Celiac disease on the rise and it’s often associated with “mental health” issues
Living without this stuff isn't so bad
Celiac disease among other illnesses that can be fairly easily treated without psych drugs is one physical illness that sometimes gets people diagnosed with mental illness including schizophrenia and bipolar. All sorts of mental health issues can arise from someone with Celiac who is still actively eating gluten. It’s worth ruling it out if you have any sort of mental health issues. You can do research on gluten free diets by googling “gluten free diet.” If you are a symptomatic person with Celiac disease it’s likely you’ll know within a couple of weeks of being gluten free. There are lab tests that can be done too, but they are not always reliable and an elimination diet is generally recommended.
I currently eat gluten free. I don’t believe I have celiac but I am sensitive to some gluten containing grains without question. Most specifically wheat which causes diarrhea within 24 hours. For now I’m just doing the gluten free thing until I’m well. Then I’ll experiment with whether or not I can eat any gluten or not. Some people do find they feel better without gluten whether or not they can establish they actually have celiac disease.
From the Boston Globe:
Celiac disease is one of the most common causes of chronic inflammation of the digestive system. It’s triggered by gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and myriad foods made with these grains. But because its classic symptoms of abdominal pain and weight loss resemble many other conditions, celiac disease is often unrecognized and untreated, although health specialists believe it is becoming more prevalent.
Dr. Alberto Rubio-Tapia and his colleagues from the Mayo Clinic looked back more than 50 years, hoping to determine whether celiac disease has become more common. To do that, they tested blood both old and new.
The researchers evaluated blood samples drawn from more than 9,000 healthy adults in Wyoming and stored since 1954. They wanted to know how those samples would compare with blood taken from 12,000 adults currently living in Minnesota.
By looking at the decades-old blood, they found undiagnosed celiac disease in 1 in 652 people. They also discovered that the people with undiagnosed celiac disease were substantially more likely to have died at a younger age.
But they found that the condition was strikingly more prevalent in people alive today, ranging from 1 in 121 among older people to 1 in 106 among younger study participants.
Oh my god! I saw this a long time ago but had forgotten about it. I don’t laugh often enough. I really couldn’t stop!!
We cannot go back and make a new start, but we can start now to make a new ending. — Author Unknown
Included at the end of the post is a recipe.
I have not written anything in many days. Nothing original, that is, besides the little commentary I make on news items. I’m not sure I’m up to it now but I’m going to see as I do have a subject in mind.
I’ve not written because I’ve been grossly ill. I’ve spent most of the last week feeling drugged out of my mind and in a lot of diffuse achey pain. It’s very strange to me that as I come off the tail end of my cocktail I should feel so drugged. I call it the “just shot up with heroin feeling.” Unfortunately it comes without any of the bliss heroin reportedly gives. I just go straight to the nodding out faze.
I suppose I brought it upon myself. I’m so damn sick of this withdrawal which is going on six years and I’m so close to the end that I’m chomping at the bit. I, therefore, have gone against my own better judgment in some regards. I came off 5 mg of Valium in one week. Last Sunday though was the last day I came off one milligram. Since then I’ve made no more tapers but I’ve been incredibly ill. And so I’ve been relatively silent.
The reason I felt I could experiment and speed things up is because with the help of IV nutrients I did get off 10 mg of Valium in one week when I went to the detox center and so I thought I would push it now that I’m getting IV nutrients again here. I’ve come off a total additional 9 mg of Valium since I got back from the nightmare detox center.
Whether or not I’m being stupid, chances are I’ll push it again once I recover to some extent, but a bit more carefully next time. I simply want the drug out of my system and I don’t have patience anymore and I know that the IV nutrients help at least somewhat. My recovery was much faster than it would be otherwise. I think I’m pretty much back to my pathetically bad off baseline now.
