The overall theme is that Kelly Brogan, a qualified medical doctor, used to prescribe drugs to treat mental health problems with little success, but now uses lifestyle changes including personalised dietary guidelines (organic red meat is a must, no dairy though) and coffee enemas – which are said to be extremely good for your liver. She has a book, which she thought would be criticised heavily, (but hasn’t been) called A Mind of Your Own.
Coffee Enemas
In terms of coffee enemas, well, the reasons behind it are beyond my understanding, but it is said to stimulate the liver. Here’s a DIY guide if you fancy giving it a crack (get it?).
Doctors are Slaves to Pharmaceutical Industry
In the sense that everything that they are taught in university is from their point of view and that when they graduate from university, that are in so much debt that they have no real choice but to go down the standard route of prescribing this, that and the other.
Lifestyle Changes for Mental Health
Kelly Brogan cites a number of examples of pharma-meds failing those with mental health issues. Her approach is to treat the cause not the symptoms, Joe (the little legend) harps on as usual about how we lack a physical-struggle – it’s a fair point…as an office worker I feel like my body (and mind) lacks stimulation in general in terms of fear, struggle, physical movement etc. Being in a seated/modified fetal position all day in a dark box with artificial air, is quite shit.
I’m lucky though, as I do get to use the onsite gym at work, and I don’t have to work shifts and rarely get stuck it traffic (give gratitude whenever you can!).
We also lack a sense of community and this is why CrossFit is so popular. They talk about the rat studies, whereby rats given a choice between cocaine-water and normal water will drink the cocaine-laden water until they kill themselves. However, a follow up study showed that if they were in a large cage, with other rats and stuff to do, they don’t bother with the cocaine. This (may) suggest that we need stimulation and community to be happy.
There are also a number of physical issues that cause phycological problems, including, for example, thyroid problems. Kelly says that thyroid issues can literally make you suicidal.
Kelly Brogan also ‘prescribed’ meditating daily. Here’s a good 10 minute guided meditation:
I’m not 100% sure if yoga is part of her programme, but she does say that Kundalini Yoga changed her life. Joe and Kelly Brogan talk about how hard yoga is and how it can be the struggle we’re in need of.
They finish by saying that fear is the most powerful of all marketing devices!
I work in marketing and agree, envy and comparisons are equally powerful I’d say.
e.g. how do you get someone to save money on their energy bills?
Tell them it saves the planet? Doesn’t work
Tell them how much money they could save? Doesn’t work
Tell them how much less their neighbours are paying – works a treat!
