Are you one of over 40 million people suffering a personalnightmare caused by stress, depression and anxiety? Theseillnesses are the modern plague and they ruin lives. And yearin, year out, more and more people are affected.
I came out of a nightmare 5-year period of anxiety anddepression and I did it without taking any drugs. Whatfrustrated me is that despite advances in understanding as towhy people become stressed, depressed and anxious, sufferers arestill told numerous myths about what causes their illness.
This raises an important issue: How can people rid themselves ofthe pain of these illnesses if they don’t know what is at theroot cause? Surely, if progress is to be made, understandingmust come first? Well in this article, I’m going to bust themyths and reveal what, EXACTLY, is at the root of theseillnesses!
The first myth I want to bust is that a period of seriousillness can cause you to become depressed. This could beanything from a nasty virus which confines you to bed for amonth or something far more serious such as loss of a limb,cancers, injury, heart attack to name but a few.
None of these illnesses can cause depression, anxiety or stress.It’s very easily proven. Because millions of people suffer fromserious illnesses each and every year but only around 20% ofthem will develop mental illness. If illnesses cause mentalbreakdown, EVERYONE who becomes seriously ill will enter into anepisode of depression, anxiety or stress. They don’t. Why?
Similarly, we can assign the same explanation to traumaticexperience. This could be death of a loved one, loss of a job,divorce or moving house for example. Again, every single one ofus will experience traumatic times such as these in ourlifetime. Yet not everybody enters into a mental illness, evenamongst people who have suffered extreme trauma. So we candiscount traumatic experience as being at the root cause.
Next on my bust-list is genetics. This is another frequentlygiven reason as to why people suffer from stress, depression oranxiety. But it’s completely untrue. There is no proven linkbetween genetics and these illnesses. In fact, rather thangenetics, learned behavior from family members who sufferthemselves is the only real link to a family-inheriteddisposition to stressful illness.
I’ve saved the most widely accepted myth until last and I’ll betmy bottom dollar this is the myth you are not just familiar withbut believe to be at the cause of your illness. This is thereason given by the medical community and which has spawned a$12 billion drugs industry to combat it. The myth I’m referringto is of course depletion in neurotransmitters – the so-called“chemical imbalance”.
Neurotransmitters are “happy chemicals” which help to regulateour moods. So, if levels are low, we feel low. To boost theselevels, powerful antidepressant drugs are prescribed tosufferers. Sure, they boost levels. But let’s ask a question:
Are low levels of neurotransmitters a cause or a symptom?
Well, every single human being on this earth right now willexperience many occasions in their lives when things go wrong,when bad things happen, when times are trying – in short, timeswhen they won’t be their usual happy selves. Now, during thesetimes, their levels of “happy chemicals” will drop, and lifewill seem a bit of an effort. So, does this mean that everybodyon the planet will descend into an episode of stress, depressionor anxiety? Of course not!
And do we just wake up one day and feel depressed because thelevels of neurotransmitters has “dipped below the criticallevel?”. No. Because that would mean we’d wake up one day andfeel great because the level has risen above the critical point.You know this just doesn’t happen, even after takingantidepressants.
What’s interesting to note is that when we are in an episode ofmental turmoil, we also experience physical pain, we cannotsleep or we sleep too much and the feeling of overwhelmingexhaustion is also present. But if a chemical imbalance in ourbrain is at the root, how come you experience physical pain inyour legs, arms, and more commonly, your back?
You can see that this is too simple an explanation. This isborne out by the fact that 70% of people who takeantidepressants will descend into second and even third episodesof mental breakdown if they stop taking the drugs. This isbecause antidepressants treat ONE of the SYMPTOMS of mentalillness – depleted levels of neurotransmitters.
