If you’ve been living with a bipolar diagnosis for years—or even decades—and you’ve been told you’ll need medication for the rest of your life, this story might completely change your perspective.
One of our clients, a 64-year-old man we’ll call Gary to protect his privacy, had carried a bipolar diagnosis for 23 years. For over two decades, he’d been managing severe depression and anxiety with multiple psychiatric medications. His symptoms had become so overwhelming that at one point, he’d attempted to take his own life.
When he came to us at the end of October, he was taking 1 milligram of Xanax as needed, 600 milligrams of lithium carbonate twice daily, and 125 milligrams of Lamictal every day. Twenty-three years. The same diagnosis. The same medications. Just managing, never truly healing.
But here’s the question nobody had ever asked: What if his “bipolar disorder” wasn’t actually a lifelong psychiatric condition? What if it were a measurable brain chemistry imbalance—something that could be identified with testing, addressed with targeted treatment, and actually corrected?
In just eight weeks, we proved it was exactly that.
When this man first came to see us, his symptom sheet told a story of years of struggling.
Gary’s worst symptoms were severe anxiety and depression—the kind that had become so unbearable, he’d attempted to take his own life. He was battling significant fatigue and a complete inability to focus. These weren’t minor inconveniences. These were symptoms that had stolen 23 years of his life.
But his mental health wasn’t the only thing suffering. He’d also been dealing with significant gut issues for many, many years—soft, unformed stools, constant bloating, and persistent stomach pain. He’d seen doctors about these digestive problems with absolutely no resolution.
On top of everything else, he couldn’t sleep, which only made the rest of his symptoms worse.
Here was someone who had been managing symptoms—not healing—for over two decades. He’d been told he had bipolar disorder, given medications to control what he was experiencing, and that was supposed to be the answer. But he was still suffering. Still struggling. Still far from well.
When Gary started working with us, we took a completely different approach. We didn’t just accept the bipolar diagnosis and try to manage symptoms better. We investigated what was actually happening in his brain and body.
We ran comprehensive neurotransmitter testing to see exactly what his brain chemistry looked like. We also did genetic testing and blood work because we needed to understand the whole picture. And here’s something critical: we knew we had to work on his gut as well, because most of your neurotransmitters are actually made in your gut. You can’t take a single-system approach to brain chemistry issues. You have to look at the whole body holistically.
The neurotransmitter results came back in November, and when we looked at them, we could see exactly what was wrong.
Gary’s serotonin was too low. His GABA, even though it was technically within the normal range, was on the low end for him and wasn’t helping to counterbalance the other imbalances. His dopamine was too low. His norepinephrine was too low. But his epinephrine was too high—meaning he was stuck in fight-or-flight mode, experiencing constant anxiety and just not feeling well.
These weren’t vague symptoms; they were measurable, specific imbalances that we could see on paper.
Based on all of his genetic data, neurotransmitter data, and blood work, we put him on a personalized protocol designed to correct these specific imbalances and to heal his gut.
Here’s where things get exciting. After just eight weeks on the protocol, we retested his neurotransmitters, and the transformation was remarkable.
His PEA, which had been out of range, was now within normal limits. His histamine, which had been really, really low, was now right in the middle of the optimal range where it should be. His glycine? In range. His glutamate? In range.
We were able to bring his epinephrine—the neurotransmitter that had kept him trapped in constant fight-or-flight mode—down into a healthy range. His norepinephrine, which had been too low, was back where it needed to be. His dopamine, which had been extremely low, now looked wonderful.
His GABA was nicely elevated. His serotonin was also high—slightly above the normal range. But here’s what matters most: he was completely asymptomatic. He wasn’t experiencing any negative effects from the slightly elevated serotonin. In fact, Gary was feeling great.
This is always how the process works. We can’t correct every neurotransmitter imbalance in one shot—it’s a gradual process that takes time and careful monitoring. That’s why we retest every eight to twelve weeks, depending on how severe the case is. In his situation, we needed to prioritize getting his primary neurotransmitters up first, which would then create a ripple effect and help bring up some of the others that were lagging behind.
