After more than 20 years of feeling anxious, confused, and depressed, I had reached the zenith of my battle against general anxiety disorder (GAD). Now, I was in my early 30s and felt defeated. I had gone through the usual pharmaceutical grocery list: Zoloft, Pamelor, Paxil, Effexor, Wellbutrin. None gave me true relief; some even caused me to gain weight. I exercised strenuously but was still feeling bloated. And then there was the static in my mind, temporarily muted by the drugs. Without medication, I couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t calm down. So through job, college, and gym, I worked, and worked, and worked to relieve my anxiousness. Sadly, it was a habit I had learned since childhood.
Since middle school I can remember being unusually nervous and distressed for a child. My parents recognized my anxiety, tried to calm me down, but didn’t quite understand how to help their younger daughter. By the time I was in my 20s I had resorted to nearly locking myself in my apartment in an attempt to cry away my mental illness. I had become a recluse, venturing outside only to go to the job and pretending to look “fine.” I was only fooling myself. I finally sought therapy in my late 20s. Sessions had helped me to deal with the symptoms of my GAD, but my therapist knew I needed more assistance. What I had, she said, was a disease no different from diabetes, one that required maintenance in the form of making healthy decisions and reaching a biochemical balance within my body. I heard her but shrugged off the analogy. But I would soon learn how appropriate her comparison was.
In November 2006 I had reached a point of no return. My anxiety was returning in full force. I was trying to reason my way into sleeping only three hours a night to get work done, whatever that might be. In my mind, work was always there, and I could never get it done; I had to keep working. Meanwhile, I was falling apart physically and mentally. Finally my medical doctor dropped me because I had refused to continue taking the prescribed pharmaceutical drugs. The side effects were too great for me. Just when I was feeling hopeless about my situation, a coworker one day shared with me the benefits of alternative medicine, of how Dr. Lee-Bloem was helping her. I was a bit skeptical at first but remained curious. I had relied so much on traditional medicine that I procrastinated and delayed making an appointment for months. But when my therapist urged me to see someone, anyone, because she saw how much my GAD was controlling my life, I knew I had to make an appointment, no matter what.
That phone call to Dr. Lee-Bloem was one of the best calls I could have ever made for myself. With the energy work and prescribed supplements, I’ve reached mental clarity. That seemingly formidable static I had had in my mind for nearly two decades has begun to fade away. I am feeling hopeful about my future, and I am experiencing such hope without using pharmaceutical drugs! I am grateful to have this calmness in my life now. It is a strange feeling for me, but it is so welcoming. And to think I once thought I would never find such peace of mind. I shall always be thankful for making that phone call.
Sincerely,
Kara