Did you know the practice of making resolutions for the new year dates back around 4,000 years? The first civilization known to practice a New Year’s ritual, known as Akitu was the ancient Babylonians. This was done when they planted the new crop for the [...]
The pace of our daily lives is often charged by what we see in our environment. Christmas decorations appear the minute our trick-or-treaters have emptied their overflowing buckets of candy. Pressure rises to swiftly accommodate multiple schedules, school exams and breaks, complex meal plans, travel [...]
Did you know that humans have about 24,000 genes? These genes make us who we are. Within our genes lie the instructions for who we are and what we can and will become. Your genes determine your personality, your temperament, how you can stay healthy, [...]
Our practice in on the move. (But not to worry, we're only moving over a few feet!) There are exciting changes on the horizon for Integrative Psychiatry Austin. On May 1, we will be moving the Westlake office from the Neurobehavioral Institute of Austin into [...]
John was very depressed. In therapy, he had not discovered anything moving about himself. One day, he was telling me about his daily routine. He would go to bed late at night watching Netflix and then would struggle to wake up in the morning. To [...]
Our body has many nerves that come out of our spinal cord and perform various functions, from controlling our muscles to carrying pain sensations. There are twelve nerves that emerge directly from our brain and brain stem. These are called the cranial nerves, and [...]
It is on a daily basis that I get consulted about using alternative modalities to treat various mental health difficulties. By alternatives, I mean “other than the conventional psychotropic interventions”. Following are the points to consider when thinking about treatment options. -Mental health problems come [...]
In 1951 a sociologist named Talcott Parsons, coined the concept of Sick Role. It tries to define the role of a sick person in a society. Sickness or illness is viewed as a departure from the regular state of affairs in a society. Society tends [...]
One of the things that characterizes many mental health problems, particularly depression is the vicious cycle that a person finds himself caught up in. The lack of ability to pull oneself out of problematic behavior patterns, contributes to more problems with self esteem and [...]
The past few decades of medical research have shown unequivocally that those with chronic stressors in their lives are more vulnerable to disease. Chronic stress has a significant effect on the immune system that may ultimately manifest an illness. The illness can be physical (like heart [...]