It’s great you find the Lithium Orotate so helpful. I have many friends who have stayed stable on it for years…taking a third capsule a day if necessary is safe too…(I’ve heard of people taking 4 or 5, but I wouldn’t go there without bloodwork)

As far as endo goes I do a modified diet because I need meat and the hardcore endo people tend not to eat meat…although others eat chicken and fish…I found that as long as I ate grass fed, hormone free organic meat I do okay while using acupuncture.

I now also only eat chicken and fish because I had a reaction to even the grass fed beef….so as you seem to be able to do, listen to your body on this one too…

a good endo site with a good diet is here:

http://www.endo-resolved.com/diet.html

I will repeat I modify it because I need dense protein for my mental health issues and you may too.

Soy is absolutely NOT a good thing!!

best of luck to you and again welcome and I’m happy to hear from you.

I have been reading this website for about 3 months and it has helped me in SO many ways!!!! I can trace back to this site almost ALL the best info I have dug out online [related to my own specific case of bp survival]
I am a 41 yr old bipolar woman. just had a shaky summer due to a car accident [some face trauma] and am determined to address my bp [always under- or Un-treated] before it gets worse.

my impulse is to blather my whole story, but I’ll save that for another nite.

2 things now:

1: An experience to share:
I am pretty solidly rapid cycling bp. mainly manic, sometimes hypomanic and rarely depressive for long.
I have very briefly [less than 3 months each] tried Xanax, Klonopin, Zoloft, and regular Lithium.
I had predictable issues with all, and regular Lithium fogged me out at half the prescribed dosage.
About 2 years ago I discovered and began to take Lithium Orotate [one or 2 120 mg pills a day] and it has really made a large difference for me.
The facts that I can miss a dose without drama, and cannot OD on it both reassure me much. the fact that is over the counter [no blood test] and cheap as hell is a HUGE deal to me.
it also does not affect supplements. I seem to need more half the month [hormones]. It feels very light but I can feel it if I do not take it [muscle spasms get worse, focus worse, dreams worse] it has given me NO side effects , no tremors, at all.
Is it too ‘thin’ a substance? Is it mainly placebo? Who knows, but it works for me when any regular Lithium was too much.
It may not work for all like it does for me but WHY dont people start out on this form and then try prescrip lithium later on ???

it must be true that balance of ’salts’ have a bigger impact on some of us. how do i find studies on that? and what are foods that would support me neurologically???

2: A Question for Gianna:
What diet are you on??? I didnt realize until recently that you have endometriosis {me too, long story, still figuring it all out…not trying to preserve any fertility thank god, yet trying to avoid a hysterectomy}
SO:
I am wondering if you could tell me roughly what you eat [or avoid!] and ANY pointers on diets and/or supplements would help since I am doing it all solo and began a slew of them in early Fall 08 that seem to be helping but I’d love to see if you have found similar things.
In all my research on endo+hormones etc I found alot of very scary anti-soy information and I have been 100% avoiding it [tho I barely ate much ever] What’s your take on soy?

you can email me at ssliska@yahoo.com
or post this [or not], or reply here.

primarily I want to thank you for existing. I wish there were someone cutting you continuous big fat checks for making all of this info accessible and presented in such a readable way [ to be clear: you write VERY well, and steer clear of the traps of drama and new agey-ness and preachiness that many other 'mental issue' blogs are steeped in]
thank you for your frankness and clarity and for discussing personal issues with such objectivity.
[and did I mention sometimes funny! as in both comedy and wit!]

thank you so much for your time and experience.
your voice is invaluable, your words and work are changing people’s lives literally EVERY DAY that this site is up! I thank you for being a voice of reason [and hope] in this very complicated realm of the web [pb sites].

~ namaste ~

e. f.

