Curing Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia [Paperback]

NOTE: I received a free review copy of this book directly from the author.

This short (less than 100 pages--I read it in under an hour), simple book presents a very simple, straightforward premise: that there are a certain symptoms, particularly those which are indicative of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, which are caused by low progesterone levels. Author Doris King maintains that once she discovered her own hormone imbalance, she recovered from her own mental illness, which had included symptoms of both of the above disorders.

King presents only the treatment itself, not the specifics of the science behind it. She states that her information is based on the work of the late John Lee, M.D., a general practitioner who wrote several books on hormone balance. King offers three basics "rules" for taking progesterone which stem from Dr. Lee's research. To her credit, King does not recommend that you abandon traditional treatments and follow her recommendations. Rather, she suggests that you talk to you doctor and that you obtain proper testing (saliva or blood spot tests are recommended) to determine whether progesterone treatment is right for you. She also offers tips for finding doctors and pharmacies in your area who are familiar with progesterone treatment.

The problem is, most doctor's DON'T know about this treatment. King address the question of "If progesterone is so great, why hasn't my psychiatrist told me about it?" in her Questions & Answers section. Basically, her response is that psychiatrists don't know about progesterone because in medical school, they are taught to treat diseases and are not taught about the underlying causes. I feel that this answer is inadequate. I myself am a psychologist, not a medical professional, but I truly believe that if there were some treatment out there as potentially effective as King claims progesterone to be, there would be all kinds of research studies underway in an attempt to confirm this.

This is not to say that I am a complete disbeliever in the possibility that progesterone treatment might be useful, at least for some people in some cases. If you are someone who has symptoms of adrenal fatigue, which may be associated with low progesterone, then this book may be worth a read. Should you then decide to look further into progesterone treatment, please follow King's advice and speak with your doctor about whether this would be an appropriate choice for you.

Bipolar and Schizophrenia are considered "incurable" by mainstream medicine because drugs only suppress the symptoms of these disorders, never addressing their underlying physical causes. Do you really expect doctors taught that vitamins/minerals simply create "expensive urine" and who make their living writing prescriptions will offer inexpensive, natural supplements as a remedy? Unlikely. However, those trained differently, Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) or Orthomolecular MDs who have studied the use of all-natural solutions, will agree with King's concise, beautifully written guide. High estrogen with low progesterone is very common in Western countries and can be a contributor to any mental disorder. I ended my bipolar symptoms in 2002, have spent 5 years researching holistic solutions, and King's book is scientifically sound. Buy it and find a doctor who's been trained to use something other than psychiatric drugs if you want to RECOVER instead of "manage your symptoms" forever.
--Gracelyn Guyol, A-no-longer-bipolar Author

The author did a beautiful job of showing how hormone imbalance can influence mental health. I wish her approach was used more often. In her book, the author claims that an imblance between estrogen and progesterone caused her mental illness. She did a beautiful job of citing Dr. John Lee's work showing how an imbalance can cause bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. She also provides resources so that you can find a docotor who does this type of work in your own community. King is brave for sharing her recovery with the rest of us. I applaud her. I hope this approach and other alternative, holistic approaches catch on. We're tired of being sick.