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Safe Harbor was founded in 1998 in the wake of growing public dissatisfaction with the unwanted effects of orthodox psychiatric treatments such as medication and shock therapy. Seeking to satisfy the desire for safer, more effective treatments, the Project is dedicated to educating the public, the medical profession, and government officials on research and treatments that, minimally, do no harm and, optimally, cure the causes of severe mental symptoms. Our primary thrust is education on the medical causes of severe mental symptoms and the use of nutritional and other natural treatments.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
You are doing a great job with this newsletter. By the way, most of these anxiety cases are suffering from a deficiency of Vitamin E2 (only available in natural form). It is generally bought about through the refined-food American diet which no longer includes excellent sources of the whole vitamin E complex (like raw butter), or other high quality vegetable sources like certain organic baby greens, sprouts, etc. all of which can be home grown.
We handle “anxiety” routinely by getting patients to reduce their processed food loads and taking “Cataplex E2” from Standard Process Products (Palmyra), sometimes starting with 5 tablets or even more per meal with adults, generally about a third as much or less with children — and gradually reducing to 1-2 per meal for extreme cases. Takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Depending on diet, they may need the supplement for a long period of time. Works like a charm in almost all cases.
Freddie Ulan, DC
Certified Clinical Nutritionist
Director, Natural Health Improvement Center
Glens Falls, NY 12801
518-745-7473
ACUPUNCTURE TAKES AIM AT DEPRESSION
A pioneering pilot study, funded by the U.S. Office of Alternative Medicine, suggests that acupuncture may offer surprising benefits for those who are clinically depressed.
More therapeutic options would be welcome, experts say. Depression reportedly costs Americans about $40 billion a year in lost productivity and treatment charges. Acknowledging the high relapse rate from conventional treatment, Dr. Susan Blumenthal, a women’s health specialist in the Department of Health and Human Services, said, “Of course, any new modalities would be welcome.”
Some studies from the former Soviet Union and China have pointed to acupuncture as a possibly effective method for treating mood disorders. But depression per se doesn’t exist as a diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine, says psychologist John Allen of University of Arizona, Tucson. “We decided to look at how well acupuncture worked in treating the various symptoms of depression, even though the Chinese don’t have a specific name for the illness,” he says. With Tucson acupuncturist Rosa Schnyer, Allen did a 16-week experiment to test the value of acupuncture treatments tailored for improving specific symptoms of 34 seriously depressed women.
The study randomly divided the women into three groups. Group 1 got eight weeks of acupuncture designed to improve each woman’s particular symptoms. Group 2 got eight weeks of general acupuncture, with no effort to place needles at points linked by Chinese medicine to specific complaints, followed by eight weeks of treatment tailored to their problems. Group 3 was put on a wait list for eight weeks to test improvement just from waiting, then went for eight weeks of acupuncture prescribed for their own conditions.
“One of the reasons we funded this is because we were so impressed with the experimental design. It was done with a lot of care,” says John Spencer, senior policy analyst in the U.S. Office of Alternative Medicine. Right after the study ended, the patients had attained:
1. A 43% reduction in symptoms from tailored acupuncture.
2. A 22% reduction from the nonspecific acupuncture.
3. A 14% reduction just from waiting.
More than half no longer met the criteria for clinical depression after eight prescribed acupuncture treatments, “and that compares favorably to therapies we already use, some much more expensive than acupuncture,” Allen says. These preliminary findings “are very intriguing, certainly promising enough to justify larger studies,” adds Spencer.
But it’s still an ongoing study, Allen emphasizes. He’s now working on one-year follow-ups to see how many patients relapse. At least in this small study, only 12% dropped out.
FISH OIL FOUND EFFECTIVE AGAINST “BIPOLAR DISORDER”
Scientists believe they have found a surprising new ally in their efforts to understand and treat the sharp mood swings of “bipolar disorder”: the fatty acids of fish oil.
