Sara

John s Wort is a popular over the counter herbal supplement, used primarily for depression. However, as herbal supplements go, this one has a great deal of precautions to be heeded before taking it. First, do not use if pregnant or nursing. Second, be aware of potential side effects, including nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, headaches, stiff neck and hair loss. Third, St John s wort contains Hypercin, and many products mix adversely with hypercin, causing nausea and vomiting. DO NOT take the following if taking St John s wort: antidepressants, asthma medications, Coumadin, diet pills, decongestants, hay fever meds, pain meds among others; in fact, if you are on ANY prescription medication, consult your doctor and pharmacist before taking St John s Wort; it is IMPERATIVE that you check for any potential drug-herb interactions. Potential drug interactions with St John s Wort may occur with anticonvulsants, antiretrovirals, benzodiazepines, digoxin, immune suppressant drugs, methadone, theophylline among others; thus the importance of checking carefully with your doctor and pharmacist cannot...

Cholesterolosis is a common affection of the biliary system, characterized by the accumulation and deposition of cholesterol inside the gall bladder and in its mucosal membranes. Cholesterolosis usually occurs due to chemical imbalances at the level of the biliary system and the disorder is rarely associated with high serum cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus or atherosclerosis. Cholesterolosis generally occurs on the premises of inappropriate activity of the gall bladder and changes in the composition of bile, facilitating the deposition of cholesterol inside the gall bladder and biliary ducts. In the absence of an appropriate treatment, cholesterolosis can lead to serious complications, including gall bladder cancer. Although this type of gall bladder disorder can occur in both sexes, cholesterolosis commonly affects women. Also, cholesterolosis has the highest incidence in people with ages over 50. Most patients with cholesterolosis are asymptomatic, rarely experiencing symptoms such as diffuse abdominal pain or discomfort. While the disorder is treatable in its early stages, advanced forms...

Flattery is telling the other person precisely what he thinks about himself, - Dale Carnegie. The path of personal growth has three stations that are visited repeatedly on a spiral path from now to your eventual full self-fulfillment. Self-awareness to understand who you are right now. Self-design to figure out who you want to become. Self-transformation to take you from where you are to where you want to be. Each station is essential and requires its own approach. In the previous article I described an effective tool for self-awareness and self-transformation - your personal boundaries. How to change them and what effect that would have on your identity and your health. Today I continue with another simple way to understand your self and the selves of others - compliments. Do you enjoy being complimented or do you feel self conscious when someone applauds your talents, your identity, your actions: You are a wonderful speaker. You are beautiful. You can make really good jokes. There are three ways to handle a compliment - acceptance, rejection, redirection. Most people do not know how to accept a...

The purpose of this article is to introduce a method called PNE balancing therapy, which can be effective in evaluating and treating a wide range of mind-body psychosomatic complaints. Every health care practitioner has encountered patients who do not respond favorably to well-chosen treatments. Even after trying several therapeutic approaches, perhaps even referring the patient to other professionals, there is no substantive improvement. This experience is frustrating to both patient and therapist. We see this in patients with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, weight issues, addiction, depression, mood disorders, and many organic diseases. Countless patients with such complaints have been referred to mental health professionals, and have often ended up on long-term psychotropic drug regimes that may cause additional forms of suffering. Is there a better way. Mind-body medicine is a rapidly growing field that attempts to address the connection between the patient s consciousness and his or her complaints. This is based on the view that the patient s deeply held beliefs and impressions play a large...

The power of positive thinking can t be undermined. Realize that you can conquer your weight problem if you think positively and utilize the tools available to do so. I need to lose weight. For some people, this phrase has become a mantra. We attach labels to ourselves when we look in the mirror. Fat, disgusting, overweight, ugly all of them are damaging words followed by a repeated proclamation that tomorrow will be different. I need to lose weight. Tomorrow comes. The day starts out really well great in fact. You drive past McDonalds and eat a low-fat bagel for breakfast. You settle on a turkey sandwich and an apple for lunch. Dinner is even a respectable combo of chicken breast and steamed vegetables. You re doing great. You have to do this, you keep telling yourself. You need to lose weight. The evening drags on. It s been hours since you had dinner. The kids are eating bowls of Rocky Road ice cream. You grab a banana instead, but you find yourself watching them as they lick the cold treat off their spoons. You bite your bottom lip. You can t have ice cream. You need to lose weight. You re...