Maternity Insurance|Maternity Care|Postpartum Care

Typical weight loss after pregnancy plans always ingrain the need to eat right and have daily routinely exercise. This seems so typical that many people fail to consider its merits and they therefore concentrate more on the new and updated weight loss methods.

There is a reason why fad diets, even though they are not really considered healthy diets, are still in existence today. Many women who are desperate to lose weight resort to the use of fad diets in order to lose extra fats in their body.

It is a sad state, this health mindset we are in. However, this is the best time to start going back again to the typical weight loss after pregnancy plans.

Eating Lots of Nutritious Foods
This advice is overused, I must admit, but it has to be said a thousand times in order to be fully assimilated by people. This is the safest way not only in slimming down but also in ensuring that your systemic functions are in good condition.

Fad diets usually consist of eating only one type of food. Naturally, you will slim down if you stick to it but because the body does not have a well-balanced nutritional intake, it can lead to hormonal imbalance, malnutrition and even food cravings that will then trigger weight gain. The best way to start losing weight is to not deprive your body of nutritious sustenance. Eat often but eat in small portions only.

Try incorporating 3 small healthy meals. Get a smaller plate and load it up with low in fat, high in protein lean meat, fibrous carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits. Eat slowly so you can fill your gustatory senses up. Most of the time, hunger is just a trick of the mind. When you trick your senses into eating slowly, it will taste the food better and you will be satisfied longer.

All-body Workout
Even experts have to agree that a new mom does not have to enroll to the gym just to lose weight. All you have to do is try to allot an hour of your time everyday for workouts. Choose low-impact activities first. If you have a treadmill, use it. If you don't you can purchase jump rope so you can do a few jump sets in a day after waking up. Better yet, just pick up your baby and place him or her in a stroller and have a nice brisk walk in the park.

You would be surprised that a typical weight loss after pregnancy plan can actually help you lose more weight in a safer and more effective way than any other weight loss plans out there.

Depression is actually a kind of extreme sadness, feelings of disconnection from life, as well as a diminished enjoyment in the stuff that you used to love in everyday life. It is not a sign of weakness, everyone goes through depression at some point in life or another. Even though the severity and length of the depression can vary in accordance with the situation and the root cause of the depression.

Unfortunately severe depression could lead to suicide, identifying the symptoms of a suicidal person or seeing the signs and symptoms in yourself can help to save a life. The symptoms shown by a suicidal person are listed below:

• Always thinking about, talking about, or writing about death or dying


• Reckless behavior that could result in injury or death, actions that portray a so called "Death Wish"


• Contacting loved ones either in person or remotely, in a way that seems unusual, like they are saying goodbye


• Talking about "Wanting out" or that things would be better without the person here.


• Talk of ending one's life, suicide


• Signs of Clinical Depression (changes in sleeping or eating habits, sadness) that seem to be getting worse


• loss of interest in things one used to love


• Talking about things being 'hopeless', or that the individual is worthless, or feels helpless


• Putting life's affairs in order as if the person expects to die soon


• A sharp change from being sad and depressed to being happy and calm

If you, or somebody you know is showing any one of these symptoms please seek help immediately. You can call any of the following numbers:

• 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)


• 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)


• 1-800-799-4TTY (1-800-799-4889) (for the hearing impaired)

You can even call 911, a relative or friend or go to a local emergency room. Please remember life is not hopeless, and things will get better. People are here to help you, you don't have to do this alone.

Symptoms of Depression

Depression can effect everyone differently depending on the person involved and the situation that caused the depression. Below is a listing of common signs of depression:

• Changes in sleeping patterns, Sleeping longer then normal, Insomnia, or waking up earlier then usual


• Losing interest in activities you used to find enjoyable


• Changes in appetite, reduced appetite or over eating


• Loss of concentration, difficulty remembering things or difficulty making decisions


• Feeling hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilt ridden, sad, anxious, empty or pessimistic


• Cranky, irritable or restless disposition


• Physical pain, cramps headache or stomach issues that don't seem to go away


• General decrease in energy level, feeling tired or worn out all the time


• Crying spells for no apparent reason


• Suicidal thoughts, feelings or attempts (Please see section above on Suicide Symptoms)

Unfortunately not everyone will experience the same symptoms for the same causes. For instance most men will suffer symptoms of loss of interest in activities, feel cranky and restless, together with have physical pain and sleep problems. Women are more likely to over eat, and feel a sense of worthlessness and have a tendency to sleep too much. To complicate things, the signs and symptoms of depression can vary based upon how old you are. Teenagers for instance or more likely to be irritable and angry, and suffer a loss of concentration and might have physical symptoms of pains for no reason. Older adults however, generally suffer feelings of worthlessness and sadness, along with physical pain. Unfortunately in both teenagers and older adults, the signs and symptoms usually get brushed off as being merely a sign of how old they are and not as signs and symptoms of depression.

