Depression is a very common phenomenon in contemporary times. It mostly affects those in their teenage and even those who are in their early thirties. Depression can be caused due to many reasons and must be treated quickly to prevent it from turning into a chronic illness with other side effects. Common symptoms of depression include less socialising, less talking with people and sitting at home or locked behind doors for long duration. At times, one even reduces the intake of food and remains in an agitated mood for a long period of time. When it becomes severe cases, medicines need to be administered to the patients to bring them out of their depression.

The interesting part of this condition is that the patient sometimes knows that he/she is suffering from depression and should try to get out of it.

Homeopathy for Depression and Anxiety

Homeopathy is one of the most popular holistic systems of medicine. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach. This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering. The aim of homeopathy is not only to treat depression and anxiety but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several medicines are available for depression treatment that can be selected on the basis of cause, condition, sensation and modalities of the complaints. For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. Some of the commonly indicated homeopathic medicines are listed here:

1.Aurum Metallicum- This medicine helps recover from deep-seated depression. The patient requiring this medicine is likely to have lost interest in life. There is a sense of loathing for life, lack of joy, loss of smile, loss of hope. He may have seen a very hectic and even successful career; and due to some triggers, there would be a U-turn and the person falls into deep valley of depression.

2.Manganese- This metal medicine has ample of gloominess, depression and sadness.

Here are some of the tips and tricks of coping with depression:

1.Overcome your thoughts with positivity: When in depression, one feels lethargic, is overcome by negative thoughts and cannot focus on doing anything. This needs to be challenged and battled with. During this time, you need to repeatedly convince yourself that there will good and bad times and there is always a way to deal with it. The bad phase would disappear just as it had come, and there is no point sulking on it now. Don’t let the negativity lead to more depression, as a healthy person still lives inside you.

2.Get fresh air daily: Going out for a walk or even sitting in the balcony to get some fresh air and morning sunlight can do wonders when you are suffering from depression. Light slowly eats away the darkness in you and helps you see the positive side of things.

3.Eat healthy food: There is a tendency to either give up on food or to eat a lot of junk food like pizza, chocolate and ice cream during this phase. This must be avoided. What is seen as depression eating is actually binge eating and can have serious consequences on your health and weight. Instead, healthy and regular meals should be eaten and meals should not be skipped at all.

4.Stay connected: You must stay connected with people, even if it means bringing a forced smile on your face. This can do wonders in helping you cope with your depression.

What is Low Sex Drive?

Low sex drive, medically known as Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSSD), is a condition where you may notice a drop in the urge to have sex or engage in any sort of sexual activity. It is something that everyone may go through at some point in their life. However, if this prolongs, you may be suffering from HSSD and you need treatment for the same. According to statistics, about 15 percent of men and 30 percent of women go through this at some point of time but never pay much heed to it.

What Causes Low Sex Drive?

The factors that contribute to low sex drive may differ in men and women.

Causes In Men

Erectile dysfunction

Alcohol and or smoking

Diabetes

Hypothyroidism

Low levels of testosterone

Obesity

Drugs dealing with depression, blood pressure, etc.

Stress and anxiety related disorders

Lost spark in marriage

Causes In Women

Childbirth

Pregnancy

Diabetes

Birth-control pills

Drugs, smoking, alcohol

Hysterectomy

Hypothyroidism

Drugs for depression, blood pressure and pain

Stress and anxiety


Traumatic incidents in childhood, such as child abuse

Symptoms of Low Libido

Low sex drive happens over a period of time. If it happens over a few days, then it is nothing of great concern. However, if the symptoms persist over a span of few weeks then you may consider treatment. If you notice the following symptoms, then it may be low sex drive:

Sex has become less frequent

Your partner points out your disinterest in sexual activities

You feel too lazy to initiate sex

If you have stopped enjoying sex altogether

Sex is less dynamic and more mechanical

There is change in your pattern of desiring sex

Aversion to sex

No arousal even after sufficient stimulation

How To Treat it with Homeopathy?

Homeopathy helps to treat the underlying disease which may be responsible for low sex drive. There are number of cases in which low sex drive may be present without any other disease in the background. Homeopathy offers promising results in improving low sex drive. It helps in following ways:

Treating the underlying cause

Treatment of Erectile dysfunction

Reducing stress and improving your stress coping system

Replacing your antidepressant and anti-anxiety medicines, whenever possible

Enhancing your moods and stimulating your sex drive

Homeopathy is strongly recommended in the cases of Low sex drive or Loss of Libido. The homeopathy drugs that can be prescribed to you for boosting your libido are:

Lycopodium clavatum

Ashwagandha

Argentum nitricum or silver nitrate

Turnera diffusa or Damiana

The whole phase of pregnancy makes a woman witness various hormonal changes, and along with it different symptoms. Some of the common changes include hair fall, postpartum depression, hot flashes, etc. According to a new study done by Johns Hopkins University in Maryland in the US, pregnant women having lower levels of an anti-anxiety hormone in their second trimester had an increased chance of developing postpartum depression. The study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, a woman with an allopregnanolone hormone level of about 3.75 nanograms per milli-liter had a 33 per cent likelihood of developing the disorder.
While a woman having 7.5 nanograms per milli-liter had a 1.5 per cent chance of developing postpartum depression. For every additional nanogram per milli-liter increase in allopregnanolone, the risk of developing postpartum depression dropped by 63 per cent, the researchers said.

