by Lawrence Wilson, MD

SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM

Suicide is quite common today. The medical and psychological professions do their best to help parents, teens and others with the problem of suicidal thoughts, but they are often not very successful. With all due respect to these professions, I will here offer another view of suicidal thoughts.

As a physician with 32 years of experience, I have found that in practically all cases of suicidal thinking, the person suffers from a biochemical abnormality in the brain that can be corrected, often rather easily if one will follow the proper corrective dietary and supplement program.

A fairly consistent finding is an excess of nickel. This shows up on hair mineral analyses either as a nickel level above about 0.05 mg% or as a hidden nickel toxicity with a very low nickel level less than about 0.02.

Another fairly consistent finding is that the body is not producing adequate biochemical energy. This is revealed as a very slow oxidation rate, a low sodium/potassium ratio in the hair, and possibly a four lows hair analysis pattern. When these are corrected, at least 100 people have told me that they have “a new attitude”, “opened their eyes”, “renewed their interest in life”, and “given them hope”. They also said they don’t want to kill themselves any more.

This is the basic message of this article. The remainder is more details about suicidal thoughts, in general, how to notice them in your children or in anyone, and more about nutritional balancing programs to get rid of suicidal thoughts.

NOTE: Taking anti-depressants, while helpful in some cases, can worsen the problem of suicidal thoughts. Please be extremely careful with any drugs if you have any history of suicidal thoughts. Also, if you take a drug and feel worse, stop the drug immediately. However, if your doctor has given you a medication, you may want to check with him or her.

WHY ARE SUICIDAL THOUGHTS NOT DISCUSSED MORE OFTEN?

The reasons may be:

· It is not a nice or pleasant subject to discuss.

· Most families who have been through it do not want to discuss it at all. In fact, many refuse to talk about it due to their pain, shame or sadness.

· Medical, psychological and psychiatric personnel have little idea how to predict suicide attempts. No definitive medical or psychological tests exist to predict it.

· Medical and psychological personnel often do not know what to do about suicidal thoughts. Drugs, counseling and hospitalization are used, but often with poor success.

CAUSES FOR SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

Some causes for suicidal thoughts such are chronic pain, sleep deprivation, relationship breakups, isolation, alienation, guilt and even thrills or other causes, in a few cases. However, our research indicates that these causes may be secondary to more subtle internal biochemical imbalances.

The outer causes act as triggers, but are not necessarily the underlying problem. This is why they do not cause suicidal thoughts in everyone. Most people have enough adaptive energy or vitality to handle many crises.

MOST PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED, DEPRESSED AND VERY UNHEALTHY TODAY. The problem arises when vitality and brain function are not good enough. This makes it hard for a person to cope, think clearly about a situation, and to obtain help, if needed. Their brains have too many toxic metals such as nickel, cadmium and arsenic, and missing good minerals like zinc, chromium and selenium. These nutritional problems can actually cause suicidal thoughts.

This is where nutritional balancing can help a person with suicidal thoughts to regain mental clarity, adaptive energy, vitality and an improved ability to cope and adapt to life’s challenges. It works amazingly well in most cases, and I wish I could shout if from the rooftops for everyone to hear.

PREVENTION OF SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

To correct and prevent internal biochemical imbalances: At the very least, go to bed by 9 PM, or 9:30 to 10 PM at the latest, each and every night, and sleep a full 9 to 12 hours most nights. If you do not get enough sleep for any reason, try to take a nap the next day.

Also, at the very least, eat a diet without any sugar, soda pop or junk food, and one that is very low in fruit and fruit juices. Also, vegetarian diets are deadly in some teens and adults. Some animal protein every day, including some red meat like beef or lamb, and plenty of cooked vegetables daily, are essential for health. Do not just live on fruit and salads. These are not good enough. Cook the vegetables for better absorption of minerals, and do not listen to the raw food people. They are wrong! Read Raw Foods on this website for more information.

Also, most fruit is not healthful today and I would avoid it all, although I know this is the opposite of what many doctors teach. You don’t need it, and you can get all your anti-oxidants and other nutrients from loads of cooked vegetables.

Also, most people are very dehydrated. Take several bottles of spring water with you to school or work each day. Never drink soda pop, as it is absolute junk, and so are fruit juices – too much sugars! Also, never drink reverse osmosis water, or “purified water” or “drinking waters”, as these are made with reverse osmosis water, as are many “designer waters”. Read Water for Drinking for more information on why these are very bad for you.

