Banish depression with the tree of happiness

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), an estimated 44.3 million Americans, ages 18 and older, suffer from a mental disorder. Depression, included in this number, is reaching epidemic proportions. While the media continues to report on the potentially…

Mental Fitness

We all know how important exercise is and how critical staying physically fit is for optimal health. An aspect of our health that we don’t necessarily think about exercising as much is our brains. Brain fitness is a term that is becoming more popular as people realize how important exercising your mind is for staying [...]

Ex pharma sales rep Gwen Olsen says Big Pharma only interested in profits, not health

(NaturalNews) Gwen Olsen, an ex-pharmaceutical sales representative, is using her personal experience and insider knowledge to turn the tables on Big Pharma and tell people the disturbing and disheartening truth about the highly corrupt industry: it’s only after the money, not the health of its patients. Gwen, a 2007 Human Rights Award recipient, is a dedicated mental health activist, public speaker, and writer committed to child and mental health advocacy; her specialties include promoting the cessation of America’s over medication of its children and teens. It’s hard to imagine that this same woman was once a successful pharmaceutical sales rep for more than 15 years, working for many of the industry’s big name manufacturers. “We (were) being trained to misinform people,” said Gwen. Now on a personal, passionate quest to wake up as many people as possible to the deception of the pharmaceutical industry, Gwen’s research emphasizes her concerns about the increasingly prevalent use of prescription drugs and the deadly effects that these drugs can have. “There is no such thing as a safe drug,” said Gwen in a video interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4bYng7X7Kk). Gwen’s astounding admissions in another video interview on Natural News (http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=2935933D692D0D1AA264680A0C9EB343) dispels the myth that Big Pharma is in the business of healing or helping cure disease — instead, the industry is out to regulate illness, manage symptoms, and keep people trapped in a lethal cycle of chemical dependency, says Gwen. In the video, Gwen explains that drugs — psychiatric drugs in particular — are meant to encourage people to remain customers of the pharmaceutical industry. After all, if Big Pharma intended to help cure disease, they would be putting themselves out of business. “I don’t want people thinking that I am a conspiracy theorist, because in fact, there is no theory behind what I’m telling you, it’s all provable… what I’m saying is provable is, the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t want to cure people,” said Gwen in the video. The confessions of a Pharma veteran The Rx Reformer recently released a book, Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher (http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Drug-Pusher-Gwen-Olsen/dp/1935278592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1310091850&sr=8-1), which provides considerable insider knowledge of the serious dangers that lie within the game of the pharmaceutical industry and the disinformation that has jeopardized lives. Her book presents many admissions, some deeply personal, of what she discovered and observed throughout her career with Big Pharma, during which she was encouraged to minimize the side effects of the drugs she was selling when speaking to doctors. Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher is a strikingly candid and much-needed wake-up call about the flawed U.S. health care system, which is — with good reason — currently ranked last among 19 industrialized nations worldwide. You can read more about the book on Gwen’s site: http://www.gwenolsen.com As Gwen’s book reveals to readers, more than 180,000 people die annually from the effects of legal drugs. “By the time a drug is approved and it hits the general population, we don’t even know 50% of the side effects involved,” said Gwen. In the same interview, Gwen explains that there is no medical evidence required for psychiatrists who wish to prescribe their patients drugs. This broadens the potential patient population considerably, allowing Big Pharma a lucrative advantage over an increasingly diseased and medicated public. How the Rx Reformer came into existence Gwen’s self-proclaimed calling as the “Rx Reformer” evolved not only from extensive personal experiences obtained during the years she spent working for major drug companies, but a shocking event that occurred within her own family. The health of Gwen’s niece, Megan Blanchard, a bright pre-med student, quickly deteriorated through the onset of drug-induced addiction, withdrawal, mental illness, and depression. This painful suffering resulted in Meg’s unfortunate and tragic suicide, and Gwen quickly realized that her niece was not the first to painfully suffer from the consequences of doctor prescribed pharmaceuticals, nor would she be the last. In her book, Gwen writes: “Compassion is what Meg really needed, not more drugs.” “There are thousands and thousands of people like that out there — and they need a voice,” said Gwen. “I serve as that voice.” Gwen’s disillusionment with the industry — her anger at the immense deceit and misinformation she witnessed taking place within the profitable alliance between medical doctors and Big Pharma — led her to get out of pharmaceutical sales and pursue a new vocation: spreading truth. “I had been used in the game, I literally was the one at the front lines, harming people — unintentionally — but I was responsible, and I carry a burden for that now,” said Gwen. Gwen has now made it her moral obligation, or what she has labeled her “spiritual calling,” to educate others on what she learned the hard way about the abundance of harmful drugs being given to a credulous population. Watch a recorded interview with Gwen here: http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=2935933D692D0D1AA264680A0C9EB343 Sources for this article include: http://www.gwenolsen.com/ http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=2935933D692D0D1AA264680A0C9EB343 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4bYng7X7Kk