Types of Depression

There are numerous forms of depression, each may have a different cause and a different treatment. However, if you are struggling with just about any depression or general sense of sadness, worthlessness, or a loss of interesting in stuff you love, you may need to visit a doctor. Some kinds of depression are easily treated and could be taken care of without medication, but others are more quickly relieved with the aid of a doctor.

Major Depression

Major Depression is an overwhelming sensation of sadness, in addition to a decrease of interest and in most cases one of numerous symptoms in the above list. The most important thing that separates this kind of depression from other forms is that Major Depression is an almost constant state of being for a prolonged time period. Everyone has a day where they simply feel down and don't want to do anything, but a person being affected by major depression will feel very down for weeks or months at any given time with no real break in the feeling. Other kinds of depression will have lulls throughout the day where the feelings of depression seem to lift and you can be generally happy, they may not last very long but they are there, major depression doesn't have those lulls. If you are suffering from Major Depression I would definitely suggest you go visit a doctor, in addition to speak to friends regarding how you're feeling. I would also suggest you start to exercise more as exercise increases your serotonin levels and help you to get out many of the things that you're feeling.

Mild Depression

Mild depression which is also called Dysthymia, is described as feelings of depression that aren't as severe as major depression but last for years at any given time. This constant low grade depression has a tendency to impact your general level of enjoyment in life and could be easily dismissed as simply being your outlook on life. The fact is that if you have gone two years if not more with symptoms of depression as well as not being able to remember a time when you were happy you are most likely suffering from mild depression. In my own case I used to be depressed for several years, I just felt that it was how I was, just my state of being. I felt like I had lost a part of myself that I was enthusiastic about and that it merely wasn't going to come back. I needed to have a friend point out that feeling like that wasn't part of growing up, or simply a part of the situations I was in at that point in my life, but actually a sign of depression. In this instance, seeing your doctor might be a wise decision, along with some changes in your diet, sleeping habits and fitness level. For me, making sure I got 8 hours of sleep every night, working out at least three times a week for an hour (although I work out more frequently now), and starting a meditation routine was enough to drag me out of it. But you should always speak with a doctor, they may have some tips for you depending on your current physical condition that might be more helpful then exactly what is listed above.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD (what a cheerful acronym) is a type of depression usually linked to the change in seasons, from summer to winter, and climates which may have dreary, gloomy weather. The change in seasons, which usually brings with it longer darker nights, less sunlight, and gloomier weather tends to cause a sense of depression in certain people. Women look like they're effected more then men by Seasonal Affective Disorder, but everyone can be effected by it from time to time. Fortunately, in the majority of people Seasonal Affective Disorder might be effectively treated with light therapy. Light therapy, although there may very well be different levels, basically involves exposing the individual to bright artificial lights to be able to cope with the depression. This can be done at your home by just installing light bulbs with a slightly higher wattage. Some people also like to use tanning beds as a technique of managing Seasonal Affective Disorder. Just don't over do it in the tanning beds. Additionally, it wouldn't hurt to ask your doctor's opinion on approaches to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum Depression is a kind of depression that affects new mothers after giving birth. Although some feelings of being down are expected right after a pregnancy, usually known as the "baby blues" Postpartum Depression is the result of the change in hormones from the level they had been at while being pregnant to the level they are at normally. Any depression that occurs up to six months following the birth of a baby is considered Postpartum Depression and you should consult a doctor considering the fact that this type of depression is caused by a shift in hormones.

Post partum depression is also called postnatal depression; it is a form of depression that can affect mothers after they have given birth to their child. Studies have shown that mothers that use omega-3 supplements before, during, and after their pregnancy are less likely to suffer from post partum depression.

The human body cannot produce EPA and DHA on its own. EPA and DHA are the two essential fatty acids that our body needs. The best sources to get these omega-3 fatty acids are without a doubt from fatty fish and omega-3 supplements.

Experts and doctors recommend against pregnant mothers eating a lot of fatty fish because they can be contaminated and cause poisoning. Using omega-3 supplements is a smarter alternative when you can find high quality products that have undergone molecular distillation to ensure pharmaceutical grade purity.

