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America's Most Sleep-Deprived Jobs (Plus The 10 Most Well-Rested)

2012-02-23T12:49:32Z

Maybe, if you're lucky, you have a job that allows you to work flexible hours or even from home, and you can sleep late when you're feeling tired. Or maybe you have a job that affords you the opportunity to nap at work.

But in many of the most stressful jobs, it's not uncommon to stay up late putting in extra hours and wake up early to do it all over again, trapped in a vicious cycle of sleep deprivation and over-caffeination. To highlight those fields where workers are the most tired, mattress company Sleepy's analyzed a set of data from the CDC's National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and ranked occupations based on whether or not workers were getting enough shut-eye. (The average adult needs seven to nine hours a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation.)

Some of the worst offenders are occupations you might expect to see on a list like this. We know, for instance, that shift workers (like night nurses or paramedics) are at risk for sleep problems (not to mention heart disease and diabetes). And a 2011 study suggested that some 40 percent of police officers have a sleep disorder -- causing many to fall asleep on the job.

The jobs on the well-rested side of the spectrum may be less stressful, according to a Sleepy's press release, and also often involve daylight-only schedules in some instances (think construction or forestry), which limits late-night hours.

Click through the slideshow below to see the full rankings, from the most well-rested to the most sleep-deprived jobs, and tell us in the comments below if your job made the list.

For more on sleep, click here.

Are You Making These 6 Common Dental Mistakes

2012-02-23T12:47:05Z

Dental health is relatively simple, right? You brush, you floss, you repeat.

Well, yes and no.

While the general guidelines are indeed pretty simple, there actually are some subtleties involved in properly caring for your teeth and gums. And in some cases, the things you're doing in the name of pearly whites can actually do more harm than good, which is why we've rounded-up a list of six of the most common dental mistakes people make when caring for their smiles. Are there any you regularly make?

Breakthrough Skin Cancer Drug 'Almost Doubles' Survival Times

2012-02-23T10:39:00Z

A twice-daily skin cancer drug almost doubles the survival times of advanced cancer patients, American scientists have discovered.

Researchers from the Jonsson Cancer Center at the University of California, found that advanced melanoma cancer sufferers lived on average of 16 months after receiving the vemurafenib drug.

This is compared to the average of six to 10 months of those who had conventional skin cancer treatment, chemotherapy drug dacarbazine.

Vemurafenib (marketed as Zelboraf) has been recommended for approval in Europe by the European Commission and is one of two treatments offered to late-stage melanoma skin cancer (when the tumour begins to spread to other organs).

It is also due to be investigated for clinical and cost effectiveness by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

This drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the US last year and is the first new drug in more than a decade that offers treatment for advanced melanoma.

The study involved putting 132 people with metastic melanoma on the vemurafenib drug. Researchers discovered that 58% of those who took the skin cancer drug lived longer than 12 months and on average they survived 15.9 months prior to the treatment.

However, researchers added that vemurafenib is only suitable for around half of people with advanced melanoma, as it targets a particular BRAF gene mutation called V600, that is only present in 50% of melanoma sufferers.

âThis study shows that Zelboraf changes the natural history of this disease. This data is beyond what I would have expected,â says Dr Antoni Ribas, professor of haematology and oncology from the study, as reported by the BBC.

The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) was the first to discover the link between gene mutation and melanoma skin cancer.

In 2009, ICR scientists found that BRAF gene is damaged in up to 70% of human melanoma and later found that the BRAF mutation leads to the development of deadly melanoma cancer and is the driving force behind the disease.

âWe know that excessive sun exposure is the main cause of skin cancer, but not much is known about the genetics behind it, professor Richard Marais from the ICR said at the time, in a statement.

âOur study shows that the genetic damage of BRAF is the first step in skin cancer development. Understanding this process will help us develop more effective treatments for the disease.â

Commenting on the latest research, Elizabeth Woolf, head of Cancer Research UKâs information website, CancerHelp UK, told The Huffington Post: âThis is an interesting, impressive but relatively small trial of a promising new-generation melanoma drug, which Cancer Research UK is proud to have played a role in developing. But there are still questions that remain unanswered.

âEveryone on the trial had the drug, so we cannot tell how large the benefits are, compared to people who didnât have it, or had another treatment. And because the drug targets a particular gene fault, only half of all melanoma patients are eligible.

âAbout half of those treated seem to benefit, so it could potentially help roughly a quarter of patients with advanced melanoma overall.

âLooking at these uncertainties, and now that the drug is available to UK cancer patients, it will be interesting to see what price the manufacturer charges so as not to place too great a strain on already scarce NHS resources.â

According to Macmillan cancer support, around 10,400 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year in the UK. In women the cancer is most commonplace to develop on the legs and in men, itâs on the chest or back area.

Melanoma develops from cells called melanocytes that produce a pigment called melanin. When our skin is exposed to a lot of sun, the melanocytes increase the production of melanin which allows the skin to absorb more ultra violet rays, making the skin appear tanned - a sign that the skin is damaged.

If the melanocyte cells multiple in growth and divide quicker than usual, the cells can grow deeper into the layers of the skin, which contain tiny blood vessels and lymph channels.

If the melanoma cells enter the blood vessels they are able to travel to other parts of the body, causing advanced, metastatic or secondary melanoma.

