Personal Stories

I would like to tell you a little bit about our family struggle with mental illness, specifically with my eighth child, Kolbe. Mental health issues run in our family and extended family. My husband and I have nine children and Kolbe has by far been our most difficult challenge up to this point.

When Kolbe was first born, he was very, very fussy. He was colicky and cried virtually all the time. By the time he could stand, he often stood screaming and slapping his thighs. He hardly smiled during his first year of life, only laughing out loud a couple of times during that entire year. By 18 months, he had tantrums that could last up to 3 hours. These were extremely violent in nature, with him constantly banging his head on the wall and slapping his thighs until they were bright red. He was able to pick up furniture, tables and chairs and throw them across the room with great strength. Other than crying and screaming, he was nonverbal, indicating a speech delay. Kolbe’s aggressive behavior escalated as months passed.

Shortly before his 3rd birthday, he developed grand mal seizures, which led to hospitalization. Kolbe’s doctor placed him on Dilantin, to which he had an allergic reaction and was soon placed on Depakote, which controlled the seizures and helped him with his mood. The rages were shortened in duration and not quite as violent. At age 3, he began to see a counselor and a psychiatrist for behavior management and diagnosis. Kolbe’s diagnoses were Anxiety Disorder, ADHD, OCD, Bipolar (not otherwise specified) and ODD.

Over the next 4 years, Kolbe’s psychiatrist treated him with 24 different psychotropic drugs to treat these various diagnoses, none of which really kept him under control. At age 7, he was doing poorly in school and had developed tremors and ticks. His symptoms got worse with no help from the meds, and it was so severe that he was physically hurting himself, scratching himself and drawing blood. Even adults had difficulty trying to restrain him during his violent rages, due to his incredible strength. He was constantly breaking furniture and toys. People trying to restrain him were injured by his kicking, clawing, and hitting or by something he threw at them. When placed in his room, he often broke his toys and furniture. Once he shredded his door into hundreds of pieces of wood with his bare hands and feet.

After that episode, he was hospitalized at the state psychiatric hospital for children, where he was kept for 10 days, then released with med changes. A few weeks later, he returned to the hospital for a second time. He stayed only a few days, and then returned home. At home, he remained very violent to himself, to others, and to property. Kolbe acted so unsafe and out of control in the car one time that he was brought directly to the emergency room. A male doctor, male nurse and female nurse were unable to restrain him. They had to give him Haldol in order to keep from being injured and to calm him. This led to his third admission to the psychiatric hospital where he stayed for 3 weeks. He returned home and his behavior was somewhat better, but he was still a very sick boy. School started soon after he returned home but he had a very difficult time. For the first time ever, Kolbe’s school staff started seeing signs of his violence and anger. One of the teachers could not handle teaching him anymore so he was then home schooled for the rest of the school year.

In May of 2008, we were introduced to a nutritional supplement for people with mental health issues sold by a company called Truehope. This supplement was EMPowerplus. After much consultation, apprehension, and prayer, we decided to switch Kolbe from his current medications to this amazing natural supplement. Support personnel were available by phone daily, whenever needed, to help us through the transition in weaning him from the psychotropic meds to the natural supplements. We completely weaned Kolbe off all his meds within 3 weeks, which, if weaned without the supplement, would have taken months. This rapid weaning is possible because the human brain responds quickly and positively to this natural nutrient supplement. It is so effective that the brain heals very rapidly and the psychotropic med dosages must drop quickly to keep the patient from feeling as if he/she is overdosing. There are different theories as to why this supplement works so well. One is that scientists believe there is a genetic need for more nutrients in the brain due to genetic mutations, which result in nutrient deficiencies and can lead to brain cell shrinkage or brain cell death. People just cannot get enough through their diets or regular over the counter vitamins. You can learn more about these products by going to the truehope.com website.

Within Kolbe’s first 2 weeks of being weaned off his meds and starting the supplement, we noticed a big difference in his behavior. We charted his mood and behavior symptoms online through Truehope. A support person at the company whom we spoke with daily monitored these charts regularly. Within 6 weeks, Kolbe was virtually a normal little boy! His side effects were gone, he had no more ticks, no more tremors, and he was alert, focused and clear. He was joyful and happy most of the time. He very rarely had mood swings, became irritable or angry and hardly ever cried. We seldom saw any loss of his temper. Other challenging symptoms that greatly diminished were his impulsivity, his demanding nature, his poor judgment, his irrationality, his self-hatred, his racing thoughts, and his obsessive thoughts. Most people who knew Kolbe before he switched to this amazing supplement and saw him after the change were amazed. They said he was like a completely different person.

Remember, this supplement is not a cure. At one time Kolbe was sick for a few days and could not take the supplement. Within a few days, his symptoms came back. This is a normal reaction. If he takes an antibiotic, it may affect the absorption of the supplement and he may need to take extra of the supplement to maintain its full effectiveness. If he has anything that will keep him from consuming his normal diet, it is important to be aware of the need for extra supplements.

I want to state here that Truehope’s EMPowerplus was none other than a miracle, a blessing from God for Kolbe and our family. Kolbe has been taking EMPowerplus for almost three years now. Our family is so much more functional and we can now leave Kolbe with a babysitter. We no longer worry when it comes to leaving Kolbe at a friend’s house. He is doing great in academics, sports, extracurricular activities and family life.

I would highly recommend this supplement to anyone who suffers from any type of mental health issue, especially depression, bipolar, anxiety, or schizophrenia. It may take one a great deal of courage to get to the point where he /she is ready to take this step. To be apprehensive about this is quite understandable. One needs a tremendous amount of support. It is such a great blessing to have the Truehope support team available to help each person every step of the way!

EMPowerplus is so natural and safe. Personally, we have never been big into natural health remedies. We were familiar only with conventional medicine. Natural health was a big unknown to us. Considering the switch from prescription medications to natural supplements filled us with insecurity and fear. It was very difficult to consider anything outside of the medical realm, but it got to the point where we were out of options. We had to do something to help our son. We had exhausted the list of psychotropic drugs. It was time for us to take a leap in faith and to trust that Kolbe would be the next one on the list of the many Truehope success stories! It was time to trust in God!

I recommend that you remain open-minded, study the research, listen to the stories, and give Truehope a chance. My closed-mindedness was out of fear, but for some it may be other worries and concerns. Thankfully, Kolbe’s pediatrician and psychiatrist were with us on this. They were supportive and willing to go forward with us. For some, taking this huge step will be more difficult because they will not have the support from their doctors or their families. Those who suffer this challenge should try to remember that the support staff at Truehope is there for them.

To all those involved with or suffering with mental health challenges: I encourage you to be open to the miracle that might be out there waiting for you, whether you are a medical professional, psychiatrist, adult, parent, or child.

- Susan B. (Kolbe’s mom)

My name is Juan Luis Martin. I’m 46 years old, married with two children, and I want to share my story so that people who suffer from some type of mental disorder may see a ray of hope in their painful illness.

My story begins, 13 years ago, when I was 33 years old and a professional soldier. I began to show a series of symptoms which seemed to have no explanation. Above all, I was psychosomatic and experienced mental hyper-sensitivity. Two years later, my father died. Two months after his death, while I was sleeping, I suffered my first anxiety attack and had to be admitted to the hospital. At that time, I fell into a deep state of anxiety and depression that destroyed my life completely. I will not explain all the symptoms of my illness. Those who have the misfortune of being familiar with mental illness will know what they are. However, I will emphasize among all the symptoms the tremendous mental suffering, the anxiety, the sadness and recurrent thoughts of suicide. Due to the gravity of my condition, working became impossible. After being on medication for two years I received a disability leave, but even this did not resolve the problem. My illness transformed me into the living dead. I took every type of psychiatric medication, each successively stronger and more toxic but also more useless. Still, my vitality and function stayed below 30%.

I do not wish to over-generalize about psychotropic medications, but for me these types of substances did not relieve me of my illness. They could be useful, perhaps, in the days immediately following a traumatic attack, but in the long run, they do not cure. Furthermore, they only seem to eternalize the illness. I was blocked – incapable of facing my life, and deprived of a myriad of emotions. That’s how it was for the eleven years since my first anxiety attack. And still what was the medical diagnosis? Chronic Depression. Finally, combining 225 mg of Venlafaxine (Effexor), 800 mg of Lithium, and 2 mg of Clonazepam per day I experienced days where I felt I had recovered up to 40% of my vitality. Exasperated, my doctor proposed electroshock as a last resort.

Then the miracle occurred. While casually surfing the internet, I came across Truehope mentioned by a famous American doctor as a bipolar treatment on a psychiatrics page. In my desperation, this non-conventional treatment intrigued me, and without hesitation I contacted the company.

I must say that I was skeptical, but my desperation won out. I asked myself which was worse, take vitamins and minerals or submit to electric shock. In view of the results, it is obvious which is better! I faithfully followed the support staff in instructions given by Julio, reducing my medications as I increased the use of Truehope products. Within a month, I began to notice important changes in my symptoms and an increase of vitality. After 6 months, I was taking absolutely ZERO psychotropic medications! Yes, that’s right – NONE – even though it seems unbelievable.

I am still taking the EMPowerplus and Total Amino Solutions. I suppose I will take this product in some quantity for the rest of my life as I don’t want my illness to return. I like to use approximated percentages to explain my illness instead of absolute cures. My vitality is stabilized between 85-90%. I feel positive emotions again and a zest for life. I don’t want to imply that this product is miraculous, but it provides the strength necessary to fight this type of terrible ailment and gives hope for recovery. It provides independence to walk the path of healing, as you become responsible for your own health. Everyone should launch into a new life beginning with the introduction of these vitamins.

Now I simply have the continued process of recovery before me with the help of EMPowerplus and Total Amino Solutions. Who knows if I will feel a vitality of 110% six months from now? Regardless, when I compare my current state with where I was 8 months ago, I am satisfied.

I would encourage everyone who is ill to try EMPowerplus. I am familiar with the product. You have nothing to lose and so much to gain. I suppose the results vary from person to person, but I promise you that vitality you feel will double. Much the better if you are also freed from the side-effects of medications. Guaranteed, you will be significantly strengthened to face life head on.

