16 Ways Depression Is Like a Pumpkin

1. It comes in all shapes and sizes (and diagnoses).

2. With enough creativity, you can it put it to good use.

3. You have to carefully monitor kids around it.

4. It arrives in October, and stays through the holidays.

5. It can be heavy and cumbersome.

6. It can be ugly.

7. It never grows alone, and it has long roots.

8. You can carve different faces on it.

9. Birds and humans crap all over it.

10. It likes ghosts and dead people (the past, in general), and phobias of all kind.

11. Like an 11-year-old boy, you really want to smash it.

12. It can make you think of Thanksgiving, and everything you have to be grateful for.

13. You can’t just hide it or forget about it, because after a few months, it will rot, decay, and stink up your entire house.

14. It’s orange, meaning “ALERT: something isn’t right.”

15. A lot of people have one, but most don’t put theirs out on the porch (like I do) for everybody to see (and comment on).

16. After you dig out its guts and give it a light, it can be made into something beautiful (at least temporarily).

We believe this was written by Therese Borchard at the blog Beyond Blue

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Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

Isn’t it great to know who is really in control?
– Sent in my Myna (thank you!)

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“Reset” Your Disrupted Internal Clock Naturally - Using a Dawn-Dusk Simulator

October 7, 2008

Circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour daily cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living beings – from plants and animals to fungi and single-cell cyanobacteria. The term “circadian,” coined by pioneer researcher Franz Halberg, comes from the Latin circa “around,” and diem or dies, “day,” meaning literally “approximately one day.”

The formal study of biological temporal rhythms such as daily, tidal, weekly, seasonal, and annual rhythms, is called chronobiology. Circadian rhythms can be trained by external cues. The primary one is daylight. These rhythms allow organisms to anticipate and prepare for precise and regular environmental changes.

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Clearing the Fog: Coping with the Cognitive Dysfunction of Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

September 10, 2003From The Arthritis Foundation’s Good Living with Fibromyalgia Workbook.*

Many people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia experience episodes of unclear thinking or cognitive dysfunction.

They become forgetful, lose their train of thought, forget words or mix them up. This is what is popularly called “brain fog” or “fibro fog.”

Following are some basic memory and communication tips that can help you deal with episodes of minor cognitive dysfunction.

Here are some common-sense pointers that can help you clear the fog:

you’re a click away from 9 good pointers…

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 by Don Uslan, MA, MBA, LMHC

Seattle WA

…People with fibromyalgia (FM)and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)often face special predicaments thatkeep them from fully enjoying this timeof year. Turn a new leaf, and do whatyou can to prevent your less-thanperfecthealth from putting a damperon the season’s festivities. Gear up tohave a ball this year by reading thefollowing common scenarios andadvice on how to handle them.Scenario: Company is coming, thehouse is a mess, and you don’t havethe energy to pick up. How are yougoing to get your house cleaned?You can suggest that the familygatherings take place at someoneelse’s home, but you believe thatyear after year of not hosting buildsresentment toward you. You feelawful when you have to say NObecause you want to see your familytoo. As a result, the holidays are atime of feeling badly about yourself,

and how can you look forward to that?

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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Accessibility for United Methodist Churches

The following is taken from Accessibility Audit for Churches, A United Methodist Resource Book about Accessibility. Page 9-10

http://www.holoweb.com/survivors/UMC_Statement.htm

Access for Those Who Are Chemically Sensitive
 
Indoor air pollution can be a serious deterrent to worship for people who have severe reactions to indoor and outdoor air pollution as well as to extremely low levels of chemicals generally regarded as safe. These reactions can occur in persons with severe illness (such as AIDS or asthma) or with multiple chemical sensitivities. Awareness of this disability is just emerging, and churches and other buildings typically have not been built or operated to take indoor and out-door air contaminants into account. However, we are becoming increasingly aware of links between environmental pollutants and sickness.
  
