Alternative Mental Health News -- Issue 47

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Alternative Mental Health News -- Issue 47

Tue, 15 Jun 2004 11:21:50 -0400 (EDT)

 

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The ALTERNATIVE MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

A monthly newsletter brought to you by AlternativeMentalHealth.com and Safe

Harbor, a nonprofit corporation.

 

Issue 47, June 2004In This Issue·Editor's Comment·SIX

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

·Conventional Medicine Faces Stiff Competition in U.S.

·Recovery from Mercury-Induced Depression

· " Nutritional Medicine Today " Conference Report

·Antidepressants Harm Capacity to Love, Psychiatrists Say

·Study Finds that Food Additives Can Make Normal Kids Hyperactive

·Comprehensive Review of Pesticide Research Confirms Dangers

·Antidepressant Prescriptions Decline After FDA Meeting

·Exercise Helps Children Overcome Dyslexia

 

The Editors Dan Stradford, Editor

Alan Graham, Assistant Editor

Gloria McTaggart, Assistant Editor

 

SafeHarborProj

www.Alternative

MentalHealth.com

 

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About Safe HarborSafe Harbor was founded in 1998 in the wake of growing public

dissatisfaction with the unwanted effects of orthodox psychiatric treatments

such as medication and shock therapy.

 

Seeking to satisfy the desire for safer, more effective treatments, Safe Harbor

is dedicated to educating the public, the medical profession, and government

officials on research and treatments that, minimally, do no harm and, optimally,

cure the causes of severe mental symptoms. Our primary thrust is education on

the medical causes of severe mental symptoms and the use of nutritional and

other natural treatments.

 

About Alternative

 

MentalHealth.com

 

ALTERNATIVE MENTALHEALTH.COM IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST WEB SITE DEVOTED exclusively

to alternative mental health treatments. It includes a directory of over 240

physicians, nutritionists, experts, organizations, and facilities around the

U.S. that offer or promote safe, alternative treatments for severe mental

symptoms.

 

Many of the physicians listed do in-depth examinations to find the physical

causes behind mental problems.

 

Also included on the site is an array of articles on topics ranging from the

medical causes of schizophrenia to the effects of toxic metals on mental health.

 

Special AlternativeMentalHealth.com T-shirts and bumper stickers are available

at our online store.

 

A bookstore page lists top books that cover many areas of alternative treatments

with titles like Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental

Disorders and No More Ritalin.

 

AlternativeMentalHealth.com has been created to educate the public,

practitioners, and government officials on the medical conditions that create

" mental illness " and the many safe resources available for addressing and often

curing severe mental symptoms.

 

 

Contact UsSafe Harbor

1718 Colorado Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90041

U.S.A.

Phone: 323-257-7338

Fax: 323-257-7014

SafeHarborProj

www.Alternative

MentalHealth.com

Safe Harbor Boston

Post Office Box 218

Newton, MA 02468

U.S.A.

Phone: 617-964-5544

SafeHarborB

 

Safe Harbor

New York

P.O. Box 3620934

New York, NY 10129

NY: 212-302-9811

NJ: 201-656-2849

ny@alternative

mentalhealth.com

 

Safe Harbor

Maryland

410-480-5498 or margo@alternative

mentalhealth.com

 

Safe Harbor

New Mexico

505 988-4242 or louisa_putnam

 

Safe Harbor

India

B-1, 11/12

Konak Pooram

Kondhwa

Pune, India 411 048

(0091) 020-26837644

wamhc

 

 

WE WELCOME YOUR DONATIONS. AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, SAFE HARBOR IS SUPPORTED

SOLELY THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE PUBLIC. DONATIONS CAN BE MADE ONLINE AT OUR

WEB SITE OR MAILED TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. WE ALSO ACCEPT VISA/MASTERCARD BY

PHONE. THANK YOU.