'My 600-lb Life': Ashley Loses 364 Lb., Finds Softball

2012-02-23T10:29:57Z

Ashley has been struggling with her weight her entire life, and on the season finale of "My 600-lb Life" (Wed., 10 p.m. EST on TLC), she finally got to start regaining control. Her mother, who is overweight herself, was inexplicably cruel and teasing to Ashley, even as she appeared to be on hand to support her daughter. It was a dynamic and a relationship that was very difficult to understand, but it was very clear that her mother's cruelty hurt Ashley. It may well have helped lead her to the dark place that saw her put on so much weight in the first place.

The episode chronicled her seven-year journey toward a healthier life and body, including multiple skin removal surgeries along the way. But even at 500+ pounds, Ashley started dreaming of getting back to one of her childhood passions. As a girl, she'd played softball, until it became too physically exhausting for her to do so.

Once she'd managed to shed most of those excess pounds, she signed up to coach softball to be close to the sport that had brought her so much joy. She shared her story with the kids on her team, serving as inspiration that anything is possible and it's never too late to take the reigns of one's life. Her ultimate dream is to own a childcare facility where she can maybe reach out to those struggling kids like she was and provide a helping hand before they find themselves living their own 600 pound lives.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

Federal Judge Says State Can't Force Pharmacies To Sell Plan B

2012-02-23T05:38:18Z

TACOMA, Wash. — Washington state cannot force pharmacies to sell Plan B or other emergency contraceptives, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying the state's true goal was to suppress religious objections by druggists – not to promote timely access to the medicines for people who need them.

U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton sided with a pharmacy and two pharmacists who said state rules requiring them to dispense Plan B violate their constitutional rights to freedom of religion because such drugs can destroy a fertilized egg, which they consider equal to abortion.

Washington's rules require that pharmacies stock and dispense drugs for which there is a demand. The state adopted the dispensing regulations in 2007, following reports that some women had been denied access to Plan B, which has a high dose of medicine found in birth-control pills and is effective if a woman takes it within 72 hours of unprotected sex.

State lawyers argued that the requirements are legal because they apply neutrally to all medicines and pharmacies, and because they promote a government interest – the timely delivery of medicine, including Plan B, which becomes less effective as time passes.

But Leighton ruled that the state allows all sorts of business exemptions to the rules. Pharmacies can decline to stock a drug, such as certain painkillers, if it's likely to increase the risk of theft, or if it requires an inordinate amount of paperwork, or if the drug is temporarily unavailable from suppliers, among other reasons.

"The most compelling evidence that the rules target religious conduct is the fact the rules contain numerous secular exemptions," the judge said. "In sum, the rules exempt pharmacies and pharmacists from stocking and delivering lawfully prescribed drugs for an almost unlimited variety of secular reasons, but fail to provide exemptions for reasons of conscience."

The decision comes as contraception has been debated in political and health care circles around the nation. A controversy erupted this month when religious groups protested a new federal rule that required church-affiliated universities, hospitals and nonprofits to include birth control without co-pays or premiums in their insurance plans.

The outcry prompted President Barack Obama to change the rule to shift the burden from religious organizations to insurance companies. Lawmakers in a few conservative states have taken up the fight with proposals that serve as direct challenges to Obama's ruling.

Leighton, in his decision Wednesday, did not strike down Washington's rules, but said simply that the way they were applied to the plaintiffs in this case was unconstitutional.

The state remains free to try to enforce the law against other pharmacies that violated the stocking and dispensing rules, whether for Plan B or other drugs; it remains unclear whether courts would reach a similar conclusion if pharmacies objected to selling other drugs for religious reasons.

"I remain concerned about the impacts on patients if pharmacies are allowed to refuse to dispense lawfully prescribed or lawful medications to patients," said Gov. Chris Gregoire, who insisted on the dispensing rule's adoption. "I am especially concerned about those living in rural areas, many of whom may have few alternatives and could suffer lengthy delays in receiving medication or go without entirely."

The judge, an appointee of President George W. Bush, first blocked the state's dispensing rule in 2007. But a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel overruled him, saying the rules did not target religious conduct. It sent the case back to Leighton, who held an 11-day trial before reaffirming his original decision.

Further appeals were expected, both from the state and from groups that intervened on the state's behalf. Before taking more than an hour to read his 48-page opinion in court, Leighton acknowledged that he crafted it for the benefit of a "skeptical" appeals court.

The interveners included women who were denied timely access to Plan B when they needed it – one of whom cut short a vacation in central Washington to return home to Bellingham, where she knew she could obtain Plan B from her regular pharmacy – as well as HIV patients, who argued that if druggists could refuse to dispense Plan B for religious reasons, some might also refuse to dispense time-sensitive HIV medications.

"The question really is whether the patient's rights come first or the pharmacist's rights come first," said Andrew Greene, a lawyer for the interveners.

Assistant Attorney General Rene Tomisser said Leighton's ruling was "more detailed" but made the same mistake he made in 2007.

Margo Thelen, of Woodland, one of the pharmacists who sued over the rules, said she had to leave one job because she refused to dispense Plan B – and now she can continue working at her new job without fear of being fired.

"Speak to anyone who shops in a pharmacy," she said. "Their product isn't always available."

Two Supreme Court cases guide judges in determining whether laws that infringe upon the free exercise of religion are legal.

In one, the court held that the state of Oregon could outlaw the use of the hallucinogenic peyote for everyone, even though some groups might use it in religious conduct.

In the other, the court held that a city in Florida could not outlaw animal sacrifices for religious purposes, while allowing the slaughter of animals for food, hunting and pest eradication.

Leighton said Washington's rules are akin to the Florida case. Though they appear to be neutral by their plain language, the state allows pharmacies not to stock or sell drugs for various business reasons, he said.