Further, the risk was particularly high in women already diagnosed with mood disorders, such as major depression or bipolar disorder.

"Many earlier studies haven't shown postpartum depression to be tied to actual levels of pregnancy hormones, but rather to an individual's vulnerability to fluctuations in these hormones and they didn't identify any concrete way to tell whether a woman would develop postpartum depression," said Lauren M. Osborne, Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, US.

"Every woman has high levels of certain hormones, including allopregnanolone, at the end of pregnancy, so we decided to look earlier in the pregnancy to see if we could tease apart small differences in hormone levels that might more accurately predict postpartum depression later," Osborne added.

For the study, the team included 60 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 45, all who had been previously diagnosed with a mood disorder.

Using the blood samples, the researchers measured the blood levels of progesterone and allopregnanolone, a by-product made from the breakdown of progesterone and known for its calming, anti-anxiety effects.

No relationship was found between progesterone levels in the second or third trimesters and the likelihood of developing postpartum depression. However, a link between postpartum depression and diminished levels of allopregnanolone levels in the second trimester was observed.

Participating in yoga and mindfulness activities at school helps relieve stress and anxiety in young children, improving their wellbeing and emotional health, a study has found.

Researchers from Tulane University in the US worked with a public school to add mindfulness and yoga to the school's existing empathy-based programming for students needing supplementary support.

Third graders who were screened for symptoms of anxiety at the beginning of the school year were randomly assigned to two groups.


A control group of 32 students received care as usual, which included counselling and other activities led by a school social worker.

The intervention group of 20 students participated in small group yoga/mindfulness activities for eight weeks using a Yoga Ed curriculum.

Students attended the small group activities at the beginning of the school day. The sessions included breathing exercises, guided relaxation and several traditional yoga poses appropriate for children.

The study, published in the journal Psychology Research and Behavior Management, evaluated each group's health related quality of life before and after the intervention, using two widely recognised research tools.

"The intervention improved psychosocial and emotional quality of life scores for students, as compared to their peers who received standard care," said Alessandra Bazzano, associate professor at Tulane University.

"We also heard from teachers about the benefits of using yoga in the classroom, and they reported using yoga more often each week, and throughout each day in class, following the professional development component of intervention," Bazzano said.

Researchers targeted third grade because it is a crucial time of transition for elementary students, when academic expectations increase.

"Our initial work found that many kids expressed anxious feelings in third grade as the classroom work becomes more developmentally complex," Bazzano said.

"Even younger children are experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety, especially around test time," she said.

Intercourse is meant to be a pleasurable and intimate experience. But it might become an unpleasant act if you are suffering from performance anxiety. When you are mentally occupied by questions such as "Do I look too fat?" or "Did I do that right?", sex stops being a gratifying experience.

Incessant anxiety over your ability or appearance can result in sex becoming nerve-wracking and stressful for you. It might even have you avoiding sex altogether. This psychological condition is termed as sexual performance anxiety.

Sex isn't only a physical reaction, there are emotions tied to it as well. If you are too stressed out and your mind is preoccupied, your body reflects your inner turmoil and you cannot get aroused.

Causes: The causes of sexual performance anxiety include:

Fear that you wouldn't be able to satisfy your partner and perform well sexually
Body image issues (Such as stressing about your weight)
Problems in your relationship
Men worry that their penis don't 'measure' up
Men might be concerned about taking too much time to orgasm, or about premature ejaculation
Women worry about not enjoying the experience or being unable to have an orgasm
Symptoms: Your mental state has a deep impact on your physical state. The effect of stress hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine can hinder your sexual performance. Symptoms of sexual performance anxiety include:


In men, blood vessels constrict due to the effect of stress hormones. This leads to reduced blood flow to the penis, thus making it difficult for the man to get an erection.
Often though it is less diagnosed in women, sexual performance anxiety leads to trouble in lubrication during sex. Lack of lubrication dims the desire to have sex.
Sexual performance anxiety is a vicious, inescapable cycle. Increased anxiety hampers you from having sex, making you think you won't be able to perform well, which causes even more anxiety.

Treatment: Consult a doctor you will be comfortable with discussing your problems. Sexual performance can be either treated by medication (if you have an underlying medical condition such as erectile dysfunction) or through therapy.

Talking to a therapist or counsellor about your problems can help you in several ways. You can learn to become more comfortable with yourself and your body.