Tag Archives: non-medication

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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Essential fatty acids may reduce the severity of childhood ADHD but more evidence is needed

Essential fatty acids are frequently used in combination with stimulants in the treatment of childhood ADHD however research findings to date are inconsistent. Only a few studies have been done and the results are limited by high drop-out rates and … Continue reading

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Complementary and alternative therapies are being increasingly used to treat ADHD

Concerns about inappropriate prescribing or over-prescribing of stimulant medications and incomplete understanding of long-term risks associated with them have led to increasing use of non-pharmacological therapies. It is estimated that over 50% of parents of children diagnosed with ADHD rely … Continue reading

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Safety concerns over conventional pharmacologic treatments of ADHD

Stimulant medications, behavioral modification and psychosocial support are widely used conventional treatments of childhood ADHD in Western countries. Short-acting stimulants are the most frequently prescribed pharmacological treatments of ADHD however controlled release stimulants and the SSRI antidepressants are increasingly prescribed … Continue reading

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Bipolar disorder: managing symptoms from an integrative perspective

Bipolar disorder in overview Approximately 1% of the adult population experiences persisting mood swings and fulfills criteria for the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a heritable mental illness. First-degree relatives of Bipolar individuals are much more likely to … Continue reading

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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): emerging strategies for prevention and treatment

Overview PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that occurs following direct or indirect exposure to trauma. In cases of direct exposure to trauma symptoms of PTSD develop after a potentially life-threatening situation such as a serious injury, physical assault or … Continue reading

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Psychosis: using integrative approaches to manage your symptoms

Psychosis has many complex causes Symptoms of psychosis may be temporary or chronic and moderate or severe in their intensity. Schizophrenia and other chronic psychotic disorders are characterized by so-called ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ symptoms. Positive symptoms include auditory hallucinations, paranoia … Continue reading

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Taking control over depression: the integrative mental health approach

Depressed mood has many psychological and biological causes. Some people are born with genetic factors that significantly increase their risk of developing severe depressed mood. Known medical causes of depression include thyroid disease, heart problems and anemia. When an underlying … Continue reading

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Dementia and mild cognitive impairment: managing symptoms from an integrative perspective

Dementia and mild cognitive impairment—a brief review Dementia is a chronic condition characterized by severe persisting impairments of short-term and long-term memory and severe deficits in other areas of cognitive functioning such as abstract reasoning, language, impaired capacity to perform … Continue reading

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