A Harvard University clinical trial of 44 patients diagnosed with manic, or bipolar, depression had such positive results with fish oil that “a decision was made to stop the trial on ethical grounds” after four months and all patients were put on a treatment of 14 capsules per day.
“The group taking the fish oil was performing strikingly better than the placebo group, including significantly longer periods of remission,” said Andrew L. Stoll, director of the Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital.
Fish oil is especially high in omega-3 fatty acids, a family of long-chained polyunsaturated fats that have been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease and other health benefits.
In recent years, clinical investigators in many parts of the world have all found a deficit of Omega-3 essential fatty acids in depressed patients–accompanied by high levels of Omega-6 essential fatty acids and saturated (“hard”) fatty acids.
Sixteen patients were in the placebo group and over the period nine of these had a major relapse. 14 patients were taking EPA and only one of these relapsed. On every other rating scale the EPA group did better than the placebo group. The results on depression were particularly clear-cut.
In the study, Stoll gave patients 10 grams of fish oil fatty acids a day, an extremely high dose. The capsules contained eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the two primary molecules of the omega-3 family. There were only minor side effects–some gastric trouble and diarrhea–which he said were easily controlled.
The study was published in the May 1999 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Stoll said he stumbled across fish oil as a possible treatment of manic depression when he surveyed the literature on compounds with effects similar to traditional drugs such as lithium and valproate. “Everywhere we looked, we came up with omega-3s,” he said. “I had heard about omega-3s in medical school, but there hadn’t been a lot of attention paid to them since.”
Essential fatty acids must be consumed in the diet or as supplements because the body cannot make them. A major dietary source of omega-3 is fatty fish such as mackerel, Atlantic salmon, bluefish, halibut, herring, and Sockeye salmon. People seeking to increase their consumption of omega-3 fatty acids can also eat green leafy vegetables, nuts, flaxseed and canola oils, which contain fatty acids that the body can make into two chemicals, called EPA and DHA, that are thought to produce the health benefits.
There is so much saturated fat and so little Omega-3 fatty acids in the typical diet that getting the right balance can be a challenge. Direct supplementation of the diet with appropriate fish oils is the easiest approach.
A larger follow-up fish oil study is now underway. In reference to this new study at Baylor, Jerry Cott, chief of the NIH psychopharmacology research program, said:
“This is the first time we would be testing a nutritional supplement that appears to be having efficacy about to the degree of a synthetic medication. This could give us real insight into what is the basis of this psychiatric disorder… Right now, we have no clue what it’s really about.”
Billions are spent every year on the pharmaceutical “management” of mood disorders — such as using lithium to “even out the mood swings between high and low” — because no cure has been available in psychiatric circles.
MOOD-ALTERING DRUGS AND EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Despite escalating use of Ritalin and similar drugs on school-age and even preschool children in recent years, the long-term effects of mood-altering drugs on educational performance have never been assessed. Most studies have followed kids for only a few weeks, and were intended to test how well treatments worked in easing ADHD symptoms. The largest and longest study to date, published in 1999, lasted only 14 months and addressed the alleviation of symptoms of ADHD using Ritalin as compared to behavioral therapy.
However, research is now yielding some long-term data on whether Ritalin and related drugs are actually helping ADHD-diagnosed children. In 1999, a study by William Frankenberger and Christine Cannon at the Human Development Center at the University of Wisconsin in Eu Claire found that 13 “ADHD” children on medication performed progressively worse over 4 years on standardized tests when compared with a group of 13 normal children with similar IQs and other characteristics.
Additionally, preliminary research by Gretchen LeFever, an assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Eastern Virginia Medical School, found that, although the children in her southeastern Virginia community use the drug Ritalin 2 to 3 times more than the national rate, the medication is not improving “ADHD” kids’ academic performance in relation to their peers. LeFever is currently conducting further research to look for ways to get real results on these children. The project, called Promoting Responsible Actions Through Intervention in School-wide Education, will train parents and school personnel to create consistent tactics for dealing with “problem children.” It will also assess how well those tactics work in improving the educational outcomes of “ADHD” kids over time.