Is lithium the next fluoride? Medication may be added to the water supply

(NaturalNews) Lithium, the psychiatric drug prescribed for depression, mania and bipolar disorder, is now being viewed as the new fluoride by some experts. These experts are calling for the addition of lithium to the water supply as a cure-all for social problems, including suicide, violent crime and drug use. Lithium is the new fluoride Dr. Gerald Schrauzer, who published the first paper in 1989 connecting lithium in water supplies to a decrease in certain undesirable social behaviors, became interested in lithium after growing up next to a “miracle spring” in Franzensbad, Czechoslovakia. This lithium-containing spring was alleged to moderate the temperaments of women in particular. For centuries, people worldwide have been attracted to springs like these for their calming benefits, and scientists have since found the benefits to be credited to unusually high natural lithium levels. Of course this is how the addition of fluoride to the water supply came about. It was discovered that people with “Colorado Brown Stain” or “Texas Teeth”, names that described a mottling and staining of the tooth enamel (http://www.fluoridealert.org/dental-fluorosis.htm), lived in areas in Colorado and Texas that had higher naturally occurring levels of fluoride (http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2009-11-27/921482/). It was believed that the naturally occurring fluoride in the water made the enamel of the teeth harder and more resistant to cavities, so it was suggested that fluoride be distributed through the water supply to benefit public health (http://www.fluoridealert.org/cdc.htm). Unfortunately, we now know that “Colorado Brown Stain” and “Texas Teeth” were cases of dental fluorosis, which can cause pitting and decay of teeth in its severe form, and may actually cause them to be structurally weaker (http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/fluorosis/moderate-severe.html). 41 percent of American adolescents now suffer from this fluoride induced condition (http://www2.fluoridealert.org/Alert/United-States/National/Fluoridegate-and-Fluoride-Litigation-What-law-firms-need-to-know-about-fluoride-toxic-tort-actions). The argument for it Proponents of lithium in the water supply claim that it has compelling benefits. A 2009 study across 18 communities in Japan showed that those with higher levels of naturally occurring fluoride were significantly less vulnerable to suicide. A study from this year corroborated the findings, showing that 4 to 15 percent of the variation in suicides across 99 counties in Austria was due to lithium content in regional water supplies. “As a matter of empirical science, this connection between water-based lithium and suicide is absolutely becoming widely accepted,” said Jacob Appel, a psychiatrist and bioethicist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. “The research, when one of a scientific persuasion reads it, is compelling — even if it might be jaw-dropping.” If the research continues to show good results, Appel sees America as a possible first candidate for implementation, citing as a precedent how easily genetically modified and fortified foods have been both approved by the U.S. government and accepted by American consumers. The public is not buying it It seems that experts who put forward the notion of adding lithium to the water supply often encounter harsh and sometimes violent feedback. Dr. Allan Young, a psychiatry professor at Imperial College in London who published a 2009 commentary on the subject, received a handful of death threats and was likened to a Nazi. He also received 500 vitriolic emails after publishing an article on The Huffington Post, several of which were so provocative that they caused him to contact the authorities. But even experts enthusiastic about adding lithium to the water supply caution about unintended consequences. First, it is still not clear how lithium affects the brain and, second, there is also the consideration of possible personality changes within the recipient. “Lithium certainly dampens impulsivity, which would explain how it dampens suicide rates,” Young said. “But at a population level, what if that impulsivity is being directed in a healthy way — the person jumping onto the subway tracks to save a life?” Adding lithium to the water supply could also have the unintended consequence of widespread personality homogenization, according to Peter Kramer, a psychiatrist at Brown Medical School. “When you change these resilience factors in the brain, you see other changes too, People are less timid and shy, for example,” Kramer said. “But maybe people want the right not to have these subtle changes taking place, without making the choice for themselves.” Freedom of choice To begin with, psychology does not always have the best track record with mental health solutions, particularly when it comes to prescription medications, as evidenced by the implication of antidepressants in suicides and school shootings. (http://www.naturalnews.com/025826_Antidepressants_school_shootings.html) But there is a much more obvious problem. Dr. Paul Connett, director of Fluoride Action Network, has been fighting to get fluoride out of the water in the remaining 2 percent of countries worldwide that still fluoridate, and one of the major arguments against adding fluoride, or any drug — lithium included, to the water supply is that you cannot control the dose that any one person will get. Connett argues that, to mass medicate in this way, the government would need to ensure that the dose for every individual in the society was at such a level that it would be safe and completely non-toxic — this means accommodating an adequately safe dose for everyone including infants to large males or different races, ethnicities, ages and sexes (http://austintx.swagit.com/player.php?refid=05182011-21). If it were even possible to arrive at such a dosage, Connett argues that such a policy would violate informed consent because those drinking the water are not being made aware of the risks associated with the drug and do not have the right to opt out if they do not wish to assume those risks. Sources for this article include: http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/05/22/052211-news-lithium-1-5/ http://austintx.swagit.com/player.php?refid=05182011-21 http://www.naturalnews.com/025826_Antidepressants_school_shootings.html http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2009-11-27/921482/ http://www.fluoridealert.org/cdc.htm) http://www2.fluoridealert.org/Alert/United-States/National/Fluoridegate-and-Fluoride-Litigation-What-law-firms-need-to-know-about-fluoride-toxic-tort-actions). http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/fluorosis/moderate-severe.html http://www.fluoridealert.org/dental-fluorosis.htm

