November 2009 Archives

My dad always told me growing up that without health, you got nothing. So you better be damn grateful for every condition-free day. I am. Every Thanksgiving, I thank God for my health because it is one of three things for which I am most grateful (the other two being my family and a free country).

I was please to see this Beliefnet gallery that my editor Holly Lebowitz Rossi compiled: 21 ways to be healthy. I will give you the first few. Then you can check it out for yourselves.

1. Eat

Eat well, eat often--4-6 small meals a day to optimize your metabolism and keep your body energized and in balance. Don't deny yourself treats, but make sure that the majority of your food choices are high in nutrients, fiber, "good fats," and lean protein. Local, in-season, and organic when possible? All the better.

2. Sleep

A recent scientific study showed that people who slept fewer than 7 hours each night were three times as likely to catch colds as those who slept 8 hours nightly. So tuck in and get your zzs!

3. Love

Falling in love feels great, we all know that. Love triggers the release of all manner of feel-good brain chemicals that bathe our bodies in happiness and well-being... even protection from illness. But that's not the only reason love--be it romantic or platonic--is a health-giving thing. When you choose to love, you experience what pianist Arthur Rubinstein famously said "Love life, and life will love you back."

4. Talk

Sometimes you feel bad because something's on your mind, skulking around and sabotaging your well-being, inside and out. Talking to a trusted friend or therapist can help you sort out what's really going on inside--and map out steps to make it better.

5. Laugh

Did you ever think of laughter as an ab-toning exercise? Well, it is! Plus, it's a blood-oxygenator, endorphin-releaser, and general body relaxer. Ha HA!

Click here to continue reading tips on being healthy.

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Two years ago I did a bit of research on how to eat responsibly at Thanksgiving thanks to a writing assignment for the Health Journal of "Ladies' Home Journal." After interviewing Ruth Frechman, Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, and Joy Bauer of Joy Bauer Nutrition, here's what I wrote:

Did the food coma from last year's Thanksgiving feast have you too tired to help with the dishes afterward? That's not your imagination. According to Ruth Frechman, Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, gorging yourself during the holidays can have physiological and psychological effects. "After you eat a large meal, less blood goes to your brain and more blood goes to your stomach to start the digestion process," she says.

As a result you feel more tired, especially if you've eaten more than usual. Loaded plates and excess calories can also trigger acid reflex problems and can cause insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. Psychologically, a person who overeats at the start of the holiday could easily abandon all dietary discipline, starting the new year in a size bigger than before the turkey feast. "Once you start overeating for special occasions, it's harder to get used to eating less later," says Frechman.

However, with a little planning, you can avoid the holiday bulge without feeling deprived of your favorite foods. Joy Bauer, Founder of Joy Bauer Nutrition (www.joybauernutrition.com) offers these helpful hints:

1) Forgo the appetizers and munch on crudités.

2) Load your plate with white meat turkey and vegetables.

3) Pick one to two heaping tablespoons of a yummy, decadent side dish (mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, or whatever else is your favorite). Meals that are heavy on carbohydrates tend to leave you feeling super bloated.

4) Pick one dessert, or go half on two. Or, if you're strong enough, stop at a taste and pile on the fruit.

5) Always have a club soda in hand (alcoholic beverages can put on the pounds).

6) Hang out with the talkers, not the eaters.

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This great cartoon comes from Susan Schechter, who writes the wonderful blog, "If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going."

So much of our mood has to do with diet. I really recognize that in my son, David. You give him an ounce too much of corn syrup, and he is one whacked-out kid. Back when I read "Potatoes Not Prozac," I vowed to keep simple carbohydrates out of my diet. I'm still not there, but am making progress.

I call the 61 days between Halloween and New Year's "the eating season," because the temptation to snack on all kinds of crap is intrusive this time of year, with boxes of Belgian chocolate coming in with every client who has paid his bill, cocktail parties with egg-nog and Yule logs, enough pumpkin pie to make you feel like a pumpkin, and trays of Christmas cookies everywhere you turn.

If your brain is as sensitive as mine--sweets turbo charge the brain and then zap it of all its cognitive powers--you, too, have to pull out ever trick of discipline known to man, more even than is used to train those dogs at the airport who can smell pot on a passenger.

