Swans walking on a frozen canal in Sale, Cheshire
Bury, Greater Manchester church
Taken at Coanwood in Northumberland
Liverpool Queens Square bus statio
Sheffield in the snowI don't know if more snow pictures are what we need, but couldn't resist putting up more pictures of England (we're on a roll!), that I ran across while reading that Britain is ready for it's heaviest snowfall in 50 years. I think we may also have to prepare for the coldest winter in a long time, here in the good, ol' U. S. of A.
73 comments:
It's so dead here tonight! I wish I could have thought of something more uplifting, but when you're surrounded by gray, it's hard to think of much else.
Please, anyone that has a post, feel free to put it up. This one was more 'filler'.
... speaking of 'gray' weather:
Study: Antidepressant lift may be all in your head
"A small new study provides more evidence that, on average, antidepressants may be little more effective than a sugar pill in most patients who take them.
Such findings "demonstrate a failure in the system: These drugs were not thoroughly tested in mild to moderate depression prior to their approval," says Thomas Moore, a senior scientist at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in Horsham, Pa., and co-author of the 2008 paper. "Any new antidepressants should be." Study
Tom, over on FB, linked this:
The 15 Most Hated Companies In America http://247wallst.com/2010/01/05/the-15-most-hated-companies-in-america/
... OK, it's official. I'm talking to myself, (and it's not all that unusual).
I've been wondering where everyone was. Of course, I'm on the computer all day.
Oddly enough, they outlawed the sale of L-Tryptophan about the same time Prozac came on the market, even though it was still used in baby formula.
Carol, I just had to come back and leave a link to Lard's pups in their new winter coats. You don't often use coats in Florida: Sean's pups
Yes Don, It's eerily quiet here.
I didn't know that about L-Tryptophan being in baby formula. I'm not even sure what it is, but will look it up.
It's a part of a protein (amino acid) that is used in the brain to make the chemical that helps protect against anxiety and depression.
Taking it with starches helps you feel better. Which is why you crave cakes, pastas, and potatoes when you're depressed.
Antidepressants work differently, and have all kinds of nasty side affects.
Taking down the Christmas decorations is just as much work as putting them up...but nowhere near as much fun.
I always crave those things Don. I know how the SSRI work (kinda). I think those foods may affect serotonin levels or dopamine's. But I'm not sure that even the manufacturers know exactly why they work.
Why did they take the L-Tryptophan off the market?
Is that what you're doing now Ivy. Taking down decorations. I agree, the 'clean up' is never as much fun.
More synchronicity from my daily Yoga Journal...
Sitting with Depression
Trying to, Chloe. I've had a lot of interruptions. A friend was here today for a visit, and she remarked how "busy" I always am. It made me laugh because I see myself as a slacker. lol
SSRI's are supposed to stop the body from using up so much seratonin. L-Tryptophan helps your body produce more seratonin. Starches help seratonin pass into the brain. Taking it with meat blocks it from working.
One manufacturer of l-tryptophan in Japan made a really bad batch, so they stopped everyone from making it. But there are people who think it was taken off the market to keep it from competing with prozac.
It was still available from veterinarians though. :^)
Taking the tinsel off so they can recycle is the really time consuming part. Next year, I'll use those garland strands.
Ivy, That was a very interesting article from your Yoga Journal. Synchronicity is right!
I brought back a paragraph with me:
"...People who respond well to these antidepressants often have none of the side effects mentioned above. Instead they feel restored, healed of the depressive symptoms that they were expending so much of their energy trying to fend off. Less preoccupied with their internal states, they are freer to participate in their own lives, yet they often wonder if they are cheating. "This isn't the real me," they protest. "I'm the tired, cranky, no-good one you remember from a couple of weeks ago." As a psychiatrist, I am often in the position to encourage people to question those identifications. Depressed people think they know themselves, but maybe they only know depression."
"It was still available from veterinarians though"
It's surprising how many drugs are sold at TSC (Tractor Supply Store), where we go for horse feed, as well as other things. You can get shots for your pets there, most antibiotics, as well as other drugs.
... all packaged for animals, of course.
Well this is where ya'll were hiding. You weren't here earlier, I checked for a new thread. I was straining my brain on the other thread to come up with a thought but nada. My tank was empty.
We're talking winter time blues Carol.
Chloe,
Thank you for more English snow pictures. All England, all the time.
We have snow predictions for this week in Alabama. Snow in Alabama is an ugly affair. Not the least understanding on how to deal with it. Except for this: get to the Pig for breadmilkandtoiletpaper.
lol
Same here in NC Ivy, except after that 2' of snow they got about a decade ago they've got sand trucks.
