For those who are interested in the nutritional aspects of mental illness, here are some references:

Werbach,M.R.(1991), NUTRITIONAL INFLUENCES ON MENTAL ILLNESS, A Sourcebook of Clinical Research, Third Line Pres, Inc.Tarzana. Cal.

Chaitow,L(1985), AMINO ACIDS IN THERAPY, Thorsons Pub. Inc N.Y.

Alternative Mental Health (http://www.alternativementalhealth.com)

Conquering Anxiety, Depression and Fatigue Without Drugs - The Role of Hypoglycemia byProfessor J H Levitt (http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/hypoglycemia.htm)

Depression: a Disease of Energy Production (http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_energy.html)

Web site: Anxiety and Panic Attacks and its connection to Hypoglycemia here (http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/hypo)

Research Evidence for Hypoglycemia and Depression (http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/research_hypoglycemia.html)

Pubmed at:

Connection between Depression and Insulin Resistance (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=PureSearch&db=pubmed&details_term=15498084%2012716822%2012587196%2012529832%2012489070%2012376076%2011090300%2011079812%2011016895%2010442443%2010337937%209868991%208583968%208834092%207838010%20638393%5BUID%5D)

Google searches:

Hypoglycemia and Anxiety Attacks (http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=anxiety+hypoglycemia&btnG=Google+Search)

Anxiety and Insulin Resistance (http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=anxiety+Insulin+Resistance&btnG=Google+Search)

Alcoholism and Hypoglycemia (http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=alcoholism+and+hypoglycemia&spell=1)

Article"Alcoholism and Hypoglycemia" (http://www.healthrecovery.com/alcoholism_hypoglycemia.html)

Why Hypoglycemics crave Alcohol? (http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/hypos_prefer_alcohol.html)

So are you saying that every person suffering from any disorder or illness is Hypoglycemic? and diet is the answer?
Because this is all I am getting from all of your source links.

So are you saying that every person suffering from any disorder or illness is Hypoglycemic? and diet is the answer?
Because this is all I am getting from all of your source links.

Yes, it is all a matter of broadening your mind and look at different angles for causes of mental illness. You seem to simplify nutritional therapy when you say "that every person suffering from any disorder or illness is Hypoglycemic? "

Perhaps you would like to study it with an open mind.

Let me see if I understand you correctly. If a person were diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder or schizophrenia, they could be cured by following your diet?

While I do agree that your diet is very beneficial, I do believe it can be dangerous to lead people to believe that they will be cured by following your diet.

I have a family member who would be dead right now if he followed only your diet. He is Bipolar and has been on a hypoglycemic diet for several years now. Is he off his meds because of the diet? No, actually his meds have had to be increased.

Jpurplesman, do you have any severely mentally ill people in your family? And if so, have they been cured by your diet? I ask because there's a big difference between treating a patient in your office and having them "present" as well to you, and actually living with someone and seeing them night and day. I know my husband has patients who present well in the office, but continue to act in bizarre ways at home and with their families. Just a thought.

Let me see if I understand you correctly. If a person were diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder or schizophrenia, they could be cured by following your diet?

While I do agree that your diet is very beneficial, I do believe it can be dangerous to lead people to believe that they will be cured by following your diet.

No most psychotic disorders cannot be treated by diet alone. But the hypoglycemic diet will reduce many of their symptoms. Also the hypo diet may offset some of the side effects of drugs. See:

Werbach,M.R.(1991), NUTRITIONAL INFLUENCES ON MENTAL ILLNESS, A Sourcebook of Clinical Research, Third Line Pres, Inc.Tarzana. Cal.

Also see my article:

The Nutritional Aspects of Schizophrenia (http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/news/hyponl2001_06.pdf) go to page 7 of Newsletter.

But there are orthomolecular psychiatrists who treat schizophrenia nutritionally.

A good reference is:

Alternative Mental Health (http://www.alternativementalhealth.com)

Jpurplesman, do you have any severely mentally ill people in your family? And if so, have they been cured by your diet? I ask because there's a big difference between treating a patient in your office and having them "present" as well to you, and actually living with someone and seeing them night and day. I know my husband has patients who present well in the office, but continue to act in bizarre ways at home and with their families. Just a thought.

