DR MAX PEMBERTON: Do you suffer from summer sickness?

Summer has finally arrived, and forgive me if I don’t celebrate, as most of the country joyfully raises their hands and rushes to the nearest sun lounger. I really hate summer. Warm, sweaty, shiny. uh. I hate this time of year.

Give me a cloudy day, maybe a light drizzle or a cool breeze, and I’m in the clover. I truly marvel at how people can enjoy the summer sun this way.

I watch them flee, squinting in the scorching heat, sweaty and red, wondering what they are enjoying. Everything is very disturbing.

It’s finally bedtime, and you just stand there tossing and tossing the blankets stuffy and stuffy, flipping the pillow nonstop for a cold spot. Then you wake up – exhausted – and have to relive the whole thing. terrible!

All my friends know I’m a Scrooge in the summer, so much so that when they organize a barbecue they always make sure there is a shady spot for me that they know I won’t leave. This is a constant joke.

This fear of heat must run in families because my mother is the same. Go home on a sunny summer day and she will always sit inside with the curtains drawn, complaining about the hellish weather.

And while I wouldn’t say it makes me depressed, it certainly doesn’t fill me with joy.

But for some people, the fear of summer takes on a whole new dimension. In sunny weather their moods get so bad that they become clinically depressed. This is called “reverse SAD” or “summer SAD” – the opposite of Seasonal Affective Disorder, in which a lack of sunlight during the winter months causes a depressive illness.

While winter SAD patients often feel sluggish, tired, and report gaining weight, summer SAD symptoms are the opposite. People complain of insomnia, loss of appetite, and feelings of excitement or anxiety.

It is thought to be coupled with the fact that many are positive about the warmer months, meaning those negatively affected can feel isolated and exacerbate their gloomy moods.

While it’s clear to some that there is a specific trigger of “summer SAD” – for example, they burn easily or have sensitive skin or hay fever, so the summer months are clearly more discomfort than pleasure – for others it is. There may be more complex neurobiological causes.

Dr. Max in the picture said that some people suffer from summer SAD which in turn causes them to suffer from depression, anxiety and loss of appetite as well as insomnia.

In winter SAD, a lack of light is thought to interfere with melatonin production—an important hormone we appreciate in the brain that plays a role in regulating not only sleep but also mood.

Interestingly, however, in countries closer to the equator like India, summer SAD is more common than winter SAD. This has led some scientists to wonder if this mood change during the summer is also due to changes in light levels: Too much light disrupts optimal melatonin levels just as much, just as not enough.

Too much light in the summer can cause the brain to not produce enough melatonin, leading to insomnia. If not being able to sleep is not enough to make you feel depressed, the role of melatonin in regulating mood likely plays a role as well. There is still no clear cure for this. While winter SAD is usually treated with a special light box to alter melatonin production, the same doesn’t work for summer SAD, where too much light is a problem.

Maybe it’s not so crazy to sit in a cool room with the curtains closed like my mom? While everyone seems to be raving about the summer sun, research has suggested that 10% of the population suffers from summer SAD.

So if you’re afraid of sunny summers like me, console yourself by thinking you’re not alone.

And remember: Fortunately, we live in a rainy country that is soon cloudy and drizzle again. Happiness!

Kate is right: focus on each child

Max said the happy Duchess of Cambridge met with the health minister, Sajid Javid, to demand that the mental health of the children be given priority.

After years of “listening and learning” about early childhood development, the Duchess of Cambridge met with Health Minister Sajid Javid to call for children’s mental health to be a priority.

I’m so glad she’s wearing this cape. Research has shown time and time again that the first years can make a difference in what happens into adulthood. Although we think of addiction, homelessness, and mental illness as problems that affect adults, they often have their roots in childhood.

By focusing on this period of a person’s life, his idea is that we can prevent problems before they even start.

It has been suggested that smoking in beer gardens and beaches should try to “obsolete” this habit. It’s been labeled “crack” by critics, and I generally agree. While previous bans have made smoking less socially acceptable, we must recognize that people are free to make mindless choices.

Cases like David Hunter’s are heartbreaking, Max says, and that if his partner had suffered and suffered, he would have done the same.

British David Hunter, who is serving a life sentence in Cyprus for the death of his terminally ill wife, 75, has been described by his daughter as a “good and kind” and devoted husband.

The family said the woman was in “terrible” pain and repeatedly asked her husband to take her own life. Such cases are heartbreaking.

While suicide is legal, is it right for those who cannot do it on their own because of a disability or disability, knowing that they are at risk of being persecuted, to pray to their relatives to do so?

Isn’t that where the drugs should come in? Over the years I have changed my perspective on assisted suicide: there is always a risk of being abused or abused. On the other hand, I can’t stand the idea of ​​people suffering and asking older partners for help. This doesn’t look right. In front of my wife, in pain and suffering, asking me to end their lives, I know what to do.

DR MAX RECIPE: YOGURT GUT-HAPPY

Max says Coconut Collab yogurts contain friendly bacteria and prebiotic fiber for good gut health

Coconut Collab is a small British company that produces delicious plant-based yogurts rich in live cultures. They use ethically sourced coconut and contain only natural fruit sugars. In addition to friendly bacteria, it contains prebiotic fiber and is a great way to promote better gut health.