardiovascular benefit of moderate impact
aerobics, and burns nearly as many calories as downhill skiing.

Our time is filled with paradox. A problem in this modern age stems
from the great promise of the information age — a tidal wave of data
being created by and offered to our "left brain"; that part of our
minds that is analytical, calculating, and categorizing the world. Of
course, this is a powerful and important part of who we are. This is
the part of the mind that gets things done, pays the rent, builds the
houses, and makes the cars. Our "right brain,"
however, is getting left behind in our rapidly changing techno-world,
and this imbalance of thought processes is at the heart of modern
stress.

Our right brain is the feeling, smelling, sensing . . .
enjoying part of the mind. This is the part of the mind that smells the
flowers, not to analyze the smell, but to be filled with its beauty –
and this is the part that has been left behind in the digital world.
When we go to the cyber mall, for example, our right brain doesn't get
to play. The cyber mall is a wonderful thing that saves us time, money,
and gas for our cars (and thereby saves the environment), but there are
no Auntie Anne's Pretzels to smell in cyberspace, or warm sunlight
streaming in through the big skylights.

So what do we do? We get the best of both worlds. T'ai Chi is a series
of exercises to balance the mind. T'ai Chi teaches us to experience
life for sheer pleasure, thereby creating balance in our busy "get
things done yesterday"
world. If you learn T'ai Chi and practice in the morning before you sit
down at your computer, your right brain (the sensing and enjoying
brain) will be turned on more. You will feel the texture of your
computer keys. You will remember to take the time to get a nice cup of
green tea or herbal cinnamon spice tea, and you'll interrupt your
staccato keyboard occasionally to smell the tea's rich aroma, feel the
warmth in your hands, and breathe the breath of life deeply into your
lungs.  

Although you are at the cutting edge of the information age revolution,
you are also in the garden of life. This will give you an edge in the
long run. Why? Because chronic stress diminishes our cognitive skills
and therefore, our creativity.

Einstein said, "Creativity is more important than knowledge." Even if
we have the world's knowledge at our fingertips, if we are too stressed
out to use the knowledge "creatively," we are much less effective.
Plus, we're not as much fun!

The bottom line is T'ai Chi is a set of exercises to practice enjoying
life. It's not enough just to say, "I'm going to enjoy life more." We
actually have to practice mind/body tools that can positively affect
our brain wave activity, in an integrative way, as T'ai Chi is proven
to do.

T'ai Chi is an extremely sophisticated mind/body science that evolved
over millennia, and is now being made available to all of us after
centuries of being closely guarded secrets in China. Even though the
practices are ancient, they are in many ways just as cutting edge as
the multi-gigabyte computer.

Don't just be "cutting edge" with your left-brain. Go all the way and
stretch the envelope with your right brain, too, by weaving T'ai Chi
into your life. You will be forever glad you did, as you discover
balance and calm in the eye of the modern world's ever accelerating
storm of changes rushing at us.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Celexa is an antidepressant used to treat clinical depression in patients. It is prescribed as a "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor" used to balance serotonin in the brain, providing relief from depression.

While Celexa can be effective, this medication is under alert by the FDA when combined with Triptan medications. Be sure your doctor knows all medications you are on, and do not stop this medication without your doctor as you could have possible serious side effects.

The FDA has issued an alert as of July 7Th 2006 Celexa is potentially life threatening when taken with Triptan Medications. A life threatening condition called "Serotonin Syndrome" can occur when medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), like for example Celexa and medications used to treat migrain headaches known ad 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor agonists, in other words, (triptans) are combined with Celexa. Before taking Celexa and triptan together, speak with your Doctor.

Some of the signs and symptoms of "Serotonin Syndrome" can include the following… restlessness, hallucinations, loss of coordination, rapid heartbeat, increase in body temperature, quick changes in blood pressure, overactive reflexes, diarrhea, coma, nausea and vomiting. The above side effects are more likely to occur while first starting or increasing medication.

Another alert issued at the same time, in regards to Celexa, pertains to persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) within infants. Studies conducted on pregnant mothers taking Celexas showed the possibility of infants being born with this condition. This condition creates a problem with the lungs and the heart in which the blood flows abnormally, creating a deficit of oxygen within the body of the newborn. Through these studies it showed that mothers five months pregnant or more, taking Celexa or any SSRI, for that matter, had six times the risk of developing PPHN than those mothers who did not take any sort of antidepressant while pregnant.

This information reflects FDA's current analysis of data available to FDA concerning this drug. FDA intends to update this sheet when additional information or analysis become available.

Patients at risk should not take Celexa or if you are taking another medication to treat depression, called a Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) and or if you have recently stopped taking an MAOI in the last 14 days. Taking Celexa in a close time frame such as 14 days of taking MAOI medications can result in serious and even fatal reactions, such as high body temperature and coma seizures (convulsions).

MAOI medications do include (phenlezine sulfate), Parnate (tranylcypromine sulfate), Marplan (isocarboxazid) and other brands.

As you can see above there are some serious risks involved with Celexa. This is not a complete list of possible side effects or serious conditions that can occur while taking Celexa. Check with your doctor for further information regarding it's uses, benefit, possible risks involved in your patient care with Celexa.

