Mindfully Healing

A behaviour you’re probably doing right now has been consistently linked to anxiety. Sitting down all day has been linked to increased anxiety, a new study finds. Low energy activities like watching TV, working at a computer or playing electronic games may all be linked to anxiety. The link between sedentary behaviours and worse physical health is well-established. This study is the first to review the evidence on sedentary behaviours and the psychological impact on anxiety. Dr Megan Teychenne, who led the study, said: “Anecdotally — we are seeing an

Largest study to date builds evidence that vitamin deficiency is linked to chronic headaches. Low levels of vitamin D are linked to chronic headaches, finds the largest ever study on the subject to date. A Finnish study of 2,601 men found that 68% had deficient vitamin D levels. Those reporting chronic headaches had lower levels of vitamin D than those who did not. Men with the lowest levels of vitamin D had twice the risk of chronic headaches as those with high levels of vitamin D. Chronic headaches were also

Risks of spanking children confirmed by 50 years of research. The more children are spanked, the more aggressive and anti-social they are. What is termed ‘spanking’ has similar effects on children as physical abuse. The conclusions come from studies conducted over 50 years which included more than 160,000 children. The researchers also found that being spanked was linked to more mental health problems and cognitive difficulties later on. Dr Elizabeth Gershoff, the study’s first author, said: “Our analysis focuses on what most Americans would recognize as spanking and not on

Although few people know this depression symptom, it’s frequently reported by sufferers. People experiencing mood disorders like depression often say their thinking has become ‘fuzzy’. Now a large study has shown that the effect is real. Published in the journal Brain, the study tested the concentration of 612 women, two-thirds of whom had been clinically depressed or had bipolar disorder (Ryan et al., 2015). The results showed that women with mood disorders did worse on the test. Almost all those who performed in the bottom 5% had mood disorders. Brain

Why early life stress causes depression. Early life stress decreases the adult ability to feel enthusiasm and experience pleasure. This is one of the reasons that experiencing stress early in life is a major risk factor for depression. Studies show that neglected or abused children are almost twice as likely to experience depression later in life. One of the causes is thought to be how neglect and abuse affects the way the brain processes reward. Dr. Jamie Hanson, the study’s first author, explained: “Our analyses revealed that over a two-year

Back pain treatment could also help treat depression, fatigue and common digestive disorders. Taking a placebo — a fake pill — reduces back pain 30% even when people know it is fake. Professor Ted Kaptchuk, one of the study’s authors, explained: “These findings turn our understanding of the placebo effect on its head. This new research demonstrates that the placebo effect is not necessarily elicited by patients’ conscious expectation that they are getting an active medicine, as long thought. Taking a pill in the context of a patient-clinician relationship —

One-third of people over 45 have this chronic psychological problem — as do many who are younger. Chronic loneliness affects 42.6 million people over 45-years-old in the United States, research finds. That is one-third of people in the age-group. Being socially isolated and lonely could be worse for public health than obesity. Over 100 studies have found that being lonely is linked to a 50% increase in risk of death. The danger to health of being lonely is similar or greater than that of being overweight. Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad, was

The smouldering regret that is most widespread won’t surprise you. Romantic regrets are the most common type, research finds. Among women, regrets about romance were twice as common as among men. For men, work regrets were most widespread. Other common areas of regret included financial decisions, parenting mistakes, missed educational opportunities and family arguments. Professor Neal Roese, an author of this study, said: “We found that one’s life circumstances, such as accomplishments or shortcomings, inject considerable fuel into the fires of regret. Although regret is painful, it is an essential

Antidepressants may give the brain a chance to recover from depression, but more is needed. It is well-known that common antidepressants have little to no effect for up to 50% of people. Ms Silvia Poggini, author of a new study on the subject, said: “There is no doubt that antidepressants work for many people, but for between 30 percent and 50 percent of depressed people, antidepressants don’t work. No one knows why. This work may explain part of the reason. The new research suggests it is at least partly down

People in the study listened to and then played a Tibetan singing bowl. Playing a musical instrument can help protect against cognitive decline. The reason is that learning to play changes the brain’s ‘wiring’, new research finds. The neuroscientists found that the brain can compensate for disease or injuries. Dr Bernhard Ross, study’s first author, said: “Music has been known to have beneficial effects on the brain, but there has been limited understanding into what about music makes a difference. This is the first study demonstrating that learning the fine