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We appreciate a wide variety of opinions, but we cannot permit and therefore encourage suggesting that a person follow any users medical advice without the advice of their doctor - and or foregoing any other medical advice; particularly that of the asker's own doctor. Also remember that no users credentials have been verified in any way - this means that users may not be who they say they are.

In the same vein, we would not encourage anyone against modern medicine and support that a change in diet could cure them. -AMHD Team



In main stream medicine and psychology there is a strong emphasis on the drugs and/or psychotherapy approach to the treatment of mental illness. Yet studies show that only about 40% of patients with mental illness using either drugs and/or psychotherapy gain any benefit from this prevailing approach.

See:
Beyond Efficacy: The STAR*D Trial, Am J Psychiatry 163:5-7, January 2006 by Insel, TR (2006), (http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/163/1/5)

Many scientists are paying attention to alternative nondrug approaches to mental illnesses as mentioned here (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/mental-emotional-health/sources-nutritional-biochemistry-mentall-illness-29640.html) and at:

www.alterenativementalhealth.com (http://www.alterenativementalhealth.com)

Faith in conventional psychiatry remains firmly settled and established despite poor results, a trend that may be better explained by some sociologists. The prevailing view that mental illness is all in the mind overlooks the reality that most abnormal psychological experiences are the results of a sick brain - unable to manufacture serotonin and other neurotransmitters - rather than the result of "false cognitive processes".

Dr Chris Reading, an orthomolecular psychiatrist and author of the book " Trace Your Genes to Health" gave a lecture at a recent meeting of the Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia under the title of:

"Mentally Ill or Metabolically Disadvantaged"

After having studied thousands of patients with mental illness, especially Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, he sees a close association between mental illness and other degenerative diseases - too many to mention here - most which can be traced back to our immediate ancestors in our family. He asked his patients to construct "family trees" showing illnesses that their mothers or fathers, uncles and aunts, grandmothers and grandfathers may have suffered.

Many of these illnesses, especially those that affect digestion and organs relating to digestion - are transmitted from one generation to the next via recessive or dominant autosomal faulty genes. Dysfunctional digestive organs interfere with the absorption of nutrients that are necessary for the body to produce the feel good neurotransmitters (http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=define%3A+neurotransmitter&bang=Google+Search) such as serotonin. He devoted considerable time to the role played by sex hormones. Sex chromosomes are unique in that in the male they contain one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. The female sex chromosomes contains two X chromosomes.

The genes affecting the transmission of mental illnesses and many other degenerative diseases are often contained in the X chromosome. Thus a father with mental illness is unlikely to pass on his illness to his son, but he could pass it on to his daughter, in which the faulty genes is protected by another healthy X gene. Thus although the daughter may be free of the illness, she could pass it on to her sons at the rate of 50%. The sons may not have a healthy X gene in their sex chromosome.

Thus an understanding of genetic predisposition enables a person to predict the risk of illness, including mental illness. If there is a risk the person can take action to prevent the faulty gene from expressing itself, through nutrition. Most of the illnesses associated with mental illness affect illnesses affecting digestion, interfering with nutrient absorption.

For instance, food sensitivities and allergies to food items and fractions of food items (called peptides some as small as 7 amino acids) can be inherited. They can pass through the maternal placenta to unborn children, thus sensitizing babies to allergies and exposing them to degenerative disease including mental illnes in later life. Fortunately, some modern medical laboratories here in Australia can detect the presence of antibodies to these fractions anabling the dotor to advise you to avoid certain foods.

Orthomolecular psychiatry is about treating as many medical conditions - mainly genetically inherited - that can affect the manufacture of feel good brain chemicals.

Dr Chris Reading introduced his talk with "Politics of Psychiatry" telling of his years of conflict with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry (RANZCP) who refuse to accept orthomolecular psychiatry. Orthodox psychiatry remains wedded to drug oriented treatment.

I offer a copy of our Newsletter for those who may be interested here.

Mentally Ill or Metabolically Disadvantaged?" by Dr Chris Reading (http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/news/hyponl2006_12.pdf)
and go to page 3.

Dr Chris Reading throws a light on the direction modern psychiatry is taking us in the 21 century.

So, you are basically suggesting that schizoprenia and bipolar disorder can be treated with diet?

I do believe that children who suffer from PKU can benefit from diet therapy. But I believe you are riding on a very fine line when suggesting that serious disorders such as those you have named can be treated with diet.

