The Rule of 3’s

Not a scripture-based post today, just a little tool that I use to try to get myself “back out of my tree”.

When something has me concerned or freaked out, I often have difficulty just determining whether this is really a big deal or not.  I start to worry (which is a sin!) about whether I offended someone, did I post something that I shouldn’t have, should I have extended more grace in this situation, did I make a fool of myself, did I talk too much, etc,  and then my brain and my thoughts take on a life of their own.  Eventually my anxiety reaches “critical mass”  and you cannot reason with me, the situation has taken over my thoughts and the whole thing consumes me.

Anxiety takes over.

Depression follows soon after.

I’m left sitting in my mud puddle over what was likely a non-issue.

I don’t remember where I heard this but I have applied it to my life and it has helped me tremendously.  While I still struggle with “worry”, this little tool has helped me to toss aside some of the smaller worries. So… here it is:  The Rule of 3’s.

When an event/thought/ etc occurs and you start to go “skyward” and begin the process of freaking out ask yourself a few questions:

Is this issue going to matter (have a negative effect on my life) in three hours?

Is this issue going to matter in 3 days?

Is this issue going to matter in 3 weeks?

Is this issue going to matter in 3 months?

What about three years?

Three decades?

When you go through these questions, if something is not going to have a negative impact on you, your family, the other individual involved, etc in 3 weeks… what you have is a minor annoyance or “blip on the radar”.  Just deal with the issue head on.  If it is an interpersonal issue either… say your apologies, extend forgiveness, talk it out, whatever, but with the idea that this was not a major issue.

Here’s an example of this at work:

This week I discovered that a vendor for my business posted something negative about our company on a public forum.  The vendor did not contact us regarding any issues and I was just “surfing the internet” when I found the post.  I started to freak out.

But… based on the rule of three’s…

This issue would still have an effect on my life in 3 hours and in three days.  But, it may not have an effect on me in three weeks.  That would depend on how I handled it.  If I handled it badly, then it will effect my life for three months or more.  But if I took care of it directly?  It may end in a matter of days.

I prayed about the issue, told God how mad I was about it and then wrote a polite post asking the vendor to please contact me regarding the difficulties they expressed.  Result?  The vendor backed down, apologized for the post and others on the thread began to support us for being up front and polite in our response.  What started out as a negative for our business has instead been very positive for our business.

But what if I had responded out of anxiety, hurt feelings, anger?  I probably would have a huge mess on my hands (out in the open and also within my spirit) that would effect my life for  3 months or even longer.  By using the rule of 3’s, I was able to put the “offense” in perspective and respond in an appropriate manner…not over react.

Using the rule of 3’s is  a good way to gain perspective and to use a little more wisdom when responding to those events that cause us anxiety and try to derail our attempts to overcome that stronghold.

Path to Peace

As believers in Christ, you’d think that we wouldn’t struggle with peace, contentment.  Not true.  Often, instead of peace we have worry, anxiety, depression.  Instead of contentment we have control issues, unfulfilled desires that gnaw at us and a spiritual walk that is weak or not existent.  The simple task of reading God’s word, meditating on God’s word and praying on a daily basis is the only path to having an abundant and peace filled life.  We all know this and still we push it aside.

In speaking with women I often hear a recurring phrase:  I need to find time to do my quiet times.  I even have said the same words myself.  But here’s the facts:  I am never going to find time.  I have the time I am simply not using a portion of it to spend time with the Lord.  We have to push something out of the way to give God the place He deserves in our daily life.  In my own sinful heart, if given a choice between doing my quiet time or checking email/facebook/plurk/twitter/etc….. my flesh is not going to choose time with God.  I have to choose to give time with God a top priority in my daily schedule.  It is a daily choice and it doesn’t get any easier to make the right choice.

Are you waiting for your schedule to improve?  It won’t.

Are you hoping you’ll have more time when your kids get older? You won’t.

Are you thinking that if you just get past this one roadblock then you’ll have time? You’re wrong.

When it comes to spending time, daily time, in the word and with the Lord you have to just take the time and do it.

Take the time.

Make the time,

Steal the time.

Grab the time.

Snatch the time.

I have a very high-need child and even she has learned what Mommy means when she says “not right now, this is Mommy’s time to spend some time with her bible”.  Sometimes she is sitting right beside me playing with toys but she knows, this is my time.

