What is a good way...?

Question

to treat BiPolar Disorder. Avoiding all Medication?

Answer 1

Outstanding question, since the Oracle himself suffers from it.
First, no more expeditions to the North or South Pole. There
are a lot of herbal supplements- take St. John's wort, the best most natural antidepressant there is. Take co-enzyme Q-10, because bi-polars need more of it. Take all the damn vitamins you can as a matter of fact. Before initiating a program of taking St. John's wort, make sure you allow your body at least 5-6 days to flush out any previous prescription antidepressants you might have been taking. Exercise (anything, just walking even) is crucial, to get the endorphins going. Talking to somebody (even yourself) about this helps too.
There is something called TMS, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, used in Canada, but not approved here by the FDA.
Theory is that it "re-ionizes" the brain somehow, but if you happened to watch that ABC special a few years ago- particularly
when they got into talking about "deep blue" (the worst kind
of depression you can get into), the results were amazing. I
myself am looking for where to do it. Also check out a site called
brainplace.com, run by a Dr. Amen (that's his real name).
Read everything you casn on the subject- lots of famous peole have had this- from Sally Field to Abraham Lincoln. The key
thing for me is to keep my sense of humor up, this disease, and
lord knows, it IS a disease, has it's ups and downs. Most medications for me have been rather aniticlamactic: they work
great initially, then the big let down. Plus the side effects,
dry mouth, decrease in sex drive (the only one that doesn't do this is Wellbutrin (which I still take)- this one actually increases
your libido and has minimal side effects, so if I had to pick one,
that would be it.
The very very utterly important thing to remember here, is that this is a tricky, nasty, insiduous disease, and is an equal
opportunity exploiter- it will, can, and has killed people of all races\
creeds, colors, and origins. It's partly hereditary. It is oh-so
dangerous because it can, often does, lead to suicide. What
is ever so sad about this, is sometimes the bipolar person
can't help him or herself, and the act is committed. This is
the really horrific part of it, plus, I really don't think society still
"gets it". Until then, should you EVER get those kinds of
feelings- you know what I mean- do something. Change the oil in
your car, go for a walk, re-arrange your sock drawer, and then
start calling, anyone, anywhere. Remember, this is a disease
that comes and goes, at it's own will. That is why "breakthrough"
depression is especially scary- breakthrough depression is when everything else in your life seems to be going smoothly, your health is good, etc, no worries- BOOM, it just comes up on you.
That's the weird biochemistry setting in. You must be vigilant-a
pain in the *** I know, to be on the watch for some early signals,
-not sleeping right prior, etc. But you can't really stop a breakthrough once it starts. You can only control how you play the cards, not how they're dealt. Lastly, thre is ECT, electroconvulsive therapy, which, in the most severe cases, does
work, but can lead to short term memory loss. (No one has EVER done a long term study), and it's nothing like what you see in the movies. Under the right circumstances, it can help. I have
seen people who were otherwise vegetables, come out of it.
And of course, don't blame yourself- you didn't create this,
so making yourself feel guilty only exacerbates the problem.
You CAN feel guilty if YOU deliberately sabotage yourself and
exacerbate your problems by doing/not doing certain things.
Don't exercise, and you'll help the enemy, don't eat right, and so
on. Do stay up all night when you know you shouldn't, you'll
help the enemy. Alcohol isn't exactly the best thing for bipolars
either.
And always, always remember, no matter how bad, HOW
bad it might be at the time, keep this one singular thought in
your head if nothing else: "this too shall pass"....

Trust me, been there, done that, am still doin' it.

(and feel absolutely free to contact me personally if you need
anything or more info. My going rate is usually $250 an
hour, but for you my dear, absolutely free.)

((JKF- remember that means JUST KIDDIN' FOLKS"))

Answer 2

The thing is, to diagnose any form of mental illness is not an easy thing to do as many have symptoms that cross over or mimic other conditions. Psychiatrists and psychologists are human, well trained, but human nonetheless, and can and do misdiagnose from time to time. As well as using experience and knowledge they use a 'refrence manual' called the DSMR (Diagnostic Statistical Manual (Revised) ) - not recommended for light night time reading - to help with their diagnosis.

It is difficult to treat this disorder without medication due to the very nature of the beast. On one hand you have someone who is so hyper and not in the least interested in what you are telling them, to someone who is so low that they are not interested in what you are telling them. Milder forms of this disorder could be treated without medication but how one would re-address the problem with the imbalance of serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine ( the jury is out over exactly which neurotransmitter is to blame for the condition.) is another question altogether. Bear in mind , there are other factors that contribute to the onset of this condition also.

Genetics may predispose someone to be more susceptable to this condition, ie one or both of the parents may have the condition.

In summary, and sorry to go at great length but the number of questions relating to this topic is growing daily, this condition is very complex, can mimic other conditions and can be difficult to treat. Although I am not all that keen in throwing drugs down my throat, I am diabetic myself, I would much prefer to have this level of control over my condition via drugs, than have all the mental and pyhsical stresss of trying to follow another type of regime.

Answer 3

the best way is with meds. ur brain doesn't work the way it's supposed to. my sister has bipolar and they only thing the drs told her wold work r meds and talking to the dr. u can't keep urself from the highs or lows of the disorder without help. u don't know ur doing it until u've already done it.

Answer 4

yoga and meditation have been suggested to me.. and I gave them an honest effort.. I tried hobbies.. exercize.. long walks through the woods.. vitamins.. nutrients.. especially the omegas from fish and seafood (yech!).. tried damn near everything.. But, they all had very little impact on my affliction.. medication, and many different trials of different kinds and dosages has finally got this insanity under control.
I wish you the best of luck with the natural appraoch..

Answer 5

Sleep and eat in a healthy routine, and try and avoid excessive stress. -NO-recreational drugs and don't drink heavily too often.

Answer 6

http://www.bipolar.com/balancing_daily_life.html

Steps include medication...which is best, but following them without medication will still prove beneficial...maybe not 100%, but as close as you can get if you don't want to take meds.

Answer 7

well doctors told me i had it, but i weened myself off medication and it turns out they were wrong, but if you have it most every doctor will tell you that you cant live a normal life without med's.. but ask your doctor about gradually reducing your doseage untill you're completely off it... and see how that works.. good luck

Answer 8

I dont think there is a non medicinal way to treat that.

Answer 9

Visit a psychotherapist.

Answer 10

Bake a cake!