Şizofreni için Doğal Tıp Rehberi (Sağlıklı Zihin Rehberleri) -ingizlice kopya
Şizofreni için Doğal Tıp Rehberi (Sağlıklı Zihin Rehberleri)
Stephanie Marohn
Table of Contents
PART II
Introduction
.........................................xiii
1 What Is
Schizophrenia, and Who Suffers from it? ............3
2 Causes, Triggers,
and Contributors ......................29
3 Orthomolecular
Psychiatry ............................67
4 Biochemical
Treatment of Schizophrenia ..................86
5 The Five Levels of
Healing ............................112
6 Restoring the Tempo
of Health: Cranial Osteopathy ........137
7 Rebalancing the
Vital Force: Homeopathy ...............152
8 Conflict and Spirit:
Psychosomatic Medicine ..............166
9 The Shamanic View of
Mental Illness ...................177
Afterword
.........................................191
Appendix A:
Professional Degrees and Titles ...............193
Appendix B: Resources
Endnotes
..........................................199
Index
............................................219
About the Author
...................................227
Joseph,*
At the age of 56, Gwen
had a psychotic break and was put on Stelazine, one of the old class of anti
From the time he was
eight years old, Freddie went through periods of wanting to hurt people.*
The Natural Medicine Guide to
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Also by Stephanie
Marohn
Natural Medicine
First Aid Remedies
Other Titles in the
Healthy Mind Guide Series:
The Natural
Medicine Guide to Autism
The Natural
Medicine Guide to Depression
The Natural
Medicine Guide to Bipolar Disorder
The Natural
Medicine Guide to Anxiety
MIND GUIDES
The Natural Medicine Guide to
SCHIZOPHRENIA
Stephanie Marohn
MIND GUIDES
THE HEALTHY MIND
GUIDES are a series of books offering original research and treatment options
for reversing or ameliorating several so-called mental disorders, written by
noted health journalist and author Stephanie Marohn. The series' focus is the
natural medicine approach, a refreshing and hopeful outlook based on treating
individual needs rather than medical labels, and addressing the underlying
imbalances-biological, psychological, emotional, and spiritual.
Each book in the
series offers the very latest information about the possible causes of each
disorder, and presents a wide range of effective, practical therapies drawn
from extensive interviews with physicians and other practitioners who are
innovators in their respective fields. Case studies throughout the books
illustrate the applications of these therapies, and numerous resources are
provided for readers who want to seek treatment.
The information in
this book is not intended to replace medical care. The author and publisher
disclaim responsibility for how you choose to employ the information in this
book and the results or consequences of any of the treatments covered.
To Nijinsky, for
all the dances that might have been
Acknowledgments
My deep gratitude
to the doctors and other healing professionals who provided information on
their work for the natural medicine treatment chapters in the book. I am very
appreciative of all the time and energy you so generously gave. Specifically,
my thanks to:
Johannes Beckmann,
M.D.
Lina Garcia,
D.D.S., D.M.D.
Abram Hoffer, M.D.,
Ph.D.
Dietrich
Klinghardt, M.D., Ph.D.
Michael Lesser,
M.D.
Judyth
Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D., L.C.S.W.
Hugh D. Riordan,
M.D.
Malidoma Patrice
Some, Ph.D.
William J. Walsh,
Ph.D.
Appreciation to Sue
Trowbridge and Dorothy Anderson for all your hard work transcribing many
interviews.
Eternal gratitude
to Donna Canali, Mella Mincberg, and Moll Steinert for your continued support
through the perpetual writing process.
Special thanks to
my editor, Richard Leviton, and all the staff at Hampton Roads.
Contents
Introduction
.........................................xiii
Part I: The Basics of
Schizophrenia
1 What Is
Schizophrenia, and Who Suffers from it? ............3
2 Causes, Triggers,
and Contributors ......................29
Part II: Natural
Medicine Treatments for Schizophrenia
3 Orthomolecular
Psychiatry ............................67
4 Biochemical
Treatment of Schizophrenia ..................86
5 The Five Levels of
Healing ............................112
6 Restoring the Tempo
of Health: Cranial Osteopathy ........137
7 Rebalancing the
Vital Force: Homeopathy ...............152
8 Conflict and Spirit:
Psychosomatic Medicine ..............166
9 The Shamanic View of
Mental Illness ...................177
Afterword
.........................................191
Appendix A:
Professional Degrees and Titles ...............193
Appendix B: Resources
............................... 195
Endnotes
..........................................199
Index
............................................219
About the Author
...................................227
Introduction
We in the United
States and other countries in the developed world are in the midst of a mental
health crisis. The psychiatric treatment methods we have been using are not
working, as is clear from the dire statistics on mental illness. Here are just
a few:
• Mental illness is
the second leading cause of disability and premature mortality in the U.S. and
other developed countries.'
• 4 of the 10
leading causes of disability in the U.S. and other developed countries are
mental disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and
obsessive-compulsive disorder.'
• 5.4 percent of
adults in the U.S. have a serious mental illness (defined as "substantial
interference with one or more major life activities"; less severe mental
illness is not included in this statistic).'
• 1 in 4 hospital
admissions in the U.S. in 1998 was a psychiatric admission.'
• In California
alone, 20,000 to 30,000 people with mental illness are in prison; as many or more
are homeless and live on the streets.`
• $148 billion =
the cost of mental illness in the U.S. in a single year; $69 billion in direct
costs for mental health treatment and rehabilitation and $79 billion in the
indirect costs of lost productivity at work, school, or home due to disability
or death.6
Largely, the reason
that treatment of mental illness has a poor success record and is costing more
all the time is that the overwhelming emphasis is placed on pharmaceutical
drugs. Not everyone in the psychiatric field is happy with the ever-increasing
governance of psychopharmacology (the science of drugs used to affect behavior
and emotional states). Here is what one psychiatrist had to say about it. In
December 1998, in a letter of resignation to the president of the American
Psychiatric Association (APA), Loren R. Mosher, M.D., former official of the
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), wrote:'
After nearly three
decades as a member, it is with a mixture of pleasure and disappointment that I
submit this letter of resignation from the American Psychiatric Association.
The major reason for this action is my belief that I am actually resigning from
the American Psychopharmacological Association.... At this point in history, in
my view, psychiatry has been almost completely bought out by the drug
companies.... We condone and promote the widespread overuse and misuse of toxic
chemicals that we know have serious long term effects....
While psychiatric
drugs (prescription drugs used for mental illnesses) may control certain
disorders, and in some instances save lives, they do not cure the disorder, and
they often compound the person's problems with disturbing side effects in the
short term and the risk of permanent damage in the long term. If we are going to
solve the current mental health crisis, we are going to have to turn to other
approaches to treatment.
The state of
affairs in psychiatric treatment is reflected in the focus of quite a few of
the books on schizophrenia and other mental illness aimed at the general
public. The help they offer involves information for the patient on coping with
hospitalization; for family members on how to live with the illness in a loved
one; and on how to work with side effects of psychopharmaceuticals (psychiatric
drugs), that is, what other drugs you can take to reduce those effects.
Meanwhile, lives
are sacrificed to schizophrenia, both literally and in the crippling of joy,
potential, and quality of life that marks the illness unsuccessfully treated,
as occurs far too often with the drug route. Even when drug treatment is
considered "successful," most people face a lifetime on medication,
and the underlying imbalances contributing to their condition are left
unaddressed. People lose years of their lives as the illness ebbs and flows,
despite their medications.
Are maintenance
and endurance all we can hope for? The answer is no, despite conventional
consensus to the contrary. The Natural Medicine Guide to Schizophrenia
demonstrates that schizophrenia is treatable in many cases. The focus of the
book is on healing from schizophrenia, not learning how to endure it. The case
histories show that the use of natural approaches makes it possible for people
to recover from schizophrenia and reclaim their lives. If implemented in mental
hospitals and private practice, these therapies would revolutionize the
psychiatric profession and change the very face of mental illness. If
schizophrenia were not so devastating to the lives of those it touches, perhaps
it would not be so vital that these therapies become part of standard protocol.
As it is, where is the justification for not disseminating this information to
all who are affected by schizophrenia?
The Natural
Medicine Guide to Schizophrenia brings natural medicine treatment options
together under one cover, so those with schizophrenia and their families can
make informed choices about the treatment they pursue. The book explores the
factors that can contribute to schizophrenia and offers a range of treatment
approaches to address these factors and restore health on a deep level. Only by
treating underlying imbalances, rather than suppressing the symptoms as most
drugs do, can lasting recovery be achieved. And only by considering the
well-being of the mind and spirit as well as the body can comprehensive healing
take place.
The therapies
covered in this book approach the treatment of schizophrenia in this way. They
all also share the characteristic of tailoring treatment to the individual,
which is another essential element for a successful outcome. No two people,
even with the same diagnosis, have exactly the same imbalances causing their
problems.
Natural therapies
are those that operate according to holistic principles, meaning treating the
whole person rather than an isolated part or symptom and using natural
treatments that do no harm and support or restore the body's natural ability to
heal itself. Natural medicine involves a way of looking at healing that is
strikingly different from the conventional medical model. It does not mimic
that model by merely substituting a nutritional supplement for a psychiatric
drug. Instead, it is the comprehensive approach just described, which offers
you the possibility of health.
Before I tell you
a little about what's in the book, I have some comments about the terms
"mental illness" and "mental disorders," or "brain
disorders" as they are more currently labeled. All of these terms reflect
the disconnection between body and mind-not to mention spirit-that characterizes
conventional medical treatment. The newer term, brain disorders, reflects the
biochemical model of causality that currently dominates the medical profession.
I use the terms
"mental illness" and "mental disorders" in this book
because there is no easy substitute that reflects the true body-mind-spirit
nature of these conditions. While I may use these terms, I in no way mean to
suggest that the causes of the disorders lie solely in the mind. The same is
true for the title of the series of which this book is a part: The Healthy Mind
Guides. The name serves to distinguish the subject area, but it is healthy
mind, body, and spirit-wholeness-that is the focus of these books.
While I'm at it,
I may as well dispense with one last linguistic issue. As natural medicine
effects profound healing, rather than simply controlling symptoms, I prefer the
term "natural medicine" over "alternative medicine." This
medical model is not "other"-it is a primary form of medicine. The
term "holistic medicine" reflects its primary nature as well, in that
it signals the natural medicine approach of treating the whole person, rather
than the parts.
Part 1 of The
Natural Medicine Guide to Schizophrenia covers the basics of schizophrenia:
what it is, who gets it, and what causes it. The natural medicine view is that
it is a multicausal disorder, with a variety of contributing factors that need
to be addressed in treatment.
Part 2 of the
book covers a range of natural medicine treatments for schizophrenia. The
material presented here is original information, not derivative material
gleaned from secondary sources. It is based on interviews with physicians and
other healing professionals who are leaders and pioneers in their respective
fields.
For example, the
doctors featured in the first two chaptersAbram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., and
William J. Walsh, Ph.D.-are in the forefront of successful treatment of
schizophrenia through nutritional protocols they have developed over decades of
research. Their therapeutic approaches (orthomolecular medicine and biochemical
therapy, respectively) have enabled thousands of people with schizophrenia to
rejoin the community of people living full, productive lives. The case
histories included in the chapters on their work are just a few of the many
clinical successes made possible by the protocols developed by these brilliant
doctors.
Among the other
therapies covered in part 2 that have proven instrumental in ameliorating the
symptoms of schizophrenia are anti-viral protocols, dental protocols, heavy
metal detoxification, allergy elimination, cranial osteopathy to correct
structural factors, constitutional homeopathy to restore energy balance, family
systems therapy to clear transgenerational energy legacies, and psychosomatic
medicine and shamanic healing to address psychospiritual factors.
This combination
of therapies that cover the spectrum of body, mind, and spirit factors in
schizophrenia is unique, as is the presentation. The methods of the highly
skilled doctors and other healers included in this book are explained in detail
and illustrated with case studies that give a human face to mental illness and
demonstrate the effectiveness of the therapies. (The names of patients
throughout the book have been changed.) Contact information for the
practitioners whose work is presented appears in appendix B: Resources.
In the list of
famous people with schizophrenia, which is found in chapter 1, you will find
the name of Vaslav Nijinsky, to whom this book is dedicated. You may know the
tragic story of this Russian dancer and choreographer (1890-1950), who is
widely considered the greatest male dancer of the twentieth century. Not long
after his ballet debut in St. Petersburg in 1907, he became the premier danseur
in Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, a company that brought together the best musicians,
painters, dancers, and choreographers of the time. Nijinsky danced his own
choreography and that of others, defining roles in ballets that are still
performed today. His rise was meteoric, as was his fall. In 1919, he left the
world of dance forever, due to insanity, deemed in retrospect to be
schizophrenia.
I dedicated this
book to Nijinsky because for me he sums up the terrible loss of mental illness.
The loss was brought home to me years ago when I saw Rudolf Nureyev dance a
program of the ballets Nijinsky made famous, including his own Afternoon of a
Faun. Nureyev, brilliant dancer that he was himself, seemed to have stepped
aside to allow the spirit of Nijinsky to inhabit him and dance again. I sat in
the top gallery of the theatre and wept, for Nijinsky and for all that he would
have given the world had he not been felled by insanity.
This loss is
shared by us all, just as is the loss of the contributions of each and every
person, famous or otherwise, who is stopped by mental illness. It is my sincere
hope that the information in this book helps you recover from schizophrenia,
rejoin the dance of life, and give to the world the gifts you were meant to
give.
Natural Medicine Therapies Covered in Part II
Chap. Health Practitioner Therapies/Testing
3 Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D. Orthomolecular medicine/
Michael Lesser, M.D. psychiatry
Hugh D. Riordan, M.D.
4 William J. Walsh, Ph.D. Biochemical therapy
Urine and blood testing
5 Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D., Ph.D. APN
(applied psychoneurobiology)
Anti-viral protocol
Chelation/heawy metal
detoxification
Family Systems Therapy
NAET (allergy testing/elimination)
Neural therapy
6 Lina Garcia, D.D.S., D.M.D. Cranial osteopathy
7 Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, Constitutional
N.D., L.C.S.W. homeopathy
8 Johannes Beckmann, M.D. Psychosomatic medicine
9 Malidoma Patrice Somö, Ph.D. Shamanic healing
P A R T 1
The Basics of Schizophrenia
1
What Is Schizophrenia,
and Who Suffers from It?
Schizophrenia has
long been a source of fascination, misunderstanding, mystery, and misery.
Historically, it has been the most devastating of mental disorders in the
degree of disability that it inflicts on those who suffer from it. It is to be
hoped that this book will aid in both dispelling some of the misunderstandings
and mystery around schizophrenia and changing the dismal prognosis that has
heretofore been the lot of many who are diagnosed with the disease, despite the
much-heralded antipsychotic drugs.
The National
Institute of Mental Health describes schizophrenia as a "chronic, severe,
and disabling brain disease," the seriousness of which is reflected in the
epithet accorded schizophrenia in the psychiatric field: "the cancer of
the mind."" Actually, schizophrenia is not a distinct disease, but a
group of symptoms that show wide variation, characterized in general by
disordered thinking, feelings, and behavior. A standard medical dictionary
states that "there may be a precise disease called schizophrenia, but at
this time, it is virtually impossible to distinguish it from a disease that may
only resemble schizophrenia."'
No wonder
misunderstanding reigns. The confusion is compounded by the widely held
misconception that schizophrenia is a split personality, as in Robert Louis
Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dichotomy, or even a multiple personality,
as in the film The Three Faces of Eve. This belief is perpetuated by the
ubiquitous misuse of the word "schizophrenic," which has permeated
our popular culture and is used to refer to a divide between opposites, a la
Jekyll and Hyde, as in "schizophrenic management."
The
misunderstanding stems in part from the roots of the word "schizophrenia,"
which was coined in 1908 by Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler and means
"splitting of the mind.""' Dr. Bleuler was referring to the
disruption in thinking and feeling that accompanies the disorder, but the
original meaning has gotten lost in common usage.
So, confusion
reigns in both public and psychiatric spheres as to what exactly schizophrenia
is. A summation of the confusion surrounding schizophrenia in medical circles
notes that "schizophrenia has resisted definition to an even greater
extent than it has resisted treatment."" In the absence of a distinct
disease and laboratory findings such as brain abnormalities or other measurable
physical anomalies, a diagnosis of schizophrenia depends upon symptomology.
For more about
imbalances and the levels of healing, see chapter 5.
The Symptoms of
Schizophrenia
The symptoms of
schizophrenia are generally divided into the categories of positive and
negative symptoms, which is not a value judgment but a reflection of the
deviation from normal function. Thus, positive symptoms are an excess or a
distortion of normal functions, while negative symptoms are a lessening or a
loss of normal functions.
