In my upcoming podcast this week, you'll get the chance to hear the true story of a heroine's journey as she triumphed over bipolar disorder—available on Wednesday. The teaser is available at the end of today's article.
Liz shares her childhood struggle with suicidal thoughts and her efforts to heal from her disorder holistically, first through yoga and an improved diet, and then through holistic psychiatry when she was 32 years old.
She was able to safely taper off Trileptal (Oxcarbazepine 1200 mg at bedtime) and Risperdal (Risperidone 1 mg at bedtime) in January 2019 and has never needed to take any psychiatric medications again. In fact, she is no longer dependent on pharmaceuticals that require regular follow-ups with a psychiatrist, holistic or otherwise.
Today's Weekly Update supports her story with clinical insights on the treatment of bipolar disorder and provides some guidance for those who are curious about her incredible healing process.
Have a wonderful week!
Liz's Story: Holistic Healing from
Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol Abuse
Clinical Insights on the treatment of bipolar symptoms
My journey as a holistic psychiatrist began with realizing that conventional psychiatry didn't have a good approach for healing bipolar patients.
How did I know this? I was being continually inundated by bipolar patients who came to me heavily medicated by their psychiatrists but still feeling miserable. The first patient who tried a supplement to help her bipolar disorder was someone in her 30's who had to wear a diaper due to the side effects of Depakote. Her eyes darted back and forth; her hands shook so much, she had to sit on them; and she had no emotions—all from medication side effects.
I began her on a supplement called "E. M. Power," by TrueHope, which is currently used in Canada as a treatment for bipolar disorder. It is a highly absorbable supplement consisting of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and the company advertised that it helped bipolar patients.
I was assigned to someone who helped me learn how to use the supplement and to help patients come off their medications.
That was in 2002, the beginning of my efforts to find better solutions for my patients. Now, I am far beyond using just one supplement to help patients off their medications.
Trileptal and Lamotrigine (Lamictal) are commonly used to treat bipolar disorder. They both block the sodium ion channels along the nerve cell membrane. Another common medication used for bipolar disorder is lithium carbonate. Although not well understood, it is believed that lithium interferes with ion transport processes. Another medication, Valproate/Valproic acid (Depakote) is derived from Valerian. It appears to inhibit the sodium ion channels and to increase brain levels of GABA.
What these medications have in common is the inhibition of sodium ion channels in the nerve cell. In addition, they affect the mineral metabolic functions and processes in the body.
When we lower these medications, the sodium ion channels will become increasingly unblocked. To balance this effect, I ask my patients to take potassium chloride (KCl) 99 mg capsules, once per day. It allows greater ease with the tapering process.
This process requires a balance between the medications and the KCl, which I do through energy testing. I adapted the energy testing process to assess the patient's functional needs during medication withdrawal. It's like balancing oneself on a tight rope. Too much on one side or the other, and you'll fall down and hurt yourself. So, I wouldn't recommend doing this on your own, but instead, seek the help of a holistic psychiatrist to navigate the process.
Once, a patient was doing great with his withdrawal from Lamictal. I went on a vacation for about one week, leaving the patient in the care of a conventional psychiatrist. By the time I got back, the patient was back on his full dose of medication. The psychiatrist had taken him off all his supplements as well.
The reason? The patient was getting too depressed and the psychiatrist didn't know what to do. They didn't think or want to call me. I'm sure all that was needed was to taper his medication as he had been doing, but the patient and psychiatrist didn't have energy testing data to guide them, so they just abandoned the process and claimed that it had failed.
In addition to KCl, I always start bipolar patients on highly absorbable vitamins and minerals. Nowadays, my favorite supplements to start patients on are Brainchild Spectrum Support Minerals (unflavored) and Brainchild Spectrum Support II Vitamins (Lemon Lime flavored). A reliable source for these supplements can be found at nbnus.net.
The company also carries Liquid lithium, which is lithium chloride. I use that to help patients get off their lithium carbonate. Lithium chloride is easier to absorb into the cells and won't hurt the thyroid and kidneys. After the patient comes off lithium carbonate, I find that they generally will need less lithium chloride over time, until they don't need it anymore at all.
As I work to support patients functionally off their medications, I always help them simultaneously heal from their past traumas. One trauma that almost everyone shares is the trauma of experiencing unmitigated bipolar symptoms despite years of conventional treatment.
You might think it's a lot of work, but Liz was able to get off all her medications in about 23 sessions. Her total number of psychiatric sessions, from beginning to end with me, was 40. Her treatment began in March 2018. She was off all medications by January 2019, and she remained stable and thriving until our last appointment in August 2020.
Compare that course of treatment to a chronic mood disorder for 24 years that didn't get better on her medications, and you'll come to appreciate the power of a few supplements and energy medicine in healing mental illness.
The Holistic Psychiatrist Podcast (Ep. 7):
The Power of Holistic Approaches for
Healing from Bipolar Disorder
Liz had struggled with mental illness since she was 8 years old and began taking medications in high school. When she began working with me she was 32 years old and was taking Trileptal (Oxcarbazepine) and Risperdal (Risperidone). We discuss how life was for her, how she healed from her illness, and how she successfully withdrew from her medications so that she didn’t need to be a patient anymore.
Click here for the full episode available on Wednesday.
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Click on the picture below to listen to the teaser.