The Amish Secret
A young bearded man in a top hat and carefully crafted dark cotton pants stood talking to me last night, after my husband Dana and I retold our story about my 16 year recovery from bipolar. “Thank you for talking about the two sides of the problem.” He said. ”You know, there are a lot of people who just want a pill like a drug or, even a natural pill. They swallow the pill and sit back and wait for ...
Have You Hit Rock Bottom?
I know you are out there. You are the girl who couldn’t get out of bed today. The one who lay in bed until 3pm only to wake for a toilet break and stumble back to the blankets. You ate cold cereal and took a handful of meds and you wondered why you keep trying at all. The meds probably squashed that voice that keeps telling you to end it. You think about your own death once in awhile, but ...
What Are the Symptoms of Bipolar? DSM-IV Evaluation
Plenty of people ask me, “What are the symptoms of bipolar and are you really 100% free of those symptoms?” After checking out this information from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, 1994 (American Psychiatric Association, 1400 K Street NW, Suite 1101, Washington, DC 20005-2403 USA), I can happily say that I am, 100% not bipolar anymore and have been well and drug free for 15 years. For many years before I started using the EMPowerplus micronutrient formula ...
A Child with Anxiety and Obsession
I’m not a doctor. If I were a doctor, a brilliant, healthy little girl would be heavily medicated right now. Obsession is one of the toughest set of symptoms for me to write about. A young girl who holds a very special place in my heart has had a crippling and painful go-round with obsessive thoughts and compulsions. Who we once saw as a worried child quickly turned into a child so wrought with anxiety that it left her vomiting, ...
Pajama Party?
I woke up this morning to a call from a friend. She must not have known that I get to sleep in at least twice a year. I think the last time my kids let me sleep past breakfast was in the summer after camping and all were too tired to demand anything before 9 am. Since I had a new pair of fuzzy pajamas and a lot of post-Christmas party cleanup to do, I decided to take the day ...
When I got lost
Have you ever been really lost? I’m not talking about that pay phone call, “Mom, I drove to the mall and can’t remember what exit to take.” (You remember the days before GPS and cell phones, right?) I’m talking about waking up one morning and not having a clue who you are anymore and how it is that you managed to land in THIS life with THESE people. If you can’t relate, that’s okay. Call yourself grounded or lucky. If ...
Defining Second Stage Healing
What is “Second Stage” Healing? I was using three prescription drugs to treat Bipolar 1 at the time my mother committed suicide. I was sick, but functional enough to care for family needs, dress her body, help plan her burial, heck, I even offered the prayer at the funeral. I went through all the motions of mourning, but on some level, I was incredibly numb to the experience. Years later, after the medications were eliminated and my mood was super stable ...
When sanity becomes your new normal
When was the last time you noticed that you are sane? It’s a state of health that is taken for granted too often, but if you are floating around the second stages of healing from depression or bipolar, (or ADD for that matter,) you are likely a lot more appreciative of the luxuries of sanity than most people. Not quite there yet? Still working on the first stages of balancing chemistry and getting control of your health? Then take the ...
Does the flu make you crazy?
Count down to insanity. I have three days to stop vomiting and start absorbing nutrients again before I’ll start slipping… first into inattention, then the mood swings will come up. It’ll be mild at first. I’ll paint something fantastic, I’ll laugh a lot louder and stay up later. Then miserably high will take over. I’ll get agitated, lock myself in my art room and tell them all to go away… In a day or so, like a long awaited exhale, ...
Can you really die of embarrassment?
When you use micronutrient formulations like EMPowerplus to balance your mood, you’ll discover that there is no magic pill effect. No sedation, no warm fuzzy feelings in your face or chest. (There are also no side effects worth mentioning either.) After days or weeks or months, once the old medications are safely eliminated, you are left with only yourself, a predictable mood, and some crystal clear memories of where you have been and what you did during the course of ...
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