___

Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

Dr. Josh Dines and Dr. Rock Positano: Minimalist Running: To Shoe Or Not To Shoe?

2012-02-23T01:00:59Z

What's with all the minimalist running paraphernalia out there these days, and what do we make of it all? If you're a runner, you've probably heard the characteristic slap of the soft soles hitting the pavement on your tail. Most of us have seen the five-finger running shoes in stores. So why the craze and is this style of running better or safer for the casual or even addicted runner?

The craze was started in part by the popularity of the NYT bestseller Born to Run by Christopher McDougall that came out in 2009, and by the publication of articles comparing gait patterns in shod vs. unshod runners in the science journal Nature. Minimalist running has taken off as the major sneaker suppliers compete for new product share.

The concept behind barefoot and minimalist running is basically the same. By running with a more "natural" forefoot or midfoot-strike pattern, the muscles in the foot and ankle build up, and the forces generated by the foot hitting the pavement are better dispersed. This, as is argued by the touters of the style, saves habitual runners from injuries such as stress fractures and tendon problems. Minimalist runners use shoes that have minimal cushion and support, but do protect the foot from debris on the ground.

There is some science behind this concept, though limited.[1] In experienced barefoot runners, forces generated across the ankle were less in the forefoot or midfoot-strike barefoot style than in the traditional heel-strike style. While this data is compelling, there are no studies to date that show a decreased injury rate in minimalist or barefoot runners.

Dr. A. Holly Johnson, an orthopedic surgeon from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, specializes in foot and ankle problems and has seen many minimalist runners in her practice. She is an accomplished marathoner, and has tried minimalist running herself. "I've observed stress fractures and tendon issues in patients who have been running for years and didn't have many injuries before they switched over to the minimalist style. Generally problems arise when runners abruptly switch styles and don't allow the body to adapt properly."

For instance, in one case a marathoner tried out a minimalist pair of running shoes and ran over five miles on three consecutive days. He developed irritation of his Achilles tendon that knocked him out of running for four months. In another instance, an experienced runner started training for a marathon in minimalist sneakers for the first time and developed a stress fracture in her heel after two months of training.

"Typically injuries occur when the runner doesn't adequately alter their running style to the forefoot strike pattern and continues to heel strike in the minimalist shoe," stated Dr. Johnson. In this case, the bones aren't used to hitting the ground without the cushion of the standard running shoe. "I've also seen Achilles tendon problems that occur because the minimalist shoes lack the heel lift that is inherent in typical running shoes. The tendon is stretched more in the flat shoe or bare foot, and can become quite irritated."

When asked whether or not she discourages runners from trying out the barefoot style, Dr. Johnson said she did not. "There is merit to the concept. Barefoot runners exist all over the world and have for thousands of years, so this is certainly not a new concept. I would just caution anyone who wishes to start to study the technique or even take a lesson first. Then progress slowly, and listen to your body."

References:

[1] Lieberman DE, Venkadesan M, Werbel WA, Daoud AI, D'Andrea S, Davis IS, Mang'eni
RO, Pitsiladis Y. "Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod
runners." Nature. 2010 Jan 28;463(7280):531-5.

For more by Dr. Josh Dines and Dr. Rock Positano, click here.

For more on fitness and exercise, click here.

Flickr photo by Adele Prince

Tricia Williams: How To Eat Your Way To Better Sleep

2012-02-23T01:00:37Z

According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 65 percent of Americans say they experience sleep problems, such as difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night and waking feeling groggy, at least a few times each week. The poll, which targeted 1,000 people across the country, found that nearly half, or 44 percent of those with problems, say they grapple with them almost every night. Every single night? That's just unacceptable.

At Food Matters NYC, my team and I have long promoted the idea of kitchen as cure -- fridge as pharmacy. In other words, instead of rushing off to ask your doctor for an Ambien prescription, I suggest heading straight for your kitchen.

Bottom line: You can solve your sleep problem by "treating" it nutritionally. I do it for my private clients every day, and the results are staggering. But if you (like most people), scrape together your meals without the help of a private chef, don't worry. I'll show you how to get the same great results on your own.

To help support a night of restful, restorative sleep, the most important thing that you can do is fill your dinner plate with foods that contain tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that makes serotonin -- a neurotransmitter that slows down nerve traffic to the brain. And slowing down that traffic is precisely what you need in order to drift off.

No doubt, you've been hearing about this essential ingredient for years. Perhaps on Thanksgiving, when stuffed family members, dozing off before dark, blamed the tryptophan in turkey for their sudden, crushing fatigue. But to really get the benefits of tryptophan, you'll need to pair it with foods that work in concert with it -- maximizing its positive effects.

One of these "assistants" is calcium, which helps the brain turn tryptophan into melatonin. An ideal evening meal would include complex carbohydrates, protein and some calcium. Not too complicated, right? But just in case you're wondering what that would look like on your dinner plate. Here's a sample menu, to help you visualize:

â¢ Sesame Roasted Chicken with Quinoa,
â¢ Kale and Shiitake Mushroom Salad with a Honey Almond Soy Vinaigrette.

Here's how I came up with this menu: First of all, roast chicken is a great source of protein, and it's fairly low in fat. Fat doesn't just make you gain weight, overindulging in it has also been proven to disrupt sleep cycles by making your digestive system work overtime.

Meanwhile, quinoa is both a complete protein and a complex carbohydrate. What's more, it's high in magnesium, which aids in the fight against leg cramps (a common sleep foe) and helps the body process calcium more efficiently. Kale scores high marks across the board. It's an excellent nondairy source of calcium and delivers an additional dose of magnesium.