Positive symptoms
include delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, disorganized thinking and
speaking, and disorganized or catatonic behavior. Negative symptoms include the
"A" list: affective flattening (lack of emotional expression),
avolition (lack of energy or initiative), alogia ("poverty of
speech"), anhedonia (lack of pleasure or interest in previously enjoyable
pursuits), and attention deficits (concentration problems).
Statistics on
Schizophrenia
• 1 percent of the
world population (1 to 2 out of 100 people in the U.S.) develops schizophrenia.
• More hospital
beds in the U.S. are occupied by schizophrenic patients than by patients with
any other illness, including cancer, heart disease, and stroke combined.
• Schizophrenia
affects women and men nearly equally, with slightly more men being afflicted,
but the onset tends to be earlier and the prognosis less positive among men.
• Schizophrenic
onset generally occurs between the late teens and mid-thirties; the median age
for men is the early to midtwenties, while for women it is the late twenties.
• Children of two
parents with schizophrenia have almost a 40 percent chance of becoming
schizophrenic.
• 10 percent of
schizophrenics commit suicide; up to 40 percent attempt suicide at least once.
• Schizophrenia in
the U.S. costs $1 to 2 million per individual over a lifetime.
• The annual cost
of schizophrenia is $48 billion (medical treatment, Social Security payments,
and wages lost due to illness).
• Fewer than 50
percent of people with schizophrenia receive adequate treatment.'
In Their Own Words
"1 recognized
nothing, nobody. It was as though reality, attenuated, had slipped away from
all these things and these people. Profound dread overwhelmed me, and as though
lost, I looked around desperately for help. I heard people talking but I did
not grasp the meaning of the words. "13
-Renee, a recovered
schizophrenic, co-author of Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl
Loss of contact
with reality is a hallmark of schizophrenia and the source of its
categorization as a psychotic disorder. A sense of unreality, disconnection
from the world, delusions, and hallucinations are all aspects of a distorted
perception of reality. As with schizophrenia, the definition of psychosis is
based upon symptoms, largely delusions and hallucinations.
Delusions are false
beliefs or thoughts, while hallucinations are false sensory perceptions. The
most common delusions involve persecution, as in the belief that you are being
followed or watched or that people are talking about and ridiculing you. Other
delusions focus on thought withdrawal, the belief that someone or something is
taking away your thoughts; thought insertion, the belief that someone or
something is putting thoughts into your head; or thought broadcasting, the
belief that your thoughts are being transmitted to the world outside your head,
often via radio or television. Religious delusions are also common, as in
believing that one is Jesus or the Virgin Mary, or a less grandiose delusion.
Hallucinations
can involve any of the senses. For example, a typical tactile hallucination
among schizophrenics is the sensation of someone brushing against them as if in
walking by, or nudging them, and there is nobody there. The most common
hallucinations, however, are auditory, in which they hear voices, often
conversations or someone issuing directives regarding their behavior.
In one instance,
a woman with schizophrenia was forbidden by the voice in her head to eat
anything but apples and spinach, and she knew from past experience with this
voice that failure to observe the order would have dire consequences. The
people around her naturally did not understand her dietary restrictions, but
she had a very good reason for them.''
Her revelation
raises an important point regarding logic, a word not often associated with
madness. A number of the practitioners featured in this book emphasized that
when they took the time to talk to their patients with schizophrenia, they
discovered that they had logical reasons for why they behaved as they did.
These logical reasons may have been based on delusions and hallucinations, but
the point is that the seemingly bizarre behaviors were not random and had a
kind of order of their own.
Another symptom
that is often characteristic of schizophrenia, but which is not part of the
official psychiatric symptom picture because it is subjective in nature rather
than objectively observable, is a lack of awareness of physical boundaries. Not
being clear on where one's body ends and people or objects in the outside world
begin may be a function of sensory disturbance and an inability to process
stimuli. Without this basic awareness, the person cannot have a strong sense of
self. (See chapter 6 for another view of this phenomenon.)
Loss of contact
with reality is linked to lack of insight, another feature in schizophrenia.
The term refers to lack of awareness that one is ill, which makes the person
less likely to be compliant with treatment. Research has found that this
symptom is associated with a higher incidence of relapse, more involuntary
hospitalizations, greater psychosocial impairment, and a poorer prognosis.15
Another hallmark
of schizophrenia is disordered thinking. Thoughts (and speech, as an expression
of thought) jump around, concentration and focus are difficult or nonexistent,
mental associations are disrupted, and answers to questions posed to the
individual may bear little or no perceivable relationship to the question. At
its extreme manifestation, speech becomes what is known as "word
salad," a jumble of words that seem incoherent to listeners.
"Grossly
disorganized behavior," as it is termed in psychiatry, may include neglect
of daily tasks such as making meals and bathing, dressing in an unusual manner
(such as winter gear on a hot day), and having agitated outbursts (as in
yelling or swearing), seemingly for no reason.
In Their Own Words
"If 1 do
something, like going for a drink of water, I have to go over each detail. Find
cup, walk over, turn tap, fill cup, turn tap off, drink it. I keep building up
a picture. I have to change the picture each time. I have to make the old picture
move. I can't concentrate. I can't hold things. ... It's easier if 1 stay
still. "16
-A person with
schizophrenia describing the loss of automatic movement
Of the negative
symptoms of schizophrenia, flattened affect is quite often a feature. In this,
the person has a blank look to observers and the face appears to be void of
emotions or expression most of the time. Body language is similarly absent or
reduced, as is eye contact. Another common negative symptom is alogia, in which
the person answers or interacts with "brief, laconic, empty
replies."'-
Another way of
characterizing the disorder, which summarizes the condition behind the
symptoms, is that people with schizophrenia have trouble processing or
filtering stimuli. E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., a clinical and research psychiatrist
who specializes in schizophrenia, likens it to a switchboard operator failing
to do the job of sorting and directing the incoming calls. Without this
function, appropriate response becomes next to impossible. The limbic system of
the brain acts as a filter (the switchboard) for sensory information;
scientists suspect that this is the area most implicated in
schizophrenia."
The onset of
schizophrenia, with some combination of the symptoms just cited, can be sudden
or gradual, but there are usually signs that develop before the psychotic
episode. These warning signs are clinically termed "prodromes" of the
disease and include withdrawal from people and activities, lack of attention to
appearance and cleanliness, and angry outbursts or other atypical behavior.
In addition to
the symptoms associated with schizophrenia, there is a comorbidity factor with
nicotine dependence, obsessivecompulsive disorder, and panic disorder.'"
Comorbidity means that two disorders exist together. Among people with
schizophrenia, 80 to 90 percent are habitual cigarette smokers, and as such,
nicotine dependent."' (See chapter 2 for more discussion of smoking and
schizophrenia.)
Psychiatric
Criteria for a Diagnosis of Schizophrenia
For a diagnosis
of schizophrenia, according to the bible of the psychiatric profession, the
DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition),
at least two of the following symptoms must be present for "a significant
portion of time" over a month (or less if treatment halts the symptoms):''
1. Delusions
2. Hallucinations
3. Disorganized
speech
4. Grossly
disorganized or catatonic behavior
5. Negative
symptoms such as affective flattening, alogia, or avolition.
The presence of
bizarre delusions or auditory hallucinations in which a voice makes continual
comments about the individual or two or more people are heard in conversation
obviates the requirement for two symptoms.
While these
"active-phase" symptoms must last at least a month, there must be
signs of disturbance for six months or more. These signs may be negative
symptoms or less severe positive symptoms such as unusual perceptions or
beliefs.
In addition,
diagnosis requires that there is a marked decrease in the person's social, occupational,
and/or self-care functioning since the disturbance began (or in the case of
children, their functioning in these areas fails to develop as expected).
Finally, it must
be determined that these symptoms are not due to other causes. That is, schizoaffective
disorder (see following section), mood disorder, medical conditions, and
substance-induced psychosis must be ruled out. This is because medical
conditions such as Cushing's syndrome or a brain tumor can produce
schizophrenia-like symptoms, as can street drugs, medications, or toxic
exposure (see chapter 2).
In Their Own Words
"When people
are talking, /just get scraps of it. If it is just one person who is speaking,
that's not so bad, but if others join in, then I can't pick it up at
-A person with
schizophrenia describing perceptual disruption
Types of
Schizophrenia
In addition to
the main category of schizophrenia, there are a number of subtypes and
alternative diagnostic labels, as defined in the DSM-IV. A holistic medical
approach does not use such diagnoses to determine the appropriate treatment
course, focusing instead on the particular manifestations and underlying
imbalances in the individual patient. Nevertheless, as many people receive
these labels, it's helpful to know to what they refer.
Schizophrenia
Subtypes
A person may fit
into more than one subtype, and two of them are vague categories for use when
people don't fit anywhere else. Even the authors of the DSM-IVadmit that due to
the "limited value of the schizophrenia subtypes in clinical and research
settings (e.g., prediction of course, treatment response, correlates of
illness), alternative subtyping schemes are being actively
investigated."" In other words, the diagnostic subtypes don't serve
much purpose aside from, in the case of three of them, describing the primary
symptoms.
Paranoid Type
Paranoid
schizophrenia is characterized by delusions or auditory hallucinations, without
significant impairment of thinking and feeling. The delusions involved are
usually of the persecution and/or grandiose type. The hallucinations typically
relate to the theme found in the delusions. Anxiety, anger, aloofness, and a
tendency to argue are also common. The onset of paranoid schizophrenia is
usually later than with other types and the prognosis is better because of mild
to nonexistent disturbance in thinking.
Disorganized Type
As suggested by
its name, the main characteristic of this type of schizophrenia is
disorganization of speech and behavior. Flattened or inappropriate emotional
expression (such as laughter with no apparent connection to speech content) is
also present. If the person has hallucinations or delusions, they too tend to
be disorganized, rather than relating to a theme as is the case with the
paranoid type. The disorganization in behavior can result in major disturbance
in daily activities. Early onset and lack of remission also characterize the
disorganized type of schizophrenia.'
In Their Own Words
'7 thought l was
telepathic. I thought everybody in the world had read my mind and that they had
a negative impression of me. So when / thought that / had caused people in
different provinces [in Canada] to commit suicide because of me blasting them
with waves of telepathic neurotic hatred, /thought, 'Well, now they're going to
get
-Ian, who reversed
his schizophrenia with orthomolecular medicine
Catatonic Type
Catatonia is
characterized by psychomotor symptoms that range from immobility to excessive
movement, from holding a fixed posture to stupor (a total lack of response to
and seeming unawareness of one's environment). Grimacing, echolalia (repetition
of others' words or phrases), and echopraxia (repetitive mimicking of others'
movements) are also common.
Undifferentiated
Type
According to the
DSM-I1 the undifferentiated type meets the criteria for a diagnosis of
schizophrenia, but does not fall into the paranoid, disorganized, or catatonic
subtypes.
Residual Type
This type of
schizophrenia may reflect the transition from a psychotic episode to remission,
but can be operational for years. To meet the criteria for the residual type,
the person must have had at least one schizophrenic episode, but delusions,
hallucinations, and other positive symptoms are at this time not significant.
Negative symptoms are present, however.
Other Diagnostic
Categories
The diagnostic
labels schizophreniform disorder and schizoaffective disorder are used when the
criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia are not met but the disorder shares a
number of features with schizophrenia. The DSM-JV also cites other psychotic
disorders, but it is sufficient for our purposes to limit discussion to these
two.
Schizophreniforrn
Disorder
For this
diagnosis, the person meets the criteria for schizophrenia, except that the
illness (prodromal, active, and residual stages) has lasted less than six
months and there may or may not be disturbance in the person's social and
professional function. If the illness meets all the criteria for schizophrenia
except the duration and it then lasts past the six-month mark, the diagnosis
will become schizophrenia.
Schizoaffective
Disorder
While this
disorder is listed under schizophrenia in the DSM-IV, it is defined as
involving a major depressive, manic, or mixed episode (both mania and
depression) in combination with two or more of the characteristic symptoms of
schizophrenia: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, catatonic or
grossly disorganized behavior, or negative symptoms such as flat affect,
alogia, or avolition. Schizoaffective disorder presents very much like bipolar
disorder (the mood disorder formerly known as manic-depression) with psychotic
features, the difference being that delusions and hallucinations in the latter
case are part of the abnormal mood, while no such relationship exists in
schizoaffective disorder.2
People with
schizophrenia are frequently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and vice versa.
Others receive a dual diagnosis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The
schizoaffective category highlights the confusion in attempting to distinguish
between the disorders.
For information
about bipolar disorder, see the author's The Natural Medicine Guide to Bipolar
Disorder (Hampton Roads, 2003).
The Demographics of
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
affects about one percent of the population worldwide, with some evidence
suggesting that there are slight variations according to geography and culture.
For example, research indicates that more people are afflicted in the northern
hemisphere as compared to the southern, and the closer one is to the equator
the less likely one is to develop schizophrenia.= In addition, Papua, New
Guinea, has a very low rate while western Ireland, Sweden, and the Istrian
peninsula in Croatia purportedly have very high rates. The incidence is also
high among Caribbean immigrants in England (but not high in their native
countries, with the exception perhaps of Dominica).'" In the past 20
years, the incidence of schizophrenia has reportedly decreased in Scotland,
England, Denmark, Australia, and New Zealand, while some evidence suggests that
it has increased in the United States.2" As with so much else about
schizophrenia, the causes for these changes and variations are a mystery.
The type, course,
and outcome of the illness vary across cultures as well, with catatonic
schizophrenia more common in developing countries than in industrialized
countries. Schizophrenia in the latter tends to be chronic and have a worse
outcome while in the former it is usually acute and has a better
prognosis."' One World Health Organization (WHO) study found that a large
percentage of people with severe schizophrenia in less industrialized cultures
where extended families are the norm recovered completely, unlike in the
industrialized world, where nuclear families are the norm. Further, the WHO
study found that the availability of psychiatric drug treatment is correlated
with more negative outcomes for people with schizophrenia."
Incidence rates
are almost twice as high in urban, as opposed to rural, locations, with the
poor in the cities most affected. Some research found a higher rate of
schizophrenia among African Americans, but further investigation determined
that this is due more to residence in cities than to race. Among rural-dwelling
African Americans, the incidence is no higher than normal. 12
The World Health Organization study found
that the availability of psychiatric drug treatment is correlated with more
negative outcomes for people with schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia
tends to run in families and usually manifests in late adolescence or early
adulthood. Fewer than one percent of people with schizophrenia have an onset
before age 12, and fewer than ten percent have an onset after age 45." The
peak age of onset is the early to mid-twenties for men and the late twenties for
women." As with bipolar disorder, the average age of onset has dropped
from what it was 20 years ago. Again, the reason is unknown.
Violence, Suicide,
and Schizophrenia
A common myth
about schizophrenia is that people with the disorder are violent. The myth is
fueled by the occasional, highly publicized act of violence committed by a
diagnosed schizophrenic, typically against a famous person. While there is
disagreement over whether people with schizophrenia are more likely than
nonschizophrenics to perpetrate violence against others, the official stance of
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is: "Most individuals with
schizophrenia are not violent; more typically, they are withdrawn and prefer to
be left alone. Most violent crimes are not commited by persons with
schizophrenia, and most persons with schizophrenia do not commit violent
crimes."" There is evidence that the same factors that increase the
likelihood of violence in the general population are those that increase the
likelihood among people with schizophrenia. These include drug abuse, being
young, male, and poor.'
When it comes to
violence against self, however, schizophrenics are more likely than the general
population to harm themselves, with the ultimate harm being suicide. As many as
40 percent of people with schizophrenia attempt suicide at least once, while
ten percent of schizophrenics succeed in killing themselves.'' Alcohol abuse
increases the likelihood of suicide, as alcohol features in 30 percent of all
suicides."
The high
incidence of suicide attempts among people with schizophrenia makes it
important for those with the condition, as well as their family and friends, to
be aware of the warning signs of suicide. Being forewarned may enable you to
prevent this tragedy from happening if the signs begin to manifest. Among
schizophrenics, increased risk factors include being male, under 45 years old,
unemployed, depressed or hopeless, and recently discharged from the
hospital." In general, the warning signs of suicide are4'
• feelings of
hopelessness, worthlessness, anguish, or desperation
• withdrawal from
people and activities
preoccupation with
death or morbid subjects
• sudden mood
improvement or increased activity after a period of depression
• increase in
risk-taking behaviors
• buying a gun
• putting affairs
in order
• thinking,
talking, or writing about a plan for committing suicide
If you think that
you or someone you know is in danger of attempting suicide, call your doctor or
a suicide hotline or get help from another qualified source. Know that there is
help and, though it may be difficult to ask for it, a life may depend upon it.
Factors Associated
with a Better Outcome
Research has linked
the following factors to a more positive prognosis in schizophrenia."
