Friday 29 February 2008

Pfizer Is Sued Over Lipitor

Pfizer Is Sued Over Lipitor Marketing
By DAVID ARMSTRONG
December 20, 2007; Page B5

A former Pfizer Inc. official in a lawsuit accused the company of illegally boosting sales of its top-selling drug Lipitor through an elaborate campaign of misleading educational programs for doctors.

Jesse Polansky, claims that the educational campaign was a key part of a marketing strategy that "led thousands of physicians to prescribe Lipitor for millions of patients who did not need medication" and could be harmed by overly aggressive treatment.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in February 2004. It was immediately sealed to allow federal prosecutors time to decide if they wanted to intervene in the case. In August, the government said it wouldn't intervene, lifting the seal. Pfizer was served a copy of the suit yesterday, according to Dr. Polansky's lawyer, Steve Berman of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro.

The failure of the government to intervene may signal that prosecutors are skeptical about the merits of the case. The government hasn't intervened in other cases which led to huge fines against drug companies. One example is another case involving Pfizer, this one for the off-label marketing of Neurontin.

Pfizer said, "We believe this case has no merit. Furthermore, after reviewing the allegations in this complaint, the government declined to intervene in this action... . Pfizer does not condone the off-label promotion of our products. We believe that our sales and marketing practices are solely based on our prescription information as approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."

Dr. Polansky was Pfizer's director of outcomes management strategies from 2001 to 2003, and his responsibilities included reviewing some of the marketing materials for Lipitor and other Pifzer products. He says he was fired by Pfizer after complaining about marketing he considered to be improper. Dr. Polansky now works as the senior medical officer for Medicare in a unit that investigates fraud and abuse at the big government health insurer.

The suit seeks compensation for Dr. Polansky as a whistleblower under laws that could give him a share of money recovered for any overpayments made by federal health-insurance programs.

Lipitor, a type of cholesterol treatment known as a statin, is the world's biggest-selling drug , with sales of $13.6 billion last year, according to IMS Health.

The allegations against Pfizer echo concern elsewhere that continuing medical-education programs for doctors are often sales pitches for "off-label" uses of drugs. A congressional committee this past summer said it was concerned there was little oversight of these programs -- where doctors are often wined and dined -- or enforcement when companies use them as marketing tools.

Pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from marketing drugs for indications other than what the FDA approves them for, although doctors aren't prohibited from prescribing them for unapproved uses. Independent educational programs can discuss off-label uses that aren't FDA approved. But Dr. Polansky's lawsuit charges that the Pfizer-funded programs weren't independent.

The Lipitor educational programs were run by companies paid by Pfizer through "unrestricted educational grants," the lawsuit says. It alleges that the educational programs were integrated into the marketing plan for the drug, citing an internal Pfizer marketing plan for Lipitor with a page titled "Medical Education Platform Supports the New Positioning."

Among other things, Dr. Polansky says Pfizer wanted to extend Lipitor use beyond the indications found on the drug's label by targeting people at moderate risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. He said the educational programs for doctors deliberately misrepresented the drug's label to encourage Lipitor therapy for people in the moderate-risk category who didn't need the drug.

In his suit, Dr. Polansky also said the Pfizer programs included deliberate misinformation promoting the idea that kidney-disease patients may need to be treated with statins. While kidney disease is recognized by some doctors as a risk for heart disease, it isn't part of the federal guidelines that factor into Lipitor's approved use.

The Magic of Appreciation

if your feeling down - this works better than drugs!

The Magic of Appreciation
by Lynn Grabhorn

There are only three states of being we run around in all day long. If we could be even a little more aware of which one we're wearing during each moment of the day, we'd have a big leg up to changing our vibrations.

Victim Mode
This is the oh-dear-they're-doing-it-to-me-again-and-there's-nothing-I-can-do-about-it frame of mind where we go nowhere but around in negative circles, forever magnetizing the same old same old.

