Introduction
In our culture we seem to have the idea that if we pop the right pill, our dissatisfaction or discomfort will be assuaged. Lately, herbal drugs have become very popular as alternative medicines. They are purported to heal everything from memory problems to sexual dysfunction. One of the most common and most controversial herbal remedies is St. John’s Wort. As a cheap over-the-counter antidepressant, and with over 17% of the population experiencing depression sometime in their lifetime, its allure to the lay person is not surprising (Kessler, R. C. et al., 1994). Is St. John’s Wort an effective treatment for depression as many claim it is? Is it really safe?
St. John’s Wort, often called hypercium for its botanical name, Hypercium perforatum, is derived from a yellow flowering plant. Hypercium is native to Europe, western Asia, North Africa, Madeira and the Azores, and has been transported to and grows wild in parts of Australia and North America (Cracchiolo, 1999). Extracts of the plant have been used in European folk medicine for centuries (Kim, 1999), and in Germany today, Hypercium is used above all other antidepressants (Volz, 1997). Hypercium can be taken through infusion, powder, tincture, fluid extract, or oil, and because there is no standardization, doses range from 0.4mg to 2.7mg, and 300-1000mg of crude extract per day (www.frontiercoop.com/herbfest/98/notes/snjwort.html ).
Advertisements and Other Web Sites About St. John’s Wort
Hypercium has become popular in the United States because of its scientifically documented antidepressant properties with much of the evidence coming from European countries . Because the FDA has not approved Hypercium for any medical purpose, there are many varying reports of its effectiveness (Cracchiolo, 1999). The said effectiveness often seems to be correlated with the purposes of the reporting organization, and therefore, any information about hypercium should be regarded with caution.
The most dramatic reports of the efficacy of the herb come from commercial organizations that are trying to make a profit. Vital Source, www.intellex.com/~gilbert/johnwort.html, claims that Hypercium is the most thoroughly researched natural antidepressant available. While Hypercium may in fact be the most thoroughly researched natural antidepressant, one must consider the number of other natural antidepressants there are. There are very few, if any, and this advertisement seems to suggest to the reader that because there has been so much research, it is a safe drug to take. The advertisement goes on to say that Hypercium relieves anxiety, apathy, sleep disturbances, insomnia, anorexia, and feelings of worthlessness with no dangerous or long term side affects.
This paper will have two sections: The first section will be a brief explanation on what is depression. In addition, what is the percentage of depress people in the United States. Furthermore, it will discuss in details several theories that are best suited to treat depression disorder. Moreover, the theories that will be briefly discussed are as follows: Cognitive Therapy (CT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). The second section will be a summary of a counseling session the learner had with a client and the treatment that was given to help alleviate and ceased the depression from reoccurring.
Are you a fan of the National Football League? Have you ever been frustrated about the overtime rules? The NFL overtime rules are a flawed system that clearly gives the advantage to a certain team. After regulation time expires, the team with the most points wins. But, if two teams are tied, the game will go into overtime, an extra quarter to decide the winner. If a team scores a touchdown in overtime, they automatically win the game in sudden death. But, if a team kicks a field goal on their first possession, the other team has one possession to win the game with a touchdown or tie the game with a field goal. If both teams kick a field goal, or if neither teams score on their first possession, the next team to score any points will win the game. If both teams are tied at the end of overtime, during a regular season game, the game will end in a tie. During the playoffs, there would be a second overtime and the game wouldn’t be determined until a team won. This is a flawed system that needs to be changed for the better enjoyment of NFL fans, and to make it fairer for coaches and play...
Self-motivation and determination are two of the main ideals of being journalist. If a journalist does not have the desire to find and report a story, he has no career. A journalist depends on finding the facts, getting to the bottom of the story and reporting to the public, whether it’s positive or negative. Janet Malcom states in the book The Journalist and the Murderer, “Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that what he does is morally indefensible.” (Malcolm, 3) Her starting words speak volumes about “the Journalist and the Murderer” and the lessons that can be learned.
United States. National Institute of Mental Health. “Mental Health Medications.” 2008. Health and Education. Web. 16 Nov. 2013
At the beginning of the article a brief history of ketamine is given, describing its use as a anaesthetic during the Vietnam war in the 1960s, its use in veterinary medicine as a horse tranquiliser and its revolution as a drug of abuse in the dance scene in the 1990s. The article also mentions the side effects heavy users have experienced from using ketamine, mainly increased bladder and kidney damage. Furthermore, after a review by the Government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, concerns have increased about this side effect, as patients have become very unwell needing a total bladder removal. Laurance mentions Robert Dunman, who describes ketamine as the “biggest breakthrough in depression research”. Professor Duman studied the effects of ketamine, which are meant to be triggering the release of glutamate, increasing and restoring the function of neuron synapses, which are reduced in patients with chronic depression. The article states that ketamine has shown to be able to increase mood levels with a single dose and effects lasting up to 10 days. Due to this Laurance sanctions ketamine’s potential use as a treatment for depression, mentioning that a third of patients with depression are not improving from current treatments available for depressio...
NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health). (2008). Nimh - mental health medications. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/mental-health-medications/complete-index.shtml
I am quite fascinated by generalized control mechanisms and the role they play in the nervous system. I am also quite curious about the relationship between different generalized control mechanisms. The concept of mood and depression in particular have always interested me. I have always wondered what actually causes depression. Why can some people be in a perfectly good mood one day and then less than a week later start exhibiting the signs of clinical depression? I have always been curious about the role that experience and chemical imbalances play in depression and other mood disorders. I donUt totally understand how chemical depression can originate as the result of severe outside stressors in a personUs life. How can this stress go from simply stress in the experiences and environment of a person to a chemical imbalance? I have also wondered why certain people are more susceptible to depression than others. I am curious about whether genetics play a role in depression and whether certain people are more susceptible to depression because of the environment they live in or because of pharmacological reasons and genes. Throughout our class this year, I have wondered about the role that the I-function plays in depression. I find it interesting that it is possible to wake up one morning and be in a nasty mood even if I want to be in a good mood and my I-function is thinking RhappyS thoughts. Through my research for this paper I wanted to find out more about the different kinds of depression and exactly what goes on chemically in the brain when a person is depressed. I also wanted to do a little research on how depression can be treated. I wanted to try and determine how and when the line of simp...
Antidepressant are a form of pharmacotherapy treatment developed to treat the symptoms of major depression. Antidepressants are used for many other types of conditions including anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, dysthymia, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, and substance abuse, pain syndromes, gastrointestional disorders. Antidepressants usually require several weeks to notice significant effects. There are no antidepressants or any medication that is completely free of adverse effects. This article explains that the adverse effects of antidepressant can decrease compliance and slow down the rate of recovery. It is important for one to take note of potential side-effects before choosing the best antidepressant to suit their personalized needs. Statistics show that about 28 percent of patients sto...
After Danny Hansen's family was killed, he found and killed the men who did it.
... the Criminal Justice system. The author offers the reader a front row seat to the unfairness and unreliability of the CJ system. Grisham is not a fair writer himself and is biased in his writing throughout the entire novel. It is evident to the reader by the end of the novel that the prosecution in the case went to every extreme possible to put Fritz and Williamson in prison for a crime they did not commit. From the reader’s perspective, we knew from the beginning that Fritz and Williamson, no matter how much negative behavior they engaged in, were not the criminals and that there was a high likelihood of Gore being the offender. Nevertheless, Grisham takes us on a wild, nail-biting edge-of-your-seat ride through the Criminal Justice system in this book that leads us through an unfair trial and a slew of biased opinions, lies and deceptions and unjust procedures.
Herbal remedies have been used throughout the world for thousands of years and recently their use has become popularized in America. People tend to view herbal remedies as being safer then prescription drugs because they are believed not to contain chemicals or cause side effects. St. John’s Wort is an herbal remedy, which prevents the destruction of seratonin, a natural anti-depressant, is often used to treat depression. Due to the increasing interest it St John’s wort, as well as in other herbal remedies, there has been a great deal of research done recently in the effectiveness and safety of this herb in regards to depression.
Many people feel apprehensive and miserable every now and then, but when does it take over their whole lives? Losing a loved one, doing poorly in school or work, being bullied and other hardships might lead a person to feel sad, lonely, scared, nervous and/or anxious. Some people experience this on an everyday basis, sometimes even or no reason at all. Those people might have an anxiety disorder, depression, or both. It is highly likely for someone with an anxiety disorder to also be suffering from depression, or the other way around. 50% of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
Herbal remedies’ qualities are widespread availability, lower cost, effective for chronic conditions. Herbal remedies are the use of plants or plant extract to treat a person’ overall health. Herbal treatments are prominent for developing countries for instance, “in Africa up to 90% and in India 70% of the population depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs” (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011), due to their low cost and availability. Herbal remedies have gained attention in the past decades, and expanding their uses due to the increased interest of natural therapies (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011). Herbs used on the remedies grow in the wild throughout the world, therefore making it easy to
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.