Depression and Women

I have news for you, women of the world. Research shows women are more likely to be depressed. It’s not enough that women already have to go through uncomfortable monthly cycles and suffer childbirth, but now women have higher chances of being depressed as well! (So not fair!)

At one point, we all feel a little depressed—that’s normal. Life is full of ups and downs so it’s only natural we’ll go through a down times in our lives. It’s when the down time is persistent that it becomes problematic.

Depression is a serious illness and with the holidays coming up, depression will probably increase. Although Christmas is known to be “the most wonderful time of the year,” it is the loneliest for others.

Depression is caused by different factors. Some of these factors are genetics, environmental and psychological.

“There is a risk for developing depression when there is a family history of the illness, indicating that a biological vulnerability may be inherited,” the National Institute of Health said.

A more common cause of depression is the environmental factor, which can range from financial problems, difficult relationship to a major change in life style. Also, those who worry too much, have low self-esteem or feel like they have little control over life are more likely at risk to be depressed.

If you feel sad, have lost interest in pleasure activities or find yourself crying excessively for two weeks or more, you may be in a state of depression. Other symptoms of depression include fatigue, feelings of guilt and hopelessness, change of appetite and thoughts of suicide. Get help now if you are having these symptoms.

Why depression occurs more often in women than men is unclear. However, researchers believe it could be due to hormonal, reproductive and biological factors.

Studies have shown that issues of adolescence are a cause of depression in women. Depression occurs in females as early as age 11 and 13.

“By the age of 15, females are twice as likely to have experienced a major depressive episode as males. This comes at a time in adolescence when roles and expectations change dramatically,” the National Institute of Health said.

“The stresses of adolescence include forming an identity, emerging sexuality, separating from parents, and making decisions for the first time, along with other physical, intellectual, and hormonal changes,” the National Institute of Health said.

Boys are less likely to feel these things because they seem to be built differently and don’t feel the importance of some things girls find critical. (It probably is true that men are from Mars and women are from Venus!)

There is good news, however. Depression can be cured with a variety of treatments. There is antidepressant medication, psychotherapy or both. Deciding on which treatment to go with depends on the level of depression one is experiencing. If thoughts of suicide attempts have occurred, a therapist may be a good option. Consult with a mental health professional before deciding on what treatment to go with.

An easier option is to admit that you have a problem. Talk to someone about what you are going through and don’t be afraid to seek professional help. The sooner you get help, the sooner you’ll be able to go back to being yourself again.

The bad news is depression may reoccur even after successful treatment. Continuing the same dose of treatment usually helps with recurring depression. If not, ask your physician for more options.

You can find the help you need for depression at many places. Look up “mental health” in the phone book or online. If you have any signs of depression, get the help you need and remember that you are not the only one feeling like this.

Flu, Be Gone!

Ladies and gentlemen, the flu season has arrived. Now would be the time to boost your immune system. Free flu shots are available at a variety of places but if you missed it, you’re going to want to keep scrolling down. Seriously, this is going to prevent making the toilet your best friend.

Just in case you’re in denial about having the flu because you hate visiting the doctor’s office, symptoms of the flu consist of a high fever, muscle aches, sore throat, dry cough and nausea. If you have any signs of the flu, please stay away from the public as it is known to be contagious.

The stomach flu is also highly contagious. I think I once caught it just by breathing the same air as someone with the stomach flu! Okay, that might have been an exaggeration but you get the point. When someone has the stomach flu, he or she will literally feel sick to their stomach. The stomach flu, besides from being drunk, is one of the main reasons your toilet becomes your best friend. If you have any signs of the stomach flu, which includes vomiting and diarrhea, stay in bed until you feel better. There is no cure for this virus.

However, there are simple ways to prevent the flu from entering our bodies and making our lives miserable.

First, wash your hands as much as possible. I even recommend becoming anal about it. Germs spread quickly even if you can’t see it. If your job entitles dealing with a lot of people and exchanging money, make sure you have some hand sanitizer close by. Money carries a lot of germs! Can you even imagine how many hands have touched the money you’re now carrying in your wallet? Also, avoid biting on nails. There are a lot of germs that can be infested there.