Yes I know all about mental illness. I began my career as a Psychiatric Nurse in the 1950's. I was severely mentally ill most of the first part of life up to about 1964. Have been on psychiatric drugs, was suicidal, became an iatrogenic drug addict, underwent "counselling" of all sorts without much help. I discovered nutritional biochemistry through reading. I am also partially deaf which makes class room type of education very difficult for me. I completed a degree at the University majoring in psychology, in the hope of helping myself. Went through uni mostly whilst on drugs. After graduation I became a drug counsellor where I discovered the connection between drug addiction and hypoglycemia. This is where I came off drugs. Then became a psychotherapist in the Probation and Parole Service of NSW running groups for drug addicts and many other offenders. My unorthodox approach to therapy came into conflict with established authority especially organised psychiatry, that seems to rule over the mental health industry.

See my career here (http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/i-plesman_segment.html).

I have mental illness running in my family. My brother was Bipolar with very severe symptoms. I was able to help him a little with the diet and also lecithin. See:
Lecithin and Bipolar Disorder (http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=lecithin+bipolar+disorder+site%3Awww.hypoglycemia.asn.au&btnG=Search), that counteracts the manic phase of his illness. He had been under the care of many psychiatrists only one of whom was more accepting of the nutritional approach. Just before he died he was on about 17 medications. There are two other members in my brother's immediate family with schizophrenia. The other children have escaped by going on a hypoglycemic diet from early childhood on.

I have suffered from every type of non-psychotic illness, from PTSD (war experiences), OCD, anxieties, nightmares, agoraphobia, suicidal thoughts you name it.

I have tried to record my experiences as a psychotherapist in my self-help book "Getting off the Hook" which is freely available on the internet.

In my retirement I am devoting my life to helping people overcome this dreadful disease through education.

Jurplesman,

I understand Cellular Respiration – Glucose produces Pyruvic Acid ->Acetyl CoA, and so on. I understand dehydrogenase, the Electron Transport System (ETS) and oxidative phosphorylation. I also understand that you have a Bachelors Degree, are a Registered Nurse with a couple more letters behind the name (not that far ahead of me) and I understand that all of the links in the majority of your answers go straight to your newsletter and your website, except for some of the Google sites you give.

I believe all of this is your research and it is not, as yet, recognized by any of the major medical associations in the world. And as a researcher you are unwisely suggesting that people of AMHD basically volunteer for your experiments, which should be conducted to the rigorous and recognised standards of a proper medical research which would include among other things complete medical screening of the volunteers. It places people at AMHD at unnecessary hazard, one of which is that the rate of diabetes in the U.S. alone is rising at astronomical proportions and I fear someone who is early stage diabetic and does not know they are early stage diabetic, goes on your diet, and seriously damages kidney, liver and/or pancreas.



With that in mind, would you and your Association be willing to accept responsibility?

While I have repeated agreed to nutrition playing a larger part than most might believe in many aspects of health... here is where I have trouble with the amount of significance being placed on nutrition as a role in mental illness by you:

1. The copyright to the book is 1986; it is essentially an old idea. I know the mechanics of a good idea in the culture I live in enough to know with little doubt that if this was a breakthrough, it would have been picked up somewhere in mainstream research, trials would have been conducted, papers published, even books written. The biomechanics side of pyschiatry is expanding slowly and not as a seperate part of psychology or psychiatry. There have been similar books written - Susan Powter "Stop The Insanity" was one of the more famous ones and her books line the shelves of thrift stores now. There are other nutritional books of a more holistic approach to mental illness but even there nutrition plays only a part of something with many factors involved. It is not enough for me that you attempt to explain it away with "My unorthodox approach to therapy came into conflict with established authority especially organised psychiatry, that seems to rule over the mental health industry." Frankly if you don't understand that every quack solution floating down the pike likes to make that claim, then you haven't been in a health food store in the last decade and I would encourage you to go and look.

