Page 26 - Rana Sampson Issue (1)

Hope Lies Within

By Judith A. Habert

Colleen lives in Encinitas, is a successful business owner, the which are necessary, but there are other important mental cycles
mother of three, and is married to a prominent San Diego Attor- representing the human condition which may question the need for
ney. Anyone who knows her will agree that she is not a woman to these medications, and more importantly, whether they should be
question. When it comes to her job there is no one better, when taken daily for a lifetime.
it comes to her children, she is driven to provide them with the One of the issues foremost in his mind was why there was such
best life has to offer. Her social life is full of business dinners with reliance on anti-depressant drugs when they clearly lose their
prominent members of society and time spent with her husband of effectiveness after only 4-5 hours. He knew there had to be other
18 years. Together they enjoy their weekly date nights and romantic ways to treat these mental issues, and it would be through his study
getaways. of the unconscious mind that he soon discovered some startling
Colleen has her life together, but she didn’t always feel this way. realities. Through this thorough research, he discovered (at the
Colleen was diagnosed as bipolar and suffered for many years leading edge of Neuroscience) much groundbreaking information
trying to find a solution to her regarding the existence of “clock”
discomforting mood shifts. She genes, which are encoded in the
was on several psychotropic human DNA. They appear at the
medications to help regulate core of human mood regulation.
her condition. The medication Engaging in detailed analysis
prescribed often caused her he found that there are multiple
more painful side effects than cycles in all human beings, both
the problems for which they male and female, and that six of
were diagnosed. Colleen would them can be measured and even
not allow her life to progress in be used, to some extent, forecast
this manner, so she did some future dreams. The discovery
extensive research and came that most human genes share
upon some interesting facts that characteristics of “clock” genes
26 allowed her to back off much of proves that humans are linked
genetically to ancient rhythms of
her medication and begin to bet-
ter understand her body and its the sun and moon. With this in
cycling moods. mind Dr. Goodman adds, “Since
Today she has figured out rhythms lie at the core of the
precisely how to listen to her human unconscious, designing
inner clock and to appreciate her drugs able to completely abol-
healthy rhythm. Colleen is not ish the mood rhythm may be an
the only sufferer of what is often exercise in futility.”
the overmedication of society. This leads to the question as to
Few individuals have dedicated whether we can control our un-
their lives to prove this point conscious mind despite pressure
more than Dr. David Goodman, to take chemical substances? An
who recently spent some time illness, when mild and defined
speaking with us about his find- medically as bipolar disorder, may
ings. in fact not be “an illness” at all,
Dr. Goodman, Founder of the but purely the way in which the
Newport Neuroscience Center clock gene affects the moods of
in North County San Diego, and certain individuals enabling them
a doctoral graduate in Psycho- to view the world in many differ-
biology from UC Irvine, spent a ent ways.
good portion of his life studying As far back as 1971 Gay Gaer
moods, emotions and the timing Luce, author of Body Time…
of the human body. Coining the Physiological Rhythms and Social
term, “Mental Chronomics,” Dr. Goodman has performed three Stress, spoke of the natural clock rhythms found in all living things.
decades of research to prove a truth he has believed for many Her book was at least four decades ahead of its time in its hy-
years. Using himself as the primary subject, Dr. Goodman analyzed pothesis of how we become truly conscious when we understand
almost every dream he has had over the past 22 years. His re- natural Body Rhythms. "Luce was remarkably prescient, looking
search was arduous, waking two to seven times per night to record ahead almost 40 years to a time when inner rhythms would be on
the details, regardless of how short or seemingly insignificant the everyone's lips. She foresaw many prevalent trends today, some
dream appeared. He has yet to miss a single night, incredible as which were apparently sufficient enough for UCSD to establish the
that sounds. This level of commitment is a testament to the man Center for Chronobiology with twenty-four adjunct faculty. Time-Life
who left his position with a Newport Beach pharmaceutical firm and Scientific American have also taken heed and published books
to prove that medication is infrequently the answer. Starting with on how a primary rhythm called daily or circadian regulates almost
this premise Dr. Goodman does believe that there are medications every aspect of our lives."
March/April 2011