An Introduction To Alternative Medicine For Psychiatric Conditions

[Guest guest]

Dear Group:

 

I sincerely hope that the following document (which I wrote last

summer) is of use to some persons in this egroup in some way.

 

Allen

 

 

An Introduction To Alternative Medicine For Psychiatric Conditions:

to include a reading list that is helpful to overcome these

conditions naturally, as well as a simple guide to find thousands of

helpful web resources

 

 

Although depression, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive

compulsive disorder, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizo-affective

disorder, schizophrenia, etc. are currently considered " mental

illnesses " , many doctors and other knowledgeable persons realize

that this very simplistic outlook is incorrect. Mental illnesses

are always whole body illnesses; they are never just mental in

nature.

 

Although the number of persons (and alternative doctors) that

realize that mental illnesses are whole body illnesses is relatively

small at present, this number of persons is growing, and is growing

exponentially. It is inevitable that the entire concept of " mental

illness " is going to become functionally obsolete. Sometime in the

21st century, none of the aforementioned illnesses will be

considered mental illnesses at all, due to a growth in human

understanding.

 

Just as the earth was once considered to be flat by the entire human

race, and later was found to be round, " mental illness " is going to

be recognized by the entire human race as not really being " just

mental illness " at all. Thank god for the tremendous reduction in

human suffering that this growth in human understanding will

represent.

 

Depression, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive

disorder, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizo-affective disorder,

schizophrenia are all illnesses that quite obviously affect the

brain. Indeed, this is why these illnesses are currently considered

psychiatric in nature. However, some persons (to include a number

of alternative doctors) currently realize that these " mental

illnesses " also concern the thyroid gland, the adrenal gland, the

pancreas (in regard to both it's insulin production and digestive

enzyme production functions), the liver, and every other organ and

cell in the human body to some degree as well. These persons

realize that mental illness is ALWAYS a whole body illness; it is

NEVER just mental in nature.

 

Many persons seem intimated in regard to even attempting to gain a

useful understanding of their own body. They erroneously assume

that their body is far too complex in which to do so. Often they

assume that they would need to go to some sort of medical school and

become a doctor in order to be able to treat severe mental illness

in themselves. This is definitely not the case.

 

The truth is that it is not that difficult for someone to gain a

practical understanding of their own body in order to recover their

health, to include their " mental health " . One only needs to read

and reflect on a half a dozen to a dozen books to do so, and then

implement what they have learned. Almost anybody that (1) has

graduated high school with a " B " average, (2) is still mentally

functional, (3) is willing to learn to understand a few dozen new

words, and (4) is willing to put forth the effort necessary can

learn enough about their own body such that they can recover from

severe mental illness. One does not need to be a doctor to do so.

They only need to be functional enough to able to read and retain

some new information, and be able to apply this information

effectively to themselves. This " new information " is not that much

more than one would have to learn during a single semester in

college.

 

" Mental illnesses " are commonly and correctly considered to be

conditions of " chemical imbalance " . Well, let us talk about the

chemicals in the human body that are imbalanced in simple terms for

a little while, so that we can understand the phrase " chemical

imbalance " and the chemistry of the human body a little better.

 

" Understand the human cell, and you can understand the human body. "

This simple statement has profound implications in regard to

correcting all mental illness.

 

It is important to realize that only three basic chemical classes

affect ALL cellular function in every form of life, to include every

single cell in a human being. These chemical classes are (1)

essential nutrients, (2) allergens, and (3) toxins. (1) Does the

cell have enough of all 50 or so essential nutrients to function

properly?, (2) Is the cell overexposed to substances it is allergic

to such that its performance is impaired?, and (3) Is the cell

overexposed to toxins such that its performance is impaired? These

three simple questions are quite germane to human health period,

both physical and mental. Indeed, these three simple questions

often represent the entirety of the matter. This is especially true

when " psychiatric " conditions are concerned.

 

The chemical class of essential nutrients referred to above

subdivides into only four sub-classes of essential nutrients. In

order of amounts present in the human body once all of the water is

taken out, these are, from largest to smallest amounts present, (1)

amino acids, (2) fats, (3) minerals, and (4) vitamins. Water

represents roughly 70% of the weight of an average human being. If

one takes the water out of an average human being, the remainder by

weight is roughly 70% amino acids, vs. only 20% by weight of fats,

5% by weight of minerals, and an even smaller percentage by weight

of vitamins.

