Quote: (06-26-2016 01:28 PM)dain_bramage Wrote:
- I was diagnosed as bipolar type 1, Generalized Anxiety, and Panic Disorder when I was 18. Its been almost a decade. I've been in the ward several times, lost many friends, and I've been given drugs that have messed me up big time. Some of the people I've worked with have said I have 'lived experience'. I do rather well now. I have been taking courses at the local university, been working out often, and I generally take care of myself. In the minutes of one of my meetings I go to I was considered a success story.
*I include studies at the end of this post.
I had induced anxiety that lasted for around three years. I stayed away from drugs, suffering instead.
What finally got rid of it, and I do mean got rid of more or less completely, is something that will sound like a home cure but I can assure you works pretty powerfully for me.
I take extra-virgin olive oil (EEVO), twice per day.
Once in the morning and once anywhere from mid-afternoon to before dinner.
The effect seems to last. It takes a while to diminish, insofar as it does at all, if I cut down on doses or stop taking it for a bit. This points to a more holistic effect in my mind. Though, the best effect is still when I regularly take it twice per day.
Note: when I was taking it once per day there was no noticeable effect. I had to move to twice per day before i noticed anything. Though, I can now take it once per day for a maintenance type of dose. When the overall effect gradually decreases, I move back to twice per day.
At twice per day, you might begin to feel a noticeable relaxation effect not dissimilar to a mild anti-anxiety drug.
One key component of this method is sourcing legitimate olive oil. Most olive oil in the average grocery store is adulterated.
This is the brand that I use. This size bottle is $8 on the shelf at the grocery store:
https://www.amazon.com/California-Olive-...B004ULUVU4
Fake and legit EEVOs. Cross reference with what is available on your grocery-store shelf:
Quote:Quote:
http://lifehacker.com/the-most-and-least...1460894373
The real deal:
California Olive Ranch,
Cobram Estate,
Lucini.
Kirkland Organic,
Lucero (Ascolano)
The brands that failed to meet the extra virgin olive oil standards, according to this study:
Bertolli,
Carapelli,
Colavita,
Star,
Pompeian.
Eat Grown Local also reports: Filippo Berio, Mazzola, Mezzetta, Newman's Own, Safeway, and Whole Foods in this list; the data may be from the earlier 2010 study when more brands were evaluated.
One helpful method for administering the EEVO has been to put it in a brown dropper bottle. This makes it more portable. I'll take either one dropper full, one teaspoon, or even a shot of it in a glass depending on where I am.
Take it away from food. I generally take it as soon as I wake up, and it sometimes makes me sleep for a little bit longer, and I'll take it in-between lunch and dinner.
Caveat: Fats increase drug absorption. If you are taking other drugs, taking a significant dose of olive oil while they are still in your system will likely amplify their effect and their side effects. This holds true for nicotine as well. You probably don't want this, and so I can only recommend this method after weaning yourself off of other drugs.
Studies:
Quote:Quote:
Role of Monoaminergic System in the Etiology of Olive Oil Induced Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Effects in Rats
Abstract
Olive oil is the major component of the Mediterranean diet and has rich history of nutritional and medicinal uses. In the present study, the antidepressant and anxiolytic effects and their neurochemical basis following repeated administration of extravirgin olive oil were monitored. Male albino Wistar rats were used during study. Animals of test group were given olive oil orally at the dose of 0.25 mL/kg daily for 4 weeks. Control rats received equal volume of water. Elevated-plus maze (EPM) test and forced swim test (FST) were performed for the assessment of anxiety and depression like symptoms. An increase in time spent in open arm in EPM and increased struggling time in FST following long-term administration of olive oil indicate that olive oil has anxiolytic and antidepressant properties. Neurochemical results showed that repeated administration of olive oil decreased the levels of brain 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine), 5-HIAA (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid), and levels of DA (dopamine); however, levels of DA metabolite HVA (homovalinic acid) were increased. Hence, present findings suggest that olive oil has neuroprotective effects. It reduces behavioral deficits via altering 5-HT and DA metabolism. So it could be used as a therapeutic substance for the treatment of depression and anxiety.
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Effects of dietary extra-virgin olive oil on behaviour and brain biochemical parameters in ageing rats
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to verify whether extra-virgin olive oil, a dietary component naturally containing phenolic antioxidants, has the potential to protect the brain from the deleterious effects of ageing. To accomplish this goal, we used male rats fed a high-energy diet containing either maize oil, or extra-virgin olive oil with high or low phenol content (720 or 10 mg total phenols/kg oil, corresponding to a daily dose of 4 or 0·05 mg total phenols/kg body weight, respectively) from age 12 months to senescence. The measured endpoints were biochemical parameters related to oxidative stress and functional tests to evaluate motor, cognitive and emotional behaviour. Olive oil phenols did not exert major protective actions on motor and cognitive function, as we observed only a tendency to improved motor coordination on the rotarod in the old animals treated with the oil rich in phenols (40 % average increase in the time to first fall; P = 0·18). However, an interesting finding of the present study was a reduced step-through latency in the light–dark box test, found in the older animals upon treatment with the oil rich in antioxidant phenols, possibly indicating an anxiety-lowering effect. This effect was associated with decreased glutathione reductase activity and expression in the brain, a phenomenon previously associated with decreased anxiety in rodents. These results indicate a previously undetected effect of a diet containing an olive oil rich in phenols. Further studies are warranted to verify whether specific food antioxidants might also have an effect on emotional behaviour.