BipolarDiet.com

Well, okay, maybe it’s not a cure, but it almost might as well be. Let me explain.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in February of 1998 at the age of 32, but I have been ill for most of my life. The major symptoms of the illness started showing up when I was a teenager, but I had behavioral problems related to it long before then.

At the time of my diagnosis, I was extremely ill. I experienced a major manic episode that caused me to go out and spend $2100 in one day buying cool stuff that I was tired of not being able to have. Of course, I really couldn’t afford to spend that kind of money, but I did anyway. I got it from selling off all of my Dell Computer stock - an action which today still counts as the worst financial mistake I have ever made. After the manic episode was over, I fell into a deep depression and tried to commit suicide. I ended up at the hospital, where I was diagnosed and put on a “cocktail” of drugs. To make a long story short or at least shorter, I stayed on ever-changing “cocktails” of drugs for about four years, and I remained very ill and unable to work or to live anything approaching a “normal” life.

In 2002, I went to see an Alternative Medicine doctor. At the time, I was so ill that I was basically non-functional. I lived every waking moment (and had for the last few years) with mind-numbing, spirit-crushing DEPRESSION, the likes of which I would not wish on my worst enemy. The Alt Med doctor diagnosed me with several food allergies including wheat, dairy products, sugar, peanuts, and a few other things. He explained to me (and my family) that these foods were making me ill and that if I would avoid them, I would experience a definite improvement in my health. Wow, was he ever correct! With the help and support of my family, I immediately radically changed my diet, and I experienced a rapid and profound improvement in my mental and physical health. My head cleared up, the depression lifted, and my emotions stabilized. I felt MUCH better, and I began to be able to function in a much more normal and healthy fashion.

Unfortunately, at the time I lacked the maturity necessary to be willing to maintain the diet and thus my health. While I was extremely grateful to the doctor for his help, I was also angry that I was different and that I couldn’t eat like everybody else and remain healthy. So, for the last few years I have alternated between periods of health when I have been willing to eat right and get some moderate exercise, and periods of predictable illness when I wasn’t willing to do what was required to remain healthy. I even got back on the dangerous, expensive drugs last year during a period of heavy stress while I was at school. That was a mistake, and I realize that now. All I really needed to do was change my diet and exercise habits. I just wasn’t willing to do it at the time.

Around Christmastime last year, I decided I had finally had enough of being ill and not feeling well. I decided that it was time to grow up and do what was necessary to maintain my health. I quit taking my meds (which weren’t doing me a lot of good anyway) and went back on my diet and exercise program with a vengeance. My health predictably improved quite noticeably, and I remain committed to the program that keeps me feeling and acting healthy.

I generally feel and function very well now, and I can’t really say that I miss foods that I can’t have all that much. I know if I eat them, I will suffer predictable consequences, and will have to deal with not feeling well and with having done it to myself. It’s just not worth it! So, let me give an outline of the diet that keeps me healthy and stable:

Breakfast: Oatmeal (the whole-grain, old-fashioned kind) with blueberries and a sliced banana, and a glass of orange juice to drink.

Lunch: A turkey sandwich or veggie burger or salmon burger on spelt bread made with a slice of swiss-flavored soy cheese, pickle slices, tomato, and spinach leaves. I have several olives and a handful or two of walnuts on the side.

Supper: Basically a repeat of lunch.

At night, approximately three hours after my last meal, I usually eat a small baked potato topped with pepper, salt, and a blend of spices that I like that I found at the grocery store. The potato helps the amino acid tryptophan make it into my brain, where it is used to make serotonin - the “feel good” brain chemical.

If I want dessert after either lunch or supper, I eat a sliced apple or a banana, but I’m usually so full that I don’t bother with it.
On weekend mornings, I have scrambled eggs, veggie patties, homemade fries, and a protein drink made with soy milk, a banana and protein powder for breakfast.

As far as books go, I can wholeheartedly recommend one: Potatoes Not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. She talks a lot about sugar sensitivity and brain chemistry, and her book helped to put me on the right track to regain and maintain my mental health.

My diet is free of refined foods of any kind, and I have to say that I feel great! I have every intention of remaining on this diet for the rest of my life. It not only keeps me healthy, it has enabled me to lose 20 pounds or so since the beginning of the year. I hope to lose about forty more pounds over the next several months.

In five years, I have gone from being extremely ill and basically non-functional to being completely healthy mentally and physically and ready to finally be able to get on with living a reasonably “normal” life. I could have done it faster if I had just been willing, but at least I’ve done it. I feel very fortunate to have found a way to regain my health naturally without the use of dangerous, expensive drugs!

I was going to the mental health facility here in Anchorage, AK not just for medication, but for counseling as well. I am happy to report that I am well enough now that I don’t need either. A few weeks ago, I saw my psychiatrist for the last time, and I tried to tell her about how I had regained my health, and that I didn’t need the drugs anymore. She unfortunately wasn’t open to hearing it at all. She informed me that there was a very high probability that I would get sick again and need her services and, of course, the drugs again. I disagreed with her and she got mad and told me that if I didn’t need her, there were plenty of other people who did. So, the meeting ended on a bad note due to her closed-mindedness and unwillingness to listen. But, she has been trained to believe that drugs are the only answer, so I guess I can’t blame her too much. My psychologist seemed skeptical as well, but she was happy for me that I am doing so well. My case manager responded the best. She was all smiles about my recovery and she wished me well.

It’s a pity that some people will be closed-minded and maintain the myth and falsehood that dangerous, expensive drugs are the only “cure” for or way to manage mental illness, but I guess that’s just the way it is.

Will there ever be a cure found for Bipolar Disorder? I honestly doubt it, because a cure being found would cost the drug companies far too much money, and that’s all they care about - MONEY. That being the case though, at least there is a natural way to remain reasonably healthy and functional, and it’s as simple as getting moderate exercise and following a proper diet free of refined foods and free of foods that cause allergic reactions and consequently bipolar symptoms.