Maintaining what you consume can also boost your immune system and help prevent the flu. Organic foods, fresh veggies and fruits are great for building a stronger immune system. Taking vitamin C supplements will help in making your immune system stronger as well. Dr. Joseph Brasco from preventheflu.com also recommends trying to avoid starchy foods such as pasta, rice, potatoes and bread to insure “proper blood sugar control.”

Eating mushrooms or anything containing omega-3 fatty acids can enhance your immune system. According to Dr. Brasco, mushrooms have “immunostimulating properties, and can pack a ‘one-two punch’ for increased immunity.” Studies have showed that consuming these products can reduce the chances of getting a disease.

Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. With work, school and exams, I know it must seem impossible to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night. However, if you prioritize and manage your time wisely, you will be able to get the amount of rest your body needs. Proper sleep is the best cure to getting better because it’s free!

Take the time to relax. Stress can weaken the immune system. If you feel your brain is on overdrive, give yourself a few minutes to take some deep breaths. Roll your shoulders and lean your head back to relieve the tension in your neck.

Regular exercise can help prevent from getting the flu. Exercising keeps your body and mind active and healthy therefore increases the strength of your immune system.

On this note, keep yourself safe, healthy and flu-free. Kick your immune system up a notch, not only to prevent the flu but to live a longer and healthier life.

Take Your Finals With a Smile

With the year nearing to an end, most students are either starting to lack or get stressed out about the upcoming final exams. Although I can’t help with the lacking, there are great tips on how to stay stress-free.

Your mothers probably used to tell you not to frown or your face will stay that way. Guess what? They weren’t kidding. Stress tends to cause frowns. These lines will start to be visible eventually. Of course, with the invention of botox wrinkles can be temporarily ironed out but you also might be temporarily without any facial expression. Which is scarier?

Breathing easy is going to help you let go of some stress. After cramming all of that information from your text book that you had a whole semester to do but decided to do last minute, you’re going to need a breather.

Lie down on the floor with your back flat. Put one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Take a deep, slow breath in.

“Lying on the floor at first when you practice is important, because if you stand up, you’re more likely to take a deep breath by doing an exaggerated chest extension, rather than letting it fill up naturally,” Dr. Oz, a mind a body doctor who has been on the Oprah Winfrey Show, said.

Fill up your lungs and then slowly exhale. Count to seven while you’re exhaling. Dr. Oz recommends ten deep breaths in the morning and ten deep breaths at night to help relieve stress. (Smoking doesn’t count as taking in deep breaths!)

Another easy way to relieve stress is by taking the cork screw of a wine bottle and placing it vertically between your front teeth. This action will help loosen the tension in your jaw. You may not notice but when you’re stressed or frustrated, your jaw tends to tighten up. By relieving the tension in your jaws, you relieve tension from your neck and head which will help you to relax and be less stressed.

Journaling is a great way to relieve stress. By keeping a daily journal or diary, one can express thoughts and emotions more clearly. Many have also found that writing down problems makes it easier to find a solution because it helps process the information and release emotions. However, for it to be most helpful, you should write in detail about your feelings as if you are discussing them with a therapist.


One of the best cures for stress is laughter. Laughing reduces the stress level and helps lowers physical effects of stress. Just think of a funny memory or watch some comedy on television. Don’t get addicted to the TV or you’ll fall behind and be more stressed.

Don’t worry about the laugh lines. You’ll feel better you’re wrinkled because you were happy rather than because you were frustrated.

Another great cure for stress is sex—but only if your partner is supportive and is as emotionally involved as you are. Because sex releases a lot of feel-good hormones, many use it to relieve stress. However, if your partner doesn’t provide emotional support, it may cause drama and confusion and even more stress. Please be wise if you choose this technique—and always practice safe sex.

With all of these easy stress relieving tips, I hope you will be able to take those final exams with a smile on your face. Good luck!

