Kimberly Zoberi is Certainly Uneducated

This particular family practice doctor at Saint Louis University seems to again be coming forth with a groundless claim regarding Saint John's wort, Kava, and Valerian.

When you read her premise it is very clear she is PhRMA inculcated although she briefly refers to cognitive therapy.

Her por-drug treatment suggestions also fail to address the extreme probems with the anti-anxiety and anto-depressant dugs pushed today inmainstream medicine.

She also fails o look to nutrition issues as a related factor.

The real problem is her total failure to acknowledge the substantial scientific proof for the use and effectiveness of the very herbs he is attacking.

I've asked one of the major herbal organizations for some comments on this 'doctor' and her misguided statements. As I receive it I'll post it.

ST. LOUIS, April 9 (UPI) -- An herbal remedy for anxiety -- St. John's wort -- has not been proven, a U.S. researcher says.

Dr. Kimberly Zoberi of Saint Louis University in Missouri says not only have St. John's wort and other herbs taken for anxiety -- such as kava extract and valerian -- not been shown to be effective, but there may be safety issues.

"Patients should be extremely cautious about garnering medical advice from the Internet," Zoberi says in a statement. "There is no evidence that those medications are effective. If a patient wishes to avoid drug therapy, her doctor can suggest alternatives such as cognitive behavioral therapy."

Zoberi recommends those needing anxiety treatment consult with a healthcare professional.

The article, published in the Journal of Family Practice, also looks at prescription drug regimens for patients with anxiety and notes the first-line treatment prescribed by physicians are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which are safe, effective and more affordable. However, some patients suffer sexual or gastrointestinal side effects.

Some anti-convulsant drugs offer quick and effective anxiety relief without the side effects of other treatments, Zoberi says, but on the downside, they are relatively expensive.

HerbalEGram: Volume 7, Number 5, May 2010 Survey Reveals Doctors Know Little about Herbal Medicine According to results of a survey conducted in January 2010 and published in April, many medical professionals, primarily in the United Kingdom, know very little about herbal medicine.1 Only 164 (14%) of the 1,157 randomly queried Drug and Therapeutic Bulletin (DTB) subscribers responded, most of whom were practicing physicians (76.7%) and the remaining being various other types of healthcare professionals. About 88% of the responders were located in the United Kingdom. Despite the small number of responders, the results of the survey have notable majorities: 71.8% responded that they believe the public has a misplaced faith in herbal medicines, 84.1% do not believe herbal medicine is well regulated, and 62.8% said they did not provide general herbal medicine information to their patients. Furthermore, 75.5% of respondents believe that doctors are poorly informed about herbal medicines while 46.6% admitted to being poorly informed themselves. Of the 21.3% who responded that they wouldn’t seek more information about an herbal medicine their patient was taking, 60% said they were unsure where to seek such information. Overall, 50% said they’d use Google or similar Internet tools if they were to seek such information. “I would suggest that that’s a terrible source of information where herbal medicine is concerned,” said Michael McIntyre, chairman of the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association and a member of the UK Department of Health Herbal Medicine Regulatory Working Group, in a podcast released with the survey.2 “You could get terrible information, wrong information, and I certainly wouldn’t advise patients to do that so I wouldn’t advise doctors to do it either.” Herbal medicine has an often confusing and conflicting online identity caused by unreliable sources posing as herbal authorities and the posting of unqualified misinformation to websites; therefore, one would need to consult a reliable herbal medicine source to get the correct information. However, this survey shows that many physicians in the United Kingdom don’t seem to know where to go for such information. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also recently commissioned a survey through Ipsos MORI to identify the UK public’s view on herbal medicines.3 This included opinions about safety and regulation, as well as where the public obtained information on herbal medicines. According to this survey 41% of the responding British adults believed doctors would be a good source of reliable herbal information while 23% thought the same for pharmacists. Also 67% of respondents agreed that it is necessary to tell a general practitioner if one is taking herbal medicine. According to the Ipsos MORI survey, most patients expect doctors to be well informed, said Linda Anderson, PhD, Principal Pharmaceutical Assessor at the MHRA in the podcast.2 “And I think they’d be pretty horrified if they thought the doctors were just relying on something on the Internet that wasn’t qualified.” Likewise in the US botanical experts have described the phytomedicinal education of medical professionals as “still woefully inadequate,” as Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council, told The Tan Sheet.4 Blumenthal also pointed out that “the potential for potentially serious [herb-drug] interactions still exists and all healthcare professionals, not just physicians, should be adequately trained on these potential interactions, as emerging scientific and clinical data reveal them.” However the results seem to show that many physicians, at least in the United Kingdom, have a “lack of knowledge, a lack of understanding” and “perhaps even more worryingly, an absence of interest” in herbal medicine, said DTB Editor Ike Iheanacho in the podcast.2 For more information, see MHRA's press release on its Ipsos MORI survey, the results of the DTB survey, or the podcast discussing the DTB survey. Additional information is available at www.dtb.bmj.com. —Kelly E. Lindner        References 1. Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) Survey on Herbal Medicines. Drug Ther Bull. 2010;48(4):46–47. 2. Herbal medicines – what do clinicians know [podcast]? London, England, United Kingdom: Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. April 8, 2010. 3. Ipsos MORI report shows that 77% of adults agree that it is important that herbal medicines are regulated [press release]. London, England, United Kingdom: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; January 12, 2009. 4. Stevenson K. UK Herbals Survey Points to Importance of Doctor Education on Supplements. The Tan Sheet. 2010;18(19):10–11.

