Dr. Fredricks' Natural Mental Health News

Political Fasting in 2011

2012-01-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

In contemporary society, hunger striking is more widespread than ever before. Virtually every day in the news, there are a number of individuals or organizations that are undertaking a hunger strike in the quest for political or social justice.

Using 2011 as an example, there were frequently hunger strikes throughout the year, with some groups engaging in multiple fasts. For example, in late September 2011, prisoners in jails across Israel launched a hunger strike to protest harsh prison conditions, in particular the practice of extended solitary confinement (Ma’an News, 2011).

In 2011, inmates throughout California prisons went on hunger strikes twice during the year, both times in protest of solitary confinement conditions. In October, nearly 12,000 California inmates claimed to be on a hunger strike, asking for the abolition of long-term solitary confinement and gang profiling (Lavender, 2011).

In November, 2011, over 1,000 inmates in India’s West Bengal prison went on a collective hunger strike, demanding speedier trials after some of them had spent as long as five years awaiting trial (Bhattasali, 2011).

In a political context, fasting for change has been a powerful tool used by a wide variety of populations. In November 2011, the All Government Teachers’ Association (AGTA) in Pakistan went on a hunger strike after their contract negotiations stalled over issues such as restructuring teachers’ time scale and compensation (Daily Times, 2011).

In November, 2011, a Romanian mayor went on a hunger strike to protest against cuts in heating subsidies imposed under a government austerity drive (Patran, 2011). The mayor, Florin Cazacu, said 10,000 residents in his central Romanian town of Brad were without heat because the town lacked over three million new lei (about $925,200) to buy fuel oil for the winter season.

Hunger striking has also been used by journalists to protest violations of freedom of speech. In October 2011, Venezuelan newspaper editor Leocenis Garcia was jailed after being accused of insulting public officials and instigating hatred after making negative comments about President Hugo Chavez (Toothaker, 2011). He went on a two week hunger strike demanding the charges be dropped.

In August, 2011, activist Anna Hazare held a 12-day hunger strike in Ramlila Maidan, Delhi to protest political corruption and pressure the Indian government to pass a proposed anti-corruption law. (BBC Mobile, 2011). In support of Hazare’s strike, tens of thousands of people attended protests across India.

In February, 2011, 34-year-old Swami Nigamanand went on a fast unto death to protest against illegal mining on the bank of the Ganga in Haridwar (NDTV, 2011). Nigamanand was declared dead the following June 13, after being on a hunger strike for 115 days.

Dick Gregory, a comedian and civil rights activist, has undergone several hunger strikes as part of his activism. In 1979, Gregory spoke out against the U.S. Embassy Hostage Crisis in Iran. A year later, he traveled to Tehran to attempt to negotiate the hostages' release and engaged in a public hunger strike there, weighing less than 100 pounds when he returned to the U.S. (World News, 2011). In October, 2010, Gregory began what he said would be a year-long hunger strike to protest against the death penalty. His dissent focused on the recent execution of Troy Davis, convicted for the 1989 killing of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail—a crime which Davis had always maintained he did not commit (Goodman, 2011).

Hunger Hormore May Explain Why We Favor Fattening Foods

2011-10-13T04:01:00.000-07:00

Researchers are now one step closer to understanding why some stressed people indulge in chocolate, mashed potatoes, ice cream and other high-calorie, high-fat comfort foods. A UT Southwestern Medical Center study with mice found that that ghrelin - the so-called "hunger hormone" - is involved in triggering a reaction to high stress situations.

According to the researchers, this helps explain certain complex eating behaviors and may be one of the mechanisms by which obesity develops in people exposed to psychosocial stress. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, are not just abstract and relevant only to mice, but likely are also relevant to humans.

Scientists know that fasting causes ghrelin to be released from the gastrointestinal tract, and that the hormone then plays a role in sending hunger signals to the brain. Previous research has shown that chronic stress also causes elevated ghrelin levels, and that behaviors associated with depression and anxiety are minimized when ghrelin levels rise. In mice, these stress-induced rises in ghrelin lead to overeating and increased body weight, suggesting a mechanism for the increase in weight-related issues observed in humans with chronic stress and depression.

For this investigation, the researchers developed a mouse model to determine which hormones and what parts of the brain may play a role in controlling more complex eating behaviors that occur upon stress, particularly those that lead to the indulgence of comfort foods.

They subjected mice to a standard laboratory technique that induces social stress by exposure to more dominant bully mice. Such animals have been shown to be good models for studying depression and the effects of chronic stress and depression in humans.

Wild-type mice subjected to the stress gravitated toward a chamber where they had been trained to find pleasurable, fatty food - the mouse equivalent of comfort food. However, genetically engineered mice, which were not able to respond to stress-induced increases in ghrelin, showed no preference toward the fatty food-paired chamber, and when exposed to the fatty food, did not eat as much as the wild-type animals.

The findings show that ghrelin signaling is crucial to this particular behavior and that the increase in ghrelin which occurs as a result of chronic stress is probably behind these food-reward behaviors.

The study also showed that these effects of ghrelin are due to direct interaction with a subset of neurons that use catecholamines as a neurotransmitter. These include dopaminergic neurons in the brain’s ventral tegmental area, which is known to be associated with pleasure and reward behaviors.

Your Antidepressant May Not Be Working Due to OTC Meds

2011-05-30T07:43:00.001-07:00

Scientists at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research at The Rockefeller University in New York City have made a significant discovery in the treatment of patients with depression. They found that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, actually reduce the effectiveness of the most widely used class of antidepressants, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. Some of the most popular SSRIs include name brands such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft.

The findings that the use of anti-inflammatory may decrease the effectiveness of many antidepressant medications, by Dr. Paul Greengard and his team are very significant, because chronic pain is often a secondary characteristic of many depressive disorders, and the use of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs is quite high.

This unexpected discovery came about as a result of research by the scientific team at the Fisher Foundation, led by Dr. Greengard and Dr. Jennifer Warner-Schmidt, into the link between Alzheimer’s disease and depression. It is very exciting to me that Dr. Greengard and his team are really beginning to gain an understanding of some of the biology behind this devastating disease.

We know that depression is often found in patients with Alzheimer’s, but the implications of this discovery reach far beyond the 5.4 million Americans living with the disease. Clinical depression is one of the most commonly treated medical conditions, affecting nearly 19 million Americans adults - which is about 10 percent of the population. But some experts argue that number should probably be higher, since depressive disorders often go undiagnosed or untreated.

Over the last decade, antidepressants have become the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States, and are prescribed more than drugs to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, or headaches, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And of all the antidepressants out there, SSRIs remain the most popular because of their reputation as being safe, effective and less likely to cause unwanted side effects.

SSRIs ease the symptoms of depression by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain, which helps brain cells send and receive chemical messages and boosts your mood. These drugs help to correct chemical imbalances that are common in depression patients, but according to Dr. Greengard’s team of scientists, that might be exactly why they become ineffective when taken with popular over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications.

Many patients have to switch antidepressants for lack of effectiveness at some point during their treatment. This finding highlights one possible mechanism for medication failure, and will help doctors counsel patients better when it comes to considering secondary side effects of SSRIs.

Animal-Assisted Therapy

2011-04-04T08:46:00.001-07:00

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. AAT can be provided on an individual or group basis. During AAT, therapists document records and evaluate the participant's progress.

Many kinds of animals are used in therapy, including dogs, cats, elephants, birds, dolphins, rabbits, lizards, llamas, and other small animals. Such animals are often referred to as comfort animals. AAT with horses is known specifically as equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), equine-assisted creative living (EACL), equine-assisted personal development (EAPD) or hippotherapy.

Animal-assisted therapy is associated with improving outcomes in autism spectrum symptoms, medical difficulties, behavioral problems, and emotional well-being.Some of the mental health benefits include:

* Increase verbal interactions among group members.
* Increase attention skills (i.e., paying attention, staying on task).
* Develop leisure/recreation skills.
* Increase self-esteem.
* Reduce anxiety.
* Reduce loneliness.
* Learn to trust.

Animal-Assisted Therapy in Practice

Using animals in the therapy process adds another dimension to what can be done during a therapy session. Animals, particularly dogs and horses, heighten motivation and relaxation and are a great reinforcer. Dogs are an excellent example of the value that an animal adds to therapy.

The benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy lie in its goal-oriented approach, which aims at improvement of a specific individual in social skills, verbal skills, range of motion, attention span, etc. by using animals or pets. AAT is always supervised by a healthcare professional, who decides all the specifics of the therapy, including duration of each visit.