Remember this during the eating season: Jesus' period of temptation ended after 40 days. We got 21 more to go. So don't be too hard on yourself. Remember this, too: technically, you can start over each day.

Good luck! We're in this together!

To watch my YouTube video click here.

* Click here to subscribe to Beyond Blue and click here to follow Therese on Twitter and click here to join Group Beyond Blue, a depression support group. Now stop clicking.

A few survival tips for Thanskgiving week. Use sparingly.

Some quotes to prepare you for Thanksgiving.

There are 7 kinds of hope.

Why does God allow suffering? What about free will? Where can you find hope?

The trends of psychiatry, and why we can be optimistic in the future

We have many reasons to be optimistic about the future of psychiatry. Here are five.

In her new book "Toxic Friends," Susan Shapiro Barash describes 10 kinds of female friendships.

Here are some tips to find out who is your pal and who is your frenemy.

I work at being grateful. Because it doesn't come naturally.

Here's an intriguing interview with Professor Robert Emmons, who is well known within the Positive Psychology field as "Father Gratitude" because he has been researching gratitude for 10 years, and has conducted all sorts of studies to try and...

When God wants to make a point, He repeats himself. Do you trust God?

It's helpful for me to remember concrete moments where I gave up all control. Here is one such moment, an "exodus moment," when I crossed the Red Sea from slavery to freedom. * Click here to subscribe to Beyond Blue! And...

How do you recover from treatment-resistant depression? Possibly ECT, TMS, or VNS? Brain-stimulating techniques.

Here is a concise summary of four brain-stimulating techniques being used today to treat severe chronic depression. The summary appeared in the Fall 2006 Issue of the Johns Hopkins's Bulletin.  1. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the oldest and the...

I found this review of Neuronetics' NueroStar TMS Therapy system which I thought was worthy of passing on. Sean Fallow of Gizmodo.com writes:  Last year, Neuronetics' NeuroStar TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) Therapy system became the first device of its...

Why stepmother is the "perfect storm" for depression.

I started a discussion thread on Group Beyond Blue called "Stepmothers and Depression," where I asked stepmoms to weight in on whether or not stepmothering is the "perfect storm" for depression, as author Wednesday Martin suggests. To get to...

On Veteran's Day, I thought it was appropriate to site some statistics about veterans and mental health:  Almost one in three veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq confront mental health problems. On an average day in this country, suicide claims...

I've read plenty about the psychology of Major Hasan, and what would cause one to open fire like the tragedy at Ft. Hood. Of all the articles I've read, I think John Grohol of Psych Central makes the best...

John McManamy weighs in on deep thinking versus depression.

Psych Central's Margarita Tartakovsky interviews me on how I recovered from an eating disorder in my adolescence.

Among some very insightful posts on the blog "Weightless" is this one on ways to recognize poor body image.... In this day and age, it seems like a positive body image is a rarity. Whether you fit today's skinny standards or...

Haley Scott who was paralyzed teaches lessons in perseverance and determination.

Figuring out the cause of a relapse, or even a rough spot bordering on relapse, is a bit like solving a riddle or working on a hard crossword puzzle. It's like a long, dreaded hour in Advanced Calculus class (even...

Therapist Elvira Aletta offers 10 more tips to lowering anxiety.

Recently I've had to review and really work on my steps to relieve anxiety. I thought you might like a refresher, as well. To view my YouTube video, "Beyond Blue: 7 Ways to Relieve Anxiety," click here. * Click here to...

Why I hold back information from my therapist.

A therapists perspective of what every client should know.

A psychologist and psychiatrist weigh in on "heroic melancholy."

Peter Kramer argues why depression doesn't have anything to do with being deep.

Write a list of reasons why you want to quit smoking. Here's mine.

The biggest fear of all? Getting real, says therapist Elvira Aletta.

The same tools that work for mild and moderate depression don't work for severe depression. Here's why

Spiritual author Henri Nouwen on self-rejection and self blame.

Fellow Annapolis author R. K. Caroland wrote a nice little book called "Find Your Way." I especially appreciate what he wrote about assumptions:  One of our biggest mistaken assumptions is that everyone thinks like me. So most of the...