Can Anti-Depressants Make You More Depressed?

Treatment with antidepressants increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in patients age 24 and younger, according to proposed changes to the drugs’ labels unveiled by federal health officials.  However, mental health experts are worried that additional warnings about the risk of suicides linked to antidepressants could possibly curtail their use and ultimately do more harm than good.  The proposed changes would expand a warning now on the labels that applies only to children and adolescents treated with the drugs.  The Food and Drug Administration put forth its plan to update the drug labels at the start of a meeting of outside advisers invited to discuss the proposal. The changes also would include a recommendation that patients of all ages be carefully monitored, especially when beginning antidepressant treatment.  Adding “black box” or other warnings could scare off doctors, parents and patients from the drugs, mental health experts caution. They warn that people with untreated depression, about half of those who suffer from the disease, face an estimated 15 percent greater likelihood of death by suicide.  Dr. Carolyn Robinowitz, president elect of the AMA (American Psychiatric Association) stated, “My concern is that by not simply promoting good standards of care and by putting on a black-box label, the FDA may unwittingly limit further access to care.”  However, use of antidepressants continues to grow, with nearly 190 million prescriptions dispensed in the United States last year, according to IMS Health, a health care information company.  That suggests doctors have placed more weight on the long-term benefits of the drugs than on any short-term risks, Dr. Thomas Laughren, director of the FDA’s division of psychiatry products said.  The Food and Drug Administration recently completed a mass review of 372 studies involving about 100,000 patients and 11 antidepressants, including Lexapro, Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil.  When the results are analyzed by age, it becomes clear there is an elevated risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior among adults 18 to 25 that approaches that seen in children, the FDA said.  The effects of antidepressants on adults from 25 to 64 were mixed, leading the FDA to conclude the drugs had a neutral effect on suicidal behavior for them but possibly lowers the risk of suicidal thoughts.  Overall, the risks appear to decline with age and are lessened for seniors, even if the numbers don’t explain why, the FDA said.  The FDA analysis will be incorporated in future changes to antidepressant labels, but the agency wants to first discuss its plans with its outside advisers.  In May, GlaxoSmithKline and the FDA warned Paxil may raise the risk of suicidal behavior in young adults too and changed the drug’s label to reflect that risk.

This article makes you really continplate trusting your doctor when they perscribe you “medicine” to treat a problem, and than ten more arise.  (Like the commercials for medicines on t.v. : ”……..” can help lower your blood pressure. Side affects are: nausea, diarea, comma, death, and on and on….).  What are your opinions on this article or similiar news you have read or heard?? 

Would the U.S. be Prepared if Another 9/11/2001 Occured?

HealthWatch – Washington, December 12th, 2006:

A new study indicates that five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, public health emergency preparedness is still not at an acceptable level in most states. Researchers for Trust for America’s Health looked at 10 factors, including having enough labs to test for biological threats and having enough hospital beds to handle a moderately severe flu pandemic. No state received a perfect score. However, executive director Jeffrey Levi said Kansas and Oklahoma received the highest scores, with nine out of the 10 indicators met. California, Iowa, Maryland and New Jersey are at the bottom, with scores of four out of 10. “The nation is no where near as prepared as we should be for bio-terrorism, bird flu and other health disasters,” Levi said. “We continue to make progress each year, but it is limited. As a whole, Americans face unnecessary and unacceptable levels of risk.” Levi said many states are vulnerable when it comes to pandemics. He said if one struck today, half the states wouldn’t be able to address the surge in demand for health care in the first two weeks of the outbreak. “That’s distressing,” he said. The report recommends the federal government establish “optimally achievable standards” to ensure that each state is made accountable for its public health resources. Also, the report suggests the government grant temporary health benefits for people with little or no insurance during states of emergency.

The report said Missouri has enough scientists and labs to deal with a chemical terrorism threat and test for anthrax or plague. It also has year-round, lab-based influenza surveillance, has two weeks’ hospital bed surge capacity in a moderate pandemic and is one of only 14 states fully prepared to distribute vaccines or antidotes in a health disaster. Missouri maintained its seasonal flu vaccination rate for adults over age 65, the report found. The state is compatible with the national surveillance system operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and it increased or maintained funding for public health services over the past year. But Missouri is one of 40 states that have a nursing shortage. And the state is below the national median for the number of adults over 65 who have ever received pneumonia vaccine, the report found. The report found that Kansas has enough scientists and labs to deal with a chemical terrorism threat and test for anthrax or plague. It also has year-round, lab-based influenza surveillance, has two weeks’ hospital bed surge capacity in a moderate pandemic and is one of only 10 states that does not have a nursing shortage, the report found. Kansas maintained its seasonal flu vaccination rate for adults over age 65 and is at or above the national median for the number of adults over 65 who have ever received pneumonia vaccine. The state is compatible with the national surveillance system operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and it increased or maintained funding for public health services over the past year. But the state is not fully prepared to distribute vaccines or antidotes in a health disaster, the report found. Only 14 states met that indicator.

