How to Avoid Taking Antidepressants for Depression

There are approximately 25 million Americans who are appointed by and taking antidepressants. Although these drugs can be effective and even life saving in some cases, there is much controversy over how they are intended, and if they are really needed in each case. "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders", or DSM, a manual for diagnosing mental institution and administration of these drugs for mental illness.
A recent study showed, however, that about 50% are included in the DSM disorders funded by various pharmaceutical interests. Americans spend more than $ 100 billion each year seek help from mental health services. Much of the controversy associated with the belief that mental disorders can result from the form of a chemical imbalance in the brain. This finding led to FDA approval of numerous drugs to "fix" imbalance. Unfortunately, no convincing scientific facts seem to confirm this belief.
There are no laboratory tests to assess the actual chemical imbalance, which is the basis of diagnosis. A good example is the diagnosis of "attention deficit disorder" or ADHD. In contrast, for example, an oncologist who will determine the diagnosis of cancer based on physical tests, psychiatrists can not do it. Rather, behavioral testing is done, the diagnosis and appropriate labeling. While there, of course, the actions in this approach and proved that it is extremely important in helping people with psychological problems, concerns over the use of these types of tests. Perhaps many of the people who are diagnosed with these various mental illnesses do not really have any of them.
Rather, they may pass through a phase or have unique problems in a particular time. These types of issues, if addressed properly can be resolved and people can move forward constructively in their lives. Unfortunately, the trend seems to be the prescribing of drugs to deal with behavioral problems. Again, in many cases, prescribe medication may be very valid and important, but it seems she is being overdone, summarizing many of the people as having a form of depression, and install them on a course of life of drug dependency.
Pharmaceutical Industry Involvement: the pharmaceutical industry is extremely important and provides an amazing variety of life enhancing medicine. However, there is also circumvent what has happened. Industry is involved in a large lobby in the government and has deep connections in reaching the media, medical journals and medical schools. According to the CDC, according to statistics, 10% of all Americans are now able to take prescribed anti-depressants.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants: SSRI drugs first came on the market in 1980. Many studies have shown that these drugs have been associated with aggressive behavior and even suicide. Some lesser-known side effects can include emotional detachment from reality.
Alternatives to Drugs SSRIs: Although in some cases it will be vital to stay on the drugs SSRI There are many people who can not use these drugs, looking for alternative methods of dealing with the emotional and mental problems. It should be noted, however, that you should never stop taking your SSRI medication on your own. You should always do it under medical supervision. If it can be very dangerous to try to stop on your own. You can start by looking at the problem not from the point of view of a chemical imbalance, but perhaps a change in behavior and buy Diazepam. If a person is depressed it should be a warning aside, something in your life that need to be addressed and constructive change. Here are some good strategies that can be used.
Spend more time outdoors: Most people spend very little time outdoors. Trends and media reports to avoid the sun as much as possible. If the correct use of sunscreen, you can safely spend time in the sun and must do so on a daily basis. It was shown that to be outdoors and to receive adequate sunlight can overcome even severe cases of depression. It actually works on hormone levels in the body. Getting fresh air and even walk barefoot on grass, dirt or sand can improve your mood and even your physical well-being. So try every day to get a little sunshine and fresh air. It was shown that most people who suffer from depression are spending very little time outdoors. Our modern day lifestyle has made us the people who live and work in the room. The human body and mind need to be experience the outdoors.
Physical Activity: Getting exercise on a regular basis can also help you avoid antidepressants. When you exercise, your brain releases serotonin naturally and it will raise your spirits. In fact, this increase in mood can last for 24 hours after being implemented. Simple exercises such as walking outdoors or on a treadmill for half an hour a day can make a huge difference in your mood and depression.
Healthy Foods to fight depression: Eating fresh whole foods and getting enough omega oils will lift your mood naturally. Many people are just depressed because they do not get enough to eat the body and brain needs to feel healthy. They tend to eat a diet high in processed foods, including lots of bread, canned goods and sugar.
Leading a meaningful life: Many times people get depressed because they feel that they have no meaning in their lives. They are saddened by the sense of frustration. They can sense in their hearts that there is more to life than what they live, but they do not know how to go about any positive change. You will be able to cope with this form of depression, having a good outlook on life. Everyone has a purpose in life, and you probably already do this, and does not even recognize. It is important to gain a deeper insight into their lives and see what they have meaning to you. Are you satisfied with your job? If not, a realistic game plan to what type of work will bring you happiness. Perhaps this includes education or formal training to enter a new field that will be used.
If you have any problems in the relationship, you should consider them in a healthy and constructive, as well. If you can work to resolve these questions, you begin to feel better about your life and depression will be significantly raised. This is not always an easy thing to do and take an antidepressant can make you feel happy and temporarily mask the true misery. Find your purpose and meaning, and you will find true happiness. Most psychiatric drugs can cause withdrawal reactions, sometimes including life-threatening emotional and physical problems of inference. In short, it is not only dangerous to start taking psychiatric drugs, it can also be dangerous to stop them. Exit from buy Diazepam generic should be done carefully under experienced clinical supervision.
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Secondhand Smoke Kills 600,000 People Annually

