The Benefits Of Yoga - Free Essay Example

Depression is common yet serious medical mental illness that negatively affects how one feels. Symptoms include but are not limited to: feeling sad or having a depressed mood; loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, changes in appetite † weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, loss of energy or increased fatigue , slowed movements and speech (actions observable by others), feeling worthless or guilty, difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions, and thoughts of death or suicide (Todd, M., Teitler, J. 2018). Adult depression is the most widespread mood disorder in the United States (Kessler, Petukhova, Sampson, Zaslavsky, Wittchen, 2012), it is associated with excessive death from numerous causes (Cuijpers et al., 2014), and is a leading cause of disability (Druss et al., 2009; Murray et al., 2015). In a study done by (Todd, M., Teitler, J. 2018) Depressive symptoms were assessed for respondents at least 18 years old as part of the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) Mobile Examination Center private interview. Symptoms were evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a nine-item screening instrument (Kroenke Spitzer, 2002). In this study, they examined trends in depression disparities by educational attainment among U.S. adults between 2005 and 2014. This was a 10-year period during which major changes occurred in the policy and economic environments that could plausibly affect rates of depression and treatment for depression, particularly among t he most economically vulnerable. They found that disparities in depressive symptoms, depression prevalence, and depression treatment persisted or worsened throughout this period. This one of the most recent studies done on young adults. How is it Addressed Currently? Many treatment options are available for depression, but how well treatment works depends on the type of depression and its severity. For some people, antidepressants (Prescription Medication) may help reduce or control symptoms. Antidepressants often take 2-4 weeks to begin having an effect and up to 12 weeks to reach full effect. Most people will have to try various doses or medications to find what works for them (Manincor, M., Bensoussan, A., Smith, C. A., Barr, K., Schweickle, M., Donoghoe, L., Fahey, P. 2016). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) act on serotonin, a brain chemical. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs) increase dopamine and norepinephrine. Mirtazapine (Remeron) targets specific serotonin and norepinephrine receptors in the brain, thus indirectly increasing the activity of several brain circuits (Gluck, Mercado, Myers 2016). Another form of treatment is psychotherapy, this is the type of therapy where you talk to a professional who is trained to help an individual understand what is causing their depression, then typically the professional will guide or demonstrate solutions for the resolution of the depression for the individual. This method has an excellent track record of helping people with depressive disorder. Please take into account that some individuals may need a mixture of both pharmaceutical and therapy to attend to their depression. Some psychotherapies have been researched more than others, many types can be helpful and effective. In which a good relationship with a therapist can help improve outcomes. Examples of a few psychotherapies are as follows: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has a strong research base to show it helps with symptoms of depression. This therapy helps assess and change negative thinking patterns associated with depression. The goal of this structured therapy is to recognize negative thoughts and to teach coping strategies. CBT is often time-limited and may be limited to 8â€Å"16 sessions in some instances. Interpersonal therapy (IPT) focuses on improving problems in personal relationships and other changes in life that may be contributing to depressive disorder. Psychodynamic therapy is a therapeutic approach rooted in recognizing and understanding negative patterns of behavior and feelings that are rooted in past experiences and working to resolve them (Gluck, Mercado, Myers 2016). Though this can be a safe method and solution for depression it may not work for every individual, and not everyone has access or the financial means to attend therapy as this method can be pricy and far-fetched for some individuals. How Can Implementing a Holistic Approach Benefit the Individual Within the United States of America there are different individuals from a mixture of cultures and races, there are various social economic statuses that have access to great, good, general, or no healthcare whatsoever. With that being said, and also without writing a sociology literature review on stratification it can be said that not everyone can access medications or therapies for their depression. But have no fear there are solutions that are little to no cost at all! In fact, all an individual will need is their own self and will power to use these methods. A holistic healthcare method to resolve depression will consider the mind, body, and spirit of the individual. This method considers the full well-being of the individual and will do more than just address the depression an individual has, but the health of their physical body, their overall mental health while also channeling positive energy to the wholeness of the individual. This approach has been historically ignored by the American society because of its roots from cultures that were typically looked down upon and seen as uneducated. Anything public method not backed by traditional science is typically not uplifted by Americans unless there is a higher power or group that supports and alternative method which could at this time be looked at through a scientific lens. With the rise of millennials and the accessible internet the rise of fads with holistic health care practices are becoming prevalent in American society, so now would be a great time for people to invest time and energy in methods that are accessible and can help build the individual on a daily basis. What is Holistic Health? Holism is any approach that emphasizes the whole rather than their constituent parts. In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Qualitative methods of the humanistic approach, such as journaling, yoga, or meditation, reflect a holistic position (Aten, O Grady, Worthington 2012). An individual may use holistic methods to avoid pharmaceutical treatment from traditional medical practice. Or, the individual can use these methods to practice health care in an alternative and naturalistic form for their own benefit and preference. Health in medical terms is a persons mental or physical condition. Care for the self in medical terms would be described as the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of the self, or taking serious attention or consideration and appling this acknowledgement to doing something correctly or to avoid damage or risk (Foster, Galjour, Spengel 2015). Holistic