While the benefits do outweigh the risks of diets, however, diet is not a cure all for every patient suffering these debilitating diseases.

While changing diet may help alleviate some symptoms of certain disorders it is a far cry from a cure.

I can underdstand you concerns. But we are talking about science not individual opinions or philosophies. Most of what goes on as Psychology is still theoretical and philosphical. I always advise people to discuss my articles with Nutritional Doctors or Clinical Nutritionists. These are the scientists familiar with nutrtitional therapy relating to mental illness. Please read:

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

I too have personal experience in the areas you profess expertise. I have a family member who has suffered with many psychological illnesses, so I understand first-hand what you are talking about.

If this particular family member had followed your diets he would not be around today. He sees psychiatrists, psychologists, AND nutritionists, and has for more than 20 years. He has been on your so-called diet, did nothing for him. He would be dead today if he followed your diagnosis and "prescription" for a mentally healty life.

I also suggest that you read Dr Chris Reading's book: "Trace your Genes to Health" for a better understanding how nutrition is going to play a role in Psychiatry in the 21 Century. This is not something that can be summarized in the space available at this board.

Also read:

Samra, G (2004),THE ALLERGY CONNECTION: Food and Disease Paradigm, One Stop Allergies, Kogarah, Australia

Samra, George(2004), THE HYPOGLYCEMIC CONNECTION II, One Step Allergies, Sydney

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

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

And there are many others.


Nutritional doctors are available at

www.alternativementalhealth.com

At the moment psychotropic medication is still the best option. I am talking about the future of psychiatry. There are many psychiatrists who are helping their patients with as little drugs as possible. I worked (and still work with) with psychiatrists who are trying to treat their patients with as little drugs as is possible and this was and is very rewarding. Sometimes at this stage of knowledge, medication is unavoidable. It is not a matter of all or nothing.

The advantage of nutritional therapy is that you can get patients to stick to their medications. Psychiatric medication may have awful side effects. This is due because medication interferes with the absorption of nutrients that are necessary in neurotransmitter production. Think of Tardive Dyskinesia, that can be avoided by nutritional means.

It is difficult to get mentally ill criminal offenders to stick to their medication. I did this through nutritional therapy.

For instance, if you are on lithium carbonate for Bipolar Disorder (a good proportion of prisoners), it is important to get the patients to receive vitamin B12 injections. Lithium carbonate interferes with the absorption of B12 and folic acid. These nutrients are important in the manufacture of SAM-e, a natural antidepressant chemical we produce in the body from methionine in the presence of many other nutrients and biological energy (derived form sugar). Anybody studying nutritional biochemistry should be familiar with the mechanism. You can also reduce the manic phase considerably with the supplementation of lecithin. See:

Lecithin and Bipolar Disorder (http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/rich_sources_nutrients.html#Choline:)

However you don't use choline in a depressive phase.

Most of this information is available in:

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

So you can just imagine that informed psychiatrists do like to refer patients to Clinical Nutritionists with the aim of reducing side effects. It certainly helped in the Criminal Justice Department environment (Prisons and people on Parole), where I worked for 20 years.

Most clients do well on the hypoglycemic diet and avoidance of various allergies and food sensitivities.

The trouble is that many therapists (and for that matter many doctors and psychologists and psychiatrists) are not familiar with nutritional biochemistry. Nor familiar with some of the medical test to detect nutritional problems. But any doctor can perform the four hour Medical Test for Hypoglycemia (http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/testing_hypoglycemia.html), if they understand the difference between diabetes and prediabetic hypoglycemia (Reactive hypoglycemia that would be more familiar to them), and how hypoglycemia can affect the mind.

I believe that nutrition is going to play a greater role and may in the future and possibly replace the exclusive reliance on drugs with nutritional therapy, if and only if we can overcome the biases and misleading assumptions maintained by professionals in the mental health industry, as well as clients themselves.

It is a question of education and getting into the hands of informed therapists.

From his website:
"DISCLAIMER: The articles in this web site are not intended to replace a one-to-one relationship with a qualified health professional and they are not intended as medical advice."

Also it's important to make informed decisions about any medical issues. If you or someone you know suffers from mental illness and someone recommends a 'nutrional' solution then please visit this site: http://www.xenu.net/

Here is another link to visit: http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/07/01/sci_psy/index.html?pn=2

I have been eating healthy most of my life, and keep fit the best I can, but I am getting tests done for bipolar. I guess changing diets may work for some, but not for others.