 

It may be worthy to note that some nutrients can be harmful when

present in excessive amounts. Copper is one common problematic

nutrient worthy of mention in this regard. Some persons have too

much of the essential nutrient mineral copper. If so, this issue of

too much copper can and should be resolved. However, most nutrient

problems are not problems of excess such as this example with

copper. In regard to mental illness, most nutrient problems are

problems of deficiency.

 

Essential nutrients are responsible for the production of EVERY

neurotransmitter, hormone, and enzyme in the human body. If you are

low in any one of the 50 or so essential nutrients, you are most

certainly impaired in regard to the production of any

neurotransmitter, hormone, or enzyme these biochemicals are made

of. This is irrefutable scientific and biological fact.

Unfortunately, this is fact you regular doctor or psychiatrist

ignores. It is also fact that is being ignored by almost all

medical research worldwide, in favor of just dispensing drugs.

Why? Power, prestige, and money are why. All of these are

threatened by rather simple and understandable truths in regard to

nutrients, allergens, and toxins (even by a person that may only

have graduated high school).

 

In almost any person with any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever, food

allergens either directly cause or greatly contribute to their

psychiatric symptoms. This allergic exposure relates to unknowingly

ingesting common (and often multiple) food allergens, such as the

gluten-laden grains of wheat, oats, barley, and rye, dairy products,

corn, eggs, peanuts, chocolate, citrus, soy, the nightshade family,

and other common allergic foods. Almost always eating common foods

such as those in the aforementioned list is the biggest allergic

exposure that someone should be concerned about. This is especially

true if someone has any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever.

 

Common foods cause severe psychiatric symptoms in millions of

persons. This is a fact that conventional medicine ignores. It is

also a fact that is commonly recognized in alternative medicine.

 

Many toxins can be generated in the GI tract. (The GI tract is the

gastrointestinal tract. It is also commonly referred to as " the

gut " .). These gut toxins are the result of having (1) too much

candida (a common yeast condition), (2) too many various other

yeasts, molds and fungi, (3) too many " bad bacteria " that do not

belong in the gut, (4) not enough " good bacteria " that should be

present in the gut, (5) the presence of parasites, and/or (6) having

too much undigested (and therefore fermenting) food. When present,

these gut toxins always are absorbed into the body to some degree.

Toxins present in the GI tract usually represent the biggest toxic

exposure that one should be concerned about. This is especially

true if someone has any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever.

 

Gut toxins, and the issues that cause them, cause severe psychiatric

symptoms in millions of persons. This is a fact that conventional

medicine ignores. It is also a fact that is commonly recognized in

alternative medicine.

 

In addition to their being problematic in and of themselves, hidden

food allergens and gut toxins substantially impair all essential

nutrient delivery into the body. In their presence, the gut acts to

protect you. Our intestines either allow for greater absorption or

restrict for lesser absorption depending on what is in them. To

lessen absorption of problematic gut contents into the body, our

intestines secrete mucous, become inflamed, or use other means in

order to partially shut down the gut from an absorptive standpoint.

This is the way nature designed the human gut, as well as the guts

of many other species as well.

 

The human body needs to deal with toxic exposure to some degree

every single day. It does so by a process called detoxification.

All detoxification pathways in the human body are essential nutrient

dependent. Some nutrients are more important than others in this

regard. And when the body detoxifies (either excretes or " locks

up " ) any toxic molecule, it uses, and uses up, essential nutrient

molecules to do so. Therefore it only makes sense to fortify one's

essential nutrient status, as doing so increases the body's ability

to handle the daily measure of toxins it is most certainly exposed

to. This concept applies, at least in part, to all allergic

exposure as well.

 

In simplicity, some practitioners of alternative medicine are

proposing to us, and have been proposing to us for a handful of

years, that our " various brain problems " are simply (1) food

allergic, (2) gut toxic, (3) dietary deficiency, and (4) nutrient

malabsorptive problems in disguise. They are telling us that the

brain is simply a " secondary target organ " to " primary gut events " ,

just as are all of the other organs and glands in the body as well.

According to these practitioners of alternative medicine if (1) we

don't eat a nutritionally adequate and non-allergic diet, or (2) our

GI tract (gut) is too toxic from candida or other biological issues

that are listed in the copy above, or (3) our gut does not work

quite right such that foods we eat are not being digested or

absorbed properly... then sooner or later we are likely to become

predisposed to chemical imbalance. Chemical imbalance equates

to " mental illness " .