And though many nutritionists will tell you not to eat late at night, there's new science that says it's okay to break that rule. In fact, if you are plagued by insomnia, you might actually benefit from a late night snack. Only caveat: We're not talking Ben and Jerry's.

I've come up with what I think is the perfect before bed treat. It works so well that one of my clients has taken to calling it nature's Xanax. I call it Kudzu Pudding. Kudzu is a root vegetable that has a very calming effect on the body. You can buy it in powder form at your local health food store.

What's great about using it in cooking is that it acts as a thickening agent and is really easy to work with. I like to cook it with low glycemic fruits like apples. It's a delicious desert and an effective tool toward winding down.

Here's how to make Kudzu Pudding: Start with 1 cup of applesauce in a small saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of kudzu root powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens -- about 3 minutes. That's it! Allow it to cool before eating -- then make a beeline for bed.

So if you're not getting enough shut eye, why not head to your kitchen cabinet rather than your medicine cabinet? You'll be surprised how just a few tweaks to your diet can help you get your Zs.

For more by Tricia Williams, click here.

For more on sleep, click here.

Dr. Peter Breggin: Xanax Facts and Whitney Houston

2012-02-22T23:48:28Z

Often when I think about how much I love my wife, Ginger, I wish I could sing to her. But I cannot sing. Instead, I imagine Whitney Houston singing to Ginger in her incredible soaring voice. Whitney became the voice expressing how much I love my wife. That is how much Whitney came to mean to so many of us who knew her only through her music. She became the music about love we carry in our hearts.

Whitney's passing has raised the specter that she was taking the benzodiazepine Xanax (alprazolam) at the time she died.

If it turns out that Whitney was under the influence of Xanax (alprazolam), then there's a good chance she would be alive today if that drug had never been put on the market.

Although Xanax is the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepine, and in my experience the most dangerous, the same harmful effects can be caused by all benzodiazepines, including Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, Serax, Halcion, Dalmane, and Halcion. When I address Xanax, I'm also talking about all of these drugs.

Reports that Xanax and other benzos are not usually lethal when taken alone are vastly misleading. Xanax is rarely taken alone. Why? Because as much or more than any other prescribed drug, Xanax causes medication spellbinding. It corrupts judgment, memory and self-control, so that individuals have no idea how badly they are being impaired. Eventually it erodes all mental faculties, often without the person fully grasping this loss of function. The impairment of judgment and self-control causes people to overdose on drugs or alcohol without intending to, leading to coma, cardiovascular collapse and death. The Xanax-induced memory impairment causes them to forget how many pills or how much alcohol they have already taken, again increasing the lethal risk.

Xanax has been called "alcohol in a pill" because its effects are so similar to alcohol. However, as will be documented, Xanax can be far more dangerous than alcohol. It should not be prescribed to patients with alcohol problems, because it becomes a powerful impetus for alcohol abuse.

At critical moments in their lives when individuals are suffering from serious emotional problems, their ability to deal with them is further compromised as a result of Xanax-induced medication spellbinding and cognitive deficits. In acute distress, they often have no idea what is happening to them. They have no idea how impaired they have become, they forget what they've already taken, or increase the dose, or increase or add other medications or alcohol.

This cannot be over-emphasized: Benzodiazepines, including the worst offender Xanax, can change people so that they become no longer rational, responsible or aware of the consequences of their behavior. Whether or not Xanax intoxication specifically causes death in these cases, Xanax-induced mental dysfunction contributes to the death.

Because the benzodiazepines so seriously impair judgment and other cognitive functions, it is often impossible to determine if a death was intentional or accidental, and as a result, we may never know in Whitney's case. News coverage saying that a loud sound like a falling body was heard from the room above her may indicate that she unexpectedly and unintentionally collapsed.

Even in the short run, Xanax often makes people worse than they were before starting the drug. As I first documented in Toxic Psychiatry (1991, pp. 252-254), the original studies for panic disorder showed that at 8-10 weeks of exposure the patients were more phobic, more anxious, and had a 350 percent increase in the panic attacks for which they were being treated. Upjohn, the manufacturer, promoted the first four weeks of the study without indicating that patients were worse than ever at eight weeks. When these studies for panic disorder were published in the AMA Archives of General Psychiatry, the editor-in-chief, himself on the Upjohn payroll, permitted the misleading research to be published without comment.

Eventually, after much delay, the FDA required some of the negative data to be included in the FDA-approved label for Xanax. Perhaps because the label had become rather ominous, Upjohn has stopped putting Xanax in the most commonly used reference for prescribers, The Physicians' Desk Reference. As a result, many or most prescribers will be using the drug on the basis of their recollection of much weaker labels from the past. To make it readily available, I've put the 2011 Xanax label up at www.ToxicPsychiatry.com. This version of the label is for the extended release or long-acting version, called Xanax XR, because this label contains the latest FDA-mandated upgrades. All page number citations in this blog are to this Xanax XR label.

Reports that Xanax only causes abuse and dependence (addiction) in addiction-prone patients are very false and extremely misleading. The 2011 label for Xanax XR states:

Some patients may find it very difficult to discontinue treatment with XANAX XR due to severe emotional and physical dependence. Discontinuation symptoms, including possible seizures, may occur following discontinuation from any dose... P. 10

While the severity and incidence of withdrawal phenomena appear to be related to dose and duration of treatment, withdrawal symptoms, including seizures, have been reported after only brief therapy with alprazolam at doses within the recommended range for the treatment of anxiety (eg, 0.75 to 4 mg/day). Pp. 18-19

Notice that "after only brief therapy" in the "recommended" dose range Xanax can cause withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms are often the initiating factor in future abuse and addiction, including the abuse of alcohol.