While both studies are small and require further validation, it is already apparent that there is a wide gap between the clinical trials of mood-altering drugs that report favorable results and their actual use in a community setting.
CONNECTICUT BILL FORBIDS SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE RITALIN
Connecticut school personnel can no longer recommend that children take Ritalin or other mood-altering drugs. A bill that unanimously passed the state House in May 2001 prohibits it.
House members voted 141-0 to approve the bill, which now goes to the state Senate.
The bill is a reaction to what critics say is the over-prescription of mood-altering drugs, including powerful anti-depressants like Prozac and Zoloft, to children. The drugs are used most often to treat “attention deficit disorder,” which critics say is over-diagnosed.
State Rep. Lenny Winkler, R-Groton, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, quoted studies showing the number of children taking Ritalin, one of the most common drugs, jumped from 500,000 in 1987 to more than 6 million today. An emergency room nurse, Winkler said she’s “horrified” at the list of mood-altering drugs taken by some children admitted to the hospital.
Winkler said there is strong anecdotal evidence that school personnel recommending the drugs to parents has contributed to their over-prescription.
The school’s suggestion causes parents to bring up the idea to doctors who often prescribe the drugs based at least partly on the school’s recommendation, she said.
Under the bill, school personnel could still recommend that a child undergo testing. With the permission of a parent, school officials could also still consult with medical personnel about a child’s case.
“You can recommend that an evaluation be done,” Winkler said. “[Whether to prescribe drugs] is the physician’s final decision.”
State Rep. Cameron C. Staples, D-New Haven, co-chairman of the legislature’s Education Committee, said in support of the bill, “This is essentially saying if you’re not a health professional, you shouldn’t be recommending that a child take a psychotropic drug,” Staples said. “It’s almost common sense.”
The bill also prohibits the state Department of Children and Families from using a parent’s decision not to put their child on mood-altering drugs as a basis for taking away the child.
NEUROLOGICAL IMPACT OF FLUORIDE TOXICITY
While the links from fluoride consumption to cancer, osteoporosis, and other physical ailments are long established, recently studies have shown that fluoride impact is much broader and includes neurological and cerebrovascular effects.
Fluoride has been banned in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, West Germany (now unified), Italy, Belgium, Austria, France, and The Netherlands.
Tea (not including the herbal varieties) is a surprising culprit, in addition to fluoridated drinking water supplies and fluoride toothpaste.
A 52-week study of the factors that enhance or inhibit the bioavailability of aluminum and its effects on the nervous system was published in 1998 in the Journal of Brain Research. According to the report, the equivalent of fluoridated drinking water in terms of elemental fluorine levels had an impact on brain tissue similar to the pathological changes found in humans with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
The introduction to the report noted, “One of their most remarkable findings was that animals administered the lowest dose of aluminum-fluoride (0.5 ppm) exhibited a greater susceptibility to illness and a higher incidence of mortality than the animals administered the higher levels (5 ppm, 50 ppm) of aluminum [without the fluoride].
“While the small amount of aluminum-fluoride in the drinking water of rats required for neurotoxic effects is surprising, perhaps even more surprising are the neurological results of the sodium-fluoride at the dose given in the present study (2.1 ppm) [the amount used to achieve 1 ppm of elemental fluorine used in fluoridation].
“In most reports of chronic fluoride toxicity, the data provided are usually limited to weight loss, dental and skeletal changes, indicators of carcinogenesis, and damage to soft tissues.
“Fluoride has diverse actions on a variety of cellular and physiological functions, including the inhibition of a variety of enzymes, a corrosive action in acid mediums, hypocalcemia [low blood calcium], hyperkalemia [excess blood potassium], and possibly cerebral impairment.”
The authors summarize, “Chronic administration of aluminum-fluoride and sodium-fluoride in the drinking water of rats resulted in distinct morphological alterations of the brain, including the effects on neurons and cerebrovasculature.”
