A Christmas Story With Neil Diamond - A Surprise Ending You Will Not Expect!

In 1972, Neil Diamond's song, "I Am, I Said" prevented me from suicide. For years thereafter, because I have bipolar disorder (manic depression) I had manic episodes where I was convinced that Neil Diamond was Jesus Christ and I was "supposed" to be his "bride." In 1980, I took off to Los Angeles, believing that he would meet me to marry me.

I was a "stalker" before that term had been coined. I walked the streets of LA for three months, trying to find Neil. I even had my name changed with the Social Security Administration so my last name was "Diamond."

I charged over $1500 to Neil's production company that was in the process of filming "The Jazz Singer" for telegrams to radio stations all over the country announcing that Jesus Christ had finally found his "bride" and that the marriage to save all of humanity was about to take place soon.

These episodes reoccurred several times until 2003, and the Delilah Radio Show. Around Thanksgiving that year, Delilah had a show devoted to something you were thankful about. I wrote in and told her how grateful I was that Neil's song had deterred me from suicide.

About six weeks later, during Delilah's Christmas show with Neil Diamond, she called and asked if I wanted to share my story on the air. When she began the phone conversation, suddenly, Neil Diamond was talking in my ear saying, "You've done me great honor ... by sharing this story and I love you for it"!

I was so stunned, I didn't know what to say, and told Delilah, "I don't know how to thank you for this"! She replied, "Pay it forward."

I have since never had another manic episode whereby Neil was the "object" of my thought disorder.

So, because of the Delilah show and her magnificent Christmas gift of allowing me to personally talk to Neil, I've been healed of my psychotic delusions about him. What greater Christmas gift could there possibly be? For Neil to say "I love you," on national radio?

So, I am continually grateful to Delilah for her wisdom and grace to give me the best Christmas present I could ever have received.

If You Think You Have Major Depression

This is the most serious form of depression in terms of number of symptoms and severity of symptoms. It is a medical illness that involves the mind and the body and affects how a person thinks and behaves. Although suicidal thoughts or gestures are part of major depression, a person does not have to be suicidal to be clinically depressed; you may not be able to go about your usual daily activities, and depression may make you feel as if life just isn't worth living anymore. Although some people experience only one episode of depression, most have repeated episodes of depression symptoms throughout their life.

Symptoms of major depression

• Loss of interest in normal daily activities
• Feeling sad or down
• Feeling hopeless
• Crying spells for no apparent reason
• Problems sleeping
• Trouble focusing or concentrating
• Difficulty making decisions
• Unintentional weight gain or loss
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Being easily annoyed
• Feeling fatigued or weak
• Feeling worthless
• Loss of interest in sex
• Thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

The severity of symptoms differ from person to person. In some people, the symptoms are obvious to those around us, even if we don't recognize them in ourselves. Sometimes, a depressed person may just feel miserable or unhappy without knowing why.

What causes major depression?

It isn't known exactly what causes depression, but it is felt to be a combination of factors.

Biochemical: It is felt that naturally occurring chemical uptake to the brain (called neurotransmitters) may be interrupted or faulty. These affect mood and thought and are felt to play a part in depression. Hormonal imbalance can also be a factor.

Genetic: Some studies show that depression is more common in family groups and therefore is hereditary to some degree.

Environment: Life events can trigger depression. Loss of a loved one, financial problems, periods of high stress and marital issues are some of the major environmental factors in depression.

Risk factors for depression

Although the exact causes or triggers for depression aren't known, there are certain factors and life events that seem to increase the risk of developing depression. Being aware of these triggers can help you identify your own depression.

• Having other biological relatives with depression
• Having family members who have taken their own life
• Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one
• Having a depressed mood as a youngster
• Illness, such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's or HIV/AIDS
• Long-term use of certain medications, such as some drugs used to control high blood pressure, sleeping pills or, occasionally, birth control pills
• Certain personality traits, such as having low self-esteem and being overly dependent, self-critical or pessimistic
• Alcohol, nicotine and drug abuse
• Having recently given birth
• Being in a lower socioeconomic group

Seeking medical advice

Many people don't recognize their own depression and therefore don't seek help. If you recognize yourself in any of the above, you are taking a step in the right direction. Once you recognize the symptoms, you can then also recognize that you don't have to live like this.

