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The number of Americans using antidepressants doubled in only a decade, while the number seeing psychiatrists continued to fall, a study shows. About 10% of Americans — or 27 million people — were taking antidepressants in 2005, the last year for which data were available at the time the study was written. That’s about twice the number in 1996, according to the study of nearly 50,000 children and adults in today’s Archives of General Psychiatry. Yet the majority weren’t being treated for depression. Half of those taking antidepressants used them for back pain, nerve pain, fatigue, sleep difficulties or other problems, the study says.

Click here to read the whole story from USA Today

Dr. Garber’s Comments:

The information in this article raises so many issues it’s hard to know where to even start. More and more people are being prescribed antidepressants, not necessarily for depression and not necessarily by psychiatrists. There are serious consequences to taking these drugs as I have discussed many times before. The whole concept of the “off-label” use of drugs and how the pharmaceutical companies promote it is finally coming under scrutiny, as recently witnessed by Pfizer’s $2.3 billion fine for it’s dangerous off-label promotion of several of it’s drugs. The fact that many people who would benefit from psychiatric care don’t get it because of inadequate or no insurance coverage for that type of care, and end up being prescribed potentially harmful drugs by by doctors who’s expertise lay elsewhere, is just one small piece of the current health care delivery mess we have now.

Click here to learn about Dr. Garber’s safe and effective homeopathic depression formula

Can’t sleep? You have plenty of company. About half of all adults experience insomnia on occasion, and 1 in 10 battle insomnia on a regular basis, according to the Cleveland Clinic. If you fall into one of those groups, chances are you’re already following the tried-and-true rules for a good night’s sleep: Don’t have too much caffeine (especially late in the day), don’t exercise late at night, keep your bedroom at a cool, comfortable temperature, and make sure your bed, pillows and linens are comfy. Those are all good tips, but there are lesser-known things you can try to help you get more rest.

Click here to read the whole story from Woman’s Day

Dr. Garber’s Comments:

Of the tips presented in this article, some are tried and true while some may surprise you. For instance, not trying to clear your mind. Trying to clear you mind of the persistent thoughts keeping you awake can backfire if you’re not able to do it. Along those same lines, looking at the clock only forces your mind to calculate how much, or rather how little, time you have left before you have to get up, further stimulating your mind awake. Something I stress to everyone is never watch the news on TV before going to sleep - it’s sure to adversely effect the quality of your sleep. One topic conspicuously absent from this article is that of beds and mattresses. Physical comfort and support is extremely important to a good night’s sleep. I will be discussing these and more in a tele-seminar on sleep later this year. Keep an eye out for details.

Click here to learn about Dr. Garber’s safe and effective homeopathic sleep formula

A March 30, 2009 article in the Los Angeles Times sited a new poll by the National Sleep Foundation. It found that 27% of Americans say “anxieties about personal finances, the economy or a job loss kept them awake in the previous month.” Even in the best of times, sleep disorders affect as much as 34 percent of the U.S. population - a virtual epidemic. But when times are trying, as they are in this economy, one of the first symptoms people tend to experience is insomnia.

In recent years studies have begun to link chronic sleep deprivation to serious physical health consequences. Regularly catching only a few hours of sleep can hinder metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging. Chronic sleep loss may speed the onset or increase the severity of age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and memory loss. Researchers have shown that just one week of sleep deprivation altered subject’s hormone levels and their capacity to metabolize carbohydrates.

The list of side effects from prescription sleep drugs is long, with the most common being headache, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, muscle and joint pain. The most commonly prescribed class of sleep drug has been shown, in addition, to produce some pretty bizarre behavior. People have been arrested while “sleep-driving” as a result of having taken these drugs and some people have reported “sleep-eating,” sleepwalking into their kitchen, consuming thousands of calories with no memory of it in the morning!

The same LA Times article quoted a sleep specialist at a well regarded medical center in NY as saying that “strange sleep behavior can occur naturally and it’s wrong to blame the pills… .” This doctor also just happens to be a consultant for Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of Ambien (the top selling sleep drug) and commented at the their request. These bizarre side effects are so significant that the FDA in 2007 ordered the makers of Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata and ten others to issue strong new label warnings.

It is because of the prevalence of sleep disorders, the terrible effect sleep deprivation has on the body and the even more terrible side effects produced by prescription sleep drugs that I developed Dr. Garber’s Natural Solutions® for Sleep. This unique, all natural homeopathic formula helps you achieve a restful night’s sleep without the unpleasant and often dangerous side effects of prescription sleep drugs. Some people find that taking Dr. Garber’s Natural Solutions for Anxiety and/or Depression during the day and the Sleep formula before bed produces an even better result, depending on their particular circumstances.

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