I'm bringing this discussion over from another thread. I'm just starting to get some help and once my doctor has bloodwork results back he is wanting to put me on medication. I'm pretty sure he said Zoloft would be his first choice. I've looked up side effects and read a lot of opinions on Zoloft and find that a good percentage of users experience quite a few of the various side effects. I realize not every drug works for everyone and was pointed in the direction of SAMe along with some other alternative, natural medications. So...trying to keep this objective, if you are using, or have used, anything other than prescription meds I would love to hear your feedback (good or bad) on what you were/are using. Also, if there is something you are currently studying about and want to share feel free. This is an area where it's hard to get help from professionals and we are often left on our own. Collective research and sharing would be great! Thanks!
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Natural medications/remedies
- Post starter RCD_VET
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Tornadic Thoughts
VIP Member
I haven't dabbled in the supplement arena all that much as they're rather expensive to maintain, especially to get quality brands and the cleanest versions, but rather learned how to totally flip my consumption habits script after 40+ years of thinking I already had a damn good grip on what I needed to consume to stay somewhat healthy.
Even my doc was mistakenly telling me I was "healthy" based solely on the limited blood tests they regularly perform the whole time I was weighing in at over 300 lbs. and staying miserable more often than not, so who was I to think I needed to be doing anything differently than I always had?
She labeled me with a list of chronic illnesses that simply couldn't be treated other than with pills, according to her and my insurance company, and I was being told to just get used to the suffering as it naturally comes with age. I now very loudly call bullshit on those professionally diagnosed ass-umptions. My fork is now one of my greatest assets and healing tools, while before, I was simply using it to help dig my own grave and using it to steadily increase my own pain. Re-learning how to breathe brought significant relief, too. Yet another arena I was damn sure I had figured out well enough, especially since I was still living and stuff.
The only supplement I take daily now offers a combination of B12, D3, and DHA/EPA all in one. I now hydrate with herbal infusions and lemon water each day rather than tossing back loads of coffee, sweet tea, energy drinks, and sodas, as I used to. I used to think liquid of any kind equaled hydration. Beep. Wrong answer. The various herbs provide many benefits and should be researched and ingested with as much care as we hopefully use when deciding to ingest prescription meds, as they can be just as powerful and come with their own side effects.
I eliminated all meat, all dairy, all gluten, all caffeine, all alcohol, and as much artificially created stuff as humanly possible after an emergency room visit that left me facing a surgical procedure to remove an organ I'd rather keep. I was facing drastic change no matter which direction I chose, so I chose the one that didn't involve getting cut open. Rather than trying a whole bunch of supplements and even more meds to try to counteract my usual consumption habits, I decided to start with the basics of what I was choosing to fuel this meat-coated skeleton with...and dang...I learned I wasn't treating it with much respect all those years, that's for sure, no matter how good it supposedly does a body, according to what the marketing gurus, schools, doctors, parents, other professionals, etc. were trying to tell me.
I learned much more about all the systems that make up this being known as me that are always out of sight and out of mind, until they break down, of course. I especially learned more about the endocrine system and how the external items we regularly use day in and day out can totally screw that up (like anything scented, such as fragrances from laundry detergents, fabric softeners, hygiene items, perfumes, air fresheners, candles, cleaning supplies, etc.) and did a clean sweep of all that stuff, too and learned to make my own.
I learned the ins and outs of my digestive and elimination systems and how our bodies can't healthily recognize or rid of half the shit we call food, learned of the journey each and everything I was choosing to consume had to take to get to my plate or my home. Some major eye-opening heart wrenching shit right there. The products aren't the only thing we're digesting when we choose what we eat and drink, we're also digesting the energetic exchanges, experiences, and attachments of each.
Even the "humanely" slaughtered beings carry some heavy energetic loads. I simply eliminated the middle-man (cow, pig, lamb, chicken, fish, etc) to get my nutrients from the same damn place they each do. lol I also noticed no ohter animal chooses to continue to eat the milk of another species once it's weaned. Hmmm... Made me think of things I never realized I needed to be paying attention to. Meal prep and after meal clean-up has become much more pleasant, that's for sure. Each lesson made my new lifestyle choices easier and easier to maintain.
Meanwhile during that process, I continued to greatly improve in ALL arenas after a few initial hurdles of my body trying to adjust to cleaner intake, started shedding weight, getting my energy back, lessening the brain fog, no longer hurting as severely, sleeping soundly through the night, no longer feeling like each nerve was exposed in my daily interactions, moods lightened, my days brightened, etc., etc., I learned I had been repeatedly misdiagnosed with a whole lot of shit that seemed to be much more of a result of me swimming in a constant sea of tox-sick-city, by using all the exact things heavily marketed as being safe and very necessary, more than it being the long ass list of diagnoses I was racking up through various professionals who kept heavily medicating me, causing my symptoms to continually increase vs. decrease.
