Putting aside all the arguments about whether people should get so anxious, the practical reality is that they do. If this seriously disrupts their ability to lead normal lives, then something should be done. Common humanity requires that society makes reasonable provision for their treatment. The pharmaceutical industry would have us believe drugs are the best answer to all our problems and, when it comes to dealing with anxiety disorders, our doctors have a big choise of them. We start of with antidepressants. Yes, the name apparently suggests their function is limited to treating depression, but they can be just as useful in treating anxiety disorders. So now your doctor decides which medication to try out on you. There are the SSRIs and the tricyclics, and do not forget the MAOIs. Then we get into the anti-anxiety drugs, most often derived from the benzodiazepines. If those do not take your fancy, there are always the beta-blockers. The cabinet in your bathroom can be filled to overflowing (subject to deciding whether all these options are covered by your health plan). But, there is one inconvenient truth. All the independent research evidence (that’s the research not paid for by the pharmaceutical industry) shows psychotherapy to be more effective than medication. The problem with trying to treat an emotional problem with a pill is there cannot be a conversation about why you are feeling the emotion and how you are going to deal with its consequences. Talking through the problems with a mental health specialist has the best success record in restoring quality of life and avoiding a relapse into an anxiety state. For a start, it treats you as a human being. You become the focus of attention. People listen to you and advise you on how to improve the quality of your life. In the current healthcare market, you see your doctor for a few minutes, collect a prescription and pick up the bill on the way out. People respond well when they believe their interests are being taken seriously. Their treatment is progressed rapidly if the advice they receive is seen to be useful. There is no point in advising people out of books. This has to be a hands-on approach to changing each person’s attitudes and habits. The best form of psychotherapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). “Cognitive” because you want people to understand their emotional responses to different situations. Only if they understand why they feel anxious can they begin the process of changing their responses. “Behavioral” because the therapist will train people to change the way they behave. This means forcing people to confront the situations in which they feel anxious or fearful, and teaching them how to react more positively. CBT usually lasts over a period of about twelve weeks. For most people, it works best on a one-to-one basis but, in cases of social phobia, part of the training can be in groups to help people become more used to social gatherings. Before starting on the course, it is useful for people to take xanax. This brings the anxiety levels down and provides a window of opportunity when they may learn new habits. But, for the majority of people, the use of xanax should be quickly tapered off. The aim is to enable people to respond more confidently without having to rely on a drug. Only then can people actually begin to feel confident about their own abilities rather than as people propped up by pills.
Posts Tagged ‘ Research Evidence ’
According to Sarah Palin, the European healthcare service operates like the Canadian cull of seals. On a regular basis, men armed with clubs go out among the unhealthy and older members of society, and put down those who no longer contribute to the strength of the group. Death panels decide who shall live and die. That means, by her standards, one of the leading panels is UK’s NICE – the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. This group of so-called experts draws up guidelines to be used by the medical profession. Whenever there is good research evidence that a particular treatment is effective, it is incorporated into the national practice standards. But if a given treatment or drug is not shown effective, the medical profession and hospitals are instructed not to use them. So, many of the procedures that are standard in the US are not allowed in the UK, and many of the drugs routinely prescribed in the US are either not available in the UK or only available if the patient pays privately. Despite this, people in the UK live longer and enjoy better health than Americans.
Anyway, NICE has just launched a consultation process to decide what advice to give pregnant women about weight loss. If you want to offer an opinion, you can do so during the next month through http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PHG/Wave18/3. NICE offers the opinion that women do not need to increase the amount they eat during the first six months of pregnancy. The idea that pregnant women are “eating for two” is a myth. The most needed is an extra 200 calories a day during the last three months. That said, it is always better for women not to get pregnant if they have a BMI of 30 or more. This is not to suggest there is a high risk to the fetus. But the evidence shows there are fewer complications during pregnancy if women lose weight before getting pregnant. In general, trying to lose weight during pregnancy is not advisable. Stability and consistency of behavior are more important. That means women who routinely exercise before pregnancy should continue. Finally, women should not be misled by celebrities who slim dramatically after giving birth. It is better to lose weight gradually. Even so, there is no evidence that the quantity or quality of milk is affected in women who do crash diet after giving birth. NICE simply suggests women do what feels right for them. If they are tired, they should rest. Hopefully, they are eating a healthy diet anyway. As long as they get back to their pre-pregnancy weight at some point, this will be good for their long-term health.
