Posted by JohnL on October 10, 2000, at 3:42:52
In reply to Holistic aids for mood disorders, posted by dedece on October 9, 2000, at 18:53:31
> Lets talk about the positive side of the creative personality,
> rather than worry about what diagnostic label could be put on it.
> Read the Artist's Way, by Julie Cameron, or Touched by
> Fire, by Kay Jamison. For general health tips read
> Prescription For Nutritional Healing. Lets share what has
> worked. Like getting fresh air and sunshine, a daily
> walk, b-vitamins, amino acids. There must be a better
> way that constant medicating!I agree, it sounds great. The problem is, a diabetic can't cure themselves that way. Nor someone with a skin disorder, heart disorder, bone disorder, blood disorder, on and on. I many cases, psychiatric illnesses are results of real physical disorders at a molecular level and require medications to correct them. In the sense, many psychiatric illnesses are no different that any other illness. Friends and family who tell me to just do something fun and get some fresh air seem to think the brain is somehow immune to having anything go wrong with it. Almost like things can go wrong with the rest of the body, but not the brain.
Good nutrition and activity are definitely solid bases from which to stage one's life. But in most cases these kinds of things are by no means a cure, and often provide minimal, if any, relief. An ailing brain doesn't even have the ability to enjoy fresh air and sunshine. All the neuronal connections and stuff are all messed up, making it impossible for the pleasurable emotions to reach the pleasure center of the brain, in simple terms. I have found that when I am very depressed, it actually is worse to force myself into what should be pleasurable activities. That's because I will fail to feel the pleasure that should have occurred, and the severity of the illness is thus highlighted and exaggerated beyone the point it was before I attempted the pleasurable activity. I only get more depressed with pleasurable activities, because they fail, and instead slap me in the face with a reminder that my brain isn't working right. There's nothing quite so frustrating and scary as having a brain unable to feel the emotions you know it should be feeling.
As an interesting counterpoint though, my father visited China last year. He said over there the pharmacies are filled with hundreds and thousands of herbal choices. It's actually a real science in China to combine this or that herb with these or those other herbs to treat such and such condition. Very much like what we do in the USA, except with herbs instead of pills. Pills are however also available in the same pharmacy. It's just that there is another option, an option of herbal science that has been practiced for centuries. It must apparently be effective enough most of the time, or else surely this science would have crumbled a long time ago. In the USA I don't think that kind of science is available, due to lack of knowledge, experience, and the hundreds of different herbs. When we walk into a USA health food store and view all these shelves full of herbs, it is only a drop in the bucket compared to what's available in China or other herbal nations. I'm sure that in some way, their herbs do much the same thing as our pills. That is, they influence different parts of the body at a molecular level to treat various conditions.
If someone can be helped by sunshine and fresh air, then they are not depressed. They are merely have a bad day or a normal down mood. True depression is a much more serious condition, not easily influenced by things that would normally influence a well person.
Just my thoughts.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:46020
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000926/msgs/46039.html