Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) versus traditional western medicine
Comparison between orthodox and complementary therapies
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) versus traditional western medicine
Depression is the leading cause of disability globally. 18 million adults in US are affected by it, twice as many women as men. It is ranked right after high blood pressure in terms of chronic medical condition. Even though many people are affected by it, millions more cases are not diagnosed because people are reluctant to seek help, fearing the stigma which is attached to mental illness or they simply do not realize they are ill. The symptoms can range from mild to severe, feeling hopelessness and despair. Medications used to treat depression sometimes cause horrible side effects that many patients hate, as result hate their meds and many discontinues them. Some patients self-medicate with alcohol, tobacco, caffeine where as other seek for alternative care and/or herbal medicine. The best known herbal treatment is an herb called St. John’s Wort. It is grown as a decorative plant but is also found in tablets, tea, capsules and tincture at natural health food stores (i.e. Whole foods, Sprouts), groceries (i.e. Ralphs, Vons), and drug stores (CVS, Walgreen). In this paper, the effectiveness, efficacy of researches conducted, side effects and dosages have been focused on based research articles, randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis. St. John’s wort which is also known as Hypericum Perforatum, is the widely used herbal antidepressant in the world. Use of St. John’s wort goes back to middle ages. During the middle ages, it was used to treat insanity resulting from attacks of the devils; thus, it was name St. John’s in reference to St. John’s day on the medieval church calendar. Wort means medicinal plant in English word. This herb is native to England, Wales and northern Europe. It was brought to North American in the 170... ... middle of paper ... ...uring pregnancy. Practitioners are often concerned about how consumers can find good quality herbs and that’s always a challenge, since U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) has not verified brands of St. John’s Wort. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration, herbal products are considered dietary supplements; thus, the rule for governing these products is not as strict as regulations of medications. Herbal products can be sold in the absence of any studies on effectiveness, safety or dosage. Consumers need to closely read the information about the product on the package. Even though it is not guaranteed, but most reputable companies usually provide information on how the herbs were processed and the active ingredients amount in each capsule. Exercise and St. John’s wort are both effective treatments for depression. Both of these modalities are low-cost, well tolerated.
One out of every 20 Americans will become depressed this year. This is obviously a very major and serious problem. St. John’s Wort’s main ingredient, hypericin, is what appears to help alleviate mild to moderate depression, although not much is known about whether or not it proves helpful in severe depression. Hypericin is the red pigment of the plant and it seems to inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) and the breakdown of the brain’s neurotransmitters and is also a SRI, serotonin reuptake inhibitor. However, according to Jean Carper in Miracle Cures, “recent research finds hypericin less potent an antidepressant than the whole plant extract itself, suggesting the herb’s complex mixture of chemicals, including xanthones and flavonoids, also are critical in the plant’s pharmacological benefits”.
This novel by Randy J. Sparks offers a rare glimpse into the perspective of two African slaves during the late eighteenth century. Not only are their accounts noteworthy in detailing the grueling journey through the Middle Passage, but also significantly sheds light on economic and societal dynamics at the time both within their African state (Old Calabar) and England. According to letters Sparks discovered, the two princes Little Ephraim Robin John and Ancona Robin Robin John, hereafter referred to as the Robin Johns, were members of a ruling-class family in Old Town before they were enslaved and taken to the New World. According to the Robin Johns, the elites of their rival town, New Town, conspired with English slavers to ambush and massacre their Old Town counterparts. Because the Englishmen often suffered when Old and New Town were quarreling, they agreed to partner with New Town as Old Town’s ruler Grandy King George was notoriously unjust and dishonest in his dealings. During the ambush, hundreds of Grandy King George’s entourage were murdered and his brother and nephew, the Robin Johns, taken as slaves. What is most significant about the Robin Johns’ accounts is how knowledgeable and accustomed to legal principles and slave-owning culture (being slavers themselves) they are, having been educated and in somewhat intimate contact with Englishmen beforehand. Because of this, we are given exceptional insight into the role of the state and how it penetrated their daily lives; more specifically, we will explore how the institution of religion and Old Calabar’s secret society Ekpe influenced their lives and communities.
Historically, valerian has been a non-scientific resource for relief from anxiety and insomnia.1 Detrimental effects of FDA approved medications for these symptoms have many professionals questioning whether the most effective and safe resource is available through a supplemental approach. This has led to the investigation of the true effectiveness of the valerian root and its impact on its subjects.
The first major study conducted on the matter in the United states found that St John’s wort had negligible benefits on patients with major depression with no statistically significant benefits more then those produced by a placebo (Shelton). However other studies have “proved”, not only that St. John’s Wort is more successful in treatment of patients with depression, but that It is actually similarly or more effective than some tri-cyclic prescription antidepressants (Linde). The apparent contradictions in research findings are confusing and provide little help to a patient or doctor in deciding whether to use St John’s Wort as a treatment for depression.