There have been no tests performed in the UK or the US to determine whether it is safe for women to take phentermine hcl during pregnancy. So applying the precautionary principle, it better if you do not take this drug during pregnancy unless your doctor has specifically approved it. What can be said with certainty is that the active chemicals do enter the mother’s milk and can have an adverse effect on nursing babies. Thus, if you do want to lose weight after giving birth, do not buy phentermine online and take it while breast-feeding. You should either wean the baby or find another drug that suppresses your appetite without endangering your child.
Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical procedures in the world. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique. It is also called Oriental medicine. Acupuncture scientific name is paradigm. Each meridian corresponds to one organ, or group of organs, that governs particular bodily functions. Acupuncture is thought to restore health by removing energy imbalances and blockages in the body. Acupuncture is the practice of inserting thin needles into specific body points to improve health and well-being. Acupuncture originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest and most commonly used medical procedures in the world. It is widely used in both private and NHS settings. Acupuncture is a family of procedures involving stimulation of anatomical locations on or in the skin by a variety of techniques. Traditional Chinese medicine is not based on knowledge of modern physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, anatomy, or any of the known mechanisms of healing. Acupuncture’s record of success has stimulated a number of research projects investigating its mechanisms as well as its efficacy. It’s commonly used to treat pain, relieve common ailments and promote general health. There is a growing body of research evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture, especially to treat nausea (particularly postoperative), dental problems and low back pain. Acupuncture has been shown to induce reproducible patterns of neural activity in a wide variety of brainstem, midbrain and cerebral cortical structures.There is sufficient evidence, however, of acupuncture’s value to expand its use into conventional medicine and to encourage further studies of its physiology and clinical value.
Acupuncturists believe it regulates the flow of ‘vital energy’, known as ‘Qi’ (pronounced ‘chee’). The most frequently offered defense of acupuncture by its defenders commits the pragmatic fallacy. The effects of acupuncture are complex. Acupuncture needles are metallic, solid, and hair-thin. People experience acupuncture differently, but most feel no or minimal pain as the needles are inserted. Some people are energized by treatment, while others feel relaxed. Improper needle placement, movement of the patient, or a defect in the needle can cause soreness and pain during treatment. This is why it is important to seek treatment from a qualified acupuncture practitioner. Acupuncture is also thought to decrease pain by increasing the release of chemicals that block pain, called endorphins. Many acu-points are near nerves. When stimulated, these nerves cause a dull ache or feeling of fullness in the muscle. The stimulated muscle sends a message to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), causing the release of endorphins (morphine-like chemicals produced in our own bodies during times of pain or stress). Endorphins, along with other neurotransmitters (body chemicals that modify nerve impulses), block the message of pain from being delivered up to the brain. Some of the biological effects of acupuncture have also been observed when “sham” acupuncture points are stimulated, highlighting the importance of defining appropriate control groups in assessing biological changes purported to be due to acupuncture.
Acupuncture is one of the CAM therapies that are more commonly covered by insurance. Acupuncture points are thought to correspond to physiological and anatomical features such as peripheral nerve junctions, and diagnosis is made in purely conventional terms. There are several different approaches to acupuncture. Among the most common in the United States today Acupuncture points employs penetration of the skin by thin, solid, metallic needles, which are manipulated manually or by electrical stimulation. The most common serious injury reported from the needles of acupuncture has been accidental puncture of the lung. The most common infection reported from acupuncture treatments is viral hepatitis, a potentially serious infection of the liver. Other side effects include bacterial infections locally at the site of needle insertion in the skin and elsewhere in the body. Generally, side effects seem to relate to poor hygiene and training of the acupuncturist. Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States. There have been many studies of its potential usefulness. However, many of these studies provide equivocal results because of design, sample size, and other factors. The issue is further complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of appropriate controls, such as placebo and sham acupuncture groups. There are other situations such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma where acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program.
Juliet Cohen writes articles on depression treatment and health disorders. She also writes articles on women health.