2. I have read through many of the posts and you vary in your statements about how much the help can help. With your brother, you were able to help "a little" but with a total stranger who admits to very little except being on the verge of suicide you imply you know exactly what is wrong. That really stunned me. One minute it may help some and the next minute it is the answer. That kind of inconsistency makes me think either some bad science is happening here or there is an agenda that isn't geared to really helping as the primary objective... either way isn't good.

3. When I give you firsthand accounts of not being helped enough by nutrition in my mental illness, you don't seem to have a reasonable way to factor that into equation. Why can't we both be right? Sometimes you aren't going to be able to help someone, and sometimes neither am I or anyone else here. Its the drive to prove you are right, at the implied expense of anything else, that makes me wonder what's up with this whole thing. This is all so easily avoided by sticking to saying "this change in nutrition might help" or "this diet may help with symptoms". Then if it doesn't, no harm, no foul. If you are going to use absolute statements, then I am concerned about the potential for hazard when you can't be held accountable should they prove unsound.

I think you may have a viable message, if it were toned down several decibles and more reasonable in its fitting in with other solutions. Otherwise, it sadly comes off as "if the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, then you tend to see every problem as a nail" which is no solution at all and risky business in the arena of mental illness, in my opinion.

I understand Cellular Respiration – Glucose produces Pyruvic Acid ->Acetyl CoA, and so on. I understand dehydrogenase, the Electron Transport System (ETS) and oxidative phosphorylation. I also understand that you have a Bachelors Degree, are a Registered Nurse with a couple more letters behind the name (not that far ahead of me) and I understand that all of the links in the majority of your answers go straight to your newsletter and your website, except for some of the Google sites you give.

You seem to be more interested in my qualifications than in the arguments I am presenting. I am trained in Clinical Nutrition and the best qualifications I have are years of experience as a nutritional psychotherapist to get people off drugs, overcome their depression, anxiety attacks and OCD, PTSD. Nobody forces you to be interested in my experiences. From what you write I get the impression that you are NOT interested. That is perfectly alright. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. But you never know a person reading on the side in our discussions may be interested and find an alternative way of overcoming their depression.

I fear someone who is early stage diabetic and does not know they are early stage diabetic, goes on your diet, and seriously damages kidney, liver and/or pancreas.


I am surprised to hear this from a nursing student. Please discuss this notion with a doctor for better information.

Frankly if you don't understand that every quack solution floating down the pike likes to make that claim, then you haven't been in a health food store in the last decade and I would encourage you to go and look.

These so called "quack solutions" are shared by a lot of scientists that happen to be outside the commercial, profit driven psycho/pharmaceutical industrial complex. This is why I have given some references from other sources.

2. I have read through many of the posts and you vary in your statements about how much the help can help. With your brother, you were able to help "a little" but with a total stranger who admits to very little except being on the verge of suicide you imply you know exactly what is wrong. That really stunned me. One minute it may help some and the next minute it is the answer. That kind of inconsistency makes me think either some bad science is happening here or there is an agenda that isn't geared to really helping as the primary objective... either way isn't good.

Where do I state that I "know exactly what is wrong" "with a total stranger"?

Most clients who come to see for the first time are thoroughly assessed in order to build a "social history" and also assessed medically for possible biological disorder that could account for their behaviour. I really don't see your point.

3. When I give you firsthand accounts of not being helped enough by nutrition in my mental illness, you don't seem to have a reasonable way to factor that into equation. Why can't we both be right? Sometimes you aren't going to be able to help someone, and sometimes neither am I or anyone else here. Its the drive to prove you are right, at the implied expense of anything else, that makes me wonder what's up with this whole thing. This is all so easily avoided by sticking to saying "this change in nutrition might help" or "this diet may help with symptoms". Then if it doesn't, no harm, no foul. If you are going to use absolute statements, then I am concerned about the potential for hazard when you can't be held accountable should they prove unsound.