Good adjustment
prior to becoming ill
Acute onset
Onset at a later
age
Being a female
Accompanying mood
disturbance
Treatment soon
after onset
Good functioning
between episodes
Minimal residual
symptoms
No structural brain
abnormalities
Normal functioning
of the nervous system
Awareness of
illness
Family history of
mood disorders
No family history
of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia and
Creativity
There is another
side to schizophrenia, and that is its possible link to creativity. Madness in
general has long been paired with genius in the arts. Investigation reveals
that there is some substance behind what some dismiss as a romantic notion.
Psychiatrist E.
Fuller Torrey, M.D., cites the cognitive traits that characterize creative
people and people with schizophrenia: "Both use words and language in
unusual ways (the hallmark of a great poet or novelist), both have unusual
views of reality (as great artists do), both often utilize unusual thought
processes in their deliberations, and both tend to prefer solitude to the
company of others.
In addition, Dr.
Torrey reports that psychological testing of creative people reveals more
"psychopathology" as compared to noncreative people. At the same
time, nonparanoid schizophrenics test very high on creativity tests. Another
study found that the immediate family members of a creative person appear to be
more likely to develop schizophrenia, and similarly, the immediate family
members of a schizophrenic person test higher for creativitya'
The connection
between madness and creativity is not fully understood. Does the artistic
process promote madness or are people suffering from mental illness
temperamentally drawn to the arts? Whatever the answer, it is important not to
lose sight of the tragic aspect of the madness-genius equation, which can get
lost in the romanticization of the artistic life. As Kay Redfield Jamison,
Ph.D., author of Touched with Fire, an exploration of the connection between
madness and creativity, observes, "No one is creative when paralytically
depressed, psychotic, institutionalized, in restraints, or dead because of
suicide.
Famous People with Schizophrenia
The following are
among the well-known people who suffered from schizophrenia:45
Antonin Artaud,
writer
Ivor Gurney,
poet/composer
Jakob Adolf Hagg,
composer
Johann Friedrich
Holderlin, poet
John Forbes Nash,
Jr., Nobel prize-winning mathematician (the subject of the film A Beautiful
Mind)
Vaslav Nijinsky,
dancer/choreographer
Adolf Wolfli,
painter
Possibly:
James Joyce, writer
August Strindberg,
writer
Vincent van Gogh,
painter
The History of
Schizophrenia and Its Treatment
In the history of
schizophrenia is also found the muddied confusion that surrounds other aspects
of the disorder. While some authorities maintain that schizophrenia has
afflicted humans throughout time, others aver that it is a relatively modern
disorder that came into existence in the early I 800s.
Proponents of the
age-old view cite a description of what they believe to be schizophrenia found
in Hindu scriptures dating from around 1400 [1.c:. Seen as the victim of
devils, the person "is gluttonous, is filthy, walks naked, has lost his
memory, and moves about in an uneasy manner."", Biblical descriptions
of insanity are considered further support for this position.
Those who believe
that schizophrenia is a more recent phenomenon acknowledge that psychoses
resembling schizophrenia may have existed but that the causes were disease or
injury and not the entity we know as schizophrenia. While isolated descriptions
of schizophrenia-like conditions appeared in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries, there was a sudden flood of descriptions in the nineteenth century,
beginning with what proponents of this view cite as the first definite
descriptions of schizophrenia. These were published independently in 1809 by
both English physician John Haslam and French physician Philippe Pinel.
One school of
thought maintains that the flood of descriptions was a reflection of a huge
increase in mental illness in Europe during the 1800s. Various arguments, such
as the advent of industrialization leading to workers no longer taking care of
insane family members in the home, attempt to explain away this phenomenon, but
analysis by some authorities has resulted in the conclusion that the increase
did indeed occur. A huge increase in madness purportedly occurred in the United
States as well, as reflected in a dramatic rise in the number of mental
hospitals. Again, the reason for the increase, if such it was, is not known.
Whether schizophrenia
existed as a distinct disorder before the 1800s or not, people who were deemed
insane were subjected to a range of "medical" treatments over the
years. In the view of the ancient world and later in the Middle Ages, the
insane were regarded as victims of demon possession and, as such, needed to be
treated with compassion. Torture and persecution of the insane commenced with
the witch-burnings, beginning in the fifteenth century, and continued through
the 1700s.
In the 1800s, the
cause of schizophrenia was considered unknown, although environment, heredity,
and organic disease were variously proposed as the source of the ailment.
Hospital reform during this era led to more humane treatment of the insane. The
methods for treating schizophrenia that evolved in the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries included immersion in hot or cold baths, inducing fevers, inducing an
insulin coma, and electroconvulsive therapy (shock treatment).
The year 1852
brought the introduction of the term dementia praecox, the early name for
schizophrenia. Benedict Morel dubbed the illness he was witnessing in the
French mental institute where he served as the head physician demence precoce
(early or premature loss of mind), referring to its early onset. The clinical
version of this is the Latin dementia praecox. As noted earlier, it wasn't
until the the early 1900s that the term "schizophrenia" came into
usage.
In the late
1800s, German physician Emil Kraepelin studied and documented schizophrenia and
other mental illnesses, providing the foundation for modern psychiatry. Its
focus on diagnosis and classification comes from Dr. Kraepelin.'-
The belief that
psychological factors were the cause of mental illnesses arose from the work of
Sigmund Freud and began to gain cachet in the American medical establishment in
the 1920s.4" With the source of such illness firmly placed in the mind,
parents (mostly mothers), early trauma, and psychological conflicts became the
culprits behind schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism. This orientation
is largely responsible for the stigma that came to be attached to mental
illness-that is, that schizophrenia is not a disease like any other, but a
failing on the part of the individual or the individual's mother.
The so-called
schizophrenogenic mother (a woman whose maladjusted mothering caused her
child's schizophrenia) or the "frozen mother" (whose withholding of
love caused the schizophrenia in her child) are close relatives of the
"refrigerator mother" whose lack of emotional engagement was blamed
for autism. Before the psychological model gave way to the biochemical model of
mental illness, these labels caused further anguish in families already dealing
with the painful realities of having a schizophrenic child.
The advent of
psychiatric drugs in the 1950s transformed the psychiatric field, shifting the
focus of the causality of mental illness to the biochemical realm and turning
the profession into a pharmaceutical industry. Gradually, the medical
redefinition with its focus on biology permeated public consciousness, but the
stigma attached to mental illness persists to a certain degree. This is
especially true of schizophrenia, which has not reaped the benefits that other
mental disorders have from celebrities going public about their bipolar disorder
or clinical depression and helping to dispel some of the earlier judgments and
misconceptions. Medically, the role of psychological factors in schizophrenia
is dismissed or considered minimal and the focus of treatment is on drugs.
In the United States,
another development in the mental health field had serious consequences that
are still reverberating through society and among the mentally ill today. A
policy of deinstitutionalization, initiated across the country in the late
1960s, resulted in massive closure of state and county mental hospitals. From
1969 to 1975 alone, the schizophrenic population in such facilities dropped by
nearly half."' These people were now supposed to receive treatment on an
outpatient basis, but services were woefully inadequate. The result has been
catastrophic. Nationwide, "90 percent of the people who would have been in
the hospital 40 years ago are not in the hospital today," states Dr.
Torrey. "'
In California,
where the 1967 Lanterman Pettis Short (LPS) Act led to the closure of many
mental hospitals and the abolishment of staff positions in many others, the
state mental hospital population dropped from 35,739 in 1968 (the year before
LPS took effect) to 4,000 in 1999. "Between 20,000 and 30,000 people with
mental illness are in our jails and prisons. At least an equal number are
homeless on the street," reads a report by a task force that investigated
the impact of this law in California." This tragic situation exists
throughout the United States.
"The new
mental hospitals are the streets," observes Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.,
whose work with schizophrenia is covered in chapter 3.52
An estimated
one-third of those who are homeless suffer from severe mental illness,
predominantly schizophrenia.
One could add
that jails and prisons are also our new mental hospitals. "It is easier
for a person with a severe mental illness to get arrested than to get
treatment," reads a statement in a report by the National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill (NAMI). The report cites the lack of community services for the
mentally ill as the cause of "the growing criminalization of persons with
severe mental illnesses." According to NAMI statistics, more than 10
percent of jail and prison inmates suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,
or major depressions'
In Their Own Words
"Robert's
diagnosis has changed frequently in the past 30 years, depending largely upon
which drugs have been successful in keeping him calm, stable, and/or compliant.
He was schizophrenic when enormous doses of Thorazine and Stelazine calmed him;
he was manic-depressive (bipolar) when lithium worked; he was
manic-depressive-with-psychoticsymptoms, or hypomanic, when Tegretol or
Depakote (anticonvulsants), or some new antipsychotic or antidepressant . . .
showed promise of making him cooperative.... "55
-Jay Neugeboren,
about his brother Robert's illness
The
criminalization of the mentally ill carries with it the issue of forced
medication. The incarcerated mentally ill have been forcibly medicated, and
court cases either challenging the practice or seeking to continue it have
arisen.s4 Without federal guidelines on the issue, it continues to be heard on
a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, many inmates are forced against their will to
take powerful antipsychotics. This has serious implications for those who wish
to follow an alternative route of treatment, such as the therapeutic approaches
enumerated in this book.
The Pharmacological
Age
Antipsychotic
medications now rule conventional psychiatric treatment of schizophrenia. The
current conventional view is that schizophrenia is a brain disorder involving
some kind of neurotransmitter malfunction, so drugs thought to manipulate
neurotransmitter function are the prescribed course of treatment.
Neurotransmitters
are the brain's chemical messengers that enable communication between cells.
While there are many different kinds of neurotransmitters, the primary ones
thought to be involved in schizophrenia are dopamine, serotonin,
epinephrine/norepinephrine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), and glutamate.
Much of the
research on neurotransmitters and schizophrenia has focused on dopamine,
largely because Thorazine, an antipsychotic drug that reduced the symptoms of
schizophrenia and was the standard treatment until other antipsychotics were
developed, was found to reduce dopamine activity. In fact, this drug-spurred
approach has been the basis for much of the neurotransmitter research.
Serotonin got attention because clozapine, another antipsychotic drug used with
schizophrenia, affected serotonin.
One theory holds
that dopamine may he operating to excess in severe mania and acute
schizophrenia,"' but recent research suggests that this is too simplistic
given the complexity of the dopamine system.- Dopamine has a role in memory
retrieval, attention, mood regulation, and the processing of experience,
emotion, and thought."
Serotonin
influences mood, regulates sleep and pain, and is involved in sensory
perception, all of which have relevance to schizophrenia. Contrary to popular
belief, serotonin is not found only in the brain. In fact, only five percent of
the body's supply is in the brain, with 95 percent distributed throughout the
body and involved in many functions."' Serotonin is similarly distributed
throughout the brain, where it is "the single largest brain system
known."""
Epinephrine (also
known as adrenaline) and norepinephrine are hormones produced by the adrenal
gland. Epinephrine is involved in the stress response and the physiology of
fear and anxiety; an excess has been implicated in some anxiety disorders.
Norepinephrine is similar to epinephrine and is the form of adrenaline found in
the brain."' It plays a role in cognitive functions such as attention,
learning, and mental sharpness. Interference with norepinephrine metabolism at
certain brain sites has been linked to affective disorders."' Paranoia,
aggression, and anger may result from high levels; note that amphetamines,
which raise norepinephrine levels, can produce similar effects."`
Prescription Drugs Used to Control
Schizophrenia
Antipsychotics
(typical)
haloperidol
(Haldol)
thioridazine
(Mellaril)
fluphenazine
(Prolixin)
trifluoperazine
(Stelazine)
chlorpromazine
(Thorazine)
Antipsychotics
(atypical)
clozapine
(Clozaril)
risperidone
(Risperdal)
quetiapine
(Seroquel)
olanzapine
(Zyprexa)
Anticholinergics
Also called
antiparkinsonian or side-effect medication; used to counteract the side effects
of antipsychotics
trihexyphenidyl
(Artane)
benztropine
mesylate (Cogentin)
procyclidine
(Kemadrin)
amantadine
(Symmetrel)
Antidepressants
trazodone (Desyrel)
paroxetine (Paxil)
fluoxetine (Prozac)
sertraline (Zoloft)
Mood stabilizers
valproic acid
(Depakene)
divalproex
(Depakote)
lamotrigine
(Lamictal)
lithium carbonate
carbamazepine (Tegretol),
an anticonvulsant
topiramate
(Topamax)
Tranquilizers
Benzodiazepines,
anxiolytics (anti-anxiety medications)
lorazepam (Ativan)
clonazepam
(Klonopin)
diazepam (Valium)
alprazolam (Xanax)
Anti-Panic Drugs
clonazepam
(Klonopin)
paroxetine (Paxil)
alprazolam (Xanax)
sertraline (Zoloft)
GABA operates to
stop excess nerve stimulation, thereby exerting a calming effect on the brain.
GABA is involved in 30 to 50 percent of brain synapses (the juncture between
two nerve cells on the pathways along which communications in the brain
travel)." Two important functions of glutamate involve memory and the
curbing of chronic stress response and excess secretion of the adrenal
"stress" hormone cortisol. Stimulus adaptation, which is impaired in schizophrenia,
is thus the purview of glutamate."'
Neurotransmitters
are ostensibly the targets of psychiatric drugs used in the treatment of mental
illness, although it is unknown exactly how these drugs work. In the case of
schizophrenia, these drugs fall into the categories of antipsychotics (typical
and atypical), mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and tranquilizers. While the
effects and side effects of all could be enumerated at length, the following
brief discussion focuses on antipsychotics, which are the mainstay of drug
prescription for schizophrenia.
Antipsychotics,
also known as neuroleptics (the literal translation is "taking hold of the
nerves"), and formerly referred to as major tranquilizers, work to control
schizophrenia by blunting a range of brain activities. They produce
"apathy, indifference, emotional blandness, conformity, and
submissiveness, as well as a reduction in all verbalizations, including
complaints or protests," according to Peter R. Breggin, M.D., and David
Cohen, Ph.D., authors of Your Drug May Be Your Problem. "It is no
exaggeration to call this effect a chemical lobotomy."`'`' The phrase
"the Thorazine shuffle" came into usage in mental hospitals in the
early days of Thorazine prescription, referring to the characteristic way of
moving as a result of the numbing physical, mental, and emotional effects of
this primary neuroleptic.
Although
antipsychotics are ostensibly given to control delusions and hallucinations,
they actually have no specific effects on either, say Drs. Breggin and Cohen,
and their side effects are daunting. In addition to those cited, side effects
of this class of drugs include dry mouth, blurred vision, drowsiness,
restlessness, muscle spasms, and tremors. They can also cause side effects that
resemble psychotic symptoms."-
A serious
long-term effect of neuroleptic drugs is tardive dyskinesia (TD), characterized
by involuntary muscle movement, most often afflicting the limbs, mouth, tongue,
eyes, and other parts of the face. Involuntary grimaces, tongue protusions, lip
smacking, and chewing are typical manifestations. TD can be a permanent
disability, meaning that it persists even when the drug is discontinued. TD
indicates that the drug has damaged the brain in some way, but the medical
profession tends to downplay the problem.
In a pamphlet
written by a team of psychiatrists at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in the
Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto to provide information to
patients and their families on medications for schizophrenia, the authors state
the following in regard to TD: "[T]he benefits of medication must be
weighed against the adverse effects, and most people who have tardive
dyskinesia are less disturbed by it than are their relatives and friends. In
other words, the effects are unsightly but not necessarily
uncomfortable.""' Might the presence of this misleading and
presumptuous, even outrageous, statement have anything to do with an
illuminating note at the end of the pamphlet? "This booklet has been
provided by The Professional Services Department of Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals
(Canada) Inc."""
While the risks associated with neuroleptics
are considered by many to be worth it if the drug can control an adult's
schizophrenia, there can be no justification for the growing use of
antipsychotics on children for whom the drugs are not approved and for whom the
purpose has nothing to do with schizophrenia.
While so-called
atypical antipsychotics, such as Zyprexa, are enjoying cachet now over
Thorazine and other typical antipsychotics because their side effects are
regarded as less onerous, Drs. Breggin and Cohen strongly state: "All
neuroleptics produce an enormous variety of potentially severe and disabling
neurological impairments at extraordinarily high rates of occurrence; they are
among the most toxic agents ever administered to people."O
Bernard Rimland,
Ph.D., director of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, California,
coined the term "toximolecular" in reference to the psychiatric
practice of treating mental illnesses with "sublethal doses of substances
that will kill you."
Toximolecular
medicine is in direct contrast to orthomolecular medicine, which is the use of
natural substances to bring about health (see chapter 3).
While the risks
associated with neuroleptics are considered by many to be worth it if the drug
can control an adult's schizophrenia, there can be no justification for the
growing use of antipsychotics on children for whom the drugs are not approved
and for whom the purpose has nothing to do with schizophrenia (see sidebar). It
should also be noted that 30 to 60 percent of people with schizophrenia are
drug-resistant to neuroleptics, which means the drugs don't work.'
