You sound like a very dedicated mom!
I'm surprised that doctors these days are diagnosing children with bi-polar disorder. The reason is, children go through so many changes and are learning to handle their emotions, so that what would look like bi-polar in an adult is just plain being a kid, in a kid.
I'd feel very wary of psychological-disorder diagnoses at such a young age. Maybe your daughter has just been dealing with neuropathy and asthma, which would make any kid feel depressed!, and her asthma meds would make her seem manic, so then she got the bi-polar label slapped on her by a doctor.
So, you might have to do some fighting with your daughter's doctor on her behalf. Consider talking with him or her about reducing her prescription - not increasing it! It will probably take some gradual reduction, and while you do this, consider a nutritional approach:
There's a great book called Depression-Free for Life by Gabriel Cousens, MD, which covers most mood disorders, and he has done massive amounts of research into the effects of various vitamins, minerals, and some supplements on our brain function. He even talks about how certain approaches to supplementing can ease problems like anxiety, depression, and bi-polar disorder. But, again, I tend to doubt that your daughter even has true bi-polar disorder. However, following Cousens' recommendations is likely to calm and organize your daughter's brain activity and help her to function more optimally.
Consider having a consultation appointment with Dr. Cousens or one of his excellent colleagues at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center. What you do is, you describe your daughter's situation when you make the appointment, and this way you get the most out of your 15 minutes or 30 minutes or hour - whatever amount of time you choose. These doctors are fantastic. And yes, they are MDs, but they ALSO have years of training in holistic medicine, as well, which makes them real power-house doctors! I'm sure they'll give you some terrific help if you call them. The number is (866) 394-2520. They've been known to turn lives around.
About her asthma:
If it were me in your shoes, I'd get rid of everything in the house that can worsen asthma symptoms. Sometimes, just doing this will make asthma seem virtually gone in the sufferer.
Unfortunately, seemingly harmless household and body care products contribute a great deal to the development of asthma. Even so-called natural products are very insidious. I feel outraged that such dedicated parents like yourself have to go through so much, watching their children suffer while doing everything they can to care for their children and raise them in the best way possible, and I'm telling you, we are so undermined by companies that are barely regulated and are basically asked to "write their own speeding tickets."
Start by looking up the products that you use for yourself and your daughter at http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com and get rid of anything that contributes to allergies and/or asthma. (If it causes allergies, it will be a problem for someone suffering from asthma, too.) Just switching to safer products will make a huge difference for your daughter. I tend to stick with products in the 0-3 range. Sometimes, if I just can't find anything at a decent price or in a local store in this range, I'll go with something rated at 4, but I won't go with anything rated 5 or worse.
If you use dryer sheets or chemical fabric softener, I recommend that you stop immediately. These products are notorious for causing and worsening asthma. You can also save yourself some money and get the same nice, softening effect by pouring 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar into your wash toward the end of the cycle! (The smell goes away by the time your clothes are dry.)
Getting rid of your house cleaning products and replacing them with good, old-fashioned baking soda, vinegar, lemons, club soda and similar cleaners will also do wonders to clear up her asthma symptoms. There's a great book that I just got from the library, Easy Green Living by Renee Loux. Spend a couple of hours gathering ingredients, buy a couple of cheap spray bottles, mix up a couple of batches of all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner (or just use vinegar cut in half with water), etc. Then, you're set with your cleaning supplies for the next year, at least! For a very low price, at that.
Meanwhile, about diet: this is a very important way to calm those lungs. The main problem with asthma is inflammation. Certain foods contribute to inflammation, so if you minimize them in her diet, your daughter will feel so much better, and in short order.
Reduce the white flour in her diet. Switch to whole-wheat pasta (Wal-mart, even, has some very cheap brands that are just great, and you hardly notice the difference). Get the dairy and eggs out of her diet, and keep her sugar intake to an absolute minimum.
About her neuropathy, I don't have the faintest idea whether there's anything you can do about that. I don't know much about it. I'm sorry. Maybe Dr. Cousens or whomever you talk with at the Rejuvenation Center can give you some input on that.
I hope this helps.
L.
Oh, PS! I completely forgot. Omega-3 supplements can do wonders for mood disorders. Depression can completely disappear, and mood swings can smooth out very nicely. Read http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?...