healthcare can be defined as an approach to life. Rather than focusing on illness or specific parts of the body, this ancient approach to health considers the whole person and how he or she interacts with his or her environment. But do not underestimate this ancient founded practice because holistic healthcare can be used in todays western society in the United States of America. Holistic health emphasizes the connection of mind, body, and spirit (Leite, Leite, Ornellas, Amemiya, de Almeida, Dias, Kozasa 2010). In addition, Holistic medicine is a form of healing that considers the whole person again, the body, mind, spirit, and emotions, in the quest for optimal health and wellness. Therefore, a holistic doctor may use different forms of health care, from conventional medication to alternative therapies, to treat a patient. Again, holistic health care can be used in todays society. In recent years, there has been a cumulative acceptance on the part of psychologists, other health care professionals, and the general public of the idea that mind, body and spirit are connected. Paralleling this, there has been an increasing acceptance of alternative treatments within holistic health care. However, this increasing openness to different ways of conceptualizing and treating health problems has focused primarily on one part of the mind-body-spirit relationship: the way the mind influences the body like the role of stress with heart disease (Bassman 1997). With the acceptance of holistic health in American society, especially now with nuanced fads or an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for holistic care, such as yoga and meditation or online journaling such as vlogging, we can explore the psychological benefits for this type of health care for mental illnesses such as depression. How does Holistic Health Care Work? Homeopathy is based on the idea of stimulating the bodys own healing abilities through the use of remedies that are highly diluted forms of substances that, if taken by an asymptomatic person, would cause the symptoms that they are used to treat (Bassman 1997). It is believed that this healing effect takes place on the level of the energy field of the individual, and it is then, sometimes referred to as energy medicine. Individualized remedies are arranged by a holistic healer or doctor based on a complex assessment of all aspects of a persons health. Homeopathy has been used to treat nearly all of the major categories of mental illness. Historically, homeopathy was the primary healing modality in the United States for many years, anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness flourishes for this form of health care. Among these are case reports where one of the presenting concerns is in the domain of mental health. For example, in a paper on homeopathy treatment (Perez Tomsko, 1994) a psychiatric facility saw improvements with a psychological eating disorder: A 17-year-old girl presented with anorexia nervosa. She had lost more than 16 kg in 8 months and continued losing weight. She had been amenorrhoeic for the last 6 months. One month after taking a single dose of a homeopathic remedy chosen specifically for her total constellation of symptoms and personality traits, she commented that she felt no anxiety at all, liked going out, had made some friends at school, slept more, and had no more constipation. She had wept only once and had gained 1 kg. One year later she said, I have changed a lot in everything, I cannot believe the changes that are happening inside me. She had gained 4-5 kg. One and a half years later, she weighed 56 kg, looked better than ever and her mother stated that psychologically she has improved in leaps and bounds. The difference is tremendous. Her menstrual period reappeared. Supplementary cases cited detail the positive treatment of depression, social phobia, death anxiety, behavior associated with Downs Syndrome, schizophrenia, narcissism, enuresis, obesity, and kleptomania. My point in explaining the challenging of energy through homeopathy is to bring to light the humanistic effort and liveliness to get through a tough situation or illness to heal the body. In a sense the body is working for the body making and creating efforts to turn negative energy into a positive experience. Counter Claims Remember how I said that holistic health care is an ancient practice? Well, as time passed continuous advances in medical technology and medicine over the course of history and time has led people to believe that this form of health care was useless, fictious, superstitious, and out dated. In the past the lack of historical evidence for holistic health care was a turn off to the government and general public. With no empirical evidence to back up this form of health care, officials and the public turned to well trusted science and what is now considered traditional health care, this includes vaccinations, pharmaceutical treatments and being diagnosed by a specialized individual within the field of traditional medicine. In addition, just because something is natural that does not mean it is safe. For example, some ancient holistic practices include using lead within other herbal medicines to health the sick or sickness from the body. This is another turn off to the general public because it again shows an uneducated and lightly researched field for holistic health care. Some may view this lack of study as a made up or as fictious childs play and no one likes their health dealt with lightly especially when the goal for overall well health is to better and push for a longer life span. The placebo effect is an inert treatment or substance that has no known effects. Many individuals hold this belief for holistic health care labeling the practice and concept as a fluke or something out of a fictious story book. For example, one may think that eating an apple a will keep the doctor away, but in reality, this is just an old expression or sane to get individuals to eat more fruits. The placebo effect is a psychological twister that can make one treatment or practice seem like it will work, but in reality, has no health benefit or effect on the sickness. Few people address the fact that holistic health care can be an open field for interpretation and choosing. Like choosing the right health care provider holistic health has a wide variety of options for treatment and care dependent on what is psychically, psychologically, or emotionally wrong with the individual. Because a number of options is provided for each health problem, individuals get concerned that they are not being diagnosed properly for their illness. In a society that demands effective answers immediately, the general public has no time to consider their health illness within an elongated time span that is wasted. Western cultural is also individualistic so there is a great need for individualist care and response from a doctor of choice that is assessable and knowledgeable. Having an immediate knowledgeable source that will diagnose and prescribe medicine that instantaneously and efficiently solves the medical issue is what Americans are dependent upon.