Researchers believe that postpartum depression happens because the mother's EPA and DHA levels are too low. Many are unaware of the fact that they are deficient in EPA and DHA fats, which can lead to a host of health problems, not to mention depression, anxiety and other mental ailments.

The human brain is made up of 60% fat, which just shows you how important these essential fats are. Studies have shown that over 90% of people are deficient in these omega-3 fats. When the mother is pregnant, the baby is relying on the omega-3 fats of the mother.

This means that the mothers omega-3 supplies are constantly dwindling and need to be refilled. After each pregnancy mothers have less and less of DHA and EPA. Experts all around the world recommend that everyone, including pregnant mothers supplement daily with the high-quality fish oil supplement.

The key lies in finding the best fish oil that can help you avoid post partum depression altogether. Always look for a product that has been molecularly distilled, and uses the best fish available today.

There are three fish you want to look for in particular. They are salmon, tuna and hoki. A recent clinical trial showed that when you blend tuna and hoki together, they form a synergistic effect that makes the product two and a half times more beneficial to pregnant mothers.

Stress reduction terms are not something that is easy to understand at first because they are not usually topics of conversation. However, many people do want to know what they mean. Here are some terms that you might want to know and their definitions:

1. Stress
It is one psychological aspect of a person that will affect the physical aspect of the person. There are a lot of factors that may cause stress and you may want to know what specific aspects of your like affects you.

2. Stress reduction
Stress reduction is the way that people may want to develop when they want to counter the effects of stress in their bodies.

3. Stress impacts
There are many impacts of stress in the body. The impacts of stress do not only affect the physical but also the mental state of the body. Not only that but there are a lot of things or diseases stress can go out and cause. This is why you should not underestimate the things that stress can do.

4. How to deal with stress
There are two main schools of thought when you want to deal with stress. One is to go out and eliminate the things that cause the stress and the other is to build your resistance to stress.

5. Therapy measures
Therapy measures are the ways where in a person tries to cope with stress. Some of the important examples here are art therapy or dance therapy. The focus of this practice is not to learn the craft per se but to be relaxed while doing the things like dance or art. Through these activities, stress can be relieved.

These are five terms that are pertinent to stress reduction. Through these 5 things, you can be able to go out and know about the different things about stress and stress reduction.

Many of you might be familiar with how hypnosis can help with weight loss and smoking cessation. But, did you know that hypnosis can also be used during pregnancy to help relieve anxiety and aid in a calm, natural birth?

Hypnosis has been used for quite some time to help in numerous health-related issues, from relieving IBS symptoms to preparing for surgery to alleviating fear of dental procedures. Many pregnant women are now enjoying the benefits of hypnosis, allowing them to experience natural births with little to no pain.

In order to better understand how hypnosis can help pregnant women, it helps to gain a better understanding of hypnosis itself. To put it in simple terms, hypnosis is intense focus and concentration. Many people have likened the concentration with getting lost in a good book or television program. Utilizing that intense focus, hypnosis can actually slow down your brain waves.

Right now you're probably in your waking state, which is Beta consciousness. But, by altering your conscious state through hypnosis, you are able to enter Alpha consciousness, where your brain waves actually slow down. And, when you slow down your brain waves you lose the "critical chatter" of the conscious mind and are able to slip in positive suggestions to the subconscious mind. These positive suggestions can be about any behavior you'd like to change, or any outcome you'd like to see take effect, such as having a natural, easy birth.

In addition, when you're in a relaxed stated and imagining a desired outcome, the brain can't tell the difference between reality and fantasy, and reacts as if the desired outcome was a reality. This phenomenon can be seen in pain management, when hypnotherapists use hypnosis and imagery on pain sufferers to help them lessen the intensity of their pain.

Hypnosis can aid pregnant women in so many different ways and in so many different stages of their pregnancies.

Hypnosis Can Aid in Fertility

Where inability to become pregnant is not due to a medical condition, many women have found relief with hypnosis. There are many who believe that if you can imagine it you can create it, and hypnosis is often paired with imagery to "visualize" oneself becoming pregnant and imagining a baby coming into one's life. Hypnosis is also used to alleviate stress, which may be inhibiting a woman from becoming pregnant. Of course, women aren't the only ones whose stress and anxiety may be inhibiting pregnancy. Many men feel the pressure to help their partners conceive. This stress can affect men's sperm quality.

