My Super Spine

Antidepressant Use Rising Among Kids A November 18, 2004 Reuters News story with the above headline starts off by noting that according to a new study doctors are prescribing more antidepressants for children and adolescents although there is little evidence about their safety or efficacy in youngsters.   Dr. Ian Wong of the Centre for Pediatric Pharmacy Research at the University of London was one of the several researchers who conducted the study. They compared prescribing trends in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico by using information from an international database that contains a representative sample of medical practitioners in each country. Dr. Wong noted that Britain had the highest rate of increase with 68 percent while Germany. with thirteen percent, had the lowest. He commented, "The number of prescriptions in different countries for children with mental illness is increasing." Dr. Wong did note tha...

Want to boost your health? Here's a simple solution: Take a breath. Your lungs are larger at the bottom than the top, but most Americans are "top breathers." We live in a shallow breaths common to the sick and sleeping.   Learn to breathe from the gut. You know you are breathing correctly--from your diaphragm-- if you see your stomach move in and out. if the only thing that moves or expands is your chest, then you are still taking only shallow breaths.   Deep breathing literally massages and moves the soft internal organs inside your rib cage, allowing your lymphatic system to rid itself of collected toxins. Only deep breathing allows you to tap this bonus power in your lower lungs. Singers, stage performers, broadcast announcers, and professional athletes pay great sums to voice and dialogue coaches to learn how to breathe and project through diaphragm breathing. With some practice, you too can take advantage of your lungs' full power.   Breathing lesson...