They're talking snow Thu night.
I agree with what you have cited on the SSRIs. Never had any faith in them. If a patient is already on one of them or feels strongly that they want one of the few we have on our formulary I will prescribe them because of the placebo effect. They never have shown much more efficacy than a placebo but if someone believes....
I do prescribe some of the older antidepressants,ie. Elavil or Trazadone, that have sedative properties because if you can help a patient sleep, the improved sleep can help with chronic pain or depression. They are also cheaper, which is a plus.
Oh, they threatened one snowflake here, maybe, on Thursday. I do mean one.
Yes, our coldest night will be Thursday night Carol. The only days that bother me are the ones with no sun. That solar heating makes all the difference. I think there are a lot of records being broken this year.
I started using an electric blanket this winter, and it's made all the difference in the world. The hard part is getting out of bed in the morning.
I've been sitting here sweating losing my pipes at the house later this week when the temps down down in the teens. I've done everything I can but it really wasn't much. Now it is up to luck.
Every time I manage to forget to worry for a minute the TV come on and says your pipes are going to bust later this week. I can't find a channel that's not going to have cold weather later this week.
I just checked ours. Thurs, Fri and Sat. lows: 24, 21, 25. At one time it said 19 on Thurs.
See you all tomorrow. Glad y'all came out for a while.
I don't think your pipes are going to burst Carol.
Ours predicted 22, 18, 19, a little colder where I am.
I tried Cymbalta, which worked for a while. Then the effect just went away.
I like l-tryptophan. I've taken it for years. It has a cumulative affect, but since it's natural you can't build up a resistance to it. It's not strong, just enough.
I keep trying to change my lifestyle and slow down, but no one will cooperate.
Talking to a company in Panama City. If I get that in time I can drive up and wrap your pipes Carol.
Don, it's the pipes I can't get to. Some are under the house in the water and mud.
But you are certainly sweet to offer.
Panama City? That's practically in Alabama!
Carol,
Won't that mud keep them insulated?
rotary hammer drill and chisel, I can get to anything Carol. :)
I had a landlord once that had put in a foundation for a house. He didn't leave any access or air vents in the concrete, which the gophers and termites loved. Took me weeks to get in and get it cleaned out so the exterminators could work.
Of course, it was warm.
Actually, plugging up the air vents might help. Stop the wind from going through and if there's any heat in the house it might seep in.
Yes it is Ivy. My uncle used to live in Brantley, AL and we'd drive down when visiting him.
Yes, this isn't the time to deal with mud, water and small spaces. Part of my house was built in 1927. That's the problem part. You have to tunnel to get under that part. With all the rain, it is a lake and there is no room for scuba gear.
I added on and that part is on a slab. I don't know what they did with the plumbing to the new section but when I turned off the water to the house, I still had cold water running in the new bathroom.
I've cranked up the heat in the house and with all the air leaks it may just keep the pipes under the house warmer.
I had a link to a photo of "snow in Alabama" from aught nine, but I lost it. It involved scenes of tractor trailers slid off the highway. That's the way we do it here. No snow ploughs, no sand trucks. God brought it; He can take it away.
Houses make great heat sinks Carol. Absorb all day and leak all night. We should get Solar and a a few yards of mud to make a big heat absorber. That's how the energy efficient homes do it.
BTW, where is Solar. He must be laughing pretty good at the Brit Hume comment on Tiger.
It's the ice storms that bother me Ivy. There's just nothing you can do for that.
Ice is the worst, Don. We get ice more regularly than we get snow.
Good luck on your Panama City venture. Are you aiming in particular for a Florida gig, or is it coincidence that the opportunities are coming up there?
On purpose Ivy. I like Florida. Been to 8 countries and forty some states, and I feel most at home there. I think the extra sun has a lot to do with that though.
I like the year round green too. My favorite thing to do (besides harassing Solar) is garden.
BTW, harassment is one of those words I was trying to think of the other night. The pronunciation was changed by news announcers so they could say it faster.
Chloe, beautiful pics. I will get mine up soon. Have been at my g'daughter's. She has developed some hi blood pressure in these last 2 weeks of her pregnancy. I am worried about her. Her husb is an EMT about 50 miles away and is on duty for 3 days and nights straight so she is home alone. I went over to see her and check her blood pressure. They did blood work this morning and she said they are monitoring her closely but I can't help but be concerned. Wish she was not alone, but she wants to be in her own home.
