• Alternative Treatments for Depression

    Alternative Treatments for Depression – What You Should Know

      For some, seeking alternative treatments for their depression is an attempt to avoid drugs, or it may be part of the person’s preference for natural treatments in general. But just because a treatment is natural does not mean it’s the best choice for you, or that it is automatically safe. Here are some of the more popular alternative treatments for depression and what you should know about them.  

    St. John’s Wort

      Have you heard of this herb? It’s commonly sold in capsules or tinctures, and is touted as a treatment for mild or moderate depression. Strengths: St. John’s Wort is prescribed in Europe, where studies have shown the herb to be effective even for major depression. Many other, smaller studies have continued to show St. John’s Wort as an effective treatment for depression. Concerns: People with depression may not know if their condition is mild, moderate, or severe. They may underestimate the severity of their depression and take St. John’s Wort when they may need something stronger. Also, the results of larger, placebo-controlled studies conflict with the smaller studies, indicating there may not be much of an effect from St. John’s Wort, particularly regarding major depression.  

    SAM-e

      This is an abbreviated form of a much longer word, S-adenosylmethionine. SAM-e occurs naturally in the body, but a synthetic form can be purchased as a supplement.

    Strengths: This is considered a promising supplement by various sectors in the medical community. It is involved in the function of several neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and norepinephrine.

    Concerns: SAM-e is extremely expensive. Also, it can have side effects if people take it in conjunction with another antidepressant – too much serotonin could result. Some sources claim it may cause nausea and constipation. You can’t get SAM-e from food sources.  

    Omega-3s

     These increasingly popular fatty acids are implicated in the alleviation of depression symptoms. Foods like caviar, salmon, sardines, walnuts, and flaxseeds all have these healthy fats.

    Strengths: Omega-3s can be found in both food sources and supplement form. They are involved in nearly all body processes; some experts say they are involved in every cell of the body. Both manic and clinical depression may be helped by these important fats.

    Concerns: There really are no major concerns associated with the consumption of Omega-3s as an alternative treatment for depression, unless depressed individuals take Omega-3 supplements instead of medications they need, or quit medications cold turkey and start with Omega-3s.

    As you look into alternative treatments for your depression or that of a loved one, make sure you do your research. Even if an alternative therapy is safe and effective, it may not be enough as a sole treatment. It’s important to work with your health care provider to make sure the depression is treated effectively.

  • Is Your Child Manipulating You?

    Is Your Child Manipulating You?

    Studies indicate that manipulative children are behaving in this way because they are vying for attention and trying to get their parents to listen. These kids feel isolated and have unmet needs. Certain types of parents are more likely to fall prey to manipulation. They include:

    * Permissive parents

    * Overindulgent parents

    * Domineering parents

    * Single parents

    * Overprotective parents

    Whether or not you fall into one of these categories isn’t really the issue. What is important is knowing how to successfully stop your child from manipulating you. It isn’t an overnight process by any means. But it CAN be done. Keep reading to learn more.

    Spend More Time Together

    Regardless of the age of your child, it’s essential to spend as much time with him or her as possible – especially when you notice increased manipulative behavior. This type of bonding makes a child feels safe and secure. It’s an indication that you’re always willing to listen.

    Even if your schedule only allows you to spend 15 to 20 minutes of quality time together at a time, try to fit two or three of these blocks into your day.

    Obviously, if your child is younger, more time will probably be required. During these times, don’t forget to express your love and appreciation. Doing so might tend to make your child less manipulative.

    Set Reasonable Limits

    All children need guidance. Setting reasonable limits helps to provide just that. In addition, most children actually welcome rules. These same rules provide structure in their lives. As your child gets older, less structure is typically necessary.

    If your child disagrees with the limits you’ve set forth, hold your ground. At this point, try not to lecture about why a particular rule was put into place.

    Calmly discussing the situation usually puts things into a better perspective – at least enough to keep the peace.

