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Depression help – All of us suffer from depression from time to time; we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t occasionally feel down. Of course, the condition takes many forms and can manifest itself in numerous ways. And some of us are prone to suffer more than others. Winston Churchill, for instance, used to suffer from regular bouts of depression which he referred to as his black dog.
In most instances, this feeling of sadness, which can be triggered by almost any experience or event, will subside and the feelings won’t interfere with our lives. But if they simply don’t go away, or keep coming back, and impact on our quality of life, this could very well be a sign that we are in fact depressed in the medical sense of the word.
The many forms of depression that are now widely recognised include the following:
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – People sometimes become depressed during the autumn and winter due to a lack of sunshine.
Postnatal Depression – Postnatal depression can occur any time between two weeks and two months after giving birth.
Bipolar Disorder – Often described as manic depression, Bipolar Disorder isn’t uncommon and can be diagnosed when someone has constant and fairly drastic mood swings from being depressed one moment to being in a state of high excitement, the next.
As many as one in 20 of us become clinically depressed, and figures suggest that women are more prone to suffer (though this may be down to the fact that men find it difficult to admit to or talk about the subject).
What are the symptoms?
It’s not always so easy to recognise the symptoms of depression because these can manifest themselves in physical problems. Very often, for example, some of us are unable to come to terms with something that has affected us emotionally, and as a result our feelings aren’t expressed. Instead we internalise these feelings, and by doing so our depression actually makes us physically unwell.
How to fight depression
Staying active and occupying the brain really can help enormously. So make sure you take part in physical activity for at least 20 minutes every day. Whether it’s playing sports, going to the gym, cycling, swimming or just brisk walking, you’ll be stimulating the chemicals in the brain, known as endorphins, and these can help you feel better again.
Another way to tackle depression is to think positively by treating yourself from time to time, and by paying attention to your personal appearance. Diet will also help, so eat healthily. Oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, trout and salmon are all good sources of Omega fatty acids, which can also alleviate depression.
Then, of course, there are a host of alternative therapies, which can help the body relax. Acupuncture, massage and clinical hypnotherapy can very often play a significant part in this respect. Others swear by homeopathy and herbal remedies like St John’s Wort. But before trying any of these, talk to your GP who will almost certainly know which would be most suitable and will be able to recommend someone who is qualified.
Alex Pearl is a freelance copywriter and is the author of ‘Sleeping with the Blackbirds.’
http://alexpearlmini.carbonmade.com http://sleepingwiththeblackbirds.co.uk
 The recent scandal about plastic surgery and breast implants that are made from a material not suitable for the human body has led to a review of cosmetic procedures in the UK. 50,000 women are expected to have been affected by the problematic implants and experts have asked for there to be more regulation in the industry of cosmetic procedures.
Plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures are going to be reviewed under the authority of the medical director of the NHS, Sir Bruce Keogh. The move for greater regulation has been welcomed by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons or BAAPS. They highlight that there is a significant problem in that cosmetic surgery can still be advertised to patients and this is something that should be banned, much like advertising licensed drugs is not allowed in the country.
The president of the BAAPS is Fazel Fatah who has commented, “The breast implant scandal was something that was very unfortunate but it has brought to the governments attention the problems that the industry is facing. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the increased regulations that the government are going to bring to the sector.
We hope to present a plan to the government that will allow them to implement an effective system of regulation which will have the primary focus will be protecting the safety of the public.”
Since the scandal it has become known that there have been many companies taking advantage of marketing techniques that could cause harm to the public. Some cosmetic surgery companies have issued loyalty cards encouraging people to have more procedures and have even offered buy one get one free deals.
A plastic surgeon and former president of BAAPS is Nigel Mercer and he is involved with drafting standards that could be implemented across the European Union. He has said, “The proposals we are drafting are going to improve cosmetic surgery procedures across Europe.
We are developing standards that are going to improve patient care and put the importance of patient safety and well-being beyond all else. We are also going to ban cosmetic surgery being awarded as a prize and make sure that all cosmetic surgeons who are conducting surgery are specialists in the field and have an exemplary track record.”
BAAPS wants to see a ban on all advertising of cosmetic surgery, much like the ban that exists on prescription drugs being advertised. Furthermore, it wants to see injectable treatments for treating skin wrinkles to become medications. Currently these are not regarded as medicine and are only required to have the CE mark – which might normally be seen on many household items.
Mr Fatah continued, “In the past we have worked very hard to educate people about the marketing techniques from unscrupulous cosmetic surgery companies. Their tendency is to trivialise surgery and make it seem like a procedure that is not serious, but any surgery carries a risk and patients should be fully aware of this. The kind of promotions we are seeing in this part of medicine are completely unacceptable.”
 Bye bye baby weight… hello hot mama with Mel B on TV Mel B, formerly known as scary spice, can currently be seen on British TV screens advertising JENNY CRAIG weight loss regime. Mel B first joined the Jenny Craig programme while working inAustralia as a judge on the X-Factor, the country where the company originally launched. Now Mel is already more than half way towards her goal weight, and there is no stopping her shouting it from the rooftops.
She says that she is very excited at having passed the halfway mark, and that whilst her bumps ans humps are still there, they are a lot smaller and she’s loving it. She added that having passed the halfway mark on her weight loss has made her healthier and happier, and although she still isn’t getting much sleep with baby daughter Madisonshe has a new found energy that enables her to be a better mother.
Mel B is fronting JENNY CRAIG’s latest campaign with huge success, appealing to mothers to invest in themselves.
“Like all mums, I sometimes feel a little guilty taking time out for myself. But this is about my health. I think mums are the centre of their universe, so it’s just something I just had to do,” says Mel B.
