Cholesterol has received much more "bad" press than "good" over the past few decades. As such, many Americans are conditioned to believe that blood cholesterol levels must be reduced, and the lower the number the better. Although high cholesterol...
Self-confidence is an intangible quality that exerts a tremendous influence on your happiness and sense of well-being. Some people believe it is inborn---you either have it or you don't. Other people believe that it is a skill that can be...
Native to Mexico, damiana (Turnera diffusa) is an aromatic, flowering herb that belongs to the Turneraceae plant family. Also known as old woman's broom, the leaves of this herb are used for therapeutic and culinary purposes. Damiana leaf is...
Self-confidence is an intangible quality that is a more accurate predictor of human performance and happiness than wealth, talent or genius. Like talent and genius, however, self-confidence is subject to both genetic and environmental influences....
Feelings of anxiety are experienced by everyone at some point in their lives. These feelings include worry, fear and sometimes panic, whether about a person, situation or object. Anxiety disorder is defined by FamilyDoctor.org as "ongoing anxiety...
The recorded use of damiana leaf dates back to the ancient Mayan Indians of Mexico and Central America, who called this herb mizibcoc. It is a short, flowering shrub that bears little yellow flowers. Damiana's aromatic leaves contain a number of...
It turns out that arguably the most important invention of the 20th century could be hazardous to your mental health. The Internet has connected people, fueled an economic boom, democratized information and filled countless hours with endless...
If you're not feeling your usual energetic self or are experiencing a low sex drive or unexplained depression, you may have low testosterone levels in your body. Although testosterone is predominantly a male hormone, as a woman you need sufficient...
Omega 3 fats found in seafood may boost your mood and improve symptoms of depression, according to a study conducted by Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and published in the June 2010 issue of the "Journal of Clinical...
The sudden and repeated intrusion of fearful and in the most severe cases, terrorizing feelings experienced by a person when presented with known or unknown stressors is the basis of panic disorder. Panic disorder is one class of anxiety disorder...
The use of marijuana to treat medical conditions has been debated by health care experts, both having significant clinical claims for and against its use. Medical marijuana can help to stimulate appetite in cancer and AIDS patients. It also helps...
Restless leg syndrome was first identified medically in 1861, and termed "anxietas tibiarum," or a combination of leg movement disorder with depression or anxiety. This is the essential description of RLS, a disorder that causes a person to...
People suffering mild to moderate depression can effectively relieve the chronic tiredness, disinterest in life and general hopelessness of this common disorder through exercise. Even people suffering severe depression benefit from exercise...
If you are an American adult age 20 or above, chances are you've had your cholesterol levels checked. As infamous as cholesterol's connection to heart disease may be, your body simply cannot do without this soft, waxy substance. It not only plays...
Sugar highs, birthday party frenzies and playground hysterics: These are rites of passage for children. Some, however, suffer from more than situational behavior disruptions. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the NIMH,...
Serotonin is a hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter in the human body and is also responsible for the narrowing of the blood vessels. According to the National Cancer Institute, a deficiency of serotonin is believed to cause depression. This...
One out of every three kids in the United States is overweight or obese, says the Nemours Foundation, a non-profit organization concerned with children's health issues. Childhood obesity increases the risk of several serious health conditions,...
Depression among seniors is a major health concern in the U.S., yet professionals generally agree that depression is not a normal consequence of aging. The condition, however, is under-recognized and under-treated. For people 65 and older, the...
Occasionally feeling down or sad is part of the human experience. These emotions usually pass within a few days, but for some people they don't. According to the American Medical Association, more than 15 million American adults suffer from...
TV violence can have a negative effect on children. There is no doubt that violence exists in television programming for children. In fact, the National Institute on Media and the Family reports that in 2005 there were between 20 and 25 acts of...
Hypothyroidism is the clinically diagnosed condition of a sluggish thyroid. The NIH notes that approximately five percent of the U.S. population suffers from hypothyroidism. The disease is more frequently diagnosed in women, but a May 2010 "Up to...
Geriatric somatic depression is a condition in which depression adds to symptoms that are already present in any illness. For example, if an individual with arthritis becomes depressed, the aches and pains from the arthritis may become worse. This...
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in the United States, bipolar disorders affect approximately 5.7 million adults per year. Bipolar II is a mood disorder with cycles of depressed and hypomanic states. In bipolar II, the...
Children suffering from anxiety may require psychiatric intervention along with treatments that include medication. Each medication prescribed may help with specific problems and difficulties. Testing the child will help the doctor decide...
Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating brain disorder. It is characterized by psychotic behavior in which patients "lose touch" with reality. It is also accompanied by hallucinations, delusions, dysfunctional or "disorganized" thinking and...
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression in children was not a recognized disorder until the 1980s. Previously, children usually were thought to be going through a phase or acting out for other reasons. Rarely were...
Depression in teenagers is a disorder that is characterized by the loss of a sense of self-worth, persistent sadness, discouragement and a loss of interest in normal activities. Depression can be a temporary response to stresses and situations in...
According to the Scripps Research Institute, no one cause is likely responsible for clinical depression. The causes of depression are likely to vary among different individuals. The factors in depression might be biological, genetic,...
Lexapro is a the brand name for a prescription medication developed, manufactured and marketed by Forest Laboratories that is indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder in adults and adolescents, and generalized anxiety disorder in...