 

 

Editor's Comment

Safe Harbor's Non-Pharma III Conference on June 5-6 was our best ever. Our

thanks to all who attended and all who contributed. Here are a few comments we

received from attendees. We hope to see YOU next year!

 

" This weekend was fabulous!! "

 

" As a physician, I want to thank you for bringing us Safe Harbor - this was a

part of my 'divine appointment' toward being better informed on how to help

people towards true health. "

 

" I can't think of a way to improve this conference. This was awesome. Many

thanks! "

 

" The talks by attorney Karen Barth Menzies and the dentist Raymond Silmkan, DDS,

were extraordinary! "

 

" Best conference ever. Thanks, Safe Harbor. "

 

" Fabulous information from attorney Karen Barth Menzies. The Recovery Panel was

fantastic. Very informative and moving experiences and lectures. "

 

" Excellent seminar. "

 

" Moved fast -- well organized. "

 

" Thank you! "

 

" Great!! Look forward to next year. "

 

" Very well organized, excellent presentations. Thank you. "

 

" Thank you for a very interesting conference offering hope for the future. "

 

" I'm now armed with enough information to get the help my son needs.....Thank

you. "

 

" Great! Very well organized. "

 

 

Six Announcements:index

 

Safe Harbor India Established It is with great pleasure that we announce the

creation of Safe Harbor India. We have received the official charter of the new

Safe Harbor chapter on their new letterhead. It is a very exciting moment at

Safe Harbor headquarters in Los Angeles.

 

Safe Harbor India is a collaboration with Bapu Trust, one of India's leading

mental health advocacy groups, headed by Bhargavi Davar, Ph.D. Bapu Trust, named

after Dr. Davar's mother, has been a potent voice for change in India where

shock treatment is commonplace as are pharmaceuticals.

 

The Safe Harbor India chapter is located in Pune, India, near Bombay, and will

work to introduce and organize alternative mental health practices in the Pune

region.

 

The Safe Harbor brochure is currently being translated into the local language

and work has begun to create a directory of alternative mental health

practitioners in the Pune area, as has been done in the United States on

www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com

 

Our slogan at Safe Harbor is " Changing lives every day. " We warmly welcome Dr.

Davar and her crew to the Safe Harbor family and we look forward to changing

Indian lives every day in the near future.

 

Safe Harbor India may be contacted at:

 

wamhc

Phone: (0091) 020-26837644

Address: B-1, 11/12

Konak Pooram

Kondhwa

Pune, India 411 048

 

 

Safe Harbor Maryland Workshop, June 26 Safe Harbor Maryland Presents:

 

Non-Drug Approaches to Mental Disorders

 

Saturday, June 26, 2004 at 2 pm

Location: 2814 Montclair Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043

At this meeting we will be viewing a video presentation by Dan Stradford on the

subject of " Underlying Physical Causes of Mental Disorders. "

 

The meeting is free, but please register by June 9th.

 

For more information or to register, contact Margo Duesterhaus at 410-480-5498

or margo

 

www.alternativementalhealth.com

 

 

Announcing Safe Harbor, Adirondack Region, Upstate New York We are pleased to

announce the creation of the 8th Safe Harbor chapter - actually, this is

technically an affiliate - in the Adirondack region of Upstate New York, a rural

area.

 

The affiliate is an existing nonprofit organization called Voices of

Independence and Consumer Empowerment (V.O.I.C.E) headed by Rev. Fred Bauer.

Their site is at www.voicenewyork.org. VOICE has been in existence for several

years and has hosted conferences for consumers in the region. The VOICE board

hopes to host the very first Non-Pharma East conference in fall 2005 in their

area and we are looking at how this might be accomplished.

 

We now have three organizations in the New England region, including Boston and

NYC. We greatly look forward to working with our Adirondack group to see greater

use of safe mental health practices in that region.

 

Current contact information for SH ARUNY is (518) 773 3531 and

voice_inc_2000.

