I’ve moved my personal whining over to Selectively Social.

This was initially to be a science fiction blog but the person who wanted to write so badly was offered a job writing for a blog that paid. –It would appear that cash in hand is worth more than having your own blog.

I’m uncertain as to what this blog will become. I have a person who wants to take over, but she isn’t sure about how much time she can dedicate to the blog.

She’s a teacher which means lots of class prep time, conference time and very little leisure time.

Ah, well… What happens happens.

A man in India turned over some hairs he claims came from a Yeti.

This creature known as Bigfoot in America and Mande Barung in India, is said to stand some 3 meters tall and be covered with hair.

Mande Barung is also said to be a vegetarian. At almost 10ft tall and reportedly weighing some 600 lbs I would imagine that the people living in the area are relieved to hear that the creature doesn’t eat meat.

The BBC was given the hairs by passionate yeti believer Dipu Marak, who retrieved them from a site in dense jungle after the mande barung was allegedly seen by a forester for three days in a row in 2003.

The scientists have been examining the hair samples to determine if they are from some other animal and are sending at least some of the hairs to different laboratories for DNA testing.

In the mean time while examining these hairs under a microscope it was discovered that these creatures seem to suffer from split ends.

I wonder if you could get a small business loan to open a Yeti beauty salon in a remote canyon in India?

To read more click here.

One of my oldest friends has been dating a woman for several months. Last night they had a major blow-up.

Today my friend is wandering around looking lost and more than a little confused. He swears he has no clue what caused her to blow up and no idea whether or not he will see her again.

Rummaging through my mental files came up with this tidbit:
I once mentioned that among others my sister took Ativan and he said that his lady was taking Ativan for insomnia. She had been using Valium but she didn’t want the problems that she felt were associated with the drug so her doctor prescribed this.

Today I did a quick search to refresh my memory and low and behold, I find that Ativan is used to treat not just insomnia but anxiety as well.

Ativan is Lorazepam which has strong sedative/hypnotic effects, and is the most potent of its sister drugs Valium and Xanax.

So his lady’s doctor was just humoring her and gave her a highly addictive drug in the same family.

I’ve passed on this information and in so doing have inadvertently created even more confusion.

He’s seen other prescription bottles in her purse but never asked what they were.

It’s not as if he can walk up to her at this point and ask how many pills she takes and what’s she being treated for.

They’ve dated for quite a few months and have known each other for years. Based on the fact that she never mentioned any problems up to this point I would think that this indicates that if there is a problem either she has gotten worse very recently or doesn’t want him to know.

The only suggestion I could come up with is for him to go to her work when she’s not there and ask her friends if they know why she’s angry.

If she is simply angry with him she will have undoubtedly have told at least one of her friends why and he may or may not be able to fix what’s broken.

If she suffers from depression and/or anxiety she probably won’t have mentioned it but they may have noticed a change.

It’s strange how people keep things bottled up until they explode. Or worse, have a psychological problem and don’t tell the people nearest to them.

Life is a series of dilemmas and I wish him luck with this one.

According to Scientific American Magazine a new study confirms importance of early behavioral intervention in treating autism and the milder disorder known as Asperger’s syndrome.

Most studies of autism link it to genetics. The condition is often referred to as the “geek syndrome” because some studies have shown a high incidence of autism in areas like California’s Silicon Valley, where highly technical people are having children together.

It’s a familiar joke in the industry that many of the hardcore programmers in IT strongholds like Intel, Adobe, and Silicon Graphics - coming to work early, leaving late, sucking down Big Gulps in their cubicles while they code for hours - are residing somewhere in Asperger’s domain.

A group of scientists, led by a team at Children’s Hospital Boston, has pinpointed six new genes that may contribute to autism, a disorder characterized by asocial behavior, difficulty communicating and repetitive actions that affects an estimated one in 150 children born in the U.S. each year. They report in Science that all of the linked genes are involved in forming new and stronger connections, called synapses, between nerve cells in the brain, which is the biological basis of learning and memory formation.

“We’re showing, on the one hand, that autism seems to have a large genetic component,” says study co-author Christopher Walsh, chief of genetics at Children’s Hospital. “But, the genes that are involved are actually those that are involved in responding to the environment and learning.”

Walsh notes that many children diagnosed with autism tend to show vast improvement when they are placed in environments that allow them to practice learning repetitively. He says that these activities essentially train the neurons to make up for their lost function.

Let me begin by saying that I have little faith in doctors as a whole and even less in those that are outside the mainstream. — Too much “try this and let’s see what happens” and too few good diagnosticians.

I got lucky with my current doctor. He’s a homeopathic physician, but I go to him because he is the one the insurance company is willing to pay for.(He works cheap)
– He let’s me in on the details and puts most of the decision making in my court.
If your doctor is unwilling or unable to tell you what you need to know… Find a new doctor.

BTW: When dealing with medical offices it’s good to remember that those are your x-rays and your medical records, not theirs.

On recommendation of a friend I read what this doctor had to say in her article titled “The Nine Best Natural Medicines for Depression” on Kitchen Table Medicine and found that what she says makes sense.

She does not claim that a million IUs of some plant extract will instantly cure suicidal depression. Instead she says these may help, and for severe or chronic depression you need to consult a health care professional.

This is intended as a simple overview and a pointer towards the website. For complete information follow the link above and read what she says carefully.

Dr. Nicole Sundene makes several important clarifications in the article:

“Please do keep in mind when I am discussing depression I am doing so VERY generally and you will need to work with your health care provider to determine the type of depression you have whether it be mild, moderate, severe, bipolar or what not.”

“I also strictly advise AGAINST combining herbs or natural therapies (aside from vitamins, minerals, or fish oil) with any form of anti-depressants.”

“Before we get started let’s just be perfectly frank about what natural medicines and herbs will and will not do. Herbs work well for mild, moderate, and situational depression, however they will not likely be solely effective for SEVERE depression.”

“Addressing the root cause of your depression with therapy is fundamental to any treatment plan, whether prescription or alternative.”

St. John’s wort- This herb has been highly studied in many double blind research trials and shown to have significant effects similar to prescription anti-depressants.

Schisandra- “Chinese Prozac”

Passionflower- Gentle nervine relaxant

B-vitamins- “Now I never prescribe B-vitamins alone without prescribing the WHOLE family.”

Calcium/Magnesium- A simple quick fix for reducing the stress, muscle tension, and insomnia associated with depression.

Omega 3 Fatty acids- “Although fish oil is likely more efficacious than flax oil, I would experiment with the oil that works best for you.”

5-HTP- Is beneficial for insomnia, pain syndromes, schizophrenia, anorexia and bulimia, PMS, and migraine headaches.

S-adenosyl-Methionine (SAMe)- A natural amino acid anti-depressant that is part of the homocysteine metabolism pathway.

Vitamin D- Do NOT take more than 1000 IU of vitamin D without being monitored by your doctor.