Antidepressants Blog

Once your body is no longer receiving the replacement oestrogen, the symptoms of oestrogen deficiency will start to return. For hot Rushes, unless you are several years past the menopause (or have been cutting down gradually), you will probably notice them appear within a few days; but you will continue to have the benefit of oestrogen on the condition of your skin, bones, vagina and bladder for a few months after you stop. Eventually, however, your skin will become thinner, your vagina drier, your bones less dense, and bladder problems may return.

Nature has pre-detennined for you how long your hot flushes and other short-term symptoms will last, and taking HRT will not affect this. So, for example, if you were genetically destined to have flushes for two years and you stop HRT after eighteen months, then the flushes will last for another six months; if you stop HRT after two and a half years, you will probably get some flushes as your body’s level of oestrogen falls, but once you have stopped taking it and oestrogen levels have stabilised again, the flushes should stop. What you can’t know, however, is what timespan. Nature has in mind for you, so it is impossible to predict exactly how you will be affected by the withdrawal of replacement oestrogen.

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Many women report a marked improvement in their symptoms after hysterectomy. Others experience a worsening of some symptoms, or the emergence of new symptoms that they attribute to the operation. The University of Newcastle/Macquarie University study mentioned earlier in this chapter found that while two-thirds of women considered that the symptoms they had before hysterectomy were improved by the operation, nearly as many women had symptoms which they thought were made worse or were caused by their hysterectomy. Participating women generally experienced less abdominal and back pain than before the operation, their incontinence improved, sex was less painful and they were less tired and tearful. However 29% were concerned about the development of hot flushes since their hysterectomy, 21% now had vaginal dryness and 17% had weight problems. Many also said they found the convalescence more difficult than they had expected, with pain a particular problem. Sizeable numbers would have liked more information about what was involved in recovering from hysterectomy before deciding on the operation, as well as more help in dealing with emotional problems associated with it and more information about alternative treatments. A small proportion thought they were worse off; 4% said the operation caused more problems than it solved and 7% that they would not have gone ahead had they fully understood what it entailed. Despite this, 96% of the women said they were satisfied that they had had the right treatment, and 95% said they would make the same decision again if the circumstances were the same.

The Maine study of hysterectomy also reported on the advantages and disadvantages of the operation. Many of the women who took part experienced relief from symptoms — especially pelvic pain, urinary symptoms, fatigue, psychological symptoms and sexual problems — although once again some women experienced new problems after hysterectomy including hot flushes (13%), weight gain (12%), depression (8%) and lack of interest in sex (7%). Many of the symptoms women experience after hysterectomy seem to relate to a downturn in the function of their ovaries. If women are aware of this they can give consideration before surgery to the possibility that hysterectomy and hormone therapy may turn out to be a ‘package’, both components of which are necessary to achieve an improved quality of life.

It is difficult to reconcile the prevalence of new or unresolved symptoms following hysterectomy and the generally high levels of satisfaction with it. Obviously there are many aspects that each woman needs to explore before embarking on a major medical treatment like hysterectomy. This may be more easily said than done; it amounts to putting a value on removal of our present problems while trying to estimate what value we place on a range of future possibilities that may or may not occur. In other words, the symptoms of pelvic pain, difficult bleeding and fatigue that encourage many women to have a hysterectomy are in the ‘here and now’. They make everyday living a chore, or worse, a nightmare. Furthermore many women who have hysterectomies have tried other treatments and found them wanting. In contrast, the outcome of hysterectomy is in the future. Every woman having the operation hopes it will relieve every symptom she has and create no new problems. Realistically, this may not occur. While one can comprehend in one’s mind the fact that up to half of the women who have a hysterectomy experience some adverse effects, and that these may resolve quickly or have a negative impact on quality of life long-term, there is always the possibility that a particular individual will be fortunate and experience no down side. Perhaps women with an optimistic frame of mind are more likely to ‘take the punt’ on hysterectomy than those with a pessimistic bent. Making a decision that takes account of all the possibilities is more difficult.