 

In regard to nutrients, plain and simple logic underlies the fact

that chemical imbalance equates to " mental illness " . This is

because essential nutrients are what all of our neurotransmitters,

hormones, and enzymes are made out of. Therefore if we lack

essential nutrients, we lack what these nutrients build in our

brains and bodies as well. And therefore any problem relating to the

(1) intake, (2) digestion, or (3) absorption of an adequate amount

of essential nutrients is a causative factor in " mental illness " .

This simple logic seems patently obvious to many persons.

 

Unfortunately, the simple logic reflected in the above paragraph is

totally ignored by modern drug pushing psychiatry as we know it.

Did your psychiatrist ever tell you that every single

neurotransmitter in your brain is made out of essential nutrients

such as amino acids, minerals, or vitamins? Did they ever

recommend these nutrients to you? Does your psychiatrist assume

that you, as their patient, currently have all of the 50 or so

scientifically known essential nutrients that your body and your

brain need? Apparently, your psychiatrist assumes just that.

 

Sadly, your psychiatrist knows very little to nothing about the

therapeutic use of nutrients. And sadly, your psychiatrist knows

almost nothing about the various nutrient, malabsorptive, allergic,

and toxic factors that cause almost all mental illness in the first

place. All that your psychiatrist knows is how to dispense

medication in an attempt to control your symptoms.

 

It is becoming clearer and cleared in the alternative medical arena

that (1) broadly increasing one's essential nutrient status (with

some exceptions in some cases, but always paying attention to the

key detoxification nutrients), (2) minimizing one's exposure to

allergens, (3) minimizing one's exposure to toxins, while (4)

broadly addressing the common malabsortive factors that impair

nutrient delivery of (a) chronically ingesting food allergens, (b)

intestinal dysbiosis, © a probable lack of digestive enzymes, (d)

a possible lack of adequate stomach acid, (e) underhydration, and

(f) a lack of enough exercise… when these issues are all corrected

in total this more or less represents " a foundation biochemical

intervention " to in order recover human health period (to include

mental health). God, in the form of the natural wisdom of nature in

your body, a wisdom that knows how to heal itself when given enough

nutrients to do so, does the rest.

 

The above is not the whole story by any means. It is simply an

introduction to the whole new wave of understanding that alternative

medicine represents.

 

My own profound recovery from over 30 years of heavy bipolar

symptoms greatly concurs with the basic understanding of alternative

medicine that is reflected above.

 

I did not have to fix my brain directly to recover from bipolar

disorder. I had to (1) eliminate chronic ingestion of multiple

hidden food allergens that were really crippling me and (2) I had to

fix my gut; as my gut did not digest and absorb well at all until I

learned how to intervene with digestive enzymes, HCL, probiotics,

glutamine, bentonite, and a number of other gut healing measures.

The first crucial concept that I had to learn in my recovery was

that for me to even have a chance of truly succeeding, I had to take

full personal responsibility for my own wellness and my own

recovery. This concept got me " unstuck " from relying on any doctor

or any other outside party to " fix my mental illness " . I admittedly

did not learn this powerful and personally empowering idea on my

own. I learned this idea from an earlier version of " The Depression

Workbook " by Mary Ellen Copeland, a book that is unfortunately no

longer in print.

 

In my opinion, it so turns out that even though alternative medicine

has developed (and is still developing) much new truth in which to

help us, one often does not need ANY doctor's services at all in

which to recover from mental illness. Almost everything an

alternative doctor can do for you can be performed at home by

yourself, if not performed at home even better by yourself, than

using any doctor's services whatsoever, alternative or not.

I sure don't need a doctor to tell me what supplements I should

take, or what dosage of them to take as well. Nor do I need any

doctor at all to tell me how to address hidden food allergy,

candida, or any other common problematic gut issues in myself. In my

recovery from manic depression, I found that I could learn about all

of these issues and/or how to correct for them from various books

and from the Internet on my own.

 

I was hurt by medical ignorance once (traditional psychiatry). And I

see many being hurt again... hurt by some alternative doctors that

don't know alternative medical concepts well, and yet still charge

an awful lot of money for very erroneous advice. Even if you choose

to use an alternative medical practitioner to help you, I highly

recommend that you do a good deal of your own research, such that

you will know if your alternative doctor is giving you fairly

competent advice or not.

