Alternative Bipolar Medications

Bipolar is considered as a major disorder that can greatly affect an individual and his family. There are many definitions of this illness. One definition states that a person with bipolar disorder experiences extreme elations that alternates with deep depression. Bipolar disorder is also called manic depression. Generally, it is characterized by depressive episodes and accompanied by a manic episode.

To put it simply, bipolar disorder affects feelings, thoughts, behavior, and perceptions. Experts say that it is brought about by the chemical and electrical elements found in the brain that are not functioning properly. Some say that it runs in the family, so families having a history of bipolar disorder or other mental illnesses are more prone to having the disorder.

There are certain medications given for bipolar patients, and not all of them are quite comfortable in taking daily doses of different medications. Most of them are interested to secure supplemental or alternative therapies rather than taking prescription medications.

Omega 3

There are many researches showing that omega 3 found in fish oils and in certain fishes are excellent for bipolar patients, as well as those having mental illnesses. There was a significant research done in 30 bipolar patients for four months. It was a placebo-controlled and double-blind study. It aims to compare omega 3's efficacy versus olive oil or placebo for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

According to researchers, bipolar disorder is a neuropsychiatic illness that has a high mortality and morbidity. In their preliminary study, it was proven that omega 3 performed better and resulted to longer remissions based on the four scales of symptom-severity. Further studies are still underway, and researchers are hoping that they can come up with new classes of psychotropic compounds that can be used as mood stabilizers.

Herbal

Most people resolve to the use of herbal supplements instead of taking prescribed drug medications. But not all herbs are good for the treatment of bipolar disorder. In fact, there are certain herbs that can worsen the condition of a bipolar patient. Some herbal supplements actually have a harmful reaction when used together with certain drugs. Consult your doctor first before taking any herbal medication in conjunction with other drugs.

Nutrition and Your Diet

You have to adjust your diet, and this means checking your meal menus everyday. The nutrients which the body receives are very important. Holistic physicians use b-complex, magnesium, and thiamin for episodes of depression.

Pastoral Counseling

If you're suffering from bipolar disorder, you can also talk to your pastor, priest, or rabbi instead of talking to therapists. The religious community may be of great help during these times. In fact, the community is now recognizing the role of spirituality and prayers. In can even be included in psychotherapies and medication.

Art Therapies

If you're always staying at home, then perhaps you might want to join expressive therapies. Through the arts, you can express freely your feelings and do so without inhibitions. You can enroll in a drawing class, sculpting, painting, and many others. Find an appropriate therapist in your locality who specializes in art therapies or expressive therapies.

If you want movement, enroll in a dance therapy. Let your feet fly and your spirit soar while incorporating your physical, cognitive, and emotional facets to the dance.

Soothing music can make a person relax. So why not enroll in sound or music therapy? Your body chemicals can be stimulated to improve blood pressure and flow, breathing, pulse rate, and changes in posture.

Traditional Medicine

Traditional medicines or the culturally based ones like shiatsu, reiki, acupuncture, yoga, Ayurveda, talking circles, and sweat lodge are only typical examples. All these healing arts are based on balancing the states of the physical, spiritual, and emotional for the wellness of an individual. If the forces in your body are imbalanced, you will likely get an illness.

If all these things are combined: omega 3, herbal, right diet, pastoral counseling, art therapies, and traditional healing arts, perhaps the forces of the body can be balanced and a bipolar patient can be treated effectively. But remember to consult your doctor for any problems that you may encounter, and don’t just stop your prescribed medication if you have one. Continue using it, and ask your doctor if you can also use other alternative medication.

Living Your Life in Advantage Even with Bipolar

Are you suffering from manic-depressive disorder? This is an illness that not all people can easily overcome. Oftentimes, people who don’t seek professional help end up committing suicide. If you don’t want this to happen to you or any of your family members, then you must learn about the illness and the possible things to undertake in order to take control of the situation and live life normally.

The illness is better known as bipolar disorder. People suffering from this disease can compare their lives to a roller coaster ride. They experience tremendous highs and extreme lows. Presently, there is no known cure for this disease, but it doesn’t mean that it can't be controlled. There are many treatments available to address intense mood swings. If you can find the right treatment, you can actually start to live your life normally even if you have bipolar.

If you constantly experience inability to do things well as if your mind has burned out and slowed down until such point that you feel virtually useless and hopeless, your humor ceases, you become irritable, uncontrollable, angry, and frightened; then you're probably suffering from bipolar disorder. Others experience a tremendous surge of ideas, their shyness disappears, they become intensely interested in sensuality/seduction, and they feel a strong sense of power, ease, omnipotence, and euphoria. Though many people disregard such occurrences and say that it will soon be over, it doesn’t hurt to seek proper medical attention. Addressing illnesses such as bipolar should start at an early stage to prevent unwanted things to happen.

If one of your family member, or yourself, is diagnosed with bipolar, there's no reason to despair. There are many resources that you can use to help you in your situation.