So this post is actually going to be about the latest foods I’ve eliminated from my diet. My latest doctor found out through my own report to her that I’m allergic to peppers and tobacco. These are both nightshade plants. Many people are allergic to the whole nightshade plant family. These includes all peppers (not black pepper), tomatoes, white potatoes and eggplant. All foods I love with a passion! And then there is tobacco which I became grossly allergic to about two and a half years ago which forced me to quit smoking. I suppose I shouldn’t complain about that allergy! read more…
Great academic article from 2008 that very credibly disputes the biomedical model of psychiatry. This is just a small excerpt:
From Journal of Post Graduate Medicine:
A recent review of the North American psychiatric literature over the past 40 years concluded that potential social causes of psychosis, including schizophrenia, have been neglected in favor of the advancement of genetic and biological etiologies. [30] However, Kraeplinian conceptualizations of psychotic experiences as merely the symptoms of a disordered brain have been challenged by prominent academicians such as Richard Bentall and others who question the validity and utility of schizophrenia as a conceptual and diagnostic entity, and argue that psychotic experiences lie on a continuum with “normal” functioning and suggest that contemporary conceptualizations of “schizophrenia,” “bipolar disorder,” and associated complaints should take into account the role of adverse environmental factors. [31] Furthermore, in the last ten years there has been renewed interest and a growing body of literature examining the role of social and environmental factors in the etiology of psychosis and schizophrenia. Much of this research has specifically focused on the relationship between childhood trauma, psychosis, and schizophrenia.
A number of significant reviews of the literature examining the relationship between childhood trauma, psychosis and schizophrenia have been published in the last few years. [18],[32],[33],[34] A review by Read et al . [6] summarized research studies and examined other review papers addressing the relationship between childhood trauma, psychosis and schizophrenia. This review examined studies of psychiatric inpatients and outpatients where at least 50% were diagnosed with a psychotic condition. Studies that were included were required to have used interview protocols or questionnaire measures that specified examples of abusive acts to determine abuse, therefore chart reviews were excluded. The review produced weighted averages from 51 studies and reported that the majority of female patients (69%) reported either childhood sexual abuse (CSA) (48%) or childhood physical abuse (CPA) (48%). The majority of male patients (59%) reported either CSA (28%) or CPA (50%). The authors of this review point out that these rates are likely to be underestimates as child abuse is generally under-reported [35] especially by people who are inpatients [36],[37] and men in particular. [38] The bulk of the evidence considered in this review, however, was from studies using cross-sectional designs or uncontrolled group comparisons, which the authors concede can give us useful estimates of the prevalence of childhood trauma in clinical populations, but tell us little about whether the relationship between childhood trauma and psychosis is causal. Consequently, Read and colleagues also examined data from four large-scale studies with more sophisticated methodologies which represent a more robust test of the hypothesis that childhood trauma plays a causal role in psychosis. (read much more here)
Definitely an article to keep handy for those who want academic studies that support an alternative view to the biomedical model.
I was bored on the 4th of July weekend as I’m still stuck in bed but everyone else in the world is out barbecuing leaving the internet a very quiet place! Hope you are all having fun!!
I’ve made a new page with a tab on the top of the blog. I’m copying it here just so y’all know it’s here. But for updates, as I try to keep all my tabs updated, you will want to click here or look to the top of the page if you found this page sometime in the future of when it’s posted.
The new page is simply called Benzos–the tab at the top of the page with all the other tabs.
Here is the text of that page:
I thought I would put a page together on benzo information and benzo withdrawal in particular since I have more collected info about this class of drug than the other 4 classes of psychotropic meds I’ve withdrawn from. Basically benzos and now antidepressant drugs are the two classes of drugs for which there is really quite a lot of info on the web regarding withdrawal. It’s still mostly anecdotal and not studied, but it’s been recognized much longer that there are severe problems with withdrawing from these two class of drugs so it’s easier to collect information regarding such.
So here is a small collection of articles and stories that deal with just benzos. Please visit my about page for a larger picture of how to safely withdraw from these drugs where lifestyle changes are talked about and several books are mentioned to help one support body/mind and spirit. Much about withdrawal remains the same in each class of drug. So for more info please to visit the About page. This is not an exhaustive list of info on benzo withdrawal. There is as I said above lots of information on the web about benzo withdrawal. You need only use google for more.
- Benzo Withdrawal—Heather Ashton Manual Not the final word on benzo withdrawal as some would have you believe, but her tips work for a lot of people. Some people really need to go MORE SLOWLY….and the Valium crossover simply does not work for everyone.