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The study of biological clocks and rhythms has now evolved into a special science called chronobiology. Chronobiologists are not only interested in the biological rhythm of sleep but also in other biological functions such as the rhythm of hormonal secretion, urinary excretion, gastric function, body temperature, and the periodical fluctuation of human performance during the 24 hour cycle. Some chronobiologists are even interested in the biological rhythms in animals and plants.

Franz Halberg, a US chronobiologist, divided biological rhythms into three types. In 1959 he described the familiar circadian rhythm— its period is about a day. Then, in 1967, he described ultradian rhythms, which are biological rhythms with periods of less than a day. These include the 90 minute sleep cycle, also known as the REM/NREM cycle or Kleitman’s basic rest activity cycle (BRAC). This has been described in chapter 5, Two kinds of Sleep. Rhythms of the third type are called infradian rhythms. These rhythms have periods in excess of a day; the most familiar is the monthly menstrual period. These biological rhythms can be summarised as follows:

(1) Ultradian rhythms: less than a day

(2) Circadian rhythms: about a day

(3) Infradian rhythms: more than a day

The ultradian rhythm with its periodicity of about 90 minutes determines human performance and arousal state both day and night throughout the 24 hour period. This 90 minute cycle has also been found to operate in other human biological activities; for example, urinary volume and concentration, gastric contraction activity, pupil size under constant illumination, respiratory rate, and even heart rate. This rhythm exerts its influence both in the awake and in the sleeping state.

The periodicity of the ultradian rhythm varies from species to species. In man, it is about 90 minutes; in cats, 20 minutes; in rhesus monkeys, 60 minutes. The significance of this ultradian rhythm and the reason for its existence is still a mystery.

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We have already discussed the mechanisms by which relaxation and regression of themselves work to reduce anxiety. Tension is eased, and so also are all the various symptoms which are the direct or indirect manifestations of anxiety. However, once we have mastered the relaxation of the body, the relaxation of the mind, and regression, we are in a position to use a more direct approach to the relief of symptoms and the promotion of better responses to life situations.

In its simplest form this consists of presenting to our mind very simple ideas for improvement while still in the relaxed and regressed state.

Regression and Sequences of Thought-We have discussed the idea of regression at some length as a process by which we drift back to a simple and more primitive way of mental functioning in which we cease to be alert and critical. In it we leave our mind to wander uncontrolled as in a state of reverie. Now that we have achieved this state of affairs we can go a step further. We can exert some control over our mind, but at the same time maintain our regression. This type of control must be very simple and primitive in itself, or it will bring us to be alert and critical, and our regression will immediately be lost.

The basis for the relief of our symptoms lies in the introduction of very simple trains of thought while we are still in our relaxed and regressed state of mind. It is emphasized that the trains of thought must be simple and direct or we will not be able to maintain our regression. The maintenance of the regression as we consider the train of thought is all-important. Without the regression the therapeutic train of thought has little or no effect at all.

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Although it is possible to work out a diet as well as other therapeutic measures in accordance with the program outlined in this book and follow them in your own home, I am conscious of the fact that many patients are not sufficiently informed or are otherwise unable to follow this course with required care.

Therefore I would advise you to put yourself under the care of an understanding physician or practitioner, who is well initiated in nutrition and the principles of biological medicine. Show him this book and let him work out a program of treatments adopted for your specific needs, including diet and/or fasting, which you can then undertake under his expert supervision. Complete peace of mind and trust in the method is imperative for a successful outcome of any and all treatments.

When you undertake your therapeutic program under expert supervision, or in a clinic, the knowledge that your treatment is in professional hands will give you much confidence and peace of mind, which will help your body’s healing forces accomplish a fast and permanent recovery.

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Many patients, family doctors, and even paediatricians and neurologists, are remarkably pessimistic about the likelihood of seizures stopping—a pessimism which is unjustified by the facts. Pessimism stems from hospital experience. In the past, when neurologists were fewer on the ground, they tended to see only those with the worst epilepsy with the worst prognosis. As they taught the future family doctors, these too were infected with the same pessimism.

