Suicide often harms surviving spouse mentally and physically

Philip Copitch, Ph.D. – Author of Change: How to bring real change to your life: The psychology and secrets of highly effective people

A report was published online in JAMA Psychiatry. It looked at the effects of suicide on the surviving spouse.

The researches combed a national register that included almost 7 million people in Denmark from 1980 to 2014. The registry looked at nearly 5,000 men and 11,000 women whose spouses committed suicide.

The study found male spouses of partners who died by suicide had a 70 percent higher risk of developing mental health problems than partners of those who succumbed to other causes of death, such as illness or accident. For women, the risk of developing a mental health disorder was 50 percent higher.

The researchers noted that surviving spouses are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. Surviving spouses were themselves at an increased risk of suicide.

Additionally, physical ailments, including cirrhosis of the liver, sleeping disorders, cancer, and back pain developed at a higher rate in surviving spouses than the population at large.

Read the study: JAMA Psychiatry. Published online March 22, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.0218  Available as a PDF.

Smokers have harder time staying of drugs after rehab

Philip Copitch, Ph.D. – Author of Change: How to bring real change to your life: The psychology and secrets of highly effective people

Researchers at the department of epidemiology at Columbia University's School of Public Health looked at just under 35,000 adults enrolled in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

The data showed the following relapse rates:

• 11% Smokers at the start of treatment, and continued to smoke during treatment.
• 8% Individual that quit smoking during treatment
• 6.5% Non smokers

The study authors point to the importance of adding tobacco treatment along side illicit drug treatment. 

"Quitting smoking will improve anyone's health," says lead author Andrea Weinberger, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "But our study shows that giving up cigarettes may be even more important for adults in recovery from illicit substance use disorders since it may help them stay sober.”

Learn more

What is Acupuncture, by Harriet Hall, MD

Philip Copitch, Ph.D. – 

Author of Basic Parenting 101: The Manual Your Child Should Have Been Born With

According to Dr. Hall, none of the following are true about acupuncture:

• It’s an ancient Chinese treatment method.
• Involves sticking needles in acupoints
• It’s widely used in China.
• Works to relieve pain and nausea.
• Works for other conditions like infertility.
• Can be used for surgical anesthesia.
• Is harmless – no side effects.
• Has been validated by scientific research

What you think you know about acupuncture is most likely incorrect.

The James Randi Educational Foundation, and Dr. Harriet Hall, have developed 10 free video courses looking at critical thinking and medical claims called Science-Based Medicine. The lectures are:

1. Science-Based Medicine vs. Evidence-Based Medicine

2. What Is CAM?

3. Chiropractic

4. Acupuncture

5. Homeopathy

6. Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine

7. Energy Medicine

8. Miscellaneous “Alternatives”

9. Pitfalls in Research

10.Science-Based Medicine in the Media and Politics

There is also a free course guide.

Lecture 4: Acupuncture, by Harriet Hall, MD (32 minute)

What is Chiropractic: Free courses by Dr. Hall

Philip Copitch, Ph.D. – 

Author of Basic Parenting 101: The Manual Your Child Should Have Been Born With

In this lecture, Dr. Hall looks at the history and science behind chiropractic care. 

Dr. Hall starts her lecture with some interesting facts:

• Chiropractic is NOT a science.
• Chiropractic is NOT based on neurology, anatomy and physiology.
• Chiropractors are NOT doctors of the nervous system.
• Chiropractic DOES NOT improve health and quality of life.

The James Randi Educational Foundation, and Dr. Harriet Hall, have developed 10 free video courses looking at critical thinking and medical claims called Science-Based Medicine. The lectures are:

1. Science-Based Medicine vs. Evidence-Based Medicine

2. What Is CAM?

3. Chiropractic

4. Acupuncture

5. Homeopathy

6. Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine

7. Energy Medicine

8. Miscellaneous “Alternatives”

9. Pitfalls in Research

10.Science-Based Medicine in the Media and Politics

There is also a free course guide.

Lecture 3: Chiropractic, by Harriet Hall, MD (36 MINUTES)

What is Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)? Free courses by Dr. Harriet Hall

Philip Copitch, Ph.D. – 

Author of Basic Parenting 101: The Manual Your Child Should Have Been Born With

Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) used to be called "stuff that was not taught in Medical School". But now it covers any procedure that anyone would like to tell you is a fix for a particulate or all medical ailments. It can be wild quackery for curing cancer or seemingly a reasonable but unproven way to to remove warts. It may be very dangerous or relatively safe. The problem is, without scientific scrutiny, how is the public to know if the "treatment" is safe or helpful.  

CAM is really a marketing term. In this lecture Dr. Hall does a nice job of giving you historical information concerning CAM. She also explains what to watch out for when it comes to CAM treatments.

The James Randi Educational Foundation, and Dr. Harriet Hall, have developed 10 free video courses looking at critical thinking and medical claims called Science-Based Medicine. The lectures are:

1. Science-Based Medicine vs. Evidence-Based Medicine

2. What Is CAM?

3. Chiropractic

4. Acupuncture

5. Homeopathy

6. Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine

7. Energy Medicine

8. Miscellaneous “Alternatives”

9. Pitfalls in Research

10.Science-Based Medicine in the Media and Politics

There is also a free course guide.

Lecture 2: What is CAM, by Harriet Hall, MD (36 minutes)

A look at how we learn to think critically: Free courses by Dr. Hall

Philip Copitch, Ph.D. – 

Author of Basic Parenting 101: The Manual Your Child Should Have Been Born With

Critical thinking is the act of learning how to think, with the knowledge that it is very easy to trick or confuse ourselves. It is being aware we are each vulnerable to mistaken thoughts that we feel secure in. 

For example, in the little video below we see a helicopter crash onto a city street. It fell out of the sky and was captured by amateur video:

Helicopter crash

But, as you can see, our eyes can deceive us. Our mind developed over time in a less complicated environment. Thus, our minds are vulnerable to being "tricked".

The James Randi Educational Foundation, and Dr. Harriet Hall, have developed 10 free video courses looking at critical thinking and medical claims called Science-Based Medicine. The lectures are:

1. Science-Based Medicine vs. Evidence-Based Medicine

2. What Is CAM?

3. Chiropractic

4. Acupuncture

5. Homeopathy

6. Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine

7. Energy Medicine

8. Miscellaneous “Alternatives”

9. Pitfalls in Research

10.Science-Based Medicine in the Media and Politics

There is also a free course guide.

Lecture 1: Science-Based Medicine vs. Evidence-Based Medicine, by Harriet Hall, MD (37 minutes)