I read something somewhere, a while ago, about schizophrenia and diet, and how certain things can actually make it worse, but I don't know if it was health freak mumbo jumbo, or actual science. Also, are there any differences in metabolism of nutrients, or substances in the brain in people with schizophrenia, compared to those without?
I do not want any spiritual/health freak rubbish, only scientific-based theories or results of studies or similar.
Thanks. Schizophrenia is an umbrella term for a number of different mental conditions that look similar but may have different causes.
The most common cause of schizophrenia is allergy to something in the diet. Wheat allergy accounts for about 50% of cases, but other substances such as mildew-fungus in rye or non-prescription drugs such as cannabis can have a similar effect. Unfortunately, in many cases the cause is simply unknown. SCHIZOPHRENIA AND SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER: A major reason for non-compliance with medications is that the users don't like the side effects: others are unwilling to accept the quite considerable degree of risk involved, and I strongly urge everyone to check out any medications first at www.drugs.com Then be on the lookout for those signs, should you decide to take them. (FROM: http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/a... ):
The Standard Recommended "Schizophrenia" Nutritional and Dietary Regimen: A remarkable 90% recovery rate
Based on the works of Abram Hoffer, M.D., pioneer of nutritional psychiatry, as reported in Nutritional Influences on Mental Illness by Melvyn Werbach, M.D.
Our grateful acknowledgement to Dr. Hoffer for permission to use his work.
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The following dietary and nutritional regimen is reported to have over a 90% success rate with patients who are ill for the first time or who are suffering their second or third episode with healthy periods in between. It is reported that after two years over 90% will be well, none will be worse, and none will have tardive dyskinesia (drug-induced involuntary muscular movements). They will have to remain on the regimen many years, perhaps their entire lives.
For chronic patients 鈥?those who have failed to improve from previous treatment, including those mentally disturbed for years (although not the chronic patients seen in the back wards of mental hospitals)鈥?about 50% will improve after 10 years. However, not all will be working.
These results are based on:
Six prospective double-blind studies. 1
Personal observations of over 4000 patients.
Studies conducted by colleagues.
Letters received from patients who were never personally seen but tried the treatment program.
DIET:
Elimination of all processed or prepared foods containing added refined sugars and probably 90% of other additives, as foods that contain added sugars usually contain other additives.
Elimination diets to remove all foods to which the patient is allergic or sensitive.
SUPPLEMENTS:
Vitamin B3 (niacin or niacinamide) 0.5 鈥?2 grams 3 times daily.
Vitamin B6 (for many) 250-500 mg daily.
A general B vitamin formula.
Vitamin C, 3 or more grams daily.
Zinc (gluconate or citrate) 50 mg daily.
Manganese 15-30 mg daily (if there is danger of tardive dyskinesia)
I also use omega three essential fatty acids rich in EPA and less rich in DHA. The best preparation contains three times as much EPA as it does DHA. I use four large capsules twice daily. The product I use is Kirunal (http://www.fincastle.com/).
The Standard Recommended "Schizophrenia" Nutritional and Dietary Regimen: A remarkable 90% recovery rate
Based on the works of Abram Hoffer, M.D., pioneer of nutritional psychiatry, as reported in Nutritional Influences on Mental Illness by Melvyn Werbach, M.D.
Our grateful acknowledgement to Dr. Hoffer for permission to use his work.
--------------------------------------...
--------------------------------------...
The following dietary and nutritional regimen is reported to have over a 90% success rate with patients who are ill for the first time or who are suffering their second or third episode with healthy periods in between. It is reported that after two years over 90% will be well, none will be worse, and none will have tardive dyskinesia (drug-induced involuntary muscular movements). They will have to remain on the regimen many years, perhaps their entire lives.
For chronic patients 鈥?those who have failed to improve from previous treatment, including those mentally disturbed for years (although not the chronic patients seen in the back wards of mental hospitals)鈥?about 50% will improve after 10 years. However, not all will be working.
These results are based on:
Six prospective double-blind studies. 1
Personal observations of over 4000 patients.
Studies conducted by colleagues.
Letters received from patients who were never personally seen but tried the treatment program.
DIET:
Elimination of all processed or prepared foods containing added refined sugars and probably 90% of other additives, as foods that contain added sugars usually contain other additives.
Elimination diets to remove all foods to which the patient is allergic or sensitive.
SUPPLEMENTS:
Vitamin B3 (niacin or niacinamide) 0.5 鈥?2 grams 3 times daily.
Vitamin B6 (for many) 250-500 mg daily.
A general B vitamin formula.
Vitamin C, 3 or more grams daily.
Zinc (gluconate or citrate) 50 mg daily.
Manganese 15-30 mg daily (if there is danger of tardive dyskinesia)
I also use omega three essential fatty acids rich in EPA and less rich in DHA. The best preparation contains three times as much EPA as it does DHA. I use four large capsules twice daily. The product I use is Kirunal (http://www.fincastle.com/).
Nutrition and Mental Illness
by
Carl C. Pfeiffer, Ph.D., M.D.
Subtitle: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry
Classification: Nonfiction
What it's about: In Nutrition and Mental Illness: An Orthomolecular Approach to Balancing Body Chemistry Dr. Pfeiffer discusses the critical role vitamins (especially the B-vitamins) and some minerals (copper, zinc) play in helping our complex brains operate properly.
He discusses various types of schizophrenia and relates nutritional supplements that seem to be highly effective in returning patients to proper functioning again.
He gives many case histories to support his conclusions. He and his staff have developed broad general guidelines regarding which vitamins and minerals are likely to cure various mental functioning problems. His examples are quite convincing -- and often very moving when a very troubled patient is brought back to a normal existence again.