Cinematherapy

2011-03-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

Cinema therapy is often called "film therapy" or "movie therapy." It's a process where a therapist prescribes movies to help their patient explore their psyches. Although few therapists actually center their practices around cinema therapy, movies have long been a tool to help those in therapy achieve their goals. Books with such titles as Rent Two Films and Let's Talk in the Morning and Hollywood Endings And How To Get One can be found in the self-help section of your local bookstore.

There are many types and definitions of cinema therapy, just as there are many different applications. For example, the Chicago Institute for the Moving Image (CIMI) helps people seeking therapy for depression or other serious psychiatric illnesses, including schizophrenia or amnesia, to write, produce, and direct their own movies.

Part of the focus of this site is to review movies for their therapeutic value. Another key point of this site is to explore other practical aspects of using movies as therapy. For example, prescribing movies for yourself just as you would practice self-hypnosis or meditation.

For more information, visit my website: http://www.cinematherapyreview.com

Animal-Assisted Therapy

2011-03-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

Animal companionship has been a source of comfort and relief from suffering throughout history. For over 40 years, pet therapy has been a subject of study for nursing and other health care disciplines concerned with emotional well-being and quality of life. There’s numerous organizations and types of pet therapy, such as animal-assisted activities, animal-assisted therapy, animals in human therapy, canine visitation therapy, companion animal therapy, pet-assisted therapy, and pet-facilitated therapy.

Depression

Research has shown that contact with pets can provide psychological support in terms of emotional connection, stress reduction, reduced feelings of loneliness, and attenuation of depression.

In a study at UCLA School of Public Health, relationships with pets reduced the incidence of depression in men with AIDS. After surveying more than 1,800 gay men with AIDS, the investigators found that the men who had close attachments with pet companions were significantly less likely to suffer from depression than men who did not have a pet.

Pet ownership has been shown to enhance well-being among all populations, including children, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

Schizophrenia

Research has shown that contact with cats and dogs may offer a low cost, yet helpful type of therapy for people with schizophrenia. Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to encourage mobility, interpersonal contact, and communication and reinforced activities of daily living, including personal hygiene and independent self-care.

A calm and friendly dog (not a puppy that requires a lot of attention) could provide good companionship for people who have schizophrenia and don't socialize much.

Stress Management

For those who love animals, it’s virtually impossible to stay in a bad mood when a cat or dog climbs onto your lap. While human friends provide great social support and have some fabulous benefits, pets also have unique health enhancing properties. Research shows that pets can provide excellent social support, stress relief and other health benefits.

In one study, a, groups of hypertensive New York stockbrokers who got dogs or cats had lower blood pressure and heart rates than those who didn’t get pets. When the control group heard the results, most of those in the non-pet group went out and adopted pets.

While we all know the comfort of talking about your problems with someone who’s a good listener, research shows that spending time with a pet can be just as comforting. A study of 240 married couples reported that participants experienced significantly less stress when their pet was present than when a supportive friend or spouse was present.

People who have pets experience unconditional love. However, owning a pet isn’t for everyone. Pets come with additional work and responsibility, which can add stress. Dogs, for example, need training and it can be disconcerting when they shred your favorite hat. However, for many people, the benefits of having a pet far outweigh the drawbacks.

Alzheimer's Disease

Clinical studies suggest that the presence of a companion animal can help those with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) by increasing social behaviors such as smiling, laughing, touching, verbalization, and name-calling. Moreover, increased positive socialization has been seen in AD patients when a dog was present.

Companion animals have the potential to bring comfort in the lives of persons who experience the devastating impact of AD. Research conducted using companion animals with AD patients demonstrated that the presence of a companion animal increased socialization and decreased agitation behaviors.

Animals can help with loneliness as well. Lonely individuals may be twice as likely to develop the type of dementia linked to Alzheimer’s disease in late life as those who are not lonely, according to a study by researchers at the Chicago’s Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Humans are very social creatures and need healthy interactions with others to maintain health. The results o: f this study suggests that people who are persistently lonely may be more vulnerable to the deleterious effects of age-related neuropathology.

For more information, visit my website: http://www.animal-assistedtherapy.net

Do You Need Psych Meds?

2010-10-30T20:06:00.001-07:00

According to the demographics in research, anyone can develop a mental illness. Although some disorders are mild, others are serious and long-lasting. Fortunately, many of these conditions can be helped with a variety of interventions. The primary treatment methods for psychiatric disorders are psychotherapy, psychotherapeutic medications, and other complementary and alternative therapies.

One of the biggest challenges that someone can face is whether to take medications. There are four large categories of psychotherapeutic medications based on the symptoms for which they are primarily used: antipsychotic, antimanic, antidepressant, and antianxiety medications. In addition, stimulants are used for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Compared to other types of treatment, psychotherapeutic medications are relative newcomers in the fight against mental illness. This is even true as compared to complementary and alternative treatments as many of them have been around for thousands of years. The first psychotherapeutic medication, chlorpromazine, was introduced 41 years ago. These medications have made substantial changes in the treatment of mental disorders. People who previously would have spent years in mental hospitals may now only go in for brief treatment, or might receive treatment at an outpatient clinic.

In some instances, psychotherapeutic medications can make other kinds of treatment more effective. For example, someone who is too psychotic to talk, for instance, cannot get any benefit from psychotherapy. In these types of situations, the appropriate medication may improve symptoms enough so that the person can participate in therapy.

Symptom Relief, Not A Cure

One of the problems with psychotherapeutic medications is that they tend to mask the problem by only reducing the symptoms. In othert words, they don't actually get rid of the problem. These is even true of other the counter medications. For example, aspirin can reduce a fever without clearing up an infection that is causing it. Similarly, psychotherapeutic medications act by controlling symptoms. Like most drugs used in medicine, they correct or compensate for a biological malfunction and do not actually cure the illness.

Although psychotherapeutic medications do not cure mental illness, but can lessen discomfort and behaviors. In many cases, these medications can help a person get on with life despite side effects, continuing mental pain, and difficulty coping. For example, antipsychotic drugs like chlorpromazine can eliminate auditory hallucinations experiences in schizophrenia.

The length of time someone must take a psychotherapeutic medication depends on the disorder. Many people schizophrenia may have to be take indefinitely. Other people with less severe problems, such as mild anxiety, may need medication for a single period perhaps for several months and then never have to take it again.

Problems with Reliability and Effectiveness

Like many substances, psychotherapeutic medications do not produce the same effect in everyone. Some people may respond better to one medication than another while others may need larger dosages than others. One person might experience annoying even life-threatening side effects while another does not. Everything affects a person's reaction to a particular drug, including age, sex, body size, genetics, and diet.

Recently, the effectiveness of the most popular group pf psychotherapeutic medications has come into serious question. A large number of studies have shown that antidepressant medications do not work any better than sugar pills for depression, even the severest forms. This is not to say that antidepressants don't work; the studies showed that while antidepressants do work to reduce the symptoms of depression, sugar pills work just as well, and without the side effects.

Questions for Your Psychiatrist

If you're experiencing mental illness and thinking about taking medication, it's important to see a psychiatrist as opposed to a general doctor. This is because a psychiatrist receives exponentially more education and experience with psychotherapeutic medication than does a general physician. To increase the likelihood that a medication will work well, a patient needs to actively participate with the psychiatrist, such as explaining past medical history, and other substances being taken, including medications, supplements, and herbal preparations.

According to the he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a patient should ask a doctor the following questions before taking any medication:

* What is the name of the medication, and what is it supposed to do?
* How and when do I take it, and when do I stop taking it?
* What foods, drinks, other medications, or activities should I avoid while taking the prescribed medication?
* What are the side effects, and what should I do if they occur?
* Is there any written information available about the medication?

Although many treatment evaluation studies have examined the efficacy of the psychotherapeutic medications, much remains to be learned about these medications. The National Institute of Mental Health, other Federal agencies, and private research groups are sponsoring studies of these medications on an ongoing basis. Scientists hope to improve their understanding of how and why these medications work, how to control or eliminate unwanted and dangerous side effects, and how to make the medications more effective. Meanwhile, complementary and alternative medicine has become the first choice of many people suffering from mental illness who do not want to experience the side effects of psychotherapeutic medication.

