Stories of light and hope from those who have healed . . .
Overcoming ADHD, Anxiety, Depression and Marijuana Addiction at 22
“I am a 22 y.o. guy with ADHD and anxiety disorder. I’ve had this diagnosis since I was seven years old. When I first came to Dr. Lee I was chronically using marijuana from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep; had been on a stimulant (Concerta) since the age of 7 and had been on anxiety medication (most recently Zoloft) for the same time period. It was difficult knowing that I could not start my day off right without smoking some marijuana. It was doubly difficult knowing that I couldn’t sit down and do a task without having my medication. I found that my short-term memory was slowly fading away, and I was going through serious bouts of depression & anxiety.
I came to Dr. Lee a little hesitant on how a holistic psychiatric doctor would be able to help overcome struggles I had been dealing with for quite a while. As a side note—I came to Dr. Lee drinking approximately 7 cans of Mountain Dew a day—within the first 2 weeks of my treatment, I noticed that I no longer had the desire to have that beverage. It was at that point that I knew Dr. Lee was onto something. Originally I was never able to meditate; I wasn’t able to focus on just my breathing for more than just a few seconds. With Dr. Lee’s help, I was able to overcome that obstacle and learn to focus my breathing and quiet my thoughts to help myself.
As obnoxious as it may be mixing a list of supplements every evening, or stocking up a pill dispenser once a week, the helpfulness of the regimen outweighed the inconvenience. After being on medications for close to 15 years I found that with Dr. Lee’s help I was able to get off of them in just over 4 months. In addition, I was able to drop my habitual weed smoking habit about a month after I stopped the medications. I have been off all of these substances now for close to 3 months and haven’t felt this great in a long time. During all of this, I was still able to hold a full-time job and was promoted to manager position as well. I applied to finish a program in college and was accepted recently much to my satisfaction.
Ultimately, this whole experience has helped me gain self-confidence, the ability to know I can overcome hurdles thrown at me in life, and the know-how to keep a positive attitude when the going gets tough.”
Healing from ADHD after Eleven Years of Stimulants
“I am a 19 year old female who had been diagnosed with ADHD since I was eight years old. I have been taking a stimulant medication since age eight until about a month ago. I have never felt healthier or more focused in my entire life, now that I have been maintaining a natural diet along with a nutritional regimen.
When I started treatment with Dr. Lee, I was very depressed, and I didn’t feel as if I deserved to live, and nobody else could really help me. I was irritable, argumentative, and dependent on my medication to help me focus. I felt as if I was developing “bipolar disorder” because my mood was constantly fluctuating with my medications. My appetite decreased drastically, because I would forget to eat, and when I was not taking the medication, I would crave all the wrong foods.
I started working with Dr. Lee towards the end of June, 2009. After my first appointment, I knew that she would change my life for the better. I was sensitive to energy and became interested in doing my own energy work. I noticed a positive difference in my mood, and others noticed as well. Gradually, I was able to lower my medication, and though it wasn’t easy, the nutritional supports and energy work really helped.
When I began treatment, I was self-medicating with Marijuana, because it was my only coping mechanism at the time. I was able to learn EFT, which enabled me to cope with my problems without needing to escape through marijuana.
At this time, I am preparing myself for going away to college. I feel confident and healthy, and very excited and thrilled about studying clinical psychology, and Dr. Lee has inspired me to pursue a career where I can apply energy medicine to help others heal. I have learned a great deal about how to keep progressing on my own through energy medicine techniques. However, I plan to continue to work with Dr. Lee by phone while I am away at college.
Thank you very much Dr. Lee for changing my life for the better, and a thank you to my father and mother who gave me everything I needed to make it possible for me to be happy again.”
Healing from ADHD, Depression, and Marijuana Abuse Through Natural Treatment at Seventeen
“I am a 17 year old male who had been diagnosed with ADHD in the seventh grade and after a year was diagnosed with major depression. Initially, I took a stimulant medication that made me vomit every time I took it, and the doctor told me to eat food with it, but no matter what I did, it still didn’t feel right. A year after starting the stimulant medication, I was started on an antidepressant for depression. When I did well on it, the doctor took me off of it after a year, but the withdrawals led me to become very depressed, and I overdosed on half the bottle of antidepressant and was hospitalized. I ended up needing three times the original dosage of antidepressant just to get restabilized. By the time I met Dr. Lee, both my stimulant and antidepressant dosage were three times the normal recommended dosage. The worst thing was that, despite all the medications, I was starting to get depressed. I hated taking all the medications. They messed up my sleep, appetite, and mood. The medications were giving me a lot of anxiety, and I started to self-medicate with marijuana on a regular basis during my junior year in high school. I felt flat, apathetic, and irritable. I was very hard to live with at home, and I argued with my parents all the time. With the addition of the marijuana, I lost my motivation to do my school work.
