ABOUT SAFE HARBOR
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, Safe Harbor 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.
Contact info:
Safe Harbor
1718 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90041
U.S.A.
(818) 890-1862s
mail@alternativementalhealth.com
www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com
WE WELCOME YOUR DONATIONS. AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, SAFE HARBOR IS SUPPORTED SOLELY THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE PUBLIC. DONATIONS CAN BE MAILED TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. WE ALSO ACCEPT VISA/MASTERCARD BY PHONE THANK YOU.
EDITOR’S COMMENT
On January 7, 2002, in West Los Angeles, Safe Harbor was pleased to make its second recent presentation on alternative mental health to members of NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill). I had the pleasure of speaking along with nutritional psychiatrist and author Hyla Cass and Professor James Croxton, who teaches on nutrition and mental disorders
(see second article below).
The reception we received before a packed house was very cordial and the audience — primarily family members of people with mental disturbances – showed intense interest in our discussions of nutritional treatments and underlying physical disorders that can cause mental symptoms. One could see the heads nod in understanding and pens quickly scribbling when we gave out the names of doctors, phone numbers, websites, books,
and other useful tidbits.
Our previous talk to a different NAMI group met with similar interest. The public’s intense hunger for this information never ceases to amaze me. We are glad to arrange these free presentations in California and elsewhere. We would invite other alternative mental health professionals to reach out to organizations in their communities such as NAMI or the Department of Consumer Affairs in their state or county department of mental health and let them know of the safe alternative mental health options that exist.
HARVARD STUDY: SUPPLEMENT EFFECTIVE AGAINST “BIPOLAR DISORDER”
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, December 2001, published a commentary by Harvard psychiatrist Charles Popper, revealing a groundbreaking study in which 11 of 15 bipolar patients were successfully weaned from medication for 6 to 9 months (the length of the study). The highly effective results were achieve through the use of a nutritional supplement, E.M. Power+, distributed by the Synergy Group of Canada (http://www.truehope.com).
The same journal featured an article on similar research by Bonnie J.Kaplan, Ph. D., a research psychologist at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. The study found the multinutrient supplement to be effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder.
E.M. Power+ was developed over several years in Alberta and is now manufactured and distributed from Utah.
Popper wrote, “In this issue, Kaplan and colleagues describe an open trial of the first 14 adults with bipolar disorder treated with this nutritional supplement, which consists of a broad range of minerals and vitamins, plus 3 amino acids and several antioxidants. Symptom reductions were clinically noted within 2 weeks and sustained over 6 months of observation. All outcome measures showed significant improvements (55% to 66% symptom reduction), and a strong effect size (80) was observed for depression as well as mania. Most patients could reduce their doses of psychiatric medications, and some patients became stable without any psychiatric medication.”
Dr. Popper goes on to discuss his personal experience using the supplement:
“Among 22 patients (10 adults, 9 adolescents, 3 preadolescents) who clinically met criteria for bipolar disorder, 19 showed what I judged to be a positive response (2 mild, 7 moderate, 10 marked improvement). Among the 15 patients who were being treated with medications when they began the nutritional supplement, 11 patients have been stable for 6 to
9 months without psychiatric medications.”
Dr. Kaplan is continuing her research with controlled studies.
Dr. Popper concludes: “Depending on how this line of research develops, clinicians and researchers may need to rethink the traditional bias against nutritional supplementation as a potential treatment for major psychiatric disorders.”
COLLEGE PROF. TEACHES UNDERLYING CAUSES OF “MENTAL ILLNESS”
More than twenty years ago, Professor James Croxton of Santa Monica College in California painfully watched a family member decline into a state of “schizophrenia,” with no hope from doctors that any recovery would ever occur. Finally, however, a physician came along who wanted to look at possible hidden causes for the “schizophrenic” behavior.
What was found changed not only the patient’s life, but Prof. Croxton’s as well. The patient’s symptoms were due to a wheat allergy — a condition known as celiac disease. Once wheat was removed from the diet, recovery occurred within a couple months, and the family member went on to graduate from college and live a full life.
Croxton, who was already teaching physiological psychology at the time — the role of the brain in behavior — was fascinated by the experience and created one of America’s very few college courses on nutrition and mental health. It is the only such college course in California. Since 1978, Croxton has been teaching “Mind and Metabolim” at the community
college, which services over 30,000 students.
