What is Bipolar Disorder? Biochemical & Clinical Symptoms

What is bipolar disorder? Bipolar disorder affects nearly 6 million Americans. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 2.6% of the U.S. adult population has bipolar disorder. Nearly 83% of these cases are considered severe, as reported in a 2005 study. At Mensah Medical we test patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder for the presence of a specific biochemical imbalance. There is a limited number of chemical imbalances that dominate in patients with this condition. Laboratory testing helps uncover one of four common biochemical imbalances for this clinical diagnosis.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

What is bipolar disorder? It is an umbrella term. The bipolar patients we treat fit into four distinct biochemical phenotypes, as discovered through research at the Walsh Research Institute where 1500 cases of bipolar disorder have been studied along with hundreds of thousands of blood and chemistry results stored.

1. Undermethylation– serotonin and dopamine
2. Overmethylation– serotonin and dopamine
3. Copper/ Zinc Imbalance– norepinephrine and dopamine
4. Severe Oxidative Stress– detrimental effect NMDA receptor (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor)

Other Clinical Factors that May Also Mimic Bipolar Disorder

The bipolar umbrella term can refer to any one of these clinical conditions:

• Food Intolerance
• Yeast Toxicity
• Metal Toxic Exposure (lead, etc…)

Clinically, what is bipolar disorder’s appearance in terms of symptoms? Bipolar symptoms can fluctuate based on various environmental and physical biochemical variations in individuals.

Food is indeed a DRUG.

Are patients truly bipolar or in need of a change of diet?

Food can lead to mood swings that can make it seem as though you are bipolar in nature. High-carb foods can lead to emotional highs and then low crashes. If a patient lives on this kind of diet daily, these mood fluctuations can often confuse the true nature of a given diagnosis.

Many foods can cause depressive symptoms, such as foods high in fats.

Certain patients may also have food sensitivities that can mimic depression and dysthymia, which is a subclinical persistent mild depression.

Hypoglycemia can cause severe mood swings as well. A heavy yeast burden in children can be seen as severe fluctuations in mood and behavior issues.

Metal toxic exposures can also manifest in mood dysregulation, especially depressive types.

Albert Mensah, MD

As a physician in this specialized field since 2005, Dr. Mensah, board certified in integrative pediatrics by the American Association of Integrative Medicine, has treated over 3,000 patients with advanced targeted nutrient therapy. He serves on the board at Walsh Research Institute and serves as a clinical instructor for WRI’s international doctor training programs around the world. Dr. Albert Mensah received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) and his medical degree from Finch University of Health Sciences-Chicago Medical School. Dr. Mensah’s residency was in Family Medicine at Swedish Covenant Hospital (Chicago). Following residency, he completed additional fellowship training in academic development at JHS Cook County Hospital (Chicago). From 2005 to 2008, Dr. Mensah treated patients at the former Pfeiffer Treatment Center, a not-for-profit organization and outpatient clinic specializing in the treatment of biochemical imbalances including children with autism. Prior to joining Pfeiffer, Dr. Mensah was a physician at Melrose Park Clinic in Illinois. Dr. Mensah co-founded Mensah Medical in 2008 with Dr. Judith Bowman.