I have returned to work. I practice natural medicine and I monitor student transportation. However, the greatest benefit is that I have renewed feelings and emotions, I enjoy life, and neither I nor my family has been destroyed. I have to emphasize that this is not a magic remedy, but it is extremely effective, and dramatically surpasses the results of the psychiatric medications alone. At least this has been my experience after 11 years on medications. Each person should make their own choice and then follow the tried therapeutic protocol to ensure you don’t abandon the treatment for reasons of poor application.

I hope that my testimony will lighten someone’s life and give them the hope that EMPowerplus can restore many lives that have been destroyed by mental illness.

- Juan Luis Martin

Joleen's depression set in during grade 8. In grade 10 she contracted an infection that left her chronically ill and unable to complete her high school education. The darkness of depression and chronic illness took her to a state of utter desperation. When prescribed medications failed to help her, Joleen turned to cutting herself and smoking marijuana "due to the short periods of happiness I'd feel after smoking it... I was living a lie." I read about the Truehope program in a local newspaper, the family discussed the option. "My Dad was already spending over $500 a month on antidepressants and prescriptions for all my other problems, so if this could solve both problems, for considerably cheaper, he was willing to go for it... The side effects couldn't possibly be worse than those of the antidepressants... migraine, backache, twitching of my entire body and ulcer like pain in the stomach."

Joleen's timely response to the supplement has changed her life. "Within weeks I was almost cured! I could concentrate again... I quit cutting myself and I could hold a job again!" Joleen's moods stabilized and she is now working towards finishing her education. Joleen hasn't missed a day of work in over a year and now lives on her own. "These were things I only prayed and dreamed about doing a year and a half ago!"

Joleen continues using the supplement program as her symptoms return when she forgets doses. She says "Life without E.M.Power is unimaginable."

- Joleen

I'm a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother. I'm a worker, taxpayer, a student, a friend and I'm bi-polar. If you were to see me on the street you would not know that I have struggled with a very real and devastating disease.

I'm attractive, successful and ambitious. I love to laugh and have a genuine love of life. I have had the opportunity to be on Empowerplus for two and half years. It gave me my life back. Sounds incredible? It is. I was skeptical in the beginning but felt like I had very little to lose. I had lost everything already, including my dignity and pride, so I gave the product a try. My symptoms were so severe that I was not able to study, work, mother and feel alive.

I was strictly bi-polar. This started in early adulthood. I was given so many drugs: Luvox, Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor, Lithium, Valproic Acid, Olanzapine, Ativan – what a cocktail! As a patient you trust that the doctors know best and will fix the chaos that the disorder causes. But that calm never comes, you lose hope and eventually realize this is as good as it gets. Every day is a struggle, you can't sleep, eat, or socialize. You withdraw from society out of shame. This isolation often would result in suicidal feelings. I had no hope, I felt alone, ashamed and angry that my life had been robbed. I had two suicide attempts while on psychotropic medications. When the illness started I had no idea what was happening to me nor why. It was very frightening. This illness is very real and incapacitating. The drugs, even with the most genuine effort of my doctor, offered no hope. One can rarely function at all on them. On the other hand Empowerplus has given me the health I always wanted. I thought life and health was for others. I have been able to live a life I only dreamed of since I have been the recipient of Empowerplus.

- Suzanne

I suffered many years before my illnesses were diagnosed in the early 1990's. But my suffering would not end there. My illnesses went on to take the precious time of Medical and Psychiatric Doctors and countless visitations for treatment. I was diagnosed with rapid cycling manic depressive disorder (bipolar depression), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), borderline personality disorder, and fibromyalgia – the list of symptoms for these illnesses is much too long to list here. The prescribed treatment included aggressive drug cocktails that included Effexor, Haldol, Risperidal, Lamictal, Prozac, Serzone, Neurontin, Seroquel, Olanzapine, Oxazepam, Cogentin, Ativan, Diazepam, Amitriptyline, and others.

My life was not a life in this condition. I was either in the hospital or bed-ridden at home, and in such a drugged state that I was up only a couple of hours per day and had extremely limited ability. For many of those years I have little or no memory other than pain, both mental and physical – no memory of time with my three children or time with my husband since there was precious little of that in my state. The aggressive drug 'therapy' brought no relief and was at best only sufficient to keep me out of the hospital and confined to my bed. On top of it all, the drugs brought about severe and unwanted side effects. Years went by in this state, with prescribed variations in dangerous drug cocktails.

Prescription costs were enormous with many months averaging well over $1,200 per month. I knew I could not live much longer in this state, nor did I want to anymore. Then, in the spring of 2001, I began taking Empowerplus vitamin and mineral supplement while at the same time keeping my medical and psychiatric doctors informed. With supervision, I weaned off of the drug-cocktail over several months and by continuing with the Empowerplus supplement my mental and physical health improved rapidly and beyond belief. Empowerplus has given me back my health and life and has allowed me to become a wife and mother.

- Sabine

We would like you to know how EMPowerplus has helped our son Albert. We as parents noticed signs early (pre K) that our son had attention span problems. He was professionally diagnosed with ADHD before the start of first grade (year 2001). It was "highly suggested" that we medicate our son, or risk our son being held back. Reluctantly, and with much hesitation we put our son on Adderall with the start of first grade. At first there seemed to be improvement, but within three months there seemed to be nothing but bad effects on our son. Soon the doctor prescribed an antidepressant to counteract the effects of the Adderall. Nobody at this young age should need antidepressants. Our son was just so sad all of the time. It was as if he forgot how to be happy.

Through the next year and a half our son was put on Adderall XL, Remeron, Wellbutrin, Wellbutrin SR, and last but not least Strattera. We were happy to hear that Strattera was not a stimulant, but the side effects were worse than any of the other meds put together. Our son would scream that the TV always had to be on, and that was the only way he would sleep. He started stabbing himself in the hand with his pencil when he was unable to do a task at school. Through all this time we had many conferences with the school and the "team" that was designed to help our son. It was always agreed during these meetings that it was clear that Al was a very bright boy, but with no way of channeling his intelligence.

Then one day while watching the Discovery Channel his dad saw a program on EMPowerplus. He made the necessary phone calls and thought this might help our son. We started the EMPowerplus during Christmas break of his third grade. By New Years we saw improvement. Now that the end of the school term is here, we thought you would like to know about his success thus far:

a) First and foremost, our son is HAPPY. It has been so long since we've seen him happy. This truly is one of the many great benefits of EMPowerplus.

b) Al took what could only be described as a poor report card to one of A's and B's.

c) He PLAYS with other kids. In the past he felt so bad about himself he would not participate in any school or playground games. Now he goes out almost every day and tries very hard to make new friends.

d) For the first time since he started school, we finally had a good teacher conference in April 2004. All of his teachers commented on how happy he is, and how well he is doing.

e) As with all children he faces the normal difficulties. But unlike before, when he fails at a task he gets mad, but then he gets over it.

f) We have seen so much improvement in our son over the last six months that it is hard to tell of each and every success. But you should know that Al was picked as Student of the Month for May for the student that demonstrated the most improvement.

g) He now reads and writes stories on his own. This is a task that would have been out of the question before EMPowerplus.

There are so many ways in which EMPowerplus has helped our son. We now tell anyone and everyone about our success.

With much appreciation,

- Al and Lynda Powell

My name is Gayle and I live in Pennsylvania USA. I have been struggling with Bipolar Disorder for over 20 years. For years my symptoms were managed by Lithium and Risperdal. This kept me from repeated trips to the hospital. For most of those years, although on the previously stated medications, I struggled with deep depression, hallucinations and rages which was very destructive to myself and my family. The medications I took for mania didn’t control the depression. My moods seemed to be influenced significantly by stress, diet and the amount of sleep I would get. I was never sure when my next trip to the hospital would be, nor would I know when the rages and hallucinations would sweep over me.

I have been taking Empowerplus since Oct. 2000, and within a week of beginning the program I began to feel totally different. Within three weeks I was able to stop taking Lithium and Risperdal. I have since been totally free of any, and all, other medications for the treatment of Bipolar. No longer will I have to concern myself with the long term side effects of using such drugs.

I now have a foundation of reality and wholeness of my mind that I never knew existed. In fact, after stabilizing on the supplements, I actually went through a grieving process for all that I lost due to my illness. I was able to recognize and comprehend all the years of detachment and fear that I experienced. I was able to own, for the first time, all the destruction that I had caused my loved ones from my disorder. Until getting on this program, I did not have a reality that remained rooted. My reality was wrapped around my bipolar thinking and was, of course, abstract. Now, my thoughts are structured and level. I no longer experience the rapid confused thought patterns, hallucinations and random rages that made my life so unpredictable and difficult. I do not experience any symptoms related to Bipolar Disorder, and have not since starting Empowerplus. Your product has given me back my life.

- Gayle

Some would say I am a miracle others would just call me cute. My name is Anna and I came into this world on February 12, 2005. I was 9lbs 12oz and had an apgar score of 10. Now you might think it funny that I would be so proud to mention my apgar score but then if you knew my mother you would know why.

Just a little over 3 years ago my mother was on a 5 drug cocktail which not only had her swinging all over the place but hospitalized for months on end as a suicide risk. Doctors warned her never to get pregnant as she would make her illness not only unmanageable but put her baby at risk of severe deformation or even death, due to all the drugs she was taking. No matter how many drugs they tried nothing worked. Then she found Truehope.

I am so grateful my mother learned about Truehope and took a natural approach to her illness. She has been on EMP ever since. It has allowed her to learn and grow as an individual, making positive changes in her life not to mention allowing her to give birth to 2 healthy children. My brother who is now 2 and a half, was born healthy just one year after my mom started EMP. I know my mother often marvels at what is and shudders to think what might have been when she looks at I my brother and I.

Thanks Truehope for a healthy start on life.

- Baby Anna

This is the story of a miracle - my miracle

Ever since I was young I always knew I was different than my friends and family. How was I different? I had absolutely no patience, didn't like myself, and felt extremely insecure. I would get depressed even when things were going great. I had anger problems which got me into many fights and the list goes on and on. I thought I was just weak-minded or too sensitive about things. All of this yet I had the most wonderful family so there was no reason for me to feel this way.

