Of all the various things a woman has to endure in her existence, early life sexual assault and rape is without a doubt the most destructive. The trail of devastation can go on for years long after the female victims violence recedes into her subconscious.
Continue reading “Sexual Abuse: Why Medications Don’t Work.” »
A recent Norwegian study* published in The Journal of Sleep Medicine showed clinical evidence of no improvement of sleep quality between test subjects taking Ambien and Lunesta, compared to the control group who took only placebos. Yet over $ 4.5 billion worth of these medications were perscribed to Americans in 2009.
Both Ambien and Lunesta belong to a classification of drugs called “sedative hypnotics”. And true to their name they place the brain into a sedated, hypnotic state. The problems related to these drugs are that when the brain is locked into this state, it’s difficult for it to achieve the restorative sleep cycles needed to wake up feeling rested and refreshed. And of all the reported side effects, the pain of trying to get off these meds seems to be the most difficult. Patients complain of major irritability, loss of memory and a multitude of sleepless nights. Those who try tapering off on their own readily fail, throwing up their hands and out of exhaustion, resume their dose.
Arianna Huffington’s Sleep Challenge 2010 is perhaps the most significant wake up call for American women since Gloria Steinem published Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions in 1983. Yet for many women, even with the best of efforts, trying to sleep better still remains a waking nightmare. Pharmaceutical firms sold $ 4.5 billion worth of sleep mediations to us in 2009, while the number of chronically sleep deprived in this country now tops 70 million and continues to climb.
For many women, being asked to adjust their sleep times and drink less caffeine simply rings hollow. They are hopelessly addicted to sleeping pills and hearing of others progress using these “tips and tricks” only makes them feel more left out and alone than they already had been before. This hopeless desperation can be a dangerous thing, because long term insomnia often leads to increased risk for heart attacks, strokes and suicide in females.
Continue reading “Ambien Addiction: Is America One Nation, Under Sedation? (Part One)” »
It’s not uncommon for us to reminisce about how well they used to sleep. As children and young adults we would be out like a light before their heads would hit the pillow. “What went wrong? When did I start sleeping so badly? “ we ask. There is no worse torture for a human being than to not sleep. Having slept so well in our youth it stands to reason the term sleep “disorder” may be a bit of an overkill. We’re not damaged after all, we just can’t sleep. So instead of using the words Sleep Disorder in choosing our practice title, we decided upon Sleep Recovery, hoping to reflect on how sweet our sleep used to be as kids, and how to (scientifically) return there. The difference between the two terms may seem subtle, but in fact their quite revealing.
The dictionary definition of the term disorder is: “to derange the physical or mental health or functions of”. And given that most people usually hear the term disorder while sitting in front of a medical or psychological professional, it carries a subtle yet powerful message along with it that you, the patient, are somehow broken and, or out-of-control and in need of “treatment“. The current treatment approaches now in vogue for insomnia are sedative hypnotics like Ambien and Lunesta and an anti-psychotic called Seroquel. All of which seem to work for a short period of time or carry a multitude of side effects.
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