Why do doctors prescribe drugs? Why do we take them? The answer is to change the body’s chemistry in order to correct a symptom. Anti-depressants are given to chemically increase neurotransmitter activity. Anti-inflammatory drugs  biochemically reduce inflammation, giving relief from pain. Antibiotics chemically kill bacteria Drugs exist to create chemical changes in order to bring […]

SAD is an acronym for “seasonal affective disorder”. It is caused by the shortage of natural light available in the fall and winter, when the days become shorter. Symptoms of SAD include fatigue, depression, overeating and weight gain. Patients with SAD respond well to full-spectrum light. Sitting next to a light source for one half

Research published in the November/December 2002 issue ofPsychosomatic Medicine shows a connection between chronic fatigue and a hormonal stress response system called the HPA axis. HPA stands for “hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal”. It is a system that helps the body to stay stable while under stress. The study involved 40 subjects between the ages of 30

Fatigue and Body Pain may be Linked to Chronic Sinusitis Research published in Archives of Internal Medicine (2003;163:1832-1836.) and performed by scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center, shows a link between fatigue, unexplained pain and chronic sinusitis. A study conducted at Harvard had shown that fatigue and pain scores of sinusitis patients were similar or

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (August 2001; 86:3787-3794) states that high levels of adrenal hormones have been found in people with insomnia. It was a small study with 11 patients with insomnia and 13 controls without insomnia. Blood levels of stress hormones (ACTH and cortisol) were taken every half hour

The body’s response to a chemical found in the brain, orexin A, may be linked with the desire to exercise and may explain a difference between active people who are always on the go and couch potatoes. Research published in the American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, online August 14, 2006,