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Alternative Mental Health News -- Issue 40

Sun, 9 Nov 2003 15:05:00 -0500 (EST)

 

The ALTERNATIVE MENTAL HEALTH NEWS

A monthly newsletter brought to you by AlternativeMentalHealth.com and Safe

Harbor, a nonprofit corporation.

Issue 40, November 2003In This Issue·Editor's Comment·ANNOUNCEMENTS·From The

World of Integrative Psychiatry: Magnesium and " ADHD " ·Article: Basketball Star

Conquers Bipolar Disorder·Article: Who First Suggests The Diagnosis of

ADHD?·Article: Prozac Found in Dallas Area Fish·Article: Wheat Allergy and

Mental Symptoms·Article: Britain Cracks Down on Overprescribing of

Antidepressants·Article: Inflammatory Response to Flu Vaccine Attributed to

Mild DepressionThe EditorsDan Stradford, Editor

Alan Graham, Assistant Editor

Gloria McTaggart, Assistant Editor

SafeHarborProj

www.Alternative

MentalHealth.com

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About Safe HarborSafe Harbor was founded in 1998 in the wake of growing public

dissatisfaction with the unwanted effects of orthodox psychiatric treatments

such as medication and shock therapy. Seeking to satisfy the desire for safer,

more effective treatments, Safe Harbor is dedicated to educating the public, the

medical profession, and government officials on research and treatments that,

minimally, do no harm and, optimally, cure the causes of severe mental symptoms.

Our primary thrust is education on the medical causes of severe mental symptoms

and the use of nutritional and other natural treatments.

 

About Alternative

MentalHealth.comALTERNATIVE

MENTALHEALTH.COM IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST WEB SITE DEVOTED exclusively to

alternative mental health treatments. It includes a directory of over 240

physicians, nutritionists, experts, organizations, and facilities around the

U.S. that offer or promote safe, alternative treatments for severe mental

symptoms. Many of the physicians listed do in-depth examinations to find the

physical causes behind mental problems.

Also included on the site is an array of articles on topics ranging from the

medical causes of schizophrenia to the effects of toxic metals on mental health.

 

Special AlternativeMentalHealth.com T-shirts and bumper stickers are available

at our online store.

 

A bookstore page lists top books that cover many areas of alternative treatments

with titles like Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental

Disorders and No More Ritalin.

 

AlternativeMentalHealth.com has been created to educate the public,

practitioners, and government officials on the medical conditions that create

" mental illness " and the many safe resources available for addressing and often

curing severe mental symptoms.

 

 

Contact UsSafe Harbor

1718 Colorado Boulevard

Los Angeles, California 90041

U.S.A.

Phone: 323-257-7338

Fax: 323-257-7014

SafeHarborProj

www.Alternative

MentalHealth.com

Safe Harbor Boston

Post Office Box 218

Newton, Massachusetts

02468

U.S.A.

Phone: 617-964-5544

SafeHarborB

 

 

WE WELCOME YOUR DONATIONS. AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, SAFE HARBOR IS SUPPORTED

SOLELY THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE PUBLIC. DONATIONS CAN BE MADE ONLINE AT OUR

WEB SITE OR MAILED TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. WE ALSO ACCEPT VISA/MASTERCARD BY

PHONE. THANK YOU.

 

 

Editor's Comment

October 22, 2003, was a great day for Canadians - and for the rest of the world

as well.

 

For those who may not know, the Synergy Group (www.truehope.com) has been

embroiled in a fierce battle with Canadian health authorities over the company's

right to distribute a nutritional product that has been reported in medical

journals as effective in taking 70% of bipolar patients off of medication.

 

After having their offices raided by Canadian officials and having all manner of

attack on their integrity and corporate status, the Synergy folks and many of

their clients took the war to the highest body in the land - the Canadian

Parliament. The melee got so circus-like that at one point, 9 women with red

umbrellas - all claiming mental health recovery thanks to the Synergy supplement

- made their protests known on the parliamentary steps (see

www.redumbrellas.ca).

