December 19, 2002

•      Recently, I stopped taking one of my 4 meds for my depression. I've stopped it once before, because my doctor thinks it's what has made me gain so much weight. He increased the dosage of another med, which is a thyroid pill. It augments the anti-depressants. He felt that it would help to reduce my weight when I went back on the first. No such luck.

  
  

       I had noticed something while taking that med, a benefit that is not mentioned anywhere. It repels mosquitos. When I went off the med the first time, I noticed mosquitos swarming me, even inside of my house! I couldn't go outside during the day, without it being very breezy, because within seconds, the little buggers would be attacking me by the hundreds. The mosquito species we have here is one that is active by day, the Asian Tiger Mosquito (has been known to carry Denge Fever).

  
  

       It's a good thing that I live in Hawaii, with temperate climate year-round. I keep my windows open all the time. This allows fresh air inside when I burn a mosquito coil while inside my house to keep the buggers away from me. Otherwise, I'd be wrapped up in a sheet from head to toe, with only my face out of the cover since I can't stand anything over my face, unable to accomplish ANYTHING!

  
  

       Once I went back on that med, the mosquitos quit swarming me. Not that I didn't get bitten, but 1 or 2 bites in a day is minimal for me, compared with dozens within minutes!

  
  

       I thought it might have been the fact that I ran out of my multi & B-vitamin suppliments that caused me to be attractive to the tiny bug. So going off the med this time, while still taking all my vitamins, proves it was that med. Or at least the cocktail of stuff I'm taking, with that one med making or breaking that intolerance to the mosquito.

  
  

       What is the medication? Remeron/Mirtazapine.

  
  

       I've noticed a few other things since eliminating that drug from my daily intake. I no longer feel a 'fog' around me. I also feel as though I have a tad more energy & enthusiasm. But one thing I've also noticed that isn't a benefit is a return of a side-effect of one anti-depressant I've been taking for over 10 years... Zoloft. I never paid that much attention to the effect, but it seems very strong now, even though I only take the minimum dosage. I am having weird sensations with my tongue & the left side of my mouth/nose. I'm continually sucking, my tongue twitches & seems a bit swollen, I grit my teeth & I sneer/grimace on the left side for no good reason.

  
  

       One withdrawl effect that I have gotten from the Zoloft if I forget to take my daily dose, or it comes time to take one, which I call a 'winking effect,' is no longer happening however. I have cut that drug back to one minimum dose every other day as of this week, whereas I stopped the Mirtazapine nearly 2 weeks ago. I want off them both!

  
  

       I am also reducing my intake of the third anti-depressant, Prozac, taking it when I don't take the Zoloft & vice-versa. I am tired of filling my body with man-made chemicals, supporting the greedy pharmaceutical companies. I know that these chemicals have unwelcome long-term effects. And to say that they aren't addictive is nuts! If stopping taking them causes withdrawl symptoms of any kind, or a reversal of their beneficial effects (as in a return to uncontrolled blood pressure when stopping blood pressure meds), means they're addictive. The long-term effects can sometimes be worse than the problems that they are taken to relieve.

  
  

       We have created a whole lot of health problems in our world with synthetic chemicals. Take for example the effects of using the pesticide DDT. I fully believe that the problem it created for the Bald Eagle was only the tip of the iceberg. Could it be that Dow chemical (I believe that was the manufacturer) learned that their chemical actually caused serious problems in humans? Why are so many children turning up with cancers? The Love Canal health issue forced the move of hundreds of families, but not until after the underlying problem killed many children or caused serious birth-defects. So many of the pollutants come from the waste created with manufacturing some of these chemicals, like the mercury used in the extraction process of one such chemical back in the 50s or 60s (I've forgotten now which chemical, which was even manufactured here on this island).

  
  

       The chemical & pharmaceutical companies' priority is profit. If not for their value on the stock markets, the Nation would have floundered many years ago. Even after the financial devastation in the stock market after September 11, 2001, these companies continued to show either steady values or gains. Don't get me wrong... I'm not against a company making a profit, as long as they share the wealth. But I AM against them doing so at the expense of the health of people & our environment.

  
  

       In my next blog, I plan to write about a God-given cure for cancer, which a pharmaceutical company knew about, along with the National Cancer Institute, since 1976. They have withheld the information because they cannot patent a natural bio-chemical & have been unable to synthesize it in all these years, so are unable to profit from their findings.

  
  

       I've been waiting for permission to post a picture of the plant on this blog, along with a link to that resource's website & another site I found detailing the benefits of this common tropical plant. I may go ahead & post the stuff anyway, without the copyright permission, since I have not heard back from the webmaster, even though I emailed my request a week ago. They require a link back to their site, which I have NO problem with providing. That person might just be busy with the holiday season. I think this finding is too important NOT to post!

  • 7:44 pm
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