Atypical
antipsychotics are supposed to be less likely to produce TD than the older, typical
antipsychotics, but there is still a risk. More common side effects of the
newer class of drugs include dizziness, drowsiness, drooling, weight gain,
fatigue, dry mouth, lowered blood pressure, rapid heart beat, constipation,
social withdrawal, and Parkinsonian-like symptoms.-
In the case of
clozapine, it can cause a condition known as agranulocytosis, a potentially
fatal disease in which the manufacture of white blood cells is dangerously
curtailed.-' Clozapine and risperidone can produce neuroleptic malignant
syndrome, another potentially fatal disease, this one of the brain, with
symptoms similar to those of viral encephalitis.` And these drugs are
considered less onerous than the typical antipsychotics!
As with typical
antipsychotics, science does not know exactly how atypical antipsychotics work.
One research team summarized, "The precise pharmacologic mechanisms
underlying `atypicality' remain unclear.... Further, although the new drugs are
touted as an improvement over the old in effectiveness and reduced side
effects, research calls this claim into question. One study analyzed 52
randomized trials, with a total of 12,649 subjects with schizophrenia, and
concluded, "There is no clear evidence that atypical antipsychotics are
more effective or are better tolerated than conventional antipsychotics."
One feature strongly differentiates the new class of drugs from the old,
however: they are far more expensive. So much so that some people's medical
coverage won't pay for them.
When side effects
are disturbing, more drugs are prescribed to counteract them. These drugs are
known as anticholinergic (blocking certain nerve impulses), antiparkinsonian
(Parkinson's disease is characterized by tremors and an odd gait), or
side-effect medications. They produce side effects of their own, ranging from
blurred vision to severe psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations,
delusions, and paranoia, and an increased risk of tardive dyskinesia. Some
doctors maintain that when anticholinergics are used on a long-term basis,
"irreversible mental deterioration" can result."
More Children Are Getting Antipsychotic
Drugs
A new and
disturbing trend in conventional medicine and psychiatry is the increasing use
of antipsychotic medications to control children's behavior. About 532,000
children, between the ages of six and 18, are on these drugs. This number
comprises only nonhospitalized children, not those who are on the drugs as part
of inpatient treatment. The number is more than ten times what it was ten years
ago, and back then most children receiving antipsychotics were in a treatment
facility of some kind.
Atypical
antipsychotics such as Risperdal and Zyprexa are being prescribed to children,
not because they have been diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia, but to curb
aggressive behavior such as hitting and biting. While the FDA has approved
these drugs for use in treating adult schizophrenia, it has not approved their
use in children, much less as a treatment for aggression. Doctors, however, can
legally prescribe them to children on what is known as an "off-label"
basis, which means that the drug is being used outside of approval parameters.
Research on the use
of atypical antipsychotics in children is appallingly inadequate: study of the
effects of these drugs amounts to looking at approximately 500 children for one
year. Neither the short-term nor the long-term effects of these drugs on
developing bodies is known.78
A growing number of
children are also being put on antidepressants, despite the fact that Prozac
and similar antidepressants are approved by the FDA only for use in patients
over the age of 18.79 There has been very little research, even on adults, on
the long-term effects of taking antidepressants such as Prozac. It is known,
however, that this class of antidepressants can produce neurological disorders,
and permanent brain damage is a danger.80
Add to this the
alarming number of children who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD (attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and are on drugs such as Ritalin, and it could
be said that the youth of today are entering adulthood heavily medicated. The
implications of this have yet to be revealed.
In addition to
antipsychotics and side-effect medication, mood stabilizers, antidepressants,
tranquilizers, and/or anti-panic medications may be added to the
schizophrenic's drug "cocktail." Most people with schizophrenia face
a lifetime on these drugs because they are not a cure, but only a means of
controlling the symptoms, and often not well at that.
There is no doubt
that antipsychotic and other drugs save lives. The purpose of the previous
discussion is not to advocate the elimination of these drugs, but to point out
their dangers and the advisability of finding an alternative where possible.
The latter is indicated, not only because of the negative effects of
psychiatric medications, but also because the pharmacological model is
basically flawed. Drugs do not address the underlying factors that cause or
contribute to the condition. With drug-based treatment, these factors go
uninvestigated and the best one can hope for is maintenance.
Natural medicine,
on the other hand, is based on the knowledge that in order for comprehensive
healing to occur, the factors causing or contributing to a disorder must be
identified and addressed in each person. With this approach, it is possible for
people with schizophrenia to get off their psychiatric drugs or significantly
reduce their dosages and improve their present and future health. The next
chapter explores the underlying factors that can play a role in schizophrenia.
2
Causes, Triggers, and
Contributors
The cause of
schizophrenia is unknown, but the current medical view is that environmental
factors of some kind combine with a genetic vulnerability to trigger the
disorder. The reality is that, in spite of widespread acceptance in the medical
community, the disease model of schizophrenia, the genetic component, and the
focus on neurotransmitter dysfunction as the source of the problem are all
suspect.
Here is what some
eminent psychiatrists and researchers say on the subject:
[T]here is no
proven physical cause for any psychiatric disorder. . . . [W]hy are so many . .
. convinced that the origins of mental illnesses are to be found in biology,
when, despite more than three decades of research, there is still no proof? ...
The absence of any well-defined physical causation is reflected in the absence
of any laboratory tests for psychiatric diagnoses-much in contrast to diabetes
and many other physical disorders.
-Charles E. Dean,
M.D., director of psychiatric residency at the Minneapolis Veterans Medical
Center, quoted in the Minnesota Star Tribune (November 22, 1997).'2
Contrary to what is
often claimed, no biochemical, anatomical or functional signs have been found
that reliably distinguish the brains of mental patients.
-Dr. Elliot
Valenstein, Ph.D., University of Michigan neuroscientist and professor emeritus
of psychology, author of Blaming the Brain: The Truth About Drugs and Mental
Health."
[W]e have no
identified etiological agents for psychiatric disorders.
-Gary J. Tucker,
M.D., professor and chairman of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the
University of Washington School of Medicine, quoted in the American journal of
Psychiatry (February 1998).
Through the 1970s
and 1980s, a curious circularity invaded psychiatry, as "diseases"
began to be "modeled" on the medications that "treat" them.
If a drug elevated serotonin in test tubes, then it was presumptuously argued that
patients helped by the medication must have serotonin deficiencies even though
we lack scientific proof for the idea.
-Joseph Glenmullen,
M.D., clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of
Prozac Backlash.
From a holistic
viewpoint, a physiological cause alone or in combination with a genetic
abnormality, is not the sum total of a condition such as schizophrenia. Perhaps
research has been unable to identify an "etiological agent" because
"mental illness" is the outcome of body-mind-spirit disturbance caused
by physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and energetic influences,
each of which affects all of the other areas so no influence can be considered
in isolation.
If we acknowledge
that body, mind, and spirit cannot be separated (conventional medicine
acknowledges at least the first two; even the surgeon general of the United
States has stated that mind and body are "inseparable""'), then
we should not look only to one area for the cause and the solution. Even if the
source arises in one area, the reverberations, like ripples in a pond, extend
throughout the body, mind, and spirit and are soon indistinguishable as cause
or effect.
To recover from
schizophrenia, it is not necessary to know the exact causal mechanism, but it
is necessary to identify and treat the existing imbalances in each individual
case. The approach must be individualized because the combination of factors
differs and the specifics of each factor vary from person to person.
With that in
mind, this chapter looks at 21 factors that can contribute to, trigger,
exacerbate, or mimic schizophrenia. While a particular factor may seem to be
predominantly physical, psychological, or spiritual in nature, remember the
ripple-in-thepond effect and know that it will have an effect on the other
areas as well.
1. Familial
Vulnerability
"No claim of
a gene for a psychiatric condition has stood the test of time, in spite of
popular misinformation," states Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., in Prozac
Backlash." This statement is made more significant when you consider the
amount of research hours, energy, and money that has gone into looking for the
genes behind schizophrenia and other mental disorders.
21 Factors in Schizophrenia
The following can
exacerbate, trigger, contribute to, or mimic schizophrenia:
familial
vulnerability
stress
chemical toxicity
heavy metal
toxicity
food allergies
intestinal
dysbiosis
sensitivity to food
additives
nutritional
deficiencies/ imbalances
neurotransmitter
deficiencies or dysfunction
structural factors
viruses
hypoglycemia
hormonal imbalances
medical conditions
medications
street drugs
caffeine, alcohol,
and nicotine
lack of sleep
lack of exercise
energy imbalances
psychospiritual
issues
While no
"schizophrenic gene" has been identified, it is known that schizophrenia
runs in families, in that the risk of a relative of a person with schizophrenia
becoming schizophrenic is much higher than the one percent risk found in the
general population. Children of two parents with schizophrenia have almost a 40
percent chance of becoming schizophrenic; the risk is nearly 50 percent among
those who have an identical twin with schizophrenia."
These statistics
do not prove a genetic component, however. The incidence of schizophrenia in
families does not follow the classic patterns of genetic inheritance. For
example, outside the immediate family, incidence is lower than would be
expected if a genetic component were involved. In addition, 89 percent of
people with schizophrenia do not have a schizophrenic parent, 81 percent do not
have a parent or sibling with schizophrenia, and 63 percent have no family
history of schizophrenia."' Therefore, the most that can accurately be
said at this point is that there is a familial vulnerability in schizophrenia.
Whether this is environmental, genetic, or some combination of the two has not
been determined.
The lack of
conformity to the usual genetic pattern suggests that environmental factors
play a role. Whatever the source of the familial vulnerability, it sets the
stage for environmental factors to trigger the disorder. Environmental in this
usage simply means not genetic, so toxins, obstetric complications, and
nutritional deficiencies from a poor diet, for example, all fall in the
environmental category. From the holistic viewpoint, any illness, including
schizophrenia, is a combination of vulnerability (whatever the source) and
environmental factors that tip the balance of what the system can bear.
Some kind of
vulnerability is clearly operational in schizophrenia, given the statistics on
the risk with schizophrenia in parents or a twin. The way this vulnerability is
viewed depends on one's medical orientation. While genetic researchers focus on
the search for a gene abnormality passed down through families, those who
understand the electromagnetic field of the human body and how energy functions
in health and disease might consider the contribution of an inherited energy
imbalance or an energy legacy passed down from generation to generation (see
chapter 5).
In any case,
genetics or familial vulnerability does not mean "hopeless or
incurable," as biochemical researcher William J. Walsh, Ph.D., explains in
chapter 4. By considering the 20 other factors cited here and addressing those
that you think or discover have relevance to your condition, you decrease your
vulnerability and open the way for restoration of your health.
2. Stress
The subject of
stress is a natural follow-up to familial vulnerability because it sums up the
environmental influences that, in combination with the vulnerability, likely
trigger schizophrenia. The rest of the factors cited in this chapter could be
called stressors, in that they put stress on the system, add to a person's
total stress load, and in so doing increase that person's vulnerability to becoming
ill.
When it comes to
stress as in a stressful life event, there appears to be no link between such
events and the onset of a psychotic episode. In other words, trauma is not
enough as a single factor to cause schizophrenia. When combined with other factors,
however, it may play a part in tipping the balance into illness.
The effects of
chronic stress are also important to consider. Chronic stress wreaks havoc on
the body, mind, and spirit and creates a vicious circle. On the physical level,
stress drains nutrients and lowers immunity. The nutritional deficiencies
result in compromised neurochemistry in the brain, which in turn reduces the
body's ability to cope with stress. Lowered immunity also reduces the
stress-coping capacity and opens the body to the development of disease. In
addition, it creates disturbances in the energy system of the body, which
affects all levels of functioning.
People who
develop schizophrenia may be compromised when it comes to coping with stressors
of all kinds, meaning all environmental influences that place stress on the
system, from obstetric complications to viruses or toxins."" What a
nonschizophrenic might experience as a normal level of stress might be high
stress for a person with a predisposition for schizophrenia.
This is a strong
argument for reducing the amount of stress in your life, whether through
avoidance of known stressful situations, making changes in your circumstances
or lifestyle, and/or practicing relaxation techniques. Attending to the rest of
the factors in this chapter can significantly reduce your stress load as well.
3. Chemical
Toxicity
Although
schizophrenia earned the appellation "cancer of the mind" because of
the challenge it poses to the medical world, the devastating impact it has on
the lives of those affected, and the fear raised in a patient by the
"S" word, akin to the fear raised by the "C" word, the
phrase may reflect an unwitting truth. Cancer is a disease of toxicity. How
much of a role does toxicity play in schizophrenia?
When you consider
the model of environmental stressors mounting to the breaking point in someone
who is already vulnerable, exposure to toxins is an important factor to
address. Proponents of the historical viewpoint that schizophrenia came into
existence in the early 1800s or at least that there was a huge increase in the
disorder at that time have suggested that the advent or rise may have been due
in part to the dramatic increase in environmental toxins resulting from the
Industrial Revolution.
Toxic overload
places tremendous stress on the body and contributes to the development of
disease. Humans today are exposed to an unprecedented number of chemicals.
Testing of anyone on Earth, no matter how remote the area in which they live,
will reveal that they are carrying at least 250 chemical contaminants in their
body fat."' The onslaught of chemicals begins in the womb, with the
transmission of toxins from the toxic mother to the fetus, and continues with
breast-feeding. An infant in the United States or Europe imbibes "the
maximum recommended lifetime dose of dioxin" in only six months of
nursing. Dioxin, a pesticide byproduct, is one of the most toxic substances on
Earth.''= The point is that we start life with an already accumulating toxic
load.
In their report,
In Harm's Way-Toxic Threats to Child Development, the Greater Boston Physicians
for Social Responsibility summarize research on lead, mercury, cadmium,
manganese, nicotine, pesticides (many of which are commonly used in homes and
schools), dioxin and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls; both PCBs and dioxin stay
in the food chain once they enter it, as they pervasively have), and solvents
used in paint, glue, and cleaning products.
The report notes
that in one year alone (1997), industrial plants released more than a billion
pounds of these chemicals directly into the environment (air, water, and land).
Further, almost 75 percent of the top 20 chemicals (those released in the
largest quantities) are known or suspected to be neurotoxicants."
Neurotoxicants are substances that are toxic to the brain and the nervous
system in general, of obvious implication for schizophrenia. Other sources
report that of 70,000 different chemicals being used commercially only 10
percent have been tested for their effect on the nervous system."' In
addition to the pesticides used directly on crops, the chemicals in the air,
water, and soil are fully integrated into our food supply.
"Everyday
chemicals have the potential to interfere with the metabolism of brain
neurotransmitters ... in a myriad of pathways," states Sherry A. Rogers,
M.D., an authority on environmental medicine. "They interfere with
synthesis and metabolism, they block receptor sites, poison enzymes, and much
more.""'
As just one
example of how this works, consider the hydrazines, a family of chemicals used
widely, notably in pesticides, jet fuels, and growth retardants. Hydrazine is
sprayed on potatoes to prolong their shelf life. In the body, this chemical
blocks serotonin production by blocking the action of vitamin Be,, which is
needed at every step in the series of enzyme actions required in the
manufacture of serotonin. In just one bag of potato chips or one serving of
fast-food French fries, there is sufficient hydrazine to knock out all the B6
in your body. (Note that vitamin B(, deficiency has been found in some types of
schizophrenia; see the section below on nutrition and chapter 4.)
While we can't
avoid toxic exposure entirely, given the state of our planet, avoiding the use
of toxic cleaning and other home and garden products, eating organically grown
food, drinking pure bottled or filtered water, and avoiding other sources of
toxic exposure wherever possible can at least reduce our toxic loads.
For information on
clearing toxins from your body, home, and beyond, see Richard Leviton, The
Healthy Living Space (Hampton Roads, 2001).
4. Heavy Metal
Toxicity
As with chemicals,
heavy metals contribute to the toxic burden our bodies are being forced to
carry. Examples of heavy metals are mercury, copper, lead, and aluminum.
Research has linked all of these to the presence of mental symptoms.
Mercury is well
recognized as a neurotoxin, and has been for centuries. Early hatmakers
contracted what was known as "mad hatter's disease," the result of
poisoning from the mercury used in hatmaking-hence the saying, "mad as a
hatter."
Physiologically,
mercury's effects on the brain arise from its ability to bond firmly with
structures in the nervous system, explains Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, whose work
is featured in chapter 5. Research shows that it is taken up in the peripheral
nervous system by all nerve endings (in the tongue, lungs, intestines, and
connective tissue, for example) and then transported quickly via nerves to the
spinal cord and brainstem.
"Once
mercury has traveled up the axon, the nerve cell is impaired in its ability to
detoxify itself and in its ability to nurture itself," says Dr.
