I met a new ally on the road to discovery and perhaps more answers...

Christian Bonanno. (He's braver than I am... I have yet to disclose my last name!)
I found that Christian also has a blog that you have to check out! http://glutamateandhealth.wordpress.com/
One of the many cool things about all the terrific information on his blog, is that he has been posting for OVER two years now! He's had lots of long term experience with Bipolar Disorder and Resveratrol. This was a tremendous relief to me.
Let's face it, in all of this fantastic journey, with all it's wondrous new experiences, the constant underlying concern on my part with my mental illness that nags at me is , "Will it all come to an end?" Will my joy get defeated by the "forces" of Schizo Affective Bipolar Disorder (remember, it's both half Bipolar and half Schizophrenia) - a condition which has plagued and shaped my brain and life for the last 35 years. It seems that it would be almost impossible to have been influenced by such a powerful illness for so long and then to suddenly be symptom free - a reality I always dreamed of but to this day, fear it to be too good to be true. So as a result, I wait for the "shoe to drop" and for the condition to come rushing back in all it's terrifying aspects.

And then I come across Christian.
He's a survivor of mental illness and a major player in mental health discovery game. He has successfully navigated his life through "the ring of fire" as I like to call mental illness and, based on his own ingenuity, discovered a way out of his Bipolar! Not by doctor recommendations either, but by sheer inner strength, creativity, research and intellect, he found answers for himself. I could relate to his driven passion and am inspired by all of his accomplishments in the last two years. He's a new role model to me. We may not have the same diagnoses, but we're of the same mind!

As you will see in his blog, his emphasis is on Glutamate and it's probable role in Bipolar Disorder. He feels, and this is backed by many new scientific studies now (probably because of his blog) that excessive amounts of Glutamate in all it's forms could be the cause of this mental illness. As a result, he's committed himself to a strict Glutamate free or reduced diet and has been able to successfully manage his symptoms WITHOUT MEDS by doing so!
"Wow! But where does Resveratrol come in?" you ask?
Christian found that Resveratrol actually seems to cut down on the Glutamate levels in the body and brain. It's one of a number of supplements that do so. So coupled with reducing the intake of Glutamate and then the addition of the Resveratrol, he was apparently able to reduce the negative affects of his awful disease.
So as you can imagine, and in true Indiana Jase fashion, I was so inspired by his findings that I've now decided to radically change my diet! This is a challenge for me - as it would be for any MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) addicted individual. See, this stuff is hidden in almost everything, especially processed food which, let's face it, is America's staple!
What is it for? MSG is a food additive which basically enhances taste. It tricks the tongue and nervous system into "thinking" that the food being consumed has more substance than it does. That's why so many food manufacturers want and include it in their products - people feel satisfied with the sensation it creates. They like it!
But knowing this, now there are a ton of things I don't want to eat, based on Christian's new diet. You've got to be curious as to what I can and cannot now consume. Well, I want to include a list, but it would be a blog in itself. Also, I'm obviously completely new to this. Therefore, I will let Christian be the expert on the diet itself. Refer to his site to get more info about it, if you're interested.
I can tell you loosely, from my current understanding, that it consists primarily of fresh fruit and vegetables and very little meat. Sounds very healthy doesn't it, eliminating all that processed junk from fast foods and microwaved meals? It is! But it's also hard... on your stomach apparently!
Oh ya, after eating a ton of carrots and baby spinach yesterday, my stomach rebelled! It was screaming, "Where's my meat, grizzle and MSG???!!" I simply responded by chomping on another carrot.
You don't want to know how IT responded a couple hours later! (The toilet hates me now.)
After a night of stomach cramps, indigestion, nausea, gas, bloating and other unmentionable stuff (how's my sales pitch going so far?), I awoke... to the same thing!
But in defense of this amazing possibility and in all seriousnous, here it is 11:00am and I must confess I feel much better - emotionally and, yes, physically too.
I simply jumped too fast, which Indiana Jase tends to do in these adventures - at the exciting opportunity to further his quest. But now, I'll just back up a bit and slow the pace by introducing and, over time, transitioning from MSG ladened food to the good stuff!

On a quick side note, I had more energy yesterday after dropping down to one pill of PURE's Resveratrol. I mentioned in my last post that I was going to do this to counter the apparent excess of Adenosine (a sleep enducing neurotransmitter) in my brain brought on by a dose of Resveratrol that might have been too high for me.
Just a theory, but it did seem to improve my state quite a bit. As I said, I was much more alert! So hopefully the effects of that "bump in the road" have passed. I'll of course, keep you posted about the "many" potential future bumps that lay ahead!
In the mean time, have a fantastic day!