Stories of light and hope from those who have healed . . .

Stories of light and hope from those who have healed . . .

Overcoming ADD and Creating a New Life

I was diagnosed A.D.D. when I was seven years old and ran the gauntlet of a variety of stimulant medications for over 15 years. When I finally made the choice to get off of them and stay off of them, I had a hard time re-establishing my relationship to myself, others, and the world at large.

For so long, my chemistry was regulated by an intense amphetamine, and I became dependent on it. I had made the choice to leave the drugs behind, but I was stuck and couldn’t seem to get things together to get my life moving and arrive at personal success.

I was relieved to know that someone was there to help me navigate this specific situation who I could trust was not going to solve my problems with pharmaceuticals. She listened to me. She made dietary, lifestyle, mindful practice and other recommendations. She was sincere in her guidance, and I trust completely that she is a light worker for what is truly good in the world. 

I now embrace what I have as a gift, not a disorder or disability. I respect the way my mind works and have tools and strategies to work with it.

In a handful of sessions, she helped send my life on a trajectory of happiness and mental wellness that is priceless. 

Her environment is pleasant. The atmosphere is serene. I always left her office with a certain air of clarity. She is very clear. She sees issues on both sides, understands perspectives. She is a strong optimist, who works hard to make things in the world right. She is encouraging and supportive. I feel truly privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Alice Lee.

I wish everyone I knew who took pharmaceuticals could meet with Dr. Lee so they can understand what they are getting into from a scientific, physiological, mental and energetic perspective. She has a deep understanding of these perspectives.

Thank you Dr. Lee for doing what you do for this world.”

-R.K.


Overcoming ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, and Marijuana Addiction at 22

I am a 22 y.o. guy with ADHD and anxiety disorder.  I’ve had this diagnosis since I was seven years old.  When I first came to Dr. Lee I was chronically using marijuana from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep; had been on a stimulant (Concerta) since the age of 7 and had been on anxiety medication (most recently Zoloft) for the same time period.  It was difficult knowing that I could not start my day off right without smoking some marijuana.  It was doubly difficult knowing that I couldn’t sit down and do a task without having my medication. I found that my short-term memory was slowly fading away, and I was going through serious bouts of depression & anxiety.
I came to Dr. Lee a little hesitant on how a holistic psychiatric doctor would be able to help overcome struggles I had been dealing with for quite a while.  As a side note—I came to Dr. Lee drinking approximately 7 cans of Mountain Dew a day—within the first 2 weeks of my treatment, I noticed that I no longer had the desire to have that beverage.  It was at that point that I knew Dr. Lee was onto something. Originally I was never able to meditate; I wasn’t able to focus on just my breathing for more than just a few seconds.  With Dr. Lee’s help, I was able to overcome that obstacle and learn to focus my breathing and quiet my thoughts to help myself.

As obnoxious as it may be mixing a list of supplements every evening, or stocking up a pill dispenser once a week, the helpfulness of the regimen outweighed the inconvenience.  After being on medications for close to 15 years I found that with Dr. Lee’s help I was able to get off of them in just over 4 months.  In addition I was able to drop my habitual weed smoking habit about a month after I stopped the medications.  I have been off all of these substances now for close to 3 months and haven’t felt this great in a long time.  During all of this, I was still able to hold a full-time job and was promoted to manager position as well.  I applied to finish a program in college and was accepted recently much to my satisfaction.

Ultimately, this whole experience has helped me gain self-confidence, the ability to know I can overcome hurdles thrown at me in life, and the know-how to keep a positive attitude when the going gets tough.
— M.S.

Healing From ADHD and Depression in a 24 y.o. College Student

I am a 24 y.o. male, studying therapeutic recreation in college. I started Zoloft when I was 16 years old, to treat my depression. Right away my depression resolved, but over time I started to have trouble with my attention and focus. I lost my libido about six months after starting Zoloft, and it never returned, even after I stopped the medication.

After being on Zoloft for about eight months, I felt like I was getting brain damaged. My thoughts felt scrambled, and I couldn’t think properly. I weaned off Zoloft under another psychiatrist. I was then put on Abilify, and then the psychiatrist put me on Adderall to help my attention. Abilify didn’t do much for me, besides a little weight gain and perhaps a little more focused. He switched me to Zyprexa, and I was on that from 17 to 18.

By the time I came to see Dr. Lee, I had been taking Ritalin 25 mg per day, Concerta 36 mg in the morning, and Saphris (an antipsychotic) 5 mg twice per day. I was also self-medicating with guarana (1600 mg per pill, up to 15 pills per day). I felt ‘crappy all the time.’

