Ketamine, the drug known as special K, has long been a favorite on the club scene. Originally developed as a battlefield anesthetic during the Vietnam War it found greater use as a veterinary tranquilizer the 1980s. In the 1990s however, it become a popular club drug. When snorted it causes euphoria, disassociation, and in large doses hallucination. Users also report feeling more social and open.

Several recent studies, however, suggest the drug can also combat depression. Unlike other anti-depressants that take weeks to work a dose of ketamine reverses depression in hours and for weeks after the high has faded. This has led several pharmaceutical companies to try to develop a drug that has ketamine’s depression fighting ability without the high.

Ketamine isn’t the only club drug getting medical attention. Mdma (ecstasy) is being used to combat PTSD and autism. LSD and psychedelic mushrooms are also being tested to combat depression and PTSD with positive results. Doctors claim these drugs are not dangerous when administered under the supervision of a doctor.

Ketamine has come under even more legal scrutiny recently because a legal analog of the drug methoxetamine, which has even more powerful effects is being sold online legally. The drug is technically unscheduled though state lawmakers are moving fast to change that. Look for advice online about enrolling in doctor supervised trails for ketamine and depression.

One of the most useful features on a car is the turn signal. The turn signal warns me that you’re about to slow down and make a turn or switch lanes. Why is this useful? So all the surrounding cars don’t become another death statistic. The only time it is acceptable not to use the turn signal is when it’s 2 a.m. and there are absolutely no cars on the road. I don’t appreciate you randomly slowing down and then I’m trying to figure out if you’re about to turn or you’re just in the mood to reduce your speed limit and slow down traffic.

On the flip side are people who put on their turn signals way too far in advance. I’m assuming you’re about to turn at the next street but you don’t turn for another 10 blocks! Equally as annoying are the people who just plain forget to turn off their signals and I have no idea where you are going or what you are doing.

While I have your attention, one last point. I’m at an intersection waiting at a light. I am driving straight across. You are opposite me and are making a left hand turn. I HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY, NOT YOU! I can’t tell you how many near accidents I’ve avoided because of this situation.

Learn to drive, maniacs.

Asktheinternettherapist.com has audiovisual and text chats available for anyone looking for someone to talk to about mental health issues. Although there is a disclaimer at the bottom that the information on the site is meant to complement information from your physician, not replace it, it can still be helpful for many.

Also on the site are free discussion boards where people can connect and network with other individuals who share similar experiences. As far as mediums of communication via the world-wide-web we offer video, telephone, chat, e-mail, and face-to-face in-office therapy. According to their site, “As far as mediums of communication via the world-wide-web we offer video, telephone, chat, e-mail, and face-to-face in-office therapy.The different issues covered by our online counselors and medical staff can range from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substance Abuse, Alcoholism, Family Issues, Relationship Problems, Marriage Problems, Career Coaching, Grief Help , Life Transition, Spiritual Guidance, Chiropractor Questions, Family Medicine, Massage Therapy, Nutrition Advice, Natural Medicine, Alternative Medicine, among many others.”

Costs range for $40-$120.

John Markoff of the New York Times, wrote a really great article in November of ’08 profiling Microsoft’s study of Cyberchondria. Cyberchondria is a term that was coined around 2000 that refers to the jumping to conclusions of one’s health conditions after reading health info on the web. If you’ve ever know someone who had a headache, looked it up on WebMD and then promptly determined they had a brain tumor, you’ve met a Cyberchondriac.

Microsoft ended up taking on a study that to survey popular health related web searches on popular search engines. The goal of the the study was to use the results to help shape the features of Microsoft’s search service, so it could be thought of as more of an adviser than a blind information retrieval tool.

From the article:

“They found that Web searches for things like headache and chest pain were just as likely or more likely to lead people to pages describing serious conditions as benign ones, even though the serious illnesses are much more rare.

For example, there were just as many results that linked headaches with brain tumors as with caffeine withdrawal, although the chance of having a brain tumor is infinitesimally small.

The researchers said they had not intended their work to send the message that people should ignore symptoms. But their examination of search records indicated that researching particular symptoms often led quickly to anxiousness.