- Water Titration for slow and controlled withdrawal
- Klonopin/Valium crossover explained
- Benzo Land
- The truth about benzos — a post with lots of links to other posts about benzos.
- SSRI and Benzo withdrawal symptoms lists
- Warnings of the dangers of benzodiazepines hit the media
- More media coverage
- Natural sleep or generally soothing supplements
- Return of the benzos
- The truth about benzos
- Mother’s little helper — America’s love affair with benzos
- Wikipedia on benzos
Personal benzo stuff:
- Starting off with a Klonopin taper (later I did switch to Valium which is often, but not always easier—depends on the individual)
- Cross-over story
- Cross-over story in progress
Recovery Story:
- Cindy’s recovery from long-term benzo dependency
- Jayme’s method of dealing with anxiety
- Recovery stories from all sorts of psych drugs here
Good books on how to deal with anxiety:
- The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: A Practitioner’s Treatment Guide to Using Mindfulness, Acceptance, And Values-Based Behavior Change Strategies — this book is for practitioners and I personally found it more useful than the workbook. It’s got tons of exercises in it on a CD and it explains it to the professional.
Yosemite
I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~John Muir
Cats on catnip:
I’ve always thought the positive thinking crap and most CBT was detrimental to my mental well-being. I know it helps some people but I’ve carefully avoided it for years, while every now and then revisiting it just in case I might be missing something. At this point though I know it’s not for me.
Now I’m talking pollyanna bullshit. It is of course a good thing to think positively but if you really feel like shit, I think it pays to pay attention and take yourself seriously. There might be something you need to attend to by BEING REAL. Not by pretending all is dandy.
I might add, I don’t think all “self-help” books should be lumped together here. They speak of one kind in particular here where affirmations are encouraged.
In general I think when one tries to force changing the way they think and feel it’s a denial of themselves. So it makes sense to me that it would hurt rather than help.
Canadian researchers found those with low self-esteem actually felt worse after repeating positive statements about themselves.
They said phrases such as “I am a lovable person” only helped people with high self-esteem.
The study appears in the journal Psychological Science.
A UK psychologist said people based their feelings about themselves on real evidence from their lives.
The suggestion people should “help themselves” to feel better was first mooted by Victorian Samuel Smiles 150 years ago.
His book, called simply “Self Help”, sold a quarter of a million copies and included guidance such as: “Heaven helps those who help themselves”.
Self-help is now a multi-billion pound global industry.
‘Contradictory thoughts’
The researchers, from the University of Waterloo and the University of New Brunswick, asked people with high and low self-esteem to say “I am a lovable person.”
They then measured the participants’ moods and their feelings about themselves.
In the low self-esteem group, those who repeated the mantra felt worse afterwards compared with others who did not.
However people with high self-esteem felt better after repeating the positive self-statement – but only slightly.
The psychologists then asked the study participants to list negative and positive thoughts about themselves.
They found that, paradoxically, those with low self-esteem were in a better mood when they were allowed to have negative thoughts than when they were asked to focus exclusively on affirmative thoughts. (emphasis mine–read the rest here)
In other words self-acceptance is more important than trying to change what you think or feel! Read Jayme’s piece to see how this can really work.
and my doggy peaking out at me:
The world of distraction spins around and around, while moving continuously to keep itself amused and entertained. It transports us to a world of fantasy, or a world of controversy, or competition, or of just about anything other than the one true existence that is right before us. Distraction keeps our heads turned in the direction of momentary pleasures, excitement, and delight.
On the other hand, the cool heart, with its spiritual energy, is the sobering factor that keeps us focused on worthier goals. It tempers the euphoria of petty fun. It settles us firmly down on Earth, grounding and sobering us with a clear view into life’s many facets in a balanced manner. The cool heart is unmoved by the intoxication of the world. The wise heart is the cool heart. It directs us to a profound state where we are liberated from the burden and stench of self-consciousness. Nothing can be better than that.
–Ajahn Sumano Bhikkhu with Emily Popp, from Meeting the Monkey Halfway
Why am I not surprised by this?? Once kids are given drugs parents, teachers and other adults in the life of the child feel better…even if there isn’t really any change at all!
