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Speaking of Linzano, don’t forget to store it in your checked bags, we forgot and it was confiscated at the first security check!
Here is a link on Serotonin syndrome,pretty interesting. http://www.uspharmacist.com/oldformat.asp?url=newlook/files/feat/acf2fa6.htm
Maravilla no more info for me, I get a bit crazy with wanting to research all this stuff.Lol! My final post on this interesting subject, you would never guess this was a forum on travel and real estate in Costa Rica…
Maravilla next time we are in San Ramon can we come over for dinner?…I’ll have what the dog is eating! lol…
My son was mugged here in Brooklyn a few weeks ago right in front of the train stop and a deli. Luckily all he lost was 2 dollars and his i.d.s and got a bloody nose. Yesterday his new roommate fresh off the plane from Missouri was mugged in the same neighborhood and had his jaw broken in 3 places and wired shut.As the t-shirt so delicately puts it “Welcome To NY! Now duck mother F*****” Maybe we can get a few of those Nica armed guys up here….pronto!!!
My son was mugged here in Brooklyn a few weeks ago right in front of the train stop and a deli. Luckily all he lost was 2 dollars and his i.d.s and got a bloody nose. Yesterday his new roommate fresh off the plane from Missouri was mugged in the same neighborhood and had his jaw broken in 3 places and wired shut. Maybe we can get a few of those Nica armed guys up here….pronto!!!
Regarding 5htp there was a contaminated batch out of Japan that killed some people, it was a manufacturing problem. I had no short term problems on either, used the ones made by neuroscience for about 3 months. The GABA I used for about a month and have been off them both for over a year. I found no resarch that indicated there could be long term negative side effects. Just some disputes regarding there effectiveness. Although most seem to think both these Amino acids do raise Seritonin levels and once the levels were raised you should stop taking them. My dr. did have me on 2 other things as well but I can not remember what. I must say it worked very well for me.
Edited on Jan 10, 2007 20:45
I had good results with both Gaba and Hydroxy tryptofan and now rely on stress reducing breathing, meditation etc…and feel great! I am guessing you “enjoyed” The Constant Gardener…Chomsky has written some great stuff on B.P. as well. My doctor here in NYC is Kamau Kokayi I think you would enjoy reading some of his opinions, he also has a radio show on wednesdays at 11am? on 99.5fm(pick it up on the internet?) here in NY, it’s pretty radical/political…Pura Vida
Edited on Jan 10, 2007 08:40
Interesting article, I eat a pretty balanced diet and just take a good multi, aged garlic and omega-3. My old ENT dr. also felt supplements were a complete waste of money, he also wanted to treat me with antibiotics(did’nt work the first time) more ab’s then prednisone for what he thought was a sinus infection. I passed on the second round of ab’s found my current dr. who quickly pointed out I probaly had an Allergy(which after testing I did). That was after a month of being totaly perplexed about my condition(me and the ENT). Note to all chronic sinus sufferers: get tested for allergies!
Most Americans I know have a god aweful diet and on top of that all the stress and all the pollutants we encounter in our modern lives, good supplementation probably is a good idea! Perhaps when we can all live in Costa Rica eat healthy amounts of fish, fruits and veggies and hopefully minimize our stress then you can leave the vitamins at home. Regarding the neuroscience labs, they actually test your urine and return a report to your doctor that shows neurotransmitter levels(they test for about 14, I think). You are obviously well read on all this Maravilla so you can perhaps contact them regarding there testing etc…My tests came back showing my seritonin levels(and one other-can’t remember) were 50% lower than what they consider a normal range, this did match my symptoms and the amino acid supplements I took got those levels up and got me feeling better. They seem to have some good people working for them doing interesting research. also have had terrific results with homeopathic medicines and a conventional dr./scientist will tell you there is no basis for these meds to work. However since so many people are getting relief with these medicines some, even large hospitals have clinics useing them(of course in Europe homeopathy is practiced by almost all Md’s). A doctor at Beth Israel here in NYC who runs there alternative medicine clinic said in an interview, there is no science to validate the results(does not fit there model) but he shrugged his shoulders and said they are working and people want them. All that aside there are many brilliant scientists out there who are driven purely for results and conquering disease doing mind blowing research, I am not anti science. And a lot of these people are funded/working for what we call”big pharma”(not that i’m loving them!). Some of the work surounding the humam genome and the role genes play in disease(such as cancer) and protiens is really quite amazing. Regarding a doctor in C.R. I don’t know of any others than the ones I have met at CIMA and one at the hospital in Nicoya. All of them I felt were compassionate and quite thorough in there care of me on two occasions, quite a different experience than a hospital here in NYC. I have seen some articles written by a Naturopath who was living in Nosara in the Tico Times though. I also went to a great accupuncturist in Jaco. Simple living, high thinking, stay away from all those processed junk foods out there…thats a good foundation for health! Pura Vida!
