The Environmental Illness Resource Blog

Commentary on environmental toxins and chronic illness.

Tag >> depression

Dawn Simulators for SAD and the Winter Blues It's that time of year again for those of us in the northern hemisphere, the days are quickly getting shorter now and for many that means symptoms of fatigue, lethargy, depression and more. As a result, it can require the willpower of a polar explorer just to drag oneself out of bed in the morning!

One solution to combat these symptoms is the use of a dawn simulator. These are essentially alarm


 Pets help fight depression and anxiety in environmental illness Many people suffering from environmental illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and particularly multiple chemical sensitivity, lead very lonely existences. This blog entry will look at how pets can offer valuable company for some. 

The symptoms of these disabling conditions such as fatigue, pain, and cognitive difficulties such as confusion, poor short term memory, and


I thought for my main blog entry this week I'd discuss a subject that has for the past 10 years or so had a major impact on my ability to cope with daily life and plan for events in the future - the daily and seasonal fluctuations in the appearance and severity of my symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, environmental illness, and related conditions. I'll also talk about what I have done to adapt


While adding the latest research abstracts to the site the other day I came across a very interesting paper regarding the effects gluten can have on the brain and nervous system.

As you are no doubt ware, gluten is a protein found in grains including wheat, rye and barley, which is the trigger for the damage to the tissues of the small intestine in those with celiac disease. In this condition the


Hey all,

Planet Thrive's new homepage!

Just wanted to let everyone know that my website Planet Thrive was recently freshened up, with an updated design and some great new features! We have close to 1500 members, and we are growing every day.

Please come check us out. Here are some highlights of the new features we just unveiled:

EI Lifestyles - featuring inspirational people and places. Read our first feature on the inspiring


You may have seen in the news media this week that new research suggests antidepressant drugs may damage men's sperm and increase the risk of infertility. Researchers from Cornell Medical Center in New York found that some men given the common SSRI antidepressant paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat) for four weeks had far higher levels of sperm with damaged DNA. Experts say this does not necessarily mean


Back in February of this year the US government admitted that in the case of young Hannah Poling, a reaction to vaccinations she received had resulted in her developing autism.

This admission sent the media, bloggers and online autism forums into a spin with many seeing it as concrete proof that vaccines are the cause, or at least a cause, of the developmental disorder. Medical experts however


If you suffer from respiratory allergies such as hayfever I'm sure you know that symptoms aren't limited to the obvious sneezing, itching, runny nose and watering eyes. Of course these are very annoying and often distressing but what those who don't have allergies don't realise is that mood disturbances such as depression, irritability and insomnia are also a common result of allergic


Natural Antidepressants There has been a flurry of media activity in the UK this week after researchers from the University of Hull published a study showing that for mild to moderate depression antidepressant drugs show no clinically significant benefit over placebo. In other words they are pretty much useless.

It turns out that pharmaceutical companies have been 'selectively reporting' studies on the effectiveness


My DHEA Conundrum

Posted by: Maff in sleepMCSenergyDHEAdepressionchronic fatigue syndrome on

Maff
Around 7 years ago I had a test done called the Adrenal Stress Index (ASI). This test measures levels of the adrenal hormones cortisol and DHEA in saliva samples taken at various points throughout the day. Multiple samples are needed to get an accurate picture of cortisol levels as they vary considerably during the day in everyone.

My ASI results indicated that my cortisol