Antidepressants Blog

The risk from oestrogens becomes greater the longer the drug is used and the bigger the dose. We are hesitant to use them beyond six months.

Oestrogens used regularly for longer than this may increase the risk of uterine cancer some five or more times.

The newer method of using oestrogens in the post-menopausal woman is to give it in a cyclical fashion — three weeks on and one week off. Progesterone, the other female hormone, is given during this week off oestrogen.

This routine will usually cause some bleeding. This method, by clearing away the whole lining of the womb each month, greatly lowers the risk of cancer.

The Pap smear is not a reliable test for cancer of the body of the uterus but, if women have one taken, it gives the doctor an opportunity to question them on the presence of symptoms such as bleeding or discharge and to examine the womb. Any suggestive symptoms or findings may lead to a curette or washing out of the lining of the womb to detect cancer cells.

Regular screening for breast and cervical cancer is possible without the need to set up special clinics.

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In Phase II studies, the aim is to find out what human cancers, if any, are sensitive to the new treatment. Although these tests are not usually as unpleasant and dangerous, again only patients who have already had all known effective anti-cancer treatments are asked to take part. Here, because researchers are now mainly trying to find out about effects against cancer, they concentrate on measuring size of cancer growths. If some patients’ growths do get smaller, further testing is carried out on their particular types of cancer in Phase III studies (see below). If none of the first fourteen patients with a certain type of cancer show any reduction in their tumours, the treatment is not usually tested any further. This is because it is most unlikely that the treatment will be effective in a worthwhile proportion of patients with that type of cancer. Again, if your main reason for agreeing to be a research subject is the hope that it will benefit you personally, you are likely to be disappointed.

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Naturally occurring sugars are those found in foods like fruit, vegetables and milk. Refined sugars are concentrated sources of sugar such as table sugar, honey or molasses. The rate of digestion and absorption of naturally occurring sugars is not different, on average, from that of refined sugars. There is wide variation within both food groups, depending on the food. The G.I. factor of fruits varies from 22 for cherries to 72 for watermelon. Similarly, among the foods containing refined sugars, some have a low G.I. factor and some a high one. The G.I. factor of sweetened yoghurt is only 33, while a Mars Bar™ has a G.I. factor of 65 (almost the same as bread).

Some nutritionists argue that naturally occurring sugars are better because they contain minerals and vitamins not found in refined sugar. However, new studies which have analysed high sugar and low sugar diets have dearly shown that they contain similar amounts of micronutrients. People who eat lots of refined sugars, tend to eat lots of food. Hence they eat more vitamins and minerals too.

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1. Physical activity should be seen as an integral part of any prescription for fat loss except where this may be contra-indicated or is difficult because of injury or other problems.

2. Physical activity should be seen as vital to the long term maintenance of fat loss.

3. The primary recommended form of physical activity for fat loss and long term maintenance of fat loss is long, low to medium intensity, gentle continuous aerobic exercise.

4. The appropriate level of intensity of physical activity for fat loss with optimal safety in someone who is fat and unfit is 40-60 per cent VO2 max.

5. Intensity of physical activity may increase with increasing fat loss and fitness, although this should be prescribed by a relevant medical or exercise specialist.

6. Physical activity prescription in the initial stages of a program is perhaps best based on distance covered in the case of walking, cycling, swimming, etc. With increasing fitness, heart rate and then perceived rate of exertion (PRE) can be used to determine the intensity of physical activity.

7. The frequency with which ‘planned’ activity needs to be carried out for significant fat loss is daily, or at least 6 days a week

8. Duration of planned physical activity will affect total calorie use as well as substrate utilisation and therefore no upper limit on duration at low intensity needs to be imposed. Upper limits would be determined by the level of comfort of the individual, as well as limiting medical and physical factors.

9. Non-weight-bearing activities such as cycling, swimming or rowing should be given less support in fat loss programs, except where patients may need this initially for comfort or motivation.

10. Anaerobic activity should never be prescribed for fat loss, particularly in cases where fitness levels and medical contraindications are unknown.

11. Variety in physical activity routines is recommended to maintain motivation and ensure a slower rate of energy adaptation to a single exercise form.

