Mind Body Therapies For Optimal Well Being

By Deborah O. Norris

The Mindfulness Center

Mind Body Therapies For Optimal Well Being

We keep seeing it in headlines “Depression is a Risk Factor for Heart Disease”; “Depression linked with Cancer”;”Childhood Traumas Associated with Adult Depression and Arthritis.” But what is the link with depression and illness?

“Depression” is a sensation, or a time of feeling “badly” or “sad.” Research has shown that depression is associated with a sense of “helplessness” and loss of will. Depression is commonly treated with medications designed to increase circulating levels of serotonin in the brain (SSRI's), on the assumption that serotonin is associated with mood; more specifically, that increased levels of serotonin improve mood. However, serotonin plays a bigger role in our bodies than just affecting our moods.