Herbal Health » Anti Depressants-Sleeping Aid

OTHER INEFFECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR BDD: NATURAL REMEDIES

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:09:18 +0000

This is one of a number of other treatment approaches and coping strategies that are sometimes used for BDD but appear ineffective.
Natural remedies Some people try “natural remedies,” such as homeopathic approaches, megavitamins, St. John’s wort, and other substances found in health food stores or on the internet. These treatmerits don’t seem to work. None of them have been studied in BDD, and there’s no evidence they’re effective. Just because substances like tryptophan and 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) are natural and have links to serotonin doesn’t mean they effectively treat BDD. While some-of these substances are potentially harmless, others may actually be harmful. In fact, a number of years ago the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdrew tryptophan from the U.S. market because a toxic variant of this compound was inadvertently produced, which caused at least 37 deaths and 1,500 cases of a severe syndrome called eosinophilia myalgia syndrome. 5-HTP, too, may be dangerous. The weight loss herbal supplement ephedra (ma huang) was linked to many heart attacks, strokes, and even deaths. So not everything that’s “natural” is healthy; arsenic, too, is natural but can kill you.
The problem is that the Food and Drug Administration generally doesn’t regulate herbs and dietary supplements, and they can be marketed without any proof of safety or effectiveness. Some are contaminated with toxins like mercury lead, or dangerous pesticides. Prescription medicines, such as SRIs, in contrast, must undergo extensive and rigorous scientific testing to demonstrate that they’re both safe and effective before they can be marketed. You’re much better off trying an SRI, since they’ve been extensively tested for safety, safely taken by many millions of people, and shown by research studies to often effectively treat BDD.
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BDD – SUGGESTED GUIDELINES FOR FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS: DURING TIMES OF STRESS, YOU MAY NEED TO MODIFY YOUR EXPECTATIONS; CREATE A SUPPORTIVE HOME ENVIRONMENT

admin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:11:55 +0000

During Times of Stress, You May Need to Modify Your Expectations
BDD symptoms can increase at times of stress. Virtually any type of change can be stressful—positive events as well as negative ones. Don’t be discouraged if the BDD sufferer has a temporary setback during stressful times. At these times, you may need to lower your expectations a little bit. Keep implementing the suggestions in this chapter (e.g., encouraging progress, praising small gains) while also keeping in mind that progress may be slower, or may even stop, during stressful times. At times like these, your encouragement, support, and understanding may be especially helpful.
Create a Supportive Home Environment
Because BDD can be so hard to cope with, it’s easy to criticize and express anger toward someone who has it. It’s best to avoid this. Instead, do your best to create a supportive home environment. Help them talk about their feelings of anxiety, depression, shame, and isolation. Show your support, and help them fight BDD. Without being judgmental, critical, or hostile, explain that if you participate in their rituals or help them avoid things like social situations, this will only strengthen the BDD. Let them know that you care and that you’ll try to understand and support them through the recovery process.
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SURGERY, DERMATOLOGIC TREATMENT, AND OTHER NONPSYCHIATRIC MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR BDD: DO THESE TREATMENTS WORK? ARTICLES, RESEARCHES AND OTHER INVESTIGATIONS

admin — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 13:58:43 +0000

Many articles in dermatology journals state that patients with BDD frequently have a poor response to dermatologic treatment. Of great concern is a study done in two dermatology practices in England, which found that the most frequent causes of patient suicide were acne and BDD. I’ve talked with dermatologists who told me about BDD patients of theirs who committed suicide. One dermatologist said that six of his patients with probable BDD had committed is and how important it is for people with this disorder to get effective psychiatric treatment.
There’s a great need for more studies of this important issue. What’s especially needed are prospective studies, in which patients are followed over time and carefully assessed before and after surgery or dermatologic treatment to see whether their BDD improves, is unchanged, or worsens. Patients should be clearly identified as having BDD, and their outcome after these treatments should be assessed over a long period of time.
Even though BDD appears unlikely to get better with these treatments, some people who initially consult surgeons, dermatologists, or dentists may be reluctant to see a psychiatrist. If this is true for you, keep in mind that as best we know, these treatments usually don’t work. Seeing a psychiatrist or therapist doesn’t mean you’re “crazy.” It simply means that you have a potentially treatable illness that in many ways is no different from heart disease or any other medical illness. Psychiatric treatment is very likely to help you feel a lot better. There’s a good chance it will give you more control over your obsessions, help you get your life back on track, and relieve your mind of worry, anxiety, and depression.
It may be hard for you to accept this advice if you think your defect is real and truly looks bad, as almost all people with BDD do. Most people with BDD have the hope that a physical change in their appearance will solve their problem. But look back at what my patients have told me about how they wish they’d never had surgery. Remember that as best we know, these treatments almost never help. And keep in mind that regardless of what you actually look like, if you’re obsessing about an appearance flaw, and if you’re distressed over it or it’s causing problems in your life, psychiatric treatment is likely to quell your obsessions, alleviate your suffering and distress, and help you function better and start enjoying your life again.
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HOW MUCH SLEEP?

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:29:03 +0000

How much sleep is enough? This question is not easy to answer, and is very subjective. Some mink they need at least seven hours, some say ten. In fact this varies from person to person and also with age. It has been shown that babies sleep nearly all day. As they get older, they need less and less sleep. It is well known that the older we are, the less sleep we need. One of the common complaints of the elderly is that they cannot sleep. They hate to be awake and alone at night. They take sleeping pills, as they feel distressed when they cannot sleep.

