After serving in the military for over ten years and working as a police officer in a busy city, Sam began to feel “broken.” She was struggling with PTSD, which started to affect her work performance and personal life. She was gaining weight rapidly despite no changes to her diet or exercise routine, missing essential details on calls, getting her reports returned for errors, and feeling as if she couldn’t keep up—at work or at home—no matter how hard she tried. She felt completely drained of energy. Knowing this wasn’t like her, but with little understanding of mental health at the time, she simply believed she was “broken” and no longer fit for the job. This led Sam to resign from her lifelong dream career as a police officer.
For almost a year after resigning, Sam met with her VA doctor once a month seeking help for her PTSD and was prescribed several medications as part of a “treatment plan.” Over time, she developed depression, anxiety, panic attacks, manic episodes, insomnia, total body fatigue and pain, heartburn, numbness in her left side, cognitive impairment, poor focus and concentration, migraines, food allergies, inflammation, and a complete loss of motivation and purpose. Sam went from balancing the demands of military service, full-time police work, and family life to being unable to get out of bed for days at
a time. Her condition was deteriorating rapidly, and she experienced adverse reactions to each medication. Despite reporting her worsening symptoms monthly, the only response was to increase dosages or add new medications. Feeling hopeless and helpless in the hands of the medical system, Sam set out on her own to improve her life.
That’s when she discovered Dr. Palmer’s book, Brain Energy. Sam read and listened to Brain Energy several times, taking extensive notes on everything that seemed relevant to her situation, which she then presented to her VA doctor. Sam suspected that her prescribed medications were directly contributing to her symptoms. Her doctor agreed and ordered genetic testing, which confirmed that Sam was unable to metabolize these medications, keeping her in a near-constant state of serotonin syndrome for several months and causing many of her symptoms. Working closely with her doctor, she slowly tapered off the medications, and it felt almost miraculous—she began to come back to life.
All the symptoms Sam had been experiencing disappeared completely. She now only takes stimulants as needed for her ADHD and is off every other medication, continuing to do well.
Sam continued to apply the Brain Energy theory to her healing journey. She began addressing her root causes through talk therapy, processing suppressed trauma, joining a gym, and discovering a passion for CrossFit competitions. She focused on balancing her hormones and eating a whole-food diet. She realized that she was never “broken” and that medications were the last thing she needed; she needed talk therapy, a new exercise regimen, and a healthy diet. Today, she continues to thrive and says she has never felt better—physically or mentally.
Although being a police officer was her dream career, Sam has found a new purpose: she dreams of combining her personal and professional experiences to open a wellness center for first responders, focusing on root causes and metabolic treatment plans. She wants to prioritize mental health awareness for all first responders, ensuring no one has to face this battle alone.
Aaron is a student visitor at the McLean Metabolic and Mental Health Program and a Brain Energy volunteer. He received his bachelors degree in biological sciences from Clemson University. Aaron has seen first hand the benefits of a change in diet and is passionate about helping others use food as medicine.