18 U.S. veterans commit suicide daily; largely due to psychiatric drugs

(NaturalNews) “If mentally incapacitated troops are being drugged with dangerous, mind-altering drugs and deployed to battle against their will, how can we say that we have a volunteer army?” asked Alliance for Human Research Protection, the national network dedicated to advancing responsible and ethical medical research practices. This is just one of the many criticisms being levied against the U.S. military in light of its liberal use of prescription medication, which is now being linked to rising suicide rates among soldiers. A study released by the Army in June 2009 indicated that nearly as many American troops at home and abroad committed suicide in the first six months of 2006 as the number who had been killed in combat in Afghanistan during the same time period (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131096642). An average of 18 American veterans commit suicide every day (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/fort-hood-shooting-puts-spotlight-soldiers-suffering-post/story?id=9055082). Now, the increasingly high number of deaths among both veterans and active duty soldiers–including suicides, accidental overdose, and lethal drug interactions–have now been linked to the exponential increase in the prescribing of drugs for post traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other psychological illnesses.(http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/779/56/) Prior to the Iraq war, American soldiers in combat zones did not take psychiatric medications, according to PBS Frontline documentary The Wounded Platoon , which aired in May 2010. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/woundedplatoon/etc/synopsis.html#ixzz1NOPBLlng) But by the time of the 2007 surge more than 20,000 of our deployed troops were taking antidepressants and sleeping pills. These drugs allowed soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder to remain in combat when they otherwise could not. “What I use medications for is to treat very specific side effects,” said Army psychiatrist Col. George Brandt. “I don’t want somebody in a helpless mode in a combat environment. I want to make sure I don’t have someone with suicidal thoughts where everyone is armed.” Well over 300,000 troops have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan with P.T.S.D., depression, traumatic brain injury or some combination of those, according to The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/us/13drugs.html). Following the lead of civilian medicine, the military has relied heavily on medications to treat those problems, resulting in more widespread use of drugs in the military than in any previous war. The aforementioned Army report on suicide recognized that one-third of the troops were taking at least one prescription medication and stated that prescription drug use was on the rise. The report also noted that one-third of the 162 active-duty soldiers who committed suicide in 2009 were taking medication. Frontline’s The Wounded Platoon looked at the problem of PTSD, depression and prescription medication in the military from the perspective of one platoon from Fort Carson, CO. 18 soldiers from Fort Carson have been charged with or convicted of murder, manslaughter or attempted murder committed in the United States, since the beginning of the “War on Terror,” and 36 have committed suicide. Jose Barco, who was once known as the hero who saved his fellow soldiers during a suicide-bombing, is now serving a 52-year prison sentence for attempted murder. Barco suffered traumatic brain injury as a result of his heroics and was also diagnosed with PTSD for which he was prescribed nine different medications. “We have someone who’s been emotionally traumatized, and they’ve got PTSD,” said retired military psychiatrist Stephen Xenakis. “They’re anxious, and they’re depressed, and they’ve got TBI, which