I went on with life and dug down deep and started to create a life in a sleepy little town. I was working and doing well, had a special person in my life and things seemed great. But little did I know everything was about to be turned upside down. At about 19 years-old I found it hard to sleep and concentrate on work or anything else. This went on for a long time and I was literally hanging on by a thread. My relationship failed and my life fell apart in the worst way. It wasn't until I was about 22 that I was diagnosed with Bipolar and tried on every drug imaginable to level me out. I finally did get leveled out somewhat and things got better but I developed many side-effects from the drugs and was always getting infections and building up tolerances to the medications. I was in a total of 5 different mental health hospitals to try and get me on something that would work right. While in one, my parents were told, "Prepare yourself. He may never leave the hospital." I couldn't believe the lack of belief in me by this doctor. Well, I did leave the hospital and went on with my life as best I could. In the course of the next 9 years I completely lost my personality due to the drugs I had to be on. I was just a shell of a person who lived only from my past experiences. I was so miserable.

Things went on this way until I found Truehope and started EMPowerplus. Now after almost two years of being on the program and being completely off medications, my life is being turned right side up. I feel better now than I ever have in my entire life. For the first time, I know who I am as a person and I'm finding that I'm not the person I thought I was. I actually love the person I am. I have a ton of compassion, understanding, love, and forgiveness for myself and for others. My life actually has a positive affect on the people around me now. I have such a feeling of joy in me that I realize this is what it is like to actually live!

I am now living happier than ever and have nothing but excitement for my future. Things just get better every month on the EMPowerplus program. I would never have been in this place in my life had it not been for Truehope and all the very special people there who have nothing but love in their heart and a relentless desire to see me get well. They never gave up on me. How do you thank someone for such a selfless act? I guess beyond a sincere thank you, the best way is to make my life count and be the best person I can be. Thank you so much Truehope. Thank you for giving me the chance to pull my life out of the darkness.

God bless you!

- Andy Chandler

For most of my life, I have been a stable and happy person. Even though I have dealt with alcohol addiction, an intensely physical and emotionally abusive relationship, infertility, and other stressful life events, I have been able to stay focused on my goals and priorities and maintain a happy, fulfilling professional and personal life.

It all changed in the summer of 2000. There was an extremely difficult and fear-filled event in my family that caused my stress level to explode and my lung to collapse for the first of ten times. The experience mimicked a heart attack accompanied by severe panic. I lay in the emergency room trying to tell the doctors how stressed out I was. I am sure my eyes were practically bulging out of my head. They seemed not to understand the correlation between the stress and my physical condition.

Thus began the beginning of my severe depression and anxiety disorder. For the next few years I tried both Lexapro and Effexor, and then Xanax. The anti-depressants helped for a very short time. After about six months on each medication, I felt desperately hopeless and suicidal. I cried myself to sleep at night and woke crying in the middle of the night. I had never experienced anything like this and was incredibly frightened. The panic attacks were coming more and more frequently. They made me feel jittery and intensely uncomfortable. I began to dread them. I could not sleep and woke often sweating and having night terrors. My entire body would malfunction. I felt so totally out of control. I could not stand it.

I tried Xanax which helped relax me. I ended up taking it three times a day in order to stay ahead of the attacks. Once again, after a few months, I had another break down feeling lost, desperate, and hopeless. I decided to stop all medications. I realized they just were not good for me.

At the same time, a friend toI tried Xanax which helped relax me. I ended up taking it three times a day in order to stay ahead of the attacks.

Once again, after a few months, I had another break down feeling lost, desperate, and hopeless. I decided to stop all medications. I realized they just were not good for me.

At the same time, a friend told me about Truehope and how it had helped him with his severe schizophrenia. I decided to try it after reading all the literature and talking to my physician, therapist, and husband. I called Truehope after submitting my history. The support person was so friendly and sympathetic. She seemed to know my situation so well and was so confident that Truehope could help. So, I placed my order for EMPower Plus and began the healing journey April, 2007. used, fluttery, shaky, insecure, manic, teary, agitated, dizzy, afraid, sad, anti-social, foggy-brained and a tightness in my chest are just a few symptoms from that time.

Today, after 17 months on Truehope, I feel incredible, fortunate and blessed to have found a natural way to heal my emotional and physical life. I have regained my sense of humor. I feel calm and centered. My world is once again stable and whole. My future seems bright and I love life again.

- Anne Klein

For the first time in my life I feel in control of my mind. The way I felt before can be compared to a person running to catch up to a car, trying to control it from a distance, but it’s always out of reach and doing things independent of me before I can catch up to it to stop it. That car was my mind.

Now I feel like I and the car are one, I am driving and in control. I am not speeding out of control, or broken down and smoking from the hood, but just driving at a normal pace. If I speed up to get something done, I don’t run myself ragged and feel pushed and pressured from behind with a panicky feeling.

That is the first and most profound difference I’ve noticed. Panic is gone. I had my first panic attack as a child, but my Dad and I assumed it was because of the pressure of enrolling in a new school. In the middle of enrolling, I rushed out to the parking lot crying. We sat in his car as he tried to talk to me. All I knew was I had to get out of there. As an adult, I would have that same sensation to varying degrees every day.

I also am not obsessing over thoughts. I used to have constant music playing in my head, a song, or a jingle or a movie theme. I know it’s good to have a song in your heart but this was ridiculous and aggravating to me. Antidepressants magnified it times ten. I also had white patches on my arms from them, and a lot of hair loss, so I decided to quit taking them. Now I am not losing nearly the amount of hair that I used to. I still notice the music every now and then, but the difference is it’s not there all the time and it’s not constantly repeating itself and drowning out my other thoughts. I can concentrate.

I used to feel noticeably uncomfortable sitting with people. I would shift around and look nervous. I hated going out to eat because it was hard to sit still and have a conversation. Also my thoughts would constantly shift. I couldn’t clean the house because I would be in one room then go to another and get distracted and work on something else when before I knew it I got hardly anything done except for a lot of grumbling. I had an excuse for every one of these behaviors. I rationalized all of them, and just called myself unique or quirky.

I felt like a severe outcast anywhere I went, and paranoid. My only relief from this while growing up was athletics.

My personality didn’t stay the same for longer than a couple months at a time and I was constantly trying to reinvent myself, throwing out clothes and once cherished items, redecorating the house. I know these are normal in moderation, but I took it to extremes. I didn’t seem to want to hold onto anything that reminded me of me.

At times I complained about everything in my life, from the heat in the summer to my neighborhood to the news to God knows what. I couldn’t control it. I wonder how everyone felt being around me when I was like that. My husband and my mother got the worst end of it.

I was either elated or depressed, and I wished for death at times. Sometimes I put the thought out of my mind but other times my mood sunk lower because of it. I put on a happy face for my little daughter. Growing up and as an adult I used to rage. At certain times I would rage in my mind all day long. I said horrible things to my mother. The feeling of aggravation was overwhelming. The littlest thing would send me into a fit of frustration where I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin. My hair felt like it was standing up at the roots. Nothing I tried to do to calm myself worked. I just had to wait for it to pass and it sometimes took days. I had to take a sedative, and had little memory of my life while on it.

Before I would constantly check the clock, and felt too rushed to even stop and eat. Other times stress would wipe out my appetite. I was thinner than I wanted to be. Now when I feel hunger I don’t ignore it, I eat and the thought of food doesn’t make me nauseous.

I always had a suspicion that something was really wrong. I tried with all my power to live a normal, simple happy life, but all these behaviors would rear up again and tear my efforts back down. Each time I would rebuild and ‘get on track’, I’d tear it all down again. I hurt my loved ones with anger and criticism, rambling on and running over them much like I was being run over within myself.

Ever since I’ve been taking the nutritional supplements, those behaviors have gone away. Everything else I’ve tried from exercise to antidepressants to willpower didn’t help me maintain a healthy mind and body. Something is working for me in this supplement. I am so thankful that the developers took the time and effort to make this available after it showed promise within their family.

Thank you.

- Nichole

Dear Truehope:

I thought that I would like to send you a picture of the three T's from Nevada. These are my beautiful children: Giselle (6) Keiran (5) and Addison (2). I had the opportunity to be introduced to EmpowerPlus just before I became pregnant with my first child Giselle. I understood that EMPowerplus was the best prenatal vitamin that I could use. It would give our babies a full complement of all the nutrients that were needed to produce a happy, healthy child. I showed the bottle to my doctor, she approved, and since the time of conception my children have been exposed to the wonderful goodness that your product offers. I call these children our super babies. I am not exaggerating or bragging when I tell you that these sweet spirits of ours are way above the norm. My pregnancies were the most wonderful experience. I was never sick, I had tons of energy and I felt at peace that I was making the right choice by taking a full dose every day (after all I was eating for two). When Giselle was born she weighed 9 lbs 9oz, Keiran weighed 8 lbs 9oz and Addison was born he weighed a whopping 10 lbs 4oz. The Apgar on all the children was 10; they were perfect in every way. I can remember taking Giselle to the Pediatrician when we lived in Mexico and he asked me what I was feeding her. He was shocked at her size, her strength and her brightness.

When it came time to introduce food to the babies EmpowerPlus was their first food. I would sprinkle a portion of a capsule on top of their porridge and they just gobbled it up. I have increased their dosage with their age. "Vitamin time" is as much a part of our day as is brushing your teeth and combing your hair. They all swallow the capsules now but before they learned to do that they just popped them in their mouth and chewed them. Both you and I know how bad the capsules smell let alone taste, but if that is all you know then there is no big deal. I have since introduced Truehope's calcium product, BMD, and an omega fatty acid a day to the vitamins. These are all on the table with their dinner and at the end of the meal they take them like it was their dessert.