Stimulant medications, such as Ritalin and Adderall, are the accepted treatment to stem hyperactivity in children with attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and improve their behavior.
Now a recent review of research by University at Buffalo pediatric psychologists suggests that such medication, or the assumption of medication, may produce a placebo effect — not in the children, but in their teachers, parents or other adults who evaluate them.
A placebo effect is a positive change in symptoms or behavior after a patient receives a “fake” medication or procedure; in other words, the belief can become the medicine. In this case, the review suggested that when caregivers believed their ADHD patients were receiving ADHD medication, they tended to view those children more favorably and treat them more positively, whether or not medication was actually involved.
“The act of administering medication, or thinking a child has received medication, may induce positive expectancies in parents and teachers about the effects of that medication, which may, in turn, influence how parents and teachers evaluate and behave toward children with ADHD,” said UB researcher Daniel A. Waschbusch, Ph.D., lead author of the review. (read the rest here)
Many of us already know how invested some family members can be in our treatment. Now we know it makes them feel better to know we’re being poisoned. So much better they think our behaviors are better even when they’re not.
It’s about feeling like we can do something to change those we care about. Unfortunately it comes with a very dangerous price tag when we’re talking psych meds.
I lifted that straight off of Furious Seasons. Go read there.
What does organic on the label really mean?
This is why I generally stick to completely unprocessed foods. Highly processed “organic” foods are still likely to be chalk full of crap.The so-called health food industry does not care about us…they care about making money so they will do what they can to sucker us into buying all manner of additives and ingredients that are no good for us.
Two articles in the Washington Post today–the first here:
100 Percent Organic” products must show an ingredient list, the name and address of the handler (bottler, distributor, importer, manufacturer, packer, processor) of the finished product, and the name and seal of the organic certifier. These products should contain no chemicals, additives, synthetics, pesticides or genetically engineered substances.
“USDA Organic” products must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. The five percent non-organic ingredients could include additives or synthetics if they are on an approved list. The label must contain a list that identifies the organic, as well as the non-organic, ingredients in the product, and the name of the organic certifier. (read rest here)
Three years ago, U.S. Department of Agriculture employees determined that synthetic additives in organic baby formula violated federal standards and should be banned from a product carrying the federal organic label. Today the same additives, purported to boost brainpower and vision, can be found in 90 percent of organic baby formula.
The government’s turnaround, from prohibition to permission, came after a USDA program manager was lobbied by the formula makers and overruled her staff. That decision and others by a handful of USDA employees, along with an advisory board’s approval of a growing list of non-organic ingredients, have helped numerous companies win a coveted green-and-white “USDA Organic” seal on an array of products.
Grated organic cheese, for example, contains wood starch to prevent clumping. Organic beer can be made from non-organic hops. Organic mock duck contains a synthetic ingredient that gives it an authentic, stringy texture.
Relaxation of the federal standards, and an explosion of consumer demand, have helped push the organics market into a $23 billion-a-year business, the fastest growing segment of the food industry. Half of the country’s adults say they buy organic food often or sometimes, according to a survey last year by the Harvard School of Public Health. (this is a long and detailed article you can read here)
And again, it’s really not hard to know what you’re eating if you just stick to stuff made primarily by nature. I’m also now in the process of finding local farms to buy as much as possible from farmers who I can talk to and see the animals and plants they raise. Granted not everyone lives somewhere that is possible but if you do it’s very wonderful.
We also now grow all our veggies for about 6 months out of the year.
Give yourself a second, a third, a fourth chance to see something anew. Having a new perception and subsequently changing one’s mind is not wishy-washy, it is being flexible, and flexibility is intelligent. – Cheri Huber
Clouded leopard cubs (very short video):
Keener’s continued story:
I made my way back to the ward, ignoring my key-nurse who walked behind with a most unhappy look on her face. My Mum was waiting for me on the ward. She suggested that we should go immediately and that I could collect up my belongings later. I eagerly agreed with her, chomping at the bit to try out my new freedom as a fully fledged citizen. I was so happy, I thought that all of the agitation and fear that was eating away at me insatiably, would stop now that I no longer had to stay on the crummy ward.
