DOCTOR YOURSELF by Dr. Andrew Saul - Audiobook

http://www.archive.org/details/DoctorYourself
Free to download - DOCTOR YOURSELF by Dr. Andrew Saul - a wonderful audio book about how to build health with good food.

Would you like to read the passages too? Dr Saul's website is here: http://www.doctoryourself.com/

Treatment for Benzodiazepine Withdrawal by Charles Gant, N.M.D., Ph.D.

http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/benzo.htm  Link

Treatment for Benzodiazepine Withdrawal by Charles Gant, N.M.D., Ph.D.   
 

(This protocol should not be used in place of a recommended treatment provided by your health care provider and should only be used with their approval.  I have found this protocol to be useful for many of my patients but I cannot guarantee that it will be effective for everyone.  Normally, I would recommend a full integrative medicine workup including amino acid plasma levels, RBC minerals, essential fatty acids and other diagnostic testing to determine precisely which of the interventions noted here are actually needed.)

Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs often used as tranquilizers. Full information on "benzo" problems is available at www.benzosupport.org
 
Here is my current and ever-changing protocol for benzodiazepine withdrawal. 
 
1) GABA 500 to 2000 mg., two or three times a day (GABA, like tyrosine, may not cross the BBB unless the patient is very stressed and it appears that the studies that suggest that GABA does not cross were done on unstressed subjects.) 
 
2) Theanine 200 to 600 mg., two or three time a day (Theanine competes with glutamate receptors to mitigate the neuroexcitatory effects. In another elegant balancing mechanism, the brain balances glutamate (excitatory) which is made into the generally inhibitory GABA (requires B6) The theanine in green tea may be one reason that the also present caffeine does not seem to stimulate tea drinkers as much.) 
 
3) P5P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) 50 mg. - One capsule two or three times a day (Some people don't phosphorylate B6 well). (Vitamin B5)
 
4) Glutamine powder - One level teaspoonful twice a day to three heaping teaspoonfuls a day, dissolved in water, one hour before meals, last dose at bedtime (Especially important for hypoglycemic patients, as glutamine deficiency is by far the main immediate cause of hypoglycemia and glutamine is the precursor for glutamate). 
 
5) Magnesium taurate - 1000 mg. twice a day to 2000 mg. three time a day 
 
6) Salt food lightly with NuSalt/NoSalt (potassium chloride) 
 
7) 5HTP - 100 mg. twice a day to 200 mg. three times a day 
 
8) Purified soy lecithin - 1000 mg. three times a day (B5 (pantethine (not pantothenic acid) needed to acetylate the choline to acetylcholine, generally relaxing and downregulating of catecholamines) 
 
9) Pantethine 500 mg. - One twice a day 
 
10) Optizinc - 20-30 mg. twice a day. (Lowers the commonly high copper, which inhibits 5HTP decarboxylase. Activates digestive enzymes to help with amino acid absorption.) 
 
11) Lipoic acid - 300 mg. twice a day (oral chelation for neuroexcitatory heavy metals, especially mercury) 
 
12) Mutivitamin/multimineral 
 
13) Distilled fish oil (omega 3) 4000 mg a day and Borage oil (omega 6) 1000 mg. a day (Essential fatty acids ultimately increase the neuroplasticity of cell membranes, possibly assisting receptor activity). 
 
14) Add herbal "sedatives" if necessary 

http://www.understand-andcure-anxietyattacks-panicattacks-depression.com/5-htp-Melatonin.html Did you know that sleep deprivation is used as a torture technique? Sleeplessness can occur during meds withdrawal, and Melatonin and 5HTP can help - this article explains need-to-know biochemistry.

Another Doctor on Big Pharma’s Payroll

When Dr. Victor Tapson, a Duke University researcher, wrote the Food and Drug Administration urging that the agency delay the approval of a generic blood thinner, it was a recommendation that carried some clout. Tapson, after all, was writing on behalf of the American College of Chest Physicians. But now it seems Tapson has some explaining to do. A Senate Finance Committee report released last week found that Tapson was on the payroll of a pharmaceutical company that was trying to protect its profits by blocking the release of a generic rival. POGO Investigator Paul Thacker explains how Tapson was part of a major lobbying push by drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis. Link

Google Under Criminal Investigation Over Drug Ads: Report

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/google-drug-ad-investigation_n_861532.html

Earlier this week, Google revealed in a cryptic filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was setting aside $500 million--equivalent to around one sixth of its revenue in the first quarter of 2011--to resolve a mysterious case with the Department of Justice.

