I first decided to try it in 2010 to see if it would be able to help ease my lifelong sleeping issues.

Usually I put a lot of thought into the medical providers I work with. In this case, I did not do any research into which practitioner I wanted to use; I simply chose the acupuncturist located one block from my house. It was certainly convenient, and seemed like a good idea at the time.

I recall those sessions as being strange. In addition to needles being placed all over my body, my sessions also involved smoke and fire. Sometimes, an herb would be placed on top of the acupuncture needles, then set on fire. Smoke was used in a procedure called “cupping” where glass jars were suctioned all over my back.

Craniosacral therapy was also used on me. My acupuncturist would rub two bones on the back of my skull at a very specific point. All of this was supposed to make me sleep. When pressed as to how this would all work, my acupuncturist would sometimes use the word “magic.” Magic? Really?

I went to these sessions four times, as I was told this was how many visits were needed to assess if my treatment was working. I saw no difference after four visits and stopped going. My western mind told me the process was all a bit much for me. If I felt the magic was working, I could have gotten over it, but I saw no progress. Plus, acupuncture is not covered by health insurance and my visits were getting expensive.

A few months ago, I started to feel my inability to sleep was at a point where it was greatly affecting my life. I have a variety of sleeping pill prescriptions, but nothing seemed to be helping me as much as I hoped. I was starting to feel desperate and out of control. This is when I thought again of acupuncture.

I wondered if a different practitioner might be able to help me more than the first one had. I did a good amount of online research and settled on someone. I’ll admit, aside from good online reviews, part of the appeal of this new provider was that everyone in the office was from China. I thought that a practitioner of Chinese medicine who was actually from China may have different viewpoints and use an alternative approach. This supposition was really based on nothing, but it made sense to me at the time.

When I called to make an appointment, the person on the phone did not ask me any questions or tell me what to expect. She simply wanted to know when I would come to the office. When I went to the office at that specified time. I found a dark hallway and a locked door. When I called the office’s phone number, I could hear the phone ringing on the other side of the door. No one answered; no one was at the office. I had been stood up.

I soon received a call explaining there had been a scheduling error. I understand that these things happen, but decided not to make another appointment. I had a bad first impression of that acupuncturist’s office and did not want to move forward with them.

This led to more Internet research. I settled on a group of acupuncturists not far from my house. When I called to inquire, the person who answered the phone asked me a great number of questions about why I wanted to come and what my symptoms are. This made me feel comfortable.

I filled out a lot of paperwork before the first visit. The paperwork contained very personal questions about my body and health, with some of the questions being highly detailed. I answered to the best of my ability.

At my first appointment, I handed in my paperwork to the acupuncturist and we talked for a long time. She wanted to know more about my patterns of insomnia and anything else that was wrong with my well-being. We settled on insomnia as my primary issue, but also addressed headaches, nausea, and neck pain.

This acupuncturist did not use smoke, fire, or magic. She simply asked me to remove my shirt and lie face down on a table. She then placed needles all over my neck, shoulders, back, and calves. I lay like that for around 20 minutes, then the needles were removed. I replaced my shirt, then turned onto my back. The acupuncturist then placed needles in my forehead, arms, wrists, and legs.

The next two sessions proceeded much like the first, but with less interviewing. Each time I would go, we would check in on my sleep and other ailments, then I would lie still while needles were placed in various areas of my body. The needles would sometimes feel uncomfortable, but the sessions were, overall, relaxing.

At my third visit, I was given my assessment. I was informed I had imbalances in the Chinese medical organ systems of spleen/stomach, heart/small intestine, and liver/gall bladder. I was also told my blood needed additional nourishment. I did not understand what this meant, but went along with it.

To help my treatment of these problems, I was given a prescription of Chinese herbs. I was prescribed the herb blend of Suan Zao Ren Tang. This came in a powder and I was instructed to mix five scoops of granules with a cup of water. I was told to take it at night, two hours after eating dinner. It seemed imperative that I take the herbs on an empty stomach and with no other medicine.