You do a lot of "mind-reading" here.
I cannot recall, that we discussed your personal condition, but I have often stated that when it comes to psychotic disorder - such as schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder (running in my own family), nutrition can alleviate symptoms but not necessarily "cure" the illness. I also know from experience that there are dietary means of reducing the side effects of certain medications, which are always discussed in cooperation with the supervising psychiatrist. The statement that "nutrition might help" or "may help" are normal statements, that anybody familiar with science would say. If I would have used categorical statements you could have attacked me for making statements that are obviously false and not capable of substantiation. It is imprudent to say that "All mentally ill people have hypoglycemia". You should know, as well as I know, that most scientific statements are based on scientific literature using statistical probabilities in their research. This would exclude many categorical statements in science. But when it comes to text books on biochemistry the information given are usually in the form of categorical statements as a result of years of research by specialists. I won't give examples here

Otherwise, it sadly comes off as "if the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, then you tend to see every problem as a nail" which is no solution at all and risky business in the arena of mental illness, in my opinion.

It seems it is politically correct to say that "depression is a mutifactorial disease". This fits the conventional ideology. Yet conventional therapy seems to use only two tools in their toolbox: 1)drug therapy and/or 2) psychotherapy.

If you feel that depression is a complex matter, it may be to you, but not necessarily to me. I am always looking for causes - biological and psychological. Sometimes I am right and at other times I fail. But al all time I believe I have not made the connection between cause and consequence. A broken down computer is a very complex machine, but not to a computer technician. He is looking for causes and consequences on the basis of what he knows (science) of the computer.

If depression is truly a multifactorial illness, than why do you have an objection to adding another tool in your tool box? Nutritional therapy is just an additional tool.

If you would be familiar with my book, you would know that psychotherapy plays an essential role in total therapy. Two chapters are devoted to Nutritional Therapy and six are devoted to psychotherapy. Again most of the psychotherapy I teach may have departed from traditional teachings. Much has been developed from sheer experiences working with not only my own past personal emotional problems, but with thousands of clients who I had the privilege to meet.

My major message is that biological therapy comes before psychotherapy and here I seem to be in conflict with most traditionally educated psychologists. I object to the notion that the mind controls the body at all time. Most psychiatrist woud agree with me, but my dispute with psychiatrists seems to be that in most cases of non-psychotic mental disorders (brain diseases) I view pharmaceutical medications to be palliative (http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=define%3A+palliative&btnG=Google+Search) and often do not solve the underlying biochemical abnormality at the root of depression.

In conclusion I would like to say that I merely wanted to particpate in this discussion board because I believe that my experiences with mental illness, as a one-time client myself and a psychotherapist could throw a different and alternative light on treatment. But I also feels that I am in a fairly hostile environment here.

I realize that I sense a conflict that centers around me, as a person, rather than what I have to say. If that is the case, then you may have to look at your own emotional reactions to other people. You should wonder why I can (or you allow yourself) to stir up such strong emotions that has led you to insult me by questioning my integrity and demeaning me in another post titled "depression".

"An important scientific innovation rarely, makes its way by gradually winning over and converting its opponents. What does happen is that its opponents gradually die out and that the growing generation is familiar with the idea from the beginning."
-Max Planck

My only concern is the people here are not a pool of potential clients, yours or otherwise.

