My Personal Experience with Mental Health and Nutrition the Healthy Lifestyle benefits to alleviate it

I must say this is a special subject dear to my heart, many of you out there suffer the awful nightmare that is mental illness, mental health or anxiety... I have been there myself in some dark places in the past. This blog is personal it does not attempt to provide a blatant prospect of curing it or for you to suddenly find yourself without the torment your mind inflicts on you, it simply offers what worked for me and how there is one word that remains critical in life - that you must always hold onto, especially through the shadows when the darkness and cold trap you - the word is simply:

Hope.

For me I discovered the true power of Nutrition and exercise, two powerful elements. I know the meds probably make you feel strongly unmotivated, as they did to me, and you have difficulty getting from bed most mornings. But the latest science is saying that Nutrition is the next big therapy because eating and fuelling your body with proper food has so much benefit.

On November 5th 1981 in the Brisbane Courier Mail Australian Newspaper it was reported that this man, Dr Abram Hoffer a psychiatrist believed the consumption of junk foods over a long period of time can cause fatigue depression and sleeplessness. He believed it had led to a Western form of malnutrition. He said: 'About 90 percent of people who go to psychiatrists have conditions due, in varying degrees, to poor or inappropriate nutrition'.
Dr Hoffer believed 'A person who is really healthy from a nutritional point of view is seldom unable to deal with psychological problems.' The junk foods he mentioned included white bread non dairy creams made of chemicals commercial French fried potatoes all foods that had sugar added like peas pastries cakes and canned foods like soups.

As you might imagine he was laughed off the face of the planet for even suggesting this "crazy nonsense" at that point in history.

I had to edit the video and change it to a short version the old one failed to play audio on some mobile or cell devices, so enjoy this tribute or reference to Abram Hoffer and his specific reasoning on how the system gives a person little hope and that all schizophrenics and people with mental illness are most often led to believe recovery or living a normal productive life will never be possible.

Note the part in the video where he discusses some key elements that are sadly neglected by the mental health system - getting a person under a stable roof and comfort, then giving them the full support needed and also giving them the chance to eat all the nutritious food. This is something most people with mental illness are incapable of enjoying, due to many different factors.

I might add a positive story because I feel I need to offer a light:

Speaking of my experience - my second episode in my teens was a drug induced Psychosis, and I was discussing a story with someone who touched my heart more than the drugs or therapy ever did yesterday. Many of you would know the UK band The Stereo MCs?

It was 1993 I was in Psych, and in a hell of a place mentally, the darkest hell hole of shit stinking motivation sucking health damaging, soul destroying - a landscape littered with carcasses of people that some are no longer with us, many of them are dead from suicide or drug abuse or the illness just crippled them, broke them in half and eventually won.

Important note: I give FULL CREDIT to the wonderful nurses and doctors, most of them are so highly dedicated to the cause of helping us they sacrifice everything in their lives to pursue the gift of healing and trying to allow anyone to get better. They put their hearts into the patients they treat and take the pain back home with them to their families and loved ones some nights and days - bless you all!

There was this one nurse, a male nurse. He was super cool, like a strong good looking man that all the females admired (yay!) and he was into gym or athletic based sports stuff too I think from memory.

He sat down with me many times and in the midst of the haze tried to give some advice to me.

He suggested the drugs I had done like Lsd and mushrooms and marijuana were capable of destroying me, in fact he even said some people have never recovered fully from acid and it drove them to death, because when your brain is wired like mine, the drugs just do not suit it, they do not suit the best of minds at the best of times, but when you have certain tendency towards factors this is even worse.

But one-day early into the admission he did something most profound, he came up to me, he knew and understood we both shared a passion for music, he handed me a cassette tape and simply said You need to listen to this album.

It was a band I have never heard of and I loved hip hop as well as all kinds of music, I was a budding Graffiti artist and anyway I was drawn to it.

The Stereo MC's - Connected.

This album turned out to be therapy, the lead singer Rob commented yesterday on Twitter perhaps #alternative medicine in a light hearted manner to me which made me smile.

It kept me going through some dark times with the uplifting positive lyrics and message.

You listen to the album you can tell the lyrics are written by someone enlightened and a powerful mind - I have not heard anything quite like it ever since.

The nurse allowed me to duplicate a copy (Sorry Rob but this piracy was beneficial and I did end up buying multiple copies of your cd later lol)

I played that album quite a lot to death in fact and my dear Mother loved it more than me LOL, she actually told me and encouraged me to play it more !!!

So what I am saying is that certain things in life can give you a glimmer of light and hope.

I got off drugs and never took them again.

Never relapsed again. I am 38 years old now.

I battled some serious anxiety issues but with Nutrition and exercise/healthy lifestyle I have not endured an episode of that since the end of winter 2013.

I got back in touch recently with the professor of adolescent psychiatry who treated me in 1991 Prof Dr. Robert Kosky, a highly respected expert in Australian circles, he retired a month or two ago.

My story sent him into this a most happy man, he told me some things that stood out:

Colin, I believe firmly that if you stick to your strength training fitness nutrition and healthy lifestyle, you will never have another issue for as long as you live.

Also he added it may surprise me he leaned away from harsh meds in his later years and toward more natural holistic treatments, I only add this because one of the meds he prescribed me back in 1991 was subsequently banned worldwide, after it was eventually discovered it was causing instant death in some schizophrenic patients.

If you are on medication you ALWAYS NEED TO CONSULT your doctor and never consider ANY CHANGES WITHOUT speaking to them, this includes EXERCISE.

I got an ECG done a full health check up on my heart ... never throw yourself into fitness without getting the all clear and consulting the right people who know.

Anyway this is all I needed and wanted to say enjoy the video interview and I will add a Stereo MC's video also just for great memories and to Rob Birch - Respect! - I will add when I looked you up and discovered you are a fellow gym rat and healthy lifestyle/exercise advocate and lover - and not into the concept of abusing illegal drugs - it just made me contact you! Thanks for replying it made my day - as promised here is the blog I wrote that I told you I might consider sharing. Enjoy. and You may Retweet if you desire but a fave would be enough!

Edit I will add another video another great motivational Matuesz M from YouTube I think the concepts in this one apply to this blog