Hypnosis Can Aid in Helping a Woman Become More Comfortable

Many women experience discomfort from being pregnant, such as morning sickness, the intensity of which can be lessened through hypnosis. In women with high blood pressure, hypnosis can be helpful in helping them to relax, which in turn can help control the symptoms.

Hypnosis Can Help in the Actual Birth Process

Many women are now using hypnosis to help them have their baby naturally with no drugs. Utilizing hypnosis, women can help themselves relax during the baby's birth. Since pain responses are greatly enhanced with fear and anxiety, creating a sense of calm helps in reducing the sensation of pain. The women will be awake and aware of everything that's happening, including the contractions, but will be able to dictate to a great extent the intensity of the sensations she feels.

There are numerous hypnosis tapes and CDs available which can help reduce the fears and anxieties associated with pregnancy and the birthing process. If at all possible, it's preferable to meet face to face with a hypnotherapist who can tailor the hypnosis to your specific fears, anxieties or needs.

How to Find a Hypnotherapist

The first place to look is your own doctor. (It's always good to have your doctor's input before beginning any treatment programs). Ask him or her for a recommendation to a good hypnotherapist. If your doctor does not have a recommendation you can utilize internet hypnotist referral networks to find one in your area. One good referral website is http://www.registeredhypnotist.com, where you can look up hypnotherapists in your area.

Another good internet resource is http://www.hypnobirthing.com, which lists practitioners across the country who've gone through the HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method, a program specifically tailored to natural birthing.

Whether you plan on a natural birth or not, hypnosis can still help you relax more about the entire birthing process. Becoming more relaxed can help you gain control over your pregnancy, rather than have your pregnancy gain control over you.

New mothers often experience conflicting feelings of joy and emotional letdown during the first few weeks after birth. This is often called postpartum blues, or the "baby blues". She may feel down, but overall she finds pleasure in life. These feelings are normal and temporary.

The transition to motherhood brings many hormonal changes, changes in body image, and changes in intrapsychic reorganization. Fluctuating hormones in pregnancy and puerperium, the four-week period following childbirth, have an effect on mood, causing early elation at delivery that can be followed by mild depression with tearfulness, irritability, and fatigue. These feelings peak on the fifth day postpartum. Most women recover and adapt to these postpartum changes in a few days.

However, the physiological factors that affect mood can interact with minor anxieties and stresses to result in a clinical depression. Postpartum depression (PPD) is recognized by a persistent mood of despondency and the mother's disinterest in bonding with baby. Beyond 5 days, the persistence is not expected and should be reported to a health care provider immediately. Additional infant care by a baby nurse can also be recommended as this allows mother to alleviate physical and mental fatigue.

Typical postpartum change/recovery is described in three phases:

Phase 1- Taking In -
Mother is passive and willing to let others care for her. Conversation centers on her birth experience. Mother has great interest in her infant but has little interest in learning about caring for the child, as her primary focus is on recovery from birth and her need for food, fluids, and deep restorative sleep. She is willing to let others handle the care of the child.

Phase 2- Taking Hold -
Mother begins to initiate action and becomes more interested in caring for her infant. She becomes critical of her "performance". She has increased concern about her body's functions and assumes responsibility for her self-care needs. This phase is ideal for teaching infant care by a baby nurse.

Phase 3- Letting Go -:
Mothers, and often fathers, work through giving up their previous lifestyle and family arrangements to incorporate the new infant. Many mothers must give up their ideal of their birth experience and reconcile it with what actually happened.

Postpartum assessment typically includes physical valuation, and assessment of psychological bonding, but must also include evaluation for fatigue. Because today's lifestyle often has the woman working through most of her pregnancy, rooming-in after delivery with responsibility for newborn care, and then returning home in 48 hours or less to accept full home responsibilities, many women do not have the opportunity to rest and adapt in the postpartum phase.

Healthcare providers can lessen the level of maternal fatigue by recommending and initiating appropriate relief measures such as taking on the care of the newborn for a few hours, or scheduling baby nurse care that allows for periods of rest. Allowing the mother proper rest assists in her proper recovery.

In some cases, medication is necessary to help mothers with PPD. However, postpartum support can be received through social service agencies, public health nurses, parenting courses and group discussions. These social avenues show mothers they are not alone, and aid them in personal support as well as bonding with baby.

