My thoughts align with SG for the most part, however, I have witnessed post-partum hallucinogenic psychosis and have known suiciders that no amount of self-will training or loving support from others would have prevented. There is a very real need for medicines which manipulate brain chemistry, and fortunately we have progressed in our ability to protect the most fragile in times of severe crisis. I hope that we can all be sensitive and respectful of people who have to resort to urgent pharmological interventions as the most effective and life-enhancing treatment for some types of depression, psychosis and other forms of severe manifestations of emotional distress. By and large, we've come to recognize and accept that brain chemistry and circuitry problems are indeed real physical diseases and that, just as with other diseases, there are various approaches to treating these types of illnesses. But SG's suggestion that it is an industry that is undermining our health is well-founded. Yes, there are appropriate usages for these drugs, but caveat emptor: there are several studies that suggest there is a price yet to be determined in terms of long-term cognitive ability with protracted use of anti-depressants. Consequently, they are currently in disfavor in much of Europe after having been tried, and other more natural treatments are now more routinely explored initially. I don't think these meds are the panacea to be used to mask garden variety discomfort, and I believe that is the segment that is best addressed by SG's approach. I concur with SG and others who suggest that far too many have been persuaded the appropriateness of dealing pharmocologically with the discomfort that is a consequence of simply being human. Grief, anger and other unpleasant emotions serve a real purpose, are often very appropriate responses, and are an intrinsic part of our journey. Often anxiety and difficult emotions are a sign that we really have difficult inner homework to do, and I'd opt for working through the issues whenever possible rather than placating through meds. (I hope readers understand my emphasis is on whenever possible and repeat I'm well aware that it is not always possible or advisable.) My SS, a neurologist, and some physician friends do not agree, and often routinely recommend for themselves and their patients meds to deal with stress and unhappiness rather than undertaking the arduous task of changing the structure of one's life and/or learning healthier responses to challenges. Ergo, it seems we will continue to be less able as a society to go down the path SG suggests. I believe many would be better served by accessing inner resources than by pills, but also know that a requisite foundation of skills, or access to a means to acquire this knowledge, is not within reach for some. Philosophically I can agree with SG that the answers lie within, and wholeheartedly endorse our responsibility to respond with love at all times, but IRL I know some are equipped with damaged circuits through no fault of their own upon arrival as Kkay suggests and others whose circuitry becomes damaged from illness, toxins or accidents, some have been badly wounded experientially, and some just may prefer an easier way out. I'm not sure that SG said there is no physical basis for depression. "Depression/anxiety is actually being stuck, neural-activity wise, in the primal mind of the lower brain." Rather, I understood her comment to signal a real understanding of physiological responses but that we can trigger better responses by substituting different thought patterns, widely endorsed by cognitive therapists and other gurus. SG is quite capable of defending herself, but I know many intelligent, non-cult, independent thinkers, medical professionals and main-stream religious and total non-religious types who concur with this approach. There is no one path to wholeness, and while it is always preferable to rely on inner resources and loving support, it is not always possible. Wholesale dismissal of alternate, non-pharm approaches is not helpful nor is insistence on innate ability to cope with severe illness without intervention. Intelligent discussions of this type can be a wonderful resource for countless anonymous readers in cyberworld who are facing difficulties, seeking solutions and who may need encouragement to face another day.

Hi Cheerful, good grief! Still having trouble? That sounds like me! I have had "menopausal symptoms" for 14 years, since a hysterectomy . So I have a lot of empathy. I want OFF prescription meds! I can't seem to taper the .5 estrogen lightly enough to keep from getting a migraine, but I'm going to the doc this week. Maybe he has some insight I haven't found online (I'm not holding my breath ). I've been using the .20 black cohosh twice a day for a little over 2 months, it doesn't seem to be helping as I still have flashes and some anxiety even with that and the .5 estrogen. I take calcium/mag/D. And get this: my vitamin D showed up low on a recent blood test! So I'll start taking that soon as I buy some, maybe it will help? I'd surely like to not be so stiff and achy. I also started maca about 5 weeks ago and can't tell a bit of difference. I don't know if I'll keep taking maca; surely in 5 weeks I should be able to notice I'm taking it? I'm going to give the flax seed and the soy milk a try, why not? I just don't want to switch one prescription for another, although that might be better than continuing on HRT, with breast cancer in the family ( mother, first cousin). I eat wayyyyyy better than most people I know- we grow most of our vegetables and beef comes from the farm. I don't tolerate food additives very well and avoid them if I can. ( I don't like to eat out, don't use packaged or canned foods, avoid sugar, etc). All that helps, but! When am I ever going to be flash free?! Let me know how you are!