means that they’ve got problems in decision making. They can’t think as clearly. They are really vulnerable to just overreacting.” The rate of PTSD diagnosis at Fort Carson rose 4,000 percent between 2002 and 2010, and the increase in medications being prescribed for both veterans and those in combat rose to meet the demand. Kenny Eastridge, another platoon member that Frontline spoke with who is in jail for murder and other crimes, was prescribed a cocktail of medications while in combat. “I was having a total mental breakdown. Every day we were getting in battles and never having a break. It seemed like, it was just crazy,” he said. “They put me on all kinds of meds, and I was still going out on missions. They had me on Ambien, Remeron, Lexapro, Celexa, all kind of different stuff.” Eastridge was sent to a remote combat outpost for weeks at a time with no medical supervision or mental health provision, despite the recommendation that patients on this medication should be monitored. Frontline footage showed Eastridge’s unstable behavior, which included wandering into Iraqi homes, lying in the people’s beds, and trying to hug local people. As more soldiers return home to Fort Carson, concern abounds.”We’re all wondering what’s going to happen,” says Colorado Springs psychotherapist Robert Alvarez. “It’s a scary thought, you know, what’s going to happen in this community. Are we going to have more murders? Are we going to have more suicides, or are we going to have more crime? I think the answer to that is probably yes.” Sources for this story include: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/fort-hood-shooting-puts-spotlight-soldiers-suffering-post/story?id=9055082 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/woundedplatoon/etc/synopsis.html#ixzz1NOOnHhPV http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/us/13drugs.html http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/18/87/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131096642

Common amphetamine drugs linked to Parkinson’s disease

(NaturalNews) A new study to be presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology says that users of amphetamine drugs like benzedrine and dexedrine have a heightened risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. According to a follow-up review of more than 66,000 volunteers who participated in the Multiphasic Health Checkup Cohort Exam between 1964 and 1973, users of amphetamines were 60 percent more likely than those who did not take the drugs to develop Parkinson’s. The drugs in question, which are commonly used to improve focus and increase wakefulness in patients suffering from narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — and which some doctors have illicitly prescribed off-label for weight loss purposes — directly affect the brain’s uptake of dopamine, a vital neurotransmitter that affects mental and physical health. Based on the study, it appears that some side effect of amphetamine drugs is disrupting proper brain function over time, causing it to degrade. “If further studies confirm these findings, the potential risk of developing Parkinson’s disease from these types of amphetamines would need to be considered by doctors before prescribing these drugs as well as be incorporated into amphetamine abuse programs, including illicit use,” said Stephen K. Van Den Eeden, PhD, author of the study. A 2009 study funded by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that common amphetamine drugs like Ritalin that are prescribed to children increase the risk of sudden death by 500 percent. In spite of the findings of that study, the FDA decided that Ritalin was still safe, and that its benefits outweighed its risks (http://www.naturalnews.com/026459_adhd_drugs_ritalin.html). Sources for this story include: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/using-amphetamines-may-increase-risk-of-parkinsons-disease-116660444.html