Transpersonal Psychology and Fasting

2010-10-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Just as with other time-honored spiritual practices, fasting addresses many of the principal concerns of transpersonal psychology. The primary way it accomplishes this is by initiating transformative change through peak experiences.

As a spiritual practice, fasting provides the opportunity for releasing earthly ties, joining with the sacred, and creating feelings of deep connectedness. In a lecture titled Exceptional Human Experiences (EHEs): Their Relevance to Transpersonal Psychology, William Braud said:

The experiences serve as reminders of Something More, of our
interconnectedness with others and with all nature, and
sometimes they serve as confirmations or affirmations of
decisions made and paths taken.

One of the chief aims of transpersonal psychology is to examine the characteristics of this type of exceptional human experience. Rosemarie Anderson explained the scope of this inquiry as follows:

Whenever possible, transpersonal psychology seeks to delve deeply
into the most profound aspects of human experience, such as
mystical and unitive experiences, personal transformation,
meditative awareness, experiences of wonder and ecstasy, and
alternative and expansive states of consciousness.

As a spiritual custom, fasting addresses all of these occurrences, many of which have been classified under the umbrella of exceptional human experiences (EHEs). Fasting is often done in religio-spiritual practice as a means to gain access to other rituals or experiences, many of which involve multiple EHEs. In 1994, Rhea White created a system of classifying EHEs, the majority of which have been found to occur during periods of fasting.

Within White’s classifications are five specific categories of EHEs; mystical, psychic, encounter-type, death related, and exceptional normal.

Under the first category, “mystical experiences,” the majority of EHEs listed have been associated with fasting, including conversion, peak experiences, numinous dreams, revelations, species consciousness, stigmata, transcendental odors, transformational experiences, and wilderness experiences.

Under the category of “psychic experiences” the most common experiences related to fasting are intuition, out-of-body experience, precognition, sense of presence, shared EHEs, synchronicity, unorthodox healing, and xenoglossy (speaking in tongues).

The next category, “encounter-type experiences,” accounts for many of the experiences of the fasting Catholic saints and Native Americans. These EHEs include apparitions and encounters with angels, divine figures, and other species.

All of the occurrences under White’s category of “death-related experiences” can potentially be attributed to fasting experiences due to the fact that in some religions (most notably Jainism) adherents intentionally fast to death. These types of death-related experiences include events such as life review, past-life recall, and near-death and deathbed experiences. The last of White’s categories of EHEs are termed “exceptional normal experiences,” most of which can be readily experienced while fasting. These EHEs include aesthetic experiences, “aha” experiences, déjà vu, dreams, empathy, exceptional human performances, experience of the new, hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences, inner movement, inspiration, lucid dreaming, nostalgia, microscopic vision, and performing/witnessing noble acts.

Many of the EHEs described by White have been reported in association with fasting. The following represents some of these examples.

Individuals often experience a number of EHEs simultaneously during an ongoing experience. When Stephen Larsen discussed the healing power of fasting dreams, he indicated how the ancient Greeks would fast for three days before being healed in a dream by an apparition of God (Larsen, 2001). This set of EHEs represent—at minimum—numinous dreams and divine encounters. Visions and communication with divinity have long been a goal of fasting participants.

Donald Rothberg discussed the occurrence of visions, revelations, and divine encounters while fasting, explaining how ascetic practices bring about these experiences:

A number of different practices may induce the desired vision or
dream . . . Other means used include fasting and other ascetic
practices, community rituals, and the use of psychedelics.
Typically, these practices make possible a dream or vision in
which there are revelations from spirits, either from one’s own
guardian spirit or from other spirits.

Throughout history, visionaries have fasted in order to obtain mystical revelations.

Doctoral Dissertation Research on Depression

2010-10-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

Doctoral Dissertation Research

3 lucky participants will win a new iPod shuffle*

Now inviting participation from individuals who are:
- between 18 and 75 years old
- willing to do online testing twice; once and again in 14 days

That’s all there is to it. Doing the online testing will take about 15 minutes each time.

If you qualify and would like to participate,
go online to http://www.TranspersonalResearch.net

This is my research as a Ph.D. Candidate at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA. I am conducting my doctoral dissertation research on depression (you do not need to be depressed to be a participant).

For more information, please contact me, Randi Fredricks, Lead Researcher
research@transpersonalresearch.net (800) 957-5655 or (408) 315-0645

* NOTE: Full Participation automatically enrolls you in a drawing for a new iPod shuffle (there will be three lucky winners)!

Is It Mad Cow or Is It Alzheimer's?

2010-09-18T20:43:00.001-07:00

On the television show "Boston Legal," William Shatner's character was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease but refers to it as Mad Cow. This is because many people who have Alzheimer's are suspected to actually have the human version of Mad Cow Disease. Unfortunately, a diagnosis can only be made after death.

It may also surprise you to know that Mad Cow Disease is a much bigger problem than originally thought, and the problems is growing due to poor handling of the animals in traditional slaughter houses. Fornunately, organic meat may be the answer.

Most of the animals that humans eat do not normally eat animal products. For example, cattle are ruminants that normally eat grasses and shrubs. But because animal by-products are cheaper and approved by the FDA, that’s exactly what most cattle is fed. Organic cattle, however, are fed organic grown grasses.

The practice of feeding animal by-products to cattle brought about Mad Cow Disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a degenerative disorder affecting the central nervous system of the animal. When humans eat meat infected with BSE, they contract Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD) or a more recent variant called "vCJD." Both forms of CJD are incurable degenerative neurological disorders that are ultimately fatal. The primary symptom of CJD is dementia and research has indicated that upwards of 13% of CJD patients may be misdiagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a figure that translates to over 650,000 people in the U.S.168 There is no effective treatment for CJD or vCJD.

BSE is not a virus, or a bacteria, but a protein called a prion that invades the body of the animal. It can not be destroyed through regular cooking or food processing, making it a considerable health threat for human carnivores. A notable feature of BSE is the inability of the infected animal to stand. However, a 2000 report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, linked a new form of BSE discovered in "healthy" cows, to human cases of CJD. In addition, they learned that the disease can infect animals other than cattle without resulting in any symptoms of disease.

In 2004, an article in the Lancet medical journal reported that vCJD can be transmitted by blood transfusions. This report alarmed healthcare officials in a dozen countries including the U.S., causing stringent restrictions on blood donation. There is no test to determine if a blood donor is infected with vCJD. Diagnosis of vCJD is presumptive based on clinical presentation, until death, when autopsy confirms the diagnosis.

Another factor that increases the risk of a vCJD epidemic is the common disregard for the safety of animals in traditional slaughter houses. This translates into an indifference for human health as well. On February 18, 2008, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recalled 143 million pounds of beef processed at Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in Southern California; the largest recall in American history.

The recall came after the Humane Society released a video showing workers at the plant using cattle prods, forklifts and water hoses, among other methods, to rouse cattle too weak to walk. These non-ambulatory animals, called "downer" cattle, are not supposed to be slaughtered for meat because of the health risks. In addition to issues of animal cruelty, the video raised questions about whether non-ambulatory cattle were entering the food chain in violation of federal regulations put in place to protect against problems like BSE. Downer cows have a higher incidence of other contamination, including Escherichia coli (E. coli) and salmonella. The downed animals lay in their waste, so it gets on their hide, and hide contamination is the primary reason why the carcass gets contaminated.

By the time of the recall, most of the meat had already been eaten by consumers, many of them children. USDA investigators said they uncovered evidence that Hallmark’s practice of using downer cattle dated back to February of 2006. Officials estimated that about 37 million pounds of the recalled beef went to school lunch programs in 36 states. Fast food chains that used the beef included McDonalds, Burger King, Jack in the Box, and In-and-Out Burger. Grocery stores carried the recalled beef as well, including Costco and Wal-Mart.

It is not known if any of the cattle at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company was infected with BSE or any other disease because they were not tested in accordance with federal law. What is known is that BSE is undetectable in some animals and vCJD can take up to 30 years to develop in humans. This potentially long incubation period means that children infected with vCJD may not show symptoms, yet could be carrying the disease from childhood to adulthood. This may pose a significant risk for those who come in contact with them. CJD and vCJD are considered so contagious that dentists take ongoing precautions to protect against them.