*Some of the study’s key findings include:
–Only 15 states are rated at the highest preparedness level to provide emergency vaccines, antidotes and medical supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile.
–Twenty-five states would run out of hospital beds within two weeks of a moderate pandemic flu outbreak.
–Forty states face a shortage of nurses.
–Eleven states and the District of Columbia lack sufficient capabilities to test for biological threats.
–Six states cut their public health budgets from fiscal year 2005 to 2006; the median rate for state public health spending is $31 per person, per year.

This article was alarming and frightening! To think that after the hell our state, country and world went through in 2001, the U.S. has not prepared itself after five years, in order to protect us from this happening again! What do you think about this?

** For more information (about the health report or the findings) visit: http://healthyamericans.org

Hollywood Love Triangle

A topic I have never addressed in my previous posts are topics that involve high profile celebrities or their personal business.  I was reading an article and instead of being disgusted by the ridiculous rumors and intruding comments and statements that are usually found in articles about celebrities, it was kind of interesting.  The article was on- line and described the love triangle between Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.  I think I found the article intriguing because I like all three of these actor/actresses and find most of their movies and/or television shows entertaining. 

The article explains why Jennifer Aniston’s personal life, consisting of her break-up with Brad Pitt was publicized so vigorously through the media.   This event in her life made the former Friends star more popular than ever.  For most people, Aniston remains the “good girl” who ended up losing her man to the “brunette vixen” (Angelina Jolie).  Pagia, a magazine based on the West Coast, states that, “You have the good girl who wants to stand by her man and then loses her man to the brunette vixen, the peripatetic world traveller with her sorceress allure and her borderline molten sexuality.”  As for why people are so fascinated with Aniston, well Paglia says that that’s because a lot of “white, middle-class American young women” identify with the actress’ “public humiliation” caused by ‘traitor’ Pitt’s relationship with Jolie.  “I think a lot of white, middle-class American young women identify with Jennifer Aniston’s public humiliation, her romantic martyrdom. She has been abandoned by the highly attractive, boyish young man (who now is not so young) who is check-less, looks angelic but is in fact a traitor,” said Paglia.  They also believe that Aniston’s image of restraint has “emotionally constipated” the actress, and that it is now affecting her professional life.

I think that whatever the case may be, a break is hard for anyone, regardless of fame, fortune, class, race, etc.  The reason we all hear about this particular “love traingle” and not the one occuring down the street is because they are celebrities.  I guess that is one of the trade offs they have for all the money, fame, and more often then not, power.  Although this article may not be of any importance to most, and is usually of none to me, I thought it would be nice for a change in post topics.  What do you think about the situation?

Risk of Cancer from Cellphones?!

I am sure you have heard somebody say that excessive cellphone use gives you cancer.  A large study was conducted in Denmark.  It offers the latest reassurance that cellphones don’t trigger cancer.  Scientists tracked down around 420,000 Danish cellphone users, including 52,000 who have used the gadgets for 10 years or more, and some who started using them near 21 years ago.  They matched phone records to the Danish Cancer Registry that records every citizen who gets the disease, and recently reported that cellphone callers/users are no more likely than anyone else to suffer from a range of cancer types.  This study has been published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.  It is the largest study of its kind conducted to date and is yet to find bad news about the safety of cell phones and the radio-frequency energy they emit.  The study doubts that this will end the debate over the topic.  “There’s really no biological basis for you to be concerned about radio waves,” said John Boice, a Vanderbilt University professor and scientific director of the International Epidemiology Institute in Rockville, Md. “Nonetheless, people are.”  Boice and his colleagues at Copenhagen’s Danish Cancer Society plan to continue tracking the Danish callers until at least some have used the phones for 30 years, and compare the results yet again.  Joshua Muscat of Pennsylvania State University has also studied the link between cell phone users and cancer and states that this, ”is probably the strongest study out there because of the outstanding registries they keep.”  “As the body of evidence accumulates, people can become more reassured that these devices are safe, but the final word is not there yet,” Muscat added.