Jan,
Understandable worry. Do you think they might send her early? Last two weeks is not too soon to induce, is it?
She said her midwife said if her BP goes any higher they will induce. She is due 1/17 - so its not too soon. They estimate the baby weighs about 6 lbs.
The other thing that concerns me is her platelets are low - but they have been all her pregnancy not just since her BP went up.
Chloe, interesting article about the 15 most hated companies. I think I read that Blackwater changed its name.
Best Wishes, Jan. Keep us posted, please. I'm sure your presence is helping her feel cared for.
Jan,
How high is her B/P? You don't think she is developing HELLP syndrome, do you? Did they do liver enzymes? If she were at the hospital I work at they would have already induced her. They love to induce for any reason or for no reason. And, of course, many turn into C-Sections because they just weren't ripe enough.
Remember when I was pregnant you found my B/P started going up. I think the diastolic at one point was about 110. You were worried but my doctor sure wasn't. It was a couple of weeks before I was due. You told me what to do to try and get it down. Thank goodness you were around. Those docs sure weren't as aggresive as they are now.
I remember when I was back teaching Jan and listening to the instructors that taught the, what do they call it now, women and children, portion of the cirriculum? (They did love to keep changing things back then just to keep us all confused) They said that they no longer considered pregnancy to be a normal state anymore. I thought that it had been for years so why did it change? Did they just not know what all was going on in those pregnant women back in the olden days because they didn't check them so much?
Now pregnant women quit drinking alcohol and coffee, quit smoking, if they did, take their vitamins, do all these healthy things and it seems there is more autism and other problems.
I hope everything goes well for your dil.
I'm making a motion to terminate winter, do I hear a second? I'm over it. I don't like the cold. I live down here to avoid this stuff.
Big game tomorrow Ivy!
I'm late leaving today. Got the truck warming up. When it gets really cold tomorrow and Friday, I might not even get out of bed.
"She has developed some hi blood pressure in these last 2 weeks of her pregnancy. I am worried about her."
Jan, I don't blame you for being worried. Since she's within two weeks of delivering, do you think they'll induce labor? I guess, though, that I'm assuming the pregnancy is what's raising her blood pressure. (?)(or did she have high blood pressure before her pregnancy?)
Please keeps us informed Jan.
Carol, I second your motion to terminate winter! This is crazy. I think the last really cold winter we had here was around '96 (if I remember correctly).
.... and this is just the beginning. We're not going above 37 Friday and Saturday.
Carol, I was ready to terminate it before it even got here.
3 Democrats — 2 senators, 1 governor — to retire
"With the 2010 election year barely under way, two senators and one governor — all Democrats — ditched plans to run for re-election in the latest signs of trouble for President Barack Obama's party." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100106/ap_on_re_us/us_democrats2010
The continuing cold/snow is why I said (it seems a long time ago) that I would rather be 'dreaming' of a White Christmas than having one...
The deep freeze griping the Northern portion of the U.S. is enough to cause those 'winter
blues' & when the snow cover doesn't melt for
weeks it makes it feel even colder.
Hope you all manage to weather the blast of winter that is apparently on its way to all of you.
The only good thing about it will be that, the cold snap for you can not last for too many
days.
Chloe,
"and this is just the beginning. We're not going above 37 Friday and Saturday"
Just think, here we are looking forward to it
going up into the 30's today & Thursday!!! just
before more snow & another deep freeze for the weekend....
I wish we could vote to terminate winter - would probably cause all kinds of environment problems though.
Mary, I am terribly concerned about my g'daughter - her name is Amie. She is ok this am but she is alone at night while her husb is out taking care of other people in emergencies. I called my son this am, Amie's dad, and told him she should not be alone at night. He said he is going to insist she come and stay with them tonight. Amie's husb will be home thurs night for 4 nights.
Her BP has gone up from about 114/64 to 136/96 (last one taken last night) I took her an auto BP thingee and left it with her. I told her to lie on her side - she prefers the right side. She said they did blood workup yesterday am for preeclampsia - and they have dx her with mild preclampsia. I Assume her urine protein is normal if they let her go home. Mary, the thing that concerns me is her low platelets - but she said they are not concerned about that since they have been low since early preg. She did not know what blood tests they did - but I assume they did liver enzymes. I went over all the danger signs with her last night. She has not had any. To my knowledge she has not had BP problems before. She is 28 and 1st baby. I agree, I think they should just go ahead and induce since she is so close to her due date.
Thanks to all of you for the kind words and encouragement. John and I are also saying many prayers
Coreen, I am thinking about you and hoping this does not last long. Stay warm.
