by Dr. Robertson, Tom Monte (Contributor)
Amazon.com Another book that seeks to help the depressed change their brain chemistry without medication, Natural Prozac divides such people into two types. "Satiation" types seek to boost their levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin to promote relaxation, calmness, and a sense of security, and often become uncomfortable in overly arousing situations. "Arousal" types, on the other hand, eat foods and participate in activities that boost norepinephrine and dopamine, neurotransmitters related to alertness, assertiveness, and aggression; such people would rather be anxious than bored. According to Robertson, one of the ways for each of these types of people to battle depression is to act against their instincts: when satiation types raise their "excitement" chemicals and arousal types raise their "calmness" chemicals, their brains come into better balance; while this may make them anxious at first, eventually they become tolerant of the higher levels. Robertson recommends a variety of methods for doing this - through diet, exercise, spiritual practices, and even music (songs by Bach raise serotonin, he says, while Springsteen's "Born to Run" boosts norepinephrine and dopamine). Although some readers may be uncomfortable with being pigeonholed into a category, those who agree that they fit one type or the other will find plenty of advice on what to do next. From Booklist, February 15, 1997
Synopsis
Synopsis
* * * People DO have various problems with life. Instead of naming and redefining these problems as various "mental diseases", and labeling people with them, as is currently done within the psychiatric community, these problems with life and living are best understood and addressed outside of the traditional psychiatric paradigm. Why? Because psychiatric "treatments" such as ECT, lobotomy, and powerful psychotropic drugs are barbaric, based upon severe faulty scientific methodology, and quite simply, harm people.
|