12. It may be necessary to allow time for physical adaptations to introduced forms of physical activity, such as sore knees, provided these problems do not get worse. Referral to appropriate professionals is necessary if problems persist.

13. Where planned physical activity is not possible as part of a fat loss prescription, more attention needs to be given to the control of amount and type of energy input.

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All this suggests that the area of weight control is going through a major paradigm shift. The older, simplistic notions of ‘change in weight = energy in (food) – energy out (exercise)’, are no longer applicable. On the food side of the equation, there has been a shift away from total energy, or total calories, as being solely important, to a greater emphasis on the importance of dietary fat. Energy balance has thus become ‘fat balance’ and ‘dieting’ has given way to food planning and lifestyle eating patterns. Similarly, the role of vigorous, organised exercise has given way to a greater emphasis on fat use through longer duration, lower intensity activity, along with an increase in the type of ‘incidental movement’ that can be added to daily life.

The environment, biology and behaviour are also vital in any assessment of causes, and whilst these are mediated through the energy balance equation, no detailed discussion of fat loss management can be considered without them. Finally, more account needs to be taken of the body’s physiological adjustment mechanisms. Static equations relating to energy intake and energy expenditure which do not consider the dynamic adjustment of the body to changes in body composition and energy balance are no longer realistic. A more appropriate paradigm would attempt to take account of these adjustments. Hence, the old ‘physics’ style weight control paradigm is slowly giving way to a new, more personalised ‘ecological’ approach. After examining the health and physiological effects of fat and how it is measured, we spell out such a paradigm for use in the practical situation. The remainder of the book is then centred around explaining the components of this paradigm and their implications for dealing with overfatness and obesity.

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Ilja Metchnikoff, the famous Russian bacteriologist, revolutionized medical thinking on aging when he published his famous book How to Prolong Life. He advanced the theory that the secret of youth lies in the large intestine. He believed, and proved by experiments (as well as by long-living Bulgarians), that autotoxemia (self-poisoning) through putrefaction of metabolic wastes in the large intestine is the main cause of premature aging. He was convinced that if we could prevent the development of toxins in the colon, we I could double the normal life span. Dr. Metchnikoff recommended the use of soured milk products, such as yogurt, kefir, acidophilus milk, etc., as a means of preventing putrefaction in the colon and j bringing about the prolongation of life.

Bulgarians seem to be a living proof of Dr. Metchnikoff’s theories. They live longer than most other people on earth and they also have comparatively more centenarians than any other country. It is well known that Bulgarians consume more soured milk in form of yogurt and kefir than any other nation.

There is extensive literature to support yogurt as a youthifying food. In order to prevent intestinal putrefaction and the consequent autointoxication, it is important to support and feed the friendly , intestinal flora. This is best done with soured milk products and whey which contain lactose, the natural food for these bacteria.

Swedish Dr. E. M. Hoppe has made a very thorough study of Bulgarian centenarians and their living and eating habits. He made a detailed questioning of 158 Bulgarians of 100 years or older, and arrived at the following conclusions:

Most of them were predominantly lacto-vegetarians: their diet consisted mainly of locally grown and stone ground whole grains, always freshly ground; fresh vegetables and fruits from their own gardens; and milk and milk products, predominantly from sheep milk. Only 5 of the 158 ate meat regularly.

All of them ate yogurt, made mostly from sheep milk, regularly.

Almost all of them were bee-keepers and used lots of honey in their diet.

Almost all of them ate sunflower seeds regularly.

They all ate fermented foods, especially sauerkraut.

All have worked hard most of their lives, mostly on farms. Only 13 of the 158 lived most of their lives in cities.

110 of the 158 were extremely poor and could not afford to overeat.

They were friendly, contented and had no great ambitions. They lived “without a clock,” following nature’s rhythm in sleeping, eating and working.

Here you have in a nutshell the Bulgarian secret of long, healthy life! No fancy secrets, tricky diets or drugs—just simple common-sense natural foods and wholesome, stress-free country life. But don’t be deceived by its apparent simplicity: all the factors involved—a lacto-vegetarian diet of fresh vegetables and fruits, milk, yogurt, honey, sunflower seeds, fermented foods, and moderate eating—are scientifically proven as the most potent factors in preventing premature aging and prolonging life!

