Beat Those Moods

A patch that lets medicine seep through the skin into the bloodstream could be a new treatment for depression. About the same size as a nicotine patch, it contains a drug that has been shown to alter mood in patients with severe depression. Sticking the patch anywhere on the upper body — usually on the trunk or arms could be an alternative to the daily popping of pills for many people currently being treated for violent mood swings. The patch, known as EMSAM, is currently going through the approval process by the US Food and Drug Administration, although it’s not clear when it will become available in the UK. It’s hoped the patch technology will improve control of mood swings by releasing a steady supply of medicine into the system. This could do away with the peaks and troughs that occur when pills are swallowed and have to be absorbed through the gut into the bloodstream. Depression can strike at any age and the feelings of hopelessness it triggers can make it difficult for people to hold down jobs or carry out normal daily activities. It often runs in families, but the illness is normally associated with a chemical imbalance in the brain. Over the past 20 years, a range of new drugs have emerged to treat the condition. Many doctors suspect the current ‘epidemic’ of depression simply reflecting that more people are now being diagnosed. Most of the new generation of drugs, such as Prozac, work by adjusting levels of a moodaltering chemical, serotonin. These drugs can be extremely effective, but have been dogged by concerns that withdrawing treatment can trigger suicidal thoughts. The skin patch, being developed by a Florida-based drug firm, is aimed at patients with severe depression. It contains a drug called selegiline, which is already used to treat Parkinson’s disease but is also effective against depression. Selegiline comes from a group of drugs, monoamine inhibitors (MAOIs). These are one of the oldest anti-depressants and are usually used when other pills fail. The drugs work by halting the decline in brain chemicals, monoamines. When depression sets in, these chemicals get broken down by an enzyme called monoamine oxidase. The drugs stop this destruction and allow increased amounts of chemicals to pump round the brain.

But use of the drugs has been hampered by the fact that they can interact with certain foods, such as cheese, marmite and red wine, that contain a compound called tyramine. This can trigger a dangerous rise in blood pressure that has been known to cause a fatal brain haemorrhage. However, selegiline is one of the safest drugs in the class and studies show that at low doses, the so-called ‘cheese effect’ does not occur.The once-a-day skin patch will be available in different doses and at the lowest dose it should be safe to eat any food. It has already been tested on over 2,000 patients in the US and the results suggest it can help some patients who do not respond to other drugs. One study carried out at the University of Pennsylvania looked at the effects on 365 patients aged between 18-65 with severe depression. Some of them were given active patches and the rest wore one with no medicine in it. After eight weeks, researchers found a statistically significant improvement in mood and well being among those wearing the real patch. Professor David Nutt, an expert in psychiatric drugs at Bristol University said, ‘‘These kind of drugs do still have a role in the treatment of depression and are relatively underused due to somewhat unfounded safety fears.’’

Dr Cosmo Hallstrom, a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said a patch could potentially help some patients, but would probably be used only if other treatments failed. ‘‘The problem with all antidepressants is people tend not to take them regularly,’’ he said. ‘‘Less than half those given a prescription by their doctor will actually take the tablets on a regular basis. This means they never have a chance to get the full benefit. So the convenience of a skin patch could help to improve compliance.’’

Asthma Attacks & Cure

Asthma is an allergic condition resulting from the reaction of the system to one or more allergens. It is the most troublesome of the respiratory diseases. The asthma patient gets frequent attacks of breathlessness. Asthma comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “panting or short-drawn breath”. Actually, the asthma patients have more difficulty in breathing out rather than breathing in and it is caused by a spasm of the smaller air passage in the lung. The effect is to blow the lungs up because the patient cannot drive the air properly out of the lungs before he has to take another breath. All asthmatics have more difficulty at night, especially during sleep. The onset of asthma may be sudden or gradual. Sudden onsets are often preceeded by a spell of coughing. When the onset is gradual, the attack is usually brought on by respiratory infection. A severe attack causes an increase in heart beat and respiratory rate and the patient feels restless and fatigued.
There may be coughing, tightness in the chest, profuse sweating and vomiting. The air being pushed through the narrow bronchi produces the wheezing sound identified with asthma. Asthma is caused by a variety of factors. For many it is due to an allergy, which may be caused by weather conditions, food drugs, perfumes and other irritants, which vary with different individuals. Allergies to dust is the most common symptom that triggers asthma. Some persons are sensitive to the various forms of dust like cotton dust, wheat dust and certain types of pollen, animal hair, fungi and insects. Foods which generally cause allergic reactions are wheat, eggs, milk, chocolates, beans, potato, and certain meat varieties like beef. A vegetarian diet is best for asthma. Ideally the diet should contain a limited quantity of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that are acid-forming foods, and a liberal quantity of alkaline foods consisting of fresh fruits, green vegetables and sprouted seeds and grains. Asthmatics should always eat less than their capacity. They should eat slowly and chew their food properly. In the evening, give enough time for the food to digest before going to sleep. They should drink 8-10 glasses of water everyday. During an attack a cup of warm water is recommended every two hours. The last meal should preferably be taken before sunset or at least two hours before going to bed. Asthma is a condition which is normally aggravated during winter months, however if the appropriate precautions are taken this can be kept under control!