Now, sources say that Google is nearing a settlement with regulators following a criminal investigation into allegations that the search giant profited from selling online ads to illegal pharmacies. These illicit pharmacies may violate U.S. law by peddling expired or counterfeit prescription medication, or selling medicine without a physician's prescription.

The $500 million Google may be required to pay would be unprecedented: According to the Wall Street Journal, "A payment of that size would be among the highest penalties paid by companies in disputes with the U.S. government."

Though Google has attempted to crack down on rogue pharmacies in the past--the company filed a suit against illegal prescription drug sellers last year and now requires pharmacies to receive accreditation before purchasing ads--people "familiar with the matter" said investigators are probing "the extent to which Google knowingly turned a blind eye to the alleged illicit activities of some of its advertisers—and how much executives knew," notes the Journal.

Google and the Department of Justice have declined to comment on the investigation. Google co-founder Sergey Brin dodged a question on the probe during Google's I/O conference.

"Luckily, since we changed roles a few months ago, I don't have to deal with filings, and the DOJ, the SEC or other acronyms," Brin said, according to the Journal.

The investigation could have far-reaching implications for Google's lucrative ad business.

We wonder if a lot of people who find their substance of choice is unavailable will be forced to go off their meds... that could be disastrous if done "cold turkey". But information on how to withdraw from psychotropic meds without doing yourself further harm is on this site. Check out our LINKS in the right-hand column - you will find info on halting antidepressants/SSRI's by Dr. David Healey and the excellent work by Dr. Heather Ashton on getting off Benzos - and other resources.

Long-term use of bipolar drug questioned

Long-term use of bipolar drug questioned
05/03/11 06:18 PM, EDT

The growing use of a popular drug in the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder is based largely on a single, flawed clinical trial that may be steering doctors and patients away from drugs with a more established track record, a new review published this week in the journal "PLoS Medicine"
suggests. Read the full story at

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000434

Tranquillizers: They can kill you fast...or kill you slow

Tranquilizers can kill you fast - or kill you slow. They deplete glutathione and cause premature aging. Doctors should not just give pills for anxiety without proper diagnosis of underlying physical conditions - nor for extended periods of time - creating "accidental addicts", morbidity and mortality.

Heath Ledger, star of “Brokeback Mountain”, died in 2008 of a prescription cocktail of anti-anxiety medications, pain killers and an antihistamine. ABC News states, “According to the medical examiner’s office, Ledger took “prescribed therapeutic doses … or less” of each medication he ingested…”

The cocktail consisted of -
Oxycodone – Pain Medication
Hydrocodone – Pain Medication
Diazepam (Valium) – Anti-Anxiety Medication
Alprazolam (Xanax and Niravam) – Anti-Anxiety Medication
Doxylamine – Antihistamine

Have you been given a benzodiazepine as "medicine" for an undiagnosed physical condition? To identify which physical problems might create mental symptoms, start with Blake Graham's excellent checklist. PDF

If you are considering withdrawing from benzos, you will want the best information you can find. Withdrawal has to be done carefully to prevent causing further harm. Please check out this great guide - by benzodiazepine withdrawal expert Dr. Heather Ashton - it's FREE. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

Dr. Ashton tells us what benzos do in the body - http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha01.htm

Dr. Breggin writes about the effects of benzodiazepines on behavior and personality
http://www.benzo.org.uk/breggin.htm


Wikipedia has an article on long-term effects of benzodiazepine use - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_effects_of_benzodiazepines

Supplementing GABA - a natural substance which benzos were designed to replace - may be a better solution - and may be right for many of us.
Margot Kidder is probably the best-known person who has overcome substance abuse and regained mental stability with GABA. Read about her recovery here -
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/aminobipolar.htm

GABA is available at the Life Extension Foundation - here.

Do cell phones cause psychiatric illness?

Do cell phones cause psychiatric illness? This psychotherapist thinks so - and wrote about it. Read at Scribd - decide for yourself.
Link

From http://www.livinghealthiernow.com/page_4.html



About Stephen King's sci-fi novel CELL