Beating Seasonal Affective Disorder


Filed Under Overcome Depression | Nov 3, MST 12:23 pm

 
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, up to twenty percent of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD, with about six percent of cases being severe. I’ll caution that the exact numbers are currently unknown, and that the numbers of cases for winter depression vary depending on how rigorous the study was and where the study was taken. Canadians, for example, are much more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than are Americans. What we know for certain is that SAD is a very real and common condition, and that it makes the winter season a miserable one for millions of people.

SAD Symptoms

Not everyone experiences SAD in the same way. Some symptoms are more pronounced in certain sufferers than they are in others. Personal genetics and environmental factors play a role in shaping how people experience seasonal affective disorder. With that out of the way, the following list of symptoms will give you an idea of some of the things SAD sufferers might experience:

  • Unwanted weight gain
  • Constant fatigue
  • Lethargy
  • Feeling irritated
  • Carbohydrate cravings
  • Decreased interest in sex
  • Mood swings
  • Feelings of apathy and depression

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Burning incense reduces anxiety, depression


Filed Under Beat Anxiety, Overcome Depression | Aug 7, MDT 12:36 pm

Incense helps reduce anxiety, depressionThis is an interesting study from a few months back; apparently, burning frankincense activates ion channels in the brain which help alleviate depression and anxiety.

Burning incense is a common religious practice in many parts of the world, and this study provides some insight into how the practice might actually rally our spirits in a physical sense. It also provides us with one more technique for improving the quality of our lives.

From the article comes this quote which is particularly revealing:

“We found that incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, when tested in mice lowers anxiety and causes antidepressive-like behavior. Apparently, most present day worshipers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning.”

I think it’s safe to say that many religious rituals carry some kind of physical benefit to those who practice them. From an evolutionary perspective, it’s unlikely that people would continue behaving in certain ways, generation after generation, unless those behaviors conferred some kind of survival benefit on to those who did them.

There’s a fair amount of research which points towards the health benefits of certain religious rituals, such as prayer and meditation. Now we can add burning incense to the mix. For those of us of a more secular bent, we can still benefit from these practices without having to invest them with a specific ideology.

In time, scientists will develop a new class of drugs based on the properties of frankincense, but for now, burning regular incense remains an affordable and healthy way of raising spirits — one that doesn’t require a prescription.