The herb drink did not taste good, but it wasn’t terrible. The flavor reminded me of celery. I began drinking my prescribed dose every night.

When I started taking the Suan Zao Ren Tang, I began to feel like I was falling asleep with more ease and had less frequent headaches. I began feeling positive about the acupuncture treatments and my herbs. I felt like it was all working.

My acupuncturist soon added another herb blend to my routine. I started taking Si Wu Tang in the morning. This one came in pill form and I took seven of them as soon as I woke up. I found swallowing seven pills immediately upon waking to be strange.

This was followed by a bad couple weeks of sleep and I became discouraged. During that time period, I had an acupuncture treatment that did not seem to help. I couldn’t help but associate the downward turn with the addition of the Si Wu Tang pills. When the bottle ran out, I did not buy more.

I started to feel more negative about my acupuncture treatments. For the price I was paying, I wanted to be sure it was doing something. At my next session, I asked the acupuncturist what I could reasonably expect from the treatments. She said she did not understand my question. I found this vaguely annoying — if a health-related service is being provided, I think it is fair that a client understands how long interventions will take and how to assess if they are working.

The acupuncturist reviewed my paperwork with me and pointed out the areas in which I was making progress. She had a point on some of the issues. I was then given the unsatisfying answer that treatment takes time and everyone responds differently. Because we were trying to fix the underlying cause of my insomnia rather than mask its symptoms, it would take an undetermined amount of time. I understood what the acupuncturist was saying, but would have preferred to assign a time and price assessment to my treatment. The costs of the treatments and the herbs were quickly adding up.

At that same visit, my Si Wu Tang was officially discontinued. It was replaced by something called Free and Easy Wander Plus. This was in a pill and I was instructed to take five of them when I woke up in the morning. I started taking these the next day.

I have now had eight acupuncture sessions and have purchased three more. I am still unsure as to if this is working. I seem to be sleeping a little bit better, but I don’t know if this is because of the acupuncture or other factors. When all my acupuncture sessions are done, I will have spent $800, plus the cost of the Chinese herbs. I would like to know if this money has helped me with my insomnia, but how can I tell for sure? This makes me feel highly frustrated. I had hoped my results would be more concrete.

People seem to have strong pro or con opinions about acupuncture. I am still somewhere in the middle. I’m desperate to have help with my sleeping issues, but am unwilling to pump endless money into a practice that may not be doing much for me. The experience has left me feeling both confused and hopeful, a strange combination to figure out as it continues to unfold.

So what is alternative treatment? You may already have some experience with the most popular, according to the Monitor on Psychology. Meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis and progressive muscle relaxation are all popular complementary or alternative psychological treatments. 

Although you may be familiar with the most popular, there are dozens of alternative and complementary treatments, which typically fall into four categories:  mind-body medicine, biologically-based practices, manipulative and body-based practices and energy medicine.

The Monitor article reports that, although these, and many other, alternative and complementary treatments have been around for thousands of years, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has been studying their usefulness, safety and role in improving health and health care for only a little more than a decade.

But many people embrace these treatments and are visiting alternative medicine practitioners more frequently than they visit their primary care doctors.  And these treatments are big business. A 2007 study found that $34 billion is spent each year on products and services for alternative and complementary medicines.

Continued research on the effectiveness of these treatments is ongoing and crucial.  However, current research suggests that many are effective for treating a wide range of problems, ailments and disorders.

There are too many to document in one post, but the following are the top 4 according to frequency of use, as reported in the Monitor.

1. Dietary Supplements.

Dietary supplements are used to promote general health, as well as to improve depression and anxiety and to decrease pain.  Common supplements reported in the Monitor include ginkgo biloba, St. John’s wort and vitamin supplements.  Although regulated by the FDA, they are held to very different quality standards than more conventional medicines.

• Caution: The FDA does not review the safety and effectiveness of any supplement before it is sold to consumers.  Supplements can vary widely from brand to brand and may interact with other medications. They should not be used without the knowledge of a physician.

