Are There Natural Remedies That Will Help Bipolar Disorder, Such As Vitamins, Omega-3 Fatty Acids?

— -- Question: Are there any natural remedies that will help treat my bipolar disorder such as vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids?

Answer: Natural remedies are of great interest to us. And we should take note of the fact that lithium began at the end of the nineteenth century as a kind of natural remedy for actually many different disorders. It turned out that it really did help manic depressive illness. And looking to natural remedies makes a lot of sense, because we never know when we will get the next great intervention. Unfortunately, many of the natural remedies that are out there are not going to be as effective as the proven treatments, and what we want to do is regard them as more complementary.

Because for some patients there may be additional benefit of adding omega-3 fatty acids, folate, or other vitamins or minerals to their treatment, but at this point it would not be helpful to regard those as a substitute for proven treatments. Adding them on makes a lot of sense -- see if they work for you -- but don't use them instead of things that have been shown to work.

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