Dr. Mercola October 06 2001 756 views
New Yorkers are increasingly turning to sedation to help them escape the nightmares created by the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
According to doctors and pharmacists in the city, New York's denizens -- many grieving for lost friends and family -- are looking to medicine more than ever before to help fall asleep.
"The week of the 11th, there were very few calls because patients assumed we were tied up taking care of the disaster and probably thought their problems seemed small," said Charles Bardes, associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and a New York Hospital doctor.
"Now, in the third week since the attack, the floodgates have opened and I'm getting dozens and dozens of calls for sleeping pills and other drugs," Bardes said.
The two most commonly prescribed sleeping pills, those for which Bardes said he has seen a "huge swell" of requests, are Ambien from Pharmacia Corp., and Sonata from American Home Products Corp.
Some pharmacists said the spike in demand for these drugs was immediate.
"Right after the incident, sale of Ambien went up about 50%," said Rajan Kohli of independent Falk Drug & Surgical Supply near New York Hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
A great number of elderly patients who are prescribed the drugs on an "as needed" basis were getting prescriptions filled for the first time, Kohli added. "With all the added stress, they needed their sleep."
Vicious Circle
Consumption of sleeping pills and antidepressants is common in dealing with stress and anxiety resulting from trauma, however they're only a temporary relief.
Even at pharmacies near the World Trade Center, such as Kings Discount Pharmacy on Hudson Street, where business has dropped dramatically since the attacks, there has been a rise in the sale of sleeping pills and antidepressants such as Prozac from Eli Lilly & Co. and Paxil from GlaxoSmithKline.
"Lots of patients are asking for these drugs for the first time and you have got to figure it is because of what happened," said pharmacist Anthony Bagliano.
The rise in the consumption of the drugs also was evident in other parts of the city.
"There's been an increase in the sale of Paxil and Prozac," said pharmacist Gus Torlidakis of the Village Apothecary in New York's West Village.
Sonata sold about $74 million for AHP in 2000, its first year on the market, and that was without any direct-to-consumer advertising. The company said it has no plans to expand its marketing for the drug.
In the wake of the attacks, word of mouth has been more than sufficient advertisement for many drugs. Bardes said he has resisted upping his prescriptions of antibiotics such as Cipro, which has been flying off shelves as New Yorkers fear a biological attack with potentially deadly anthrax bacteria.
"Prescription of Cipro would unnecessarily lead to anxiety, and deplete the supply of a very important antibiotic," he said, adding that sleeplessness is a natural symptom of anxiety suffered after disaster and the drugs to treat it can be dispensed with little effect on managing a state of emergency.
Rush Redux
The weeks since the attack represent the second rush on New York pharmacies in two years.
In the six months leading up to Dec. 31, 1999, when people thought a Y2K bug in the nation's computers would bring banking to a halt and even launch nuclear weapons, New Yorkers stockpiled drugs along with other supplies.
"It was much more serious then, since the over-ordering was across the spectrum of drugs," said Larry Kurtz, director of corporate communications and investor relations at drug distributor McKesson Corp.
While there is no shortage of drugs, McKesson has been contacting pharmacies to warn them that daily deliveries may be delayed on average by about two hours, pharmacist Kohli said.
"Now we have adequate supplies of all the drugs that are seeing a rise in prescription now," Kurtz said. "It seems that intense planning between drug makers, wholesalers, and retailers back in 1999 paid off," he said.
Reuters September 26, 2001
I am in the process of writing my first book, which will be about depression and bioenergetic healing options. The book is currently scheduled to be published next spring and will highlight the nearly miraculous results that I have been experiencing in the office with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
EFT was put together by Gary Craig and is a derivative of Thought Field Therapy that was developed by Roger Callahan. TFT was my first introduction into energy medicine and I learned that in 1998.
However, EFT is much more streamlined and seems to achieve fabulous results by balancing one's energy meridians while saying positive affirmations about the addiction in question.
Psychological Acupuncture
EFT is psychological acupuncture without the needles. It works by inputting kinetic energy (tapping) onto specific acupuncture meridians on the head and chest while actually activating the brain circuits that are involved in the energy disruption by thinking about the problem.
