Editor’s Comment
Recently a mother from Northern California called us with a familiar story: “My seven-year-old son’s school wants me to put him on medication. They think he has ADHD.”
She told of the pressure she was getting from the teachers and school administration. Someone had pointed to her son’s sloppy handwriting as evidence of his “ADHD.” “I don’t understand,” she said. “Whatever happened to letting boys act like boys?”
Trying to appease the school, she took her son to a psychiatrist who was unsatisfactory so she tried a second psychiatrist. Tugging her five-year-old daughter along for the visit to this doctor, a shiver went through the mom when the psychiatrist glanced at the little girl and said, “Is she always this active?” By the end of the session, the mother was told that her daughter – who was not even there to see the doctor – probably had “bipolar disorder.”
Desperate for solutions, the woman resorted to the Internet and found Safe Harbor. She called our office and found relief in talking to someone who understood her and was able to offer her options safer than drugs. She is now actively pursuing her choices.
We say at Safe Harbor that we “change lives every day.” This woman and her children are an example of that. The need for our services is, quite frankly, far beyond anything we ever imagined when our organization began. The work is often hard and the hours can be long. But each time we turn heartache into hope, we know that our efforts are rightly spent.
Once a year we launch a fundraising campaign so that we can provide the staff and services required to meet this tremendous demand. That time is now. I hope you will support us by coming to our October 9 Awards Benefit (below) or by donating to help us cover the cost of the event.
You donation could literally save a life.
Announcement: Safe Harbor’s Third Annual Awards Benefit
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Announcement: Safe Harbor Boston Lecture, Oct. 3
Safe Harbor Boston Presents…
Nourish the Body, Balance the Mind
A Talk by Susan Taylor, Ph.D.
Friday, October 3, 2003 at 7:30 pm
Location: First Unitarian Society in Newton – Parish Hall
1326 Washington St., Newton, MA
(corner of Highland St., parking behind Sovereign Bank)
The lecture is free.
What we eat not only effects our body, but has a role in shaping our mind and spirit. This talk examines the vital differences between diets and nutrition, and explores the subtle energies of specific foods for creating what Dr. Taylor refers to as “functional brilliance”.
Susan Taylor, Ph.D. is the author of Sexual Radiance: A 21-Day Program for Vitality and Sensuality and the audio series, The Vital Energy Program: Master Your Subtle Energy for Optimal Health. A pioneer in the field of mind-body health, Dr. Taylor holds a Doctorate in nutritional biochemistry from Case Western University Medical School and a Master’s degree in human nutrition from Columbia University Medical School. Dr. Taylor is the creator of The Healing Power of Meditation(tm), a national seminar that uses the science and practice of meditation to promote healing and wellness. www.drsusantaylor.com
Safe Harbor Boston is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the advantages of using nutritional and other natural remedies for the treatment of mental disorders. We provide support group meetings every Monday night from 7:00-9:00 pm at the First Unitarian Society.
For more information call: 617-964-5544 or write to SafeHarborB@aol.com
Visit Safe Harbor’s site: www.alternativementalhealth.com
For directions to the First Unitarian Society in Newton: www.fusn.org
Announcement: Safe Harbor New York Lecture, October 7
Safe Harbor New York presents a free lecture:
FOOD AND MOOD
Mary Beth Augustine, RD, CDN
www.healthandhealingny.org/center/staff_augustine.html
Tuesday, October 7
The Continuum Center for Health and Healing
245 Fifth Avenue at 28th St., 1st Floor Studio
New York, NY
6:30-8:00pm
Learn about the role of dietary proteins, carbohydrates, and fats on “alertness” and “calming” chemicals made by the brain, and how caffeine prevents the body from making a natural “inhibitory” chemical and sleep inducer. Also discussed will be the role of food allergies and low blood sugar on mood, energy, and alertness states, as well as dietary spices, teas, and supplements that may aid in the management of depression, anxiety, and insomnia.
RSVP to Safe Harbor NY:
ny@alternativementalhealth.com
NY: 212-302-9811
NJ: 201-656-2849
Announcement: Well Mind Assn. Seminar in Washington, Oct. 11
The Well Mind Association (WMA) in Seattle, Washington, is hosting a half-day seminar on natural treatments in mental health on October 11, 2003.
