With experts predicting that the spring and summer allergy season will be one of the worst in recent years, researchers at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans presented some intriguing …
Depression
Why the sourpuss? Maybe it’s your low-carb diet
To any dieter who has ever sworn off bread and pasta, the next sentence may come as no surprise. A new study, published in the Nov.9th issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, shows that after dieting for one year, people following strict, low-carb diets had more bad moods than dieters eating a high-carb (albeit low-fat) diet. And, …
Mind and Diet Update: Processed Foods linked to Depression, High Protein to Alzheimer’s
The news on eating a whole food, primarily plant-based diet just keeps getting better. Three new studies add more support to the idea that these kinds of foods are good for the brain. The first found that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables—compared to one made up mostly of processed, sweetened foods—lowers the risk of …
Rapid Antidepressants? Perception Changes Fast; Mood, Not So Much
Do antidepressants actually start to work immediately? Although people with depression don’t usually feel better right away, a fascinating new study suggests that these medications change the way people see the world within hours, not the two to six weeks that patients typically must wait before they sense that their mood has lifted. …
Depression may intensify response to flu vaccine in pregnant women
Pregnant women with significant signs of depression may react more strongly to the seasonal flu vaccine than women with milder cases of the common mood disorder, according to a new study slated to appear in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. The study was small but carefully designed. Researchers had 22 pregnant women fill out …
Antidepressant Use Soars
In 2005, 10% of Americans aged six or older — some 27 million people — received at least one prescription for antidepressants. That’s up from just under 6% in 1996.
