The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions--Today [Paperback]

Julia Ross (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 30, 2003

We’re in a bad mood epidemic, but Julia Ross’s plan provides a natural cure. Drawing on thirty years of experience, she presents breakthrough solutions to overcoming depression, anxiety, irritability, stress, and other negative emotional states that are diminishing the quality of our lives. Her comprehensive program is  based on the use of four mood-building amino acids and other surprisingly potent nutrient supplements, plus a diet rich in good-mood foods such as protein, healthy fat, and certain key vegetables. Including an individualized mood-type questionnaire, The Mood Cure has all the tools to help
you get started today and feel better tomorrow.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ross, author of The Diet Cure, here offers a prescriptive plan designed to relieve a variety of ailments from seasonal disorders, stress, irritability and depression. Ross believes that many of these annoying and, in some cases, severely disabling disorders can be relieved through a change in diet and nutritional supplements. Readers are asked to first determine which of four "false moods" they suffer from: a dark cloud, blahs, stress or too much sensitivity. The survey is simple and the questions will immediately resonate with readers: for example, someone who is suffering from the blahs is likely to have difficulty focusing or require a great deal of sleep. Armed with their survey scores, readers can then turn to the appropriate chapter to learn which diets and supplements will be most helpful.Particularly reassuring are the author's detailed explanations of why she advises a particular strategy. While Ross is an advocate for nutritional supplements, she provides a sound overview for all her recommendations.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Julia Ross’s work on mood is right on target. The Mood Cure is a remarkably comprehensive guide to improving and maintaining a more positive and joyous frame of mind.” —Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142003646
• ISBN-13: 978-0142003640
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Emotions
  • #9 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Mood Disorders
  • #11 in Books > Self-Help > Stress Management

More About the Author

Julia Ross is a psychotherapist and director of Recovery Systems, a clinic in California that treats mood, eating and addiction problems with nutrient therapy and biochemical re-balancing. She is one of the most successful and well-known names in nutrient therapy, and lectures at conferences and workshops around the world to share her work. Her first book, The Diet Cure, was an international bestseller.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

246 of 251 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Information in this book saved my life, literally. July 25, 2010

By JAF

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

In March of 2008 I had to let my insurance go. I am self employed and the cost had skyrocketed. As I knew the end was coming I tried to prepare by reading about and using holistic treatments as opposed to the five prescriptions that I was going to have to do without. I was diagnosed as severely clinically depressed in the late '90s. The very first prescription that I was ever given was one for 60mg., yes 60mg, of Prozac. The doctor(s) wanted to hospitalize me but I refused, opting instead to see the psychiatrist every other day....the first week was every day. I managed to get through this first year without killing myself and it is all just a blur. There were side effects to the drug that they "treated" with more drugs. I gained weight, lost weight, slept for 8 months, went through my entire life savings, etc., etc., you get the picture. I was a total mess. As time progressed I noticed that the drugs stopped working as effectively as they did in the beginning so I'd get switched.... I have it all written down somewhere but I think the last prescriptions I filled were for Wellbutrin & Zanyx.... plus sleeping pills.... I can not recall all of their names right now....I think I've blocked them out at this point because I simply do not need them or take them any longer.... and I feel SO SO SO much better than I ever did while on the drugs. Seriously, a million times better. I still have days that aren't pretty, just like I imagine everyone does, but I can manage those days by taking an extra dose of SAM-e or one extra tablet of 500mg. L-Tryptophan at night.

Another reviewer states it correctly here, this is not an overnight cure. However there are amino acids that even I felt better within one hour of taking them even while still a complete mess. I got The Mood Cure and The Diet Cure by Julia Ross and they both are invaluable to me. I learned so much from them about how things work in our bodies and what the cause and effect of what we put into our bodies is and what is happening when we are depressed or even when you have overwhelming urges to eat something like chocolate or carbs..... migraine headaches (which I have had) can be managed with the right combination of these amino acids, vitamins & minerals. I have never been anorexic or bulimic but those are also addressed and treatable in these books. Weight gain, weight loss, adrenal gland failure....it is all in these books. All completely treatable with the holistic means she tells you about in these books.

Dr. Ross spells it out beautifully in these books. You can see yourself and read about exactly what has happened to you right in these pages. It is such a wonderful experience to know that you can get better. I did. I promise you can as well. She is honest and says that she can not treat two things by holistic means alone, those are bi-polar disease and schizophrenia which Dr. Ross says must be treated by prescription medicine but can be greatly helped with holistic treatments in conjunction. With those two aside you can figure out how to treat your severe clinical depression like I did with a trial and error approach to the suggestions she makes in the books.

By the way, I really want to emphasize how important it is for you to take it extremely seriously how careful you are to get off of your prescription meds before you jump into "straight" holistics!! You could really crash and do serious harm to your psyche and also to your physical body if you are not careful. This is how I did it: I stayed on the meds while I learned to incorporate the aminos, etc. I would take a whole dose one day, 1/2 the next...I did this for one whole month. The second month I would do two days of 1/2 doses, then one whole....it took me several months, maybe 4, to completely get off of the prescription meds so please please be careful. You can have a severe set back if you just stop or stop too soon.

With that said I also incorporated the aminos into my day as I was weening off the scrips. One of the great things about natural treatments like amino acids is that once your body has been refueled and doesn't need any more, say 5-HTP, or L-tryptophan, then you will get a MILD headache so you'll know you don't need that any more. But keep it, because if you have a bad life experience (like a mate dying or a family member, etc.) then you can understandably need to use them again until your supply is built back up.