Klinghardt. "The cell becomes toxic and dies-or lives in a state of
chronic malnutrition. . . . A multitude of illnesses, usually associated with
neurological symptoms, result."""
Mercury is
bioaccumulative, which means that it doesn't break down in the environment or
in the body. The result is that it is everywhere in our environment, in our
food, air, and water, and each exposure adds to our internal accumulation. Many
of us also carry a source of mercury in our mouths in the form of dental
fillings; so-called silver fillings are actually comprised of over 50 percent
mercury. These fillings leach mercury, predominantly in the form of vapor, 80
percent of which is absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream. Chewing
raises the level of vapor emission and it remains elevated for at least 90
minutes afterward.''"
Mercury toxicity
can produce a range of symptoms, many of which are associated with
schizophrenia. Symptoms include hallucinations, intense anxiety, severe
irritability, fits of anger, depression, mania, fatigue, insomnia, sensitivity
to stress, headaches, cognitive impairment, lack of concentration, and motor
disturbances, among numerous others.""'
For information on
mercury detoxification, see chapter 5.
Like mercury,
copper is found in dental fillings, often added as an alloy to gold fillings.
Other sources of copper exposure are cigarettes, cookware, and water pipes.
High copper levels in the body have been linked to schizophrenia (see chapter
4).
Lead exposure is
often an occupational hazard; approximately one million Americans are exposed
to lead on the job."" Other sources of exposure include certain
glazed ceramics, old paint, water pipes, fertilizers, and soft vinyl products.
As with mercury, among the many symptoms of lead toxicity are hallucinations,
depression, mania, irritability, insomnia, sensitivity to stress, headaches,
cognitive impairment, and motor disturbances, as well as heightened
aggression.""
Aluminum toxicity
has been linked to hallucinations, mental deterioration, motor disturbances,
seizures, depression, and Alzheimer's disease, among other conditions and
symptoms."" Common sources of aluminum exposure are cookware,
aluminum salts in baking powder, aluminum-containing antacids, and many
antiperspirants and deodorants.
Avoiding exposure
to these heavy metals wherever possible both reduces your overall toxic load
and removes a potential source of exacerbation of your symptoms. Note that
removal of mercury fillings is a stressful procedure for the body and may not
be advisable in all cases (see chapter 5).
5. Food Allergies
A discussion of
allergies involves what happens in the body on the physical level as well as on
the energetic level. On a physical level, eating foods that prompt an immune
system reaction (foods to which one is sensitive or allergic) can actually
interfere with neurotransmitter function.'"' In terms of energy, allergic
reaction is a primary cause of impeded flow of energy through the body, notes
allergy authority Devi S. Nambudripad, M.D., D.C., L.Ac., Ph.D. Symptoms of
mental illness can result. "Our psychiatric hospitals might be empty if
the causes of our energy blockages could be found and removed," she
states.'
Many people are
not aware that they are suffering from food allergies, as the symptoms are
often not clearly linked with ingestion of the food, as is the case when
someone breaks out in a rash after eating strawberries or experiences a
dangerous constriction of air passages after eating shellfish. The allergy goes
undetected and the chronic reaction, with its attendant energy blockage, can
create a panoply of symptoms, including those of schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, and clinical depression.
Allergies may
actually be intolerances or sensitivities resulting from compromised immune and
digestive systems or energy disturbances. Once these factors are eliminated or
eased, the food intolerances may disappear.
Food intolerances
occur when the body doesn't digest food adequately, which results in large
undigested protein molecules entering the intestines from the stomach. When
poor digestion is chronic, these large molecules push through the lining of the
intestines, creating the condition known as leaky gut, and enter the
bloodstream. There, these substances are out of context, not recognized as food
molecules, and so are regarded as foreign invaders.
The immune system
sends an antibody (also called an immunoglobulin) to bind with the foreign
protein (antigen), a process which produces the chemicals of allergic response.
The antigen-antibody combination is known as a circulating immune complex, or
CIC. Normally, a CIC is destroyed or removed from the body, but under
conditions of weakened immunity, CICs tend to accumulate in the blood, putting
the body on allergic alert, if you will. Thereafter, whenever the person eats
the food in question, an allergic reaction follows.
Allergic
reactions tend to affect certain organs or meridians in individuals, depending
on where their weak or vulnerable areas are, says Dr. Nambudripad. The organ
most affected is known as the "target organ." The weakness can be
genetic in nature or created by environmental factors such as toxic exposure or
lack of adequate nutrition. The target organ can be the nervous system or the
brain. If that is the case, chronic allergic reaction can negatively affect
brain and nervous system function.
In the case of
food allergies, "with the first bite of an allergic food, the brain begins
to block the energy channels, attempting to prevent the adverse energy of the
food from entering into the body," says Dr. Nambudripad.""
Chronic blockage of the Stomach meridian (in acupuncture, one of the body's
primary energy channels) can also affect brain function. Schizophrenia, manic
disorders, and depressive disorders are among the manifestations of this
blockage. When the liver is the target organ or the Liver meridian (another of
the primary energy channels in acupuncture) is blocked, emotional imbalances,
anger, mood swings, and depression are among the outcomes.'°'
As for how the
allergies or sensitivities develop in the first place, Dr. Nambudripad cites
heredity, toxins, weakened immunity, emotional stress, overexposure to a
substance, and radiation. Anything that causes energy blockages in the body,
which throws off the body's electromagnetic field, can cause an allergy to
develop, she says. Toxins of any kind, from the neurotoxin mercury to the
byproducts of bacterial infection, disturb energy flow, as do synthetic food
additives and artificial sweeteners.
Until recently,
allergies were thought to affect only the mucous membranes, the respiratory
tract, and the skin. A growing body of evidence indicates that an allergy can
have profound effects on the brain and, as a result, behavior. An allergy or
intolerance that affects the brain is known as a brain allergy or a cerebral
allergy. Pioneering researcher Carl Pfeiffer, M.D., Ph.D. (see chapter 4),
discovered that cerebral allergies were the main cause of symptoms in ten
percent of schizophrenics.'
A growing body of
evidence indicates that an allergy can have profound effects on the brain and,
as a result, behavior. An allergy or intolerance that affects the brain is
known as a brain allergy or a cerebral allergy. Pioneering researcher Carl
Pfeiffer, M.D., Ph.D., discovered that cerebral allergies were the main cause
of symptoms in ten percent of schizophrenics.
Gluten (a protein
found in wheat and other grains) intolerance is a primary brain allergy and
implicated in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. As Dr. Walsh states in
chapter 4, gluten intolerance alone can produce the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Gluten is a
protein found in wheat, barley, rye, oats, and other cereal grains, and added
to many commercial foods. During digestion, this large protein (consisting of
long chains of amino acids) is first broken down into smaller peptides before
being further reduced into its amino acid components. Peptides are similar to
endorphins, substances that athletes know as the source of "runner's
high." The peptide form of gluten is called glutemorphin. It is an opioid,
meaning that it has an opium-like effect on brain cells."',
Gluten is
difficult to digest, and many people develop an intolerance to it. In addition,
researchers theorize that incomplete digestion of gluten leads to excessive
absorption of glutemorphins from the intestines into the bloodstream, which
leads in turn to their passage across the blood-brain barrier where they exert
their opioid effects.''" In so doing, they depress serotonin, dopamine,
and norepinephrine levels in the brain."' Research has found that when
people who are sensitive to gluten eat food containing it, their neurological
function is altered.-'
Grains That Contain Gluten
Wheat semolina
Spelt rye
Kamut oats
Teff barley
Triticale
Foods/Substances
That Often Contain Gluten
Vinegar food starch
Delicatessen meats monosodium
glutamate (MSG)
Boullion (MSG)
Dextrin malt
Caramel color rice syrup
Hydrolyzed plant or
vegatable protein natural
and artificial flavorings
There are many
other foods and substances that may contain gluten, including chewing gum,
condiments, confectioner's sugar, envelope glue, frozen French fries, ice cream,
medications, salad dressings, tomato paste, tuna fish, and vitamin/mineral
supplements. Watch for hidden sources of gluten in the diet. Call the
manufacturer of a product if you have any doubt."'
Avoidance of
allergens is one way to prevent allergic reactions, but many people are
allergic to ubiquitous substances or do not even know to what they are
allergic. NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques) is a painless,
effective method for both identifying and eliminating allergies.
For more about
NAET, see chapter 5. For more about allergies, see chapters 3 and 5.
Allergy elimination
can be beneficial for schizophrenia in several ways: (1) directly, by removing
the source of allergy-related symptoms of schizophrenia; and (2) indirectly, by
easing other problems that may be exacerbating or producing symptoms. In the
latter category, eliminating allergic reaction improves digestion, which can
help reverse the nutrient assimilation and absorption problems that may be
contributing to the deficiencies associated with schizophrenia.
Increased
absorption of all nutrients will improve the health of all body systems.
Getting rid of allergic reaction also reduces toxic substances in the body,
which lifts a burden from the liver and other parts of the detoxification
system, leading to more optimal processing of toxins in the future. Finally,
allergy elimination lifts a large burden from the immune system, which
increases resistance and leads to better overall health.
6. Intestinal
Dysbiosis
Intestinal dysbiosis
means an imbalance of the flora that normally inhabit the intestines. Among the
many types of these flora are the beneficial bacteria (known as probiotics)
Lactobacillus aci- dophilus and Biidobacterium bifidum, potentially harmful
bacteria such as E. coli and Clostridium, and the fungus Candida albicans. When
the balance among intestinal flora is disturbed, the microorganisms held in
check by the beneficial bacteria proliferate and release toxins that compromise
intestinal function. This has far-reaching effects in the body and on the mind.
Research has
revealed that what passes through the lining of the intestines (see Food
Allergies) can make its way through the bloodstream to the brain."a As an
example of just one of the results of this relationship, in the brain, certain
intestinal bacteria can interfere with neurotransmitter function.`
Dysbiosis
contributes to a buildup of toxins in the body in two ways. One, the harmful
bacteria's normal metabolism processes release toxic by-products. Two, a compromised
intestinal system cannot adequately filter toxins, which is one of the
important functions of the intestinal lining. Normally, bile from the liver
goes through the intestines where toxins are filtered out, and the bile is then
recirculated, cleansed. When the intestines are not working correctly, bile is
returned to the body with the old toxicity. This condition is known as
enterohepatic toxicity (entero for intestines and hepatic for liver). Toxic
buildup compromises the functioning of the entire system, including the brain.
Depression,
fatigue, anxiety, irritability, agitation, memory and concentration problems,
dizziness, insomnia, headaches, feelings of unreality, and even delusions,
mania, psychosis, and suicidal or violent tendencies are among the symptoms
that can result from candidiasis, an overgrowth of Candida albicans, the
yeastlike fungus normally found in the body."` Mercury is often implicated
in this overgrowth because "the purpose of Candida in the human being is
to protect the body from mercury by absorbing it," says Thomas M. Rau,
M.D., director of the Paracelsus Klinik in Lustmuhle, Switzerland. The
mechanism was never intended, however, to deal with large amounts of mercury.
Nevertheless, when mercury levels in the body are high, the population of
Candida multiplies in a vain attempt to deal with the heavy metal load.
Through its
normal metabolic processes, Candida releases substances that are toxic to the
brain and interfere with neurotransmitter activity."- Another mechanism by
which Candida overgrowth has an impact on the brain is that the intestinal
lining becomes inflamed, which interferes with the absorption of
nutrients."" As discussed later, nutritional deficiencies are
implicated in schizophrenia.
Candida
overgrowth occurs when something intervenes to disturb the normal balance of
flora in the intestinal environment. The main culprit in throwing off the
balance is antibiotics, particularly the repeated use of antibiotics, which
kill all the beneficial bacteria that keep potentially harmful flora such as
Candida in check. Weakened immunity may also be a factor in yeast overgrowth.
Eliminating foods
that "feed" Candida is a common treatment approach to restoring
intestinal balance. The so-called Candida diet emphasizes avoiding all forms
and sources of sugar, including fruit and fruit juice, carbohydrates, and
fermented yeast products. According to Dr. Rau, however, the relationship
between mercury and Candida means that until you detoxify the body of the
mercury, you won't be able to get rid of the Candida overgrowth on any lasting
basis, no matter how perfect your diet or what antifungal drug or natural
substance you take. The fungus will just keep coming back.'"
In addition to
antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, food allergies, and a poor diet can all
help create intestinal dysbiosis.
7. Sensitivity to
Food Additives
Research has
established that aspartame (an artificial sweetener), aspartic acid (an amino
acid in aspartame), glutamic acid (found in flavor enhancers and salt
substitutes), and the artificial flavoring MSG (monosodium glutamate) are
neurotoxins.''" Aspartame alters amino acid ratios and blocks serotonin
production."' MSG has been shown to affect serotonin levels.""
The more than
3,000 additives used in commercially prepared food have not been tested by
their manufacturers for their effects on the nervous system or on behavior.'2'
In addition to those mentioned, common food additives are artificial flavoring,
artificial preservatives (BHA, BUT, and TBHQ are in this category), artificial
coloring/food dyes, thickeners, moisteners, and artificial sweeteners.
According to
reports to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), complaints associated with
ingestion of aspartame include hypersensitivity to noise, ringing or buzzing in
the ears, vision problems, gastrointestinal problems, irritability, and
depression.121 Other symptoms linked to food additives are restlessness, sleep
disturbance, and distractibility.'"
Sensitivity to
food additives varies; a high sensitivity may reflect an already large toxic
load or weakened immunity. Noticing if your symptoms worsen after ingesting
certain foods can start the process of elimination for determining which
additives, if any, are problematic for you.
8. Nutritional
Deficiencies and Imbalances
Nutritional
deficiencies and imbalances are a common feature in schizophrenia and other
mental illnesses. Correcting these often produces dramatic improvement.
Unfortunately, nutrient status testing and intervention are not standard
practice in conventional psychiatric medicine. "Nutrient related disorders
are always treatable and deficiencies are usually curable. To ignore their
existence is tantamount to malpractice," states Richard A. Kunin, M.D.,12'
a practitioner of orthomolecular medicine (see chapter 3).
No two people
with schizophrenia will have the exact same nutritional condition. Blood
chemistry analysis can determine the precise status of your nutrient levels.
With this information, therapeutic intervention can then be tailored to your
specific nutrient needs. Random supplementation may not address those needs and
may even contribute to further skewing of nutrient ratios.
While other
factors such as absorption problems or even a genetic disorder may be involved
in nutritional deficiencies and imbalances, poor diet is a primary cause. Any
factor that contributes to your vulnerability should be avoided if you suffer
from schizophrenia. Erratic eating habits or a nutrient-depleted diet, as in
junk-food, fast-food, processed-food diets, definitely fall into the category
of contributing to vulnerability. Feeding the brain and nervous system the
nutrients they require to function properly is a basic building block of
health.
There are several
general principles to consider in the issue of nutrition and schizophrenia. The
first is true for everyone, and that is that the more toxins there are in your
environment, the greater will be your nutritional needs in order for your body
to defend against them. The second is that the nutritional needs of
schizophrenia are already higher than they are for other people.
The nutritional
issues of schizophrenia are discussed at length in chapters 3 and 4, but here
we look briefly at the main areas of concern, which are essential fatty acids,
vitamins B and C, and certain minerals.
Essential Fatty
Acids
Research has
discovered a link between lipids and mental disorders. Lipids are fats or oils,
which are comprised of fatty acids. Examples of saturated fatty acids are
animal fats and other fats, such as coconut oil, that are solid at room
temperature. Examples of unsaturated fatty acids, which remain liquid at room
temperature, are certain plant and fish oils. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are
unsaturated fats required for many metabolic actions in the body.
There are two
main types of EFAs: omega 3 and omega 6. The primary omega-3 EFAs are: ALA
(alpha-linolenic acid); DHA (docosahexaenoic acid); and EPA (eicosapentaenoic
acid). ALA is found in flaxseed and canola oils, pumpkins, walnuts, and
soybeans, while DHA and EPA are found in the oils of cold-water fish such as
salmon, cod, and mackerel.
Two important
types of omega-6 EFAs are GLA (gamma- linolenic acid) and linoleic acid or
cis-linoleic acid. Evening primrose, black currant, and borage oils are sources
of GLA, while linoleic acid is found in most plants and vegetable oils, notably
safflower, corn, peanut, and sesame oils. The body converts omega-3 and omega-6
EFAs into prostaglandins, which are hormone-like substances involved in many
metabolic functions.
