Author: Looking for the Light

Looking for the Light is a Health and Lifestyle Blog covering topics such as Photography, Cooking, DIY Projects, Fitness, Men's and Women's Health, Lyme Disease, Mental Health, and having fun along the way. Please stop by, pull up a chair, and read through my archives. Melinda
Men & Womens Health

#WATWB Home Depot Workers Help Neighborhood With Clean Up After Tornados

Looking for the Light4 Comments

We Are The World Blogfest in white

This week the DFW area was hit with 10 tornadoes, several in densely populated areas, most neighborhoods. Thankfully no one was killed and only a few injured.

Several of the neighborhoods had 100-year-old trees that were torn out by the roots, it was heartbreaking. More heartbreaking was to see the number of homes with roofs were torn off, some mostly destroyed and so many displaced until repairs and clean up could take place.

A nearby Home Depot was severely damaged and workers were unable to go to work so they went to the hardest-hit neighborhoods and help with clean up. HEB the grocery store chain brought out a semi-truck that served as a restaurant serving meals to those impacted. Several churches in the area were damaged, a couple beyond repair, the members of the church set up food lines in the parking lot for the neighbors who needed a hot meal.

Many big cities have their problems and I can complain all day about our own but when the chips are down, we somehow put everything aside and come together to serve.

Here is the link to read more.

https://krld.radio.com/media/audio-channel/home-depot-workers-helping-tornado-victims-dallas-area

Melinda

 

 “We are the World” Blogfest” aims to spread the message of light, hope and love in today’s world. We are challenging all participants to share the positive side of humanity. This month’s co-hosts, Sylvia McGrath, Lizbeth Hartz, Shilpa Garg, Mary Giese, and Belinda Witzenhausen welcome participants and encourage all to join in during future months. #WATWB comes on the last Friday of every month. Click HERE for more information. You are always welcome to join in!You can find more stories of hope, light, and love on the WATWB Facebook Page. Click HERE to be part of the Light.

Fun

#SoCS Prompt “dress”

Looking for the Light9 Comments

StreamOfConsciousnessQuaintRevival2019

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “dress.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

I’ve read several posts this morning talking about a favorite dress, I have one too. My granny made this black velvet dress with red lace trim for me when I was around 7-8 years old. Oddly enough, I still have the dress, it’s in perfect condition which hard to believe since I was such a tomboy. I also have a purple dress that was my granny’s that I played dress up with as a little girl. I’m not a hoarder by any means……but it’s hard to part with items attached with memories from my grandparents. I have her thimbles, pin cushion, even some sewing needles. I cherish their wedding rings, my gramps wore his on the key ring because he was a mechanic and couldn’t wear jewelry.

Maybe I need to address where my head is at this morning since I’m rambling on. Thinking about a dress brought so many memories flooding in, I could write all day about them, but I won’t.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for reading, I appreciate you and your awesome comments.

Melinda

Here are the rules:

  1. Your post must be Stream of Consciousness writing, meaning no editing (typos can be fixed), and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
  2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
  3. I will post the prompt here on my blog every Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The,’” or will simply be a single word to get you started.
  4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours.  Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
  5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read all of them! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later or go to the previous week by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find below the “Like” button on my post.
  6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
  7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
  8. Have fun!
Fun

Today In History

Looking for the Light4 Comments
Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

1857

Sheffield is a goliath of steel manufacturing in South Yorkshire, England, and now claims the world’s first football team, as Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest meet to form the Sheffield Football Club. The sport will kick around Britain awhile before scoring worldwide popularity.

1945

The United Nations charter, written earlier in the year at a conference in San Francisco, takes effect. The first meetings of the General Assembly and Security Council will take place the following January in London. The New York headquarters will be completed in 1952.

1962

His studio cuts can be mind-blowing, but James Brown and his fans know there’s nothing like seeing the R&B dynamo live, fronting his Famous Flames. When a recording of tonight’s session at the Apollo Theater in Harlem is released as an album, it will rocket up the charts.

2018

A lucky South Carolina resident takes the top Mega Millions prize of $1.537 billion (or a lump sum payout of $877.8 million), the largest lottery prizeever won by an individual. As South Carolina is one of only six states whose laws permit jackpot winners to accept the prize anonymously, the winner’s identity remains a mystery.

Natural Lifestyle-Dandruff Relief Oil
Health and Wellbeing

Natural Lifestyle-Dandruff Relief Oil

Looking for the Light5 Comments
Photo by Marian Florinel Condruz on Pexels.com

 

Willow and Sage by Stampington

Kristy Doubet Haare columnist Willow and Sage

 

YOU WILL NEED:

Funnel

2 TB. jojoba oil

Dropper bottle: 8 oz.