More things to feel better. The next level of prevention is to read and follow all the suggestions in the article on this website entitled The Healing Lifestyle.

This adds more dietary suggestions, a few nutritional supplements that most everyone needs, and other procedures such as sauna therapy and colon cleansing that are extremely helpful to remove toxins, renourish and rebuild the body.

An even more powerful approach is to contact a nutritional balancing practitioner that I have trained. Then send in a hair sample and begin a complete nutritional balancing program. This can be done with any child, teen or adult at any age.

Social prevention. Parents need to keep in close communication with all teen and pre-teen children, and watch and listen carefully to their children. This also means monitoring web sites your child visits, phone conversations, and all media your child is exposed to such as movies, music and others.

Also, if you are a good friend, you need to monitor your friends, and others, to look for the following. Never minimize or ignore any of the following warning signs of suicidal thoughts:

· Talk of death or suicide, in general.

· Talk of “going away”.

· Talk of feeling hopeless or helpless.

· Pulling away or withdrawing from friends and family.

· Loss of interest in favorite things or activities.

· Trouble concentrating or thinking clearly.

· Changes in eating or sleeping habits.

· Self-destructive behaviors such as driving too fast, too much interest in sex, masturbation or pornography, or taking up drugs, alcohol or other bad habits.

· A change or decline in school grades.

· Withdrawal, in general.

What to do if you notice these signs in yourself or in another person. Here is what to do immediately. Do not wait, please:

· Ask a lot of questions. Do not be afraid to ask if a child has had suicidal thoughts because you are afraid this may trigger the problem. This is not the case, in almost all instances.

· Watch and listen even more to stay on top of things.

· Keep the lines of communication open at all times. This means to make time for communication, and always express your love, concern and support.

· Ask for help, if needed, from anyone your child interacts with such as teachers, coaches, even his or her friends and friends’ parents.

· Begin a nutritional balancing program immediately, as this can do a lot to end the thoughts.

· Take all statements and confidences your children share seriously. Never minimize or discount any emotion or thought your child has by saying things like “Oh, that is silly”, or “That is not true”, or “That is ridiculous”. Such statements tend to halt deep communication. If your child or anyone thinks something is true, then it is true for him or her. You must allow the person to have his or her ideas in order to keep communication going. So never shut a person down by saying he or she is just wrong or silly. Only with communication can you change things.

· If your child is not comfortable communicating with you or you don’t know what to do, suggest he or she speak with someone else who is trained and experienced with suicidal thoughts. For example, suggest speaking with a trusted friend, or a relative, clergyman, doctor, coach or counselor.

· Always follow up. Suicidal thoughts may come and go, and it is tempting to skip counselor appointments or stop a vitamin program if your child seems to be doing better. This is not wise, as anyone who has ever had suicidal thoughts often will have others in the future.

· Conflicts between parents and children are dangerous in this situation, as they often worsen communication. Therefore, parents must seek help for themselves if they are not able to handle their own emotions and conflicts with their children. Often, a nutritional balancing program for a parent is as helpful as one for a troubled child, as it helps the parent to function better mentally and emotionally, and thus assists the child function better as well.

QUESTIONS TO ASK A PERSON WHO IS HAVING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

The following are important questions to ask, even if some are very difficult to ask. Just ask gently and perhaps explain why you are asking these questions. Asking the questions is no guarantee that you will get truthful answers, but it is a start and often reveals critical information to help you work with a child, or anyone else. Also, it demonstrates your level of concern and that you are taking the situation very seriously. Here are the tough questions that may need to be asked as soon as a child, teen or adult admits to suicidal thoughts or attempts suicide:

· Have you taken any sort of pills, drugs or even vitamins to kill yourself? If so, rush the person to an emergency room immediately. Don’t waste any time. Many who are just “experimenting” with pills or want to attract attention do not realize that taking an overdose of pills that seem harmless, like Tylenol or aspirin, can kill you.

· What is your plan, if you have one, to end your life?

· What has brought you to this decision or desire to end your life?

· Have you ever attempted suicide in the past?

· Has anyone else in your family discussed suicide or attempted suicide?

· Have you ever used alcohol or drugs?

· Have you recently experienced any type of loss, problem or disappointment?

· Are you currently taking any over-the-counter, prescription or even herbal remedies?