“Mind and Metabolism” discusses neurons and other brain cells, neurotransmitters and their synthesis, how various brain parts function, brain nutrition and allergies, and how various nutrient, metabolic, and allergy conditions can lead to symptoms often labeled as “mental illness.”
“When you know enough about how the brain works,” said Croxton, “you become suspicious about the overuse of psychopharmacology. It alters brain states rather seriously over time. As a temporary solution it may help, but it doesn’t solve the underlying causes.
“Nothing on this planet is as complex as the brain. We really don’t know enough about how it works. Much of what we know is still hypothetical — but all fields of psychology are hypothetical.”
The course attracts all types of attendees: advanced psychology students, pre-med students, students returning to enhance their degrees, and occasionally patients, parents of patients, and psychiatric professionals.
The only prerequisite for “Mind and Metabolism” is Psychology 1, though Croxton says Psychology 2 or a Life Science course would help, since the course has a solid base in biology.
Santa Monica College can be reached at (310) 434-4000.
RITALIN MAY CAUSE LONG-LASTING CHANGES IN BRAIN-CELL FUNCTION
Scientists at the University at Buffalo have shown that the drug methylphenidate, the generic form of Ritalin, which physicians have considered to have only short-term effects, appears to initiate changes in brain function that remain after the therapeutic effects have
dissipated.
The changes appear to be similar to those that occur with other stimulant drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine, said Joan Baizer, Ph.D., UB professor of physiology and biophysics and senior author of the study.
Results of the research were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience on November 11, 2001.
“Clinicians consider Ritalin to be short-acting,” said Baizer. “When the active dose has worked its way through the system, they consider it ‘all gone.’ Our research with gene expression in an animal model suggests that it has the potential for causing long-lasting changes in brain cell structure and function.”
Previous work in other laboratories has shown that high doses of amphetamine and cocaine switch on certain genes called “immediate early genes” in particular brain cells and that this action causes changes in some aspects of nerve cell function. One of those genes is called “c-fos.”
Amphetamine and cocaine both cause c-fos activity in the striatum, a brain structure important for both movement and motivation, and the presence of c-fos activity in the striatum has been implicated in the mechanism of addiction, Baizer said. The researchers wanted to see if methylphenidate caused c-fos activation in the same parts of the brain,
and at the same levels, as the other drugs.
Using young rats as an animal model, they gave one group sweetened milk containing a relatively high dose of methylphenidate (20 mg/kg). Considering the differences in metabolism between rats and humans, this is comparable approximately to a dose on the high end of the range that is used therapeutically, Baizer said. They administered the drug at a time during the rat’s 24-hour cycle that would simulate the timing of a child’s dose. Another group received just sweetened milk. After 90 minutes, the optimal time for c-fos development in brain cells, the brains of both groups were analyzed for the presence of c-fos.
Results showed there were many more neurons with c-fos activity in the brains of rats given methylphenidate, particularly in the striatum, Baizer said, than in the brains of control rats.
“These data do suggest that there are effects of Ritalin on cell function that outlast the short term and we should sort that out,” Baizer said.
$4.3 MILLION CLINICAL TRIAL OF ST. JOHN’S WORT FUNDED BY NIH, NIMH
The National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and National Institute of Mental Health recently contracted with Duke University to conduct a multicenter study comparing St. John’s Wort with sertraline (Zoloft) and placebo in patients diagnosed with major depression. The $4.3 million clinical trial was jointly designed and funded by the two agencies.
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a common roadside plant that has gained much popularity in the United States as a natural antidepressant with an excellent safety profile.
A recent meta-analysis examined 15 placebo-controlled trials and eight treatment-controlled trials of St. John’s Wort conducted in Europe, primarily Germany. The studies involved a total of 1757 outpatients diagnosed with mild to moderate depression. Improvement in depressive symptoms was observed in all groups.
St. John’s Wort was found to be significantly more effective than placebo and of comparable effectiveness to tricyclic antidepressants, with a dramatically better side effect profile. Side effects were reported in 52.8% of the cases on antidepressants and only 19.8% of
those on St. John’s Wort.