Something I found quite interesting is his approach of giving patients increasing doses of Vitamin B6 until they can remember their dreams. When asked, he tells his patients: "Dream recall is normal. We want you to be normal."
Main facts or viewpoints I got from this book: Powerful psychotropic medicines are, AT BEST, short-term "fixes" for mental problems.
And they frequently make a patient much worse in the long term. Giving the brain the vitamins and minerals it needs -- even it that sometimes means much larger doses than the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) doses -- improves brain functioning much more safely. Without the long-term damage that powerful mind-affecting drugs can and often do cause.
My evaluation of Nutrition and Mental Illness: It really opened my eyes to the critical importance of getting adequate levels (very different for different people) of certain vitamins for proper mental functioning, particularly the B-vitamins. As soon as I read the book I immediately started taking a strong (multi-RDA levels) full-spectrum B-vitamin supplement every day. In addition to the lower levels I was getting from a standard daily multivitamin tablet.
Why read this book: Many reasons! To learn what to do to be able to think more clearly; to help improve sleep problems and insomnia; to be emotionally more stable and happier; to understand possible causes for mental limitations that bother you; and to give yourself the knowledge to help yourself feel and think better.
It seems to me if large doses of the vitamins discussed in the book can cure severe mental function problems, somewhat smaller doses can help a great many of us just plain think and function better. And vitamins are MUCH cheaper, available, and safer than powerful psychotropic drugs. Cheaper and safer -- I like that.
Read the book, see the case histories. Decide for yourself.
To give you a better feel for its contents, here are the book's chapter titles:
Mental Illness -- Not All in the Mind
Understanding Mental Illness
Anxiety and Phobias -- The Copper Connection
High Histamine Can Cause Depression
B6 and Zinc -- the Missing Link
Brain Allergies
The Dangers of Daily Bread
Hypoglycemia -- the Sugar Blues
Minerals, Mood Swings, and Manic Depressive Disorders
Diet, Crime, and Delinquency
How to Age Without Senility
Drugs -- The Treatment That Leads Nowhere
Why Nutrition is the Way forward
There is an Alternative to Hospitalization
Optimum Nutrition for Mental Health
Nutrition Programs for Specific Diseases
Conclusion -- Have Faith in Tomorrow's Medicine
Summary of the Schizophrenias
References and Further Reading
Useful Addresses
Index
Symptoms of schizophrenia (www.cmha.ca)
Schizophrenia often starts slowly. When the symptoms first appear, usually in adolescence or early adulthood, they may seem more bewildering than serious.
In the early stages, people with schizophrenia may find themselves losing the ability to relax, concentrate or sleep. They may start to shut long-time friends out of their lives. Work or school begins to suffer; so does their personal appearance. During this time, there may be one or more episodes where they talk in ways that may be difficult to understand and/or start having unusual perceptions.
Once it has taken hold, schizophrenia tends to appear in cycles of remission and relapse.
When in remission, a person with schizophrenia may seem relatively unaffected and can more or less function in society. During relapse, however, it is a different story. People with schizophrenia may experience one or all of these main conditions:
delusions and/or hallucinations,
lack of motivation,
social withdrawal,
thought disorders.
Delusions are false beliefs that have no basis in reality. People with schizophrenia may think, for example, that someone is spying on them, listening to their thoughts, or placing thoughts in their minds.
Hallucinations most often consist of hearing voices that comment on behaviour, are insulting or give commands. Less often, people with schizophrenia may see or feel things that aren't there.
Disorganized thinking makes some people with schizophrenia feel mixed up. In conversation, they may jump randomly from one unrelated topic to another. Depression and anxiety frequently accompany these feelings.
The symptoms of schizophrenia vary greatly from person to person, from mild to severe. A specialist is needed to make the diagnosis, especially because there are no diagnostic tests.
Theories about the causes of schizophrenia
We know that schizophrenia is a biological disorder of the brain. The causes are not yet known, but there are several theories.
There is strong evidence of important inherited factors. Many researchers are looking for genetic causes of schizophrenia that runs in families. Success may become more likely as genes for complex illnesses are found.
The characteristics of schizophrenia, along with its tendency to ebb and flow in cycles, makes it similar to auto-immune diseases.
New technology has provided some recent clues to the causes of schizophrenia.
Computer images of brain activity show that the part of the brain that governs thought and higher mental functions behaves abnormally in persons with schizophrenia.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, has shown that the same area in the brain of some people with schizophrenia appears either to have deteriorated or not to have developed normally.
Computed Axial Tomography (popularly known as CAT scans) show that the fluid-filled spaces within the brains of people with schizophrenia tend to be larger than those in people without the illness.
Even the treatments physicians use today are giving scientists much-needed pieces to the puzzle. For example, some people with schizophrenia respond well when they are given medication that interferes with their body's production of the brain biochemical dopamine. This fact is leading researchers to speculate that either an over-production of dopamine or an over-sensitivity to it has something to do with the illness.
Treatments
A number of medications have been found that help bring biochemical imbalances in many people with schizophrenia closer to normal.
These medications can help a great deal in lessening hallucinations and delusions, and in helping maintain coherent thoughts. But, they usually have serious side effects contributing to non-compliance with medication and relapse.
Psychotherapy for individuals, groups or families is possible, and can mean a lot to people with schizophrenia and their loved ones. Psychotherapy can offer understanding, reassurance, insights and suggestions for handling the emotional aspects of the disorder and providing less stressful living situations.
Families can be a big help. Working closely with health care professionals, family members can learn about the illness. Families can also provide useful information to the health care professionals. They can find ways to support people with schizophrenia and provide a nurturing environment that encourages communication. Also see schizotypal disorders, in section 40, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris |
