Alternative Medicine – The Blog

Technorati Tags: Alternative Medicine, History of Alternative Medicine

I am 18 and have had social anxiety disorder and depression for years. There is a family history that no doubt I am connected to. My mother, British, tells of her mother having agoraphobic attacks in public and having to look after her and take her into hospitals. My mother is also mental herself, with agoraphobia. My eldest sister is similar but not to the same extent, and also very self-concious and paranoid. I and both my sisters have suffered/suffer depression. Ever since little I’ve always been shy, and that’s all I thought it was even when growing up as a teen. But I know it’s more than that and each day everything grows darker. My online friend from the UK (I live in Australia) is a psychologist and has identified me as having mild social anxiety disorder.

My problem is that I can’t "talk". Everything I say I am self concious of. I struggle making conversation and exercise self backlash on every awkward occasion such as this. I worry when I am out and about that everybody in their cars is watching me, that people sitting down outside cafes are watching me, that people sitting in the seats behind me in buses are staring at me. I’ve had a few recent near-panic attacks on buses just because of this. I wish to enjoy life, talk freely, be social and in the end, be the most successful person out of my highschool class next year. I finished school last year in New Zealand and moved to Australia soon after, where my sisters live nearby. I had a bad time at school with bullying and not fitting in. I felt I was always judged so now I judge all of them and want to be the most successful our of them.

I am gay and out to most people. After I moved to Australia in February this year, I then moved to live independently in another city just a week ago. I also joined dating sites and found an amazing friend. We have dated twice, but he still considers us just dating and says a relationship would be weeks away – if ever. He is getting over a recent breakup. However, I continue to destroy my self esteem and hope by being paranoid that he is still having other dates on the side and probably won’t choose me in the end, even though he is honest and well mannered and looking for long term like me. And he probably won’t choose me. After all why should he? I’ve barely talked in person so we hardly know each other. And unless I get help it might always be that way. I don’t want to tell him what is going on in my life as he might feel pressured and back out. But part of me does want him to understand because he might support me.

This dilemma of dating has made the high point in the last few days. All my worries about the uncertainty of our future collided with other worries last night, and I had an emotional breakdown. It involved me uncontrollably crying loudly for ages, feeling so alone, like there’s no hope whatsoever and wanting to kill myself. During this I SMSd him and am now really scared he is disturbed by it, as he hardly ever contacts me now.

I can’t afford a psychologist or anything. IS there any free services that give similar help for healing mental problems? I will not take meds as I only use alternative medicine which is also what I want to study next year. I would like it if somebody wants to message me and form a chat setup as well. I NEED HELP :’(

an 18 year old guy should be enjoying life as it is . based from your notes your self esteem continues to be lowering down . and come up to the point of making you sad so severely . it sounds that pschoneurosis is also attacking your personalty as you have some emotional breakdowns and anxiety attack is obviuosly sensed , you know these things happening to you should be brought up to your trusted friends and relatives , expressing verbally your fears , anxieties will surely be easen . the professional counselor could help you too . a religious clergy are with open arms to listen of what you will talk to them . meanwhile it is more helpful and encouraging if you indulge yourself to your favorite sports . and regular hobbies to divert your attentions making yourself active and be more optimistic . you will be thinking of positve things to regain lost self worth and self esteem .

Duration : 0:0:0

Read the rest of this entry »

Duration : 0:0:0

Read the rest of this entry »

Duration : 0:0:0

Read the rest of this entry »

1)Advocates of therapeutic touch claim that this alternative therapy heals sicknesses from headaches to cancer. Skeptics, however, claim that the healing power of this therapy can be explained by
a) energy fields.
b) placebo effect.
c) body heat.
d) magnetic forces

2) A person suffering from mania may begin to feel grandiose, which means
a) having inflated self-esteem.
b) experiencing episodes of sudden fear.
c) feeling a fear of being alone.
d) having recurring involuntary thoughts.

