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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by markwell on April 7, 2011, at 15:02:30
I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the med route doesn't seem to work for me. If I wanted to go the alternative route where would I begin? There are no doctors in my area that treat with alternative methods. Is there a good book out there that I could pick up or a web site that would be helpful. I would appreciate any input. I just don't know where to begin.
Posted by Lao Tzu on April 7, 2011, at 15:49:15
In reply to where to begin, posted by markwell on April 7, 2011, at 15:02:30
Well, there are books out there on Alternative Complementary Medicine for bipolar disorder. You might do a search on Amazon.com. I guess that would be a good place to start before just taking a bunch of vitamins and not knowing what you are doing. There are vitamins, minerals, fatty acids like fish and borage oils, herbs, and amino acids which may be of benefit to you, but I suggest doing some research on the subject. Here are a couple of websites that will give you some ideas and some book references.
http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/home.php
http://www.boragebooks.com/bipolar.html
Let me also say that bipolar disorder is a serious illness, and whatever you do you may have to take some medication to treat your symptoms. Bipolar can be helped with BOTH medication and nutrients. I have schizophrenia/bipolar, and I wouldn't dream of going off my meds. My doctor has prescribed the best ones to date for my disorder, and I absolutely have to take them everyday. However, I have also incorporated nutrients into my medication regimen to help with depression and anxiety. I can't say I am cured, but I feel a lot better than just being on meds alone. However, that being said, medication may have to be your mainstay for staying healthy. I don't think the nutrients alone are going to solve your problem as bipolar disorder is a very complicated illness. Reducing stress levels in your life as well as exercising may also help.Lao
Posted by Lao Tzu on April 7, 2011, at 16:04:18
In reply to where to begin, posted by markwell on April 7, 2011, at 15:02:30
Just to let you know, for my schizophrenia/bipolar, I take three medications: Risperdal, Lamictal, and Zoloft. Abilify is a medication often used for bipolar disorder. Is that what you are on? Lamictal is a very good medication for the depressive phases of bipolar disorder. I take it everyday. You might try fish oil in addition to medication, which is supposed to be really good for bipolar disorder. I would research it first, and maybe ask your doctor about it. I try not to give too much advice, but in my own opinion I have benefitted from using medication along with nutrients. The thing to be careful with is herbs because some of them could potentially interact with certain medications. Be careful! There are several older anticonvulsants and mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder. Have you tried different medications to see which ones would help you? The first thing is to stabilize the illness, and it seems that medication is the first step. This is what I did. After I was stabilized on my meds, I began to explore complimentary therapies like vitamins and fatty acids and two amino acids, taurine and GABA. But I would thoroughly research the subject. Good luck to you.
Lao
Posted by markwell on April 7, 2011, at 19:15:14
In reply to Re: where to begin, posted by Lao Tzu on April 7, 2011, at 16:04:18
Thanks for the helpful advice. I am currently taking Tegretol (anticonvulsant} and sometime in the future an antidepressant will be added. I've tried the atypicals and developed a td type symptom and my doctor will no longer prescribe them. He wants to try nuvigil once I'm at a therapeutic dose of tegretol. Thanks for your help. Do you own the book you suggested? It looks like a good one.
Posted by Lao Tzu on April 7, 2011, at 21:03:20
In reply to Re: where to begin, posted by markwell on April 7, 2011, at 19:15:14
Yes, you may need more than one medication to feel better. Adding an antidepressant might help as well. My doctor added Zoloft after my psychosis stabilized. I felt it was working okay, but I still had depressive symptoms, so then he prescribed Lamictal which helped even more with the depression. I also had taken Provigil for some years, which is very similar to Nuvigil. It really helped with energy, and indirectly this helped my depression quite a bit. I highly recommend it.