That said, there are still plenty of days, way too many days, that I decide I have better things to do, more entertaining things to do, things that seem more fun and more relevant to my life, than have a quiet time.  But those things never lead to peace, never lead to contentment and instead they tend to feed the anxiety in my heart and give depression the upper hand.

The word of God, time in prayer with God… this is truth and this leads to true freedom.  Time away from God….well…. that usually leads to bondage and strongholds.  In my life, it leads to being imprisoned by anxiety and my own thoughts.

Steal the time away from the daily distractions, from the things that aren’t as important and have a daily quiet time.  It is a simple task that produces such fruit in our lives and must be given top priority if we are going live free and victorious over depression and anxiety.

Psalm 18

For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except for our God?

It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.

He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great.

You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip.

Psalm 18: 31-36 (NKJV)

Recently I was studying Psalm 18 and I was struck by how this portion of scripture relates to the mindset that I need to have when it comes to battling depression.

First, some review.

Psalm 18 is written by King David.  The psalm is a psalm of praise and speaks of David’s battles with Saul.  The psalm is written many years after Saul’s death.  David reflects on all that God did for him during that phase of his life.   God delivered David’s enemies into his hands, he prepared David for the battle; God guided and supported David, held him up and kept him from slipping.

But David still had to show up.  David had to arrive on the battlefield and David had to fight.

Psalm 18 demonstrates 4  ways that God uses for delivering us:

1. God takes direct action.
2. God protects us.
3. God equips us for battle.
4. God strengthens us physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

As I studied Psalm 18, one thing became very clear;  God strengthened David, prepared him for the batttle and actually gave the battle into David’s hands BUT…. David still had to show up and fight the battle.  For many years I wanted my depression, anxiety, etc to be resolved by my simply asking that I would be healed or delivered.  I worried and kvetched over why the Lord would not answer my prayer.

It wasn’t until I started to understand the idea of taking control of my thoughts, mediatating on His words, renewing my mind and being forthright and honest with people that I finally started to see that God was answering my prayer and had been all along.  I simply needed to show up on the battle field, raise my sword and get to work.

Psalm 1

Blessed (Happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes] nor stands submissive and inactive in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down to relax and rest where the scornful and the mockers gather.

But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates, ponders and studies by day and by night.

And he shall be like a tree firmly planted and tended by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper and come to maturity.

Not so the wicked, those disobedient and living without God are not so.  But they are like the chaff (worthless, dead and without substance) which the wind drives away.

Therefore the wicked (those disobedient and living without God) shall not stand justified in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God).

For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly, those living outside of God’s will, shall perish, end in ruin and come to nought.

Psalm 1 (Amplified Bible)

This psalm is a contrast of the righteous and the unrighteous.  However, it is also a good example of what happens when we deal with our mental and emotional turmoil following God’s plan vs. the world’s plan.  I’m not making a statement regarding what types of treatment belong in which camps.  Honestly, the only way for you to know how God would have you proceed when it comes to dealing with your depression is to seek Him and ask Him.

In Psalm 1, those that follow the plans of the Lord and those that follow the ways of the world are compared to trees and chaff.  Trees remain upright, staying in the same place (at the feet of the Lord).  Chaff blows around in the wind from here to there.  May land in a good place this time, but once the wind blows again there are no guarantees as to where it will land next time.

The tree, however, is consistent. Stable. Upright. Growing in strength.  It isn’t flittering off to here or there.  It stays by its source of nourishment.  In doing so, it grows fruit, it is tended and cared for, and it prospers.  In other words, if we seek the Lord first His word, via Psalm 1, offers us some promises:

• We will be nourished and cared for
• We will grow, gain maturity and have fruit
• We will gain more and more stability
• Our efforts will be rewarded

For myself, those promises are dear to me and a great reminder on those days when the struggle is getting a little hard to bear.

One More Thing…

Regarding the Proverbs 31 chic… there’s something important to note about this whole chapter.  It is written to men. Not women.

Let that sink in for a minute.

How many men do you see fretting and wringing their hands over the fact that they are not a Proverbs 31 MAN?  Verses 1 – 9 are filled with strong instructions for men.  And, just as the portion regarding women, they are written about a man’s overall lifetime.   The chapter then moves forward to describing what a virtuous wife might look like.

(As a side note…I’m not saying that this portion doesn’t apply to women.  It does.  But I think it is important to consider its background and why it was written and who it was addressing at the time it was written. Ya know…keep it in context.)