Other preventive measures that are controversial - Mental Prevention. Find out what your child or friend has been doing and learning in school, and from friends and other adults. Public schools, especially, are often out of control today as far as what they teach. Sometimes bullying and other crimes also occur that make a person want to commit suicide. Girls sometimes get raped, and even boys can experience rape, torture or other serious problems.

Instead of the schools teaching about heroism, love and healing, they teach that dressing sexy is fine, that mankind is ruining the earth, that white people are villains, that freedom is silly and outdated, and capitalism, free enterprise and business are bad. This is all garbage or worse.

Even worse, they teach that the Bible, religion and the US Constitution are just old relics that are not “relevant”. They often teach moral relativism, the deadly doctrine that there is no right or wrong, and truth is just what each person believes is true. They also teach on TV and in school that life is not that great, and suicide is fine. This is also a terrible lie. It is not fine.

I believe this is a big cause of suicidal thoughts today, along with bad diets, medical and other drugs, and just unhealthy bodies and unhealthy lifestyles – particularly lack of sleep and bad food.

Also, make sure your child and you read spiritual books like the bible, and not just school textbooks. If possible, make sure that you and any child or teen understands the horror of the liberal, socialistic, progressive agenda taught in schools and in the media, so he or she can resist it better.

SUICIDAL THOUGHTS IN OLDER PEOPLE

While most of this article is devoted to suicidal thoughts in young people who are apparently healthy, the problem occurs to a lesser degree in middle-aged and older people, as well. Often they do not take their lives, but just think and talk about it. However, it can be lethal, especially in those that have access to sleeping pills and other drugs.

Causes of suicidal thoughts in middle aged and older people. Common causes include:

1. Acute or chronic pain. Pain, especially when it continues and there appears to be no help available for it, is a common cause for suicidal thoughts. Medical professionals who deal with pain are often aware of the devastating consequences that chronic pain, in particular, can have upon a person’s mind and even body. It interferes with one’s sleep, thinking, feeling, digesting and every other aspect of life. It is horrible, in a word.

2. Chronic fatigue. This is not commonly understood. Most of the young people who have contemplated suicide that we work with have a very low sodium/potassium ratio and/or a very slow oxidation rate. Many have a hair analysis pattern called a bowl pattern. These patterns are associated with very low cellular energy production, which makes a person tired all the time. This interferes with school work, occupational performance, thinking and cognition, and every other aspect of life.

It can be subtle, because it is not diagnosable with standard blood, urine or other medical tests. It is frustrating because most have tried anti-depressants and other medication without success. They have also used caffeine and other stimulants, which often work only marginally and actually make the problem worse. So they decide that life is just not worth living.

For this cause of suicidal thoughts, nutritional balancing offers a wonderful and permanent correction. Usually, the thoughts go away quickly as a person realizes that the problem is his or more likely her body chemistry.

3. Divorce, death of a loved one, or other relationship loss. Regardless of the exact cause, the effect is that the person feels unloved, unappreciated, confused, and often abused, even if this is not the case. This can cause an emotional person to feel that he or she must end one’s life to end the suffering, humiliation, perhaps guilt and often intense confusion that one feels.

Here, once again, nutritional balancing can be helpful. It will not resolve the relationship issue, but it can help a person to think far more clearly and to reason out the problem and take the needed corrective action. A corrective healing program that includes the diet and lifestyle will often one back to reality and help them cope by giving them far more energy and clearing the fog from the mind.

4. Job loss or other loss. Loss is a real and powerful reason for suicidal thoughts. Loss can be of anything, from a pet to one’s money, house, job, friend, partner, parent, child or even just the loss of an icon or hero or something else.

Loss means that one feels and actually believes that a part of oneself has been stripped away, never to return. In a sense, this is true. If you love someone a lot and the person leaves you or dies, you will feel a little incomplete or lonely. If you identify strongly with your job, career, health, location, home, money, even a pet and that is taken from you somehow, never to return, one can easily feel so upset that suicide can seem attractive.

5. Medical disease. This is the name I have coined for a very common condition in Western society. Usually the person has gone to a number of doctors, often for a simple problem such as joint pain or fatigue. The allopathic or drug medical doctors have not only not really helped with the problem. They have made things much worse.

The medical doctors, nurses and others in that profession have essentially told the patient that 1) they are “getting old”, even if they are only 40 or 50 years old, 2) there is no help available other than maybe some drugs with bad side effects, 3) that therefore the person should consider just dying to get things over with.

While none of the three statements above is literally uttered to the patient, many people come away with this message clearly written in their minds, thanks to the medical professionals, who really do believe this is the case and act accordingly.