I have saved the best part of my story until last. Here is why we call them the super babies. Our children have never been fussy, never cried a colic tear, they were calm all the time. By four weeks they were sleeping through the night. I have never known what it is like to get up and up and up in the middle of the night. Giselle was partly toilet trained at the age of 3 months. She had a signal for me and I knew when it was time. Addison one morning decided he was going to train himself and he did. Giselle by the age of 2 could swim and dive off of the edge of the pool and Keiran could figure out math by adding and taking away at the age of 2 1/2. The list can go on and on. The kids are coordinated and their gross motor skills are advanced. They play all sports, they sing and dance and when they play pretend I question "where did that come from?". At the age of 5 Giselle read at a grade two level and now in grade one she reads short novels. Her favorite time of day is reading at bedtime. The children have wonderful personalities; they understand love and kindness, they get right and wrong, there are no tempers or acting out. Parenting comes easy when all is good.

I thank you Truehope for your wonderful product and I thank you for introducing it to me as a complete prenatal supplement. Both I and my husband and our children have reaped great benefits from this miracle product. Supplementing is a way of life and the benefits are real every day in our family.

In gratitude,

- The T's

I'm the youngest of three, with two older brothers. I don't remember much of my youth but I do recall my mother's breakdowns—sobbing in a heap on the floor. It was very sad for us to see her like that, and I didn't understand what was going on. One day we woke up and found that she had overdosed on pills and had left us behind. That's where my story really begins.

It was June of 1967. No one understood why our mother took her own life. She was young, beautiful, living the American dream in the sixties—a big house in the suburbs, 3 kids, a doctor husband, a dog and a nice car. But, to this day, no one will discuss it with us, including our own father. What followed her death, for me and my brothers, were years of being kept in dark, years of mystery and years of pain. We were not allowed to grieve; we were not allowed to discuss what happened with anyone, not even each other. It was kept quiet and I myself didn't know she had committed suicide until I put the puzzle pieces together when I was about 13 years old. I didn't realize what mental torture she suffered until I found myself in her shoes much later in my life.

Our devastated father wasn't able to raise us so we found our own way, and made every mistake in the book—including drug use, running away from home, run-ins with the law, you name it. Somehow I managed to make it through high school and actually graduated, but my brothers both dropped out. I was barely functioning and deeply depressed and by the time I reached my teens I was abusing every drug I could get my hands on, latching on to acquaintances, friends and boyfriends for love and support. I broke windows out in anger and lashed out at my father who had lost all control of me. In my twenties I completely stopped using drugs but switched to alcohol and cigarettes; I was lucky I never became physically addicted. I became involved with someone that was even less stable than I was, and we married and had our first child, a girl. Struggling with post-partum depression, I started cutting myself when the baby was young and had a difficult time coping with it all, yet I was the breadwinner and tried to hold myself together to be a good mother to our child. After a suicidal episode where I had locked myself in my bedroom with a gun, I tried to pull myself together and managed to do so for a good while. But the marriage was a disaster and ended very badly. It was extremely stressful. Somehow I made it through a terrible divorce, requiring years of restraining orders against my ex-husband.

At 30 years old, I moved away with our daughter and started a relationship with someone new in another state. Things were very good for the three of us, and we had a daughter together three years later. We built a house and were planning on having another child but something was wrong with me—it started with another round of post-partum depression after my second daughter was born. I was falling deeper and deeper into such a severe depression that I couldn't make my way out of it. I put our youngest daughter (then 2 ½) in preschool and stayed home all day, sleeping. I hid my depression from everyone. The depression eventually became cyclical with bouts of hypomanic behavior. I began spending money out of control, destroying our marriage, and having fits of anger that scared everyone in the house. I broke things, I screamed, and I fell to my knees and fell to pieces. My appetite was gone and I washed down to 85 pounds. I just got worse and worse and I began hurting myself—punching things (furniture), driving recklessly (totaling our car), behaving promiscuously and cheating on my husband.

I finally got to the point where I was cycling between depression and mania in the same day sometimes. I went to see a therapist and a psychiatrist who diagnosed me as bipolar. I was prescribed anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, tranquilizers and sleep medications. I was a walking pillbox. This went on for years but I was still in a deep depression—they changed my medication cocktail and switched things around, tried different meds, but nothing worked. After a stay in the psych ward and no luck with any of the meds, I gave them up. I stuck with a doctor that would prescribe me Klonopin and Ambien. It was all downhill from there; I had gotten involved in a very sick co-dependent relationship outside of my marriage, with someone that was cruel and verbally abusive, and encouraged my already deep self-hatred. In February of 2003 I took a full bottle of Ambien and a full bottle of Klonopin. Somehow during the stupor I was falling into, I called a couple of people and told them what I had done. I wasn't unconscious but would be soon. One of these friends rushed over and took me to the hospital. After stabilizing me in the hospital, they sent me to the psych ward again, for a week.

Once again, I was back to the cocktails of medications; for nearly two years I attempted to pull my life together on the meds. I struggled to be a good parent and repair the damage I had done to my marriage and to my children, and to regain their trust. But I remained deeply depressed and deeply ill. Some of the worst characteristics of my illness were obsessive cyclical thinking, and self-loathing, which the meds did nothing for. The medications were so strong, though, that I lost all sense of myself. I had no interest and no emotions, except a deep and excruciating pain in my center that wouldn't cease. It always felt like a hole in my middle—always empty but filled with pain. I tried to work but barely functioned; I couldn't think straight.

Desperate to find relief, I searched the internet for solutions and alternatives. In late fall of 2004, I discovered Truehope and decided to give the program a try. I told myself I'd give it three months to see if it would really work. I filled out the daily self evaluation forms online, I spoke to support twice a week, and reduced the dosage of my medications gradually. I took the supplements like clockwork, in the recommended amount. Within TWO WEEKS my symptoms began to gradually disappear—I was stabilizing!! I started to feel human again. It took 8 months to get off of all my medications completely. Now, after more than 3 years on EMPowerplus I'm stable—I'm a functioning human being, I have regained my husband's trust and respect, I have a professional position with a good company and a decent salary, and I'm paying off all the debt I accumulated when I was ill. Most importantly, I am a good mother to my children. I have worked hard and regained their trust and faith and they count on me. My husband has his wife back; my children have their mom back.

Through all these years, I have had it in me to be successful, to rise above the tragedies of my youth, to be a happy person, to be a good mom and have a healthy marital relationship. EMPowerplus has enabled me to finally realize the person I am, the one I had the potential to be all my life. I lived through what my mother couldn't make it through—she died at 38 and I'm now 48. I never believed I would live longer than she had.

In closing, I wanted to share that my oldest daughter was diagnosed as bipolar after she left for college. She has been on EMPowerplus for a while too, but hasn't taken it regularly until the past few months. She is finally taking it regularly and is dedicated to her wellness so that she can finish her degree and also be free of depression and mental anguish. Today she's doing very well and is another success story!!

Bipolar illness has run in my family now for three generations. EMPowerplus wasn't available to my mother in the sixties, but I know she'd be happy to see that her daughter and her granddaughter have found a solution to this disease and are living well and have productive lives.

Life is good! Each day I'm thankful to feel the sun on my face, to feel the warm embrace of my children and my loving husband, and I am so grateful to Truehope for making this possible for me. Thank you so much Truehope for your wonderful product and for your great support. You really saved my life.

- Sarah C.

Hi, my name is Amber and this is my "Truehope Story"

When I was four years of age, I was diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed Ritalin. I spent my whole childhood, youth and young adult life on medications. I was told that I would always be on some sort of med for the rest of my life. There was even a time when I was on Lithium, Clonazepam, Loxapine, Baciofen, and Macrobid all at once.

I have tried suicide several times, causing me to be hospitalized more times than I can remember. The last time I ended up in the hospital was from March to June 2007. I had just had a visit with my doctor and he told me that I would never be able to reduce my meds, let alone get off them. I returned to the group home where I was living and proceeded to break into the med cupboard, where I took over thirty Lithium. When the staff found me, I was not breathing, and they called 911.

The Kingston General hospital is where I woke up from a coma. I had a breathing tube down my throat and my hands were tied to the bed. Three months later when I left the hospital, I was on very little medications, and it was then that I switched to the Truehope program.

I have been on EMPowerplus for two years now last June. I was able to get a job working 5 days a week, a big improvement from when I was on medications. Back then I was hardly able to work one full day a week.

I have weighed as much as 400 pounds, caused greatly by the side effects from all the medications I was on. I now weigh 200 pounds less, but my physical and mental well being has been affected greatly by the weight loss and the surfacing of all stored medications. Some days I feel like I am going backwards. I have sad days and sick days, but the support people at Truehope and I are working together once again. I am gaining an understanding of how and why these drugs continue to surface, how to deal with them when they do surface, and how to rid myself of them.

I felt like I was stoned all the time from the medications. From all the attempts to take my life, it was obvious that I was living in a constant despair. Then Truehope came along.

The road ahead is going to be bumpy at times, but I hold onto the hope that I will one day be truly well. Thank you Truehope. If it wasn't for you, I know I would not be here today.

- Amber

Lu was diagnosed as a teenager with Manic Depressive Disorder (now called Bipolar Disorder). She experienced a lot of destructive behavior that affected her ability to work and her ability to provide basic needs for herself and her children.

Through the years of her illness, family doctors and psychiatrists prescribed various medications. "They would give me all different kinds of pills," Lu says, "and they would work for awhile, but then they would just stop working…" After awhile, Lu decided that she had had enough, and she went off of all her medications and decided she wasn't going to live anymore.

Some friends who had read about EMPowerplus in the Edmonton Journal approached Truehope on Lu's behalf. Lu says the only reason she even agreed to start taking EMPowerplus was to get her friends off of her back. Her attitude at that time was, "I [will] take it for six weeks and when it [doesn't] work, they can leave me alone and I [can] finish doing what I [am] going to do [end my life]."

At the end of the six week period, Lu said, "I could feel something different in my life… I wasn't quite so hopeless… I was still not willing to admit, though, that this stuff was helping… [but] I decided I was going to just try it just a little bit longer…"

The healing came gradually for Lu. She says, "The healing just seemed to kind of flow in… I wished that it would have just happened over night, but it didn't, it made me appreciate it more... When I started to feel healthy, I couldn't believe that I could actually feel that way…that it was real for me—like that I could feel like I was normal, like I could function, like I could take care of myself, I could take care of my family, I could work without a problem."

