Kelly Brogan is an MIT and Cornell-educated medical doctor.  She did her residency is psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine, in its Reproductive Psychiatry program.  And Dr. Kelly Brogan has no use for psychoactive drugs.

Let me be exceedingly clear, before I go any further.  I am NOT encouraging anyone to make changes in their medications based on what she says.  Treating bipolar disorder is incredibly complicated, and if you have found a combination of drugs that treats your Illness and allows you to live a fuller, saner life, you are blessed.  Tampering with the regimen of drugs that your doctor has carefully catered to your specific chemical needs could place you in very serious jeopardy, very quickly.  Please DO NOT make any decisions without speaking with your doctor.

What I like very much about Dr. Brogan is that she moves out of the brain, where  Mental Illness is widely thought to originate, to consider the whole body. Her discussions about vitamin deficiencies, gut issues, and dietary changes, along with relaxation techniques such as yoga and breathing exercises, broaden the scope of what any of us can do to create more abundant mental and physical health.

Now that I am stabilized with medications, I am beginning to think more broadly about what I can do to adopt a healthier lifestyle that will only enhance the Mental Health established by my medications.  I could probably do without the absurd quantity of diet pepsi I drink weekly, for instance, along with the caffeine in it and the green tea I also drink.  Regular snacking, something I find to be a huge inconvenience, might keep my blood sugar balanced between my three meals, and perhaps avoid the slump I experience, with obnoxious regularity, every day between 3 and 4pm.  Lately, instead of leaving the TV on even when I am working around the house, I am switching to a classical music station offered by our TV provider.  This is surprisingly calming, and I am often more productive and less distracted without the television dividing my attention.

Quite honestly, I am not convinced that Brogan has all the answers.  And I am not willing to gamble by experimenting with my medications.  But many, many of her ideas can be used to augment any existing treatment plan.  Food for thought, yes?