Cellphones beam radio-frequency energy that can penetrate the brain’s outer edge, raising questions about cancers of the head and neck, brain tumours or leukemia.  Most research has found no risk, but a few studies have raised questions.  And while U.S. health officials insist the evidence shows no real reason for concern, they don’t give the phones a definitive clean bill of health, either, pending long-term data on slow-growing cancers.  For the latest study, personal identification numbers assigned to each Dane at birth allowed researchers to match people who began using cell phones between 1982 and 1995 with cancer records.  Among the 420,000 callers tracked through 2002, there were 14,249 cancers diagnosed, fewer than the 15,001 predicted from national cancer rates.

I guess time will tell… I don’t think any study is going to stop people from gabbing on their cellphones everywhere they are (in restaurants, while they’re driving, when you are waiting in line at the grocery store, etc).  As for now there isn’t any hardcore medical evidence of a link between cellphone use and cancer, so go ahead, rack up your minutes!  

Personal Current Events…

I usually post about current events or news articles, this time I thought I would vent about my own events.  I have lost many loved ones (around twenty) in the short twenty-one years that I have been on this planet.  In my English 105 class I wrote a paper about my best friend Justin, who I lost in July of 2005.  These people all added to my life in their own way, and in many cases helped to shape me into the person I am today.  The night before Thanksgiving is a popular night to go out and celebrate with friends and family.  This Thanksgiving eve I went back to my hometown to be with a large group of my close friends, we celebrated while hopping from one bar to another (as you can imagine I was pretty blasted).  As five of us were getting in a car to head to a bar in a neighboring town (we had a D.D.), I MIRACULOUSLY remembered that I had left my sweater in the bar.  My two friends and I jumped out of the car to grab it, so that we could continue our partying.  When I came out of the bar, sweater in hand I was told that my friends left and wanted us to follow.  We were driving towards our planned destination when I saw a scene that has been burned in my mind since that night… my friend’s car barrel rolling around a corner and down a hill.  In the end, two of the three in that car were fine, the other is still in critical condition. 

After this night, I’m sure you can imagine (if you have ever seen or been in a similar situation before) I was pretty f-ed up.  Than, on December 1st at 11:30 in the morning I got a phone call stating that a close friend that I had known all my life had commited suicide.  The bad events didn’t stop there though, after wakes and many hospital visits, yet another crazy situation unfolded.  My uncle, who is a year older than me and raised as if he were my brother, was admitted into rehab.  This is actually a good thing, just very difficult for me, my family and friends to handle all at once. 

I have had similar weeks in the past, some even worst, but it sure was shitty.  I take everything that happens to me throughout my life and learn from it, gain strength from it, or build off it.  These people will be greatly missed and my uncle will be given much support from me, but I am drained.  Always remember to appreciate the people in your life, they can come and go too easily… make memories, have fun, learn from people and events, and be happy (truly happy).  I learned these lessons about life a long time ago and have tried to live my life this way ever since.  Enjoy life, and those who are important or special to you!  

Quote of the day: “Toss away the stuff you don’t need in the end, but keep what’s important and know who’s your friend.” ~Phish     

Is Kramer Racist?

Michael Richard played Kramer in the popular ’90’s hit television sitcom Seinfeld.  On November 17th, 2006 he performed a comedy skit at The Laugh Factory comedy club in Los Angeles.  During his performance there were reportedly a few African-American individuals in the audience who were making rude comments and “heckling” him (saying things like ”he isn’t funny”).  Richards apparently snapped and began yelling a string of racial obscenities and profane language from the stage.  He stated that he The audience was astonished and one guest captured the outburst on his cell phone video camera, and the incident later appeared on the website TMZ.com.  Since the incident became public, Richards’ has made numerous public appearances and statements apologizing for his “unusual behavior.”  He made an appearance on Jesse Jackson’s nationally syndicated radio program, “Keep Hope Alive” and David Letterman’s Late Show as a part of a series of apologies for the incident.  Jesse Jackson has called Richards’ words “hateful” and “sick,” then he called for a boycott of the Seinfeld DVD set that went on sale last week.  He did this to protest against Richards’ racial tirade at the comedy club in Los Angeles.  Others whom are offended or upset about the incident are voicing their opinions as well, such as the actress/comedian, Mo’Nique.  When shown the video she stated that her first reaction to seeing the tape was, “I was hurt. I was angry because that went somewhere else. That wasn’t comedy, that was terrible!”  Michael Richard’s former co-star Jerry Seinfeld has condemned the incident and is “blown away by his actions.”  There are numerous reports in newspapers, magazines, and online that describe the event, those who were involved, and how people in general feel about the issue.  Richards’ has since started anger management therapy.

