Alternative Mental Health News -- Issue 41

[Guest guest]

Naturopathic Doctor Available at NH Inpatient Psychiatric FacilityindexExample

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Safe Harbor has been in recent contact with Dr. Jeff Sager, a naturopathic

physician with a master's in counseling, who is currently practicing at the

Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester in New Hampshire. They have a 15 bed

inpatient facility called the Cypress Center.

Dr. Sager has practicing privileges at the center and, if a patient wishes, Dr.

Sager can be named as the primary practitioner on the patient's case, directing

the patient's treatment. Although this is a standard mental health facility,

this means the patient has the choice of having someone in charge of his/her

care who fully understands holistic approaches, including the need to check for

allergies, nutritional imbalances, etc.

Even more remarkably, the facility takes Medicare.

From our research, we have found very few inpatient facilities in the U.S., or

anywhere else, where such an approach is possible.

Anyone wishing to contact Dr. Sager for information can do so at 603 434 -1577.

He is also listed on our site practitioner directory in New Hampshire.

 

U. of Hawaii Scientists May Have Solved Kava Mysteryindex

A team of University of Hawaii scientists may have solved the mystery of why

some Europeans who used products containing kava extract suffered severe liver

damage, prompting a number of nations to ban sales of the herbal supplement. The

traditional kava drink consumed by Pacific Islanders for the last 2,000 years

has not been associated with such problems. It has been a popular herbal remedy

for anxiety.

The difference, according to UH-Manoa molecular biosciences professor C.S. Tang,

is that only the root of the kava plant is used in the traditional beverage,

whereas manufacturers of the capsules sold in Europe purchased (and undoubtedly

used) stem peelings and leaves regarded as waste products by traditional kava

drinkers.

Supplements containing kava are promoted as remedies for sleeplessness and

menopausal symptoms. In Europe, where most of the health problems occurred, kava

extract is used in capsule form, and the cases of liver damage apparently

involved people who took the capsules, the scientists reported.

Bans in Singapore, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and elsewhere wiped out

pharmaceutical sales of kava and virtually destroyed it as an export crop in

Hawaii. While kava supplements are not banned in the United States, the Food and

Drug Administration issued an advisory in March 2002 warning of the potential

risk of severe liver injury from dietary supplements containing kava. The health

alarms left farmers in Hamakua and elsewhere with crops that were hardly worth

harvesting.

Kava stem bark peelings may be to blame for the reported cases of liver failure,

hepatitis and cirrhosis. Tang and his team learned from a trader in Fijian kava

that European pharmaceutical companies eagerly bought up the peelings when

demand for kava extract soared in Europe in 2000 and 2001.

In a research paper accepted for publication in the scientific journal

Phytochemistry, researchers Klaus Dragull, W.Y. Yoshida and Tang report they

found an alkaloid called pipermethystine in tests of stem peelings and kava

leaves. Pipermethystine also was present in lower concentrations in the bark of

the stump but was not found in the root itself. Preliminary tests by researcher

Pratibha Nerurkar show pipermethystine has a " strong negative effect " on liver

cell cultures. If peelings containing the alkaloid were used to make kava

capsules, as the scientists suspect, that could explain the liver damage in some

of the people who took the capsules.

The UH researchers also learned that the analysis method used by some companies

to test plant products could not detect the difference between pipermethystine

and kavalactones, " and therefore they mistakenly thought there's no problem,

that it's similar stuff, " Tang said.

 

Lighting the Darkening SkiesindexAuthor: Gayle Eversole, CRNP, Ph.D., AHG, DHo

Creating Health Institute, Moscow, Idaho

leaflady

Light is important for all living things. During autumn we experience equal

hours of darkness and daylight. Light continues to shorten dramatically until

winter solstice, when daylight in the town of Moscow, Idaho, (where I am from)

is just over eight hours each day.

Less light brings the natural desire to want more sleep. During fall and winter

the lack of light causes about 10 percent of the people in the U.S. to

experience " seasonal affective disorder " (SAD). In northern latitudes, incidence

can be up to 25 percent. Closer to the equator, where daylight and darkness are

always nearly equal, it drops to 1 percent to 2 percent.

First reports of SAD appeared in the 19th century, but it was not until 1984 the

phrase surfaced in psychiatry. Seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression

reoccurring mainly during autumn and winter, is still frequently misdiagnosed.

Most commonly, the onset of depression begins in September through November, and

lessens in March through May. SAD affects men, women, children and even pets.

Medical treatment relies on anti-depressant drugs. The newer drugs, called

serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), come with many side effects, and studies

show they do little to help. Recent studies at Harvard Medical School clearly

show that essential fatty acids from flax, fish and some plants are more

effective than SSRI drugs.

