Your mood and your mental health affect every
aspect of your life, from how you feel about yourself to your
relationships with others and your physical health. There's a strong
link between good mental health and good physical health, and vice
versa. In the other direction, depression and other mental health issues
can contribute to digestive disorders, trouble sleeping, lack of
energy, heart disease, and other health issues.
There are many ways to keep your mind and
mood in optimal shape. Exercise, healthy eating, and stress reduction
techniques like meditation or mindfulness can keep your brain — and your
body — in tip-top shape.
When mood and mental health slip, doing
something about it as early as possible can keep the change from getting
worse or becoming permanent. Treating conditions like depression and
anxiety improve quality of life. Learning to manage stress makes for
more satisfying and productive days.
A Harvard study that’s lasted for eight decades suggests that
maintaining meaningful relationships plays an important role in health,
happiness, and longevity. The Harvard Study of Adult Development has
collected health and wellness information from a group of men since they
were teenagers in 1938. By following the men, researchers have found
that people who are more socially connected to family, friends, and
community are happier, healthier, and longer-lived than people who are
less well connected.
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For a long time, memory loss was seen as the telltale sign of
Alzheimer’s disease, but this is not necessarily the best way to
identify the disease in its earliest stages. In fact, it is now believed
that Alzheimer’s-related changes begin in the brain at least a decade
before common symptoms emerge. The goal now is to find multiple markers
and use a consolidated effort in hopes of diagnosing the disease as
early as possible.
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Did you ever stride purposefully into a room, stand in one spot, and
then wonder what you'd intended to do? Have you ever lost your house
keys, or forgot where you parked the car? Relax. Occasional memory slips
are natural.
"Everyone has these experiences sometimes, but if they frequently happen
to you or someone you love, they may be early signs of Alzheimer's
disease," says Dr. Scott M. McGinnis, a neurologist at
Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital and Medical Editor of
the Harvard Special Health Report A Guide to Coping with Alzheimer's
Disease.
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The placebo effect—a favorable response to a medical
intervention that doesn’t have a direct physiological effect—is at work
in most successful therapies. It can be helpful in cases where no proven
treatments exist and enhanced by a good doctor-patient relationship.
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The idea that the brain can convince the body a fake treatment is the
real thing—the so-called placebo effect—and thus stimulate healing has
been around for millennia. But research has shown that under the right
circumstances, a placebo can be just as effective as traditional
treatments.
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Mounting evidence from medical studies has indicated that people who
think positively have a lower risk of dying of all causes compared with
others their own age who have a gloomier view of life. Over the last
decade, researchers have identified practices that can help you achieve
and sustain a positive attitude toward your future. Many of them are
explained in the Harvard Special Health Report Positive Psychology. Here
are a few suggestions:
Savor pleasure. Feeling pleasure helps sustain a positive attitude.
Focus your attention on something pleasing as it occurs, consciously
enjoying the experience as it unfolds. Most people are primed to
experience pleasure in special moments, such as a wedding day or a
vacation. Everyday pleasures, on the other hand, can slip by without
much notice unless they disappear or seem threatened. Slow down and
focus. You will enjoy things more, whether a meal or a visit with a
friend.
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