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Has anyone with bipolar or other psychological issues noticed there problems worsen on raw?

CarnapCarnap Raw Newbie

My sleep is more fragile and my temper is higher...

Am I getting too many vitamins before going to bed?

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  • rawcanadianrawcanadian Raw Newbie

    Hi,

    Please let us know a little about yourself.

    I checked you profile, but you didn't write anything so it's hard to offer advice if we know nothing about you.

    Are you 100% raw??

    What foods are you eating??

    It could be a detox that your going through, maybe add some more cooked back into the diet and go into raw more gradually. Also, try not to eat anything 2 or 3 hours before bed, except water is ok.

    Good luck!!!

  • CarnapCarnap Raw Newbie

    I am recently one hundred per cent raw, but for three months could not go over 60 per cent because the fiber gave me a spastic colon. I am currently doing a liver cleanse of artichoke leaves, olive leaves, etc. and a parasite cleanse with black walnut, propolis, etc. These pills have made it possible for me to eat 100 per cent raw with no intestinal problems. I guess it is regulating my bile and digestion.

    I eat, on average :

    morning : two apples or if i have class i eat bananas to fill me up

    lunch : nori rolls filled with lettuce, avocado, grated celery and other grated veggies like fennel or turnip

    dinner: cucumber and maca smoothie with a huge salad.

    sometimes i eat essene bread which is not raw. Also, I eat impulsively and from boredom so I am often making pine nut/coconut balls with supposedly raw cacao....

    I've cut sugar out a lot. Even seven months ago, before raw, I would eat an entire pack of cookies in one sitting and chocolates.

    I am thin, though, and lose weight easily, which is not happening because I eat lots of oils like hemp, olive and coconut. I require a lot of calories or I get grumpy and thin.

    I guess the real problem is my VERY light sleep. I live with someone and if he sneezes in the next room it wakes me up and I take more than an hour to get back to sleep, and in this hour my temper gets hot and I get out of bed to yell at him and it starts a fight and I scream a lot.

    I have a rage problem.

    And I noticed on raw, I am less tired at night. My mind feels very clear, like I've taken a stimulant...

  • gratefultobegratefultobe Raw Newbie

    I'm just the opposite. My disposition has very much so evened out and I sleep great but I always have.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    I'd use carob instead of cacao as it is a stimulant. Even if I make a dessert and taste it a few times, then go to sleep an hour or 2 later, I cannot sleep soundly at night at all, I keep watching the clock! Also, reduce the amount of nuts you eat. I remember David Wolfe saying that nuts make you nutty, too many fruits make you fruity, greens mellow a person out. Maybe you are more sensitive to foods than you realize, and it is influencing your mood swings. Maybe the fruits are elevating your blood sugars too quickly and nuts causing more stress than calmness? Greens do help for calmness and help to balance what you have eaten the meal before, or even the meal you are eating at that moment. So it you eat lots of fruits, then eat greens the next meal. If you eat nuts, then eat greens the next meal. It helps. I would first start with cutting out the cacao totally to see if it helps, some people really do react to it strongly and have to cut it from their diet to feel better. Carob doesn't taste as delicious as cacao (just my opinion), but raw carob is at least giving you some chocolate taste without the side effects. Raw carob is better tasting than non-raw.

    What do you use as sweeteners?

    Also, this works for sure... I know that drinking 2 large cups of super hot water (as hot as you can stand, hot that you'd use to make tea) about 1 hour before going to bed really relaxes the body. Give yourself enough time to go to the bathroom before bed. Do not put anything in it, no lemon, nothing, just hot water. Our Dr. had some of his patients try that, that had trouble sleeping, and it worked! It works for me and worked for a friend of mine. Also, there are pressure points on your wrist that helps with anxiety if you want to know about them let me know...they helped a friend of mine work through major anxiety attacks at night.

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    I am personally aware of numerous bipolar patients that are able to better regulate their mood on a macrobiotic diet. Also, I attended a seminar one where the topic of a macro diet assisting those with bipolar disorders. Of course that doesn't mean one could not do well eating raw. I think the pivotal issue is eliminating processed foods, meat and dairy.