Making exercise fun and readily accessible was my next move. I make my own hula hoops and have a mini-trampoline with a safety bar as part of my living room decor, along with yoga mat, another exercise bike thingy, and plenty of room to dance. Each can be taken outdoors on a nice day. I used to try the gym scene, but those damn endocrine disruptors of everyone else's choice of scented products, along with just trying to get myself there everyday, along with the added monthly expense wasn't a good scene for my needs, so I had to create my own.
I also had to re-learn how to talk to myself. I was used to the automatic default response of engaging in some really harsh ass kicking dialogue with myself that would take my energy down before anyone else ever got a chance.
All of this was made possible after years of being made desperate for help via being misled, mis-fed, and misdiagnosed by some really well-meaning folks...at least I'd like to thing they were well-meaning, although many "professionals" blatantly ignored severe trauma incidents that were reported to them in full and in writing. I realize all the professionals I sought help from are being taught the same things I was in school, which doesn't go very far to give a whole complete picture of how things truly are, at least that's how it feels in my world after experiencing the things I and others close to me have.
I also had the incredibly good fortune of meeting various healing practitioners in my area who were/are willing to barter. Some things are ongoing and others were introductory and only needed to be a one time thing. Regardless, without them, I'm not sure I'd be feeling the depth of relief I feel nowadays.
Things like acupuncture, chiropractor, massage therapy, iridology, sound healing, registered dietitian who also offered NeurOptimal brand neurofeedback, energy healing, etc. It takes a village to keep my sanity afloat and it takes a lot of work of my own to keep up my new daily routines, but I find the more benefits I feel from my efforts, the easier it is to stick with it. I'm going on my third year of following this particular path, thus far, and I'm diggin' it a little better each day. Hoping my experiences are helpful in some way. Best wishes in finding your particular flavors of wellness.
Even my doc was mistakenly telling me I was "healthy" based solely on the limited blood tests they regularly perform the whole time I was weighing in at over 300 lbs. and staying miserable more often than not, so who was I to think I needed to be doing anything differently than I always had?
She labeled me with a list of chronic illnesses that simply couldn't be treated other than with pills, according to her and my insurance company, and I was being told to just get used to the suffering as it naturally comes with age. I now very loudly call bullshit on those professionally diagnosed ass-umptions. My fork is now one of my greatest assets and healing tools, while before, I was simply using it to help dig my own grave and using it to steadily increase my own pain. Re-learning how to breathe brought significant relief, too. Yet another arena I was damn sure I had figured out well enough, especially since I was still living and stuff.
The only supplement I take daily now offers a combination of B12, D3, and DHA/EPA all in one. I now hydrate with herbal infusions and lemon water each day rather than tossing back loads of coffee, sweet tea, energy drinks, and sodas, as I used to. I used to think liquid of any kind equaled hydration. Beep. Wrong answer. The various herbs provide many benefits and should be researched and ingested with as much care as we hopefully use when deciding to ingest prescription meds, as they can be just as powerful and come with their own side effects.
I eliminated all meat, all dairy, all gluten, all caffeine, all alcohol, and as much artificially created stuff as humanly possible after an emergency room visit that left me facing a surgical procedure to remove an organ I'd rather keep. I was facing drastic change no matter which direction I chose, so I chose the one that didn't involve getting cut open. Rather than trying a whole bunch of supplements and even more meds to try to counteract my usual consumption habits, I decided to start with the basics of what I was choosing to fuel this meat-coated skeleton with...and dang...I learned I wasn't treating it with much respect all those years, that's for sure, no matter how good it supposedly does a body, according to what the marketing gurus, schools, doctors, parents, other professionals, etc. were trying to tell me.
I learned much more about all the systems that make up this being known as me that are always out of sight and out of mind, until they break down, of course. I especially learned more about the endocrine system and how the external items we regularly use day in and day out can totally screw that up (like anything scented, such as fragrances from laundry detergents, fabric softeners, hygiene items, perfumes, air fresheners, candles, cleaning supplies, etc.) and did a clean sweep of all that stuff, too and learned to make my own.
I learned the ins and outs of my digestive and elimination systems and how our bodies can't healthily recognize or rid of half the shit we call food, learned of the journey each and everything I was choosing to consume had to take to get to my plate or my home. Some major eye-opening heart wrenching shit right there. The products aren't the only thing we're digesting when we choose what we eat and drink, we're also digesting the energetic exchanges, experiences, and attachments of each.
