Tag Archives: integrative

For Alzheimer’s Disease Limitations of Conventional Treatment Invite Complementary and Alternative Therapies

This is the second post in a series on complementary and alternative treatments of dementia. The previous post examined the evidence for diet in reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This post begins with a short review of the … Continue reading

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Conventional Treatments of Anxiety: Benefits and Limitations

In this post I review the benefits and limitations of conventional treatments of anxiety disorders. Future posts in this series will discuss complementary and alternative approaches used to treat different anxiety disorders.  Conventional treatments of anxiety Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), supportive … Continue reading

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Meditation and Mind-body Practices for ADHD: A Concise Review

Non-pharmacologic treatments of ADHD This is the 10th post in a series on complementary and alternative therapies for ADHD. This post comments on research highlights from studies on meditation and mind-body practices as treatments of ADHD. Previous posts briefly reviewed … Continue reading

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Non-medication Treatments are Widely Used to Treat ADHD but Research Findings are Inconsistent

Many individuals diagnosed with ADHD use CAM therapies Many individuals diagnosed with ADHD use alternative therapies alone or together with stimulants or other prescription medications. Growing concerns about inappropriate prescribing or over-prescribing by physicians of stimulant medications and incomplete understanding … Continue reading

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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Depressed Mood

Introduction Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) also called microcurrent electrical stimulation or cranioelectrotherapy stimulation (CES), is a technique that applies extremely weak electrical current to the head and neck to treat mental health problems. In a recent blog post I … Continue reading

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Exercise improves depressed mood, reduces anxiety and helps prevent dementia

How exercise works to improve depressed mood Many studies show that infrequent physical activity increases the risk of developing depressed mood. Physical exercise increases the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and may enhance neural plasticity and new synapse formation. … Continue reading

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DHEA is effective against depressed mood but not cognitive impairment or psychosis

What it is and how it works in the brain Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a precursor of testosterone and other hormones. The sulfated form of DHEA—DHEA-S—is the most abundant steroid in the body. DHEA is an important neuroactive steroid and modulates … Continue reading

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Urgent Need for Transforming Mental Health Care

Existing models of care and conventional therapies are limited Existing models of care and available conventional treatment approaches fail to adequately address the global crisis of mental health care. Mental illness accounts for about one-third of the world’s disability caused … Continue reading

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Increasing Use of Alternative Therapies for Mental Health

Persons diagnosed with a major psychiatric disorder are significantly more likely to use CAM treatments than the general population, and the majority of people who use CAM to self-treat a mental health problem take prescription medications concurrently. Almost one-half of … Continue reading

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Depression causes an enormous economic and social burden

Depression is one of the most serious and costly health problems facing the world today. Because of the high incidence of suicide and other medical or mental illness in depressed individuals, depression is regarded as the leading cause of death … Continue reading

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