LifeQual Center

Just this week, I have seen three patients with depression requiring treatment. Treatment options include medications, therapy, and self-care. Self-care includes things like sleep, physical activity, and diet, and is just as important as meds and therapy — sometimes more so. In counseling my patients about self-care, I always feel like we don’t have enough time to get into diet. I am passionate about diet and lifestyle measures for good health, because there is overwhelming e

As the temperatures drop and the winter jackets emerge, many people will be diagnosed with seasonal depression, also called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Amazingly, as the weather changes, up to 10% of people living in northern latitudes will be categorized as depressed. But what exactly is seasonal depression? How is it different from our natural reactions to the shifting seasons? Considered an independent disorder, seasonal depression is a label given to people who rep

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR DIET COULD MAKE YOUR ANXIETY OR DEPRESSION WORSE? Yes it's true — What you eat matters! It is not only responsible for making you gain weight or loose it but the food you intake controls every function in your body. What you eat nourishes your body and your brain & provides it with the nutrients needed for proper function. Many amongst us experience regular symptoms like low energy, extreme cravings, brain fog and “tummy troubles”. These symptoms have a

Feeling any of the following? -Anger? -Irritability? -Frustration? -Feel stuck emotionally? -Depression? In Chinese medicine, these symptoms are referred to as Liver qi stagnation. One acupuncture point I use for a great deal of my patients is LIV-3 Taichong, and it is arguably one of the most important points of the Liver channel. It has an extensive range of actions, and may be used for both excess (pain felt in the body: back of scalp/Occiput where hairline meets back of

If you're struggling with anxiety (one of today's most common mental health problems), seeking treatment with massage therapy might be worth your while. Long used to promote relaxation and offset the harmful effects of stress, massage may provide relief from both the psychological and physical effects of anxiety. There are a number of ways in which massage therapy may benefit people with anxiety. For example, some research suggests that undergoing massage may help calm the sy

Given the known benefits of regular physical activity, it is shocking that still many Americans are not meeting current recommended physical activity levels. The fast-paced, technology-driven American lifestyle has created a number of personal, environmental, behavioral, and/or physiological barriers to becoming active. Therefore, it is important for both adults and youth to modify or overcome these barriers in order to improve their activity levels. So what is preventing you

The website www.themindfulword.org provides an excellent outline of some of the most popular Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction exercises. Mindfulness Techniques As expected, mindfulness is heavily featured in MBSR techniques. While it’s easy to think of mindfulness as one certain state of mind, there are actually several different ways to practice or engage in mindfulness, with varying areas of emphasis. Focus Mindfulness Practicing mindfulness with an emphasis on focus invo

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (or MBSR) is a group program that was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1970s to treat patients struggling with life’s difficulties and physical and/or mental illness. Although it was initially created to aid hospital patients, it has wide applicability and has been used by a broad range of people from all walks of life. MBSR is a flexible and customizable approach to stress reduction. Instead of following a script or acting out meticulous

The reality of stress is that we all deal with it everyday whether we’re old or young, lofty thinkers or practical doers. The person you may know who is a practiced meditator or the yogi that radiates peace is going through stress as well, it is inescapable. We have to learn how to deal with these uncomfortable and distracting symptoms. Yoga and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Who can benefit from Yoga? Several studies have shown Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can i

It’s a busy world. You fold the laundry while keeping one eye on the kids and another on the television. You plan your day while listening to the radio and commuting to work, and then plan your weekend. But in the rush to accomplish necessary tasks, you may find yourself losing your connection with the present moment—missing out on what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. Did you notice whether you felt well-rested this morning or that forsythia is in bloom along your route