Suggestions? Mental Wellness?

[cadelmcg]

Hi, All,

First off, this is taking a lot of courage for me to write, as this is a personal matter. I hope all of you can understand and help me out! :-)

I am new to this forum, I am looking into a raw diet.

I have tried doing Weight Watchers.. which has worked.. but I feel I need something more. Right now I am not on any kind of eating plan but have noticed more than ever I am so sluggish. Barely want to do much of anything. I am not ever necessarily looking into Raw Foods as a weight loss technique.. although I do need to lose weight. That would just be an added benefit. In fact, a few of my favorite foods are steak hamburgers and cheese. I would be willing to sacrifice all of that if it means a healing journey.

I am considered to have OCD and am on some meds for this. I have noticed lately.. I have been really moody..very up and down..one minute fine.. the next.. angry or sad. This scares me. I went to the doctor.. he never really listened to what I had to say and threw some more pills at me. I do not want to become one of those people that is medicated for the rest of their lives on a million drugs. I do not want to change the passionate person I am about life. I don't want to become a blob. He could not understand that. One medication is enough for me.

Researching Raw Foods has opened a door for me, a hope that I can maybe feel a little better and have a better attitude about working through things. I want to be able to do that.

I guess my question is.. Is it a danger to be on meds when you start your Raw Foods diet? I know everyone speaks of an initial detox, does this affect people taking pills? After being on the Raw Diet do you have to wean yourself off of the medication? I was hoping to get some experience and knowledge from everyone!

I just don't want to make matters worse.

Thanks so much!

Cate

[Amii]

I am considered to have OCD but I have never been professionally (aka by a doctor) diagnosed so I am not medicated for it. But I would strongly advise you carry on with your medication as prescribed whilst you work with a mental health practitioner to help you slowly but surely wean yourself off the meds. When you first go raw you'll notice a spike in the O's and C's (less frequently but more intensely) and this is a part of the detoxing phase. Stick with the medication for now. This is just my opinion though and I could be very wrong.

That's all I can help with but there are many people here who will offer you a ton of support and confidence (I'm one of them) so they can fill you in in more details.

Aside from that, I think you're very brave to tell what you did and I look forward to seeing you around these forums. Raw changes a lot of things :)

[D'vorah]

Suddenly stopping meds can be dangerous. Better to wean as you feel you can.

Sometimes meds are necessary, be gentle with yourself about it. The biggest thing that stands out to me is that you have a doctor who either is over-worked and doesn't have time to listen or simply has no respect for you. If you can, I'd encourage you to find a doctor who can work with you. It's your life and your healing process.

Blessings,

Deborah

[green jeanie]

Nutrition is the fundamental thing that we do every day that has an effect on our mind/body. What you are eating and the health of your digestive system effects your thoughts and mood tremendously.

My advice based off of your message would be that you seek a highly qualified natural medicine practitioner. Naturopathic and Chinese Medicine (acupuncture/herb) would be my first suggestions. They typically have the most comprehensive education to deal with complex issues.

Where are you located?? Most urban areas will provide these services though they can be expensive if you don't have insurance that covers it.

Best of luck to you. And, YES, (an emphatic yes) raw diet will help. in my opinion

hugs, gj

[green jeanie]

I agree, don't stop your meds.

Also, OCD can be a direct result of candida, parasites or some other bacterial infection in the gi tract. See if you can get a comprehensive stool analysis

[cadelmcg]

Thanks, guys! I really appreciate all of your advice! I have started to take notice that there are a lot of open minded understanding people on this forum. I love that. I think there is a level where one has to have an open mind to entertain the idea of a raw food diet. I have told some people about it and they seem to quirk their eyebrows to the idea. I think a lot of people in our society are accustomed to a certain way of eating and maybe have a hard time looking outside of that box?