Richards’ said in response that he was ”did not consider himself a racist” and that he was “provoked by humiliation,” and that he is “shattered” by the comments he made to the two young black men during the tirade.  He said he knew his “comments hurt the black community” and hoped to “meet with the two men.”  He also told Jackson he had not used the language before and that “that’s why I’m shattered by it. The way this came through me was like a freight train. After it was over, when I went to look for them, they had gone. And I’ve tried to meet them, to talk to them, to get some healing.”

I found the video recording of the incident and was shocked.  I do not know Mr. Richards’ personally but can not imagine anybody (celebrity or famous) who is professional, admired or beloved by his fans to displaying such negative behavior, especially in front of a live studio audience.  You would think that after all the years that Richards’ has been a performer he must have encountered at least one unsatisfied or rowdy audience and have learned how to control himself and carry on the show.   On the other hand, I also do not agree with Jesse Jackson taking out his disapproval of the racial incident by de-grading or trying to prohibit fans from purchasing Seinfeld’s collection of series DVD.  What did the rest of the cast (Jerry, Elaine, George, and others) on Seinfeld do to deserve this bad publicity?  I am looking forward to seeing what the results are going to be in result of this shocking incident.  Has anyone else seen the video clip, and if so, what do you think?          

Nickel and Dimed by, Barbara Ehrenreich (entry # 1)

This is my second time reading Nickel and Dimed by, Barbara Ehrenreich.  I was raised in a lower-working-class, single parent household by my mom.  I witnessed first hand the struggle and stress that comes along with trying to raise three kids, working two jobs, putting food on the table, clothes on our backs, child care, living expenses, and everything else that goes with ”just getting by.”  I think that this book did a good job of capturing the “working poor.”  It is interesting to read about a women who in her normal life lives well off being a writer, and than decides to take on an extreme challenge in order to truly capture the life of a person who lives in “low-wage America” and the difficulties entailed, in order to survive.  Her journey from one shitty job and living arrangement to another provides those who read her book with a picture that you can’t help but remember.  The toll this lifestyle takes on your mind, body, spirit and overall outlook on life as you know it, can make an average person appreciate the life they lead. 

I admired her bravery in exposing the low-wage workforce and the anguish that accompanies it.  Her ability to take the events she experienced while living in a world unknown to her and combine them with her creative journalism skills in order to develop a book that exposes the truths of America’s lower class society, is admirable.  To think that this idea stemmed from a conversation over lunch about how ”the four million people about to be booted into the labor market by welfare reform were going to make it off $6 or $7 an hour.”  Her success in living, learning about, and later writing about this effort to understand the hardship of this hidden world in America, exposes the truth, good or bad to those who may have never know it, believed it, or tried to ignore it.  I think that most people would truly enjoy this book and I am sure would learn many valuable lessons from it.  What did you think of it?    

U.S. Soldiers Accused of Rape and Murder

A U.S. Army soldier pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and helping to murder her and her family.  James Barker agreed to the “plea deal at the start of his court-martial in the U.S. to avoid the death penalty”, his lawyer said.  This past June a criminal investigation began in to the killing of the family of four in their home in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad.  (The incident occured in March).  Specialist Barker is one of four U.S. soldiers being charged with murder, they are alleged to have helped a former private who has since been discharged from the army to plan, carry out and cover up the attack.  Two of the soldiers could face the death penalty if found guilty and all four soldiers belong to the 2nd Brigade of the elite 101st Airborne Division.  “Specialist Barker has agreed to co-operate with prosecutors and will testify against the others,” his lawyer, David Sheldon, said.  The others charged with rape and murder were Private Jesse Spielman, Sargent Paul Cortez, and Private Bryan Howard. 

This news article caught my attention because, I’ve noticed a few reports stating some demented crimes that have alledgedly taken place in the middle-east recently.  It’s a sick world we live in.  When and if I hear about the sentences for these men or outcomes of this case, I will post it.