How To Stop The Pain Caused By Headaches

By Rose Williams

When we are suffering from a headache we usually try to
think of ways to stop the pain. However, as there are
different types of headaches, the treatments may work for
only a some of the headache types. There are two different
methods of curing the pain caused by headaches. These types
of headache treatment are called prophylactical and abortive
headache treatments.

The prophylactic type of treatment has to be taken everyday
in order to reduce the frequency of and to control the
severity of the headache. Abortive headache treatment is
begun only when the headache starts.

However, you must realize that your physician will not
prescribe any prophylactic headache treatment unless you are
suffering from several, frequent headache attacks every
month. Furthermore, when you take the prophylactic
medication you will be monitored for side effects like
weight gain, water retention, lethargy, memory impairment
and hallucinations.

The treatment of headaches with prophylactic medication
begins with a low dose. The dose is then increased as time
passes. You will also be tested every month or so to see if
the treatment is effective. Your doctor will also check that
you are not taking any other types of medicine or vitamins
during this phase of your headache treatment.

It is very important for the doctor to know whether the
sufferer is or becomes pregnant. If you do become pregnant,
then your doctor should be told, so that checks can be done
to uncover any possible side effects to the unborn foetus.

The main prescription drugs given for stopping headache are
beta blockers such as Tenormin and Lopressor. Calcium
channel blockers such as Cardizem, Dilacor, and Procardia
are also used. Doctors may also prescribe anti-depressants
such as Elavil and Zoloft. You can also be given serotonin
antagonists like Sansert.

Usually, anti-convulsants such as Tegretol, Depakote, and
Dilantin are also given for headache treatment. Cafergot and
Sansert (ergot derivatives) could also be given by your
doctor. The 'abortive' headache treatment types available
for your headache pain are usually the 'over the counter'
(OTC) type. These include Paracetamol, Aspirin, Tylenol,
Panadol, Motrin, and Advil to mention only a few. Tylenol
and Panadol are known as Acetaminophen drugs. Motrin and
Advil are in the family of drugs known as Ibuprofen.

Further to these headache medicines there are also
non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. The side
effects of NSAIDs like Naprosyn and Meclomen include nausea,
gastrointestinal pain, dizziness, diarrhea, light-headedness
and constipation. These headache treatments can also cause
some people to get side-effects in the form of a different
type of headache.

Since taking these drugs can result in side effects, you
ought to consult your doctor in order to discover whether
they are all right for you or not. People who prefer to take
an 'alternative' headache treatment should ask their doctor
whether he thinks the alternative medicine, such as
aromatherapy or supplements, will be suitable.

