Whether it's a beef or a bouquet - a point of view or a bit of obscure news we'd like to see it.  You can send it personally to us at owners.bpw@bpworld.org   Although email addresses and personal information are left off the letters if you wish to reply to one of the writers send that to me too and I will forward it on to them

Though most of the mail considered will come to me for this purpose, don't be too surprised if you write somewhere else and I write back asking if we can print your letter.

Bipolar Parent - September 24, 2006

I was reading about the lady whose husband is Bipolar and her concerns with her
children being with a person with Bipolar. Although every situation is different,
I just wanted her to know that I am a single mother of three children between the
ages of 2 and 6 and I am bipolar. I successfully raise my children 75% of the time
on my own. I am in a regular treatment and have a safety net if something where to happen. I know my cycles well and what is coming. My children and I are great. I believe that as long as a bipolar person is in regular treatment, and has control  of their disorder, they can make great parents.

Stacy

January 17, 2006

January 7, 2006 - Depression - Carol

It would be great if you would take 3 minutes and read my views on depression and bipolar. I have relatives affected with depression, including myself, and I'm drawn to dialogue intelligently on the subject.

As I understand it, cognitive therapy is the process of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. This was meaningful to me, in that the counselor I worked with for two years discussed, listened, laughed and marveled over life, with me.

I reject an expert/patient relationship. I am a teacher and I learn from my students as they learn from me. Yes, I lead, but as a facilitator. This is my vision of health care professionals also. I take ultimate responsibility for my education and my health - not any doctor. My hunch is that the basis of 'mental illness' is in part organic, and greatly due to a high level of sensitivity in an individual see Elaine Aaron's work). I deny the validity of "bipolar" and resist it strenuously. It is unhelpful, and harmful to put the guinea pig type meds into people; and extremely damaging for people to be stigmatized and identified with any sort of mental illness label. In fact, there is an invisible no man's land between "normal" and "supernormal" mental/emotional behavior. Under stress, "normal" people can and do exhibit symptoms of mental illness. To a great extent if you believe you are okay, you are. Eccentric perhaps, but mentally ill? The matter is relative. Mood swings are in part, due to issues of esteem or inferiority/superiority complex, which can be worked on WITHOUT medication.

I am looking forward to, within 5 years, a shift in the "expert" medical community, which will have them concede that in large part, depression is organic, and can and will pass with good old fashioned time,
exercise, nutrition, emotional support, etc. Unfortunately many will be pill-dependent and despondent, perhaps deceased, by then, due to overuse of experimental medications. The intentions of physicians and psychiatrists are good, but we know where good intentions can lead. If you would feed these meds to your son or spouse, I guess you really believe in them. I prefer the road less traveled.

What it has meant for me is roughly one serious depression, lasting about 3 months, every 10 years. I am extremely bright, musical, a procrastinator, an independent thinker. In some ways my life could be nicely slotted into the bipolar II box. I choose to live and think outside the box. Once, during a serious depression 3 years ago, I was told I had to accept the "fact" that I would need lithium and meds for the rest of my life. I considered, read widely, fought bravely to make it through the depression, and did
so on my own terms, with the assistance of a good counselor. My 22 year old niece, on the other hand, is on 4 meds, lithium, effexor, a kind of speed to bring her up and a kind of sleeping pill to bring her down. She is doing her best to finish university. Granted we may be very different people (I am 41). But I'll be damned if I trust my body and mind to this kind of regimen. Thankfully, I'm doing fine with the slings and arrows and wonder of life. Good luck with your work

Fats and Oils

I looked over your fine site and I have a bone to pick regarding your Fats/Oils pages. Nut oils like walnut oil and canola oil are poor sources of omega 3 and contain only about10% ALA -C18. And actually have NO omega 3 (EPA/DHA) but have ALA which the body "can" convert into EPA/DHA. However it is speculated that much of ALA is not converted into the C20 and C22 by humans. Recent studies found on Pubmed indicate that depressed rats have a high Aracahnoidonic Acid/Omega 3 levels. And actually it is the high AA  and not low levels of omega 3 levels that cause depression.

