Natural Treatment For Bipolar Disorder – Light Therapy, Diet And Exercise

Nature is man’s own best medicine. You may not have realized that just yet, especially if you grew up in a Western society and have known no other means of getting your healing than the clinics and hospitals all over town. However, when you are suffering from a condition like bipolar disorder, may realize that there are many medications and procedures to ‘treat’ the condition, but no psychologist will ever guarantee you a cure.

It’s not because the medications don’t work; it’s just that more is needed. In the next few lines, you will find out about natural remedies and cures that you can take to deal with your bipolar disorder. Once you know them and use them right, you may either be able to end the rapid-cycling episodes, or you can at least keep the mania and the depression further and further apart by delaying them, which is not so bad when you come to think of it.

Light therapy – Light therapy is most often used to treat the kind of bipolar disorder known as Seasonal Affective Bipolar Disorder. In this condition, patients feel depressed when the weather or the season is dark and gloomy, such as in winter; and they feel excited and manic when the season is bright and sunny, such as in summer. Very simply, doctors prescribe that they spend more time outdoors, and that when they are indoors – especially at night – they should stay near an artificial source of bright light. With a few medications, light therapy works like a blow to the head to cure bipolar disorder.

Diet – It is found that a fish diet is extremely helpful for treating bipolar disorder. Fish contains a substance Omega-3 that practically works in the same way as lithium and valproate for depression and bipolar disorder. During experiments conducted by Peet & Horrobin to determine the effectiveness of Omega-3, it was found that a lot of the test subjects experienced less disturbances in their sleep cycles, decreased depression, lassitude and suicidal ideation. The best part of this natural remedy for bipolar disorder is that there are no known side effects. You will find Omega-3 abundant in mackerel, tuna, and salmon.

You also may want to try diets that are rich in minerals such as vitamins A, C, and E. Watch out for chemical additives in food, and keep an eye on your cholesterol level.

Win Bipolar Disability Benefits

Exercise – Exercise is a natural remedy for bipolar disorder that you cannot deny. You need to improve the cardiovascular activities in your system so that your body is better balanced and you handle stress better. You may not know of it, but when your circulation is not all that, you are asking for things like depression to take over your mind. And if you allow depression in when you are suffering from bipolar disorder, mania is never far behind.

Treating bipolar disorder by natural remedies comes no harder or tougher than that. However, you will do well still to have a word with your physician before you embark on the natural treatments. They work well, but if the doctor thinks you can also use conventional medication, they may just be right.