Hoodia is a cactus-type plant from Africa that has many uses, however the native populations of South Africa have used it for indigestion or infection. The plant Hoodia gordonii has been recognized as an appetite suppressant since the late 1970’s in Africa, but in the US there have been no definitive studies establishing it as […]
Electric Shocks When Stopping Medication
Medication discontinuation syndrome can happen when a person stops their medication abruptly. In general, medication should be tapered off slowly with medical supervision. But since we don’t know precisely how slow is slow enough for each individual, sometimes tapering off the medication can still result in some withdrawal symptoms. Usual withdrawal symptoms are things like […]
What is Sleep Latency?
Sleep latency is the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. Normal is considered to be 15-25 minutes (some say 30minutes). I’ve had many people tell me with disappointment that it takes them 30 minutes to fall asleep and how they know people who can fall asleep instantaneously. They are surprised to hear that […]
Old Brains Can Still Learn
We used to believe that we were born with all of the new brain cells we would have for life. Once we reached adulthood, we can’t learn any more new tricks. Actually it’s not quite that way, but in general neural stem cells (undifferentiated brain cells, like fetal brain cells) were thought to only exist […]
Obesity Worsens Risk of Birth Defects with Antidepressant Use in Pregancy
Two studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June 2007 reported on the risks of birth defects when women took selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy (sources: Louik, C et. al NEJM Volume 356:2675-2683 June 28, 2007 Number 26 and Alwan S. et al. NEJM Volume 356:2684-2692 June 28, 2007 Number 26). […]
Internet Addiction Part 2
Some researchers still question whether problematic Internet use should be considered a disease. An argument against this is that the internet can be a means to satisfy other compulsive behaviors such as gambling, shopping, pornography use, etc. So it’s a medium of exchange to fuel other addictions and is not the source of the addiction. […]