Photo of the Day!

Swimming in September? A rare treat. Swimming on September 29? Never before. But the weather was balmy and I couldn't resist one last dip into Lake Washington. The water was crystal clear, the sun was warm(ish), and the water was about how it had been all summer long, in other words pretty cold! John was reading a book at a picnic table in the shade, in case I had heart attack. A Seattle Times staff photographer got down on his belly on the shoreline to get the shot.

SSRIs & NSAIDs cancel each other out

Dr. Shawn Talbott's latest e-newsletter warrants a full quote:

"Back in April, I wrote on my blog about a new study in the highly-respected scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that showed how common painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can interfere with the effects of antidepressant medications called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, and many others.

"I've received so many followup questions about the links between stress (and depression) and inflammation (and pain), that I thought I would update that original blog article and send the update out to the TALBOTT TIMES Newsletter.

"You can read the abstract of the PNAS study here =http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/04/20/1104836108.abstract

"The new research showed that the anti-depression benefits of SSRI drugs were "cancelled out" when taken along with painkillers (called NSAIDs for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). NSAIDs cancel out SSRIs - sounds like a lot of alphabet soup - but millions and millions of people take BOTH types of drugs everyday - so this is important research.

"We've known for a long time that depression and chronic pain are closely related in many ways. Both conditions share some of the same underlying biochemistry (related to stress hormones such as cortisol and inflammatory compounds such as cytokines) and people with depression tend to experience more episodes of chronic pain (and vice versa). Indeed, physical pain can undoubtedly make psychological pain (depression) worse - likely due to the finding that inflammation is known to worsen and perhaps evencause depression in many people. You might find it interesting to know that cytokines (inflammatory hormone-like chemicals produced in the body)

"Conventional wisdom would suggest that controlling depression might also help to control pain - and that reducing pain would help to alleviate depression. However, the research findings in the PNAS article suggest that painkiller drugs may actually interfere with the activity of antidepressant drugs - potentially making depression worse.

"I have written about the numerous problems with antidepressant drugs HEREand HERE as well as the problems associated with painkillers HERE - and now we have new evidence of further problems when they are used together.

"I also cover the links between inflammation and stress in some detail (full chapters on each) in my upcoming book, The Secret of Vigor - How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy - which will be released on 11/11/11. You can pre-order a copy from Amazon.com here."

Get Up!

A new study from the American Cancer Society shows that your risk of death is dependent on number of hours spent sitting, not just overall activity or inactivity, particularly for women.

• Women who reported more than six hours per day of sitting were 37% more likely to die during the study period than those who sat fewer than three hours a day.
• Men who sat more than six hours daily were 18% more likely to die than those who sat fewer than three hours per day.

When combined with lack of physical activity, the association was even stronger. Women and men who both sat more and were less physically active were 94% and 48% more likely, respectively, to die compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active.

Source: "Leisure Time Spent Sitting in Relation to Total lMortality in a Prospective Cohort of US Adults." Alpa V Patel, Leslie Bernstein, Anusila Deka, Heather Spencer Feigelson, Peter T Campbell, Susan M Gapstur, Grahm A Colditz, and Michael J Thun. Am J Epid Published online July 22, 2010 9DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwq155) as quoted in the August, 2011, issue of The Chiropractic Journal.

The authors conclude that "public health messages and guidelines should be refined to include reducing time spent sitting in addition to promoting physical activity."

The Mayo Clinic's N.E.A.T. lab recommends setting up a monitor and keyboard station over a treadmill and then walking at a rate of one mile per hour while working -- better for your body, and you'll think better, too!

New Testimonial

Check out our "testimonials" section for a new entry. Who do you know who needs a lifeline? We can help turn people's lives from despair to hope, from sickness to health, from illness to wellness!

Latest Laser Research

Low level laser therapy research covers lots of territory! Three recent studies show:

1. Improved quality of life for patients receiving radiation treatment for head and neck cancers;
2. Significantly decreased damage to heart tissue in experimental animals in whom heart attacks had been induced the previous day; and
3. Greatly increased range of motion in patients with shoulder impingement when compared with exercise alone.

Free Wellness Screening

Join us for a free Wellness Screening on Saturday, June 18, 11:30am-2:30pm at the Rudolph Steiner Bookstore (9727 Lake City Way). Call the store (206-985-2059) to schedule your appointment.

In evaluating our well-being, we always need to consider all three sides of the Health Triangle: physical, mental/emotional, and chemical. Three simple tests serve as screening tools to find out how any of these stresses may have impacted your health. The screening will include a Stress Survey plus Blood Pressure/Hormonal Stress, Toxicity, and Trigger Point tests.

Fundraiser-for-Japan Spa Day

Relaxation For You-Relief For Japan-Healing for Everyone: As we watched the images of suffering and devastation in Japan on the heels of the earthquake and tsunami, we decided to put our concern into action by supporting the UW Japanese Student Association's fundraising efforts with a Spa Day on April 1, from 4:00-8:00pm.

Here's the schedule of hands-on healing and classes and the donation amount for each:

4:00-8:00pm

15-minute seated Shiatsu (Nik Kanetomi) $5

15-minute Network chiropractic (Dr. Connie Amundson) $10

5-minute low level laser therapy (John Kanetomi) $5

1-hour Swedish massage-$30 (Sandy Matthews, LMP) $30

4:00-5:00pm

30-minute Alexander Technique classes--$5 (Catherine Kettrick, PhD, and David Mills, PhD) $5

1-hour Cranial-Sacral Therapy--$30 (Barbara Coon, LMP) (already booked!) $30

5:00-8:00pm

30-minute Reiki, Polarity Therapy, and Aromatherapy (Kate Bromley, LMP) $15

5:00-6:00pm

30-minute Qi Gong (Shoko Zama) $5

30-minute Tai Chi (Shoko Zama) $5

6:00-7:00pm

30-minute Yoga (Carol Levin) $5

7:00-8:00pm

30-minute Pilates (Cherie Boschma, BFA) $5

Here's how it works:

• Make a donation at the JSA's dedicated website
• Print your receipt
• Schedule your appointment(s) by contacting Dr. Connie at 206-658-7658 or DrAmundson (at) gmail (dot) com
• Bring your receipt on April 1 to "purchase" your services (donations may also be made at the event and additional services may be scheduled on a space-available basis)

We'll see you on the 1st!