Nutritional balancing is a real answer and a godsend for this group of people. Providing the vitality level is still fairly decent, as it often is, these people can restore their health, let go of the lies that they just getting old, there are no answers for their symptoms, and the best idea is just to get ready to die. For more, read Medical Disease on this website.

6. The infirmity of old age. This is harder to deal with. As we age, life for many becomes less enjoyable. Many cannot work or have retired. Children have grown up and now don’t have time to spend with you. Friends die off and even the world can seem foreign and strange as your favorite TV actors, programs and even technologies all seem to have gone away or changed. This is an area in which counseling, especially spiritual counseling, is helpful for some. Moving into a more spiritual view of life is essential for some of these people, as their physical lives are literally beginning to fall apart.

Nutritional balancing may still significantly improve health in older people, especially if vitality is still good. It can help reduce the number of medications one takes, which are sometimes making the problems worse, and may even restore one’s faith that answers to old age problems may be possible.

HOW NUTRITIONAL BALANCING HELPS SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

Nutritional balancing science, an important topic on this website, offers much hope for those with suicidal thoughts. The basic premise of this method of healing is that the cause of suicidal thinking is, at least in part, due to specific biochemical or nutritional imbalances that can be corrected using this science.

These biochemical imbalances are often easy to see on a test of the mineral levels in the hair tissue. This test is discussed in several articles on this website. One must also perform the test properly and know how to interpret the test. For example, especially with children, the hair must not be washed at the laboratory for proper interpretation.

Hair test findings. Any pattern may occur because suicide is a complex phenomenon. Among the most common patterns are:

· Nickel toxicity. This is a nickel level of about 0.07 mg% or greater. This is often associated with a type of depression that can lead to suicidal thinking. When the nickel is removed, the suicidal thoughts also often subside, amazingly.

· A low sodium/potassium ratio or a four lows pattern. These both indicate very chronic stress on the body and often in the brain as well. These are also called reversal patterns. A reversal is a kind of backward-thinking pattern. Suicide is definitely a reversal symptom.
A low sodium/potassium ratio is a profound electrical imbalance in the body. Four lows is a sub-oxidation pattern that feels like having one’s car stuck in a ditch with the wheels spinning, getting nowhere and using up all one’s energy at the same time.

· Moderate To Extreme Slow oxidation. This indicates great fatigue and chronic stress, too. It is also a milder reversal pattern. If the oxidation rate is very slow, as it often is, it is a more pronounced reversal.

· Other toxic metals such as mercury, copper, cadmium and others. These heavy metals interfere with brain activity in many subtle ways that can make a person more depressed, moody and with a negative attitude.

All of these patterns can be corrected, often quite easily, with a better diet and a few carefully chosen nutritional supplements. Correction is not costly and does not involve complex regimens of supplements or other complex treatment. All nutritional balancing methods are non-toxic, inexpensive and actually heal the entire body at the same time as they remove toxins and balance mineral ratios in the body.

How nutritional balancing ends suicidal thoughts. Patients report the following effects of a nutritional balancing program:

· Eliminating toxic metals such as nickel.

· Renourishing the body with zinc, selenium and other vital minerals that actually help a person to think more deeply and more positively.

· Restoring the body’s energy production. Energy is needed for all of life’s activities, from school to work to relationships and more. Low energy is a common cause of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and many other emotional problems.

· Improving clarity of thinking. Clear, logical thinking requires or at least benefits from a stable blood sugar level, adequate nutrition of the brain and nervous system, and the removal of toxic metals, hundreds of toxic chemicals and many chronic and often low-grade infections such as yeast infections of the brain and elsewhere that most people have in their bodies to some degree.

· Helping to balance the emotions. Learning to control and balance the emotions is made much easier when the brain and the entire body function better biochemically. This can take a while to correct, but a person often feels better within a few months of changing the diet, living a more healthful lifestyle with more rest and sleep, drinking plenty of healthful water, and taking several nutritional supplements to help rebuild and balance the body and brain.

· Other subtle changes. Many people report to us that they are emotionally stronger, happier, brighter and generally feel much better when their body chemistry becomes balanced. This can occur in as little as a few days to a week, while in other cases it can take a few months or more if more imbalances are present.

· Development. This is an unusual concept, but an important one. Nutritional balancing appears to help develop parts of the brain that are often dormant. This alone helps a person to think more clearly, behave more logically and discover one’s special gifts and talents.

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