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4 Steps To Reducing Anxiety And Stress

Anxiety disorders are often a product of stress. From GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) to panic disorder, you can cut back on the anxiety in your life simply by reducing stress. Stress is normal in daily life no matter who you are, but if you let your stress take control of your life, serious problems will arise. Fortunately, ongoing stress is easy to overcome, but it is important to know the steps to doing so.

Stress is an internal reaction triggered by external factors, like pressure. One of the best ways to overcome these reactions is with plenty of exercise. Daily exercise can help you learn to physically deal with stress by improving your tolerance to stress during exercise. During a panic attack, most people feel short of breath and a pounding heart. A hard workout gives you these same experiences, but in a healthy way. AS you exercise more and more, you push your body to accept these conditions without panicking.

Getting a good night’s sleep is also very important to reducing stress. Stress can physically wear out a person’s body, and without sleep, you will feel the effects of stress much more readily. This can lead to anxiety disorders very easily. To get enough sleep, make sure that you schedule at least 8 hours for sleeping. Don’t eat or drink lots of sugar or caffeine products before bedtime and try to do relaxing activities in the few hours before bedtime. If necessary, see your doctor for help with sleeping problems.

Another key to reducing stress is to schedule time for non-work related activities. Take vacations or at least days off in order to have fun. Work is a major cause of stress, and with that stress comes worry about money, health, and many other things. By setting aside specific time to enjoy yourself with loved ones or on your own, you can physically and mentally set aside the stress for at least a few hours. Try to have at least an hour to yourself every day and an entire long weekend every few months to purely enjoy fun activities.

Lastly, work to reduce stress by learning to think a bit differently about life. Some of the most stressed-out people are perfectionists. While this can be a good trait, it can also go too far. Know when to let something go. Also, think positively about your life. When you worry that you aren’t good enough or are upset about little things, they really add up to hurt you. Managing your thought process is just part of the battle, but if you work at reducing stress, you can avoid developing anxiety problems. How do you deal with stress?

How To Deal With Stress More Confidently

By Samantha Jones

When you know what to do to relieve stress, you can approach
stressful situations with more confidence. We experience
stress when we are faced with anxiety or fear. This can be
as a result of physical danger or a situation which worries
us on an emotional level.

But as you may know, worrying never made any situation
better yet. Rather than worrying, you have to take action or
learn to accept situations as they are.

Stress can prevent us from taking action at the very times
when it is most important that we do so. Stress and anxiety
have a tendency to make us indecisive and take up more time
thinking about potential consequences than doing something
about a situation.

A lot of us will do this over thinking of problems while
under stress, believing that it is helpful to them. Most of
the time, this is not the case at all. People will think of
exactly how they can proceed and fail to take action, or be
so committed to a plan that they will be inflexible in the
face of changing circumstances with predictable results.

Most of the time when we are faced with a stressful
situation, the best thing to do is to act confidently and
work with the outcome to continue towards your goal.

To be able to do this, most of us could use some training in
assertiveness and conflict resolution. When the stress we
are experiencing is due to the expectations placed upon us
by others, this is especially important, doubly so when the
stress is due to arguments and conflicts.

It is also important to have a clear sense of what is
important and what is not, so that we don't sweat the small
stuff. This means having some perspective on our lives and
it is often achieved by taking up a new hobby or sport, some
useful activity that you can be enthusiastic about. This
will stop your whole life revolving around your work, your
relationship, your health or whatever it is that is causing
the stress.

A good way to defuse acute stress is to do some slow-moving
exercise like tai chi or yoga. Mediation and breathing
exercises can also be incredibly helpful. Even taking a walk
can help to reduce your stress level.

Autogenic training, a method of relaxation which was devised
specifically for handling stress consists of 15 minute
visualization sessions, preferably done three times a day.
You can buy CDs which teach you how to use this powerful
relaxation technique.

Another way to keep a lid on your stress level is to listen
to music. You should listen to down tempo music, preferably
instrumental. You definitely don't want lyrics which can
engage you emotionally.