Flat-Lining Mode
In the Flat-Lining Mode, we're neither down nor up, just bumping along on second-rate gas. We're not flowing our energy to anything, and surely not attracting anything. In Flat-Lining we're not only living the results of our own erratic flowing of energy, but that of everybody elses. (Like attracts likes, remember?) Very unpleasant! And what most of us do most of the time.

Turned On Mode
Now you're up! You're on! Your high frequencies are no longer attracting the negative vibes of others. You're fueled with the pure positive energy of well-being, vibrating in harmony with your Expanded Self, flowing positive energy out and pulling positive events in while being wrapped in unsurpassed safety and security.

Victim Mode, Flat-Lining, or Turned On, we will always find ourselves in one of the three. Our goal, of course, is to make it the Turned On Mode as often and as long as we can, which is why we look to the high, high energy of appreciation.

The vibration of appreciation is the most profoundly important frequency we can hold, for it is the closest thing to cosmic love that exists. When we're appreciating, we're in perfect vibrational harmony with our Source energy, or God energy -- call it what you will.

You can jump-start it, or you can jam straight to the feeling, it makes no difference. What's important to know is that one minute of flowing the intense energy of appreciation overrides thousands of hours spent in Victim or Flat-Lining Modes.

But take care! No fair just thinking appreciation. That won't wash. Thinking is out, feeling is in. You can't just make a decision that you're going to appreciate something and let it go at that. There has to be that surge of significant emotion flowing up from the depths of your being for this to work.

But neither does that mean you have to have just been saved from a life-threatening incident by 911 rescue workers to feel deep appreciation. In fact, flowing appreciation is really no big deal. You can flow it intensely to a street sign if you want. Don't laugh, I do that all the time stay in shape. Like any skill, flowing energy requires constant practice, and there's something so absurdly satisfying about flowing buckets of love, adoration, and appreciation to "SLOW: MEN AT WORK." I flow it to stoplights, billboards, birds overhead, a tree stump, a dead animal, a winter storm, and of course, to people.

Sometimes in the supermarket I'll pick the meanest looking low-life I can find and just open up and douse the unsuspecting soul with the highest vibration I can muster. Maybe it's appreciation, maybe it's honest-to-God love. One time I did that to a scroungy old biddy who looked like she'd rather eat me than let me pass. I blasted her, and in that very moment she wheeled around, searching angrily for whatever she felt hit her, while I smiled back in pure innocence.

That's my "Hug-A-Bum" game where I envision me and a perfect stranger on the street (or wherever) rushing into each other's arms like we were old best friends who hadn't seen each other for ages. You start with acceptable "targets," like someone you wouldn't mind sitting next to at a lunch counter if you had to. Then you move up, bit by bit, to targets that are increasingly difficult for you socially, until finally it doesn't make any difference what kind of slobs they are.

You just see -- and deeply feel -- the two of you joyfully recognizing each other and flying together in this gigantic bear hug as profound love surges between you. I don't know how many people I've done that with while walking down a street, and watched them turn around to look for whatever it was they felt.

The vibration of appreciation is also the highest, fastest vibration we can use for attraction. If we would shoot appreciation at anything and everything . . . all day long . . . we'd be guaranteed to have heaven on earth in no time, living happily ever after with more friends, more money, more beautiful relationships, in total safety, and closer to the God of our Being than it's possible to fathom.

_______________________

Reprinted from Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting: The Astonishing Power of Feelings by Lynn Grabhorn.

Wednesday 27 February 2008

Anti-depressants have 'little effect' - university study

I saw this on the BBC website:

"New generation anti-depressants have little clinical benefit for most patients, research suggests.

A University of Hull team concluded the drugs actively help only a small group of the most severely depressed.

Marjorie Wallace, head of the mental health charity Sane, said that if these results were confirmed they could be "very disturbing".

There seems little reason to prescribe anti-depressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients
Professor Irving Kirsch
University of Hull

The researchers accept many people believe the drugs do work for them, but argue that could be a placebo effect - people feel better simply because they are taking a medication which they think will help them.