 

 

Safe Harbor New York Workshop, June 22 Join Holistic Health Coach and

Nutritionist Tania Hollander for an evening workshop on the relationship between

food and mental health.

We will examine the role that food choices play in our emotional and spiritual

well-being. Discover the true meaning of " You are what you eat. "

 

Explore techniques from both Eastern and Western theories of health and

nutrition that will help you monitor your responses to what you eat. You will

also be presented with tools that will enable you to create a flexible meal

plan.

 

In this workshop, we will discuss:

 

Yin/Yang theory

The Glycemic Index tool to facilitate in making better food choices.

Specific foods with an emphasis on eating to suit our unique constitutions

Ways to support emotional balance through better food choices

 

When: Tuesday, June 22, 6:00 - 8:00

Note earlier time for this workshop.

 

Where: Neighborhood Preservation Center, 232 East 11th Street between 2nd and

3rd Avenues

 

Closest subway stops: Astor Place (6 train), Union Square (4, 5, 6, L, N, R, Q

and W), or 3rd Avenue station (L)

 

Closest bus stops: 3rd Avenue between 10 and 11th (M101, M102, and M103) or 2nd

Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets (M15)

 

Donation (to help pay for space rental): $5

 

Tania Hollander is Board Certified by the American Association of Drugless

Practitioners as a Holistic Health Counselor. She has a background in whole

foods, herbs, music, dance, yoga, and fitness. She is a graduate of The

Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York and a student of herbology. She

also holds a bachelor's degree from Binghamton University. Tania's key areas of

focus are digestive dysfunction and nutritional approaches to mood disorders.

 

Please let us know if you will be attending:

Safe Harbor New York

ny

212-302-9811

 

 

Mood Cure Workshop CDs Are Now Available for Sale The long-awaited Mood Cure

Workshop CDs are now available for sale. These are from THE MOOD CURE: A

TRAINING WORKSHOP IN AMINO ACID THERAPY - Eliminating " False Moods " by

Neuronutrient Repair with best-selling author, Julia Ross, M.A., M.F.T. (The

Diet Cure, The Mood Cure) and the staff of her Mill Valley, California clinic,

Recovery Systems. Prices are as follows:

Friday Session - $52.00

Saturday Session - $65.00

Sunday Session - $52.00

Full Set - $169.00

 

Please add 8.25% tax if you are in California. Also, add Shipping & Handling of

$4.00 per session or $10.00 for the full set.

 

This CD set is not a substitute for actually attending the workshop. It will

give much of the lecture portion, without the hands-on practice of diagnosing,

recommending various aminos, and witnessing (and correcting) their effects under

supervision.

 

You may order online at AlternativeMentalHealth.com (note " Mood Cure CDs " in the

Comments box), call the office at 323-257-7338 or contact

wendy. We accept Mastercard, Visa and American

Express.

 

Thanks!

 

 

CDs Available Soon from Non-Pharma III Conference We just completed our Third

Annual Medical Conference, " Non-Pharma III, " and it was a great success. CDs of

the lectures are currently being prepared, and should be available in

approximately three weeks. An e-mail announcement will be sent out as soon as

they are ready. To order CDs, please contact wendy.

Thanks!

 

 

 

Conventional Medicine Faces Stiff Competition in U.S.index

 

According to a new nationwide government survey published May 27, 2004, 36

percent of U.S. adults use some form of complementary and alternative medicine

(CAM). CAM is defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems,

practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of

conventional medicine. When prayer specifically for health reasons is included

in the definition of CAM, the figure rises to 62 percent.

" These new findings confirm the extent to which Americans have turned to CAM

approaches with the hope that they would help treat and prevent disease and

enhance quality of life, " said Stephen E. Straus, M.D., Director, National

Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

The survey, administered to over 31,000 representative U.S. adults, was

conducted as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) 2002

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The survey included questions on 27

leading types of CAM therapies - 10 types of provider-based therapies, such as

acupuncture and chiropractic, and 17 other therapies that do not require a

provider, such as herbs or botanical products, special diets, and megavitamin

therapy.