Now that we have this new data, we can refine Gary’s protocol to bring that serotonin down to the optimal range. But the bottom line is this: he’s asymptomatic. He’s feeling great. And after 23 years of just managing symptoms, he’s actually healing.
Here’s the update that matters most. This man had been working with his medical doctor throughout this process—a doctor who had him on these medications and who has been very, very supportive of the work we’re doing.
Following 23 years on psychiatric medications, here’s where he is now:
Gary is completely off the lithium. He’s completely off Xanax. He’s now only on Lamictal—and we’re working toward getting him off that as well.
Despite 23 years of being told he had bipolar disorder and would need medication for life, his brain chemistry is correcting. His symptoms are resolving. And he’s reducing his medications under medical supervision.
1. Psychiatric diagnoses are often based on symptoms, not root causes
This man was diagnosed with bipolar disorder based on his symptoms—severe depression, anxiety, and mood issues. But nobody had ever tested his actual brain chemistry. Nobody had looked at his neurotransmitter levels to see what was actually happening in his brain. The diagnosis described what he was experiencing, but it never explained why.
2. You can measure brain chemistry imbalances
Neurotransmitters aren’t abstract concepts. They’re real chemicals in your brain that can be measured with lab testing. When we tested this man, we could see exactly which neurotransmitters were too low and which were too high. We weren’t guessing. We had data. And that data told us exactly what needed to be corrected.
3. Brain chemistry imbalances can be corrected—they’re not always lifelong conditions
For 23 years, this man was told he had a lifelong condition that would require lifelong medication management. But once we identified and addressed the specific neurotransmitter imbalances, his symptoms resolved. His brain chemistry came back into balance. This wasn’t about managing a chronic condition—it was about correcting an imbalance.
4. Gut health is inseparable from brain health
Most of your neurotransmitters are made in your gut. If your gut is struggling—like this man’s was with years of digestive issues—your brain chemistry will struggle too. You can’t address brain chemistry without addressing gut health. They’re not separate systems. They’re deeply interconnected.
5. Generic protocols don’t work—personalization is everything
We didn’t put this man on a standard “bipolar protocol.” We created a personalized plan based on his specific genetic data, neurotransmitter data, and blood work. His protocol was designed for his unique imbalances. That’s why it worked when decades of standard treatment hadn’t.
6. This is a process, not a quick fix—but it works faster than you’d think
We’re always honest with patients: you can’t fix every neurotransmitter in one shot. This is a process that takes time. But “time” in this context means eight weeks to see massive improvement when he’d been suffering for 23 years. That’s remarkably fast. And we continue to refine and optimize the protocol with regular retesting to keep moving toward complete resolution.
7. You can reduce or eliminate psychiatric medications when you address the root cause
Gary had been on three different psychiatric medications for 23 years. Within a few months of correcting his brain chemistry, he was off two of them completely and working on eliminating the third. When you address what’s actually causing the symptoms—the measurable neurotransmitter imbalances—you don’t need medications to suppress those symptoms anymore.
Maybe you’re reading this and seeing yourself in Gary’s story. Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety, and you’ve been on medication for years—possibly even decades. The medications might help to some degree, but you’re not actually getting better. You’re just managing symptoms, day after day.
Or maybe you’re dealing with digestive issues right alongside your mental health struggles, and nobody’s ever made the connection for you. Maybe you’ve been told you have a lifelong psychiatric condition that will require medication forever, but something deep inside keeps whispering that there has to be another answer.
Here’s what this client’s story proves: brain chemistry imbalances can be measured, identified, and corrected. What looks like a psychiatric disorder requiring lifelong medication management might actually be specific neurotransmitter imbalances that can be addressed and resolved at the root level.
After carrying a bipolar diagnosis for 23 years, Gary is now asymptomatic, feeling great, and reducing his medications under careful medical supervision. If that kind of transformation is possible after more than two decades of suffering, what might be possible for you?
You don’t have to spend the rest of your life just managing your diagnosis. You can actually investigate what’s causing it—and address it at the source.