No one had dared to look at the effects of secondhand smoke on a global level but recently the World Health Organization (WHO) researched 192 countries to discover the gruesome details that over 600,000 people worldwide die from secondhand smoke.
More than 165,000 children under 5 die from secondhand smoke. The Scientists discovered that of these tragic and avoidable deaths, 40 percent were children and more than 30 percent of non-smoking men and women regularly breathe in secondhand smoke.
Scientists then estimated that passive smoking causes about 379,000 deaths from heart disease, 165,000 deaths from lower respiratory disease, 36,900 deaths from asthma and 21,400 deaths from lung cancer a year.
"This helps us understand the real toll of tobacco," said leader of the study Armando Peruga, a program manager at the World Health Organization's Tobacco-Free Initiative.
He said the approximately 603,000 deaths from secondhand smoking should be added to the 5.1 million deaths that smoking itself causes every year. "These (statistics) are sad data," the American Cancer Society's Tom Glynn says. Smoking is the world's leading cause of preventable death, according to the WHO.
Glynn also stated that there are "glimmers of hope" in the report. Smoking bans protect only 7% of the world's population, suggesting lawmakers could save many lives by passing smoking bans. he bans can have dramatic benefits, the report says. Heart attack rates drop 10% to 20% in the first year after the bans are enacted.
"I don't think it is likely we will see strong regulations reaching into homes," said Heather Wipfli of the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She believes that public smoking bans and education might persuade people to quit smoking at home.
Secondhand smoke is deadly and has more than 4,000 chemicals and at least 250 are known to be harmful and more than 50 of the toxic chemicals in secondhand tobacco smoke cause cancer. There is absolutely no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
Sadly even with this information, smoking will be a worldwide concern as over a half a million people will die because of others who make the choice to smoke.

Which Smoking Cessation Treatment Works Best?

Kicking the habit may soon become easier for the nation’s 45 million smokers. For the first time, researchers have identified patterns of genes that appear to influence how well individuals respond to specific smoking cessation treatments.
Scientists at Duke University Medical Center, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, University of Pennsylvania and Brown University scanned the entire human genome in a comprehensive search for genes that could determine treatment outcome. They identified several genetic variations that seem to indicate the likelihood of success or failure of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and bupropion (Zyban).
Their findings appear in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
"This takes us a big step forward in being able to tailor treatment to individual smokers to provide the therapies that are most likely to benefit them," explains Jed Rose, Ph.D., director of Duke’s Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research and one of the study’s authors. "In a few years, a simple blood test may provide physicians with enough information to recommend one treatment over another."
In previous studies, the researchers performed the first genome-wide scan of more than 520,000 genetic markers taken from blood samples of smokers entered in a quit-smoking trial. When they compared the genes of smokers who had successfully kicked the habit to those who failed to quit, they found clusters of positive results in gene variants present more frequently in the successful quitters. The current findings "confirmed that most of the genetic markers we previously identified remain significant predictors of who will have the most likelihood of success," says Rose.
George Uhl, MD, PhD, chief of the molecular neurobiology research branch at the National Institute on Drug Abuse and lead author of the study, says their work marks significant inroads in the study of smoking cessation. "It helps us understand why some people are able to quit smoking more easily than others."
The latest findings, he added, "provide potential clues to match individuals with treatments"
Both NRT and Zyban have proven effective at helping people abstain from smoking, but use different pharmacological mechanisms to achieve that abstinence.
In the current study, Dr Uhl’s laboratory analyzed the DNA of 550 smokers entered into quit-smoking studies in which they were randomly assigned to either placebo, NRT or bupropion. The studies took place at Duke, University of Pennsylvania or Brown University. They assessed quit-smoking success several weeks later and found 41 gene variants specific to smokers who successfully stopped smoking using NRT, and 26 bupropion-specific genes. "Everybody has some version of these genes, but different people have distinct variants," Rose said.
The researchers stress that the presence of these genetic variants alone is not enough to completely predict specific treatment success or failure. Rose also cautioned that not enough is known, yet, about what role the genes play. "It may be that each gene is adding its own influence. We still don’t know if each gene interacts with each other or if each gene is casting its vote and we’re simply counting up all the votes."
In their next phase of research, currently ongoing, the researchers are working on confirming these initial findings. In the near future, they plan to expand their studies to include varenicline (Chantix) and other smoking cessation treatments. "We also plan to look at genetic predictors of behavioral therapies to see who they will work best in," Rose said.