2. Meditation.

Meditation is a process in which people learn to focus their attention in a particular way and on purpose.  It is used to treat a variety of symptoms, including high blood pressure, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia.  It is also used to promote general health and well-being.

Meditation is integrated into many psychological treatments and practices with positive results; however, there are no formal qualifications necessary to practice it.  It is important that those who use this method receive appropriate training.

3. Chiropractic.

Chiropractic physicians use noninvasive treatments, such as spinal manipulations or chiropractic adjustments, with the aim of improving nerve and organ functioning by aligning spinal vertebrae.  These treatments are used to treat an array of ailments, from pain and headaches to stress and ADHD, among others.

Becoming a chiropractic physician requires several years of graduate work.  Most psychologists are unlikely to hold a chiropractic degree and, if they did, it would not be appropriate to serve as both a psychologist and chiropractor for the same client.

4. Aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy uses smells and aromas naturally extracted from plants to balance, harmonize and promote health of mind, body and spirit.  It is used clinically to relieve symptoms typically addressed in psychotherapy; holistically, to improve overall well-being; and aesthetically, in various oils and skin care products.

The Monitor cites recent research that indicates that aromatherapy can help treat pain, anxiety and agitation specific to dementia.  However, while certification is not required, it is recommended.  There are also risks related to toxicity, skin irritation and dosing regulations that require a competent professional to oversee, the article states.

Reference

Barnett, J.E., Shale, A.J.,(2013). Alternative Techniques.  Monitor on Psychology, 44(4).

The Japanese don’t live a less stressful lifestyle than people in the U.S. In fact, in the white-collar world, the stress levels are often higher and the people often work harder. The Japanese people live on a small, crowded island and rely heavily on imports to sustain their way of life. Japanese schools are results-oriented, and students spend an enormous time engaged in study.

So what gives? How come the Japanese have such a low rate of bipolar disorder compared with other high-income, developed nations?

In a word: fish.

The Japanese diet is focused on fish and it is their main source of protein. Forbes contributor David DiSalvo delves into whether fish — and fish oil — may help ward off mental health concerns like bipolar disorder. Each Japanese person consumes about 154 pounds of fish a year:

Collectively, they consume 12% of the world’s fish, but account for only 2% of the global population. Comparatively, the average American consumes about 16 pounds of fish and shellfish annually.

The result of consuming so much fish is that the average Japanese person has far higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids in their brains than the average American (or average anyone-else, with the possible exception of the Chinese, who annually consume closer to Japanese levels of fish).

There is a good, solid set of research studies that examine the link between brain health and Omega-3 fatty acids. While these studies can, by and large, only speak to the correlation between these two things, findings from these studies are pretty stable — and growing:

In the past decade, at least 20 studies have shown positive correlations between consuming fish oil supplements and improved mental health. In October 2008, the Archives of Psychiatric Nursing published a systematic review of omega-3 fatty acids as a treatment for bipolar disorder. After collecting data from several well-designed studies, the authors of the review concluded that there is some evidence to support the notion that fish oil can reduce symptoms of bipolar disorder.

Some evidence is a start, but not conclusive. But if you’re looking for an inexpensive and fairly easy way to potentially help your mental and brain health, adding more fish to your diet is one thing to consider. (It’s healthier for your heart too!)

Ideally, you should get your Omega-3 fatty acids naturally — from eating fish (duh). But Americans like shortcuts and seem not to like eating fish as much as beef. So the nutritional supplement industry has complied with consumer demand for fish oil supplements. So what kind of daily dose of fish oil supplement is needed?

According to the National Institutes of Health, most fish oil studies have involved the use of 300 to 3,000 mg of the essential fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Research suggests that DHA and EPA are only effective for bipolar disorder when they are used in combination. If you happen to be in a store that sells fish oil, read the label and check out the percentages of DHA and EPA – in theory, the higher these percentages are, the better.

Remember, the evidence isn’t at all conclusive at this stage. An increase in fish oil in a person’s diet appears to be related to positive outcomes in bipolar disorder and more generally, in mental health, in the limited research done.

But it’s one of those little things in life that you can do more of with little cost and a lot of potential benefit, so why not give it a try?