In total, the Hull team, who published their findings in the journal PLoS Medicine, reviewed data on 47 clinical trials.

They reviewed published clinical trial data, and unpublished data secured under Freedom of Information legislation.

They focused on drugs which work by increasing levels of the mood controlling chemical serotonin in the brain.

These included fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Seroxat), from the class known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), alongside another similar drug called venlafaxine (Efexor) - all commonly prescribed in the UK.

Te number of prescriptions for anti-depressants hit a record high of more than 31 million in England in 2006 - even though official guidance stresses they should not be a first line treatment for mild depression.

There were 16.2m prescriptions for SSRIs alone.

The researchers found that the drugs did have a positive impact on people with mild depression - but the effect was no bigger than that achieved by giving patients a sugar-coated "dummy" pill.

People with severe symptoms appeared to gain more clear-cut benefit - but this might be more down to the fact that they were less likely to respond to the placebo pill, rather than to respond positively to the drugs.


Dr Tim Kendall, deputy director of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Research Unit, has published research concluding that drug companies tend only to publish research which shows their products in a good light.

Dr Andrew McCulloch, of the Mental Health Foundation, said: "We have become vastly over-reliant on antidepressants when there is a range of alternatives.

"Talking therapies, exercise referral and other treatments are effective for depression.

"It is a problem that needs a variety of approaches matched to the individual patient."

Monday 25 February 2008

Benefits of Intimacy in Marriage

Studies show that marriage offers many benefits. According to Olson and Olson (2000), "Married people tend to be healthier, live longer, have more wealth and economic assets, and have more satisfying sexual relationships than single or cohabiting individuals. In addition, children generally do better emotionally and academically when they are raised in two-parent families" (p. 3).

The physical benefits are widely supported by research. Several recent studies, for example, found heart benefits that are particularly dramatic for men. At Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, researchers assessing the marital intimacy of 10,000 married couples asked the husbands: "Does your wife show you her love?" The husbands who answered yes reported having significantly less chest pain within the next five years than the men who answered no (Ornish, 1998). In another study of 119 men and 40 women, Yale scientists found that husbands who reported feeling loved and supported by their wives had less artery-blockage than those who did not (Ornish).

Sunday 24 February 2008

the barnum effect by forer

The Barnum Effect

In the late 1940s, psychologist Bertram Forer published an eye-opening study that he called a "demonstration of gullibility" (Forer 1949). After administering a questionnaire to his introductory psychology class, he prepared personality sketches. For example: "Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations."

Forer asked the students to rate their own sketches for accuracy. The students gave an average rating of "very good." More than 40 percent said that their sketch provided a perfect fit to their personality.

The results seemed to show that Forer's personality questionnaire possessed a high degree of validity. However, there was a diabolical catch: Forer had given all the students the same personality sketch, which he manufactured using horoscopes from an astrology book. The students had gullibly accepted this boiler-plate personality description as if it applied to them uniquely as individuals.

Although the statements borrowed from the astrology book were seemingly precise, they applied to almost all people. Following the eminent researcher Paul Meehl, psychologists now call such personality statements "Barnum statements," after the great showman P.T. Barnum who said, "A circus should have a little something for everybody" (he's also credited with, "There's a sucker born every minute").

As Forer had discovered, people tend to seriously overestimate the degree to which Barnum statements fit them uniquely. For example, students in one study who were given Barnum statements disguised as test results responded with glowing praise: "On the nose! Very good"; "Applies to me individually, as there are too many facets which fit me too well to be a generalization."