But outside of allopathic medicine you have modalities where we must rely on anecdotal evidence, or in the case of neuroscience there testing and research. The “levels” of specific neurotransmitters changed in the testing that was done on me after taking two different amino acids, of course one has to believe in there conclusions. I’m not a scientist but it may be something you want to look into further. I have been a vegetarian, supplement taker etc..for 24 years and am all for the healthy diet habits you recommend. That said I know similar people that suffer from debiltating depression etc…eating a balanced, organic diet is not always enough. You are right no one has the answers but at least some of the alternatives are non toxic and there is research and clinical trials on them. Dealing with someone who has a severe mental disturbance is difficult to say the least. When the mind is reeling out of control it seems some of these pharmaceuticals help, yes but why we are not always sure. Example: A very good friends mom was diagnosed as “manic depressive” and was a total mess before taking lithium, could not function. So she was on this for years, of course we don’t have to get into all the side effects etc…but she was able to raise her family, work and so on. By the way she is former hippy with a healthy diet etc… Long story short, a friend convinced her and her husband that this was a big pharma conspiracy, no such thing as “bi polar” etc…Took her off the meds, put her on a raw food organic diet with heavy supplementation and super blue green algae etc…After a few weeks she slipped back into severe mental disturbance and almost killed herself. My point is there are no easy answers, and what is great about integrative/holistic medicince is that it seeks to combine the best of both worlds. A classicaly trained scientist can not respect modalities such as energy healing, accupunture, homeopathy etc… it goes against everything they were taught…Just my thoughts on this very, very complex issue. Maybe we should get back to “Paragon good or bad”..Lol
Scott refered us to a small inn called Casa Lauren in San Rafael de Escazu? Run by a great woman, free internet, quiet and clean. The location may not be good for you but we enjoyed our stay there while doing some legal work as well. I don’t have the contact info handy, but if interested you can get it from the “boss”.
Edited on Jan 09, 2007 06:17
Deb-Maravilla makes some very good points and I agree with her thoughts on diet for anyone. But there are often bio medical causes to some of these problems. The deficiency of certain brain chemicals or neuro transmitters can result in iregularities in a persons mental health. There are simple blood tests as well as a urine test that can be done to measure about 12 or 14 different neuro transmitters. And if the practicioner finds low levels they can prescribe amino acid supplements and others to bring these levels up to normal ranges. There is a company called Neuroscience, http://www.neurorelief.com (Maravilla you may find this info intersting,and helpful) this is one of the companys my doctor uses. There are also very good homeopathic medicines that can be very helpful in issues of mental health that can help get the mind calm while you get the underlining causes addressed. I speak as a person who has greatly benefited from all of the above, I suffered panic attacks that came out of the clear blue sky in my early 40’s..it’s a long story. Of course the first doctor I went to(after finaly figuring out what was going on. I had been in the emergecy room several times over the course of a year and just sent home. None of the docs on duty ever refered me to a therapist, and I had no idea what was going on) wanted to put me on prozac after a 20 minute consultation, I was not going down that path. Previous to this I was un diagnosed and actually diagnosed my own condition via the internet. I was lucky and found an amazing integrative doctor through a friend, first consultation was an hour and a half history! We did the testing found I was very deficient in two neuro transmitters and he put me on a combination of amino acids and two other supplements for about 4-6 months. I also used cognitive therapy and yoga/meditation which really enhanced my quality of life in ways I could not have imagined. Of course just popping some pills is an easy way to get symptoms under control but getting to the heart of some of these issues will take more patience and work but of course it is well worth it. Remember your doctors that only practice allopathic medicine will tell you you are a kook and just want to put your son on conventional meds. Don’t give up find that good integrative doctor who is up on the latest research etc…it will change your life.
I think you will have to just search the internet in your area, try http://www.drweil.com I think they have a referal site. And even with Doctors that practice these modalities you need to find the right one for you. Again good luck, if you are in the NYC area I would be happy to refer you to my Doctor. I have prefered working with MDs that practice and are educated in these “alternative” therapies. My Doc graduated from Yale med school 17 years ago.
We just returned from Playa Hermosa/Jaco and have spent a lot of time there over the last 4 years and we LOVE it and are in the process of building a home. The area is booming regarding real estate development and I believe this trend will continue. A major reason for this is its location (1.5 hours from San Jose), all the amenities such as malls, restaurants, large food markets, world class fishing and golf etc..And the investment into the area by large multi national developers. I can not give an opinion on Costa Developers other than that I have driven by there projects and work is being done and the one nearest Jaco does look quite impressive. All this said you really need to get down to the area and have a look around before you do anything. There are a lot of projects available from land to condos, some of the better condo projects are listed on this site. All that said the area is beautiful with black sand beaches a short drive to Manuel Antonio (45 minutes) great surfing, 45-60 minutes to get up into the mountains for cooler weather(Atenas), 5 star eating at Villa Caletas, Xandari and the very impressive Los Suenos resort(if thats your thing)..Good Luck!
Sounds like if you have a company providing workers that are insured the workers are covered by there employer. But if you have an Individual Tico doing yard work etc..you may need coverage incase he/she gets hurt while working for you. Something to look into as the implications of what I read are a bit scary if something was to happen. Thanks for the input David.
Deb, Think about having your son see an integrative physician regarding these problems. I am not a dr. but have two children and my son who went through a list of “meds” from 16-19 was really only damaged more by there aweful side effects. When I got him away from his moms care we explored different paths including mindfullness meditation and he is doing very well. But all cases are different and a good MD with a intergrative/holistic approach could be of some help to your son. Best of luck either way.