8 drops tea tree essential oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

TO MAKE:

Use funnel to pour jojoba oil into dropper bottle. Add the tea tree essential oil and lavender essential oil to the bottle. Place lid on the bottle and gently shake to combine.

TO USE:

Apply 1 teaspoon of the dandruff relief oil to your scalp prior to hopping into the shower. Massage the oil into your scalp and let it sit for five minutes before washing hair.

Natural Lifestyle-Clarifying Scalp Scrub
Health and Wellbeing

Natural Lifestyle-Clarifying Scalp Scrub

Looking for the Light2 Comments
Photo by monicore on Pexels.com

Willow and Sage by Stampington

Kristy Doubet Haare columnist fro Willow and Sage

 

YOU WILL NEED:

2 TB. sugar

1 TB. Coconut oil

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Dish: small

1 tsp. honey

3 drops rosemary essential oil

TO MAKE:

Combine the sugar, coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar in a small dish. Mash with fork until a scrub-like consistency forms. Add the honey and rosemary essential oil. Blend into scrub with a fork.

TO USE:

Apply a generous amount of scrub to wet hair. Using fingertips, avoiding your fingernails, gently massage the scrub into your scalp in a circular motion.

Allow scrub to sit for several minutes. Rinse and cleanse with shampoo, and apply conditioner as normal.

 

 

 

Health and Wellbeing · Men & Womens Health

The Flower of Purpose —Guest Blogger Shedding Light on Mental Health

Looking for the LightLeave a comment

Five years ago I began a friendship with my friend H.Dale who was incarcerated because of a psychotic episode. We began exchanging letters. Since that time I have come to know him as a brilliant young man who like many of us got blind sided by a serious mental illness. Unless you’re the one who […]

The Flower of Purpose — Shedding Light on Mental Health
Health and Wellbeing · Moving Forward

Agoraphobia, Dreams, Trauma and EMDR

Looking for the Light4 Comments

In post https://lookingforthelight.blog/2019/07/22/agoraphobia-is-not-logical/ ,‎ I forgot to mention the nightmares that have haunted me and I believe reinforce my agoraphobia. Every dream is based on not being able to get out or leave where I am. Examples, can’t find keys, don’t know what exit to take from store, cars covered in snow, not sure which one is mine.

I also dream I’m flying, which I have for a long time, new to my dreams are not being able to see or only seeing a small amount. I’m not real deep into dream interpretation but from what I’ve read the deffinitions could fit. Flying is generally a good sign however it could mean you are fleeing something. Being blind is not wanting to see or face what is before you.

I can’t help but think these dreams are aggrevating my agroraphobia and anxiety. Saturday I woke up and during the dream I could not find my car because it was snowed under, then I was flying in a part of town that is an hour away from where I live yet I was trying to get home. Next in the dream I’m in an expensive business suit and enter an auditorium, I’m nervious someone will think I have money and try to rob me so I’m shoving my purse into my breifcase. Then I find and pay phone and fumble for change and someone is standing in my way and won’t move from the phone. They try to take my top off and I woke myself up screeming. These dreams are very disturbing and are so vivid, it like they last forever.

My therapist believes the agoraphobia is trauma releted and EMDR Therapy may help. EMDR Therapy it stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reproccessing.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR Therapy) is a therapeutic technique developed by Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. in 1987.  The method was originated by Dr. Shapiro when she noted that disturbing thoughts suddenly disappeared after engaging in a particular type of eye movement.  As she deliberately retrieved the disturbing thoughts, they were no longer upsetting to her.  This positive effect prompted her to retrieve other disturbing images, engage in the eye movements, and note the result.  Upon discovering that a variety of disturbing thoughts and images were no longer
upsetting to her, Dr. Shapiro, began a study to note the effects with others.

Since 1987 this methodology has evolved into a multifaceted approach to treat a variety of different problems with a wide number of populations.  EMDR is frequently used in the treatment of painful experiences and the disturbing feelings and thoughts that accompany high impact events.  Additional uses include resolution of grief, anxiety, panic, phobias, relief from chronic pain, performance enhancement and dealing with any unpleasant memory.

The procedure of EMDR treatment involves the client focusing on a disturbing image while the trained therapist facilitates a type of eye movement by having the client follow the movement of the therapist’s fingers or a row of lights across the field of vision.

