It’s been a pretty hectic week for most of my American readers. A major national holiday and Black Friday, all in one week. Back to back, no less!

The only thing that could rival that excitement would be a brand new Saturday Sanity, right? (Well, it was worth a shot.)

As you read this, I’m most likely putting up Christmas decorations. And that is more exciting to me than any of it!

This week at Mental Health Notes, things were sad. People watched as a fellow human being committed suicide live, the numbers of children being dropped off at Nebraska hospitals are rising (Marcie at Kids Health Notes has posted an update on the revision to Nebraska’s Safe Haven Law), and there was an update to the tragic Lori Drew/Megan Meier case. Of course, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. I told you about the IAVA and Ad Council teaming up to create online communities for veterans and veterans’ family and loved ones, as well as gave you some inspirational quotes to ponder. Oh, and I pointed you in the direction of some great money-spending ideas, which, can be good or bad news, depending on how you look at it.

Regarding mental health advocacy and education, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) wants to spread the word about nominations for the Welcome Back Awards, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released it’s latest issue of a newsletter geared toward helping returning veterans, and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance’s (DBSA) Trauma Course for Peer Specialists is just around the corner. Chato Stewart at Mental Health Humor is offering to draw free pictures (how cool is that?!) – head on over and check out the terms and conditions. And finally, Kate McLaughlin has posted some extremely helpful information for family members and loved ones of a person with a mental illness.

In the world of mental health news, research, and studies, people with both diabetes and depression may have a harder time managing their blood sugar levels (I once read a pamphlet about how depression and diabetes interact), a panel of federal drug experts says we’re getting a bit too flippant with the antipsychotic prescriptions to children, the number of suicides among the elderly in long-term care facilities is holding steady, and the alignment of a child’s eyes could actually point to an increased risk of mental illness in later years (what?!). On a lighter note, Dr. Steven Toepfer of Kent State University has conducted some research that suggests we can be happier if we become more grateful (I so could have saved you some time, effort, and money on that one, Toepfer).

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel:

• Mark explains The Insanity of Alcohol over at A Dozen Steps.
• Mary Emma shares a personal poem of thanks at Alzheimer’s Notes.
• Angelique is holding a contest for some cute handcrafted jewelry over at Breaking the Mirror (the deadline’s tomorrow night, so hurry up!).
• Angela of Breastfeeding 1-2-3 has a ridiculously adorable baby.
• Marijke talks about laughter therapy at Cancer Commentary. (Marijke is also in the running for Best Canadian Blog with her personal blog, Marijke: Nurse Turned Writer. Give her some votes and wish her luck!)
• Scott at Health and Men points to an Swedish study dealing with stress and the physical damage it could cause you.
• Liz has posted the latest Healthbolt carnival.
• And…could it be? Is Tony back at Astronomy Buff?!

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

It seems like just a few Saturday Sanities ago I was talking about how warm and sunny it was outside; now, we’re covered in snow. We have been all week. I still don’t have a winter coat (I didn’t have one last year, either – I can be very serious about my procrastination) and Chopper doesn’t understand why we don’t go outside 9,375 times a day anymore.

Anyway…

This week at Mental Health Notes, I talked about a new study about the television viewing habits of unhappy people, commented on two legal situations involving mental health issues (the older Tammy Lewis case, and the newer Elgin Mental Health Center case), shared my thoughts on the Facing Us 2008 Music Contest winners, provided some epilepsy and mental health resources (thanks, Cleveland Clinic!), and turned to the loldogs for some depression humor.

Regarding mental health advocacy and education, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance’s (DBSA) eUpdate for November 2008 is up (lots of good stuff in there!), Beliefnet has announced the 10 nominees for the Most Inspiring Person of the Year 2008 Award and they’re ready for you to cast your vote, Dr. Brent provided a basic rundown of seasonal effective disorder (SAD) over at Care2.com, the Revolution Health Group offers nine ideas for natural ways to treat depression, and Rick Robinson explains Post Election Stress Syndrome (ha).

In the world of mental health news, research, and studies, after a study that included nearly 5,700 American adults researchers believe people in chronic pain are at a higher risk for committing suicide, researchers who studied both American and Japanese teenagers believe violent video games may contribute to increased aggression over time (um, hello?), and some researchers are toying with a new treatment for OCD (one that may have adverse side effects, apparently).

