Exercise and mental health
Following on from the success of using fitness to help mental health patients in Bondi Beach, the ‘Keeping the Body in Mind’ programme will be imported to the UK to improve the physical health of mental health patients, which is often neglected. As this article in The Guardian reports, the 12 week exercise and lifestyle programme trialled in Bondi has been described as a game changer.
Drugs
An alarming report in The Times reveals that the so-called ‘dark net’ drugs market has doubled in size in a year. This allows the purchase of drugs in 23 marketplaces with anonymity. The paper also reported this week that suboxone is the latest methadone substitution therapy but that it is no miracle cure.
A report was issued this week revealing E-Cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes despite the fact that the long-term effects of using them is unknown. See this BBC article for a summary of the report.
Depression
The Daily Telegraph reported this week on the results of a study that has found that depression is a major contributor to Alzheimer’s disease, accelerating the decline in thinking and memory skills. This was also reported in the Daily Mail.
Meditation and mindfulness
The Daily Telegraph published a cheat’s guide to achieving mindfulness with a case study from a busy working mother and The Guardian examines whether the practice has been high jacked through commercialisation or whether it can bring benefits to users.
…and finally
The Huffington Post published a blog detailing Dr Nerina Ramlakhan’s top ten tips for sleep for everyone to try before they seek medication from a GP.