As to the ocd.. I have the O rather than the C. The detox period is making me nervous about doing this diet. Like I said earlier, I have noticed I have been having fluxuations between being sad, angry, happy or just numb .. instead of having the OCD. This was making me really nervous. I haven't felt myself lately. I know I need to change and I feel like this could be an open door for me. I just want to make sure that during the detox things won't get worse? And while the detox is going on that I won't have any adverse affects with my medication. I didn't know if anyone had noticed that. I won't stop my medication. Although one day when I see an improvement I would like to wean myself off of it.

Generally, though.. how was everyone's detox period? Bad..not noticeable..?

Do you suggest I do it gradually so as not to completely shock my body since I am so used to processed foods, going out to eat, meats etc?

This is a whole new world to me (yes, start singing and grab your magic carpet haha) So I have a lot of questions even after a lot of research.

Thanks so much for your support, patience and care to read my posts!

[DopeRawAbundance]

Wean yourself slowly off the meds, at a comfortable, maybe even slightly uncomfortable, rate. And try integrating more raw foods, at the aforementioned rate. As said above, your support is right here, in a convenient little package.

[terry brown]

Best wishes to you Cate.
I am sure if you follow a healtly raw diet and wean from the drugs over time you will notice big changes.
I am a big fan of positive affirmations, so you may want to add some of those in as well!!

[Blazin'Jane]

I recommend another approach. Stay on your meds---they're a given for awhile. Move gradually into raw foods so that you don't detox too quickly. If you have alot of meds in your body and your favorite food is hamburger steak, it will take a while to clean out your system Just be patient with it all. If you start, say, drinking green smoothies in the mornings and just do that for a couple of weeks and leave everything else the same, you can see how your body will react. I suspect it won't be much, but if it does, give it a chance to stabilize again, and then add another raw meal a day--whatever is the easiest for you. Get that stable, and then you'll be ready to just go raw. Let your body adjust to that---it may take 3 months---maybe not, but you'll know. By then you'll be feeling like a totally different person and you can start to have a discussion with your prescribing doctor. I wish you alll the best. I hope you'll keep us posted. Lots of people greatly reduce or eliminate medicines for mental disorders. Just be respectful of your body and what it's used to as you go along. I got off 3 blood pressure meds, but the weaning process took me more than two years. A man I work with takes quite a bit of mental health medicine. He has lost 110 lbs. and very gradually come off many of his meds---it was all very gradual, and I think that's your best approach. Good luck on your journey!

[freespirit]

In addition to all the other replies, I would suggest making sure you include lots of raw fats in your diet- mostly avocadoes and raw olives. nuts and virgin oil are good, but I believe the fatty fruits are more accesible for the digestive system and you know they are truly raw. This will DEFINITELY help stabilize your mood as well as breakdown the bad fat your body is storing and help remove it from your system.

Most behavioral problems in children are becasue of the lack of healthy, uncooked fats in the diet. our brains are mostly fat and if not given the proper materials to maintain repairs it will deteriorate.

[kaybee]

yeah i totally agree with blazin jane and others--if you do it gradually, youre not going to have a 'detox period" like you might have been reading about. your body should just naturally adapt. also, i think getting the meat, dairy, etc out of your diet is probably really important as you wont have the hormones and stuff from that in your system anymore either, so your whole being will be clearer and cleaner.

also, i think weight watchers focuses more on calorie restriction than it does on providing a super nutrient rich healthy diet...think of all the processed "meals" they have that you can buy! i'd say it doesnt do much to eliminate the "bad" stuff in peoples diets. i think you are far better off with raw as it doesnt restrict calories, it feeds your body towards optimum health, and it is a lifestyle more than just a "diet."

im sending you a private message as well (if i can).

[DRiz]

When you're shopping and have an inclination to buy some of those processed foods you are used to, take a look at the ingredients. One thing someone said to me years ago and it has always stuck with me, "if you don't understand the ingredients listed on the foods you are buying, your body certainly won't either."

As stated above, Weight Watchers does tend to push processed foods. I was on WW for several years and remember I was always hungry an hour after I ate a meal. Its amazing that now that I eat only raw foods I am literally full for hours. Not to mention the high and sense of calmness I now have, both mentally and physically.

