host posted on May 08, 2009 13:08
These days, it seems that nothing is taboo anymore. I’m conservative enough that this is usually worrisome to me. I say “usually” because I do think it’s good that certain things are no longer written in stone. For example, the authority of a doctor’s opinion is no longer regarded as infallible. We tend to take his/her opinion and shuffle it around with our own, and determine for ourselves which course of action we should take for our own health.
Another subject that is no longer taboo is that of depression. In years past, if you experienced depression, it was akin to a diagnosis of insanity. You didn’t dare tell anyone about it, and if you were “found out,” you’d just downplay it as a side effect of life circumstances.
Today, it seems that we’ve turned the corner with the subject of depression. Women, especially, are encouraged to visit with each other about it, and I think this is an extremely positive trend. It’s now OK to talk about it openly, and thankfully, it’s OK to seek out different opinions about how to effectively deal with it.
This article is just that – an opinion. I’m not a doctor and this isn’t medical advice. I’m a nutritionist who has dealt with depression from the age of 11 until around 30. I know depression, both as a clinician and as a patient. My opinion has been forged by these experiences, but they aren’t acting in place of your own opinion or that of your licensed physician.
For me, depression began as anxiety. I went to a strict private school, and frankly, I was afraid every day. I began having a nervous tic where my neck would twist and my head would undulate in an awkward motion. It was unsightly, and the worry was that I had Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It was somewhat relieving when they determined that it was chronic anxiety, and they prescribed a low-dose anti-anxiety medication that worked effectively.
From there, I found myself “going down” and staying down for inordinate periods of time. Again, the questions arose about whether this was just teenage angst or something deeper. It was diagnosed as clinical depression, and I was one of the early Prozac patients.
If I’m being honest, I’d have to say that Prozac worked very well for me. I was extremely low, and it brought me back up again – initially, at least. I’d take a few months worth of Prozac, then titrate off of it. A few months later, I’d need it again. And again and again and again.
When Prozac didn’t seem to work anymore, then they’d try Paxil. Then Zoloft. Then back to Prozac. (I’ve tried most of them.)
I saw a worrisome pattern. I saw that the once helpful medications didn’t actually cure me of depression; they only masked the symptoms. Now, if you’re dangerously depressed, the masking of symptoms could be an absolute Godsend. But what happens when the medicine stops working? And what do we make of all the studies that show depression medication may actually cause some people to become suicidal? Do we just dismiss this and risk it?
For myself, I had to look deeper and ask why depression had such a foothold on my life. Yes, mom experienced it, and the experts always like to talk about the “genetic link” to diseases. But my nutrition training just didn’t allow me to accept that this was my fate simply because it was also mom’s struggle.
My own research led me to supplements like St. John’s Wort and L-Tryptophan, (though L-tryptophan wasn’t available at that time). I took St. John’s with some modicum of success. But in the end, it just didn’t produce lasting results.
You can probably predict what happened to me. Yes, I eventually found Doug Kaufmann, and the fungus link to depression was revealed to me. I simply cannot express what a life-changer this was, and I’ve never looked back. Very simply, any depression strategy that does not address the fungus issue is woefully incomplete.
I began eating the Phase One Diet. I began taking antifungals. I also added things like fish oil, probiotics and, when L-tryptophan returned to the market, I added it. I’ve also become impressed with 5-HTP, which is a version of L-tryptophan that has a lot of unique benefits over and above silencing depression.
So, here is my own “Depression Scorecard”:
BEFORE DOUG: Constant need for prescription medication for depression about every 8 months or so.
AFTER DOUG: Not a single lasting episode of depression, and not a single round of prescription medication.
I’m being cute, but those are the actual facts. Every now and then, when I’ve strayed too far from the diet, or when I did my infamous “health experiment” in 2008, I’ve felt the dark clouds emerging. But I knew the fungus link to disease, and I knew I could knock it out almost immediately after hitting it with the Phase One Diet and antifungals.
I left out an important part of the story. If you’ve read my columns or have seen me on Know the Cause, you know that I was always ill as a child and young man. I can’t count how many rounds of antibiotics I’ve been on in my life – probably because I always had a bottle at the ready, just in case I felt a sore throat coming on.
I was the worst kind of antibiotic abuser, but that has turned me into the best kind of health advocate. I’m passionate about Doug’s message of health because I’ve experienced the effects, and I’ve mentored others in the antifungal lifestyle. Very simply, this works.
If you have genuine clinical depression, you have been debilitated by it in some way. True depression isn’t just a symptom of a bad week at work, or even a side effect of the loss of a loved one. True depression springs up unpredictably at times. Personally, my bouts with depression always occurred during a stretch of still waters. No sad event ever triggered it. It was always an emotionally isolated event.
The debilitation that you have experienced is serious. Do NOT take this lightly. We’re living in an era in which talking about it is acceptable. Begin sharing this with your friends. And yes, talk to your doctor about it to get another opinion.
Along with their opinions, maybe you could add the opinion of someone who used to have it, used to be debilitated by it, used to take prescription medication for it, and used to have no clue how to permanently overcome it. USED to. Not anymore. His opinion is that you should read The Fungus Link series, try it out, and experience the profound effects for yourself.
Kyle Drew