They found that roughly 2 percent of all Web queries were health-related, and about 250,000 users, or about a quarter of the sample, engaged in a least one medical search during the study.

About a third of the subjects “escalated” their follow-up searches to explore serious illnesses, the researchers said.”

Pretty interesting stuff!

I had a friend of mine recently joke with me about how after she lost her health insurance; she had to resort to Googling her symptoms when she had a problem. But apparently she isn’t the only patient seeking the internet’s “expertise”.
A recent study done by Scarborough Research found that over half of teens use the internet as the primary way of diagnosing their illnesses. And only 75 percent of people are verifying the credibility of the information they find.
Online, you can find a range of diagnosis services, that allow you type in your symptoms and find possible causes. But with this convenience, comes the need for caution and careful evaluation of the information being given.
Sites like Yahoo and Wiki offer users a platform to post threads, a place where many divulge their health questions, and get answers from other users. Although sometimes it’s beneficial to hear from someone who has experienced the same symptoms as you, only a doctor can accurately assess your ailments. Things like your medical history need to be taken into consideration when diagnosing, something a computer program may overlook.
A big problem with online diagnosing is that a range of symptoms can be caused by a range of health problems. A search for “abdominal pain” or “stomach discomfort” could lead to a range of illnesses such as indigestion to colon cancer.
All in all, neither you nor the internet is a trained and licensed physician. So take the information you find with a grain of salt. Verify its credibility and if the problems are really serious, you should go see a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.

It may be surprising to know that mild anxiety might in fact be helpful to you to keep you focused and alert during circumstances which need your high attention. But a lot of times these mild anxieties grow into troublesome anxiety disorders where the person might become panicky for longer periods of time and observe symptoms like headache, stomach disorders, hyper tension etc. usually associated with excessive stress. Fortunately, treatment is available for such disorders. If you know that you have an anxiety disorder and if you seriously want to overcome it, anxiety therapy is a good and promising option. Different therapists suggest different therapies for the successful treatment of anxiety.

Major kinds of anxiety disorders:

- Generalized anxiety disorder: People having this kind of disorder develop a pessimistic attitude towards life usually. Such people have recurring fears and are constantly anxious about the future.

- Panic disorder: People facing panic; observe sudden feelings of fear and terror, which make them act abnormally at times. These people often become introverts and avoid getting involved in any activity for the fear of facing panic suddenly.

- Phobias: These are fears related to certain objects, people of circumstances.

- Obsessive-compulsive disorder: The person might get obsessed with some activity, routine, or a person. They might do some things more than often example-cleaning things obsessively to prevent germs.

- Post traumatic stress disorder: These occur in individuals who have witnessed or been a part of some terrible, traumatic incidence. As soon as they are reminded of that event or incidence they experience nausea, breathlessness, trembling and uncontrollable flood of emotions ranging from anger to sorrow.

Importance of anxiety therapy: As we can observe, most of the anxiety disorders occur as a result of fear which is the root cause of most of the problems. Anxiety therapy uses different methods to eliminate that fear and teaches the patient ways to cope with such issues later on. Anxiety disorder if left untreated may have unwanted consequences. Panic attacks may increase and might prove fatal for the sufferer. The fear which is growing inside the individual might prevent him from fulfilling his social, emotional as well as professional obligations. The life turns dull and the person either becomes totally unenthusiastic or turns into a social criminal. Appropriately trained therapists can successfully cure anxiety disorders. Two most popular kinds of therapy are: Behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy. Both are known to be highly effective in providing strength to anxious minded people. Anti anxiety medications may also form a part of therapy. The dosage and proper usage of drugs must be closely monitored by the physician who prescribes it.

One must understand that anxiety therapy is not instantaneous but is a complete process. It is very important for the patient to feel comfortable with the therapist and the overall proposed method of anxiety treatment,

All individuals are unique and so are the problems associated with them. Hence the anxiety therapy must be specifically designed for any person keeping in mind hi/her comfort level and lifestyle. Anxiety therapy is the best way to recover from any kind of fear, shock or trauma which might trouble you throughout your life.