It took me until now from a start in March of '08, so 2.5 years, to be completely certain that I no longer need to take any of them! I still take a small (for me) dose of 500mg L-Tryptophan at night and occasionally I'll take a 200mg of SAM-e in the a.m. but for the most part I am strictly maintenance now....but the first year I was taking 6000mg, yes, six thousand mgs per day of L-Tryptophan, high grade pharm powder, plus L-tyrosine, and a few others. I feel that my adrenal gland was just completely shot and I know I was right because I am the living proof of it now. You will FEEL what is right for you as you try different suggested things in the book. Complete relief does not happen over night but enough relief to function can come within an hour of taking the right amino, just as they tell you in the book.

I've waited this long to review the books because I wanted to really get to the point where I feel "cured" and I do. I feel very well. My energy level is good, my moods are mostly even and level headed, I sleep very well and I have an appetite for wonderful healthy foods.

The only other thing I can tell you that I have used to get where I am now is Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) and their opinions on whole foods & cod liver oil....invaluable. Also, they are big believers in all organic, including meat, and raw organic dairy. Which I also advocate.

So, good luck. My very best wishes for your improved health and happy life. I know it is possible. I'm living proof.

287 of 296 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Skeptic Becomes Scientist Becomes Convert January 7, 2005

By Jean L. Lukens

Format:Paperback

I am a total skeptic. I've been a successful psychotherapist for 25 years. I've had mood difficulties my entire life and have consumed the usual therapies, medications and hormone replacement therapies and remedies without a "cure". What was most helpful about this book was the distinction Ross invites you to make between emotions caused by real events and thoughts versus "false moods" that are physiological states. Psychotherapy doesn't help correct physiological imbalances as efficiently as seeking a physiological remedy. Next, with a simple quiz, she divides these mood states into four basic catagories and invites you to locate yourself into a catagory or two based upon the prevalance of certain symptoms. So far, this is like a detective story with you and your symptoms as the main focus. The plot thickens: She educates you about the nature of the physical imbalance implied by your answers and explains the action of the recommended nutritional supplements aimed at your specific hypothetical problem. She tells you how to know by your response whether it is working and how to recognize when you've gone too far and should stop the intervention. Well, I was desperate. I decided to follow her regimen to the letter. Surprise! Her predictions were absolutely true to my own responses. If she says you can feel a supplement start to work in 10 minutes, then that is what it does. If she saya it takes months, then it does. BUT IT WORKED for me. It is 18 months since I first followed her advice and after a year or more of no supplements, some symptoms began to return. I'm not kidding when I tell you that the results are just as dramatic this time. I'm sold on her advice. One important result of reading this book is that I've learned to differentiate between when I am having a physical problem and when it is an emotional problem. Once you know this, you are more adept at choosing whether to seek psychotherapy, nutritional therapy, or hormonal therapy to address your psychological symptoms. No kidding, this book has set the ground work for me to have a similar quality of life in my post menopausal years as I had as a healthy young person. It restores hope because it applies logic and science. Another helpful thing she said that seems obvious in retrospect is that the "minimal daily requirements" are just that: Minimal to Prevent Symptoms of Disease. Think about it. These guidelines do not spell out "Optimal Daily Requirements" for good health. One note of caution: If you follow her advise too haphazardly or don't stick to the regimen, you will have less than a dramatic response and you will quickly relapse. Really do it. Take the so called "megadoses" for a month or two, while observing the safety precautions she spells-out and you will be amazed. I was. My body told me that I was on the right track almost right away so my initial misgivings about taking supplements were quickly allayed by the obvious better energy and health I was achieving. When I began, I had been so exhausted that for many years, even mild exercise left me feeling wiped out. Now, I am very active again, my depression and anxiety is minimal and I am now rebuilding my physical fitness. I did check out the assertions she makes with other articles in her subject areas, and although I am a lay person, her advise does appear to check out with mainstream research. Good luck! I've reread this book 5-6 times and am still consulting it.

168 of 181 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Hard to believe, but it works! January 21, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The Mood Cure works! I've been on and off antidepressants for 5 or more years now. Most recently, I was taking Wellbutrin (300mg/day) and klonopin as needed to sleep. My husband and I were watching a spiritual infomerical about amino acid therapy one morning and he (the skeptic) made it his mission to "cure" me. He searched the internet and decided on "The Mood Cure," had to go out and buy it and the amino's that day! I went off of the pharmaceuticals cold turkey and after about a week and half of withdrawal and/or adaptation to amino therapy, my constant state of depression and anxiety miraculously dissipated. It's been two months now and the first month was filled with ENORMOUS turmoil and stress due to our life circumstances, not drug withdrawal or starting a new regime, and I have to say my overall state of calm and contentment have prevailed 99% of the time. Okay, things still get edgy around PMS time, but not nearly as depilitating!

If you are depressed, anxiety ridden, addiction ruled, even just not yourself, I highly recommend trying amino acid therapy. It's natural and given the american diet of today, you probably are deficient and the amino's can't hurt. And...if you've tried the full spectrum of popular antidepressants commonly prescribed, and don't like the endless and life interfering side effects, amino acid therapy may be your 'prescription' of choice. The only draw back to it is that amino acids aren't covered by your prescription drug plan so you may be shelling out more cash each month to maintain your mental health. However, according to 'The Mood Cure' after several months, maybe a year, of amino acid therapy your body will be back in balance and you'll be able to stop taking them!

Overall, my state of being is 100% improved over what it even was on antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills. This isn't to say I am 100% cured,but I am 100% improved.