Happy Wednesday, ya'll. This month, I'm into A MIND OF YOUR OWN by Kelly Brogan. It's one I'm reading for the second time and I find it so relevant, I had to share.
For any woman who finds herself feeling low energy, mentally foggy, lacking vitality or depressed, or if someone in your life is plagued by these symptoms, this is a book for you!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kelly Brogan is a traditionally trained MD from Cornell, and self-ascribed sceptic who ate Cheetos to get her through med school. It wasn't until years of treating women with mental/emotional disorders and having her own children that she realized our pill popping culture was in dire trouble and being fed the wrong information.
I see her as the Erin Brockovich of big pharma and appreciate her approach through diet, lifestyle shifts, and product clean up to live our most vibrant lives.
ABOUT THE BOOK: The book deals largely with depression and women's mental heath. In it, Brogan discusses the myth that depression is the result of a chemical imbalance. This verbage, she says, was created by the pharmaceutical companies, themselves. In 6 decades of research, there is no study that supports the simplified notion that depression is the result of a chemical imbalance.
Brogan talks about depression, lack of vitality, etc. as results of inflammation in the body. "Depression" she says, "is a symptom, not a disease, on its own."
This is an enlightening distinction.
She goes on to share how any symptom (depression, anxiety, foggy brain, etc.) cannot be treated with a pill that will undoubtedly have other consequences in the body, and assume a fix will follow. It's like putting a bandaid over a splinter. Pills don't address the root cause of ANY illness in the body. The same pills offered to aid us, influence our systems in ways we won't understand for years to come.
MY KEY TAKE AWAYS:
1. Birth control pill -- I was a BCP user for much of my 20s. Her discussion of thyroid, adrenal gland and hormonal interplay leave me wondering what other options I'll be able to find for my daughter. I'm must find another avenue for her when she needs it.
2. Medication -- There is no medication worth being on (even Ibuprofen or antibiotics) if we haven't first experimented with diet or lifestyle habits.
3. Question always, and be educated -- question our dependency on medication or quick fixes. We live in a culture where it feels scarier to say no to meds a doc recommends, than it is to take ownership of our behaviors and make critical shifts.
If we aren't advocates and gatekeepers of our own bodies and what goes into them, no one will be. We must stay educated and aware of how we function as opposed to outsourcing our knowledge of our biology to others. To doctors, no matter how caring and concerned, we are all experiments.
4. Food IS medicine -- bye bye dairy and gluten. It was fun (well, not really) for a while.
5. In her book, Brogan offers a step by step medication detox protocol. If you're someone who would love to get off a certain pill, check it out! It's very worth your time.
Love,
Brie
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