Posted by Elroy on February 18, 2005, at 23:30:44
In reply to Thanks for the info, dude » Elroy, posted by Chris O on February 18, 2005, at 21:12:57
Hey, no problem with info. Hopefully, along the way, we all help each other out.
Also, EMDR is very different from EFT and is quite effective apparently more so in anxiety / panic / PTSD type scenarios than with "regular" depression. Most ractitioners are therapists who work under psychiatrists so hourly fees are pretty standardized (and covered by insurance if applicable).
I'd check these two web sites and locate any practitioners near you and give them a try:
It was only thru checking those that I was stunned to find out my regular therapist was a qualified EMDR practitioner. I've already talked to her about giving that a try starting next week. If you note from RemedyFind, EMDR got a VG rating:
http://www.remedyfind.com/rem.asp?id=4144
As to the EFT, I have heard that a lot of people are resistant - at least initially - to self-administration and need to go to a practitioner for a couple sessions first (???).
This site has a lot of info but needs a lot of digging to pull out all the little gems:
http://www.emofree.com/default.htm
But in meantime, yes, having benzo aid around can be a necessity. I have been on either Ativan or Xanax constantly since last Sept. I hope to find a cure or at least a non pharm solution to my anxiety - depression - cortisol problem but if necessary will stay with a benzo to keep from going crazy!
Also... seeing as how you have a ouple of signals as to having high cortisol, do yourself a favor and have three 24-hr UFCs done (UFC = Urinary Free Cortisol). If anyone of the three come back elevated over max normal range then demand on a couple of "Late Night Salivary Cortisol" tests just to make sure that you don't have Cushing's (or just starting).
Even if it comes back as non Cushing's but you have elevated cortisol, which is often called "pseudo Cushings", you have to remember that the elevated cortisol is going to be one of the problems CAUSING your anxiety and will have to be addressed also. In fact, could very well be why many of those other supplement products never worked. None were near strong enough to counter the damage being done by trhe cortisol.
Relatively new - and not well publicized - research has shown that cortisol (in excessive levels) is not only as toxic to your system as battery acid, but that the chemical interaction of the excessive cortisol with neurological pathways actually manufactures anxiety through that chemical interaction. Also many types of depression are characterized by high cortisol levels.
http://www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com/
http://www.emofree.com/depr.htm#menuQUOTE:
What causes the symptoms of depression and anxiety?Researchers and medical professionals have been studying the causes of anxiety and depression related disorders for decades. And though the exact cause is not known, it is believed that the emotional and physical symptoms of anxiety and depression stem from a chemical imbalance that exists in the brain. Clinical research has uncovered various chemical imbalances that have been linked to symptoms often experienced in individuals with anxiety and depression disorders:
* An unbalanced release, reuptake (reabsorption) and a reduced availability of key neurotransmitters that include serotonin, norepinephrine, adrenaline, GABA, dopamine and Acetylcholine.
* Lowered levels of serum magnesium, zinc, or potassium.
* Lowered or deficient availability of essential vitamins like Folate, Pyridoxine, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C.
* Increased levels of toxic neurochemicals like Homocysteine
* An imbalance of cofactors, like amino acids and essential vitamins, which are necessary to complete important neurological functions
* Over-release of cortisol stress hormone
END QUOTEhttp://www.ncl.ac.uk/nnp/research/publication/18411
QUOTE:
New Stress-Buster Drugs Block Hormone BindingNEW YORK — Get ready for the stress busters.
A new class of anxiety-relieving drugs—agents that interrupt core hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress signals—will emerge in the next 2-3 years, predicted Dr. George Chrousos, chief of the Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Md.
The new agents block the binding of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), thus interrupting the neurohormonal cascade that leads to release of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine from the adrenal glands.
The most widely studied agent in this new class is antalarmin, an experimental compound developed at the National Institutes of Health. Essentially, antalarmin switches off the stress circuit, said Dr. Chrousos, one of the discoverers of the HPA axis and a leader in stress research.
A host of animal studies shows that antalarmin selectively binds to CRH 1 receptors, thus blocking the binding of CRH. This inhibits pituitary secretion of adrenocorticotropin, in effect preventing the stress signal from reaching the adrenals. In rats and monkeys, antalarmin can reduce stress-associated behaviors following external stressors (social or mechanical) and exogenous neuroendocrine stressors (injection of CRH).
Antalarmin itself may not reach the market because pharmacokinetic problems confound its utility as a human drug. But there are many other CRH receptor antagonists; about 100 patents are in development, Dr. Chrousos said at the meeting, also sponsored by the Pituitary Network Association.
Early-stage human trials have begun with several of these compounds. “The drug companies are not talking much about these yet. But in a couple of years, we're likely to see them emerge,” he said.
The most obvious indication for CRH receptor antagonists would be in treating anxiety and panic disorders. But Dr. Chrousos and others believe these agents could have a major influence in treating many forms of depression, especially melancholic depression.
END QUOTE> Elroy:
>
> I read your post and I appreciate all the info. I checked out some of the sites about CES, and maybe I'll try it. It sounds promising and simple, but then, so many non-pharmaceutical approaches do and none really work for me, so...but I will not lose hope!
>
> As to the Braverman book, I actually read/look thru his other book about amino acids about 2 years ago, but I will have to check this latest one out from the library. It looks promising. I've tried many of the supplements you've listed, including Inositol, GABA, Niacinamide, Melatonin, Valerian, Passionflower--I mean, basically, those do nothing for me. I have never tried Picamillon, but I know what it is, and I have monitored others' experiences with it on these boards. Seems that some get results, some don't. Perhaps I will try that someday too.
>
> As to the EMDR/EFT stuff, I read Lambrou and Pratt's Instant Emotional Healing about 6 weeks ago, did the exercises diligently for a couple of weeks, thought it was helping, but now...am starting to return to full-on panic mode, so...I don't think it did anything. On a positive note, I live in southern California, which is where they are, so I can visit them if I want to blow, probably $300-400/hour. My girlfriend is nagging me to give them a try in person; I don't hold high hopes, but I probably will visit them anyway.
>
> I used to visit Kelly's St. John's page, but...I just don't get any real (beyond minor) benefits out of St. John's, SAM-e, 5-HTP, etc., so, don't really go there much. Have been to remedyfind.com a lot, and this board, which I think is the best.
>
> Anyway, dude, thanks for the info. I'll definely check out the Braverman book. It looks, right now, like I should have some type of benzo lying around...because...the panic is always there, waiting to pop up. For me, it's always been there. My mom has it, many people in my family have it...I come from panic/rumination/and worry, so...I don't know...pharmas are beginning to look like the only way to go for me.
>
> Oh yeah, I did a saliva cortisol test with a naturopath last year; it said my DHEA was high at 12.2 (range 3-10) and my cortisol was high at 2.0 (range from .5-1.5). So, he recommended ashwagandha which I tried to take but which did absolutely nothing...if anything, made me more anxious. Every doctor I've seen seems to think the urine cortisol thing is bogus. I kind of felt like the saliva cortisol was bogus too...because it was all geared toward selling me hormones, the company who made it.
>
> Alright, so, again, thanks, and I wish you luck. I'm sure I'll back here as I explore, not sure where I'm going from here.
>
> Chris
poster:Elroy
thread:458939
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050131/msgs/460214.html