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel:

• Mark helps us understand how we can turn negatives into positives at A Dozen Steps.
• Mary Emma has a plethora of Alzheimer’s resources for National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month listed over at Alzheimer’s Notes.
• Kristina tells us about ADHD medications not causing genetic damage in children at Autism Vox.
• Susan of Grounded Fitness wants to know how yoga and meditation has changed your life.
• Scott’s talking about Gulf War Syndrome over at Health and Men.

Now, whether you’ve got snow or not, go outside and enjoy the day!

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Is It Too Early To Build Snowmen?

Hello!

Did y’all know the winners of the Facing Us 2008 Music Contest were announced? If so, shame on you for not telling me (I’m a bit behind, apparently), and if not, well, obviously you’re not alone.

For those of you just tuning in, the Facing Us 2008 Music Contest was sponsored by the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance and Dave’s Spark with the intention of recognizing and embracing “the creative spark of so many individuals who live with mood disorders.”

Anyway – yay! The first, second, and third place winners are up, and I’ve just checked them out. They are really good.

Radio Jesus (a.k.a. Ray Henry Ulrich) came in first with “Never Mind,” which is by far my favorite. It’s very trippy, and has the kind of beat that, if you heard it during a TV show or movie, you’d know some kind of scandalous drama was getting ready to go down. You can visit Ray’s MySpace page to listen to it.

Miria came in second with “Break Your Heart,” and she’s not exactly new to the business (she co-produced the first Los Angeles Women’s Music Festival and had a song featured on Grey’s Anatomy, which, to me, used the be the definitive moment for indie artists everywhere). I cannot for the life of me find her song on her website or her MySpace page, but the official announcement page does include it as the first song on the sample player.

And, Ben Mitchell Arthur came in third with “Lifetime,” a thought-provoking, upbeat little ditty that you can check out at his MySpace page. Arthur also authored A Simple Twist of Faith.

Don’t forget to check out all 16 finalists (I’m thinking I’ll start looking for “Crack Baby” and “Serotonin” when I get a free minute), and let’s all congratulate the winners, finalists, and everyone who entered for sharing their creativity with us and helping put stigma in it’s place!

Post from: Blisstree

Rock Out With The Facing Us 2008 Music Contest Winners

Wow, what a week it has been, my friends. The weather here has been sunny and in the upper 60s/lower 70s (which Chopper loved), I found a ridiculously inexpensive and surprisingly potent scented oil while wandering aimlessly around Wal-Mart (mmm, Christmasy cinnamon), and I finally found the name of the song on one of the new Blackberry commercials (it’s “Live the Proof” by Jim Boggia, if anyone’s interested. It’s great. Seriously.).

And, of course, we Americans elected our leader for the next four years. Something I (but not Chopper) found even more exciting than the rest of it.

So, what else went down this week?

This week at Mental Health Notes, in addition to questions about physician-assisted suicide and a review of Lumosity, quite a few famous names were the topic of discussion, including William Shatner, Brooke Smith, Maurice Benard, and Barack Obama.

Regarding mental health advocacy, educational opportunities abound. It may be too late to attend the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance’s 3rd Annual Rebecca’s Dream Gala, but the DBSA is currently accepting registrations for both the Peer Specialist Training 5-Day Course and the next Peer Specialist Continuing Education (CE) Webinar, “Trauma-Informed Care: What the Peer Specialist Needs to Know.” Too, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is promoting the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) free teleconference training, “Children’s Mental Health Problems and the Need for Social Inclusion.”

In the world of mental health news, 92% of the 1,137 people who took a ComPsych Corp survey claim economic woes contribute to their sleeplessness, depressed African-American heart patients are less likely than depressed Caucasian heart patients to be on antidepressants, and young ADHD patients are more likely to become addicted to nicotine. But, there’s some good news, too: Kidney transplants may improve mental performance (keep in mind this is good news for patients with kidney disease and related cognitive impairment – so, not something any ol’ body should go rounding up friends and scheduling a kidney domino theory over.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, my fellow bloggers are chatting it up about lots of interesting stuff:

• Mark gives a list of important A.A. history dates for November at A Dozen Steps.
• Mary Emma at Alzheimer’s Notes has a guest post from Dee regarding easy finger foods for Alzheimer’s patients.
• Kristina talks about two studies regarding autism genetics at Autism Vox.
• Cherie rounds up a list of giveaways at Diabetes Notes.
• Grace tells us about how seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is linked to a mutation at Genetics & Health.
• Scott talks about bullies (and his method for handling them, ha) at Health and Men.