The ratio of
omega-3 to omega-6 EFAs is skewed in the standard American diet, which is
deficient in omega 3s. High consumption of hydrogenated oils and beef
contributes to the skewed ratio. Hydrogenated oils (which are oils processed to
extend shelf life) are detrimental in two ways: not only does refining oil
reduce its omega-3 content, but hydrogenated oils also take up the fatty acid
receptor sites and interfere with normal fatty acid metabolism. Hydrogenated
oils, also known as trans-fatty acids, are found in margarine, commercial baked
goods, crackers, cookies, and other products. The problem with conventionally
raised beef cattle is that they are grain-fed rather than grass-fed; grain is
high in omega 6 and low in omega 3, while grass provides a more balanced
ratio.'=-
Andrew Stoll,
M.D., a psychopharmacology researcher and an assistant professor of psychiatry
at Harvard Medical School, states: "Omega-3 fatty acids ... are essential
nutrients for human brain development and general health. Over the past 50 to
100 years, there has been an accelerated deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids in
most Western countries. There is emerging evidence that this progressive
omega-3 deficiency is responsible, at least in part, for the rise in the
incidence of heart disease, asthma, bipolar disorder, major depression, and
perhaps autism.""' (Note that in certain cases of schizophrenia,
those involving a condition called pyroluria, the EFA that is deficient is
omega-6; see chapter 4.)
Lipids are
necessary for the health of the blood vessels that feed the brain and comprise
50 to 60 percent of the brain's solid matter.'" More specifically, nerve
cells in the brain contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids."" A
deficiency could obviously have serious consequences.
A review of the
research on omega-3 EFAs concluded that there is substantial evidence to
indicate that they may play a role in schizophrenia."' One study found
that schizophrenics had low levels of arachidonic acid, linoleic acid, EPA, and
DHA compared to nonschizophrenics. Just six weeks of EFA supplementation
resulted in a marked raising of those levels as well as a "significant
decrease" in symptom severity. In addition, those with a higher intake of
EFAs before the study had less severe symptoms to start with than did those
with a lower intake. The researchers noted that the diets of the subjects were
not deficient in EFAs. From this, they concluded that EFA metabolism
dysfunction rather than pure deficiency is the problem connected to
schizophrenia. 112
Vitamins and
Minerals
As you can see
from the list of psychological and emotional symptoms of deficiency in the
accompanying sidebar, the vitamin B family is essential for mental health. The
link between B vitamins and the mind is clear in the disease called pellagra,
which mimics schizophrenia and is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B3
(niacin). This disease was common in the 1930s before the advent of
vitamin-enriched bread.'"
Based on the
clinical experience of the practitioners in this book, the most common vitamin
deficiencies associated with schizophrenia are vitamin B3 (niacin/niacinamide),
vitamin B(, (pyridoxine), B12 (cobalamin), and folic acid (a member of the
vitamin B family), all of which are vital to neurotransmitter function.
Biochemical researcher William Walsh, Ph.D., has found that a genetic disorder,
which causes severe deficiency in both vitamin B, and zinc, can be a factor in
schizophrenia (see chapter 4).
Psychological/Emotional Effects of
Vitamin Deficiencies
The following are
psychological/emotional symptoms that can result from deficiencies in vitamin C
and the B-complex vitamin family.
Deficient Vitamin Resulting Behavior
Ascorbic acid
(vitamin C) (o
Hysteria, confusion, depression, lassitude, hypochondriasis
Biotin Depression, extreme lassitude, somnolence
Folic acid - Insomnia, irritability, forgetfulness, depression,
apathy, delirium, dementia, psychosis
Vitamin B1
(thiamin) -Apathy, anxiety,
irritability, depression, memory loss, personality changes, emotional
instability
Vitamin B2
(riboflavin) - Depression, insomnia,
mental sluggishness
Vitamin B3 -Apathy, anxiety, depression, mania,(niacin/niacinamide)
hyperirritability, emotional instability, memory and concentration problems
Vitamin B5 -
Restlessness, irritability, fatigue,(pantothenic acid) depression,
guarrelsomeness
Vitamin B6 - (pyridoxine) O Irritability,
nervousness, insomnia, poor dream recall, depression
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
-o Mood swings, depression,
irritability, confusion, memory loss, hallucinations, delusions, paranoia,
psychotic states
Source: Adapted by permission of Rita Elkins,
from her book Depression and Natural Medicine: A Nutritional Approach to Depression
and Mood Swings (Pleasant Grove, Utah: Woodland Publishing, 1995): 75.
Vitamin C is also
vital to neurotransmitter function. A number of research findings are of
interest in regard to vitamin C and schizophrenia, notably: (1) the blood
levels of vitamin C are often low in schizophrenics; (2) the point at which
their bodies reach saturation when taking vitamin C is 12 to 16 times higher
than it is for nonschizophrenics, which resembles the situation with people who
suffer from scurvy (a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency); and (3) in
populations with a low intake of vitamin C the incidence of schizophrenia is
higher than in populations with a higher intake.'
Of minerals, zinc
is the mineral most often found deficient, while manganese and magnesium are of
importance as supplements in treating certain categories of schizophrenia, as
is discussed in chapter 4. For example, magnesium enhances vitamin B, activity
and, taken as a supplement, helps prevent the magnesium deficiency that can
result from high doses of Be,.
Poor diet and
malabsorption due to gastrointestinal dysfunction are common causes of
nutritional deficiencies. The depleted mineral content of the soil in which
crops are grown, which translates into food with a lower mineral content than our
forebears enjoyed, is a factor as well. Finally, many lifestyle practices and
attributes of modern life deplete us of vitamins and minerals, regardless of
how well we eat: stress, smoking, alcohol, caffeine, pollution, and heavy
metals such as the mercury in our dental fillings.
Given these
factors, the recommended daily allowance (RDA; purportedly, the amount of
individual vitamins and minerals our body requires daily, whether from food or
supplements) is likely far below our nutritive needs, in most cases. The RDA
standard is based on a group norm for preventing nutritional deficiencies.
There are two problems with that. One, individual needs diverge widely, and
two, the level of deficiency the RDAs are designed to avoid is severe. The
systems of the body can begin to be compromised long before that degree of
deficiency registers. In other words, if you use the RDAs as your guideline,
you could be walking around with moderate nutritional deficiencies, especially
given the higher nutritional needs or malfunction of nutrient systems found in
schizophrenia.
While increasing
your intake of foods that contain the nutrients cited is unlikely to reverse
deficiencies, it can serve as an adjunct to supplementation. The following are
dietary sources of these nutrients:
• Vitamin B3:
brewer's yeast, rice bran, peanuts, eggs, milk, fish, legumes, avocado, liver
and other organ meats
• Vitamin B6:
brewer's yeast, wheat germ, bananas, seeds, nuts, legumes, avocado, leafy green
vegetables, potatoes, cauliflower, chicken, whole grains
• Vitamin B,,:
liver, kidneys, eggs, clams, oysters, fish, dairy
• Folic acid:
brewer's yeast, green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, soybeans, legumes,
asparagus, broccoli, oranges, sunflower seeds
• Vitamin C: green
vegetables (particularly broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green peppers, kale,
turnip greens, and collards), fruits (particularly guava, persimmons, black
currants, strawberries, papaya, and citrus; citrus contains less vitamin C than
the other fruits)
• Zinc: oysters,
herring, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, lima beans, legumes, soybeans, wheat
germ, brewer's yeast, dairy
• Magnesium:
parsnips, tofu, buckwheat, beans, leafy green vegetables, wheat germ,
blackstrap molasses, kelp, brewer's yeast, nuts, seeds, bananas, avocado,
dairy, seafood
• Manganese: whole
grains (especially buckwheat and bulgur), nuts, sunflower seeds, leafy green
vegetables
9. Neurotransmitter
Deficiencies or Dysfunction
The
neurotransmitters seemingly most implicated in schizophrenia-dopamine, serotonin,
epinephrine/norepinephrine, GABA, and glutamate-are discussed in chapter 1. The
theory that a problem with these brain chemicals is behind schizophrenia has
not been proven, and even the nature of the problem is unclear.
It used to be
thought that it was merely a matter of supply, but research now indicates that
the issue is more complicated. A normal level of a given neurotransmitter does
not guarantee that the mind and body will receive its benefits. For example,
despite high blood levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, reduced uptake in
the brain may mean that the availability of this vital nerve messenger is
actually limited."' One school of thought holds that the problem in
schizophrenia is more likely dysfunction in the complex connections linking
different regions of the brain, connections that occur via
neurotransmitters."',
Amino acids are
the basic building blocks for neurotransmitters. The body does not manufacture
most of the amino acids it requires, so they must be obtained through protein
in the diet. With a deficient diet, the body is not able to produce sufficient
neurotransmitters. While supplementation with the amino acid precursors to
neurotransmitters has been found to be highly beneficial in bipolar disorder,
the same cannot be said of schizophrenia. This may be a reflection of the need
for more investigation.
In any case,
attempting to correct neurotransmitter supply or even function does not address
the root problem of why the supply is low or the neurotransmitters are not working
properly. As you will learn in part 2 of this book, treating the root
imbalances involved in a particular individual's schizophrenia can result in a
resolution of symptoms. When enough of the factors interfering with the body's
natural balance are removed, the body is restored to its innate ability to heal
itself.
10. Structural
Factors
Structural factors
such as cranial compression can be a component in schizophrenia. Such
compression, which is the result of skull distortion, can occur through birth
trauma or a later physical trauma, such as a car accident. Research has linked
obstetric complications to an increased risk of schizophrenia, and seven
studies have found that subjects with schizophrenia had a statistically higher
incidence of obstetrical complications during their birth."'
The impact of
cranial compression has far-reaching effects throughout the body, but in the
head the compression exerts pressure on the brain and cranial nerves, which
compromises neurotransmitter function and brain function in general. This
factor and its treatment are explored in depth in chapter 6.
11. Viruses
Researchers have
long been exploring a possible connection between viruses and schizophrenia.
While a viral cause has not been identified, viruses are implicated in a number
of ways: (1) a prenatal exposure to flu is associated with an increased risk of
schizophrenia;"" (2) people with schizophrenia are more likely to
have been born in the winter or early spring, that is, the flu season;'""
and (3) increases in the rate of schizophrenia have been shown to occur 20 to
30 years after severe flu epidemics, with the rate returning to normal
thereafter.'"'
With the
knowledge of a prenatal viral exposure, it becomes even more important to
reduce other environmental stressors that may in combination trigger the
development of schizophrenia.
In addition to
viral factors that may contribute to schizophrenia, certain viral infections
can mimic the symptoms of schizophrenia. These include viral encephalitis,
herpes simplex, Epstein-Barr, cytomegalovirus, measles, coxsackie, and human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV).'"'
For more about
viruses and schizophrenia, see chapter 5.
12. Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia,
commonly known as low blood sugar, is a condition in which the glucose level in
the blood is lower than normal. The brain relies upon a stable glucose supply
for its functioning and the symptoms of low blood sugar are an immediate
reflection of a deficit. They include restlessness, irritability, fatigue,
impairment of mental functions, and, when severe, mental disturbances including
those that occur in schizophrenia.'"'
The fact that
hypoglycemia is not generally considered in the treatment of schizophrenia is
an unfortunate oversight because most people with schizophrenia suffer from
hypoglycemia, and the rate of diabetes (which also involves glucose metabolism
problems) is high as well."
As unstable blood
sugar may contribute to or exacerbate your symptoms, you may want to consult
with your doctor and eliminate hypoglycemia as a factor in your schizophrenia.
13. Hormonal
Imbalances
Hormones
"are probably second only to the chemicals of the brain in shaping how we
feel and behave."'"' Hormonal imbalances influence brain chemistry
and the nervous system,'"" as neurons are extremely sensitive to
shifts in their hormonal environment."'
The fact that hypoglycemia is not generally
considered in the treatment of schizophrenia is an unfortunate oversight
because most people with schizophrenia suffer from hypoglycemia, and the rate
of diabetes (which also involves glucose metabolism problems) is high as well.
As unstable blood sugar may contribute to or exacerbate your symptoms, you may
want to consult with your doctor and eliminate hypoglycemia as a factor in your
schizophrenia.
Hormonal
imbalances involving thyroid or adrenal hormones can produce symptoms similar
enough to schizophrenia that misdiagnosis can occur. The primary adrenal
hormones are cortisol, DHEA, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Given the role of
the latter two as neurotransmitters and ones thought to play a part in
schizophrenia, the implications of imbalance are clear.
Cushing's
syndrome is a specific adrenal gland malfunction that results in excessive
production of glucocorticoids, adrenal hormones that protect against stress and
play a role in protein and carbohydrate metabolism. This disorder can produce
delusions and hallucinations and is one of the medical conditions sometimes
mistaken for schizophrenia.'"
Hypo- and
hyperthyroidism (an underactive and overactive thyroid, respectively) are two
thyroid conditions that can produce psychotic symptoms (delusions or
hallucinations) that can be mistaken for schizophrenia. Hypothyroidism is often
overlooked as a cause because it can be at a subclinical level and still
produce symptoms.
On the positive
side of hormonal influences on schizophrenia, it may be that estrogen, one of
the reproductive hormones, exerts an antipsychotic effect. The theory of the
protective quality of estrogen is supported by the fact that schizophrenia is
more common and tends to be more severe among men, and that women with
schizophrenia tend to relapse when estrogen is low, as during menopause and
after giving birth. In addition, one study found that estrogen replacement therapy
reduced psychotic symptoms.''"
There are many
causes of hormonal imbalance. Toxic exposure, stress, diet, and exercise can
all affect hormonal levels and balance. If you suspect that you have a hormonal
imbalance of some kind, consult with your doctor about it. If you discover that
there is indeed a problem, it is advisable to work with a natural medicine
practitioner to correct the imbalances, rather than take synthetic hormones.
The latter can be detrimental to your health, so it is best to avoid them if
possible.
14. Medical
Conditions
According to the
DSM-IV, the following medical conditions can produce psychotic symptoms that
can be mistaken for schizophrenia: brain tumor, Huntington's disease,
cerebrovascular disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, central nervous system
infections, migraine, impairment of auditory or visual nerves, Cushing's
syndrome (see Hormonal Imbalances), hyper- and hypothyroidism (see Hormonal
Imbalances), hypoglycemia (see earlier section), hypercarbia (higher than
normal levels of carbon dioxide in the blood), hypoxia (oxygen deficiency),
electrolyte or fluid imbalances, liver or kidney disease, and lupus and other
autoimmune disorders that involve the central nervous system.'"
Certain viral
infections can also mimic symptoms (see earlier section), as can syphilis.
Pellagra, which is caused by a niacin deficiency and used to be quite common,
is another disorder that resembles schizophrenia (see Nutritional Deficiencies
and Imbalances).
15. Medications
A relatively new
diagnostic category in the DSM-IV is Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder. In
this case, hallucinations and delusions are caused by medications or street
drugs. Among the medications cited is methylphenidate
(Ritalin).""Phis is alarming given the wanton prescription of Ritalin
to children in the United States.
The DSM-IV also
cites the following as sources of druginduced psychosis: antipsychotics,
anxiolytics, anticholinergics, antiparkinsonian medications, anticonvulsants,
barbiturates (sedatives and hypnotics), benzodiazepines (tranquilizers and
sleeping pills), analgesics (pain relievers), anesthetics, antihypertensives
(for high blood pressure), antiulcer medications, heart medications, oral
contraceptives, muscle relaxants, corticosteroids (prednisone and cortisone are
in this category), antihistamines, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs; ibuprofen is in this category), among others.`'
Note that
antipsychotics and other drugs used for schizophrenia are included in this
list. Yes, the very drugs prescribed for schizophrenia can produce psychotic
symptoms. Dr. Abram Hoffer, whose work is covered in chapter 3, calls this
"tranquilizer psychosis." This is a secondary psychosis that develops
with longterm use of antipsychotic drugs.
It is well known that
certain antidepressant drugs can also induce psychosis. A common belief is that
this is only a danger with the older classes of antidepressants, that the newer
SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) such as Prozac are free of
this problem. Unfortunately, this is not the case. One study found, for
example, that the psychosis or mania of 43 out of 533 patients admitted to a
psychiatric hospital was connected to antidepressant use, and 70 percent of
those patients were on Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, or another SSRI."'
16. Street Drugs
As with
prescription medications, street drugs can also induce psychosis that resembles
and can be misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. The drugs most commonly implicated
are amphetamines, cocaine (and crack), phencyclidine (PCP or angel dust),
marijuana, and hallucinogens such as LSD.
For people who
are indeed schizophrenic, use of street drugs, particularly PCP, marijuana, and
stimulants such as amphetamines and cocaine, worsens symptoms and the outcome
of the illness."' In addition, use of stimulants or PCP increases the
likelihood of the person becoming violent.jS' Dr. E. Fuller Torrey describes
such drugs as "like poison for anyone with schizophrenia.""`'
17. Caffeine,
Alcohol, and Nicotine
In the general
population, people who drink a lot of coffee test higher for anxiety and
depression and are also more likely than their more abstemious counterparts to
develop psychotic dis- orders.15- Among psychiatric patients, research has
found that the level of caffeine ingested is positively correlated with the
degree of mental illness," meaning that the more caffeine taken in, the
worse the symptoms.
