Mindfully Healing

Inhaling the essential oil could help reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Orange essential oil is a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, new research suggests. The oil — derived from the skin of an orange — could provide a better option than drugs, which generally have unwanted side effects. Ms Cassandra Moshfegh, the study’s first author, said: “Relative to pharmaceuticals, essential oils are much more economical and do not have adverse side effects. The orange essential plant oil showed a significant effect on the behavioral response in our

This Alzheimer’s early warning sign could provide a way of warding off the neurodegenerative disease. Poor sleep could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s in people who are otherwise healthy, new research finds. Scientists have found links between certain biological markers of Alzheimer’s and sleep disturbances. Dr Barbara B. Bendlin, who led the study, said: “Previous evidence has shown that sleep may influence the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease in various ways. For example, disrupted sleep or lack of sleep may lead to amyloid plaque buildup because the brain’s

There will be a test, so I hope you are paying attention. When a person starts to blink more rapidly, it suggests their mind is wandering, research finds. Blinking sets up a tiny barrier against the outside world, allowing the brain to focus on something different. The researchers were inspired by neuroscientific findings that parts of the brain are less active when the mind wanders. Dr Daniel Smilek, the study’s first author, said: “And we thought, OK, if that’s the case, maybe we’d see that the body would start to

Depression symptoms were reduced in almost half the people given the injection. A single botox injection has been found to substantially improve depressive symptoms, research finds. Botox is typically used to decrease the appearance of wrinkles in the face. But, researchers have found that it can also help to treat the symptoms of depression. Professor Norman E. Rosenthal, who led the study, said: “This research is groundbreaking because it offers those who suffer from depression and their doctors an entirely new approach to treating the condition — one that doesn’t