In response to BSE, the FDA banned the feeding of cattle brain and spinal tissue to cattle in 1997, but still allows the following materials to be fed to non-organic cattle:

* Gelatin (rendered from the hooves of cattle and other species)
* Fats, oils, grease, and tallow (from cattle and other species)
* Poultry and poultry by-products
* Rendered pork protein
* Rendered horse protein

Again, these items are being fed to cattle that are naturally herbivores, not carnivores. None of the items listed above may be fed to organic cattle or any other organic livestock. Breeding and husbandry of organic cattle, swine, poultry and other livestock must meet strict National Organic Program Standards for livestock origin, feed, health and living conditions.

The USDA's meat inspection program is over 100 years old. Organic meat has more stringent inspection standards because it is certified organic by a third party organic certifier accredited by the National Organic Program of the USDA. This extra step helps to ensure that meat is safe to eat.

How Medications Affect Your Mood

2010-09-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, symptoms of depression or mania are a side effect of certain drugs, such as steroids or blood pressure medication.

If you're taking antidepressants, tranquilizers, or stimulants such as the amphetamines or Ritalin, it's fairly obvious that they are going to affect your mood. But what about less obvious medication such as the hundreds of other drugs can alter mood, drugs you would not normally expect to have that effect. For example, some antibiotics and many blood pressure drugs affect mood, and consumers seldom get the proper warning.

The other problem is drugs supposed to create one change in mood have an opposite or some other unexpected effect. Some people become anxious or hostile after taking tranquilizers.

Generally the mood effects of drugs tend to fall into two patterns. Some drugs are downers, and make people feel tired, listless,dully,not interested in things, or quite depressed. Many others are stimulants, making people anxious, jittery, unable to sleep, panicky or fearful. Antidepressant drugs can swing either way: making people anxious or nervous, or sleepy and sedated.

Even more problematical are the cases where the drugs trigger hallucinations or aggression, hostility or outright psychosis (hearing voices, seeing visions).

However, in some ways, the more subtle mood affects are the worst because the consumer doesn't think to blame the drug. It is important to be aware that a lot of drugs can affect mood in some people. If you discover you don't seem to be your usual self put the drug on your list of suspects.

If you do detect or suspect unwanted effects on mood, an alternative drug often be found to accomplish the medical purpose without throwing your world out of whack.

Be sure to tell your doctor or therapist what medications you take and when your symptoms began. A professional can help sort out whether a new medication, a change in dosage, or interactions with other drugs or substances might be affecting your mood.

Researchers disagree about whether a few of these drugs - such as birth control pills or propranolol - actually affect mood. Most people who take the medications listed will not experience mood changes, although having a family or personal history of depression may make you more vulnerable to such a change.

Some of the drugs cause symptoms like malaise (a general feeling of being ill or uncomfortable) or appetite loss that may be mistaken for depression. Even if you are taking one of these drugs, your depression may spring from other sources.

Antipsychotic Drugs Can Increase Heart Risk

2010-09-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Research has found that patients taking the latest generation of antipsychotic drugs are twice as likely to suffer sudden cardiac failure and death as nonusers. The study that found such medicines are no safer than the older ones they have largely replaced.

Though the health risks of antipsychotic drugs for elderly patients have been previously documented, the study, published in New England Journal of Medicine, was one of the largest to date, and it found dangers for younger adults, too.

The study's findings add to a growing body of research questioning the safety, cost, and effectiveness of these so-called atypical antipsychotic drugs. In 2007, U.S. sales of all antipsychotic drugs topped $13.23 billion, up 12% from $11.81 billion in 2006, according to IMS Health Inc., a health-care information and consulting company. Atypical drugs were the main reason behind that growth; such medications had U.S. sales of about $13 billion through the first 11 months of 2008.

The atypical drugs used in the study were Zyprexa, made by Eli Lilly & Co.; Seroquel, made by AstraZeneca PLC; Risperdal, made by Johnson & Johnson; and Clozaril, made by Novartis AG. The typical drugs used for comparison purposes were haloperidol and thioridazine, both generics.

For the study, researchers reviewed the medical records of about 277,000 Tennessee Medicaid enrollees for the years 1990 to 2005. Of them, about 46,000 were taking atypical antipsychotic drugs and 44,000 were taking typical antipsychotic drugs. About 187,000 weren't taking any of the drugs. Patients ranged in age from 30 to 74 years; the average age was about 46.

The growing use of antipsychotic drugs has sparked widespread debate in the medical world. In November, 2007, a panel of outside advisers urged the Food and Drug Administration to discourage doctors from prescribing the drugs for children. Meanwhile, Connecticut, Arkansas and other states have sued a number of drug makers, alleging that they marketed such drugs for uses not authorized by the FDA and didn't adequately disclose potential side effects, such as weight gain and diabetes.

One of the FDA's primary functions is to approve drugs for specific uses. Doctors can prescribe them for other treatments, however, but drug makers can't promote them for unapproved uses.

Traditional, or typical, antipsychotic drugs like chlorpromazine, known by the brand name Thorazine, have been used to treat conditions such as schizophrenia since the 1950s. The side effects include involuntary tremors and tics, which can be irreversible. Research have also linked them to sudden cardiac death, an abrupt and unexpected loss of heart function.

The atypical drugs were first introduced in 1989, and were said to cause fewer involuntary-movement problems and be much safer. But in recent years, research has brought that view into question.

Study Links Pesticides to ADHD in Children

2010-09-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Children who are exposed to the pesticides found on commercially grown produce are significantly likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than kids who did not have as much exposure, according to a recent study which appears in the May 2010 journal of Pediatrics.

In the U.S. alone, an estimated 4.5 million children ages 5 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and rates of diagnosis have risen 3% a year between 1997 and 2006. Increasingly, research suggests that chemical influences, perhaps in combination with other environmental factors may be contributing to the increase in attention problems.
When researchers measured the pesticide byproduct levels in 1,139 children, they found that those with higher than average levels of one byproduct were twice as likely to get diagnosed with ADHD.

The potentially harmful pesticides, called organophosphates, have been associated in the past with both cognitive and behavioral issues in kids. However, earlier research looked at communities of high risk populations like farm workers.

While the Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that the pesticides can’t be used for most residential applications, they’re still turning up in fruits and veggies. In fact, a USDA report from 2008 found that detectable levels of pesticides were contained in 28% of frozen blueberries, 20% of celery and 25% of strawberries.

Studies linking environmental substances to disease are coming fast and furious. Chemicals in plastics and common household goods have been associated with serious developmental problems, while a long inventory of other hazards are contributing to rising rates of modern ills: heart disease, obesity, diabetes, autism.

To avoid potentially harmful pesticides, buy local or organic if you can. Organic fruits and vegetables contain much less pesticides, so I would certainly advise getting those for children. National surveys have also shown that fruits and vegetables from farmers’ markets contain less pesticides even if they’re not organic.

Study Shows SAMe May Help Depression

2010-09-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

The popular dietary supplement S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) may help depressed patients who don’t respond to prescription antidepressants. SAMe is a naturally occurring molecule that is commonly used in Europe for depression, arthritis, and other ailments. SAMe is found in high concentrations throughout the human body, including the liver, adrenal glands, and brain.

The latest research, conducted by investigators at Harvard Medical School and published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, suggests that SAMe may be another treatment option for patients suffering from depression. In addition, the researchers discovered news clues into the physical pathways of depression that may help in the development of more effective treatments.

The researchers studied the use of SAMe versus placebo in 73 adults with depression who were not responding to prescription antidepressant treatment. All of the participants continued to take their antidepressant medication, and 39 of them were randomly assigned to receive SAMe for six weeks. The other 34 patients received a placebo in addition to their regular prescription treatment.

After six weeks, 36 percent of those taking a combination of SAMe and an antidepressant showed improvement, compared to only 18 percent of those taking the antidepressant and placebo. About 26 percent of patients in the SAMe group experienced a complete remission of symptoms, compared to just 12 percent in the placebo group.

The research offers hope to people who aren’t been helped by traditional antidepressant treatment. A large body of research has suggested that for more than half of depressed patients, antidepressants alone don’t eliminate symptoms. As a result, doctors are looking for additional treatments to help these patients, referred to as “treatment-resistant” and “nonresponders.”

Antidepressant drugs work by increasing neurotransmitters, which in turn amplifies their effect in the brain. It’s not known exactly how SAMe works to relieve depression, but researchers believe it may influence the expression of genes involved in depression. Additionally, SAMe may alter the function of different receptors and other structures that transport neurotransmitters within the brain. It may also be directly involved in the creation of neurotransmitters.

