The Brain Gut Connection
May 12, 2015Breast Cancer Linked to Popular Antidepressant Medication
May 7, 2011Bloomberg reported on a research study revealing a link between female cancers and antidepressant use.
Scientists should more closely examine whether antidepressant drugs increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, according to a researcher affiliated with Harvard University whose review of 61 studies suggested a link.
The risk of cancer increased 11 percent on average for patients taking the medicines, according to a report that analyzed previous data and was published in yesterday’s issue of the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE. Read the full article by clicking here.
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Preparing for a CME lecture (to air on PharmCon on June 9th, and categorized as live pharmacy hours for doctors) on augmenting the side effects and risks associated with oral contraceptives and other synthetic hormones popular among women and teen-aged girls. In addition to a significant increased risk in various cancers, the synthetic hormones also decrease serotonin levels, further increasing the chance of a woman being prescribed anti-depressant medications which appear to further increase her risk of cancer!
A solution could be to take well researched immunomodulators like BRM4 if you take synthetic hormones, or to avoid these hormones if at all possible and turn to more natural options like Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy.
In health and healing,
-Dr. G
Screening Teens for Depression..Not Necessarily in the Best Interest of American Teens
April 14, 2009As evidenced by an article published this month in Pediatrics, there is a strong push by the US Government’s Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to encourage doctors to routinely screen ALL American teens for depression using subjective mental health screening questionnaires. Unfortunately, this can very quickly lead to over-prescription of addictive psychotropic medications, some of which have been proven to increase risk of teenage suicide. What is most interesting is that the screening methods that the USPSTF is recommending were at one time discouraged by the same task force, which discerned that there is no evidence that screening for suicide risk actually reduces suicide attempts or death.
Teens will typically be prescribed SSRI antidepressants unnecessarily as a consequence of widespread screening. SSRI antidepressant medications have been shown to be no more or only slightly more effective then placebo. Additionally, these antidepressants carry the FDA’s strongest “Black Box” warning for increased risk of suicide among teens and young adults.
These medications are highly profitable in the US, bringing in approximately $286 Billion in ’07.
Watch this video for more info.
You can treat depression naturally. It is absolutely worth the time, money and energy to go that route first, before considering an antidepressant. I see the most success in my practice when we use a variety of laboratory tests (e.g. blood amino acid & nutrient levels, Organic Acids, Food Allergy panels, as well as hormones) coupled with individualized treatment protocols aimed to work with the body’s unique and natural tendency to come to a state of balance, rather then forcing it to produce a single neurotransmitter, like serotonin, at the expense of overall health and well being.
It is time to re-focus our attention on doing what is in the best interest of the people (in this case US teens) and the planet.
The MOTHERS Act-Please Take Action Today
March 19, 2009The MOTHERS act has been introduced once again to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. This bill is concerning as it would mandate the federal government to screen all new mothers for “psychiatric” conditions. It parallels the “Teen Screen” phenomenon where schools began screening kids to see if they were at risk for suicide. It appears like a good idea on the surface however, it opens the door for over-prescribing potentially lethal psychiatric medications with questionable justification. If you follow the money trail, it leads straight to the pharmaceutical industry, and new moms and teens are both huge markets that have, until now, been virtually untapped.
In my practice, I see many patients who have been prescribed psychiatric medications, feel disconnected from who they really are, and have grown extremely frustrated with the process of trying to get off the medications, with little if any support from their prescribing psychiatrist. I often learn that these patients felt better before taking the medications and are now left confused and totally disenchanted by the Healthcare system that offers no answers once a patient decides that his or her antidepressant is causing more harm then help. Had they come in prior to taking the medications we would have worked together to find the underlying cause for the sad or anxious feelings. Oftentimes it is due to a multifaceted condition called Sickness Syndrome Depression that is best treated with natural medicines. Sometimes it can be related to adrenal stress, or compromised immune function, or an amino acid imbalance or other nutrient deficiency. Sometimes, and especially in new moms, it is simply due to a hormonal imbalance that can be easily and safely corrected through natural, nutrition -based medicine. Patients are able to eventually break free from the psychiatric medications, but it is a long and committed process that takes time, energy and patience.
To gain a better understanding of the consequences of allowing this bill to pass, click here.
To see and hear one woman’s story about being misled by the psychiatric field and losing her child as a consequence, click here.
To sign a petition urging congress not to pass the MOTHERS act click here.
In the spirit of doing what is best for the patient,