Obsessive Compulsive (OCD)

My heart goes out to anyone who suffers from severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder—this condition can feel like a brutal and lonely battle. It’s often challenging for someone who doesn’t struggle with OCD to make sense of it. In this article, I’ll explain the underlying causes. The truth can help combat negative stigma and give people who are suffering the answers they need to heal.

All Shapes & Sizes

There isn’t just one type of OCD. Medical communities are unaware that there are hundreds of varieties that manifest in different ways. Many people don’t even realize they’re suffering from a mild, hidden form of OCD. They may even be incorrectly led by a medical doctor or psychologist to believe that their unique issue stems from something other than OCD. Something as simple as having a comfort zone with specific parameters could be a mild form of OCD. If even a slight shift in a daily rhythm, routine, or habit causes you severe irritation, anger, or distress, you may unknowingly be suffering from a variety of OCD.

In the United States, between three and four million people have been diagnosed with OCD. This is far from the actual number of people suffering, which is at least 150 million in the US alone.

The Causes of OCD

There are two distinct groups of OCD. One group spawns from emotional wounds or soul trauma, such as physical or emotional abuse. The second group is due to toxic heavy metals in the brain. It’s also possible to have OCD behaviors that stem from both, and the combination can result in extremely challenging OCD.

Group One: Emotional Wounds and Soul Trauma

A severe emotional blow can trigger OCD behavior. Whether someone actually develops OCD is influenced by how he or she copes with emotional stress and his or her unique sensitivities. For some people, even mild emotional injuries can lead to OCD.

Situations that can create emotional wounds and soul trauma include the death of a loved one, betrayal, the shattering of long-standing hopes, a devastating physical injury or illness, bullying, or divorce. High stress situations or confrontations of almost any kind can also play a part. These examples aren’t not meant to point blame, rather, they’re given to highlight events that might have played a role in creating emotional wounds and soul trauma that you can begin to heal.

Some researchers and experts are already discussing the idea that, in certain cases, emotional traumas can create OCD. But what these professionals don’t yet understand is that when an individual feels intense emotional pain or repeated stress, this emotional strain can lead to certain areas of the brain overworking. In these overworked areas, intensely heated electrical charges can cause the root problems that create OCD behavior.

I’ll explain this with an example of being bullied in school. The first time you’re bullied, electrical charges in a certain part of the emotional area of the brain heat up. This heat subsides once the bullying episode ceases, although you may suffer from mild post-traumatic stress disorder. A few days later you are bullied once again. Immediately, electrical charges heat up that same area of the brain. Fortunately, this area again cools down once the bullying ceases. Perhaps bullying occurs a third, fourth, or fifth time, and the same part of the brain experiences intense heat. Continuous, intense heat to this area—without ample time for the body to heal—can lead to calloused brain tissue for adults and children.

Have you heard the term hotheaded? It may be an accurate description in certain instances.

Bullying isn’t the only situation that creates intense heat. Physical burnout can arise from a number of emotionally heavy events and result in a small area of calloused brain tissue.

The area of the emotional center of the brain in which this physical burnout occurs depends on the emotional event or stressor. The body handles each event and stressor differently, and the area of the brain that experiences this heat depends on the unique situation. The reason this type of burnout occurs in particular areas of the brain is to protect the body from suffering greater health issues.

In the areas where a thin layer of callused tissue has formed, neurons become hypersensitive and create a foundation for OCD behaviors to arise. This tiny calloused spot can hinder the billions of electrical nerve impulses that dart around your brain from traveling effortlessly to their destination. These electrical impulses carry critical information—as well as a part of your soul and will—and they’re able to think for themselves.

When an electrical impulse is unable to travel through this callused area on the first attempt, it will determinedly try again. Although technically there’s nothing wrong with the brain tissue, the thin callused layer has created a blockade that the electrical impulse cannot comfortably cross. As the electrical impulse makes multiple attempts to move through this altered region, a variety of OCD may emerge. All of this is completely unknown to medical research, and it’s decades from being discovered.

If your brain has experienced this type of burnout, you may experience racing thoughts or feel compelled to do things like wash your hands numerous times, repeatedly wash your feet, or shower with extreme frequency. If you aren’t able to perform a behavior, you may find that you feel extremely agitated or distraught. Hoarding, which is actually an unknown variety of OCD, also falls into this category. Other varieties within this group include extreme self-doubt, self-loathing, insecurities, and a lack of confidence. Medical communities are completely unaware that many of these issues fall under OCD.

Group Two: Toxic Heavy Metals in the Brain

Today everyone is exposed to some degree of toxic heavy metals. As I brought to light in Medical Medium, we also inherit toxic heavy metals from the generations of family members before us. This isn't a genetic issue. It's simply the passing on of these heavy metals at conception and in the womb. Unfortunately, OCD can arise if a certain amount of mercury, aluminum, or copper settles close enough to the endocrine glands in the brain or the emotional highway or emotional center of the brain. (Mercury is often a key component). The severity of the OCD often depends on the amount of toxic heavy metals in the brain.

As I shared above, the electrical impulses that run across neurons in your brain possess a tremendous amount of information as well as energy of your soul and will. Your desire to wake up in the morning, go to work, protect your family, breathe, survive, or save a life is all connected to your will, and a piece of this can be found in your electrical impulses.

The OCD varieties found in this group emerge when the electrical impulses running across neurons in the emotional center of the brain come into contact with toxic heavy metal deposits. Mercury and other toxic heavy metals short out electrical impulses. One reason for this is that the electricity running on mineral salts is different than the electricity that drives through metal.

