The more I think about Rye and watch him and how he relates to emotion I wonder, is bipolar disorder only a brain disorder or is it an extreme body system imbalance? I mean, sometimes he just seems so off center – like the scale has completely tipped and his body is revolting or stagnated or just bursting with overload. And it looks to me like his whole body is involved. Or, at least more than one part. And then other times he is completely fine and stable and can handle great amounts of stress with relative ease. So, what is the difference between these times?
Western Medicine theorizes that bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Or, at least that’s what the treatment protocol is based on – using pharmaceutical medicines to alter neurotransmitters in the brain. But if it’s a chemical imbalance in the brain, why are the brain chemicals in balance sometimes and not others?
No one seems to know.
According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, they don’t know what causes bipolar disorder.
It’s not known what causes bipolar disorder. But a variety of biochemical, genetic and environmental factors seem to be involved in causing and triggering bipolar episodes:
- Biochemical. Some evidence from high-tech imaging studies indicates that people with bipolar disorder have physical changes in their brains. The significance of these changes is still uncertain but may eventually help pinpoint causes. The naturally occurring brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, which are tied to mood, also may play a role. Hormonal imbalances also are thought to be a culprit.
- Genes. Some studies show that bipolar disorder is more common in people whose biological family members also have the condition. Researchers are trying to find genes that may be involved in causing bipolar disorder. Some studies also show links between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, pointing to a shared genetic cause.
- Environment. Environment also is thought to play a causal role in some way. Some studies of identical twins show that one twin has the condition while the other doesn’t — which means genes alone aren’t responsible for bipolar disorder. Environmental causes may include problems with self-esteem, significant loss or high stress.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bipolar-disorder/DS00356/DSECTION=causes
Well, ok.
Looking for more answers I decided to look into a more holistic approach – Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM has been around for thousands of years. Western Medicine is the baby of medicines compared to Chinese Medicine so the Chinese Medicine Praticioners must know something, right?
I have just begun my search but so far I am intrigued with what I have read. I mean, after all, the brain is not an isolated organ. Your brain cannot live without your other body systems working. So if the brain is suffering an imbalance it seems logical that other body systems must be as well. Or, maybe it’s another part of the body that is suffering an imbalance and this is causing the imbalance in the brain.
And then I found this:
Because of the belief by Western Science Practitioners that all emotions come from the brain, when patients suffer from disturbances in their emotions, Chemicals that mimic Brain Neurotransmitters are given to correct these mental disturbances. TCM practitioners believe that emotions are associated with the Five Elements. We believe that balancing the Organ associated with the emotion will balance the emotion. Sometimes the Organ is out of balance and produces the emotional imbalance. But sometimes the emotion imbalance can produce an Organ imbalance. The difference to the practitioner is important only in preventing a reoccurrence of the problem.
http://www.hantang.com/english/en_Articles/EMOTION.htm
Now I’m really intrigued.
This is starting to seem logical. The body works as a whole. The individual parts are interdependent and so what effects one system can effect another system.
And then I found this:
Acupuncture was applied in the treatment of depression and psychosis in aged patients at the Institute of Mental Hygiene in Beijing (14). The patients were aged 50-74 and suffered from conditions such as manic-depressive psychosis, reactive psychosis, and neurosis. The treatment focused on baihui (GV-20) and yintang (M-HN-3), using electroacupuncture stimulation. Of 30 patients treated, it was claimed that marked effects were observed in 19 (about 2/3). The claimed improvements were in depressed mood, suicidal intention, anxiety, insomnia, and irritability, as well as alleviation of some accompanying physical symptoms.
http://www.itmonline.org/articles/acubrain.htm
More than interesting.
I’m going to look into getting an appointment for Rye with an experienced TCM Practicioner.
If anyone out there reading this has any experience with using TCM with Bipolar Disorder, please let me know how it worked for you.
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