Depression in Women

Is depression common in women?


What are the symptoms?

Doctors continue to learn about how women are affected by depression, but there are some common symptoms. If you're depressed, you may have some of these symptoms nearly every day, all day, for 2 weeks or longer:
* Feeling sad or crying a lot
* Losing interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy (including sex)
* Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
* Thinking about death or suicide
* Sleeping too much, or not being able to go to sleep or stay asleep
* Losing your appetite and losing weight (or eating too much and gaining weight)
* Feeling very tired or slowed down
* Having trouble paying attention and making decisions
* Having aches and pains that don't get better with treatment




What causes depression?


Depression seems to be related to a chemical imbalance in the brain that makes it hard for the cells to communicate with one another. Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one, a divorce or moving (such as leaving home to go to college), may lead to depression. Taking certain medicines, abusing drugs or alcohol, or having other illnesses can also cause depression.Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are more likely to become depressed. Depression is more common a week before a woman's period and in the weeks after a woman gives birth (this is called postpartum depression). In some women, taking birth control pills may cause symptoms of depression



How is depression treated?


Depression can be treated with counseling, medicine or both. It's also important to take good care of yourself, to exercise regularly and to eat healthy foods. See the list of dos and don'ts later in this handout. Counseling alone may help if the depression isn't severe. Antidepressant medicines are very effective in treating depression. There are many different kinds of antidepressants. Your doctor will decide which one is right for you. Medicine alone or medicine with counseling can help most women who have depression



Some dos and don'ts when you're depressed



* Don't isolate yourself. Stay in touch with your loved ones and friends, your religious advisor, and your family doctor.
* Don't make major life decisions (for example, about separation or divorce). You may not be thinking clearly right now, so your decisions may not be the best ones for you.
* Don't blame yourself for your depression. You didn't cause it.
* Don't be discouraged about not feeling well right away. Be patient with yourself.
* Don't give up.
* Do exercise every day to make yourself feel better and to get more energy.
* Do eat balanced meals and healthy food, and get enough sleep.
* Do take your medicine and/or go to counseling as often as your doctor tells you to. Your medicine won't work if you only take it once in a while.
* Do set small goals for yourself, because you may have less energy.
* Do encourage yourself.
* Do get as much information as you can about depression and its treatment.
* Do call your doctor or the local suicide crisis center right away if you start thinking about suicide

Hair Diseases and Hair Loss

Did you know that the average person has 5 million hairs? Hair grows all over your body except on your lips, palms and the soles of your feet. It takes about four months for healthy hair to grow an inch. Most hairs grow for up to six years and then fall out. New hairs grow in their place.
Men - and some women - lose hair as they grow older. You can also lose your hair if you have certain diseases, such as thyroid problems, diabetes or lupus. If you take certain medicines or have chemotherapy for cancer, you may also lose your hair. Other causes are a low protein diet, a family history or poor nutrition

Ayurvedic Food: 'Food for Life'

In Ayurvedic science diet is considered an important complementary part to medicine. A special diet consistent with the doctor's diagnosis and the recommended treatment is one of the core therapies in Ayurveda.
As a result, ayurveda food is taken very seriously at Barberyn Ayurveda resorts. But this doesn't mean a strict regime of bland, tasteless or bitter vegetarian dishes prescribed by physicians. On the contrary, our kitchen is one of our greatest assets and the dishes our cooks prepare will surprise and delight you every day of your stay.

At breakfast you'll find a buffet with fresh fruit, fruit juices, herbal soups, home-baked breads & cookies and a selection of Sri Lankan breakfast dishes. For lunch we offer a wide selection of mild fish, vegetable and herbal curries arranged in a beautiful buffet. In the evening we serve you a set vegetarian menu on an option with fish except on Saturdays when we have our Sri Lankan night with an extended buffet where chefs prepare typical local dishes in your presence.
In Ayurveda food and drinks are classified according to their taste - sweet, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent - and thus by their influence on the doshas (body energies). The goal is to represent all tastes in every meal, but with specific combinations recommended for each individual guest.
At Barberyn Ayurveda resorts you will find an Ayurvedic dortor or dietician at hand during meal times to advise you on the suitability of specific vegetables, herbs and spices and to help you select / avoid the dishes according to your prescribed treatment. Your herbal elixir and the instructions from the doctors at the health centre will be on your individual table.

Ayurveda Resort

Ayurveda is fast becoming a household name with all those interested in "alternative medicine". Yet Ayurveda is not an alternative medicine. It is one of the oldest forms of medical science known to man - originating 5000 years ago. Ayurveda is more than a system of herbal medicine. It is a way to a healthy & long life and can complement modern medicine. Ayurveda has two main aims: It treats the symptoms of a disease and it helps individuals to strengthen their immune system. Ayurveda treats the body, mind and spirit of a person as a whole entity, and works on the basis that the mind and body affect each other, and together can overcome disease