Planned Accidents – my latest book will be available free for the Kindle on Amazon from 4/12 to 4/13.
Free Kindle copy of Planned Accidents 4/12 to 4/16
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Author Archives: David Joel Miller
Are Herbal Medications Safe?
By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.
Just because it comes from a plant doesn’t make it safe.
Plants clearly have a lot of benefits for humans. They provide us with food, lumber for shelter, and the beauty of their flowers. There was a time in the past when plants were the only effective medications. Unfortunately, plants can also be harmful. Poison ivy can damage your skin and some plants are poisonous enough to kill you. The challenge is to know which plants are helpful and which are harmed.
There is a common misconception because something comes from a plant that makes it safe. Some plants are like water, in small amounts beneficial, maybe even necessary. But sometimes too much of a good thing can drown you. So how do we know when an herbal preparation is potentially dangerous?
The problem with tobacco.
Tobacco in one form or another has been used by humans for a very long time. In the 1800s tobacco is used as a treatment for diseases. It’s only recently that we’ve come to recognize the significant problems tobacco use can cause.
Tobacco on the market today is likely much stronger than what people consumed a thousand years ago. It’s also much more readily available.
One of the major components of tobacco is nicotine. Nicotine is an effective insecticide. It’s good at killing insects. Unfortunately, nicotine extracted from tobacco is highly poisonous for humans also. This is a plant you shouldn’t eat. Any exposure to the nicotine in tobacco can be harmful.
Some problems with herbal medications.
First some general considerations and then a list of specific herbs that have been identified as potentially harmful.
There can be some significant problems with herbal medications. Most are largely unregulated. How they are grown and processed affects their potency. If you’re going to use herbal medications, you need to be an informed consumer and not rely on someone else to assure that the herbal medications are safe and effective. Here are some of the problems you may find with herbal medications.
Herbs are sold by plant weight, not by purity.
Herbal products are commonly sold by weight. You know how much you’re getting by weight but not what the active ingredients are. Think about the difference between eating fresh salad greens and letting them dry out in the sun for several months. How plants are picked and processed affects the amount of active ingredients in them. The common recommendation is that if you’re going to use an herbal product stick with one brand so that what you’re getting is more consistent.
Dosage of herbs is inconsistent.
Any herb may contain numerous chemicals. How much of what you’re getting varies between manufacturers and may even vary from one batch to the next.
Problems when herbs are combined with RX meds.
Interactions between prescription meds are common and are frequently well studied. If you are taking multiple prescribed medications, you should review them with your doctor. Interactions between herbal products and prescribed medications are less well known. It’s still a good policy you’re going to take an herbal medication to tell your doctor so that you don’t create an interaction between a prescribed med and an herbal product.
Here is a short list of herbal products that have been identified as being potentially harmful. Some of this risk involves dosage. Many people think if one pill is good then taking three or four a day might be even better. Higher doses may result in damage to certain organs.
You will find a video about herbal medications on the Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel. Here, as promised, is the list of herbal preparations that were discussed in that video which may have potentially harmful consequences.
Herbs which may be harmful.
Aconite
Also called: Aconiti tuber, aconitum, angustifolium, monkshood, radix aconti, wolfsbane
Caffeine Powder
Also called: 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine
Chaparral
Also called: Creosote bush, greasewood, larrea divaricata, larrea tridentata, larreastat
Coltsfoot
Also called: Coughwort, farfarae folium leaf, foalswort, tussilago farfara
Comfrey
Also called: Blackwort, bruisewort , slippery root , symphytum officinale
Germander
Also called: Teucrium chamaedrys, viscidum
Greater Celandine
Also called: Celandine, chelidonium majus, chelidonii herba
Green Tea Extract Powder
Also called: Camellia sinensis
Kava
Also called: Ava pepper, kava , piper methysticum
Lobelia
Also called: Asthma weed, lobelia inflata, vomit wort, wild tobacco
Methylsynephrine
Also called: Oxilofrine, p-hydroxyephedrine, oxyephedrine, 4-HMP
Pennyroyal Oil
Also called: Hedeoma pulegioides, mentha pulegium
Red Yeast Rice
Also called: Monascus purpureus
Usnic Acid
Also called: Beard moss, tree moss, usnea
Yohimbe
Also called: Johimbi, pausinystalia yohimbe, yohimbine, corynanthe johimbi
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!
My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.
Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.
Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.
As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.
Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?
Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
What loneliness is trying to tell you?
By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.
Loneliness.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
There is more than one type of loneliness.