A previous study by Mullenix, et al. in Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 1995, documents abnormal behavioral responses by animals exposed to fluoride at various stages of gestation, which resulted in permanent hyperactivity if exposed prenatally, or extreme lethargy if exposed after birth, with some animals not able to find their way out of a circular maze to the same food source every day.
This study of the neurological effects of sodium fluoride, which is commonly touted as a safe and even health-promoting drinking water additive, came on the heels of a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that 2 million people a year become ill, and more than 100,000 die, from medicines judged by the medical community to have been “correctly prescribed and correctly administered.”
The fluoride/aluminum association is of particular importance as it relates to Alzheimer’s Disease. Aluminum by itself is not readily absorbed by the body. However, fluoride ions combine with aluminum to form aluminum fluoride, which is absorbed by the body. In the body, the aluminum eventually combines with oxygen to form aluminum oxide or alumina. Protein bound to alumina in afflicted brains forms the plaques and tangles characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
In a study by Dr. Robert Isaacson at the State University of New York, aluminum fluoride was added to rats’ diet. This, contrary to normal expectations, passed through the brain barrier and gave the rats short-term memory loss, smell sensory loss, unsteady gait, and loss of structures of the neo-cortex and hippocampus, all symptoms of Alzheimer’s. A Varner and Jensen study conducted with Isaacson confirmed this in 1998.
B-12 AND FOLATE CAN REDUCE ALZHEIMERS RISK
Elderly people with low blood levels of vitamin B-12 and folic acid (folate) may face an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin B-12 plays an important role in maintaining nerve cells, and some research has linked low blood levels of the vitamin to Alzheimer’s and mental decline. Few studies have looked at whether there is such a connection between Alzheimer’s and folate, a B vitamin key to the production and maintenance of body cells.
The May 8, 2001, issue of Neurology reports on a study of 370 individuals aged 75 and older, in which investigators found that those with low levels of either vitamin were twice as susceptible to Alzheimer’s over a 3-year period as those with normal levels. The link was even stronger among study participants who performed well on mental tests at the start of the study.
The reason for the link is unclear, but low blood levels of B-12 and folate can lead to elevations in the amino acid homocysteine, which may in turn damage nerve cells, the authors note. Vitamin B-12 is found in meat, fish, eggs, and milk. Vegetarians are advised to supplement their B-12 intake. Folate occurs naturally in leafy green vegetables, dried beans and peas, and citrus fruits, among others. Many cereals are fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of folate.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, affecting an estimated 4 million Americans. The exact cause remains elusive, but scientists believe genetics and environmental factors conspire to trigger the onset of the disease.
The May 8, 2001 issue of Neurology Magazine listed the following as warning signs of Alzheimer’s Disease: memory loss that affects job skills; language problems; difficulty performing familiar tasks; misplacing objects; changes in mood and behavior; poor judgment; disorientation as to time and place; personality changes; problems with abstract thinking; and loss of initiative.
Brain imaging is recommended to help rule out other causes of memory loss or dementia. This includes computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Genetic testing has not been found particularly useful. [Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, 2001]
The elderly are not the only ones that need to worry about B-12. According to one practitioner, the most common cause of B-12 deficiency is a vegetarian diet.
The drug Prilosec (omeprazole) has been shown to decrease B-12 absorption [Annual of Pharmacotherapy, May 1999]. This is possibly due to its effects on decreasing the production of intrinsic factor, which is needed for proper B-12 absorption. Other medications may have similar adverse effects.
There is also little question now that B-12 and folic acid are useful to reduce homocysteine and the associated increase in heart disease and birth defects.
IS IT DEPRESSION, OR CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME?
Although Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is not a mental health problem, it is frequently treated with psychotropic drugs.
This is the result of two factors. First, many of the symptoms exhibited with CFS (such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders) have led to misdiagnosis by doctors not fully familiar with CFS, and, second, even when properly diagnosed, the tendency is to treat CFS symptomatically, as its cause is unknown.
