Magnesium deficiency was first documented by Hirschfelder and Haury (1934) in a report entitled Clinical Manifestations of High and Low Plasma Magnesium. Since the publishing of this report in the 1930s, our understanding of magnesium deficiencies has advanced significantly. We now know that hypomagnesemia (serum magnesium below 1.7 mg/dL) is not always indicative of an …
Trichotillomania is psychiatrically classified as subtype of obsessive compulsive disorder characterized chiefly by the urge to pull out one’s own hair. The condition, also known as “hair pulling disorder,” affects upwards of 2.5 million individuals in the United States at some point during their lives. Onset of trichotillomania occurs most frequently between 9 and 13 …
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is regarded as a subtype of impulse control disorder characterized by impulsive, uncontrollable explosive outbursts of anger, aggression, and/or rage – sometimes accompanied by violence. To be considered intermittent explosive disorder, the explosive outbursts of anger must be triggered in situations and/or conditions in which such anger is unjustified. In other …
Impulse control disorder (ICD) is an overarching classificatory label given to psychiatric disorders characterized by inability to resist impulses (or urges) that yield deleterious implications. Examples of impulse control disorders include: compulsive gambling, incessant sexual encounters, and binge shopping. If unrecognized and/or unaddressed for an extended duration, an impulse control disorder may ruin a person’s: …
Feline hyperthyroidism is characterized by overproduction of T4 (thyroxine) and T3 (triiodothyronine) hormones via the thyroid glands in cats. As a result of excessive T4 and T3 hormone secretion, concentrations of T4 and T3 reach supraphysiological concentrations within the body of the cat. At supraphysiological concentrations, these hormones elicit deleterious effects upon normative physiological processes, …
Synthroid (Levothyroxine) is a synthetic form of T4 (thyroxine), a hormone secreted by the follicular cells of the thyroid gland. Individuals with insufficient levels of thyroxine (T4) exhibit symptoms of hypothyroidism such as: depression, lethargy, malaise, and sleepiness. Regular administration of synthroid (levothyroxine) is thought to reverse symptoms of hypothyroidism and normalize all neurophysiological processes …
If you experience depression solely in the winter months, you may have a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also referred to in layman’s terms as “seasonal depression.” Throughout human evolution, it was speculated that mood changes occurred during inclement conditions such as winter months due to the fact that in these conditions, it …