Practising yoga reduces depression
Research shows the exercise helps raise people’s spirits
In the 1978 movie “Animal House,” “Toga! Toga! Toga!” was Bluto’s call for his fraternity to throw a party. The goal? To help a younger frat member, Flounder (Stephen Furst), climb out of his depression after Bluto (John Belushi) and friends wrecked his car. According to today’s research, however, the crew at Delta Tau Chi could have raised his spirits by doing Yoga! Yoga! Yoga!
Investigators at Columbia University and Harvard University have found that practising yoga and coherent breathing three times a week lowers symptoms of depression in folks with major depressive disorders and that three times a week is a lot more effective than doing yoga just twice a week. Plus, the yoga was equally effective in easing symptoms of depression for folks taking antidepressants as those with depression who were not on medication.
The researcher’s study, published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, used the practice of Iyengar yoga — a form of hatha yoga that uses precision posture alignment and breath control — for 12 weeks in a wellsupervised environment with a good instructor.
So, if you’re dealing with chronic depression or even just a temporary bout of the blues, seek out a local yoga centre. Also, take a look at “Everyday Yoga” at www.doctoroz.com. And if you have other health concerns, always check with your doc before starting any exercise regimen.
What’s a healthy dose of sex?
In an episode of “Star Trek: Enterprise,” Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) is testy, seemingly out of worry about his sick dog. But the ship’s doctor, Phlox (John Billingsley), asks him, “How long has it been since you were intimate with a woman?” Archer realizes that his mood is caused by prolonged sexual tension with Vulcan commander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock).
We’ve all heard someone comment that a grumpy coworker or friend needs to “get some.” But is it true? Does sex make you happier? According to new research published in Social Psychology and Personality Science, yes — as happy as a $50,000 raise!
Researchers conducted three studies using data on more than 300,000 people and found that — up to a point — the more sex people were having, the more their life satisfaction increased. In fact, the boost in life satisfaction between people who had sex less than once a month versus those having it once a week was even bigger than the difference between people who made $15,000$25,000 a year and those in the $50,000-$75,000 yearly salary range.
The magical benefits of more sex did level off at the once-aweek mark. But that doesn’t mean you and yours shouldn’t jump between the sheets more often. Having monogamous intimacy seven times a week makes a man’s RealAge younger, and increased sexual satisfaction makes a woman’s RealAge younger — and not just a little. The extra good news? If you and your partner are in a dry spell, making an effort to be intimate once a week should be a great starting place.
Wean off that smartphone
In an episode of “The Office,” Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) prank Andy (Ed Helms) by hiding his phone in the ceiling, then calling it so that it rings from its mysterious location. Andy cannot find it and gets so mad he punches a hole in the wall.
New research has revealed that for many folks, even the idea of losing a cellphone is almost as upsetting as contemplating a terrorist threat! U.K. scientists had more than 2,000 people rate how stressful they would find 18 different life events. The prospect of losing a smartphone got an average stress rating of 5.79 out of 10; terrorist threats scored 5.84. And it’s not the hassle or expense of losing it that is so upsetting — it’s what has been dubbed NOMO (no mobile) phobia, a fear of being disconnected from the device.
We love what you can do with your smartphone (track fitness, set reminders to stand up regularly, stay connected to friends and family), but feeling terrorized by the idea of losing it is too much. Our suggestions:
• Back up phone data and pictures regularly. If you misplace your phone, you can retrieve the lost info. Consider phone insurance, so that a replacement is covered.
• Once a week, especially if you’re hyperattached to your phone, leave it home for eight hours, so you realize that life won’t end without it. If an emergency arises, you can always borrow someone else’s phone! For most of human history, we did just fine without them.
New ways to control eczema
Diversity is required to create a healthy body politic and a healthy body, inside and out. You’ve heard a lot about the various “good” and “bad” bacteria that make up your gut biome. But you may not know that your skin is also home to a wildly rich and, when healthy, very diverse bacterial soup.
Scientists have discovered that on healthy skin, harmful Staphylococcus aureus is kept in check by its friendlier cousin, Staphylococcus epidermidis. But on folks with eczema (specifically atopic dermatitis, the most common type of eczema), there is an overgrowth of S. aureus compared to S. epidermidis.
When researchers check the biome in the inner elbow or the back of the knee on folks with AD, they find an imbalance of those microbes. And the less diversity there is the less healthy the skin. But a skin biome transplant may be possible: When gram-negative bacteria is collected from healthy human skin and cultured in the lab, it can be put into a treatment (maybe a cream) that can KO AD.
This breakthrough in understanding of the skin biome means that there’s good news on the horizon for the 17.8 million Americans with AD. So, stay tuned for the next round of research and, in the meantime, try taking a probiotic capsule (Culturelle or Digestive Advantage) regularly. That can add healthful diversity to your skin biome, as well as your gut! And if you have AD, avoid antibacterial soaps and household products that can further upset your skin biome.
Bouncing back from baby blues
Paul Newman had great baby blues; so do Megan Fox and Meg Ryan. But for most women, the baby blues — which peak five days after giving birth, when there’s a 40 per cent increase in levels of the brain protein MAOA — are not a pretty experience.
MAO-A breaks down three neurotransmitters that influence mood: serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. Too much MAO, and those brain chemicals become depleted and sadness can overtake you. (For about 13 per cent of new moms, the blues segue into postpartum depression.)
Now a Canadian study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has identified what the researchers are calling a “nutritional kit” that, if taken for three days starting the third day after giving birth, seems to turn the baby blues to blue skies. Twenty-one women took the nutritional supplements. None experienced any sign of the baby blues. But the 20 women in the control group who didn’t get the supplements all did to one degree or another.
The kit contains tryptophan and tyrosine, which the researchers say compensate for the loss of mood-regulating brain chemicals, and blueberry extract with blueberry juice, chosen for its antioxidants. (They checked: Concentrations of these in breast milk didn’t increase!)
You know not to try this without talking to your doc first. And do verify that the pills are from reliable suppliers, as tryptophan and tyrosine supplements have been associated with severe toxicity from the contaminants. But with supervision, this “kit” may make the first couple of weeks with your new baby much more enjoyable.