Natural Medicine Talk - Mental Health http://www.natmedtalk.com/ en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:33:15 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.natmedtalk.com/images/styles/natmed/misc/rss.jpg Natural Medicine Talk - Mental Health http://www.natmedtalk.com/ memory http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19972-memory.html Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:26:12 GMT whats good for memory and learning performance? whats good for memory and learning performance? ]]> Mental Health AFX http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19972-memory.html Passion Flower http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19939-passion-flower.html Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:56:15 GMT I was wondering if someone who has tried Passion Flower could share their experience ? Is it similar to Kava at all ? I have tried Kava, Valerian... I was wondering if someone who has tried Passion Flower could share their experience ? Is it similar to Kava at all ?

I have tried Kava, Valerian and Lemon Balm for anxiety/sleep issues. Kava works the best for me in terms of helping me with anxiety, positive outlook and no grogginess the next day. However, I don't want to take it long term because of it's potential danger to liver. Valerian helps a bit with anxiety and sleep but I feel groggy the next day. Lemon balm makes me really groggy and doesn't help with anxiety at all. ]]> Mental Health snowbell http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19939-passion-flower.html Natural Anxiety Relief - L-Theanine http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19935-natural-anxiety-relief-l-theanine.html Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:58:27 GMT Just bought some Schiff Melatonin Plus with Theanine. L-Theanine is said to be good for relief of anxiety without damaging the liver. ... Just bought some Schiff Melatonin Plus with Theanine. L-Theanine is said to be good for relief of anxiety without damaging the liver.

Quote:
http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/...anxiety_relief
]]> Mental Health kind2creatures http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19935-natural-anxiety-relief-l-theanine.html Tips for a Soul Satisfying Journey http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19934-tips-soul-satisfying-journey.html Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:32:45 GMT Soul Satisfying Journeys: Making Choices Our journeys are about making choices. Whether it is a choice about where to go, how to go or when to... Soul Satisfying Journeys: Making Choices

Our journeys are about making choices. Whether it is a choice about
where to go, how to go or when to go, the choice determines our
outcome. Soul satisfying journeys are mindful trips that include self-
awareness and a look within ourselves. This pertains to any journey,
be it from place to place, action to action or decision to decision.
The sum of our choices constitutes our life. The journey we take from
start to finish. We may not always make the proper choices, but we
are always allowed the ability to make another. No matter how far
down the "wrong" road we may be, this road we chose, we chose for a
reason. Here in lies life's lessons. Learn the lesson, then make your
next choice. This is how we discover the daily journeys in a span of
time that is ours and ours alone.


"Life is designed by our soul and spirit as our moment-by-moment
opportunity to expand our consciousness."


Tips for a Soul Satisfying Journey

1. The Power of Positive Thinking: Negativity is the root that
undermines our free flow of thought. The negative ideas we think can
manifest in the words we speak. The minute the words leave your lips,
is the minute they manifest. Change your thoughts to positive,
uplifting ones. Think hope not hopelessness. Think goodness, not
evil. Think joy not despair. Energy follows thought. Program thought
to be positive and your energy will reflect it!

2. Networking : When traveling on any journey, take the time to meet
those who cross your path. If you believe in Universal Attraction,
then your purpose for those you meet will unfold.

3. Find Quiet Time: Turn off the cell phone, power down the laptop,
cut yourself off from the constant world of communication. Try doing
it for 15 minutes. Then add another 15 minutes. Build your time up to
an hour, two hours, perhaps all day. Do you remember time before
these communication tools?

4. Find Time To Meditate: Become aware of your breath. Learn to close
your eyes, sit comfortable and smell the air around you. Enjoy the
sounds of nature or your favorite music. Enjoy the many meditations
in the meditation village.

5. Enjoy the Company of Those Around You: If you are on vacation with
your significant other, your family or children, give them your full
and undivided attention. Not only will you understand your will power
but you will truly show your loved ones how important your time is
with them!

6. Pamper Yourself : Take this time to enjoy a massage. Take a yoga
class or give yourself a soothing bath or spa treatment. Do something
for yourself that you would not normally do.

7. Be Flexible: You have a rigid, set schedule at work, with the kids
or in your daily routine. Learn a lesson from the willow tree and its
ability to bend in the great wind. Where as, when we are rigid like
the old oak tree, we can easily break apart under the stress of
change. Learn to relax and follow the path unfolding before you.

8. Become More Mindful: Mindfulness is the act of being fully aware
of what happens in each moment. Try living in the NOW. Be present.
Honor each moment you are given. Acknowledge each task you take.

9. Really Appreciating: what we DO have as opposed to what we would
like to have, makes a significant difference. This is always an
important element in any journey that is often neglected.