That’s all for this week’s Saturday Sanity!

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: What A Busy Week!

With only a few days until the 2008 presidential election, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty here in America. Like many Americans, I’m quite anxious. The race is close, and I’m looking forward to its finish. I’m looking forward to knowing who our next leader will be. I’m looking forward to seeing if he can pull us out of this economic slump.

I’m also looking forward to no longer receiving campaign emails and enjoying a full week of prime time television without debate interruptions.

Despite how close Election Day is, nearly 6.4 percent of the voting public is still undecided. And, given the number of Americans with mental health issues, I’m willing to bet a good percentage of those undecided voters could use some more information about the candidate’s health care platforms. Fortunately, they don’t have to go very far. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) launched its online Election Center, MI Vote Counts, to help them out.

From helping consumers understand the importance of voting and providing information about mental health legislation to informing them about registering to vote and exactly how to go about voting, the DBSA’s MI Vote Counts is a portal for all things election.

I was able to chat with Gloria Pope, the DBSA’s Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, about why MI Vote Counts is so important – specifically, the story behind MI Vote Counts, the importance of staying current with the candidate’s platforms, and the spark that sets the DBSA’s Election Center apart from all other online tools.

Read on!

Mental Health Notes: What prompted the DBSA to create the Election Center (EC)? What was the driving force behind it?

Gloria Pope: For the past two years, DBSA has been building a phenomenal network of online advocates. We started out by doing a couple of trainings on “Advocacy 101” with a few of our chapter leaders. Then soon after, we began to send alerts out when we needed action on a piece of legislation. We started with a small distribution list but through word of mouth; now distribute to more than 8,000 “constituents.”

Our goal for this upcoming election was to get our folks to register to vote, vote and encourage family and friends to do so as well. Our mantra – in all of our advocacy efforts has been – To be an advocate means you are empowered; and to be empowered means you are an advocate. The name of the center, “MI Vote Counts,” speaks for itself – and has been the message we’ve been trying to communicate throughout the year.

The EC will give our advocates a chance to truly be empowered by making their voices heard on November 4. To accomplish this, we needed to provide the tools and resources and make it quick and easy to find the information they would be looking for. All of the resources are need are in one place. The site with its colorful landing page has links such as, “Why Vote,” “How to Vote,” and the “Role of the Government,” will guide them to what they are looking for. Additionally, the homepage takes them directly to our Legislative Action Center (LAC), information on DBSA-endorsed legislation and an advocacy center, where they can learn how to be an advocate.

The EC will enable them to:

• Research the candidates and their platforms on healthcare.
• Find out if they endorsed or opposed mental health legislation throughout the year.
• Register to vote (day or night from the comfort of your home).
• Obtain an absentee ballot in case you may not feel well enough to vote.
• Learn about other legislators who are up for election.

We even made the center easy to find. Visitors can type dbsalliance.org/vote in to their search engines and go directly to the center.

MHN: Why do you feel it’s so important for mental health consumers to stay up to date with the presidential candidates’ platforms?

GP: We encouraged our advocates to go into the voting booth, armed with the best information possible. Throughout the past few months, we asked them not to be a part of “personality politics” – voting for a candidate because of their looks or personality. We wanted advocates to listen to all of the candidates’ platforms so that they could decide who would be the best candidate. Our advocates have the option of listening to what the candidates’ have been saying and then going to the LAC to see how they have voted in the past year on these same issues. We have found that some candidates’ support an issue on the campaign trail, but when you look at their voting record, it tells a whole other story.

MHN: And finally, what do you think makes the DBSA’s Election Center stand out from other advocacy groups’ similar election/candidate-focused informational websites?

GP: The EC gives our constituents everything they need to know right at their fingertips. They don’t have to search our site for different information. They can do everything from learning about the legislative process to reading about the importance of voting. – all in one place. We also have been finding an increase in letters sent to legislators by constituents who initially started out in the EC and then moved on the Legislative Action Center (LAC).

