Saturday, April 30, 2011

Mother of Seven Sons: Witness to the Truth

   Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215-164 BC) ruled in Antioch in Syria over the Seleucid kingdom. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, there was civil war, until his empire was divided between four of his generals. Seleucus I established a dynasty, known as the Seleucids, which lasted about 250 years, ruling over a large empire stretching from Asia Minor, through Syria, and including  much of Alexander’s eastern territories. To establish their power over such a large territory containing so many different nations and peoples, the Seleucids engaged in a policy of active Hellenization, the promotion of Greek culture, religion and philosophy. During this time, the dynasty of the Ptolemies controlled Egypt. Israel lay on the frontier between these rival powers, and was frequently fought over, first being under Egyptian control, and later under Syrian control. 1         
  It was during the reign of Antiochus IV that a woman and her seven sons were arrested and compelled by the king, under penalty of torture and death, to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh.  One of her sons, acting as the family spokesman, said, “What do you intend to ask and learn from us?  We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors.” (2 Mac. 7:2) 
   King Antiochus responded to this spokesman’s comments by having his tongue cut out and his hands and feet cut off in the presence of his brothers and his mother.  Still alive, this young man was them fried in a pan in order to send a message to the rest of the family that resistance was futile. 
   Instead of breaking their resolve, the remaining six brothers and their mother said, “The Lord God is watching over us and in truth has compassion on us, as Moses declared in his song that bore witness against the people to their faces, when he said, ‘And he will have compassion on his servants.’”.  For most of us, seeing our loved one not only disfigured being burned alive would be enough to convince us that it is only a matter of simply eating pork and we will be let go.    
    After the first son had died, the king’s men brought forth the second son and decided to “play” with him for a while.  They tore off the skin of his head with the hair and asked him, “Will you eat rather than have your body punished limb by limb?”  He told them that he would not eat pork, so he suffered the same fate as his older brother.  With his dying breath he said, “You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the Universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.” (2 Mac. 7:7-9)
    The third son was then brought forth and was prepared to suffer as his two older brothers had.  He put out his hands and said, “I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again.” The king and his men were astonished by his response because this young man considered his suffering to be nothing at all. 
   This same treatment continued with the fourth, fifth, and sixth son as well.  Each young man was firm in his resolve that he would rather die than transgress the law.  This had to have been a remarkable thing for King Antiochus and his men to witness.  The Greeks certainly had a notion of a “good death” (euthanasia) which involved someone taking their own life or having someone assist someone in ending their life due to excessive suffering; however, the idea of laying down one’s life for a religious belief or conviction would not have been expected.
   The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable mention. Even though she had already seen six of her seven sons perish in one day, she bore her sufferings with good courage because of her hope in the Lord.  She acknowledged that it was not her that gave these young men life and breathe and she believed that the Lord, in His mercy, would give them back their lives, since they did not transgress the law.
   From a worldly standpoint, what does this say about this woman?  How can a mother maintain such composure and resolve after seeing six of her seven sons tortured and killed right in front of her?  Many women would have said to the king, “Please, leave my children alone and take my life instead!”, but she does not do that.  With what could only be seen as superhuman courage, she watches as her sons are hacked to pieces.  She must have been very proud of her sons for standing up for their religious convictions, but whatever pride she felt would likely not have mitigated the sorrow she felt. 
   At this point King Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt because of the mother’s words.  He approached her seventh son and offered him riches and said that he would make the young man a high official in the kingdom if he would turn from the law.  The young man would not listen to a word that the king said, so the king told his mother to reason with him so his life might be spared.
   She leaned forward and spoke to her son in their native language. Instead of telling him to spare his own life, she encouraged him to hold fast to his resolve and accept death.  While she was still speaking, the young man turned to the king and asked, “What are you waiting for?  I will not obey your command, but I will obey the law given to my ancestors by Moses.”  This young man, knowing that he was going to die, then proceeded to verbally attack the king and told him that he will have to give an account for his actions before God. 
    After hearing this, the king flew into a rage.  He treated this young man worse than the six older brothers.  As he died, this young man put all his trust in the Lord. With all of her sons gone, the king then turned to the mother and had her put to death as well.
   This is a very unique story.  From a worldly standpoint it makes no sense. What kind of God could this woman and her sons possibly worship who would require them to give up their lives instead of doing something as simple as eating pork?  Does God care so little for His people that He let them die rather than break the rules?  After all, it’s just pork!  They were not being asked to prostitute themselves or commit murder.
    However, from a religious standpoint the story takes on a different meaning. For a Jewish man or woman, transgressing the law would be the same as turning your back on God.  There is an old saying, “If you don’t stand up for something, you’ll fall for anything.”  Well, this mother and her sons took a dramatic stand over the issue of eating pork and were willing to put their lives on the line. 
    Martyrdom, the giving of witness, as displayed by this woman and her sons, is something that not everyone is called to; however, when we read the life story of someone who actually does lay down his or her life for their faith we marvel at their convictions.  It takes a super human level of commitment to be able to give up your life like that which is a strong indication that they were given the grace of God in order to do so.
   The fact is that everyone witnesses to their faith, some people give good witness others give bad witness, but most of us are a combination of both. We may say to ourselves, “I could never lay down my life the way that those people did!”  However, we never know what we are capable of doing until the time comes that we are called upon to do it.  If God has called upon you to witness to your faith in a profound way, He will give you every gift necessary to be able to do so.  We simply need to trust in Him as this mother and her sons did.
   Living your life to be best of your ability and being the type of person that you believe God wants you to be is the best witness you can give anyone.  There is a sense of joy which comes from living the life which God intends for you and that joy is noticeable to everyone around you.  They may not know the source of your joy and, if they ask, that would give you an opportunity to witness to the presence of God in your life.  Your witness can transform the life of someone you meet forever. 
                                                           End Notes

