In the old days, people rely on medicine men, oracles, and even the position of the stars to find a cure for various illnesses. Much for what was considered as medicine were merely based on myth and superstition. But with the advent of modern medicine, people became more aware of scientific means of diagnosing and treating illnesses. Medications, or drugs prepared in laboratories, are widely used for their convenience and effectiveness. For many years, we have used different kinds of medications in order to ease and alleviate the pain we feel in our bodies. It has become a necessity for each home to have at least a couple of basic medications for cough and colds, fever and flu, headaches, and so on. Having these medications at hand can prevent further aggravation of an ailment when dealing with hospitals, drugstores, and doctors.

An interesting kind of drug medication would be the class of psychoactive medication. Also called psychotropic substances, this specific drug is a chemical substance that acts on a person’s central nervous system wherein it alters the brain’s function, causing short term changes with regards to a person’s mood, perception, consciousness, and behavior. These drugs can be used recreationally (entheogens) for ritual and spiritual purposes, or therapeutically for medication. Since this would be the only kind of medication that can be used for recreation, it can sometimes be abused because of the mind altering effect that it can bring, making the person feel more pleasant as he was before.

But in a more medical sense, psychoactive medication are often helpful in treating psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, among many others. Although these psychoactive drugs do not affect the underlying cause of these disorders, they can serve symptomatic relief for patients who wants to live a normal life.

Anxiety is seen as the continuous tension, nervousness, or panic caused by stress or any other psychological causes. This disorder is seen in many, and is often resolved by taking psychoactive medication. Anti anxiety drugs are used to give relaxation or to reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as shaking and palpitations. Causing such relaxation and sedation, a certain class of psychoactive medication called “benzodiazepines” are included in anxiety medications that depress the person’s central nervous system. “Beta blockers” also contribute to these medications, allowing the suppression of physical symptoms. Having depression can interfere with a person’s daily activities, and when this situation starts to stay there for a time, a person may need medical help. Psychoactive medications can be appropriate for this kind of disorder. Antidepressants would be the specific kind of medication, offering the increase of the neurotransmitters’ level in the brain. More often than not, it takes some time (from six to eight weeks) before these antidepressants take effect.

When a person has trouble sleeping, they may be experiencing insomnia. Both anxiety and depression can cause insomnia, among many others. When this specific cause is known and treated, the person’s sleep patterns generally return to normal. When insomnia gets persistent, sleeping pills may be appropriate. Most sleeping pills cause sedation by depressing the central nervous system (more likely as those of anxiety medications). Although a person can sleep while under these medications, the sleep induced by the drug will not be the same as of natural sleep, since the drug suppresses brain activity.

These are just examples of how psychoactive medications are commonly used in our everyday lives. It is important to know and be well-informed about every aspect of the medication, to prevent any side effects, withdrawal symptoms, and any negative impact on the body and brain itself.

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 ”You are what you eat” —- this often-used phrase has come to describe the belief that a person’s totality, including his health, appearance, mood, and thoughts, is shaped by the food he eats. Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, in Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante, 1826: “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.” meaning “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” In an essay entitled Concerning Spiritualism and Materialism, 1863/4, Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach wrote: “Der Mensch ist, was er i?t,” which translates into English as “man is what he eats.”

Actually, neither Brillat-Savarin or Feuerbach meant for their quotations to be taken literally. They were merely stating that that the food that one eats has a bearing on one’s state of mind and health. The actual phrase didn’t emerge as part of the common English language until some time later. In the ’20s and ’30s, the nutritionist Victor Lindlahr, who was a strong believer in the idea that food controls health, developed what he called as the Catabolic Diet. The said diet was accepted and gained some adherents. Lindlahr’s theories became so popular that even advertising was shaped by his nutritional dogmas. A 1923 advertisement for beef released through the Bridgeport Telegraph had the following message: “Ninety per cent of the diseases known to man are caused by cheap foodstuffs. You are what you eat.”

To some, the old adage, “You are what you eat” may be a bit exaggerated. Still, many studies have shown that the food, water, and other substances we consume can have profound effects on our physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Evidence continues to mount up suggesting that the food we eat have powerful psychological effects.

For starters, there are clear connections between mood and food that are rich in folates like green leafy vegetables. A 1997 Harvard study supports earlier findings that show a link between folate deficiency and depressive symptoms. The study revealed that low folate levels can interfere with the antidepressant activity of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). A Tufts University study of nearly 2,948 individuals found that those who met the criteria for a lifetime diagnosis of major depression had lower serum and red blood folate concentrations than those who had never been depressed. Those with dysthymia had lower red blood cell folate only. The authors of the study recommend folate supplementation during the year following a depressive episode.

A case study from University of Alaska best exemplifies how food intake affect the people from the North Pole region. This happens when various populations change from their traditional means of consuming and procuring food to steak and lots of junk food. Though the traditional diets of circumpolar people vary from region to region, the menu generally draws from marine mammals, fish, hoofed animals, fur-bearing animals, birds and their eggs, plants, and berries. These food are rich in nutrients, with high levels of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants, while low in carbohydrates. However, radical changes in their diet occurred after establishing contact and engaging in trade with Westerners. Obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease were virtually unknown to the frozen North. The introduction of fat and carbohydrate-rich Western diets made previously unrecorded diseases to the North Pole.

