Introduction to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

In part 1, I shared details of supplements that may help alleviat ethe winter blues.  In this blog post I want to share other lifestyle tips. 1. Exercise If you suffer from winter blues it is likely that your GP would perscribe a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).  This is the standard drug to treat depression and one of medicines all time bestsellers.  Researches compared aerobic exercise aginst the Lustral (SSRI sertaline) foudn that exercise and the drug were equally effective at reducing depressive symptioms.  But only exercise had long lasting effects.  Of the patients declared free of depression at the end of the study, those who had been in the exercise only-group were less likely to see their depression return during the next 6 months. 2. Eat Fish If you love fish like I do, then science says you are less likely to get depressed.   In one study women who ate fish two or more times per week where less likley to get depressed than those who ate fish less often.  It is thought the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are responisble for lifting mood.  A number of studies have found that omega-3 supplements have a significant antidepressant effect. 3. St John's Wort A herb commonly used in Germany to treat mild depression.  Scientists have established that not only better is the herb better than a placebo its as effective as an antidepressant. References Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Moore KA, Craighead WE, Herman S, Khatri P, Waugh R, Napolitano MA, Forman LM, Appelbaum M, Doraiswamy PM, Krishnan KR. Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 25;159(19):2349-56. Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Doraiswamy PM, Watkins L, Hoffman BM, Barbour KA, Herman S, Craighead WE, Brosse AL, Waugh R, Hinderliter A, Sherwood A. Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosom Med. 2007 Sep-Oct;69(7):587-96. Babyak M, Blumenthal JA, Herman S, Khatri P, Doraiswamy M, Moore K, Craighead WE, Baldewicz TT, Krishnan KR. Exercise treatment for major depression: maintenance of therapeutic benefit at 10 months. Psychosom Med. 2000 Sep-Oct;62(5):633-8.

Like most people there are times when I feel anxious.  I appreicate I am luck in that this isn't a permanent state.  Based on anetdotal evidence I am aware that there seems to be a rise in our clients feeling anxious.  So I wanted to share some latest scientfic evidence of what may be able to assist you. Recently researches in Iran conducted a randomised control trail to compare the effectivness of hand reflexology and acupressure for reducing anxiety in patients with coronary artery diseases undergoing procedures in hospital. One hundred and thirty-five women with coronary artery disease were randomly assigned to three groups, receiving hand reflexology, acupressure or a placebo. For the first group, hand reflexology was performed on each hand for 10 minutes.  The acupressure was also performed for 10 minutes on each hand. For the placebo, similar conditions to the intervention groups were created, but a thumb touching method was used without applying acupressure or hand reflexology. The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire to examine the effects of treatments. The results revealed significant changes in anxiety in the hand reflexology and acupressure groups, when compared to the placebo group.   Mean anxiety scores reduced similarly with both treatments, indicating that they were equally effective. So if you have been feeling anxious recently why not try a reflexology treatment or a Seated Acupressure Neck & Shoulder massage.  To book click here. Reference https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6473738/  

It is very easy right now with the constant news reports about the spread of Coronavirus to flip from being informed and aware to worried about our own health & saftey and that of our friends & family. So right now acknowledge how you feel about the spread of the Coronavirus, whether its anxiety, worried, fear etc.  Often what happens when we get anxious, worried or fearful is that we project that state into our future.  So at this current moment, most us are healthy; our loved ones are well, and life is fine. So, be grateful for the things that are going well in your life right now and focus on the present.  And breath! Two long running studies in the US which collected information from male war veterans and female nurses aged around 60 to 70 years old when they completed optimisim questionaires.  People who had the highest optimism scores had a lifespan about 9% longer than those with the lowest scores.  The most optimistic were in fact no more likely to live to the age of 85. This reseach cannot prove cause and effect.  Both optimisim and lifespace may be influenced by many hereditary, health, lifestyle and personal factors.  People with a good overall standard of health and wellbeing are probably more optimistic about their future.  While researchers attempted to adjust their analysis for these sorts of factors, it's hard to remove their influence fully. Nevertheless the research does highlight that optimists live longer and the importance that mental health and wellbeing can have on physical health. So right now focus on what is going well in your life. Research https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/reason-be-cheerful-optimists-live-longer-study-reports/