For a time after Lu's recovery, she stopped taking EMPowerplus and some of her symptoms returned. Lu says, "I got back on the vitamins and within a month / month and a half I was feeling fantastic again… I can't imagine life without [EMPowerplus] now… There is no existence for me without [it], none."

My name is Mario Leon and I am from San Jose, Costa Rica. I was medicated from 13 to 27 years of age with all kinds of psychiatric medications.

I went through a long list of psychiatrists, each recommending a different drug or set of drugs for a different diagnosis. But of course in each case when I asked if it would make me feel better or if I would be able to live a normal life some day, I received only hopeless and ambiguous answers. I was finally told that I suffered from schizo-affective disorder, a diagnosis curiously different from the first one of severe depression.

I could describe the horrible suffering that I felt from the side effects of the drugs, the anguish felt by my loved ones, and how much I hated life before I learned about Truehope…But instead, assuming that those who read this are looking for HOPE, I prefer to recount the beautiful life I have now two years after the best decision of my life. No more fear. Hearing from others like me that there truly is an exit from depression.

In February of 2007 my cousin, who lives in Canada, was visiting me in Costa Rica and told me about an alternative treatment for my depression. At first I could not even grasp the idea of having a normal life. Without a doubt I had totally forgotten what it was like to feel good, and had even become accustomed to my illness. However, of one thing I was sure: anything was better than what I was feeling all this time.

I decided to contact Truehope. I started my program with EMPowerplus in March of 2007. From the first time I spoke with my Truehope Support Specialist I felt a feeling I had never felt before: a feeling of honesty and hope. A few weeks later my life took a 180 degree turn; I felt ALIVE in the full sense of the word. It was as if a bandage had been removed from my eyes, and I saw life in all its glorious colors.

In all my previous years of illness the months of July and August were months of crisis for me during which I felt the worst. My birthday falls during this time, and I now understand that my sadness during these months was because they always represented having to live through another year of suffering. However, the year I started my Truehope program it was different. Although my family was worried and fearful of how I would react at this critical time of year, I felt absolutely no fear. As a matter of fact, I was so busy living my new life to the fullest that my depression rapidly became a distant memory.

August of this same year I was medication free. In less than one year I was detoxified of a long list of drugs including Haldol, Lamictol, Remeron, Edronas, Seroquel, and others. In my case I did not feel adverse effects during the process of drug reduction. In fact I was so anxious to not have to take any more drugs that my Truehope Support Specialist (Julio) had to tell me to be patient on more than one occasion. In my dark past it was easy to treat life casually. I used alcohol to escape the situation I was living in. Now, finally I am capable of appreciating my life in all its beautiful range of experiences. I have even learned to enjoy even the moments when I do not feel really well, because I now know that everyone has good days and bad days. This is just part of the great adventure of life.

- Mario Leon

Since 1979, Hugh L. has suffered from what for him has been "a real nuisance". Hugh was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), a condition where nerves in his face and jaw would "fire" randomly, causing him periodic discomfort and sometimes extreme pain. He said sometimes it was like he was "holding onto a hot sparkplug wire." Hugh's aviation medical doctor told him that if he tried to treat his TN with medications he would no longer be able to fly as a pilot. So, Hugh decided to just live with the pain and discomfort. But after reading about Truehope in the Discover magazine, Hugh was interested in the research conducted on EMPowerplus. He started taking EMPowerplus and his TN slowly began to show signs of improvement. But he wasn't sure if the EMPowerplus was causing the change, or if some other factor was putting his TN into remission, so he reduced his dose. Almost immediately his symptoms returned. So, of course, he increased the dose and decided to stick with it. Hugh now says, "I've been happy with [EMPowerplus] because it has given me the relief without a bunch of side effects."

- Hugh

Dear everyone at Truehope,

Today is my Truehope ten month anniversary. My new life began June 28, 2008 when I took my first dose of EMPowerplus. It has been tough at times, due to protracted withdrawal and Candida issues, but compared to the medication side-effects it has been a walk in the park!

My earliest memory of crushing, black-hole depression was at age 4 and a half. I turned on the shower, plugged the tub, laid down and waiting for the water to cover my face. I remember imagining I was a puppy drowning in the surf. At age 8, I discovered that self-mutilation (cutting, hitting) would give me relief. I was very careful not to get caught doing this and would use this method of coping throughout my life. My last episode was one week before I discovered Truehope. Today, I am a free and well-balanced woman. The urge to self-abuse or self-medicate (alcohol) has entirely disappeared.

My first hospitalization was in 1976 at age 19. I was misdiagnosed with Major Depression. Tofranil, Stelazine and Lorazepam are a few of the drugs I remember. The correct diagnosis, Rapid Cycling Bipolar II with Anxiety Disorder, didn’t come until 2004. Then came the “big meds.” The ones that could make me feel worse than any flu, the ones that caused vomiting, severe headaches, migraines, twitching, stuttering, amnesia, “froth-mouth”, trembling (both hands on the fork), hair loss, weight gain, vision problems, and on and on.

I was very medication compliant for fourteen years, fully committed to feeling well and functional. I did research and was careful and consistent with all my medications. Since I had a history of sensitivity to even over-the-counter products, I would begin each new med at half or even one-quarter dose. The medications failed miserably.

In May 2008 I was once again at the bottom of another emotional bottom. I asked my psychiatrist what he thought about me trying to go off meds since nothing was working and they made me so sick. He said he felt there was really nothing to lose because it was the only thing we hadn’t tried. Finally, we had run out of new meds, old meds, and combination of meds. He said if I wanted to try titrating off he would support me in that. I did. (I later found out he expected I would need to be hospitalized shortly.) I’d reached the end of hope that there was anything that could help me. I wanted to at least “go out” with an un-medicated head.

In mid-June 2008, I had my last episode of self-mutilation. It was a bad one, the worst yet, but as always no one knew. (They lock you up for that behavior.) One week later my best friend called me. She had heard about Truehope and begged me to call them. I was extremely skeptical; after all I had tried everything in and out of western medicine for over thirty years. But, loving her very much and not wanting to disappoint her, I did call. What did I have to lose but a few bucks?

Ordinary vitamins give me a bellyache so the thought of taking loads of this EMPowerplus stuff sounded out of the question. I was already pretty certain I wouldn’t be able to take them but like I said, I didn’t want to let her down and she was so hopeful.

June 28, 2008 is the day I was reborn. That is the day I took my first dose of EMPowerplus. (Catherine, at Truehope, recently asked if she could consider me a success story. I laughed. No, I am a bloody miracle!)

Before I was on EMPowerplus I had two speeds, fast forward and off. People now find me calm, evenly paced, yet energized and happy. I don’t feel great, fantastic or amazing – that was hypo-mania. I am off all psych-meds and feel right for the first time in my life. My doctors, pharmacist, friends and family are all blown away. They can’t believe the difference in me and it keeps getting better.

In spite of my partner’s long term illness and personal financial concerns, I have a very balanced, grounded and peaceful life. I feel solid inside, able, capable and full of hope.

Thank you!

With love and gratitude,

- Terrie P.

I'd start this off with "once upon a time," but this is no fairy tale. This is a little story, a true story, about someone who is back on track, and you could be too.

I've been dealing with mental illness as far back as I remember. It started with my father and later on in my life became my burden. I knew I had problems early in my teens, but only sought help when a friend at work noticed a change in my behavior and gave me the name of her ex-husband's psychiatrist. By that time, I had already been self-medicating just to forget or get away from my issues. It took me about a week to set an appointment, and when I met up with the doctor, I told him I had some issues and wanted to get to the root of my issues then talk to someone to fix it or them. I told him absolutely no meds because I watched my dad until even a few months ago just not doing well, and plus all the hospital stays just made me say no to meds. Long story short, he put me on Prozac and I became a guinea pig off and on for about six years.

Looking back at my life, it was like re-living my father's life with all the med changes and hospital stays. I had missed out on some great opportunities with jobs, girlfriends, trips, concerts, and some good friendships. Nine years ago, when I graduated high school, I met this great girl and soon after that her family. Turns out her mom had experience with people like myself due to her job. She told me about the program with EMPowerplus and I didn't take it seriously at first because I was brainwashed by my doctors that only something approved by the FDA could help me.

After running out of meds and no insurance to cover the cost, I called Truehope. One of the best decisions I have ever made! Ever! Now I didn't notice the change right away, but others around me did. After being the drug company's "lab rat" for all these years with no results, you could not pay me to take anything else. I have my life back with, get this, no side effects. Yes, you heard me, no side effects!

I'm currently working in a job I swore I would never do again and just loving life. Now with a clear mind I'm able to make better decisions and make better choices. After being on the program since September of 2006, I've seen that everything is starting to fall into place. I have a more positive attitude towards life and a lot more patience.

Now that my life is manageable, I have been spreading the word to others who feel like they have run out of options. So if you want a change for the better and control of your life again, then get in touch with Truehope and just be ready to write your success story soon thereafter.

Thanks to everybody over at Truehope because you did your good deed for your lifetime.

- Jose Dos Santos

This is my amazing story of recovery using nutritional support.

Sometimes it's hard to relate to the person I was 4 years ago.

April 2008

HEALTH, HEALING AND HOPE

I am a 44 year old woman who for 23 years has suffered with chronic low grade depression. For 15 of these years I spent "hiding in the house", only going out for basics and walks. I socially isolated myself for this time and I would often not answer the phone or door for days on end. My symptoms included lying on the bed often for parts of the day in a trance, unable to move because I did not have the energy, and I would have to lean on the basin or sink because I did not have the energy to stand when doing the washing up. I was confused and had extremely high anxiety or stress levels, and my mind would race everywhere. I often felt "unreal" like I was not grounded. I was very tired all the time.

I was a very miserable person; I walked around with my mouth turned down at the corners for all these years.

At one stage my skin was grey, I often ate very little and did not have enough sleep, and this wears you down after years. I had other symptoms such as aggression, obsessiveness and at times paranoia. I chose not to go on conventional medicines after the last antidepressant I tried gave me a bad reaction; I just lived with my symptoms and plodded along day after day. I knew I had to do something to help myself, so 5 years ago I went to a health food shop and was quite taken when they showed me a book linking depression with diet. It talked about eating natural whole foods and taking nutritional supplements. At the time my diet was high in animal protein and processed foods such as red meat, cheese, milk, bacon, butter, white pasta and rice and about 2 liters of coco cola a day in the summer.