The National Academy of Sciences estimates that 15 percent of the population has some degree of sensitivity to chemicals. This population includes people from all areas of life and with a wide range of reactions. At one end of the range are those who merely have a headache when exposed to a neighbor’s perfume, but the headache will cease when the exposure is discontinued. Towards the other end of the range are those who have severe migraines that last for hours after the exposure is discontinued. Still other people may fall asleep during the sermon or experience debilitating fatigue for days or become confused and unable to think clearly because of reactions to chemicals in the church. Some may even lose physical coordination or experience seizures or life-threatening reactions. Disabilities caused by sensitivity to chemicals are often invisible and they come and go with exposure. Sometimes reactions are delayed until after the exposure. These are not allergic reactions and are often more severe than allergies.
 
The mechanism causing these reactions is not understood. Because of the lack of understanding and the invisible and situational causes of this disability, other people may mistakenly conclude that a person with special sensitivities is not really physically sick at all or could use ‘will power’ or drugs to overcome them. Such attitudinal barriers cause withdrawal of emotional and spiritual support at a time when it is most needed. Sufferers from chemical sensitivities not only have to cope with the strain of their disability but may also have to make drastic lifestyle changes such as giving up certain clothing, furniture, work, recreation, church, and friends.
  
Taking drugs, as some suggest, may actually increase the disability, because people who are chemically sensitive are often hypersensitive to drugs.
 
Making churches more accessible for people with environmental disabilities may seem to pre-sent a formidable challenge. Nevertheless, a large amount of improvement in air quality is achievable with very little effort. Sources of indoor pollution in church facilities include smoking; pesticides used and stored indoors; combustion exhaust from hot water heaters, furnaces, and gas stoves; volatile organic compounds in cleaning materials; fumes from laser printers, copiers, and other office equipment; air fresheners and deodorizers; interior mold and mildew; kerosene lamps and candles (particularly scented ones); recent remodeling; dyes and fixatives in new drapes, carpets, and upholstery; chemicals, particles, and microorganisms found in heating and cooling systems; asbestos and radon; and flowers that have been treated with pesticides. Inadequate fresh air brought into the ventilation system; improperly maintained filters and poor air duct design in such systems; and ventilation shared in common with rooms that have a source of contamination can aggravate indoor pollution problems. 
 
Sources of outdoor pollution include herbicides and pesticides used for lawn care and emissions from vehicles idling in the parking lot. Church members who are wearing scented products, hair sprays, freshly dry-cleaned clothing, or clothing that was cleaned with fabric softeners, or who have been in a smoky room, will significantly contribute to indoor air pollution. In fact, indoor air pollution and perfumes worn by fellow worshippers can make church one of the most difficult places to go for chemically sensitive persons.
  
Elimination of pollutants at their source is generally necessary for those who experience disabling reactions to low levels of pollution and to a variety of products (typically petrochemicals). While it may be extremely difficult to accommodate the most severely chemically sensitive, many with moderate levels of sensitivity can be accommodated relatively easily, and incremental additional efforts will help those with greater degrees of sensitivity. Churches will be rewarded for additional effort by the knowledge that they are not only performing an important ministry for the range of persons who are sensitive to chemicals but also helping others who do not realize they are affected by environmental pollution. They will also be increasing everyone’s awareness of environmental stewardship issues. The Accessibility Audit will provide a frame-work for beginning to consider indoor air pollution in order to make our churches more comfortable and less toxic for those who are healthy, as well as for those with multiple chemical sensitivities.
 
Rather than costing a lot of money, many accommodations for persons who are chemically sensitive may require no more than minor adjustments. Flexibility on the part of church leaders and a spirit of accommodation on the part of the congregation will go a long way towards individualizing circumstances to meet the needs of a particular chemically sensitive person. Churches may find that making these accommodations will increase the physical comfort level and alertness of many people who had not previously complained of pollutants. Churches may also find that they save money in the long run, as in the case of prohibiting smoking in church buildings or using hard flooring materials rather than carpeting.
 
