Antidepressants May Be No More Effective Than Placebo: But What About St. John’s Wort and Other Herbal Medicines?
“When going thru hell, keep going.” Winston Churchill Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses and can affect anyone at any age. Characterized by anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure), despair, and pessimism, depression has high morbidity and recurrence.[1] Overall, more than 50% of the general population in middle- and high-income countries will […]
Neuroplasticity, Brain Health, Mood and ‘Smarty Plants’
Our brains have the remarkable capacity to adapt and change throughout our lives. This ability to form and reorganize neural pathways in response to learning, experience, injury, disease, or aging is called neuroplasticity. “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” ~ Dr. […]
St. John’s Wort: An Ally Against Cancer
With the warm days of summer approaching, I begin to look for the sunny beauty of the humble little flowering plant, St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum). Called St. John’s wort because it blooms around the feast day of John the Baptist (June 24th), the plant grows prolifically in southern Oregon, particularly along roadsides and in […]