 

What happened? They won! Parliament revised the country's Food and Drug Act to

allow the distribution of the supplement.

 

It is often amazing at the work and struggle that has had to take place for

people to get their doctors and governments to listen to the common sense of

using nutrients as an alternative to drugs.

 

Our thanks to all in Canada who got their government's attention. They have

shown what a handful of determined people can do when their health is at stake.

We are a better world because of it.

 

 

Seven Announcements:indexSafe Harbor L.A. Support Group Meeting, Nov. 12 If you

are in the Los Angeles area, we will have a support group meeting from 7 PM to 9

PM, November 12. There may be a lecture as well but this has not been decided

yet.

The meeting will be at the Safe Harbor office at 1718 Colorado Blvd. in the

Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles.

 

Admission is free and all are invited. We ask that you call the Safe Harbor

office or email to let us know you are coming: (323) 257-7338 or

SafeHarborProj.

 

 

Safe Harbor New York Support Group Meeting Join us for our second support group

in New York! In these monthly groups, we will discuss the use of non-drug

approaches such as nutrition, exercise, dietary change, treatment of underlying

physical disorders, and acupuncture for treatment of mental health-related

symptoms. All are welcome to join our support group to share experiences and

information and learn from one another in an open and nonjudgmental environment.

Where: 83 Spring Street between Broadway and Lafayette (go to the reception

desk)

 

When: Monday, November 10, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

If you attended the last meeting, please take note of the revised date.

 

Donation: $4 (to help pay for space rental)

 

RSVP required; space is limited.

 

To RSVP, contact:

 

Dana Barnes

Safe Harbor NY

ny

NY: 212-302-9811

NJ: 201-656-2849

 

 

Safe Harbor NY Seeks Space Safe Harbor NY is looking for a donation of space for

support groups and lectures. Prefer twice a month on regularly scheduled weekday

evenings, e.g., the last Tuesday of every month. Capacity: at least 25.

Contact Dana Barnes at ny or (212) 302-9811.

 

 

Safe Harbor Maryland Presents Raw Foods Demo Safe Harbor Maryland Presents

A Raw Foods Demo

By Margie Roswell

Saturday, November 8, 2003 at 2pm

 

Location: 3443 Guilford Terrace, Baltimore, MD 21218

Did you know that the act of heating food over 116ø F destroys enzymes? These

enzymes are essential because they assist in the digestion and absorption of

food. Raw foods are high in nutrients, taste great and are great for you too.

Come join us for this demo of how to make Raw Tomato Soup and Raw Apple Pie. Eat

healthy foods for the holidays! The demo is free, but please register by

November 6th so we can have enough tasty food for everyone to sample.

 

For more information or to register, contact Margo Duesterhaus at 410-480-5498

or margo

 

 

London - Optimum Nutrition for The Mind Conference This conference heralds a new

era in the understanding and correction of mental health problems. Find out

about the latest research and treatment breakthroughs for:

 

ADHD · Alzheimer's · anxiety · autism · bipolar disorder · dementia ·

depression · dyslexia · eating disorders · schizophrenia

 

using nutritional intervention from a world class panel of scientists and

clinicians.

 

Saturday 31st January to Monday 2nd February, 2004

at Cecil Sharp House, London NW1

 

BANT CPD Accredited

PGEA & CME Accreditation

 

" This is the breakthrough we've been waiting for. "

- André Tylee, Professor of Primary Care Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry

 

Organized by the Mental Health Project

In affiliation with the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and the International

Society of Orthomolecular Medicine

 

http://www.mentalhealthproject.com/conference/

 

Safe Harbor Boston Presents " Windhorse " Talk by Hassan Gebel " WINDHORSE: A

Mindfulness and Community-Based Approach to Recovery "

 

A Talk by Hassan Gebel

 

Thursday, November 6, 2003 at 7:30 pm

 

Location: First Unitarian Society in Newton - Parish Hall

1326 Washington St., Newton, MA

(corner of Highland St., parking behind Sovereign Bank)