Friday 22 February 2008

P/H balance and wheat grass

Maintaining a balanced pH level in the body is paramount for good health.
Ph which stands for potential of Hydrogen is the ratio measurement for acid to
alkaline. This is the same in all matter soil, plants and animals. The perfect
pH level for humans is 6.8–7.2. By maintaining this level range, the trillions
of cells in the body are free to absorb the vitamins and minerals at a optimum
performance and properly excrete the waste. When our diets include higher
amounts of fat, sugar, proteins with starch the body becomes more acidic and
the cellular waste will ferment and not exit properly. Stress is also a major
factor.
A lifestyle of exercise and proper diet along with a form of relaxation such
as meditation, will improve the pH level greatly. Cereal grasses, such as
wheatgrass, are one of the most alkalizing foods available. Improvements
can be observed almost immediately. Cancer cells will not grow in an
oxygen rich environment and a balanced pH. This is according to Professor
Otto Warburg who won the Nobel Prize in 1931 for this discovery.

nutrition - fats - myths and facts

Myth: For good health, serum cholesterol should be less than 180 mg/dl.
Truth: The all-cause death rate is higher in individuals with cholesterol levels
lower than 180 mg/dl. (Circulation. 1992;86(3):1026-1029.)

Myth: Animal fats cause cancer and heart disease.
Truth: Animal fats contain many nutrients that protect against cancer and heart
disease; elevated rates of cancer and heart disease are associated with consumption
of large amounts of vegetable oils. (Fed Proc. 1978;37:2215.)

Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet.
Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive &
learning disabilities. (Food Chem News. 10/3/94.)

Myth: A low-fat diet will make you "feel better . and increase your joy of living."
Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of depression,
psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide. (Lancet 3/21/92;339.)

Myth: To avoid heart disease, we should use margarine instead of butter.
Truth: Margarine eaters have twice the rate of heart disease as butter eaters.
(Nutrition Week. 3/22/91;21:12.)

Myth: Americans do not consume enough essential fatty acids.
Truth: Americans consume far too much of one kind of EFA (omega-6 EFAs found in most
polyunsaturated vegetable oils) but not enough of another kind of EFA (omega-3 EFAs
found in fish, fish oils, eggs from properly fed chickens, dark green vegetables and
herbs, and oils from certain seeds such as flax and chia, nuts such as walnuts and
in small amounts in all whole grains). (Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;54:438-463.)


Myth: Low-fat diets prevent breast cancer.
Truth: A recent study found that women on very low-fat diets (less than 20%) had the
same rate of breast cancer as women who consumed large amounts of fat. (NEJM.
2/8/96.)

the "flu shot" - from Dr Mark Sircus, MD

The husband of one of my patients is a top executive in a large pharmaceutical firm.
He is in charge of manufacturing the flu shot. I asked her if he had his flu shot.
"No, he doesn't get them," she told me.
"He doesn't? Why?" I asked.
"Don't you know that pharmacists don't take drugs?" she said.

She reminded me of the famous study of oncologists who were asked, "If you or a
family member had cancer, would you take or recommend chemotherapy?" Over 90% said,
"No." Why? Because of unacceptable levels of toxicity and questionable
effectiveness.

But they continue to prescribe these highly toxic, useless, dangerous poisons for
their patients. They have to. If they suggested nutritional approaches,
chiropractic, acupuncture, etc. they could lose their license. Modern medicine -
spiritual heir to the Inquisition.

In the same vein, for years I've heard stories of pediatricians who would not
vaccinate their own children but would vaccinate their patients; it was even
mentioned on the Phil Donahue show years ago. But try getting one of them to
publicly admit it . it'll never happen. I mean hypocrisy isn't something you
advertise.

It is obvious that the medical profession cannot afford to have the public ever find
out the truth about vaccination for there is simply just too much at stake for them.
- Mark Sircus, MD

Thursday 21 February 2008

Splenda®: Is It Safe Or Not?

Dr. Janet Starr Hull has information that exposes the potential health dangers of Splenda®. Are you interested in:

* Avoiding disease and maintaining vibrant health?
* Saving your children from hidden toxins in their food?
* Identifying the cause of vague health symptoms that puzzle your doctor?
* Discovering scientific data (in an easy to read format) about overlooked poisons in your everyday life?

Then you will be interested in her new book, 'Splenda®: Is It Safe Or Not?'

The Research

Within her book she reveals the scientific evidence strongly suggesting the chemical sweetener sucralose (Splenda) may harm your body. Perhaps there is no "free ticket" to eating all the sugar-free products you want without paying a high price physically – even weight gain!

