Posted by bleauberry on September 17, 2007, at 18:24:25
Hi. I'm blueberry. Came here for years. Had to re-register, this time bleauberry.
Still struggle, like all of us do. Somewhat improved. The greatest improvements came...about 2 months after weaning off longterm (13 years) meds (prozac, zyprexa, xanax; with a history of all meds you can think of except the MAOIs; and failed ECT).
I've come to believe the body can fix itself given the right diagnosis and treatment. Which rarely includes psychiatric meds. Most of them can be neurotoxic and cause more damage in the long run than benefit in the short run. Long lasting brain changes do occur...and yet the original underlying problem was never fixed.
I'm so glad when I see someone doing real well on something. Someone comes alive on Prozac, for example. Very cool. But at the same time I cringe because I know what they are setting themselves up for perhaps 1 to 5 years later.
Treatment resistant. Tough subject. Why is it that doctors only look at the brain? And sometimes the thyroid? Geez, the body has so much other stuff going on that dramatically affects the brain and mood.
These opinions are from my doc, but I share them. Treatment resistance; multiple sensitivities to drugs, herbs, supplements, or foods; getting worse rather than better; doc says only ECT is left;...there is a cause and it isn't that hard to find. We spend so much money on pdocs and meds. Invest about $1000 to $1500 of that into specific tests and your money would go a million miles further.
For example. Heavy metal toxicity. Either lead or mercury. Worse with both. Got silver fillings in your mouth? Yikes. You just nailed everything right there. Candida overgrowth. Undiagnosed gluten sensitivity or other food allergies you aren't aware of.
These are just the most common biological things behind difficult mood patients.
Mercury. Hard to test for. An excellent book called Amalgam Illness goes into medical detail on the most accurate way to test...it is a urine test and it is not intended to measure mercury...it measures certain damage that is caused by mercury. An astute doctor can diagnose mercury toxicity with just a physical exam. There are telltale signs. Such as amalgam (silver) fillings, adrenal fatigue, low cortisol, thyroid weirdness, weird reactions to meds, overly sensitive, specific easily seen patterns of damage to the nerves in the retina, malabsorption, intestinal problems, a whole bunch of symptoms the doctors are giving different names to, such as fibromylagia or chronic fatigue symdrome or muscular dystrophy, among others. A combo of several of these things is pretty telling. Lead and/or copper toxicity are more easily determined with a simple hair test. Detox is dangerous done the wrong way, and takes time and endurance done the right way. Amalgam Illness is the safest and most popular guide I have seen.
Gluten intolerance. A test can prove it. If you aren't sure, just stop eating everything with wheat, oats, and barley for a few weeks. The health food stores and even grocery stores now have all kinds of foods labeled gluten free, so you don't have to feel deprived. The best homemade bread I've ever tasted is a gluten free mix from the grocery store and super easy to prepare. There are excellent breakfast cereals, both hot and cold. And even a gluten free version of oats. If you can, skip the dairy for a while too. If you are senstive to gluten, you are probably sensitive to dairy also. Tests for about $300-$400 can identify exactly what foods to avoid without any guessing. Do not underestimate the incredible power the toxins from poorly tolerated foods have on your brain! More powerful that alcohol or opiates. There are no meds on the planet that can compete with them. The meds actually only compound the strain the body is already enduring.
Natural supplements of all kinds can help symptoms meanwhile, but the key is identifying which ones and in what doses. Kind of the same game we have all played with heavy duty meds. But the right ones can and do work better than meds and in a way that is harmonious and beneficial to the body and its repair.
Sorry to go so long. I just see everybody so darned focused on the brain and what this drug does and what that drug does without ever considering what's causing the problem that they want the drug to fix. It is likely somewhere else in the body besides the brain. The brain just sits there and takes the damage.
Sadly, our doctors are not trained to look at us this way. It is up to us and/or our alternative or integrative physician to get to the real root of the problem. Thankfully there are awesome lab tests that can even be ordered over the net without a doctor. The same tests a doctor orders and in the same labs.
I am currently undergoing slow but sure mercury detox, following removal of amalgams, and incorporating specific supplements to help the body do what mercury has screwed up. Such as zinc and molybdenum to reduce the excess copper, b vitamins and methyl donors to re-establish the methylation that mercury so strongly destroys, vit c and e for antioxidants protection against the powerful oxidizing of mercury, low dose 5htp to make up for screwed up tryptophan metabolism, fish oil and flax oil a healthy base, and always experimenting with other things to boost mood. Of all the herbs I've tried, and there are a bunch, the most promising so far have been, in order of goodness, ginkgo biloba low dose, maca root ultra low dose, st johns wort low dose, 5htp low dose. Low doses due to hyper sensitivity due to...yeah you guessed it...mercury.
Hey, it aint all in your head.
poster:bleauberry
thread:783554
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070911/msgs/783554.html