Psychiatry less talk more drugs

(NaturalHealth365) It turns out talk is expensive and psychiatrists can’t afford to listen to their patients problems. Many of the nation’s psychiatrists, because of insurance will no longer provide talk therapy. The form of psychiatry popularized by Sigmund Freud and was the corner stone of therapy has just been marginalized. Instead a prescription pad is used to alleviate all that ails the patients. After a brief consultation with each patient, medication is prescribed and the patient is sent on their way.

More Drugs

Medicine is rapidly changing from a caring personal experience to one dominated by large hospital groups, and pharmaceutical interests. The doctor patient interaction is a key component to psychiatry, with that loss it has become a drug mill.

When Dr. Levin, 68, was trained as a traditional psychiatrist at Michael Reese Hospital a Chicago medical center that is now closed, talk therapy was the standard of treatment. He treated 50 to 60 patients in once-or–twice weekly talk therapy sessions that lasted 45 minutes each. Now, like most of the profession he treats 1,200 people in mostly 15-minute visits for prescription adjustments. At one time he knew his patients’ inner lives, now he usually can’t remember their names.

At one time his goal was to help his patients become happy and fulfilled, at this time it is to keep them functional. Dr. Levin has found the transition difficult. Now he resists helping patients manage their lives. A direct quote: “I had to train myself not to get too interested in their problems.” Also, he said: “and not to get sidetracked trying to be a semi-therapist.”

Brief consultations are now common, said Dr .Steven S. Sharfstein, a former president of the American Psychiatric Association and the president and chief executive of Sheppard Pratt Health System, Maryland’s largest behavior health system. Dr. Steven S. Sharfstein telling words: “They check up on people; they pull out the prescription pad; they order tests.

There are no more couches in psychiatrist offices, there is no time or space for patients to lie down or talk.

The switch from talk therapy to medications has changed psychiatry forever. A 2005 government survey found that just 11 percent of psychiatrists provided talk therapy to all patients, and the rate is falling. Psychiatric hospitals, which once offered patients’ months of talk therapy now, discharge them within days with bottles of pills.

Recent studies point to the fact that talk therapy may be as good as or better than drugs in the treatment of depression. Insurance company reimbursement rates and policies are part of the reason. A psychiatrist can earn $150 for three 15-minute visits compared with $90 for a 45-minute talk session.

In 2009, the median annual income for psychiatrists was $191,000 according to surveys by a medical trade group. Dr. Levin’s wife said: “This is about volume” and if we spend two minutes extra or five minutes with every one of 40 patients a day, that means we’re here two hours longer every day. And we just can’t do it.”

Today, psychiatry is about volume, as we become a nation of factory medicine, we will short change the patient, and fill the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry executives. The most profitable area of drug sales is psychotropic drugs. Mood altering drugs aimed at brain chemistry such as anti-depressants, stimulants, anti-anxiety and anti-psychotic drugs exceeded $82 billion a year in 2003. The new generations of anti-psychotic drugs are drugs that have been either settled recently for causing harm or are under investigation for health care fraudulent claims.

The truth is the profession of psychiatry has been co-opted by the legal drug cartels.

About the author Blanche has been a student of natural healing modalities for the last 25 years. She had the privilege of working with some of the greatest minds in Natural Healing including Naturopaths, Scientist, and Energy Healers. Having seen people miraculously heal from all kinds of dis-ease through non-invasive methods, her passion now is to help people become aware of what it takes to be healthy.

Lemon Balm for anxiety relief

(NaturalHealth365) Lemon balm is a common garden herb, with some uncommon abilities. Lemon balm contributes to significantly reduced stress levels. It counteracts negative moods, promotes calmness, and reduces oxidative related brain cell degeneration. Lemon balm is effective at reducing accumulation of the harmful amyloid-beta, a protein, which is considered a leading contributor to Alzheimer’s disease.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is a perennial herb in the mint family. It is a plant native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean and to northern Africa. It has been cultivated for over 2000 years. Lemon balm has been in use throughout history as a healing herb. The Arabs introduced it as a medicinal herb, using it in a tea for anxiety and depression. In early Greece it was used for scorpion stings, insect and dog bites. Today, it is used in France as a remedy for fatigue.

The leaves have a soft lemon sent and in the summer it blooms small white flowers full of nectar. It is an easy plant to cultivate, growing well in sunny areas while being quite shade-tolerant. Lemon balm is grown indoors as a potted herb.

Lemon balm is used in ice cream and herbal teas as a flavoring. You also can find it in fruit dishes, candies, pesto, poultry, lamb and fish dishes. It is also used as a preservative in meat dishes. Many dishes are garnished with chopped fresh leaves. It has a subtle lemon flavor, which works well in many recipes.

Medicinal uses

Lemon balm leaves have many uses. The leaves are used as a mosquito repellent. It is used as a herbal tea or extract for its antibacterial and antiviral properties. It has demonstrated to be effective against herpes simplex.

Lemon balm chief components rosmarinic acid, quercetin, gallic acid, and rutin are potent antioxidants. These protect brain cells and other tissues from reactive, oxygen species (ROS). Lemon balm tea is used to protect radiology technicians from the oxidizing effects of chronic exposure to low levels of radiation.