3) Why is phototherapy an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?
a) Phototherapy exposes the individual to bright light, which subconsciously encourages the mind to think of positive memories and emotions.
b) SAD is caused by the body’s reaction to low levels of light during the winter months, and this can be remedied by daily exposure to bright light.
c) The winter months encourage nostalgia and reminiscences because of the dreary atmosphere, and phototherapy significantly changes the atmosphere.
d) Artificial daylight induced by phototherapy affects the nerve endings of the skin, which send signals to the brain that trigger a pleasant sensation.

4) A psychiatrist is helping Jon cope with his depression. If the psychiatrist prescribes Prozac, how will the medicine work to help Jon?
a) Prozac will increase the availability of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and serotonin, which elevate arousal and mood.
b) Prozac will block or minimize the effects of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that activates the part of the brain that controls nausea and vomiting.
c) Prozac will activate the brain’s pleasure centers with sudden euphoric feelings that are seldom recaptured.
d) Prozac will affect long-term memory storage, so Jon will no longer recall why he was sad.

5) Anthophobia is an intense fear and avoidance of
a) flowers.
b) dolls.
c) needles.
d) books.

6) Avoiding or escaping a feared situation reduces anxiety and ends up
a) reinforcing the phobic behavior.
b) encouraging the person to seek treatment.
c) aggravating the symptoms of the disorder.
d) minimizing the anxiety until it disappears.

7) A man firmly believes that he is smarter than all his co-workers and tells everyone in the office that the company would be lost without him. He often fantasizes about being promoted and ensuring success for the company. He flies into a rage whenever anyone questions or contradicts him. Which personality disorder does he most likely suffer from?
a) schizoid personality disorder
b) narcissistic personality disorder
c) histrionic personality disorder
d) avoidant personality disorder

To help Jane with her depression, a psychodynamic therapist would most likely
a) ask Jane about her current relationships.
b) suggest insights into Jane’s problems.
c) recommend ways for Jane to improve her relationship skills.
d) encourage Jane to address the immediate problems at hand.

9) Predict what would happen if a therapist uses behavioral therapy to help a woman overcome her fear of cats.
a) The therapist will assist the woman through systematic desensitization to help her become less anxious about her phobia.
b) The therapist will ask the woman to meet a group of people who are experiencing a similar phobia, since they will understand how she feels.
c) The therapist will explore the woman’s life history and childhood background to identify the cause of her phobia.
d) The therapist will act like a mirror for the woman and will provide her with feedback and an environment that allows her to express her feelings and fears.

10) Jane feels energetic and rearranges her furniture at two o’clock in the morning. She runs up and down the stairs, and her mind races with random thoughts. If Jane is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, predict what will happen after she experiences this mania.
a) Jane will be happier than before.
b) Jane will not sleep or stop talking.
c) Jane will continue to feel a druglike high.
d) Jane will crash into a low depression.

11) In bipolar disorder, which of the following is characterized by intense happiness, extreme energy, and an inability to concentrate?
a) depression
b) mania
c) panic
d) anxiety

These are my answers…could you Guys Check if i have them rightt?? pleasee.
1)B
2)A
3)B
4)A
5)A
6)A
7)B
8)B
9)A
10)D
11)B

you must be really stuck up to think anyone in their right mind is going to read all of that.

I dont participate in sports and im not sure i will but im a junior so i suppose there is still time. I’ve gone to Europe as part of a program in learning about the history and culture of the continent. I am going to start volunteering nearly 7 days a week until i graduate, and get a summer job. Would going to a summer camp-not counseling-be considered an EC? I am going to a sports camp-tennis, and a rec camp this summer. The volunteering im doing is going to be at a hospital, blood bank and red cross. In the Red Cross i will be going through disaster training but really only for the training, because im still going to do alternative volunteer work. I want to go to Univeristy of Washington and either go for a nursing degree or some other part of medicine. Do you think this will give me a bit of an edge?
My accumulative gpa by the time i graduate will be about 3.8. But my fresh/soph grades were in the B zone. Im in running start right now which is where i go to a comm college and im getting my associates by the time i graduate. I am also possiblyl going to do some work for the victims of katrina this summer

Any stuff i should add? just let me know

Thanks!