Even with our hectic, over scheduled lives, you can avoid
stress. There are ways to cope with stressful situations and
you should even think of it as a challenge.

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The Biggest Health Problem Today? Stress

Stress has been in the news as a health epidemic since the
early eighties and this situation continues to worsen as an
increasing number of workers say that they are suffering
increasing stress in the workplace. Indeed work is now the
leading environment for the development of stress in adult
Americans. However levels of stress have also been rising
for children in the past few years and many people now link
this to a loss of religious and family values, isolation,
insufficient social support and simple corporate greed.

Nowadays, stress is far more of a danger than it was just
ten years ago and looks to be more extensive and more
invasive than ever with a lot more stress coming from
psychological instead of physical threats.

Stress causes a rise in heart rate and greater blood flow
leading to higher blood pressure. Levels of blood sugar also
increase to give the body the extra fuel which it needs to
fight stress, and the body is designed to push blood away
from the stomach when we are stressed in order to provide
extra strength for the legs and arms as part of what is
often called our "flight or fight" response.

Stress contributes to anxiety and chronic depression
together with skin and gastrointestinal problems, and
interferes with the workings of a lot of the body's major
organs. It can also create an impairment of the immune
system, which cannot shake off viral disorders from the not
particularly serious cold to very serious diseases such as
AIDS and cancer.

Stress in the workplace directly influences such things as
employee absenteeism and productivity and the business
climate progressively worsens with competition today at an
all-time high. The pressure placed upon employees to produce
and the continual concern about job security can produce a
number of conditions including neck pain, back pain, stroke,
hypertension, diabetes, ulcers and heart attacks.

All sorts of things can create stress including just sitting
in front of a computer for six hours every day or more,
meeting deadlines or having somebody continually monitoring
you. In this case the results are frequently seen as
depression and a range of physical ailments which give rise
to lost work time.

Taking the steps to manage the stress in your life may well
be the nicest gift you can give yourself and just a few
quite simple alterations to your lifestyle can make a big
difference to how you handle stress. For instance, taking
just 20 minutes out of your day to walk will lower your
level of stress as will talking to other people, prayer and
meditation and following a healthy diet. Take the time
necessary to master a few relaxation techniques because deep
breathing and relaxation exercises can do a great deal to
reduce your level of stress.

Panic Attacks and Anxiety

Although panic attacks and anxiety can be related to each
other, they can also be completely separate entities with
their own set of symptoms. Either of these conditions can
become problematic if the symptoms escalate beyond the
normal range. It is at this point, that treatment will need
to be sought.

Anxiety is a reaction to stress, and this is considered to
be normal. It is something that can help someone deal with
tense situations in different areas of one's life, such as
at work, school, or just something that requires facing a
crowd of people. If anxiety starts to become an excessive
and irrational dread of facing everyday situations, it has
crossed into the area of a disabling disorder.

Panic attacks and anxiety differ in the fact that, while
anxiety usually builds to a point, panic attacks can hit at
any time with no warning. Unlike anxiety, a panic attack is
an irrational fear of something that can't be named. There
is rarely any obvious reason for the feelings of panic, and
is much more intense than the feelings of anxiety or being
overly stressed.

One out of every 75 people in the world will have a panic
attack at some point in their lives. The good news is that
most of these adults will never have another panic attack.
However, these statistics show that panic attacks and
anxiety are the most common emotional disorders, even more
so than bipolar disorders, ADHD, depression, OCD
schizophrenia, phobias, and alcohol abuse. In addition to
this, people suffering from panic and anxiety disorders
rarely go looking for help with their problem.

Of course, there are similarities between panic attacks and
anxiety attacks, and anxiety attacks can lead to panic
attacks. Suffer from enough anxiety and it can escalate into
a panic attack. So if you begin to find yourself becoming
overly anxious, it's time to get help in bringing it under
control before it gets too much to cope with.

Panic attacks and anxiety are not pleasant and can actually
become quite debilitating. But people who suffer from
anxiety or panic attacks can take some comfort in knowing
there is help around to lead a regular life. All it takes is
asking for the help you need.