In 'Splenda®: Is It Safe Or Not?' she gives you plenty of safe alternatives to keep life “sweet.”
Dr Hull discloses the research documenting the negative effects on the liver, spleen and kidneys of laboratory animals. In addition, she reveals research results of infertility in male rats and gastrointestinal problems in pregnant rats fed Splenda.

The Bitter Truth About Splenda®

Consumers are not being told the entire truth about the long-term dangers of using artificial chemical sweeteners. Have you considered the fact that chemical sweeteners may be at the root of many unexplained disease symptoms that puzzle your doctor?

According to research referenced in the book, "giving sugar-free chemicals to your children or using them during pregnancy may be harmful to a child's emotional and physical maturation and to the normal development of a fetus."

Wednesday 20 February 2008

acidosis

ACIDOSIS is not in itself a specific disease; it is a general condition of the blood and thus the root of many different diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, cancer, tumors and many more. Many people today have this blood condition without knowing it. ALKALOSIS is not as common as acidosis, but also indicates an unbalanced condition of the blood.

All natural foods contain both acid and alkaline forming elements. In some, acid forming elements dominate, in others alkaline forming elements dominate. According to modern biochemistry, it is not the organic matter of foods which leave acid or alkaline residues in the body. The inorganic matter (sulphur, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium) determines the acidity or alkalinity of the body fluids. Food comparatively rich in acid forming elements are acid forming foods, those comparatively rich in alkaline forming elements are alkaline forming foods.

Acidic condition inhibits nerve action, alkalinity stimulates nerve action. One who has a balanced condition can think and act (decide) well. A balanced food plan is a great help in maintaining the pH balance of the blood; however it does not reveal results in a day or two. It takes a longer time to show the effect. Cold showers make the blood alkaline, while hot showers make the blood acid. If the blood develops a more acidic condition, then our body inevitably deposits these excess acidic substances in some area of the body such so that the blood will be able to maintain an alkaline condition. As this tendency continues, such areas increase in acidity and some cells die; then these dead cells themselves turn into acids. However, some other cells may adapt in that environment. In other words, instead of dying as normal cells do in a acid environment, some cells survive by becoming abnormal cells. These abnormal cells are called malignant cells. Malignant cells do not correspond with brain function nor with our own DNA memory code. Therefore, malignant cells grow indefinitely and without order. This is Cancer, and cancer develops in the following stages:

Ingestion of many acid forming foods, fatty foods, refined foods, carcinogenic substances such as nitrates, and chemically treated foods in general. X-ray scans contribute even at this stage.
www.healthherbs.com

Sunday 17 February 2008

Depression - the ultimate unwanted guest

I dont know if this would work for you to help cure depression, but it could be worth a try - it doesnt cost anything (or help the drug companies!):

from paul mason:


"Depression appears to be the ultimate unwanted guest. Interestingly, it only seems to go where it can stay unobserved.

So try this..
witness the sensation of depression as it arrives. Announce (within yourself) that you are an unwilling host to depression. Be observant, witness the depression until the time it goes, witness its going (& celebrate).

Keep doing this whenever depression reoccurs.


I tried this method about thirty years ago. First of all I noticed the periods of depression would last for days at a time, then I began to notice the periods would sometimes be a bit less. Sometimes more and sometimes less, but before too long the periods of depression were no longer lasting days. It was now about counting hours. The hours suffering the visitation of depression were long, far too long. But I kept vigilant, kept watching. Before long it had become a matter of monitoring minutes of depression, until the time measured became much much less as there were just the occasional splashes of grey emptiness. Eventually depression didn't visit at all and it has remained that way.

I hope this is of help to you".