 

Previous surveys of CAM usage offered fewer choices, used smaller samples, and

relied on telephone or mail surveys. Based entirely on in-person interviews, the

new study is the most comprehensive and reliable to date.

Overall, the survey revealed that CAM use was greater among a variety of

population groups, including women; people with higher education; those who had

been hospitalized within the past year; and former smokers, compared to current

smokers or those who had never smoked.

 

In addition, this was the first survey to yield substantial information on CAM

use by minorities. For example, it found that African American adults were more

likely than white or Asian adults to use CAM when megavitamin therapy and prayer

were included in the definition of CAM.

 

" Over the years we've concentrated on traditional medical treatment, but this

new collection of CAM data taps into another dimension entirely. What we see is

that a sizable percentage of the public puts their personal health into their

own hands, " said NCHS Director Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D.

CAM approaches were most often used to treat back pain or problems, colds, neck

pain or problems, joint pain or stiffness, and anxiety or depression. Only about

12 percent of adults sought care from a licensed CAM practitioner.

 

The 10 most commonly used CAM therapies and the approximate percent of U..S.

adults using each therapy were:

Prayer for own health, 43 percent

Prayer by others for the respondent's health, 24 percent

Natural products (such as herbs, other botanicals, and enzymes), 19 percent

Deep breathing exercises, 12 percent

Participation in prayer group for own health, 10 percent

Meditation, 8 percent

Chiropractic, 8 percent

Yoga, 5 percent

Massage, 5 percent

Diet-based therapies (such as Atkins, Pritikin, Ornish, and Zone diets), 4

percent.

 

Interestingly, the survey also found that about 28 percent of adults used CAM

because they believed conventional medical treatments would not help them with

their health problem; this is in contrast to previous findings that CAM users

are not, in general, dissatisfied with conventional medicine.

 

Recovery from Mercury-Induced DepressionindexBy Dr. Mike Sichel, D.O., N.D.,

Ph.D., New South Wales, Australia.

adhd-specialist

 

I just had a case showing multi-Hg-amalgams can cause severe depression. And

cured my removal of same, even before chelation.

He had been " everywhere " as usual, to find an answer. I found 14 large amalgams

in his mouth. One tooth had a 25 mc/amp [electrical current] reading. On the

right side of his face (middle, upper jaw), he had felt a " hard-to-define

pressure " for a long time. The dentist I send these people to removed this first

(of the 14).

 

" Immediately I felt this load lift from me, " said the client. " My depression

evaporated. I am so surprised and so delighted! " His face shone, and his color

had improved dramatically after nearly all had been removed. He now undergoes

chelation.

 

This man is not a depressive type; even through his ordeal of some years he

always managed a smile (although at home it was different - he let his pain be

known, but his family life remained strong). There must be millions like him

(although maybe not so brave).

 

Psychiatrists, examine your depressive's teeth! They are close to the brain, and

so is the microamp current set up by the amalgam " ever-ready battery. " Not to

mention that potent neurotoxin, mercury.

 

" Nutritional Medicine Today " Conference Reportindexby Robert Sealey, BSc, Canada

On 30 April, 2004, I went to Vancouver to volunteer at Nutritional Medicine

Today, the 33rd conference of the International Society of Orthomolecular

Medicine.

 

I organized and helped to present the Friends of Restorative Orthomolecular

Medicine (FOR-OM) networking and public education evening meeting at the

Fairmont Waterfront Centre Hotel. Five recovered patients and three authors

encouraged the public to consider restorative o-medicine for mental and medical

problems, episodes or conditions. Optimum care and good health using natural

molecules.

 

Superman actress Margot Kidder shared her story of recovering and living well

with bipolar I manic depression. Stable taking her daily orthomolecular regimen,

Margot continues to make public appearances and support quality care. The FOR-OM

evening started by showing the 1998 film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing

which features Margot as one of 6 recovered patients and 6 orthomolecular health

professionals.