    Your child may compare you to other parents who happen to be more lenient about specific issues. But don’t let that sway you. You’re the one who knows what’s best for your child. Don’t let the comparison make you feel less confident in your parenting skills.

    Avoid Power Struggles

    Avoid power struggles at all costs. If your child refuses to comply with something that you’ve asked them to do, don’t continually insist that it be done immediately. Simply make your point and reiterate that there will be consequences if the task remains uncompleted. Arguing only makes things worse.

    You’ll have an easier time with this if your child’s other parent agrees with you when it comes to discipline. Presenting a united front makes it virtually impossible for children to talk the “weaker” parent into siding with them behind your back.

    Using these tips will put you on the right track with stopping your child’s manipulative behavior. One of the most important things to remember is not to give up. It is entirely possible to correct this situation. A manipulative child is never too young or old to change. Typically, the sooner you get started working on the problem, the better.

    manipulative child girl

  • Why Picking Your Battles Is Important

    Why Picking Your Battles Is Important

    As a parent, you’ll find yourself giving scads of bad news to your kids. Somebody has to tell them that they can’t stay up past their bedtime or eat ice cream for breakfast, right? The task is probably going to be left to you, and your kids aren’t always going to agree. Unfortunately, if you clash with them over everything they do wrong, it’ll be exhausting for all of you. Read on for tips on why and how you need to choose your battles.

    Save Yourself the Effort

    If you try to correct your child every single time they misbehave, you’ll wear yourself out in no time. Not only that but constantly correcting a toddler or young child while they’re trying to learn how the world works can be challenging for everybody.

    Take a minute to decide if your child’s behavior needs correcting or if it’s just a harmless phase. Telling a child to not take a favorite stuffed animal on car trips can be a struggle, but they may lose interest if you let them do it a few times first.

    Teach Your Child to Listen

    If all your child hears is the word “no,” they’ll eventually start to tune it out. They’ll get so used to being told that they can’t have things, they’ll develop a habit of coming up with ways to get them anyway.

    Instead of just saying no, try suggesting alternatives to the issue you’re handling. If you can’t get them to stop coloring on your walls, try giving them some paper to color on instead. This solution might get what they’re doing out of their system. Parents often devote too much focus on the short-term goal of stopping lousy behavior and raise kids that obey the rules rather than making wise decisions.

    Knowing Which Battles to Choose

    Unless you want to spend every moment in high alert for misbehavior, it’s essential to decide what sorts of issues you want to stand your ground on. As far as most parents are concerned, safety and health are the two most significant issues in which they hold firm. Your child may mean well, but they don’t always keep their wellbeing in mind when they make decisions.

    Beyond that, it is up to you to determine which behaviors pose a problem and which are merely bothersome. Try to imagine your child as an adult. Think about their behavior now. Which issues are not acceptable for adults? You’ll want to steer your child away from those.

    Keep Things Consistent

    The best way to make sure that your child follows the rules and routines that you layout for them is to enforce them consistently. If they aren’t allowed up past 9 pm on a school night, make sure to stick with it. Even one night of bending the rules lets your child know that your standards are “bendable.” No matter how small the issue, make sure that the rules of the house are always the rules.

    Here’s the good news: if you’ve been inconsistent in dealing with an issue in the past, it’s never too late to improve the situation. Come up with a set of rules, go over them with your child and adhere to them.

    When a parent argues with their children, they’re teaching them to fight for control of the situation. By choosing when to put your foot down, and by keeping these battles from becoming hostile in the first place, you’re making sure that a disagreement with your child is something that they learn from rather than resent.

    Why Picking Your Battles Is Important 2

  • How to Eat to Stop Emotional Overeating

    How to Eat to Stop Emotional Overeating

    When you think of stopping emotional overeating, does it seem like an impossible goal? You’re not alone – many people who suffer from this problem feel imprisoned and helpless. It can seem like you are unable to break free from the overwhelming emotions and habits. But there’s good news – it’s a treatable problem. Being honest with yourself is an important first step. Emotional overeaters tend to judge themselves pretty harshly, but don’t – you’re not an isolated case or some kind of freak.

