Weight Management / Nutrition

"Congratulations!" the psychiatric doctor says. "You are the proud owner of the diagnosis of bipolar disorder."

"What causes it and how can you be sure?"

"It's genetic...inherited...runs in families. If your symptoms improve with lithium, we will know for sure."

But it doesn't run in my family unless of course if there was an Aunt Myrtle I never knew about who was quietly put away in an institution somewhere. I did however have a great aunt with Alzheimer's who I was named after, but we were related through marriage, not genetics. I was willing to try anything to get some relief...but lithium? I had a roommate in collage that took lithium on an empty stomach once...not a pretty sight. I knew just enough about the toxicity of lithium to know that it wasn't something I desired to do to myself. The doctor told me I'd have blood levels drawn regularly and the dosage adjusted to prevent toxic levels. However, fear prevailed.

I went to my family doctor for a second opinion. He told me he had suspected for years that I had bipolar disorder, but was waiting to see how it played out before making a diagnosis. So, I guess that's it then. "Give me the prescriptions, and we'll give it a try".

Well, I have to say, it did take the edge off. My biggest fear had been that I might lose control and hurt someone. The lithium did give me an ounce of self-control that allowed me to put that fear to rest. However, it did nothing for the personality changes and the constant battle of dark thoughts going on in my mind. I was bedridden for two years on the medications prescribed for bipolar disorder. "Better than the alternative", I reasoned.

I gained an average of 3/4 a pound a week....that's 10 pounds every quarterly check-up....40 pounds in one year. And by my second year on the lithium and Paxil, I'd gained a whopping 80 pounds!!! It didn't take a genius to figure out that I could not stay on this treatment indefinitely. My doctor, in all his wisdom, told me I needed to eat less and exercise more. How do you eat less than next to nothing? And just a walk to the bathroom brought on dizziness and heart palpitations. Doing a Stormie Omartian workout was out of the question.

In walks a miracle of sorts...

I started seeing a Christian counselor who told me of the great results she was having with the Reliv nutritional products she was using to support her body through menopause. (http://www.reliv.com/) She told me with the program, she is required to listen to several testimonies of other users of the products, and is confident that I would find the energy and nutritional support I would need to help me to be able to exercise. It all sounded good, but the price was way out of my budget. She encouraged me though be saying I will get what I'm paying for.

I did some research on Bee-Alive and some other products, but what lead me to try the Reliv is the wide variety of nutrients it provides. It wasn't just a huge range of vitamins and minerals, but also enzymes, amino acids, fiber, and various herbs...and is a whole food supplement which means to me that it's not overly processed. It's like getting a concentrated form of real food my body can utilize. I took it to my doctor to have him check it out. He verified that it had nothing in it that would aggravate my condition.

An AMAZING thing happened. After a few weeks of drinking the shakes, not only did I have the energy I was seeking, but I felt back to my old self that I dearly loved. The nightmare-ish battle in my mind subsided. I was back to my own loveable personality, and was able to get up off the couch doing jumping jacks, housework, and getting ready for a way overdue yard sale. What a joyous day!!!

This nutrition company put me in touch with other users who were battling the same type of health issues I was. It was very enlightening, and put me on a path to discover the real cause of my symptoms...heavy metal toxicity (lead, mercury, and cadmium to be exact). It didn't take me long at all to get off the lithium. My doctor was not happy about it at all, as you can imagine. Bipolars are known to not take their meds consistently, and he was concerned I was going to be another one of the tragic statistics. I'm glad to say that wasn't the case.

Discontinuing the lithium was not difficult at all. I only felt better for it. Discontinuing the Paxil was another story entirely. I was fortunate again to have the support of the nutrition company. I was in touch with others who had gone down the same path. They lead me to Internet resources for support. The World Health Organization says Paxil is more difficult to get off of than heroine. I've never been on heroine, but I can tell you that getting off of Paxil was a nightmare that many of my Internet support team accurately refer to as "Pax-Hell". After following all the recommendations for weaning, and using the recommended nutritional support, I still hugged the toilet for three weeks, night and day, and shed a whopping 40 pounds!!!

That left 40 pounds of excess baggage to go. I became an exercise junky...lol. I took my nutrition shakes faithfully and continued to eat very little in addition. However the scales didn't budge. I had several pregnancies...one resulting in my precious baby girl Olivia. I could always get back down to 40 pounds overweight, but couldn't seem to break that barrier....

UNTIL...

While doing some research on detoxing the heavy metals, I discovered a plan put together by Ann Louise Gittleman. She is a nutritionist, and a very intelligent, warm-hearted lady. I read an article written by her that rang true to my experiences. As I searched for more of her writings, I found she had developed a detox and weight loss plan that supports the elimination organs...the liver, kidneys, and lymph system...great for detoxing the meds and the heavy metals.

All I can say is WOW! Success at last.

She also has a support system set up through ivillage on the Internet so users of the program can communicate with each other and with her. And the best thing about it is it's free! I found her books at the library, and registered for her forum at http://www.annlouiseforum.com/. The link is on her website: http://www.annlouise.com/.

I have been more functional using this plan of eating. I'm suspecting my great results are due to getting things out of my diet that I'm sensitive to...such as wheat and dairy. I was able to take a job tutoring children at my church's school. My thoughts are clearer and my emotions are pleasant. Sadly though, I had to quit the job due to no paycheck. I'm not willing to leave my baby crying for me with a sitter that I can't pay. There also were excessive chemical exposures as they were laying new flooring with the most obnoxious glue you could imagine; and the spray they use to clean the dry erase boards just made me high. I tried to teach using a mask, but that was awkward, and uncomfortable for the kids as well. And then when I learned that I was misinformed about being paid for my work, I decided that what I need to do is tutor out of my home where I can control the environment and the billing. Which leads me back to needing to get my house in order...Another story for another day. Every worthwhile journey is taken one step at a time. I'll get there eventually. The point of this paragraph is that with the dietary changes, I am well enough mentally to tutor children again.

I've regained much of my brain function using Reliv nutiriton shakes and I've gone from a size 18 to a size 10 in a matter of 6 months following Ann Louise's nutritional advice inspite of being on 30mg of cortizone a day which is known for increasing the appetite and causing weight gain. I would highly recommend both to anyone desiring better mental and physical health.