Friday 15 February 2008

want a new relationship?

from noel kingsley:

"Have you noticed that when you want something badly, that sometimes it just doesn't come to you? I'm referring particularly to wanting a new relationship, a new boyfriend or girlfriend. If we haven't been in a relationship for a while, we may be almost desperate to meet someone new, but sadly for some reason it just doesn't happen. No matter how much we try, going to parties, getting introductions, grooming ourselves and buying exciting new clothes and make-overs it still doesn't happen. Yet, when we stop trying and give up...'Hey Presto' suddenly we have three new people knocking on our door.

Why is it when we want something, it often does not happen, but when we 'stop' wanting, then it does? Is the Law of Attraction selective about when it works or doesn't and maybe it just doesn't work all the time? No, what we think is what we get.....all of the time.

One may be excused for believing that if we're thinking about a new relationship, then the Law of Attraction will bring it to us.....no 'buts' about it. However, while thinking is attracting to us, so are our emotions. Indeed our emotions carry more 'pulling power' in terms of attracting than our thoughts.

Another way of describing this Law of Attraction is 'Like attracts Like'. Everything in the Universe is made of energy, molecules bound together by electromagnetic forces. For fun, put two drops of water together on a plate or window pain. With your finger drag one over towards the other. When the two drops meet they immediately meld into one drop.

Now, what message are we sending out when we're thinking that we'd like a new relationship? The message is 'I want'. But this message is coming from a position of 'lack'. In other words, what's written into this feeling and thought is the fact that we do not have a relationship. It's the 'I do not have' that's being sent out, and with the Law of Attraction matching every single time, what we get back is more of 'I do not have'. So we stay in a position of 'lack'; we continue to experience 'not having what we want'. The more desperate we become about getting this new friendship, or anything else, the the less likely we are to get it because we are energising our 'lack' of the thing we want. Our emotions may be sad and we are feeling sorry for ourselves, so the Law sends us more of what makes us feel sad and sorry for ourselves.

When we eventually give up or get distracted by enjoying ourselves and being happy, maybe with a new occupation or new activity we are sending out 'happiness' vibes. The Law of Attraction continues unceasingly to match the emotion, so you receive more of what makes you enjoy yourself and be happy. The underlying desire to have a new relationship is still there, but the anxiety has been taken out of our wish. We are happy at this moment, so the Universe sends us more of what makes us happy. Bingo, someone becomes interested in us and we have the opportunity of a new friendship. In general, people are attracted to happy people, not desperate or stressed or anxious people.

So in our search and wish for something new, be it a new relationship, let's firstly make ourselves happy. Do things you enjoy, have fun; let's relax in our happiness.

Rather than 'wanting' a new relationship, we should envisage 'being happy in the new relationship already'. See ourselves enjoying the company, the intimacy, the sharing of mutual experiences; believe it's already part of our life. Use visualisation techniques to energise the satisfaction and completion of your wish. Visualise yourself already happy in the relationship. The Law of Attraction will then match your emotion; it will create the circumstances whereby your happy emotions will be matched.

You might say that you need a relationship and only then will you be happy. No. It's the other way round. Make yourself happy, then you'll get the new relationship. The Universe matches your emotion every time....no exception. If you've had an experience where you didn't get what you want, just have a closer look at 'how' you were wanting it. What was the main undercurrent of emotion, because that's what you got.

You can check on what you are attracting to you at any given moment by assessing how you feel. Are you happy and content or are you sad. What are you thinking now? What's in your mind, ha are you feeling? Whatever it is, it's on its way to you. Your emotion will be matched by circumstances to make more of what you're feeling.

Choose your thoughts wisely and have a great day!"

on carrying heavy weights

When carrying heavy things such as large camera bags, shoulder bags, boxes of books and heavy babies it's important to consider a few helpful things that may make life easier.