    However, the most beneficial natural treatment for bipolar disorder is quiet mind or transcendental meditation performed at least 5 minutes daily. It will probably be more frustrating for a bipolar person to learn the practice and commit to performing it daily, but the frustration signifies that the person needs it even more.

    Good luck.

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    I believe that raw is only good. For those of us who are of a certain psychological disposition or who have a traumatic past, I believe that raw brings up a LOT of issues. For example, if the body starts functioning well, but the mind is still affected by past trauma or unclear ways of thinking, the negativity will be forced to work itself out. It is a sign that you are moving past your issues.

    Never blame yourself (or anyone else for that matter). Just keep going forward. There is no reason to be so pain averse. Society encourages individuals to do anything to avoid pain. We get a good look at ourselves when we are acting crazy or feeling strong feelings. Having a clear look at onesself is possibly the most valuable thing in the world.

    Keep moving forward, and if you are a strong person and willing to accept the bad things about yourself, you will slowly move past them. If you hide from them you will never grow and life will always stay the same. Accept the strange moments and strong feelings and have a desire to grow and your life can be transformed.

    You will eventually find people who support you and the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place. Learn to trust your instincts.

    Bless you!

  • vegan2rawvegan2raw Raw Newbie

    You are getting wonderful advice from everyone on here and I just wanted to add my own personal experience was that when eating cacao daily I experienced the same problems now I can have it occasionally like 2-6 times a month or once a week. I also switched more to seeds and found that helped I still have nuts a few times a week but no gorging and seeds are more the base of things for me. Also greens truly do mellow you out I feel out of whack without my huge green juice or smoothie to start the day.

    Another thing that helped me was meditating and taking a cold pressed flax with algae that contains high levels of DHA the brand I use is Flora cold pressed flax oil with DHA (if you look on it it has details about being the best fish free source) It is great for brain function and rebuilding nerves which helps balance out moods. Some people say you can only absorb DHA from fish oil but this is not true I looked it up and the algae is where the fish get the DHA and it is highly absorbable to humans straight from the algae source.

    So anyhow those things helped me and heed the wonderful advice from Meditating and Rawmama

  • CarnapCarnap Raw Newbie

    Thanks everyone, I will keep all this in mind. I'll have to cut the cacao as comfort food addiction and replace the nuts with seeds. I think they will fill me up as much as the nuts...

    I'll try green smoothies in the morning with banana and greens instead of just fruits...

    And of course some kind of regular meditation or even sports!

    I am a student and have exams coming up, and I chose a very difficult discipline (major in philosophy, minor in philosophy!)... I need my brain to stay clear!

  • Try some magnesium in your diet, a good source would be sunflower seeds (pumpkin too???)

    It helps against depression.

  • Hi Carnap...I was going to respond to your post the other day actually, and I signed on and saw you responded to my old one. Yes, yes and YES - I definately relate to what you are saying! I couldn't sleep for three days before I started detox, and before that, it was just an hour or two a night for several days. The first thing I thought of was how both the lack of need for sleep and the light, airy feeling reminded me of mania, which sort of worried me. But at the same time, it felt slightly different, but yes, like a stimulant almost. I was eating a lot of fruit at the time. I think we need to be more conscious of what we put in our bodies than the average person eating raw...people with emotional instabilities are made up more sensitively. I also gravitate towards fats (used to eat several candy bars everyday, etc.!), and it really does make sense because fats seem to halt our emotions. So, you could add more fats to your diet while going through detox to slow it down. Or you could do what I did and incorporate some simple cooked foods into your diet for the time being. I really think we should be aiming towards experiencing what the majority of people experience while detoxing (most of the time at least), because it just isn't safe for us to not be sleeping, etc. You know? Someone recommended I watch some of Tonya Kay's youtube lectures, and they really helped me realize that people with emotional issues just need to take things at their own pace. She didn't go 100% raw overnight either; I think if I did that I would certainly end up in the loony bin! We might be ready to improve our lives, but I really do think it is a journey, and my body and mind react differently than a lot of people's...what works for them won't necessarily work for me and vice versa.

