How do you stay sane during Cascadia's dark, wet winters? When I first moved here, I got some great advice that I completely ignored. It was logical, sure, but it went against deeply ingrained biases. When I finally started heeding it, though, everything about our...
Most people understand SAD as a depression response to the short, dark days of winter. And indeed, that is the most common form.
But summer SAD is also truly a thing: hot days, unrelenting brightness that makes you think you have to be cheery and energetic, wildfire smoke in certain parts of the country — all of these contribute to seasonal depression in the summer.
Here’s one simple way to beat it.
Every year there’s one particular plant that grabs my attention and won’t let go. I’ll start seeing it everywhere. And I get excited in that way you do when you have a new friend — even if it’s an old friend. So far this year violets are my jam. There have been at...
It’s the “most wonderful time of the year” — and depression is rampant. Between the darkness (if you live in the northern hemisphere), family drama and financial stresses, it’s a time when many people find their mood going in an unhappy direction. Here are some...
Wednesday is veggie box day at my house, and it's been really helping me up my personal food game. I often recommend delivery services like this one from Full Circle to patients as a way to help keep fresh vegetables in the house — because eating veggies is a...
At its root, health really isn't that complicated. Getting and staying health comes down to three simple things — assimilation, elimination and managing inflammation. In thisvideo, Dr. Orna breaks it down and gives you the key to the natural-health kingdom. ...
When I got my first smart phone, I also discovered a fun little app called D-Minder, intended to help track your vitamin D exposure. The app looks at your skin tone, size, location, local weather and sun angle to determine how much vitamin D you can get at any given...
Depression and feel like an enormous dark hole, and climbing out can seem to require impossible effort. But researchers in the UK analyzing the results of 10 studies (with 1,250 participants) found that relief can take as little as five minutes when surrounded by...
There’s big money in medications for depression, and drugs such as Prozac and Wellbutrin help many people who take them. But a growing body of research finds people getting sugar pills instead of meds also feel better — making some researchers wonder if the drugs are...
You've always heard that fish is brain food. Now, a growing body of research is supporting that contention. One study published in the February 2010 edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry found that fish-oil supplements high in omega-3 fatty acids warded off...