Gudrun Frerichs, PhD

The Benefit of Groups

"The quality of a person's social life could have an even greater impact than diet and exercise on their health and well-being. There is growing evidence that being a member of a social group can significantly reduce the risk of conditions like stroke, dementia and even the common cold. New research by the Universities of Exeter and Queensland, Australia, shows that membership of social groups has a positive impact on health and well-being". (American Physiological Society (2009, September 13).

Myth About Womens' Low Sexual Desire

Many people are of the opinion that if a woman rarely wants sex there is something physically wrong with her. Maybe her sexual desire, her libido, would improve with the help of medical treatment? What pill can be prescribed that would get her back on the right track?

Like in many other areas, some health professionals (and certainly pharmaceutical companies) quickly reduce interpersonal, social, and cultural problems to a hormonal imbalance, that can be - and should be remedied with something we can buy in the pharmacy.

The biggest misconception of our present time is that problems like low sexual desire or depression are all due to hormonal or chemical imbalance. A misconception that is widely fed and supported research financed by pharmaceutical companies whose huge profits rely on people reaching for 'the pill'.

Change Your Mood With Your Body

One thing is sure there are a whole lot of depressed people in this world. You can easily spot them when you observe people while sitting at the beach, waiting for the next bus, or sipping a wonderfully brewed Moccacino.

How will you spot them? They usually are walking hesitantly rather than striding confidently, avoiding looking at people, slouching with their upper body, having an earnest face or frown, and staring at the ground. The body expresses the person’s inner state and, equally, perpetuating it. You can try this out right now. Sit with your head down, letting your shoulders slouch forward, breathe shallow, maybe let a sigh. You can NOT NOT feel low of energy and depressed.

Stress Impairs Thinking

Stress seems to have a negative impact on people’s ability to think clearly and quickly, and attend to new information. The study investigated male doctoral students shortly before and after their board exams and found that although students did not perform well under stress, their brain’s ability to do so bounced back in less than a month after the stress went away. 

This may be quite different in the case of chronic stress that can lead to major health problems such as chronic fatigue, depression, post traumatic stress, and Alzheimers.

Rockefeller University (2009, January 28). Stress Disrupts Human Thinking, But The Brain Can Bounce Back. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/01/090127190442.htm

Stress Can Be Bad For Your Body

Chronic stress can lead to a number of behavioural changes and physical health problems. When a person is subjected to stress the body responds with activating the neuro-hormone ‘Corticotrophin Releasing Factor’ (CRF). In the case of chronic stress this release is increasing in length and volume in areas of the brain associated with fear and emotion. It thereby changes the body's response causing health-related stress problems such as anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, and even infertility.

Dermatologists have identified that increased cortisol levels in the body caused by stress can lead to hair falling out, acne breaking out, and to many other problems.

Indeed, stress can lead to an increase in inflammations and central nervous system infections. It is known to affect the effectiveness of vaccines, is linked to endometriosis, and can cause digestive difficulties that range from stomach aches to diarrhoea.

Deal With Your Depression to Reduce Risk of Alzheimers

I have on several places discussed the importance of dealing with depression. It's not just that depressed people are not as happy as others. Not only that, a whole range of health hazards are linked to depression. A recent research from Rush University (April 2008) has revealed that depression is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease at a later stage whereas is was thought earlier that depression is an early sign of Alzheimer's disease.

Be Happy If You Want to Loose Weight!

I have written a few posts about happiness - and be prepared - there are more to follow. Happiness has such a significant impact on people's physical and mental health, career, and actually longevity. Research has shown happy people live longer than unhappy people!

But I wasn't going to talk about that. No, this morning my attention was caught by a research report on the Science Daily Website (see link below). With the holidays coming closer, and with them the turkeys, hams, geese, and all the other things people feast on during this time, my attention has been on my expanding waist-line.

Now, here is some good news. People that surround themselves with happy things, for example pictures of their kids smiling, will make better food choices. So pin a picture of your child or loved one on the fridge door to help you stay away from making the wrong choices or even from eating too much. Read more about the research on the Science Daily Website.

Finding it hard to be happy? Make sure to request my FREE mini-workbook on how to become happy by following this LINK.

Are You Depressed? Exercise it Away!

The NZ Herald (original article) reported in September that the New Zealand government spends yearly NZ$30 million over a million prescriptions for antidepressants.  Concerns are raised about the high prescription rate that includes antidepressants prescribed to adolescents and children as young as one year old and less. This is a shocking number in a country of only 4 million people. The fear was expressed that depression awareness campaigns have boosted pharmaceutical sales rather than providing public education about alternative treatment pathways for depression.