Coreen,
Our high for Fri. is 39 and Sat. is only 35 so we'll be freezing along with you. That's unusual for this area.
Carol, they still consider pregnancy a normal process. The problem is that women do not live normal lives any longer. We go out into the work world where all the stress is and I firmly believe and research shows that stress affects a pregnancy negatively. Amie is a computer programmer and is able to sit most of the day but in talking with her last night she has a lot of stress at work. I wish she would stop working until the baby is born, but she does not want to - so she is off to work today. She is a very healthy young woman - has always eaten good stuff and exercised regularly and no health problems before - so she has all that in her favor.
I'll keep her in my prayers jan. Best of luck.
I'm clueless about pregnancy, but wondering if something I do for high blood pressure might help. I drink a glass of either orange juice or low sodium V8 every day to get the potassium. I'm sure you all know the role it plays. I'll even drink Morton's salt substitute in water if it gets too high. Seems like a very harmless way to lower potassium and to make sure the muscles relax.
Maybe even a good epsom salts bath. It may not be the cause of the blood pressure, but it might help.
I hear they're backing off the ban on alcohol after the first trimester. My "nephew's" wife was allowed to drink. I know back in the day the doctor actually prescribed a beer a day for my mother to keep her weight up and I turned out a bit crazy but did okay in school.
I'll see if I can dig out some tropical photos for ya'll. I think it's time we saw green.
Your chats about anti depressants have been interesting. I do believe that some people do need them, but feel they are overused, particularly among children. Sometimes we medicate children when all they really need is a better diet, more activity and less sitting around watching TV and other sedentary activities. I also think it has been a huge mistake to cut out recesses and music and art in schools. We all need recess and music and art, but especially children.
Jan,
How low are her platelets? Tell her to really try lying on her left side. I see B/P's go down significantly after resting on the left side. I'll be praying for her also.
Speaking of depression again, I went through some grief or depression years ago and felt pretty hopeless for a period of time. I saw a psychiatrist and he gave me a RX for antidepressants. I carried the RX around for several months and never filled it, and then found a good therapist. She was a MS Social Worker with a lot of experience in counsing - about 50 some years old and I credit her with saving my life. When it comes to psych treatment, I feel the credentials a person has are not as important as their experience.
Please excuse all the stream of consciousness this morn. I think it is just some anxiety.
I've fought depression since I was a child. I'm thinking of more serious cases. SSRIs don't have a good track record in those cases. Everyone needs to look at lifestyle changes for long term help.
Ritalin becomes a quick fix too. For kids the zero tolerance, the tight restrictions and lack of release on top of absentee or divorced parents is suicidal for an entrepreneurial culture. When I taught on open house night I had two sets of parents show up for 150 students. We're losing the bonds that helped relieve stress through shared lives.
Don and Mary, thank you so much for your prayers.
Interesting thing about alcohol. I think the recommendation is still no alcohol during pregnancy. I guess individual docs make their own recommendations.
Thanks for the advice about juices. I will tell her about that. I am not sure if any specific foods will make a difference now - but can't hurt.
The only thing that will get the BP back to normal now is getting the baby out.
Mary, I told her about the left side. She said she will try that. She has been laying on the R side - b/c of the way the baby is laying. INteresting, no one has told her to do this. Can you believe that? I googled pre-eclamp last night and it said research does not show that lying on your L side does not make any difference - but they did say it can't hurt. Of course, I don't agree with a lot of the newer research about several things - like the research now says self breast exams are not effective. Bulls...t!
Guys, can not chase the upcoming cold spell away, but I put up a new post.
...should have said "research shows lying on L side does not make a difference in BP."
No one better take away my antidepressants. If you want to see someone go from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde, just take away my Cymbalta. I agree, Don, that they don't seem to work very well after taking them for awhile. I can really feel when they quit working and that's when I switch back to Zoloft. Then when I build up a resistance to the Zoloft, I switch back to Cymbalta.
I agree with Jan that I think they over prescribe for children.
Don, my mother was depressed most of her life- and was suicidal when I was 10-16. I think I was her major sounding board for most of my childhood. I know how terrible depression can be.
I agree about meds for ADHD & ADD too. That also runs in my family (on my dad's side). You are so right, but one of the problems is that when parents do show up they are sometimes not listened to or made to feel they are failing as parents.
Coreen, OK I am moving to the new post. Thanks for the heads up.
I know very little about depression and its effects, but am hoping the photos on the new
post will chase away those winter blues for
ahile.
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