Good foods and supplements.

My name is mike. I have been diagnosed as bi-polar but i never believed them. People say they notice the difference but i think its just a big lie. Now that ive been sleeping 7-9 hours i have noticed a substantial difference between the way i was and the way i am now. Another thing i attribute to this good feeling is diet. As of about a month ago ive begun to eat much better. Not that my diet was that bad before but there are some things i do without now. Soda being on of the. Its just absolutely terrible and no where near natural. I drink 5-10 glass of water a day instead. Its makes my skin much better, more glow, and its hydrates my body as well as help remove excess waste and fluids. there is no taste but WHATEVER. its the miracle drink. I don't eat any candy except dark chocolate(cause in many ways its healthy) and gum(of course ADA approved :P). In the morning i eat whole grain bread and cereal and it pack so many nutrients and minerals crucial to health. I used to drink a lot of milk but ive heard lots of bad things about it and have lessened its use. I only use it in my cereal and when i make a protein shake. Another thing i do as much as i can is eat fruits and vegetables. Some of the time we don't have any an im bummed but i take a daily vitamin so its better than nothing. I also am eating more meat cause it helps build muscle and has loads of iron in it. I take lots of supplements just in case im not getting something but they include: Ginkgo Biloba, Multi-Vitamin, St. Johns Wart, Omega 3's, Selenium, Niacin, Biotin, and sometimes melatonin(if i am having trouble falling asleep or want to get on a different sleep schedule). I don't know if something specific is working in all that but im just going to keep it that way cause i feel great. Another thing ive been doing is eating prunes before bed. I eat 5 or 6 right before i go to sleep and i think they help when i wake up. I think they give me energy and plus they help bowel movements more often so you don't stress out your colon with all that gunk. Anyway tell me if you've done any of this or have any questions.
Sincerely ,
Mike

BTW the chart has to be on 2nd quarter to view the whole thing.

Mike, I have a question, how does melatonin help you sleep? Is it like taking a sleeping pill? I always have trouble sleeping no matter what I try. Also where do you get it from? Thanx for the information. manic

Manic,

About melatonin, if you feel like reading.
Melatonin is a hormone that is inside our body which makes you tired, you know your eyes feel heavy. Darkness or low light enhance melatonin production due to the body Circadian rhythm. Basically your sleep cycle. Anyways you can get it at giant eagle, target, pretty much anywhere that sells supplements. Fortunately i don't have much trouble sleeping unless my really manic, but when i do experience sleeplessness i take 3-6gm of it about an hour before bed. Since it is a hormone in your body you don't want to use it excessively over a month cause then your body might stop producing the natural amount and become dependent on it.

My experience.
When need to get in to a sleep cycle i take it for a couple days in a row about an hour before bed. I take anywhere from 3-6gm depending on how awake i am. I'm not a big fan of milk cause of all the hype about it but i take the pill with warm milk while im watching t.v. in a low light setting. That usually about does it im ready to pass out within the hour. The tryptophan in the milk is used in the conversion into serotonin and then the serotonin is converted into melatonin(one big melatonin dose). It also keeps me stay asleep. When i take it, i make sure i let my body wake me up. Cause if you need to do something in the morning and the stuff is still active in your system you'll feel groggy in the morning. Its probably the deepest sleep I've ever had. Also some obvious things, avoid alcohol, caffeine, any strenuous activity, television( if its addictive to you like it is me, i could watch the dumbest things for hours and stay up to the early morning) and food. Now food for me doesn't keep me awake. If i eat something though i eat it right before i go to sleep so i don't get the energy from it until the morning. By the way i wake up at 5am and go to bed at 9:30pm. I have a super long day and i can get so much done. Plus when i have that much time i use a lot more energy during the day making me tired when i do want to go to bed.

I hope i answered your questions(probably more than you actually wanted to know). And if you have any other questions just ask or check my posts in exercise and sleep. Hope everything works out and you get a night of sound sleep.
Sincerely,

Mike

BTW i looked at your chart and it looks similar to mine sometimes. When i sleep forever, which is usually when im depressed or have nothing to do, my mood is extremely affected. I am 18 and my the recommended amount of sleep is 7-9 hours. Now sometimes im like ha, screw that im sleeping 16 hours. But when i do get up im groggy, dizzy, real out of it and not to mention wasted my entire day. I run in the morning when i get up at 5am. I hated getting up that early but i was determined to get into a sleep cycle and stay there. Plus waking up to fresh air and my body working as hard as it can, REALLY wakes me up and puts me into a good mood. I get back and watch VH1 music videos and my day is going to be fantastic. Even if i feel like poop when i wake up ill at least take a walk for an hour. Anyways im still experimenting and trying to find my perfect amount of sleep. It seems to be 8.5 hours but anywhere between 7-9 seem to be working wonders.

Thanx Mike for the info, I am going to try it and see how it works out. I really need to get some sleep. I need some good sleep, where it is a full healthy 8 hours. manic

Good luck manic , tell me how it works out.

Mike

Hi Mike!

I've been too busy to come to this forum lately. It's good to see that someone else is focusing on a healthy lifestyle as a first step in a treatment plan. I don't know if you read any of my older posts, but I have had MUCH better success with a more natural treatment plan than I did with any of the many drug plans pdocs put me on.

