Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a condition of persistent repetitive thoughts leading to uncontrollable repetitive behaviors that dominates and adversely affects many aspects of a sufferer’s life. Examples include hand washing, counting, cleaning, hoarding. It is caused by damage to nerve bundles in the brain. This damage could have been severe stress, illness, head trauma, and/or nerve toxin exposure such as pesticides or other harmful chemicals.
Standard medical treatment has had great difficulty in treating patients with OCD. This difficulty has been in part due to a misunderstanding as to the mechanism of the problem. The standard approach is to believe that a class of reuptake inhibitors can rearrange the location of neurotransmitters like serotonin in the synapses of the affected nerve cells, thus improving nerve function and decreasing the repetitive firing of problematic nerves. These drugs can sometimes work for a short period of time. But this standard approach fails to recognize an overall increased need for greater production of neurotransmitters. It also fails to recognize that the same reuptake inhibitor drugs further depletes the already low stores of neurotransmitters and can actually make the problem worse over time.
A better model for understanding the problem is that nerve bundles in the brain are damaged and need higher precursor nutrients to supply higher levels of brain production of neurotransmitters so that nerves can function optimally. This is why the protocols we use and those advocated by NeuroResearch center around providing the optimal level of precursor nutritional and herbal supplementation so that the sufferer’s own brain can produce the necessary neurotransmitters in balanced portions for the best health recovery. Providing sufficient nutrients can be like turning a light switch or repetitive thought machine off. It can be very dramatic and usually can happen in a few weeks. In some very difficult cases home urine tests are needed so doctors can make more precise recommendations according to each individual’s lab results. This then takes a bit longer.
While most sufferers recover with the right nutrient support some may need further counseling and family support to restructure their lives now that the obsessive compulsions have been turned off in the brain. This is particularly true if the condition has persisted for many years. But this is the most stable and strong type of recovery.
Read our section on “Brain Neurotransmitter Health” for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms, then call for a consult with Dr. Collins (707) 566-7396.
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