However, this was entirely different to the first hospital, attempts were going to be made to persuade me to stay. I returned to collect my belongings later with my friend and I was asked to meet with the ward manager and my doctor, with my friend encouraging me to do so. I sat in the meeting room listening to them, all trying to persuade me that I needed to stay in the hospital on a voluntary basis. Apparently they wanted to help me gradually return home. I was incensed by this, as I listened to them trying every trick in the book to get me to see sense. I told them that I absolutely did not want to stay and that I did not want any support from them, I simply did not find it useful. I repeatedly referred to the findings of the tribunal. The spectre of compulsory detention once again loomed ominously over the room – would they try it again? So I stayed rooted to the chair, fending off their suggestions that I should see myself as sick and needy. Although I just wanted to stand up, tell them to $%^& off and leg it, I was worried what sort of reaction this would provoke in them. I looked at my friend for support, but his eyes were not saying ‘go for it keener, you tell ’em”. They looked at the floor and avoided my searching eyes. Then suddenly he spoke up, telling me that he agreed with them and that I should listen. Betrayed. I just could not take it all in, I was so confused and angry. They clearly were not going to stop bombarding me until I gave them something. They must have realised that I could not be swayed, so they came up with a deal. So I agreed that I would go away for the weekend, take some medication with me, that they would keep my bed open and that I would be visited regularly by the crisis team..
I stood by the door leading outta there, ready to walk as soon as the ward manager came back with the slip of paper with the crisis team number on it. He came over and then began reading out the phone number to me in that excruciating patronising tone that was so familiar to me those days. I interrupted him, the anger I felt left me unable to allow him to complete his recital, I snatched it out of his hand and told him “I CAN READ”. I turned on my heels and got the hell outta there. read more…
This is the first paragraph of what is a moving account of his recent experiences. bplife has been on this journey with me for a long time now. He is one of my inspirations.
This is the first paragraph of his post today:
My mental state has vastly improved since getting off the last of the psych meds two (?) months ago? I am still having difficulties with time (it all runs together) and memory but overall am much much better. Events that would have thrown me into a deep week or month long depression now only upset me for a couple of hours at most. Then the anger/frustration/unhappiness dissipates like so much mist and I am able to move on. I feel, dare I say it, healthy. No more fog in the head, no more constant and debilitating exhaustion. I must say it’s a wonderful amazing experience and I am grateful to have it again. (read rest here)
Clear head and no more exhaustion…I’m ready for that!!
Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you. – Jean-Paul Sartre
This is a text I studied in college. This exact translation, in fact, and though I’ve been told by many it lacks scholarliness, I’ve always liked it. Perhaps because it is what I started out with. I also met the translator, Stephen Mitchell once when he spoke to our class and afterward he invited any of us who wanted to go out and sit on the grass with him which turned out to be a small intimate group and I really enjoyed it.
So I’m going to put the first few chapters here and then if you like it I will direct you to where you can read the whole thing.
Chapter One:
The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.
The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.
Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.
Yet mystery and manifestations
arise from the same source.
This source is called darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gateway to all understanding.
Chapter two:
When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.
Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.
Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn’t possess,
acts but doesn’t expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.
Chapter three:
If you overesteem great men,
people become powerless.
If you overvalue possessions,
people begin to steal.
The Master leads
by emptying people’s minds
and filling their cores,
by weakening their ambition
and toughening their resolve.
He helps people lose everything
they know, everything they desire,
and creates confusion
in those who think that they know.
Practice not-doing,
and everything will fall into place.
Chapter four:
The Tao is like a well:
used but never used up.
It is like the eternal void:
filled with infinite possibilities.
It is hidden but always present.
I don’t know who gave birth to it.
It is older than God.
Chapter five:
The Tao doesn’t take sides;
it gives birth to both good and evil.
The Master doesn’t take sides;
she welcomes both saints and sinners.
The Tao is like a bellows:
it is empty yet infinitely capable.
The more you use it, the more it produces;
the more you talk of it, the less you understand.
Hold on to the center.
_______________________________________________________
To read the rest go click here. To buy this translation go here.