What are the facts? The first point to define is what we mean by remission or cessation of seizures. Epilepsy was defined as a ‘continuing tendency to epileptic seizures’. A liability to have a seizure, or a lower than average epileptic threshold, probably does continue throughout life as part of one’s genetic inheritance. A man aged 30, who had some seizures in his teens, cannot be said to be entirely free from the risk of a further seizure right until the end of his life—but his risk may have declined so that it has become, at the age of 30, only a little greater than that of the general population. Regardless of this philosophical discussion, what a person with epilepsy wants to know is whether, for all practical purposes, the seizures will stop. A remission, therefore, can be defined as a certain period free from seizures. The good evidence about the chances of achieving a good long time free from seizures, and, for all practical purposes, permanent freedom, comes from the work in Olmstead county, USA, is redrawn from this study. The upright line on the graph indicates the cumulative chance of achieving a remission of at least five years. It can be seen that, at one year after diagnosis, 42 per cent of the patients had entered a seizure-free period that was to extend for at least five years. The probability of being in remission currently (five years or more and continuing), was 61 per cent at 10 years after diagnosis and 70 per cent at 20 years after diagnosis. The difference between the top two curves represents the small numbers of patients who have one long remission of at least five years with subsequent relapse. The bottom curve refers to those patients in remission without drugs. Data from the National General Practice Study on Epilepsy is very similar. At six years after a seizure of any type (excluding acute symptomatic and single seizures) 92 per cent of people had achieved a remission lasting at least one year, 67 per cent lasting at least three years, and 42 per cent a remission lasting at least five years—this last figure being identical to that from Olmstead County. This latter study has followed up people for rather longer than the UK study, and 20 years after the diagnosis of epilepsy, about 30 per cent of patients continued to have seizures, 20 per cent continued to take anticonvulsant medication but had been free from seizures for at least five years, and about 50 per cent had been free from seizures without anti-epileptic medication for at least five years.

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We keep hearing repeatedly about carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) affecting three types of people more than any others: computer operators, typists, and mail sorters. The types of repetitive motions involved end up causing lesions or inflammations that press on the median nerves of the wrists. It can be painful and incapacitating. Wrist injuries are another cause.

Conventional CTS therapies involve elevating and/or immobilizing the wrist, steroid medications, pain medications, hot or cold compresses, manipulation, and physical therapy. Billions of dollars are paid out annually in workman’s compensation insurance payments. Billions more are spent by health insurance companies treating the ailment. CMO could resolve most of those cases for a tiny fraction of the cost. This is a chronic inflammatory or arthritic disorder that is most often easily remedied by CMO. Let’s look at a couple of examples.

Our first case involves a man who makes his living operating computers. After years at the keyboards he developed pains in his wrists, and the fingers of both hands began locking up. Osteoarthritis was part of the problem contributing to the CTS. Within a week on CMO the pains had almost completely disappeared and the mobility in his left hand was 90% better. But mobility in his right hand improved by only 25%. Continuing CMO for another week not only got him back to normal but back on the job.

Another typical case involves a mailman who developed CTS in both hands. It’s an occupational hazard that comes with the constant handling of mail. Conventional treatments didn’t work and he began wrapping his wrists with elastic bandages before going to work. He wouldn’t have been able to work without them.

His wrist pains disappeared shortly after starting his CMO and he was able to continue working without further discomfort.

Several months have now passed and both of these patients have continued their work free of any further symptoms.

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Signs and symptoms

Of those children who develop polio, 93 to 95 percent of them have no symptoms, but develop immunity. Four to 5 percent of those infected develop a minor illness, with fever, general bodily discomfort, sore throat, and nausea for three to four days. One to 2 percent develops clinically recognizable polio, with symptoms of a minor illness plus sore, stiff muscles and a stiff neck and spine. Within this 1 or 2 percent are the children who become paralyzed or die.