Upsetting images are physiologically and neurologically arousing and this can interfere with the processing of the information in the brain.  Consequently, the experience gets misplaced or frozen in our nervous system.  The effect of high impact events on the brain is like having a traffic police officer in your brain which gets very tired and sends the distressing signal to an unauthorized parking zone where it gets stored in the wrong area.  EMDR retrieves the signal and parks it in the authorized zone.

Researchers do not know why (EMDR Therapy) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing works.  The similarities of the eye movement patterns and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep have contributed to theorizing a connection between the two.  Information is processed when dreaming occurs.  Dreaming occurs in the stage of sleep known as REM sleep.  When the client accesses the disturbing image and thought that accompanies the image while moving their eyes back and forth, the information seems to be processing at an accelerated rate.

With EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), feelings of tension are usually significantly reduced, the image seems to change by fading or becoming more distant, and the power of the negative thoughts are often diminished.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing makes the following assumptions about healing:

1.  EMDR therapy uncovers hidden aspects of problems.
2.  EMDR therapy gets you unstuck and allows a natural movement toward healing.
3.  EMDR therapy generates a new perspective of your problem.
4.  EMDR therapy allows you to go directly to you healing destination and eliminate incorrect pathways.
5.  EMDR therapy creates new pathways beyond the limitations of your previous route.
6.  EMDR therapy accesses the natural healing abilities of your deeper self.
7.  EMDR therapy enables your ability to let go.
8.  EMDR therapy installs positive behaviors and allows you to connect to useful resources within yourself.

The research on EMDR therapy has indicated that the effects remain stable over time.  Research on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing has also reported the following positive therapeutic results:

  1. Combat veterans who were not able to be free of symptoms no longer experience flashbacks, or nightmares.
  2. People with phobias revealed a rapid reduction of fear and symptoms.
  3. People with panic disorder reported recovering at a more rapid rate when compared to other treatment methods.
  4. Crime survivors and police officers were no longer disturbed by the after effects of violent assaults.
  5. People have been relieved of excessive grief due to the loss of a loved one.
  6. Children have been symptom free from the effects of assault or natural disaster.
  7. Sexual assault survivors were able to lead normal lives and have intimate relationships.
  8. Accident and burn survivors who were debilitated are now able to resume productive lives.
  9. Those with sexual dysfunction are now able to maintain healthy sexual relationships.
  10. Clients with chemical dependency have decreased tendency to relapse and show signs of stable recovery.
  11. Clients with a wide variety of overwhelming events experienced relief from their symptoms with EMDR.

I am in the prosses of getting on my refferrals schedule and look forward to seeing if EMDR Therapy can help with my agoraphobia and anxiety.

Have you had an EMDR experience you would like to share or comments you can leave. I would really appreciate any feedback.

Melinda

Moving Forward

We Aren’t Horsin’ Around — Guest Blogger The Alchemist’s Studio

Looking for the LightLeave a comment

Currently, as many of you know we have two big projects going on here at the studio – our book project, and our ‘A Healing Vase’ initiative. I wanted to update everyone about them!

We Aren’t Horsin’ Around — The Alchemist’s Studio
Men & Womens Health

#SoSC New Badge Entry #1

Looking for the Light3 Comments

Hi Linda

My favorite and first choice! I don’t know or have software yet to write on photo, I’m looking for one this morning. Thanks.

Hey friends, what do you think of the photo for the new Stream of Consciousness Badge 2020?

Men & Womens Health

“#SoSC” Prompt for Week is “oh”

Looking for the LightLeave a comment

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading, I appreciate all your comments. M

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “oh.” Use it as a word or find a word that starts with “oh.” Bonus points if you start and end with “oh.” Enjoy!

Oh, well that seems an easy prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday. I haven’t participated the past couple of weeks, my body let me down, I’m feeling better today. I’m excited to write this week and see what comes from these fingers.

Soho in New York is a cool neighborhood to hang out, eat great food and it’s oh so expensive to live. The area is vibrant, alive and buzzing 24 hours a day. Oh, I have to say you should visit if in the area.

Join us for the fun and sharing good media stories. 

For more on the Stream of Consciousness Saturday, visit Linda Hill’s blog. Here’s the link:https://lindaghill.com

Here are the rules for SoCS:

  1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
  2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
  3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.
  4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
  5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
  6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
  7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
  8. Have fun!