After the short several-week trials used for FDA approval, many patients were simply unable to stop taking the drug. That is, they were already addicted! In various studies, the number unable to withdraw ranged from a low of 7 percent to a high of 29 percent (p. 6).

Why do so many patients have to stay on the drug after such short-term exposure? Withdrawal symptoms for Xanax and other benzos are far worse than a mere "craving" that an individual might hope to control. The person doesn't "crave" the drug; the person needs the drug to end the agony of withdrawal.

Withdrawal reactions typically include overwhelming anxiety and panic, as well as insomnia, far worse than the individual has ever before experienced. Irritability can grow into uncontrollable anger and even violence. Muscle spasms, painful feelings in the extremities, painfully-heightened awareness of diminished mental faculties, confusion, depression, suicidality, paranoia, hallucinations, and myriad other unforeseen symptoms can demoralize and terrify the individual.

Withdrawal from Xanax can become far worse than withdrawal from morphine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and heroin, and require weeks in rehab or months in outpatient practice (See my medical text, Brain-Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry, Second Edition, Chapter 12). Benzodiazepine withdrawal should never be taken lightly and should be conducted with experienced clinical supervision, sometimes including hospitalization.

Xanax is so short-acting and potent that it is especially liable to cause interdose withdrawal in between doses (p. 7). A person taking Xanax at bedtime can wake up in withdrawal in the early morning and mistakenly attribute it to "anxiety." After the first pill in the morning, this same person can go into withdrawal a few hours later, again mistakenly believing that it's "anxiety."

As I describe in my book Medication Madness, Xanax is the benzo most likely to cause abnormal behavior, including violence and suicide. It is the drug I have most commonly found in association with SSRI antidepressants like Paxil and Zoloft in a number of legal cases involving SSRI-induced violence, suicide, and manic-like crime. These are really SSRI/Xanax induced tragedies. Xanax is the only benzo whose FDA-approved label warns about the risk of causing mania (p. 9).

Again according to the official label, "As with all benzodiazepines, paradoxical reactions such as stimulation, increased muscle spasticity, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, and other adverse behavioral effects such as agitation, rage, irritability, and aggressive or hostile behavior have been reported rarely" (p. 17).

There's one last issue that is painful to bring up. As I describe in Brain-Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry, Second Edition (2008), I have treated and evaluated many patients whose mental faculties have never fully returned after years or decades of exposure to Xanax. They suffer from what I have described as drug-induced Chronic Brain Impairment (CBI).

If you are currently taking this drug, seek help for a careful, slow withdrawal. It's not only dangerous to start Xanax, it's dangerous to stop it. If you have already stopped the drug and fear that you have lasting effects, remember that the spirit can triumph over almost any impediment, even harm to the brain. Also, recovery from drug-induced brain injury can take place gradually over many years, so keep up your hope. Stay drug free, live healthy, and make the most of your life -- while avoiding all psychoactive substances as much as possible.

Believe nothing about the safety of Xanax! If it turns out that the drug played a role in taking away our Whitney, it is one more demonstration of why this drug should never have been put on the market.

Join Dr. Breggin and other prestigious speakers, April 13-15, 2012 in Syracuse, New York. The annual conference of Dr. Breggin's 501c3 nonprofit international organization, The Center for the Study of Empathic Therapy, will present information and inspiration about the key issues in psychiatric reform today. Conference information is available at www.EmpathicTherapy.org. Peter R. Breggin, M.D. is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and former full-time consultant with NIMH who is in private practice in Ithaca, New York. Dr. Breggin is the author of more than twenty books including the bestseller Talking Back to Prozac and the medical book Brain-Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry, Second Edition. His most recent book is Medication Madness, the Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Cases of Violence, Suicide and Crime. He is also the author of dozens of peer-reviewed scientific articles, many in the field of psychopharmacology.

For more by Dr. Peter Breggin, click here.

For more on mental health, click here.

Dr. Fran Cohen Praver: Living in the Moment for Everlasting Love

2012-02-22T23:12:42Z

"I want to move." Melissa said.

"Where to?" I asked.

She responded quickly, "I think L.A. or Colorado would be great."

I inquired, "Is there a problem with where you live now?"

Pondering the question she said, "No, not really. I like my home, the schools are good, and the area is child-friendly. But I still want to be somewhere else."

"So you want to leave the present to some future place. Perhaps something is missing in how you experience the present." I suggested.

"Maybe." Melissa commented.

"You have young children. Do you enjoy playing with them?" I asked.

Looking sad, she said, "Not really. I'm always thinking about what I have to do in the house, the laundry, cleaning the kitchen floor or whatever."

"I see. How about lovemaking?" I asked.

Frowning, Melissa said, "I want to get it over with, so I can do other things."

"Is Matt a good lover?" I asked.

"Yes, he wants to please me, but my mind is somewhere else. I'm thinking about what I'm going to do, like how to toilet train my son who insists on making in his pants, things like that." Melissa said.

"You foreclose experiencing the joys of the here-and-now with what you will be doing. Perhaps at an unconscious level the past is also encroaching on your ability to live and love fully in the present." I suggested.

Smiling, Melissa said, "My mother is terrific, and she's always worked and is productive. Her pick of men is another story. My father is just the opposite."