Per the National Institutes of Health, doctors are now using low-dose tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and benzodiazepines (a class of drugs used to treat acute anxiety and sleep problems) to treat CFS. Success in symptomatic relief with illnesses similar to CFS (such as fibromyalgia) led to the idea that the symptoms of CFS could be likewise treated.
The symptoms of CFS include the above, but clinical diagosis is also dependant upon other factors.
Co-Cure, an information exchange facility for those interested in or suffering from CFS, Fibromyalgia and related disorders, describe CFS as follows:
“Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an emerging illness characterized by debilitating fatigue (experienced as exhaustion and extremely poor stamina), neurological problems, and a variety of flu-like symptoms. The illness is also known as chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), and outside of the USA is usually known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). In the past the syndrome has been known as chronic Epstein-Barr virus (CEBV).
“The core symptoms include excessive fatigue, general pain, mental fogginess, and often gastro-intestinal problems. Many other symptoms will also be present, however they will typically be different among different patients. These include: fatigue following stressful activities; headaches; sore throat; sleep disorder; abnormal temperature; and others.
“The degree of severity can differ widely among patients, and will also vary over time for the same patient. Severity can vary between getting unusually fatigued following stressful events, to being totally bedridden and completely disabled. The symptoms will tend to wax and wane over time. This variation, in addition to the fact that the cause of the disease is not yet known, makes this illness difficult to diagnose.”
Additionally, it has been observed that cognitive dysfunction often increases over several years, and that brain scans often show decreased blood flow to the brain.
Although the cause of CFS is not known, it has been closely linked to allergies, candida, environmental pollutants, mercury toxicity, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame – found in such products as Nutri-sweet and Equal), and glutamate (found in MSG and other excitotoxins).
A doctor experienced with CFS and up to date on research into the area can assist individuals with diagnosis and drug-free treatment.
ORTHOMOLECULAR SUPPORTERS HOLD TORONTO EVENT
The Canadian Schizophrenia foundation is an organization dedicated to the orthomolecular (nutritional) treatment of people classified with schizophrenia. On May 4, 2001 Robert Sealey, BSc, a Toronto consultant and writer, coordinated a fundraising event for the Foundation in the Concert Hall of the Royal York Hotel in Toronto at the 30th conference of the International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine.
Sealy is the founder of FOR*OM – a network of Friends of Restorative Orthomolecular Medicine. The event drew a crowd of 300 people and raised $6,000 for orthomolecular research and public education.
The event hosted six former mental patients who have been helped by restorative orthomolecular medicine for mood disorders, schizophrenia, autism, and other conditions. The seventh speaker was actress Margot Kidder, probably one of the most famous success stories today of one who has recovered through nutritional treatment.
The success stories of six other patients and six health professionals (who use orthomolecular medicine in their practices) were then presented in a screening of the 1998 TV documentary Masks of Madness – Science of Healing.
A tape of this event is available from the Foundation at 16 Florence Ave. Toronto, ON, Canada, M2N 1E9. Ph 416-733-2117
e-mail: centre@orthomed.org
website: http://www.orthomed.org/
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ALTERNATIVEMENTALHEALTH.COM IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST WEB SITE DEVOTED exclusively to alternative mental health treatments. It includes a directory of over 180 physicians, nutritionists, experts, organizations, and facilities around the U.S. that offer or promote safe, alternative treatments for severe mental symptoms. Many of the physicians listed do in-depth examinations to find the physical causes behind mental problems.
Also included on the site are an array of articles on topics ranging from the medical causes of schizophrenia to the effects of toxic metals on mental health.
A bookstore page lists top books that cover many areas of alternative treatments with titles like Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders and No More Ritalin.
AlternativeMentalHealth.com has been created to educate the public, practitioners, and government officials on the medical conditions that create “mental illness” and the many safe resources available for addressing and often curing severe mental symptoms.