Stress Remedy

Exploring ways to reduce stress and improve health.

by Jay Winner, M.D.

How to Create a "Real" Patronus Charm!

Any devoted Harry Potter fan will remember the Patronus charm (magic spell). In the magical world, if you want to keep Dementors from sucking out your soul, you better master it. In our reality, there is also Patronus charm of sorts that we can use to make our life happier. Read More

Why Do We Yearn for Celebrity News?

Why do people yearn for celebrity news? At least some of the hunger centers around schadenfreude -- having joy in the suffering of others. People often act as if joy is dependent on achieving material gain. Seeing people that seem to have it all suffer (going through divorce, substance abuse, mental illness, etc.), momentarily shatters that illusion. Read More

Stress Less the Holiday Season

The holidays are often time of joy. Frequently, they are also a time of increased stress. My present to you are some hints to deal with the stress of the holidays: Read More

How to Save Many Billions on Medication

The bad news: with the exception of the biopharmaceuticals, there have not been a lot of real breakthroughs in medicines lately. The good news: with the exception of the biopharmaceuticals, there have not been a lot of real breakthroughs in medicines lately. How can the good and bad news be the exact same news? Read More

Healthcare Reform and Primary Care

As a practicing physician, I have a view from the trenches. The current healthcare system is broken! I've seen people placed in horrible situations: a woman with multiple sclerosis who, despite her insurance, couldn't afford her medicine. The medicine would likely prevent progression of a disease that could put her permanently in a wheel chair. Read More

Remember to Reduce Stress

In obsessive-compulsive disorder, people are bothered by recurrent troublesome thoughts. For people with panic disorder, certain thoughts can help to precipitate severe anxiety attacks. Pretty much everyone else, to a lesser extent, has occasionally been bothered by repetitive thoughts. Read More

Palpitations: Anxiety or Heart Disease?

In his thoughtful post, Dr. Steven Hayes discussed (among other things) an episode in which he felt his heart race. Feeling your heart race, or palpitations, is a very frequent symptom of anxiety. On the other hand, certain types of palpitations are a signal of heart disease. How can we tell whether palpitations represent a symptom of anxiety or heart disease? Read More

Fast Forward??

As we approach a new year, it's a good time to reflect on time itself. In the movie Click, the main character gets hold of a remote control that can let him fast forward or skip unpleasant times. In certain situations, we've all had an urge to fast forward past a moment. In fact, for many this is a very frequent desire.

One may want to rush through his work to get home.

We usually talk of posture in the physical sense. Are there ways to use the concept of posture to enhance our psychological and emotional well-being?

Let's start with the more traditional way of thinking about posture - our physical posture. In both meditation and yoga, practitioners are advised to sit or stand with a relaxed, yet dignified posture.

Psychology Today initially entitled my blog "Beginner's Mind." What does that title mean? Did Psych Today mean that at that time, I was a beginning blogger for them, so don't expect too much? You know - set a low bar and then I'll look better. That could be one meaning, but there's a better one. I didn't come up with the phrase "Beginner's Mind;" nor did Psych Today. Read More

Decenter to Be Centered

Decentering in order to be centered? Most of us know what it means to be centered. When someone is centered he enjoys the present moment and is comfortable in his own skin. What is decentering?

One of the first prerequisites common to both cognitive therapy and mindfulness practice is learning that we do not have to believe all of our thoughts. This has been described as decentering.

Do communication guidelines that make sense for our families and work, make sense for international politics? It seems they should -- after all, the leaders of countries are people!

Listen. The first important part of communication is to be a good listener. As former U.S.

Most of us would agree that living more in the present moment sounds like a great idea. After all, our experience of spirituality, love, relaxation, and true joy comes from moments of being fully present-moments of mindfulness. Yet if you've tried to achieve this state, you know how maddeningly elusive it can be. How can something so basic be so hard? The good news is that it's not. Read More

Can't Get No Satisfaction (from Your Food)?

A recent study revealed that obese people get less satisfaction from their food. In response to drinking a chocolate milkshake, there was less of a pleasure response seen in the brain's dorsal striatum. If a decrease in satisfaction from food increases risk of obesity, why not teach people to enjoy food? Read More

The Utility and Problems with Labels

Labeling people can sometimes serve a function. For instance, a person with bipolar disorder may benefit from a different medication than someone with clinical depression. Someone with a phobia may benefit from different types of psychotherapy than someone with schizophrenia. Read More

Nothing to Fear, but Fear Itself?

Now is a perfect time to reflect on FDR's first inauguration speech - when the economic situation was far worse than it is now (excerpts as follows): "This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. Read More

Investing in Stress Reduction

The Dow Jones Industrial Average just took its biggest one week drop ever! The evening news scares us more each day. Expecting not to be stressed in such times is unrealistic. Yet stress is deadly; just a few of the conditions associated with high stress include heart disease, stroke, obesity, headaches and Alzheimer's Disease. Read More