"What is your father like?" I asked.

Frowning, she said, "He's fat and lazy. He used to be a software expert, but he lost his job and is broke now and he still asks me for gas money. He has no self control and is addicted to shopping, not stuff he needs, just stuff. He has a lot of gadgets, at least 40 pairs of shoes, 50 shirts, many of which are identical. He hasn't used most of the stuff and they still have the sales tags on them. When we were kids we went shopping in his closet."

"So you fear losing control and turning into your father." I interpreted.

"If I let go, I can become lazy like him. Sometimes I sneak time in the daytime and watch TV but then I feel lazy and bad about myself," she said, looking down at the floor.

I continued to interpret. "If you surrender to the experience of the moment, you fear you will be lazy, unproductive, without self control, which is your past. To rectify your feelings, your mind takes you to ways to be productive. That of course is in the future and you lose the beauty of life in the present."

"I see what you are saying. But how do I change? How do I surrender to the present?" Melissa asked.

In our busy world, if your mind, like Melissa's mind is caught up in what you have to do, you are missing out on the peace and joy of the moment. It is only by surrendering to your inner self, your essence, your sense of being, that you can live and love fully.

I would suggest you engage in some form of meditation. There are numerous workshops that you can research online. Here then is one way to engage in the practice of sublime momentary experience.

Sit in a comfortable erect chair.

Focus on your deep breathing in and out, and block thought out. When a thought intrudes, let it go and refocus on your breath. At this point you can experience the third eye, the spot between your eyebrows.

Imagine your body parts dissolving, one by one, your face, your chest, your abdomen, your thighs, legs, feet, toes, arms, hands, fingers. Now imagine a light shining within. This inner peace may only last for a few seconds or moments at first. Enjoy the serenity in the moment.

At first, this inner peace may only last for a few seconds or moments. Enjoy the serenity in the moment. At this point you are at peace in a spiritual space and able to commune with your partner, your children, nature, animals.

Become aware of your inner self in all of your experiences. When your mind is racing into what you will do, bring yourself back into the experience of the moment. For example, if you taking a walk and your mind is busy planning your next moves, let your thoughts go and stay in the moment. Listen to your heart beat, your breath, the feeling in your abdomen, your intestines, the sound of the wind, the firmness of the ground under you, the sight of the trees, the clouds in the sky -- all that you are part of. In this way, a simple walk is a satisfying spiritual experience.

Perhaps one of the most fulfilling, joyful experiences in which you experience the moment is that of making love. The key here is to surrender to the present, to your experience, your inner feelings that surface from deep inside of you, from your essence. Only then can you surrender fully to your partner.

The magic of the moment arises when you let go of self control, and lose yourself in your partner, only to find yourself.

Each moment in time of pure presence, of fully experiencing all your senses, of being in the here and now, is all there is. And moment by moment, we are in the process of creating the future of everlasting love.

For deeper insight into how to create everlasting love, read my book book The New Science of Love: How Understanding the Brain's Wiring Can Help Rekindle Your Relationship (Sourcebooks, Casablanca, 2011).

For more by Dr. Fran Cohen Praver, click here.

For more on love, click here.

For more on relationships, click here.

WATCH: Is This The World's Biggest Rope Swing?

2012-02-22T23:10:49Z

If heights aren't your thing, than this epic freefall YouTube video is probably not for you.

Devin Graham has created what he calls the world's largest rope swing, which boasts a whopping 130 foot drop, the Sun reports.

Shot over two days in Bootlegger Canyon, Moab Utah, the video features Graham's friends flying through the air, secured only by rock climbing ropes. Some of them don't even wear a helmet.

After investing a couple of hours in the set up of the ropes, the swingers swoop under the Corona Arch, to which the swing is connected by five different anchors.

Since the video hit the web last Wednesday, more than 5 million people have watched it.

In addition, Graham produced a behind the scenes video.

Of course, Graham doesn't just take frightfully amazing shots from dangerous heights.

According to CBS, other videos of his include Christmas Puppies and Smashing Pumpkins.

Kathy Kaehler: Make a Date With Your Heart

2012-02-22T23:00:24Z

Hearts are everywhere during the month of February. You see them as crafts in magazines, in cards and on cooking shows for that decadent homemade treat. I even made a Sweet Beet soup with a drizzle of Greek yogurt in the shape of a heart for my Sunday Set-Up Club, www.sundaysetup.com.

The month of February also celebrates the heart, however in a completely different way. February is American Heart Month. This year, more than 1 million Americans will have a heart attack or stroke, making heart disease the leading cause of death in men and women in this country. What is even more shocking is that I can't believe people still don't get it. Do you really want to be one of those statistics? It is hard to miss the message as it is everywhere, from Dr. Oz to major network segments on healthy living, newspapers, magazines, your doctor and even products in the supermarket offering healthier choices. Obviously people just don't think anything will happen to them if they stay on the reckless living path.

Interestingly, the medical community is jumping on board a little more these days in that 1 out of 3 patients are being given the recommendation to exercise which is up from last year's 1 out of 4. Come on people, we can't keep getting fatter and more out of shape. We need to keep pushing the message, which is just what Goals of Millions Hearts is doing. The Million Hearts initiative seeks to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by the end of 2016. I say let's help and try to get it done before that. Small changes that you can do right now will make a big difference.