It's normal to occasionally upset or unhappy with situations in your life. With depression, however, these feelings hang onto you for a long period of time. Your friends and family may tell you to "get over it," but you find yourself unable to do that. These feelings are more intense than just "feeling blue," and interfere with your life, work and enjoyment of daily living.

If you are feeling suicidal or having thoughts that life just isn't worth living, seek medical attention immediately. If you are having suicidal feelings right now, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). This is a free service.

If you don't want to or are unable to for some reason, you have other choices for reaching out for help, such as contacting family members or friends, a doctor or mental or health care provider, a spiritual leader, or someone in your circle with whom you feel a strong connection. You can also go to your local emergency room or call a crisis center or hotline.

Helping a loved one

You may be visiting HandlingDepression.com because you feel someone you love is suffering from depression and you wonder what you could be doing for them.

Have an open and honest discussion with them. As stated above, many times people don't realize they're depressed. For them, depression is "normal," and they don't recognize the severity of their condition. They believe that everyone feels the way they do. You may not be able to force someone to get professional help, but you can be supportive and offer encouragement.

Sometimes, someone who is depressed just needs someone to demonstrate to them that their presence in the world does matter, that there are people who care about them enough to help them make the first step in the right direction. It can be very helpful to them if you get a referral for them to get professional help, assist them in making the appointment and getting to it. Even these simple tasks can be daunting to someone who is severely depressed. Often, they require assistance in getting the help they desperately need because they are incapable of taking care of the things the rest of us take for granted.

If your loved one is suicidal, do not attempt to help them on your own. That is not to say don't help them - just don't try to handle it without professional help. Take them to the emergency room or call for emergency help.

Hyperforin - How it Can Help Fight Depression

IDepression can be a very debilitating condition and, for many, taking prescription drugs may not be desirable for a variety of reasons. Most, if not all, prescription drugs on the market have many negative side effects including a reduced sex drive, dizziness, nausea, headaches, weight gain and more...there is also a risk that the drugs will adversely affect the body and make depression even worse. In addition, these drugs can get very expensive depending on your insurance coverage. Because of all of these factors, many have turned to the possibility of natural supplements to help manage their depression symptoms.

Of all the natural supplements for depression on the market, St. John's Wort is probably the most popular and well-known, but not all St. John's Wort supplements are created equal. Studies indicate fairly conclusively that the main active ingredient in the herbaceous St. John's Wort is the natural chemical hyperforin. In a popular study where all factors were equal except the hyperforin content in each test sample, patients who received St. John's Wort extract with 5% hyperforin showed improvement in their depression symptoms while those receiving an extract with only .5% hyperforin did not see improvement.
 
If you're looking for a St. John's Wort supplement to help treat depression symptoms you can't really just pick the first supplement you see off the shelves as most supplements sold in the US contain only .5% hyperforin which has shown to be ineffective in trials. Be sure to purchase a high-quality supplement, preferable one that specifically states 5% hyperforin. St. John's Wort has a lot of beneficial properties so these lower-grade supplements still have some benefits in other areas, but are unlikely to provide any kind of benefit for alleviating depression symptoms.
 
A quality hyperforin supplement may be just the addition you need for your supplement regime to help fight your depression without the expense or unpleasant side effects of prescription drugs, but always be sure to consult your doctor first to help determine if it's a good choice for you. Hyperforin has been described as a potent uptake inhibitor for neurotransmitters (natural chemicals in the brain that transmit nerve impulses) such as norepinephrine and dopamine, preventing them from being reabsorbed into the nerve cells that produced them. Why is this important for depression sufferers? Depression almost always occurs because of an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain; uptake inhibitors keep produced neurotransmitters in circulation where they can do their job.
 
Having problems with depression doesn't mean that you'll automatically have to deal with it or that you'll have to go onto medications that are hard on your body and can cause many physical ailments that may rival the debilitating effects of the mental condition they're meant to correct. Ignoring depression is probably the worst thing you can do and treating it doesn't have to be costly and dangerous; often the best way to ensure you receive the best care for your condition is to approach the situation as informed as possible, including considering natural supplements to help alleviate symptoms.

