Well, I don't know about the rest of you , but I am 
counting down the days until this season is over and the 
next one begins. I am not ashamed to admit it...I suffer 
from winter depression, seasonal depression, SAD, or 
whatever you want to call it. It hits me hard each year 
around the first of January and lasts until daylight 
savings resumes in March. I manage it by reading through 
seed catalogs and gardening books. I prepare my order for 
spring chicks. I begin making preparations for the goat 
kidding season. I stand in the windows whenever the 
sunshine peaks out from behind the gray clouds. I take 
aimless walks around the barns. I go to bed early and sleep 
in late. I sometimes climb back into my jammies and bath 
robe at sundown, which is before 6:00 p.m.! I eat 
chocolate. Yes, that is right. I said that I eat 
chocolate. I know that it seems to go against all of my 
"healthy tips", but most of you who get my newsletter have probably noticed that 
I like to share hot chocolate recipes during the winter 
months.  
Now, I want you to understand that I don't eat garbage 
candy bars. When I indulge in chocolate, it is the real 
stuff...it could almost be considered "good for you". I 
eat the dark, creamy, organic cacoa. In fact, studies have 
indicated that real cacoa has high levels of antioxidants.  
 
So, what is my point in sharing all of this with you? My 
point is that if I were to go to a doctor and share my 
miserable symptoms of depression, I would no doubt be 
prescribed a pill. A pill that would "cure" me? No, but a 
pill that would "make me feel better". Or would it? Have 
you considered the side effects that are associated with 
even the most common antidepressants on the market today?  
It frightens me. Not only this, but doctors are 
increasingly prescribing pills for nearly every complaint 
that exists under the sun without ever examining the 
underlying causes of the symptoms. I know of people who 
are taking several different medications on a regular 
basis, and many of them are being prescribed to treat the 
side effects of another drug that they are on! This is 
madness!  
I don't want to preach to you all, but I strongly urge you 
to take a look in your medicine cabinets and then sit down 
at your computers to do some research on those pills that 
you have been prescribed. We have heard a lot lately in 
the media about drug overdoses. I find it interesting that 
if a person dies from a cocaine overdose, we tend to have a 
different opinion of the situation than if they died of a 
prescription drug overdose. Why?  
Let me share something very personal with you... 
I lost my father just over one year ago at the age of 53 to 
a prescription drug overdose. We were told that he 
suffered a massive heart attack. He was 53! His heart 
stopped beating because it had been destroyed by years of 
drug abuse. These drugs were not bought and payed for on a 
street corner somewhere. They were given to him by the 
very people who he turned to for help. These legal pushers 
will never be brought to justice. For years we struggled 
with these doctors who were over-prescribing him 
medications. It was a living nightmare and one that I 
never want to relive. I would also never wish it on 
another family.  
 
Take responsibility for your health and the health of your 
families! You are intelligent and capable of doing your 
research. Don't ever take a "pill" before you learn all 
that you can about that particular drug. Don't let fear 
rule you. It may be that you will need to seek medical 
intervention at some point, but make sure that you are 
informed and don't allow yourself to be intimidated.  
Doctors can be an ally or an enemy. You decide. 
It could be said that I am self-medicating my winter blues 
with chocolate. Well, that may be true. But, I am 
confident that the side effects of my chocolate habit can 
be easily managed with a brisk walk each day, to keep the 
extra pounds off, and a good raw food cleanse come spring.  
I am also not opposed to taking a bit of St. Johns wort 
tea. If insomnia gets in the way of a good nights sleep, a 
bit of hops & lemon balm tincture under the tongue has 
never hurt anybody. Zero side effects!  
 
I would strongly suggest that you all check out the site 
www.psychologydebunked.com. I sent out a link to this site 
several months ago and it also appears on my links page. I 
would also suggest www.mercola.com as wonderful site for 
researching commonly prescribed medications.  

Shalom!