Read the full blog: The Fish Oil Debate: Great Brain Medicine, or Just an Expensive Placebo?

Diverse opinions on either side of the many issues in our society are common; the people in power still argue about gay marriage and abortion, religion and taxes. It’s fair enough for people to take sides, but when it comes to medical marijuana, it is worth the debate.

Like all social and political issues that start slowly and suddenly catch fire, the opinions regarding the use of medicinal marijuana are exhausting. ProCon.org, an accredited website that focuses exclusively on the use of medicinal marijuana asks the question: “Is medical marijuana an effective treatment for depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety, and similar mood disorders?”

Let’s find out.

ProCon intelligently presents the reader with both sides of the argument and feedback derived from diverse and educated sources.

Frank Lucido, MD, a private practice physician, stated in his article on the topic:

With appropriate use of medical cannabis, many of these patients have been able to reduce or eliminate the use of opiates and other pain pills, Ritalin, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, antidepressants and other psychiatric medicines…

This might be a stretch: Psychiatric medication will always have a predominant place in the treatment of mental illness and recovery. This aside, Lucido makes a valid point: It is possible that medicinal cannabis — when used correctly — can be of some notable benefit to psychiatric patients.

Research into the topic of medical marijuana makes it evidently clear that both sides of the debate are in good company.

A patient perspective is an equally important aspect of such a debate. Bearing this in mind, I spoke to a man who utilizes medicinal marijuana on a regular basis to treat insomnia and anxiety. He also takes an atypical antidepressant. I was able to speak to him about the process of acquiring medicinal marijuana, his opinion on its effectiveness, and his perspective on its legalization. To protect his anonymity and privacy, his last name will not be used.

Justin is 29 years old. He works in a busy office and lives with his partner in a condominium downtown. They want children one day. He is easy to talk to, and there is nothing distinctly different about him. He is not the kind of person one might expect to use medical marijuana.

I asked Justin if he has a history of drug abuse. It is often assumed that those who regularly use cannabis, medicinal or not, are former addicts. His response did not surprise me. Like most 20-somethings who spent four years in university, Justin admitted to drinking too much once in a while and occasionally smoking marijuana, but he was no different than the majority of his friends in taking part in such campus culture.

Justin had struggled with depression and anxiety for most of his life. It had recently worsened due to the stress of a new job. Although he had been on an antidepressant for a couple of years, he found that it did not work well enough.

Justin went to see his primary care physician when the frequency and severity of his insomnia and anxiety increased. After asking some questions, she asked him if he had ever considered medicinal marijuana.

“It wasn’t really something I expected her to say. I’ve been her patient for years now… It came out of left field, to say the least,” Justin recalled. (Personal interview, July 1, 2008)

Justin walked out of the doctor’s office with a prescription, but it was in stark contrast to all the prescriptions he’d received over the years. Rather than the local pharmacy, this one directed him to a medicinal marijuana store. Justin told me he was not sure what to expect. Using marijuana to combat anxiety and insomnia was not something he’d initially considered.

I asked Justin about his experiences in obtaining medicinal marijuana for the first time. He said he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“The store had no windows, and the sign was [barely] large enough to recognize. To be honest, I wanted to turn around, but the experience was much different than I had envisioned. The man I spoke to asked me about my symptoms in detail. He explained which strains would help me sleep and which would help my anxiety level.”

Justin left the store with a small amount of medicinal marijuana and a card explaining that he was legally able to have it on his person. He received an official card in the mail a few weeks later that would keep him from being arrested for possession.

Why did Justin and his doctor consider medicinal marijuana to treat his symptoms?

“She gave me other options,” he said. “I could have moved up my antidepressant, but I always suffered with side effects that made it hard to function, or I could take drugs for anxiety like Ativan, but drugs in that class have a huge potential for addiction and tolerance…I started to think of medicinal marijuana as I think of my antidepressant: a drug that helps me function on a basic and important level. I was able to sleep, and unlike waking up with a ‘drug hangover,’ as I have experienced when using prescribed sleeping pills, I woke up ready for the day. My anxiety also diminished.”