Depressed individuals should limit all foods and oils that contain LA and limit saturated fats! They should focus ONLY on oils like Flax oil, olive oil, and some fish oil. Canola contains 35%LA, and only 10% ALA, and Olive oil contains only 7% LA! Most people (like myself) think they are eating healthy yet for decades they are unwittingly getting almost all of their fats from sources high in LA and saturated fat! And it may take numerous months to turn the tide. A strict diet containing food items such as as avocado, wild salmon, sardines, talapia, flounder,green vegatables, and flax and olive oil plus fish oil followed for at least six months may lower symptoms.
 
Most people attempt this for a short time and unvariably give up, but does one really expect decades of being out of balance to be corrected in just a few weeks! After symptoms are reduced it would make sense to add a limited amount of saturated and LA oils into the diet. It has worked for me. So just adding EPA/DHA (fish oil) in even high dose without reducing Arachindonic Acid in ones diet may explain why many bipolar individuals get little if any relief! It is the lowering of AA in the diet that may be the key with adding fish oil as an added benefit that helps tip the scale. I always hear about the wonders of fish oil but little is mentioned  about the importance of limiting LA and saturated fat in bipolar treatment and  I hear tons of stuff on which fish oil and how much- while I bet 90% just keep on eating as usual. It is similar to people who takes supplements and feel they can cheat and eat garbage and they are  'more' protected. ~ Gil Rosenberg

That would be great! I have very good results restricting my diet and adding a EPA/DHA fish oil supplement (with a bit higher EPA content) and with the addition of 800 mcg of Chromium Picolinate. All other "alternative treatments" were a waste of time and money and I have tried nearly all of them, including "True Hope" empower plus. True hope was a waste of time and money and I was refunded my money. The product cost an estimated $4 to make and sells for $148 a month! That is nearly a 4000% profit!

 I hate when people profit from the severely ill. However the exposure to true hope and the discover magazine article led me to Chromium picolinate. I read the Chromium Connection by Dr. McLeod and after corresponding with him by email he seems quit honest  (unfortunately he recommends a low dose fish oil). I questioned his financial relationship with Nutrition 21 and he told me the truth and the fact that he got involved with the co. AFTER his discovery of CP and it's relationship with depression. I was very pessimistic regarding CP but after giving it two weeks it had a big impact on the symptoms. Both these combinations CP and Nordic Naturals 7g EPA/4.5g DHA and my diet changes have led to a reduction of about 75% of my symptoms and I am medication free for now. Currently my pharmacist friend gives me the fish oil at his cost as well as the CP. this is all done with my doctors approval- which surprised me!

But for a person with bipolar (which should be called cycling illness) such changes at say a retail level would be expensive. The fish oils would cost almost $6 and the CP about 70 cents plus the wild salmon each day ($18.99/lb.) adds another $3.25. Add some flax seed oil and high end olive oil and that is $12 per day.

My diet is a ketogenic diet, I should add, the kind that they are testing out at Stanford University hospital on bipolar patients. But I emphasize Olive oil, some coconut oil and a bit of flax oil -something that they likely will not include. A ketogenic diet which is a high fat low protein and carbohydrate diet may have antidepressant properties. I was afraid to try this with all the " you got to have carb's so that tryptophan can enter the brain" stuff but it turns out to be nonsense. Determining what is real and PR is not easy since much of the information out there is misinformation.

I have attended a number of MSG sessions and found them to be terrible since the people who come there like to talk about how awful life is and how terrible the medication side effects are and how they were wronged. I get the feeling that many enjoy being identified as bipolar or depressed- after all it supposedly is the new fad these days. I wish there was a pro active group that would have meetings that would encourage adoption of helpful add ons that would make people have less symptoms and be symptom free bipolar. But MSG membership is about 3,500 at $45-$65 a membership not including donations and sales from books, tapes, and lectures. So just a handful of people make over $250,000 since they rely on volunteers and the space for meetings is donated. But such a positive proactive group is unlikely to happen since it is not self perpetuating- since in my concept such a group would last only 8 weeks with new members entering the next one.

