Depression Checklist

beyondblue is an Australian "national depression initiative" and this week I received in the mail a quick checklist to identify signs of depression.

Apparently over 1 million people in Australia live with depression, so the chances are we all know someone who is affected. Certainly I have several friends that have suffered varying levels of depression - lasting weeks through to 2 years.

So, if you want to check yourself, here goes:

For more than TWO weeks have you:
1. Felt sad, down or miserable most of the time?
2. Lost interest or pleasure in most of your usual activites?

If you answered 'Yes' to either of the above questions, go on to the next section (if you did NOT answer 'Yes' it is unlikely you have a depressive illness).

3. have you gained or lost weight or had a decrease or increase in appetite?
4. have you had sleep disturbance?
5. have you felt slowed down, restless or excessively busy?
6. have you felt tired or had no energy?
7. Have your felt worthless, or excessively guilty, or felt guilt about things you should not have been feeling guilty about?
8. Have you had poor concentration, or difficulties thinking, or been very indecisive?
9. Have you had recurrent thoughts of death?

Add up the number of ticks for your total score (assuming you answered 'yes' to Q 1 and/or Q2).

If you score is 4 or less it is unlikely you have a depressive illness;
If you score 5 or more you are likely to have a depressive illness and further assessment is recommended - talk to your GP, Psychologist, Counsellor other health professional or visit www.beyondblue.org.au or, in Australia, call 1300 22 4636.

With the right treatment, most people recover.

Life guide

Just for today:
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be humble
Be honest in your work
Be compassionate to yourself and others.

The guidelines above are what Reiki practitioners try to follow every day: the Reiki precepts (as translated from the original Japanese).

You don't have to be a Reiki practitioner to follow those precepts -- they make sense for everyone.

Easy Food

My Mum, who’s been cooking all her life, has released her first cookbook - ‘Easy Food’ that I’d like to commend to you.

It’ll make a great present for Christmas, especially for students living away from home and busy workers but, really, anyone that wants to cook at home.

This slim compilation is exactly what the title says, Easy Food. It’s for those unsure about or inexperienced with cooking; those who want a tasty meal without too much bother; those wanting to avoid ‘ready-made meals’ & take aways and those wanting to save money.

It’s in big easy to read print, with one recipe per page and pictures on the opposite page. An example of some of the recipes include:

Vegetable Frittata
Salmon and vegetables
Chicken meatballs

How to make gravy and basic sauces

Caramelised pears
Baked Custard
and, my favourite, “No Cook Double-Chocolate Squares”.

Easy Food is available internationally from www.lulu.com (type "Easy Food" into the Search field)

Or here’s the link, to cut & paste into your browser:

http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?search_forum=-1&search_cat=2&show_results=topics&return_chars=200&search_keywords=&keys=&header_search=true&sitesearch=lulu.com&q=&fSearch=easy+food&fSearchFamily=0&fSubmitSearch.x=14&fSubmitSearch.y=4

Children and Television

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following guidelines for parents:

Limit children's total media time (with entertainment media) to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality programming per day.

Remove television sets from children's bedrooms.

Discourage television viewing for children younger than 2 years, and encourage more interactive activities that will promote proper brain development, such as talking, playing, singing, and reading together.

Monitor the shows children and adolescents are viewing. Most programs should be informational, educational, and nonviolent.

View television programs along with children, and discuss the content. Two recent surveys involving a total of nearly 1500 parents found that less than half of parents reported always watching television with their children.

Use controversial programming as a stepping-off point to initiate discussions about family values, violence, sex and sexuality, and drugs.

Use the DVD recordings (or Tivo) wisely to show or record high-quality, educational programming for children.



Resource: American Academy of Pediatrics
PEDIATRICS Vol. 107 No. 2 February 2001, pp. 423-426
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;107/2/423

Truly Complementary

Ever wondered which is best for you, massage or chiropractic adjustments?
Well I'd recommend regular massage AND chiropractic is required for optimal well-being.

Whilst the body is a complex being, at the most basic level, massage works on muscles and chiropractic on the skeleton. However all muscles attach to bone, either directly or via tendons; bones support muscles and keep you upright, muscles move bones and keep you moving.

So if one area has an issue, it's more than likely its corresponding partner will also, eg. T12 (thoracic vertebrae 12) is linked to the QL (Quadratus Lumborum muscle) and tight calves/hamstrings can reduce the range of motion in the pelvis leading to lower back tension.

So when booking your next session, consider having a massage first: this will loosen up the muscles, allowing for an "easier" adjustment that will hold for longer as the muscles won't be working against the corrected joint/s.