1)    “Antiochus IV Epiphanes” http://julianspriggs.com/antiochusepiphanes.aspx
 

Monday, April 18, 2011

The Truth about Post-Partum Depression

   In regard to the issue of post-partum depression, the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health states: Depression after childbirth is called postpartum depression. Hormonal changes may trigger symptoms of postpartum depression. When you are pregnant, levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone increase greatly. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, hormone levels quickly return to normal. Researchers think the big change in hormone levels may lead to depression. This is much like the way smaller hormone changes can affect a woman’s moods before she gets her period.
   Levels of thyroid hormones may also drop after giving birth. The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that helps regulate how your body uses and stores energy from food. Low levels of thyroid hormones can cause symptoms of depression. A simple blood test can tell if this condition is causing your symptoms. If so, your doctor can prescribe thyroid medicine.1

   According to the government’s own information, researchers think the big change in hormone levels may lead to depression.  The truth is that there is no way for them to be able to prove this.  Low levels of thyroid hormone, known as an underactive thyroid can be determined by a simple blood test and receiving proper medication can have the effect of reducing symptoms of depression.  The fact that a simple blood test can be performed means that an underactive thyroid is a recognized medical condition with a biological basis.  This is not true when it comes to post-partum depression.

  There is no objective medical test that can be performed to determine if a woman is suffering from post-partum depression.  This same United States government website lists some of the possible symptoms of post-partum depression including: tiredness after delivery, tired from a lack of sleep or broken sleep, feeling overwhelmed with a new baby, doubts about one’s ability to be a good mother, stress from changes in home or work routines, unrealistic need to be a perfect mother, loss of a feeling of who one is after having a baby, feeling less attractive, and a lack of free time.

   Given the fact that childbirth has a very dramatic impact on the human body, it is hard to imagine that any woman would not feel tired after delivering a child.  The major fluctuations in her hormones can cause a woman to experience either a lack of sleep or broken sleep for a certain period of time.  Is there any woman who does not feel overwhelmed, at times, by virtue of the fact that she has a new baby?  This child has changed her life forever.  This new mother will no longer have the free time which she had prior to getting pregnant or giving birth; this is a normal result of childbearing. 