    I don't know if this applies to you or not, but were you ever medicated? I was on medication for about 10 years on and off (mostly on). I started therapy about three years ago and she helped me get off of meds (more than two years now!). My body is definately detoxing the medications I took. When I go into detox, there is this weird medicinal, metallic smell to my skin, etc. Meds stuff down your emotions, so it's a sort of weird experience detoxing the stuff out.

    It sounds like this is probably a little scary for you right now, and if it is, just slow it down. Eat some rice or whatever you feel like and go about it slow. Honestly, I felt like I was losing my mind, and I was really, really scared. I didn't want to face what I was feeling, but when I did, the detox symptoms subsided some. I have a lot of anxiety problems, so naturally I was freaked out. I think greens have to be a part of our diets. When I miss a green smoothie or two, I start feeling a bit off. They definately ground me. I also notice a real similarity in what you were eating and what I was eating that led to detox. I also am naturally thin and have difficulty gaining weight - also haven't lost weight eating raw. Now that I've slowed down the detox, I'm just slightly more irritable than I normally am! I can go on with my daily life, and I go through little detoxes, which are more physical symptoms usually and more managable. You'll be okay; just slow it down so you can go on with your daily life and feel better. I think we are precisely the people who will benefit the most from raw foods...we just have to take it at a different pace. Also, let the people around you know that you are going through this...it makes it a lot easier for you and for them and they can help you. Good luck to you...it's really hard, but you'll get through it. Let us know how you are doing.

  • i have some emotional stuff going on. but, i noticed that the eating raw doesn't allow me to buffer any negative emotions. eating raw food is a good thing. it gets to the root of issues. i think that raw food is a metaphor for life. being raw and real and pure. not playing games.

    just being sincere.

  • CarnapCarnap Raw Newbie

    yeah not only that but discovered today i'm being cheated on.

  • carnap - a doctor i know and trust says that people with mental issues probably need more fats and especially need epa/dha to increase their omega 3 fatty acids. i have anxiety/depression without supplementation of this.

  • CarnapCarnap Raw Newbie

    thanks everyone.

    it seems that raw has helped me get out of my numb state that refused to see any truth.

    i'm going to leave a four year abusive relationship!

  • Great for you Carnap!

    Be strong :)

  • rawmamanibblesrawmamanibbles Raw Newbie

    Stimulints( raw cacao) and Grains ( raw or cooked) make my moms psychological issues flare up.

  • rawmamarawmama Raw Newbie

    Lack of Iodine and Mental Stability

    A friend of mine said that her son read an article about a woman that felt like she was out of control, going crazy, and it ended up that she had no iodine in her diet. Apparently iodine helps with the brain and more and more people are experiencing this problem because of no iodine in their diet. This woman was using sea salt, not iodized salt, which most people that eat raw food do eat sea salt instead of iodiozed salt. So she was not getting iodine thru her salt. The article said that this is a rising issue. She added in some sea vegetables into her diet and the crazy feeling left her. You could add powdered kelp into your salt and that would give you some naturally, or add sea greens into your smoothies. If you use a tiny bit you will not taste it. We add spirulina to ours and added kelp into our salt just to be on the safe side. However, I do have a friend that is allergic to iodine unless it is totally pure, and certain sea foods, so have to make sure she doesn't use our salt when she visits. I did see iodized sea salt the other day in the grocery store. Not sure where the iodine comes from in that sea salt source though.

    B Vitamins (Brewer's Yeast) and Depression/Uneasiness

    I know of 2 people that started taking Brewer's Yeast before going to bed and it totally cleared their depression fast and feeling of uneasiness. I know you didn't say "depression," but just remembered how quick it worked on their mental status and thought that it might be worth trying to see if it makes a difference at all?

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    I haven't been diagnosed with any disorders, but I believe all humans are what doctors call "bipolar".....I'm sure it benefits the docs to use that term more than my use of it here, to prescribe meds for you and make mroe money, but I digress.......

    When I first went 100%, for about a week or two, I had trouble sleeping and I would get night sweats and what I would presume is a detox. It's gone now and I sleep VERY well, back to my usual. Hope it gets better for you!

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    Good luck with the break up and keep moving forward! I went through something quite similar about 6 months ago. We apparently have the same type of acne, as I remember from an earlier post of yours I think. (Cheekbones). Interesting...