DBSA is extremely proud of our advocates. In 2006, approximately 500 letters were sent through the LAC. In 2007, the number increased to 10,300. This year, with two more months to go, more than 43,000 letters have been sent – making us one of the strongest grassroots networks of online advocates.

Personally, I’ve been browsing through MI Vote Counts since I first learned about it, and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s just now learning about it. It’s too late to register to vote in most states (except for those states that offer same-day and late registrations like New Hampshire and Montana), but keep in mind that is only one of the resources MI Vote Counts offers.

If you’re undecided, check it out.

If you’ve already decided, check it out anyway.

And don’t forget to thank Gloria for this insight into MI Vote Counts!

Post from: Blisstree

MI Vote Counts: The DBSA Helps You Decide

Today kicks off NaNoWriMo, my friends. I attempted NaNoWriMo last year, but pretty much hid my face until it was December was sidetracked by the third day in due to an unexpected but necessary move. This year, I really have no excuse not to participate. I even have a story this time. Sure, none of the characters have names and I have no idea why any of them even know each other, but hey, Harry Potter wasn’t written in a day.

As you read this, I’m probably curled up in the fetal position somewhere.

Anyway, on to the goods. There’s a lot of it. Probably because I’m procrastinating.

This week at Mental Health Notes, I shared some of the brain benefits of pomegranates (and have since been coached on the word’s correct pronunciation), mused about the effectiveness of Bath & Body Works’s new line of sleep-promoting products, and shared online resources for breast cancer patients and prescription medication education (say that five times fast). Ooh, I also got a little creepy with an article about the psychology of Halloween characters, but perhaps the most important post of all was the one about online resources for election education.

Regarding mental health advocacy,the DBSA has launched Find A Pro, a tool geared toward helping along peer recommendations for mental health professionals, and is even giving away cool DBSA-gear to the first 2,000 people who recommend a professional. And, I’ve met two new peeps. Fellow depression survivor and writer Anthony McCune is holding a blog carnival to celebrate the three-year blogiversary of his blog, The Lives and Times…. and mental health blogger Michele Rosenthal writes Parasites of the Mind, a blog about healing post-traumatic stress disorder.

In the world of mental health news, things aren’t as good. The suicide rate for middle-aged folks in America is rising, a new study suggests children with high IQs may be more likely to abuse alcohol as adults, propofol (a sedative used as an anti-seizure medication) may increase the risk of death, and smokers are more likely to have impulsive children (which totally explains my and my best friend’s childhood shenanigans). Oh, and while weight doesn’t seem to play a role in women’s sexual behavior, only 12 percent of women with sexual problems have those problems thanks to personal distress (that means it’s you, guys. That means it’s you).

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, times are bittersweet. Several of our very talented and passionate bloggers have decided it’s time for their career paths to take them elsewhere, and they will be deeply missed. Take a moment to say goodbye and wish them well!

• Kendra James of A Hearty Life and Diabetes Notes.
• Kristen King of Lively Women.
• Karen Lynch of Pink Ribbon Review.
• Hope Wilbanks of Weighting Line. (Hope’s predecessor, Diane Penna, has already taken over. Go say hi!)

Please note that these are just the departing bloggers who’ve written goodbye posts or introduction posts. There are others, as you’ll notice when you start looking at the other blogs. Let’s wish them well, and make their replacements feel welcome!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Procrastination Benefits Everyone

It’s almost time to vote for America’s next leader, and if you’re anything like me…well, you’d be quite pessimistic, jaded, and apathetic. (Well, let me take that back. I’m not really that apathetic. I care quite a bit. I just have a bad feeling about both directions, and rather than stress myself out even more…I’m just going to wait and see what happens.)

However, even if you are feeling like me, you should still vote. Given how important the issue of health care is in all elections, and given a national mental health parity finally passed this year, it’s actually crucial for mental health consumers to make – and continue making – their voices heard.

We can’t expect change if we don’t advocate for change, after all.

Despite all the commercials, debates, articles, blogs, radio advertisements, billboards, and yard signs we’ve seen and heard this election year, some folks are still undecided about their picks for the next President of the United States. Fortunately for us, three major mental health advocacy organizations have created online election centers to help us.

