HealthAndSurvival.com

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a type of depression that affects about 500,000 people during the winter months. Symptoms of SAD, as it is perhaps appropriately called, can begin as early as September and may last until April. For those with seasonal affective disorder, their symptoms usually peak between November and January.  The more northern a person is, usually the worse.

The holidays themselves usually present a difficult time for many. Whether the financial stress of spending more money while working less hours or the sadness associated with a missing loved one, depression can really become a difficult thing to deal with during the winter season.

Seasonal affective disorder is caused by the lack of sunlight during the the winter months. The short days and the cold temperatures can really cause a person to feel down. It is difficult for one to go weeks or months at a time without being able to enjoy the blue sky or sunshine beaming down on one’s skin. Perhaps this explains why 1 in 10 Amercians live in expensive California where many have a sunny yellow Christmas instead of White Christmas.

The cause of seasonal affective disorder is thought to be primarily caused by the underproduction of the brain’s endogenous hormones, specifically serotonin. When the level of serotonin is low, a person has more signs of depression. If you think that you may be depressed, please make an appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss treatment options. Depression and seasonal affective disorder, can be serious so close supervision is vital.

Treatment of SAD has traditionally been treated with light box therapy, which can simulate sunshine in your home. Many physicians recommend medications (i.e. prozac, zoloft, lexapro)which can be used by themselves or in addition to light therapy. These light boxes, also known as sun boxes by some, have a high intensity light which is specifically designed to emit a certain wavelength that will simulate sunshine. In addition to light boxes, Negative ion generators have been shown to be helpful in scientific studies, in the treating of seasonal affective disorder.

Hillary was made famous during the Bill Clinton Administration for her ideas on Healthcare.  Here is a short exerpt of her ideas on the  healthcare crisis in America.

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It puts the consumer in the driver’s seat by offering more choices and lowering costs. If you’re one of the tens of million Americans without coverage or if you don’t like the coverage you have, you will have a choice of plans to pick from and that coverage will be affordable. Of course, if you like the plan you have, you can keep it.

• Affordable: Unlike the current health system where insurance premiums send people into bankruptcy, the plan provides tax credits for working families to help them cover their costs. The tax credits will ensure that working families never have to pay more than a limited percentage of their income for health care.
• Available: No discrimination. The insurance companies can’t deny you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.
• Reliable: It’s portable. If you change or lose your job, you keep your health care.

Read more about it here

Vaccines safety makes headlines again.  Just two months ago, Nigeria had an outbreak of Polio that was linked to the polio vaccine.  Today, Merck is recalling more than a million vaccines that were give to young babies in the USA.

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More than a million doses of a common vaccine given to babies as young as two months was being recalled Wednesday because of contamination risks, but the top U.S. health official said it was not a health threat.

The recall is for 1.2 million doses of the vaccine for Hib, which protects against meningitis, pneumonia and other serious infections, and a combination vaccine for Hib and hepatitis B. The vaccine is recommended for all children under 5 and is usually given in a three-shot series, starting at two months.

Drug maker Merck & Co., which announced the recall after testing showed a sterilization problem in a Pennsylvania factory, said concerned parents should contact their child’s doctor.

“The potential for contamination of any individual vaccine is low,” said Merck spokeswoman Kelly Dougherty.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, echoed that in a news conference.

“This is not a health threat in the short run, but it is an inconvenience,” she said…… Read more here…..

  Ensuring health and survival of our healthcare system is probably one of the most important issues facing our country . With the presidential primaries coming up, I am going to start posting the candidate’s views on health-care in USA. I will post both Republican and Democrat candidate’s views. I am starting with Texas Republican Congressman, Dr. Ron Paul, as he is the only physician running for President. (www.RonPaul2008.com)

I think the decision of whether healthcare needs to be reformed is agreed upon by all. However, the way to change it is where the debate gets heated. Below is a small section of Ron Paul’s views on health care reform, click here to see the whole page.  On Saturday, Dec. 17th, the Ron Paul Tea Party will try and break the daily fundraiser.

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Excerpt:Health care should not be left up to HMOs, big drug companies, and government bureaucrats. It is time to take back our health care. This is why I support:

• Making all medical expenses tax deductible.
• Eliminating federal regulations that discourage small businesses from providing coverage.
• Giving doctors the freedom to collectively negotiate with insurance companies and drive down the cost of medical care.
• Making every American eligible for a Health Savings Account (HSA), and removing the requirement that individuals must obtain a high-deductible insurance policy before opening an HSA.
• Reform licensure requirements so that pharmacists and nurses can perform some basic functions to increase access to care and lower costs.

By removing federal regulations, encouraging competition, and presenting real choices, we can make our health care system the envy of the world once again…. Click here to see more

Marijuana  is one of the most controversial plants in human history.  Many states allow it to be used for medicinal purposes while the  USA Federal Government considers it a crime. I have several patients who use it appropriately for chronic pain, providing relief from pain that no other medications can.  A new study suggests that Marijuana may also be helpful for thsoe with Metastatic breast cancer.  It is already known that a healthy diet and exercise can also be preventive and when done correctly, lower your chances for breast cancer. Read below for more information. 

Marijuana Compound Shows Promise In Fighting Breast Cancer

ScienceDaily (2007-11-26) — A compound found in cannabis may prove to be effective at helping stop the spread of breast cancer cells throughout the body. The study is raising hope that CBD, a compound found in Cannabis sativa, could be the first non-toxic agent to show promise in treating metastatic forms of breast cancer. … > read full article