The deep psychology behind your health

(NaturalNews) The relationship between psychological health and physical health has long been established. Even most medical doctors today warn against the dangers of mental stress that flows from overwork, chronic family conflict, unhealthy compensating or general maladjustment to the demands of life. This is old news. The intriguing question now is how does this relationship between mental health and physical health function? When you are stressed out, depressed or confused, how does your body react to create a state of less-than-optimal health or even disease? The answer to this question leads us down a slippery slope full of speculation and metaphor. If you’re open minded, however, the ride is not only exhilarating, but enlightening. In a recent conversation with Mike Adams of NaturalNews.com, Mike shocked me with the following: “Cancer is a natural process that gets out of control. When you cut your skin and it begins to heal, those cells are involved in a cancer-like process. They know how to divide, grow and heal. But, they also know when to stop growing. Otherwise, you would end up with a giant growth out of your arm or wherever you cut yourself. The same is true when a woman is pregnant. The cells of the fetus are involved in a cancer-like process, a very rapid division and growth in an organized way.” Here is the fascinating piece: Cancerous tumors, when removed from the body, sometimes contain hair, teeth and organs. They don’t tell people that a cancer cell in the body tries to become a whole person. Think about that for a minute. After conception, you have a single, fertilized egg. If the conditions are right, it develops into a person. That is the way it is supposed to work. But, when you have a cancer tumor in the body, it “decides” it wants to be a whole person, too. It doesn’t want to be a specialized cell, playing a small role in a larger body. It wants to be a whole body and it does not have any plans to stop dividing and spreading. What to do with this information? Consider your life. Do you know who you are and what you stand for? Do you meander through life, confused and afraid to make strong decisions? Do you live in a house divided, with internal conflict eating at you day and night? When you lie down to sleep, are you at peace or are you harangued by stray thoughts that clutter your mind? Good psychological health implies clear values, the ability to access a state of inner calm, healthy personal boundaries (knowing your limits, when to say yes vs. no) and a general, pervasive feeling of well-being and certainty in this uncertain world. These and other essential mental health resources are fundamental. Life requires them at a minimum. Those who do not naturally possess or consciously dev elop these essentials of healthy character are at a distinct disadvantage in the social realm. Are they also exposed to greater health risks? The most compelling logic suggests that, yes, they are. Imagine for a moment that your mind and body, craving the clarity, calm and certainty that comes with solid mental health and a low-stress way of being, is just not getting what it needs. Lacking direction, it lives in a state of chronic confusion, conflict and anxiety. Doesn’t it make sense that some part of you at some point takes matters into its own hands? Might that entail an attempt to develop new parts of you, given the current lack of resources? Witnessing the hair, teeth and partial organs contained in a cancerous tumor validates this logic in a very unsettling way. The moral of the story: Put real effort into your mental health! Learn to be clear, honest and certain. Know who you are and what you stand for. Develop effective communication skills and the capacity for inner peace. Give your mind and body what it needs and it won’t have a reason to rebel.

Sick Brains in Teens – Is There A Root Cause?