Read on!

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) provides Bringing Mental Healthcare to the Ballot, which information about making our voices heard (might be a bit too late for some of those suggestions at this point, but there are still some good questions we can ask ourselves), information about the democratic and republican platforms, materials that shed light on the importance of mental health issues, and a list of nonpartisan websites for further information.

Mental Health America offers Vote for America’s Mental Health in 2008, which gives a ton of election resources, including the candidates’ reform proposals, the party platforms, and information about voter registration.

And, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) launched their Election Center: MI Vote Counts, which is a handy group of interactive tools that help explain the role of the government and why it’s important to vote, helps folks register to vote and explains how to vote, and includes information about mental health legislation and advocacy.

If you’re still undecided this election season, don’t be like the millions of Americans who are either going to forgo voting, or vote for whomever their family members or friends tell them (yes, I just made that statistic up – but it sounds pretty reasonable). Spend some time perusing these resources before election day, and make your voice heard November 4.

Post from: Blisstree

Mental Health Consumers: Make Your Voices Heard

What’s this? Saturday Sanity is on time this week? Do tell!

This week at Mental Health Notes, things were pretty busy. In addition to Kristina’s Newsweek interview about John McCain’s talk of autism, I told you about a few mental health campaigns and communities like Howie Mandel’s Adult ADHD Is Real, Canada’s Let’s Face This, and icyou’s mental health videos and vlogs. I also told you about a new study regarding memory side effects of using ecstasy just once, and dove into the brains of sociopaths (well, kind of) with posts about Private Practice and resources to learn more about sociopathy.

Regarding mental health advocacy, Mental Health America wants everyone to send emails to their representatives urging them to include Medicaid in the next economic stimulus package, NARSAD wants to make sure everyone knows about the Third Annual Silver Ribbon Symposium on November 9th, NAMI is providing information and resources related to the current economic crisis and our mental health, and the DBSA is getting ready to announce the winner of the Facing Us: 2008 Music Contest.

In the world of mental health news, a new study suggests cortisol may help with post traumatic stress disorder, two doctors believe aerobic activity may reverse mental decline, and researchers have identified new candidate genes for schizophrenia. Teen suicide rates in the UK are declining, but economic problems may cause Korea’s suicide rates to increase and Canadian researchers are reporting young people in poor neighborhoods are more likely to attempt suicide.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, we’re full of contests and interesting tidbits this week!

• At Grounded Fitness, Kelly’s kicked off her Danskin clothing giveaway spree with a scoop neck tee giveaway.
• Kristen’s wrapping up Lively Women’s October Prizepalooza with two giveaways: One for a Swiggies wrist water bottle (five winners) and one for Cocoon Total Body Rejuvenating Emollient (three winners).
• Grace Ibay is holding a giveaway for an Allergy Luxe bed bug barrier pillow cover at Kids Health Notes and she’s telling readers about an Alzheimer’s drug that may be beneficial for children with Down Syndrome at Genetics & Health.
• Mary Emma is discussing the voting rights of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients At Alzheimer’s Notes.
• Breastfeeding 1-2-3’s Angela White wants to know who’s up for NaBloPoMo in November.
• Scott Wharton has compiled a list of interesting facts about the human body over at Health & Men (take note of the stuff about your brain!).
• And finally, Marijke is talking about depression related to both chronic pain and pregnancy.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: New Research, Reports, and Giveaways

Enjoy!

This week at Mental Health Notes, I praised Britney Spears and Kellie Pickler, pointed you in the direction of Ingrid Newkirk’s video about One Can Make a Difference, gushed on and on about why I love being a mental health blogger, and participated in Blog Action Day 2008.

Regarding mental health advocacy, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance has posted DBSA e-Update October 2008 (lots of good stuff in there!) and the new Mrs. United States, Dr. Gariane Gunter, is dedicating her reign to raising public awareness of mental illness.

In the world of mental health news, the World Health Organization is warning that our global financial crisis may increase mental health problems (that’s a real no-brainer), Governor Timothy M. Kaine (of Virginia, and, is it just me or do I mention him a lot?) wants to cut $86.6 million from mental health, health, and human resources agencies, and WSJ’s Health Blog reports depression is one of the top reasons for missing work (and Gov. Kaine wants to cut funding?).