I went and bought cans of fish, chicken, nuts, seeds, wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholegrain oats,fruit and vegetables, olive oil, and soya milk .I started to eat like this overnight and suddenly felt more "alive" in my brain and colors seemed a lot brighter. I now know this was from all the nutrients hitting my brain cells. I also started to drink water starting off with 2 glasses and increasing this to 8 a day, this was a shock to my taste buds after all that coco-cola. I now have modified my diet to more vegetarian foods such as lentils and beans and feel so much healthier and as much organic food as I can afford. All the toxins from my unhealthy diet of 20 years where then excreted through the pores of my face skin for 6 months. This was horrible as it seeped out of me as pus, thankfully this finally stopped. At the health shop they had a free in store naturopath that day who gave me some little tests , including iridology, and she said that I was lacking in all the B vitamins, Magnesium, Omega 3, Coenzyme Q 10 and I had a sluggish liver, which is not surprising considering my diet. Another added bonus was that I lost 40 kilos of weight over a year; this just melted off and although the weight lost made me psychologically happier I was still chronically depressed.

So I went to a practicing naturopath for a quote for treatment which included having my hair analyzed for vitamin and mineral deficiencies , toxic overload, food allergies and any supplements I might need alas W.I.N.Z were not prepared to pay for this, luckily they where prepared to pay for a supplement from Canada called Empower. This was because of the scientific research behind the intensive vitamin and mineral micronutrient treatment Empower, they have been published in 5 psychiatric journals with very promising results. See http://www.truehope.com I did not have my health back then, so I researched all of the information I could on this subject. There are over 600 references in scientific journals linking mental illness with nutritional deficiencies. In June 2004, with a Disability Allowance from W.I.N.Z of $52 a week, I started taking 3 Empower a day and quickly building up within a week to the then recommended 18 pills a day.

To be honest I did not think the Empower was working, but then a couple of months later I noticed small subtle changes. I did not seem to be so confused or tired anymore. How I really realized that Empower was working with me was with my periods. Before Empower, I had spent 5 days in bed, because I had no energy to move, and I had such terrible "brain fog" and I was so depressed, that I wanted to be on my own. Every month taking these nutrients I slowly became better, and I am certainly not in bed anymore! I have had NO SIDE EFFECTS EVER IN THE NEARLY 4 YEARS I have taken this "natural medicine". I need to have nutritional support for the rest of my life otherwise my symptoms will return , I know this for a fact, because about 15 months ago I cut down to 10 pills a day from my usual 15 as I was feeling so well. I was fine for a few weeks, and then my period came, I had no reserves and I felt strange and depressed and so exhausted again. I upped my dose and within a month I was feeling well again. This gave me a big scare, because I realized how unwell I really was without my nutrients, but it also reminded of how much I relied on them otherwise my symptoms would return and I would feel like I did years ago. I am now nearly symptom free, I just feel I need a couple more months to totally heal. About 2 and a 1/2 years ago I felt whole, happy and complete for the first time in 23 years. I walk daily, jog, cycle and dance regularly. I also help run a "Food and Mood" workshop and I look after my partner who suffers with schizophrenia which is pretty stressful. I feel I am full of energy and vitality and I feel I can take on the world where I once hid from life. I feel that nutritional support has not changed my life, but "saved my life". About 10 months ago I started taking Coenzyme Q10 which really finely tuned me, and Omega 3s which I know are essential for mental health. I now sleep 8 hours a night and eat regularly and I function through the day.

- Kim Newton

When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder seven years ago, I never imagined how devastating it would be.

I trusted that if I just took my meds, did what service providers told me and approached my treatment with a healthy attitude, I would be okay.I did not know that I would be forced to choose between dealing with the symptoms of my illness or dealing with the sometimes embarrassing or disruptive side effects from psychotropic medications. I did not know that I would have to give up many of my hopes, dreams, and goals.

I did not know that a stigma would be cast upon me for having a chemical imbalance and that I would feel such shame and isolation as a result.After spending years ruining my life, I spent many years rebuilding. I was able to attain a certain level of stability on meds, but I still retained symptoms and most days felt like a struggle. Meds enabled me to keep a job, but meds were far from restorative. Meds were a big compromise.

I started on the Truehope program 21 months ago. The symptoms of the illness are gone, there are no side-effects to deal with, and I feel physically healthy and strong. I am amazed every day how easily I do things.o many everyday activities that I used to struggle with, that now come so easily. I can keep a clean house; I can maintain friendships; I can plant a garden; I can maintain an exercise routine; I have hobbies.

Simple things, but they are the stuff of life. I am so excited about my life now. I feel whole. I can actually set a goal now, and I might actually achieve it. This gives me a lot of hope for my future tha of by my illness.

I am incredibly grateful for everything that I am now able to do, from the small things to the bigger things. It is no exaggeration to say that I have rediscovered myself and my life.

Thank you Truehope for restoring my life.

- Kim R.

(My wife) Shannon was prescribed, and struggled for years, on medications, which are typically just given to patients by psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists alike, who are trying to help those with bipolar disorder, like Shannon... then I found the Truehope website.

I began to read the story of the product development for EMPowerplus, as well as the success stories, and just thoroughly engulfed myself in the website and the product. I made the call, told them about Shannon, and a couple of days later, Shannon was on the phone with Truehope Support. We ordered the product, the product came, and between the introduction of the new product to her body, and cleansing and removing the build-up of prescribed meds from so many years of abuse, within days, I started to notice a change - mood, attitude, energy. It was almost as if I had remarried, without going through the divorce, and finding a new woman or, maybe it was, that the Shannon that everyone was suppose to have known, all the years she had abused the prescribed meds, was finally coming out.

Now, almost four years of taking EMPowerplus (and three of our children take it too - as they seemed to, in succession, started showing signs of moodiness, depression and anxiety - rather than take a chance we had them start taking it too - we didn't want them going down that same road as Shannon) Shannon is finally enjoying life, having fun, getting out and doing things. Don't get me wrong, she, as we all do - even those of us that aren't bipolar has her bad days, but they are nowhere near the bad days she had when she was taking the prescription meds, where on occasion she would pass out, or just be barely functioning and walking around in a cloud. Now, with EMPowerplus she is focused, clear headed, goal oriented, and on most days vivacious and energetic - for the most part loving, living, and enjoying life again.

- Damon T.

Allicia had a reaction to medicine when she was nine months old and again at 15 months. We also think she has a form of Autism called "Kanners". At any rate, Allicia has a hard time sequencing and displayed many learning disabilities as she tried to gain knowledge from age three years on. Allicia has always tried very hard to learn, but reading and writing have been very difficult for her.

When Allicia was 18 years old, she started a downward spiral with what we now know to be a panic attack. Allicia was very afraid to turn 18 because a teacher had told her many times that she would be an adult when she was 18. Allicia knew she was mentally incapable of handling living on her own and all of the characteristics associated with being an adult so she had a severe panic attack the day of her 18th birthday.Since we had no way of knowing what she was thinking we did not understand why she was not sleeping and that Allicia had thoughts of dying. This episode began our roller coaster ride of drugs, which graduated from antidepressants to psychotropic drugs.

Allicia's mental capacity could not handle all of the effects these drugs had on her, and she began to melt away in front of our eyes. She gained 110 pounds and lost 130 pounds. She clicked her tongue. Allicia lost control of her bladder. Allicia could not bend her hand and then it would bend on its own. There were so many side effects we thought we had lost our wonderful, smiling daughter with the easy laugh and the friendly hello to all people that crossed her path.

To say this part of our lives was heart wrenching does not even begin to describe the pain of what we witnessed as Allicia, confused, angry, depressed and silent, went into a world we could not reach.

A year ago, Allicia tried running as far and as hard as she could to escape the world that had become hers. She was picked up by police and when they understood she was mentally retarded, as well as bipolar or schizophrenic, she was brought back to our doorstep with not so much as a "good luck". Allicia was wanting to end her life, and her father and I were not sure what to do short of having her committed to an institution. As last ditch effort, her doctor, trying to balance her drugs, told us about Truehope.

I got online, willing to try anything that might end our cycle of despair. We ordered the EMPowerplus and started talking with the wonderful people that would be not only Allicia's life-line back to sanity, but a wonderful support to her father and I as well. We had lost hope and here was virtually "true hope"! The name is not a false one. Our family has been blessed with a hope that has turned our lives around and Allicia is not having panic attacks, nor is she on any medication.

Allicia is taking EMPowerplus and knows that she can now function without the excruciating effects of the other drugs. We thank God that you exist and help Allicia to find her existence at long last.

- Jean Rice

I've been taking EMPowerplus for a little over a year. Since then I have had no manic and no depressive episodes, and have discontinued all psychiatric medication including lithium and sleeping medications. And I keep feeling better and better, particularly more and more relaxed. I do not know anyone else who takes EMPowerplus but I have to think an awful lot of people should give it a try, especially since there's nothing on the label that makes it sound risky, and it seems that bipolar disorder is practically epidemic these days.

I have an extensive background in mental health, with graduate degrees from Harvard and U.C. Berkeley. I spent 25 years as a clinical social worker and never saw any results with bipolar clients like the results I have had from EMPowerplus. Moreover, I really appreciate the people at Truehope who phone me regularly to check on how I'm doing and to make suggestions.

- Peter Silverman

My name is Kristy R., and this is my story of "True Hope". I am 30 years old, and I have been taking EMPowerplus since the age of 24, when, after years of struggling to survive the misery of mental illness, I had run out of options for treatment.

Try as I might, I could not get off the roller coaster of emotions known as Bipolar Disorder. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type ll Disorder, so I rarely swung high into mania. Rather, I experienced severe suicidal depression regularly, and was unable to stay well on various cocktails of psychotropic medication. I was so desperate, I even tried numerous treatments of ECT, or "shock therapy". I experienced brief periods of happiness, and I wanted so badly for them to last so I could be "normal".

