Re: a different approach to treating OCD and your health

I take a slightly different approach to the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), although I agree with you that it is nutrition related. Indeed when we have digestive disorders there will be malabsorption problems. Nutrients are not properly digested and broken down for utilization by the body.

OCD is a symptom of an internal overproduction of adrenaline - the fight/flight hormone. This stress hormone not only activates the Sympathetic Nervous System preparing you for strenuous action, but is also a focusing hormone. It forces you to concentrate on the "enemy". When you are faced with a tiger this hormone is very useful for your survival, but when the hormone is produced as a result of an internal flaw in metabolism, it can distort your mind. Facing a danger without an external object of fear, triggers your mind to invent a story that would give some 'rational" explanation of why you feel the way you do. Of course the "invention" will not be too rational, otherwise you would not be aware you have OCD.

Symptoms of OCD can take the form of "making sure actions' as when you seem to make sure that you have closed the door properly or whether you have placed thing in the right place over and over again. Or making sure that you have not been contaminated with bugs and bacteria by repeatedly washing your hands.

The real question is: Why is the body overproducing adrenaline?
The answer lies in the nature and function of adrenaline. It is a hormone that convert Sugar stores in the body (glycogen) into glucose so as to raise blood Sugar levels. Sugar - or more correctly carbohydrates - are the source of biological energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This energy is essential for the body to convert tryptophan into serotonin and other feel good neurotransmitters. Thus the body is dependent on ATP to convert one set of molecules into another set as happens in brain chemistry. The brain, in fact, although 2% of body weight requires about 70% of all available energy in the blood stream. The brain itself has no energy stores. This is derived from glucose - and is fuel for the biochemical machinery of brain cells. Without is we become depressed or will suffer from any of the varied forms of mood disorders.

The next question is, why would the brain be starved of biological energy so as to activate the release of adrenaline?
This happens when there is a underlying physiological illness, that interferes with the conversion of carbohydrates into biological energy. The most common illness is pre-diabetic Insulin Resistance. Here the receptors for insulin in the membranes of cell stop responding to insulin in pushing nutrients (amino acid, fatty acid and glucose) across into cells for metabolism by the mitochondria (power house).

This condition can be medically tested by a special test for hypoglycemia as described at:

The four hour medical Test for Hypoglycemia explained at:

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/testing_hypoglycemia.html


An alternative home test is

The Nutrition-Behavior Inventory Questionnaire (NBI) at:

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/nutrition-behavior_inventory.html


If you score high you are likely to have a metabolic disorder that can be treated nutritionally.

It means that your body has problems metabolizing sugars in food into biological energy, resulting is a flaw in the manufacture of feel good neurotransmitters. The unabsorbed sugars accumulates first as glycogen and then as fat cells. Hence here is an explanation for the association between mood disorders and obesity.

The nutritional treatment is going on a hypoglycemic diet!

The hypoglycemic syndrome, not as yet recognized by most conventional doctors, explains the many forms of "mental illness" of which OCD is just one example.

For further reading please see:

Depression is a Nutritional Disorder at:

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_disorder.html


Depression: a Disease of Energy Production at:

http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_energy.html


_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych) Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
Editor of
The Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.

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Author of "Getting off the Hook"
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