Hi Jurplesman,
It's hard to know what to say here. I hate to see anyone feel like they aren't being respected or welcomed here, because I feel this is one of the friendliest and most informative places on the net. We're all here because we truly want to help people, and we all have different backgrounds and experiences.
I think everyone here has very valid arguments. You could probably count me among one of your bigger supporters here, but like others, I guess I do have certain concerns.
There is certainly a great deal that qualifies me to have some understanding in these arguments. I too suffer from mental illness, chronic depression. Mental illness runs in both sides of my family. I spent the greater part of my adolescene in and out of psychiatric hospitals, repeatedly being thrown back into the world with no supports, every time my insurance ran out, no hope for a cure in sight. I tried every medication under the sun to no avail, some even seemed to make my symptoms worse.
I've had friends with illnesses ranging from schizophrenia to multiple personality disorder. Though medications have worked well for many of them, I know they don't always work well for all. I myself have found very different strategies for coping.
Growing up, my education was essentially non-existent due to the problems that dominated my life. When eventually I decided to pursue college studies, I began majoring in psychology. I did this off and on for a time, before becoming accepted into one of the best biotechnology programs in the US where I stayed for a year and a half. Not satisfied, I continued to wander in and out of schools, before finally graduating as a certified massage therapist.
I have as well, studied a great deal outside of formal avenues. Throughout my whole adult life, a good deal of my free time has been devoted to the study of Eastern philosophies, as well as different forms of alternative medicine, including herbalism and diet.
I don't claim to remeber everything I learned in college. After years of undiagnosed hypothyroidism and a couple bouts of chronic Lyme, I have a mind like a sieve. But I do feel J 9 has some very valid medical concerns. And I will defer to her expertise here, such no longer being a large part of my current curriculum of studies. As well, I consider Val to be one of the most practical and knowledgeable people here when it comes to dealing with the topic of depression. Val's posts continue to surprise me with their insight and acuity, particularly in coining a term such as "terminal uniqueness."
I do feel you are wrong in believing that depression is not a complex mental illness. Though there often is a tendency to reduce it to simple biochemistry, it is still often a wholly unanswerable matter of the chicken or the egg. Often it is impossible to determine just where the illness began, and whether an imbalance has lead to social dysfuctions, or whether social dysfuctions have contributed to the illness. But there is no mistaking that it affects people on many levels. Physical, mental, spiritual and social.
In training as a massage therapist, I was continually surprised at just how many people seek out therapy out of simple "touch deprivation", want of more intimate human contact. As a practicing Buddhist of over 15 years, I can honestly tell you, sutras and meditation have probably saved my life. Though all I'm saying here is, if I saw someone perched on the edge of a bridge, I'd be fairly reluctant to hand them a meditation cushion as a flotation device.
I think peoples concern here, is that many posters come here at the end of their rope, so to speak. I think many of them see these boards as their last hope, looking for a sympathetic ear in a sea of anonymity. I know I myself am not always able to reach out, as some things just hit too close to home. We must maintain a certain distance in order to remain objective and be effective in our advice. But most of all, we must, above all else, listen.
Forgive me if this sounds harsh, but I think people feel that when you repeatedly post links to nutritional therapy, that you are at risk of coming across as more of a marquee. I think you have an extraordinary amount to contribute here, and I personally hope you will stick around, but I'm not sure that when someone is contemplating suicide, this is necessarily the best time to refer them to reams of text.
Lend them your ear for now. True knowledge is timeless and will be no less valid tomorrow. Desperate people may only have today.

This thread reminds of another group that believe that that mental illness can be cured by diet and removing the alien spirits that inhabit the body. I looking into that too.

Alien spirits? :eek: That sounds like "Dianetics" not dietetics. :D

Thomas, I got the sread it message, so I want to say....

BRAVO
KUDOS
SPLENDID
BEAUTIFUL!!!!

I absolutely LOVED your post here.

Thanks J 9, I appreciate it. I always enjoy reading your posts. :)

Thomas...too much rep.

I just thought I would tell you that I loved your response. Your ability to say things so tactfully and tastefully is obvious. Well done.

Let me see if I understand you correctly. If a person were diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder or schizophrenia, they could be cured by following your diet?


You might be interested to knowm that some psychiatrists are claiming that.

Please read:

Reading, Chris (2002), TRACE YOUR GENES TO HEALTH, Ridgefield, CT. : Vital Health Publishing, 2002.

Too many links to read and your schizo links and some others didn't go anywhere.

While I believe that diet is important I don't think you can follow any one diet for a number of problems.
Omega, B vitamins and Co Q10 are essential for many things. CoQ10 is essential for people taking statins, while for reversing diabetes you need chromium, alpha lipoic, prickly pear to name a few.
For Schizo vitamin B3 and 6, glutamine and maganese are important.
Cancer you need mega doses of antioxidents, essaic, astragalus, CoQ10 and shark cartiledge, once again only a few.
Autism has a whole nother set of essential things.
Amino acids are also important as well as balancing PH and detoxing.

Oh I do plan to read up on some of the stuff in your links because I am interested in all the natural heal stuff.