As many as one in five people may be experiencing harmful Loneliness. Like other emotions, loneliness can sometimes be a good thing and other times be a significant emotional disturbance. Recently researchers examined harmful loneliness, its impact on psychological health and its connection with early childhood trauma.
Loneliness is not one of those disorders for which we have a test. The only way to measure loneliness is by personal report. While loneliness can cause significant mental health issues, the way the professional knows the client is lonely is when the client says they are lonely.
People who are low in loneliness.
Some people report little or no Loneliness. These people are generally satisfied with both the quality of their relationships and the quantitative of relationships they have. In a survey of the general population, close to 60% of people reported that they rarely felt lonely.
Social loneliness is a result of not enough personal contact.
Approximately 8% of people report having social loneliness. They are satisfied with the quality of the relationships they do have but feel they don’t have enough close relationships. Social loneliness is sometimes seen as a helpful thing. It tells you that you don’t have enough contact with other people and you need to expand your social circle.
Emotional loneliness is the result of poor-quality relationships.
Approximately 25% of people report being emotionally lonely. They have enough friendships and other social relationships but are frequently dissatisfied with the quality of their close relationships. How supportive your close relationships are, determines whether feelings of loneliness may result in emotional issues.
Some people are both socially and emotionally lonely.
About one in eight people report that they are unhappy with their close relationships and that they also do not have enough friendships and other social relations. People with both types of loneliness are also more likely to have been the victims of trauma and to report Trust issues.
Who suffers the most from loneliness?
A little more than half the people in one survey reported that they were rarely lonely. They were neither socially nor emotionally isolated and lonely. Loneliness had the least impact on these people.
People who had good close relationships, but not enough social contact were slightly bothered by their loneliness. People who had social relationships but were unhappy with their close personal friendship were more likely to suffer from the ill effects of loneliness. Those people who were most likely to report suffering because of their loneliness were those who are both socially and emotionally lonely.
People who were either emotionally lonely or both socially and emotionally lonely are much more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and were more likely to have another emotional disorder. People who had been the victim of an early childhood trauma were far more likely to report poor quality personal relationships and resulting emotional loneliness.
Having high quality close emotional relationships is most likely to buffer someone from the ill effects of loneliness. Not feeling close to your romantic partner or your family is most likely to create the kind of negative loneliness that is harmful to your mental health.
If you are bothered by loneliness, ask yourself whether it is the result of too few friendships or not feeling close to your partner or family. Improving the quality of the relationships you do have is most likely to reduce your loneliness. If loneliness is dragging you down, consider getting professional help. Professional counseling can help you improve your part of the relationship and couples, or family counseling may help improve your close relationships.
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Four David Joel Miller Books are available now!
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Casino Robbery is a novel about a man with PTSD who must cope with his symptoms to solve a mystery and create a new life.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Sasquatch. Wandering through a hole in time, they encounter Sasquatch. Can they survive?
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller Books are now available on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, and many other online stores.
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
Want the latest on news from recoveryland, the field of counseling, my writing projects, speaking and teaching? Please sign up for my newsletter at – Newsletter. I promise not to share your email or to send you spam, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Insight.
Insight.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
Insight.
Sunday Inspiration. Post by David Joel Miller.
“A stumble may prevent a fall.”
― Thomas Fuller
“I used to say to my classes that the ways to get insight are: to study infants; to study animals; to study primitive people; to be psychoanalyzed; to have a religious conversion and get over it; to have a psychotic episode and get over it, or to have a love affair with an old Russian. And I stopped saying that when a little dancer in the front row put up her hand and said, ‘Does he have to be old?”
― Margaret Mead
“I’m simply interested in what is going to happen next. I don’t think I can control my life or my writing. Every other writer I know feels he is steering himself, and I don’t have that feeling. I don’t have that sort of control. I’m simply becoming. I’m startled that I became a writer.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
“Special insight arises from its cause, correct view, which in turn arises from listening and contemplation.”
― Dalai Lama XIV, Stages of Meditation
Wanted to share some inspirational quotes with you. Today seemed like a good time to do this. There are an estimated 100,000 words in the English language that are feelings related. Some emotions are pleasant, and some are unpleasant, but all feelings can provide useful information. If any of these quotes strike a chord with you, please share them.
Look at these related posts for more on this topic and other feelings.
Inhalants – Video
Inhalants Video. Abuse of inhalants, particularly by elementary school students, is a lot more common and dangerous than most people realize.
Arthur Mitchell Mystery Planned Accidents is available today
Arthur Mitchell Mystery Planned Accidents is available today.