    You deserve a fresh start. I believe you will find someone who compliments your vibrational level wonderfully.

    Blessings!

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    Congratulations on the decision to get out of the bad relationship. Whew! Things are looking up already.

  • Superfood2, hi I'm new here & I would like to respond to your comment:

    "I haven't been diagnosed with any disorders, but I believe all humans are what doctors call "bipolar".....I'm sure it benefits the docs to use that term more than my use of it here, to prescribe meds for you and make mroe money, but I digress......."

    Sigh, I really wish it was this simple. I used to think it was this simple until last year when I ended up batsh*t bipolar crazy in the psych ward - for a month. Looking back I realise it had been looming for 15-20 years. My worst period of mania had in fact been my last period on raw.

    A mixed episode is what got me hospitalised -it came out of the blue - I was agitated, high, low, and completely freaking delusional but most of all I had lost the ability to ignore the compulsion to drive my car into a wall as fast as possible. There was no reason for this. I had the compulsion even when I was happy. No logic applied. I needed hospital & I needed meds. No two ways about it. These two things saved my life.

    No-one who doesn't have bipolar can understand what a truly devastating illness it is & how far removed from normal highs & lows it is. When you get that sick, you are begging for any medication to make you better. You would happily hand over all your money to the docs if only they could help. Meds sure aren't fun & they don't make you completely better but they can save your life by taking you out of crazy delusions & suicidal ideation. Bipolar has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. 15-20% suicide rate. People in manic episodes also are overrepresented in deaths in fights & car accidents. True bipolar is not a 'normal' condition experienced by all humans by any means.

    Anyway, I'm not here just to respond to that comment. I'm heading back to raw because of the weight gain from the meds and just because I do know it's better for my health all round. This topic has been interesting reading for me. I intend to follow the advice given in this thread to minimise my risk of going manic on 100% raw done too soon. I do think that raw is the optimal diet for physical & mental health. I do know however that nothing can 'cure' my bipolar. Better general health however provides for better management of mental illness.

  • chriscarltonchriscarlton Raw Newbie

    Raw Food will not mask your emotions like cooked will. Raw Fooders fail when they make a "Diet Only" change. Raw awakens your emotional and spiritual body and this has to be addressed with something more than diet.

    You are not Bi-Polar and neither is anyone else. Bi-Polar is just a label given to the symptoms of your emotional and spiritual sickness.

    You have to heal yourself! I have found the following extremely helpful...

    Rebirthing Breathwork - Keeps me in touch with the person I was before anyone added anything. Allows you to experience your own Divinity.

    Personal Law - Reverses our most negative self beliefs.

    Mantra - Om Namaha Shivaiya - Aum Namaha Shivai. This gives your mind something to do besides destroy you. (which is what it's good at.)

    Bikram Yoga - As Bikram says... Would you rather suffer 90 minutes or 90 years?

    Fire Purification - Time spent with an Open Flame - Burns away negative thoughts and emotions.

    Water Purification - Baths! not showers - Soak and Soak some more.

  • internettouristinternettourist Raw Newbie

    BLACK WALNUT?

    Black walnut is a dewormer, yes? That could be toxic. Stop eating that and see what happens.

    I took milk thistle a while back as a cleanse. I would wake up in the middle of the night with my body in the strangest positions (like a weird rag doll). I wasn't getting rested. I quit the milk thistle probably within 5 days because of that.

    I don't take stevia or artificial sweeteners. When I consumed just a few servings of (packets) of stevia, I got alarming night sweats.

    If you want to deworm yourself in a way that is not toxic, try oil of oregano. It won't disrupt your sleep. And it'll take care of other inflammatory issues.

    Coconut oil is fine too. My total cholesterol dropped to 165 from taking that daily.

    Avoid dairy, processed sugar, artificial sweeteners, soda, white flour, alcohol and other chemicals.

    You didn't say that you are taking a green drink. I think you need to consume at least one green drink each day. If you think you are going to reach for something bad, make yourself a big green drink.

    I do believe that the raw diet is the cure to all imbalances including bi-polarity. Handling the bi-polarity is going to be one of the most important things you do. (People will not deal with the drama. And that will add to your pain.) Tough love--but it is what it is.