The trials in this meta-analysis used various diagnostic criteria and dosages of herb. Most were 4 to 8 weeks in duration. In 20 trials, single-herb preparations were tested; the remainder tested combination herb products. Thirteen trials compared a single hypericum preparation with placebo and provided data on treatment responders; of these, 55.1%
of those receiving the herb improved, compared with 22.3% of those receiving placebo. No significant differences in treatment effect were found between single-herb preparations of SJW and standard antidepressants. Combination products (containing both hypericum and the sedative herb valerian) also were not significantly different from standard antidepressants.
Side effects reported for SJW are generally mild. Gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue have been reported. The most predictable effect seems to be photosensitization, especially in fair-skinned people. Photosensitization is generally mild and transient, disappearing within a few days of herb discontinuation. Although this effect is usually associated with higher than recommended doses of hypericum, it can occur at lower doses and generally appears on the package labeling as a precaution. No other adverse effects were observed in the high-dose studies.
It should be noted that in 2001 headlines claimed Saint John’s Wort to
be ineffective against severe depression, thus confusing much of the public who has heard so much about the herb’s success. In reality, the headlines were not news at all as SJW’s success has always been with mild to moderate depression, not severe despondency.
ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS LINKED TO INCREASED RISK OF SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH
“Patients prescribed moderate doses of antipsychotics had large relative and absolute increases in the risk of sudden cardiac death” in a comparison study with nonusers of the drugs, reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry, December 2001. The study was conducted by Dr.Purushottam B. Thapa of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
and colleagues.
The 481,744 subjects in the study were divided into four groups based on antipsychotic use. The groups included current moderate dose users (100-mg thioridazine equivalents), current low dose users, former users (used within the last year but not currently), and nonusers. Nearly 1500 subjects experienced sudden cardiac death. Current moderate
dose users were significantly more likely than nonusers to experience sudden cardiac death, with a rate ratio of 2.39. The rate ratio in low-dose users and former users was 1.30 and 1.20, respectively. The risk for sudden cardiac death was greatest among current moderate dose users with severe cardiovascular disease, the researchers note. These patients were 3.53 times more likely to experience sudden cardiac death than
comparable nonusers.
Antipsychotic drugs are associated with cardiac problems because they alter heart function, causing Long QT Syndrome. The Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation summarized the data as follows:
“Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a disorder of the electrical system of the heart. It particularly involves the process called repolarization, or the recharging of the electrical system after each heart beat. The QT interval is a quantity measured on the electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). The duration of the QT interval is a measure of the time required for depolarization and repolarization to occur. In the long QT syndrome, the duration of repolarization is longer than normal, thus, the QT interval is prolonged. Prolongation of the QT interval renders patients vulnerable to a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm (an ‘arrhythmia’) known as torsade de pointes. When this rhythm occurs, no blood is pumped out from the heart, and the brain quickly becomes deprived of blood, causing the usual symptoms of sudden loss of consciousness (syncope) and sudden death.”
Because the data in Dr. Thapa’s study were collected from 1988 to 1993, the subjects were not treated with the newer antipsychotic agents. According to the SADS Foundation, Risperodol, a newer antipsychotic agent, as well as Elavil, Norpramine, Viractil, Compazine, Stelazine,Thorazine, Mellaril, Etrafon, Trilafon, Haldol, ORAP, and others, have been associated with cardiac arrest.
According to Dr. Tharpa, the newer drugs “do prolong the QT interval so it is possible that they could also be linked to an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Clearly, a possible association with the newer agents needs to be studied further.”
MENOPAUSE WARNNG: LEAD TOXICITY FROM BONE BREAKDOWN?
Besides incurring an increased risk of bone fracture due to osteoporosis, do women with high rates of bone loss also run the danger of becoming much more “toxic” after menopause?
Dr. Ellen J. O’Flaherty of the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine recently developed a software model of the relationship between bone loss and lead toxicity in the aging human body. While this “toxicokinetic model” is not a clinical guideline, Dr. O’Flaherty outlines these points to consider
when assessing the dynamics of bone loss and lead toxicity over an individual’s lifetime:
* Bone loss can begin as early as age 30, as the bone resorption (breakdown) begins to outpace bone formation (which often remains steady).
* Toxic elements such as lead and uranium accumulate in bone tissue over a lifetime with repeated exposure, and are released into the bloodstream as bone tissue breaks down.