I couldn’t sleep well at night. I wasn’t hungry during the day. I became addicted and tolerant to the caffeine in guarana. I felt suspicious of people, nervous, hopeless, and tired.

Dr. Lee started me on a regimen of supplements and taught me how to do meditation. I learned about what the supplements did for me, and she demonstrated the connection between my mind and my body. I learned about the healing effects of nutrition.

I began treatment with Dr. Lee on 8/12/16, and I was able to wean off all my medications by 12/16/16. During the withdrawal, I was able to attend my college courses. My mood, appetite, libido, and sleep continued to improve over this time. My attention and focus were similar. I could learn the material in class more quickly.

I am much happier with my cognitive functioning and with life. I feel normal. I also feel that I am getting better each day.

I feel like I’m not a prisoner any more to drugs, and I’m not dependent on them any more. I am through with drugs, and I never want to get on them again.

I would like to tell everyone about how integrative psychiatry can heal them of their own drug dependencies. I would recommend this approach, because it actually works, and it’s healthier.
— PEC

Holistic Approach to Healing ADHD in a Five Year Old Boy

From an early age, our son was very active. For the first few years, we attributed this to him being “all boy”. However, we became more concerned as he attended preschool. He had trouble sitting still and easily became upset. Frequently, he would push other children, kick things and throw tantrums. He was suspended from two preschools for his behavior and we began looking into a diagnosis for his social/emotional challenges.

As he entered kindergarten, we began seeing a social worker, who, with feedback from the school, diagnosed him with ADHD. Our son saw a licensed psychiatrist so that his diagnosis would be “official” for the school and he would be placed in a 504 program to address his needs. The psychiatrist recommended placing him on medication, and we were very much against this idea. He was attending a social skills group at the time, and several of the other parents stated that the medication they were giving their children was not the “magic bullet” that they had anticipated, but instead had caused side effects, and they were still trying different medications to find something that would work.

Around this time, we found Dr. Lee. We were just about at the end of our rope as, in addition to the challenges at school, our son was very difficult at home. The weekends were a constant battle as he went from one tantrum to another, often screaming, hitting, throwing toys, kicking walls and destroying things. Every meal ended in a screaming match, and he could not sit still. He climbed on the chairs, windowsills, banged doors until there were holes in them. We were completely at our wit’s end.

Dr. Lee was our last hope before putting our son on medication. We knew we had to do something as our entire family was suffering (we have an older son who got almost no attention because every minute was spent dealing with his brother). My husband and I would often take turns, rescuing each other when we couldn’t cope any longer and needed a break. we read books on ADHD and tried many of the suggestions, but nothing seemed to make much of a difference. No one ever laughed, smiled or could relax as we were constantly anticipating the next outburst. We spent many sleepless nights worrying about what to do. From the first time I talked to Dr. Lee on the phone to make an appointment, I felt her calming presence. For the first time in several years, I felt there was hope for our son.

The initial appointments with Dr. Lee were costly, as were the nutritional supplements she recommended for him. Also, she recommended major dietary changes and this was challenging. However, we knew that this was our last hope to avoid giving our son medication, so we persevered. After one week on the new dietary/supplement regime, there was no change. We were very concerned about the cost and stressed due to all the dietary restrictions. We basically had to throw out everything we had and start over with an organic diet (this was expensive too), and we had to learn to cook from scratch free from dairy, wheat, sugar, eggs and corn. Needless to say, this was quite a challenge.

However, by the end of week two, the change in our son was nothing short of miraculous! He became calm and was able to sit through meals. It was as if a balloon deflated, as all the anger went out of him. When I would ask him if anything upset him at school, he would reply “no” and that “sometimes, you just have to live with it!” He started being able to play quietly with his toys and would sit and eat his breakfast quietly while he looked at a book or magazine. We could not have been more thrilled!

The amount of supplements our son has to take has dramatically decreased. We have been very vigilant about his diet. He has continued to do well, although he still has challenges with following directions and going along with group activities. Because of the dramatic change we have seen in him so far, we now feel confident that he is well on his way to a full recovery. It has only been four months since we began seeing Dr. Lee and our family is happy once again. We are now able to enjoy spending time with our son instead of each day being an uphill battle to keep things together. We could not more highly recommend Dr. Lee and her Energy Medicine practice. The combination of Energy Medicine, along with the dietary changes and supplements has completely changed our son and given us back a life that is no longer spent coping with one emotional crisis after another.
— C. D.

