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FirstGarden
01-14-2007, 12:14 PM
Hi Everyone

I searched the site on this and didn't find much.

A brief story:

I can't say I really have depression running in my family, and I'm of the persuasion that most such conditions are a product of a modern, abherrated society.

Early in the 1990s, I started getting really ill with three main symptoms - always these three -- muscle aches, fever & weakness. As the '90s progressed, it would happen once every 2 weeks or so, then weekly, then twice a week, then daily! There were days when the weakness was so severe I couldn't go to work, so it was really scary. And doctors really didn't have a clue.

I'll never forget one doctor I saw. I had been researching a lot on candida (yeast overgrowth), autointoxication, fibromyalgia, Bar Epstein virus and the whole gamut of vaguely identified diseases that all masquerade as one another, when in reality it may be none of them at all. I shared my findings with the doctor. Ha! I may as well have shared them with Ronald MacDonold. He said they were all myths. My heart sunk, and I knew right there that I'd not be dealing with this professional, irresponsible joker. (Not all doctors are bad. They just have a very different and inadequate orientation that treats symptoms rather than dealing with causes. This suits the Pharmaceutical Mafia just fine. This is the big money fox that guards the health hen house. They write the medical journals the doctors read and provide every perc imaginable for them).

Long story short, I went to a natural therapist - a little, old, German lady who was a biochemist and did contact reflex analysis. She was wonderful, and genuinely sympathetic to my suffering, unlike the cadre of cold professionals I was used to seeing. And she was not at all greedy in her rates and even seemed to undercharge her patients. She said I had a "triad" of issues with my immune system -- liver, thyroid and pancreas. She gave me 3-4 vials of extracts such as black cohosh and animal (yikes!) extracts. Before long, the symptoms went away. This lasted for about 2 months. Then the symptoms came back. She did more tests and determined I had an infected gall bladder. She may have well been right, as I had some mild, dull pain there since the 80s, on & off, mostly off. But, at this point, there was little she could do for me. But she sure made heroic progress toward solving my illness.

Finally, I went to see an acquaintance of mine who was a Jewish cardiologist named Harry. I loved Harry and he was also a general practitioner. He took a good look at me from his desk and said I looked depressed. I didn't believe it. And I am very slow and cautious about applying labels. I was incredulous! But he insisted. I said, "I find life to be too stimulating and full of purpose to be depressed. How could that be?" But he said it was possible. Also, I had heard of psychosomatic illness and believed in it, but I *never* thought that depression could cause *physical* illness!

AFTER 2 WEEKS ON PROZAC ALL THE SYMPTOMS VANISHED!

As an aspiring Raw Foodist, I hardly want chemicals in my body. I don't want to be the Prozac Prince. It runs against my principles of resisting artificial living, and lining the Pharmaceutical Mafia's pockets with gold. (But, I do recognize that sometimes conditions are so genuinely severe that medications have become necessary. I just believe that in the vast majority of cases it is not, and that society is so brainwashed and media-mesmerized into believing they need all these drugs. All along there are the natural cures that they don't want us to know about.)

If I go off Prozac for a week or so, the difference is so subtle I usually don't notice it. If I start feeling too unstable, the Prozac seems to help.

I have often suspected that years of caffeine and alcohol abuse helped bring the depression on.

Maybe even from the Magical Mystery Tours & Magic Carpet Rides of the '60s, lol, who knows?

The depression persists, even though I still take the prozac and have relinquished the wine.

Effexor makes me hypertensive and I am scheduled to go to a specialist next month to be a guinea pig for yet another drug? You can tell I'm not thrilled at the whole prospect.

These people really don't know what they're doing. Doctors are just guessing. It's like Light. No one knows what it is.. Whether it be waves, particles, packets...? We just have ideas how to manipulate it. Like electricity, we observe the laws that seem to govern it, externally, but we really don't understand it well. The human body is the same way - very complex. The liver alone has over 500 functions. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made." When doctors do a diagnosis, they're really just guessing. Occasionally they even admit it, in spite of their 8 plus years education in biochemistry, surgery & applying expensive Band-Aids. If I sound like I have an attitude here, it's because I do. I am ever against the irresponsible, wildly profiteering, willful ignorance on the part of our professionals and gov't agencies that is CONTRARY TO THE PUBLIC GOOD.

But, I am also thankful for a few dedicated professionals and the expertise of the medical establishment to put together broken bones and deal with crisis situations in general. And I am also thankful that we live in a land of plenty, enjoy great freedom, resource and abundance, wide food selection and so forth.