Entitled Genetic and Toxic Factors in Mental Illness, the seminar will feature the following speakers and topics.
William Walsh, Ph.D.: Nutrient Guide to Mental Wellness – Child and Adult Problems (also discussing case illustrations and handling questions later in the afternoon)
Steve Wangen, N.D.: Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance
Cecile Andrews, Ed. D.: Seeds of Simplicity
Price before September 25 is $35 and $45 after. At the door: $50.
For more information contact the WMA at (206) 547-6167.
Announcement: New Alternative Mental Health Publisher in Germany
A new company has been founded in Germany to publish books to educate the public, the medical field, health practitioners, politicians and educators on alternative treatments in mental health.
Published under the name of Veda Nutria Publications, alternative mental health books will be translated from other languages into German. There is a significant German-speaking market with 80 million people in Germany alone.
Veda Nutria means “knowing about nutrition.” Much of the information on nutrition available to English-speaking peoples is not available in German.
Wolfgang Stöger, the founder of the company, says, “Alternative mental health books will made a difference in the German-speaking countries and will give patients and health practitioners some hope. I have been prompted into this new venture after reading some English books about alternative mental health and gaining some new perspectives. Before I read these books, I had no idea that such solutions were available. I have developed tremendous respect for all the alternative mental health doctors, educators and practitioners who have shown that something can be done about mental illness.”
Veda Nutria Publications is looking for investors who are interested in helping create the new firm.
Contact: Wolfgang Stöger at vedanutria@europe.com
Sponsors Needed for Safe Harbor New York
We are seeking sponsors willing to cover the costs of Safe Harbor New York’s monthly phone bill. This will be approximately $100 a month. This can be a donation to cover all or part of it. Ideally we would like to be able to get a monthly withdrawal on the donor’s credit card, bank account, etc. But any donations would be appreciated.
This will help us provide open communication and resources for the New York – New Jersey region.
Contact Dana Barnes at ny@alternativementalhealth.com or 212 302 9811 or you may simply respond to us here at SafeHarborProj@aol.com.
Article: Hyperactive? Climb a Tree
On July 28, the Times Online (London) published the observations of Priscilla Alderson, Professor of Childhood Studies, to the effect that childhood behaviors frequently labeled as “attention deficit disorder” and mild autism can be relieved by giving the children a safe place to play and let off steam.
Many young children feel unsafe in local parks as these are often dirty and dominated by gangs of older youths, the article reported. Lack of opportunities to play out safely was the top concern of 5- to 13-year-olds from deprived parts of England, according to research by the education watchdog Ofsted for the Government’s Children’s Fund.
Professor Alderson noted: “I recently visited a special school which had 27 children diagnosed as autistic. Of those, only two that I met displayed the lack of eye contact and absence of empathy which denotes true autism.”
She added that labeling children with a syndrome feeds the needs of the mental health industry but it undermines efforts to discipline children at home and at school. Children labeled with “special needs”–in the UK and the US–are absolved of responsibility for their behavior.
An internet chat room used anonymously by teachers reveals the beliefs of many members of the profession. One posting, left this month by a teacher identified only as “re,” complained about students who “are whipped off to a psychologist and labeled if they show the slightest sign of misbehavior”. It goes on: “This ‘diagnosis’ then becomes an excuse for more misbehavior – we have students with ‘mild Tourettes’ and lots of ADHD – and yet they can behave well if threatened with punishment.”
Someone calling herself Miss Nomer responds: “Writing as a special-needs teacher, I am quite sure that a lot of it is complete b. I get sick of being trashed by some little s. who then tells me I can’t punish him because his pill hasn’t kicked in yet. When you give a kid a syndrome, you give him an excuse.”
“Money is behind all this,” Alderson asserts. “Psychologists want the work, and lower the diagnosis threshold accordingly. “Special needs” is an administrative device describing children who have extra needs from those provided for in the average classroom.
“Playgrounds and parks are empty, because of the scare stories about abductions. But children need the space and freedom to play, run and climb – without that, they are restless, and come to be seen as abnormally ‘hyperactive’.
“About eight children are murdered outside the home each year, compared with about 50 inside. Cooping up children inside homes is not going to do them any good.”
Article: Supplements as Good as Ritalin, Study Shows
A study published in the August 2003 issue of Alternative Medicine Review tested the results of ten “ADHD” children on Ritalin versus ten such children being treated with a broad-scale nutritional supplement. The youngsters were then examined with a battery of tests.