I truly feel if you follow the path of eating live, nutritionally dense foods, you will eventually be able to wean yourself off the meds you are currently being prescribed, if that is your desire. You will feel healthy, happy and very balanced and (with your doctor's approval, of course) just won't need them anymore.

As far as detox, the detox period can be rough. I detoxed for 3 weeks at the beginning and still have days where I'm not quite with it. But the days of feeling really good - almost euphoric - are becoming the majority rather than the minority, and for me that's worth the effort.

Best of luck to you, Cate. Stick around this forum and you will receive a lot of support and great advice.

[cadelmcg]

You guys are so correct about Weight Watchers.. It was great for calorie intake and yes you had to have a certain amount of veggies and fruits... but they had so many processed foods that were convenient to buy.. and I felt myself lacking..

I am 24 yrs old.. have always tried to kind of think outside of the box...of normal "acceptable" thinking or practices. I have flirted with the idea many times of Raw Foods Diet.. what really got me thinking (ironically) was an episode of Oprah.. I don't watch much tv.. but due to a lack of hours at work It caught my eye. It was an episode about a documentary out there called "FOOD INC". They spoke of how so many of our foods, meats, etc are chock full of growth hormones.. chemicals. They showed clips of how these big chicken farms mass produce chickens with large breasts because it is americas favorite part of the chicken. This in turn, creates the chicken to be in pain and can barely walk causing it to topple over. They were all just laying on eachother.. It really saddened and disappointed me. I have never really questioned meat..and where our food comes from.. but this really opened my eyes. It is scary how much junk is in our food and how it can affect us. Of course, I am still young and learning new things. I am still on my journey :-)

Kaydee.. Since I am pretty new.. I have no idea how to tell if I get Private Messages or not.. you may email me if you cannot send me a PM Cadelmcg@gmail.com.

THANKS GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DRiz]

I watched "Food Inc." just last Sunday. Its disgusting what is going on in the food industry. I was surprised to learn that the soybean industry has pretty much been taken over by Big Food and that most, of not all, of the soy being grown in the U.S. is now chemically altered. Its obvious to me that Big Food and Big Pharma are linked at the hip. Obviously, the food being produced is making people sick. Big Pharma profits by producing the drugs to combat the illnesses. The government sticks its hand in the sand and rubber stamps it all.

All the more inducement to buy only organic, naturally grown, unaltered food. As one farmer stated in the movie, if we demand it, they will grow it. The organic movement is moving at fast speed ahead. We will prevail.

[cadelmcg]

I just watched the whole movie, since I had only watched clips from Oprah. Wow, I really think EVERYONE should watch that movie!! What an eye opener. How scary is it that these companies control most farmers and standards of how our food is produced?! It is VILE and disgusting how they treat those animals. I understand they are there to be slaughtered for food eventually but have some decency and respect. I don't ever want to eat meat again. I never judged vegetarians but I now understand why you feel SO strongly against eating meat. I thought it was really kind of inspirational at the end saying that we could vote 3 times a day on the quality of our food.

I am worried about my wallet buying organic but I will take it. It is truly scary that it is cheaper to buy a triple stacked hamburger than it is a head of lettuce!

[How?]

cadelmcg, really consider incorporating DAILY exercise into your new lifestyle if at all possible. It can help you win the war, one day at a time, and thats how its done. Access to a sauna or steam room in a gym also helps a lot to feel renewed and if you have that renewed feeling on a daily basis , you end up changing your habits. Also do some googles on natural cures or consider seeing an alternative medicine doctor.I have had some good success's for minor ailments at times using alternative medicine and its not given a fair crack of the whip by the masses imho.Some homeopathic remedies can be very powerful but I suggest working with a trained professional. I found this website when doing a quick google...
http://www.solutiontherapiesonline.com/
I haven't read it properly but there may be some useful content on there.
Blessings.