ARP 358 - Be Careful Using Nutmeg

Nutmeg has been around for centuries used for good and for evil. The evil part comes in when traders who couldn't get their hands on the actual spice would make wooden balls out of anything and sell it . 

The TLDR is that you have to be careful with nutmeg. You can have it in small amounts. And I do mean small. A pinch, a dash or maybe just a quarter of a teaspoon. 

Anyway tricksters and flimflam theft of funds goes way back. And it does move forward. 

My email got flooded with news about nutmeg for anxiety symptoms and treatment. The truth is out there but with AI writing blog posts and SEO spamification, it is getting harder to know if you reading accurate information.

So in this episode I want to present to you some information you can use if you come across an ad for a website stating this spice is a viable for anxiety symptoms. There is no medical proof that it does but that won't stop a lot of people from trying it.


If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Mosby's Book on Herbs and Natural Supplements by Linda Skidmore-Roth. Check your local library or if you want to purchase, visit your online book vendor.  There is an e-book version available.

There is a page on Drugs.com about Nutmeg.

Abstract from Encyclopedia of Toxicology (Third Edition) 2014, Pages 630-631

National Capital Poison Control Center Kitchen Surprises and Cautions

A 2020 Toxicology Question of the Week Nutmeg, a Potentially Uninvited Holiday Guest?

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 357 - Mindfulness vs Meditation

There are times when you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. You will get to a destination. Hopefully the one that you intended to get to. 

In this episode I wanted to help make clear the difference between mindfulness and the practice/tool/application of meditation.

I have to be honest, it isn't for everybody. There are people that have weaponized the terms. Or feel that it isn't strong enough for what they are going through. 

Or they don't have time to sit and breathe. They have real life problems and asking them to take an hour to take care of themselves it a bit much.

I understand. 

I would submit that you have to be ready to do this. I think there can be great benefits in reducing symptoms. I do think it should be in your anxiety tool kit.

But only if you are ready to take it on. 


If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Image Comics page on the trade paperback on A Haunted Girl, you can get a sense of the graphic novel and if you want to dip your toes into both horror and depression. 

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has an interview with the creators of the book and how it relates to the organization. 

From Mindful.org a 25-page Guide to Mindfulness pdf with suggestions on how to get started. 

App

Insight Timer contains a lot of different meditation content from a variety of creators. It also has sleep modules and breathing practices. It is available on Android and iOS.

Audio/Podcast

Steven Webb's Inner Peace Meditations podcast with episodes specific to anxiety relief. 

Books

Detox Your Thoughts by Andrea Bonior, PhD on how you can handle mind chatter and stay in the present moment. 

ADAA self help book on Anxiety and Depression Association of America Patient Guide to Mood and Anxiety Disorders 

Video

There are multiple mediations on YouTube. I'm focusing on those that specific have anxiety or related conditions as their focus.

Dr. Andrew Huberman talking about Physiological Sigh type of breathing. This is a segment of a video from the Tim Ferris podcast. 

Then from Stanford University, there is Cyclic sighing where in 90 seconds you can get a bit of relief. This video discusses the reasons and the technique at 1:21 minutes into the video. 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 356 Pebble on Panic Attack and Panic Disorders

This is a quick pebble in the road about the differences between a panic attack and a panic disorder. I got distracted by an ad for psycho-neutrients but I got there eventually.

Just a bit of housekeeping. I will be making short recordings for the month of June. I have things to attend to and time is going to be a challenge. Might do more recording on my phones to keep up with the doings and the responsibilities.

 

Well, today I had to do a recoding on my phone. My audio is jacked up again after updating my system.

 

Happens every three or four months. Don't know why.  Pixel 6 to the rescue.

Panic disorder is when you have panic attacks on a regular basis or you have the fear of having them again. 

So what can you do about it? 

First you need to rule out any physical health problems. You need to see a doctor and get examined to rule out other physical conditions. 

Second, you need to get educated about it to understand what is happening. You have many options on treatment. . 

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has a downloadable brochure about Panic Disorder, When Fear Overwhelms. 

There is also good information at the non-profit organization, Helpguid.org

Traditional treatment can include medication or therapy. 

You also should consider breathing exercises, relaxation and meditation, nutrition support, and movement.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

The National Institute of Mental Health has a page on Panic Disorder: When Fear Overwhelms.

Helpguide.org is a non-profit organization that has a lot of information about mental health issues.

They have a lot of information about panic attacks and panic disorders.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 355 - L-Theanine for Anxiety

This pebble in the road is about the amino acid L-Theanine. There are contradictory claims about how it can help a person.

It can make you more alert versus it can relax you.