Listen, this laundry list was not provided by Momma Lemuel so that women, thousands of years in the future, could be using it to condemn themselves.  It was put here because King Lemuel, as a man, had no earthly idea of what a woman did for her household.  He had to be told….by a woman.  She apparently felt the need to describe it to him in minute detail.  But he had to be told.

Look at the list….. now look at you and your life.  Do you……

• Make sure your family has food to eat?
• Earn money and/or save money by budgeting, coupons, looking for deals, keep your family living within their means to the best of your ability, etc?
• Make sure everyone has clothes and shoes to wear…. and a jacket for winter?
• Sometimes have to get up early and stay up late just to get everything done?
• Bathe, shower and get dressed on a regular basis 🙂 ?
• Tell your kids about Jesus and his saving grace?
• Try your best to depend on God’s strength?
• Make efforts to choose your words wisely?
• Extend kindness to others?
• Reach out to others, extend a helping hand?
• Do your best when it comes to raising your kids and guiding them through life?

If this is a description of you, in your overall life, then congratulations.  You are a Proverbs 31 woman.  Simple as that.

In other words, walk in truth and no longer allow the enemy to use this portion of scripture as a weapon against you.  By God’s grace, our overall lives are falling right in line with this lovely example we find in His word….and don’t let anyone (including yourself) tell you differently.

A Familiar Face

There’s a woman in the bible that we all, at times, have loved to hate. We feel condemned by her example or that she is a standard that we can never meet. Christian authors love to write books for women that cover all the different things we can do to measure up to this lady. All written in such a way that even if we had superhuman strength, we’d never reach the goal.

She is the Proverbs 31 woman.

Now… don’t shut me down just yet. This is not your usual Proverbs 31 discussion that just makes you feel awful. I want us to just look at her and ourselves and just get real for a minute or two.

First, some background.

This is a list of qualities that was written by a woman. A woman to her son. Apparently, this lady felt that her son was spending a little too much time hanging out with less than desirable women (or maybe the problem was that they were desirable…but in all the wrong ways to ol’ King Lemuel). Anyway, to get her son on the straight and narrow when it came to his love for the ladies, she wrote this poem about the qualities to look for in a wife.

Using the bible to interpret the bible, lets point out 2 important facts about this lady. Since we know that Jesus was the only one who was without sin we know that the Proverbs 31 woman, if she had existed, was a sinner and she was married to a sinner. In addition, she had children and each and everyone of them were sinners as well.

So, what happens when you put 2 sinners in a marriage? You have discord, snappishness, selfishness, etc. It happens at some point. Add kids…little sinner kids…. and you have more selfishness, snappishness, being impatient, etc.

What? No one ever had a discussion with you about the Proverbs 31 woman and calling her a sinner? You didn’t see that covered in that book that was written especially for women and gave you a laundry list of things you should be doing to measure up and be called “righteous”?

I used to be one that got myself so twisted into knots reading all of these books about how to be a Proverbs 31 woman and going to all of the these women’s groups where the topic usually came up eventually. But in truth, I was reading these things and going to these groups hoping to find a way to “fix” me only to learn that I needed more “fixing” than I ever imagined. I had a distorted view of this portion of scripture and was focusing on my outward actions instead of working on my relationship with the Lord.

In times like this, it is so important that we turn to the word and look to see what it really says. If we spend time in the word, focusing on the truth of the word, we can have a much more accurate view of ourselves and our position in Christ. Yep, we’re still sinners and we still fall short. But we’re sinners that God dearly loves and desires a relationship with. We’re sinners that are moving closer and closer to him each day…and that is righteousness. That’s having a relationship with Christ.

So lets look at some basic, non-judgemental facts about this women so that we can maybe stop using her to beat ourselves up.

1. She is fictional. Remember, this is a hebrew poem. This woman…she didn’t exist. Don’t beat yourself up for not meeting the standard of a fictional woman. God had her example placed in scripture for a reason but I don’t believe it was for condemnation.

2. If she had existed in real life, she would have been a sinner.

3. If she had existed in real life she would have been married to a sinner.

4. No marriage is perfect so if she had existed in real life I’m sure there would have been times that she would have informed Mr. Proverbs 31 all about the 99 reasons why he’s on her last nerve. That’s what sinners do when they’re in a marriage together… they don’t always get along.