Another accepted treatment is the light box. A study at the University of

British Columbia showed that supplementing with tryptophan (found in nutritional

yeast or the supplement known as 5 HTP) and vitamin D3, along with morning light

therapy, achieved a 64 percent reduction in symptoms.

Light-hungry sufferers seeking relief from symptoms that affect mind, body and

their internal body clocks instinctively seek more light. Bright light therapy

is a fluorescent light box that produces a light intensity of 2,500 to 10,000

units at a comfortable distance (1-2 feet). Eighty-five percent of sufferers

usually respond to this treatment within three to five days. Dawn simulators are

another type of light therapy that is helpful, as is changing all lighting at

home and office to full-spectrum bulbs and tubes.

Accompanying difficulties with sleep are related to suppression of the hormone

melatonin. You can get this naturally in nutritional yeast or by mixing

one-quarter cup ricotta cheese with dark cherries. I do not encourage synthetic

hormone supplementation.

St. John's wort is useful in treating SAD. Dr. Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist and

author who works with natural treatments for mood disorders, recommends St.

John's wort to promote restful sleep and enhance dreaming.

A study in 1993 shows that St. John's wort improved the condition of those who

regularly experience winter depression. The extract has been thoroughly

researched as a natural anti-depressant. A total of 1,592 patients have been

studied in 25 double-blind controlled studies. The studies show St. John's wort

reduces in anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances, without side effects. Use

organic, whole herb extracts for the best results.

Other helpful natural remedies for SAD include bright colors, soothing sounds,

homeopathy, flower essences and essential oils. In Ayurvedic medicine you might

find that carrying a quartz crystal is recommended.

Warm colors of yellow, orange, and red stimulate mood in color baths, lighting,

room decor and clothing. People with hypertension should avoid too much red.

These same colors in food provide anti-oxidants that reduce the effects of mood

swings brought on by allergies. Other research has found that using a negative

air ionizer to lessen indoor allergies helps reduce mood swings.

Gustav Holst's compositions Mars and Jupiter, from The Planets, are examples of

music that helps alleviate depression.

In classical homeopathy, using remedies called cell salts offers relief from

depression, depending on symptoms. The flower essence of mustard lifts the

shadow of gloom from the light and joy of life.

Jasmine essential oil is anti-depressant and euphoric. It stimulates beta brain

wave activity as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). You might also enjoy

using citrus oils, such as lemon, that stimulates the autonomic nervous system.

I've always suggested walking and laughing. You'll get mood-lifting exercise,

walking just 20 minutes at noon, even on dark days. This also supplies enough

natural light to stimulate the pineal gland to set your body clock, and promote

vitamin D production in skin. Laughing more always stimulates endorphins, those

neurotransmitters that make us feel good.

 

Success Reported for Vitamin-Mineral CocktailindexThe following comes to us from

J.P. Saleeby, MD, of Savannah, Georgia. Contact information for Dr. Saleeby is

given at the end of this article. His practice is listed on our site directory

at www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com. Below are comments from several emails he

sent, plus an article he wrote on this remedy.

I have been having success treating schizophrenia with intravenous use of a

" Myers' Cocktail. " Also found some success in bipolar disorder with this

cocktail.

The basic composition of the Myers Cocktail is:

B complex: 1 cc

Vitamin C: 1-10 cc or more, usually 222 mg/cc or 500 mg/cc

Magnesium: 1-4 cc either 20% chloride or 50% sulfate

Dexpanthenol (B5): 1-2cc

Calcium: 1-4cc (sometimes not given in cardiac problems or in older patients)

 

I use additional B6 and B12 (in the m-B12 or methylcobolamine form) and trace

elements in TR-5 and occasionally reduced Glutathione 500 to 1000mg (buffered),

depending on the patient.

MYERS' COCKTAIL INFUSION

There is a treatment of rapid intravenous infusion containing high dose vitamins

and minerals for the treatment of a variety of ailments. It is becoming wildly

popular and that sparked my attention some years ago. There are hundreds of

physicians in this country that use it as a stand-alone therapy or also as

replacement therapy for those receiving chelation therapy. This infusion is

something referred to as the " Myers' Cocktail " or the " Gaby-Wright Cocktail. "

As fate would have it, I attended a symposium in February 2001 in New York City

entitled " Nutritional Therapy in Medical Practice " given by non other than Dr.

Alan R. Gaby. This symposium was sponsored by the Beth Israel Medical Center and

St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Its focus was on nutritional

therapies and nutritional medicine. Of the five hundred or so in attendance from

around the country I was hoping to bring back some real pearls of wisdom to

Savannah, GA. This most fascinating course included many lectures on the

importance of nutrition in daily life and in treating and preventing disease.