I still am a caffeine addict. Because I always was such a low energy person, after a cup or three of coffee, people like me begin to feel halfway normal. lol. Getting off isn't all too hard. It's *staying* off. I quit countless times, complete with fasting and every trick I knew. It is such a profound addicton, it's as though it's become a part of my very being. Anyone alse ever feel that way?

But, as a purist in my highest convictions, this is simply not acceptable. And I have always felt that one day I will finally overcome and enjoy great freedom. When I go completely raw and give it time, my hope is that the superior nutritive value of the raw diet will replace missing elements in my body that synthetics can never do, and will lift energy levels beyond the thresholds of depressive experience. Who knows?

Any thoughts? Thank you in advance.

:-{) - a smile with a mustache

Moonstone
01-14-2007, 03:14 PM
First Garden, what I believe is that there is no harm in trying this way of eating in the beginning, if only for 30 days. I think that everyone is so different and so completely complex both in their minds and body that one must see themselves how it affects them individually.

If not taking these drugs you have mentioned does not do you harm, why do you not try this first?

Nectarine
01-14-2007, 03:25 PM
From my own experience so far with a raw vegan diet (albeit just over one week's worth of experience :cool: ), I have no reason to believe that an exclusively raw diet will not postively impact on depression, and other psychological disorders. I have struggled with almost all-consuming anger for a long time now, the kind of anger that never really peters out, but continually simmers away in the background, no matter what the occasion. I'm tentative as I say this because it is still early days yet, but I'm beginning to find that, on a raw diet, I can more easily calm myself, and just slip off into deep meditative states without even consciously seeking to. As you may well know, depression (if indeed depression is the correct diagnosis in your case) is simply anger directed inwardly instead of outwardly. There's every possiblity that eating 100% raw can and will do good things for you in this regard. I believe I've seen depression listed among the catalogue of ailments that people claim to have recovered from as a result of their switch to raw food.

goodbeets
01-14-2007, 03:25 PM
Dear FirstGArden, I must say, I have never found anything better than raw to CURE my depression. I have dysthymia; clinical, long-term depression that is mild with severe episodes. I have tried St. John's wort, fish oil, exercise and raw. Raw and exercise take the cake!!!! I am so completely cured!! I still have times that are down, such is life, but the bad feelings last hours, not days. I have been amazed. My husband notices completely. All I can say is... go for it!! I have googled depression and raw and found a lot of info.

goodbeets
01-14-2007, 03:29 PM
I forgot to add wellbutrin to my list of "helpers". I was put on this after a 3 day hospitlization. I am telling you, raw is amazing!!!! I have also just read "Green's for Life" and "Naked Chocolate" and there is a great deal of info in those books concerning depression and raw (and greens and cacao). I highly reccomend both.

FirstGarden
01-14-2007, 05:35 PM
Wellbutrin was not well for me. (Pun intended :-). It made me all dizzy. Zoloft wasn't so lofty either. Each human body is a walking chemical factory with maybe thousands of variables. So we do all react differently to things.

This weekend I've developed a lovely tension headache, and I think it's from fresh forays into raw. Torrential toxin release into the bloodstream - wheeeee!

But, no way am I giving up!

I was in church this morning getting dizzy. It's this way cool youth church in Covina (So Calif) that my kids got into... not stuffy, manmade religion. A rock band doing contemporary worship, a smoke machine on the stage... but orderly, in very good taste. And I had to laugh when I saw the communion plate. And I imagined a thread saying, "Raw communion?" Ha ha. I could see the grape juice, or raw, organic wine, but the bread would take some imagination. :-) Leave it to them brilliant rawists to come up with something!

Yeah, I am fully aware of stuffed anger, lack of vit D or sunshine, lack of B complex, etc as causes of depression. I've pretty much learned to manage the anger rather than stuffing it. I'm the mellow temperament, and anger is more a minor than a major for me - providing I manage it! I'd be more guilty of extended hippiedom or something. Like some of you, I came out of the hippie scene, but the hippie scene didn't fully come out of me. :-{)=

But I do understand and appreciate Nectarine's situation as described. It sounds very much like someone very close to me, who I live with. Nectarine, it sounds like you have a good handle on it. Good to know that raw helps.

Thanks for the posts!

RedOrchid
01-14-2007, 10:37 PM
I'm so glad you posted this. I have bipolar depression (type II) and have been wondering whether I will be able to discontinue my meds or not. After being 70-90% raw for a month, I felt great mentally, but then I had another irritable hypomanic episode. Now I'm confused as to what to do...

Another thing that I wonder about my episode is if it was actually due to the bipolar or just part of an emotional "detox." I can't tell the difference. I'm staying on my meds just to be safe, but I'd eventually like to be able to get off them.

I'd be interested to hear what you think about this.