Healing from Eight Years of Postpartum Depression and Hypothyroidism

I’ve been seeing Dr. Lee twice a month since October, 2013, to treat the effects from severe postpartum depression that began eight years ago, as well as to help mitigate medication side effects, and to eventually wean myself off of them. Initially, I was on a high dosage of an antidepressant (200 mg, when the regular dosage is 50 mg), two thyroid medications, and experienced almost constant and painful GI symptoms and shoulder pain with no obvious cause. However, I was still feeling depressed and anxious.

I had tried many supplements, eliminated many foods, endured various diagnostic procedures, physical therapy, seen many doctors and practitioners, both conventional and holistic, with little to no relief. I felt I was sliding downward, my body and spirit breaking down. I was losing interest in life and things I used to enjoy and feared the effect it had on my son and all other relationships in my life.

I took various supplements she prescribed, and she used EFT, guided visualization, and orthomolecular/functional medicine for about two months, and I was pleasantly surprised at how soon I started feeling better.

She explained to me the risks, cost, and approximate duration of treatment, if I wanted to get off my medications, as well as what to expect in the process, and what symptoms to look out for. It was a significant time and financial commitment for me, but I chose to go ahead, because I felt my physical health was being significantly and negatively affected by my long term medication use. Yes, I could have chosen to change or add medication to try to address all the symptoms, but why risk putting more chemicals and potential toxins in my body, and likely more symptoms, when I had an effective alternative to actual health? And, as a holistic practitioner myself I most certainly wanted to make use of the very techniques I know to work.

I am now on my 8th month of treatment and feel increasingly better: the mental fog and lack of concentration, fears and anxiety are lifting and mostly gone, GI and shoulder pain are mostly gone, and most importantly, I’m beginning to feel like my old self again – happy, looking forward to things, and connecting with people. I’m starting to trust that my body can heal itself, and that I will be OK. My resilience to normal life obstacles is coming back. I am coming back. All this while steadily decreasing not only the antidepressant, but also both thyroid medications – I’m down to less than a third of what I used to take and looking forward to being medication free soon! I just wish I found Dr. Lee much, much sooner.
— R.O.

Drug Shortage Unravels Lives: Alternative Approaches in Demand

Hi Dr Lee,

I read the following article and thought about you. http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9472468-lingering-shortage-of-adhd-drugs-unravels-lives

One of my motivations during our process was the realization that I needed (or should) keep a separate “stash” of Effexor at work in case of an emergency (i.e. earthquake, terrorist incident, etc). It really hit home that it was necessary for me to have that stuff to be able to function even in case of an emergency.

When I read the article, I am sure there are many, many people who need your services to end their dependency on these pharmaceutical drugs. It is sad! Based on my experiences this year and last year I have come to understand that my nature is to question and research and learn. I have also come to realize that many people do not do this and go with the flow, or what they have been told.

This is all to say that I hope you can get the word out that there is an alternative. They do not have to be dependent on the whims of a pharmaceutical company and their profit margin. Many people may not seek you out because they do not know … what they do not know. They are gong with the flow.

I hope you get the message out! It is a critically important one for so many people.

Thank you for all you do!

Best regards,
— P.W.

Healing from ADHD after Eleven Years of Stimulants

I am a 19 year old female who had been diagnosed with ADHD since I was eight years old. I have been taking a stimulant medication since age eight until about a month ago. I have never felt healthier or more focused in my entire life, now that I have been maintaining a natural diet along with a nutritional regimen.

When I started treatment with Dr. Lee-Bloem, I was very depressed, and I didn’t feel as if I deserved to live, and nobody else could really help me. I was irritable, argumentative, and dependent on my medication to help me focus. I felt as if I was developing “bipolar disorder” because my mood was constantly fluctuating with my medications. My appetite decreased drastically, because I would forget to eat, and when I was not taking the medication, I would crave all the wrong foods.

I started working with Dr. Lee-Bloem towards the end of June, 2009. After my first appointment, I knew that she would change my life for the better. I was sensitive to energy and became interested in doing my own energy work. I noticed a positive difference in my mood, and others noticed as well. Gradually, I was able to lower my medication, and though it wasn’t easy, the nutritional supports and energy work really helped.

When I began treatment, I was self-medicating with Marijuana, because it was my only coping mechanism at the time. I was able to learn EFT, which enabled me to cope with my problems without needing to escape through marijuana.

At this time, I am preparing myself for going away to college. I feel confident and healthy, and very excited and thrilled about studying clinical psychology, and Dr. Lee-Bloem has inspired me to pursue a career where I can apply energy medicine to help others heal. I have learned a great deal about how to keep progressing on my own through energy medicine techniques. However, I plan to continue to work with Dr. Lee-Bloem by phone while I am away at college.

