Even with its gorgeous foliage and festivities, autumn triggers anxiety and depression for many people. The shorter days and lack of sunlight affect our circadian rhythms; we feel the stress of upcoming holidays; and the claustrophobia of winter is lurking around the corner. I’m not a dietitian, but I’ve learned a lot from experts about food and mood, and I’ve...

“You translate everything, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, into muscular tension,” said Australian actor F.M. Alexander. Our nervous system can record our reaction to certain life events, and our muscles can continue to tell that story over and over, and over again. We respond to life events with physical tension. With repetition, reaction to stress,...

I used to call the night we turn back the clocks for Daylight Savings Time my “Armegeddon” because it felt as though the darkness of winter descended on that very day—the depressing feeling when you pick up your kids from sports practice in the afternoon or leave your office and it’s already dark. I realize...

When I was six months pregnant, I attended a birthing preparation class with my husband and about twelve other expectant parents. During the fifth session, the instructor asked the mothers whether or not they were going to use medication to get through the pain of childbirth labor. “Everyone who wants to try for a natural...

According to research by Harvard Medical School and other studies, one-third of people with major depression do not achieve remission after trying multiple combinations of antidepressants and other psychotropic medications. Many persons with treatment-resistant depression cannot afford alternative therapies like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), ketamine infusion,...