Conspicuous Consumption Disorder

July 16th, 2005 by Bill Tuscan
Mental Health
Some people have a pathological desire to stockpile tons of stuff. What lies beneath this desire? Compulsive hoarders may fill their houses so full of stuff that they can no longer use and fill the bed, the table, or even entire rooms. They can’t invite friends over. They can’t keep track of their bills. This disorder frequently is not discussed, much like bed wetting.  However, the latter can be treated much more easily using bed wetting alarms. Hoarding often runs in families. It might be genetic or it might be a modeling effect. Hoarders tend to be emotional; they attach...

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Benefits of Fish Oil

July 12th, 2005 by Bill Tuscan
Cardiology,Herbal Supplements
The drug Vioxx was pulled off the market due to deleterious side effects. The drug was for those who suffered from pain of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. Now there is a simple alternative without the side effects and that is fish oils. They contain omega-3 fatty acids. They produce a hormone-like chemical called eicosonoids which has as its overall function the suppression of inflammation in the body. A study at Harvard University which was a 10 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study concluded that fish oil supplementation resulted in a highly significant decrease in the number of tender joints and a significant...

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