Minor cases may never be recognized as polio unless they occur as part of an epidemic. Diagnosis is based on examination of viral cultures and studies of antibodies (substances that the body produces to fight disease) in the blood. If the central nervous system (the spine and the brain) is involved, the child has a stiff neck and back and may not be able to sit up without supporting the trunk with both hands braced behind in a tripod fashion. The diagnosis is confirmed by the results of a spinal tap (in which spinal fluid is withdrawn from the spinal column), cultures, or antibody studies.

Home care

The most important home treatment is prevention through immunization. The live virus vaccine (Sabin), which is given by mouth, is effective against all three types of polio, and it confers long-lasting immunity. The risk of paralysis from present-day vaccines is less than one in ten million – a far cry from the one in a thousand risk of exposure to naturally-occurring viruses.

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This method allows a mixture of two insulins to be drawn into a syringe and given as a single injection. Always draw up the quick-acting insulin first (e.g. Actrapid insulin or Velosulin) but after you have put air into the cloudy insulin bottle.

First inject air into cloudy slow-acting insulin bottle

To make it easier to withdraw the insulin later, you first put an amount of air into the cloudy insulin bottle that is equal to the dose you will give.

Pull the plunger of the syringe down to the mark that gives the correct dose of cloudy insulin so that air is drawn into the syringe.

Plunge the needle into the cloudy insulin bottle and push the plunger up so that all the air is expelled into the insulin bottle.

Now remove the needle from the bottle without withdrawing any insulin. You will draw this insulin up later.

Draw up the quick insulin first

Draw air into the syringe by pulling the plunger of the syringe down to the mark that gives you the dose of the quick-acting insulin.

Inject air into the clear insulin bottle

Insert the needle into the clear insulin bottle and push the plunger up injecting all the air into the bottle. Be sure that the point of the needle is below the surface of the insulin with the bottle inverted.

Draw down the plunger to the correct mark on the insulin syringe. Some air will probably enter the syringe and appear as a bubble at the top or the side of the barrel. Hold the syringe with the needle and bottle still in place in a vertical position with the needle pointing upwards and tap the barrel gently so that the air bubble is at the top of the insulin in the syringe.

Now push the plunger back a little way to force the air back into the bottle. Draw down again to the correct mark, if air is still in the syringe, repeat this process until it is completely gone. Now finally check that the plunger is down to the correct mark giving the correct dose.

Remove the syringe and needle from the bottle.

Draw up the cloudy insulin second

Now plunge the needle of the syringe (which has got the quick-acting insulin already drawn up, and all air bubbles have been removed) into the bottle of cloudy insulin holding it inverted. You have already put air into this bottle so it will be easy to withdraw the correct dose.

Draw down the plunger of the syringe until it comes exactly to the mark that you calculated gives the total dose, i.e. the addition of the quick-acting which is already in the syringe and the slow-acting dose. No air bubbles can enter the syringe as you filled the syringe and needle with insulin and expelled the air on drawing up the first insulin. Be careful not to go beyond the correct dose.

Remove the syringe and needle from the bottle. You are now ready to give the injection.

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Dental work is a major source of mercury pollution. So you need to find a dentist who specializes in mercury-free dentistry.

He or she can test whether any mercury vapour is leaking from your fillings. Any excess mercury will also show up in the hair analysis. If there are no signs that mercury is leaking from fillings then it is better to leave well alone. Digging up old fillings can release mercury that was in fact dormant. If fillings have to be removed there are ways to minimize the release and absorption of this old mercury. If new fillings are needed, then ask for alternatives to amalgam. You don’t want a new filling releasing mercury while you are trying to conceive.

You will probably have to pay for the alternative fillings, as they are not likely to be covered on the NHS.

My advice is that you should have any necessary dental work done at the beginning of the Four-Month Preconception Plan and avoid any dental X-rays, fillings and anesthetic, once you are trying to conceive. You will be two weeks pregnant before you know you are and it is best to avoid any dental work once you are pregnant, unless it is an emergency.

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