Mental Attitude: Depression: Coping With Anxiety Symptoms Through Lifestyle Changes. Experts stress you can do a lot to support your treatment for depression and anxiety. Try to eat well and get enough sleep. Don't rely on alcohol or illicit drugs. Physical activity is key, as there's good evidence it can help with mood and may help people bounce back from depression. Breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and disciplines like yoga can help too. Most people already know this stuff. Telling people "eating well" or "exercising" is a good idea is often just preaching to the choir. The key is to figure out ways of integrating better habits into your life. Psychiatric Times, Dec. 2007
Health Alert: Top 10 Countries In Drug Expenditures Per Capita. (1) US $878 (2) Canada $691 (3) Greece $677 (4) France $588 (5) Belgium $566 (6) Spain $562 (7) Germany $542 (8) Italy $518 (9) Austria $500 (10) Switzerland $454 OECD Health Data, 2009
Exercise: The Best Way To Stretch. Always contract the muscle you want to stretch first (2-5 seconds), take a deep breath in-and-out (1-2 seconds) and then stretch (holding the stretch 15-30 seconds). Repeat this process 3-5 times.This mechanism allows the muscle to relax. Try it! Example: If stretching the hamstrings, you should contract the hamstrings first and then go into the stretch. Herman Kabat, MD, PhD
Chiropractic: Bad Posture Is Not Good. Having poor posture, slumping or slouching forces your back muscles to pull and hold your torso up, which can cause low back pain. Try this: Have a friend put their hand on your back and feel the difference of muscular tension with good posture vs. bad posture. Now imagine having that extra muscular tension all day long!
Wellness/Prevention: Get Your Sleep! You need sleep as much as you need food. Make sure you get enough sleep because without it, your body and your immune system will weaken. Mark Stibich, PhD.
Quote: "When the patient loves his disease, how unwilling he is to allow a remedy to be applied." ~ Pierre Corneille, Le Cid