 

And be very suspicious of any alternative doctor that tries to sell

you on the fact that you are " biochemically individual "

or " biochemically unique. Certainly we are all biochemically

unique, but this is not the heart of the matter when overcoming

mental illness. Dealing with the various nutrient, malabsorptive,

allergic, and toxic factors as introduced herein is the heart of the

matter in this author's opinion, for the most part. We human beings

are far more biochemically alike that we are different.

 

Also, be very suspicious of any alternative doctor that tries to

sell you on the fact that you need a lot of expensive laboratory

tests in order to be treated properly by alternative medicine. Many

alternative medical practitioners recommend such. Food allergy

testing, stool testing, and amino acid testing are almost useless in

most cases, if not can give erroneous results which can obscure the

truth (this is especially true in regard to food allergy testing).

And much (but not all) mineral testing is of very limited value as

well. A hair test, although not perfect, might be wise, and a ph

test of one's saliva should be done (this latter test only costs

pennies, and a hair test costs about $60).

 

I consider the following books to be " must read books " for those

persons that wish to overcome a number of psychiatric conditions

naturally. This reading list is only for those persons that have

taken full responsibility for their own wellness and their own

recovery, and are able to read and discriminate between quite a bit

of information, some of which is in error.

 

Admittedly, one needs to " read between the lines " of the books in

the list below in order to realize their connection to " mental

illness " . Why is this the case? This is because many of the books

listed do not even mention any " psychiatric " condition at all (and

they may not mention yours), even though they are all quite germane

to such (to include yours as well).

 

How can the above be true?

 

The books listed below concern various (1) nutritional, (2)

malabsorptive, (3) allergic, and (4) toxic factors. These four

factors affect human health, due to their ability to cause essential

nutrient deficiency, affect cellular performance, or both. One

reason that some of the books in the list below don't mention

any " psychiatric " condition is that some (but not all) of the

authors of these books did not realize when they wrote them that

these malabsorptive, allergic, and toxic factors were important to

deal with when properly correcting almost any instance of " mental

illness " .

 

In leaving out of the list a number of other great books on

overcoming chemical imbalance naturally, I do not mean to demean

either the authors of these books or the valuable insight contained

in them in any way. Dr. Abram Hoffer, Dr. William Crook, and Joan

Matthews Larson are very worthy of mention in this regard. Although

none of these author's books are in the reading list below, they

have written some really great books.

 

If " I had to do my recovery all over again " I sure feel that the

following twelve books would have been a great place to start vs.

the hundred and fifty to two hundred books that I had to plough

through over ten years to find these gems. Essentially books one

through five in the list below were where I found various truths

that I needed to find in order to get better from 30 years of heavy

bipolar symptoms. Books six through twelve I read after I got well,

and saw much value in them.

 

I cannot thank the authors of the books listed below enough. In a

very real sense, I owe the authors of some of these books my very

life.

 

1. " The Way Up From Down " by Priscilla Slagle. This book is a true

classic (it was first published in 1987). Its amino acid

prescriptions are quite out of date, but when they were first

published they were way ahead of their time. This book is available

as a free download from the website www.thewayup.com. It is also

only about $6.00 in paperback, probably the best use of $6. I

experienced in my entire life.

 

The great value in this book is that it is not too complex and it is

rather easily understood. It gives someone a very useful overview

of some of the concepts that are necessary to change their

neurotransmitter levels naturally. It also gives someone a very

useful overview of what some of the common biochemically depleting

factors are (such that one's neurotransmitter levels are depressed).

 

Although this book is a good introductory book in regard to

developing some basic general understanding of how to change one's

mood and brain chemistry with nutrients, this book does not contain

nearly enough knowledge to be able to correct severe mental illness

in oneself. The more one learns the better, and this book is not

nearly comprehensive enough.

 

2. " Depression - Cured At Last " by Sherry Rogers, M.D. A truly

landmark work. Not to be missed. This book can be found on

www.prestigepublishing.com, as can all of Dr. Rogers books. For

those that like to read Sherry Rogers goes into depth, but she does

so in a way that is readily understandable by most persons. Sherry

Rogers was my greatest teacher by far. I say this despite the fact

that Dr. Rogers does not know how to use the tremendous therapeutic

power of amino acids at all. And I do not agree on everything Dr.

