Why Antidepressants Don’t Work for Treating Depression

Here’s some depressing recent medical news: Antidepressants don’t work. What’s even more depressing is that the pharmaceutical industry and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have deliberately deceived us into believing that they do work. As a physician, this is frightening to me. Depression is among the most common problems seen in primary-care medicine and soon will be the second leading cause of disability in this country.

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine provides the evidence. It found that drug companies selectively publish studies on antidepressants. They have published nearly all the studies that show benefit, but almost none of the studies that show these drugs are ineffective.1

That warps our view of antidepressants, leading us to think that they do work. And it has fueled the tremendous growth in the use of psychiatric medications, which are now the second leading class of drugs sold, after cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The problem is even worse than it sounds, because the positive studies hardly showed benefit in the first place. For example, 40 [...]

Why eco-fabrics? I’ll tell you why.

Obviously recycling or buying vintage is the most green way to shop. But if you jones for new clothes faster than Samantha Jones goes through condoms, eco-fabrics got you covered.

Bamboo
You’ve heard us wax rhapsodic about bamboo clothes before. No, they don’t come with a cute Panda bear – but they do have antimicrobial properties. Bamboo fabric is a natural textile made from the pulp of the bamboo grass. It feels like silk jersey – and is comfy beyond belief. Bamboo fabric has something in it called “Bamboo Kun” which means it’s naturally an antibiotic – even after 50 washes! Believe it or not, regular cotton is treated with pesticides and they do seep into your skin.  Another cool fact about bamboo is it’s got mild UV blocking protection, so you don’t have to go too nutty with the SPF when you rock the ‘boo. So, I’m kinda in love with my Panda Snack tee shirts which are comfier than my 25-year-old nightie from Disneyworld.

Seaweed
Seaweed is something I wrap my salads in [...]

5 Simple Ways to Eat More Compassionately in the New Year

1. Eat less chicken and fewer eggs. When you reduce or eliminate chicken and egg consumption, you’re helping some of the most abused animals on the planet. Chickens raised for meat are crammed by the thousands into filthy warehouses and denied access to the outdoors, fresh air and sunlight for their entire lives. Specifically excluded from the Federal Humane Slaughter Act, chickens are carried through the slaughter process so rapidly that many are injured but not killed and are instead boiled alive when it comes time to remove their feathers. Gardein and Quorn, two brands widely available in supermarkets, make chicken alternatives that — wait for it — taste just like chicken! Minus the fear and suffering, of course.

Chickens raised for eggs don’t have it much better. They are packed so tightly in fetid cages that they can never engage in basic natural behaviors or even stretch their wings. Millions are starved for a few weeks each year to shock their bodies into another egg-laying cycle. Think about it: Is [...]

Sex, Self-Esteem and the Goddess Cure

We’ve all had those moments where our minds go on a scary adventure to fear. It’s the “fear mind” that resembles a monkey with rabies and tends to be rather abusive and pessimistic. It says things like: “You can’t do that”; “Who do you think you are?”; “Ewww, gross, you have cellulite on your ass when you move like that in bed!” It’s really like a mind bully, except that bully is a part of our psyche. Not YOU necessarily, but part of the way our minds work as humans. Sooo … we best get to learn how to work with the rabies monkey “fear mind.”

One place that is often ignored when we talk about “fear mind” is sex. We talk about our fear to find love, our fear to take risks and start our own business or get a new job; but when it comes to sex, we might as well be Puritans living in the 1800s churning butter. All funky feelings arise and suddenly Harvard scientists, [...]

Aquarius New Moon – Year of the Dragon

January 23, 2012—It’s the first new moon of 2012, and this time, it’s also the Chinese New Year. The fierce, fabulous Dragon roars in; the flames of its breath fanned by air-sign Aquarius. Dragon years are intense and karmic and can bring births, deaths and major transformations. The last one was in 2000, another year like 2012 that had significant myths and even legends around it (remember the Y2K data-crash scare that never happened?). End of the world? Doubtful, but with the Dragon’s transformative powers, it might be the end of the world as we know it, a time of important change.

Aquarius rules the zodiac’s eleventh house of groups, humanitarian causes and technology. At the Aquarius new moon, ponder your role in society, where you fit into a group or what difference you’d like to make this year. This is a great time to rally the troops around a cause using social media or by planning an event. Bring business cards if you head to a Chinese New Year party [...]