Anxiety Relief

What it is most known for its ability to induce sleep and is considered a mild sedative. Lemon balm tea is used to calm colds and flu symptom. It is considered a carminative herb and is used to relieve spasm in the digestive tract. It is reduces dyspepsia associated with anxiety or depression, because of its sedative properties.

The volatile oils appear to help the nervous system. Anxiety is associated with tension, and as such lemon balm is used for migraines that are associated with tension. Lemon balm and its chief component rosmarinic acid boost levels of GABA in the brain. This elevated GABA levels reduce the level of anxiety. Increasing brain GABA activity is the way which prescription anti-anxiety drugs work.

GABA

GABA is an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Excitement in the brain needs to be balance with inhibition. Excitement can lead to restlessness, irritability, insomnia and anxiety. GABA is responsible for providing a soothing stress-relieving effect. This neurotransmitter is made in the brain from the amino acid glutamate with the help of vitamin B6. Many people are GABA deficient and look for products to help them relax.

Research

Animal studies have revealed the powerful anxiety and stress reducing effects of lemon balm. Mice demonstrated significantly reduced anxiety in maze experiments when they were given lemon balm extract. Mice conditioned to experience chronic fear showed significantly reduced stress response and more appropriate behavior when given lemon balm.

Human studies of lemon balm in treatment of agitation in Alzheimer’s patients have been encouraging. Research studies of lemon balm are compelling. There were a series of trials conducted in the Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at the University of North Umbria in the United Kingdom, which showed lemon balm produced an increase in self-rated calmness in a group of healthy adults.

The researchers also evaluated lemon balm in a different setting, where the subjects were deliberately stressed in the laboratory. They gave one group of healthy volunteers’ low doses of lemon balm and another group a placebo then subjected them to the Defined Intensity stressors Simulation, a battery of challenges designed to impose stress. Calmness was produced in the lemon balm group.

Lemon balm may add flavor to your food, while adding zest to your life.

About the author Blanche has been a student of natural healing modalities for the last 25 years. She had the privilege of working with some of the greatest minds in Natural Healing including Naturopaths, Scientist, and Energy Healers. Having seen people miraculously heal from all kinds of dis-ease through non-invasive methods, her passion now is to help people become aware of what it takes to be healthy.

Turning Anixety and Fear into Happiness

(NaturalHealth365) Did you know that anxiety is a form of fear? It’s apprehension of anticipated events or situations that lead to this unwarranted stress in our life. The emphasis is important to understand…anticipation! The solution is to live life in the present moment – yesterday is gone and tomorrow hasn’t arrived.

Anxiety is a product of the mind. In order to reduce anxiety you must change your mind. Your thoughts help create your future. Give thought to the fact that we all come from the same source of life. Whatever you feel comfortable in calling it, the Universe; Divine Intelligence or G-D. Know that you are a special, unique individual with incredible potential for goodness, prosperity and happiness.

Give and You Will Receive! Give up trying to control people or events in your life. Your day is filled with endless possibilities to help yourself, family, friends and even strangers. Of course, seemingly stressful events will occur but your power lies in the ability to characterize these events negatively or positively. Every event in life is an opportunity to grow. How will you respond?

Develop a strong, positive belief system. Take action to strengthen your higher level of consciousness. Listen to that small voice inside of you. It’s telling you everything you need to know. You must believe 100% in your possibilities for success.

Action Step #1: Good nutrition is essential to maintaining a healthy state of mind. Review these suggestions with a trusted health care provider to reduce your anxiety and improve the quality of your life.

• Avoid alcohol, caffeine and smoking. They deplete your B vitamins, which are invaluable for maintaining calm.
• Eliminate trigger foods, such as, simple sugar; artificially-sweetened foods; nitrate-preserved meats; MSG; fast foods, fried foods and soda.
• Eat simple, calming foods, such as, organic whole grains, potatoes; oatmeal plus lightly-steamed vegetables.
• Increase your consumption of foods rich in calcium to help you with stress, such as, organic almonds; soy foods and dark leafy greens (i.e. kale)
• Try foods rich in magnesium to protect your nervous system, such as, kelp; wheat germ; bran; most nuts, tofu and miso
• Get foods rich in B vitamins to support your adrenals and nerves, such as, whole grains; beans and nuts.
• Enjoy foods rich in vitamin C to improve your stress response, such as, peppers; greens; broccoli, kiwi, blueberries and strawberries.

Finally, I offer you a morning meditation designed to set the tone for your day. Say it slowly and repeat it as often as you like. Remember, you are not alone; you are a part of a magnificent universe. There is real order and purpose to your life. Turning anxiety into happiness may be a meditation away – try it today…

I Accept, I Thank, I Surrender. In Front of You; You, the Universe; You, the Cosmos; You, the Guiding Hand, G-D. A Living G-D, the G-D of All Existence. You have returned and restored my living essence, my consciousness of this coming day within me, as a consequence of your beneficence, mercy and goodness. Great is your faith in me and I will not let you down. And I will not let my family down. And I will not let my friends down. And I will not let the stranger down. And in that way, I will not let you down.

Jonathan Landsman, Managing Director of NaturalHealth365.com, host of the NaturalNews Talk Hour, wellness coach, writer and public speaker is helping millions of people worldwide create health and physical fitness through a variety of educational and entertaining articles, teleconference calls, live shows and special events.
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