Posted by itsme2003 on February 5, 2006, at 21:14:14
In reply to Re: Alternative Ways of dealing with Depression » Kellie, posted by maggie2 on January 5, 2006, at 15:51:44
Earlier in the thread someone used diabetes as an analogy of mental illness. I am a diabetic and am able to contorl my blood sugar perfectly just by diet alone. When I was first diagnosed my HgbA1c was 12.7 (very very bad). Now my HgbA1c is 5.5 (in the normal range). In my case I could perfectly control my diabetes by diet alone and did not require any medication. The fact that I can control it through diet alone is a combination of luck (having the right kind of diabetes) and skill (learning what to eat and what not to, and having the willpower to implement that knowledge). On the other hand, if someone is a type I diabetic then they cannot control their diabetes through diet alone no matter how much they try. (Many type II diabetics can't either no matter how hard they try, depending on the underlying disease.)
This is a good analogy to mental health issues. Some people will be able to get well through alternative methods, and some people won't. It will depend to some extent on educating yourself about what to do and trying hard, but it will also depend on some factors that you cannot control (such as heredity and underlying physiology).
I am a very strong believer in the value of supplements, but there is some important advice that I feel compelled to give. Most supplements have subtle effects and take a while to kick in. You must not believe that because a supplement is reputed to have a certain effect that it will have that effect on you. You might have to try a dozen supplements that are supposed to have a certain benefit to find one that works well for you.
My recommendation is that if someone is in a crisis situation they should look for a medical treatment first. Once a treatment has been found then begin carefully experimenting with supplements with an eye toward tapering your meds off as you get better effect from the supplements. Of course you should work with your pdoc as you do this.
I realize that other people might feel differently about this and might suggest trying supplements first. I can't give an absolute statement that trying meds first then supplements is always the best, but I feel strongly that for dealing with a crisis situation it is the best approach.
poster:itsme2003
thread:595703
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20060130/msgs/606747.html