The Windhorse Project, founded by Dr. Edward Podvoll and associates in 1981 in

Boulder, Colorado, was transplanted to Northampton, MA in 1993. Their services

are client-centered, home-based, and holistic, attending to the restoration of

personal, social, and environmental connections. They believe that inherent in

every person is a natural healing impulse, a motivation toward health and

wholeness. This motivation can be ignited and strengthened in an environment

where an attitude of hope and a belief in each person's potential for growth is

pervasive. www.WindhorseAssociates.org

 

Safe Harbor Boston is dedicated to increasing awareness about the advantages of

using alternative treatments for those interested in mental health issues. We

provide healing circle/support group meetings every Monday night from 7:00-9:00

PM at the First Unitarian Society for people who experience extreme states of

mind.

 

For more information call: 617-964-5544 or write to SafeHarborB

For directions to the First Unitarian Society in Newton: www.fusn.org

 

 

The Mood Cure Workshop Coming to Los Angeles From January 30-February 2, Safe

Harbor will be sponsoring a powerful, workshop by Julia Ross, author of the Mood

Cure, Safe Harbor's most recommended book, on how to use amino acids and other

nutritional tools to combat depression, anxiety, bipolar symptoms and other

" false moods. " This will be a solution-packed three days for practitioners who

want to achieve the phenomenal successes that are seen daily at Julia's clinic,

Recovery Systems, Inc.

We will be reporting in our next newsletter on the times and locations.

 

For more information before then contact the Safe Harbor office at

SafeHarborProj or (323) 257-7338.

 

 

From The World of Integrative Psychiatry: Magnesium and " ADHD " indexThe following

is taken from discussions on Safe Harbor's email list called Integrative

Psychiatry, for healthcare professionals around the world who wish to share

information on non-drug approaches for mental health. Professionals wishing to

join the list may do so by writing an email to SafeHarborProj, stating

his/her profession and requesting to be placed on the Integrative Psychiatry

list.

In a study from Poland, children with ADHD were been found to more deficient

than controls in a selected number of bio elements. Magnesium deficiencies were

the most pronounced difference. Magnesium supplementation in the ADHD children

decreased their hyperactivity.

 

In a study from England, there was a strong association for more disturbed and

excitable patients to have abnormal (either high or low) Mg levels. The authors

thought that the patients who seemed most disturbed may have some abnormality of

Mg metabolism.

 

Magnesium deficiency causes increased levels of adrenaline, which can lead to a

feeling of anxiety. Rats who become magnesium deficient have an increased level

of urinary catecholamine excretion (a by-product of adrenaline).

 

People who have mitral valve prolapse (a heart condition) have also been found

to have an increased state of anxiety and have an increased level of urinary

catecholamine excretion, the exact same condition found in rats who are Mg

deficient.

 

It is not surprising then, to find that people with mitral valve prolapse are

usually low in magnesium, and that magnesium supplementation alleviates the

symptoms of mitral valve prolapse and reduces the level of urinary catecholamine

excretion, i.e. it also reduces the anxiety symptoms.

 

Researchers in Spain found a correlation between anxiety disorders and hyper

mobility. In fact, they found that patients with anxiety disorder were over 16

times more likely than control subjects to have joint laxity (looseness). If you

put the study results together, then there's a link between anxiety and hyper

mobility, a link between anxiety and mitral valve prolapse, and a link between

mitral valve prolapse and hyper mobility.

 

A study in Bulgaria also found magnesium abnormalities in patients with

schizophrenia and depression. The authors thought the schizophrenia and

depression caused the magnesium deficiencies, but I disagree that that was

necessarily the case. When you look at this study within the context of all the

other studies mentioned in this section, it is more likely that the magnesium

abnormalities caused the mental illness. (There are quite a few studies on

magnesium and mental illness on Medline. I just included a few to highlight my

points.)

 

In a study from England, there was a strong association for more disturbed and

excitable patients to have abnormal (either high or low) magnesium levels. The

authors thought that the patients who seemed most disturbed may have some

abnormality of magnesium metabolism.