Lastly, here’s an important thing to look at. This is a description of this woman’s ENTIRE life. Not just a day or a week. Her entire life. We might have a much different picture of her if we had a day by day, minute by minute accounting of her every action, thought, attitude and deed. But when we compare ourselves to her, we look at ourselves moment by moment instead of our life as a whole. The word of God extends much grace to this woman by not listing off her every deed but when we compare ourselves to her… why don’t we allow the same grace to be extended to us as well?

I’d encourage you to look at this woman, and in comparison, yourself using the same yardstick. Look at your overall life. Overall, in a lifetime, we as woman who are children of God do accomplish many, if not all, of the items in this list. In addition, I don’t believe that God had this placed in scripture just to condemn. I think it is there as an encouragement. For me, I love the fact that by God’s incredible grace, my life could actually be summed up in such a way. In spite of my day to day shortcomings, in spite of depression or whatever, my lifetime (by God’s grace) could be described as righteous. That by God’s grace, I could be described as more valuable than rubies. That’s an amazing blessing.

So please…stop letting that portion of the word discourage you and instead, start seeing it through the eyes of God’s unending grace.

Full Disclosure

This is a battle.  Some days I do well.  Some days I don’t.  Yesterday was one of those “didn’t do well” days.  I was knocked off balance by an event and then couldn’t get my head back on straight.  Today is better.  Except that I struggle with thoughts of how I should have done a better job with renewing my mind yesterday.

But I’m reminding myself of a verse in Isaiah that always brings me great comfort and direction.

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43: 18 – 19 New International Version

I think about that verse when I’m trying to clutch to something that needs to be let go.  Recently, however, I have realized that one of the things I sometimes clutch to, and that needs to be let go, is my failures.  That is a challenge that I am working on in this phase of my journey.

My biggest desert and my greatest wasteland is often my own thoughts, my own mind and my own struggle with depression.  But God is faithful and He is “making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

The Opposite of Depression

I find myself at times struggling with the idea of whether I am currently depressed or whether this is just “life”. I think for many years I had myself deceived into thinking that the opposite of depression was happiness. But when I look at the reality of how life works out and see the lives of saints depicted in the scriptures I am convinced that the opposite of depression has very little to do with happiness.

I have been considering the life of Jesus. We have no evidence to indicate that Jesus ever experienced depression and we do have a scriptural basis to see that He had a perfect and holy relationship with the Lord and His life was free of sin. Yet with having this life of righteousness our Lord experienced the following:

• Immense trials
• Interpersonal conflicts
• Family disputes
• Death of a beloved friend
• Grief
• Rejection
• People pulling Him in every direction
• Homelessness
• Pain and suffering
• False accusations
• Altercations with community/spiritual leaders
• Anger
• Political unrest

What I see when I look at this long list is the fact that life is hard. Simple as that. Overcoming depression does not mean that I will be happy. It means that I can continue to function, continue to serve others, continue to worship, etc in spite of my trials and tribulations. Overcoming depression means that I can continue to have a right view, a truthful view, of who I am and my position in Christ in spite of the fact that my world is crashing down around me.

I think it would be important to clarify a few things about depression.

• Grief is not the same as depression. It can sometimes lead to depression but it can exist without the presence of depression.

• Sorrow is not the same as depression. It can sometimes lead to depression but sorrow is a part of every life. Even the life that is free of depression.

So… what is it?

Depression is a form of self hatred, self loathing. It is an inability to function, an impairment. It isn’t a sin but some of the actions we take as a result of the depression are, in fact, sin. Depression is a characterized by unhealthy (and untrue) thoughts, over focusing on self, inability to maintain relationships and responsibilities.

So what is the opposite?

Well, I think about this a lot and I’m no expert. But I think the opposite of depression may be found in the word of God. And while this isn’t a complete list, it does give us an idea of what the non-depressed life might look like according to God’s word.

Contentment with our circumstances.

• Godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 6:6

Joy in spite of our circumstances

• Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

• For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Romans 14: 17 – 18

• You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering you welcomed the message with joy given by the Holy Spirit. I Thess 1:6

Thankfulness….again…. in spite of circumstances

• You turned my wailing into dancing, you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks forever. Psalm 30: 11- 12

• Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:10

• Give thanks in all circumstances (note that it says IN all circumstances not FOR all circumstances), for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess 5:18

The opposite of depression isn’t happiness or the end of bad days or the absence of trials. It is simply having a right view of ourselves and an ability to be content, be thankful and worship our Holy Creator.

