Yeah, sure. Anxiety and depression affect one emotionally and mentally but it surely doesn’t end there. I have had stomach digestion issues and minor (usually) headaches for as long as I can remember, even as far back as those days when parents assured children they didn’t get headaches.
Being that my stomach is a much more pressing issue, I went to a GI specialist over a year ago. I have undergone an endoscopy, ultrasound, and other scans only to show that there is nothing physically wrong with my stomach. No allergies (except seasonal) and no major food intolerances (that I’ve been able to notice, except large amounts of lactose). A friend of mine has very similar stomach issues and she has found out that its due to a lack of ‘communication’ between the brain’s serotonin and the stomach. Somehow Irritable Bowel Syndrome comes into play. Many will assume that its simply the anxiety that creates the digestive problems. But perhaps not being able to digest anything can make you anxious? According to my research, the actual reason for the correlation isn’t too clear.
Depression and anxiety can be very painful. I have read that somehow sufferers of anxiety and depression can be in a lot of physical pain, even if the emotional pain is minimal. As I mentioned previously, I was severely depressed in high school but somewhere in college and moving out to Los Angeles afterwards helped me to have this great outlook. It was also when I realized my atheism that was the final push to be optimistic and generally happy. I had finally inhaled the true beautiful purpose of nature.
However, my stomach issues greatly worsened. Sure, I dealt with career and family stress as just about anyone does, but it didn’t stand to reason. Why do I always feel like crap?
After speaking to my friend more, she informed me of the regimen her doctor put her on: Zoloft, peppermint tea, fiber supplements, and probiotics. The combination is supposed to work together for a period of time, teaching your body how to digest food properly. She has been lessening the Zoloft and feeling better. She’s not a skeptic, but still a smart science-minded individual. Of course, I began a bunch of internet research. Then, I asked some skeptic friends on their thoughts (mostly regarding the probiotics).
Peppermint seems to be known to minimize the contractions in the stomach but much isn’t known. There haven’t been many tests. Though, according to what I have seen so far, it seems likely. What about probiotics? I listened to the QuackCast on Probiotics, #16. And didn’t get many definitive answers. Mark left it a bit open in some areas, which left me confused but also hopeful. Hopeful that it could potentially help and hopeful that it isn’t alternative medicine.
So I asked my doctor. At first, I spoke to my doctor in LA who gave me a Prozac script, but only until I could see a local doctor. My new doctor agreed that that could likely be it: the anxiety, depression, and IBS amalgam. Especially after I informed her all the tests I took part in, she prescribed me more Prozac and gave me probiotics samples of a specific strain. She said she takes them daily. I also spoke to my aunt who is a nurse (and a skeptic) who heads the nursing department; she said that the probiotics won’t hurt you unless they are packaged incorrectly or you take more than the recommended dosage. I figured I had nothing to lose since I had the samples already so I began taking those in addition to the fiber and Prozac.
The Prozac has calmed me down greatly. If just for that, its a wonderful drug (for me, anyway). However, something seems to be working. I did get really sick prior to and during TAM, but other than that I have been feeling a lot better. Then, I ran out of probiotics and went sans for a few days. My stomach went crazy. Let’s just leave it at that. In my attempt to delineate any placebo reactions from real progress, I am simply unable to. My doctor is of the thought that whatever gets you to feel better, then what’s the difference? I’m not so sure but I ran out and got some of those same probiotics and was very careful to only buy that strain (just in case). I’m not certain if it is what has been helping but I’ll give it a little while longer before I can fully decide. Thoughts?
On a side note, I also haven’t had caffeine for months. Other than napping a lot more, I haven’t had any negative side effects. It definitely was upsetting my stomach. But what doesn’t? Oy.
EDIT: Actually, I do enjoy small amounts chocolate but no coffee or caffeinated tea.
Related Posts
-
http://www.facebook.com/atheistpride Jim
Check out my examiner articles
More Designs
Collections & Communities