 

-Wolfgang Stöger, Germany

 

 

Article: Basketball Star Conquers Bipolar Disorderindex

Kassidi Bishop grew to love basketball at a young age. She got her first college

recruiting letter when she was in the fifth grade. With her father coaching her

on an elite AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team, The Force, she became one of the

best young players in the nation. She averaged 12.3 points per game as a

freshman and 17.1 points as a 5-foot-10 sophomore who could play any position.

One magazine picked her as a preseason honorable mention All-America her junior

season.

But Kassidi's life was disrupted dramatically when, at the age of sixteen, she

underwent a severe personality change, manifesting the irrational highs and lows

often called bipolar disorder. Hospitalization, psychotropic drugs, and several

suicide attempts followed.

Struggling from that point forward, Kassidi found she could not compete at a

collegiate level with psychiatric drugs in her system. Through a California

psychiatrist, she began to take a nutritional supplement (www.truehope.com) that

had been reported as successful for bipolar symptoms.

Soon she was not only playing collegiate level basketball, but was nominated for

Comeback Player of the Year. Nearly five years later now, she has not had a

recurrence of her bipolar symptoms. Her family now markets a broadscale

supplement that has worked for Kassidi at www.quietminds.us and (303) 794-5672.

 

Article: Who First Suggests The Diagnosis of ADHD?index

In our April 2003 issue, our writer Dana Barnes reported on a survey of 145

Wisconsin teachers, revealing their often abysmal ignorance of current research

on ADHD symptoms and the side effects of treatment (TEACHERS CONFUSED ABOUT

" ADHD " , Alternative Mental Health News, Issue 33).

 

Studies show that stimulant medication has a positive effect on academic

achievement in the long run. (False)

 

94% said " True "

 

There are data to indicate that ADHD is caused by a brain malfunction. (False)

 

90% said " True "

 

While on stimulant medication, students exhibit similar amounts of problem

behaviors as their normally developing peers. (False)

 

73% said " True "

 

Diagnosis of ADHD can be confirmed if stimulant medication improves the child's

attention. (False)

 

67% said " True "

 

Stimulant medication use may decrease the physical growth rate (i.e., height) of

students. (True)

 

62% said " False "

 

 

New research conducted in the greater Washington, DC area adds evidence that

teachers and other school personnel are often the first to suggest the diagnosis

of ADHD. (Leonard Sax, MD, PhD, and Kathleen J. Kautz, RN, BSN, posted

10/20/2003 on www.medscape.com's " Annals of Family Medicine. " )

 

Physicians in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area responded to the question,

" Who first suggests the diagnosis of ADHD? " by assigning percentages to primary

care physicians, consultants, parents, teachers, etc.

 

Teachers were most likely to be first to suggest the diagnosis of ADHD (46.4%),

followed by parents (30.2%), primary care physicians (11.3%), school personnel

other than teachers (6.0%), and consultants such as child psychiatrists or

psychologists (3.1%).

 

For girls, the number of ADHD-related office visits increased threefold between

the beginning of 1990 and the end of 1998; for boys, the increase was 2.2X over

the same period.

 

" Regional variations in the prescribing of medication for ADHD may be caused at

least in part by variations in the likelihood of a teacher suggesting the

diagnosis of ADHD, " conclude the authors.

 

" Some authors have questioned whether all children receiving medication for ADHD

actually meet standard diagnostic criteria for ADHD. One study of students in

North Carolina found that only 43% of students taking medication for ADHD met

the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders (DSM-III-R)

criteria for ADHD. "

 

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Article: Prozac Found in Dallas Area Fishindex

Fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, has reportedly been found in the

tissue of the freshwater blue gill fish in Lake Lewisville, northwest of Dallas,

Texas.

The study by Bryan Brooks, a Baylor University toxicologist, was reported by

Reuters in October. Brooks will present his findings in Seattle at a November

conference of the Geological Society of America.

The fluoxetine probably enters the sewer system from users' toilets and is not

filtered out by the waste water treatment plant en route to a river that feeds

the lake.

