Showing posts with label side effects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label side effects. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I Am Feeling Gloomy, Can You Pass the Saffron?


An article from Health Science Institute discloses that research has shown saffron works as effectively as Prozac in treating mild to moderate depression. Besides saffron being a flavor spice from the East, it has been used for many years to heal melancholia, liver and spleen enlargement, kidney stones, menstrual disorders, colds, insomnia, asthma, atherosclerosis, and as an anti-inflammatory. Chinese and Tibetan people have used it to cure arthritis, impotence and infertility. Additionally, animal research indicates that saffron may inhibit cancer formation and shrink existing tumors, and can enhance effectiveness of chemotherapy. It is a miracle spice! And now it is also more effective in combating depression then Prozac, and most certainly other antidepressants.

The University of Medical Services in Tehran, Iran conducted the study on forty patients with mild depression without the use of a placebo. They received 30mgs of saffron a day, while others received 20mgs of Prozac for the six week study. If was found that both saffron and Prozac relieved depression. Saffron doesn’t create jarring deadly side effects, (listed below) which Prozac is known to cause.

This fantastic discovery adds saffron to the other natural remedies like omega 3 fatty acid, vitamins B and D, and St. John’s Wort, which alleviate depression. Many of these expensive overprescribed and ineffective antidepressants have proven to be a disaster versus placebos, and natural remedies in numerous studies. This will come as a relief to many parents, and young adults who require natural remedies to life’s challenges.

So curtailing depressed feelings, or melancholy moods can be eliminated simply by adding saffron to one’s diet. A simple everyday solution can truly be life saving. While the full list of side effects of Prozac via drugs.com are severe allergic reactions (rash, hives, switching, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue, unusual hoarseness), bizarre behavior, black or bloody stools, chest pain, confusion, decreased concentration, decreased coordination, exaggerated reflexes, excessive sweating, fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat, fever, chills, or sore throat, hallucinations, increased hunger, thirst, or urination, joint or wrist aches or pain, memory loss, new or worsening agitation, panic attacks, aggressiveness, impulsiveness, irritability, hostility, exaggerated feeling of well-being, restlessness, or inability to sit still, persistent or severe ringing in the ears, persistent, painful erection, red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; seizures, severe or persistent anxiety, trouble sleeping, or weakness, severe or persistent nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or headache, significant weight loss, stomach pain, suicidal thoughts or attempts, tremor, unusual bruising or bleeding, unusual or severe mental or mood changes, unusual swelling, unusual weakness, vision changes, worsening of depression.
No thank’s, Saffron is a far better solution

Friday, April 2, 2010

FAA is Planning to Approve Antidepressant Popping Pilots and their Lethal Side Effects


