Tag: depression

Harmful effects of electromagnetic field in a person

Do you use your cell phone as an alarm clock, sleeping with it close to your head? Do you type on your laptop all day, with the device laid out directly on your, well, lap? Many people nowadays walk around with any number of devices glued to their hand, and doctors are increasingly sounding the alarm on the significant health risks posed by these electronics. While the significant technological advances we have witnessed in the past decade alone is wondrous to behold, they also pose serious threats to our bodily integrity, especially when it comes to electromagnetic fields.

An electromagnetic field is a type of energy created by differences in voltage; the higher the voltage, the stronger the field. The radiation that emanates from man-made electromagnetic fields poses health threats in any one of the following ways:

1. Cataracts

Eye irritation and cataracts have been reported in individuals exposed to high levels of radio frequency from different devices, particularly in things like the microwave. So, definitely squash that impulse to babysit your reheating lunch by waiting for it and staring directly into  the microwave.

2. Depression

Depression was a disease that was often written off in the past, but with the passage of time, psychologist verified it as a very real and prominent issue plaguing many humans around the world. According to recent findings, one of the risks of EMF radiation in some individuals has been a level of previously undetected “hypersensitivity.” This can happen in the form of aches, pains, or frequent headaches. An attendant form of depression can also occur, as many have reported feelings of lethargy, sleeping disorders, and other emotional or behavioral problems associated with frequent exposure to radiation. While scientists are still trying to confirm these findings, the results of studies conducted thus far have been disconcerting.

3. Cancer

If you haven’t previously heard much about the disastrous effects of electromagnetic radiation, you most assuredly have at least come across the claim that they have a direct effect on increasing the likelihood of cancer. While this remains a controversial prognosis, the bodily harm caused by increasing levels of radiation cannot be underestimated.

For example, communities that reside near nuclear plants have been shown to have a much higher predisposition towards cancer and other harmful, terminal illnesses. So, while the science is perhaps hesitant to render the linkage set in stone, the correlation between cancer and electromagnetic radiation can’t exactly be swept under the rug.

4. Pregnancy

This is another common association with electromagnetic radiation: pregnant women exposed to high levels of EMF run the risk of malformations, low birth weight, congenital diseases, and even spontaneous abortions. Unlike the correlation with cancer, this health risk is well acknowledged by the medical and scientific establishments.

5. General Health

Besides the major health risks mentioned above, EMF has been blamed for everything from an increase in anxiety disorders, regular headaches, a loss of libido, to constant fatigue. While perhaps these are harder to quantify than a full-blown illness, it’s safe to assume that the presumed health consequences of EMF far outweigh the positives.

Finally, while perhaps the scientific evidence of the effects of high levels of EMF radiation on humans remains somewhat inconclusive, there are enough warning signs to vouch for its dangers. So, next time you decide that you absolutely cannot part with your phone or iPad, think again…

‘The religious are less anxious’

religionPeople who are religious are healthier and take fewer sick days, new research suggests.

They are also less stressed and anxious at work, the researchers found.

Experts believe this could be because spirituality offers a ‘buffer against strains’ of modern life.

A psychologist at the Health and Safety Laboratory in Stockport found that the more religious a person is, the less likely they are to suffer from anxiety, depression or exhaustion.

Dr Roxane Gervais also discovered that employees who are religious feel their lives have more meaning than those who are not.

Dr Gervais surveyed workers in a bid to discover how happy they are in their home and working lives.

She found those who attend religious services feel more content within themselves and that they feel connected to a higher being.

Dr Gervais told The Telegraph: ‘As the pace of work and life accelerates, people long for meaning, and the younger generation in particular is looking for more than just a big pay cheque at the end of the month.

‘My research shows that religiosity in the workplace may act as a resource, making people more resilient to cope with the many challenges of working life.

‘Such personal beliefs could be very helpful not only for employees, but also for employers providing people with a buffer zone.’

Dr Gervais’ findings are to be presented at the Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology’s in Brighton.

