Researchers disagree on whether it’s simply an extension of depression some kids feel in other circumstances, or a distinct condition linked with using the online site.

But there are unique aspects of Facebook that can make it a particularly tough social landscape to navigate for kids already dealing with poor self-esteem, said Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe, a Boston-area pediatrician and lead author of new American Academy of Pediatrics social media guidelines.

With in-your-face friends’ tallies, status updates and photos of happy-looking people having great times, Facebook pages can make some kids feel even worse if they think they don’t measure up.

It can be more painful than sitting alone in a crowded school cafeteria or other real-life encounters that can make kids feel down, O’Keeffe said, because Facebook provides a skewed view of what’s really going on. Online, there’s no way to see facial expressions or read body language that provide context.

Source: Yahoo! News/AP

While massage can ease stress and tension and may have emotional benefits, the use of massage therapy in depressed patients is “controversial,” the investigators note, and “there is no qualitative review of the treatment effect of massage therapy in depressed patients.”

To investigate further, they searched for randomized controlled trials of massage therapy in depressed patients. They identified 17 studies including 786 people in all. In 13 of the trials, massage therapy was compared to another active treatment such as Chinese herbs, relaxation exercises, or rest, while four compared massage to a “no treatment” control group. Investigators also used a range of methods for evaluating mood and depression in study participants.

Overall, the studies, which were of “moderate” quality, showed that massage therapy had “potentially significant effects” in alleviating symptoms of depression, the researchers report in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Researchers attribute this to several possible factors, including stress release brought about by massage, an “alliance” that forms between the patient and therapist, or possibly the release of the “trust hormone” oxytocin.

Source: Yahoo! News

“Yoga gives these women back the sense that they still have untapped reserves of life and health and youth in them – that they are not old and maimed and sick at all, but still very much alive,” says Deirdre Summerbell, a yoga teacher and founder of the organisation Project Air.

Since its launch in 2007, thousands of women who were raped during the genocide in 1994, many of whom were consequently infected by HIV/AIDS, have been reached with yoga classes given by Project Air.

In partnership with local gynaecologic health centres that perform fistula operations for survivors of rape, the organisation is now planning to expand into the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or girl.

This is the first time that yoga has been included as a programmed mental health service of a medical NGO in Africa.

Check out the whole interview at IPSNews.net.

The study in question was conducted by the Germany-based Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals and involved 301 volunteers aged 18-70. The patients were first “weeded out” for placebo effect when they were given a placebo for a seven day period. Those that showed improvement in their Hamilton depression scores (a system to gauge a person’s depression level – 10 or lower is healthy, 14 and up into the 20’s indicates mild to severe depression) were dropped from the study, leaving 251 volunteers in all. All remaining had a Hamilton depression score of at least 22.

The actual study itself pitted the St. John’s wort extract hypericum (marketed, it should be noted, by the study’s authors) against the medication paroxetine, more commonly known as Paxil. The two were randomized in the study group, who took their respective medications for a total of six weeks. At the end of the second week, those who’s Hamilton scores had not decreased by 20% had their dosages doubled.

At the end of the six week study, it was found that those taking the St. John’s wort/hypericum had an average decrease of 14 points on the Hamilton scale, while those taking the Paxil/paroxetine had an average decrease of only 11. Additionally, those taking the hypericum had much lesser occurrences (55% to 76%) of side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, sweating and upper abdominal pain.

There is some caution to be noted here, though. This is the first study to show any kind of a link between St. John’s wort and severe depression – past studies have shown no such link. There is also no way to determine exactly how much hypericum you’re putting into your system. Commercial St. John wort teas, capsules and extracts can be easily found, but are notoriously inconsistent in exactly how much hypericum they contain.

Most importantly, a number of studies exist that seem to indicate that St. John’s wort can adversely affect or nullify the effects of a number of different types of medications, including those used to treat HIV, cancer and even anti-rejection drugs used after organ transplantation. Make sure you check with your doctor before trying this treatment method yourself.

Introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a 15th century Indian sage, Hatha Yoga is made up of two distinct Sanskrit words: “ha”, meaning sun, and “tha”, meaning moon. Hatha Yoga seeks to pull together or balance opposing elements within the body.

Hatha Yoga can help to relieve stress, anxiety, and tension, and it is a powerful method of combating even the depths of depression. Many other forms of yoga, such a Power, Bikram, Ashtanga and Kundalini all derive from Hatha Yoga.

Want an easy way to try Hatha Yoga? Welcome to the Internet! The following two videos are both introductory workouts running 43 and 55 minutes respectively. Namaste!

Brain scans of yoga practitioners showed a healthy boost in levels of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) immediately after a one-hour yoga session. Low brain levels of GABA are associated with anxiety and depression, the researchers said.

“I am quite sure that this is the first study that’s shown that there’s a real, measurable change in a major neurotransmitter with a behavioral intervention such as yoga,” said lead researcher Dr. Chris Streeter, assistant professor of psychiatry and neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine.

One of the more interesting aspects here was the fact that the type of yoga — which included hatha, ashtanga, bikram, vinyasa, and kripalu — didn’t seem to matter. Much of the article is actually a slap at the study, suggesting that any movement-based activity might result in the same conclusions.

The study appeared in the May issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.