Would the Lord heal me?

[ferretrunner]

I was thinking about this post and the discussion regarding medication vs. more natural treatment options.

First off, there are some diagnosis that the only hope to remit the symptoms is medication. Schizophernia and bipolar depression are two examples. These issues are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Diet, excercise, education, and therapy alone will not balance the chemicals.

Depression is more complicated. It is caused by several factors. A depression that is situational can respond to therapy and working on the situation that triggered the depression. Sometimes, if the depression is severe enough or lasts long enough, medication is indicated. Even in a situational depression, research shows the evidence based best practice is a combination of therapy and medications. Depression can also be caused by an imbalance of the neurotransmitters in the brain only- there's no reason for it, no situational trigger. With this type of depression, medication is needed. It's similiar to diabetes. Sometimes you can remit the diabetes with diet and excercise, sometimes insulin is needed. If the diabetes is insulin dependent, diet and excercise alone won't remit the symptoms.

I agree there are many times in life that we hit periods of sadness that aren't depression. Living a healthy lifestyle, to include diet and excercise helps the body, mind, and spirit maintain health.

In all mental illnesses, a component of teaching proper diet, excercise, and spiritual practices consumate with the individual is helpful. These are parts of a healthy, happier life. In addition, teaching coping skills (often done in therapy) are also helpful.

I want to share something. I have suffered with dysthymia since I was a teenager. Dysthymia is a milder form of depression. Often, the individual doesn't really "look" depressed. They can be successful and extremely high functioning. Meaning we can hold down jobs and succeed in school. For me, when depressed, everything was hard. I wanted to sleep all the time. I never felt happy. Think Eeore from Winnie the Pooh. It was like living in a cloudy, rainy winter day. Everything was dark and dismal. If I did something I enjoyed, I might smile or laugh for a minute or two but the sense of sadness never went totally away. I thought everyone felt that way.

Throughout all my journey with depression, I was a runner. I completed several marathons, so excercise was not a problem. Running, sleep, and music were the only three activities that I did not have the nagging sense of sadness.

In my late twenties, I was finally diagnosed properly. It took several years to find the right antidepressant. One made me into a zombie- another one made me chatter and bounce of walls and have the attention span of a ferret. Neither worked very well. Over the course of several years, I would go on and off the antidepressants- I didn't want to admit I needed them. I didn't want to have depression. I attended therapy, learned some- not enough.

Finally, we hit on the right antidepressant. I started being able to apply the things I was learning in therapy more consistently. My life got infintely better. Life for me today is more like a spring day. It can have rain clouds but I know there will be sunny days to follow. I see life framed in a spring sunny day rather than the darkness of the overcast.

Last year, I made an experiment. With my doctor's supervision, I titrated off my antidepressant. A healthy lifestyle including several forms of excercise, good foods, proper sleep, and activties are now habit. About 2.5 months after going off the antidepressant, I was calling my doctor to restart. The overcast had returned, I was sleeping more, and I had to force myself to run. I would be "together" at work and come home and cry for an hour. Back on the antidepressants, my life returned to normal. I am on a lower dose now and so far it is effective.

If you are taking medications, and you want to try a non-medication based treatment option, such as the natural diet, excercise, and education that others have mentioned, please do a few things. First, research the new program. Is there scientific reliablity? Second, establish the new behaviors first. Practice the diet and exercise regime and practice what your learn in the education piece. Have it down so it is habit. Then, talk to your doctor and safely come off your medications. Have friends and family you trust and your doctor help monitor your progress. Keep a journal both before you go off your meds and after. Record your moods and thoughts.

It could be that you'll do fine off your medications. But, your symptoms can also return. If you, or your support team, notice the symptoms are getting worse, go back into your doctor.

My name is ferretrunner, I have depression.

[Dove]

In following this thread, I just wanted to add my personal experiences with meds.....

First off, I have severe depression, have been diagnosed with bipolar, the borderline personality disorder and also diabetes, as well as gynecological problems, the most recent diagnosis with that being prolonged ovulation.

All these diagnosis' equals a complex arena of trying to cope with my state of mind in life.....I have had depression noticeably since the age of 14, in the aftermath of my parents' divorce. Mental illness gallops through my father's side of the family, with gynecological issues running through my mother's.

When I was in therapy and suicidally depressed, my therapist strongly urged my to be hospitalized. While there they started me on several different medications, one of which was Abilify. I had no insurance, and the dosage of my Abilfiy equaled $500 for one month out of pocket. Little did I know what a heartache it would be to get on this med, not be able to afford it, and not be able to get off of it. I am so dissatisfied with my history of medications! I am now on three psychiatric meds alone and still battle depression and the effects of my other diagnosis', pms being a big issue for me. Basically, while I haven't attempted suicide (I attribute this to God's intervention) I am still in the same boat I was before I got onto all these meds, the only difference being that if I stop taking them, hospitalization is pretty well assured because of how these meds have affected my mind. My meds out of pocket run over $1000 monthly. I feel that my well being is really a lucrative business venture for others! I believe they know what they are doing when they create a medication that is impossible to stop taking without vicious consequences. The price is their's to call.....