Double-Lung Transplant Patient To Carry Olympic Torch

When Kurt Penner received his double-lung transplant back in 2002, little did he know that he would be part of the Olympics. Now, at age 60, Penner will be carrying the Olympic torch in Woodstock, Ontario, on December 27 to highlight the need for organ and tissue donations.
Kurt Penner received his double-lung transplant through the Trillium Gift of Life Network within days of dying of emphysema. The decision to perform a double-lung transplant versus a single depends mainly on the type of lung disease an individual has. Patients who have lung disease that involves infection (e.g., cystic fibrosis) typically undergo a double-lung procedure. Individuals who have damaged but not infected lungs (e.g., emphysema) may have a single lung replaced, but double-lung surgeries are also performed. Patients who have pulmonary hypertension do better if they have a double-lung transplant.
This is not the first time Kurt Penner has been associated with the Olympics. He is a veteran of the World Transplant Games Federation, which was established more than 20 years ago to provide a platform for transplant athletes to demonstrate their physical success following transplant surgery and to raise awareness of the need for organ donation. On December 17, 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) accepted the World Transplant Games Federation as an IOC recognized organization.
On December 27, Kurt Penner will carry the Olympic torch for 300 meters through the streets of Woodstock, Ontario, with the hope that the public will consider registering as tissue and organ donors. Although Penner will be appealing for people to register with their local Service Ontario Health Card Services or other outreach centers, his appeal is really a universal one, as the need for donated organs knows no boundaries.
According to the Trillum Gift of Life Network, one organ and tissue donor can save up to eight lives and improve as many as 75 more. Organs and tissues suitable for donation include kidney, lung, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, corneas, middle ear, skin, heart valves, bone, veins, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, blood, platelets, and bone marrow.
Tens of thousands of people in the United States are awaiting organ transplants: as of December 15, 2009, there were 105,280 people on the waiting list, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and organdonor.gov. From January 1 to September 30, 2009, 21,423 transplants were performed, and there were 10,916 donors.
When double-lung transplant patient Kurt Penner passes through the streets of Woodstock, Ontario, he will be carrying more than the Olympic torch: he will hopefully be lighting up the minds and hearts of individuals and raising their awareness of the need for organ and tissue donors.

Menthol Cigarettes Should Be Banned, Says Group

Menthol cigarettes will not be banned by a newly introduced legislation, but health officials are urging that these tobacco products pose health risk and don’t deserve a special treatment.
A new bill on Menthol cigarettes, passed by House and Senate committees and pending for Congress approval, bans flavored cigarettes, such as strawberry, chocolate, fruit, candy and spice flavorings, but allows menthol ones. Several former government health officials – including former US health secretary Joseph Califano Jr., Tommy G. Thompson, Donna E. Shalala, Richard S. Schweicker, Dr. Otis R. Bowen, F. David Matthews – urge lawmakers to restrict menthol cigarette production as well.
This new legislation would allow FDA to regulate tobacco industry: to approve tobacco ingredients, to allow introduction or advertisements of tobacco products. However, the bill doesn’t allow the agency to ban cigarettes entirely. At this point, menthol cigarettes will be banned only if FDA confirms that these cigarettes pose health risk.
One out of 5 deaths in US is caused by tobacco, and health officials are looking for ways of how to ban smoking. Menthol cigarettes currently take more than the quarter of entire market and 80% blacks, teenagers and new smokers smoke these cigarettes. This is why the law is being considered as clear discrimination towards blacks by Joseph Califano Jr. It is also considered as a low protecting tobacco company interests.
Menthol cigarettes give cool taste to mouth and don’t allow to feel the real taste of tobacco. This is why the most of new smokers and teen smokers prefer these cigarettes. However, there are serious health risks.
The most popular menthol cigarette in US is Lorillard’s Newport. The next top selling brand is Philip Morris’s Marlboro Menthol. Philip Morris completely agrees with the new bill, although most of other tobacco companies don’t. Health officials also oppose the legislation, saying that it will not be able to ensure that tobacco products may become safer. However, the bill still doesn’t ban menthol cigarettes, saying that later FDA will be able to prove it poses health risk and only then ban it.