Having flabby upper arms are a sore spot for many people who are trying to slim down and shape up. They are often referred to as "bat wings" and can occur in both men and women. It is a problem area but not one that can't be fixed. It is a matter of focusing on fat burning and there are very effective ways to burn fat.

One thing to keep in mind is that you cannot spot reduce. Exercising the back of the arm is important. We should develop our tricep muscles but focusing only on that area will not burn fat. Unless we burn the fat, the muscle you are developing underneath will not show. We need to burn fat overall. Fat doesn't just melt away from one section of the body at a time. It burns from every place on your body.

How to Start Slimming the Arms

The first thing you need to do is find out your current weight and body fat percentage. You can get this information yourself, a personal trainer, or your general physician. These details give you something track as you make progress. Before you start any new fitness program, you should get a check-up with your health care provider as some exercises may be considered advanced.

The key to burning fat is building more muscle. This doesn't mean you are going to pack on tons of muscle mass like a bodybuilder. Your goal should be to build muscle and prevent muscle loss. You can achieve this with your own body weight. A great way to exercise with your own body weight is by performing calisthenics. If you're not familiar with calisthenics, they are exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, etc.

Lifting weights also burns fat. What I like to do is incorporate free weights with calisthenics. For example, I will hold dumbbells in each hand and perform walking lunges. Free weights add challenge and help to increase muscle mass.

As you make progress by burning fat and reducing your body fat percentage, you can begin focusing more on tricep exercises. Good ones to do include push-ups, chair dips, and dumbbell tricep routines. By doing these arm exercises you will begin firming up the upper arm area.

Do not hinder your progress by eating the wrong foods. The easy way to eat healthy is by avoiding processed foods. They often contain too much sugar, fat, and sodium. Focus on fat burn and get results!

Pregnancy exercises make a great way to make labor a smooth experience. If you practice the right exercises throughout the pregnancy period, it can significantly reduce pain during labor. You get more energy and your body becomes stronger. Regular exercise does not only prepare your body for labor, but it also helps you lose that extra weight faster after childbirth. You can get back in shape very quickly. Following are some of the exercises that will prepare your body to cope with the labor pain.

Kegels
Kegels can be one of the best pregnancy exercises to help with labor. These exercises include the strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles through contractions, which eventually prevents hemorrhoids and improves circulation. Besides that, it also reduces the time you are supposed to push during the delivery. What is more, strong pelvic muscles also promote fast recovery after childbirth. In order to do this exercise, all you have to do is to tighten the pelvic muscles - it should be like stopping the flow of urinating midstream. Hold this position for five seconds and then release. Repeat the process for at least ten times. Relax for some time and then do it for ten times again. You have to do the set of 10 for at four times with some relaxation after every set. Do it once in the morning, once in the evening, and once at night right before you sleep. The best thing about kegels is that, you can do it anywhere - while standing in line at the store, sitting in your office, or even while watching television.

Pelvic Tilts
When it comes to pregnancy exercises for labor, pelvic tilts may also make a good choice for you. This exercise eases back pain during labor by strengthening your stomach muscles. In order to do it, you will have to get down on your knees and hands - with your knees hip-width apart and hands shoulder-width apart. Arms should be straightened without locking your elbows. As you round your back, tighten your abs muscles while breathing in. now, get back to your initial position while breathing out. You just have to follow the rhythm of your breath. You can do this exercise as many times as you want, but as long as you are comfortable doing this. Don't do it just for the sake of exercise. Stop when you start feeling uncomfortable.

Tailor's Pose
Tailor's pose can also be a good form of pregnancy exercises to help labor and delivery. This loosens your hips and helps in opening your pelvic, preparing your body for the labor. This exercise can also be very helpful in easing the tension in your lower back. In order to do this exercise, you have to sit against the wall while touching the soles of your feet with each other. Now, start pressing your knees first down and then away from each other.

Regardless of the type of pregnancy exercises you are doing, make sure that you are not forcing yourself. Try to be gentle. Practice these exercises as long as you are comfortable doing so.

Pregnancy would give you that bloated feeling, the sore and tender breasts, touch of nausea. Most of all, the absence of monthly periods would speak it up. In this case, pregnancy is the foremost thing coming to one's mind. Quite many methods would determine if the baby would appear in a few months time. One could always take a pregnancy test online, a home test or take an appointment with a doctor. Despite of various results from home and online tests; if positive, an appointment with your physician would confirm the results to get you started on healthy pregnancy.

