Little Nemo in NAMI Land - Man Boobs

Little Nemo in NAMI Land - Man Boobs



Read about the original Little Nemo here.

Treating the underlying cause of the gynecomastia may lead to improvement in the condition. Patients should talk with their doctor about revising any medications, such as risperdal, that are found to be causing gynecomastia.
Read about Gynecomastia - here.

Environment: Antidepressants make for sad fish

Link at Science News
and at Science News for Kids

"While medications are meant to help a person feel better, they're not good for wildlife. Over the past several years, scientists have begun to test how common drugs are in freshwater ecosystems. Researchers also are starting to learn more about how medications meant for humans affect the animals that accidentally ingest the drugs.

Recently, several scientists tested how a group of drugs called antidepressants affects freshwater fish. For many people with an illness called depression, antidepressants can be lifesavers. People with depression may feel sad or anxious for extremely long periods of time, lose interest in activities they once enjoyed and have difficulty sleeping or concentrating. Antidepressants help improve these symptoms for some people.

Several years ago, researchers discovered that some species of fish living near wastewater treatment plants had antidepressants in their brains. "Pretty much any water sample in the vicinity of a wastewater treatment plant will test positive for some group of antidepressants," says chemist Melissa Schultz, of the College of Wooster in Ohio. This finding inspired a number of scientists to learn how these drugs affect fish and other wildlife.

In their experiments, researchers exposed species of fish in a laboratory to different brands of antidepressants. Then, the scientists tested the fishes’ responses to a number of things, such as the cues predators make or the appearance of prey animals.

Some hybrid striped bass exposed to the antidepressant Prozac eventually began hanging vertically in the water — a highly unlikely pose — and stopped eating.

The researchers found that antidepressants affect fish species in numerous ways, from diminishing their response to predators to slowing down their prey-hunting techniques. One unexpected result even showed that a type of antidepressant called fluoxetine acts like estrogen, a primarily female hormone, when in the bodies of adult male fathead minnows.

Fluoxetine, sold under the brand name Prozac, caused these male minnows to produce an egg protein normally made only by females. In addition, males exposed to fluoxetine did not make the bright colors and facial bumps usually used to attract mates. More testing needs to be done to determine whether these changes affect minnows' ability to mate."

Kay Jamieson and John McManamy say the brain is like a pond, an ecosystem, but they want to put drugs into it. We hope they don't keep goldfish.

UK: Nuke Nation Leader on Antidepressants?

Is Gordon Brown taking an MAOI antidepressant? If this is true, the UK's Prime Minister is very ill and should not have the powers of Britain's head.
Link
Link

Now NAMI has a Theme Park for Information!

A virtual theme park.

NAMILand link. Enter at your own risk.
Here's a sample from their "Wellness Center". There is nothing there about correct diagnosis of the physical causes of mental/brain disorders, and nothing about nutrition. You will, however, find that information on this site and a list of the 29 medical, correctable causes of schizophrenia is here. Correcting schizophrenia with vitamins and caffeine avoidance costs pennies a day, and will stop a lot of drug use - both prescribed and illicit self-medication.

NAMI
WELLNESS CENTER

A major focus of NAMI’S 2009 convention is health and wellness, and as part of that focus we are proud to present our first-ever Wellness Center. The Wellness Center is offering activities and information throughout the convention to promote healthy living.

The Wellness Center will be located in the East Lounge outside the Exhibit Hall in the Continental Ballroom. In addition, Wellness Center activities will be happening in various locations throughout the hotel and outside of it.

WELLNESS CENTER ACTIVITIES

Let’s WALK! Join the NAMIWalks team for a relaxed early-morning walk around the neighborhood. Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30am – 8:00am.
Drumming Circles. Drumming is one of humanity’s most ancient and universal activities. Recent clinical studies have documented many physical, mental, and emotional benefits of focused drumming activities – including stress reduction and enhanced clarity and focus. Drumming energizes the mind, body and spirit. Two classes, Tuesday, 12:00pm – 12:45pm and 1:00pm – 1:45pm.

Exercising at Home. A certified fitness instructor will show you how to use what you’ve got in your house (for example, using canned goods as weights) to design your own exercise program. This class will be especially valuable to people who don’t have the time, money, and/or inclination to leave home to go to an exercise class. Wednesday, 12:30pm – 1:30pm,

Sing Before Your Supper. Singing in a group – regardless of your vocal abilities, has been shown to raise serotonin levels, is a big contributor of cohesiveness and team-building, and – it’s fun! Join us for this 30-minute group sing-a-long. Wednesday and Thursday, 5:30pm – 6:00pm.

Strength Building. Small, inexpensive rubber balls – available at sporting goods stores, toy stores, or dollar stores – can be used for strength building exercises. Come find out how. Thursday, 12:30pm – 1:30pm.

Yoga Class. A restorative way to end a busy day. Thirty minutes of gentle movement will be followed by 15 minutes of reflective relaxation. Taught by a certified yoga instructor. Wednesday, 5:30pm – 6:15pm.


WELLNESS CENTER ADVICE AND INFORMATION

In addition to the activities described above, experts in the Wellness Center will offer information and advice on a number of topics that contribute to healthy living. The Wellness Center will be open as follows:
Tuesday 11:00am – 2:00pm
Wednesday 8:30am – 2:30pm and
4:00pm – 7:00pm

Among the topics to be covered are:

Medications. Pharmacists will be on hand to offer information on medications, medication interactions, side effects, and adherence strategies.

Dental Hygiene. Many people with mental illnesses have trouble with their teeth. We will have a dental hygienist available to give advice and giveaways to promote dental hygiene.

Nutrition. One-on-one advice on good nutritional habits and how to overcome some of the special nutritional challenges posed by psychiatric illness and psychiatric medications.

Blood Pressure Checks. We will offer blood pressure checks, as well as tips for dealing with hypertension.

Smoking Cessation. While overall smoking rates have declined dramatically in the last couple of decades, rates of smoking among people with mental illnesses remain extremely high. We will offer workable strategies for quitting.


Several individuals and organizations have contributed their time, money, and expertise to make the Wellness Center possible. We would like to thank:
OptumHealth
The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center
The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists
Lisa Halpern
Linda Long
Barbara Bate
The NAMIWalks Team

Sorry, folks, but there's nothing to see here. No surprise... Pharma money is NAMI's bag.