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Recently, my mental-health team suggested that I try two naturopathic remedies to
help improve how I feel. These methods are simple, inexpensive, safe and readily available to psychiatric patients.
My psychiatrist told me that Omega-3 fish-oil supplements contain essential fatty acids important for the healthy function of nerve cells in the brain. They come in bottles of one hundred 1,000 mg capsules for about the same price as a store brand multivitamin. One or two capsules per day are all that are required. Although they are hard to swallow because they are so large, one gets used to them fairly quickly.
When I began taking Omega-3 fish-oil supplements along with my prescription psychiatric meds, I noticed, from the first capsule, a change in me. I became very calm, had no more psychiatric symptoms, and experienced no more side effects. In fact, I became calm without any feeling of sedation, and felt completely well for the first time in years. Mercury contamination is not a problem on these small doses, my doctor states. However, fish oil is not recommended for people who are taking cholesterol or heart medications, because it thins the blood and interferes with these drugs.
I recommend Omega-3 fish-oil capsules for anyone with anxiety, mania or depression. They work as well for me as 1 mg of the tranquilizer Xanax—actually, I think they work even better. And the effect lasts all day long. Since fish oil doesn’t make you sleepy, you can be calm yet alert so that you can concentrate and think. And as a mood stabilizer, it works better than lithium for me.
Secondly, I am learning to practice Buddhist meditation. I am using a guided yoga meditation CD. After one lesson, I was already serene. With guided meditation, I had no problem eliminating the negative, nervous chatter of my mind, which had been plaguing me at night and preventing me from falling asleep. My anxious mind was ruminating for hours, keeping me awake.
With meditation, I have been clearing my mind of thoughts—Buddhist emptiness—and filling myself with deep breaths, while relaxing my body. The tranquilizing effect lasts for days. You can meditate to music, or to a narrator’s voice, or to both. If you practice meditation every day for an hour, you will sleep better. Once you learn the technique, you can practice it at work, at home, or while traveling to get relief from stress. The feeling one experiences is akin to that of attending religious services, or praying. CDs vary in the amount of Buddhist philosophy and religion they contain. I definitely recommend guided meditation for relaxation, stress reduction and better sleep. Yoga meditation CDs can be obtained at Eastern religious bookstores, or online. Please be open to trying guided meditation. You will be astonished by the peace it provides.
I have found such relief in these two naturopathic methods that I feel doctors and therapists should recommend to all of their psychiatric patients. Guided meditation would also benefit patients in the hospital. Meditation regimens tailored to the needs of the mentally ill would be invaluable. You can feel so much better, starting today, with these two very simple and inexpensive techniques which are available to all of us.