ProfNet Wire: Health & Living: 'Nancy Drew'

**1. HEALTH: YOGA FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION TREATMENT. BO FORBES, Psy.D.,RYT, is a Boston-based clinical psychologist and founder of the CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE YOGA THERAPEUTICS: "Recent studies have shown that yoga can, in some cases, be more effective than prescription medicines in treating anxiety, insomnia and depression, without the potentially dangerous side effects. Integrative yoga therapeutics brings yoga to the forefront of mind- body medicine. Its ability to fine-tune the nervous system makes it particularly effective in treating depression and other disorders." Forbes can explain and demonstrate how yoga helps to treat these illnesses. News Contact: Richard Berman, RBerman226@aol.com Phone: +1-914-572-2707 (6/15/07)
**2. HEALTH: HORMONES' AFFECT ON IMMUNE SYSTEM. DAVID AND STEPHANIE TIPPIE, directors of the ANTI-AGING CLINIC ASSOCIATION, INC., in Florida: "There is growing evidence suggesting that hormones, including sex hormones, can affect and be affected by the immune system.

.

Read More

Anxiety affects obesity surgery success

Extremely obese people suffering from depression or anxiety tend to lose less weight after obesity surgery than mentally healthy people, researchers reported in a study that suggests such patients could benefit from treatment beforehand.

People diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders on average lost 81 pounds six months after gastric bypass surgery compared to their counterparts who shed 86 pounds. Although both groups lost significant weight after surgery, people without mental health problems did slightly better. Researchers plan to follow patients for up to two years to determine if theres a weight difference over time.

Many hospitals and insurers require surgery candidates to go through a psychological evaluation before obesity surgery to make sure they are mentally fit for the operation and the lifestyle change afterward

.

Read More

Magnetic Brain Stimulator promises non-invasive depression treatment

Time to get serious for a moment. As anyone not living in a box is aware, depression and other brain-chemistry illnesses are a growing problem around the world, and all the standard treatments get mixed results. Now the FDA is reviewing the latest weapon against depression, a device called the Magnetic Brain Stimulator that's raising hopes of finding an effective, non-invasive treatment.
The brain stimulator, which the medical community hopes will be commercially available sometime next year, bears a resemblance to a blow-dryer, and it works by delivering an electromagnetic pulse directly to the parts of the brain that control mood. Think of it as an alternative to the controversial electro-convulsive therapy. It's delivered in a doctor's office but requires no anesthetic, and the patient can return home or to work immediately after a treatment

.

Read More

NeuroStar(R) TMS Therapy Improved Quality Of Life In Patients With ...

New research on patients with moderate-to-severe depression, who had not received adequate benefit from previous antidepressant therapy, demonstrated that NeuroStar TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) Therapy significantly improved quality of life and functioning when compared to patients receiving sham (placebo) treatment. The new data were presented today at the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) annual meeting.

"Symptom control is only meaningful in so far as it improves patients' ability to function and enjoy life, which is an essential part of the recovery process," said H. Brent Solvason, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University. Dr. Solvason was a primary investigator in the NeuroStar TMS Therapy(TM) studies and is the lead author of this data report.

.

Read More

Highlights of this issue

Two papers in the Journal this month report on results from the Christchurch Psychotherapy of Depression Study, a randomised controlled trial of interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) involving an out-patient sample. Luty et al (pp. 496–502) found no significant difference in efficacy between the two treatment groups, with overall improvements in depressive symptomatology being approximately 55% for both. However, those patients with severe depression had better outcomes if allocated to the CBT group. The presence of personality disorder did not have an impact on treatment outcome for those in the CBT group but did adversely affect response to interpersonal psychotherapy (Joyce et al, pp. 503–508). Regarding the latter finding, severity of personality disorder and the presence of particular personality features, such as avoidant and schizoid symptoms, appeared to explain much of impact on outcome.

.

Read More

Coping with postpartum depression

That's how Sarah Puckett said she felt during the first of two bouts with postpartum depression. Her first experience followed the birth of her second child in 1990, and the second in 1999 after her third child was born.

The first time, the symptoms began a month after her child was born and lasted for several months, said Puckett, 44, a mother from Urbandale. No one, including the counselor she was seeing at the time, questioned the changes in her behavior or diagnosed her with the condition.

"I just felt depressed and in this dark hole all the time, and guilty because I had these beautiful children, and what was wrong with me?" said Puckett, who several months later began taking antidepressants. "I cried all the time, and I couldn't cope with anything."

So Puckett, a registered nurse working in Iowa Methodist's maternity ward, is especially excited about the new pamphlet about postpartum depression being distributed to mothers in Des Moines.

.

Read More

Lupus Can Present Many Emotional Challenges

WASHINGTON, May 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A diagnosis of lupus is almost certain to cause emotional turmoil and distress for persons suffering with the chronic disease and their family members. The physical strains of treatment and lifestyle adjustments required by the debilitating autoimmune disease can seem overwhelming to the young women who account for eighty percent of new cases. Lupus is a chronic life-threatening disease which causes the immune system to attack the body's own tissue and organs.
Each person's emotional response to lupus is different. It is estimated that half of the 1.5 million Americans with lupus experience some type of emotional problem because of their illness. Feelings of confidence can quickly be shattered. Loss of self-esteem can be a serious problem leading to mood swings and depression

.

Read More