Caffeine does a
lot more than give you a jittery edge. It actually affects your
neurotransmitters, stimulating the release of norepinephrine and others.
Habitual excess intake can leave you with a neurotransmitter deficit, along
with hypoglycemia and nutri tional deficiencies, as it interferes with the
absorption of important nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium, calcium,
potassium, and zinc."' Note the overlap with nutritional deficiencies
often present in schizophrenia.
Avoiding caffeine
or at least limiting intake is thus advisable. Be sure to consider all caffeine
sources. Some people give up or cut down on coffee and black tea, but overlook
the high caffeine content in colas.
Alcohol also
interferes with normal neurotransmitter function by impeding the supply of
tryptophan to the brain and thus reducing serotonin formation. As with
caffeine, habitual drinking of alcoholic beverages is associated with
hypoglycemia and nutritional deficiencies, notably B vitamins, vitamin C, folic
acid, zinc, potassium, and magnesium."'" Finally, as with street
drugs, drinking increases the likelihood of the person with schizophrenia
becoming violent."'
As noted in
chapter 1, the rate of cigarette smoking is very high among people with
schizophrenia; 80 to 90 percent smoke. The reasons for this are as numerous as
they are among smokers in the general population, but there is one effect of
nicotine that has particular relevance for people with schizophrenia. Research
indicates that smoking reduces the function of antipsychotic drugs; smokers
need higher doses compared to nonsmokers to produce the same level of
effect."'Z Smoking may also reduce the Parkinsonian-like side effects of
antipsychotic drugs and provide temporary improvement in the symptoms of mental
impairment associated with schizophrenia. "'
While this may
sound like support for smoking, there are many more reasons in support of
quitting or at least cutting back. In addition to the known health hazards
posed by smoking, nicotine, like stimulants and alcohol, affects
neurotransmitters. In the brain, it behaves like acetylcholine, excess levels
of which may worsen psychotic symptoms and have been linked to anxiety,
irritability, muscle twitching, and seizures. "'
18. Lack of Sleep
Sleep deprivation
is known to produce psychotic symptoms. One of the warning signs of relapse for
many people with schizophrenia is a change in sleep patterns. Aside from this,
sufficient sleep supports balance at all levels of one's being. It is as
important as a healthful diet. Getting enough sleep and avoiding the stress
that "all-nighters" place on the body and mind is another way to lighten
the environmental load, which when too heavy may tip into psychosis.
19. Lack of
Exercise
Exercise stimulates
the release of mood-regulating epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin,
along with endorphins, chemicals that lift our mood and reduce our stress
level. It increases oxygen, glucose, and nutrient supply to the brain, which
improves cerebral function and the ability to cope with stress.""
Exercise also helps flush toxins out of the body, the benefits of which were
discussed previously.
Exercise can
alleviate schizophrenic symptoms, irritability, insomnia, depression, anxiety,
and hyperactivity.' As with food and sleep, it is a basic need of the body.
Lack of exercise is an environmental stressor that is relatively easy to
remedy.
20. Energy Imbalances
There are a number
of different ways to discuss the flow of energy in the human body.
Physiologically, the salient point for schizophrenia is that the nervous system
operates on electrical charges. Extending outward, you could speak of the
body's electromagnetic field and the far-reaching effects on mental and
physical health caused by disturbances in that field (see chapter 5).
If you regard
energy from the perspective of homeopathy, which is an energy-based medicine,
illness is regarded as a disturbance in the individual's vital (life) force.
Homeopathic remedies restore that vital force to its natural equilibrium, which
restores balance to the body, mind, and spirit (see chapter 7). If you consider
energy from a shamanic viewpoint, you might explore the presence of foreign
energy in an individual's energy field (see chapter 9).
In Their Own Words
"In the most
recently published book I've read, a doctor writes that psychotherapy is
useless with schizophrenics. . . . [My therapist] is not afraid to travel with
me in my fearful times. She listens when I need to release some of the
'poisons' in my mind. She offers advice when I'm having difficulty with just
daily living. . . . Psychotherapy is important to me, and it does
help.""'
-An artist, 37, who
suffers from paranoid schizophrenia
Whatever language
you choose to employ to describe the phenomenon, a disturbance in an
individual's energy field can contribute to schizophrenia. The relationship of
energy to other factors can be cyclical, with physical factors (such as
nutritional deficiencies) or psychological or spiritual issues causing or being
caused by a disturbance in energy flow. As mentioned in the earlier section on
familial vulnerability, an inherited energy imbalance or an energy legacy passed
down from generation to generation may also be operational (see chapter 5).
21. Psychospiritual
Issues
In an article
published in the Psychiatric Times Journal in December 1996, psychiatrist David
Kaiser, M.D., criticized the current solely biological approach to mental
illness. "What is left completely out," he wrote, "are any
notions that our psychic ills are a reflection of cultural pathology. In fact,
this new biologic psychiatry can only exist to the extent it can deny not only
the truths of psychoanalysis, but also the truth of any serious cultural
criticism. It is then no surprise that this psychiatry thrives in this country
presently, where such denials are rampant and deeply
embedded."""
Support for
exploring psychospiritual (psychological and spiritual) factors in
schizophrenia does not mean a return to blaming the disorder on parenting, as
was the case during the era when the schizophrenogenic-mother theory was
dominant. It is an attempt to restore some balance to the pharmacological age
in psychiatric treatment where drugs alone are viewed as the answer.
People are not
only their neurotransmitters. Humans are as complex and as much a mystery as
schizophrenia is. To ignore the psychological, emotional, and spiritual factors
in any illness is to treat only part of a person. As noted in the previous
section, these factors have the capacity to throw the energy system out of
balance, which can have repercussions on all levels, including the electrical
transmission of the nervous system. Thus, treatment that does not address all
areas will not produce lasting health.
While
psychological trauma alone is not the source of schizophrenia, it can
contribute to the total environmental load. The role of psychological stress in
schizophrenia is highlighted by the fact that relapse often follows arguments
and tension in the person's family.'" This reflects the impaired ability
of schizophrenics to handle stimulation and stress.
Psychotherapy is
one avenue for exploring the psychological and spiritual dimensions of your
schizophrenia. Aside from the causal contributions in these areas,
psychotherapy can provide an important forum for processing all the issues that
arise from being diagnosed with and living with schizophrenia. It could be
considered as psychological and spiritual housecleaning or the maintenance work
that taking good care of something requires. Taking good care of yourself means
attending to the needs of body, mind, and spirit.
Psychotherapy is
neglected as a component in today's drugfocused treatment despite the fact that
research has shown that the addition of psychotherapy and family education to
drug treatment makes it possible to lower the dosages of antipsychotic
medications.''"
This research may
he related to why people in cultures where extended families are the norm
recover better from schizophrenia than those in cultures where extended
families are not the norm. Love and care may he the issue at the heart of this,
and psychiatric drugs cannot take their place.
Psychosomatic
medicine, a European medical discipline that recognizes the role and
interrelationship of body, mind, and spirit in mental and physical health, is
another modality for dealing with psychospiritual disturbances. Chapter 8
explores this discipline's approach to schizophrenia.
Shamanic healing
addresses both energy disturbances and the psychic or spiritual issues that may
be involved in an individual's schizophrenia. The shamanic view of mental
illness provides valuable insight, as it is entirely different from the way in which
the Western world regards such disorders. The shamanic view and shamanic
healing are thoroughly discussed in chapter 9.
Schizophrenia is
a complex condition. No single factor is responsible for creating it in
everyone and no single therapeutic measure can reverse it in everyone. To look
for the single cause of schizophrenia, as is often the focus in conventional
research, is to ignore the many factors that can be addressed now, even without
establishing a definitive causal link. If correcting or addressing a factor or
factors discussed in this chapter produces improvement or even reversal of
schizophrenic symptoms, that is sufficient reason for doing so. Although it
doesn't prove that the factors caused the person's schizophrenia, it indicates
that they at least contributed.
While most people
will not have all 21 of the factors in operation, having more than a few,
especially those that directly affect the biochemistry of the brain, may be
sufficient to cause psychotic symptoms, depending on the individual's
constitution and the severity of the imbalance. In addition to the potential
impact on a person's schizophrenia, addressing any of the factors that are
operational is an investment in one's health on all levels. Left untreated,
these underlying imbalances may produce further physical and mental problems.
All of this
underlines the importance of identifying what underlying imbalances are
operational in an individual with schizophrenia. By systematically identifying
and addressing each one, it is possible to sidestep the issue of causality and
simply attend to restoring the individual's health on all levels-body, mind,
and spirit. Part 2 of the book explores this approach in depth.
Action Plan
As a summary of
the information in this chapter, the following are steps you can take to
eliminate or reduce the factors that may be contributing to or exacerbating
your schizophrenia.
• Reduce the amount
of stress in your life, through avoidance of known stressful situations, making
changes in your circumstances or lifestyle, and/or the use of relaxation
techniques.
• Reduce your toxic
exposure wherever possible. Avoid using toxic house and garden products; eat
organically grown food; and drink pure water instead of tap water.
• Reduce your heavy
metal exposure by avoiding sources of copper, lead, aluminum, and mercury
wherever possible. You may want to investigate having your mercury dental
fillings replaced with non-mercury amalgams; hair analysis and other tests can
determine if the level of mercury in your body is high.
• Avoid foods and
other substances to which you are allergic, or get allergy treatment such as
NAET to eliminate the problem (see chapter 5). If you suspect you have
allergies, but don't know to what, NAET can help you identify allergens.
• Address any
intestinal or digestive dysfunction, such as an overgrowth of Candida. Taking
probiotics helps improve digestion.
• Avoid food
additives, particularly if your symptoms seem to worsen after ingesting
additives.
• Eat a healthful,
balanced diet. Avoid junk food, fast food, and processed food.
• Have your
biochemical status checked to identify any nutritional deficiencies or
imbalances, and work with a qualified practitioner to start an appropriate
supplement program to correct them (see chapters 3 and 4).
• Have your
essential fatty acid levels checked and take the appropriate EFA supplements to
correct any imbalances or deficiencies (see chapter 4).
• Consider
consulting a cranial osteopath to eliminate structural factors such as cranial
compression that may be contributing to your schizophrenia (see chapter 6).
• Consult with your
doctor about hypoglycemia. If you have this condition, there are dietary
practices you can follow to correct it.
• Have your doctor
check for hormonal imbalances if appropriate. If there is a problem, work with
a natural medicine practitioner to correct the imbalances. Synthetic hormones
can be detrimental to your health, so it is best to avoid them if possible.
• Consult with your
doctor to determine if you have any medical conditions that produce
schizophrenic symptoms, including viral infections.
• Consult your
doctor about whether any medications you are taking might be contributing to
your schizophrenia.
• Avoid
recreational drugs, particularly cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana, and PCP.
• Limit intake of
alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.
• Get sufficient
sleep. Try to avoid "all-nighters."
• Get regular
exercise.
• Address energy
imbalances through homeopathy or other forms of energy medicine (see chapters
5, 7, and 9).
• Explore
psychospiritual issues through psychotherapy or other modalities (see chapters
5, 8, and 9).
PART II
Natural Medicine
Treatments for
Schizophrenia
3
Orthomolecular Psychiatry
Abram Hoffer,
M.D., Ph.D., is one of the founding fathers of orthomolecular medicine. He is
responsible for the discovery that niacin lowers cholesterol, which led to a
paradigm shift in mainstream medicine. Prior to his research findings, vitamins
were considered only for prevention of deficiency diseases such as scurvy
(caused by vitamin C deficiency). Subsequent studies clearly demonstrated the
role of nutritional supplements in treatment of a range of conditions. In the
field of mental disorders, Dr. Hoffer's pioneering work in the treatment of
schizophrenia, specifically with megadoses of vitamin B; and vitamin C, became
the centerpiece of orthomolecular psychiatry and continues to be so today.
Dr. Hoffer is
editor-in-chief of the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, president of the
Canadian Schizophrenia Foundation, and author of numerous books, including How
to Live with Schizophrenia, Vitamin B j and Schizophrenia, and Orthomolecular
Medicine for Physicians. In addition, he lectures internationally on
orthomolecular medicine and has a private psychiatric practice in Victoria,
British Columbia.
To date, Dr.
Hoffer has treated more than 4,000 people with schizophrenia. "In my
experience, going back now to 1955, schizophrenic patients on drugs alone don't
get well. It's very rare. Even the strongest proponent of drug therapy will
maintain that less than ten percent of these people ever go back to work. It's
a very expensive disease. It destroys humanity; it destroys people. It's a kind
of living death because it strikes so early. It will strike a man who is 25, in
the prime of his life, and he's finished. That is, if he is only given
drugs."-
What Is Orthomolecular Medicine?
Orthomolecular
medicine is the supplemental use of nutrients that naturally occur in the body
(e.g., vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes) to rebalance an
individual's disturbed biochemistry, that is, restore the molecular balance of
the body. The application of orthomolecular medicine to promote mental health
is known as orthomolecular psychiatry.
Nobel Prize-winner Linus
Pauling, Ph.D., of vitamin-C therapy fame, gave this medical treatment approach
its name in 1968. Ortho means "correct to normal." Orthomolecular
medicine is based on the tenet of biochemical individuality, which holds that
every individual's biochemistry is unique and treatment must identify and
address the unique condition. Orthomolecular physicians also consider the
effects of environmental and food supply toxins, and implement natural
detoxification protocols as needed.
With
orthomolecular medicine, one need not accept this dismal prognosis. A simple
vitamin protocol results in a recovery rate of 90 percent in acute cases of
schizophrenia, states I)r. Hoffer. He defines "acute" as patients
with schizophrenia who have been sick for less than two years, who are having
their first attack, or have recovered from the first and are having a
subsequent attack. "With this group of schizophrenic patients, if they
will cooperate with treatment for a minimum of two years, using the total
approach, I expect about 90 percent to recover." This number is based on
his clinical experience, the results of six double-blind controlled studies
conducted by Dr. Hoffer and colleagues, and the results of other studies by
orthomolecular physicians.
For For patients
to meet Dr. Hoffer's criteria for recovery, they must (1) be free of signs and
symptoms; (2) get along well with their family; (3) get along well with their
community; and (4) be paying income tax (or they would be paying income tax if
they were being compensated for their work).
Among the chronic
cases of schizophrenia, approximately 50 percent recover after ten years of
orthomolecular treatment, says Dr. Hoffer, adding that not all will meet the
fourth criteria for recovery, however. As schizophrenia often strikes in the
late teens or early twenties, many of those who have been ill for years never
got the chance to develop professionally or their illness left them with a poor
work record that makes employers reluctant to hire them.
In Their Own Words
"I am certain
of what has treated me. It is both the elimination of allergens plus the
vitamins.... I am, for the first time since my preteens, relaxed, calm, stable
and energetic. I am able to concentrate, converse and read without a 'second
brain's' interference. I am no longer forced to rely on a day planner to remind
me to eat, to bathe, to sleep, to rise. ""
-A woman with
schizophrenia, on her successful orthomolecular treatment
One of Dr. Hoffer's
patients, for example, lost 13 jobs in a row due to his paranoia,
aggressiveness, and hostility. With orthomolecular treatment, he recovered
within two years and was then perfectly employable. Unfortunately, he could not
get a job because of his employment record. "He is kind and
considerate," reports Dr. Hoffer. "He gets along with his family, has
friends in the community, travels a good deal, does volunteer work in nursing
homes, but remains unemployed. He could have been working for the past eight
years."-
In addition to
saving and reclaiming lives considered lost, there is a cost benefit to
orthomolecular medicine beyond the far less expensive price of treatment. For
each patient who recovers, Dr. Hoffer saves the government $2 million, which is
the estimated lifetime cost of care for a person with schizophrenia, whether
untreated or treated with drugs."
Dr. Hoffer
concludes: "There can be no a priori reason why massive nicotinic acid
[niacin] should not alter the outcome of schizophrenia. Apart from deep
prejudice or sheer inertia, it is worth trying because it meets one of the
major requirements of any treatment, that of `doing the sick no harm.'
Two-thirds of those who develop schizophrenia are more or less crippled by it
and return to hospital for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years.
Our studies suggest that at least half of the crippled twothirds will be well
if given nicotinic acid, and some of the others will be helped. We think that
these young people, who are doomed to be in and out of mental hospitals for
most of their lives, have a right to he given nicotinic acid even if medical
people are skeptical. Nothing can be lost and as we have shown, belief or
skepticism seems to have very little bearing upon the effects of this
Dr. Hoffer defines "acute" as
patients with schizophrenia who have been sick for less than two years, who are
having their first attach, or have recovered from the first and are having a
subsequent attach. "With this group of schizophrenic patients, if they
will cooperate with treatment for a minimum of two years, using the total
approach, I expect about 90 percent to recover."