(NaturalNews) It’s been nearly a month since the nation’s attention was focused on Tucson, where five were killed and 13 injured , including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, several other shootings missed the mainstream news. Violence seems to be erupting among youths everywhere, from Los Angeles(1) to Omaha(2) to Brooklyn(3) – indicating something is seriously going wrong in the minds of young persons in this country. Why Young Brains Are Sick The list of assailing particles on children is long, and starts with chemical exposure in the womb. In July, 2005, the Environmental Working Group released a hallmark study using cord blood to assess the chemical exposure of neonates in-utero. The placenta has long been thought to shield the developing baby from pollutants in the environment. The study’s alarming results dispelled this as a wishful myth. Of the 287 chemicals identified in the umbilical cord blood of 10 infants, 180 were known carcinogens, 217 were toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 have been associated with birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. The study concluded that, “the dangers of pre- or post-natal exposure to this complex mixture of carcinogens, developmental toxins and neurotoxins have never been studied.”(4) Within hours of emerging from the womb, a newborn is given a dollop of antibiotics in the eyes, injected with the hepatitis b vaccine, with known neurotoxic properties,(5)and jabbed with a vitamin K shot, which contains 9 mg of benzyl alcohol. In 1992, Golding published concerns that vitamin K injections could be associated with a doubled risk of malignant disease in children, particularly leukemia. While there have been considerable doubts about whether the association is coincidental or causal, the controversy has never been completely resolved.(6) Starting around the 60th day of life, infants with still immature immune systems are subjected to a battery of vaccines: DTaP, HiB, polio, Prevnar, and a squirt of oral rotavirus vaccine, all generally given at the same time. The onslaught of these shots, including two additional injections of hepatitis b vaccine, repeats twice, every 60 days. This deposits approximately 66 different viral or bacterial antigens and measurable amounts of a dozen different chemicals into a six month old infant. By the time a child is five years old, a little 40 pound human will receive up to 35 injections, containing at least 110 different weakened pathogens (or pathogen particles), and an assortment of 59 different chemicals. If all approved shots are administered, the little tot will also be injected with stray viral DNA, four types of animal cells, cells from aborted fetal tissue and a bit of human albumin (a foreign protein.) By the way, all of these substances are listed on package inserts for each vaccine. Subjective Labels for Brain Pathology According to the U.S. Surgeon General, nearly 20 percent of American children and adolescents suffer from a mental disorder so significant, it interferes with their day-to-day life.(7) The plethora of diagnoses fall into a few fairly well defined categories: Conduct disorders , such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); learning disabilities , a spectrum of speech delay and comprehension issues; and mood disorders , which include depression, bipolar disorder and chronic anxiety. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) approximates that nearly 5.4 million children 4 to 17 years of age have been diagnosed with ADHD alone (2007 data). This represents nearly 1 in 10 of all children – and the number has been escalating. Between 2003 and 2007,(8) the number of parent-reported children diagnosed with ADHD increased by 22 percent. Disturbingly, in an attempt to quell their out-of-control behavior, more than two thirds of these children have been placed on at least one prescription medication. Since the underlying cause for the sick brain and hyperkinetic behavior has not been identified and addressed, the drugging is akin to tightening down the lid on a boiling pot of water. One of these behavioral disorders, called Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD),(9)is said to manifest around 8 years of age. Mannerisms include: easily losing one’s temper; aggressively arguing with adults and defying requests; refusing to follow rules; deliberately annoying other people; blaming others for one’s own mistakes or misbehavior; and being touchy, easily annoyed or angered, resentful, spiteful, or vindictive. In 2008, ODD was the most common reason children were referred to mental health professionals for an assessment, accounting for at least half of all out patient visits to psychiatrists and psychiatric practitioners. These children, mostly boys, are commonly diagnosed and treated for several coexisting mental disorders.(10) The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) is about to be released, replacing the older DSM-IV. The DSM (11) is a catalog of hundreds of psychiatric conditions, including a long list of anxiety, personality and adjustment disorders. Diagnoses are available to give children who struggle with math and writing skills a diagnosis (Mathematics Disorder 315.1 and Disorder of Written Expression 315.2, respectively), labeling a child who has a missing skill with a mental deficiency. New disorders are on the horizon too, such as Temper Dysregulation Disorder with Dysphoria (TDD),(12)a tweak to the current diagnosis of bipolar disorders for children under the age of ten. Treatments offered for malfunctioning, unhealthy brains include an extensive list of prescription medications, divided by class, based on the effect they are thought to have on brain chemistry. Antidepressants, mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics and sedatives are prescribed to ostensibly correct imbalances in brain chemicals. If one drug doesn’t work, more are added, perhaps with unintended consequences on behavior. A recent 69-month study identified 484 drugs that accounted for 780,169 serious adverse events, including violence and aggressive behavior. The drugs were associated with 387 reports of homicide, 404 physical assaults, 27 cases indicating physical abuse, 896 homicidal ideation reports, and 223 cases described as violence-related