For example, quit smoking already. I mean you can barely smoke anywhere anyway, and doesn't the commercial with that woman talking out of tube gasping for air give you incentive to quit? Stop driving through the drive-thru for meals. You must know by now that you'd probably get less salt in your system by licking a salt lick. Start moving, just like the doctor says. We have continued to live this life of slouchy, sluggish, lazy overweight blobs that wander from chair to chair. At least add a 15 minute walk every day. You can certainly figure out a way to do that for your heart, couldn't you?

The best way I know to get your heart in better shape is to keep in mind your heart is a muscle. To make that muscle stronger and more powerful you have to work it and fight for it. There are tremendous benefits from exercise that are too long to list. However, some still think that exercising is like a chore, so I'd rather call it being more active. MOVE YOUR BODY. Maybe this will help. You know how when you go away for a long time and you ask someone to take your car out for a drive and run the engine? Why wouldn't you do that for your body? Our bodies are just like a machine and need to be worked to stay in good running condition. All you need is 20 to 30 minutes of exercise that keeps your heart at 60 percent to 70 percent of your maximum heart beat rate. For adults that is about 110 beats per minute. Walking fast is ideal, which is not a window-shopping stroll. We need increased breathing that is hard and fast. It is even better to to jog or even run if your joints can take it. Interval training has a number of benefits. This is one of the simplest and powerful things one can do to keep the heart healthy. So combine the walk with a run or a flat walk combined with walking hills. Do anything to get the heart rate up.

Build a Support System to Help With Stress.
Start by talking to your spouse, family, and close friends about your health and how to manage the stress in your life. They may be able to help you reduce or alleviate certain stressors.

Recognize Your Stress Triggers.
Learn to identify the things in your life that can trigger stress. Your job, certain relationships with family, friends, driving in traffic, the economy, personal health issues or others and try to figure out ways to either avoid those triggers and most importantly how to cope.

How can I relax?
It can be as easy as taking 20 minutes to simply sit and think, or do an activity that soothes you. Examples include reading, listening to music or taking a bath. My favorite stress reliever is to lie down, place one hand over my belly button, and place the other hand over my chest. Breathe deep through the belly and feel it rise and fall. Your stress melts to your toes and out of the body.

One of the best ways to manage the stress in your life is to learn the word NO. We live in a life of busy from morning to noon to night. It is crazy living! Avoid taking on more responsibilities or social obligations. Set boundaries on your calendar by putting a big red X through days where you can just do what you want to do.

Celebrate with dark chocolate (antioxidant) and red wine. However, keep the celebrating going all month long and do what you can to improve the health of the most important heart of all. Get a heart check up. Know your family history. Eat better. Move more. Floss your teeth and breathe deep.

Now... before you think about another thing. Turn off your computer, stand up and go take a walk around the block.

Kathy

For more by Kathy Kaehler, click here.

For more on personal health, click here.

Teenage Basketball Star Shot Hoops While In Coma

2012-02-22T22:58:00Z

The human body never ceases to amazes us.

Case in point? Maggie Meier, a basketball star at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas. The teenager wowed locals by shooting hoops while in a coma, The Kansas City Star reports.

Meier fell ill in early November 2008, just as basketball season was starting, according to MaxPreps, a CBS Sports affiliate. Then a freshman in high school, she was rushed to the hospital, barely conscious and having seizures. She soon fell into a coma, which lasted over 2 months.

Doctors diagnosed Meier with mycoplasma meningoencephalitis, a rare, intense form of meningitis, The Daily reported. Though her family worried for her survival, they discovered something incredible that gave them hope. Though unresponsive and unconscious, she would sometimes make the motion for shooting baskets. Her family began to put her into a chair, hand her a beach ball and pull the hoop close. She shoots, she scores!

Meier's neurologist told The Daily that basketball was so "ingrained as one of Maggieâs basic instincts" that her body remembered how to do it before it could walk or even stand.

When she woke up, it took months for her body to recover. She had to re-learn basic functions like walking and eating. But by sophomore year, she was well enough to return to the court.

Her story is certainly incredible, but it's not unique. In 2001, a 24-year-old woman gave birth while in a coma to a perfectly healthy 7 pound baby.

CDC Examines Raw Milk's Role In Dairy-Related Food Poisoning

2012-02-22T22:44:00Z

Dairy-related illness is caused more often from raw, or unpasteurized, milk than pasteurized milk, according to a new government report.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study showing that the risk of getting ill from consuming raw milk is 150 times higher than if you consume pasteurized milk, according to the study.

The report also showed that in states where selling raw milk is legal, outbreaks of food-borne illness are more than twice as high than in states where raw milk sales are illegal. Bloomberg Businessweek reported that 20 states currently have some form of ban on selling raw milk.

The findings were an aggregation of data collected on dairy-related outbreaks between 1993 and 2006. During that time period, there were 121 outbreaks, with 60 percent of them from raw milk products.

Not only were there more outbreaks related to raw milk, they were also more serious. The study showed that 13 percent of raw milk-related outbreaks resulted in hospitalization, while 1 percent of pasteurized milk-related outbreaks resulted in the same. The researchers said that the increase in hospitalization may be because bacteria like E. coli O157 were the cause of most raw milk-related outbreaks, which can result in more severe illness. Norovirus and Staphylococcus aureus were the more common causes of the pasteurized milk-product outbreaks, which are comparably mild infections, researchers said.

"While some people think that raw milk has more health benefits than pasteurized milk, this study shows that raw milk has great risks, especially for children, who experience more severe illnesses if they get sick," said study researcher Dr. Barbara Mahon, M.D., M.P.H., deputy chief of CDC's DFWED Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch.