 

Gluten-Free Capri Salad *Great for Holiday Gatherings
Health and Wellbeing

Gluten-Free Capri Salad *Great for Holiday Gatherings

Looking for the Light3 Comments
Photo by Tranmautritam on Pexels.com

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes

Fresh basil

1/2 pound Mozzarella di Bufala di Campania (soft mozzarella cheese)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Using a bread knife, slice tomatoes thickly in 1/2 inch slices. Select soft mozzarella cheese packaged in water so it remains moist and flavorful (don’t use hard packed mozzarella used for pizza topping.)

Carefully slice the mozzarella cheese 1/2 inch pieces. Place the mozzarellla on top of the tomato and add a sprig of freshly washed basil on top.

At this point, you can drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and serve. Or if preparing ahead of time, refrigerate on individual plates and drizzle olive oil on top just before serving.

Use one generous tomato slice per serving.

Today in History
Men & Womens Health

Today in History

Looking for the Light7 Comments

 

 

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

1931

Brooklyn native Al Capone is brought to justice after a violent criminal career, but it’s not a rival’s bullets or a murder conviction that finally does him in. The 32-year-old known as ‘Scarface’ is convicted on tax evasion charges and sentenced to a prison term of 11 years.

1943

After 600 prisoners attempt a daring escape from the Nazi extermination camp Sobibór, it’s ordered shut down by Holocaust architect Heinrich Himmler. Efforts will be taken to hide the site, but later excavation will uncover the machinery of death that killed upwards of 250,000 Jews.

1979

Personal computers get down to business as VisiCalc is released for the Apple II. It will go on to sell about a million copies, with versions for the IBM PC and other platforms added in the coming years. The day will later be known as National Spreadsheet Day.

1989

Just minutes before Game 3 of the World Series is scheduled to start in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park, a violent earthquake hits Northern California, severely pounding the San Francisco Bay Area. The quake collapses bridges and freeways, causes $7 billion in damage, nearly 4,000 injuries, and 67 deaths.

Number One Song in 1989

Moving Forward

Domestic Violence: Breaking the Cycle For Good — Guest Blogger The Zebra Pit

Looking for the Light8 Comments

Abuse victims don’t have to remain victims and you don’t have to continue to put yourself second to the needs of others. Anyone can learn how to become a survivor and live in your own truth instead. You can have a healthy mind and lead healthy life with a healthy partner. It doesn’t happen magically. It takes a lot of work, as does anything worth achieving, but I can tell you firsthand the work is more than worth it and pays off heavily in happiness dividends.

Domestic Violence: Breaking the Cycle For Good — The Zebra Pit
Men & Womens Health

My Brother Witnessed Domestic Violence And Child Abuse * Everybody Hurts*

Looking for the Light2 Comments

Original post 3/2014

Everyone suffers in an abusive environment. Our house was always in chaos. An alcoholic stepfather who abused my mother and a mother who abused her daughter. There were three other children in the house who saw the abuse, heard the screams and threats. I used to think the victim was the only person with scars. At 9 years old I survived almost daily beatings by taking drugs, plenty of alcohol and trying to kill myself. It never occurred to me my brother suffered from witnessing the abuse. My brother’s scars are from seeing our stepfather beat our mother. Dragging her down the hall beating her head from side to side. Putting a knife to her throat saying he would kill her. Most of their fights ending in front of our bedrooms. We had front row seats to hell. My mother abused me, the methods escalated as I aged. I heard stories of abuse as early as six months old. I don’t think my mother was trying to kill me. She’s like the women on the news who allow their kids to die. She didn’t push my head under the water but would have crocodile tears if I drowned accidentally.

One weekend driving back from Houston we passed the exit to my mother’s house. I had strong emotions about my brother not me. I didn’t understand the emotions. It hit me like a train, my brother was not physically abused yet was still a victim of abuse. He heard his sister scream and cry while his mother threw me to the floor, hit my head on the countertop or down the hallway walls. He saw my stepfather hit me in mouth with his fist. He saw my stepfather threaten to kill my mother while holding a knife to her throat. The realization was an eye opener, I had overwhelming guilt. My brother and I never talked about it. The pain was swept under the rug. I didn’t know how he felt about the violence he saw. Neither of us knew how the violence would manifest itself in our souls. We had no idea how it would affect decisions we made as adults.

My brother holds almost all emotions inside, it doesn’t even show on his face. I don’t think he realizes how the violence shaped him as a man. He has a good relationship with my mother yet he lives with the knowledge of what his mother did and allowed. I went to live with my father at 12 years old which meant I only saw my brother a couple of times of year. On my fathers designated holidays we went to my grandparents. We drifted apart from only seeing each other a couple of times a year. After college he moved to Arlington we were both alcoholics by then. Our meetings were at drunken parties at his apartment. We quit calling each other. It took the death of my father to bring us back together. It is the only positive from my father’s death.