In true Mel B fashion, she also had a more personal reward for when she finally reached her goal weight. “I cannot wait until I reach my goal weight – I can, not, WAIT! I’m gonna get my ‘thong on’!! Woot Woot!”
Mel B acknowledges JENNY CRAIG’s 30 years experience as leading weight management experts and providing a support system second-to-none with individual consultants and tailored eating plans.
“Let’s face it, it’s really hard to lose weight by yourself…I hate diets – they don’t work, they’re confusing. JENNY CRAIG is not a diet, it’s a healthy eating plan that makes losing weight easy. I get everything figured out for me and I get supported every single week by my own consultant. I get my breakfast, lunch, and dinner already set, already planned, and my snacks. Brilliant!’” said Mel B.
Any of us could be suffering from food intolerance without knowing it, and a good time to find out either way is during the national Food Allergy and Intolerance Week. Foold intolerances and allergies are becoming increasingly more common all the time, but many don’t grasp the difference between intolerance and an allergy.
A proper food allergy affects only 2% of the population, and the symptoms can be both sudden and severe. Food intolerances are much more common and can occur when the IgG antibodies are triggered due to a reaction to a specific food.
Almost any food can cause a reaction but foods eaten most regularly are often the chief culprits – typically, wheat and dairy products, closely followed by other gluten grains, eggs and yeast. Symptoms may be delayed for hours or even days after eating the food, making it very difficult to pinpoint the culprit. Having several intolerances further confounds the situation! But, don’t worry, help is at hand!
The Food Intolerance Tests Kit* is available from Higher Nature
This simple home test kit can test for 40, 60 or 120 foods. We send a complete kit, full instructions, transport box and a pre-paid envelope to send it to the lab. The results will be sent directly to the customer in approximately 10 days.
Possible symptoms of a food intolerance include:
· Anxiety (acute or chronic)
· Attention Deficit Disorder
· Constipation
· Diarrhoea
· Headaches
· Insomnia
· Migraine
· Water retention
· Arthritis
· Fibromyalgia
· Asthma
· Bloating
· Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
· Depression
· Gastritis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease
· Itchy skin
· Weight control problems
· Hyperactivity disorder
· Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Higher Nature has a team of qualified Nutritionists who can give advice on managing food intolerance.
* Higher Nature intolerance testing is provided by Cambridge Nutritional Sciences, a Corporate Partner of Allergy UK, organisers of Food Allergy and Intolerance Week.
 The 1990s revival that is taking place in the make-up industry has gone one step further and beyond the ‘almost gone’ look that has been quite trendy. Now people are looking at make up which whitens out their features. A lip balm which makes your lips look a rather bland colour has become popular and bleaching brows is also being seen on the catwalk.
Invisible brows have recently been seen on Rooney Mara, who starred in the film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This is the sort of look that you will get if you choose to bleach your brows. Skin is conspicuously dull and understated and so it is a good idea to use a foundation that has excellent coverage. It is also wise to start with a primer as this can correct any errors you have on your skin and help reduce redness.
Hiding dark circles is also possible with something called the Halo Highlighting Wand which has recently been launched. You can also use finishing powder afterwards to make everything remain nicely in place.
A very popular product on the market right now are balms and creams which are an all round type of product that are able to highlight, tone, moisturised and illuminate your skin all in one process. The best thing about these as they only need to be applied once in the day and they will last throughout.
One of the best on the market is currently by Estee Lauder which also has a sun protection rating of 35. This particular product has an amazing ability to lighten even those with the most tired of complexions.
Brightening powder by Dust Laura Mercier can be added on top of this to prevent your skin looking shiny. If you want to continue with the natural look and it would be a good idea to just use a simple gloss on your lips. The idea if you are following this type of make up is not to look polished but to look healthy and natural. If you don’t want your lips to be particularly glossy then it can be a good idea to just go for a regular lip balm.
It is important to keep your skin fresh and muted to prevent you from appearing like a doll. Rosy pink blusher is a good idea as it doesn’t look overly intense and has a simple, but great looking, effect.
In regard to hair, dying the tips is still very popular and recently the catwalk has seen many different shades being used and it seems that nothing is currently too outrageous. It is also important to make sure that your hair is well taken care of, especially in the winter as your hair can become particularly weak.
Therefore it is a good idea to use damage repair hair shampoo and conditioner in order to make sure your hair always looks good. There are many different serums available for this as well which you can leave in.
Even in this day and age, mental health carries a stigma. Names like loopy, batty, cuckoo are still used freely in society, yet these terms are all offensive and derogatory to those who suffer from any kind of mental illness. This is a huge umbrella that covers all manner of issues including anxiety and depression, the most common but misunderstood of all the mental illnesses.
Sufferers have reported that they feel themselves isolated and uncomfortable as people tend to avoid them, or if they do speak to them they skirt around the problem and seem reluctant to ask them how they are feeling. As one puts its “ if I had anything else wrong with me people would be full of concern, because I have a mental illness I am treated like a leper and people avoid eye contact and put their heads down when they pass me”.
This behaviour, according to research, is due to people being unsure as to whether the sufferer wants to talk about their illness, or they are worried about saying the wrong thing so they say nothing. It’s time that this was addressed and a new campaign and video sponsored by the COI aims to stop this practice, and presses the point in their short film about how much a mental health sufferer appreciates you asking them how they are.
The video shows a man in his workplace who sees one of his colleagues, Dave, who has been absent due to a mental illness. He debates whether to speak to him or not as he’s not sure how he will react.
He finally asks Dave how he is, and it then shows three scenarios; Dave first takes off his shoe and answers it like a phone, then he disappears in a cloud of dust then finally, which is the real one, he says he has good days and bad days and thanks him for asking.
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