Even the "humanely" slaughtered beings carry some heavy energetic loads. I simply eliminated the middle-man (cow, pig, lamb, chicken, fish, etc) to get my nutrients from the same damn place they each do. lol I also noticed no ohter animal chooses to continue to eat the milk of another species once it's weaned. Hmmm... Made me think of things I never realized I needed to be paying attention to. Meal prep and after meal clean-up has become much more pleasant, that's for sure. Each lesson made my new lifestyle choices easier and easier to maintain.
Meanwhile during that process, I continued to greatly improve in ALL arenas after a few initial hurdles of my body trying to adjust to cleaner intake, started shedding weight, getting my energy back, lessening the brain fog, no longer hurting as severely, sleeping soundly through the night, no longer feeling like each nerve was exposed in my daily interactions, moods lightened, my days brightened, etc., etc., I learned I had been repeatedly misdiagnosed with a whole lot of shit that seemed to be much more of a result of me swimming in a constant sea of tox-sick-city, by using all the exact things heavily marketed as being safe and very necessary, more than it being the long ass list of diagnoses I was racking up through various professionals who kept heavily medicating me, causing my symptoms to continually increase vs. decrease.
Making exercise fun and readily accessible was my next move. I make my own hula hoops and have a mini-trampoline with a safety bar as part of my living room decor, along with yoga mat, another exercise bike thingy, and plenty of room to dance. Each can be taken outdoors on a nice day. I used to try the gym scene, but those damn endocrine disruptors of everyone else's choice of scented products, along with just trying to get myself there everyday, along with the added monthly expense wasn't a good scene for my needs, so I had to create my own.
I also had to re-learn how to talk to myself. I was used to the automatic default response of engaging in some really harsh ass kicking dialogue with myself that would take my energy down before anyone else ever got a chance.
All of this was made possible after years of being made desperate for help via being misled, mis-fed, and misdiagnosed by some really well-meaning folks...at least I'd like to thing they were well-meaning, although many "professionals" blatantly ignored severe trauma incidents that were reported to them in full and in writing. I realize all the professionals I sought help from are being taught the same things I was in school, which doesn't go very far to give a whole complete picture of how things truly are, at least that's how it feels in my world after experiencing the things I and others close to me have.
I also had the incredibly good fortune of meeting various healing practitioners in my area who were/are willing to barter. Some things are ongoing and others were introductory and only needed to be a one time thing. Regardless, without them, I'm not sure I'd be feeling the depth of relief I feel nowadays.
Things like acupuncture, chiropractor, massage therapy, iridology, sound healing, registered dietitian who also offered NeurOptimal brand neurofeedback, energy healing, etc. It takes a village to keep my sanity afloat and it takes a lot of work of my own to keep up my new daily routines, but I find the more benefits I feel from my efforts, the easier it is to stick with it. I'm going on my third year of following this particular path, thus far, and I'm diggin' it a little better each day. Hoping my experiences are helpful in some way. Best wishes in finding your particular flavors of wellness.
- Post starter
- #3
We have already started to change our diets as well. We are 100% gluten free for the past 3-4 weeks now. It's amazing how much easier big changes like that can become over time. In the 3-4 weeks both my wife and I have lost over 10lbs each and my wife and daughter have been having much less epilepsy issues as well. It is truly amazing what can happen as we control what we consume. Sounds like you are pretty much eating a raw vegan diet. That would be a HUGE change for us. Baby steps.... :)
saraemerald
Gold Member
I was diagnosed with PTSD in my early 20s. The symptoms were debilitating and prevented me from doing what I wanted to do but I was determined to ride them through until I got better because I was not born that way but because it was caused by traumatic stuff in my life.
So I opted to try more holistic, natural cures and they worked for me. I am in the process of trying to heal my body again (ugghh) because when I pretty much healed all my symptoms slowly, over time, I did not have good support from my then friends around me at the time, so I sabotaged my progress and my health. Don't do that. lol
So back to your question. Natural remedies can work, but what works for one person may or may not work for another.
So across the board, a lot of people have success with taking these two simple things that many people are lacking in their diet. We don't get enough from food and our bodies get depleted of these when we are under stress or taking a diuretic or caffeine from coffee, etc. These are vitamin b-complex and magnesium citrate. These have worked wonders for me and helped my body cope with stress. Just make sure you get good brands because a lot of vitamin companies aren't that good. Anyone at a local health food store should be able to help you find good ones.
Also do some research on "adaptogenic herbs". This is a category of herbs that assists your adrenal glands in handeling stress.
Other things that help a lot, whenever you catch yourself shallowly breathing because of stress or whatever, stop yourself and allow yourself to breath in and out deeply until you feel calm.
