Treating Bipolar with Diet.

Hello friends!

I have not been on in a while. I have missed it terribly. It is such a relief to be among a community of people who understand this experience. Phew...

When I first began coming on, I was not sure I had bipolar, but since I have been diagnosed three times over, prescribed Lithium, but I am not taking it. I chose instead to begin work with a nutritionist first, just to see how much progress I can make without meds before going on meds. Especially because I was living such an extremely unhealthy life style before being diagnosed, I figured it was worth cleaning up.

Make no mistake, the bipolar is still there, but the upper and lower extremity of my emotional experience has gone away. Before I began the diet which I will tell you guys about, I was routinely having black manic episodes that would include punching and hitting myself, suicide threats, and just general flailing around and freaking out, followed by extreme black depression that would last a few days. I am a rapid cycler, so I have never been debilitatingly depressed for weeks at a time or anything. But these depressions were extreme, though short.

Since beginning the diet, those extreme moods have gone away entirely. I still go into hypomania, get confused and irritable, and then feel depressed and down, but it all happens within a more manageable range of experience. It is not the end goal, but it is a huge step in the right direction. Here is what I am doing.

Organic, local, grass fed, free rang, wild, etc... meat. Vegetables, low glycemic fruits (no tropical fruits) and basically, that's it. No beans, nuts, dairy, and absolutely NO starch, carbs, sugar etc... Additionally, and this was big for me, no alcohol, and no coffee, I can drink green tea, that's it. And I don't think I am supposed to smoke weed, I haven't been, but I don't think you are allowed to on this routine. It is a detoxification diet.

I cannot tell you how different I fell, it is absolutely indescribable. I attribute this primarily to the sugar and the caffeine (alcohol turns to sugar so I am counting that). I used to experience this incredible magnetism to food, drink, smoking (oh, I quit smoking too)... And now that quality of compulsion is gone. It is unbelievable the degree to which this was exacerbating the bipolar.

I am continuing to explore more life style shifts, controlling sleep (which is still hard for me), exercise, meditation, mood tracking, therapy, etc... Some I am doing, some I am struggling with, and the bipolar is definitely still there, but it is nice to know that I have SOME control.

Still not ruling out taking lithium, just want to see how far I can get on my own.

So if anyone is interested in non-psychiatric methods of treatment, I highly recommend this diet. If you write me, I can tell you more about it!

Good bye friends of the moods!
<3
Soon...
MT!

Diet is one of the most basic and very FIRST thing doctors should be looking at. I cant believe they diagnosed you before changing your diet and lifestyle. I continuously find myself shaking my head over the sheer incompetence of doctors in the US. You will likely notice another big improvement once you get your sleep routine sorted. Meditation may take time to work but once it does you will find even more improvement.

Im so glad you are having good success. Goes to show how much it can help someone who was extremely moody. My BP is completely different to yours, and I already have a good diet, but if I eat crap, my body complains very quickly. Listen to your body and feed it right, you will lead a healthier life.

Episode severity can vary each time over a period of years, so it would be difficult to tell if your symptoms were manifesting the way they were by coincidence.

In addition to improving your diet, I would recommend going ahead and starting meds as soon as possible. Odds are the dosage will be changed up and down, other meds may be added and subtracted... It takes awhile just to get the right med combination, and even that changes here and there. If you don't start taking meds until an episode starts, it's just extra suffering for you because the med you start on, if it works, will take time to kick in. In the meantime, you'll still be flailing about, punching yourself, etc.

Thank you MT for posting your experience. I am in remission after years of suffering and I am using diet and lifestyle to maintain. I am off all my meds except for a thyroid med but I hope to go off that someday too. I am a health coach now focusing my practice on helping people with mood disorders find healing through diet and lifestyle.

I would like to add that taking a multivitamin, vitamin D and Omega 3 Fish oil is very helpful too. There is also a lot of research out there about probiotics, gut health and mental health. There is a book about Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS). I haven't started reading it yet, but it is on my list.

OP- do you enjoy food?

Thats not a snarky question, just... some people really enjoy food.
I am supposed to follow a restricted diet myself, i feel best when i am without eggs, dairy, gluten, and keep soy to an absolute minimum.

it is difficult, but i still find ways to have really good food. it can be a lot of effort, however.

The diet you describe seems to give little opportunity for anything particularly exotic, unique, experimental.