Brain Development in Youth May Predict Anxiety and Depression

2010-09-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

Brain regions that may play a role in the development of childhood anxiety have been pinpointed by U.S. researchers in a recent study. The findings could lead to new methods of early detection and treatment for children at risk for developing anxiety, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.

For the study, the researchers scanned the brains of 238 young rhesus monkeys and found that increased activity in brain regions called the amygdala and the anterior hippocampus predicted anxious temperament.

The findings, published in the August 12, 2010 issue of Nature, suggested it may be possible to prevent children from developing full-blown anxiety. The researchers suggested that early intervention may increase the likelihood that they will be able to lead a happy life in which they aren't as afflicted and controlled by anxiety and depression. The researchers said that it may be possible to train vulnerable children to settle their brains down.

Previous research has shown that children with anxious temperaments suffer from extreme shyness, persistent worry and increased bodily responses to stress. Additionally, research has found that these children are at increased risk of developing anxiety, depression and associated substance abuse disorders.

Like other psychiatric conditions, anxiety disorders tend to be chronic unless properly treated. Most children find that they need professional guidance, like ongoing psychotherapy, to successfully manage and overcome their anxiety.
Several scientifically proven and effective treatment options are available for children with anxiety disorders. The two treatments that most help children are cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication. For those who want to avoid medications, there are alternative options.

Meditation Improves Mental Health in Teenagers

2010-09-06T19:16:00.001-07:00

According to a new study from researchers from the University of Cambridge, mindfulness meditation, the process of becoming more aware of one's surroundings, improves mental health and well being in teenage boys.
Researchers found that after meditation, 14 and 15 year-old boys had an increased feeling of well-being, defined as the combination of feeling good - including positive emotions such as happiness, contentment, interest and affection - and functioning well.

The study demonstrated that mindfulness meditation training may improve well-being in adolescents and that the more they practice, the greater the benefits. According to the researchers, many of the students genuinely enjoyed the exercises and said they intended to continue using them.

Another significant aspect of this study was that adolescents who suffered from higher levels of anxiety were the ones who benefited the most from the training.
The meditation classes included instruction in the concepts of awareness and acceptance, and taught the schoolboys such things as how to practice bodily awareness by noticing where they were in contact with their chairs or the floor, paying attention to their breathing, and noticing all the sensations involved in walking.

The study concluded that if someone practices being in the present, they can increase positive feelings by enjoying pleasurable on-going experiences. Additionally, calming the mind and observing experiences with curiosity and acceptance can reduce stress and help with attention control and emotion regulation.

The easiest way to learn mindfulness meditation is to contact a meditation center in the area. Each meditation session is a journey of discovery. In the beginning the most important lesson of meditation is seeing the speed of the mind. But the meditation tradition says that mind doesn’t have to be this way: it just hasn’t been worked with.

Antipsychotic Drugs Increase Heart Risks

2010-08-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

For the new study, researchers reviewed the medical records of about 277,000 Tennessee Medicaid enrollees for the years 1990 to 2005. Of them, about 46,000 were taking atypical antipsychotic drugs and 44,000 were taking typical antipsychotic drugs. About 187,000 weren't taking any of the drugs. Patients ranged in age from 30 to 74 years; the average age was about 46.

The growing use of antipsychotic drugs has sparked widespread debate in the medical world. In November, 2007, a panel of outside advisers urged the Food and Drug Administration to discourage doctors from prescribing the drugs for children. Meanwhile, Connecticut, Arkansas and other states have sued a number of drug makers, alleging that they marketed such drugs for uses not authorized by the FDA and didn't adequately disclose potential side effects, such as weight gain and diabetes.

One of the FDA's primary functions is to approve drugs for specific uses. Doctors can prescribe them for other treatments, however, but drug makers can't promote them for unapproved uses.

Traditional, or typical, antipsychotic drugs like chlorpromazine, known by the brand name Thorazine, have been used to treat conditions such as schizophrenia since the 1950s. The side effects include involuntary tremors and tics, which can be irreversible. Research have also linked them to sudden cardiac death, an abrupt and unexpected loss of heart function.

The atypical drugs were first introduced in 1989, and were said to cause fewer involuntary-movement problems and be much safer. But in recent years, research has brought that view into question.

References

http://www.randifredricks.com/randi/art/heart_risk.cfm

Psychic Protection

2010-08-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

In the introduction of The Art of Psychic Protection, author Judy Hall addresses the how the worldview of parapsychology differs from our modern European/Western worldview. According to Hall, "We protect ourselves against the elements - We protect ourselves against other people - And yet few people realize there is a much more subtler intrusion against which nuts and bolts are powerless, for which the only insurance is to be aware, and where we often find that we are own greatest enemy". The intrusion Hall speaks of is that of harmful energies, which can come from a variety of sources. According to Hall, the chief sources are our own thoughts and unseen forces, such as spirits.

In the course of studying Chinese medicine and philosophy, I learned some interesting viewpoints on this subject. Some Chinese philosophies believe there are "yin souls" trapped between lives (some good and some bad) that infiltrate people's lives. According to this belief system, the invitation to these souls often comes in the form of desire on the part of the living. If I desire sex with my married boss, the very act of desire is enough to invite a yin soul into my life. The yin soul may be of a supportive nature to help me, but it will more likely be a yin soul of a darker nature with destructive intent. Since this concept was presented to me ten years ago, I've been aware of these energies coming in and out of my life. The awareness of these presences has caused me create and recite the mantra, "Watch the unseen." By watching the unseen, I have noticed forces coming in and out of other people's lives as well. When it happens to a friend, it's as if someone has moved into his or her head. One day, the friend seems fine, and the next day, he or she is acting like someone I don't know. Perhaps this is what we mean when we say that someone is just not himself or herself today.

Hall brings up how we partake in a paradigm without realizing it. She discusses how we unknowingly practice occult activity everyday, by doing spiritual exercises like meditating, and by mentally asking for things like job promotions, a soul mate or hailing a taxicab. In Hall's perspective, no matter how small and shallow our life may feel, we cannot help but practice spiritualism. Even the person whose entire life is comprised of nothing but days of work and nights of television calls forth things from the universe when they desire something. This is part of the problem, according to Hall, who says that we are constantly inviting both good and bad energies without conscious knowledge of our desires or behavior. It's this unconsciousness state that gets us in trouble. Suddenly, we become physically ill or mentally challenged, and we don't know why, although we're quick to find a plausible reason. Essentially, we reduce our world to our thoughts and come to doubt our senses and feelings. If we feel something negative, we slough it off or we blame ourselves or someone else - never thinking that there may be a deeper energetic cause. This is precisely how our worldview differs those who believe in unseen forces, spirits and energy. Instead of considering a deeper energetic cause that's occurring at an unseen level, we cling to the belief that there must be a scientific, clearly explainable reason behind everything.

Our modern, industrialized society is a collective disbeliever in parapsychology and the likes. It may be fun to watch the television shows "Supernatural" and "Medium" or even to ponder past life experiences, but that's the primary depth of it. We look at the unexplainable as something to play with, like a Ouija board you bring out for a party game and then put back in the drawer when you're through. Culturally speaking, we are not believers in physic warfare. Maybe it's too frightening to consider, not in a creepy, monster sort of way, but because it's something we can't control or easily explain. Life is much simpler if I narrow my point of view to a manageable size. The less I have to think about, the less I have to worry about. I can barely protect myself from the evil I can see much less things that go "bump" in the night. What's fascinating about the difference between the believer and disbeliever viewpoints is that the same energetic protection techniques that protect us from psychic attacks from the living protect us against unseen forces as well.

Another paradigm blindness that exists with regards to the need for psychic protection is the belief amongst the mental health professions that there is no such need. I attempted a discussion about the nature of evil during one of my classes and was shut down by another classmate with a protestation of how we were trying to save the world and focusing on such things was of no value. Unfortunately, evil doesn't go away when we ignore it. In fact, it continues to grow unchecked, like a dark mold in a forgotten closet. I think our current political state speaks to that. For us spectators who've watched the unseen in these events, the carriers of evil appear to find their greatest satisfaction in sucking the lifeblood out of gifted healers, who are often ignorant of their opponent's mere existence, much less their power to create global havoc. By ignoring (or underestimating ) the presence of such powerful forces, we set ourselves up for small thinking.