It’s nearly time for me to say adios, but before I do, I willreveal what, EXACTLY, is at the root cause of mental breakdown.It is all down to flawed modes of thinking. Because the onlydifference between people who experience an episode of mentalillness and those who don’t is all down to flawed perceptions,assessments, explanations and habits performed by sufferers
The following example will describe this more clearly:
Two people suffer the death of a parent. One is absolutelydistraught and finds it very difficult to cope and descends intoa depressive episode. The other, although sad at the loss, iscoping and doesn’t descend into depression. The only differencelies IN THE WAY THEY MAKE SENSE OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM.The actual event has no meaning by itself. The meanings only liewithin the minds of the individuals affected.
To beat mental illnesses such as anxiety, stress and depression,what’s needed is to learn the powerful and effective mentalskills – modes of thinking – used by people who don’t becomestressed, depressed or anxious no matter what happens to themand which stop these illnesses dead in their tracks. Once youlearn them, you will rid yourself of the pain once and for all.
Something a bottle of prozac will never achieve.
About the author:Chris Green is the author of the new book “Conquering Stress”, aspecial program which will show you how to conquer stressfulillnesses such as depression, anxiety, panic and worrypermanently and without taking powerful drugs. You can learnmore about this new book and purchase it atwww.conqueringstress.com
Electricity from Trash
Capturing methane from rotting garbage will help reduce climate change due to greenhouse gases.
Waste Management is creating electricity from rotting garbage at 100 of its landfills, and plans more such projects. This is a double win, as the methane gas produced by the garbage has a 21 times worse greenhouse gas effect than carbon dioxide. But now it can be captured to create energy rather than being emitted into the atmosphere.
Read more: Electricity from trash
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Astrologer Fails to Predict Cyclone
It wouldn't be important that an astrologer failed to predict the Myanmar cyclone if astrology weren't important there.
Continuing on the theme of what can and cannot be predicted, the weather is the next logical topic and evidently a noted Burmese astrologer has publicly apologized for his failure to predict Cyclone Nargis. But in a country like Myanmar where they take astrology seriously, evidently the citizenry depends on their astrologers for this kind of thing:
Read more: Astrologer is sorry for failure to predict cyclone
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Climate Analysis
From a post on calculating CO2 impacts correctly.
?m using this as an example of the kind of armchair analysis I would love to see more consumers and voters do on their own when faced with any buying or voting decision that has significant energy and/or environmental implications. Does this candidate?s claim make sense? How much money can I save by adjusting my thermostat a couple of degree or car pooling? How much CO2 can I avoid by signing up for 100% green electricity?
Read more: Analysis, done right
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Angelo's Is Back
Angelo's Restaurant in St. Marks was swept away by Hurricane Dennis.
Angelo?s was washed away by Hurricane Dennis in 2005 and just recently reopened this winter. It?s a beautiful place, lovely view and great food, but not the place to grab a quick and cheap bite to eat. We had enjoyable meal, though, sitting on the deck and watching the boats and birds over the bay.
Read more: Saint Marks Lighthouse
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Is Carbon Neutrality Actually Possible?
A look at whether products can achieve carbon neutrality.
The big question is where do you draw the line and say that this company is carbon neutral/negative and this one is not when they all rely heavily on carbon positive support?
Read more: Is Carbon Neutrality Actually Possible?
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Review: The End Of Suburbia
Will climate change force us to re-think suburban development?
Of course, no one knows what?ll happen to the suburbs we have now. Will they become the slums of the future? At least one expert in the film predicts a scarier scenario where we may not even have time to build new ?hoods with new urbanist design principles; we may just need to salvage what we have left in the face of global climate change.
Read more: Film review: The End of Suburbia
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Why Do They Hate Us?
A look at climate change and politics.
Yet another hot button topic these days is climate change and the environment. On the surface, you wouldn't think that this should be a conservative vs. liberal topic. After all, climate change is either happening or it isn't. And yet this is an issue that divides conservatives from liberals as much as any other.
Read more: Why do they hate us?
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The Perfectly Timed Vacation
Hurricane Ivan and other hurricanes have changed travel economics.
The best deals on lodging aren?t necessarily found in the hotels, but the low-rise condos. Thank Hurricane Ivan for that, she says. Many hotels were damaged by the 2004 storm, and have recently been repaired and reopened. So if you don?t mind staying in a condo, low season ? at least when it comes to saving money ? may last longer than a season. It could extend months, or longer.