Quality sleep has always been a problem for me. I recently read about dark therapy and after incorporating some of the ideas of it, I am doing better. Even though I cannot break my habit of falling asleep with the TV on (I have it set to go off so it doesn't wake me up once I'm asleep), I wear a blindfold so the light doesn't interfer with melatonin.

I was also walking in the am but I've had some setbacks to my routine. The latest one was my back going out last week. I think that tomorrow I may finally be well enough to attempt a 15 minute walk.

Hey Kef!

Cheers to a healthy lifestyle. I was put on anti-depressants and they made me feel worse than i did before. I think doctors should have some vitamin deficiency tests before they give you pills. I started eating better stuff and i felt a hundred times better, who woulda guessed. I started taking some supplements too and i cant tell if they are working or not but whatever. Its hard to eat the right stuff because my parents don't buy good stuff cause its more expensive. Its retarded how healthy, organic, unprocessed foods cost more.

That damn television lol. I had to take it out of my room. I put it down stairs and its kinda cold down there so when im done watching it im like i can not sleep down here and just go upstairs to bed where its nice and cozy. Its nice to fall asleep with it on i know, its comforting. But its a waste of a good night sleep and electricity. Plus electric costs are going to sky rocket soon so better now than later.

That's a shame about your back. Ill tell you our bodies are way to fragile. Anyway i wish you best on your routine rejuvenation. And keep up the great lifestyle change. Its definitely the hardest thing to do.

Mike

Thanx for the info. I have been fighting with my husband because he just doesn't understand why I get so little sleep. I want to try melatonin. You didn't really say if you can buy it in some kind of health food store. Kathy

I buy nearly all my supplements from www.swansonvitamins.com but you can buy melatonin in about any drugstore or health store.

Hi it's Kathy. Boy what a difference. Last night I took the Melatonin with a warm glass of milk. I didn't even make it to bed, I fell asleep in the easy chair and woke up 9 hrs. later, I was living on 3 hrs. of sleep per night and was becoming very irrittable. I also had swollen feet, so I looked that up and got some info. like it may be like arthritis, from a side effect, so I took some Tyelenal Arthitis and my feet are way better.I'm not in constant pain from it and the swelling is down somewhat. Does anyone out the have a smoking problem. When I'm not manic, I don't smoke, but when I am and do smoke quite a bit. My dr. said don't worry about the small stuff, like smoking, but it is just so unhealthy. Any suggestions?

I definitely think there is some truth to this nutrition and lifestyle stuff. There's actually some exciting research being done trying to link mental illness to nutrient deficiencies. Those interested should actually check out the story/info behind a supplement called EM Power Plus. There's all sorts of info out there about it. Here's a link to Discovery Channel documentary on it on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... (there's several parts, this is just the first one).

I actually just started to take this supplement and I think it's working. Although time will be the true test. Here's to a healthy lifestyle.

Thanks for the link.

no problem

Hello,

Congratulations on finding ways to manage bipolar symptoms by supporting the bodies natural systems. It is frustrating because it is more expensive and not covered by insurance at all. I successfully managed my bipolar throughout the 1980's while following a protocol similar to the one you are now using. I found it very difficult to maintain longterm, as it goes counter to the mainstream culture, and as you mentioned is expensive.

I have also found that sound sleep is the key to my stability. Most people have no idea that having a tv on all night actually disrupts your sleep. The human eyelids are slightly transparent and the light from the tv (or even a clock radio) will penetrate causing the light rods in the eyes to register that it is daytime, hence triggering the brain to "wake up". This is why you are sleeping so much better without the tv in your room at night.

Maintaining healthy sleep habits is crucial to bipolar stability. Drinking water also aids in making sound sleep possible. Caffeine disrupts the nervous system, and hence the brain, making sleep practically impossible for those with bipolar. Even decaffienated sodas and coffees have small amounts of caffeine. So by ridding your system of caffeine, you have found another piece of the puzzle in being able to sleep soundly. Congrats !

The brain is an organ in the body. And like the other organs of the body, it needs nutritional support to function properly. Bipolar is a medical condition caused by a brain that is "out of whack" and not working properly. When you are young you can endeavor to provide that nutritional support while simultaneously avoiding everything that would make your symptoms worse, like drugs, alcohol, and manufactured food (basically anything that comes in a box or package with added preservatives, coloring, and high fructose corn syrup). So a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, with lean meats, and whole grain breads (provided you dont have celiacs disease) will go a long way in providing brain health.

Now I would like to add a word of caution. Depending on how severe your bipolar propensity is, you may find that a time will come when you do need some medical assistance with your symptoms. This is not a failure on your part . So for instance a person with the propensity for diabetes can avoid becoming a diabetic if they start young and maintain adherence to a diet regimen that doesnt stress their pancreas. But for any number of reasons, this may not be enough, and they may still need to use prescription medications to control their blood sugar levels to within normal boundaries. Same thing is true of bipolar. So even if you work really hard to stay within the normal boundaries of moods, and thinking, you may find that all the natural things you are doing are not enough to keep you normal. This is when you keep doing those healthy things, and then see a psychiatrist to add a small amount of medication to bring you into normal bounds. The medication will work better (because you are healthier) and you may find that you need less of it than your bipolar peers need.

Well good luck. Hope you continue to do well, and please keep us updated on how you are doing.

A couple weeks ago I had a major social rythym disruption that made it necessary to take 25mg Seroquel for a week to avoid a manic episode. That triggered a depressive episode that led to me taking SAMe for the last 3 days and today I am again feeling closer to baseline.