10. Find Happiness in Simplicity: and you will find the greatest joys
yet revealed to you. Smile when you talk on the phone. Great everyone
you pass by or meet today, with a smile. Appreciate the smell of the
air, the warmth of the sun and the laughter in children. Make that
the stepping stones of your travels.

http://www.peacefulmind.com/journey.htm ]]> Mental Health kind2creatures http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19934-tips-soul-satisfying-journey.html Depressed, fatigue etc http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19912-depressed-fatigue-etc.html Sun, 22 Aug 2010 02:39:05 GMT Hi
Oh , first of all- I just replied to a post saying I couldn't find how to aska question- but I think I've figured it out-lol.
Does anyone else have problems with a almost constant tiredness, no energy/
I've tried vitamins, etc, I've been on anti- depressants, which I've stopped a month or so ago- hoping that if I went off them , I mightn't be so tired( side-effects say drowsiness can be a side- effect)- but it doesn't matter what I do- I'm sooooo tired.
I've had blood tests done at doctor's- just comes up "normal"- I was sure I had something wrong with thyroid or something, but apparently not- though I have heard that even if it says normal- it doesn't always mean that- but I just don't know what to do anymore!
I'm a female- late forties, just went to Health food Store AGAIn yesterday, bought "Stress and Anxiety" pills- has "sacred basil, Indian Ginseng,magnolia officinalus, poria cocos and other stuff- ( sorry , hard to read small writing). Has anyone tried any of these things( main ingredient is the "sacred basil".
I'm starting to feel depressed again- not sure whether to try St Johns wort as well?
Anyway- just wondered , thanks to anyone that might reply?
Lpar:roll: ]]> Mental Health lpar http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19912-depressed-fatigue-etc.html Depression extrema http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19910-depression-extrema.html Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:15:01 GMT My old college roomate became clinically depressed and told me he does not want to be friends anymore; Reason: I watch Fox News. He was one of those... My old college roomate became clinically depressed and told me he does not want to be friends anymore; Reason: I watch Fox News. He was one of those people who made 6 figures for doing basically nothing and now he does not. Those jobs do not exist like they did before. He also upgraded a home (out west) and the value fell. He blames Bush and Fox news for all this. Amazing the lack of logic. ]]> Mental Health saved1986 http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19910-depression-extrema.html Psychedelic Drugs as Anti-Depressants http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19901-psychedelic-drugs-anti-depressants.html Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:02:00 GMT August 19, 2010 | *Psychedelic Drugs Show Promise as Anti-Depressants* *Scientists suggest that some psychedelics are remarkably good at... August 19, 2010 |
Psychedelic Drugs Show Promise as Anti-Depressants

Scientists suggest that some psychedelics are remarkably good at treating disorders like depression and may now have a clue as to why

By David Biello





PSYCHEDELIC RESPONSE?: The anesthetic ketamine has several notable side effects, including hallucinations and, according to new research, strengthening synapses. The top synapse pictured here is untreated while the more connected synapse below shows regeneration in a rat receiving ketamine.

Ketamine—a powerful anesthetic for humans and animals that lists hallucinations among its side effects and therefore is often abused under the name Special K—delivers rapid relief to chronically depressed patients, and researchers may now have discovered why. In fact, the latest evidence reinforces the idea that the psychedelic drug could be the first new drug in decades to lift the fog of depression.

"We were trying to figure out what ketamine was doing to produce this rapid response," which can take as little as two hours to begin to act, says neuroscientist Ron Duman of the Yale University School of Medicine. So Duman and his colleagues gave a small amount of ketamine (10 milligrams per kilogram of body weight) to rats and watched the drug literally transform the animals' brains. "Ketamine… can induce a rapid increase in connections in the brain, the synapses by which neurons interact and communicate with each other, " Duman says. "You can visually see this response that occurs in response to ketamine."

More specifically, as the researchers report in the August 20 issue of Science, ketamine seems to stimulate a biochemical pathway in the brain (known as mTOR) to strengthen synapses in a rat's prefrontal cortex—the region of the brain associated with thinking and personality in humans. And the ketamine helped rats cope with the depression analog experience brought on by forcing the rodents to swim or exposing them to inescapable stress. "Preclinical and clinical studies show that repeated stress or depression can cause a decrease in connections and an atrophy of connections in the same region of the brain," Duman explains, noting that magnetic resonance imaging shows that some depressed patients have a smaller prefrontal cortex as a result. "Ketamine has the opposite effect and can oppose or reverse the effects of depression" for roughly seven days per dose.

Rats and humans have similar biochemical pathways. "There's a fair amount of similarity between the neurotransmitter systems and the way drugs act in the brains of rodents and humans. Biochemically, there is good correlation," Duman notes. "Behaviorally, it's much more difficult to know whether an animal is depressed and the drug is making it less depressed."

But ketamine is not alone among psychedelics in having potentially therapeutic effects. A review, published August 18 in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, of research on this grouping of drugs generally—ranging from dissociative anesthetics such as ketamine to naturally occurring hallucinogenic compounds such as the psilocybin in "magic mushrooms"— shows their efficacy at treating obsessive-compulsive disorders and addiction as well as depression and anxiety, among other disorders. (Scientific American is part of the Nature Publishing Group.)

