Health Expert Jerry Kennard shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/4182/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/4182/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/4182/index http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/153288/recognizing Fri, 25 May 2012 10:19:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard In my last Sharepost, Why Depressed Men Won’t Ask for Help, I made the point that gender roles have a huge bearing on the way depression is acknowledged, experienced and expressed by adult males. Of course the gender development process starts from a very young age, in many cases from the time babies are dressed in blue or pink. From then on, the way children are spoken to and played with and the expectations that follow will shape their... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/153288/recognizing http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/153159/depressed-men Mon, 21 May 2012 05:59:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard How many times have you heard, “I don’t want to talk about it”? It’s a typical male response and one that fits very neatly into the male strong-and-silent stereotype. A feature of masculinity is that it equates to mastery over the emotions. Most men will tell you that listening to another man openly express their emotions is an uncomfortable experience. It’s easier if they can talk in a controlled and measured... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/153159/depressed-men http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/153044/america-noteworthy Thu, 17 May 2012 09:14:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard Since 2007, the American Psychological Association (APA) has conducted nationwide surveys relating to stress. In this Sharepost, focusing on the findings made between August-September 2011, I’m pinpointing just a few of the noteworthy findings amongst increasing concerns over the relationship between stress and chronic diseases.   Caregivers: The National Alliance for Caregiving estimate that nearly 66 million Americans served as... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/153044/america-noteworthy http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/153041/anxieties-leading Thu, 17 May 2012 05:28:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard More and more stressed workers are turning up to work when they should really be at home recovering. Since the start of the global economic turndown there has been a fall in the number of working days lost due to sickness. In cases where people do take a day or more off sick, the number of cases due to stress has also fallen. So has work suddenly become less stressful or are other factors in play?   Going to work while ill is called... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/153041/anxieties-leading http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/152957/testosterone Mon, 14 May 2012 14:27:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard The male hormone testosterone is frequently associated with aggression and, well, manliness. But testosterone has a wider role to play with moods and one that could well be implicated in depression.   It has been known for some time that depleted levels of testosterone is associated with a number of conditions. In a fairly recent study, featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry, men aged 70 and over with the lowest levels of... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/152957/testosterone http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/152841/cardiomyopathy Thu, 10 May 2012 06:16:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard The Japanese call it Takotsubo's cardiomyopathy. It's the period following a sudden emotional shock when the resulting surge of stress hormones causes structural changes to the heart. For a period of time the heart itself changes shape and resembles the old "tako tsubo" or pot-shaped Japanese lobster trap.   More commonly known as stress cardiomyopathy, or broken-heart syndrome, this is a temporary heart condition that tends to mainly... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/152841/cardiomyopathy http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/152805/point-worrying Wed, 09 May 2012 04:17:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard We've all heard it and we've all said it - "there's no point in worrying." Okay, the sentiment is well meaning but how accurate is it? In this Sharepost I'm exploring the pros and cons of worrying.   We often describe our less appealing emotions as ‘negative'. Grief, depression, anxiety and worry all fall into this category, but it doesn't mean they are without purpose. In a previous Sharepost I asked the question, did depression... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/152805/point-worrying http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/152729/men-depression Mon, 07 May 2012 06:55:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard My original thought for this Sharepost was to focus on the experience of male depression. Then I realized it might first make sense to illuminate some of the differences between men and women. In saying this, I may well touch a nerve in those who maintain a position that depression is depression and the fact that you're a man or a woman makes no difference. My own position is that there are some similarities and causes, but there are also... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/152729/men-depression http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/152624/tendencies Thu, 03 May 2012 05:40:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard Why did they do it? Even if the person leaves a note explaining their reason for suicide the questions and the anguish linger. Do people really want to die, or have they just had enough of living? Many of those who recover from attempted suicide will say they had no pressing urgency to die, they simply couldn't see the point in going on. Many will recover but some will try again. How might we explain suicidal tendencies?   Statistics from... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/152624/tendencies http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/152593/support-sufferer Wed, 02 May 2012 10:19:00 -0400 Jerry Kennard People who are prone to panic often find they are able to function more easily if a trusted person is with them. Left to their own devices a panic sufferer, who quite possibly experiences agoraphobia too, may be reluctant to leave the security of their home. Those with less severe symptoms may be able to get around very familiar routes, but have great concerns about venturing further unless accompanied by someone they trust.   In many ways... http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/4182/152593/support-sufferer