Medicinal marijuana is not the same as “street marijuana.” It is free of dangerous additives and often is grown indoors. Not all patients who are prescribed medicinal marijuana report a positive experience, though that is often the case. Justin found its use positively affected his quality of life.

“People need to view medicinal marijuana as a tool that is often safer than prescribed medications,” he said. “I understand the controversy. Society needs controversy in order to come to a conclusion. I believe it’s only a matter of time. We need to look at the bigger picture: People can purchase cigarettes and liquor, but we cannot, without prescription, utilize medicinal marijuana.”

Both sides of the debate offer valid points on the effectiveness of medicinal marijuana in the area of psychiatry. Research is important, and much can be gleaned from it, but just as important, perhaps, is the valuable feedback from those who use and rely on medicinal marijuana for the alleviation of psychiatric and physical ailments.

References

Lucido, F. (2005). Implementation of the compassionate use act in a family medical practice: Seven years clinical experience. MedBoardWatch.com. Retrieved from http://drfranklucido.com/implementation-of-7-year-plan.htm

ProCon.org. (2008, May 30). Is medical marijuana an effective treatment for depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety, and similar mood disorders? MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000226

An important part of coping effectively as an HSP is knowing how to soothe your senses. HSPs aren’t just sensitive to loud sounds; we also might be sensitive to bright lights, TV and computer screens, strong odors and certain foods (and their temperature).

For the article I spoke to Ted Zeff, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and author of The Highly Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide. Zeff includes a helpful chapter in his book on what you can do to calm each of your five senses.

Here are some of those valuable tips.

Hearing

• To tone down jarring sounds, play soft music at your work or home.
• Pick tunes that calm you, such as classical music.
• Buy a white noise machine.
• Listen to relaxation CDs or visualization guides.
• Wear earplugs.
• If you live in a noisy neighborhood or city, try to have your office face the backyard.

Seeing

• Whether you’re at work or at home, take a few minutes to close your eyes and focus on your breath.
• Look out the window to enjoy nature, which is especially relaxing for HSPs.
• Buy large pictures or posters of natural landscapes.
• Buy nature-inspired wallpaper for your home.
• Have plants and flowers in your home and office.
• Spend time in nature, whether you’re walking or sitting silently on a bench.
• Surround yourself with calming colors, such as white, green or blue.
• Adjust the lighting.
• Put up heavy drapes to block out harsh light.
• Wear sunglasses.
• Wear an eye mask.

Smelling

• Buy an air purifier (also good for masking noise).
• Wear a mask.
• Buy essential oils, such as lavender or rose.
• Burn incense such as sandalwood or rose.
• Buy a pillow packed with calming herbs. (Zeff suggested this website in the book.)

Touching

• Get gentle massages from a masseuse or loved one, depending on your preference and comfort zone.
• Give yourself a massage.
• Take a warm bath, and add lavender essential oil, which is calming.
• Have a comfortable chair to sit in at home and work.
  

Tasting

• Pay attention to how the temperature of different foods and beverages affects you. For instance, one HSP felt calmer having hot cereal in the wintertime vs. cold fruit.
• Drink calming herb teas, such as chamomile tea, and warm milk.
• Curb your caffeine intake.
• Be aware of your body’s reaction to alcohol.

Check out more tips at Ted Zeff’s website.

If you’re highly sensitive, how do you cope?
What are your most effective strategies? Please share in the comments.

It backs up that statement with a link to 11 research studies which it says demonstrates the effectiveness of this supplement to help people with attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and depression.

It’s been selling the supplement for over a decade now from Canada, to hundreds of thousands of people. Many people swear by it. Others have questioned whether it is really any better than placebo.

So does it work? Let’s find out…

First, we have to look at the rationale for treating mental illness with the equivalent of vitamins & minerals. According to the folks at TrueHope, our bodies need a balance of vitamins and minerals, or else it will impact our brain chemistry:

Deficiency of one nutrient can make you unable to absorb other nutrients properly, which leads to multiple, inter-related deficiencies. These deficiencies seem to disrupt the brain chemical function in people with illnesses such as bipolar disorder, depression, ADHD, and schizophrenia.