Pushing Daisies

It’s comical, romantic and whimsical and has nothing to do with daisies. Instead, it deals with murdered corpses. “Pushing Daisies” aired this fall and has bedazzled its viewers with bright and colorful imagery and imagination.

The new ABC show is about a young man named Ned (Lee Pace) who discovers that he has the ability to bring the dead back to life with the mere touch of his finger. However, if Ned touches what he brought back again, it’s dead for good. If he keeps it alive for more than a minute, something within proximity will die in its place.

“Pushing Daisies” was created by Bryan Fuller and inspired by the French film “Amelie.” The show is narrated by the voice of Jim Dale and begins with Ned as a 9-year-old in the town of Coeur de Coeur. He first discovers his “ability” when his dog, Digby, gets hit by a truck.

Ned also has a crush on his neighbor Charlotte, also known as Chuck (Anna Friel). As a matter of fact, Chuck turns out to be Ned’s first kiss. Soon after, however, Chuck’s and Ned’s parents dies and both children are sent away to live with relatives. Ned is sent to live with his father who almost immediately sends him to boarding school and Chuck is sent to live with her aunts, Vivien (Ellen Greene) and Lily ( Swoosie Kurtz).

Ned grows up a loner and remains a loner with his pie making business called the Pie Hole and Digby who he can never touch again. His waitress Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth) is secretly in love with him and doesn’t understand why he won’t touch her or show any affection. The truth is, Ned's just not interested in her at all and perhaps still in love with the little girl next door.

The only person who knows of Ned’s secret is a private investigator, Emerson (Chi McBride), who uses Ned in helping him solve murder cases to get the money rewards.

On a fateful day for Ned—but not so fateful for Chuck, Chuck is murdered. Ned brings her back to life, but to his dismay realizes she is his one true love and he would never be able to touch her—or kiss her again.

Chuck is witty and remains optimistic through her whole situation of being “undead.” Not once does she show any signs of being morbid. As a matter of fact, Chuck sees it as her second chance in life and decides to make the best of it. She even starts helping in the murder cases.

The cast of “Pushing Daisies” does a wonderful job of keeping viewers wanting for more. Every week, secrets from different character’s lives are revealed. Each character on the show is a little odd but charming nonetheless. They seem to be able to add a touch of humor into any situation. It’s not a surprise why it has been rated one of the best shows on ABC.

The show is engaging with clever dialogue. Pace is simply adorable and McBride does a great job at playing the sarcastic Emerson. Friel, an English actor, can only be described as absolutely endearing with a lot of spunk. She truly is a natural beauty.

“Pushing Daisies” isn’t like any show ABC has ever aired. With its exaggerated color palette in each scene, it’s almost magical and fairytale-like. It has most definitely captured the hearts of millions of Americans, and I must say that I am looking forward to Wednesdays.

The show can be seen on ABC at 8 p.m. and abc.com if you need to catch up.

Is Technology Taking Over?

Doesn’t it seem like there’s a new gadget out every month? There was the ipod, bluetooth, handheld laptops and, recently, the iphone. In today’s society, it is almost impossible to live without technology. Most of us can’t even imagine life without our cell phones. You almost start to think whether technology is taking over the world.

Unfortunately, technology is also hard to keep up with—especially for the older generation. My grandparents refuse to use a DVD player and getting a cell phone was a huge step. It took about a good six months for them to finally realize you don’t have to talk into the cell phone like a walkie-talkie for the person on the other end to hear you.

The majority of students today have laptops and most of us can’t remember when the internet didn’t exist. Many students can probably relate to the video “A Vision of Students Today” because it expresses how today’s students can be reached and how to connect with them.

It is agreeable that professors should get updated with technology. Understanding today’s technology would probably benefit professors in helping them get through to students and to understand them.

I often find myself a little more motivated to do an assignment that requires YouTube or anything dealing with the internet because I am familiar with it, making it easier to work with. It’s not confusing like a lot of textbooks are and makes me motivated to do the assignment because I can actually understand it.