Fear keeps us from confrontation and prevents us from looking beneath the surface. Once a seemingly horrific event has passed, we lose our opportunity to find any good in it by creating excuses not to examine it, from using old clichés like "Let sleeping dogs lie" to employing new-age wisdom, such as, "Stay in the moment." But how can we learn from our past experiences if we don't reflect and if we're unwilling to look beyond the obvious? This narrow-mindedness is reminiscent of the story in Alcoholics Anonymous about, "the farmer who came up out of his cyclone cellar to find his home ruined. To his wife, he remarked, 'Don't see anything the matter here, Ma. Ain't it grand the wind stopped blowing?".

The Power of Color

2010-08-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Everything is made up of electromagnetic energy vibrating at different frequencies that correspond to sound, light and color. If you pay close attention, you will find yourself drawn more to one color than another. The energy vibration of that color is what you need, at this moment, in order to improve and balance your emotional state.

Color research has shown that in human beings, both psychological and physical activity appear to increase as the wavelength of light increases. Reds, oranges and yellows are naturally more stimulating to us than greens, blues and purples. Other research shows that blood pressure, pulse, and respiration rates tend to increase most under yellow light, moderately under orange, and less under red. They decrease most under black, moderately under blue, and minimally under green.

Traditional color wisdom dates back as ancient Egypt. In Indian philosophy, the seven colors of the rainbow are associated with the seven chakras - energy centers - of the body. Each chakra is related to a specific psychological, physiological, and spiritual functions.

There are numerous ways to heal and balance with color. A good rule of thumb is this: Energy follows thought. Where we put our thoughts is where the energy goes. By concentrating on a particular healing color, the visualization of that color will be projected. If we focus on a color, the energy emanates from our body and begins to change the frequency that resonates with that particular color.

Color is also light. Light is split into different wavelengths vibrating at different speeds and different frequencies. Objects that absorb all wavelengths of light and do not reflect any, are black. Objects that reflect all wavelengths and do reflect anything, are white. Between black and white lies color.

Colors are wavelengths of energy that, to us, appear as color because of the potential and capabilities of the object to either absorb or reflect the energy. This basic principle is how we experience color.

Color holds different properties.

* Black - Absorbs or destroys negativity, grounding earthy energy, protection, magic
* Blue - Healing, communication, creativity, peace, meditation, happiness, calm, truth
* Green - Luck, fertility, prosperity, healing, money, friendship, growth, abundance
* Orange - Strength, physical body energy, attraction, warmth, joy, creativity, courage
* Purple - Power, insight, spirituality, psychic energy, alchemy, spirit
* Red - Desires, sexual energy, passion, enthusiasm, strength
* Yellow - Clairvoyance, will power, work issues, communication, optimism, inspiration
* White - Purity, spirituality, humility

Color affects our aura and our energy. Each day of the week has a particular color associated with it that helps to balance and support a person's energy if they wear it. Even a scarf or underwear can cause a positive effect.

1. Monday - Green
2. Tuesday - Red
3. Wednesday - Violet
4. Thursday - Blue
5. Friday - Yellow
6. Saturday - Indigo
7. Sunday - Orange

Chromotherapy, sometimes called color therapy or colorology, is an alternative medicine method. It is claimed that a therapist trained in chromotherapy can use color and light to balance energy wherever our bodies are lacking, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental.

Chromotherapists claim a scientific basis for their practice, proposing that colors bring about emotional reactions in people. A standard method of diagnosis is the use of Luscher’s color test, developed by Dr. Max Luscher in the early 1900s. When performing chromotherapy, color and light is applied to specific areas and acupoints on the body. Because colors get associated with both positive and negative effects in color therapy, specific colors and accurate amounts of color are deemed to be critical in healing. Some of the tools used for applying colors are gemstones, candles, wands, prisms, colored fabrics, bath treatments, and colored glasses or lenses. Therapeutic color can be administered in a number of ways, but is often combined with hydrotherapy and aromatherapy in an attempt to heighten the therapeutic effect.

Practice your own color therapy just by adding more color in your life. If nothing else, your life will be a lot more colorful.

Psychotherapy and Fasting

2010-08-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

In times of difficulty, time-honored methods of transformation can accelerate healing. Transpersonal psychology has encouraged these practices, and many psychotherapists have responded by recommending exercises traditionally used as spiritual disciplines. Within this paradigm, fasting can be a practical and effective means of generating a positive change.

Frances Vaughan (1993) suggested that fasting is a useful clinical intervention in transpersonal psychotherapy. According to Vaughan, methods like fasting, drumming, and chanting produce an altered state of consciousness that can have "powerful therapeutic effects" (p. 164). Brant Cortright (1997) echoed this belief, calling fasting "an effective non-drug technique useful for inducing an altered state of multidimensional consciousness" (p. 16).

Fasting is a versatile clinical intervention because it can be used briefly or for longer periods in a supervised setting. Additionally, it can be used therapeutically in conjunction with other therapies. Stanislav Grof (1998) recommended fasting before engaging in LSD psychotherapy, also known as "psychedelic treatment" (p. 289).

Fasting, like other spiritual practices, can have a therapeutic affect on consciousness known as "liminality," a transitional period or phase, during which the participant lacks social status and suspends their state of being (Peters, 1975). During the fast, the participant experiences consciousness in a transitional state that correlates with a suspension of everyday activities and social conventions. Anthropologist and psychologist Larry G. Peters (1975) explained this phenomenon, "Altered states of consciousness are often induced here, for example though fasting, psychedelic ingestion, continual dancing, or sensory deprivation" (p. 209).

During liminality, fasting facilitates change by causing a paradigm shift in beliefs and values. It transforms us at our deepest level by challenging our core attachments. One of our most dominant beliefs is that we need food. In some instances, this need is so big that it overshadows our ability to see clearly. There is a Zulu axiom, "The continually stuffed body cannot see secret things" (as cited in Webster, 1973, p. 164).

From the day we are born, the desire for food reigns dominant. As newborn infants we immediately cry for food. The food drive is present from the beginning to the end of life—it rarely leaves. To the degree that our relationship with food operates on an unconscious level, fasting can be difficult. Psychotherapist Stephen Harrod Buhner (2001) claimed, "If you believe that food is love, stopping eating will be experienced by your deepest self as a denial of love" (p. 46). If we associate food with love and nurturing, fasting will challenge our most fundamental belief systems. For those of us who have unconsciously avoided our feelings with food, fasting provides an opportunity to face the pain we have hidden beneath our relationship with it.

As soon as we become attached to something, we set up a situation where we will eventually have to grieve the loss of it. Because our attachment to food is interrupted during a fast, grief is a significant part of the experience. When we are deprived of food for a long enough period, a mourning process begins. Unresolved grief and trauma surface, demanding resolution. The fasting mind wraps itself around unresolved bereavement in an effort to resolve it. As losses are reconciled, the fasting mind examines other attachments to people, places, and things. Each and every emotional attachment is considered with the potential of reframing the relationship and forming a healthier, more detached perspective. The larger the amount and degree of attachments, the more chaotic this process can become. Although fasting removes the chatter and the clutter, it also creates internal chaos as the faster asks, "What is the purpose of my life? Why am I here?"

Fasting creates suffering on many levels, but the degree to which we are able to feel our suffering is parallel to our ability to feel joy. Fasting is an invitation to suffer in a very real sense, but as Buhner noted, "Paradoxically, in such an act we find new life, new direction and joy" (p. 31). John Firman and Ann Gila (2002) called this being "surprised by joy," realized as a higher consciousness breaks into our awareness (p. 33). Firman and Gila pointed out that such experiences have the power to transform our lives as a new realm of human experience is revealed to us.

Robert Assagioli (2007) suggested that these higher experiences activate feelings from the lower unconscious, creating anxiety as we feel wounded, fearful, angry, and depressed. Similar to other consciousness-raising events, fasting can potentially create psychological and spiritual disturbances. When fasting, we may feel blocked and find ourselves struggling to accelerate the release of whatever mechanisms are preventing access to a higher level of awareness. The struggle to integrate lower and higher states of consciousness can be most unpleasant, but the end results can be outstanding.

The act of fasting is a transformative event in a spiritual life. Psychiatrist and theologian Gerald F. May (2005) asserted that if you live a spiritual life, it is inevitable that you will one day be thrown into madness, what Saint John of the Cross called "the dark night of the soul." Stanislav and Christina Grof (1989) referred to this experience as a "spiritual emergency," an occurrence where "Individuals experiencing such episodes may feel that their sense of identity is breaking down, that their old values no longer hold true, and that the very ground beneath their personal realities is radically shifting" (back cover). Similar to the dark night of the soul, Grof and Grof (1989) note, "Episodes of this kind have been described in sacred literature of all ages as a result of meditative practices and as signposts of the mystical path" (p. x).