A recent case study also found that rates of depression, seasonal affective disorder, anxiety, and other mental illnesses are on the rise in circumpolar regions, especially among non-isolated populations. Suicide rates have increased seven-fold in many northern populations over the past several decades. The authors of the case study acknowledge that the combined decline in mental health and the disappearance of traditional diets in circumpolar people make a direct connection between diet and mental health in these people a very real possibility.

“You are what you eat”, the phrase got a new lease of life in the ’60s Hippie era. The food of choice of the champions of this notion was macrobiotic wholefood and the phrase was adopted by them as a slogan for healthy eating. The belief in the diet in some quarters was so strong that when Adelle Davis, a leading spokesperson for the organic food movement, contracted cancer that later killed her, she attributed the illness to the junk food she had eaten at college. Indeed, you are what you eat and believe it!

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 When you start bodybuilding, you will hear a great deal about protein and protein supplements. This is a hot topic in gyms around the world. But, what are protein supplements, and why do you need them?

The truth is that while protein supplements are important to bodybuilding, they are also important to those who are not bodybuilders. Protein supplements are also beneficial for cardiovascular health, cancer patients, diabetics, weight management, infants, the healing of wounds, and so much more. Because there are so many different uses for protein supplements, there are different types of protein supplements as well.

Unfortunately, not all protein supplements are created equally. Furthermore, you may believe that you can get all of the protein that you need, without a protein supplement, from the foods that you eat. If you are a bodybuilder, you would have to eat an awful lot of food for that to happen. This is why you need protein supplements.

With that said, however, it is also important to understand that a protein supplement is not a replacement for food, it is an addition to food. It is also important to realize that a protein supplement will not build your body; it is something that enhances the results of your workouts…you must still eat right, and you still have to workout.

There is a long, scientific explanation of why you need protein supplements, but all you really need to understand is that protein supplements enable you to get the protein that you are not getting from the food that you eat, and they help to increase your strength while decreasing the recovery time that you need between workouts. A good protein supplement is what allows bodybuilders to workout everyday.

A good protein supplement can come in many forms, but the best form is powder. This powder is then mixed with a liquid, and you simply drink it. Some protein supplements taste bad, and others taste just fine, depending on what you mix them with. The ideal liquids to mix a protein supplement powder with are water and juice.

Among bodybuilders, the best protein supplement seems to be whey protein isolate, or whey protein concentrate. These two protein supplements have the least amount of lactose, fat, and carbohydrates. In fact, whey protein isolate doesn’t have any lactose, fat or carbohydrates. Protein concentrate has very little lactose, carbs, and fat, if it is a quality product. Of course, the protein supplement that you choose will be based on your body’s needs, as well as your goals.

It is important for every bodybuilder to learn as much as he or she can about protein supplements. Otherwise, you will spend a great deal of money on products that are inferior, at best. Again, it is also important to remember that while a good protein supplement is vital to your bodybuilding efforts, it isn’t going to do the work for you. A good protein supplement must be combined with the proper diet and workouts in order to be effective.

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 The face is one of the primary assets that a person can have when interacting with others. It is a useful tool when attempting to convince or sway people, particularly when combined effectively with voice and gestures. Simple facial gestures from a trusted figure can go a long way to helping someone overcome fear and anxiety in a variety of situations. A well-placed smile can also go a long way in getting someone to overcome his anxiety and agree to a risky but profitable operation. So it is understandable that some people would rather not have to attempt to convince someone of anything if they have Bell’s Palsy.

Bell’s Palsy is a neurological disorder that causes a distinctive distortion of the lips commonly known as the “Bell’s Smile.” The problem is typically caused by inflammation of certain muscles on one side of the face, causing the famous “distortion.” The disorder is also often accompanied by partial or total paralysis of one side of the face. In most cases, the paralysis and inflammation are limited only to a certain area, being just enough to prevent a person from naturally correcting the unusual crookedness of the lips. Most doctors investigate how far the damage extends, as cases can differ between the number of nerves that are actually involved in the problem.

Being diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy is often a case of elimination for the attending physicians. There are various problems and neurological disorders that can affect the face. The common symptom, the inflammation of certain muscles in the face, can also be caused by a wide range of internal and external factors. A stroke and a minor tumor on the side of the face can also cause the prerequisite level of paralysis, though it is not a common occurrence for either one. In some cases, it has been reported that the inflammation itself is the cause of the problem, rather than being a symptom of the problem itself.

Treatment for Bell’s Palsy is often either difficult or unnecessary. It can be difficult because there is no clear cause, thus giving doctors nothing to directly attack. In some cases, muscle relaxants are given to help ease the inflammation, but this is only a preliminary measure. Anti-inflammatory drugs have also been suggested to help decrease what it seen as the core of the problem. However, studies have shown that these drugs have not been consistently effective. In the past, surgery has been used to correct these musculo-facial problems but the results have either been inconclusive or have proven to be ineffective. Some have tried to look towards alternatives such as acupuncture, but this avenue of treatment has also shown inconclusive results. Chinese medicine recognizes the problem, but there are no reports on what is the traditional treatment for it.