Many have found that attending class is difficult when you’re also working 20 to 30 hours a week, which only pushes that online class back further. Learning how to prioritize time is the best thing to learn while being in college. Don’t try to do everything at once or you’ll just end up stressed and feeling older than your age.

If professors don’t keep up with advancing technology, their students may not learn anything in the future. You can see in classrooms today that many people have laptops with them. Some who claim to be “taking notes” are actually chatting, browsing myspace.com or playing games. A lot of professors are losing their students’ attention and focus. Sadly, students find ways to entertain themselves to pass the time in class.

However, letting go of a system that has worked for decades isn’t the answer to the problem. It is a system that has been responsive for many generations and continues to be. Now, it just has to be modernized to make class more interesting.

I’ve realized that classes held online are often the ones I don’t do well in. Online classes usually get taken advantage of by me because I procrastinate in them. The notes and assignments are online so it gets pushed back to the last thing on my to-do list.

Classes on campus work better because there is a professor there who is trying to interact with you. Students find lecture boring but I’ve found that I learn more and my mind actually picks up stuff that he is saying even if my ears aren’t really listening. The subconscious mind is an amazing thing. Being on campus is also a good college experience.

The students in the video do make good points. Technology is a big deal and professors need to understand that it’s a part of today’s students. However, I think that the focus is more on the problem than the solution.

Perhaps the solution is to integrate current technology with lecture. Most students buy books for hundreds of dollars and never see the inside of them. If reading assignments could be found online, students would probably respond more. A lot of students who buy books never see the inside of them, anyway.

Crush On Food!

Crush 29 was launched in June 2006 and features a round bar, two wine caves, murals of the Napa Valley and two fireplaces. Private rooms are also offered for your party.

With its contemporary gold and brown furniture, Crush 29 is an attractive restaurant. It is located in Roseville in a plaza full of other restaurants, yet it seems to outshine them. Perhaps it is because is the only place that offers free valet parking.

The menu is influenced by the Napa Valley with cuisines such as seafood, steaks, rotisserie, gourmet pizza, pasta and desserts.

Appetizers at Crush 29 include a variety of food under interesting names—for example, the “Lamb Lollipops.”

I believe the waiter said the “lamb lollipops” was popular but it was hard to hear what he was saying over the noise level. I ordered it anyway and, boy, were they tasty.

Five cubed marinated lamb tenderloins skewers around sweet potato puree with a hot mustard-pomegranate drizzle for $9.95. It’s perfect in portion because it satisfies hunger with its rich flavor but still leaves room for the entrée.

Aside from the lamb, we also tried the “Asian steak butter cups,” which consisted of thinly sliced seasoned beef topped with cucumbers, carrots and peanuts around a spicy chili glaze ($8.95) and the “roasted garlic bruschetta,” a tomato and basil chutney over slices of bread ($7.95). Both were fresh and fulfilling.

My taste buds were surprised by the “drunken brandy steak” ($15.95). It had just a hint of sweetness in it and was tender and juicy. According to the restaurant, the flank steak is marinated for two days.

The generous steak entrée came with a mushroom ragu, asparagus and mashed potatoes which only made the meal more gratifying.

Their executive chef, Irie Genglar, has been in the culinary arts for 15. He first started in Hawaii where he worked with Roy Yamagucci, a well-known chef. Genglar brought some Hawaiian dishes to Crush 29’s menu as well.

Prior to joining Crush 29, Genglar was executive chef for The Firehouse Restaurant in Old Sacramento for five years.

The restaurant specializes in wine—which the waiter neglected to tell us. However, they have a wide selection of wine with a glass costing at around $8 to $9. Free wine tasting is also offered while you wait for your table.

If you don’t like wine, there is a variety of martinis and other alcohol beverages to choose from. A favorite of mine is the “California apple,” which includes Crown Royal bourbon, sour apple pucker, white cranberry juice garnished with fresh green apple. Martinis are served over dry ice.

Beware of the gradually dimming lights—it may trick you into believing you’ve had too much too drink.