We have always wondered what government agency would be most likely to put a person in harms way. If you join the military then you volunteer to be placed in the line of fire when under enemy attack. The antidepressant use can also kill you on the base just like it did at Ft. Hood several months ago. The IRS will use fear instead of death, and they can certainly incarcerate you which can be a slow death. The FDA has been approving psychotropic drugs, heart medications, birth control pills et al, which have horrendous track records and mortal consequences. Some of those drugs have been taken off the market, but most like antidepressants are still available even though it is widely known that they are not effective. Now we have the latest US government agency the FAA, which will now allow pilots to medicate and fly.
Some of the side effects of these allowable medication drugs (Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro) are suicide, mania, agitation, dizziness, fatigue, insomnia, tremors, muscle aches, diarrhea, fast heartbeat, fever chills, fainting, bizarre behavior, aggressiveness, joint or wrist aches and pain, ringing in the ears, confusion, decreased concentration, decreased coordination, exaggerated feeling of well being, irritability, hostility, memory loss, vomiting, mood changes, unusual weakness, vision changes, hallucinations, and worsening of depression. Why would anyone fly in a tin can at 35,000 feet when the driver may have one or more of these side effects? It seems clear the FAA is looking at only one head in the head count. Based on these side effects you could have a maniac flying the plane! You should get thrown off the plane for bizarre behavior, but now you get to be the captain.
According to news reports the FAA will seek to evaluate the pilots on antidepressants while the pilot is grounded for approximately six months and ongoing through their careers. They also imply pilots could be using antidepressants now without disclosing that information. If so those pilots will be barred from flying, and would undergo a longer evaluation.
Foxnews quotes FAA administrator Randy Babbit "We know more today about the science of the medications being given and we know a lot more about depression itself," Babbitt said. "The policy is changing I mean our number one priority is safety, and the public certainly has the right to know that everybody in the cockpit is healthy, both mentally and physically." End quote. If they truly knew more about these medications they would know they do not work at all, and that the side effects are lethal.
Foxnews also reports Babbitt saying the new rule is aimed, in part, at removing the stigma of mental illness, much as the FAA began to deal with drug abuse and alcoholism in the cockpit with the establishment 40 years ago of its Human Intervention and Motivation Study, end quote. Does the FAA have more concern about the stigma of mental illness or passenger safety? It appears to us that this is a social experiment, so mentally ill pilots retain their jobs regardless of the consequences. We can’t discriminate, so we need to allow depressed pilots to fly with lethal medications. It is not about safety, but political correctness.
It is now up to passengers to express their concerns with this experiment, and for Airlines to form their own rules regarding potentially lethal medicated pilots. I believe the mass majority will want a healthy pilot free of mind altering drugs or medication. Antidepressants clearly alter the mind.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Major Drug Stores and Fish Oil Manufactures sued over PCB’s. It begs Another Question, What is in your Prescription?


A lawsuit was filed in San Francisco earlier this month against several Omega-3 Fish oil manufacturers, drugstores and vitamin producers. Reuters news reported that two plaintiffs and Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation are suing several fish oil manufacturers and pharmacies that sell the supplements over their purported PCB toxicity. They claim that their tests found high levels of PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls which are synthetic (human-made) chemicals produced initially over 90 years ago). They have been banned since 1979. PCBs were used so much that they are found unnaturally in the environment. All fish either in oceans, rivers or fish oil supplements contain at least trace amounts of PCBs. The EPA lists PCBs as a probable human carcinogen. PCBs have a similar chemical structure to PBDE’s, which are currently used as flame retardants in electronics, furniture, and other consumer goods, and PCBs have been found to cause tumors in laboratory animals. The chemical was designed to last a long time without breaking down, which it has accomplished. Essentially mankind has contaminated its own food supply.

According to news reports the lawsuit is based on California’s Prop. 65 which requires manufactures to inform consumers of their right to know the contents and ingredients of the products they consume. The main reason we site this news is that Omega-3 fish oil has been a natural antidepressant, and should remain to be so as with adding fresh fish to ones diet. It also is also an eye opener for consumers to know the ingredients in over the counter and especially prescription medications. Consumers need to be fully aware of the products that they buy and the side effects that they cause. More will be known as this lawsuit progresses.

As far as, prescription antidepressants more has been found out about the long-term side effects of the most common SSRI (serotonin reuptake inhibitors) antidepressants. The long-term effects include sexual dysfunction, weight gain 18-50% of the time, sleep disturbance, vivid dreams and nightmares, insomnia 18-20% of the time, lethargy and fatigue, decreased libido, tardive dyskinesia dystonia (severe body movement disorder, which is mostly permanent according to a report from Antidepressant facts. They also report possible neurological driven severe mania agitation which can lead to suicide attempts, self-harm and suicide.

Reading and learning about what’s in your pill will provide a better life. Unfortunately, the long term side effects of SSRI’s bring more pharmaceutical drug solutions to alleviate those effects, and connecting the consumer from cradle to grave to pharmaceuticals and an unhappy life. There are many alternatives to pharma drugs we urge you to take a look at those alternatives.