Here are a few suggestions to help your posture when carrying heavy weights....
1. If you can, get someone else to carry it.
2. Put the bag, box or thing down frequently and don't hold it for the sake of it.
3. Keep the weight as close to your body as you can, so you bear the load through your spine.
4. If the bag has a strap, wear it diagonally across your body to spread the weight through your spine.
5. If the bag has a strap, occasionally carry it over one shoulder, then switch to the other shoulder frequently, as well as wearing the strap diagonally (as in point 4 above). In other words, vary how you carry it so you're not getting stuck or carrying it in one manner for too long.
6. Don't carry more than you need. Take things out of your bag if they're not needed on this occasion.
7. Keep your neck free of tension as much as possible.
8. Avoid hunching your shoulders.
9. Think of your head going upwards so you lengthen in stature as you walk.
10. Avoid leaning to one side or forwards as you walk.

alexander technique

I have been studying the alexander technique from an excellent teacher, margaret farrand - this quote sums up my experiences so far:


"As one goes deeper, the resistance increases, but in the journey one is not alone, and help will come if sincerely requested. When I gaze now inwardly upon the influences of my fundamental Alexander Technique teachers, by moments I remember the extraordinary clarity and importance of direction imparted by Mr Macdonald, the stillness calling through the guidance of Miss Goldie, and the releasing transmitted by Mr Carrington. Putting the three teachings together, and this is not meant to be a formula, I think it would be accurate to say: release upward into the direction of stillness. This stillness potentially can deepen into quietness, a necessary prerequisite for silence."

Kategorien: Alexander Technique News

Thursday 14 February 2008

Premature ejaculation - and serotonin

A post for Valentines Day!

Lasting Longer in Bed with Serotonin

As opposed to erectile dysfunction, which tends to affect elderly gentleman, premature ejaculation can affect people at any age and any ethnicity. Is a fact that just about any male, whether is young or old, can have premature ejaculation.

It is possible for a man to have both diseases - problems with erections and lack of control of ejaculation - but usually they are separate entities.


Scientists have found that premature ejaculation has something to do with a chemical in the brain called serotonin. Having low levels of serotonin somebody ejaculates too soon, before he wants to, causing some distress. On the contrary, higher serotonin levels help prevent premature ejaculation.


Well, how can we improve the levels of serotonin in our brain?

Ginkgo Biloba Extract.

The exact mechanism to explain Ginkgo biloba extract's effect on increasing serotonin receptors has not yet been determined. However, Ginkgo is able to counteract one of the major changes in brain chemistry associated with reduction in the number of serotonin receptor sites.

Griffonia Seed.

It comes from the beans of a vine native to Africa. In African folk medicine, Griffonia Seed is well-known to be an aphrodisiac, as well as an antibiotic. It is also used like a remedy for diarrhea, vomiting, and stomachache. Recent research suggests that Griffonia Seed raises serotonin levels in the brain.

Stinging nettles

They're kind of a miracle of nature. And this comes from being curious and from actually picking things and eating them and then reading about them. But stinging nettles actually are filled with serotonin and they are the first green to come up after a long, gray winter.

Other herbs and plants that can help raising serotonin levels are: oats, popcorn, roots of angelica, burdock, dandelion, anise, fenugreek, garlic and ginger.
er yes but read the following !!! :

Premature Ejaculation

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Do you want to be able to make love longer? A study from the University of Koln in Germany shows that premature ejaculation is in the eye of the beholder. Men who came to a urology clinic with a chief complaint of premature ejaculation had the same time to ejaculation as normal men who had no such complaint.

All the men in the study were married for at least two years and made love regularly. They were asked to use a stop watch to measure their time to ejaculation and to keep diaries. The premature ejaculators went from start of intercourse to ejaculation in an average period of 2:32 minutes. The healthy volunteers had an average time of 3:01 minutes. The differences were not statistically significant.

This study shows that premature ejaculation is not defined by how many strokes or how much time it takes to ejaculate. It is defined by whether a person is satisfied with his time to climax. 20 mg of the antidepressant drug Paxil, taken 1 hour before lovemaking, can delay ejaculation to more than 8 minutes, but it still won't help most premature ejaculators because their early finish is not the problem. This study shows that premature ejaculators have a terrible misunderstanding of human physiology. They think that they are inadequate because their female partners do not come to climax with conventional penile-vaginal lovemaking.

