Melatonin use is rising sharply post-pandemic and is often polarising in its effects. Some find it gives them what they need, while others don’t. In an article written earlier this year, I promised I would dive deeper into this remarkable hormone, and here we are. We’re going to look at how melatonin works in the body, how it interacts with other hormones such as … [Read more...]
Sleepless, Restless and Sad?
Sleep deprivation in Hong Kong is so prevalent it’s almost considered part of the lifestyle. An HKU study showed that 92% of the people studied showed signs of sleep deprivation without even knowing it. The same trial suggested that over 60 per cent of people woke up more than once in the preceding seven days before the survey.
If you feel as if you are one of those people, just because it seems normal does not mean it can’t improve. Maybe you’ve always been a good sleeper, but things have changed recently without a good reason why.
Most of us can handle the odd night where we don’t hit the magic eight hours, but when you find yourself waking at 3 am every night, struggling to sleep from then until the alarm goes off every morning, it’s then that you start to feel anxious, restless and even sad. From there, it becomes difficult to know where one starts and the other begins. Sleepless, restless and sad offers articles and podcast episodes to explore the origins and solutions around fixing your sleep, feeling less anxious and improving your mood using natural medicine.
Poor sleep: A beginner’s guide to herbs and supplements to help.
It’s fair to say over the last fifteen years, I’ve used herbal and nutritional medicine to treat many people who have poor sleep, especially so in Hong Kong. You only need to experience poor sleep to understand just how the quality of your day falls apart after just one or two bad nights. In fact, nearly forty per cent of adults in the US with insomnia have either tried … [Read more...]
Omega-3, Fish oil, depression and your mental health
When talking about fish oil for mental health, especially depression, to my patients, I always refer to it as a “research merry-go-round.” One study will show it’s positive for mental health[1] and even for reducing mortality risk.[2] As the merry-go-round continues, there’ll be a contradictory study on mental health[3] that confuses patients and practitioners … [Read more...]
Meditation for mental health in 2022?
A question asked many times over the last decade is whether meditation is more effective than medication in managing your mental health and health in general. I put together a small workup about meditation’s role in the brain when taking some personal responsibility for stress. In that article, I promised I would do a deeper dive and feel the time is right, so here we … [Read more...]
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for mental health?
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a nutritional compound that seems beneficial for mental health and everything in between. Or at least that’s how the initial research presented. Let’s look into how it might help you. NAC, as it’s usually known, is a popular over-the-counter supplement and FDA-approved drug used for paracetamol overdose.[1] Interest in NAC’s use spans multiple … [Read more...]
Herbal medicine for Anxiety and Depression – Part One
Herbal medicine used for anxiety and depression is becoming more common. One study of two hundred and sixty patients with depression showed that up to fifty per cent had tried some form of natural medicine.[1] Another study from the USA found that forty per cent of people with moderate depression and anxiety had tried some form of natural medicine, including herbal … [Read more...]
Insomnia in a post COVID world: do the same solutions still help?
It seems so. However, as with insomnia in the pre-COVID era, unravelling what might have caused it in the first place is an important, complex and personalised priority. In this article, we’ll be looking at what the most recent studies say about how the prevalence of insomnia has changed during and post-pandemic, chronic insomnia in general and some solutions that you may or … [Read more...]
Can the brain and digestion be the answer to your acne and skin issues?
In this article, I’m here to tell you that the brain and digestion can be the answer to your acne and skin issues. Would you believe two dermatologists first spoke about the brain, gut, and skin connection in 1930?[1] I’ve been excited to write this article. I feel that this relationship has been in the literature for a while; it’s only recently that the brain-digestion-skin … [Read more...]