Sadly, nothing that traditional medicine or therapy had to offer, could allow me the emotional stability that I needed to feel any hope for a future. Again and again I returned to the darkness and saw only one option - to die. It was so painful for live. Through what I consider to be divine intervention, none of my very serious attempts to end my life were successful... I should've been dead many times over, but here I am - sharing my story.

When I started on the program, it was with the support and approval of my long time psychiatrist, not because he believed I would benefit from nutritional supplementation, but because he had nothing left to offer me. The Truehope program was my last hope for wellness, and wow - did it ever deliver! It has been six years since I started taking the micronutrient treatment and I have only been hospitalized once briefly, during an exceptionally stressful period of time. I work hard to keep my life balanced, to take good care of myself, to take my EMPowerplus every day.

There is no miracle cure - staying well requires consistent effort, and self awareness - but the Truehope program is as close as you can get to a miracle! I am so grateful to my mom for doing the research and finding the Truehope program, and for being my biggest supporter, to the founders Anthony (Stephan) and David (Hardy) for making the product available, to the many wonderful support staff who answer the phones and make the calls to check in on the participants. I truly believe I would not have made it to the age of 30 if it was not for all of these factors. I have one more thing to be grateful for - my sweet baby girl, Cypress, who was born on Friday, July 13. She is the best gift I've ever been given!

Despite my history of mental illness putting me at a higher risk for postpartum depression, I have not experienced any depression whatsoever. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am so glad I survived - because life is richer than I ever imagined it.

- Kristy R.

I want to let others know there is hope from the pit of despair, which is where I came from. My name is Vicki, 35 yrs old, married for 11 years, with two children. I am a Radiological Technologist , but currently I am a domestic goddess. My husband and I have a son, 20 yrs old, and a daughter, seven yrs old. I have only given birth once, to our daughter, but I do have two beautiful children.

My story begins seven years ago after giving birth. I experienced the "baby blues" or what was assumed as, immediately after coming home from the hospital. My symptoms progressed into depression, crying for no reason, and sadness that came from nowhere. About three months after giving birth I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and placed on medication. I do want to stress that I never, ever at any time thought about harming my baby, EVER. My harmful thoughts were always concerning myself.

By this time, I was unable to take care of anything. The only physical contact I had with my baby was while breastfeeding and taking naps with her. My mom came to live with us to help my husband and I take care of my baby and myself. I was unable to be left alone, never knowing what I might do or if I would take off and drive off a cliff. I was in my own "nightmare" colorless, dark world. I was always afraid, terrified of "something or someone" behind me trying to get me. My mom or husband had to come help me off the couch to go the bathroom, and they had to put me to bed every night. The fear crippled me. About six months after delivery, I was diagnosed with severe postpartum psychosis. I had lost touch with reality. My family was in their own nightmare having to watch me being swallowed up and consumed by the depression, but they never left my side, no matter how out of control I had become.

(Over the next) six years, I had been hospitalized three times, underwent ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) treatments, mutilated myself with knifes, my nails, anything sharp I could get my hands on, attempted suicide and had the thoughts daily, and lost touch on everything in my life. And I was a woman who, prior to this point in my life, had never experienced any mental problems or issues. At this point, I was in the blackest, deepest hole I could have ever imagined and I just wanted my pain, not to mention my family's pain, to end.

In May of 2006, my sister-in-law, Kimberly, found the Truehope website and asked me to read about it. I did, but did not think it was for me. In July, she had three bottles of EMPowerplus sent to me to try. I never imagined that it would help me, but I tried it anyway for her because she was so persistent. And within one month I noticed a difference in my thinking and how I felt. I was off all my medications by October, and I was taking six to seven meds a day. I have now been taking the vitamins for about a year and nine months, and I feel awesome. The second best thing that could happen to me, besides Truehope, is to know that my story could help someone that is going through what I went through. I wish I could have found out about this sooner. Please don't waste any more valuable time, like I did, thinking this will not work for you, because trust me it does. And the best part is, I am able to take care of my family and myself. I love to cook and experiment with recipes again, that is such an enjoyment for me.

My little girl is my best friend, I missed out on so much, I now treasure our moments together. I am enjoying life, my life and the people in it, once again. My mom and my husband will never know the extreme appreciation I feel towards them for always being there for me. My family and I believe Kimberly is my Angel for thinking of me in the way she did. I am blessed to be here with my loved ones and I am thankful for that everyday.

Truehope is amazing! It is hope for someone who doesn't see color, light, or hope in their life. Truehope gave me back the ability to see the color in my life.

Thank you!

- Vicki

Since February 28th, 2006, the day which my six-year-old son Caden started the EMPowerplus vitamins from Truehope, our lives have changed in ways that are unimaginable. Caden was diagnosed at the age of three with Early Onset Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, OCD and ODD. Over the next three years he was prescribed an alarming number of medications to try and "treat" these disorders. Thirty-plus medications were tried; nothing worked. Which lead me to Truehope. Where else was I going to turn at this point?

We began to slowly taper Caden off of all four medications that he was on, one being a red-flag medication. It was an absolute nightmare while this was happening. There were some extremely frightening moments, to put it mildly. But I'm proud to say that we, and everyone involved, made it through with flying colors.

Caden took his last dose, +/- 2.5 mgs of Adderall XR, the last medication that he was on, May 26th, 2006; just three short months after introducing the vitamin regimen. Since then, he/we have begun the journey to healing.

The violent rages are no longer. The defiant behavior is gone. The mood swings are a thing of the past. The depression has been lifted. The anxiety has been forgotten. The bizarre behavior is no more. He's no longer this hyper, manic child that bounces from wall to wall. And the absolute best part: HE SLEEPS! It's a miracle straight from God!

He played football this past season and did incredibly well. He listened to the coaches, participated fully and had a blast doing it! He was sad when the season was over and can't wait until next season when he can play again with all of his new friends. This was something that would never have been an option in the past.

He has also been 100 percent mainstreamed with a general education first grade class. As of November 2006 he no longer qualifies for Behavioral Services. The Emotionally Disturbed coding has been deleted. And he has made the A Honor Roll all year. He is on grade level or above grade level in every subject. This to me is amazing considering the chaos he was dealing with his first two years of school.

Everyone who comes in contact with him, especially those who had been around him in the past, is dumbfounded. I have received numerous compliments on how well-behaved he is. His bus driver describes him as "one of the most laid-back and respectful kids he knows and an absolute delight to have on his bus." His teachers always tell me they are shocked that he was ever in a behavior class or had such severe behavior problems. One teacher told me that I must be lying to her; that there was just no way!

His little body just could not handle the medications. Period. I should have known since I also am unable to tolerate medications. Who would have thought that treating with vitamins and nutrients would be the answer? Live and learn.

He is such a beautiful, well-mannered, happy little boy. I am finally enjoying motherhood for the first time in a very long seven years. Thank you, Truehope; especially Catherine, for everything that you did in saving my family. You have given me my child back; and for that I am eternally grateful!

- Nikki

My name is Chuck. I was an Engineer and my life-long hobby was weight lifting. The fact that I passed the test for the US Navel Academy was an exciting moment in my life. I received a Letter of Commendation from the Army for the work I did on the Bradley Tank (Desert Storm).

In 1998 I had a stroke. I thought, "Oh no, not now." I had so many things I wanted to do. I was angry and I would yell. I would cause the caregiver to run out of the house telling my wife I had Alzheimer's disease. I was confused. I could not communicate clearly. I lost the use of my left arm. Sleep was a big problem and I would keep my wife up all night. I was depressed, isolated and lonely.

The family demanded drugs from the doctor to calm me down. Fortunately, my wife observed the drugs made me worse. She managed to wean me off the drugs. Desperate, she began the research to find some natural supplement to help me.

One morning I could not stand up. I said, "Someone did something terrible to me." In her research my wife found the web site of Truehope. She took the Truehope research information to our doctor and asked him if she could start me on the micronutrient treatment. He said, "It is pretty straightforward, it is just vitamins. Go ahead and give them to him if you want to."

The first week I was on the micronutrient treatment, I slept all night. The next two weeks I was able to stand. One evening my wife was coming home from work and the caregiver said, "He is running to meet you." And I was. My arm was more relaxed and I was able to use it. My speech improved. I could now answer questions or make comments about a conversation. People could understand me. My 13-year-old grandson, Charles, said, "Grandpa is better than he used to be." He was right.

I went back to see my doctor. He said, "Mr. Simpson, the last time I saw you, you could not even walk. Now look at you!" When he heard about the micronutrient treatment, he said, "Well, Congratulations!" He marked on my treatment chart, "Truehope micronutrient treatment."

To be able to walk, to sleep all night. To be calm and without anger. To communicate my needs. To be able to hold my wife's hand. To be able to accept a hug from my grandson and love him in return. We take so much for granted.

EMPowerplus has performed a true miracle for me. Anthony Stephan and David Hardy, if it were not for your faith, courage, perseverance, sacrifice and dedication, this product would not be available to me. EMPowerplus was a true gift from God for me.

My wish would be to tell everyone about your micronutrient treatment so others do not suffer the way I did. There is so much I wanted to do.

This is a true testimony. It has been witnessed my family and our family doctor, Dr. Sheldon A Zitman. My wife, Paige, wrote it.

- Chuck Simpson

After 49 years of continuous depression, anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts and actions, social phobia and escalating mania, interrupted by severe depressive episodes, I finally faced the possibility that I must have bipolar disorder. I knew nothing about the illness and, while researching it one day in January 2003, I came across "Bipolar Breakthrough" and Truehope's EMPowerplus.

Though I had worked with several therapists and psychiatrists since age 38, and though I had, reluctantly, resorted to the use of antidepressants, I felt that my life had never gotten out of the basement. I was divorced and raising three pre-schoolers at 40 but for the following decade, was not only unable to work, but terrified of doing so. I tried nine different jobs and four home-based businesses in seven years, without success. I had becoming increasingly exhausted since age 30, and in my 40s could barely concentrate.

I had a hard time reading for any length of time and it took great exertion of mind to do simple tasks like paying bills and filing them.

Between age 18 and 40 I moved house over 40 times. I was terrified of learning to drive and using any kind of machinery. I also developed a full-blown shopping compulsion when I got my first credit card after my divorce. There were times when I could not leave the house for several days and could only put the trash out under cover at night.