Every woman who has children or have a suspicion that they are pregnant, perhaps use the home pregnancy test. Quite many jokes have been made about regarding peeing upon sticks at baby showers. Home tests are done by placing sticks in the urine stream or in containers holding urine. After minutes, results are visible on the test screens. Appearance of the line suggests positive pregnancy result. When there is no line, the possibility of pregnancy is very low. Such tests work by detecting the lack or presence of HCG, which is one common hormone mainly found in pregnancy.

Various websites give and show methods for pregnancy-curious women to find if they are pregnant and the possibilities of being pregnant. Apparently, with no physical proofs to carry on with, no online test for pregnancy would be fool-proof. Every online pregnancy test would start with questions like the last period date, physical changes or appearance of any symptoms. The software would then check the possibility of being pregnant. These tests are designed for instructing the user if they really need to take a home test or contact their doctor. A web search would yield large number of tests online with options to choose from.

An up-to-date and an accurate test is that which is physically performed by a doctor. They would do an examination similar to a home test with an addition to having a pelvis exam done. Few internal signals such as changes in cervix would assist the medical professionals about existence of pregnancy. It also becomes good time to get medical advice related to nutrition and care towards healthy pregnancy. Often, many women are aware of their pregnancy and a doctor's visit is merely for confirmation.

It would really not make a difference on what pregnancy test you choose. However ensure to take good medical care and gain better knowledge about your pregnant condition so that your bundle of joy comes in safe and sound.

Anxiety and depression are very common today, depression affects 40% of the population every year with 20% developing clinical depression - low mood with sleep difficulties, changes in appetite, hopelessness, pessimism and sometimes thoughts of suicide. Last year alone 36 million prescriptions for antidepressants were handed out.

Anxiety is now such a universal problem that it is costing the UK more than £5 billion per year causing much suffering to the affected individual.

Conventional treatment offered for these conditions are mostly psychotherapy and drug treatment.

Drug treatment for anxiety consists mainly of beta-blockers and sedatives:

• 
  Beta-blockers reduce autonomic symptoms like palpitations and tremor and reduce the heart rate but do not affect psychological symptoms such as worry, tension and fear or non-autonomic function such as muscle tension.


• 
  Sedatives (mostly benzodiazepines, eg diazepam, better known as valium) are licensed for short-term relief of severe anxiety, but do cause dependence with severe withdrawal symptoms. Side effects may include drowsiness, confusion, ataxia, increase in aggression, depression, impaired motor function and learning, suppressed REM (rapid eye movement - the important dream phase) sleep, amnesia, dizziness and nausea.

Natural alternatives for the treatment of anxiety and depression include St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), an unlicensed herbal product, and 5 HTP (5 Hydroxytryptophan), an amino acid and precursor to serotonin.

Both the natural as well as the conventional depression remedies work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, also known as 5 hydroxytrytamine. Higher brain serotonin levels lead to mood elevation.

St John's Wort can cause inducting of drug metabolising enzymes and a number of important interactions with conventional drugs have been identified for both St John's Wort and 5 HTP.

Both herbal and conventional antidepressants can lead to serotonin toxicity, a potentially life threatening syndrome. They also do not address the underlying issue, but rely on a constant supply of serotonin increasing substances, which increases the risk of side effects and is also costly.

Homeopathy treats anxiety and depression from a completely different angle trying to address the deeper causes of the disease origin. Rather than artificially increasing serotonin levels in the brain, it addresses the underlying problem, having caused the central imbalance within you. It can be very successful in addressing both anxiety and depression, making you long term independent of drug (herbal or conventional) treatment.

By taking a very detailed history, which will discuss not only your present symptoms, but also your medical history, family history, personality, preferences, dislikes, fears, dreams, any specific causes (never well since...) and modalities (what makes you better or worse) A homeopathic doctor will be able to find the right remedies to treat your central disturbance, which has caused your "disease". These medicines will naturally return you to a state of well being by changing the energy in your body. Not only your depression/anxiety will be addressed, but all other aspects of your body and mind. Treating your central disturbance will affect all parts of your body and both mental as well as physical symptoms will improve. Improvement can sometimes be fast and dramatic, but usually is gradual over time. Occasionally there can be an aggravation of some physical symptoms, but you should feel more energy, vitality and optimism.

A medically qualified homeopathic doctor will integrate homeopathic treatment with your present medications and work together with your GP, if needed.

Homeopathy is also completely safe in pregnancy and breastfeeding, making it a side effect free alternative in ante and postnatal depression.