Depression Defined

Depression is a mood disorder that causes sad feelings or hopeless for an extended period of time. More than just a bout of “the blues” or temporary feelings of grief or low energy, depression can have a significant impact on your enjoyment of life, your work, your health, and the people who you care about.

Depression affects people differently. Some feel down for extended periods of time; for others the feelings of depression com and go. If you have short episodes of mild depression, you may be able to continue to work and take care of daily activities. However, if you do not seek some form of treatment for your depression, you are at risk for getting more depressed or becoming physically ill. In severe cases, depression can cause people to become incapable of communicating, unable to do routine activities, or suicidal. In these cases, it is essential to seek medical attention.

People with depression may be reluctant to seek help because they feel that it is a sign of personal weakness or a character flaw or that they should be able to “pull out of it” on their own. We now know that depression, like other medical conditions, has chemical and biological bases.

Treatment for depression is safe and usually effective for severely depressed people.

Depression may be triggered by stressful life events, other illnesses, certain drugs or medications, or inherited traits.

Although causes of depression are not entirely understood, we know it is linked to an imbalance in brain chemistry. Once the imbalance is corrected, symptoms of depression generally improve.

Depression is more than just the normal, temporary feelings of sadness and hopelessness associated with difficult life events. Common symptoms include, depressed mood, inability to enjoy activities, problems in concentrating, poor memory and difficulty in making decisions, changes in eating and sleeping habits, weight gain or loss, difficulty going to work or taking care of daily responsibilities, feelings of guilt and hopelessness; wondering if life is worth living (common), slowed thoughts and speech and preoccupation with thoughts of death or suicide.

Symptoms also include complaints that have no physical cause (somatic complaints) such as headache and stomachaches.

All of these symptoms can interfere with your quality of life. Even if you do not have major depression, if you have experienced a few of these symptoms for at least two weeks you may have a less severe form of depression that still requires treatment.

Depression is usually treated successfully with professional counseling or antidepressant medication. People with depression usually can be treated as outpatients, but in severe cases a period of hospitalization may be necessary.

If you have mild or moderate depression, you may be diagnosed and treated by your family doctor or psychologist. If you have severe depression or other psychological disorders or do not respond to treatment, a psychiatrist, a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems, may be helpful.

Let your health professional know if you suspect that you have depression, because it is often overlooked. If you diagnosed with depression, you and your doctor can decide on the best treatment. The earlier you are treated, the ore quickly you will recover.

If you have symptoms of depression, you are not alone. Only in United States, an estimated 15 per cent of people will have depression at some point in life, and chances of becoming depressed are even higher for certain people.

Women experience depression twice as often as men, although men are more likely to commit suicide as a result of depression. Separated or divorced individuals are more likely than married people to become depressed. People who have a serious illness are more likely to suffer from depression.

Anemia

Anemia or anaemia is derived from the Greek word meaning “without blood”. It refers to a deficiency of red blood cells (RBCs) and /or hemoglobin. Anemia occurs when level of healthy red blood cells in the body becomes too low.

This results in a reduced ability of blood to transfer oxygen to the tissues since all human cells depend on oxygen for survival. Hemoglobin has to be present to ensure adequate oxygenation of all body tissues and organs. The three main classes of anemia include excessive blood loss, excessive blood cell destruction or deficient red blood cell production.

Anemia goes undetected in many people, and symptoms can be vague. People with anemia report a feeling of weakness or fatigue. Pallor (unnatural lack of color in the skin) is often a useful diagnostic sign in moderate or severe anemia, but it is not always apparent.

The first symptoms might be gradual mild skin paleness, and decreased pinkness of the lips and nail-beds. Other common signs of anemia include irritability, fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, and a rapid heartbeat. Symptoms may also include jaundice (yellow tinged skin), yellowing of whites of the eyes, an enlarged spleen, and dark-colored urine.

Doctors run blood tests of blood smear examination, iron tests, hemoglobin electrophoresis, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, or reticulocyte count as part of a routine physical examination. It may indicate that there are fewer red blood cells than normal. In addition doctor may ask about a family history of anemia, symptoms and medications.

Treatment of anemia depends on its cause and varies according to age. The treatment in a child will be different from the teenage girl. Anemia caused by an infection will usually improve when the infection passes or is treated. Treatment for more severe or chronic forms of anemia may include the transfusions of normal blood cells taken from a donor, removal of the spleen or treatment with medications to fight or stimulate the bone marrow to make more blood cells. Iron- rich foods include red meat; green leafy vegetables; beans; dried apricots, prunes, raisins, and other dried fruits; almonds; seaweeds; parsley; whole grains; and yams. In extreme cases of anemia beef liver, lean meat, oysters, lamb or chicken or iron drops/tablets are highly recommended. Intake of tea, coffee, wheat bran, chocolate, soft drinks, ice cream and candies should be avoided.

The type, cause, and severity of victim will determine the kind of care needed. If iron deficiency is the cause, one should follow the doctor’s directions about dietary changes and taking any iron supplements. If the spleen is enlarged the victim may be prohibited from playing contact sports because the risk that the spleen could rupture in case of severe injury.

Proper treatment of the patient especially women with anemia is required to reduce the risk of neural tube defects and premature cardiovascular disease.

Health tips 2

Hair care

Extract water of white onion and massage it on your scalp. Then cover your head with a cloth for the bad odor. After four hours, massage your scalp with mustard oil and then wash your hair. After few weeks your hair will stop falling and new hair will start to grow.

Natural Skin Care

Fuller's Earth is the best for all types of skin. It closes the open pores and tightens the skin of the face. Take dry Fuller's earth, one egg white and a spoon of honey and make a paste by mixing the ingredients and apply it on the face. Wash your face when you feel your face starts to tighten and paste starts to dry. You’ll have a clean skin.

Lip Color

To make dark lips pink, mix few drops of lemon juice in coconut oil and apply it on your lips several times in a day.

Talk to yourself

Reciting as you read and reviewing notes out loud increases attention and motivation, and creates a stronger neural trace of memory by utilizing more senses.

Break the fast

One meal of the day that is usually missed is breakfast! And many people are unaware of the benefits of having it. It improves concentration, enhances performance, gives better memory, reduces fatigue and sleepiness in mid morning hours and prevents indulgence in high calorie snacks later in the day. A healthy breakfast can also help prevent certain health risks like obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia. So are you having second thoughts?