 

After the film, 5 people who appeared in that 1998 film gave positive five-year

progress reports. They continue to cope and live well, in spite of whatever

problems life sends their way, demonstrating the staying power of orthomolecular

medicine.

 

Margot's inspiring recovery reminded me that accurate diagnosis and restorative

care is not the norm for mental disorders. My bipolar II condition was not

diagnosed accurately or treated properly -- for 28 years! Painful episodes

corroded my peace of mind. Without good information or proper treatments, I

suffered recurring episodes of depression and periodic hypomanias. Stable since

1996, I keep well, working and productive by taking a daily orthomolecular

regimen which includes vitamins, minerals, aminos and gingko biloba. My books,

Finding Care for Depression, Mental Episodes & Brain Disorders and The 90 Day

Plan for Finding Quality Care encourage patients and families to question

substandard shortcuts as they explore the mental healthcare maze.

 

Author David Moyer, from Sacramento, California spoke about his book: Nutrients

Quiet the Unquiet Brain, a Four Generation Bipolar Odyssey. David shared his

medical search and recovery story about his bipolar son Chris who uses the True

Hope system. That involves taking supplements similar to the regimens of

vitamins, minerals and amino acids that orthomolecular health professionals

recommend and customize to suit each patient.

 

At a special moment, the room-capacity crowd of 200 patients, families,

caregivers and health professionals rose in a standing ovation to honour Dr..

Abram Hoffer after an award for five excellent visions which enlightened Dr..

Hoffer's successful career as a biochemically-oriented psychiatrist. After

founding the fascinating field of orthomolecular medicine and helping thousands

of schizophrenics and other patients, for over 50 years, writing hundreds of

papers and over 20 books and editing the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine,

 

Dr. Hoffer's work remains little-known by the public and disputed, discounted

and dismissed by conventional psychiatrists. Busy prescribing powerful

psychiatric medications which often make sick people worse, today's head doctors

face an epidemic of mental illness. Too many rely on the tradition of nihilism

in psychiatry rather than taking the time to assess Dr. Hoffer's research or

recommend restorative treatments.

 

Antidepressants Harm Capacity to Love, Psychiatrists Sayindex

Last year, doctors in the United States wrote 213 million prescriptions for

antidepressants. Up to 70 percent of patients on antidepressants report sexual

side effects. Now psychiatrists are considering that it isn't just sex that

suffers.

 

At the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in New York, Dr.

Helen E. Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers, presented evidence that tinkering

with serotonin levels in the brain can also disrupt romance and sense of

attachment.

 

" We know that there are real sexual problems associated with serotonin-enhancing

medications, " said Dr. Fisher, author of " Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry

of Romantic Love " (2004). " But when you cripple a person's sexual desire and

arousal, you're also jeopardizing their ability to fall in love and to stay in

love. "

 

Dr. Fisher and Dr. Anderson J. Thomson Jr. have studied the brains of people in

love and pored over research from the last 25 years on the neurological basis of

romance. Three brain systems, all interrelated, the researchers say, control

lust, attraction and attachment. Each runs on a different set of chemicals.

Lust is fueled by androgens and estrogens. Attachment is monitored by oxytocin

and vasopressin. And attraction, they say, is driven by high levels of dopamine

and norepinephrine, as well as low levels of serotonin. Increasing levels of

serotonin with antidepressants can imbalance all three systems.

 

Drs. Fisher and Thomson are submitting a scientific paper on the subject for

publication this year.

 

" There are two lines of evidence on this, " Dr. Thomson, a psychiatrist at the

University of Virginia, said. " The first is the well-documented frequency of

sexual side effects. But when you actually talk to patients who have diminished

libido and you ask how it affects them, you discover that it has an enormous

impact on their romantic lives. "

 

In extreme cases, romantic feelings toward longtime spouses evaporate suddenly.