Microsoft Zune: iPod Rival or Just Another MP3 Player?

Microsoft, the world’s leading producer of software, on Tuesday is expected to release its much-anticipated Zune digital media player in the United States, but despite the Internet hype surrounding the device, it still remains to be seen whether the software giant’s offering will prove to be a legitimate iPod challenger, another failed attempt to steal away some of Apple Computer’s market share, or just another type of MP3 player.  On the outside, Zune doesn’t stand out among the iPod and the many other comparable MP3 players on the market today. It has a “display that’s a bit larger than most digital music players, and it’s available in an uncommon brown casing, as well as white and black,” but there’s not much more that visually sets it apart from the other offerings already available from such firms as Apple, Creative and SanDisk. Its “circular navigation button even resembles the iPod’s famous click-wheel, though its actual functionality differs from the iPod staple.”  The 30GB Zune is priced similarly to Apple’s 30GB video iPod, both selling around $250 and Microsoft plans to sell songs at its Zune marketplace for $1 apiece, the same price Apple charges for songs at its iTunes Store.  Some ways that Zune stands out from the other competitors are, it comes with a built-in FM radio tuner, which enables users to receive some radio stations on the device without having to purchase any added equipment. Apple users can purchase such add-ons to enable their iPods to receive FM radio, but none of Apple’s iPods comes with this function built in.  Another way is Zune’s wireless content-sharing ability, which is currently unavailable through any iPod currently on the market. The “Zune will be able to locate any other Zune device within its range to wirelessly share music and photos and possibly videos in the future,” reporters said. ”Zune users will need to name their devices, so other users can identify Zunes within their range,” Scott Erickson, Microsoft’s senior director of product management stated. ”They’ll be able to send single songs, complete albums—including album art and related information—as well as playlists to other Zune devices, and all users will have the option of accepting or blocking any wireless transfers.”  A drawback with the new Zune is that songs transferred from Zune to Zune will expire after three plays (or three days, depending on the particular case). Photos sent from Zune to Zune, however, will have no expiration date. This drawback has caused many negative opinions and statements on the internet and in some related magazines.

This new device sounds interesting.  I don’t know how popular the Zune will be, but we will find out this week, when the new device is released.  Has anyone heard about the Zune or looked into purchasing one?      

Hunger as Ideology by, Susan Bordo

The excerpt, Hunger as Ideology by Susan Bordo reveals her great effort to educate, describe, and uncover past and present eating habits, behaviors, and societal influences on men and women,  in order to “expose the deeper roots of eating disorders and distorted body images: a long-standing, devastating ideology that has held women captives of their own desires.”  Bordo unmasks the present messages by the media and society and the expectations and pressure bestowed on females during the Victorian age.  She examines societies ways of forcing the idea of the “ideal women” or “perfect female” through commercials, advertising, fashion, and other forms of media on to individuals.  For example, commercials where women are shown nibbling or eating carefully as to not ruin their figure, satisfy men by providing food for them (and even satisfy themselves by making men happy with food), and creating sterotypes on how men and women should view food as well as the way they indulge in it, find comfort in it, and enjoy it in general.  These restrictions on the female appetite are depicted on television and other sources of media as being necessary for health and attractiveness, polite, gentle, and to avoid looking “vulgar” or like slobs.  On the other hand, men are supposed to “have a hearty, even voracious, appetite.  It is a mark of the manly to eat spontaneously and expansively” these pre-conceived notions are shown frequently through commercials for products such as, “hungry man dinners” or the “manwich.”  These views, opinions, and portrayals are mere fantasy.  Women should have equal rights to food, and more importantly have the right to enjoy eating.  The idea that men can eat like an animal and women are supposed to eat sparingly, is ridiculous.  These commercials portray false images to children.  To instill in a young girls mind that she has to watch what and how much she eats in order to try to look like a 5′9″, 100 pound super model is outrageous.  These ideas allow these highly influence-able girls to believe that they should do whatever society perceives necessary in order to meet these high and very unrealistic expectations, going as far as starving themselves, binging in private, and practicing dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorders.

I think that if these false impressions of men and women’s eating habits, behaviors, and expectations continue, the reprocutions for this negative influence will back fire worse than ever imagined.  We should be encouraging healthy eating habits and, love and respect for your body.  I believe that only then will men and women truly appreciate themselves and their body for what they are.   What did you think about the excerpt? What do you think about this topic and these ideas in general?