Simply Health PhD

    Hedonic adaptation is defined as people’s general tendency to return to a set level of happiness despite life’s ups and downs. We set goals to aspire to, and believe that when we get there we will finally be truly happy. Until then we put up with the daily grind, telling ourselves it will be better when we reach the goal, whether that is fitting in to them old jeans or reaching that 'perfect' weight. However, the truth is if you are not truly happy as you are in whatever circumstance it is that you are in, it is unlikely you will be truly happy despite the goals you achieve. As humans, we are very good at adaptation. The theory of hedonic adaptation is that no matter what the circumstance you find yourself, that is positive or negative, you will eventually adapt back you your set point of happiness. So, if like many people I have come across in the gym, you are telling yourself that you can start living the happy healthy lifestyle you desire once your body is...

With the rise of fitness trackers and calorie / macro conscious media, more of us are becoming increasingly conscious of the nutritional values of the food we are consuming. As someone who has a history of eating disorders, I know all too well how time consuming and anxiety provoking it can be trying to calculate all these supposedly important numbers. But, do we really need to be so concerned about the specifics of what we are putting in to our bodies, or is it just another way to control and confuse those trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle? Lets go back to the basics, what are macros and what exactly is a calorie? Macros are macronutrients that the body needs most of, these are Protein, Carbs and Fats. A c alorie is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1 degree Celsius. How does your body use these nutrients? CARBOHYDRATE     = 4 Kcal per gram Used as energy by the body (except insoluble fibre) 20% used by the brai...

Image source http://i.huffpost.com/gen/3019558/images/o-PSYCHIATRIST-COUCH-facebook.jpg The diagnostic process in mental health is key to understanding a person’s signs and symptoms , allowing the clinician to diagnose the patient with a syndrome. Th is is important as it allows clinicians to prescribe appropriate treatment along with better quality of care for recover y .     The recognition and diagnosis of mental health disorders go as far back as Greek medicine, where Hippocrates developed the humoral theory around 400 BC. Hippocrates believed that four different substances were responsible for the range of hum an emotions and behaviours. S ubsequently an imbalance of these substances or humours resulted in poor mental health such as melancholy, hysteria and phobia. The diagnosis of mental illness then revolved around identifying the humoral disparity and prescribing correct treatment to re-balance the humours (Martins-Mourao, 2013 ...