American Red Cross Among the Many Providing Assistance in Haiti

Across the world, millions of dollars are being raised to help the people of Haiti receive much needed medical attention and supplies since the earthquake destroyed the capital city five days ago.
Yesterday, the American Red Cross arrived in Port-au-Prince to provide water and first aid to the Haitian people. Steve McAndrew, disaster relief specialist with the American Red Cross said, “America’s support – donations made in the United States – is reaching the hands of survivors in Haiti.” The agency is also helping transport people to health facilities for further care and help survivors find lost loved ones.
As part of their relief effort, 50-bed field hospitals and water purification equipment were delivered on January 16th. Additional equipment, medical supplies, and materials are expected in Port-au-Prince today.
CBS News helped the agency deliver blood into Port-au-Prince yesterday as well. The red Cross has an agreement with the United Nations Mission Hospital in Haiti to send 13 units of blood every three weeks. The hospital needed additional blood because of the medical emergencies, and because of difficulties with air travel into the country, CBS New arranged for the shipment to be delivered into Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The news crew then chartered another plane carrying the blood and delivered it to waiting United Nations personnel upon arrival. The Red Cross also delivered more than 100 units of blood to evacuees and patients at Guantanamo Bay.
UNICEF is another agency providing assistance in Haiti. They will focus on clean water and sanitation, therapeutic food for infants and small children, medical supplies and temporary shelter.
President Obama and Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush have also announced US government efforts for long-term assistance in Haiti. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health is sending specialists to Haiti to help with medical needs. They are expected to arrive Wednesday, January 20. To date, USAID has provided nearly $55 million to Haiti for assistance after the devastating earthquake.
Healthcare agencies and corporations across the country are providing financial assistance to relief efforts as well. HCA has committed $1 million dollars to go to the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders. Kaiser Permanente will donate $500,000, to be divided among four groups: Doctors Without Borders, Relief International, Operation USA and MedShare International. Vitamin Angels, a nonprofit organization, will work with Hope for Haiti to deliver 1 million children’s vitamin supplements to be used over the long-term recovery process.
Nearly 7,500 registered nurses have signed up through National Nurses United to volunteer for disaster relief, the largest volunteer registration in US history. Stanford Hospitals and Clinics has sent a seven-person team of physicians and nurses to Haiti to assist with medical needs. They have delivered $18,000 worth of supplies such as antibiotics, splints, thermometers and pain medication.
Celebrities and sports figures are contributing as well. Among them, Lady Gaga made an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show this past Friday announcing a donation from the proceeds from a future concert and George Clooney is coordinating a telethon for raising money for Haitian relief efforts.
The National Football League and NFL Players Association are donating $500,000 to the American Red Cross through the NFL-NFLPA Disaster Relief Fund established in 2001. Pregame and in-game messages during the weekend’s playoff games will also promote donations valued at $1.5 million. In addition, NFL owners and players are making their own donations. Former NBA Player Alonzo Mourning has formed “Athlete Relief Fund for Haiti”, which will join with 4 Survival To Go, an emergency preparedness company who is donating 20% of online sales to raise money through Project MediShare, a non-profit organization set up in 1995 to assist with improving health and well-being of the Haitian people.
For information on how to assist any of these agencies in their relief efforts, please visit the following websites:
American Red Cross www.redcross.org
UNICEF www.unicefusa.org/haitiquake
Stanford Hospitals, email ewillia2@stanford.edu
National Nurses United www.nationalnursesunited.org
Vitamin Angels www.vitaminangels.org
The Red Cross is also receiving money through a third party mobile fundraising effort sponsored by Mobile Accord. Text “Haiti” to 90999 to send a ten dollar donation to the American Red Cross.