Depression and where I have been

It's been a long while since I have posted to this blog.

Almost a year ago I was under a tremendous amount of stress at work and suddenly found myself in a very dark place emotionally. I was virtually unable to function on a normal level of activity and interaction. I have never been a heavy drinker of alcohol but I found myself suddenly drinking more and more just to cope and get me through another day. At first I would have a couple of glasses of wine, then a bottle of wine, then a bottle of wine and a couple beers, then a bottle of wine and three beers. I lost all interest in the things that have given joy to my life. I just wanted to be left alone. I would also find myself crying at my desk at various times for what seemed like no reason at all. I knew something was seriously wrong but I didn't know what it was. I thought perhaps there was a hormonal issue taking place that was causing me to feel this way. I finally broke down, after being unable to bring myself to go to work for several days, and asked my wife to take me to the doctors office as something was seriously wrong with me.

My regular doctor being on vacation was unable to see me and so my wife called her doctor and got me in immediately. Much to my surprise, and also to some extent relief, I was diagnosed as having "acute severe clinical depression". The doctor who diagnosed me is an MD but she also believes in alternative functional medicine and prefers to treat naturally when possible. Unfortunately, my condition was so severe that she felt it was important to immediately get me on an anti-depressant drug to give me some relief and I was put on sick leave until my condition could stabilize. It was somewhat of a relief to actually have a name for this beast that had laid hold on me because I had no idea what was wrong.

I wish I could say that I got relief from the medication but I actually got worse. I could not drive myself. I would sit for hours staring out the window and have great gaps where I have no idea what I did all day. My wife would leave for work, and she would be coming back home, and I would ask her... "what was she was doing back?" and the whole day had passed without me even being aware. When I started the medication I had to be weaned on to it for a week, then on a full dose for two weeks to see how I was doing with it. The medications had severe side effects for me and I wound up having to be weaned off one medication and then weaned on to another only to have the same or worse results. This took months!

During all of this I had severe back pain and decided to see a chiropractor. When I told my chiropractor about my depression he said that there may be something he could do to help me with it. He was working with a new therapy (new to his clinic but has been around for 25 years) called Frequency Specific Micro-current (FSM). FSM has been found to be quite effective in treating depression. Already months had passed with little or no relief from the medications and I was getting desperate. I had run out of sick leave and was now on Family Medical Leave and it also was running out. At first I was skeptical but after about five treatments I could really see a difference.

I decided to do some internet research on FSM and I found a device that I could purchase and treat myself at home with called Alpha-Stim 100. I made the decision to try and obtain one of these devices so I could at least see if it would work for me, and I found a website that rents the unit for $99.00 a month until it's paid in full. The unit itself costs about $900.00. I figured that renting was a good option with little financial risk since I could return it if it did not work and only lose a month or two rental fees. The site I found the rental units at is called Allevia Health . The Alpha-Stim is only available by prescription but my doctor was willing to let me try it after she had read some of the research papers found here: http://www.alleviahealth.com/research.htm .

Once I had the Alpha-Stim I started using it every day. I would treat myself for one to two hours. It connects to the earlobes and gives a small micro-current that runs through your brain. I found that I did not have to set it very high to have good results. I actually could hardly feel it unless I turned it way up, and even then all I would get is a slight dizziness but nothing traumatic. After a couple of weeks I started feeling better and I got to where I could treat myself every other day and then a couple times a week and now only when I really need to. The effects are cummulative, which means that I needed to use it less and less.

I have suffered most of my life with periods of depression but never to the severity that I had last year. I am truly thankful to God that I have finally found something that works for me and perhaps I will be better able to control episodes of depression in the future now that I have the Alpha-Stim. I know the unit was expensive but in my opinion it was worth every dollar. It not only can treat my depression but can also be used for pain management. In fact... if your doctor will prescribe it for pain management rather than depression most insurances will pay some of the costs. Most people who suffer from depression also suffer from pain so this should not be a problem.

My prayer in posting this to my blog is that others, who experience depression, may find some relief in the same way I have. The Alpha-Stim has no side effects and is a completely natural way to treat depression without medication. It has been proven to be 90% effective in treating depression with 60% improvement in most cases.

I am back working again and I bring the Alpha-Stim with me to work and treat myself whenever I feel like I need to. It has made the difference for me working and being a productive, contributing member of my household or staying home like a zombie. I highly recommend this as means to treat depression. Anyone who wants more information about the Alpha-Stim and my experience with it please feel free to email me and I would be glad to answer your questions. Now that I am thinking more clearly I am hoping that I can get back to posting to my blog on a more regular basis.

Much love in Christ,

Philologus

Disclaimer: Let me just say right here that I am not now nor ever have been affiliated with Alpha-Stim or Allevia Health. I am only interested in helping people like me who have suffered with depression and feel like there is no hope of recovery or getting better, or that may want to find a safe way to treat themselves without medications. I found a completely natural way to deal with depression, with no side effects and no drug dependency and as a Christian I think this is an important find.