My boss nicknamed me “Smiley”
I was not a depressive person by nature. In my heart, I knew something else was causing my symptoms of depression and anxiety. I spent thousands of dollars on doctors and medication trying to find answers. As my body ebbed and flowed with hormone changes, I thought maybe the depression might be gone. Then I started hormone replacement drugs for menopausal hot flashes. Sure enough, depression came back as daunting as ever. My endocrinologist suggested antidepressants. Oh, no!—been there done that—I was not going back on those awful antidepressants. I mean really, I understand it is trial and error, but how many errors can a person endure.
My Angels
I searched the internet for doctors who treat holistically, and after much searching, I found two doctors, who I refer to as “My Angels” (above). I suffered so much. This was the last time I would put myself through the pain of telling my story. It was no accident I found Dr. Albert Mensah and Dr. Judith Bowman. After telling them all that I had been through they said that I was lucky to be alive. Tearfully, I knew they were right. Then they diagnosed me with copper overload.
Are you kidding me? I wanted to jump for joy. Finally, someone identified a reason for my symptoms. I contained myself because past experience with doctors left me still a little skeptical. Ultimately, I made the best decision of my life when I decided to try their protocol. Additionally, they identified a second chemical imbalance of undermethylation causing my OCD symptoms. Through my dedicated compliance with their advanced nutrient therapy, change of diet and incorporating stress relief practices, I finally started healing. It took some time. But I no longer suffer depression, fatigue or the other companion symptoms of low concentration, or brain fog. My OCD and anxiety is minimal and I even lost weight!
Treating my symptoms rather than the cause
Traditional doctors never connected my symptoms correlation to major hormonal changes. Starting with the use of birth control pills, pregnancy and then hormone replacement drugs. They also had no idea I was estrogen dominant and copper was at toxic levels in my body. Why? Because they were treating my symptoms rather and the cause. They also don’t test or treat excess copper levels.
The doctors at Mensah Medical have extensive clinical experience in biochemical imbalances. They have worked closely under the direction of William J. Walsh, PhD, an internationally recognized expert in the field of nutritional medicine. He is a key scientist paving the way for nutrient-based psychiatry and nutritional medicine.
Dr. William J. Walsh’s book, Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain is a great resource to learn about natural treatment for mental health symptoms.
Advanced nutrient therapy treats the individual needs of patients. These doctors have a holistic approach, which focuses on finding the root cause. Its about combining the best practices of conventional and alternative medicine.
The reason most traditional doctors do not test for high copper is that they are not trained in nutritional supplementation. Typically, they only recognize Wilson’s disease, a rare genetic disorder or Menkes disease, a genetic copper deficiency disorder. However, there is hope as copper is becoming predominant in everyday exposures. It’s found in plastics, water, foods, and some household and personal care products, and is getting attention.
Videos and sources of information about Copper Overload, Estrogen, and Ceruloplasmin—a binding protein for copper—can be found here.
My hope is by creating awareness about copper overload more women will start the conversation with their doctors. No one needs to struggle. It is through a determination to find answers, sharing our stories and continuing to question the medical professionals that we will heal.