Miscellaneous Archives - Page 20 of 25

The Mental Health Consequences of Family Separation

by Ellen Vora, MD on Jun 27, 2018 / Share

This degree of trauma has lasting consequences. This policy has created a population of children with severe Adverse Childhood Experiences.

What Do Coffee, Video Games, Psych Meds, Gambling, Booze and Food Have In Common?

by Ellen Vora, MD on Jun 20, 2018 / Share

Wake up and recognize all the ways the world has figured out how to profit off your addictions. If you want to feel free, it’s time to start opting out.

Suicide: Here’s What Nobody Is Talking About

by Ellen Vora, MD on Jun 10, 2018 / Share

With all this conversation about suicide, there is one enormous missing piece.

How Parenting Has Gotten Harder

by Ellen Vora, MD on Jun 6, 2018 / Share

For any parents out there at their breaking point, I just want you to recognize the ways parenting has gotten harder. Hopefully this allows you to cut yourself some slack.

What the New Zealand Customs Process Can Teach Us About Self-Care

by Ellen Vora, MD on May 31, 2018 / Share

Had an interesting experience with New Zealand customs that has had me reflecting on the idea of “the body is a temple”.

Chronic UTI’s? Perhaps You Should Squat

by Ellen Vora, MD on May 29, 2018 / Share

This post is full of TMI and awkward concepts, but it’s super important. I come across so many women with urinary symptoms in my practice, and I’m starting to wonder if the toilet itself plays a role in the problem.

A Few Thoughts on Addiction and the Opiate Crisis

by Ellen Vora, MD on May 25, 2018 / Share

I want to add a few ideas to the discussion around the opioid crisis and make some suggestions for what you can do to manage pain aside from taking opiates.

A Call For Mothers Everywhere To Drop Their Self-Judgment

by Ellen Vora, MD on May 18, 2018 / Share

Just my plea for women to reconnect with their intuition and recognize that we’re doing our best and it’s all we can do!

Here’s Why Your Friends Are Sleeping With Weighted Blankets

by Ellen Vora, MD on May 10, 2018 / Share

Full article on the Bulletproof blog.

By: ALISON MOODIE

Here’s Why Your Friends Are Sleeping With Weighted Blankets

Excerpt:

Weighted blankets and sleep

According to Ellen Vora, M.D., a holistic psychiatrist, weighted blankets may turn down anxiety by recalibrating our nervous system. Our ancestors made a point to keep infants in constant physical contact with another person, usually the mother, she says. Nowadays, babies typically spend a lot of time in cribs, strollers, and swings, depriving them of close touch. (Note that weighted blankets should never be used on children under age 3.)

“Perhaps the relative absence of that early touch in modern life leaves the nervous system in a state of feeling slightly more stressed, slightly less relaxed, which can manifest as depression and anxiety later in life,” says Vora. “Perhaps a weighted blanket is effectively like a big, belated hug, attempting to reprogram the nervous system that we are in fact okay and secure.”

Considering Getting Off Antidepressants? Here’s How To Do It Safely

by Ellen Vora, MD on May 7, 2018 / Share

Full article posted on mindbodygreen on May 7, 2018

By Ellen Vora, M.D.Holistic Psychiatrist

Photo: Joshua Rawson Harris

Excerpt:

I’m a holistic psychiatrist practicing in New York City, and I often find myself with a line out the door of patients who are struggling to get off of psychiatric medications. While you should absolutely do what’s right for you in your health journey, it’s worth noting that doctors rarely disclose how difficult it can be to taper off medications like Lexapro, Zoloft, Effexor, Klonopin, Xanax, Lithium, Abilify, Adderall, and Vyvanse.

While some people experience few if any side effects when tapering off these medications, for others it can lead to a persistent state of anxiety, low mood, dread, hopelessness, and despair for months. With millions of people on psychiatric medications, and almost nonexistent support from psychiatrists or primary care doctors, patients are left to negotiate this harrowing process by themselves. So I’m left wondering: Why aren’t we talking about this?

Want more advice from Ellen Vora? Check out her class here.

#ANXIETY #DEPRESSION