Rogers has written (better concepts on certain things can be found

elsewhere). However, Dr. Rogers's books, when they are judged in

their totality from reading all of her books, are absolutely

fabulous. Dr. Rogers greatly helps a layperson to understand the

chemistry of the human body better. They also greatly help someone

to understand the common problematic gut issues that often underlie

nutrient deficiency (and thus neurotransmitter, hormonal, and enzyme

deficiency in the body and brain as well). And her books cover so

much else related to natural healing as well.

 

Both of the above authors (Dr. Priscilla Slagle and Dr. Sherry

Rogers), despite being medical doctors, are not drug oriented at

all. They favor nutrients and other natural healing measures vs. the

use of medication. And they both trash the orthodox medical

establishment for the way it deals with depression in a very logical

and understandable way.

 

Incidentally, the Dr. Priscilla Slagle and Dr. Sherry Rogers are

both medical doctors that suffered from depression themselves. They

both found and used many similar concepts in order to overcome

depression naturally. And they both think quite highly of each

others written work. It sure seems to me that if one actually

suffers from an illness, as these authors both personally did, it

gives them a significant advantage in gaining an accurate and true

understanding of the illness in question vs. someone who does not

have this particular illness at all.

 

3. " Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management " by Bernard Jensen.

This book is a true classic on the gut, and it has been for years.

It contains some knowledge and concepts not found on any other book

in this list. This book is truly a " must read book " . Despite the

fact that this book mentions no psychiatric illness at all, it is

germane to all psychiatric illnesses. The concept of bowel transit

time is very important, if not crucial, to mental health, as is the

concept of autointoxication. Did you know that a healthy human

being eating a natural diet has two or three loose, easy to pass,

healthy bowel movement a day? Bernard Jensen knew this, and he has

taught many persons this fact. Bernard Jensen also taught many

persons how toxic the colon can be, and how important it is to

correct for this in order to recover one's health. What Bernard

Jensen taught us is quite germane to all mental illness from

depression to schizophrenia.

 

4. " Patient Heal Thyself " by Jordan Rubin. Jordan Rubin draws

heavily on the knowledge of Bernard Jensen and others, but puts

forth some of his own concepts as well. His own personal story of

recovery, which is in most of his books, is both miraculous and true.

 

Jordan Rubin is " the new kid on the block gut-wise " . Both his books

and his Garden of Life supplement products are well spoken of by

many.

 

5. " Digestive Wellness " by Elizabeth Lipski. This book is a real gem

on the gut. It is a very worthy read in regard to common

problematic gut issues and how to correct them.

 

6. " Restoring Your Digestive Health " by Jordan Rubin. This book

details his " Guts and Glory Program " for healing the gut. Jordan

Rubin does miss the issue of hidden food allergy almost completely,

but on other gut issues he is very insightful.

 

7. " No More Heartburn " by Sherry Rogers, M.D. This is Dr. Rogers

only professionally edited book (all the rest were self published,

which is not at all a negative feature, as when Dr. Rogers self

published she often put quite a few helpful references at the end of

each chapter). " No More Heartburn " essentially strips " the gut

issues " out of her book " Depression - Cured At Last " and expands on

them somewhat.

 

8. " Conquering Yeast Infections " by S. Colet Lahoz. This is the

only book that I know of that extols the use of bentonite and

psyllium for dealing with candida and other intestinal dysbiosis

issues. As such, this book automatically makes my favorite reading

list. I say this despite the fact that I often use far more

bentonite and psyllium than Ms. Lahoz recommends. I think that her

dosage recommendations are often far too low to adequately and

quickly correct serious intestinal dysbiosis.

 

Ms. Lahoz suggestion of using olive oil and coconut oil to correct

the gut is a very good one (caprol which she recommends, is a

combination of these two oils). I personally take these and other

gut healing oils apart from taking bentonite and psyllium, as Ms.

Lahoz recommends.

 

I was actually using bentonite and psyllium much earlier in my

recovery than when I found and read this book. In my opinion, it is

inevitable that bentonite and psyllium are going to be found to be

incredibly useful in regard to treating a whole host of mental

conditions, to include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and all the

rest. This is due to bentonite and psyllium being able to purge the

gut of a wide range of intestinal dysbiosis and intestinal

malabsorptive issues fairly quickly without experiencing any (or

hardly any) die off reaction whatsoever.

