"Breaking the OCD Cycle" talks about finding ways to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. For people with OCD, persistent worries and repetitive tasks can be debilitating. For example, someone who is obsessed with germs may wash their hands constantly or bathe several times a day. There is a physiological root to this disorder. OCD runs in families and OCD patients and their close relatives are more likely to have decreased gray matter in areas of the brain involved in suppressing responses and habitual behavior. Cognitive therapy can be used as a treatment along with medication. One type of cognitive therapy is called exposure and response prevention (ERP). It gradually exposes individuals to their feared obsessions and teaches them to become less sensitive to them. Some other things that may help are exercise, and supplements such as omega-3, or vitamin B. If these treatments don't work, the FDA has recently approved the use of a implanted "deep brain stimulation" device for severe, treatment resistant OCD. It delivers electrical stimulation to the brain to block abnormal nerve signals. There is a risk though of life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage and brain infection.

This article relates to Chapter 14, page 567. The distress caused by the failure or inability to successfully complete the compulsive behavior is a defining feature of OCD.

Self Healing Magazine, 2009, Dr. Andrew Weils

"The Rise of Hypochondria" discusses this growing problem and new treatments. For the tens of thousands of Americans who suffer from hypochondria, every headache is a brain tumor and every cold is cancer. They believe that any symptom will lead to a serious disease. Dr. Arthur Barsky, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard, estimates that 5% to 12% of patients who see doctors every year are hypochondriacs. Billions are spent on unnecessary doctor's visits. The problem has grown so large that the National Institutes of Health has funded a five-year study to compare the efficacy of treatments. Anyone can develop hypochondria. For example, a childhood illness or a death of a loved one can trigger it. Cognitive therapy and Prozac can help reduce symptoms within 12 weeks. Cognitive therapy teaches patients how to counter panicky thoughts. If a patient complains of a backache, Dr. Barsky will ask the patient what it could be besides a tumor. Writing down alternative scenarios can be calming.

This article relates to chapter 14, page 571. Hypochondriasis is the new term for hypochondria. It's a type of somatoform disorder. This is not considered an anxiety disorder due to the worry about illness being the distinguishing feature of this disorder.

Healthystyle March/April 2010, Lynn Schnurnberger

"What Your Dreams Mean" discusses Dr. Allan Hobson's discovery that dreams serve a physiological and psychological purpose. Without dreams, the brain would not be able to function during the day. Even when sleeping, 50% to 80% of the brain is active. During the periods of REM, the brain is functioning at 100% and this is when most dramatic dreaming occurs. Dreaming helps to consolidate learning and procedural memories and prepares the brain to be awake. The reason we can't remember our dreams are that the brain doesn't secrete the hormones necessary to make memories during sleep. To remember your dreams, you must wake up quickly, wake without moving and you must make an effort to recall the dream. Because we wake up faster after having a negative dream, we are more likely to remember them. In order to remember your dreams, write down everything you remember from your dream when you wake up.

This article relates to chapter 4, page 149 in the discussion of dreams. Freud believed that people's wishes, conflicts and desires were represented in dreams. A second theory is called activation-synthesis hypothesis which says that dreams are merely another kind of thinking that occurs when people are asleep. A third theory is called activation-information-mode model in which information that is accessed during waking hours can have an influence on the making of dreams. In other words, when a dream is being formed, the brain uses pieces of of a person's experiences over the last few days to form the dream rather than just random information from memory.

Healthystyle Jan/Feb 2010 Emily Listfield

In an article titled "Put Insomnia Concerns to Rest", The National Sleep Foundation reports that six out of ten people have insomnia and sleeping problems a few nights a week. Many suffering from insomnia reach for short-term solutions, such as medications, instead of addressing the issues that may be causing the sleeplessness. As many as 50 percent of people use sleep aids such as sleeping pills. With most sleeping pills, you don't dream, you don't wake up refreshed and you risk becoming dependent. Plus their ability to work wears off over time. Pills allow you to fall asleep only 10 to 15 minutes sooner. They also have side effects such as motor incoordination, cognitive impairment and rebound insomnia. Supplements may perform slightly better than prescription sleep aids, but they may take a few days before they prove effective. Some solutions that may prove helpful are: try to sleep in a cool, quiet, dark room, also avoid caffeine in the evening and get regular exercise. Also try to find the reason for your insomnia. Problems at work, home or school can cause stress which can lead to insomnia.

In chapter 4, on page 147, insomnia is discussed. There are many causes of insomnia, both psychological and physiological. Some suggestions in the chapter are to go to bed when you're sleepy, don't watch television or read in bed, keep a regular schedule and don't try too hard to get to sleep. If these ideas don't work, there are sleep clinics and sleep experts who can help.

Dr. Andrew Weils's Self Healing Magazine 2009. "Put Insomnia Concerns to Rest"

An article titled "Listen Up: There's a New Treatment for Tinnitus" discusses a small device that could help treat tinnitus which is a chronic condition of ringing in the ears. A study was performed that examined 45 sufferers who used a device developed by Neuromonics for two or more hours a day. In the six months after treatment, participants reported an average 26 point reduction in tinnitus-related distress. The device plays calming music that contains an embedded, almost inaudible, sound determined by the frequency of each patient's tinnitus. Listening to the device daily seems to re-train the brain to filter out the ringing caused by tinnitus. Therapy can cost $3500 to $6000 and appears to be most beneficial for those suffering from severe symptoms.

This relates to Chapter 3 "Sensation and Perception, page 106 under Types of Hearing Impairments. Tinnitus can be caused by infections or loud noises and is considered a nerve hearing impairment rather than a conduction hearing impairment. With nerve hearing impairment, the cause lies either in the inner ear or in the auditory pathways and cortical areas of the brain.

Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing Magazine 2009