I developed a strong relationship with his fiancé. We talked like old girlfriends. She was at my house one night enjoying wine and chatting. I had no control over my mouth, it spilled out. I asked her if he acknowledged my abuse. She shared how much it effected him, the guilt he carries. A missing piece of the puzzle filled my heart. I thought I was invisible. We are very close, talk or e-mail very often. We live only 30 minutes apart but his travel schedule doesn’t allow much time together. A perfect example, their Christmas present are still in the closet. The difference is when we are together it’s like no time has passed. It has been very touching to get e-mails from him as I deal with my health issues. His tone is of true concern. There was a time when I didn’t think this day would come. I’m so happy. I love my brother. I love him enough to attend his wedding even though I would have to see my mother. I did not want to look back knowing I missed his wedding. I realized another level of love and what you will do for love.

XO  Warrior

 

Domestic Violence thru the eyes of a Child
Survivor

Domestic Violence thru the eyes of a Child

Looking for the Light7 Comments

Tears started my day, who knows what triggered the thought of this post and song.  M

Original post 4/26/2015

young sick looking me
I feel the pain but know I have to smile.

I witnessed my mother beat emotionally and physically everyday, it created chaos in my young mind. A tornado burned a hole in my heart. I couldn’t understand the feelings of pain when abused and watching abuse. Child abuse leaves a deep scar in my heart. During a conversation, a friend expressed fear over how the high conflict divorce was impacting the kids. A volcano erupted in me, I survived Domestic Violence and had no idea. I thank Army of Angels for being a friend. My eyes were opened during our conversation. The video is heartbreaking, beautiful and hopeful. 

XO  Warrior

Health and Wellbeing · Men & Womens Health

Here’s the truth about CBD, from a cannabis researcher

Looking for the Light2 Comments

IDEAS.TED.COM

Sep 23, 2019 / Jeffrey Chen, MD

Is CBD a cure-all — or snake oil? Jeffrey Chen, executive director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, explains the science behind the cannabis product.

CBD gummies. CBD shots in your latte. CBD dog biscuits. From spas to drug stores, supermarkets to cafes, wherever you go in the US today, you’re likely to see products infused with CBD. There are cosmetics, vape pens, pills and, of course, the extract itself; there are even CBD-containing sexual lubricants for women which aim to reduce pelvic pain or enhance sensation. CBD has been hailed by some users as having cured their pain, anxiety, insomnia, depression or seizures, and it’s been touted by advertisers as a supplement that can treat all of the above and combat aging and chronic disease.

As Executive Director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, I’m dedicated to unearthing the scientific truth — the good and the bad — behind cannabis and CBD. My interest was sparked in 2014 when I was a medical student at UCLA, and I discovered a parent successfully treating her child’s severe epilepsy with CBD. I was surprised and intrigued. Despite California legalizing medical cannabis in 1996, we weren’t taught anything about cannabis or CBD in med school. I did research and found other families and children like Charlotte Figi reporting success with CBD, and I knew it was something that needed to be investigated. I established Cannabis Research Initiative in the fall of 2017, and today we have more than 40 faculty members across 18 departments and 8 schools at UCLA working on cannabis research, education and patient-care projects.

So what exactly is CBD and where does it come from? CBD is short for cannabidiol, one of the compounds in the cannabinoid family which, in nature, is found only in the cannabis plant (its official scientific name is Cannabis sativa l.). THC — short for tetrahydrocannabinoid — is the other highly abundant cannabinoid present in cannabis that’s used today. THC and CBD exert their effects in part by mimicking or boosting levels of endocannabinoids, chemical compounds that are naturally produced by humans and found throughout our bodies. Endocannabinoids play an important role in regulating mood, memory, appetite, stress, sleep, metabolism, immune function, pain sensation, and reproduction.

Despite the fact that they’re both cannabinoids found only in the cannabis plant, THC and CBD are polar opposites in many ways. THC is intoxicatingand responsible for the “high” of cannabis, but CBD has no such effect. THC is addictive; CBD is not addictive and even appears to have some anti-addictive effects against compounds like opioids. While THC stimulates the human appetite, CBD does not. There are areas where they overlap — in preliminary animal studies, THC and CBD exhibit some similar effects, including pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidant and neuroprotective effects. In some early research, they’ve even shown the ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells, but years of rigorous studies need to be conducted before we’ll know whether they have the same impact on humans.