Lyme Disease - Medical and Alternative Treatments

Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection that can cause serious illness. Named after the Connecticut town where a cluster of cases were diagnosed in the mid 1970s, the disorder has now been reported throughout much of the United States, with the highest levels of infection on the East Coast, from Maine to Maryland, in the Upper Mid­west, and in California. The cause is a type of screw shaped bacteria, known as a spirochete, that is transmitted by several species of tiny ticks. Although these ticks are most often found on deer, rodents, and other wild animals, they also bite humans. The first sign of Lyme disease usually is a painless, donut-shaped red rash that develops at the site of the tick bite within a few weeks, although in some cases it shows up sooner. It is often Many people do not know that they have been infected with Lyme disease because they are unaware of having been bitten by a tick. (Up to half of those who are bitten fail to develop the warning rash.) Without treatment, weeks or even months after the bite, arthritic, cardiac, and/or neurological complications may occur. The most common manifestations are joint swelling, pain, and stiffness. Less common complications include cardiac arrhythmias, meningitis, neurological disorders including paralysis, and depression and other psychological problems. Infection in pregnant women may lead to fetal death and miscarriage.

Diagnostic Studies And Procedures

There are blood tests for Lyme disease, but they have limitations. For example, it may take months for an infection to produce a positive result using anti body tests. This situation is expected to change if experimental tests fulfill their initial promise. In the meantime, a diagnosis can often be made on the basis of symptoms and the likelihood of exposure to a tick bite.

Medical Treatments

Lyme disease usually can be cured with antibiotics, especially if treated in its earliest stages, before complications occur. In the past, penicillin or tetracy cline were the drugs of choice, but cur­rent therapy favors doxycycline, a more readily absorbed tetracycline, or amoxicillin, a penicillin derivative that has increased potency. Doxycycline is most commonly used because it has to be taken only twice a day and causes fewer gastrointestinal side effects than amoxicillin, which must be taken three times a day. More serious infections, especially those involving the central nervous system, may be treated with ceftriaxone (Rocephin); this is a new antibiotic that is given by injection or intravenously. Approaches for later and more severe manifestations of Lyme disease remain controversial. Generally, treatment at this stage is longer and more intensive. It may be necessary to undergo two to four weeks of intravenous therapy with ceftriaxone or penicillin G, especially for central nervous system complications such as meningitis. Intravenous therapy may be given in the hospital, an outpatient clinic, or at home by a visiting nurse or IV therapist. If symptoms persist despite a course of IV antibiotics, some doctors recom­mend long-term intravenous therapy. Others feel this approach is futile. Other medical treatments depend upon symptoms. For example, Lyme arthritis generally responds to aspirin, ibuprofen, and other nonsteroidal anti­inflammatory drugs. People with certain types of cardiac arrhythmias may be treated with antiarrhythmia drugs; others may benefit from implantation of a pacemaker. Eye inflammation can be treated with antibiotic eye drops. Medication may also be prescribed to treat depression. Vaccines against Lyme disease are being tested in areas of Connecticut where the disease is widespread. If these prove effective, Lyme disease will become a preventable disorder.

Alternative Therapies

Physical Therapy. A physical therapist can suggest exercises that will help inflamed joints retain function and maintain mobility, but at the same time will not damage them. An occupational therapist can teach new ways to perform daily tasks with minimal pain.

Tai Chi

The gentle movements of this ancient exercise routine can help maintain flexibility and may also promote healing and a sense of well being.

Self Treatment

The ideal self treatment is to prevent Lyme disease by avoiding tick bites. When walking in tick infested areas, wear light colored clothes on which ticks will be more visible, and spray them with peregrine. Apply an insect repellant that contains DEET preferably in a concentration of less than 35 percent-to exposed skin. (Check with your doctor before using DEET on a young child; it may cause seizures.) Also, try to avoid brush and leaf litter. Shower as soon as possible after any outing into an area known to be populated by ticks, and then examine your­self carefully. If you find a tick attached to your body, remove it promptly by grasping it with a pair of tweezers as close to the skin as possible and tugging gently. The sooner it is removed, the lower the risk that it will transmit infection. Place the tick in a closed container so that it can be examined if you develop any symptoms. Make sure that all cats and dogs wear tick collars, and comb pets regularly to remove any ticks.