Every lecture was supported and referenced by evidence found in the medical

literature both in this country and abroad. Alan R. Gaby, MD as well as Jonathan

V. Wright, MD are both luminaries in the field of nutritional / integrative

medicine and the conference was illustrative.

Dr. Gaby would speak often of the Myers' Cocktail uses in his clinical practice.

First introduced by Dr. John Myers of Maryland in the mid 20th century and then

forgotten until it was re-introduced by Drs. Gaby and Wright a decade ago, it is

a mixture of relatively high doses of five vitamins and two minerals. Very often

it is customized with varying doses of each agent and can also include Adrenal

cortical extract (ACE), Glyceron (an extract from the licorice plant named

glycerrhizin, which by the way has been shown by recent studies in the Orient as

one of the best ways to treat SARS) and Glutathione (a potent antioxidant).

It is quickly (within 30 minutes) infused through an IV and in some patients the

effects may last weeks. The theory behind high dose and quick infusions is that

these vitamins and minerals are forced into the cells by sheer overload and are

hence " trapped " intracellularly, where their effects last long beyond the

expected short time following the slow infusion. Recently Dr. Gaby and Dr. Harry

Adelson have conducting a pilot study into the effects of the Myers' Cocktail at

the Naturopathic Medical Center at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport,

CT. Independently, my center is also collecting data on hundreds of infusions in

my patients. The prospects are exciting. Will the data back up the case studies

and anecdotal claims that have been made over the decades? Double blinded

placebo controlled studies have yet to be performed, however, case studies speak

loudly in favor of this therapy.

The treatment is recommended and has been used with great success in treating

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Depression, Fibromyalgia, Asthma (both acute

flair-ups and the chronic condition), Urticaria, Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis,

Chronic Sinusitis, Congestive Heart Failure, Ischemic Vascular Disease,

Dementia, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Bronchitis, Interstitial Cystitis,

Multiple Sclerosis and especially Acute Viral and Bacterial infections. I have

used this therapy to recover people quickly from the flu, acute Hepatitis A and

B infections and Infectious Mononucleosis. It has also be used to quicken the

recovery phase in elite athletes in training and during competition. This

therapy is also being used post-DMSA chelation of heavy metals to replace the

good minerals and trace elements lost in this therapy.

About Dr. Saleeby: Dr. J.P. Saleeby is medical director of the integrative

medical center SLI in downtown Savannah, GA. He currently is resident expert on

the use of Myers' Cocktail infusions in the treatment of disease. He can be

reached for comment at: jpsaleeby.

 

Antidepressants Pose Threat to Frogs, Fishindex

University of Georgia researchers have discovered developmental problems in

frogs and fish exposed to minute quantities of common antidepressants that can

pass from humans through sewage treatment systems into rivers and streams.

Low concentrations of fluoxetine (Prozac), Zoloft, Paxil and Celexa have been

found in surface water, particularly wastewater. The scientists have been

studying the impact of these and other drugs on wildlife populations.

" While these compounds are not acutely toxic at concentrations detected in the

environment, our longer-term studies indicate delayed development (in fish) and

delayed metamorphosis (in frogs), " said University of Georgia aquatic

toxicologist Marsha Black, who led the study.

Low concentrations of fluoxetine slowed sexual development in male mosquitofish

by two to four weeks. When the fish were around 80-85 days old, the sexual

maturity of those exposed to low levels of fluoxetine was significantly delayed.

By their 145th day, when the study was concluded, the same fish had caught up

developmentally with the unexposed fish, Henry said.

" We're scratching our heads right now as to exactly what this means, " Black

said. " But we know that in water, timing is everything. Reproduction for some

species is timed to coincide with algae blooms for example. And possibly if

sexual development is delayed, timing of reproduction could be affected and you

could see some population impact. "

The researchers also found that metamorphosis in frogs exposed to low levels of

fluoxetine took longer than usual. For frogs, particularly the land-based frogs

of North America, such a delay could be a matter of life and death, because frog

eggs are often laid in temporary pools that dry up, Black said.

 

 

The Role of Infections in Mental DisordersindexAuthor: Frank Strick,

Clinical Director, Institute for Infectious Mental Illness

(800) 699-2466, Ext. 8314255555

E-mail: riimi

In considering an infectious etiology to any chronic mental illness there are at

least four categories to consider. First are those infections already recognized

to induce psychiatric symptoms. These include pneumonia, urinary tract

infection, sepsis, malaria, Legionnaire's disease, syphilis, typhoid,

diphtheria, HIV, rheumatic fever and herpes. (Ref: Chuang)

While the psychiatric effects of these infections are known to the medical

field, they are rarely screened for if the initial presentation is made to a

mental health professional. Moreover, the significance of some of these

infections may date back to prenatal development. Research done at the John

Hopkins Children's Center and published in the Archives of General Psychiatry in

2001 found that mothers with evidence of Herpes Simplex Type 2 infection at the

time of pregnancy had children almost six times more likely to later develop

schizophrenia. And in the US, Europe and Japan, birth clusters of individuals

who develop schizophrenia later in life closely mirror the seasonal distribution

of Ixodes ticks at the time of conception (Lyme disease).