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, October’s theme day was just one of the things we were busy with!

• Mary Emma Allen featured one of my comments about nursing homes in The Positive Side of Nursing Homes for Alzheimer’s Patients.
• Kristen King of Lively Women is holding a contest to win – you’re not gonna believe this – an Epson WorkForce 600 All-in-One Color Inkjet Printer! Actually, she has TWO, so your odds of winning just increased. The deadline is October 20, 2008 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET (that’s tonight, folks!). (Kristen also has an interview with Leslie Haywood up. Leslie is the creator of Grill Charms and has just released The Pink Collection which will help raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
• Mark made a good point about God and his non-puppeteerism (not a word, I know, forgive me) at A Dozen Steps.
• Kristina Chew started a discussion about legislation dealing with insurance coverage for autism treatment at Autism Vox.
• Angelique wants to know how much time you dedicate to self-loathing.
• At Eating Fabulous, Ruth Schaffer talked about using St. John’s Wort as an antidepressant.
• At Healthbolt, Liz Lewis has a round up of contests for your perusal.
• Grace Ibay has listed five tips for taking stock of your medicine cabinet.

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Monday Sanity: Better Late Than Never

So…there was no Saturday Sanity last Saturday. Actually, there were no posts at all last weekend.

Why, you ask?

Because it was freaking gorgeous outside and I said to myself and anyone who would listen, “You know what? I am not getting on the computer today.”

Very uncharacteristic of me.

I’m actually not on the computer today, either, and won’t be tomorrow. I’m off celebrating my birthday this weekend. Yeah, it was Wednesday, but who can properly celebrate during the work week? Not I. However, I’m back to being responsible and have prepared this week’s Saturday Sanity ahead of time.

Enjoy!

This week at Mental Health Notes, I told you about California’s $8 billion bill for new medical and mental health facilities in prisons, pointed you in the direction of a poem relevant to World Mental Health Day, and did a lot of talking about the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008: the text of it, my initial thoughts about it, and some concerns many folks may have now that it’s passed.

Regarding mental health advocacy, Mental Health America is calling for breakout session proposals for their Centennial Conference, “Celebrating the Legacy, Forging the Future,” the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is accepting registrations for their next live webinar “Moving From Peer to Peer Provider,” which is on October 14, 2008 and is part of their Peer Specialist Continuing Education (CE) program, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness is providing “Stuck on the Rage Road,” an excerpt from bp Magazine, Fall 2008. Oh, and the Metro Coffee Company in Wyoming recently played host to an exhibit of the photographs taken by and the written words of children with mental illness: “Photovoice: Giving Voice to Youth and Families with Mental Health Needs.”

In the world of mental health news, survey findings suggest survivors of adult cancer are more likely than other adults to suffer severe psychological distress (I wonder if they really needed a survey to figure that out), research shows children who were born after only 25 or fewer weeks are more likely than babies who stayed in the womb for the full term to have behavioral and emotional problems, and researchers at John Hopkins think ginko can help prevent damage to brain cells after strokes. Teens with mental health problems are being dropped off at hospitals under the last “safe haven” law in the nation, University of Toronto psychologists have created what they think is a “fake-proof” personality test, and some researchers believe we can count on narcissists to lead the way.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, we’ve lost of one of Healthbolt’s bloggers (Liberty Kontranowski has left, but this is bittersweet news as she’s had some exciting job opportunities and life changes!), but we also have:

• Kristina Chew on a panel discussing Dr Paul Offit’s Autism’s False Prophets.
• Kristen King hosting her October Prizeapalooza at Lively Women.
• Over at Healthbolt, Liz is holding a contest for…wait for it…Harry Potter’s Candy Cauldron!
• Pink Ribbon Review’s Karen Lynch discussed reducing the risk of breast cancer on the Women’s Day Magazine talk radio show.
• Mary Emma reminds us about Blogtober Fest over at the Lifestyles Channel.
• Angelique offers eating disorder warning signs for parents.
• Grace Ibay tells us that premature ejaculation isn’t all in the mind, after all.
• Marijke discusses music easing stress and depression during pregnancy.

Now, go out and enjoy your Saturday!

Image: SXC and Mateusz Stachowski.

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Responsibility Abounds