CarePlus Wholistic Health

     ***Be Responsible for your Health!*** 
                    Test…Don’t Guess! 
                              by Mariaehel Sammis

Last night I attended a concert in Camden, New Jersey.  While still somewhat of a neophyte follower of the band, I noticed for the first time that the saxophone player wasn’t wearing his dark glasses! The very first time I saw the band, my date had explained that the reason he wore the dark glasses was that he had anxiety.  Somehow the dark glasses contributed to making the anxiety more manageable while performing.  So now that he didn’t have them on…what did it mean?  Did this mean the anxiety went away?  Can anxiety go away?  And how many people out there live with the feeling of anxiety on a daily basis? 

As I sat there, I reflected, how almost one year ago, I sat in this very same venue, listening to the very same band, in almost the exact same seat.  When I left the venue that night last year, I turned on my cell phone.  I will never forget the moment I played my voicemail walking to the car, and heard that my best friend Chris had killed himself.

I thought I was impervious to loss.  I had lost family members and friends before.  Fifteen years ago, I lost my waterfront home and everything I owned in the world to a hurricane.  Loss was familiar.  Yet, I wasn't prepared for this loss. 
Chris moved to Florida last February 2007.  Six weeks before the concert in Camden that year, I received an excited phone call from Chris saying that he was getting married to a woman living in Florida that he met on the Internet a year and half ago.  He said that he needed his best friend by his side for the big day.  When I think back to my wedding visit, I try to recall if there was something I had missed…something I should have seen...
His affect appeared normal, other than a glass or two of wine, he didn’t appear to drink in excess, and he appeared happy to be marrying again.  This was not the presentation of a guy about to kill himself.  Was it?        

When I spoke to a relative regarding the toxicology report that was performed, Chris had serum levels of anti-anxiety medication and an anti-depressant.  I was stunned.  I had spoken to Chris the Monday before the concert.  I spoke to Chris every Monday.  He told me that everything was “okay”, -“great” in fact.  I believed I knew just about everything there was to know about Chris, and I knew nothing of any medication for anxiety and depression. 
Upon further investigation, I learned that Chris had mentioned feelings of anxiousness regarding his move to Florida, to his primary care physician.  As my training had taught me, and the Federal Medical Boards express, psychotropic medication is to be prescribed only after a full case history is done by a qualified psychiatrist.  Many of these medications contain side effects of suicidal ideation, and contraindications when mixed with alcohol.  In addition, taking psychotropic medications with initially low serotonin levels may result in the need for more of the medication than normally required, or additional medications just to have the desired effect.  (The medication does nothing to change the levels of the neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine etc). The neurotransmitters just keep being depleted until the dose must be raised to get the same effect, or other meds must be added.)

So why am I telling you all this?.....because medication is a responsibilty.  It can, and will change your life! Sometimes the change is positive.  Sometimes it isn’t.

Here are some considerations if you or someone you know is taking, or considering taking, an anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medication:

Before accepting a medication, become responsible.  Ask questions!  Test…don’t guess!  Test your brain chemistry (neurotransmitter) levels.  Neurotransmitter saliva and urine tests are inexpensive ways to determine what your baseline is before taking a medication that will alter the levels.  Many of the labs doing this type of testing now take insurance.  Many healthcare practitioners are now offering this type of testing.  If they don’t mention it, ask for it.  If they don’t offer this type of testing, locate another practitioner that does. If they tell you that you don't need it, ask them how they know you need the medication without testing. 

Once you have obtained your levels, it is possible to support those levels with the necessary nutrients.  If your levels are sub-optimal, it is possible to raise them to the optimal level with the necessary nutrients.  These nutrients may be in the form of food, vitamins, minerals or herbal supplements.  Medication may not be necessary if you provide your body with the proper nutrients to support its own neurotransmitter levels.  Some factors that contribute to sub-optimal neurotransmitter levels are inadequate amino acid intake, stress, poor sleep patterns, lack of exercise, and daily life. 

If you must accept a medication, please consider a medication dispensed from a qualified psychiatrist.  (whoooo...tests.)  Don’t accept medication from a well-meaning physician or physician’s assistant.  The level of training in the dispensation of psychotropic medication is different, and best left to psychiatrists who will do a complete case history and ask you the right questions around your lifestyle. They will also instruct you on how to use the medication properly.  Follow up is necessary to insure the dose is appropriate.  

If you must accept a medication, please don't drink alcohol.  You aren't going to be the one exception that can tolerate alcohol on medication.  This includes all medication.  Read the insert that comes with all prescriptions.  If it says don't mix with alcohol, this means YOU.

If you suspect that someone you know is experiencing anxiety or depression…Ask them.
While you may not always get the truth, it lets them know that the support is there if they choose it.
 
If you are feeling anxious…or depressed…tell someone!  What you need is all around you if you stop and ask for help.  It doesn’t mean that by admitting your feelings that there must be “something wrong with you” or that you must go on a medication so the feelings will go away.  A simple neurotransmitter panel can provide you with the necessary understanding, information and support you may need to change the biochemisty that may be contributing to how you are feeling. 

Nothing can bring back Chris…but I learned a lot through the experience...and I am prompted to share the story so that maybe it will help save someone else's life.
So please be responsible for your health...and whenever possible....support others to make the right choice for their health!
Incidentally, when I looked up at the stage half way through last nights show, I saw that the dark glasses were back on the saxophone player.  He had temporarily handed them off to the new guitar player. What do you suppose that means....:)
 

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