Other Causes of Lyme Symptoms

Arthritis symptoms similar to those of Lynne disease may be caused by rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and Remitter's syndrome, a type of infectious arthritis. Neurological symptoms may be due to encephalitis and other central nervous system infections. Depression and chronic fatigue syndrome may also be mistaken for Lynne disease.

Should You Be Required to Have a License to Become a Parent?

Children are suffering from an overwhelming but hidden epidemic of child bullying, physical and emotional abuse. These emotional bullies are publicly invisible. They are the adults who inhabit the private, invisible world of the child... where the child should rightfully feel most safe, protected, and loved... in its home. These are primarily those closest to the child... its parents.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau (2011), Child Maltreatment 2010, every year 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States. This involves nearly 6 million children. Even though a report of abuse is made every ten seconds, not all abuse is even known or reported. The number of reports is deceptive because a single report of abuse can represent multiple children.

Abusing parents and their actions against their child can remain in the shadows because the child's emotional abuse can keep it there. The United States has the honor of having the worst record of physical abuse and emotional bullying among the industrialized nations. Statistics show that this country loses five children under the age of four every day due to abuse-related deaths. Shouldn't we do something about this to stop it?

One factor common to any kind of abuse is psychological abuse or bullying. This can not only occur on its own but also with physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and medical neglect. While 78.3 percent of child abuse is represented by some form of neglect, the child is still psychologically/emotionally harmed by it.

Bullying and emotionally abusing adults may blame, belittle, and criticize the child. They may be indifferent to the child's problems, showing no empathy. They may withhold affection, basic care, and essentials like food, hygiene, or medical care. Many may totally reject the child as if it did not exist, causing the child to tend to wither away.

The consequences of this problem can be serious and long-term, leaving deep emotional scars for those who survive. Both children and adults may experience an inability to trust and form happy relationships. They may experience social anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, and rage. They may lack assertiveness, self-esteem, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills, feeling "unacceptable.. They may lack empathy.

Furthermore, they may use and abuse alcohol, recreational and prescription drugs. They make take on risky behaviors, becoming pregnant in their teens or getting sexually-transmitted diseases, including AIDS. They may repeat their abuse experiences on their own children and partners. They may not even know why this is. Shouldn't we do something about this before it can affect their children?

What this epidemic of child abuse suggests is that many adults who bear children are not fit to be parents. Rather than let their children die or be scarred for life, if we really care, perhaps we should we address this problem head on. We need to ask: Could we reduce this overwhelming incidence of death and emotional and physical child abuse by requiring all adults to pass a parental-fitness test first?

Since the physical and emotional histories of bullying, emotional and physical abusers often demonstrate that those individuals have suffered related abuse themselves, a psychological test could help pinpoint those with relevant histories. It could also reveal those who suffer from rage, anxieties, depression, personality and impulse disorders, psychoses, and serious addictions.

The ultimate question we need to ask ourselves is: When is the rate of death and abuse of our children high enough to be worth the state's invasion of our privacy to determine who should be parents? Should adults be required to pass a parental-fitness/emotional health test in order to be licensed to have children?

Google Search Engine Ranking - Page Rank Matters Again

Over a year ago search engine marketing, optimization and Internet marketing folks shared the idea that Google's Page Rank (PR) had to be crossed out from the list of crucial factors in ranking algorithm of Google. This started the so-called "PR Depression" period.

Historical Background about "PR Depression."

"PR depression" is the period of time when people got free from the PR obsession and started to share the idea that PR was not critical for getting top positions in search engine results on the necessary keywords and key phrases.

The typical forum gossip at that time was like:

"I don't even care about PR bar"

"PR is almost no good for ranking, better have good anchors in the backlinks"

"I'd better have 1000 extra visitors per month than extra point on PR"

These are not exact quotes from SEO, SEM, and IM forums, but those who dwelled there know that I am giving very trendy words. I must admit that I was also very pessimistic about PR at that very moment. No, of course, I would never disagree to have PR 7 or 8 or more for any of my sites; even at those times of "PR depression", but many of webmasters and SEM & SEO specialists saw that PR was quite a manipulative thing that could be obtained without any big problems. Many people could boast that with proper knowledge and efforts their sites got PR 3-4 within a matter of several month.