My grandmother was really sick, and she was seeing Dr. Lee and was able to lower her medications and do very well. So I told my mother that I wanted to see Dr. Lee also. I was started on a bunch of nutritional supplements, given advice on improving my diet, and I was taught how to do simple energy medicine techniques. I could feel the energy flowing during the energy work. I was so excited about energy medicine, that instead of doing it 10 times a day as instructed, I did about 5 times more every day. As a result, Dr. Lee had to lower my medications very quickly, because I was able to help myself heal through my own energy work. I was able to get off of all my medications within 10 weeks. Right about the time I got off my medications, I also had to go to rehab to help me get off of marijuana.
I have not had to use any prescription medications, nor have I used any marijuana since I got out of rehab three months ago. While I was in rehab, I was taking a very simplified nutritional regimen, but I was not depressed. When I got out of rehab, Dr. Lee-Bloem thought that I would want to continue with the simplified nutritional regimen, but I surprised her, when I asked to get back on the full nutritional regimen. I could feel a difference on the more complex nutritional regimen.
Even though I have not been on any medications, my attention and focus are fine. I have been able to catch up on missed school, and got A’s in my classes. My energy level is great. I want to study energy medicine and orthomolecular medicine, because it has been so helpful to me.
I don’t ever want to take any prescription medications again.
Thank you doctor Lee.”
This patient history was written for the Integrative Medicine Board Recertification Process (ABIHM). It is included as an example of how empowering integrative medicine can be for the treatment of depression and alcohol abuse. Alice W. Lee, MD
CASE REPORT
A. H. (Changed the initials) is a 46 y.o. (changed age) male who presented on February 20, 2014 with depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. He reported that he felt empty, lonely, and worthless. He felt depressed and very tired. He could not sleep well, and his appetite was unreliable, going up and down. He had always been “aware of his physical well being, but “lately, I really do not care.”
He had been a fireman for over 20 years, but due to multiple injuries on the job, he had to take an early retirement at age 45 and found a job that was less physically taxing. However, he had loved his job, and he found his new job unfulfilling. He felt useless and reminisced about his old job, wishing that he could have continued as a fire fighter. Several close friends and family members died over the three years. He was prescribed Percocet for surgeries associated with work related injuries and withdrawal from Percocet had been difficult.
He began to use alcohol to deal with his pain, losses, and emotional disappointment. His wife reported that when he was drunk, he would become angry and hit the door and throw things. However, he did not want to attend AA, because he said that he was not an alcoholic. By the time he came for treatment, he reported that he had been depressed for three years. His drinking was almost daily.
Treatment began during the intake appointment, where the patient and his wife were able to learn about the role of nutritional supplements, diet, and energy medicine to support the healing process. The patient felt encouraged through being listened to and respected. Later during a follow up appointment, when he came alone, he told the clinician that when he felt that he was understood and that the clinician could support him, he felt much better and less anxious.
He and his wife were taught how to do Emotional Freedom Technique and the clinician created a template for them to do over the following week, to help him deal with the problem of “not feeling important and necessary on a regular basis.” This was practiced together as a group, during the session with the clinician. The patient was given guidance and recommendations regarding the use of certain nutritional supplements. These included: GABA rice (germinated brown rice), to help increase GABA levels and help decrease anxiety; glutathione, pyridoxal 5 phosphate; D-phenylalanine, to help with mood, attention, and pain; and kudzu root for his alcohol abuse issues. He was already taking his own nutritional supplements at home, and he was instructed to continue them as he had before. He was also taught how to use guided visualization for meditation. The clinician supported a state of relaxation by doing a guided visualization exercise with him. The patient stated that he felt more relaxed than he had felt for many years.
The patient went away to visit his father in law, and did not take all of his supplement regimen as prescribed when he returned two weeks later. However, he was feeling better, and the rest was good for him. He was still drinking, but not abusing it when he was with his father in law. When he returned, time was devoted to help reinforce the use of nutritional supplements to help support his overall recovery. In addition, he was given a formal regimen consisting of more supplements. This time, the following were added: Pure Harvest Greens, Hemp protein, Acai powder, Calscorbplex, Opti-Zinc, Organically Bound Minerals, Krebs Ionized Chelates, UBQH (co-enzyme Q10), niacinamide, B12/folate, vitamin D, digestive enzyme, Norival, krill Oil, black currant seed oil, probiotic, and foot detox pads.
These supplements were given to support the eight areas of nutritional healing: vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, anti-oxidants, G. I. health, detoxification, and anti-inflammatory support. He also had further mood support through Norival, which supplied tyrosine for norepinephrine support and D-phenylalanine for endorphin support. Again, he was supported through a guided visualization and meditation exercise that helped him to relax and be open to healing.
The following week, he returned and said that he “felt like my old self again.” His mood and energy were good. His sleep and pain had improved markedly. He was no longer sad about his retirement.
He returned two weeks later and again one month after that. Each time, he reported that he felt great. He no longer had any problems with alcohol abuse. He had started volunteering to help youth. He said that he felt happy. His libido had returned. Further follow up was set, but the patient later cancelled due to his busy and productive life. His fifth and last appointment was on May 2, 2014. The clinician simply offered an open door to her services in the future, if he ever needed further support. As of this date, November 18, 2014, he has not needed any further help with his problems or mood.
Alice W. Lee, MD, ABIHM