Your school should have a list of extracurricular activities. Choose several from that list./

Dana Ullman, MPH (Master’s degree in Public Health) poses this question in a major Huffington Post article. Dana is one of the world’s foremost researchers into complementary and alternative medical modalities and the history of medicine in general.

http://www.huffingt onpost.com/ dana-ullman/ how-scientific- is-modern_ b_543158. html

Have we been hoodwinked by the status quo in medical treatment?

Well, of course modern medicine uses science. It’s how it is interpreted, IF interpreted. It is a lack of honesty and ethics that is the problem. But, modern medicine and the FDA have their sheep (like angry doc) who says that medicines have to be proven effective or they wouldn’t be available.

Medicines can be (and are) pushed through, promoted, and used based on little evidence, the goal of making the pharmaceutical company more money – NOT the health and welfare of the patient.

Take for example the recent information that came out about OTC children’s cough and cold medicines being ineffective or worse, harmful to children. These products have been on the market, with FDA approval and pharmaceutical advertisements for their effectiveness and safety for decades and decades. Vioxx is another.

Psychiatric medications is another can of worms (as the editor of the Lancet states):

…." Doctors were seriously and deliberately misled. This is not an uncommon practice’.

… ‘Hiding negative data: The classic recent example concerned Paxil (GlaxoSmithKline). The hidden trials showed a pattern suggesting limited efficacy of the drug and risks of potentially fatal adverse effects. The available published evidence indicated a very different story.’

‘… But the continuing privatisation of much of science (science in the service of wealth creation rather than health improvement) threatens to make independent research almost impossible to do.’

‘… Ghost-writing: It is standard operating procedure for pharmaceutical companies to seed the medical literature with ghost-written editorials, reviews, and opinion pieces emphasising off-label indications of licensed drugs. These papers are commissioned to a specific marketing-driven brief and are written by non-specialists. A company friendly expert is then paid to have his or her name appear on the article, facilitating publication in a respected journal and thus enhancing the impact of the message.’

He concludes by stating:– ‘The compromised integrity of medicine’s knowledge base should be a serious concern to politicians and public alike. It is surprising and disappointing that this danger does not seem a serious priority within medicine itself.’

Please pause, and remember and think: the above information is not from a crank rant, it is the Lancet editor, Horton, giving evidence to the UK Parliamentary select committee.

EDIT: Yes, Gary Y, people that pursue Alternative medicine would like to focus on Alt med. While those whose preferred method is modern medicine should be focusing on, yes, modern medicine. There seems to be a lot of projection going on with you skeptics. Don’t like it thrown back at you I see. There are weeds in your grass and I would think that if you really cared about safety and effectiveness, you’d focus on your own backyard where a lot of people play and hundreds of thousands are harmed or die each year, and quit looking over Alt med’s fence looking for weeds. Seriously, if you really were concerned about the welfare of people in general rather than the selfish pursuit of pushing your own agenda on others who don’t agree with you, (ie:control), you would focus on the duping and the danger that goes on within your own world. Put your own oxygen mask on first as they say….

Looking at the history of Medicine, going back to the days of Hippocrates where diet and lifestyle were advocated along with treatments involving herbs, and natural modalities hasn’t medicine become too alternative?
Now no one in conventional medicine wants to do anything unless a drug manufacturer has gone to great length to develop a product.
Has nature nothing to offer?
Should we not investigate more of what it can offer before going down the track of pharmacology?
Wouldn’t it make economic sense to grow stuff in the ground rather than go to extreme lengths to produce a product that pharma companies sometimes do?
If quality is an issue how about doing research to establish the way to produce natural products optimally?
wmayers, get off your high horse and stop being so condescending. I’m not going to answer such a patronising arse either. FYI, I’m not that young pal.
I couldn’t possibly agree more Dave.

Trick question, right Lightening? Hehehehe If pharma isn’t the alternative, why for my cancer treatment am I taking ONE pharma and 15 other herbals which are not patented, but the gov’t and pharma are working hard to get banned even though European and Asian RESEARCH shows them most effective. And why using these dangerous non-pharmaceuticals for my care am I doing better than the standard non-conventional pharma patients? Feeling good, but had to drop by. Now, I shall go paint my trim and enjoy the outdoors – where life is meant to be lived.

Duration : 0:0:0

Read the rest of this entry »