Posted by JohnL on October 27, 2000, at 13:41:09
In reply to Re: SLS...more psychiatry vs jensen, posted by SLS on October 26, 2000, at 17:23:33
Scott,
You bring up good points and I'll try to address them. I'm not nearly as good with words as I would like to be. Dr Jensen is superb with wording, and his explanations are a million miles better than mine.I don't recall anyone claiming Jensen's methods to be fact. Every doctor has their own favorite way of doing things. There are no useful facts in psychiatry that I'm aware of that pertain to treatment. If there were, this board wouldn't exist. To each his own.
The simplistic views of brain systems in his book I believe are intended to be simple on purpose. They actually aren't as simple as it sounds. Far more scientific than I'm making it sound. It is user friendly for the patient and the patient's doctor to understand. It's a roadmap, not a Bible. After all, knowing how Lithium affects c-FOS is no closer to getting the patient well than is poking a hole in a piece of cheese. Obviously it's more complicated. He knows it, you know it, and I know it. But what purpose does it serve in treatment, other than academia posturing?
Why do some people respond quickly? I'm not sure. According to Jensen, and I tend to believe after witnessing it in other people, it is a factor of two things combined...1)the medicine directly targets whatever is really awry in the brain, or at least sets into motion a cascade of events that does; 2)the medication molecule is a good match for the person, biochemically and metabolically. A good fit. A lucky choice. Jensen's whole approach is to increase the odds of finding that lucky choice. It does exist. Scientifically? No. Why not? Beats me. You'd think scientists would want to figure this out instead of studying c-FOS. But the patient will never find the lucky hit if they're stuck on unlucky choices month after month, year after year. My own interpretation, not stated in the book.
I agree with Jensen. I only modify it to 2 weeks instead of 5 days for purposes of this board. People here are not likely to have a doctor willing to do 5 day trials. Why spin my wheels? Two weeks is within reach. Better still, it jives better with conventional psychiatry people are used to. It's a fair and reasonable hybrid, from either side of the fence.
I regret not stating previously the true purpose of the book. More than being one man's method of healing, more than a systematic structure of figuring out what's awry, more than finding the right medicine, it's a book about hope. The whole book overflows with hope. There are real life cases of people, page after page, who suffered lifetimes with multiple doctors, endless medications, who finally got well. What's amazing is Jensen never draws attention to himself, never takes credit. Very humble. The book shares their stories. And what medication it was that eventually got them 100% well. The book is not scientific, it is not fact, but it is without a doubt something more useful to the patient than either of those. It is hope.
Regards,
John
poster:JohnL
thread:46914
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001022/msgs/47523.html