The research comes just after it was revealed that people who have a spiritual side have a ‘thicker’ section of brain tissue than those who do not.

The research, from Columbia University, also suggested that this thickening of the brain’s cortex could help to stave off depression.

The study authors believe this could suggest being religious changes the structure of the brain in a way which reduces depression risk. – dailymail.co.uk

Scientists discover brain’s misery molecule

 brain2Scientists have found the brain’s ‘misery molecule’ believed to be responsible for all of our feelings of stress and anxiety.

Researchers believe that the protein – named CRF1 – could also be linked to depression.

A team from Heptares Therapeutics, a medical company based in Hertfordshire, used one of the world’s most powerful x-ray machines to study the brain’s pituitary gland.

It has long been known that the gland controls stress, depression and anxiety by releasing stress chemicals, the Sunday Times reports.

Now, scientists have discovered the response is triggered by CRF1 – which is found in the outer membranes of pituitary cells.

Fiona Marshall, chief scientific officer at Heptares, told the paper: ‘Stress related diseases such as depression and anxiety affect a quarter of adults each year, but what many people don’t realise is that these conditions are controll

When it picks one of these molecules up, it triggers the parent cell to release the hormones which lead to stress and anxiety, the paper reports.

Using the Diamond Light Source, based in Harwell, Oxfordshire, which produces powerful x-ray beams, researchers were able to study the protein’s structure and pin point areas which could be targeted by new drugs.

Ms Marshall said they had identified a ‘crevice’ which would be an ideal area to aim a molecule which could be specially designed to block CRF1 – effectively disabling it.

She said the team now hope to use this research method to analyse molecules involved in type 2 diabetes – with the hope of one day developing a drug which can be taken orally as opposed to the injections which sufferers of the condition have to use. – Daily Mail

 

Boeremeisie lost in translation

I’ve been feeling down, worried and most of all uninspired. The reason behind this psychological semi-breakdown I am having is the environment I work in and the state of our country. You get up for work every day; it pays your bills, keeps a roof over your head and food in your belly. It is something we all have to do: work, work, work, until you drop dead – is what my father always says. So I work and now I want to drop dead. What is the use of being at a job that firstly, you find no challenge in, secondly, gives you no growth, thirdly, is in an economy where jobs are really scarce and fourthly, (and my more important point), drains your soul, your sense of being? A job that breaks your spirit and tries to kill the person you are? I have been asking myself that for many months now.

You cannot explain the feeling to anyone who has not been in the same situation. You have been trying to keep your head high, trying to stay positive, trying to keep your sense of being a person, but the people at your workplace have a nasty habit of breaking your last thread of strength. When that last piece is barely hanging from your heart, you lose your sense of being, you lose your motivation, you lose your drive, you lose you. The things that used to hold joy in your life, becomes stale in your mouth and you sink deeper into the pit of darkness. You notice the world outside of your office and realize that you have been sinking into a hole of oppression, or “reverse apartheid”, of rape, of murder, of genocide. You find yourself living in a country that wants to eradicate your language, your history, your culture. You work with people who support those views, but there are also the few who don’t. You find yourself in a situation where you have trouble separating the country and the workplace and the pit becomes ever deeper. How do you ever deal with such feelings? How do you stand up for what you believe in without compromising your position?

Surviving in a multicultural country, constantly adapting to others and their way of doing things, their views, can make one feel depressed. Soon we will all be on anti-depressants just to cope with a day at the office.

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My solution: I decided to see a professional to help me with this particular situation and feelings I have. I started this blog/journal/diary – call it what you will. Maybe a daily or weekly dose of scribbles will get my frustrations out and I will be able to breathe the fresh air and freedom I so long for.

You probably don’t want to hear about my troubles, but maybe, just maybe you can give advice, or tell me to take a hike. Or maybe you can see yourself in my thoughts and find comfort in the journey we face together.

So let us start making sense of this life we find ourselves in and let us not forget where we come from and the strength of our forefathers (and -mothers).
Yolande du Plessis is a blogger from Pretoria. Read her opinions here.