Others gradually find their emotions blunted and their ability to see attractive

features in others lost.

 

Study Finds that Food Additives Can Make Normal Kids Hyperactiveindex

Artificial colorings and preservatives boost levels of hyperactivity in

pre-school children, and urgent consideration should be given to removing them,

doctors from the University of Southampton announced May 25.

 

The researchers had just completed the first major study of the impact of food

additives on the behavior of ordinary children. Previous studies had focused on

the worsening of symptoms in hyperactive children, on the assumption that they

were somehow more sensitive.

According to the study, published in Archives of Child Health, the incidence of

high levels of hyperactivity was halved when the additives were removed.

 

The Southampton University team, led by Professor John Warner, selected 277

children aged three and four on the Isle of Wight and fed them a carefully

controlled diet over four weeks. During the first week, they ate a strictly

additive-free diet, devoid of colorings such as tartrazine and sunset yellow and

the preservative sodium benzoate.

 

In the second week, half the children were given a daily drink of fruit juice

containing colorings and preservatives, while the other half were given the same

drink minus the additives. The experiment was repeated in the third and fourth

weeks and changes in the behavior of the children were noted by their parents,

who did not know which drink their child had been given.

Parents rated their children as significantly less hyperactive when the

additives were removed and markedly more so when they were put back in. As a

result the proportion with the highest level of hyperactivity fell from 15 per

cent to 6 per cent, the authors say.

 

" These findings suggest that significant changes in children's hyperactive

behaviour could be produced by the removal of artificial colourings and sodium

benzoate from their diet, " Professor Warner said, adding that the doses of

additives used in the study were " on the low side of normal, " and the effects

were observed throughout the group regardless of allergies or chemical

sensitivities.

 

COLORINGS USED IN THE TEST

Tartrazine (E102): A synthetic yellow azo dye found in sodas, ice cream,

sweets, chewing gum, jam and yogurt, commonly used in UK but banned in Norway

and Austria.

 

Sunset yellow (E110): Also a synthetic yellow azo dye which must be

heat-treated. Found in orange jelly, apricot jam, hot chocolate mix, packet

soups, canned fish. Banned in Norway and Finland.

 

Carmoisine (E122): A synthetic red azo dye which must be heat-treated.. Used

in jams, sweets, sauce, yogurts, jellies and cheesecake mixes. Banned in Japan,

Norway, Sweden and the U.S.

 

Ponceau 4R (E124): Also known as Cochineal Red, a synthetic red azo dye used

in dessert toppings, jelly, salami, seafood dressings, canned strawberries and

fruit pie fillings. Banned in Norway and the U.S.

 

PRESERVATIVE USED IN THE TEST

Sodium Benzoate (E211): The sodium salt of benzoic acid used as a food

preservative and antiseptic. Found in a wide variety of processed foods

including margarine, pineapple juice, prawns, milk products, baked goods,

lollipops and soft drinks.

 

" We were surprised by the results because the effect was not just in one group, "

Professor Warner said. " We showed there was an effect on perfectly normal

children. If that is confirmed by further research then there is a public health

issue. "

A larger, three-year follow-up study is scheduled for September, funded by the

UK's Food Standards Agency.

 

Comprehensive Review of Pesticide Research Confirms Dangersindex

The Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) is strongly recommending that

people reduce their exposure to pesticides wherever possible after releasing a

comprehensive review of research on the effects of pesticides on human health.

Released April 23, the review shows consistent links to serious illnesses such

as cancer, reproductive problems and neurological diseases, among others. The

study also shows that children are particularly vulnerable to pesticides.

 

" Many of the health problems linked with pesticide use are serious and difficult

to treat - so we are advocating reducing exposure to pesticides and prevention

of harm as the best approach, " said Dr. Margaret Sanborn of McMaster University,

one of the review's authors.