Second are those parasitic infections such as neurocysticercosis where the brain

is directly invaded by the infective agent through a well-established, imageable

(visible on brain scan) mechanism (cysts, lesions, cerebral swelling etc.) Signs

of psychiatric disease (depression and psychosis) were found in over 65% of

neurocysticercosis cases (caused by a tapeworm whose incidence in the US is

rising due to demographic increases in foreign immigrant populations.) [Ref:

Forlenza] While the mechanisms for psychiatric manifestations are easy to

demonstrate when brain tissue is directly affected, there are also multiple

documented reports in the literature of psychiatric symptoms associated with

other parasites like giardiasis, ascaris (roundworm), trichinae (cause of

trichinosis), and Lyme borrelia and viruses like borna virus. Documentation also

exists of these psychiatric symptoms resolving when the underlying hidden

infection is treated.

Dr. J. Packman of Yale University wrote over ten years ago that " Patients with

parasitic loads are more likely to exhibit mental status changes and there is an

improvement in mental status of a subset of psychiatric patients following

treatment for parasites. " In fact, a review of 1300 human cases of trichinosis

in Germany found CNS (central nervous system) involvement in up to 24% of the

cases (menningeal inflamation or encephalitis). [Ref: Froscher]

Clinically, in cases like neurocysticercosis, the problem is not the lack of a

well-defined mechanism but the lack of mental health practitioners qualified to

make such a diagnosis or even suspect it. Even infectious disease specialists

tend to underestimate the scope of the problem, in part due to underreporting

(neurocysticercosis is not a reportable condition in most states and the

incidence of trichinosis is, we believe, vastly underestimated according to

newly developed antibody assays only made available in 2003).

This article is continued at

http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/infections.htm

 

 

Parasite-Induced Depression Yields to AntibioticsindexContributed by: Carolyn B.

Raser

M.A. Psychology, Santa Cruz, CA

carolynr

In October 2002, I spent a month in Asia, visiting temples and climbing in the

foothills of the Himalayas. During the trip I became afflicted with red swollen

hands, and such intense pain that I could not unlock the door of my hotel room.

Upon my arrival at home the pain and swelling spread to the feet and knees.

I found an excellent rheumatoid specialist who confirmed the diagnosis: osteo-

and rheumatoid arthritis. I was put on Vioux and Salagen for dry mouth and told

to come back in a month after more blood tests and that it might be necessary to

change my medication to a more powerful drugs. I also had severe depression,

exhaustion and lethargy compared to my usually energetic self. My doctor and I

discussed the possibility of parasites as a cause for my rheumatoid arthritis

symptoms, but he could offer no help in testing and treatment.

In my own research, I found that traditional medicine treats the symptoms and

attempts to stop damage to the joints. So I sought help within the alternate

health community. I was fortunate to be referred to an individual who has done

extensive research on intestinal problems/infections and the complex

interventions needed to treat them successfully. He has directed my treatment

with the aid of one of his physician associates. My tests revealed the presence

of parasites: Blastocystis, Toxoplasmosis and Ameobiosis.

I recently completed a 20-day regimen of specially compounded antibiotics to

kill the invaders and their respective eggs and cysts. The results were amazing.

My depression is gone and my energy and zest for life has returned. I was able

for the first time to go off all of the drugs. I feel great and all of my

symptoms have cleared up except for some residual joint stiffness, which may be

the result of permanent damage, although we will now attempt to address this

directly through nutritional supplementation.

I can only say how fortunate I feel to find Frank Strick; he not only has the

expertise to select the right remedies, but made sure that I have additional

herbs and supplements to protect my intestines and liver from any side affects

of the antibiotic treatment. Frank Strick's suggestions were more successful in

half a month than nearly a hundred doctor's visits and treatments by three MD's,

an acupuncturist (bi-weekly), a chiropractor and a rehabilitation specialist,

all of which cost a fortune.

For the first time I feel like the source of my problems has been identified and

cured instead of endlessly chasing symptoms with no lasting relief. Feel free to

contact me by email at carolynr if you have any further questions about

my results with this very advanced practitioner.

 

 

Social Comment: Comic Strip Lampoons Drugging of Childrenindex

In the November 9 " Pearls Before Swine " comic strip, artist Stephan Pastis takes

us on a " Walk Through Alternative History " and shows what might have happened if

the teachers of Mozart, Miles Davis and Paul McCartney had access to " ADD "

drugs. It's not a pretty picture.

 

See http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20031109.html

 

 

 

 

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