So the magic PR was not giving increase in targeted traffic. And new trends popped up - anchors in backlinks, one way links as alternative to reciprocal links, etc. All this added to the "PR depression" and people losing faith into its magical power. So, for a while, Google PR came into the shadow.

Matt Cutts is Taking PR Out of Shadow!

It was Matt Cutts who made the PR buzz get back on the stage again. Recently Matt (software engineer at Google) said a seemingly unnoticeable line when discussing the problem of supplemental results. The direct quote from Matt Cutt's famous blog is: "If a page doesn't have enough PageRank to be included in our main web index, the supplemental results represent an additional chance for users to find that page..."

And this phrase instantly brings the importance of PR back to the very top!

Because we can make a logical assumption that if a page has some PR, than its chances to get into supplemental results are lower. This example cries out that PR is still very, very important for Google ranking algo. And, perhaps, not only in situations of putting or not putting the page into "supplementals". If PR is a valid factor for supplemental results, than PR can be a valid factor to many other things in Google's algo.

And this brings us to the simlple search engine marketing and optimization conclusion - PR matters, matters a lot. So, build more good backlinks from nice PR pages and get yourself a PR!

Even PR 1 can help you in some situations. Imagine that your page only thanks to some PR will not get into supplementals, it means it will be displayed closer to the top for some easy keywords, whereas other pages (that have no PR or PR 0 will be in supps) will be lower. Maybe this will not bring you tons of traffic, but I think no one would disagree to get extra 300-500 targeted visitors per month. And if you are catching people on several keywords in your niche - the possible number of targeted traffic will grow to extra thousands!

P.S. But don't be greedy about backlinks; now we all know that Google got more careful and experienced about PR manipulations.

Do You Know What the Early Signs of Depression Are?

Unless someone is totally familiar with the symptoms of depression, it can be extremely difficult to diagnose, let alone help.

Many people don't even know that they are suffering from depression, and in the USA over 15 million people are affected to some extent or another, and the startling fact that over two thirds of them will never seek help, most probably because they do not even realise, that they require some form of medical help for the way that they are feeling, it is an astonishing fact.

Why is depression so hard to spot?

Unlike depression itself, the answer is easy, and is often confused with every day issues that people face, it could be remorse over a negative event such as bereavement, etc, so this makes it hard to tell the difference between a normal mood and depression.

It's not unusual to feel negative feelings on occasions, such as when for example, we may become a little shaken when we reach the age of 40, there are many of us who see this as some milestone of reflection, which causes us to ponder and evaluate our lives.

It may be depressing to see that passed investment opportunity when you were in your twenties, now worth a fortune, such feelings are normal and even healthy, they are not depression. Depression is not a feeling that will come and go for brief encounters of sadness as mentioned above, but if they are not treated, depression will last forever and will get worse and worse, and it may require years to get a decent handle on this illness.

Typical symptoms of depression include insomnia, binge eating, or even starvation, that is not to say a sleepless night, or a day of over eating are symptoms, rather it would be an ongoing pattern that is the indicator. Many people suffering from depression become loners, and their feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, plus constant remorse and regret, are very common.

They feel upset and the lonelier they become, many sufferers want someone to help, but just can't find the courage to ask, and it then becomes even more difficult to deal with other people. The center of attention personality becomes a wall flower; these are symptoms of the early stages of depression.

Depression in later stages creates a seemingly incompatibility between the victim and other people, and they find themselves silent when it's time to speak up at work, or in social situations.

Dealing with others, even dealing with themselves becomes nearly impossible, and they see no hope or purpose for living, and begin to consider ending it all. To avoid this unhappy result, early detection is essential, and help is out there for people who suffer with depression, and with early detection, it is possible to end the suffering, and get back to healthy living with the right treatments an/or medication. See a doctor now, if you or a loved one exhibit symptoms of depression, it really is a matter of life or death.