After running up against the metal for a period of time, the intelligent electrical impulse will eventually decide to take a different path to get to its destination. But prior to this, the electrical impulse will repeatedly ram against the metal deposit in an attempt to follow its usual pathway. This repeated meeting of the toxic heavy metal and electrical impulse can trigger OCD behaviors, such as repeatedly locking doors or checking that the stove is turned off.

The electrical impulse is desperate to get the information it contains to the necessary destination to prevent serious health consequences, such as a stroke or mini-stroke (TIA).

Unfortunately, once the electrical impulse decides to find another path around the heavy metal deposit, it may run into other roadblocks (including callused tissue or more heavy metals) that can create new quirks in an individual.

If you’re having trouble imagining an electrical impulse running into heavy metal deposits in your brain tissue, try picturing a car driving down the street carrying precious cargo. In the electrical impulse, this precious cargo is pieces of the will, soul, and critical information for your survival. As the car zips along, it encounters a blockade of heavy metal barrels in the middle of the road. Imagine the car slamming into the barrels in an attempt to break through the barrier and carry on. After a few attempts, the driver realizes he needs to find another way and backs up. In an attempt to navigate around the barrels, the car drives onto the sidewalk. It runs over pedestrians, signs, and benches, because it’s desperate to deliver this vital information and will do whatever it takes to accomplish its mission.

Similarly, the electrical impulse will eventually try to carve out a new pathway for itself no matter how difficult it may be. If electrical impulses in your brain continually run into heavy metal deposits or a lot of callused tissue, you may lose your ability to function in other ways. A psychiatrist may suggest you take a prescription drug for your quirks or behaviors, but taking a drug isn’t always the best choice.

Tips for OCD Sufferers

Changing up your routine can be a challenging, but very beneficial strategy for healing OCD. It may feel impossible, and it may be especially difficult for someone with agoraphobia, but the slightest changes can be invaluable. Try staying at a family member’s house or friend’s home for a night. A week at a hotel is another option. Changing up your location, scenery, or routine can start breaking your OCD. When you return home or go back to your regular routine, you may notice your OCD is slightly less present.

Even after an electrical impulse has found a new route around the heavy metal deposit or callused brain tissue, the habit of the OCD behaviors alone can be challenging to break. For that reason, OCD behaviors can continue for years even after the electrical impulse has found a new pathway. It’s important to start changing up your environment and surroundings even as you work to heal the neurological issues with the foods and supplements below.

Supportive Foods

The foods you eat can have an incredible impact on your body’s ability to heal from OCD. Bring the following foods into your diet:

• The five heavy metal detox foods, spirulina, barley grass juice powder, Atlantic dulse, wild blueberries, and cilantro. These are critical for anyone suffering from the second type of OCD. And because we’re all exposed to heavy metals, they’re helpful for anyone. Drink the Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie daily, and learn more about heavy metals more on my blog.
• Wild blueberries can help repair callused brain tissue.
• Cantaloupe and mango are powerful fruits.
• Blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries contain undiscovered phytochemicals that help repair brain tissue.
• Papaya, a very soothing food, helps reduce OCD because its sugars feed the electrical impulses that need support.
• Leafy greens, such as spinach, mâche, arugula, and butter leaf lettuce are important foods.
• Sweet potatoes and squashes, including butternut, buttercup, delicata, kabocha, sweet dumpling and red kuri are helpful.

Supportive Supplements

Everybody's OCD condition is unique, and therefore each person’s supplementation protocol has to be tailored for their specific needs. It may be beneficial to work with a supportive practitioner to create the best supplement routine for you. Check out my list of preferred supplements on my website.

• Sam-E can be incredibly helpful for people suffering from OCD, depression, or anxiety.
• L-glutamine (talk to your practitioner about taking an ample amount).
• 5HTP can be helpful for OCD sufferers, however if you are highly sensitive it’s possible it may bother your stomach.
• Gingko leaf contains incredible alkaloids that help repair callused brain tissue.
• Ashwagandha helps support the adrenals and the brain.

OCD can trigger off adrenaline, and an addiction to adrenaline can arise alongside OCD behaviors. This is why supporting your adrenals while you work to heal from OCD is essential. (Learn more about adrenaline addiction in part one and part two of my “Addictions” radio show).

• Lemon balm tea and/or a non-alcoholic tincture help calm and soothe nerves and can be a life-changing supplement for someone with OCD.
• California poppy can be an amazing supplement when combating varieties of OCD, especially those in the emotional wounds and soul trauma group.
• Plant-based omega-3. Even if you enjoy fish or meat in your diet, avoid omega-3 fish oil supplements, which can cause great harm to your brain. I discuss why fish oil is so problematic in Medical Medium. Instead, bring in a plant-based omega-3, which has many benefits.
• B-12 with methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin.
• GABA.
• 5MTHF.
• Calcium magnesium blend.

Regardless of the diet you follow, bringing in some of these supplements and foods can offer tremendous support for OCD.

Moving Forward

My hope is that this information brings comfort and inspiration to those suffering from OCD and those whose loved ones struggle with this difficult condition. By reading this article you’ve already taken one step forward in your healing journey. Now you know how to support the electrical impulses running through your intricately beautiful brain. Awareness is a huge piece of healing. You have the knowledge, tips, tools, foods, and supplements needed to free yourself from the hardships triggered by emotional wounds, soul trauma, and toxic heavy metals. May you use this information to create a life of peace, joy, and wellness.

This item posted: 30-May-2017

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