Posted by bleauberry on February 12, 2008, at 17:24:35
In reply to Re: Testing for Anxiety, Depression, posted by zatar on February 4, 2008, at 14:09:53
I saw a website that had all the possible causes and tests listed. There must have been close to 100 different things. Not realistic, and not economically feasible. In a perfect world it would be awesome.
Even if the tests showed something, then what? For example, I had a fatty acids test that showed deranged fatty acids. But exactly how does one fix that? I was told to eat lots of butter and flax oil and to stop the fish oil. But really, it is anyone's guess varying widely from one doctor to another.
The basic tests I think give the most bang for the buck, based on probability of finding a problem and based on how common these hidden things are:
Heavy metal toxicity testing. A hair sample from Doctors Data is a start. They are the only ones that test a wide range of all minerals including things like lithium. You are not necessarily looking for high mercury, lead or arsenic, though that does happen. You are looking for specific patterns of deranged metals that the toxins directly cause. They have fingerprints. Even if mercury is low in hair, a person can be highly toxic. Mercury displaces other metals from hair, including itself. The hair can be interpreted by The Counting Rules, authored by PHd Andrew Cutler, and there are experts at frequent-dose-chelation on Yahoo that will do it for you free. If there is evidence of mercury or lead, a serious look at chelation and maybe further testing is in order. Don't even think about it without studying the book Amalgam Illness. The only thing worse than metal toxicity is removing the metals the wrong way. There is an FDA approved urine test that shows damage of metal toxicity. It doesn't show when the exposure happened, how much, or what it was, just that it happened and damage has been done. One can also do a challenge test. The single dose high dose method is risky and dangerous, though almost universally commonly practiced. A safer more accurate method is to take DMSA 25mg every 4 hours around the clock for 3 days and then take the urine test. Actually, when people chelate with DMSA on this schedule, those who are toxic have a lot of side effects. Those who aren't don't. That alone is a good clue. My opinions here are shared with a vast majority of underground medicine, but hardly even known by mainstream medicine. That is, heavy metal toxicity is much more common and serious that has been recognized. The primary symptoms are...anxiety and depression.
Delayed food intolerance test. These tests can also check for reactions to various chemicals, molds, and dust. It is common to be allergic or intolerant of something and not even know it. It is estimated 15% of the population is intolerant of gluten found in wheat, barley and rye, and that it takes an average of 10 years of suffering and puzzled docs before it is finally diagnosed with a simple blood test. All it takes is a drop of blood to find out if you are intolerant of dozens of common foods. It is hard to know without a test, because the reaction to the food takes time and often doesn't hit until a day or more after consuming the food. Usually the offending food is something eaten all the time and totally unsuspected. Primary symptoms are anxiety at the start of reaction following by depression, or both mixed if it is ongoing.
Stool sample. Looking for pathogens, undigested food, blood. A lack of good bacteria, and an overabundance of bad things like candida, causes malabsorption of what you consume and also fills your blood with all kinds of toxins and waste that wreak havoc on the brain. Parasites are also a big problem, usually not recognized and often not shown in tests, but can be treated easily and blindly with a 3-part herbal mixture that includes wormwood and cloves. Candida can be killed by various herbs and prescriptions. Good bacteria can be replenished with probiotics. Intestines can be cleaned out with psillium husks.
Liver detox test. Not sure, but I think Great Smokies lab is the one that does this. It shows how well your Phase I is working compared to Phase II. If out of sync, you will be filled with toxins that definitely affect your mood. Simple supplements can get things back in sync.
Leaky gut. A simple test of swallowing a particular kind of sugar mixture and then testing afterwards to see if it entered your bloodstream shows if there is intestinal leakage. Common causes are candida, parasites, and heavy metals. Treatment means treating the cause and then allowing time to repair with digestive enzymes and probiotics.
Urine neurotransmitter test. This is probably not accurate because it doesn't show clearly what is going on in the brain, but can be useful to find out if something is way out of whack. For example my test showed normal dopamine, norepinephrine, and pea, elevated gaba, and extremely low serotonin. It appeared gaba was working overtime to overcome a serotonin shortage. But it aint that easy. Is serotonin low in urine because for some reason it is actually all in the brain being used? Or is it really low throughout? Also, there is no indication of what the receptors are doing. Still though, with this test, I was able to shut down a 3 month long time of being overly nervous, sensitive, anxious and depressed with just 3 days of 10mg-25mg of 5htp. I responded poorly to phenylalanine, tyrosine, and gaba. So maybe there is some accuracy to the test.
Complete thyroid test. TSH, free T3, reverse T3, free T4, and 3 thyroid antibodies. If not strikingly solidly perfect (better than average normal) then trials of thyroid meds are justified.
Adrenal stress index. This tests cortisol and DHEA with 4 saliva samples taken throughout a 24 hour perioid. If cortisol is out of whack, anxiety and depression are expected results.
Sex hormones. Sometimes useful. If something is definintely out of range, treating it can have a powerful affect on mood.
If all these tests looked good, then I would be surprised. Just my opinion, but I believe 90% of psychiatric patients fall somewhere within one or more of these tests.
The one thing that can cause everything listed above? Heavy metals.
poster:bleauberry
thread:810708
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20080110/msgs/812327.html