I lost all contact with my family, made and lost countless friends and swung from horrifying loneliness to extreme gregariousness. I was either withdrawn or the life and soul of the party, keeping everyone amused with brilliant insights, jokes and entertaining stories.

I could not handle stress of any kind and felt like I was walking on a tightrope with a knife at my throat. I never knew how I was going to feel from day to day, hour to hour. My irritability escalated to full-blown rages followed by mortified despair.

This is an inter-generational illness. After my research I realized that my mother and her father had suffered with the same disorder, but had never been diagnosed or treated, with terrible consequences. My mother's uncle committed suicide and three of my siblings have attempted it. Two of my three children have manifested strong symptoms of the disease.

My journey toward mental wellness began February 12, 2003 with three EMPowerplus capsules. The next day I woke with a feeling of calm I have never before known. I weaned off Paxil - an addictive antidepressant I had taken for two years. I have experienced serious withdrawals, on two occasions becoming very suicidal. These protracted withdrawals continued for 18 months, but became less severe.

After four months on the program I was able to get and keep a part-time job and after a year started my own business, which looks promising. Finally, at age 50, this college-educated woman may actually be able to support her children without outside help, and get us out of the terrible poverty we have been living in for a decade.

I feel as though I have come out of a war zone. My children have been the only reason for me to keep going, and the micronutrients have literally given me a new life. I am now feeling more connected to people, and that the people-person I always knew I was, is beginning to surface. I am making better choices, thinking before acting and the desire to resurrect family ties and old friendships is beginning to appear. My entire family's life has been decimated and my own children have suffered greatly due to my illness, but I have hope that relationships will be repaired and that my children will have a chance to live happy and productive lives when they are grown...

I wish to salute the Truehope team for its wonderful support over the past year and a half. I am grateful for their diligent and watchful care. I am truly thankful to Anthony Stephan who surveyed my case and gave permission for my son and I to receive the micronutrient treatments at no cost. As time passes and my business progresses, I look forward to being able to repay this great kindness with interest.

I am certain that David Hardy, the biologist to whom we are indebted for creating this amazing treatment, will, in time be honored for his pioneering work.

Finally, I should like to express my sincere condolences to the Stephan family for the great loss of wife and mother. Please know that her life was not given in vain.

- Deborah F.

My name is Cara and I was first introduced to EMPowerplus about eight years ago. At that time we had three small children and I was a full-time mom.

All mothers struggle in raising little children and the things I had struggled with daily since the birth of our first child were no different than anyone else's struggles. Or so I thought. Some days I felt I could cope and be a great mom, other days I wondered why no one had told me that this was what it was REALLY like to have children. I tried hard to appear as though I had things all under control, but in reality, things were getting more and more out of my control. My patience level fluctuated greatly, I found myself yelling at my kids, uncontrollably at times (something I had vowed I would never do), many days I would wake up very angry at everyone and everything, and I blamed my poor husband for pretty much everything. I was unable to cope well with struggles we were having, and continually blew things out of proportion. I became a walking bomb, keeping my anger all wrapped up inside until I couldn't handle things at all. And then I would blow up. Of course I felt very justified in my major mood swings, anger, and blame, but as things got progressively worse, I knew I needed help.

I was told about the vitamins and minerals but wasn't convinced that they would help ME. I decided to try the vitamins, and after a month of taking them, decided that it wasn't doing me any good. It wasn't until I stopped taking the EMPowerplus that I noticed myself changing, not for the better, but back to how I had been. I noticed my patience level diminishing, I started yelling at my kids again, little things that shouldn't really matter, did matter - a lot, and I could feel the anger coming back. It wasn't until I recognized that things were slipping back again that I acknowledged that I really had improved. I began taking the EMPowerplus again and gradually got better and better. It was exciting to me, as I started to really enjoy being a mom for the first time.

We had our fourth child, and although I felt a lot better, I still felt like my health wasn't quite where it should be. We talked about having another child, but six months after the birth of our fourth child, I became very sick. I was tired beyond exhaustion. I developed food intolerances, and began to lose a lot of weight, quickly. Initially I was excited for the weight loss, but when I continued to lose more and more weight I became frightened. After being told by my doctor that there was nothing medically wrong with me according to my blood work and his assessments, I knew I had to take my health into my own hands.

After doing a lot of research, and talking with my sister who was treating systemic Candida, I started treating myself for Candida. I upped my EMPowerplus, and started taking Three Lac (probiotic), as well as Olive Leaf Extract (OLE). My energy levels returned, my food intolerances went away, I stopped losing weight, and I started to feel better than I ever had.

I felt strongly that I needed to get my health in check before having another child, and for me, the combination of the EMPowerplus, Three Lac, and OLE, helped me to get there.

We have now welcomed a new little addition into our home. Ethan is a content baby who loves to smile and interact with his siblings. He eats and sleeps well and has been very alert and focused on his surroundings, even right after his birth. I have no doubt that my being healthy gave Ethan a head start for his own health.

I am still taking EMPowerplus every day to keep myself healthy and to give Ethan what he needs as I nurse him. I also continue to take Truehope's Three Lac, and OLE. I feel better than I have after any of my other pregnancies and I can truly say that I am loving being a mom. I am A LOT more patient with my kids, the anger is gone, my mood swings are minimal, and I can better keep things in perspective.

I used to wonder what it felt like to be truly happy. Now I know. Thank-you Truehope for helping me become the kind of mom I've always wanted to be.

- Cara R.

Joseph and I are pleased to announce the birth of our first child. Stefanie Kiara was born June 17 weighing 6 lbs, 14 oz. Her Apgar score was 10. From the beginning she has always been very alert and focused, a calm baby that doesn't fuss and sleeps most of the night. Joe and I were both bipolar once. We consider Stefanie to be our miracle baby. To have such a well and healthy child when both parents have a history of mental illness is a rare thing. Vitamins and minerals are small and simple things, but they work. While pregnant, I took EMPowerplus capsules, Truehope BMD tablets (which also eased morning sickness), and fish oils every day. I am taking full doses while nursing. The micronutrient treatment will then be added to the baby's soft foods. When keeping to the full dose on a regular basis, there are no signs of postpartum depression.

- Bronwyn S.

The best gift that I could give my child was a future with a healthy mom. I'm the mother of two beautiful girls, Kya who is almost three and Kathryn (Kate) who is three and a half months.

When I was 19, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Shortly after this discovery I can remember crying to a close friend of mine that I didn't want to pass this "thing" onto my children - when or if I decided to have any. My biggest fear was that they would end up scared and lost like I was. I went through the cocktail of medications that doctors prescribe to mask the disorder.

It wasn't long after I quit taking my prescribed Effexor that I became pregnant with Kya. My doctor was concerned about me taking medication while being pregnant so I went un-medicated for my entire pregnancy and nine months of nursing. I became unstable after I finished nursing and restarted the Effexor. I couldn't stand the feeling of numbness that the medicine evoked.

When I was ready to quit and try another course of treatment, I found EMPowerplus. I couldn't believe the amazing transformation in my life. I felt like a whole person able to care for my child and hold down a full-time job. I started Kya on the micronutrient treatments shortly after her first birthday. I wanted to safeguard her from the effects of being bipolar, whether or not she develops the disorder.

After we had Kya, and I experienced my set back, my husband and I were nervous about having another child. It was decided that since I could maintain my stability on EMPowerplus and there were no side effects to the child from the micronutrient treatment, we would try for another baby. Kathryn Lillian was born on June 15. She was beautiful and perfect in everyway, more so because we didn't know whether she would come to be with me being bipolar. I am truly blessed to have her in my life. Kate has been off the chart since in the womb. My doctor was impressed with my blood work during pregnancy.

When I was pregnant with Kya, I was extremely anaemic (deficient in iron). I had to take numerous iron supplements to maintain a healthy level. Being pregnant and on EMPowerplus my levels were excellent. Kate was calm and alert from the moment she took her first breath. I cannot get over how attentive and verbal she is for someone so young. She has slept through the night since she was five weeks old and plays with her sister and me most of the day.

To say that she is amazing is an understatement in this proud parent's eyes. I plan to continue giving Kate the micronutrient treatment like her sister after I finish nursing. She deserves the best chance out there of conquering the effects of this disease. The quality of life that EMPowerplus has granted my family cannot be adequately expressed in words.

I am grateful for my children, but more so I am grateful that I can care for them and be a healthy, happy, functioning mom.

- Meredith S.

I was a teacher, fifth grade, for four years before I accepted a corporate job out of my native state. My new job was highly stressful and I had a panic attack. I was rushed to the ER, as I nearly passed out. The doctor there told me that I was fine, that this was a typical panic attack and gave me Xanax. Little did I know that while in withdraw from this powerful benzodiazepine that my life would be turned upside down.

Over the following weeks I was misdiagnosed with every disorder under the sun. I was put on many more medications including Klonopin, Lexapro, Lithium, Seroquel, Ativan...just to name a few. The pain still continued. I was suicidal.

It was at this time that my mother found out about Truehope. I started on EMPowerplus and I immediately began to eliminate many of my medications. When we reached the point of eliminating Ativan, I ran into a very rough patch in the process. I would run through the house at night lying down on chairs, the floor, outside on the porch, and would hope for a few minutes sleep. Sometimes it came, most of the time it did not. When I started to cut the Ativan my pain level skyrocketed. For the first time I began to howl in shrieks of pain. I did not know if I was going to make it through the horrible withdraw from yet another benzodiazepine.

With my Truehope mentor and the strength of the vitamins I was able to become totally medication free. I am now med-free and am feeling more and more like my old self. I am able to drive again and have recently been volunteering back in the classroom. I have high hopes that I will soon be able to teach again. My sleeping patterns have returned and I am convinced that I would have been another statistic without EMPowerplus. These wonderful vitamins have repaired the damage that was done to my CNS (central nervous system) by the awful drugs especially benzos, that I was on. I cannot ever thank Truehope and their wonderful support staff enough for all that they have done for me.

Thanks to this program I am getting my life back.

- Ms. Tachuk