 

9. " The Mood Cure " by Julia Ross. This book is a very worthy read,

despite the fact that there is not enough emphasis placed on the

common problematic gut issues that underlie most mental illness. It

is one of the few books that recognize the tremendous therapeutic

power of amino acids.

 

Julia Ross, Margot Kidder (the actress that overcame bipolar

disorder in herself naturally), and myself all seem to have

independently come up with a very similar amino acid prescription

for inhibition and/or to promote sleep in the late 1990's. This

amino acid prescription regime uses tryptophan, taurine, GABA for

the most part, although other nutrients are also involved.

 

I have one major disagreement with Julia Ross. Until she recommends

some kind of broad based amino acid prescription for depression, I

strongly feel that she is incorrect on this issue. Her old

tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan prescription for depression is

simply a page out of Dr. Slagle's book " The Way Up From Down " . It

is quite out of date. Taking broad based amino acid preparations is

a far more effective approach for the relief of depression than

simply boosting a few key neurotransmitters (by taking a few

individual amino acids, as Julia Ross and Dr. Slagle recommend).

 

10. " The Amino Revolution " by Robert Erdmann. This book has some

serious flaws, but so little is written on amino acids. This book

made my favorite book list more or less by default, due to the fact

so few decent books are written on how to use amino acids

therapeutically.

 

Robert Erdmann does know that taking broad based amino acids is

wise. Although he also recommends coupling various amino acids to

treat various problems, he also recommends broad based amino acids

as well.

 

One obvious error that comes to mind when I read Robert Erdmann's

book is that he does not mention the use of taurine for inhibition.

This is a clear mistake, as taurine is powerfully inhibitory for

many persons.

 

Unfortunately, Robert Erdmann does not give any dosage

recommendations in his book, or any set of guidelines for

determining such. In general, one needs to determine their own

dosage in regard to amino acids (both blended and individual amino

acids), by dosing up slowly and cautiously over a period of time

while monitoring their effect in oneself.

 

I have personally taken well over 80,000 capsules of individual or

blended amino acids since 1997, along with a whole range of vitamin

and mineral cofactors. Amino acids are incredibly helpful

substances in regard to correcting depression and mania in other

manic depressive persons and myself, once one learns how to use them

properly. They are also incredibly helpful substances in regard to

resolving a whole host of other mental and physical conditions. In

addition, amino acids are also incredibly helpful substances in

regard to resolving all cases of substance abuse (from alcohol to

heroin and everything in between). Yet so little is known about how

to use amino acids properly when treating ill health of any sort.

And so few books are written about them as well. At least Robert

Erdmann wrote one, not a perfect book, but quite useful nonetheless.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how little is written in regard to

applying amino acids to mental conditions. After all, amino acids

are the primary nutrient precursors to nearly every

neurotransmitter, hormone, and enzyme in the human body. Remember,

if one takes the water out of an average human being, the remainder

by weight is roughly 70% amino acids, vs. only 20% by weight of

fats, 5% by weight of minerals, and a small amount of vitamins. In

saying what I have about amino acids, I do not mean to demean the

importance of minerals, as this class of essential nutrients is

crucial to the proper functioning of every cell in the human body

(minerals are arguably as important as amino acids in regard to

chemical balance, despite their being so much less of one's body

weight). Nor do I mean to demean the importance of enough " good

fats " , as these essential nutrients, just as vitamins, minerals, and

amino acids are, are also crucial to human health and well being as

well.

 

11. " Is This Your Child? " by Doris Rapp. Do not confuse this book

with the book " Is This Your Child's World? " by Doris Rapp. These are

two different books. " Is This Your Child? " , although written for

ADHD, strongly applies to depression, bipolar disorder and many

other psychiatric conditions as well.

 

Dr. Doris Rapp (as well as Dr. William Crook and many others) has a

good part of the basics down right. She knows that hidden food

allergies and problematic gut issues (such as candida) are the major

causes of ADHD in most children that are so afflicted. Current

alternative medical thought recognizes the power and prevalence of

food allergies, just as Dr. Rapp does. However, current alternative

medical thought goes beyond addressing just candida when addressing

problems in the gut. The new buzzword for common gut problems

is " intestinal dysbiosis " . In simple terms, intestinal dysbiosis

means disordered biology in the GI tract. This is an inclusive term

that encompasses (1) too much candida (a common yeast condition),

(2) too many various other yeasts, molds and fungi, (3) too

many " bad bacteria " that do not belong in the gut, (4) not

enough " good bacteria " that should be present in the gut, and (5)

the presence of parasites.