Even though humans have been using cannabis for thousands of years, the products available today are not the cannabis that has traditionally been consumed. After cannabis was prohibited at the federal level in 1970 by the US Controlled Substances Act, illicit growers were incentivized to breed strains that had higher amounts of THC, so they could increase their profits without needing larger growing spaces. What they didn’t know was that by driving up THC content, they were dramatically reducing the CBD content. In 1995, after decades of surreptitious breeding, the ratio of THC to CBD was ~15:1, and by 2014 the ratio had jumped to ~80:1 as CBD content further plummeted.

Due to decades of research restrictions in the US and growers’ focus on THC, there are very few human studies that look at CBD and its effects. The strongest evidence we have is that CBD can reduce the frequency of seizures in certain rare pediatric disorders — so much that a CBD-based drug called Epidiolex was FDA-approved in 2018 for this purpose. There is also preliminary human data from small clinical trials with dozens of subjects that suggests CBD may have the potential to be used for conditions like anxiety, schizophrenia, opioid addiction, and Parkinson’s disease. But please note that the participants in these studies generally received several hundreds of milligrams of CBD a day, meaning the 5mg to 25mg of CBD per serving in popular CBD products may likely be inadequate. And even if you took dozens of servings to reach the dosage used in these clinical trials, there is still no guarantee of benefit because of how preliminary these findings are.

But while there is a lack of concrete and conclusive evidence about CBD’s effects, there is considerable hope. Recent legislative changes around hemp and CBD in the US and across the world have enabled numerous human clinical trials to begin, investigating the use of CBD for conditions such as autism, chronic pain, mood disorders, alcohol use disorder, Crohn’s disease, graft-versus-host-disease, arthritis and cancer- and cancer-treatment-related side effects such as nausea, vomiting and pain. The results of these studies should become available over the next five years.

Furthermore, in an effort to protect consumers, the FDA has announced that it will soon issue and enforce regulations on all CBD products. Buyers should beware because the products being sold today may contain contaminants or have inaccurately labelled CBD content — due to the deluge of CBD products on the market, government agencies haven’t been able to react quickly enough so there is currently no regulation in the US whatsoever on CBD products.

While CBD appears to be generally safe, it still has side effects. In children suffering from severe epilepsy, high doses of CBD have caused reactions such as sleepiness, vomiting and diarrhea. However, we don’t know if this necessarily applies to adults using CBD because these children were very sick and on many medications, and the equivalent dose for an average 154-pound adult would be a whopping 1400 mg/day. And while CBD use in the short term (from weeks to months) has been shown to be safe, we have no data on what side effects might be present with chronic use (from months to years).

Right now, the most significant side effect of CBD we’ve seen is its interaction with other drugs. CBD impacts how the human liver breaks down other drugs, which means it can elevate the blood levels of other prescription medications that people are taking — and thus increase the risk of experiencing their side effects. And women who are pregnant or who are expecting to be should be aware of this: We don’t know if CBD is safe for the fetus during pregnancy.

So where does this leave us? Unfortunately, outside of certain rare pediatric seizure disorders, we scientists do not have solid data on whether CBD can truly help the conditions that consumers are flocking to it for — conditions like insomnia, depression and pain. And even if it did, we still need to figure out the right dose and delivery form. Plus, CBD is not without side effects. Here’s the advice that I give to my friends and family: If you’re using CBD (or thinking about using it), please research products and talk to your doctor so they can monitor you for side effects and interactions with any other drugs you take.

So is CBD a panacea or a placebo? The answer is: Neither. CBD is an under-investigated compound that has the potential to benefit many conditions. While it does have side effects, it appears as if it could be a safer alternative to highly addictive drugs such as opioids or benzodiazepines. And thanks to a recent surge in research, we’ll be learning a lot more about its capabilities and limits in the next five years.

Watch his TEDxPershingSq talk now: 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeffrey Chen, MD , is the founder and Executive Director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative where he leads an interdisciplinary group of 40+ UCLA faculty conducting cannabis related research, education and patient care. You can follow him @drjeffchen or visit his website http://www.drjeffchen.com.

Moving Forward

Fibromyalgia Guilt Busters — Guest Blogger Cut The Chronic

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Grief is a common emotion that accompanies chronic illness. Learn simple guilt buster methods to say goodbye to negativity.