The vast majority of women do not climax from conventional lovemaking. Many young girls can climax quickly, but as most women age, they can climax only when their clitoris is stimulated vigorously. On the basis of this study, premature ejaculation should be defined as occurring primarily in men who do not understand female anatomy, and the treatment for most cases of premature ejaculation should be for a woman to explain her own physiology to him and tell how what to do.

Premature ejaculation - A study of average ejaculation time and overview of the literature. Aktuelle Urologie, 2001, Vol 32, Iss 7, pp 435-438. N Kreutzer, F Sommer, T Klotz, U Engelmann. Sommer F, Klinikum Univ Koln, Oberarzt Klin & Poliklin Urol, Joseph Stelzmann Str 9, D-50931 Cologne, GERMAN

thought for day

read this today - i think there's something very profound in here somewhere, but haven't figured out what it is yet:
Richard
In order to deal with knowledge moving and changing so rapidly we can not hold onto traditional thought processes.

Once on a long road trip I noticed I could let my mind and judgments relax. Instead of focusing on a few individual things that were passing by I was able to see everything going by. It was tricky at first but with practice it got easier to maintain. Eventually I could even talk and do it. I was able to absorb more information the more I relaxed my mind.

I see a gyroscope a s great example of this exponential growth. When sitting on a table motionless it knows one reality. Make it spin and it takes on a completely different reality. The faster it goes the more balanced it becomes. While on the table motionless it has all the potential of this other reality but is not experiencing it.

It seems very obvious that we are growing faster and faster. It also seems inevitable that we will reach a place where knowledge and technology will grow so fast that it seem to want to spin out of control but I believe it will balance out like a gyroscope.

derek

Wednesday 13 February 2008

what do chiropractors do?

This is an answer to the above question on Yahoo Questions:

"Chiropractors work with the nervous system. They believe that many diseases are the result of a poor functioning nervous system..

Let's see... what conditions/diseases they commonly treat? Obviously pain, neck/low back pain, herniated discs, carpal tunnel syndrome, any other musculoskeletal conditions. Those are the most common. They also treat asthma, allergies, heart conditions, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, autoimmune diseases (lupus, multiple sclerosis, and so on), infertility, and anything else that's related to the nervous system.

I have my heart managed by my chiropractor. Been off my heart meds for more than 10 years. No arrhythmias at all, and no high blood pressure. Just need an adjustment twice a year for my heart and I'm all good. And as always, each year, my cardiologist gives me a clean bill of health."

Dr. K

Saturday 9 February 2008

take this test

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director how they determined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.
'Well,' said the Director, 'we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.'
'Oh, I understand,' said the visitor. 'A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.'
'No.' said the Director, 'A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window

Wednesday 6 February 2008

woody..

From Woody Allen ...

In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get
that out of the
way. Then you wake up in an old people's home feeling better every day.

You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when
you start
work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day.

You work for 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You
party, drink
alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school.

You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no
responsibilities, you
become a baby until you are born.

And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa like conditions
with central
heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then Voila! You
finish off as
an orgasm!

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi passed on yesterday.

Here's a quote from him:

"When someone dies, it is because at that point, their karma has become insurmountable in the present body. It is not possible to understand why death had to come when it did, and there is certainly no point in assuming responsibility and guilt. The course of action was unfathomable. However, especially for someone on the path of speedy evolution, the transition is purely evolutionary. They go to the celestial realms, or are reborn almost immediately.


When life leaves the body, it is the breath leaving, like transcending. For one who has been accustomed to this experience for many years, the transition is easy, painless and blissful, not catastrophic. Dropping the body is like letting a bird out of its cage.

Grief is natural. At first when grief is deep and sharp, these emotions of the family and friends allow the soul to feel that they were loved very deeply. It is also natural that the grieving should taper off, allowing the soul to feel that their passing was not a drag on the life of their beloved ones, and that they are free to move on to their destiny. It is important to feel positivity and support for the departed soul wherever they be, because our attitude affects their evolution."



Maharishi Mahesh Yogi JAI GURU DEV