If you are in a rush all the time to get places and get things done, calm down, breath and give yourself needed time to yourself to gather yourself together before rushing around.
Nice cups of tea help as well as soaking in the bath with Epsom salts and essential oils.
Sorry for the long post. lol
One more thing, try to eat healthy foods but don't stress about eating healthy. Slowly introduce yourself to healthy and delicious recipes and enjoy your food and your life.
Hope this helps.
So I opted to try more holistic, natural cures and they worked for me. I am in the process of trying to heal my body again (ugghh) because when I pretty much healed all my symptoms slowly, over time, I did not have good support from my then friends around me at the time, so I sabotaged my progress and my health. Don't do that. lol
So back to your question. Natural remedies can work, but what works for one person may or may not work for another.
So across the board, a lot of people have success with taking these two simple things that many people are lacking in their diet. We don't get enough from food and our bodies get depleted of these when we are under stress or taking a diuretic or caffeine from coffee, etc. These are vitamin b-complex and magnesium citrate. These have worked wonders for me and helped my body cope with stress. Just make sure you get good brands because a lot of vitamin companies aren't that good. Anyone at a local health food store should be able to help you find good ones.
Also do some research on "adaptogenic herbs". This is a category of herbs that assists your adrenal glands in handeling stress.
Other things that help a lot, whenever you catch yourself shallowly breathing because of stress or whatever, stop yourself and allow yourself to breath in and out deeply until you feel calm.
If you are in a rush all the time to get places and get things done, calm down, breath and give yourself needed time to yourself to gather yourself together before rushing around.
Nice cups of tea help as well as soaking in the bath with Epsom salts and essential oils.
Sorry for the long post. lol
One more thing, try to eat healthy foods but don't stress about eating healthy. Slowly introduce yourself to healthy and delicious recipes and enjoy your food and your life.
Hope this helps.
Tornadic Thoughts
VIP Member
I still cook. lol A lot. Especially now that the weather's getting colder. I was born and raised on good ol' southern style home cooking and (miraculously) lived off of fast food for many years of my life, so trust me, it was a HUGE change for me, too. I was simply afforded the option of kicking it ALL into gear overnight thanks to my ER visit, otherwise, I likely would have never entertained the thought of even trying it. I never gracefully or gently enter into any of the helpful arenas I've found. lol I have to be catapulted by necessity, it seems.
saraemerald
Gold Member
One other thing. Based on my experience, it's nice to have a good support system of people that respect your decisions about how to handle your PTSD symptoms, no matter what you choose, whether it be conventional medicine, ayurvedic medicine or alternative medicine.
Freida
VIP Member
I take wellbutrin from my MD and I have bunch of weeds and twigs from my nautropath. I never thought I would go that route but it has been amazing. I had been doing a bunch of research on natural remedies but honestly it was just too confusing to try to figure out what worked and what wouldn't. I finally went in to see her and she was able to create a plan specifically for me based on my symptoms. I still see her regularly and we tweak when necessary as symptoms come and go. It's a bit spendy but it is worth it because it takes out the stress of experimenting.
then add yoga, massage, chiropractor, better eating, exercise and meditation. I haven't tried acupuncture yet but I hear its helpful
then add yoga, massage, chiropractor, better eating, exercise and meditation. I haven't tried acupuncture yet but I hear its helpful
- Post starter
- #9
I'll have to see if there is a naturopath in my area. I'm sure there are a hundred of them in the city about an hour from where I live but who likes driving that much?!?! I'm sure it would really be helpful to have some guidance in this area. Anything to avoid long term prescription use and their side effects is a good thing in my opinion.
EveHarrington
VIP Member
I’m starting to experiment with liquid vitamins and minerals. I finally realized that my system needs this over pills as pills are only in specific increments, and it’s difficult to find the correct dosing.
I’m also using CBD balm. Dosing is VERY hard and I’m having interactions with my Rx meds (breathing issues). My doc has warned me about piggyback sedation effects as most of my meds (both mental and physical) are sedating.
I’m also using CBD balm. Dosing is VERY hard and I’m having interactions with my Rx meds (breathing issues). My doc has warned me about piggyback sedation effects as most of my meds (both mental and physical) are sedating.
A
Amanda
Going through the exact same. 21 y/o with PTSD and not surrounded by good friends so I let go of my health for a while. Thank you for sharing, will definitely try magnesium.
EveHarrington
VIP Member
Magnesium is awesome stuff!
Make sure you do your research and get the good stuff. Lots of magnesium supplements are utter garbage, with absorption rates as low as 4%! I take liquid ionic magnesium and it works great. Ions are the form that we have in our blood, so absorption rates are high.
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