Although the dimmed lights are supposed to make the atmosphere romantic and intimate, it also makes reading the menu a bit difficult. Intimacy is a bit ruined by the clamor.

After eating twice at Crush 29, I’d have to say the customer service could be better. The hostesses are courteous but not friendly and the waiter was like a robot. His voice was monotone and his expression blank. When we asked him what dishes were good, he recited the menu almost word for word. We were hoping he’d tell us something we didn’t already know.

Although the service was a little disappointing, I recommend the food and martinis to everyone.

It’s a great place to hang out if you’re into the contemporary, loud scene. My friends think it’s great because they’re chatter boxes and feel more comfortable in an environment like Crush 29.

Crush 29 is open daily for lunch and dinner and is located on 1480 Eureka Rd. in Roseville. Their menu can be viewed at www.crush29.com.

Celebrate Thanksgiving. . .And The Day After!

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. I love the colors of autumn and the crisp fresh air that comes with Thanksgiving. I love a house full of family, the food, the smells and the mixed drinks. I love what family members start to say after a few of those mixed drinks. I love the tradition of going around the table with each person expressing what he or she is so thankful for. Sometimes I even get teary eyed.

I must admit, however, that the real reason Thanksgiving is so enjoyable is because I know the day after Thanksgiving is just mere hours away.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have two words for you: Black Friday.

If you work at a retail store on Black Friday, you probably groan at the mention of it. Waking up at around 5 a.m. after a full and hearty dinner to get the store ready for customers does put a downer on the event.

However, if you are a shopper and are thinking about buying that flat screen TV this weekend, stop. I was at Fry’s last weekend, shopping for my entertainment center when I came upon only the most gorgeous flat screen ever—50 inches, LCD and two HDMI. You can almost hear the angels singing “Hallelujah!” (I think I did in my head.)

To my chagrin, the TV was over my budget.

“Can I help you, miss?” asked the salesperson.

“Do you have anything like this that’s about $500 cheaper?” I asked hopefully.

He smiled. “We do, but it’s a 42 inch,” he said.

Then, he looked around quickly and said, “Wait for Black Friday.”

Black Friday has blow-out sales at just about any store you go to. The mall is the best. Last year Express, a clothing store in the mall, gave me a free purse when I purchased something there. Not to mention, all their clothes were ridiculously cheap that day.
According to RetailIndustry, “The origin of Black Friday comes from the shift to profitability during the holiday season.”

In retail charts, black once indicated profit while red indicated loss thus the name Black Friday.

The best time to do Christmas shopping is on Black Friday. This is usually known to be when most people start doing their Christmas shopping. Wal-Mart’s prices, which are already pretty affordable, get even lower. Wal-Mart has great gifts at incredible prices for just about anyone on your Christmas list. Start early in the day because Wal-Mart is known to have people who camp outside waiting for the doors to open.

Okay, so I have to be honest now. Black Friday isn’t as simple as it sounds. It’s not just about buy, buy, buy. Well, okay, it is. But, of course, it includes you being a smart shopper because there are thousands of others who want to buy, buy and buy as well. This is called competitive shopping.

Yes, “competitive shopping” is something I created, but it works remarkably well. You just have to know what you want and go get it. Don’t stop and chat. Don’t go look at other things and think what you want will still be there—especially if it’s a popular item. Just head straight for it and get it before anyone else does.

If you really want something, like that flat screen TV, head out before the sun is even up. You will definitely have a better chance of getting exactly what you want. Plus, you will be able to find a parking spot. You will be thankful afterwards.

I’m almost embarrassed to say that I’ve shopped enough to where I actually know where items will be in certain stores without having to look at the aisle numbers. As a matter of fact, if “shop-a-holic” was a real word, my name would probably be somewhere in its definition. So, beware of me.

I know that Black Friday is more than a month from now, but patience is a virtue and you’ll be rewarded by the cash you save.

Isn’t Thanksgiving just the most wonderful time of the year? Ask me again what I’m thankful for after Black Friday. . .