FirstGarden
01-15-2007, 11:09 AM
RedOrchid - It will take some time to determine this. In the early stages of raw - say, the first few weeks or months - raw and meds will probably have a peaceful coexistence in your body. Over time that could possibly change, depending on the drug and your own body's chemistry.

1- Raw eating may work a healing.

2- Much like fasting, Raw could potentially force a showdown with anything alien, synthetic, impure or that doesn't belong in your system. The purer your body becomes, the greater the chances of such a prospect. For me, I think raw & fasting will eventually force a confrontation against caffeine.

I do know that our bodies are incredibly adaptable to the garbage we subject them to, in spite of some discomfort and initial adjustments. But ultimately Nature longs to be free!

Just a cautionary word:

I think everyone means very well on this site, and many are a wealth of knowledge. I've studied a lot myself and *I'M* impressed. I feel I can learn soooo much here!...

But we are not biochemists. :-) If your condition is severe, go off the meds carefully and gradually, preferably under your doctor's supervision. Hopefully he or she will not be too ignorant of the vastly superior natural lifestyle over drugs.

Best of luck on that and be happy & well!

:-{)= - A smile with a mustache & beard

misslinda
01-15-2007, 11:30 AM
Welcome and warmest wishes to you Firstgarden!


I believe that depression stems from imbalance and disharmony in the body-the whole mind/body connection.

I believe the meds are used to mask and alter our ablility to [feel] so that we can bypass these natural adaptations that our bodies gives us...like achey tiredness,achey muslces,headaches etc.

Your right, in some case, some people do find it neccessay to use medications to function. Myself, I had been on depression medications and other menta;/emotional accomodating drugs as well. The scary thing about these meds is that they [depress] our senses. At one point, I missed how my body felt weak and tired.............b/c I woke up one morning and [realized] that it was crying out and reaching out............I didn't want to stop that.

Fast forward, [depression] as I believe is body related and once those areas of disharmony balance (the journey can be bumpy), the sky becomes blue again and SUNNY!

EEEEEEEEk! Caffeine is one of the worst culprits for 'depression' It's dehydrating and intereferes with the CNS. All those delicate nerve pulses to various parts of the body.

Please fee free to join us in our fasting thread if you would like!

:)

FirstGarden
01-15-2007, 11:38 AM
Thanks misslinda. I'm a huge believer in fasting. The longest I ever went was 19 days, so far... but that was liquids, not water. I've studied a lot about it tho, and would love to compare notes with ya all. Sea ya at the fasting thread sometime soon.

:-{)

misslinda
01-15-2007, 11:43 AM
Thanks misslinda. I'm a huge believer in fasting. The longest I ever went was 19 days, so far... but that was liquids, not water. I've studied a lot about it tho, and would love to compare notes with ya all. Sea ya at the fasting thread sometime soon.

:-{)

p.s. I had an idea - thought it would be cool to list our fave avatars, rating them any way we'd like. Stay tuned...


that would be fantastic to share and exchange notes!

:-) = smile withoutmustache and beard :D

dreamrawalwz
01-15-2007, 04:16 PM
Depression is a chemical imbalance. With raw after you're detoxed your body can balance itself and help the depression tremendously. I suffer from severe depression. It gets really bad if I consume animal products (havn't in almost a year), better vegan, and it's GONE on raw. I have to keep it a simple raw with low fats, but it's what works for me. I've had depression almost my whole life, so it is possible to overcome. Just give it time :)

Naiad
01-15-2007, 04:26 PM
I just had to say, Dreamraw... your new avatar picture is very pretty! :D

luckitri
01-15-2007, 04:34 PM
There are many causes IMHO. I don't have too much of the female chemistry causing mine anymore. Mine is situational - negative events can put me in a physical stress negative downward spiral. . . Fortunately so far I rarely feel that I need help and then only for a day or two.

My 12 year old never had safe play outside or trustworthy playmates. We have moved almost every year. We are in the same area but keep trying different neighborhoods for various reasons. At a very young age he would talk suicide - very scary. When we moved to where we are now the doorbell rang and a gang of kids was standing outside wanting to meet him. They have played almost every day since and we are entering our second year here. They seem to have unspoken rules that they play rough but no-one ever gets hurt. (Wish adults could do that.) Other kids from all around want to hang out here with this group. If they don't understand the rules and someone gets hurt - they don't come back. There is always a parent available. We parents stick to ourselves mostly but we do take each others kids with permission and feed each others kids. Almost every weekend they stay over at each others houses. When a girl at school brought a high school boy over to beat my son up because he wouldn't be her boyfriend (he is not ready) my neighbors backed me up with the police. My son has not had any depressive talk since we have lived here and I am not moving unless forced. I don't care what happens - this is good for him and healing and he needs it.