One book I am interested in reading is Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders by Eva Edelman. Abram Hoffer and Carl Pfeiffer have written books on using nutrients to heal mental disorders. These two guys are the the most well-known for their use of vitamins to treat mental illness. Hoffer has actually written a few books on the subject over his career. There are many books to choose from. Check the reviews to see if people really liked it or not. I've found that just reading books can be empowering, and certainly is better than getting all your information from the internet.One thing to ask your doctor about is using fish oil as a complimentary therapy with the medication. I have benefitted from it as well, and I take it everyday. Good luck and hang in there. You'll find something that works. See ya!
Lao
Posted by bleauberry on April 10, 2011, at 6:08:58
In reply to where to begin, posted by markwell on April 7, 2011, at 15:02:30
There are so many bases to cover, directions to go, and such. It can indeed be overwhelming.
I believe the best results are available when you cover all the bases. Give the body the very best ingredients, nutrients, and lifestyle it can possibly have and it will do a lot of healing all by itself with no other help. Again though that can be overwhelming. We're talking correct choices of all the following:
Vitamins and minerals (not just any, but the correct ones)
Food choices, extremely important, most people don't know what healthy foods actually are.
Antimicrobials.
Detoxification.
Anti inflammation.
Boost immune.All this sounds foreign and bizarre to anyone who has only focused on the psychiatric end of things. What they often do not realize is that all of the above, especially when in concert, are tied directly to mood symptoms.
Posted by Lao Tzu on April 11, 2011, at 9:20:02
In reply to Re: where to begin, posted by bleauberry on April 10, 2011, at 6:08:58
People with bipolar disorder tend to be deficient in fatty acids as well as B vitamins, particularly vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, and in a certain percentage of bipolar patients folic acid (B9). Another percentage of patients cannot tolerate folic acid. Unfortunately, I cannot tolerate it, so I stay away from supplements of folic acid. Other vitamins that help are vitamins C and E, and for some people deficient in selenium, this vitamin can also help as well.
Lao
Posted by morgan miller on April 12, 2011, at 0:59:54
In reply to where to begin, posted by markwell on April 7, 2011, at 15:02:30
Holy Basil, Lithium Orotate, Fish oil, and Magnesium Glycinate.
Posted by morgan miller on April 12, 2011, at 1:13:19
In reply to Re: where to begin, posted by bleauberry on April 10, 2011, at 6:08:58
Paleo-like or Primal diet. Reduce grains, especially wheat, as much as possible. Eliminate added sugar and drink very little fruit juice. Eat fruits like berries(blueberries are best) and apples(limit fruits to 2 servings per day), lots of vegetables, lots of nuts(raw sprouted are best-almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, and pistachios are best), beef from grassfed cows, good seafood(nothing farm raised), and organic eggs.
Exercise 5 to 6 days a week, rotating between intense cardiovascular exercise like interval sprints a few times a week and moderate exercise. Always do a long meditative stretch after exercise. Focus on breathing through both mouth and nose during exercise and stretching. Meditate during exercise and stretching, closing your eyes when necessary to get in the "zone". Nose breathing is crucial for getting oxygen and increased blood flow in the brain. You will never feel as good as when you properly breath through your nose.
Posted by 49er on April 20, 2011, at 1:45:17
In reply to where to begin, posted by markwell on April 7, 2011, at 15:02:30
> I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the med route doesn't seem to work for me. If I wanted to go the alternative route where would I begin? There are no doctors in my area that treat with alternative methods. Is there a good book out there that I could pick up or a web site that would be helpful. I would appreciate any input. I just don't know where to begin.
Hi Marwell,
You might want to try this site:
http://alt-therapies4bipolar.info/
The owner runs a yahoo groups list for people with BP who have decided not to take meds.
Even though I don't have BP, I joined it for support when I was tapering off of psych meds. I find it interesting but of course, your mileage will vary.
49er
Posted by markwell on April 22, 2011, at 13:44:55
In reply to Re: where to begin » markwell, posted by 49er on April 20, 2011, at 1:45:17
Thanks I'll check it out.
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