    It’s a sign of strength to seek help!

    It means you’ve identified the problem. If you’re struggling with this problem, there are some things you can do to get things under control while you’re seeking professional help. Here are some tips.

    Your Grocery List

    When an emotional moment hits and you head for the refrigerator or pantry, what kind of foods do you usually go for? Often, emotional overeaters head for high-calorie comfort foods like ice cream, chips, or candy bars. But you can’t eat those things if they are not in your house! Here are some examples of foods to put on your grocery list in place of the ones you may be tempted to buy. (Another tip – buy only the foods on your list. Compulsive buying of food is tempting.)

    • Brown rice (instead of white rice)
    • Millet (instead of or in addition to rice)
    • Fresh fruits and vegetables (rather than canned)
    • Low-fat, low-calorie yogurt (rather than ice cream)
    • Popcorn kernels for air popping (rather than chips and fatty snacks)
    • Lean protein like fish, turkey, and chicken (instead of deli meats and processed meats like hotdogs and bologna)
    • Natural, healthy cooking oils like olive and safflower oil (instead of shortening, lard, or unhealthy oils)

    Don’t Crash Diet It’s good to be proactive in solving problems, and emotional eating is no exception. If you try to crash diet, you may find yourself eating more after the crash diet is over. So, rather than stopping eating everything you love, try some of these tips.

    • Allow yourself to have a dish of frozen yogurt each week as a treat. This approach tends to be easier than just cutting out all frozen treats. You could use this approach with other “naughty” foods, too – it may be easier to resist if you know you are going to have that food on Saturday (or whatever day of the week you choose to have a small treat).
    • Boost your nutrition with a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement.
    • Increase your consumption of nutrient-dense foods.

    Eat Regular Meals Experts recommend regular mealtimes as a way to combat emotional overeating. If it’s not “time” for food, then you may be better able to hold off on eating until it is time. Also, eating regular meals helps you to be deliberate about your intake of nutritious foods. And finally, having regular meal times tends to make for a more relaxed eating experience, which is the direct opposite of anxiety-driven overeating.

    Lifestyle Choices: Learn to Overcome Emotional Overeating

    Overcoming emotional overeating can seem overwhelming, and setbacks can be expected. But the good news is, there are lifestyle choices that you can make to help overcome this problem. The keyword is choice – you can choose to follow a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes it helps to break things down into small, specific steps you can take (just trying to lead a “healthier lifestyle” is a bit vague!). Here are some of these specifics. And remember, setbacks and relapses are not unusual.

    Don’t beat yourself up; just start fresh tomorrow.

    Exercise

    Experts are in general agreement that regular exercise three to five days a week is most beneficial. This exercise should consist of at least 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (such as vigorous walking, jogging, biking, etc.) followed by some light toning or weight training. Committing to this regimen full-force is not necessarily the best way to go; if you can only exercise once or twice a week, that’s still better than nothing and will hopefully pave the way for more in the future. Exercise is said to relieve emotional overeating in several ways. For one, exercise produces endorphins which are the body’s natural “feel good” hormones. For another, exercise prevents boredom and mindless eating, which is what you might be doing if you weren’t exercising! And finally, exercise will likely boost your self-image, helping to break the cycle of low self-esteem and poor self-image that “feeds” emotional overeating disorder.

    Nature

    Never underestimate the healing power of nature! For those with emotional overeating disorder, choosing to spend more time out in nature can be particularly beneficial. After all, in the natural realm there are no media messages to mess with your self-image, and being in nature connects you to your origins and the origins of food. Some experts theorize that detachment from food and its natural source plays a role in emotional overeating disorder.

    Getting involved in nature and exploring and appreciating it can go a long way toward reconnecting with our biologically normal view of food. Maybe you can kill two birds with one stone and do your regular exercise outdoors!

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