So my lesson that I take is that even though we are adults we cannot ignore the effects our interactions or lack of interaction with others have on us. We still have a physical - physiological reaction. Yes I have browbeat myself with the mind over matter - if I don't mind it won't matter - but the body somehow still knows no matter what I tell myself. . . no matter how much I forget or distract.

It seems that all of the meds have side effects. We need legislation that forces doctors to log all side effects reported by patients so that we might be more effective as a nation. The log needs to be entered into a national data base. Of course Rx companies will fight this. Special interest groups will not care for the increased cost to medical care. Many patients will fight this legislation fearing that their privacy will be violated. Safeguards can be legislated in. The benefit to you of this legislation would be manyfold. If you are suffering memory loss and cannot perform your job adequately anymore - perhaps a look at the data base for the meds you are taking will show that it can be a side effect and your doctor can try you on something else that is not known to create that effect. If this information is known and easily accessible by all doctors you are more likely to find the cause rather than be considered for yet another diagnosis on top of all you have when the real cause is the Rx. At this point in time it seems that a whole lot of bad has to happen before the information about side effects comes out for one med. I have worked with too many people who are only semi-functional because of their meds. The whole workplace suffers. If the pharmaceutical companies were aware of the magnitude of the problem maybe they would be more inclined to find a solution. . . . or we can insist on one. . . if we create the proof by simply logging it truthfully.

There can be so many causes of the bad chemistry. I mostly consider our polluted environment but regardless of the cause - the sufferer needs to do all that they can do be functional. I do accept that depression is a fact of life. . . but just as a reaction to a reality as can be joy. Any more and there are more causal factors involved that can possibly be altered.

Wendee
01-15-2007, 04:44 PM
The higher water content in raw food is always benificial, as dehydration is one of (if not the only) cause of depression. Another cause is anger directed inwardly toward the self.
This is all my speculation, btw.

Raw food does help with the enzymes and such, also.

Many benifits by eating raw.

Svadhyaya
01-15-2007, 05:00 PM
Raw food has helped with my bipolar disorder (the depression part, especially.) The rawer I eat, the more energy I seem to have and I just seem not to be as depressed if I have lots of energy. Usually depression either makes me feel or comes on when I already do feel lazy and sluggish. Then I tend to overeat "comfort food" which compounds the problem and makes me feel lazier, sluggisher, and depresseder. No good. Raw is much better on all counts.

I am about 75% raw now and have been off my meds for awhile now.
I'm really doing okay. A little spastic sometimes and "blue" other times, but nothing so severe that I'd consider meds again (unless things get worse, of course.)

FirstGarden
01-15-2007, 05:03 PM
Good post, dreamraw. Wow, 2 more posts appeared before I could finish responding. It's amazing to realize how many have suffered from depression and such! And, for that matter, how many have suffered from all KINDS of evils today like cancer, diabetes, etc... the list goes on and on. We have diseases on our diseases, it seems. Too often I hear of someone coming down with cancer of this, cancer of that... and not all of them smoked, or lived around 2nd hand smoke. And every time I hear of another case, I feel so challenged to keep a very pure diet!

Why is it that in all the ancient literature I've read, I've not seen any of these modern diseases? Oh, there was leprosy and things, largely because people didn't know about the existence of germs, nor about proper hygeine. But today, disease is more rampant than ever! So is obesity.

You know what bothers me? It's not just that disease is rampant in our society's modern, educated ignorance. It's not just that entire industries make an absolute killing off our premature death (no pun intended this time). It's not just that Gov't regulatory agencies who are supposed to be serving & protecting us - the people - are really serving big money. Cancer used to be
1 out of 10,000, then
1 out of 1000, then
1 out of 100, then
1 out of 50, then
1 out of 10. Now,
1 out of *2*!!???

What gets me is that there is no public outcry! Something is obviously very wrong with the food chain. The water supply. The air we breathe! Where are the public protests? We are told that cancer is a part of life. Not at all! Cancer is a part of death! Weakened cells, pathogenic beds of mucus, decaying tissue, decomposing tissue. (Sorry, I don't mean to get too graphic). With media-mesmerism, obesity & couch-potatoism at an all time high, we are like a minority here. But, I think more will wake up. Maybe to the point to where the big markets will be dancing to our tune instead of just the collective garbagefest of dying humanity. Live! I say, Live!
We were meant to live!

Look at how they jumped on the low-carb bandwagon.
Such a great thing can't be kept secret forever.
It'll be our turn one day..
when there's enough of us.

Green_Woman
10-08-2009, 11:04 PM
*bump bump*

Any new posters care to comment on OP's question? I'm looking for info on healing BIPOLAR I Disorder with RAW foods... 100% RAW!