Mindfully Healing

New blood tests could take the guessing out of antidepressant prescriptions. Up until now doctors have essentially been guessing which antidepressant medication might work for patients. But now researchers have identified a blood test that could help. Dr Madhukar Trivedi, who led the research, said: “Currently, our selection of depression medications is not any more superior than flipping a coin, and yet that is what we do. Now we have a biological explanation to guide treatment of depression.” The blood test measures the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). They tested

Three steps that will help you stop brooding. Repetitive negative thoughts are at the heart of the depressive experience. There are three steps vital to reducing repetitive negative thoughts, according to Professor Hans M. Nordahl, an expert on psychological therapy. These are (1) realising that brooding is a waste of time, (2) focus on the here-and-now rather than the past and (3) be wary of habitual distractions like drinking. 1. Brooding is a waste of time Professor Nordahl said that people… “…often confuse ruminative brooding with problem solving, analysis or

Without stem cells, new brain cells cannot be produced. Alcohol kills stem cells in the brain, new research finds. Stem cells are responsible for making new cells — known as neurogenesis — and are key to maintaining normal cognitive function. Females are particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, the study on mice found. Chronic alcohol abuse is known to cause severe brain damage and neurodegenration. It was thought for a long time that the body did not produce any new brain cells after early life, but relatively recently it