Results? Both groups tested virtually identically.
The article, co-authored by Safe Harbor board member Charles Gant, M.D., Ph.D., reported, “Numerous studies suggest that biochemical heterogeneous etiologies for AD/HD cluster around at least eight risk factors: food and additive allergies, heavy metal toxicity and other environmental toxins, low-protein/high-carbohydrate diets, mineral imbalances, essential fatty acid and phospholipid deficiencies, amino acid deficiencies, thyroid disorders, and B-vitamin deficiencies. The dietary supplements used were a mix of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, amino acids, essential fatty acids, phospholipids, and probiotics that attempted to address the AD/HD biochemical risk factors.
“These findings support the effectiveness of food supplement treatment in improving attention and self-control in children with AD/HD and suggest food supplement treatment of AD/HD may be of equal efficacy to Ritalin treatment.”
Article: Cholesterol Drug Suspected in Amnesia Cases
Lipitor, a drug prescribed to reduce cholesterol levels, is associated with growing numbers of reports of cognitive disturbances such as memory impairment, confusion and even amnesia which can strike with little or no warning, functionally incapacitating a victim for periods of time from minutes to hours. Though the occurrences are relatively rare, the insidious nature of these side effects make them a cause of great concern to any physician prescribing to patients involved in critical occupations such as flying an aircraft, operating heavy equipment or driving transport.
Duane “Doc” Graveline, a retired family doctor and former NASA scientist astronaut, comments on the dangers in his unpublished book Lipitor – Thief of Memory, excerpts of which are available online (www.spacedoc.net/lipitor.htm). Says Graveline:
“My personal concerns began in May 1999 when I experienced my first episode of total global amnesia and again in May 2000, when my second attack of this harrowing condition occurred, seemingly out of the blue. In both cases, Lipitor had been started six weeks earlier, at the time of my annual astronaut physical. Naturally, I was suspicious of a possible relationship to Lipitor but could find only a statement of ‘possible memory problems’ in the drug literature and no confirmation among the several doctors and pharmacists I consulted. I had to consider the possibility of underlying disease despite consistently negative workups.
“Recently an editorial by Joe and Teresa Graedon (authors of The People’s Pharmacy) on the more uncommon side effects of Lipitor directed me to Beatrice A. Golomb MD, PhD, UC San Diego School of Medicine.
“After consulting with Doctor Golomb about her findings, now I find I am not alone in this ‘black hole’ of significant cognitive defects from statin (cholesterol-lowering) drug use. There are dozens of other total global amnesia cases which have been reported to her Statin Study. None have the slightest recall for the event, relying solely on the history from a friend or family member who happened to be there. Some come to their senses in the wrong place, perhaps miles away. Most have tremendous difficulty in accepting that alien state of awareness which controlled them for hours. Many other patients have reported severe transient confusion and inordinate difficulty remembering things they always have known. Not all are senior citizens. Some are in their forties and fifties. A common thread among the amnesia sufferers is that the effect seems to occur indiscriminately and abruptly, with no warning.”
After six weeks of Lipitor use, a blood study showed that Graveline’s total serum cholesterol had plummeted from 240 to 150 mg on this amazingly effective drug. “All was well until several days later when my wife found me aimlessly walking about the yard after my usual walk in the woods that morning. I did not know WHO she was, AND I reluctantly accepted cookies and milk but refused to go into my now unfamiliar home. Somehow she got me to my family doctor and later that day to a neurologist who found my examination normal except for the amnesia … About six hours after its onset and while in the office of the neurologist the condition abruptly passed and I felt well enough to drive home while my wife related this incredible tale of how I had spent my day.
“The MRI several days later was normal. Since Lipitor was the only new medicine I was on, the doctor in me made me suspect a possible side effect of this drug and, despite the protestations of the examining doctors that statin drugs did not do this, I stopped the drug. The year passed uneventfully and soon it was time for my next astronaut physical. I reluctantly restarted Lipitor at one-half the previous dose. Six weeks later I again descended into the black pit of amnesia, this time for twelve hours and with a retrograde loss of memory back to my high school days.