My only option through the traditional medical field in dealing with the gynecological problems is by taking an oral contraceptive to balance my menstrual cycle.....I have heard horror stories about the damage the pill can do, let alone the possibility of stroke, blood clots and I believe, heart attacks. I don't feel this is an acceptable option.....

I have become more than willing to look at homeopathic/herbal remedies in treating all these medical problems....Oh yeah, I am insulin dependent. I do agree that I may be required to take insulin for the rest of my life to manage this disease. However; when I was first diagnosed, I managed it solely through diet and exercise at that point in time. Right now I am obese and am trying to healthily lose the weight. There is a part of me that still wonders what would happen if I strictly kept my diet and exercised like I initially did. I'm sure I wouldn't require the amount of insulin that I do now.

I feel that a lot of progress has been made in the medical field. But now I also realize that it is often a science of hit and miss in being properly treated. I don't trust the scientists/manufacturer's/inventors of medicine have my best interests at heart as a patient. I feel often they are acting on greed and their own often dark desires.....

Nothing can replace taking responsiblity for, and care of, my health. This includes appropriate traditional medication, diet, exercise, respecting the wording of the WoW and it's intent, and, for me, being open to natural remedies. They are potent and do effect my body. Besides, I have yet to meet a greedy person in this realm of healing.

[ryanh]

Dove, I'm not following something in your post. You had significant, and life-threatening, difficulties prior to ever taking any medication, right? But, if I'm reading correctly, you feel now that if you were to go off the medications, it would be the medications 'fault' that you might be hospitalized again. What am I missing?

[Dove]

What I was trying to say is that I still struggle with overwhelming depression, even though I'm on the meds....However; when I try to stop, the effects of doing so are quite traumatic, more than I ever knew or realized would be b4 I started the meds.

My resentment is that these meds aren't living up to the claim of relieving my chemical depression at an incredible monetary price to boot. Yet, I wasn't warned of the devastating effects that would happen if I stopped taking them....

Ryanh, it's a whole different world of extreme fear and anxiety. Where my dreams are greatly effected. Yes, I've coped with serious depression my whole life, but the extreme fear and anxiety that come when stopping the meds is something I had never experienced before. I know they are chemically induced. While I was hospitized before I started the meds once, at the urging of my therapist, because of being suicidal, since I have started the meds, I have been hospitalized many times more.....howbeit usually because I couldn't afford staying on them....

The reason why I am looking at homeopathic remedies as an option is because of the many side effects associated with the more traditional medications.....and because of how far short they have fallen in helping my symptons

Edited September 8, 2009 by Dove

[brmecham]

Dove, (and others) you probably have an idea of my personal preferences from previous postings I have made on this discussion...

I hope you'll take my recommendations with the full sincerity that I offer them.

It certainly can be devistating to go off medications "cold turkey", in fact the side-effects of withdrawl can be worse than the side-effects inherent in the medication in the first place (like you've already mentioned). If you feel like going off any medication you've been on for a period of time (especially antidepressants) you must taper off of them very slowly. If you've been on antidepressants for years it might actually take over a year to properly taper.

In the mean time, and this could also help with the diabetes and other problems, my recommendations are (and maybe you're already doing some of these things, this is also as a reminder to myself :) )...

- Exercise at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

- Get enough sleep (at least 8 hours) and don't stay up too late. The best time to go to sleep is before 10 or 11pm.

- Get at least 20 minutes of sunlight a day.

- Drink a lot of water.

- Avoid white sugar, carbonated beverages and other junk foods. No aspartame or other synthetic sugar replacements.

- Eat mostly vegetables and fruits, little meat and little processed foods.

- You may want to try going cutting out dairy. (at least no milk) - Cutting out milk did wonders for my health (a Doctor in Florida took autistic and schizophrenic children Off of dairy, 80% had their symptoms disappear.) I used to drink milk like it was water! and I never realized the problems it was causing me until I stopped drinking it. (My alternative is Rice Milk)

Is this easy? Not at all... but I know it's worth it, despite how hard it can be to make a health lifestyle a habit... I also struggle with the above, but I've experienced the benefits and that gives me hope each day to try harder.

You never know the effects it will have on you until you try it.

You'll notice I'm not recommending you do anything dangerous, just things that have been proven to dramatically improve the health of many individuals.

