Dr. Mercola March 02 2002 3,026 views
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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I totally agree. Meds will never help OCD or anything for that matter. The people with OCD who are taking meds and feel better, only feel better because of placebo effect. In fact meds make OCD worse. Now the surgery is even crazier. I would never take any of these steps. I can say I display OCD behavior and at some point it was a little overwhelming for my life. I tried several things. EFT helps to some extent, but usually not in 2 min. I did 5 sessions a day for 3 months and saw a 20-30 % overall improvement. It also really depends on the OCD issue you are dealing with. For checking EFT may work better than for contamination. I've only tried it on contamination because the checking didn't really take up much time (and sometime it's good to check if your car is really locked). Anyway, I would suggest patience and EFT, but that alone won't do it. You also need a life changing experience, where you are sort of urged to change you behaviors (not by force, but by inspiration or incentive!), where you have not as much choice to wash or check or obsess (now don't take this to an extreme please, this still needs to happen in baby steps! No shock therapy has ever worked for OCD!). It's basically increasing your comfort level slowely but surely. Go travel, or live with you friends or family for a while or change your environment, maybe even your job. You will see every time you do something like this, there will be some sort of improvement. I call this distraction on a global scale. Don't expect a quick solution for OCD, it doesn't exist. And if you think it does, then you don't really have OCD in any strong way (Everyone has some sort of mild OCD). Anxiety experts say distraction, such as something artistic works for anxiety, that may be true, but for OCD you need a bigger distraction, something that will keep you so occupied and focussed that you have no time to think about dirt or whether your car is locked.
This is crazy and unthinkable. I feel like we have regressed to the fifties when lobotomies were OK. Especially when you consider that at least in children OCD can be a reaction to the strep virus. I'm sure the same is true for adults. Another possibility for this is intestinal yeast or bacteria overgrowth. Further, there is also growing evidence that certain things in food, such as oxalates, or even phenols could be causing this. This could be a multi faceted problem, or different things for different people.
There is a biological reason for OCD, the trick is looking for it. Unfortunately western medicine has a long way to go before they consider that food, a virus, bacteria or flora inbalance could be the cause. It's much easier to treat the symptoms with drugs, or destroying a part of the brain than look at these simple possibilities.
Too many things are considered "mental illness", and therefore untreatable except with drugs. There is often an underlying illness, causing these "mental" symptoms.
I've suffered from OCD ever since I was little to varying degrees, and it really took off in 1985/86. No medication has ever helped any of my OCD symptoms in the slightest.
What I have discovered though is that my OCD is likely the result of overexposure to electromagnetic and/or microwave fields. I purchased a gaussmeter and found that the higher the magnetic field in my home, the more lengthy my 'rituals'. Unfortunately, my home always runs high due to the underground wiring, power lines, and cell phone masts in the area.
I've also developed severe Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity in recent years and know that wireless technology in particular has fueled both my OCD and my electrosensitivities. So if you want to cure OCD, get rid of power lines, cell phone masts, wireless technology, etc... - don't start zapping brains.
Electrical Sensitivity & Hypersensitivity:
www.ei-resource.org/.../electrical-sensitivity-&-hypersensitivity
Bioinitiative Report:
www.bioinitiative.org/.../index.htm
Sadly, those of us who barely scrape by can not afford to buy extra things to teach us this sort of thing.
I want to learn it, but I am working 2 jobs and have no extra, in fact what I make does not pay my bills.
I know it is only a little here and there, but a little equates to gas or food.
That is another aggravating "issue" too, it cost more to eat healthy!
Grrrrr