St. John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort (SJW) is a well known herbal treatment for depression.  For years you would hear it referred to as unproven, not well researched, etc.  But folks continued to state that the herbal remedy had helped them.  Well, times have changed.  The supplement has now been researched in multiple published studies and through researching it, more has been learned about how it works and the potential for dangerous side effects has also been revealed.

First of all, St. John’s Wort was always listed as being effective only for mild depression.  However, it is now accepted that the treatment is effective for mild to moderate depression.  It has not been found to be effective against major depression (also referred to as severe depression).

Next we have learned that SJW does not work as a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (like Prozac, etc) so the nickname “herbal prozac” isn’t warranted. Instead. SJW works like a tricyclic antidepressant which is a class of medications that prevents the reuptake of 2 of those famous neurotransmitters that we keep talking about: serotonin and norepinephrine.  It is called a tricyclic because of the shape of the chemical atom that makes up the medication.

So before we move on… if you are healthy, you take NO PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS AT ALL…. SJW is a good choice and works well.  It starts to take effect immediately but it needs 2 to 4 weeks to be fully effective. If you are going to use it you must always list it as a “medication” when seeing your healthcare provider.  Not doing so could lead to serious side problems.

When you spend the money to actually research something, the results can sometimes be surprising.  That is kinda what happened when SJW was fully investigated.  We learned that it is much more useful (and thus a cost effective treatment) for depression than was previously thought.  But we also learned that is wasn’t as harmless as we had previously believed.

In medicine, there are certain little labels that make prescribers sit up, take notice and cause a bit of fear and concern.  These labels for groups of medications or body processes that can effect overall health and/or cause unplanned side effects make prescribers stop in their tracks.  One of those labels refers to a medication interfering with “cytochrome P450 activity”.  This label means that the medication in question can prevent other medications from being absorbed (a big problem if you are talking about seizure medications, HIV anti-viral medications, etc) but it can also increase side effects if combined with certain medications.  Basically, medications in this group can cause lots of difficulties and must be used with great caution.

Because many prescribers do not receive a lot of information regarding herbal supplements, etc, it is possible that they will not know that SJW effects this Cytochrome P450 pathway.   Therefore, if you are going to use SJW, it is vitally important that you write the statement below on a little piece of paper, keep it in your wallet and show it to each of your healthcare providers when they are getting ready to write you a prescription for ANYTHING.

Dear Prescriber

I take an herbal supplement, St. John’s Wort, which effects the Cytochrome P450 (CYP, P450) pathway and potentially interferes with many medications.

Thank you

If you take no other medications, side effects of St. John’s Wort are pretty mild.  They include nausea, stomach upset and photosensitivity.  This last issue means that you will sunburn much quicker than before and sunscreen/avoidance of the sun is even more important.

But what if you do take prescription medications?  The  list of possible interactions is quite lengthy. Most simply result in the other medication no longer being as effective.   For safety, you would be wise to check with your healthcare provider before combining SJW with any prescription medication.

Now for the list…… each states what will happen to the specific medication if it is combined with SJW.

Birth Control pills: when combined with SJW, you need a secondary form of birth control due to decreased effectiveness and some sources state you are at risk for serotonin syndrome.  This is a combination to be avoided.

HIV medications: decreased effectiveness

Chemotherapy: decreased effectiveness

Cyclosporin/transplant anti-rejection medications: decreased effectiveness, graft rejection

Antidepressants: do not combine as this will increase risk of serotonin syndrome

Warfarin/coumadin: decreased effectiveness

Anticonvulsants (antiseizure medications): decreased plasma levels/effectiveness

Digoxin: decreased effectiveness/absorption

The list is much longer but these are some of the top combinations that can cause problems.  Truly, using SJW when you require regular prescription medication calls for great caution.  If you do not take prescription medication on a regular basis, then SJW is a good option for treating your depression as long as you make the commitment that you will keep your healthcare provider informed that you are using the supplement and that you are aware of its risks.

So what now?

As with all of the treatments we’ve talked about this week….pray.  Pray. Pray. Pray.

Figs & Twigs

In medicine, alternative remedies, herbal remedies, etc are often referred to as follows: I don’t know anything about figs and twigs.