Pasteurized milk is exposed to blasts of heat to kill pathogens, like E. coli and salmonella, that cause food poisoning, TIME reported. But raw milk supporters say that heating the milk also kills the good stuff in milk, such as good bacteria, and proteins and enzymes that help with digestion, according to TIME.

The nonprofit Weston A. Price Foundation, which advocates for raw milk, said that the findings should be taken with a grain of salt, saying that there are very low numbers of dairy-related foodborne illnesses to start with. [You can read their full statement here.]

The Los Angeles Times reported that raw milk supporters point to evidence in some journals showing that raw milk consumption is linked with a lower risk and/or rate of eczema and allergies. However, studies in journals have shown an exact opposite effect.

Obese People Have Higher Rates Of Daily Pain, Survey Shows

2012-02-22T22:23:00Z

Obesity doesn't just increase the risk of health problems like diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and cancer -- a new survey shows that a high body mass index (BMI) is also linked with higher rates of daily pain.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveyed more than 1 million people in the U.S., and found that the higher a person's BMI, the more likely that person was to report experiencing pain everyday.

Specifically, the survey showed that daily pain is experienced by 44.1 percent of people with a BMI of 40 or higher, 34.7 percent of people with a BMI between 35 and 40 and 27.7 percent of people with a BMI of 30 to 35. (Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or more.)

Nearly 22 percent of people who are overweight (with a BMI of 25 to 29) experience daily pain, and 18.9 percent of people who are underweight or normal weight (BMI less than 25) experience daily pain, according to the survey.

Researchers found that women were more likely to report having daily pain than men, with 49.1 percent of women with a BMI of 40 or above saying they had daily pain, compared with 38.8 percent of men. Results of the survey were published recently in the journal Obesity.

Researchers found that even after accounting for diseases that may cause daily pain, the link between pain and obesity still held true. They offered up several possible reasons: inflammation and pain are linked with processes that are triggered by excess fat in the body; and a reverse link, that painful conditions like arthritis may cause someone to not exercise as much, thereby resulting in the weight gain contributing to obesity.

Recently, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released a new report showing that obesity rates have slowed in many developed countries in the last 10 years, but there are still more obese people in these countries than there ever has been before.

For a look at the 10 most obese countries in the OECD report, click through the slideshow:

Lesley Girkins: Dancing the Day (And Night) Away to Fight Pediatric HIV/AIDS

2012-02-22T22:02:18Z

Over Presidents Day weekend, the Pediatric AIDS Coalition at UCLA once again hosted Dance Marathon, where students raised a record-setting $451,144 for the fight against global pediatric HIV/AIDS.

Presented by Bank of the West, UCLA's Dance Marathon continues to be the largest student-organized philanthropic event on the West Coast. This year, more than 830 dancers stood on their feet for 26 music-filled hours, from 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 18th until 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 19th. A grand total of 1,500 supporters and performers participated in the event as well.

Throughout the 26 hours, participants heard personal stories from children affected by HIV/AIDS, and learned facts about the disease -- such as how it's transmitted and where to get tested.

Since its launch in 2002, Dance Marathon at UCLA has raised more than $3 million, benefiting the life-saving work of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), the UCLA AIDS Institute, as well as Project Kindle and One Heartland -- two camps for children affected by or infected with HIV. By raising funds for these four organizations, the Pediatric AIDS Coalition and Dance Marathon participants fight pediatric HIV/AIDS at a local, national, and global level.

I'm a second-year life-science major at UCLA and have been involved with the Pediatric AIDS Coalition and Dance Marathon since my freshman year. I originally heard about the cause during my senior year of high school when I was taking a tour of the campus. The cause, event, and organization were all so inspiring that I knew I had to get involved.Â â¨â¨Last year was my first time staying up for 26+ hours, and it was well worth the fatigue I felt afterwards. I met some of the kids who benefitted from our fundraising, heard their amazing stories, and danced the night away with my friends.

Besides being an educational event, Dance Marathon at UCLA also entertains its dancers by having performers and celebrities attend throughout the morning, afternoon, and night.

This year's special guests included Perez Hilton and two-time X-Games BMX gold medalist Terry Adams. Jake Glaser -- son of Elizabeth Glaser, founder of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation -- also attended the event and gave a motivating speech during the closing ceremonies.

Among his inspirational words was a quote from his late mother: "My life had certainly not turned out the way I expected; but, while tomorrow would bring what it would, today was glorious."

Erin Ward, president of the Pediatric AIDS Coalition at UCLA, also reminded dancers that by participating in Dance Marathon, they were helping make the idea of an AIDS-free generation a reality: "We take a stand to show the kids here and others around the world that we won't stop until our dreams come true."

At the end of the night, everyone was more educated about the cause, and felt inspired to stay involved with the fight against pediatric AIDS. Involvement of this magnitude proves that this community cares about fighting pediatric HIV/AIDS, and wants to educate themselves about the global pandemic, consequently reducing the stigma associated with the disease.

For me, I took the drive from participating in Dance Marathon and sought out a volunteer position at the CARE 4 Families Pediatric AIDS clinic associated with the UCLA AIDS Institute. This has allowed me to develop a personal connection with the cause, as I assist the clinic and interact with the kids.Â â¨â¨Being educated about HIV/AIDS has not only made me aware of how to stay protected against the disease and learn why it's important to reduce the stigma associated with it, but it has also inspired me to stay involved with the cause until there's a cure.Â

To learn more about the UCLA Dance Marathon, and its beneficiaries -- the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, One Heartland, Project Kindle, and the UCLA AIDS Institute, visit http://www.bruindancemarathon.org/.