- Purchase a book entitled Bipolar Advantage

 

This is a book written by Tom Wootton; it recognizes all aspects of bipolar disorder. Bipolar is not interpreted as an advantage, but after a two years' seminar on Bipolar, he came up with this book that positively approaches the condition. The book is all about accepting oneself and striving to be a better individual. It teaches you about Introspection, how to change certain habits to accentuate all positive aspects, and how to minimize negative ones.

How can you do this? You can actually turn bipolar into an advantage by creating and accomplishing a vision of what you really want. After that, you need to come up with a plan that you should follow in order to achieve your goal. Wootton personally experienced both good and bad sides of bipolar because he was misdiagnosed, and for many years he learned how to cope with such situation. He conducts seminars for bipolar patients; thereby gaining personal stories from actual sufferers. He then put all these things together and came up with a book which provides a positive approach to bipolar, the right tools, and skills to improve life for the patient and his/her family.

- Utilize various bipolar websites

There is this popular website called the Bipolar Advantage that deals with all the good and bad things about bipolar. You can log on to their site and access all the needed information in order to understand your situation and how you can cope with it.

You can also check other sites that provide useful information about bipolar. There are many search engines that you can try; all it takes is a bit of research and time.

- In Audio

You can make use of today's new technology. If you have a computer at home and an Internet connection, you can access Bipolar Advantage through audio. If you have a flash player, then you can readily have access to different sites.

Most of the time, it depends on the bipolar patient whether he can control his condition or not. If he doesn’t make a move now, his situation will only become worse. But if the individual tries to utilize different resources, and seek proper medical attention, then he is on his way to controlling his condition. With the support of family and friends, a bipolar patient can effectively overcome his condition and live a happy and normal life like any other individual. Know the different resources that can help you in your struggle and live life to the fullest.

Grab the 2nd Edition of "The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide, Second Edition: What You and Your Family Need to Know"

Books are generally widely available in many different places. A lot of people spend countless hours in bookstores trying to find good quality reading materials that can help in enriching their minds with fresh and new ideas or knowledge that they may find useful in their everyday lives.

Finding a good book is not that hard, especially if you know what you're looking for. And besides, if you're a book-lover you already have a wide range of choices when it comes to authors.

Everyday, a huge number of people are diagnosed with different diseases or illnesses. Perhaps, you're one of them, or maybe a family member is afflicted. It's hard to tell when a person will get an illness, or when he's already suffering from it. And this is true with bipolar. If you have no idea what bipolar is, then you'd better purchase the book written by David J. Miklowitz.

The second edition of the book entitled ' The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know' is a very good addition to your book collection. Not only that, it can be of great help to you and your family.

Before, people diagnosed with bipolar don't have much choices to help them in their daily struggle. But at present, because of sharper diagnosis, better medicine, and a lot of support groups, there is a bright future waiting for bipolar patients.

The author of the book mentioned is a Psychology Professor in Colorado University since 1989. He conducted a valuable research funded by MacArthur Foundation and the NIMH which was recognized and awarded by various organizations. His book's second edition is a great resource for bipolar patients because it provides information on:

-    early signs and warnings on mood swings caused by normal day to day experiences
-    medications available for bipolar patients and their possible side effects
-    things to do when you're descending into mania or depression
-    how to get support and help from friends and family members
-    how to inform co-workers about the illness without losing your career

The abovementioned information is clearly discussed on the book. David Miklowitz wrote the book's second edition intended for the use of the patient. It is a comprehensive guide that tackles different information and other related questions that the patient may have in mind. It will help them to take charge and reclaim their life from bipolar. Since Miklowitz is a specialist and a researcher, he is considered an expert in his own field; and therefore, he is able to provide proven tools that can help bipolar patients to balance their life emotionally and financially.

Don't lose your life to bipolar, make a move now and purchase the book by Miklowitz. It has garnered high ratings in many editorial reviews. The book deals with exclusive patient issues like overcoming the diagnosis, the right person(s) to confide, and recognizing your mood swings. The book is not only useful for patients, but for their therapists and family members as well. Many editors claim that the book is humane and impressive. It promotes stability, explores multidimensional management techniques, thorough, well-written, and full of great advice to re-organize the patient's life. People having the illness, as well as non-sufferers can find the book very useful.

The book is also a great addition to large libraries because it is rich in materials to demystify bipolar. It explains methodically the disease, symptoms, diagnosis, and cogently explains possible causes; and at the same time offers advice to manage it. There are also logs and worksheets provided to help patients better understand bipolar. All in all, the book is interesting, informative, and compassionate.

Your life is full of ups and downs. It is a natural occurrence that all people must be able to cope with; but not all people are strong enough to face the hardships of life. And so a great number of them end up with certain illnesses like bipolar. Don't despair because it's not the end for you of your family; there are many resources to turn to like this book. Open your mind to the many resources that can help you in your suffering. Purchase the book now and see the difference.