Health Blog
Topic: Anxiety & Depression
“How can I help family and friends living with depression during the holidays?”
If someone you care about is among the 10% of Americans living with depression, the holidays can become more complicated to navigate. Holidays can be more emotionally difficult and draining for people with depression and other mental health conditions. Parties, family dinners, and celebrations can add to stress, increasing depression symptoms and making it harder... Read More
Is isolation affecting your health?
Even before the pandemic, isolation and loneliness were growing problems that contributed to a range mental and physical health issues. Then the pandemic struck and people around the world were encouraged to separate themselves from others to slow the spread of COVID and protect their health, raising reported levels of loneliness even higher. While many... Read More
Seasonal affective disorder doesn’t just happen in winter
When they hear about seasonal affective disorder (SAD), most people think about the type of depression that occurs during the fall and winter when the days are darker and colder. While that’s the most common form of this mental health condition, it does have a summer counterpart. For people living with seasonal affective disorder that... Read More
A whole-person approach to treating depression
We talked with Dr. Peter Bongiorno, ND, LAc, a naturopathic physician who specializes in treating patients with mental health conditions. Dr. Bongiorno graduated from Bastyr University and completed five years of training in naturopathic medicine and acupuncture. Before medical school, he researched as a pre-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland... Read More
Mental health: Could a physical problem be causing your psychological symptoms?
If you’re experiencing the symptoms of mental health issues like anxiety or depression, you may want to discuss with your doctor whether these symptoms could be the result of a physical health problem. A number of different physical health problems share symptoms with mental health conditions, which can sometimes lead to misdiagnosis. When should you... Read More
Factors to weigh when choosing substance use disorder treatment
During the pandemic, the already significant number of people living with substance use disorder increased. According to data gathered by the CDC, in June 2020, 13% of Americans surveyed said they had started using substances (not including alcohol and tobacco) or increased their use in response to the stress of the pandemic. The number of... Read More
How to build resiliency and support better physical and mental wellbeing
We talked with Julie Wald, Founder and Chief Wellness Officer at Golden (formerly Namaste Wellness) about the role of resiliency in health and wellbeing. The company’s new name was inspired in part by the Japanese practice of Kintsugi, repairing and strengthening broken household items with gold. Ms. Wald has been a wellness practitioner for over... Read More
Managing seasonal affective disorder as pandemic stress continues
The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of people worldwide who are experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. As we enter a second winter of living with the pandemic and its stresses, many people will be working to manage not only feelings of sadness, worry, and burnout related to the pandemic, but also the... Read More
Signs you may need to find a new mental health provider
In 2020, 24.3 million adults in the U.S. received care from a mental health provider. If you’re currently seeing a mental health specialist, it’s wise to occasionally take stock and check to see if you’re benefitting from your treatment and your mental health provider is still a good fit. Over time, your needs may change,... Read More
Improved mental health: Another reason to get a COVID-19 vaccine
As you would expect, the COVID-19 pandemic increased symptoms of anxiety and depression in people of all ages. Not only were people concerned about themselves or the people they care about getting seriously ill with the virus, they also faced increased social isolation during stay at home orders, loss of jobs, financial hardships, and the... Read More