Some healthcare providers know a little here and there about vitamins, supplements, herbs, etc but it is a huge field and can be very overwhelming.  Just as every healthcare provider isn’t an expert in every area, they also don’t get a whole lot of extra training in this area.  I know only what I researched for my own healthcare and/or my child’s care.

I say all this because healthcare providers sometimes get a bad rap for not knowing about each and every herb that God created and man packaged but it is a huge area and, just as they have to look up info for unfamiliar drugs that they may need to prescribe, the same is true for “figs and twigs”.

There are a few supplements that can be helpful in the battle with depression and anxiety.   One of them is essential to good health and everyone should truly take it regardless of whether they are gettin’ their crazy on.  The others are just helpful to know about.  One, St. John’s Wort, will need to be discussed in its own post.  It has real benefits but also some very real dangers and the discussion can get a little uber complicated.  So that’s for another day altogether.

Let’s get started with the “you must take this now” pitch…

Essential Fatty Acids:

Also called Omega 3, Omega 6, Omega 9, fish oil, etc.  The American diet is unbalanced when it comes to the Omegas.  We get an over abundance of Omega 6 because it is in baked goods and its added to everything on the planet.  However, we get very little of Omega 3 and Omega 9 is kind of an outlier.  Having an imbalance of Omega 6  compared to Omega 3 leads to obesity, heart disease, inflammatory disorders, etc.

You can take a supplement that contains just Omega 3 or you can take an Omega 3,6,9 product.  But here’s the kicker.  Yes…its cheaper at Walmart but unless you are taking a pharmaceutical grade product you may getting a high load of mercury and not much in the way of actual fish oil.  So ignore that big jumbo bottle at Sams club and go to the healthfood store.  A bottle of quality EFA’s (essential fatty acids) will cost you between 24 and 30 bucks.

Benefits:

Other than the overall health benefits, EFA’s help to improve focus and even kids with ADHD are starting to use them instead of their usual stimulant medications.

Side effects:

Fishy burps…. try one of the lemon flavored ones and this will lessen the problem and take with food.

Brusing: if excessive brusing starts to occur, decrease your dose

If you have a history of seizures, avoid using an EFA supplement that has borage oil as it can lower your seizure threshold.

The drawbacks are very few, the benefits are enormous.  So while I’ve tried to remain balanced on these posts about medications, etc….. start taking EFA’s today.

Kava Kava

Kava Kava is an herb that has anti-anxiety benefits.  It is calming and it can make you a little sleepy.  It is used in smaller doses during the day when you are having trouble keeping your anxiety under control.  It also helps to get you to sleep at night and has successfully been used for counteracting the “wake up at 2:00 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep” cycle.

Kava Kava is often linked in internet forums, etc to liver problems.  If you take Kava Kava by the fistful every day of your life, yes you will have some liver issues.  However, if you use it at its recommended dose a few times a month, it is a safe supplement.  In times of extreme stress it can be used daily but it isn’t recommended for daily use over longs periods of time.

Because it is processed by the liver it can cause toxicity not only in high doses but in those that might have a compromised liver.  Therefore, avoid Kava Kava if you….

• have liver disease
• have a history of prolonged alcholism
• consume more than 4 or 5 alcoholic beverages per week

Another important warning, don’t combine Kava Kava with tylenol/acetaminophen products for the same reason….it can cause issues with the liver.  And, of course, taking Kava Kava with an alcoholic beverage wouldn’t be a good choice.  To avoid excess sedation, do not combine with seizure medications, any sedating pain medications or any other sedatives.

Valerian:

Valerian is sometimes called herbal valium but is mainly used for anxiety.  However, its greatest use is as a sleep aid.  It is relatively safe although you will sometimes read of it being linked to liver issues.  That is, however, quite rare.

Very little is known about valerian and how it functions in the body.  There are very few published reports of valerian causing toxicity issues, over doses, etc.  It is a fairly safe supplement.  That said, if you fall into any of the above mentioned categories in regards to liver issues, you may want to avoid using it.

A side note… if you have a sensitive nose, it may be hard for you to stomach valerian. I tried once to take it for a few weeks and the stuff stinks to high heaven.  I just couldn’t take it any more and I quit.  It is really stinky stuff.

That’s all for today.  Next post will be about St. John’s Wort, an herbal antidepressant.  And just as I said last time, same applies for herbal remedies as well.  Pray before you start.  Pray before you start.