Wednesday, October 27, 2010
I need advice. I am a Christian and I take care of my mom. Resources? Advice?
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Caregiver to a schizoaffective mom
10/28/10 11:23am
Hi Manda,
On the above comment, I mentioned that Harvard Medical School has shown low estrogen levels that can cause schizophrenia like behavior. I made a mistake there, it is the Tel Aviv University (Research by Prof. Weiner). A quote from Weiner..."We've known for some time that when the level of estrogen is low, vulnerability to psychotic symptoms increases and antpsychotic drugs are less likely to work. Now, our pre-clinical findings show why this might be happening". To read about it google..."Tel Aviv University Finds Estrogen May Protect Women From Psychosis" Dated January 2010. Another interesting article you could google is "Hormone Therapy for Schizophrenia?" Dated Aug 4, 2008. A quote from that article ...."... Kulkarni spoke with many schizophrenic women who kept telling her, "Its my hormones, Doc" "In women, schizophrenia symptoms often appear just after childbirth and during menopause, when estrogen levels plunge."
10/29/10 3:49pm
Hi Manda
Wanted to first say that I have empathy for your situation as my mother has schizophrenia and I was her caretaker for my childhood, teen, and young adult years. It is not easy. And I am sure that you have a story to tell about all your experiences. If you would ever care to share some of that story we would be more than glad to listen.
Resources...yes there are some. I am going to first give you the link to our schizophrenia site. There is a lot of community support there as well as information to help you with your role of caretaker.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is another resource you might want to look into. They also have information hotline you can call. You may want to ask them about christian support groups for caregivers in your area.
I am also going to give you the link to a wonderful blogger and friend of mine named Marja who has a blog called The Rollercoaster. She writes from the Christian perspective about mental illness. I definitely think she would be a good resource to find some support.
Let us know if you need any additional information, resources, or support. Remember to take care of you. It is so easy to neglect oneself when you are caring for another. We are here to listen if you want to write more about your situation.
By Manda04grad— Last Modified: 11/12/10, First Published: 10/27/10
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Hi Manda,
I would encourage you to find an Orthomolecular Doctor. One that has really helped us is Dr. Chris Cooke in Portland, Oregon - Her phone number is...503-984-5652. She is able to work with you, even if you are not in her area - by phone appointments. Thyroid imbalances, low-estrogen, low-progesterone, sugar level, b-vitamins, histamine level and allergies such as gluten can all account for schizophrenia-like symptoms. For example, the latest research from Harvard Medical School has shown that low-estrogen levels can cause schizophrenia-like behavior. Another research report (Pfeiffer's) showed that 45% of all patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have low histamine levels and another 27% have high histamine levels. In other words, 72% of all schizophrenic patients have a histamine problem.
In our own situation, our daughter was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was having a very hard time with the medications that were prescribed to her. They did not seem to be working. When we got a hold of Dr. Cooke, she ran a series of specific blood tests and is now in the process of working at the root of what is going on. Our daughter has very low estrogen, low progesterone, low b-vitamins, and low histamine levels. The first doctor missed all of this. We feel that her first diagnosis was wrong and we are hopeful in time that the imbalances that are going on with her will be corrected and the root problem will be solved.
Blessings, Abigail
Abigail...
This is the community leader for this site. I am watching your responses with interest since you seem keen upon giving a phone number to advocate people call a certain doctor. This site does not allow spam and this sort of promotion could be considered spam. I am going to have to give you a warning to not provide phone numbers and/or links to commercial sites. Not everyone with a mental or mood disorder is in need of an investigation into their horomones. Please respect the site rules.
Here is the link to our terms of service
and specifically our rules about spam:
"You may not post or transmit spam, petitions for signatures, chain letters or letters relating to pyramid schemes. You may not post or transmit any advertising, promotional materials or any other solicitation of other users to use goods or services."
Thank you for your future adherence to the site rules.
I will respect that rule. My apologies.
Abigail