Is there an exercise that can boost feel-good chemicals in your brain while reducing anxiety and improving your mood? The answer is yes – it’s yoga. Now yoga isn’t the only exercise that’s been shown to be effective in reducing anxiety, but Chris Streeter, MD and her colleagues from the Boston University School of Medicine […]
Greater Empathy – In Just 3 Hours?
How attentive, empathetic, and caring was your physician the last time you had to go to the doctor’s office? Or, if you’re a physician, do you ever wonder how your patients perceive you? We recently reported on a study that showed severity of cold symptoms decreased among patients treated by physicians who demonstrated high levels […]
Injury, Illness, and PTSD
Does serious illness increase the risk of developing PTSD? We wrote about this topic back in 2011. At that time, a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reported that 20-51% of patients who suffered musculoskeletal injuries went on to develop PTSD. Another study, from the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, found […]
Can Fear of Happiness Get in the Way of Healing?
Why is it so hard to get people to follow through on strategies that are good for them? Patient noncompliance can be one of the greatest roadblocks that keeps people from achieving their goals. And I recently came across some new research that might hold a clue to what holds some people back. You see, […]
Fear, Self-Esteem, and the Power of Touch
How crucial is the power of touch in developing a healthy sense of self-esteem . . . . . . and what role do these play in how people respond to fear? To answer these questions, Dr. Sander L. Koole and a team of researchers at VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands conducted a series […]