It can help with getting to sleep versus it can help you to focus.

It helps with stress and anxiety.

And if you do a regular search, you will come up with very positive reviews and endorsements. Mostly from blogs and websites that have affiliate deals or who are trying to sell you something.

I have been bit in the humiliation zone about assuming things. I think I know something rock solid. Come to find out I might have understood 60 percent of it. 

This is not a bad thing, if you know that you have to double-check yourself and what other people tell you.  Especially when it comes to putting something in your mouth to help your anxiety.

In this episode a quick look at what it is, the ways you can take it, and information resources that can help you make an informed decision.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Cleveland Clinic information page on L-Theanine

FDA page on L-Theanine generally regarded as safe. 

ADAA.org page on Should I Treat my Depression or Anxiety with Nutraceuticals and Herbs?

Via PubMed and the Nutrition Journal, 2010 look at prior studies on Nutritional and herbal supplements for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 354 Basic Info on A.I. and Mental Health Apps

There is a lot of turbulence in the mental health space. All kinds of mischief is going on and a portion of Americans who are trying to go back to 1862.

It is crazy but I don't think that is a strong enough word for it.  In this episode, I have a very simplistic definition of what is an AI Language Model and what is a scripted AI chatbot and a wee bit on what is or could be a generative A.I. chatbot or treatment option.

We need to understand what is happening in the entrepreneurial mental health market place.

There is a collision of problems;

• Not enough mental health providers.
• Financial access to mental health care.
• Geographical and transportation access to mental health care.
• and a whole bunch more....

There are serious, thoughtful ethically motivated research into using new technologies to provide access to anxiety and other types of mental health treatment. 

And then there is the bum rush of companies and private investors wanting to slap something up against a wall and hopes it sticks around long enough to make a profit.

Ooh, almost forgot - opportunistic low life vermin as well.

Case in point.

I recently got an email that told me that mental health is the next hot niche. And that for x amount of money, I could have oodles of videos explaining about, mental health and wellness topics.

My best and unsupported guess is that somebody somewhere has created a bunch of A.I. videos with A.I. voices that scraped content from multiple places and then have an AI video generator to create into various social media video formats.

This type of income enhancement is nothing new. And the offer of private label content is a old as the printing press. Rich guy want to show he is impressive. Hires ghost writer to enhance his reputation. 

We are being flooded with crappy content for profit.

My fellow travelers on the road, it is rough but our power and defense is being informed. 

Let's get to it.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Rose Cartwright's question everything she had been told about mental illness. This article appears in The Guardian. 

Common Craft video on Large Language Models on YouTube - This video does not have narration. It is a readable video. 

IBM definition of What is a Chatbot?

MedPage Today article on The Dark Side of AI in Mental Health High demand for AI training data may increase unethical practices in collecting patient data, by Michael DePeau-Wilson.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 353 - ADAA Online Support Groups

This is a pebble in the road about the ADAA On-line Support Group. 

 

Sometimes you need to connect to an actual human being. Or a group of people that share your problem or have similar questions. 

 

Behind the vail, lots of things happening and I'm trying to adjust to them. In future episodes, probably starting with this one, there will be a transcript available. It will be 90% accurate. If your podcast player supports transcripts, it should be visible

 

Meaning, that most of what I mention in the episode is present but after I do a bit of editing, tweaking and finding out that I made a big honking mistake it might be a little different.

 

It is the right thing to do but I have to find a way to consistently do it. And then go back and do it for the older episodes as well. 

 

It is humbling. So many typos and lapses of thought. 

 

Yikes.

 

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) has a support community using the HealthUnlocked service. You must first sign into the group. 

 

Please create a second email or alias email. In my opinion, using Google or Facebook logins can lead to cookies and tracking. This could expose you to multiple ads and undesired communication.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 352 - Breathing Necklaces or Buyer Beware

In this episode a look at breathing necklaces, which are supposed to help you control your breathing. These things irk me. It isn't that they don't have a purpose. But you don't need them.

It is ok to want one or have it around your neck as a touchpoint or you really do understand how to use them. That is what I wanted to communicate in the recording.

I had to cut a lot of stuff out of the episode. I was going on and on about anxiety gizmo advertorials in traditional and on-line magazines.  

Somebody told them about affiliate links and the blurring of editorial and advertising content. 
Some of them did not get the memo on the correct way to do this.

A lot of blurring and smudging going on.


If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

National Health Service has a page on breathing exercises for stress.

From Harvard Health Publishing, Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response.

From Mindful Magazine and their website, an audio recording of a 12-minute 4--7-8 breathing practice. 

Every Mind Matters - NHS 2 minute-ish Breathing Practice

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.