The College reviewed several studies that found associations between pesticide

exposures and cancer in children. Key findings include:

 

An elevated risk of kidney cancer was associated with paternal pesticide

exposure through agriculture, and four studies found associations with brain

cancer.

 

Several studies in the review implicate pesticides as a cause of hematologic

tumours in children, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and leukemia.

 

Some children have overall increased risk of acute leukemia if exposed to

pesticides in utero or during childhood, especially for exposure to insecticides

and herbicides used on lawns, fruit trees and gardens, and for indoor control of

insects.

 

The College's overall message to patients is to avoid exposure to all pesticides

whenever and wherever possible. This includes reducing both occupational

exposures, as well as lower level exposures that occur from the use of

pesticides in homes, gardens and public green space.

 

The College advocates seeking organic methods of lawn and garden care and indoor

pest control; use of respirators for home and occupational exposures; and

education on safe handling, mixing, storage and application when pesticide use

is considered necessary.

 

The College urges family physicians to take the following measures:

Screen patients for pesticides exposure at a level that may cause significant

health problems, and intervene if necessary.

 

Take patient pesticide exposure history when non-specific symptoms are

present - such as fatigue, dizziness, low energy, rashes, weaknesses, sleep

problems, anxiety, depression.

 

Focus efforts on prevention rather than on researching the causes of chronic

or terminal disease.

 

Consider high-risk groups (e.g. children, pregnant women, seniors) in their

practices.

 

Advocate reduction or pesticide risk/use to individual patients.

 

Advocate reduction of pesticide risk/use in the community, schools, hospitals

and to governments.

 

The OCFP Study is available on the Ontario College's website at www.ocfp.on.ca

 

Antidepressant Prescriptions Decline After FDA Meetingindex

 

When a Food and Drug Administration panel met in early February to review

evidence linking antidepressant use to suicide in children, new prescriptions

for the drugs were being written at the rate of 1.1 million per week. The

dropped to 996,000 by the week of April 23, according to NDC Health, a market

research firm.

 

Parents drew national publicity with their testimony about child suicides and

suicide attempts. This negative publicity and new labeling requirements were

cited as reasons for the decline.

 

Exercise Helps Children Overcome Dyslexiaindex

A regimen of twice-daily physical exercise has enabled 40 UK schoolchildren to

overcome dyslexia and rejoin mainstream lessons without requiring extra help in

class.

 

Twenty-five schools around the UK are now implementing the system following the

success at Balsall Common Primary School, West Midlands.

 

Before the parents of a dyslexic pupil named Simon approached Balsall's

headmaster, Trevor Davies, they " had tried various traditional treatments, both

in school and with support agencies, but the lack of any real improvement saw

them reach the end of their tether and they turned to me for help. "

 

By searching the Internet, Davies found that the Dore Achievement Centre in

Kenilworth, Warwicks, had been treating dyslexia with an exercise program they

called DDAT - Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Attention Disorder Treatment.

Davies put Simon on the program. Noting a sharp improvement in Simon's work and

self-esteem, teachers collaborated with the University of Exeter to launch a

wider study. They identified 40 Balsall students 7-10 years of age with moderate

to acute learning difficulties commonly associated with dyslexia.

 

The 10-minute routines, conducted before and after school, involved getting

children to stand on a cushion on one leg and then throw a beanbag from one hand

to the other to improve coordination, or balance on a wobble-board (a board

balanced on a ball or cylinder). They were designed to stimulate the cerebellum.

 

The exercise group showed such a swift improvement that some teachers thought

parents were doing the homework.

 

After six months the control group was also introduced into the exercise program

so it too could benefit. The researchers re-screened the children after the

treatment and all were shown to be free of dyslexic symptoms, not needing

remedial help in school.

 

Davies said pupils who also suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity

Disorder were helped as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Safe Harbor: Alternative Mental Health On-Line | 1718 Colorado Boulevard | Los

Angeles | CA | 90041