“During that terrible interval, when my entire adult life had been eradicated, I had no awareness of my marriage and four children, my medical school days, my ten adventure filled years as a USAF flight surgeon, my selection as scientist astronaut or of my post retirement decade as a writer of medical fiction. The names of my books – like the names of my children – were gone from my mind as completely as if they had never happened. Fortunately and typically for this obscure condition my memory returned and again I drove home listening to my wife’s amazing tale of how my day (and hers) had gone. She said that if I asked her once, ‘What is happening?’, I must have asked her ten thousand times during that terrible period when all recall was lost.”
Article: SSRI Warning Urged
The following resolution was passed at the 2003 British Columbia & Yukon Provincial Convention of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada:
THE DANGERS OF PROZAC-TYPE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS
(SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)
WHEREAS, Clinical research shows that up to one in ten adults who take Prozac can become belligerent and pose risk to others and themselves; and
WHEREAS, Prozac was originally tested and thought to be safe, there is now evidence according to a new Canadian study that contrary to what many doctors believe, Prozac can kill when taken in an overdose, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the British Columbia & Yukon Provincial Council of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada in annual convention assembled, urge Canada Food and Drug Administration to undertake the following:
to make information available to all people living in Canada regarding the potential dangers involved in using Prozac and other SSRI antidepressants; and
make warning labels mandatory regarding all side effects on Prozac and all other SSRI type medications.
Many general practitioners have recognized that SSRIs can be addictive and cause suicidal tendencies in some people… Antidepressant studies provide support for the argument that SSRIs in certain circumstances may induce a suicidality that would otherwise not have happened. Also, that children and adolescents taking antidepressants had a significant change in behaviour, including becoming impulsive, disinhibited and suicidal.
It is essential that the patients and the families of patients be made aware of a possible risk of an increase in suicidal behaviour and other potentially dangerous side-effects when taking SSRIs. All SSRIs should carry warning labels with this information.”
Article: Chinese Study Confirms Effectiveness of Fatty Acids Against Depression
According to a report in European Neuropsychopharmacology (Volume 13, Issue 4 , August 2003, Pages 267-271), eight weeks of treatment with omega-3 fatty acids improved depression scores in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 28 patients in Taiwan – findings remarkably similar to those of studies we have published in previous issues.
In the Chinese study, patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder received – in addition to their regular medications – either omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (9.6 g/day) or placebo. Patients in the omega-3 PUFA group had a significantly decreased score on the 21-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression than those in the placebo group.
“From the preliminary findings in this study, omega-3 PUFAs could improve the short-term course of illness and were well tolerated in patients with major depressive disorder.”
[Su KP, Huang SY, Chiu CC, Shen WW. Omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder – a preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.] Article: Light Therapy Helps Dementia Patients indexLight therapy eases the sleeplessness and agitation common among patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, British researchers said last month.
“(Alzheimer’s) patients who sat in front of a bright light box for two hours each morning for two weeks slept longer and more deeply than people who sat in front of a dim light for the same period of time,” Harry Allen of the Manchester Royal Infirmary in England told a medical conference on the elderly.
Light therapy improved patients’ sleep quality most during the winter months, when there was less daylight, Allen told the Congress of the International Psychogeriatric Association.
“Most of us have had the experience of feeling our mood improve when we are exposed to bright sunlight,” Allen said. “Too often we shut people with dementia up in dark rooms with little opportunity to see the sun or other bright light, which can make their symptoms worse.”
The theory is that the organic progress of the disease results in damage to a part of the brain which controls body clock or circadian rhythms. The combination of the particular damage caused by Alzheimer’s Disease to the nerve pathways in the brain and the gradual dulling of the eyes which happens to all people as they age mean that the usual indoor levels of light are insufficient to give the signal that it is daytime (which usually starts off the normal wake-up processes). Light therapy tells the body that it is time to wake up.
Article: Chinese Studies Link Fluoride to Low IQ Scores
Children’s intelligence declines as their natural drinking water fluoride levels increase, concluded a Chinese study in the May 2003 journal, Fluoride. (Abstract at www.slweb.org/xiang-2003.html)
Fluoride levels comparable to those of U.S. water supplies treated to prevent tooth decay were associated with inferior IQ scores.