 

12. " Optimum Nutrition for the Mind " by Patrick Holford. One of the

newer " brain books " . This book has its strengths and weaknesses, as

do all of the books that are listed here. Patrick Holford does

realize the importance of hidden food allergies and intestinal

dysbiosis when dealing with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and the

like. These common malabsorptive issues are recognized by many

persons as being crucial to the treatment of bipolar disorder,

depression, schizophrenia, and the like. However, these common

malabsorptive issues are still missed by many persons in these

regards as well, to include many persons involved in the highest

echelons of medical research.

 

There are many great truths in the above books. Putting these

truths together may represent close to the best level of

understanding in regard to overcoming bipolar disorder, depression,

schizophrenia, alcoholism, and a whole host of other mental and

physical conditions at the current time.

 

However, I am admittedly in disagreement with some material in

almost every book that is listed above. It seems to me that most of

the above authors were right on some stuff and wrong on others... at

least in regard to understanding what I needed to know to overcome

bipolar disorder in myself. Some of the errors in the above books

were just plain errors. Some of the errors in the above books were

errors of emphasis (such as not emphasizing the importance of hidden

food allergy or intestinal dysbiosis issues enough while focusing on

issues such as the thyroid or blood sugar control, both of which are

often caused by nutrient deficiency as a result of a deficient diet,

food allergies, or intestinal dysbiosis). And some of these errors

were errors of omission (such as Sherry Rogers not knowing how to

use amino acids, Jordan Rubin discounting the importance of food

allergy, etc.).

 

In addition to the above books, many websites are a valuable

resource of information as well. These websites are far too

numerous to list, but the following should give someone an idea of

how many there are, and where to find them.

 

By using Google as a search engine on June 2, 2005, I coupled the

individual illnesses of depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD, ADD,

bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and alcoholism with the words or

phrases of food allergy, candida, intestinal dysbiosis, digestive

enzymes, malabsorption, leaky gut, and irritable bowel syndrome

(IBS). In essence, I was coupling a number of common psychiatric

illnesses (and one issue of substance abuse common to psychiatric

patients) with various common problems related to the gut.

 

When I coupled the word depression with the aforementioned gut

issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits:

1,110,000, 39,000, 3,930, 209,000, 81,700, 27,600, and 823,000

respectively.

 

When I coupled the word anxiety with the aforementioned gut issues,

Google came up with the following amount of hits: 823,000, 296,000,

723, 180,000, 56,100, 21,600, and 657,000 respectively.

 

When I coupled the word autism with the aforementioned gut issues,

Google came up with the following amount of hits: 405,000, 64,100,

1,560, 26,300, 10,200, 11,100, and 428,000 respectively.

 

When I coupled the word ADHD with the aforementioned gut issues,

Google came up with the following amount of hits: 1,000,000,

130,000, 582, 157,000, 7,690, 2,910, and 96,000 respectively.

 

When I coupled the word ADD with the aforementioned gut issues,

Google came up with the following amount of hits: 2,000,000,

483,000, 2,070, 497,000, 52,200, 49,400, and 451,000 respectively.

 

When I coupled the words bipolar disorder with the aforementioned

gut issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits:

659,000, 35,200, 185, 54,000, 9,330, 754, and 467,000 respectively.

 

When I coupled the word schizophrenia with the aforementioned gut

issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits: 826,000,

38,000, 384, 28,500, 13,100, 4,320, and 579,000 respectively.

 

When I coupled the word alcoholism with the aforementioned gut

issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits: 384,000,

40,100, 490, 36,100, 22,600, 4,300, and 212,000 respectively.

 

Admittedly, not all of the hits reflected in the lists above are

very useful. In fact, many of them are not. However, the high

amount of hits of almost any " psychiatric " illness when this illness

is coupled with common gut problems cannot, nor should not, be

ignored. Such counts in the paragraphs above are strongly

suggestive that all common gut problems should be assessed and

addressed when correcting any " mental " illness whatsoever (even if

other natural measures need to be done as well). Indeed, these high

counts from simple searches on the Internet are a pretty strong

indication that the entire concept of mental illness is becoming

functionally obsolete.

 

I do hope that some of the information contained in the above

material is helpful to the reader in some way.

 

Sincerely,

 

Allen Darman