Regarding "homeopathic remedies" I don't know (some say homeopathic are nothing more than a sugar pill with a placebo effect)... but what I have plenty of experience with is Herbs and Essential Oils. Some recommendations I have regarding herbs you may want to consider taking on a daily/weekly basis are:

- Cayenne Pepper capsules

- Garlic Oil capsules

- Dr Christopher's Immune System formula

(chromium supplement may help with the diabetes)

- Quercetin with Bromelain is great too.

You may want to spend some time researching on the Herbal Supplements | Dr. John Christopher and Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy - Dr. John Christopher is LDS and spent many years developing various herbal formulas for many purposes.

And remember, even more important than the herbs is a consistent healthy lifestyle.

Edited September 9, 2009 by brmecham

[rampion]

There is so much that we can do ourselves to manage and control our mental and physical health. Support from others, including professionals, and sometimes including medications, can help. But it won't as long as we expect someone else, or even God, to take away our problems. The key is that we have to be willing to accept our challenges and decide to deal with them effectively. Whatever that means for you.

Many things can help, including priesthood blessings, medication, therapy, herbal supplements, diet and excercise, ...

For me, St. John's Wort is helpful for depression (I favor it over prescription meds because I have control, there are no side effects that bother me, and it costs much less. It works the same way that SSRIs like Prozac do, and people have been using it for millenia. Maybe God knew what he was doing in creating that plant. It will interfere with the pill for birth control though, so might not be an option for everyone.

Light therapy works too. We are designed to need sunlight. It helps to regulate the chemicals in our brains, including serotonin. Getting outside in the sunlight in the morning would work just aw well, if you actually do it. Sometimes that's a challenge, especially in the winter.

DBT is another thing. It was developed for borderline personality disorder, and also works for bipolar disorder, addiction, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and the list goes on. I am convinced that Marsha Linehan was inspired whether or not she knows it. Prayer and meditation are even part of the skills set.

I'm sure that these are not the answers for everybody, but I'm a lot saner with them than without them. Again, the key is that each of us takes responsibility for ourselves and we do what works for us. God didn't send us to earth to be rescued. He'll help us find what works, and the people who can help us, but He isn't going to do it for us, and nobody else can do it for us. This work is something we have to do for ourselves.

[Dove]

Dove, (and others) you probably have an idea of my personal preferences from previous postings I have made on this discussion...

I hope you'll take my recommendations with the full sincerity that I offer them.

It certainly can be devistating to go off medications "cold turkey", in fact the side-effects of withdrawl can be worse than the side-effects inherent in the medication in the first place (like you've already mentioned). If you feel like going off any medication you've been on for a period of time (especially antidepressants) you must taper off of them very slowly. If you've been on antidepressants for years it might actually take over a year to properly taper.

In the mean time, and this could also help with the diabetes and other problems, my recommendations are (and maybe you're already doing some of these things, this is also as a reminder to myself :) )...

- Exercise at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

- Get enough sleep (at least 8 hours) and don't stay up too late. The best time to go to sleep is before 10 or 11pm.

- Get at least 20 minutes of sunlight a day.

- Drink a lot of water.

- Avoid white sugar, carbonated beverages and other junk foods. No aspartame or other synthetic sugar replacements.

- Eat mostly vegetables and fruits, little meat and little processed foods.

- You may want to try going cutting out dairy. (at least no milk) - Cutting out milk did wonders for my health (a Doctor in Florida took autistic and schizophrenic children Off of dairy, 80% had their symptoms disappear.) I used to drink milk like it was water! and I never realized the problems it was causing me until I stopped drinking it. (My alternative is Rice Milk)

Is this easy? Not at all... but I know it's worth it, despite how hard it can be to make a health lifestyle a habit... I also struggle with the above, but I've experienced the benefits and that gives me hope each day to try harder.

You never know the effects it will have on you until you try it.

You'll notice I'm not recommending you do anything dangerous, just things that have been proven to dramatically improve the health of many individuals.

Regarding "homeopathic remedies" I don't know (some say homeopathic are nothing more than a sugar pill with a placebo effect)... but what I have plenty of experience with is Herbs and Essential Oils. Some recommendations I have regarding herbs you may want to consider taking on a daily/weekly basis are:

- Cayenne Pepper capsules

- Garlic Oil capsules

- Dr Christopher's Immune System formula

(chromium supplement may help with the diabetes)

- Quercetin with Bromelain is great too.

You may want to spend some time researching on the Herbal Supplements | Dr. John Christopher and Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy - Dr. John Christopher is LDS and spent many years developing various herbal formulas for many purposes.

And remember, even more important than the herbs is a consistent healthy lifestyle.

Thanks much for your suggestions.....They are very sound to me and worth following. :)

They follow closely the impressions I received a few years ago about what would be well to follow to become healthier. I'm losing much needed weight right now and want to exercise more when some of this weight is off. I also agree with the diet you advocate....

Thanks again