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Strenuous exercises, such as weight lifting and competitive sports, are not advised for sufferers of high blood pressure. They may do more harm than good. But this does not mean that you should resign yourself to a sedentary existence and lie in bed. Quite to the contrary! You should exercise as much as possible. And the best form of exercise for a patient with high blood pressure or heart disease is walking accompanied by deep breathing.

Start on level ground and walk slowly for half an hour. Develop a regular breathing pattern. For example, inhale deeply during four steps and exhale during the next six steps. Do this for two to three minutes. After five or ten minutes, repeat the deep breathing again. Breathe as deeply as you can so that all parts of your lungs will be filled with life-giving oxygen-rich air. Also, see that the lungs are completely emptied every time you exhale.

Gradually increase your walking distance each day. If you feel fatigued, take a short rest. Gradually you will be able to walk over a steep landscape without difficulty and increase the duration of your walks up to two or three hours a day.

These walks and breathing exercises will be of great help in lowering your high blood pressure and strengthening your heart. They will stimulate and improve blood circulation, increase the capacity of your lungs, accelerate the general metabolism and increase the elimination of toxins and wastes from your system. All this will have a very favorable effect on reducing blood pressure.

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I, myself, agree with the views of Pastor Baumhauer of Vienna on this subject. Since I am in accord with him, I quote here from his statements literally:

The increased research of hereditary factors will enable Iriscopy, as well as the constitution of an individual, to be determined in the widest sense. By constitution, one understands the total of inherited and acquired factors, which determine the actual quality of the blood and lymph, and which in turn result in the state of the remaining bodily organs and tissues. In short: the entire constitutional condition of a man in his ability to withstand the disease producing influences. A constitution reflects the genotype insofar as it is qualified by hereditary factors. Beyond that, it may be modified within certain limits by environmental influences occurring during the course of life (domestic circumstances, nutrition, social factors).

However, it must be stipulated that it is not disease as such but only the dispositions which are transmitted, and that, moreover, from the very first moment of intra-uterine life an effective influence is required to precipitate the actual disease. The total of these tendencies and influences provides the complete picture of the constitution of man (phenotype).

The most valuable aspect of Iriscopy lies in the ability to make a rapid estimation of the human constitutional disposition by an examination of the colour and structure of the iris. The colour of eyes, hair and skin is collectively referred to as the complexion, and these three generally remain in close relation to each other. Since this complexion derives from the blood and other body fluids, certain inferences may be drawn regarding the composition of the blood as well as the morphological structure of the whole organism. The constitution is thus comprehended in terms of chemical and biological functions. Let us take the ground colour of the iris as the principal criterion for the classification of constitution. We thus obtain three main groups:

i. Blue iris—blond hair, fair skin

ii. Grey iris—mixed and compound forms

iii. Brown iris—dark hair, dark skin

It is obviously possible to draw finer differences, such as the lighter and darker shades within all three colourings, but these will here be disregarded. Let us now attempt, in a general way, to give the characteristics of the three different constitutions.

Blue iris: The blue iris is the expression of thinner blood. We have here nothing less than the lymphatic constitution known of old. Von Paltauf has written:

Enlargement of tonsils, lymph nodes, extended lymph node complex of the follicles at the base of the tongue, enlargement of the spleen and the presence of an abnormally large thymus gland at a time when this should have quite disappeared.

Their origin lies in the lymphatic constitution of childhood, during which the lymphatic system and the lymph are already in a condition of hyperfunction. Arising from a continuance of this lymphatic constitution throughout childhood, certain lymphatic and torpid conditions develop during growth and puberty, of which the main examples are: adenoidal growths, nasal polypi, enlarged tonsils, swollen lymphatic cervical glands, swelling of the thyroid gland, and transitional states developing Basedows syndrome and exophthalmic goitre. These are the typical characteristics of this iris colour.

This type has a particularly distinct predisposition with regard to the respiratory system: asthenic pulmonary states, pleuritic and bronchitic conditions, haemoptysis and tuberculosis, here produce most victims. There is also a greater tendency to reabsorption of uric acid with greater accumulation in blood and body fluids, giving rise to rheumatic and neuralgic disturbances. Arteriosclerosis and corneal opacity is more frequent with this type. Heart and kidneys are found to be more easily susceptible.