There is no doubt that fasting can be problematic and even dangerous. However, when used with mindfulness, it can provide exceptional human experiences. For devotees, fasting is a means of creating mystical and peak experiences that are extraordinary events. As a shared practice among spiritual seekers throughout the ages, fasting continues to offer the opportunity of a new way of being.

References

http://www.fastingresearch.org/fasting/psychotherapy.cfm

The Dangers of Hypnosis

2010-08-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

As a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and Psychotherapist, I like to think that I don't hypnotize - I de-hypnotize. Life has already conditioned most of us into certain ways of behaving or thinking - I simply put you back into 'normal' mode again.

Hypnosis goes deep, to the inner store-house of our beliefs and learned responses, which is why it has found wide acceptance in treating disorders such as over-eating and smoking. By getting where the addiction lays hypnosis can suppress the addiction and replace it with positive behavior.

There are basically two different kinds of hypnosis: directive and non-directive. When most people think of hypnosis, they think of directive hypnosis, also known as "stage hypnosis" or "guided imagery." With this hypnosis technique, the hypnotherapist basically orders you into a trance state. The biggest problem with this type of hypnosis is the fact that the subconscious can become guarded simply because of the unusual language associated with it. The classic line, "You are getting very sleepy" is the cliché associated with this type of hypnosis.

In contrast, non-directive hypnosis is more like talk therapy, except that the therapist tends to be more talkative. While the hypnotherapist talks with the client, the hypnotherapy occurs throughout the conversation. Non-directive hypnosis has a number of advantages over directive hypnosis. Because the unconscious tends to become guarded when it hears statements like "Your eyes are feeling very heavy," directive hypnosis has limited results. Without the hindrance of such cues, the non-directive hypnotherapist is more easily able to converse with the subject's unconscious. Another advantage to non-directive hypnosis is that other therapeutic techniques can be introduced simultaneously because the hypnotherapy is occurring in the form of a therapeutic conversation. In the final analysis, changes that occur through the use of non-directive hypnosis tend to be more permanent because the unconscious has been more profoundly affected.

As great as hypnosis can be, there are hazards. The biggest one comes from people practicing hypnotherapy with a psychology background. There are many health professionals who have received training in hypnosis. I highly recommend that you see someone who has training in psychology - not just hypnosis. That training in psychology should be a Masters degree or a Ph.D., and preferably a Licensed Psychotherapist, Psychologist or Psychiatrist. There is a good reason for this. When you are undergoing hypnosis, past traumas and other disturbing events can be triggered. I strongly recommend that you have someone with extensive training in psychology who is therefore capable of dealing with such a situation. Again, there are many psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrists who have training in hypnosis, so finding someone should be easy.

Communication - Naturally!

2010-07-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

Effective skills in communication are necessary to maintain and increase the quality of our lives and our relationships. The inability to communicate effectively can hinder all of our relationships; professional and personal.

We all have misunderstandings within our relationships. It can be easy to become confused, frustrated and disappointed simply because we are unable to communicate appropriately.

Broken and difficult relationships can be avoided by understanding the principles of communication, and the pitfalls poor communication creates. When you know and understand the process of communication, you can actively implement basic principles, hone your skills, avoid problems, and become the effective communicator that you would like to be. The right therapist trained in communications and psychology can help you to do that.

My Background in Communications Training

I received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Santa Clara University. My thesis was a landmark study on communications in families with addiction that was published at the Education Resources Information Center, the world's largest digital library of education literature. From studying communications so extensively, I know how to change the mechanisms that prevent us from communicating in productive ways in our relationships. I also know that the inability to communicate effectively can leave us feeling disconnected and - sometimes - even lonely.

Developing communication skills and abilities can be facilitated with the help of a good communications therapist. Throughout our lives, we are faced with challenges in communicating effectively. I can help you to examine those situations and develop a confidence and intuition so you will know how to handle those difficult situations. You can learn to be a more effective communicator by:

* Observing and imitating excellent communicators.
* Learning from your own and others’ mistakes.
* Developing a conscious awareness of communication habits, patterns, styles, strengths, and weaknesses.
* Applying principles of effective communication.

Changing Perspective Helps Us to Be Better Communicators

Most us of have been misunderstood or had misunderstandings when something has been taken out of its original context. In can be difficult to fully understand how much our environment influences us and the things we need to consider that when we communicate. To start with, we need to be able to understand the context of our own communication and understand that every message we receive has its own context. By learning a few foundational principles of communication, we can have a new perspective and begin experiencing more satisfying communications.

Vitamin B12, Depression, and Aging

2010-07-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Research has shown that as many as 30% of patients hospitalized for depression are vitamin B12 deficient. One study of of 700 physically disabled women over the age of 65 found that vitamin B12 deficient women were twice as likely to be severely depressed as the non-deficient women. Another study of 3,884 elderly men and women with depressive disorders found that those with vitamin B12 deficiency were nearly 70% more likely to experience depression than those with sufficient vitamin. Researchers have recommended that, due to the high prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in older individuals, it may be beneficial to screen for vitamin B12 deficiency as part of a medical evaluation for depression.

Drug interactions

A number of drugs reduce the absorption of vitamin B12. For example, proton pump inhibitors (e.g. Prilosec, Prevacid), commonly used for problems like gastric reflux disease or acid reflux disease, drastically decrease stomach acid production, which is needed for the release of vitamin B12 from food (but not from supplements). Long-term use of proton pump inhibitors has been found to decrease blood vitamin B12 levels and to contribute to bone loss. Other drugs found to inhibit vitamin B12 absorption from food include cholestyramine (a cholesterol lowering drug), chloramphenicol and neomycin (antibiotics), colchicine (anti-gout medicine), and metformin (diabetes drug). Nitrous oxide, an anesthetic, is associated with vitamin B12-deficiency, and some doctors believe vitamin B12 deficiency should be accessed prior to its use.

Older adults

Vitamin B12 malabsorption and vitamin B12 deficiency are more common in adults over 50, and research has indicated that it may be related to depression, bone loss, and dementia. While a varied diet should theoretically provide enough vitamin B12 to prevent deficiency in most individuals 50 years of age and younger, individuals over the age of 50, strict vegetarians, and women planning to become pregnant should consider supplementation. Ask your doctor for a simple blood test to determine if you are B12 deficient, and if so, how much you should be taking.

Pet Therapy Helps Depression

2010-07-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sex Addiction: Is It Real?

2010-07-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Tiger Woods recently admitted to multiple extramarital affairs and said he received treatment. David Duchovny, who plays a sex-obsessed professor on the TV show Californication, underwent rehab in 2008. Then Jesse James, husband of Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock is claiming his indiscretions are the result of a sex addiction. This has left some people asking; is sex addiction real? Sex-addiction seems to be everywhere. You probably know someone who seems to fit the criteria. Still, mental health experts are split on what underlies this behavior. The American Psychiatric Association has proposed that out-of-control sexual appetites be included as a diagnosis in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, to be published in 2013. This book is the bible for mental health professionals on the U.S.

Some studies suggest that hypersexual behavior is an addiction because the affected person exhibits the same type of loss of control that seizes compulsive gamblers or shoppers. For example, in a 1997 survey of 53 self-identified sex addicts in a 12-step recovery program, 98 percent said they had three or more withdrawal symptoms, 94 percent they had tried unsuccessfully to control their behavior and 92 percent they spent more time engaging in sexual behavior than they intended to. In addition, screening tests designed for sexually addicted people have been found to accurately identify people with substance-abuse problems, implying that the disorders have similarities. Patterns of extreme sexual behavior are often described by therapists as an addiction, as a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder or as a symptom of another psychiatric illness, such as depression. This theory has been backed up by research. In a 2004 study of 31 self-defined sex addicts, researchers at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University found that most of the people had an increased interest in sex when they were in depressed or anxious emotional states. This shows that sex addiction, like other addictions, tends to involve other problems as well, making the individual dually diagnosed.

Exercise Reduces Postnatal Depression Risk

2010-07-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Postpartum depression, also known as postnatal depression (PND), is a form of clinical depression affecting predominantly women after childbirth. The prevalence of the condition is disputed because its severity varies greatly, but it is thought that as many as 80% of women may experience it in some form or another following pregnancy. For some women, the joy of having a baby is marred by postnatal depression, a form of clinical depression that can occur immediately after giving birth or even weeks to months later. It is well established that exercise can improve mood and that in new mothers, it can reduce symptoms of PND. What has not been studied, however, is the impact of group physical therapy exercise on new mothers to both help prevent PND and improve their ability to care for their new infant. Researchers have found that the risk of PND can be reduced in new mothers who participate in group physical therapy exercise.

