How We Treat Mental Illness in Canada Is Despicable—There Is a Better Way

 

“Analyzing the past and foreseeing the future’s worst-case scenarios take up all the space and time, present remains mostly unnoticed.”

The topic for this newsletter—the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law—is highly controversial; while there are groups in full support, others are firmly against the idea. The church is one such group, they claim everyone has free will but that ends if the person takes their own life. Throughout my years in practice and in life I have seen both sides of the issue: those in desperation to hold onto life—especially after given the news of only weeks to live—and those whose lives were lived in utter agony with debilitating pain without movement and the feeling of desperation for an end with no quality of life. Those not in these desperate states assume life is precious at every stage and that no matter what we have to cling to our dear life till our last dying breath.

There are those in the government that do not see things this way. According to an article written by David Brigham in the Conservative Weekly, “in the Spring of 2023, the Liberal Canadian Government is planning to review the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law and make it more accessible to ‘mature minors’. The advocacy group, Dying With Dignity Canada, are pushing lawmakers to define a ‘mature minor’ as any child 12 years or older, which would allow them to participate in MAiD while also having a non-reasonably foreseeable natural death, all without parental consent.”[1] How could we get to the point where suicide prevention is almost non-existent in Canada? Regulations and laws are meant to serve and protect people of all age, not to kill them.

The first mention of assisted suicide I recall was in 1991 when Sue Rodriguez was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—a quickly progressing neurological disease. Ms. Rodriguez was 42 years old, she felt she was discriminated in wanting to end her life with some dignity and on her terms, she took her case to the Supreme Court of Canada and in the end the Supreme Court rejected her case. I have witnessed those living with ALS, some lasting up to ten years. It is a horrible condition as your body slowly dies step by step as it stops working and the only part that remains fully active is the brain—being aware of the agony of living each new day. I am certainly in no position to judge those in need, if I was in that condition, I would probably not want to live either. Now, 31 years later, the Trudeau liberal government is willing to allow a 12 year old to end their lives without three doctors agreeing and without parental consent—to me this is criminal.

At the same time, we must investigate the circumstances that have led to this new dilemma. Our brains have been distorted from addictive drugs for mental illness, affecting 1 in 5 people, and pain medication for those suffering from chronic pain (lasting 90 days or more) affecting 1 in 3 people. North American population is 4.75% of the global one, yet they consume 80% of the world’s painkillers. We have become desensitized to the point that we no longer feel empathy or sensitivity to what is happening around us. Sadly, we all suffer from a disease of perception, forgetful of what feeling normal is. How can we? We are placed on drugs from the moment of birth till the time of death, all under the guise that claims it is good for us. The medical system and pharma have walked hand in hand since the Rothchild’s introduced symptomatic drug treatment for disease conditions. “Almost 50 years since the monoamine hypothesis of depression was articulated, and just over 50 years since the first pharmacological treatment for MDD was discovered. (…) Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most common mood disorder in the United States with a lifetime prevalence of 14.4%. (…) Most individuals suffering from MDD have recurring depressive episodes (10.3%).”[2] Major depressive episode (MDE) includes bipolar disorder, and has a higher prevalence rate (16.6%) as compared to MDD (14.4%). “Although there are several treatment options (both pharmacological and nonpharmacological) for MDD, 34-46% of MDD patients do not adequately response to treatment.”[3]

How many people do you know who live under constant stress and remain healthy? The two do not go hand in hand; actually, health and stress are diametrically opposed. Have you noticed the connection of declining health when faced with stress, especially of unknown origins? Stress to meet a deadline is not the same as feeling trapped and fearing what comes next.

Did you ever think of your mind as a battlefield? The human mind has become both a physical and spiritual battlefield; we constantly feed upon data in our social media dominated world of fear of the unknown, this sort of fear can travel the planet quicker than any virus. But are we equipped to filter our thoughts, what is our reality or our beliefs? We can be manipulated without being aware of it. A recent documentary titled The Social Dilemma (2020) openly reveals how it is achieved and the picture is scary.

On the other hand, how optimistic you are also matters: “the most optimistic people had life spans that were about 11% to 15% longer, on average, than the least optimistic people.”[4] Why do we keep stressing if knowing that a positive attitude is the key for our wellbeing? Because this is how we were built: our brain does not really like those mindful minutes, it likes to be occupied. Analyzing the past and foreseeing the future’s worst-case scenarios take up all the space and time while present remains mostly unnoticed. To our brain it is more interesting than how our body feels and how we are breathing.

I would like to share with you a success story. A while ago our computers needed tech service. Knowing the nature of our business, the tech asked to speak with me in regards to his teenage son, a straight-A student who had lost his zest for life. He refused to get out of bed or eat, being in deep depression. Because of these drastic changes his parents took him to a psychiatrist who placed him on prescription drugs making matters even worse. I suggested his son to use our Kava Kava and the tech returned in gratitude a few days later saying that his son had returned to normal after using it. He said “how would I have known if I would not have met you, the psychiatrist had wanted to increase the prescription drug dosage.” I just smiled and said I have been battling the same problem for 36 years: pharma controls the system while we pick up the pieces and offer prevention. There are also great reviews regarding our low dose Lithium Homeopathic about people’s experiences on how their mental illness was treated without side effects. Neurotransmitter Support is another favorite of mine, I take three every morning what a difference for mental clarity. It works by opening the brain’s synapsis to ensure that the brain is firing optimally, one recent testimonial stated Neurotransmitter Support ended the pain of diabetic neuropathy.

Lives today are out of order and in need of realignment through proper nutrition, natural medicine and a caring hand with lots of love without judgment. The best advice I can offer is from Proverbs 4:13 “More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.”

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4428540/

[1] Brigham, David. 2022.

[2] Hillhouse, Todd M – Porter Joseph H. 2015.

[3] ibid.

[4] Rettner, Rachael. 2019.