* Bone loss rate in women can jump nearly tenfold in the decade following menopause, accelerating the leakage of lead into the bloodstream.
This combination of factors, according to Dr. O’Flaherty, may explain why blood lead levels in white women have been found to increase by an average of about 15% in the years following menopause, according to the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1984.
Because lead exposure was even more prevalent in the environment during their youth than it is today (gasoline additives, soldering, etc.), postmenopausal women are more likely to have accumulated higher lifetime body burdens of the heavy metal, making them particularly vulnerable to toxicity induced by accelerated bone loss as they age.
In the later years of the Roman Empire, where many of the water lines were made out of lead pipes, the aristocracy were also privileged to drink out of lead cups. It was several centuries before doctors established the link between lead contamination and mental disturbance, which was known to be more prevalent among the aristocracy.
Lead toxicity symptoms include restlessness, insomnia, irritability, confusion, excitement, anxiety, delusions, and disturbing dreams, in addition to gastrointestinal complaints, anemia, neurological problems, headaches, and convulsions.
“The most sensitive target of lead poisoning is the nervous system,”reports the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in its website, www.atsdr.cdc.gov “A 1990 follow-up report of children with elevated lead levels in their teeth noted a sevenfold increase in the odds of failure to graduate from high school, lower class standing, greater absenteeism, more reading disabilities, and deficits in vocabulary, fine motor skills, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination 11 years later.”
The specific mental and emotional implications of lead poisoning for post-menopausal women are not yet well documented, but research such as Dr. O’Flaherty’s is a step in the right direction.
PAROXETINE (PAXIL) ADDICTION LIKELY TARGET OF LAWSUITS IN GREAT BRITAIN
The Guardian (U.K.) reports that British lawyers are considering legal action similar to the U.S. class action case against GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturers of the antidepressant drug paroxetine (marketed as Seroxat in Britain and Paxil in the US).
“Withdrawal symptoms, including gastrointestinal and somatic complaints, sleep disturbances, movement disorders and psychological symptoms, are reported to occur in up to 30 percent of patients who abruptly discontinue SSRIs,” states The Guardian’s article. “While reports of antidepressant withdrawal syndromes first appeared in the late 1970s
with the tricyclic antidepressants, investigators have recently reported withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation of venlafaxine, mirtazapine and nefazodone, suggesting that withdrawal syndromes may occur with any available antidepressant.”
Since filing two class action lawsuits (August 24, 2001 and Sept 14, 2001), the Los Angeles law firm, Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Guilford and Schiavo, has received more than 2,000 calls from people to tell of their addiction to Paxil.
The US lawyers have asked GlaxoSmithKline to set up treatment centers to help people attempting to withdraw from Paxil/Seroxat. Skip Murgatroyd, the attorney leading the case, said, “Some of these people are in such bad shape that they can’t get off the drug without professional help. Some have been on it for 10 years.” GSK say there is no reliable
scientific evidence that the drug causes addiction or dependency. Mark Harvey of the law firm Hugh James Ford Simey said doctors blamed “a reappearance of depression” for the withdrawal-like symptoms suffered by his firm’s clients. “We have been contacted by 30 to 40 people, most of whom have startlingly similar tales to tell of being put on the drug and
being taken off it, and then going back on,” Harvey said.
“So far as evidence of dependency is concerned, that [case] is pretty strong,” said Graham Ross of Ross & Co., another British law firm representing 30 to 40 Seroxat patients. “Failure to ensure that GPs are aware of that risk and therefore warn patients accordingly – there is plenty of evidence that they are not doing that.”
The Guardian article cited the World Health Organization’s table of complaints from 60 countries of bad reactions to medicines, listing paroxetine at number one; another antidepressant, Venlafaxine (brand name Effexor), at number two; and Fluoxetine (Prozac) at number seven.
ABOUT AlternativeMentalHealth.com
ALTERNATIVEMENTALHEALTH.COM IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST WEB SITE DEVOTED exclusively to alternative mental health treatments. It includes a directory of over 200 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 is an array of articles on topics ranging from the medical causes of schizophrenia to the effects of toxic metals on mental health.
Special AlternativeMentalHealth.com T-shirts and bumper stickers are available at our online store, as well as a Montel Williams video on alternative treatment for children labeled with ADD.
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.