Ask Lewis: Medication To Cure Depression?
The ups and downs of the practice
From The Course and Mentoring Program
Healing Depression Naturally
I recently created a course on how to be happier. As you follow these threads, please remember that the information presented in this course is for informational purposes only.
For many individuals, the opposite of happiness is depression.
Because of a misdiagnosis, drugs often come into play where cognitive therapy would have been more appropriate.
Some of the drug side effects may create new conditions or mask other problems without ever getting to the depression itself. My mother, in addition to having heart problems, had a buildup of water in her system. Medication for this problem was effective, but it caused her to itch constantly. This went on for a year. She seemed tortured, and her depression was exacerbated by the fact that she was constantly scratching with seemingly no relief. After a year and much conversation, her physician reduced some of the medication. The itching stopped within a day or so.
Diagnosing and treating clinical depression needs to be more than the process shown on television or anti-depressant medication. “Gee, Bob really hasn’t been himself for a month or so.” Says the voiceover on the television commercial. “Maybe he should see his physician and get this great new antidepressant medication. Of course it may have some side effects including, difficulty in breathing, hypersensitivity, dizziness, insomnia, hallucinations, confusion, convulsions, headaches resulting from a sudden fall in blood pressure, blurred vision, gross liver damage, and urine retention. Of course it shouldn’t be taken by someone taking hormones like corticosteroids, medications used to treat gastro-intestinal disorders, heart medications like beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers and.antibiotics.”
Knowing about these side effects is essential for a person taking antidepressant medications. Should a person even be taking these medications because they haven’t been themselves or because they’ve been sad for two weeks? I think not!
Drug Interactions
Since some types of depression do not respond to one drug, doctors may prescribe four or five different drugs. Even when medication can reduce and even control certain symptoms of depression, they are not a cure for the disease. Most severely depressed people who use drugs as their sole treatment risk further breakdowns.
Medications in general tend to be very complex in structure. So complex in fact that it is virtually impossible to know how any one drug might react with every other drug, food additive, and nutrient that it might come in contact with. In the end result these drugs should only be used when absolutely necessary, since the brain has tremendous difficulty metabolizing them.
“There is too often an unrecognized link between depression and other medical, mental and substance abuse disorders,” said Dr. Rex W. Cowdry, acting director of the National Institute of Mental Health. “Co-occurring depression is common and can have a big impact on treatment and recovery, but many people, including doctors, are not addressing it as a serious problem.”
A report in a 1998 issue of U.S. News and World Report quoted Raymond Wosley, chairman of the department of pharmacology at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., as saying, “We are really in love with prescriptions….we pop pills without thinking of the consequences…”
“A 1998 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that adverse drug reactions are the fourth-ranking cause of death in the United States, after heart disease, cancer and stroke.”
If you are under medication , know the side effects of every drug you are taking and any interactions they may have with other medications, nutrients, or herbal products.
The Role of Receptors in Brain Health
The human brain, at about three pounds of tissue, is the most complex of our organs, playing a key role in the health of all other organs, glands, and bodily functions. The brain is the physical foundation from which thoughts, emotions, and feelings emanate, and a healthy brain creates the foundation for physical and emotional health.
One definition of health is a person’s ability to communicate effectively. In addition to communication between people, there is also biological communication — the communication that takes place between different parts of your body. Your body is made up of millions of cells, and they have to be able to communicate with each other effectively. Part of how this takes place is through receptors.
A receptor essentially is a cellular tool whose purpose is to receive biological signals. Part of how each cell functions is that it has a receptor that receives specific signals and produces an appropriate response. Effective biological communication depends on various substances, including nutritional factors, immunotransmitters, peptides, and neurotransmitters. These substances influence the brain and the body on a cellular level. When the brain receives unbalanced levels of essential nutrients or toxic heavy metals, serious problems can arise concerning neurotransmitter levels. This is especially so since heavy metals can replace essential nutrients (particularly minerals), fooling the brain and causing deficiencies. A neurotransmitter may even bind to a receptor in certain cells and set into action a complex series of events at a molecular level. These events may influence various brain functions, including memory, mood, and behavior.
The Takeaway
Through the years, doctors have attempted to manipulate brain function in those who are tortured by the symptoms of depression or who have exhibited extreme anti-social behavior. Early in the twentieth century, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) used electricity to affect the same transmitter chemicals in the brain that are affected by nutraceuticals, color, light, sound, and medications. Although the use of ECT has decreased in the last two decades, physicians will still use it sometimes for treating patients who are unable to take medications due to other medical problems or who are unresponsive to medication. Many of these individuals can be helped through other, less extreme therapies once the specific causes of depression are isolated. One of the benefits of more holistic, less invasive approaches to depression is that they reduce — and can even eliminate — the need for ECT and other invasive therapies for depression.
About the creator of this series: Lewis Harrison, is a public intellectual and has been mentoring and coaching visionaries, spiritual seekers, world-class athletes, thought leaders, billionaires, and individuals seeking to become more effective, efficient, productive, and self-aware for over half a century. He has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic cancer. He is healing and presently intends to survive and prosper.
I offer Master Classes, 4 courses and mentoring programs.
1. Mindful Meditation and The Spiritual Life.
2. The Art And Science Of Self Healing.
3. How To Write Your Memoirs
4. Applied Game Theory
Here is a short video describing advanced game theory coaching/mentoring.
Click below to learn more about all my mentoring and coaching programs…
About the creator of this series: Lewis Harrison, is a public intellectual and has been mentoring and coaching visionaries, spiritual seekers, world-class athletes, thought leaders, billionaires, and individuals seeking to become more effective, efficient, productive, and self-aware for over half a century. He has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic cancer. He is healing and presently intends to survive and prosper.
Testimonials
Here is what Jack Canfield, who wrote the introduction to Lewis’ book “Healing Depression Naturally” and who is the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, has to say about Lewis and his work.
“Lewis is amazing…. I recommend him to anyone who wants less stress and more energy.”
Jack Canfield, Co-author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul “ books and star of the movie “The Secret”
“Lewis, your program was one of the first steps I took in the process of defining my interest in alternative medicine and for that I thank you. It has been over 45 years and I am continually amazed when I look back upon how easily and quickly one step has led to the next. Thank you for being there to assist in laying the foundations for all my future studies.”
Robee Fian L.Ac Former President American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM)
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I’ve Been Diagnosed With Stage 4 Metastatic Cancer
A friend started a fundraiser on GoFundMe and it would mean so much if you could take a look at it.
She wrote “Any help, like donating or sharing, gets Lewis closer to his goal. Thank you in advance for your kindness and support.”
