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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by blueberry on December 22, 2005, at 6:10:14
My doc said it's time to think outside the box. She said for me to get and read The Mood Cure. It's from a treatment facility in California that specializes in amino acids, omega 3, thyroid, and hormones for psychiatric patients. They support antidepressants, but also go into detail why they often don't completely work or make things worse. A very good guide to how to boost antidepessant effectiveness, reduce dose, and even eliminate meds altogether. Allows you to pinpoint your type of depression, to target treatment for it, and how to gather clues from how you respond to various trials. Strong emphasis on thyroid function, even if your basic thyroid test shows normal.
I used the book to pinpoint what I need...5htp and/or tryptophan; d-phenylalanine (not dl-phenylalanine); maybe tyrosine; a full 5 test thryroid work up.
All I know is that with the book and case histories as a guide, I shyly sampled 3 doses of half caps of 5htp (25mg doses) and by the end of the day was feeling pretty good. Slept bad, but woke feeling better than in quite a while.
There are tons of little details that are fascinating. Just one tiny example, I never knew that the metabolite of serotonin, after it is broken down in the brain, is crucial for mood...and that SSRIs prevent that metabolite from forming. Tons of details like that.
Tons of good stuff in the book to provide direction and hope for anyone having trouble with their meds, and information and instructions provided for your own doctor as well. I've tried amino acids before, but apparently not correctly.
I like the fact that the book is written by specialists who treat real patients every day, and not by some joe-blo theorist.
Anyway, I like this book. Hope is alive.
Posted by James K on December 27, 2005, at 16:12:24
In reply to The Mood Cure...I like it, posted by blueberry on December 22, 2005, at 6:10:14
Thanks for sharing. I used to work in a book store, so I'm familiar with many of the books mentioned here, but there are so many I never knew what was worth looking into.
The Mood Cure sounds right up my alley, as I am anti-med (but mostly compliant), and am taking whey protein shakes, dhea, and fish oil without any real plan or understanding. Having both chronic fatigue syndrome and some sort of lifetime dysthymia and a history of substance abuse, I've gotten my info from all over the place. I intend to check this book out from the library in order to get a unified program together.
Information understood and applied correctly is the key.
James K
Posted by Questionmark on April 10, 2006, at 1:05:12
In reply to The Mood Cure...I like it, posted by blueberry on December 22, 2005, at 6:10:14
> "There are tons of little details that are fascinating. Just one tiny example, I never knew that the metabolite of serotonin, after it is broken down in the brain, is crucial for mood...and that SSRIs prevent that metabolite from forming. Tons of details like that."
>
Is that really TRUE d'you think?? ..That the metabolite of serotonin is crucial in mood? That's crazy and significant if that's true.
i'm going to quote that sentence from you in Psycho-Babble so i can ask if anyone knows if that's true and why, and how the metabolite is important. i hope that's fine.
That book does sound interesting though.
This is the end of the thread.
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