When most people think of depression treatment they first think of antidepressants. While prescription drugs are effective for some patients, they don’t work all of the time. On the other hand, others who suffer from depression don’t want to deal with the side effects of…
By Anna Hunt Life is complicated. Even when we know we shouldn’t overreact to stressful situations, freak-outs happen. It takes practice and perseverance to train ourselves to stay calm when everything around us falls apart. It is not easy, but we can continue trying. Here’s…
By Joe Battaglia While many recent studies have suggested an association between obesity and common mental disorders, the exact nature of any relationship remains uncertain. We only know that there is indeed a relationship. The real question becomes whether or not their relationship is reciprocal….
By Michael S. Jaffee, University of Florida As we prepare to “spring forward” for daylight saving time on March 11, many of us dread the loss of the hour’s sleep we incur by moving our clocks forward. For millions, the loss will be an added…
If you are experiencing pain and inflammation, it is because of an influx of white blood cells to an injured or diseased part of your body. Your immune system is attempting to fight off bacteria, viruses, and other foreign organisms. However, in the case of…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor “We are abusing a useful and necessary [reward] system. We shouldn’t do it, even though we can.” -Dr. Schultz In the modern world, you are the commodity and your attention is a form of currency. What we give our attention to is what…
By Natasha Longo The indigenous people in the highlands of Mexico have been enjoying them for over 10,000 years. They’re delicious and versatile and without them guacamole doesn’t exist. But I bet you didn’t know these ten amazing facts about avocados. 1) They Take A…
By Melinda Cafferty “Back bulge,” “back breasts,” “back rolls” and “back ripples.” These are just a few derogatory terms for “back fat”. These terms are commonly used in grocery store checkout magazines, possibly there to give women another reason feel pressure about body image. It…
By Dylan Charles “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water…
By April McCarthy It’s common for women to report feeling cold, partly as a result of physiology, hormones and a greater susceptibility to factors within the body that play with our internal thermostat. Our body relies on various chemical reactions to keep its warmth and…
Arthritis is considered to be the most common joint disorder in the world, with around half of all adults over 65 suffering from the condition. Some of the most common prescription medications are anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and paracetamol. However, these medications can come with…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor The best natural pain relief might be what you remove from your cabinet, not add to it. “This would be incredible if we could impact chronic pain simply by making slight modifications to diet…” “Results demonstrated that when study participants cut monosodium glutamate…
By Dylan Charles They say that energy goes where attention flows. And in today’s insane media universe, our attention is everywhere. Which means our energy is everywhere, and if it’s everywhere, it’s not where we need it most, contributing to our personal health and wellness. This…
By Dylan Charles Doctors and psychiatrists are well-versed in the science of antidepressants. They’ve established a body of research showing how levels of certain brain chemicals fluctuate to affect mood, and they can chemically stabilize someone’s mood with pills. But truly healing from depression involves…
By Anna Hunt According to the beliefs of several ancient cultures, the early morning hours may be ideal for meditation and spiritual reflection. New Age and spiritual circles will also claim that if you wake between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., you…
By Natural Blaze A man “took the plunge” only to find relief from his constant pain. A medical case of pain relief after cold water swimming has just been documented by the journal BMJ Case Reports when conventional painkillers would not relieve him of his post-operative pain. BBC…
By Heather Callaghan, Editor Valentine’s Day has nearly passed us by over here at Natural Blaze! But with love on the mind, we wanted to offer something a little different than the modern (and even fabricated) notion of romantic love. If you’ve been able to ponder the…
By Dr. Scott Graves, Natural Blaze “I tried acupuncture and it didn’t work for me.” This is something that I hear from time to time and is frustrating every time I hear it. Acupuncture is wonderfully amazing, restorative and healing. So, when I first became a physician,…
By Dr. Scott Graves, Natural Blaze From what I have seen clinically and personally, fear can absolutely be the deciding factor that can determine if we get the flu or not. Other factors are important too, but fear can push people over the edge. Chinese medicine has…
By Mae Chan In a study to be published online in Nature Communications, scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai describe an extensive analysis of novel grape-derived compounds, which might be developed as therapeutic agents for the treatment of depression. The compounds…