Fibromyalgia Guilt Busters — Cut The Chronic
Moving Forward

How does impeachment work? A quick TED explainer

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IDEAS.TED.COM

Sep 27, 2019 / Alex Gendler

Confused about the process? Join the rest of us. Read this explainer, adapted from a TED-Ed lesson, and get up to speed on “articles of impeachment,” “supermajorities” and “managers” in a flash.

For almost every job in the world, it’s understood that a person can be fired — whether for crime, incompetence or poor performance. But what if your job happens to be one of the most powerful positions in the country?

Like president of the United States? Or vice president? Or justice of the Supreme Court?

That’s where impeachment comes in.

So, how does the process work?

Despite how most people use the term, impeachment does not mean removing a person from office.

Nope, this is not what impeachment means.

Instead, impeachment refers to the formal accusation that launches a trial. When the US Constitution was written in 1787, impeachment was enshrined in Article 1 as a power of Congress that applied to any civil officers — up to and including the president.

Although demands for impeachment can come from any member of the public, only the House of Representatives has the power to initiate the process. The House begins by referring the matter to a committee, usually the Committee on Rules and the Committee on the Judiciary.

These committees review the accusations, examine the evidence, and issue a recommendation. If they find sufficient grounds to proceed, the House holds a separate vote on each of the specific charges, otherwise known as Articles of Impeachment. If one or more of these articles passes by a simple majority, the official is impeached and a trial will be held.

The trial that follows impeachment is held in the Senate. Selected members of the House — known as managers — act as the prosecution, while the impeached official and their lawyers present their defense. The Senate acts as both judge and jury, conducting the trial and deliberating after hearing the arguments. Ordinarily, the vice president presides, but if the president is being impeached, the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides.

A conviction by the Senate requires a two-thirds majority — what’s called a supermajority — and it results in automatic removal from power. The Senate can also vote to disqualify that person from holding office in the future.

So, what exactly can get someone impeached? That’s a bit more complicated. Realizing that impeachment in the US essentially pits an elected legislature against other democratically-elected members of government, the writers of the Constitution wanted to prevent the process from being used as a political weapon.

For that reason, the Constitution specified that an official can be impeached for these reasons: treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

Of course, this still leaves a lot of room for interpretation — not to mention politics — and many impeachment trials have certainly split along partisan lines. But the process is generally understood to be reserved for serious abuses of power, and it’s seldom used.

Throughout its 230-year history, the House has launched impeachment investigations about 60 times. However, only 19 have led to impeachment proceedings. The 8 cases that ended in a conviction and removal from office all involved federal judges.

Impeachment of a sitting president is extremely rare. Contrary to popular belief, Richard Nixon was never impeached for his role in the Watergate break-in and cover-up. Knowing he would almost certainly be impeached and convicted, he resigned before that could happen.

In 1868, president Andrew Johnson was impeached for attempting to replace Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without consulting the Senate. More than a century later, in 1998 Bill Clinton was impeached for making false statements under oath during a sexual harassment trial. However, both presidents were ultimately acquitted when the Senate’s votes fell short of the required supermajority and they remained in office.

When drawing up the Constitution, the founders specifically designed the US government to prevent potential abuses. The powers of the executive, legislative and judicial branches are all limited through a combination of checks and balances, term limits, and elections.

Impeachment is the US democracy’s emergency brake — a tool to be used when these safeguards all fail.

All animations by Mark Phillips / TED-Ed 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Gendler is a writer and editor with TED-Ed. 

Health and Wellbeing · Men & Womens Health · Survivor

PTSD is a Mental Injury, not a Mental Illness

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This is a repost I thought you would find interesting.

Psychology Today

Tracy S. Hutchinson, Ph.D.

New research suggests that PTSD is a normal response to common life events.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 7.7 million adults suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Along with a surge of awareness regarding PTSD, there are also many misconceptions. For example, some believe it is only associated with war veterans, events such as 9/11, or natural disasters.

Although this diagnosis has historically been associated with military veterans who undergo multiple deployments, there are many other events that can trigger symptoms of PTSD. For example, prolonged exposure to emotional and psychological abuse (e.g., verbally abusive relationships, alcoholism, or stressful childhoods) are risk factors for developing symptoms. Some of these lingering misconceptions may be due to the fact that development and recognition of the disorder is relatively recent and has really only blossomed in the last three decades.

History

In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) formally recognized PTSD as an actual mental health diagnosis. Historically, it had been formally recognized as “shell shock” and was thought only to occur in military war veterans. Further, PTSD had historically been thought of as something that someone “gets over” over time. This may be true for some, but it isn’t for others.