The test subjects were 512 children, aged 8-13 years from Wamiao, a high-fluoride village, and Xinhuai, a low-fluoride village. The high-fluoride village was divided into five subgroups by water fluoride levels, from 0.62 mg fluoride per Liter to 4.38 mg F/L. As water fluoride levels increased within the high fluoride village, IQ decreased.
“When the data from the 512 children in the two villages were considered as a whole, a significant inverse correlation was found between IQ and the level of fluoride in urine,” the researchers report. “These results are consistent with the findings recorded by Li at al., Zhao et al., and Lu et al. of an inverse correlation between intelligence and dietary fluoride from either contaminated food or drinking water,” they report.
Neither village experiences coal burning pollution nor do residents drink brick tea, two common fluoride sources in China. Children with brain disease or head injury history were excluded. Only water fluoride levels differed between the two rural, low-income villages situated in the same province (Jiangsu) and county. Neither blood lead levels nor urinary iodine differed between the test groups. The researchers also controlled for family income and parental education.
Fluoride crosses the blood-brain barrier producing biochemical and functional impairment of the nervous system during the developmental periods of infancy and childhood, the authors report.
“…Despite growing evidence of serious neurotoxicity for both fluoride and lead, U.S. safety standards for fluoride in water have been moving in the opposite direction to those for lead in blood. From a scientific standpoint, this is very difficult to understand or to justify,” says organic chemist Albert Burgstahler, Ph.D., the editor of Fluoride.
Contact:
Albert Burgstahler, awburg@ku.edu, www.fluoride-journal.com
Article: Connecticut Agency Bans Paxil Use in Children
The New Haven Register reports that the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the first state agency to ban the use of Paxil in children to protect them from harm.
Public disclosure of evidence demonstrating Paxil’s suicide risk prompted the UK government to issue a strong warning against pediatric use of the anti-depressant, sold there under the name Seroxat, in June. It also led the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, to send healthcare professionals in the UK a letter warning them about both the suicide risk for children and withdrawal symptoms.
The company has issued no such warning letter to US healthcare workers.
In July, DCF became the first public child protection agency to ban Paxil after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended the drug not be given to anyone under 18. The FDA said there could be severe negative effects for children, including an increased risk of suicide.
Maribel Vazquez, DCF program supervisor for the Bureau of Child Welfare Services, said last month the department is stopping use of Paxil for six months pending further study.
DCF will recommend children on Paxil switch to safer alternative treatment, if one is available.
Department officials wouldn’t reveal how many of the nearly 8,000 children in their care are prescribed Paxil or other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), saying that would violate patient privacy rights.
The FDA has never approved use of Paxil in children or teens, but some doctors prescribe the adult drug for children.
The FDA asked all makers of adult antidepressants to submit research showing how their drugs affect children. Three studies of Paxil found it didn’t seem to help pediatric depression – but FDA scientists spotted some safety concerns and ordered manufacturer Glaxo-SmithKline to re-analyze the data.
That re-analysis found the risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts was three times greater among Paxil users, mostly teens, than among children given placebo pills, the FDA said.
Article: Effexor Warning Re: Use on Children index
Following on the heels of the Paxil warnings, yet another drug company is cautioning that their antidepressant drug should not be prescribed to children because it may cause suicidal thoughts or self-harm. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., based in New Jersey, has sent a letter to healthcare professionals across the country warning of possible problems with giving Effexor to children.
In a two-page letter dated Aug. 22, Dr. Victoria Kusiak, Wyeth’s vice president for global medical affairs, warned that in recent clinical trials Effexor was not effective in treating depression or anxiety and that there were increased “reports of hostility and especially in Major Depressive Disorder, suicide-related adverse events such as suicidal ideation and self-harm.”
In a prospective trial published in the July issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, newborns of mothers receiving fluoxetine (Prozac) or citalopram (Celexa) exhibited symptoms of central serotonin overstimulation for about four days. The investigators warned of potential neurologic adverse effects from selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) used during late pregnancy. (Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003;60:720-726)
“SSRIs have gained wide acceptance in the treatment of mental disorders in pregnant women, but there seems to be an increased risk for neonatal adaptation problems after exposure to SSRIs in late pregnancy,” the article quoted Kari Laine, MD, PhD, from the University of Turku in Finland, and colleagues. They cited previous studies suggesting that exposure to SSRIs during the third trimester may cause irritability, constant crying, eating and sleeping difficulties, and even seizures in newborns.