Sleep is something we have no control over. We cannot close our eyes and give the magic word sleep, as sleep may not follow. In studies of how people fall asleep, it is observed that we are not folly awake one second and asleep the next. We all go through a very brief hypnotic state, which is called the Transitional Hypnotic State or THS.

How much sleep is required to restore, to repair, to recuperate, so that the next day we feel refreshed and satisfied? We will explore this question in two parts:

* Sleep deprivation and how much sleep is enough

* Psychological influence of how much sleep is enough

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AGGRESSION AS A CAUSE OF ANXIETY

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:19:33 +0000

We all have a certain amount of aggression within us. If we didn’t, we would not succeed as a species or as individuals. Man’s aggression has led him to master the other animal species, and has to a large extent enabled him to control his immediate environment. However, the way in which man has progressed toward civilization has of itself imposed great restriction on his native aggression. He no longer has the opportunity to vent open aggression on animals that threaten him, or on a neighbouring tribe who would take his food or his woman, nor can he turn his aggression on weaker members of his own kin and take what they have for himself. In our present evolutionary state man is struggling to control the aggressive impulses that are still within him. This struggle with our own aggression is one of the greatest causes of tension. In many ways it is even more difficult to cope with than sexual problems, because while we usually have some awareness of our sexual difficulties, the struggle to control our aggressions may make us tense without us having any knowledge as to the cause of the tension.

A man of middle age came to see me for a skin rash which he had had on and off in front of his elbows and behind his knees for almost twenty years. He had had a lot of illness as a child which had left him undersized and with a bent back.

From the beginning he took charge of the interview. He was aggressive in his attitude, and rather contemptuous in his references to all the past failures of medical treatment. He mentioned that his family called him aggressive. He said that he loses his temper and blows up with his children, and then feels sorry for it. He added that he often drank heavily from sheer impatience and boredom. His wife disclosed that he really terrorized people—not only herself and the children, but other members of the family, and his friends at his place of work. The condition of his skin would wax and wane according to his state of frustration.

His aggression resulted from an inferiority complex, a reaction to compensate for his small size and weakly appearance. The anxiety engendered by his efforts to control his aggression had caused the skin condition.

Because he was so tense and aggressive it took him some time to learn how to relax, but when he did, his skin cleared up. A report from his wife indicated that those around him had come to have a happier time.

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WHAT SIDE-EFFECTS MIGHT I EXPECT IN USING ST JOHN’S WORT?

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:52:53 +0000

The best data base on side-effects comes from a large German study in which over 3,000 patients on St John’s Wort were monitored by their doctors, over 650 of whom participated in the survey. Only 48 patients (about 1.5 per cent) discontinued the medication in the study, and side-effects were reported by only 79 people (2.4 per cent). Of these side-effects, the most commonly reported problems were gastro-intestinal irritation, restlessness and allergic reactions, all of which were reported by fewer than 1 per cent of individuals. European experts whom I have interviewed about St John’s Wort side-effects agree with these very low percentages. Such low side-effect frequencies are especially good news for the treatment of depression in the elderly, who are typically highly susceptible to the side-effects of all sorts of medications.

Although time will tell whether the initial observations of such low frequencies of side-effects are correct, I have been impressed in my own clinical practice by the absence of any side-effects in some people who have proven to be highly sensitive to side-effects from a wide variety of other anti-depressants. It seems likely that St John’s Wort will indeed prove to have fewer side-effects than the synthetic anti-depressants currently in use.

As noted above, anyone with a history of hypomanic or manic episodes should be especially vigilant for the typical symptoms of activation after starting any anti-depressant. Sleeplessness, racing thoughts, pressured speech and euphoria or irritability are early warning signs of hypomania or mania that must be heeded. If these develop, you should stop St John’s Wort immediately and consult a doctor. The loss of sleep (which is often not experienced as unpleasant but rather as an extra opportunity to get more accomplished or have more fun) is harmful in itself as it can fuel the manic process. If caught early, the symptoms of hypomania or mania can often be checked with appropriate actions; if not, however, they can escalate into mania, which can be very unpleasant and damaging.

A few of my patients have developed increased anxiety after beginning St John’s Wort. Such reactions have also been reported to occur in certain individuals after starting all forms of antidepressants. People with a history of panic attacks or extreme anxiety are especially susceptible in this regard. Yet anti-depressants have actually been given for the treatment of anxiety and panic. In order to overcome the initial anxiety response, which may occur after taking even a single dose, it is necessary to back down on the dosage. For example, in treating such sensitive patients with Prozac I have often started with as little as 1 to 2 mg of liquid Prozac per day. After the person has become used to that dosage, it is then possible to increase the dosage slowly and carefully over the ensuing weeks until a therapeutic level is reached. If you are eager to persevere with St John’s Wort but happen to develop anxiety after taking 300 or 600 mg, it is possible to overcome the problem by obtaining an herbal extract in the form of an elixir. Begin by taking very low dosages of the elixir (say one-tenth of the recommended number of drops) and increase gradually at a rate that you can comfortably tolerate until you reach therapeutic levels.

Some people on St John’s Wort have complained about increased sensitivity to sunlight both with regard to the skin, with more reddening occurring than usual, and the eyes. At this time there is no reason to believe that either of these side-effects is of clinical concern, but if they cause discomfort, protecting your skin with sun block or the eyes with sunglasses would be a sensible preventative measure.

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