All, not some, but ALL negative emotions are due to disruptions in one's bioenergy system.
Combining the tapping with a positive affirmation seems sufficient to disrupt the field that is created from the emotion and its consequence on one's physiology and thus normalizes the bioenergy disruption.
I used to use antidepressants 5-10 times per year on my patients, but with EFT under my belt, I seriously doubt that I will ever need to use antidepressants again.
This is incredibly exciting, as depression is one of the most devastating and common diseases on the planet. It exacts a toll far more significant in pain and suffering than just about any other disease.
If you are struggling with depression, one of the best things you could do would be to find a qualified EFT practitioner and once you are feeling better start following my eating plan. EFT can also be used for any food addiction problems such as sugar or bread.
Anyone Can Learn This Technique in Five Minutes
This technique is so amazing it is to good to be true. It has been a major benefit for nearly all of the patients we have trained in it.
The only variation in the above book that is different from what I use is that the "9 Gamut" procedure does NOT need to be done. This is described in the advanced EFT materials. Eliminating the 9 Gamut procedure drastically simplifies the technique.
I use a derivative of the technique that is presented in the manual that I learned from purchasing all the videos that Gary offers on the site. It is much more streamlined and seems to work even better.
Advanced Work for Health Clinicians
Gary has over 60 hours of videos from his previous workshops that collectively can be purchased for around $400. I believe that it is one of the best values in health care education on the market.
EFT is the most effective therapy that I know of to rapidly and efficiently resolve the physical consequences of severe emotional trauma and it is far superior to the drug solutions that many in New York are currently choosing.
The following are some reactions common to people who experience traumatic stress following a crisis or disaster. Although these thoughts, feelings and actions can be very upsetting, people should try to remember that they are normal reactions to what can be an abnormal and very stressful situation.
The keys to resolving the trauma are the affirmation statements used in EFT. They generally revolve around what one is distressed about. Dr. Patricia Carrington provided the EFT community with a list of some statements that are particularly helpful for the trauma:
Statements One Can Use During Tapping
Even though I am stunned and bewildered by this terrible happening Even though I am deeply frightened... etc. Even though I am outraged... etc. Even though I feel helpless about... etc. Even though I see no solution for... etc. Even though I am hopeless about... etc. Even though I'm deeply hurt and saddened by... etc. Even though I don't understand the meaning of... etc. Even though this terrible thing happened... etc. You may well think of other negative phrases that can address this crisis.
Even though I am stunned and bewildered by this terrible happening
Even though I am deeply frightened... etc.
Even though I am outraged... etc.
Even though I feel helpless about... etc.
Even though I see no solution for... etc.
Even though I am hopeless about... etc.
Even though I'm deeply hurt and saddened by... etc.
Even though I don't understand the meaning of... etc.
Even though this terrible thing happened... etc.
You may well think of other negative phrases that can address this crisis.
You can use whatever speaks to you or others.
The next step in EFT, after the appropriate above trauma statement is identified, is to find a positive healing affirmation.
The Choices suggested here are used at the end of the EFT set-up phrase above and as a reminder phrase for a whole round of EFT.
Simple Healing Choices
The first step in using healing Choices often needs to be an intensely personal one because it must serve to neutralize the shock and pain which the person may be feeling. For this, the simplest relevant Choice may be the most effective.
Following such negative statements as those listed above, here are some suggested Choices for setup and reminder phrases.
Some of these require certain spiritual belief systems to be of use and you must judge this on an individual basis.
....I choose to feel a deep peace within me. ....I choose to feel gentle comfort within me. ....I choose to know that I am surrounded by love (or by God's love). ....I choose to feel safe in God's arms. ....I choose to radiate love and healing to myself and others. ....I choose to feel calm and confident that I can handle this.
....I choose to feel a deep peace within me.
....I choose to feel gentle comfort within me.
....I choose to know that I am surrounded by love (or by God's love).
....I choose to feel safe in God's arms.
....I choose to radiate love and healing to myself and others.
....I choose to feel calm and confident that I can handle this.