A type of brain surgery is being recommended for some patients with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that fails to respond to medication or behavioral therapy according to a study from Harvard.
OCD is a psychiatric illness marked by persistent, irrational thoughts and an uncontrollable urge to repeatedly perform certain acts, such as handwashing.
The researchers studied 44 OCD patients who were treated with cingulotomy, a procedure in which electrodes are used to destroy tissue in the brain's cingulate gyrus. This and similar brain procedures for OCD are aimed at repairing specific brain circuitry that has been implicated in the development of the disorder.
Investigators found that 45% of their patients had at least partially improved after surgery. After an average of nearly 3 years, one third of patients had responded to the treatment, and several others showed a partial response.
Nine patients, 20% of the total, had at least one adverse effect, including temporary memory loss and urinary problems. One patient developed a seizure disorder that has required ongoing drug treatment.
American Journal of Psychiatry February 2002;159:269-275
OK folks, if you don't already believe that traditional medicine is terminally broken how about this one?
If they can't find a drug to repair the problem researchers at Harvard have determined that destroying part of the brain is a reasonable option.
They make this recommendation despite the fact that a full 20% of the patients suffered a severe complication from the surgery.
How can ANY rational person come to this conclusion?
The obvious answer is they can't, especially if they are aware that there are far simpler and more effective options.
This makes about as much sense as doing lobotomies on patients for depression.
What you say that could never have happened in America? Well, read the grueling history of how surgeons actually routinely used this procedure for mental illness and see the obvious comparisons with this new approach.
I hate to keep on beating the same drum. But Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) works incredibly well for this problem.
Wouldn't it make sense to try a few minutes of tapping before you permanently destroyed brain cells?
EFT is effective for most of those with OCD. I have used it a number of times with immediate and permanent relief. One of the people I treated was a former employee of this web site.
His OCD caused him to not be able to get out of his car for ten to fifteen minutes, as he would need to check and recheck every part of his car to make sure it was not a problem.
Needless to say, this disrupted his life. We did some EFT and in literally less than two minutes his behavior was gone.
There are a number of ways you can learn EFT and you will want to check my EFT Resource Page for some of the options.
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