Two United Methodist resources on indoor air pollution are: Indoor Air Quality: A Guide for Local/ Churches (stock #5136) and Church-Related Health Facilities and Indoor Air Quality (stock #5138), available in small quantities, free except for postage and handling, from the Service Center, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church, 7820 Reading Road Caller No. 1800 Cincinnati OH 43222-1800.

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Factors Associated with Depression Among Individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Findings from a Nationally Representative Survey - Source: Family Practice, Oct 3, 2008

by E Fuller Thomson, J Nimigon
October 10, 2008

Objectives: Most previous research regarding chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and depression has relied on clinical samples. The current research determined the prevalence and correlates of depression among individuals with CFS in a community sample.

Methods: The nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey, conducted in 2000/2001, included an unweighted sample size of 1,045 individuals who reported a diagnosis of CFS and had complete data on depression. Respondents with CFS who were depressed (n = 369) were compared to those who were not depressed (n = 676). Chi-square analyses, t-tests and a logistic regression were conducted.

Results:
• Thirty-six per cent of individuals with CFS were depressed.

• Among individuals with CFS, depression was associated with lower levels of mastery and self-esteem.

• In the logistic regression analyses, the odds of depression among individuals with CFS were higher for females, younger respondents, those with lower incomes and food insecurity, and those whose activities were limited by pain.

• Two in five depressed individuals had not consulted with any mental health professional in the preceding year.

• Twenty-two per cent of depressed respondents (7.9 per cent of all those with CFS) had seriously considered suicide in the past year.

• Individuals with CFS who were depressed were particularly heavy users of family physicians, with an average of 11.1 visits annually (95% confidence interval = 10.7, 11.6).

Conclusion: It is important for clinicians to assess depression and suicidal ideation among their patients with CFS, particularly among females, those reporting moderate to severe pain, low incomes and inadequate social support.

Source: Family Practice, Oct 3, 2008. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18836094, by Fuller-Thomson E, Nimigon J. Department of Family and Community Medicine; Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. [E-mail: esme.fuller.thomson@utoronto.ca]

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Dogs Know Things
by Suzette Brawner
02/26/07

I have always had a dog. I really don’t remember life without a dog, until now. Our 15-year-old Labrador retriever died last fall and we haven’t tried to replace her. I heard once that you aren’t a real empty nester until all the kids are gone and the dog dies. I guess I now officially fit into the empty nester category.

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“Life has been so hard, I don’t even want to get out of bed in the morning.”

Pain and suffering are not meant to kill or destroy you, they are meant to strengthen your faith.

When I was thirty-five years old, there was a time I was so depressed from what I thought life had “dealt” me, that all I wanted was to crawl under the covers and never show my face again.

I blamed all my miseries on this job, and that person, and those circumstances. I can remember being so discouraged over a heart-breaking ministry situation that I lay upstairs in my daughter Kari’s room, not eating for almost four days. Each of my children would come up and try to encourage me, but I’d just tell them to go away—I didn’t want to face anyone or anything. Norma did her best to break me out of the doldrums as well, but for days I stayed in a darkened room, alone with my misery.

Finally, I remember telling my wife that I had made an important decision. I was getting out of the ministry. I didn’t want any part of all the stress and broken promises I’d faced, and I was going to leave and get into some other kind of work.

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What Is Wrong with Artificial Sweeteners?

by Dr. Scott Olson, ND
October 14, 2008

“Almost every artificial sweetener has been a by-product of chemical experiments where the person doing the experiments accidentally tasted the chemical they were working with and noticed it was sweet.” - Dr. Scott Olson, ND, author of Sugarettes: Sugar Addiction and Your Health*

When you reach for that packet of artificial sweetener, do you know what you are getting?

You may have read the news that sugar and certain foods that act like sugar in your body can be bad for your health - and that may have convinced you that you should remove sugars from your diet. That is a good idea, but if you think that artificial sweeteners might be a good way to deal with that nagging sweet tooth, you might want to think again.

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