All of you, this thread has been sooooo helpful. I wish I had the time to address each of you individually. Know that your comments are being read and carefully pondered. Lukkiirish, a group gift would be a wonderful idea. I'm an only child, mom is divorced (and dad passed away last year.) My mom, one of six kids, has one remaining brother who lives several states away, and we only see him every few years. Our formerly tight-knit family has dwindled so much. I did find out the name of the rescue organization last night, so I plan to see what they have to say. As we talked about Shortie I was encouraged to hear that Shortie does get excited to see mom and her Man Friend, enjoys cuddling with them, and now has a routine where he enjoys playing for a half hour or so each night. They live a very routine, habituated lifestyle, so that is in their favor. MF has suggested getting another dog might be helpful, too. Who gives up their well-adjusted dogs, though? Part of the reason they went with a rescue was that the dog would be older, past the puppy stage. Now I realize how important that puppy stage really is! Mom said last night how she wishes she could wave a magic wand and say, "OK, you're a real dog now!" She also made reference to wishing there was a dog whisperer in her area. She will be going into semi-retirement starting in the new year, so technically there would be the time for her to work with the dog. I do feel working one on one with someone who could point out specific techniques to help, in addition to what they might be doing to undermine Shortie's confidence would be beneficial. But if the training involved keeping the dog off the furniture, "putting him in his place", or withholding affection, ain't happening! I really don't think that is the style of trainer I found, though. I wanted the gift to be a surprise...but it might have to come down to some conversation...

I have a Thundershirt sized for my lab I will send you if you want to try one. She started getting phobic about fireworks and we had neighbors who would shoot off big aerial displays that rattled our windows and shook the house. It was kind of too little too late by that point and we have found other things that have helped more. Neighbors moved too, so we only have the distant fireworks for the most part and seem to be able to limit the valium to a half dose on the 4th and NYE. Anyway, we aren't using the Thundershirt now and if it could help, I'd be happy to send it to you. We also use Composure chews. In our case, I give them to the dogs for a day or two before the main fireworks holiday and a day or two after -- mainly to catch the folks who set them off for days. They do seem to help, but that alone is not enough. I also started using Hemp and Hips supplement chews after a co-worker was raving about a hemp supplement when she was talking with my DH. I researched them and decided to try this less expensive one first. We gave it to both dogs -- the lab to see if it helped with anxiety and general energy (she was 12) and the border collie for arthritis/joint support. It made a quick difference in both dogs, but we have backed off giving them to the lab on a regular basis because of other health issues. One thing I will tell you is that you can give a dog too much. After seeing how the dogs responded, DH bought a bag of hemp hearts at Costco. He used them regularly for a while and then stopped. I thought I might use some in the dog treats I make and then not have to buy the supplements. What I didn't stop to think about was dosing -- or the fact that with the boys home this summer, my brown-eyed beggar was getting an uncontrolled and increased dosing. We went through a couple thousand dollars in vet bills when she had accidents inside the house but didn't have a UTI. The docs were telling us she needed this test and then that one -- did an ultrasound looking for cancer, blood panels and specific tests. Something wasn't sitting right with me -- and I don't think the vets believe me, but I researched it and found that a high amount of hemp can cause incontinence. Back off the hemp though and things return to normal. It's worth trying -- and we're still using it, but with more awareness. I will also tell you that I realized that my lab got worse about fireworks after I got upset about the shaking windows and the fact that they were concerning the dogs or the fact that we were getting the glowing embers from their fireworks coming down in our yard during the summer of our worst drought. By seeing me get upset about her being upset, I was reinforcing her fears and telling her there was a real threat to be upset about. I started looking at ways to work on behavior modification and de sensitizing. Of course, that works best if you know what is causing her anxiety, but you can work on rewarding her for not losing it when she is starting to get anxious. I used distractions -- activity, TV on, training and giving her treats to give her positive things to associate with the c=sounds instead of all negative. It has helped a lot. We have gone from several days of having to medicate her in the evening to pretty much being able to use chews and treats and only having to use medication in a half dose once or twice each season. Sorry this is so long. Hope something here is helpful.