What is Women’s Health Week?

Women’s Health Week is a week dedicated to women across Australia to make their own good health a priority. It's a week for women to focus on themselves, learn more about relevant health issues and take action to actively manage their own health and wellbeing. “If a woman is in good health, her family, community and the society around her also benefit” - Dr Jean Hailes.

As part of women’s health week, we thought we would raise awareness about depression. Did you know that around 1 in 5 women in Australia will experience depression at some point during their lifetime?

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Tools for Health for Men and Boys - Men's Health Awareness Week

In June, around the world, attention is turned to the health and wellbeing of males. Particularly the preventable problems that are highlighted in the infographic you see. But, when you ask google for information regarding men’s health, even when you search only for ‘positive’, ‘good’ and ‘healthy’ information about being a man, you really have to dig through a lot of tough statistics to find the plus side. So we’ve found a constructive, solution focussed, way to rethink these negatives.

Let’s LEARN a little GIVING and LOVING…

Linda Pang, founder of the ‘Feel Good Feb’ and ‘Kindness is Catching’ movements in Sydney, inspires us to have the intention and take the time to make others feel good. Linda’s website and facebook page offers ideas and resources to use for your own Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) to gift to strangers not just in February, but all year round. Kind acts like secretly paying for the coffee of the person in line behind you at a Café, or leaving a small positive handmade present for a stranger at a bus stop.

November marks Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) Week. PANDA, now in it’s 18th year, is all about supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of expecting and new parents.

I have just returned from The 2018 International Neurorehabilitation Conference in Boston run by Harvard Medical School. I was one of hundreds of delegates from all over the world attending to get the latest updates on cutting-edge treatments to help people with brain problems. We had experts presenting on a large range of topics ranging from neuroplasticity to proven and state-of-the-art brain therapies.

We are what we eat…But, do we? Can we? Eat enough of the good stuff EVERY day?

It’s time to talk about food, guts, brains and the slippery science of oils…

Deciding what to eat can be an enormously effortful task. Aside from the vast choice available to us, we are also informed (not always necessarily well informed) about the choices we think we should be making…paleo this, low FODMAP that, raw something else, oops now I’m a flexitarian…the pleasure of eating can be spoilt by complexity sometimes. This is not to deride these choices, indeed they work well for some.

Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich looks at one of the secrets of the brain's incredible power: its ability to actively re-wire itself. He's researching ways to harness the brain's plasticity to enhance our skills and recover lost function.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.

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Successful Ageing & Your Brain

We all know people who seem to blossom after 50, or stay sharp into old age. What can we learn from them? Find out what steps you can take to improve your brain fitness, regardless of your age.

The wheels in your brain are constantly turning, even when you're asleep or not paying attention. In fact, most of your brain’s activities are ones you’d never be aware of … unless they suddenly stopped. Nathan S. Jacobs takes us inside the always active, surprisingly spontaneous brain.

Most people will take a pill, receive an injection, or otherwise take some kind of medicine during their lives. But most of us don’t know anything about how these substances actually work. How can various compounds impact the way we physically feel, think, and even behave? Sara Garofalo explains how some drugs can alter the communication between cells in the brain.

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What is depression?

Whilst most of us have times where we feel sad, down, or have depressed feelings, some people feel this way for an extended period of time (two weeks or more) and it can begin to affect the way they feel about themselves and make life more difficult to manage from day to day. Each person’s experience of depression is very unique, but some signs or symptoms may include:

Feeling sad, teary or irritable
Feeling hopeless
Feeling alone or isolated
Experiencing a change in motivation
Inability to find enjoyment and pleasure in things
Poor quality of sleep

The exact cause of depression is unknown - However, we know that there are changes in normal brain activity that can be caused by life events such as prolonged work stress, personal factors such as family history or serious medical illness to name but a few.

As with most health problems it is better to take steps to help prevent depression and simple lifestyle choices can help protect our emotional health. Here are some straight forward tips to help to improve and maintain your emotional health and well-being:

Omega-3 – Studies show that Omega-3 fatty acids have antidepressant and anti-inflammatory properties. Look for a brand that has 1000mg of EPA and 500mg of DHA per day as this is been shown to improve mood and decrease depressive symptoms.

Anti-Rumination Strategies– Rumination is dwelling on negative thoughts and feelings. If you find yourself doing this, try changing your thought pattern by going for a walk, calling a friend or family member, or doing another enjoyable activity.

Exercise – Studies show that exercise can be as effective as most antidepressant medications. To get the best antidepressant effects, aim for 35-40 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise such as fast walking, cycling, or playing sport, at least three times each week.

Light exposure – Try to get a small amount of sunlight exposure each day. Bright light elevates mood by increasing serotonin and brain activity, as well as keeping your body clock in sync which is linked to sleep and hormone regulation.

Social support – Reach out to friends and family. Not only can they provide much needed emotional support, but spending time with them can also distract you from ruminating.

Sleep hygiene – Whilst the amount of sleep each person needs is varying; the average is 8 hours per night. To create a healthy sleep pattern, try going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day, limiting screen time, caffeine and alcohol for several hours before going to bed, and winding down by dimming the lights and doing a quiet activity like reading.

Treatment options

Traditionally treatment options for depression have included include medication and “talking therapies” such as psychology and counselling. There is also good evidence that lifestyle factors (such as those outlined above) can reduce depression, and for more information about this visit: http://tlc.ku.edu/

At The Perth Brain Centre we also offer a number of additional brain-based and drug-free treatments such as Trans-Cranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), which have been proven to help depression as well.

For more information about how brain-based therapies can help to relieve depression, please contact The Perth Brain Centre on (08) 6500 3277 or visit us at www.perthbraincentre.com.au.

References:

http://www.womenshealthweek.com.au/

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

http://tlc.ku.edu/

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