June 2008

The “chemical imbalance” myth

By on June 30, 2008 in Depression, Myths & Truths | 63 comments

"A theory that is wrong is considered preferable to admitting our ignorance." - Elliot Vallenstein, Ph.D. The idea that depression and other mental health conditions are caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain is so deeply ingrained in our psyche that it seems almost sacrilegious to question it. Direct-to-consumer-advertising (DCTA) campaigns, which have expanded the size of the antidepressant market (Donohue et al., 2004), revolve around the claim that SSRIs (the most popular class of antidepressants) ...
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The "chemical imbalance" myth

By on June 30, 2008 in Depression, Myths & Truths | 82 comments

"A theory that is wrong is considered preferable to admitting our ignorance." - Elliot Vallenstein, Ph.D. The idea that depression and other mental health conditions are caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain is so deeply ingrained in our psyche that it seems almost sacrilegious to question it. Direct-to-consumer-advertising (DCTA) campaigns, which have expanded the size of the antidepressant market (Donohue et al., 2004), revolve around the claim that SSRIs (the most popular class of antidepressants) ...
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A closer look at antidepressants

By on June 26, 2008 in Depression, Myths & Truths | 16 comments

I'd like to thank everyone for their comments, both online and "offline" about my recent "Placebos as Effective as Antidepressants" article. Some very good questions were raised in a comment from Stephan, author of the highly recommended Whole Health Blog that I would like to address in today's article. The tricky thing about doing scientific research, as I explained in last week's article, is that conflicts of interest between doctors, researchers and pharmaceutical companies have become ...
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Vitamin D: the new super-nutrient?

By on June 24, 2008 in Cancer, Food & Nutrition, Heart Disease | 15 comments

In the last two weeks alone three articles have appeared in the scientific press about new studies reporting on vitamin D's many crucial roles in the body. Along with promoting strong bones, a healthy immune system and protection against some types of cancer, recent studies suggest vitamin D can treat heart failure, protect against heart attacks and reduce the risk of death from both cardiovascular and overall causes. Back in April I wrote an article called ...
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When it comes to drug claims, skepticism is healthy

By on June 20, 2008 in Depression, Medical Industrial Complex, Myths & Truths | 12 comments

I'm preparing for an upcoming presentation in September called "The (Hidden) Truth About Antidepressants", so I will be writing frequently about issues related to the definition, cause and treatment of depression in the weeks to come. Much of what I write may challenge your current beliefs and contradict what you've heard about depression and antidepressants. My hope is that today's post about the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on doctors, researchers and patients will inspire you ...
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Preventing heart disease without drugs

By on June 15, 2008 in Food & Nutrition, Heart Disease | 15 comments

In today's article we'll discuss how to prevent heart disease without drugs. If you haven't already read Part 1 of this series, which examined the problems with statin drugs, and Part 2, which debunks the myth that cholesterol causes heart disease, you might want to do that before reading this article. Last week I mentioned the INTERHEART study, which looked at the relationship between heart disease and lifestyle in 52 countries around the world. ...
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