The new American Drug War is fought on streets today with prescription painkillers (Hydrocodone) and anti-anxiety drugs (Xanax) sold on the black market. The victims–seniors, school kids, and people in pain are turning a deaf ear on government warnings, drug-related suicides, and death by withdrawal.
This evening Dec. at 6:45 PM I will meet with the Manhattan ADD support group at West End Collegiate Church 245 West 77th Street near West End Avenue NYC 10024 Here is the cell phone number for Paul who organizes the meetings: 914-523-0325. I can’t stay longer after the talk because tomorrow I have an early flight to New Mexico to visit Mother and Family. Here are my class notes.
Feed Your Tiger: The Asian Diet Secret for Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant Health New York Open Center Friday October 29, 2010 from 7-9:30 PM with Letha Hadady D.Ac. and classical homeopath Christopher Phillips CCH, RSHom(NA) I will again enjoy presenting Natural Approaches to Depression with my friend Christopher Phillips. These are my class notes: Life Happens. We can’t always prevent accidents, divorce, job-loss, and grief from losing a parent, friend, or pet. But we can prevent /treat the ill effects these may bring upon body and mind, which are interconnected. Enhance physical health and, very often, mental health improves. (Better concentration, mental clarity, mental stability, sleep, and memory. Less anxiety and fear if the body is nourished and if digestion and elimination, breathing, and circulation work smoothly.)
Autumn is when the earth and we ripen. Sweet, calming fruits and whole grains nourish and sustain us. In traditional Chinese medicine, autumn calls up the Metal Element to challenge our lungs, large intestine, and skin–sources of energy and emotional balance. Metal in the body is said to give it strength and integrity: It “holds us together.” Essential minerals–calcium, magnesium and vitamin D–are absorbed in the large intestine (the Metal Element.) Lacking them reduces bone and muscle strength, a regular heartbeat, and a clear, glowing complexion. Take those supplements with fruit and tea. Our breath does more than provide oxygen: It connects us to others with speech, also with our higher powers and ideals. We send breath into the void, which can be Love or Fear. Asian herbal remedies suited to this season address energy, courage, breath, and reduce impurities affecting digestion and complexion.
It was recently reported in the popular press that a coffee-related energy boost is an illusion. A British study involved 379 brave volunteers who went coffee “cold turkey” for 16 hours before being given a caffeine capsule or a placebo capsule containing corn flour. They were then tested for a range of responses, but there was “little variation between the real- caffeine group and the placebo group in levels of alertness.” Around half of the study participants were non-coffee drinkers or low consumers. The rest were medium to high consumers of coffee. . . Pills may work nicely for testing, but they lack the enlivening aroma and taste of coffee. Those pleasures–stimulants–were not tested. Coffee is one of those foods that swings from good to bad with some regularity. It may help prevent Alzheimer’s because it reduces production of amlyoid-beta protein in the brain. It may increase short term memory for things you are currently doing. I may increase anxiety, stomach cramps, and insomnia for some. For others, it is a pleasant slimming drink when used in moderation. I think they will continue testing coffee for a long time.
Good news for talkers: Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for treating both anxiety and depression, but talk therapy appears to work just as well as the medications, according to a new survey. People who both take medicine and get therapy fare even better. Nearly 80% of survey respondents with depression or anxiety reported antidepressant use, says Nancy Metcalf, senior program editor at Consumer Reports Health, which will publish the results of its third mental health survey of its readers in the July issue. What do we lose by avoiding anti-depression drugs? Put another way, what are common side-effects of those drugs? Weight gain, drug dependence, sexual dysfunction for some, and out of pocket expense for people lacking insurance. What natural alternatives exist for treating depression?
Some people have more than a bad hair day: They have a bad hair life. Does high stress make you want to pull your hair out? Psychiatrists give the name trichotillomania to an obsessive compulsive behavior of pulling out hair, eye lashes and eye brows. It can accompany chronic anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and mental disorders. It affects an estimated 2 million Americans over age 22. The exact number is unknown because it is often kept secret. A hair-puller feels relieved after pulling hair from face and even underarms. Some eat the hair. Now, there may be help for them. An article in Archives of General Psychiatry reported in July 2009 at Time.com describes the over the counter anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine.
Sometimes we can’t help it: We are forced to deal with and/or live with people who drive us nuts. They may be an employer, a relative, an EX, or a problem who has taken root on the couch. The noble route is: Try to help the person to improve bad habits. This relationship healing program has been suggested by numerous natural health experts: Live according to your principles of health and wellbeing, set a good example, and be kind to others. That may be possible for some, but others need to seriously develop self-protection survival skills. Negative energies–call them demons, depression, illness, nastiness or bad Karma–that take over a victim demand obedience. There is no easy escape from negative energy for the person caught up in it or for you, the person who lives with the victim. Church authorities, rituals, and voodoo have attempted over the years to chase demons. But you at home need to take these active steps to insure your survival.
Lavender Flowers NY Open Center 4/19/2010: These are Letha’s class notes for tonight’s class covering select physical causes/treatments for depression. The class is also lead by classical homeopath Christopher Phillips, whose class notes are not found here. Please see his website. Life Happens. We can’t always prevent accidents, divorce, job-loss, and grief from losing a parent, friend, or pet. But we can prevent /treat the bad effects these may have on our body and mind, which are interconnected. Enhance physical health and, very often, mental health improves. (Better concentration, mental clarity, mental stability, sleep, and memory. Less anxiety and fear if the body is nourished and if digestion and elimination, breathing, and circulation work smoothly.) What can we improve with diet, herbs, and body treatments? Chronic pain, fatigue, low immunity, hormonal and other physical imbalances, addictions, and emotional “stuckness.”
Prunella vulgaris (xia ku cao) Today I am in a Spring Cleaning trance. Listening to raga online as I mop and dust, I welcome a season of rebirth and renewal. My cleansing frenzy was prepared with my bedtime tea: warm prunella sweetened with a little Chinese Essence of Tienchi Flower instant beverage. Have you noticed how stressing cleansing herbal remedies leads to house-cleaning? You start to feel fresh inside and out. Prunella, an old friend of mine, is a small weed, the size of your thumb, that most people kill in the grass. I have enjoyed the tea especially in Spring, when allergins and high energy prevent calm sleep. The Chinese call the dried flower bud xia ku cao and use it to help dissolve lumps in the neck and breast. I have considered the herb a calming thyroid moderator useful for April madness that keeps me awake planning and writing. But prunella, known by many names including heal all and self-heal, kills many germs and reduces fevers. Steep a handful of dried prunella flowers in 2 cups boiling water for 5 minutes.
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