symptoms. Medications most strongly associated with violence(13) were 11 different antidepressants, particularly the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ex: Lexapro, Paxil, and Zoloft); 6 different sedative/ hypnotics (ex: Xanax and Clonipin) and 3 drugs given for ADHD, including Ritalin and Concerta. Additionally, the anti-psychotics drugs, Seroquel, Zyprexa and Respirdol, commonly used to treat ODD,(14)are among drugs that can lead to violence. Combined Effects Significant populations of children in the U.S. have been exposed to a combination of chemicals, vaccines and multiple prescription medications – from infancy through early adulthood. No studies have examined the effect these components have individually on brain function, let alone in combination. Mental health experts try to convince us that the chemical exposures are so small they cannot have negative effects. Same with vaccines. “Experts” espouse that vaccinations are safe, effective, protective and harmless. No thought — or research — has been done to examine the potential problems that can arise from the combined effect of four or more simultaneous medications, vaccines and chemicals. There has been little effort by the government (FDA/CDC), the pharmaceutical industry or doctors — all of whom profit handsomely from massive drug and vaccine use — to evaluate the combined negative effects of these exposures. Brain inflammation has been the hallmark of severe reactions since the first vaccine — smallpox. The pertussis vaccination can have profound effects on the developing brain of a child, leading to permanent changes in behavior, personality, intelligence, emotional stability, and physical ability. Virtually every year–from 1933 to the mid-1980s– a paper was published discussing the adverse effects of the whole cell pertussis vaccine.(15) Instead of spending more money to create new drugs and vaccines, we should demand that industry and governments study the complications and injuries caused by the combined use of the products we already have. Violence In America I have received many emails and messages over the years from persons or parents who are planning to go to other countries for a vacation, on a mission trip or to participate in a lifestyle immersion event. While many of the questions are about travel vaccines (few of which are required anywhere in the world; they are only recommended), I also get asked, “Do you think it is safe to go there?” That question always makes me pause. I’ve had the good fortune to have traveled throughout 57 countries over my life. Only on rare occasions- and mostly when I was in an ill-advised part of town or was unaccompanied in a rural area with wild animals I was unfamiliar with – did I ever feel unsafe. In fact, as a general rule, I have felt safer off the beaten path in a foreign country than in the downtown of an unknown, mid-sized city after dark anywhere in the U.S. An epidemic of chronic physical illness, mental disability, depression and violent behavior have escalated over the last 20 years and in one way or another, is touching us all. Although economic and social factors, biological variables and individual dietary practices certainly play a role in overall health and behavior, the detrimental, combined effect of chemicals, drugs and vaccines heaped into the brain from birth is a real concern and is undoubtedly a huge contributor to the violence rising among America’s youths. Based on survey data(16) from the U.S. Department of Justice, roughly 5,340,000 violent crimes were committed in the United States during 2008. This includes almost 16,300 murders of which, 76 percent, or nearly 11,000 incidents, were committed with firearms. Since the Tucson shootings, calls for stricter licensing and gun registration, more vigorous background checks prior to purchasing a gun, and a ban on assault weapons are again on the table. The pros and cons of this debate reach far beyond the scope of this discussion. But truly, guns don’t shoot people. And something obviously makes people shoot people. Perhaps stopping the chain of events that result in medically unhealthy and physically sick young brains is the place to start. We owe it to future generations to clearly identify the effect these combined toxic compounds are having on brains of all ages. Even more importantly, we need to heal these damaged brains and restore them back to health before the epidemic of violence gets any worse. REFERENCES (1) Los Angeles shooting: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20029109-504083.html (2) Omaha shooting: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/us/06brfs-SCHOOLSHOOTI_BRF.html?_r=2&ref=schoolshootings (3) Brooklyn shooting: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/nyregion/16shooting.html?ref=schoolshootings (4) EWG study on chemicals: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php (5) Hepatitis B hazards: http://legaljustice4john.com/hepBhazzardsCites.htm (6) Vitamin K controversy: http://www.bmj.com/content/308/6933/867.full (7) Mental illness in children: http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/mental-health-illness-in-children (8) CDC, Parent-reported ADHD: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html (9) eMedicine, Oppositional Defiant Disorder: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/918095-overview (10) Facts for Families, ODD: http://aacap.org/page.ww?name=Children%20with%20Oppositional%20Defiant%20DisorderAAAAAAAAAA§ion=Facts%20for%20Families (11) Complete list of Mental Disorders: http://counsellingresource.com/distress/dsm-codes/dsm-disorder.html (12) The new Temper Disorder: http://www.wellsphere.com/autism-autism-spectrum-article/childhood-bipolar-disorder-is-not-bipolar-dsm-v-and-the-new-temper-dysregulation-disorder-with-dysphoria/986737 (13) Medications associated with violence: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3002271/?tool=pubmed (14) Medications to treat ODD, ADHD, etc: http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/mr-meds.html (15) The true story of pertussis: http://jhmas.oxfordjournals.org/content/57/3/249.full.pdf+html (16) JustFacts.com re: crime and self defense: http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp#crime

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