One last mention on Andrew Stoll M.D. In my opinion he is unethical and amoral by pulling a bait and switch. He published that great book advising epa and dha with higher epa dosages and then makes his virtually exclusive EPA supplement which is way to expensive! what's more it may be less effective than a EPA and DHA combined dose. Yes DHA alone may be a dud alone but the data was not in for him to jump ship. Even the ethyl-EPA going through Phase III trials is looking like a dud. It is amazing what people will do for money! Clearly he wanted to profit and there were too much competition with EPA/DHA brands. I hate to think that bipolar patients are taking Omegabrite and then give up on fish oils. It happened to me and it is hard to get the money back since it may take at least 8 weeks to get the right dosage.  thanks GR 

 Stigma and More – Steve  January 1, 2006

I read through "Double Standard" and have to say, that in many ways I agree with what you are saying. There are already far to many stigmatisms associated with Bipolar, and other mental health issues. However, we have to be careful not to become so wrapped up in a push for education, understanding, and yes, appreciation from those who do not suffer the effects of these disorders, that we lose the ability to laugh at ourselves.

In Jim Carry's performance, there were many aspects that offended me. Not because of the split personality, but because they were just plain raunchy and served no point in the progression of the movie. Outside of that, the fact that people talking about the movie opens doors of conversation on the topic gives those of us who know about, and suffer from these mental health issues the ability to BALANCE the humor with the reality of the pain.

Balance is the key. The ability to not only let yourself feel the pain and work through it, but to see the humor in some of what we do and laugh. And, just as an FYI, Jim Carry suffers from mental health issues. Check around the net, you'll find multiple sites. God bless our efforts as we struggle to make the best of this world. Goof

For me, the biggest issues I face with peoples misunderstandings of BP, is not the laughter, but the fear. My life at times feels like a 35year long feature of Godzilla as played by Steve. Going through life watching the masses run from me like so many roaches when you turn on a light.

And what am I supposed to tell them... don't worry about the 6'3" irritated manic guy? I have gotten to the point where all the people in my life are given the same speech. It goes something like..."You should know I have BP" answer the Pandora’s box of questions here "It is a very difficult illness to deal with not just for me, but takes its toll on those around me.

When... not if... when the day comes that you have reached your limit, I understand. I only ask that you don't try to get in a kick or two before you exit." And how can I blame people? If it were possible, I would have left me years ago. My overall goal is to make sure that when they do leave it is with an understanding that BP doesn't mean dangerous, it doesn't mean heartless, and it doesn't mean immune to the pains associated with the illness. That BP is an illness, not a disorder (the implications of the word disorder tend to imply BP is simply a mal adjustment to societal workings) and that life with BP is hard enough, we don't need people passing and acting on judgments of our lives, especially when those judgments are founded in ignorance.

 I generally put the idea in terms like: Would you call a one armed woman a bad mother because she had to feed her child without holding them? Would you call a one legged man lazy because he couldn't race a mile without a wheelchair? Would you say a person with Epilepsy was just trying to be the center of attention? Would you say a child with Dyslexia was stupid? Well, you get the idea.

 One thing has brought a new light to the tunnel of ignorance, is the new direction of research, and brain imaging, that are putting BP in the realm of disease. Which brings me to a final notation of this mini novel of an e-mail. There has been some recent confirmation of a study done in 2000 that found a breakdown in cells taken from the hippocampus region of BP brains postmortem. The cells are called mitochondria and exist within all cells of the human body. Mitochondria cells are responsible for the production of ATP, the energy required by all cells to exist and function. The key factor is that mitochondria have their own DNA structure. This study combined with the overwhelming evidence that electromagnetic fields can interfere with the electrical bond of DNA structures, sheds new light on the importance electromagnetic pollution (EMP) may play in the treatment of BP. I would encourage you.. if you haven't already, to take some time and research the information I have very briefly touched on.