Arthur Mitchell and his dog Plutus are enjoying their peaceful life when Arthur’s friends begin to die in mysterious accidents. Who is behind these accidents and will Arthur be the next to die? What is the meaning of the clues Plutus discovers?
Planned Accidents is the second Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
Wanted to let you know that my fourth book is available today in both Kindle and paperback editions from Amazon. Keep an eye out, several of my books will be going on sale shortly.
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!
My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.
Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.
Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.
As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.
Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?
Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
Humor.
Humor.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
Humor.
Sunday Inspiration. Post by David Joel Miller.
“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.”
― Mark Twain
“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”
― Groucho Marx
“Two wrongs don’t make a right, but they make a good excuse.”
― Thomas Szasz
“Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
― Mark Twain
“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Wanted to share some inspirational quotes with you. Today seemed like a good time to do this. There are an estimated 100,000 words in the English language that are feelings related. Some emotions are pleasant, and some are unpleasant, but all feelings can provide useful information. If any of these quotes strike a chord with you, please share them.
Look at these related posts for more on this topic and other feelings.
The History of Opium – Video.
Deaths from opioids have been prominent in the news recently. Today’s video explores the history of this group of drugs which began with the discovery of the pain treating up properties of the gum of the opium poppy.
The Placebo Effect may get you.
By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.
Placebo?
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
Things you might not know about the placebo effect.
The placebo effect is important for everyone. Research finds that often the placebo effect is equally as strong as the actual effective treatment. Even when you know you’re taking a placebo, it may be affecting you. Here are some of the things you may not know about placebos.
Placebos affect you even when you know they are placebos.
You don’t have to be tricked for the placebo to work. Even when the doctor tells you that this is the placebo, but you can try it if you want it’s likely to help you particularly for issues that can be affected by your emotional state. People knew they were taking a placebo saw improvement in their hay fever and back pain but not in the healing of wounds.
The more the placebo looks like medicine, the better it works.
People who were injected with saltwater reported it helped relieve their symptoms. Placebos are another place where more is better. People took for placebo pills a day said it helped their symptoms more than if they only took one pill.
The appearance of placebos matter.
If the placebo comes in the package of the well-known medicine people are more likely to report it works. Companies who have an effective product find they can sell other medications simply by putting their brand name on the package.
In repeated studies, capsules work better than pills. People report that two colored capsules work better than white capsules. The color of the capsule matters. More people will report positive effects from blue capsules than from pink capsules.
Your personality influences the effects placebos have on you.
Optimists are more likely to report positive effects taking placebo pills. Friendly people, as well as people with more resilience, also respond more strongly to placebos.
People believe treatment is more effective when they liked the provider.
Most counselors believe that the effects of counseling depend on the relationship between the client and the therapist. It turns out this is also true in medical settings. The more you like your doctor and the more confidence you have in them, the more effective the treatment.
Placebos can make you smarter and more creative.
People taking smart drugs even when the drugs are placebos may perform better on tests. People who were told that particular scents would make them more creative scored higher on tests of creativity.
Things you do every day may be a placebo.
If you believe something you do every day is healthy, it may improve your health. People who were told the kind of work they do is the equivalent of healthy exercise, perform better at work, and feel better. People who believe they are getting more sleep than they do feel better. In one study people who believed they were exercising more than their peers were healthier and lived longer even when they were exercising less than they thought.
The nocebo effect is equally dramatic.
People who are warned about the side effects of medication are more likely to experience them. The nocebo effect can take place even if the medication you’re taking is inert. People who are told the medication may nauseate them or make them drowsy are likely to experience these effects.
You will find more about the nocebo effect in this post.
The more researchers study the placebo effect the more we conclude if you think it’s good for you it probably is and if you think it will harm you it likely will. Without any evidence that your placebo is harmful, you might as well keep on taking it.
Staying connected with David Joel Miller
Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!
My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.
Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.
Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.
As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.
Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.
Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.
Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.
Planned Accidents The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.
Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.
What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?
Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.
For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller
Want the latest blog posts as they publish? Subscribe to this blog.
For videos, see: Counselorssoapbox YouTube Video Channel
Giving.
Giving.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com
Giving.
Sunday Inspiration. Post by David Joel Miller.
“For it is in giving that we receive.”
― St. Francis of Assisi
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
― Winston Churchill
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
― Mother Theresa
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”
― Charles Dickens
Wanted to share some inspirational quotes with you. Today seemed like a good time to do this. There are an estimated 100,000 words in the English language that are feelings related. Some emotions are pleasant, and some are unpleasant, but all feelings can provide useful information. If any of these quotes strike a chord with you, please share them.
Look at these related posts for more on this topic and other feelings.
counselorssoapbox 