In most cases, Bell’s Palsy fades by itself if treated early on. In the earlier stages of the disorder, muscle relaxants are often enough to eventually correct the problem. The duration of the problem varies, but it can range from weeks to months. In some cases, however, it can be prolonged if the treatment is not administered early enough to have an appreciable effect. While these people are able to converse as normal, some conditions can cause it to worsen and the person would be rendered unable to speak normally for a period of time.

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 At the age of 32 Sigmund Freud developed a new problem. Pricking and other unpleasant sensations had overtaken the skin on the outer side of his right thigh. Walking made his symptoms worse. The affected skin was exquisitely sensitive to touch and even the usual rubbing of his underclothes irritated the area.

Seven years later in 1895, when Freud wrote up his self-observations for a German medical journal, the abnormal sensations were still present, but had migrated. At first, the area of disturbance had been more noticeable near the top of the thigh, but gradually the abnormal sensations moved downward to a palm-sized area a hand’s breadth above the side of his knee.

When Freud squeezed a fold of skin in this area, it hurt more than it did in his left thigh. Although he could feel a pinprick as such, it also burned. Even so, individual spots within the zone of abnormal skin were insensitive to ordinarily painful maneuvers. He also noticed that temperature sense was impaired. Warm objects placed against the affected skin felt cooler than in unaffected areas. And although the original pricking sensations improved over time, his outer thigh had become generally less sensitive to usual stimulations.

Freud’s physician, Josef Breuer, found that the affected skin was in the territory of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, a nerve that concerns itself with sensation only and has no muscular connections. Dr. Breuer concluded that Freud’s symptoms were caused by damage to this nerve. Dr. Breuer also suspected that the nerve might be particularly vulnerable to injury in the groin near the front of the hip where it passes between strands of a ligament. As a result, he thought that wearing tight clothing might aggravate the condition.

Our understanding of this disorder has changed little in the 110 years since Freud wrote his report for Berlin’s “Neurologisches Centralblatt,” or in the 20 years since Francis Schiller, M.D., translated it into English for the American journal “Neurology.”

To set the record straight, Freud and Breuer were not the first to recognize this condition. Max Bernhardt of Germany first wrote about it in 1878 and in 1895 Vladimir Roth of Moscow named the condition “meralgia paresthetica,” a term still in use. This name is the sum of its three parts. “Meros” is Greek for thigh, “algos” is Greek for pain and “paresthetica” means unprovoked sensations. This entrapment neuropathy (pinched nerve condition) was one of the first to be recognized as such.

The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve is formed in the lower back from branches of the second and third lumbar spinal nerves which combine to form a single nerve (on each side) soon after emerging from the spinal column. The nerve passes through the interior of the pelvis and exits the pelvis near the outer border of the inguinal (groin) ligament before making a downward turn to run beneath the skin of the outer thigh.

The course of the nerve can vary from person to person and even from side to side in the same person. In about 25% of people the nerve splits into branches before reaching the inguinal ligament, and there can be up to 5 branches. This variability might make some people more vulnerable to nerve-injury than others.

Pressure within the pelvis, as from pregnancy, obesity and (rarely) tumors, can injure the portion of the nerve within the pelvis. And as Freud’s physician surmised, the nerve is particularly vulnerable to injury from external pressure at the inguinal ligament, as from corsets, wide belts and tight pants. However, a cause for meralgia paresthetica is not always found, as was apparently the case when Freud had it.

The nerve can also be injured during a wide variety of surgical procedures, including orthopedic, vascular, gynecological, abdominal, hernia and even stomach-stapling operations. In a recent series of spinal surgery cases in Taiwan, 60 out of 252 patients experienced meralgia paresthetica as a complication of the surgery. Fortunately, in all cases it resolved within two months.

Diagnosis of this condition is usually made from the history and the physical examination, with the key features being numbness and unpleasant sensations on the side of the thigh. Other conditions can mimic meralgia paresthetica, for example, a pinched spinal nerve in the lower back, or impairment in the nearby femoral nerve that also emerges from the pelvis at the inguinal ligament. Tests of muscle and nerve electricity–electromyography and nerve conduction studies–can help resolve ambiguous cases.

Treatment of meralgia paresthetica has not been studied by the gold-standard method of randomized, controlled trials involving a comparison group of untreated patients. So in choosing appropriate treatment all we have to go on are collections of cases published in medical journals. Because many cases turn out well without drastic treatments, conservative approaches are tried first. Weight loss, removal of tight garments, completion of pregnancy and simple watchful waiting can all be effective.

While awaiting a favorable outcome, symptoms can be managed with skin-patches containing a local anesthetic drug, anti-inflammatory medications, certain epilepsy and antidepressant drugs known to relieve nerve-pain, and local injections with steroids. Surgery to relieve the pinch is usually reserved as a last resort.

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