The toxicologist has responded to humorous speculation about whether Prozac

makes the fish happy by saying their exposure is below " therapeutic levels. " The

extent of the danger to aquatic life - and to humans, through their consumption

or otherwise - has not yet been assessed.

Brooks is studying how current exposure might affect the ability of the fish to

find food, fight off predators and find a mate.

 

Article: Wheat Allergy and Mental Symptomsindex

Celiac Disease is an intolerance to " gluten, " a protein complex found in wheat

and other grains. Persons with Celiac Disease (known as celiacs) experience a

wide range of physical and emotional problems when they eat such grain products.

A woman named Betty, a contributor to a celiac-related email list, posted a

question about behavior and gluten and has summarized the 47 responses as

follows:

All respondents said they or their children experienced behavior changes after

ingesting gluten, including moodiness, tearfulness, hopelessness, anger, rage,

and hallucinations. Some described immediate effects that lasted only a day. The

majority suggested effects of 3-5 days. A few said two weeks or a month.

Summary of behaviors noted:

anger or rage: 14

agression: 5

ADD symptoms: 13

depression: 7

grumpiness: 2

moodiness: 7

hallucinations: 3

One response was from someone who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia before

celiac. A few others described visual and auditory hallucinations (symptoms used

in diagnosing schizophrenia).

" While my daughter is not hallucinating (that I know of), " writes Betty, " I am

concerned that the medical system is not equipped to recognize hallucinations as

a symptom of celiac and order celiac screening for person who is hallucinating.

I know that there are many people who are misdiagnosed with a myriad of physical

health issues before getting a celiac diagnosis, but people who get diagnosed

with mental illness often have other problems ignored. Treatment of mental

illness is typically completely isolated from other health problems. "

 

Article: Britain Cracks Down on Overprescribing of AntidepressantsindexArticle

Sub-heading Comes Here

The Times Online reports (October 20, 2003) that antidepressant prescription and

use - unwarranted in many cases - costs Britain's National Health Service £380

million per year, prompting heightened scrutiny by the government of what it is

actually paying for.

Antidepressants have been handed out " like sweets, " says the article by Oliver

Wright, health correspondent to The Times. " The antidepressant Zispin was made

available this month in an orange-flavoured version that melts in the

mouth...Britain is becoming a nation kept artificially happy by pills. "

" Artificially happy " is, at best, an optimistic description of the 15 million

British subjects prescribed antidepressants each year:

" Recent trials showed almost no clinical difference between antidepressants and

placebos in the treatment of mild depression, " Wright reported.

The government has adopted the stance that antidepressants should no longer be

used as a first-line treatment for the " normal problems of life. "

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, the government agency that

decides which drugs should be available on the NHS, says in new recommendations

that people with mild depression often respond to simple interventions, such as

exercise or self-help.

 

Article: Inflammatory Response to Flu Vaccine Attributed to Mild

Depressionindex

New research suggests that depression can affect the immune system in older

people.

In a new study by Glaser, Robles, Sheridan, et al., people who reported even a

few symptoms of depression had higher levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), an

immune-system protein that promotes inflammation. This protein has been

associated with a variety of age-related ills, including heart disease,

diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.

Glaser's team compared 47 people who were present or past caregivers for a

spouse with dementia and 72 similarly aged people who had never been a

caregiver.

Participants answered questions about symptoms of depression, and the

researchers measured levels of IL-6 in blood samples taken before and after the

participants had a flu shot.

People who had more symptoms of depression -- but who were not necessarily

clinically depressed -- had higher levels of IL-6 before and after a flu shot

than people with fewer symptoms, the investigators reported.

Caregiving can take a heavy emotional toll, said Glaser, who pointed out that

another study found that caregivers had a 60-percent higher death rate than

non-caregivers.

Glaser noted that getting enough sleep and exercise and not smoking or

overeating can go a long way toward keeping IL-6 levels under control.

( " Mild Depressive Symptoms Are Associated With Amplified and Prolonged

Inflammatory Responses After Influenza Virus Vaccination in Older Adults, "

Archives of General Psychiatry, October 2003.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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