Researchers continue to discover risk factors that can cause PTSD symptoms. This includes emerging research on the study of what happens in childhood and how it affects adults in their lifetime (van Der Kolk, 2014). For example, some of my clients may have grown up with “tough love” and were disciplined with physical violence by a family member or a teacher. As adults, they may suffer from trauma-related symptoms but not realize the origin of their suffering.

Many who suffer from PTSD symptoms may have behavioral consequences such as binge eating, or they may self-medicate with alcohol, drugs, gambling, or other compulsive behaviors. Equally as important as identifying PTSD symptoms is understanding that they are a natural response to overwhelming events.

Pexels

PTSD symptoms are an injury.      Source: Pexels

PTSD is a Mental Injury, Not a Mental Illness

Researchers argue that it is important to view PTSD symptoms as a mental injury, versus a mental illness or something pathological (Zimbardo et al., 2012). This is because PTSD symptoms are a natural reaction to a distressing event where one may have felt overwhelmed, afraid, or helpless. Historically, mental illness is pathologized as something that is “wrong” with the person, versus simply a manifestation of how most people would respond.

For example. if a person falls and cuts their leg, that would be an injury. Bleeding could occur, which would be a symptom of the injury; the amount of bleeding would be based on the severity of the wound, previous injuries, etc. Similarly, PTSD symptoms may manifest into problems with concentration, angry outbursts, sleep disturbance, sadness, anxiety, and even nightmares. These are natural responses to overwhelming circumstances, whether they are obviously traumatic to most (war, natural disasters) or less obvious to most people.

Obvious vs. Less Obvious Trauma

Researchers state that forms of trauma can be categorized into obvious and less obvious trauma. Obvious traumas include war, childhood abuse and neglect, sexual assault, rape, and natural disasters such as hurricanes. However, there are also less obvious forms of trauma that include:

  • Parental divorce, child abandonment, or betrayal
  • Toxic relationships with emotional and psychological violence (name-calling, verbal abuse)
  • Narcissistic parent(s) or caregivers with mental health issues
  • Bullying, cyberbullying
  • Witnessing violence in the home
  • Alcoholism or addiction during childhood
  • Invasive medical procedures; higher risk if performed on children who may have been restrained or had chronic issues.
  • Falls and accidents, particularly in children or the elderly
  • Natural disasters like hurricanes, fires, or earthquakes
  • Being left alone as infants or children
  • Automobile accidents or whiplash

A mental health professional can formally diagnose and treat PTSD. However, some people have symptoms but do not meet the full criteria.

It may be irrelevant whether a person meets the full criteria—what matters is if symptoms are causing problems in their life. Symptoms include feelings of irritability, angry outbursts, issues with concentration and sleep, feelings of detachment from others, and nightmares of the event.

A mental health professional can formally diagnose and treat PTSD. However, some people have symptoms but do not meet the full criteria.

It may be irrelevant whether a person meets the full criteria—what matters is if symptoms are causing problems in their life. Symptoms include feelings of irritability, angry outbursts, issues with concentration and sleep, feelings of detachment from others, and nightmares of the event.

‘There is an increasing number of books on evolutionary psychology that are available on the market focused on outcomes rather than ticking off boxes. When it comes to PTSD there is no doubt that while all survivors don’t fit into the same boxes, what really matters is that they can be helped back to a place of health from where they can move forward.’

There are several treatment recommendations for PTSD, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This is a highly effective treatment used by the U.S. Department of Defense to help veterans with PTSD.

Originally published on www.drtracyhutchinson.com

Today in History
Men & Womens Health

Today in History

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Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

 

1845

Seven professors will teach 50 midshipmen in Annapolis, Maryland, as the Naval School, later known as the United States Naval Academy, begins its first term. Commodore Matthew Perry has helped plan the five-year curriculum, with the first and last year taught on land, and the middle three at sea.

1911

The building of railways by foreign powers in China stokes nationalistic fervor, and unfair financial gain for those same foreign powers leads to violent protests. Today’s Wuchang Uprising will start the Xinhai Revolution, the overthrow of more than 2 millennia of imperial rule.

1956

The drama starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Deandebuts, telling the tumultuous story of a Texas ranching family. It marks Dean’s third and final big-screen role, as he had died in a car accident a year earlier after completing work on the film.

1970

The paramilitary group Front de libération du Québec is demanding independence for Canada’s primarily French-speaking province of Quebec and has already kidnapped British Trade Commissioner James Cross. Now its members kidnap Quebec’s Labour Minister, Pierre Laporte, ratcheting up tensions in this ‘October Crisis.‘