Read more: 4 secrets for the perfectly timed vacation
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We Interrupt This Program
Has the federal government lost all credibility in natural disaster recovery?
Excuse me, while I open a space in the political discussion to point out something beyond the primaries on Tuesday - a powerful series of thunderstorms ripped through the Mid-South with tornadoes that killed at least 54 people and injured hundreds. They have been promised help by George W. Bush, which I can tell you as someone who lives in an area struck by hurricane Ivan in 2004 and knows what the Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas Gulf Coast still looks like after Katrina and Rita in 2005, is not going to happen any time soon.
Read more: We Interrupt This Program
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Anatomy Of A Local Breaking News Story
A great behind-the-scenes look at coverage of Hurricane Wilma from the local point-of-view.
Back in 2005, when Hurricane Wilma was about to smack the Naples area, our news organization made a commitment that when it came to real-time coverage, we were not going to get beat on this story by CNN or The Weather Channel or any other news organizations.
Read more: Anatomy of a local breaking news story
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Hurricane Felix Making Landfall
Is the quote machine broken:
The Nicaragua coast is experiencing powerful winds and surge at this time, as the wrath of a catastrophic monster category 5 hurricane Felix with winds of 160mph and gusts close to 190mph moves inland over Nicaragua very close to Punta Gorda and Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. Felix is the second category 5 hurricane to make landfall this year, and before Hurricane Dean a week or so ago, there were no land falling hurricanes at category 5 status for 15 years.
Read more: Hurricane Felix Making Landfall In Nicaragua
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Save The World From Your Desktop
Seven good tips to reduce climate change from the comfort of your computer.
Use GoLoco to make carpooling a whole lot easier, and do your part to reduce CO2 emissions and lessen traffic congestion.
Read more: 7 Ways to Save the World Using Your Desktop
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Dean Update - Monday, Aug 20, 11 AM
Waiting for Hurricane Dean.
Everybody?s talking about the hurricane and now everyone?s saying that it looks like it?s going south. We?re continuing our preparations (and so is everyone else, apparently), but we?re less worried. We?re reminded that with both Hurricane Emily and Hurricane Wilma, it barely even rained in Merida. It?s good to keep in mind that what happens on one end of the Yucatan Peninsula, doesn?t necessarily effect the whole peninsula.
Read more: Dean Update - Monday, Aug 20, 11 AM
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600 Naked People On A Vanishing Glacier
Click through for pictures of the living sculpture atop the vanishing glacier.
Installation artist Spencer Tunick and Greenpeace Switzerland present a living sculpture: hundreds of naked people symbolise the vulnerability of the glaciers under climate change.
Read more: 600 naked people on a vanishing glacier
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Bad Climate Change News Was Too Optimistic
The news on iceberg meltdowns is bad.
However, China is preparing for climate change induced disasters and plans 24 hour response with food and water for any emergency. Too bad the US isn?t doing the same.
Read more: That bad news about climate change was too optimistic
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Additional Resources
Reduce Our Carbon Footprint By Decreasing The Amount Of Co2
By Null Hypothesis
In a stroke of sheer brilliance, The journal of unlikely science, Read more...
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Additional Resources
Climate Change Provides Investment Opportunities
By Derek Both
Experts are predicting that climate change is going to reshape investment returns and investment opportunities over the next few years. With eleven of the last 12 years ranking as the warmest on Read more...
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Schools to Help Needy Students]]>
Even if people stopped pumping out carbon dioxide and other pollutants tomorrow, global warming would get worse, two teams of researchers reported yesterday.]]>
A sampling of noteworthy presentations yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, taking place in Washington this weekend.]]>
All college freshmen who live in dorms should be vaccinated for meningitis, a government panel recommended yesterday, reversing policy of the past. The panel is also advising doctors to give the shot to all 11- and 12-year-old children and recommending that it be provided to at least 4 million children eligible under the federal children's vaccine program.]]>