Thank you very much Dr. Lee-Bloem for changing my life for the better, and a thank you to my father and mother who gave me everything I needed to make it possible for me to be happy again.
— S.T.

Healing from ADHD, Depression, and Marijuana Abuse Through Natural Treatment at Seventeen

I am a 17 year old male who had been diagnosed with ADHD in the seventh grade and after a year was diagnosed with major depression. Initially, I took a stimulant medication that made me vomit every time I took it, and the doctor told me to eat food with it, but no matter what I did, it still didn’t feel right. A year after starting the stimulant medication, I was started on an antidepressant for depression. When I did well on it, the doctor took me off of it after a year, but the withdrawals led me to become very depressed, and I overdosed on half the bottle of antidepressant and was hospitalized. I ended up needing three times the original dosage of antidepressant just to get restabilized. By the time I met Dr. Lee, both my stimulant and antidepressant dosage were three times the normal recommended dosage. The worst thing was that, despite all the medications, I was starting to get depressed. I hated taking all the medications. They messed up my sleep, appetite, and mood. The medications were giving me a lot of anxiety, and I started to self-medicate with marijuana on a regular basis during my junior year in high school. I felt flat, apathetic, and irritable. I was very hard to live with at home, and I argued with my parents all the time. With the addition of the marijuana, I lost my motivation to do my school work.

My grandmother was really sick, and she was seeing Dr. Lee and was able to lower her medications and do very well. So I told my mother that I wanted to see Dr. Lee also. I was started on a bunch of nutritional supplements, given advice on improving my diet, and I was taught how to do simple energy medicine techniques. I could feel the energy flowing during the energy work. I was so excited about energy medicine, that instead of doing it 10 times a day as instructed, I did about 5 times more every day. As a result, Dr. Lee had to lower my medications very quickly, because I was able to help myself heal through my own energy work. I was able to get off of all my medications within 10 weeks. Right about the time I got off my medications, I also had to go to rehab to help me get off of marijuana.

I have not had to use any prescription medications, nor have I used any marijuana since I got out of rehab three months ago. While I was in rehab, I was taking a very simplified nutritional regimen, but I was not depressed. When I got out of rehab, Dr. Lee thought that I would want to continue with the simplified nutritional regimen, but I surprised her, when I asked to get back on the full nutritional regimen. I could feel a difference on the more complex nutritional regimen.

Even though I have not been on any medications, my attention and focus are fine. I have been able to catch up on missed school, and got A’s in my classes. My energy level is great. I want to study energy medicine and orthomolecular medicine, because it has been so helpful to me.

I don’t ever want to take any prescription medications again.

Thank you doctor Lee.
— J.E.

Savin’ Eleven: Healing From Depression

I am 11 years old. I walked into Dr. Alice W. Lee’s office with worries, problems, and sadness. A few months later I walked out of that office stress and worry free with a smile on my face. What Dr. Lee-Bloem has done was truly amazing. She taught me techniques and strategies to handle my problems in a healthy way including Emotional Freedom Technique, TAPAS, and supplements. Within a week of being her patient I started to feel better, have more energy, and be happy. I’m so glad I had the chance to work with her as a patient.
— S.R.
One night last fall I was tucking my 10 year old daughter into bed and she was happily telling me all of the things that she wanted to do. Within minutes her mood changed. She started crying and hyper-ventilating. She was so upset and was worried that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. After a long while she finally settled down, and I thought that it was over, but it wasn’t. Over the next few weeks things seemed to get worse. She cried all the time and told me she felt miserable. She seemed to be fine at school but at home, unless I could find something to distract her, she clung to me and cried. She told me she wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

I realized that this was not something that she was going to snap out of. I took her to see a friend who is a therapist. The friend told me she thought my daughter was depressed and suggested I take her to a psychiatrist. My friend was familiar with Dr. Alice Lee and recommended her.

When I started reading Dr. Lee’s website I was pleased to learn about her alternative ways of treating depression. I was reluctant to start my young daughter on what might turn out to be a life-long dependence on medication. From the first appointment I noticed a change in my daughter. Within a short time she was back to her old self. She avoided wheat and dairy products for two months, and she takes her supplements. Now when she starts to feel anxious or depressed (which rarely happens) she does Tapas or EFT and feels better quickly. I am glad that we went to Dr. Lee, I feel that my daughter has the tools now to stay mentally healthy her whole life.
— D.R. (S.R.’s mother)