Approximately 5% of the United States' population experiences a depressive episode that requires psychopharmacological treatment; in any one year, 10-12 million Americans are affected by depression, with the condition twice as common in females than in males. It has been estimated that 15% of patients hospitalized for depression will commit suicide. These figures are incredible, so finding the root of the problem when it comes to depression is extremely important. "Alterations in serotonin metabolism may be an important factor in the etiology and treatment of depression." (7).
Lindberg, D. (n.d.). Herbal Medicine: MedlinePlus. U.S National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbal
Depression is an equal opportunity disorder, it can affect any group of people with any background, race, gender, or age. Depression is a sneak thief that slips quietly and gradually into people’s lives - robbing them of their time, and their focus. At first, depression may be undetectable, but in the long run a person could become so weighed down that their life may feel empty and meaningless. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who commits suicide is depressed, but majority of people who commits suicide do so during a severe depressive episode. There are over 300 million people in the world today who suffer from depression. Depression has affected people for a long as records have been kept. It was first called out by the famous Greek philosopher Hippocrates over 2,400 years ago. Hippocrates called it “melancholia”. Many times we think of depression as one disorder alone, when in fact there are many different types of depression. The different types of depression are major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, atypical disorder, adjustment disorder, and depressive personality disorder. All types of depression share at least one common symptom. It is commons from the person who suffers from any form of depression to feel an unshakable sadness, anxious, or empty mood. Major depressive disorder also known as unipolar depression or recurrent depressive disorder is the most severe depressive disorder out of all of the depressive in my estimation. Major depressive disorder is a condition in which affects a person’s family, work or school life, sleeping, eating and general health. It is important to emphasize that we can understand the mechanics of this disorder and how it affects people with major depressive disorder.
Introduction: For my research project I would like to explore the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs. Antidepressant drugs are used are used to treat major depression and other conditions, some of which include anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, chronic pain and other disorders. Around the world antidepressants are used to cure these types of mental illnesses. It is argued by both medical professionals and other people whether or not they believe that antidepressants work. According to Mayo Clinic one in ten Americans take an antidepressant. Today, antidepressants have became the most common way around the world to treat major depression
Supplements - Supplement and herbal remedies are commonly used in relieving depression, though it is not really clear how effective they could be. One example is St. John Wort, which is an herb that has been found effective for mild and moderate depression. Other remedies include SAMe, Melatonin and Omega-3 fatty acids.
Herbal remedies’ qualities are widespread availability, lower cost, effective for chronic conditions. Herbal remedies are the use of plants or plant extract to treat a person’ overall health. Herbal treatments are prominent for developing countries for instance, “in Africa up to 90% and in India 70% of the population depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs” (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011), due to their low cost and availability. Herbal remedies have gained attention in the past decades, and expanding their uses due to the increased interest of natural therapies (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011). Herbs used on the remedies grow in the wild throughout the world, therefore making it easy to
There are many people in the world who are struggling with the disease depression. Depression is the state in which a person feels very sad, hopeless and unimportant. The thing about depression is that it affects both genders and any ages. Depression is something that deserves full attention. For many reasons doctors believe that when a person has depression, they have to start taking medication for it as if medications help. People are becoming more dependent on antidepressants when there are other techniques for dealing with depression.
The silent killer that takes lives without warning, punishment, or any sympathy; depression is truly one of the most prominent mental illnesses in the world. Depression is defined as a mental illness inducing a severe and staunch feeling of sadness. The term depressed is coined in English as a temporary sadness that everyone experiences in their life. Despite that depression is more active in women, it is still one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. It affects anybody, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic standing. Regardless of all these facts, surprisingly little is known about depression, however, scientists have been able to hypothesize major causes, effects, and treatments for the disability affecting over
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.
Mental and behavioural disorders (expressed in disability adjusted life years, or DALY'S) represented 11% of the total disease burden in 1990, and this is likely to rise to 15% by 2020. Five of the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide in 1990 were mental or behavioural disorders. Depression was the fourth largest contributor to the disease burden in 1990 and is expected to rank second after ischaemic heart disease by 2020. It is estimated that one in four people will develop one or more mental or behavioural disorders in their life-time and that one in four families has one member suffering from a mental or behavioural disorder (Murray et al., 1996; WHO,
Depression is one of the most common psychological problems. Each year over 17 million Americans experience a period of clinical depression. Thus, depression affects nearly everyone through personal experiences or through depression in a family member or friend.