The cardiac risk of the drugs for ADHD have attracted interest recently following the recommendation by the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee of the FDA to include a black-box warning describing the cardiovascular risks of stimulant drugs used to treat this condition. However, this recommendation has subsequently been toned down by the Pediatric Advisory Committee of the FDA.
ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a disorder mainly diagnosed in school age children. It is characterized by increased activity, an inability to concentrate and poor school performance. Stimulant drugs have been the mainstay of treatment of ADHD. These include amphetamine and related drugs like methamphetamine and methylphenidate (Ritalin).
Placebos - pills that have no active ingredients - are used in scientific studies as controls, and investigations are often designed so that neither patients nor doctors know who is getting the fake and who is getting the real drug.
Placebos are effective about one-third of the time anyway because patients expect to feel better when given what they think is medication. Now a study has found that they can work even when patients know they're getting a blank instead of a bullet. Here, 80 individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were divided into two groups.
The first received no treatment; the second were given what were described as "sugar pills" to take twice a day for three weeks. At that point, 59 percent of the patients who used the placebos reported "adequate symptom relief" compared to 35 percent of those who had no treatment. The researchers said that the improvement was "roughly equivalent to the effects of the most powerful IBS medications" and suggested that performing the "medical ritual" of taking pills may be of significant benefit and needs more study. The results were published in the journal PLoS ONE on Dec. 22, 2010.
“When you are a parent, you will do just about anything to inspire happiness in your child”
In fact, a new study suggests that chocolate may be a common means of self-medicating depression. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, looked at chocolate consumption among 931 men and women, none of whom were taking anti-depressants. Each participant was asked how much chocolate he or she ate, and individual depression levels were measured on a standardized scale. The upshot was that the participants identified as having a depressed mood ate an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate per month, compared with 5.4 servings among those who were not considered depressed; the most depressed ate about 11.8 servings a month.
No differences emerged between men and women. And the researchers reported no differences in consumption of other types of food between participants who were depressed and those who weren't. One possible explanation for the findings: chocolate contributes to depression instead of the other way around. But that seems unlikely, as other studies have indicated that chocolate may improve mood.
The drug didn't help, but researchers noted that women in the placebo group did report improvements in their sex lives. The listed benefits included increased desire, as well as positive changes in aspects of arousal including better lubrication, and more frequent or more easily obtainable orgasms. The women in the study ranged in age from 35 to 55; all had been diagnosed with female sexual arousal disorder. Researchers credited the improvement to the focus on sex engendered by participation in the study.
Some of the women may have believed that the pill was the real thing. They all kept a diary of how often they had sex and how satisfying it was. Here, all of the credit for the improved sex lives goes to the power of the mind-body connection. The study was published online September 16, 2010, in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Feeling down from time to time is a normal part of life. But when emptiness and despair take hold and won't go away, it may be depression. We all go through ups and downs in our mood. Sadness is a normal reaction to life’s struggles, setbacks, and disappointments. Many people use the word “depression” to explain these kinds of feelings, but depression is much more than just sadness. Many People confuses depression with a disease. The fact is that depression is not a diseases, it is a state of mind which needs to bend towards a right and positive direction. And so, Depression Treatment is only possible through support. Depression is a pervasive and impairing mental disorder that affects both women and men-however, it seems women experience depression at roughly twice the rate of men. Here are some symptoms of depression.