Food is like... one of the great things about life, for me...
I have been developing some allergies and intolerances over the years.

If I became severely intolerant to shellfish for instance?
I seriously would probably eat it anyway and risk harm to myself.

If you can drink, smoke, or eat good food... like... is there much left?

ETA:

I WILL say that on my diet [which I have stopped a couple times and restarted, though basically been on since about 2005] I start to notice a difference after three to four weeks.

I notice:
I have little to no cravings for random "crap" food anymore. Stuff like sugary or fried foods, basically things with little to no nutritional value. I will still sometimes want a bit of chocolate or something randomly. But when im not on the diet, I constantly crave carbs or fried stuff or sugar. Its totally bizarre. also, I feel hungry way more frequently when not following the diet.

My metabolism seems way more stable and in gear when I follow the diet.

I feel more grounded, stabilized, "myself".

I dont feel compulsions to eat when Im hungry, but i can predict more and I actually feel like I can enjoy food more and like I get more out of it... which is likely true. With some intolerances/allergies/etc, the body's ability to absorb and process nutrients is diminished.

I sleep better.

...just some stuff I notice.

I think there is a difference between enjoying food and nomming down overprocessed crap.

I may sound as food snob, but is there a way to "enjoy" McDonalds or ramen noodles for example? And other foods that do nothing for you?

I try to eat "good" bad foods. See, Czech cousine is full off foods like roasted duck/geese with dumplings and cabbage (or pork with the same). It's caloric equivalent of Hiroshima. But at least it's "real" food.

That is how I try to distinquish food for me. Did it grow in nature? Was it born or planted? Good. Or was it made in a lab? That maybe something to sneer away from.

I read an article today about "reseting" your taste buds. Processed food destroys your sense of taste to the degree that you cannot enjoy normal food anymore. You see it daily with people who cannot eat anything but junk food because they hate the taste. But it can be reversed.

As for beans... they are actually mood food, along with all legumen. Hummus is an example of delicious food medicine (at least for me).

I know I wouldn't be happy on a restricted diet. We have evolved to be able to eat many different things. I can reduce things like meat but coffee is definitely a vice I won't be giving up

It really bums me out that there isn't more research on nutrition because there are so many diets to choose from. There is quite a bit of experiential evidence that clearing the gut is beneficial. Most seratonin is store there so if you are taking an ad it makes sense to me that a detox would help. I have done a two week aruyvedic cleanse and found that to be really helpful.

If you search nourishedkitchen.com for bipolar there is a very inspiring story. Some of the elements you are describing are things that they practice.

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I think one has to be intuitive and observant. Like some swear by low carb diets, but it makes me feel starved and drives my cray cray.

I agree...
but I can't even tell if you are suggesting that I was implying that mcdonald's or ramen would be things I'd include in the categories of unique, original or exotic. [hint: nope]

So... no disagreement there.
I can't actually eat the vast majority of food that is processed or 'food product' type crap... so, um... nope was talking about like, making food.
With ingredients.
and kitchen implements.

Many people can.

There are physical issues that are present that i havent mentioned when I dont stick to the diet.

Pretty much my whole life i have had fatigue, major GI issues [to the point of dehydration at times], rashes, swollen and painful joints other random stuff.

These are basically non-existent when I am on the diet after a while.

I keep trying to say it's in my head, but... I really dont think so.

oatmeal is likely an issue now.

I finally discovered a correlation for when my chest is closing up and have to use my inhaler more often.

"To the lab!"

not you, but it seems too many think of junk food as "enjoyment food". It's frustrating to try to go eat out with such people, for they will shun the awesomemest places for meals that pretend to be food.

I have a theory that one doesn't get fat if they truly enjoy the food... overeating imho is issue, not sign of "enjoying". But that is for longer discussion.

I was on an absolutely no carb diet that a nutritionist gave me and it was great, I lost weight, felt wonderful, and then bam I went total manic. My Pdoc said some carbs are essential to helping the brain function and that by me going completely carb free I triggered the mania. I don't know how true/valid it it (she didn't like my diet to start with) but I have been afraid to try again. I would love to find that balance point, but I am a scaredy cat and won't push the line.

I didn't mean to suggest there aren't exceptions (or this forum wouldn't be here . I think the main thing for me is nutrition as a science is only a little over 100 years old. There is so much to learn. Your sharing your experience which is great but it is based on some science and more trial and error.


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