Acutane is one of the most popular treatments used for acne problems. It used to be that acne problems were almost always associated with teenagers but today, even those in their 20s and 30s have problems with acne. In this society where a lot of value is placed on physical beauty, the proliferation of beauty treatments comes as no surprise.
Of course, constant research and studies come up with new discoveries – like this one about isotretinoin, the active ingredient in Acutane.
Based on a report from Reuters:
Use of isotretinoin, the active ingredient in the acne drug Accutane, apparently more than doubles the risk of depression, according to results of a study.
Still, the absolute risk is probably very small, the researchers emphasize.
The study is the first controlled investigation to find a statistically significant link between isotretinoin and depression, Dr. Anick Berard, ...
My colleagues and I have our differences but we definitely agree on one thing – we have all gained weight over the past year. Perhaps it is due to the nature of the job – we lead sedentary lives. More probably, it is due to the fact that we all love to eat together and we do so a lot. In any case, I realized that the weight gain has affected some more than others.
There is this woman who is a good friend and she really has gained a lot of weight, so much so that she is trying out all sorts of things. At first, we just took things lightly and even teased her some. That is, until we all realized the emotional involvement when it comes to weight matters.
Gaining weight or losing weight – both ...
Party people may be familiar with a nightclub drug called Special K. This drug is actually a horse tranquilizer also known as Ketamine. Researchers have published their findings in the Archives of General Psychiatry and claim that Special K could actually help treat people who suffer from depression.
How does the drug work?
Reuters reports:
Ketamine restores to normal the orbifrontal cortex, an area of the brain located above the eyes that is overactive in depressed people.
The area is believed to be responsible for feelings of guilt, dread, apprehension and physical reactions such as a racing heart, said Bill Deakin, who led the study.
"The study results have given us a completely novel way of treating depression and a new avenue of understanding depression," said Deakin, a neuroscientist at the University of Manchester.
I would say that this is heartening news, especially to ...
Maryland authorities are stepping up on efforts to address the issue of bullying – and not only in schools but in other venues as well. Are you aware that bullying occurs at the workplace as well? Based on the
article published by the Washington Post:
There is evolving research indicating that bullying is a potentially lethal form of abuse that affects people of all ages. It happens not only in schools but also increasingly on the Internet and via cellphones, in neighborhoods and summer camps, between siblings, as hazing among young adults, and in the adult workplace. During the past two decades, bullying has been linked to hundreds of deaths worldwide, underscoring the need to address this urgent public health issue.
You and I both know that
bullying has been around for as long as anyone can remember. Sometimes, we dismiss ...
We all suffer from the blues every now and then. This is a normal phase that we all go through. Just because you feel sad or depressed from time to time does not mean that you are clinically depressed and that you need to go see a psychologist or psychiatrist. In fact, when you are feeling a bit blue, you can do some things to make yourself feel better!
I think that we are all familiar with these methods - I am sure that you have your own “best cures” for the blues. Some people like to eat chocolate (or some other type of comfort food). I love ice cream! Other people go shopping. Still, other people would go on a trip.
Yet did you know that a short period of physical activity can help beat minor blues away? ...
While we’re on the subject of mental health, I ran across
a blog post detailing the results of a study on the correlation between religious activity and mental health. The study was conducted by Joanna Maselko, Sc.D of Temple University. She says that
“One’s lifetime pattern of religious service attendance can be related to psychiatric illness.” Interesting, isn’t it?
The results of the study indicate that women who stop their religious activity are three times more likely to suffer from mental problems such as general anxiety and alcohol abuse or dependence. However, the results are not the same for the opposite sex. In fact, for men who have always been religiously active, stopping religious activity would make them less prone to depression and similar problems!
Maselko’s
explanation for this disparity?
“Women are simply more integrated ...
I was on the phone with a close friend the other day when she told me that the doctors put her sister on lithium. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked. I have heard of lithium and its use for mental problems, of course, but I didn’t really know much about it. This sister has bipolar disorder and when I met her, she was on a manic episode. I know how uncontrolled she could be, yet I was thinking whether lithium is indeed the solution. So I looked a little bit more into it and here is what I found.
The
NIH describes lithium as:
The medication used most often to treat bipolar disorder is lithium. Lithium evens out mood swings in both directions—from mania to depression, and depression to mania—so it is used not just for manic attacks ...
Roundabouts a year ago, I wrote a post on seasonal affective disorder (SAD). As we are right smack in the middle of winter again, I thought it would be good to take a deeper look into what SAD is all about. After all, not understanding something may very well be akin to digging your own hole. Knowing what SAD is all about can help you deal with it in a more effective manner.
Here are some facts about SAD:
-Symptoms become apparent when the days get shorter and the nights longer.
-Melatonin and serotonin are the hormones that become affected by the variations in the amount of sunlight.
-SAD is clinically diagnosed and is more than a case of winter blues.
-There are different choices for the treatment of SAD. In 2006, the US FDA approved a drug called Wellbutrin XL for treatment of ...
People who would normally spend most of their time in front of
computers and not getting enough sleep to recharge their body are bound to reach a point where their 20/20 vision may get affected. Growing eye bags and twitching muscles behind the human eye are indicators of
abused use of the sense of sight, also warning beforehand a person that he should also learn to rest his eyes from time to time.
While people cannot help such need to embark on body abuses relating to
work and pressure stemming from their duties, it is best to adjust the whole body clock to adapt to change temporarily. Everyone will come to a point where they would have to slow down and realize that bodily abuse will catch up with them.
Vitamins and supplements may help in providing preventive
maintenance, but this alone ...
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that has been rampant for people who have had a hard time reverting back to the normal body clocks. Insomnia has so far altered the body clock, resulting into
problems that people who report for work on a regular 8 to 5 shift due to absences and tardiness.
While there are people who seek medical attention, it all boils down on how the person would be determined in finding out how to regulate their sleeping
habits once more. There will always be Valium to help people sleep at preferred times but the normal recourse would be to try and re-adjust the body clock.
Physicians who would stay away from prescribing medical drugs, would advise patients to drink warm
milk and even drink vitamins before they sleep. While the latter would be up for questioning, the explanation behind it ...