To summarise: the following are the typical characteristics—blue iris,

lymphatic-rheumatic-tubercular constitution.

Grey Iris: The grey iris, which is due to the reinforcement of the connective tissue fibres of the vascular layer, has a constitutional similarity with the blue iris, but with a special tendency to rheumatic-catarrhal affections involving septic skin conditions such as acne, furunculosis, obstinate skin eruptions; and as a secondary consequence of suppressed perspiration strong catarrhal secretions from all the mucous membranes.

As a result of insufficiency of the renal secretions with noticeably disturbed conditions of quality and quantity of the urine, there arise many unrecognised and difficult conditions of disease of obscure origin.

Summarising: The grey iris is the sign of a rheumatic-catarrhal constitution.

Brown Iris: The brown iris results from a larger concentration of pigment cells, and suggests above all a greater concentration of blood and body fluids.

An admixture of a greater or smaller quantity of bile pigment frequently lends the eye a greenish shimmering lustre. Because of the concentration of blood, and arising from various environmental and domestic influences, the deficient digestion of this type is a characteristic feature with a special predisposition to diseases of the digestive system, of the gastro-intestinal canal along with the associated organs: gastric atony, nervous dyspepsia, constipation, with their secondary states of flatulence, stomach pains, and gastric and duodenal ulcers. These unfavourable tendencies more frequently appear in the female sex with the following consequents—cephalalgia (headaches), cholelithiasis, appendicitis, abdominal plethora (abdominal stasis—particularly of the portal system) and signs of congestion, as well as neurasthenia (sensitive nervous weakness) and hysteria (also psychoneurosis).

The functional tendencies consist of a morbid sensitivity of the liver, so that slight disturbances of bile secretion arise from dietetic errors, such as jaundice, hepatic eclamapsia, and inflammation of the gallbladder. Concentrated and cholesterin-rich blood may also aggravate any tendency to new growths.

To summarise: Brown iris—gastric-bilious-carcinomatous constitution.

Thus, by observing the basic iris colour, one may determine in every human being the relatively weak aspect of his organism which is in the slightest degree susceptible to

disease-producing influences, and which therefore merits particular consideration from the outset.

It by no means always requires a complicated and exhaustive clinical examination, but merely Iriscopy in conjunction with the history, sex, age and occupation, in order to establish the constitution with its particular predispositions, and thereby to determine quite easily in what respects it has a prophylactic significance.

Apart from the colour of the irisis, there is also the actual structure, with its special indications of a constitutional deterioration in the resistance of the total organism, and a decrease in general vitality. Of particular significance is the integrity of the anterior (superficial) layer of the iris as revealed by the greater or lesser degree of delicacy and strength, and through which it is possible to see the underlying supportive connective tissues and vascular layer. This integrity is an indication of the resistance factor in the total organism.

Disregarding the colour of the iris, and assessing only the integrity of the anterior superficial layer we have the following:

1. Ideal Iris: a fine textured iris with an unbroken surface, without crypts or contraction rings (nerve rings).

2. First-grade Iris: an iris texture with little trophic change affecting the anterior layer, although small crypts are evident, especially in the area of the iris-wreath. People with such an iris are in general extremely resistant of constitution, and mostly enjoy untroubled health.

3. Normal Iris: partial atrophic change of the anterior layer, revealing larger portions of the deeper vascular layer, a greater prominence of the iris-wreath, and disproportionate distribution of pigment.

4. Degenerative Iris: almost complete atrophy of the anterior layer, honeycomb-like network of the connective tissues of the vascular sheath, a star-shaped distortion of the iris-wreath, and considerable infiltration of the chromatophors in the deeper layers of the stroma, indicating a deep degeneration of the vital state, and at the same time suggesting the detrimental effects upon the organism of hereditary influences.

The difficult question of the connection of the constitution with a definite mento-emotional habitus can merely be referred to here. The influence of the soma upon the psyche and the reverse is firmly established, as well as the supremacy of the mind over everything material. A satisfactory explanation for it is given only by the theory of psychophysical correlation in human nature, in which body and soul, although essentially different from one another, are yet naturally co-ordinated in combinations which constitute human substance.

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