But as we all know by now, mood disorders are not caused simply by a chemical imbalance. To suggest that bringing your chemicals “in balance” will cure these disorders is a ludicrously simplistic way of looking at mental illness.

Is EMPowerplus Just the Placebo Effect?

Of course, the first criticism might be that this is simply the placebo effect at work. But the makers argue that, despite not having any clinical evidence to the contrary, EMPowerplus’ effects don’t look like the placebo effect (as they define it):

Numerous studies on the placebo effect have shown that a placebo effect only lasts a short time. Then the effect disappears and symptoms return. EMPowerplus does not “stop working.” Even the first EMPowerplus users, who started in 1996, remain symptom-free and drug-free.

We don’t really know this to be true. The placebo effect has not been shown to simply “wear off” (according to my reading of the literature), especially if a person continues to use the product.

I find it more than a little astonishing that after more than a decade on the market, the manufacturers of this product haven’t done a single placebo-controlled trial. The surest answer to “Is it the placebo effect?” is being able to look at just such data.

Effectiveness of EMPowerplus

So what data has been collected on EMPowerplus?

According to their website, there are 11 studies — but some of that research is nothing more than a letter to the editor of a journal, describing the clinician’s own experiences with the supplement. Such letters are not considered evidence or research by the scientific community; they are simply anecdotes.

Some of the published research comes from researchers who have used the company’s own data collection routines through a “Self-Monitoring Form” that’s filled out by customers of the product (a form whose psychometric properties we know nothing of). The majority of customers stop filling out the form after two weeks, however (Rucklidge et al., 2010), suggesting they’ve either stopped using the product or stopped enjoying any positive effects from it.

In the aforementioned study, 120 families (out 709) agreed to monitor symptoms of their children who were taking EMPowerplus over 6 months’ time. Naturally, the researchers found a positive effect for the supplement — a 46% decrease in mean bipolar symptom severity scores at LOCF and a 40% decrease in ADHD symptoms.

But what’s that LOCF thing? Well, it’s a technique called Last Observation Carried Forward that researchers use that carries forward drop-out scores as though they had completed the entire study (in this case, observation of scores over 6 months’ time). In this study, only 49 percent of the participants kept providing the researchers data at 6 months — meaning the majority of them dropped out of the study before the 6 months were up!

LOCF is generally frowned upon in good research unless there’s a very good rationale for its use. Why? Because research conducted on the effects of LOCF shows that this method gives a biased estimate of the treatment effect while underestimating the variability of the result. In other words, it stacks the deck to demonstrate a treatment’s effectiveness — even when the treatment might not be effective. It’s a research slight of hand.

The bigger problem with this study and most of the studies cited by TrueHope is that they all suffer from significant design problems. All are open-label designs with biased, self-selected samples. Good, reliable research starts out with a randomized sample from a demographically-diverse population. It’s also important that both the person taking the supplement and the researchers don’t know who is receiving an active ingredient and who is receiving a placebo.

In contrast, the studies cited by TrueHope rely almost exclusively on self-report of symptoms (and in some, it’s parental report). There is little to no monitoring of patients to ensure they are taking the supplement as prescribed. There are no medical or laboratory tests of vitamin strengths in the individuals in the studies. There is no attempt to tease out or understand the underlying mechanisms for behavioral or mood change.

Of the remaining studies cited by the company, they consist primarily of case reports or small, unscientific studies describing the use of the supplement in practice with less than a dozen patients. Naturally clinicians who prescribe something and then find a positive result in their patients are going to attribute the change to what they prescribed (that’s called prescriber bias). While these are all data points we should be aware of, they don’t really help us judge the effectiveness of EMPowerplus.

As for the safety, researchers using the results of the 6 published studies on this supplement (which included a total of 157 patients) found no significant adverse effects to be concerned about (Simpson et al., 2011). So it appears to be a safe thing to take according to this one study.