   Since children do not arrive with a manual, it is normal for a mother to have doubts about her ability to be a good mother.  Even if one is raised in a loving household with caring and attentive parents, no one has any idea what kind of parent they will be until they are in a situation where they become a parent.

   Parents instinctively want the best for their child.  This child is completely dependent upon his or her parents for every aspect of their daily survival.  Wanting to be the best mother for her child is not an indication that a woman is suffering from a mental disorder, but an indication of the fact that she adjusting to her new role as a mother.  While it is true that there is no such a thing as a “perfect” parent, the desire to want to do everything extremely well for one’s child is normal.  
 
   How can one give birth to a new child and not experience changes in their home or work routine?  While it might be easier for women with multiple children to adjust more easily to such changes following the birth of their first child, the first time mother will have to readjust various aspects of her daily life now that she has a child.  She may have to cut back on her time at work or postpone other things which she was involved with prior to giving birth until such time as she is able to develop a more stable routine.

    A loss of a sense of who one is after having a child seems quite natural as well.  This woman, who was once a single, independent human being, has now become someone’s mother.  The fluctuation in her hormone levels can easily account for the fact that she is experiencing a sense of loss of identity as well as feeling unattractive.  Weight gain during pregnancy, a normal experience, can contribute to a sense of feeling unattractive and this new mother can benefit herself by using her time with a new child both as a bonding experience as well as remaining active in order to help reduce whatever weight she may have gained.

   Performing an on-line search of the phrase “post-partum depression”, the first website found was actually a site sponsored by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., maker of the drug Pristiq.2  Any woman wanting to find out more information about whether or not she has post-partum depression could click on www.knowmydepression.com and she is immediately sent to the website www.pristiq.com which is nothing more than an advertisement for an anti-depressant medication. 

    The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN also has link on their website dealing with post-partum depression.  When one clicks on the website that person is immediately presented with an enormous advertisement for Pristiq on the right side of the page.3 WebMD has a page available regarding this issue as well.  Not surprisingly, this page “emedicinehealth” contains two rather large advertisements for Pristiq. 

     How do these drugs, like Pristiq work?  This information should be readily available to the patients through the product information pamphlet which accompanies the medication. How the drug works is known as the “Mechanism of Action”.  Antibiotics, for example, are designed to impact the cellular activity of bacteria by either inhibit it’s grow of killing it outright. However, when it comes to psychotropic drugs, the very packet contained with the medication itself says that the method of action is “unknown”. 

   A major problem is that while these psychotropic medications may decrease the depression it also decreases the joy, which means that these drugs are minimizing what it means to be a human being in an effort to manage the depression.  Instead of working to resolve the underlying issue at the heart of the depression, these medications are simply making these patients numb. Their emotions have almost “flat-lined” which is not a sign of a healthy mental state. 

   Pristiq, for example, a popular post-partum depression medication, has several alarming side effects including: allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives), irregular heartbeat or pulse, low blood pressure (dizziness, weakness), high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision), chills or fever, unusual bleeding or bruising, rash or hives, Suicidal Ideation, Headache, tremor, nervousness, or anxiety; difficulty concentrating, constipation, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, or changes in appetite or weight, weakness, increased sweating, sleeping or insomnia, decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm while at the same time it’s mechanism of action, like all psychotropic drugs is “unknown”. 4 The side effects listed above and not an exhaustive list, but simply several of those mentioned. These are some very powerful side effects and one has to begin to wonder at what point is this actually managing the disease rather than making the patient worse? 5

     Pfizer’s own website states: As with any medication, you may experience side effects while taking PRISTIQ. In clinical studies, the most common side effect with PRISTIQ was nausea. It was generally mild to moderate and occurred most frequently during the first week of treatment. Other side effects included dizziness, sweating, constipation, and decreased appetite. In general, side effects occurred most frequently during the first week of treatment in clinical studies. These are not all the possible side effects of PRISTIQ (see Important Safety Information). In clinical studies of the recommended 50-mg dose, the percentage of people who stopped taking PRISTIQ due to side effects was similar to placebo (sugar pill).6  These potential side effects are far fewer and much more benign that the potential side effects listed elsewhere.

   Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced S. 1375 into the 110th Congress in 1997 which is known as the `Mom's Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression Act' or the `MOTHERS Act”. This bill is designed to establish Federal grants to provide for post-partum education and screening programs.

   The screening program recommended is the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).  The EPDS was developed for screening postpartum women in outpatient, home visiting settings, or at the 6 –8 week postpartum examination. It has been utilized among numerous populations including U.S. women and Spanish speaking women in other countries. The EPDS consists of 10 questions. The test can usually be completed in less than 5 minutes. Responses are scored 0, 1, 2, or 3 according to increased severity of the symptom. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are reverse scored (i.e., 3, 2, 1, and 0). The total score is determined by adding together the scores for each of the 10 items. Validation studies have utilized various threshold scores in determining which women were positive and in need of referral. Cut-off scores ranged from 9 to 13 points. Therefore, to err on safety’s side, a woman scoring 9 or more points or indicating any suicidal ideation – that is she scores 1 or higher on question #10 – should be referred immediately for follow-up. Even if a woman scores less than 9, if the clinician feels the client is suffering from depression, an appropriate referral should be made. The EPDS is only a screening tool. It does not diagnose depression – that is done by appropriately licensed health care personnel. Users may reproduce the scale without permission providing the copyright is respected by quoting the names of the authors, title and the source of the paper in all reproduced copies.
Instructions for Users
1. The mother is asked to underline 1 of 4 possible responses that comes the closest to how she has been feeling the previous 7 days.
2. All 10 items must be completed.
3. Care should be taken to avoid the possibility of the mother discussing her answers with others.
4. The mother should complete the scale herself, unless she has limited English or has difficulty with reading. 7

    This questionnaire is given to women within seven days after giving birth.  Given the fact that this woman is undergoing a major hormonal change in her body it should come as no surprise that she might answer “yes” to Question 8, for example, which states, “I have felt sad or miserable”.  Both the questions and the answers are completely subjective.  Depending upon how her hormones are effecting her at the time she takes this screen test, this new mother can be determined to be suffering for a major depressive disorder by the person providing the screening and placed on an anti-depressant, when, in reality, her answers were based upon a fluctuation in her hormones and if this same test were administered twenty four hours later her results could be completely different.

   S. 1375 calls for research into the history and causes of post-partum depression as well as epidemiological studies to determine the impact of this problem on members of different racial and/or ethnic groups.  It also provides funding for clinical research for the development and evaluation of new treatments for postpartum conditions, including new biological agents.  Since post-partum depression cannot be determined by any scientific test, such as a blood test, the only possible “biological agent” that can be developed would be a new psychotropic medication.  

   This legislation was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in 1997 and as of April 18, 2011 it has not been voted on by either the Senate or House of Representatives.  While it is commendable that Senator Menendez and his colleagues have taken an interest in women’s health issues and would like to offer assistance to those who are struggling with post-partum depression, the fact is that most, if not all, of the symptoms are either dramatically reduced or disappear entirely as a result of the woman becoming more comfortable with motherhood.  

   It is unconscionable that what have been understood to be normal human emotions for centuries are now classified as psychiatric disorders.  Changes in mood, temperament, and emotions are normal human experiences.  Providing someone with a drug in order to help them manage these “problems” actually makes us less human in the process.  We no longer have to deal with our emotions and engage in normal human interaction by going to a friend or loved one and expressing how we feel and thereby nurturing our relationship with that person, instead we can now take a pill which will not be able to cure the problem and may actually make the person worse.

                                                   End Notes

     1)    Depression During and After Pregnancy http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/depression-pregnancy.cfm
5)    Jeremiah R. Grosse “The Truth About Mental Illness” http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/gro/gro_121mentalsickness.html