A recent study has found that exercise may hold the key to break away from the dangers of postpartum depression. According to the researcher, it proves that regular physical exercise and general well-being could help curtail the risk of PND. The research was conducted by a group of researchers at the University of Melbourne. The study was conducted on a number of women who had recently delivered a child. These women were randomly enrolled to groups- Mother & Baby program (M&B) and an educational program respectively. The women in M&B program engaged in one hour of exercise daily together with half an hour session of parenting education once a week for a period of eight weeks, whereas in educational program women were given only the parenting and baby care education. The results established that the women from M&B group were found to be lesser depressed and showed considerable progress on the count of healthy living as compared to the women enrolled in educational only program. The researchers concluded that a group exercise program led by a physical therapist, who was an expert in improving and restoring motion to people’s daily lives, can help mothers who may be at risk for PND improve their well-being and enable them to better care for their children.

For more on how exercise, nutrition, and other lifestyle changes can help prevent or treat PND,. visit my website www.RandiFredricks.com or check out my book, Healing and Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health. My book has entire chapter devoted to PND.

Best in health,
Randi

Hormone in Chocolate May Be Used to Treat Autism

2010-07-25T11:08:00.001-07:00

According to the February 16 Washington Post article by Rob Stein, a nasal spray containing a hormone found in chocolate, oxytocin, is said to help people with autism, Oxytocin is supposed to help those with autism to make better eye contact and interact more effectively with other people, according to a study released on February 16, 2010, from the National Center for Scientific Research in France, that led the study. Oxytocin has been called the “love hormone” because it is thought to encourage closeness between mothers and their babies. In earlier research, oxytocin was found to help breast-feeding mothers bond with their infants. The study, published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involved 13 adults with autism that found when they inhaled the hormone oxytocin they scored significantly better on a test that involved recognizing faces. Additionally, they performed better in a game of tossing a ball with other people. The researchers theorized that oxytocin has a positive effect on social behavior in people with autism. Oxytocin doesn't last long in the body, so “re-dosing” would be needed. The study's findings prompted the question as to whether drug companies will consider developing substances with similar benefits to those with autism.

In the past, research has indicated that some people with autism had low levels of oxytocin. However, further study is needed to determine if most people with autism have low levels of oxytocin and is so, should they have the oxytocin replaced? Another concern is what happens when the hormone is quickly removed from the body. These questions are part of ongoing research, including the question of whether those with autism take a hormone or increase their consumption of foods containing oxytocin. If there enough of the hormone in food to be effective, a nutritional approach that works better than a drug may be useful for children. At this point in autism research, the hormone offers some real hope for those on the autistic spectrum.

Do Sugar Pills Really Work as Well as Antidepressants?

2010-07-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

There's no doubt that since the introduction of SSRI antidepressants in the 1980s suicide rates have dropped significantly. However, three large review studies have shown that these types of antidepressants appear to work only in the severest forms of depression - and then only some of the time. Even more shocking - for mild, moderate, and even severe depression, they work no better than sugar pills. According to the latest study, published January 6, 2010 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, "True drug effects... were nonexistent to negligible among depressed patients with mild, moderate, and even severe baseline symptoms..." The researchers, from the University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, examined six studies randomly selected from the FDA's database.

A 2008 review of previous research uncovered via the Freedom of Information Act determined that four of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, worked no better than sugar pills for mild to moderate depression. For the study, researchers analyzed 47 clinical studies conducted by pharmaceutical companies that were never released. It included studies submitted to the FDA during the drug approval process, but not published in medical journals. The review found that the drugs were only effective for the most severely depressed patients. In people with lower levels of depression, the results of the antidepressants were quite modest or disappeared entirely.

Other studies have had similar findings. In a 2002 Washington State study, investigators looked at 52 studies of antidepressants in the FDA’s database and determined that in 48% of the studies the results were no better than placebo. They also concluded that antidepressants were only more effective that sugar pills with the severest forms of depression. Based on this evidence, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, represent a viable option for patients that are not be helped by antidepressants.

Anesthesia Use May Increase the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

2010-07-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

I wanted to add this blog because I just stumbled on some interesting research that indicates that going under anesthesia may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in some people. The study has found that anesthesia may increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease in patients with a genetic predisposition. Alzheimer's represents one of the biggest problems in mental health and the American Alzheimer's Association estimates that the number of Californians with Alzheimer's disease will nearly double to 1.1 million by 2030.
Alzheimer's is a form of dementia and is most often age-related, Roughly 10% of persons over the age of 65 having some form of dementia, while 25 to 50% of those over 85 are affected. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, constituting about two thirds of all cases. Decline in memory and cognitive function are considered a normal consequence of aging and different from dementia. In normal elderly adults, cognitive performance generally remains stable over many years, with only slight declines in short-term memory and reaction times.

A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease reported that anesthesia can be safe for normal mice but potentially harmful for mice with genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's. The use of repetitive anesthesia with isoflurane (one of the most common anesthetics by inhalation in hospitals) increased the risk of developing changes similar to those observed in Alzheimer's brains in mice with mutations of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). APP is considered a predicting factor in the genetic predisposition for Alzheimer's. The findings suggest a possible mechanism of developing Alzheimer’s. Some epidemiological studies have shown an increased prevalence of Alzheimer's in patients undergoing anesthesia and surgery. This has lead researchers to suggest that prior to surgery requiring anesthesia, it may be good to know the genetic background of the patients so that the drugs used and the pattern of anesthesia may be personalized accordingly. A customized clinical model that would enable the reduction of the patient's potential risk for AD would reduce the risk of anesthesia.

If the use of anesthesia is a concern to you, I recommend talking with your doctor. There are things that can be done to reduce the negative effects of anesthesia - before, during, and after the procedure.

Safe journeys,
Randi

Does Depression Increase the Risk of Developing Dementia?

2010-07-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

According to study published this month in the journal Neurology, people with depression appear to be at greater risk of developing dementia. Dr. Jane Saczynski and her team of researchers looked at 949 people participating in the Framingham Heart Study, who were free of dementia at the start of the study. At the same time, all were tested for symptoms of depression and 13% were classified as having depression at the start of the study. The participants were then followed for 17 years and, by the end of the study, 164 people had developed dementia, 136 of which had Alzheimer's disease. The researchers determined that about 22% of the people with depression at the start of the study had developed dementia, compared with 17% of those who had not had depression, indicating a 70% increased risk for developing dementia in those who initially had depression.

The researchers noted that it was impossible to determine from their work whether depression actually caused dementia, but also said that there are several different ways that depression might potentially affect the risk of dementia. The researchers suggested that brain inflammation, also called “neuroinflammation” caused by depression may increase certain proteins in the brain that increase the risk of dementia. They also said that certain lifestyle factors associated with depression , like poor diet and nutrition along with lack of exercise may play a role. In my book, Healing and Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health, the three chapters on depression, dementia, and Alzhiemer’s disease all discuss in great detail the relationship between these conditions and neuroinflammation, diet, and lifestyle. In turns out, that scientists have long known that illnesses like depression can actually causer brain damage if left untreated for long periods of time.

Study:

Saczynski, J. S., Beiser, A., Seshadri, S., Auerbach, S., Wolf, P.A. , & Au, R. (2010). Depressive symptoms and risk of dementia. Neurology, 75, 35-41.

Healing and Wholeness: Complementary Therapies for Mental Health

2010-07-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I created a blog, so I thought I would start anew. With so much of my time spent on my education over the last few years, it's been a real juggling act. I am currently in the dissertation research phase of my Ph.D. in psychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA. My research should begin in the fall of 2010 and the subject is the effect of therapeutic fasting on depression. It should prove quite interesting. I can't wait to complete it so I can finish my next book "Fasting: An Exceptional Human Experience." The book is essentially done, but I want to complete my study so it can be added to the book. Speaking of books, my last book "Healing and Wholeness: Complementary Therapies for Mental Health" has been selling very well and I have received many letters from people thanking me for the information in the book, telling me how much it has helped them. I have answered all of these letters personally, but I would like to say here that it has been a pleasure to have been of service in such a big way to so many people.