Disclaimer – The information presented here should not be interpreted as or substituted for medical advice. Please talk to a qualified professional for more information about Celexa.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Depression, a mental illness that is often characterized by prolonged periods of sadness and melancholy, experts from the field of psychiatry say.

But just because one person is moping around and just generally hating the world around him or her, doesn't mean that it's already depression, but if this kind of behavior, the feeling of emptiness, loss of self-worth and absolutely no hope for happiness just goes on and on, then, yes, that individual is very much, indeed, depressed.

Still, there are various types of depression, from Manic or Bipolar depression – characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one's mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell, Postpartum depression – characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mother go through this, Dysthimia – characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it's been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately, Cyclothemia – characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one's moods, Seasonal Affective Disorder – characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people actually fall in to a rut more during the WInter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person's mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time.

Clinical depression however, or as some might call as 'major' depression, is actually the medical term for depression. Actually clinical depression is more of a disorder rather than an illness since it basically covers only those who are suffering from symptoms related to depression. Clinical depression is how doctors usually refer to "depression" when giving a diagnose of their patient. It's basically just a medical term.

However, in spite of being an actual disorder, Clinical depression may well be treated. Doctors are actually highly optimistic that their patients who are suffering from Clinical disorder will be well on their way towards good mental health as long as they treated as soon as they have been diagnosed with Clinical depression. Patients who have been seeking for treatments for Clinical depression have proven to be quite successful in their quest, given that 80 percent of actual Clinical depression patients have been treated and has somewhat found relief from their disorder.

For those who may be seeking some answers for their Clinical depression related questions, the depression section of the health center is highly recommended, as well as books on psychiatry and the internet – which can offer a lot of helpful information with regards to Clinical depression although self-medication/treatment is highly disapproved of. Clinical depression may not pose as much as a threat as the other types of depression, but it is best to leave it to the hands of professionals who can safely attend to and cure this disorder.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I am on anti-anxiety and depression medication. When I was reading over the information on it, it said to not consume alcohol. I was wondering if anyone knew why?

There are a number of problems with the mixture of alcohol and antidepressants.

Antidepressants make you especially susceptible to the intoxicating effects of alcohol.

The effects of alcohol prevent the antidepressants from working. Alcohol prevents antidepressants from being effective. This is not because it interferes with the absorption of antidepressants; it is because of the effects of alcohol upon brain chemistry.

The use of alcohol leads to increased depression and panic symptoms, as well as, increase the risk of suicide.

Antidepressants increase one's susceptibility to the intoxicating effects of alcohol. Also, both alcohol and some anti-depressants increase the possibility of seizures.

Alcohol is a depressant… so think for your self, what will be the consequence of taking a depressant (alcohol) AND an antidepressant together?

Popularity: 8% [?]

I would like to find the best available information
that I can about various natural and herbal supplements, ie: alternative medicines; health
supplements and their uses. I currently take
prescription meds for depression and anxiety,
which I have serious reservations about. Where
can I find information, not from a herbal supplements sales site. Researched information
that is not in the business of making money from the sales of the supplements. Thank you.

A few articles:
Depression:

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthconditionsatod/a/Depression1.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Natural-Treatments-For-Depression—Which-Herbs-Can-Help-You?&id=804390

Anxiety:

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/conditionsatod/a/Anxiety.htm

http://www.healthmad.com/Alternative/Natural-Treatments-for-Anxiety.59955

Best of luck!

Popularity: 3% [?]

How does it effect your chemical balance, your brain? Is it critical or will be critical later in life? I just read on Yahoo News that Clinical stress could increase risk of Alzheimer's later in life. Does age matter like during teen years? I had depression and begun running. I noticed that I have a hard time focusing and absorbing information. I forgot a lot of things. All my brain seems to focus on is emotions. Can I change that? The running has made me feel a lot better afterwards.

Hi Tanja, I'm glad to hear your running, any excercise is good but the more oxygen you can get into your bloodstream the better you will feel. The moment you start thinking about depression, evacuate it from your mind and focus on something different for as many times as it takes. Studies show that it takes at least 16 conscious efforts to break a bad habit. Depression is a great tool used by the enemy to destroy your well being. Your way ahead of the game since you have already described the way your feeling. Most adults won't admit there's a problem so your doing good by admitting these things and seeking solutions for them.

Popularity: 2% [?]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4465998.stm
"Swimming with dolphins appears to help alleviate mild to moderate depression, researchers have found.
A University of Leicester team tested the effect of regular swimming sessions with dolphins on 15 depressed people in a study carried out in Honduras.
They found that symptoms improved more among this group than among another 15 who swam in the same area – but did not interact with dolphins.
The study is published in the British Medical Journal."

http://www.dolphintherapy.ru/en/

http://www.dolphinhumantherapy.com/

http://www.islanddolphincare.org/

http://www.gulfarium.com/jfdolphin.html

http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/dolphins/dolphin-therapy.html

http://www.dolphin-therapy.net/

Popularity: 2% [?]