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The Way Up Newsletter |
| "Love is our only reason
for living & the only purpose of life. We live for the sake of love and we live seeking love." Swami Muktananda |
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| NAMASTE & WELCOME TO THE WAY UP MONTHLY NEWSLETTER! | |
| It remains my persistent belief that nothing interferes
with the quality of life so pervasively as does a negative view
of self, others, & life. How we perceive & interpret is integral
to our ability to love ourselves & others, to have meaning, a reason
for being.
It is awesome that hope & the potential for happiness actually
rests upon the proper functioning of our brains.
A recent journal report again emphasized this fact when a usually
happy woman undergoing a microsurgical procedure on her brain while
conscious reported a profound depression & desire to die when a
specific site in her brain was stimulated. She returned to her
happy self when the stimulus stopped & when the surgeon twice again
went to the same site, to see if the response was duplicated she
twice again became profoundly, though transiently hopeless.
Negatively altered mood & perception can be insidious & many who
have this don't even know it. They think that is reality, how life
is, because it's what they have known. I maintain that any unfounded
fear or negative thought ranging from fleeting thoughts of threat,
loss, disaster, etc. to an obsessive dwelling on the unpleasant
represents varying degrees of a usually correctible brain dysfunction.
One of the most positive persons I have met is a manicurist I know.
She has a number tatooed on her arm, lost her family to the concentration
camps, & has every excuse to be negative. Instead, she is full
of light & fulfilled in life.
HOW CAN BRAIN FUNCTIONING
BE IMPROVED?
Those of you who have read my book know my interest in alternative
treatments began with looking for natural methods for mood & stress
control. It then expended from there.
Several have emailed asking if the treatment of low moods & stress
outlined in my book, "THE WAY UP FROM DOWN", remains the same as
the last printing in 1992. The basic program is the same & has
been successfully applied by thousands of people, including myself.
The only difference from the book is that now I usually recommend
5- hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) in place of L-tryptophan. L-tryptophan
converts to 5-HTP on its way to becoming serotonin, so 5HTP is
one step closer to the desired end product. The reason for the
change is the over-the-counter availability of 5HTP, whereas L-tryptophan
is only available from compounding pharmacies & with a Dr's prescription.
Though the basic mood control program ( multivitamin /mineral,
B complex, vitamin C, pyridoxal-5-phosphate, L-tyrosine, & 5HTP
remains the same, there are numerous additional items which help
with mood & can be added to the basic program. I do not suggest
they be used first, but as an addition when needed.
If this subject interests you, visit http://www. thewayup.com &
look for depression on the conditions list to find & read about
the additional items. We'll choose one to focus on now, as it would
be the first to be added to the basic program.
ARE THERE GOOD FATS?
Our brains are predominantly lipids (fats). Essential fatty acids
(EFA's) are those forms of fat which are essential for the health
& proper functioning of numerous organ systems. They are only obtained
by diet or supplements. Proper levels are required in the brain
for normal nerve conduction & neurotransmitter function.
Recently I was pleased to see an article published in the non-alternative
oriented Archives Of General Psychiatry, May/99 entitled "Omega
3 Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder, A Preliminary Double-blind,
Placebo Controlled Trial"
The premise, "fatty acids may inhibit neuronal signal transduction
pathways in a manner similar to that of Lithium carbonate & valproate
(Depakote)" which are medicines used for this condition. The study
was performed "to examine whether Omega 3 Fatty Acids also exhibit
mood- stabilizing properties in bipolar disorder." Fatty acids
or placebo were added to the patients usual treatment regimen.
The findings were that "the fatty acid patient group had a significantly
longer period of remission than the placebo group & for nearly
every other outcome measure performed better than the placebo group".
The journal Biological Psychiatry March/98 reported the depletion
of omega-3 fatty acids in the red blood cell membranes of 15 depressed
vs 15 control subjects.
Another study found that 53 subjects with ADHD (Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder) had significantly lower concentrations
of fatty acids in the plasma & red blood cells than did 43 control
subjects. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition 1995; 62:761-8
Obviously, these smatterings are to picque your interest only.
Decreased essential fatty acids are linked to numerous physical
& mental disorders. If you would like to learn more, you might
want to read the book, SMART FATS, by Professor Michael Schmidt.
WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS?
I do want to hear from you about what you would like to see in
these newsletters. You can also ask questions on the feedback form
at https://www.thewayup.com
Feel free to forward this news to anyone you think would be interested.
Enjoy your life & will revisit next month. Priscilla Slagle M.D. "It is not the actions of other people that give us trouble, but our own nature, our own attitude & our own actions." Swami Muktananda |
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