Taking small doses either homeopathic, or taking Lithium Orotate in which a fraction of the amount of Carbonate is consumed can be healthy…I have no idea how it works on sodium ion channels…I’m simply not a scientist.

so is that how lithium works on nerve fibers, too, since it can replace sodium ions? if i understand it correctly, lithium is just a salt, and it’s found in lemons, tobacco, (mineral water, of course) and other foods in small amounts…hmm…if KCL (in small amounts, under a doc’s supervision) works, maybe lithium is not so bad????? it just seems the recommended doses are so much higher than that found in nature–no wonder the side effects seem so ominous…if you get a chance, would you let me know about your thoughts on using lithium (or send me to an old post on it?)…

PS the more i read your blog, the more i love it. thank you so much!

I know he finds it interesting…I shared it with him, but what is there really to report on a journalists blog?

That’s the problem with the mental health system…no money to do the real work…potassium chloride is dirt cheap…

ahhh…I’m tired right now…

thanks for your input…

congratulations on your ongoing recovery Gianna! It is good to hear you upbeat and optimistic about your wd.

Just out of curiosity, where did your doc get her energy training from? I wonder if it is anyone I know or have heard of in the energy healing circles.

Now for the Lamictal.

Ok so, this stuff is screwing around with your sodium ion channels and your doc just now recently found this out via fine print reading?

This is serious serious business! You are able to move physically, because your muscles alter the position of your skeleton in relation to gravity. Everything from walking to holding the phone requires the constant activation of the sodium ion channel to cause the nerves to send the signals to the muscles to move.

No sodium ion channels, no movement. Excessive sodium action and you get spastic. Some critters in nature actually have poisons which either speed up or slow down sodium ion action in their prey which causes them to either twitch spastically or to become paralyzed.

If Lamictal is screwing around with sodium ion action, not only is it unshocking that you have had no energy but also it should have been expected!

That actually is big news. Worthy of Philip’s blog as an article in it’s own right. Lamictal causes muscle and energy weakness via sodium channels? That is iatrogenesis! That is the very definition of a medically induced health problem! That side effect should be on the package label in huge letters!

Your heart is a muscle too and absolutely effected by sodium pump action. Not too long ago you had a post about a pain in the heart. I know some of that pain is emotional and spiritual but I was one of the folks that suggested a medical reason behind it. There you go, Lamictal weakens your heart along with all the other muscles and nerve firings!

This puts Lamictal on my list of most dangerous drugs currently touted as *medicine* along side neuroleptics.

You really did get screwed over with polypharmacy Gianna, just the Lamictal alone sounds like a major health hazard without the load of the other meds.

Word to the wise I guess, get off Lamictal before it is too late and your have artificially induced epstein barr forever

I don’t recommend your using it willy nilly for something like anxiety…

And did you notice I explicitly said it SHOULD NOT be used without a doctors care??

If people are interested in who my doctor is they can email me with a request. I don’t feel comfortable using names that can be searched on my blog.

I found this doctor on the listserv we are both on Sue. So you have heard of her.

Moss,
No she is not local…I took a four day road trip to meet her after working remotely with her for three months.

Hugs,
Moss

Thanks for this honest and meticulous post, Sue

That’s what I found amazing about energy work. My mom is one of the most straight laced, non-new-age people I know, but when she was in hospital after her hip replacement and in so much pain, and the narcotics they tried made her so sick, they asked her if she wanted to try a program they called “healing hands”. This is a hospital that incorporates a lot of alternative treatments in with their traditional care. She was desperate, so she agreed, although she told me she didn’t think it would do anything for her, but at that point she was ready to try anything. They did a combination of aromatherapy, relaxing music, and energy work of the sort my friend does, where they don’t even touch you, just work with your energy fields. My mom ended up drifting off to sleep, and woke up in a lot less pain. She’s a believer now, and is seeing an alternative practitioner for pain she’s having in her neck. Her next step is to ask about accupuncture–and it’s really amazing to hear my ultra-traditional mother talking about giving accupuncture a try!

I’m so glad you’ve found something that’s working for you! I think people who are open minded about the kind of treatment options they are willing to explore have a much better chance of becoming well, don’t you?

And if people think it’s crazy and would never try it, well, that’s their loss, isn’t it?

You go, girl! Don’t let those closed-minded people bring you down. You know what’s working for you.

Love,
Jazz