In fact, ketamine has shown promise at reducing the risk of suicide and is currently being tested in humans for effectiveness in treating bipolar disorder and addiction. Psilocybin can decrease obsessive-compulsive behaviors, or even eliminate them entirely, for as long as a full day after treatment and is being tested to reduce anxiety and depression in terminal cancer patients. And even LSD—lysergic acid diethylamide-25—can combat inflammation, among other potential therapeutic uses. "The potency is about 300 times more potent than steroidal anti-inflammatories," says pharmacologist Charles Nichols of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, who is working with the drug. "My lab is currently studying the ability of it to block or prevent inflammation in models of human inflammatory disorders, and the results are very promising so far."

The August 18 review, by psychiatrist Franz Vollenweider and neuropsychologist Michael Kometer of the University Hospital of Psychiatry in Zurich, proposes that various psychedelics' interaction with the receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin may prove key to understanding their beneficial—and mind-bending—effects. "Psychedelics activate neuronal networks and the glutamate system that are implicated in the regulation of emotion," Vollenweider says, noting that their hallucinogenic effects can be impeded by blocking specific serotonin receptors in the brain (known as 5-HT2A). Psychedelics typically boost serotonin and may also boost the release of glutamate, according to the review authors, another neurotransmitter that has been linked to short-term but long-lasting brain functions such as learning and memory. More glutamate also has an impact on synapses. "This might result in an increased number and function of spine synapses in the prefrontal cortex," Vollenweider says.

That's exactly what Yale's Duman and his colleagues have now found, at least in the case of ketamine, though Duman is skeptical of a shared mechanism, given that ketamine and other hallucinogens affect different biochemical pathways. "There is evidence that the psychedelic agents enhance glutamate," he says. "I don't think the evidence is all that strong."

Regardless, it is unlikely that ketamine, psilocybin or any of these psychedelics would be used directly, because of their hallucinogenic and other side effects. According to Duman, several pharmaceutical companies have already begun the search for alternative compounds that target the same biochemistry or brain function, including some that his lab is testing. "We are testing other targets that we identified that we now know are potentially related and could impact pathways we have found to try to come up with novel targets and treatments that produce a ketamine-like effect with a better safety profile." In other words, a drug that treats depression the same basic way as a psychedelic but without any of the hallucinations and other mind-bending effects. ]]> Mental Health kind2creatures http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19901-psychedelic-drugs-anti-depressants.html <![CDATA[Childhood stress 'causes illness']]> http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19864-childhood-stress-causes-illness.html Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:17:06 GMT Adversity and stress early in life leads to long term ill health and early death, a group of psychologists warn. A series of studies suggest that... Adversity and stress early in life leads to long term ill health and early death, a group of psychologists warn.
A series of studies suggest that childhood stress caused by poverty or abuse can lead to heart disease, inflammation and speed up cell ageing.
The American Psychological Association meeting heard that early experiences "cast a long shadow on health".
One UK expert said more and more evidence was suggesting a physical impact of stress in childhood
- BBC Ceefax 15/8/2010 ]]> Mental Health knightofalbion http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19864-childhood-stress-causes-illness.html Kava Kava or Lemon Balm ? http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19828-kava-kava-lemon-balm.html Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:10:57 GMT I was wondering if someone has had experience with both Kava and Lemon Balm and could recommend which one is better ? I have a little bit of anxiety.... I was wondering if someone has had experience with both Kava and Lemon Balm and could recommend which one is better ? I have a little bit of anxiety. Actually I have a racy mind and I worry a lot. Kava really helps me with calming of the mind and handling stress well. It actually helps with my confidence level a lot. However, I have heard that it is not good for liver, which is why I am looking at Lemon Balm. Would really appreciate if someone has experiences to share. ]]> Mental Health snowbell http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19828-kava-kava-lemon-balm.html Antidepressants http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19815-antidepressants.html Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:47:51 GMT It is getting difficult for the ruling elite to keep the masses sedated and dumbed down so they have come up with exceptionally powerful drugs that... It is getting difficult for the ruling elite to keep the masses sedated and dumbed down so they have come up with exceptionally powerful drugs that they have doctors prescribe for them. Shane Ellison writes, “According to the FDA, antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts and behavior, worsening depression, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, impulsivity, aggression, psychotic episodes and violence. Some even cause homicidal ideation according to the manufacturers. Many long-term antidepressant users will tell you they no longer feel normal emotions—they’re numb, like zombies. But the side effects of these drugs aren’t limited to hijacking your feelings and emotional state, causing violent and psychotic states. Physical side effects occur too and include abnormal bleeding, birth defects, heart attack, seizures and sudden death. Over one hundred and seventy drug regulatory warnings and studies have been issued on antidepressants, to sound the alarm on these side effects ]]> Mental Health athletic dept http://www.natmedtalk.com/mental-health/19815-antidepressants.html