    I have observed that bi-polar people are intensely focused on themselves. They don't notice people around them. And for all that self interest, they are their own very worst enemies. Perhaps yoga can increase your awareness of the world around you, and the role you play to hopefullly positively contribute.

  • internettourist - I mean this in the kindest way, but I do not think it is fair to say that people with bipolar disorder are their own worst enemies because they are "self-interested", "intensely focused on themselves" or "dramatic". I think a lot of people would take offense to that, and it simply isn't true for too many reasons to name here. My boyfriend has serious bipolar disorder and he is the most selfless person I know. Perhaps people with bipolar disorder are consumed with pain at times, but to presume the pain is the result of self-interest is just not true. My boyfriend has "positively contribute(d)" to my life in many ways. :)

  • CarnapCarnap Raw Newbie

    Chriscarlton, I agree with you. I just saw a homeopathic doctor and she said that I'm just nervous and have a violent temper. I'm gonna do a mineral treatment, she also suggested acupuncture.

    Anyone have an opinion on acupuncture, better yet experience? I know natural hygienists say that it is bad because it just numbs the nerves, but I don't think so...

  • I'm sorry Chris, you are way off the mark. Walk a few steps in my shoes you will see that.

    Yoga? I have done yoga for 20 years and am a qualified teacher who has taught several styles.. Studied extensively in India. Know sanskrit. Do my chanting - love my chanting. Try doing that in a psych ward & they want to lock you up longer, I can assure you of that.

    I have always drank my green smoothies. Researched, and consumed, every imaginable supplement in my desperation to escape this illness.

    C'mon. I believed your point of view on mental illness for years. I recall arrogantly lecturing people with mental illness in the same ignorant manner. This all hit me suddenly for no reason despite best efforts. Karma for being ignorant? Who knows. I suspect it's the brain chemistry - documented by actual brain scans of normal brains vs. bipolar, schizophrenic or epileptic.

    And internettourist - focused on myself? Nah. I perhaps focus too much on the wellbeing of others & not myself. Doing volunteer work in a caring role (disabled people). Teaching disadvantaged/poor people yoga for free. I could go on. Maybe if I spent more time on myself... no, I don't think even that would help.

    There are neurological disorders that are unavoidable I'm afraid. Bipolar is biologically very similar to epilepsy. In fact it is treated with the same meds.

    What do you have to say to someone who is epileptic? Get over it? Ha. Educate yourself before you hit people up with this diatribe.

    Sorry to be so blunt but this kind of ignorance & narrow view is frustrating to say the least. Perhaps it is you who need to focus less on yourselves & more on the realities of life.

  • CarnapCarnap Raw Newbie

    Heloise, I just re-read your other comment. It does seem like you even have the same physical make-up as me (hard for you to put on and keep on wait) and the emotional sensitivities, physical sensitivities.

    I just invested in a bunch of greens and am going to make most of my meals consist of a dark green salad with either a starch or a fat on the side. I'll up the omega threes, too. I have noticed that hemp oil is making me feel quite nice.

    My doctor gave me some lithium in oligo elements (not pharmaceutical lithium, but a very low, low dose of lithium, like you would take magnesium...) and it calmed me down last night. She said I could take it for two months.

    Thanks everyone. Although there are some divergent opinions, i have listened to all of them.

  • zinfandelzinfandel Raw Newbie

    5htp is really great stuff. i would definitely recommend it over medication. i think its just as effective.

  • What is 5htp? Sorry for my ignorance...

  • chriscarltonchriscarlton Raw Newbie

    NO, sorry you have not changed my mind.

    Brain scans?????????

    You grow a new brain every 4 months. grow your next one without believing your are BP and you won't be. I invite you to prove that statement wrong.

    I'll bet anything that I can change your belief in BP with no more than 3 sessions with me. I've changed much stronger beliefs than that many times.

    Epilepsy is the same. Absolutely no problem to cure. Anytime, anyone, anywhere. Also Autism!

    "There are neurological disorders that are unavoidable I'm afraid." Yes you are afraid! You live in a cruel world, It's just not my world, sorry. I am so blessed to have found choices that have brought me so much results from very simple efforts.

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