The Orthovnolecular
Model of Schizophrenia
"Schizophrenia
is a syndrome, not a single disease,"'- says Dr. Hoffer. "There are a
whole variety of things that will mimic what we see as the final syndrome.
This is precisely
why natural medicine is well suited to the treatment of schizophrenia. A
syndrome has no clear course of treatment because by conventional definition
the cause is unknown; a syndrome merely describes a cluster of symptoms.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is another example of these elusive conditions.
Natural medicine surpasses conventional medicine in the treatment of syndromes
because rather than focusing on a diagnostic label or the suppression of a
cluster of symptoms, it focuses on the roots of illness, the underlying
contributing factors that are combining to produce the manifesting condition.
Dr. Hoffer cites
vitamin deficiencies and dependencies, mineral deficiencies, heavy metal
toxicity, chronic infections, and allergies, among others, as things that can
mimic schizophrenia. In his experience, food allergies, particularly to milk,
wheat, and eggs, are a common causal factor. "They are really cerebral
allergies, masquerading as schizophrenia or manic-depression." '
After encountering
dramatic recoveries following the elimination of allergens, Dr. Hoffer more
closely investigated allergies among his schizophrenic patients and found that
of approximately 200 patients, "about 60 percent were allergic to foods
and when these foods were eliminated, they improved or became
normal.""
The allergy may
not necessarily be to food. In one of Dr. Hoffer's patients, it was an allergy
to aspirin that caused the schizophrenic syndrome. She had been routinely
taking aspirin for hip pain. When she stopped, her schizophrenic symptoms
disappeared and did not return.
The basic
orthomolecular program for schizophrenia consists of dietary changes (a
high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet and the elimination of white flour, refined
sugar, food additives, and allergenic foods) and nutritional supplements,
specifically, high doses of vitamin B3 and vitamin C, zinc, and a B-complex
formula to provide balanced B vitamins, with vitamin B(,, manganese, or other
nutrients if indicated in individual cases.
Vitamin B3 is the
nutrient most implicated in the syndrome. "Schizophrenia could be
classified as a B3-dependency disease," states Dr. Hoffer. He uses the
word dependency rather than deficiency because the vitamin B3 requirement of
schizophrenic individuals in order not to become ill is far greater than the
usual amount that prevents deficiency.
"If you
need, say, 20 mg of B3 a day to prevent pellagra [a condition produced by
niacin deficiency], if you eat a diet that contains 5 mg a day, you're going to
get pellagra," he explains. "But suppose your needs are great,
suppose you need 100 mg a day not to get sick. If you eat a diet that provides
you with 20 mg a day, you're still going to get sick. It's still pellagra, but
it's now called a dependency. The problem is in your body and not in the
diet."
The Basic Orthomolecular Regimen for
Schizophrenia
Although
individuals may require alterations and variations, the basic orthomolecular
program for schizophrenia consists of elimination of "junk food" from
the diet, which includes refined sugar, white flour, and food additives,
avoidance of allergenic foods, and supplementation with the following
nutrients:180
vitamin B3 (niacin
or niacinamide): 1.5 to 6 g daily, divided over 3 doses
vitamin C: 3 g or
more daily
zinc gluconate or
citrate: 50 mg daily
vitamin B-complex
formula: once daily
If indicated on an
individual basis:
vitamin B6
(pyridoxine): 250 to 500 mg daily (frequently as important as B3)
manganese: 15 to 30
mg daily (to offset tardive dyskinesia from tranquilizers)
omega-3 essential
fatty acids: cold-water fish oil or flaxseed oil
Interestingly,
both pellagra and scurvy produce schizophrenialike symptoms. As noted, pellagra
is due to a deficiency in vitamin B i1 while scurvy arises as the result of a vitamin
C deficiency. These two nutrients are the primary ones in Dr. Hoffer's protocol
for schizophrenia, although it was not their role in deficiency diseases, but
rather their specific actions on adrenaline and a related substance,
adrenochrome, that led to their central position in the protocol.
The Adrenochrome
Connection
"Our theory,
which I think is correct, is that there is abnormal production of one or more
hallucinogens in the body ... that act on the brain as if they had taken
LSD," states Dr. Hoffer. "Their own body produces these hallucinogens
and this is what makes them psychotic." 181 The hallucinogens, which arise
from adrenaline, are adrenochrome and its relative, adrenolutin.
In Their Own Words
"My parents
met me at the airport. . . . The first thing they thought was 'Uh, oh,
chemicals, hallucinogenics.' That was what my sister and my brother thought,
too, that I was taking a lot of LSD every day, because I was in that state
every single
-Ian, who reversed
his schizophrenia with orthomolecular medicine
Adrenaline,
released during the body's fight-orflight stress response, is intended as a
short-term mechanism for mobilizing the body in an emergency situation. It is
highly toxic and must be rapidly converted into other substances to avoid its
damaging effects. "If I injected 2 mg of adrenaline into a person, I'd
kill him because his blood pressure would explode," Dr. Hoffer explains.
One of the body's conversion mechanisms results in adrenochrome, which becomes
adrenolutin, as adrenochrome is too unstable to exist in the body.
According to the
adrenochrome theory, people who are schizophrenic have a greater ability than
other people to convert adrenaline to adrenochrome. This means that they are
more exposed to its hallucinogenic properties, which are well established, says
Dr. Hoffer. "When you give it to people, it, like LSD, makes them
psychotic. Adrenolutin acts as a synaptic blocking agent, which is how LSD
works."
Where vitamin B3
comes into the equation is that it acts to decrease the production of
adrenaline. As for vitamin C, high levels in the body help prevent the
conversion of adrenaline into adrenochrome.'"`
As a preventive
measure, it is advisable for people with schizophrenia to avoid factors that
promote the release of adrenaline, with its attendant increase in adrenochrome.
Stress, cigarette smoking, and food allergies are some of these factors. In
regard to allergies, Dr. Hoffer notes that "one of the body's ways of
dealing with a violent allergic reaction is to dump a lot of adrenaline into
the body. If you go to the emergency room because you're having a reaction,
they shoot you with adrenaline."'"" Thus, chronic food allergies
result in increased adrenaline. Cigarette smoking not only promotes adrenaline
release, but also depletes the body of ascorbic acid,"' which makes
adrenochrome conversion more likely.
Zinc Deficiency
Dr. Hoffer has
found that zinc deficiency can also be a factor in schizophrenia, although it
is not as common as vitamin-B problems. It tends to occur among people who have
food allergies (an allergy to dairy or lactose intolerance is common), because
the allergy interferes with absorption of nutrients, he says. Telltale signs of
zinc deficiency are white spots on the fingernails, acne, sore knee joints, and
severe PMS in women.
Another physician
who has been practicing orthomolecular medicine for decades is Hugh D. Riordan,
M.D., president of the Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning
International in Wichita, Kansas, and author of Medical Mavericks, Volumes I
and II. He gives an example of a schizophrenic patient for whom zinc was the
answer: "We had a young lady who had been in the hospital for three months
and was on sufficient psychotropic medication that she could not attend high
school. She was one of those people who had white spots on her fingernails and
painful knee joints. I started her on zinc and B(,, and over a couple of weeks
she was able to get off her medications and was doing quite well. But as we've
learned over the years, of course, no one really believes that anything could
be that simple."'"`'
Interestingly,
with zinc deficiency, foods may taste bitter, which could help explain the
paranoid belief previously common among schizophrenics that someone was trying
to poison them. Dr. Hoffer notes that this used to be a much more common
delusion, but is far less so today as the sweetness of most medicines has
eliminated the association between poison and bitterness.'° -
For more about
zinc, vitamin B6, and schizophrenia, see chapter 4.
Saturation Point
Lack of
biochemical measurement and lack of understanding of the concept of saturation
point have contributed to the failure of the medical establishment to accept
orthomolecular medicine, according to Dr. Riordan. The people who say that it
does not work, he explains, are those who do not understand that it is
necessary to evaluate the individual biochemistry to determine the specific
nutrients that are most deficient in that particular person and then to
saturate the system with those nutrients.
To take an
example of a physical condition, "carpal tunnel syndrome is pretty well
resolved when you have sufficient B6 and other elements," he explains.
"But you have to get to a 90 percent saturation. You can go from 50 to 70
percent saturation, but it does nothing for the symptoms. When you reach 90
percent, it's like a switch. You suddenly don't have any more problems."
The length of time and the daily amount of nutrients it takes to reach the
saturation point are not the same for everyone, however.
Dr. Riordan cites
the case of one man in his twenties who had already been hospitalized three
times for schizophrenic breakdowns. The biochemical picture obtained through
blood and urine tests revealed that the nutrient he was most deficient in was
vitamin C. He needed a very high daily dose (19 grams), and still didn't feel
better until 11 months after starting the supplement protocol. At that point,
he suddenly felt great. He had reached his saturation point, which flipped the
switch on his symptoms. After that, he didn't need the high doses of vitamin C.
He was able to cut down to two grams per day and remain well. His was not a
typical case in terms of the dose required, but the point is that everyone is
different.
"If a person
is absorbing normally, most nutrients take one hundred days to saturate the
system after one finds out what is missing," he states. As many people
with schizophrenia are not absorbing well, reaching the saturation point, with
its accompanying improvement in symptoms, tends to take longer.
"We view
most chronic illnesses as sustained illnesses," Dr. Riordan says.
"Chronic implies that it will never be cured. We see people as having
sustained illness, and the question is if we can find out why the illness is
being sustained." When it comes to schizophrenia or any other mental
illness, the theme of orthomolecular investigation is: "If your brain
isn't working, look at how it's being fed, and what it needs to work better.
The brain is the biggest user of energy in the body, and of course it's the
first thing to go if you're not functioning well." Given these facts, Dr.
Riordan is amazed that there is any questioning of the orthomolecular premise
that nutrients are fundamental to mental disorders.
A Starved Brain
Michael Lesser,
M.D., is cited by Dr. Hoffer as "one of the pioneers in the development of
orthopsychiatry and medicine."'"" Practicing in Berkeley,
California, he has 40 years of experience in treating schizophrenic patients
(numbering in the thousands to date) with the orthomolecular approach. The
author of Nutrition and Vitamin Therapy and The Brain Chemistry Diet, he has
also published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles on orthomolecular
psychiatry.
Dr. Lesser
regards malnutrition of the brain as the predominant cause of schizophrenia,
which is why orthomolecular treatment is the most helpful, in his experience.
"We have to realize that if somebody screams or acts out of rage or does
something psychiatrically bizarre, this is just the way that the brain has of
expressing that it is starving, or being poisoned."
In the case of
schizophrenia, Dr. Lesser has found that starvation of nutrients, specifically
those in the orthomolecular protocol, is more the problem. As illustration of
this, consider niacin. "The first noticeable symptoms of niacin deficiency
are entirely psychological," he states. "Victims may feel fearful,
apprehensive, suspicious, and worry excessively with a gloomy, downcast, angry,
and depressed outlook."'""
As noted
previously, schizophrenics may require far more of certain nutrients in order
not to suffer deficiency. For example, one study found that schizophrenic
subjects required ten times the dose of vitamin C compared to a control group
in order for traces of vitamin C to show in urine samples."" Traces
in the urine indicate that the body has reached its saturation point; thus
those with schizophrenia required far more vitamin C to reach that point.
Due to the
malnourished state of the brain in schizophrenia, a nutrient-rich diet is an
important part of the orthomolecular protocol. The high-protein diet not only
provides needed nutrients, but also increases the effectiveness of the niacin,
says Dr. Lesser.'`"
In his practice,
orthomolecular intervention produces improvement in 85 percent of his patients.
Most of the people who come to him are the chronically schizophrenic, rather
than the acute cases, for which the therapy is, in his experience, "even
more successful." An 85 percent improvement rate for chronic schizophrenia
is impressive. Dr. Lesser notes that orthomolecular treatment cures over time.
"The longer a person has been ill, the longer it takes for them to get
better."
In one case, in
which the man had had a schizophrenic breakdown, which unfortunately entailed
serious consequences, improvement began in only two months after starting the
orthomolecular regimen. James, who was in his late twenties, had been ill for
less than two years when he came to Dr. Lesser. The visit was prompted by a
huge legal mess that had made James desperate for help. At the time his
psychotic break occurred, he was a representative for a company that leased
cars. He began to believe that the cars were his, made the leases out to
himself, and drove around in the cars with his friends. The company pressed
charges and James was facing a jail term when he sought Dr. Lesser's aid.
Two months after
starting the standard regimen, he felt better and the improvements continued
until he was fully recovered not long after. In his case, niacin was the
crucial nutrient, recalls Dr. Lesser. James noticed when he took more niacin
that he was more in control of this thinking. In jail for his criminal
behavior, he continued taking the niacin, became an honor prisoner, and decided
to go into the ministry.
In regard to the
orthomolecular approach, Dr. Lesser emphasizes, "The treatment is unique
in that it requires a lifestyle change, not just taking a drug. This requires a
serious commitment from patients. They may have to change their diet and take a
number of supplements for a long time. Though the results are good and
commensurate with the effort, it does require an effort."
Weaning Off
Psychiatric Drugs
Dr. Hoffer regards
the use of psychiatric drugs as analogous to the use of a crutch for a broken
leg-a temporary measure. "In the same way that one uses a crutch until a
broken leg is healed, so one should consider the drugs as crutches to be used
until the person is healed. Then the crutches can be discarded and only used
occasionally."'''=
As the effect of
the nutrients may take a while, given the severity of the deficit, psychiatric
drugs are often a necessary adjunct, says Dr. Hoffer. Once the nutrient program
has begun to take effect, he begins to wean the patient off the drugs. People
with schizophrenia may need to take their supplements for the rest of their
lives, although they may be able to lower the dosage. Orthomolecular therapy
for schizophrenia is like diabetes treatment, in that it needs to be
continuous, according to Dr. Hoffer. "As long as the therapeutic regimen
is followed, they will remain well."'' In acute cases, he advises his
patients to stay on the protocol for at least five years after their recovery.
Getting off
psychopharmaceuticals is an important step not only because of disturbing side
effects and the fact that they do nothing to correct the underlying problem,
but also because of a phenomenon Dr. Hoffer calls tranquilizer psychosis. This
is the secondary psychosis that develops with long-term use of antipsychotic
drugs. As patients' schizophrenic symptoms are decreased, the drug begins to
act on them as it does on nonschizophrenic people-that is, it makes them
psychotic. The symptoms of the drug-induced psychosis are not merely a return
to their original psychosis, however. Tranquilizer psychosis is characterized
by "apathy, inertia, dullness, impaired memory, impaired concentration,
impaired judgment, and finally, inability to engage in productive
This is in sharp
contrast to the orthomolecular protocol, which not only allows many people with
schizophrenia to become contributing members of society, but also entails only
a few harmless side effects. These are the flushing that attends niacin
supplementation, potential nausea and vomiting with niacinamide, and potential
diarrhea from the high doses of vitamin C. In rare instances, jaundice
develops, but disappears with cessation of niacin supplementation.
Building the
dosage of vitamin C slowly can avoid the diarrhea that occurs at the saturation
point for the vitamin. The dosage below the amount that causes diarrhea is
known as "bowel tolerance," which serves as a natural feedback
mechanism to determine the proper dosage. If diarrhea does occur, simply
lowering the dose removes the problem. If you are one of the people who experience
nausea with niacinamide supplementation, lowering the dose or taking niacin
instead is the solution.
As for the
flushing, which is a sensation of heat and prickling that generally travels
down the upper body from the head, it is harmless, typically only lasts a few
minutes, and tends to become almost unnoticeable with ongoing supplementation.
The flushing is the result of the vasodilation (opening of the blood vessels)
produced by niacin. Dr. Hoffer observes that schizophrenics tend to flush less
than other people. "Often they do not flush at all until they have started
to recover. This is now the basis for a diagnostic test."A
Joseph: 40-Year
Schizophrenia Reversed
Joseph,* 66, had been schizophrenic since he was 27
years old, when he had a breakdown that landed him on a psychiatric ward. He
was hospitalized at least five times in the intervening years, during which he
underwent five series of electroconvulsive therapy. He had not been able to
work for the past ten years and had become increasingly confused, to the point
that he could no longer drive.
His schizophrenic
symptoms included hearing voices and paranoid delusions. He believed that
people were staring at him and plotting against him, and he repeatedly told his
wife that the telephone was bugged. In addition to his confusion, his memory
and concentration were impaired. He became agitated and excited at times.
When his wife and
brother brought him to Dr. Hoffer, Joseph appeared retarded, was clearly
confused, showed no emotional reaction, and gave only short answers to the
questions put to him. At 250 pounds (his height was 5 feet 11 inches), he was
also obese.
Dr. Hoffer
learned that Joseph was on extremely high daily doses of chlorpromazine
(Thorazine), lithium, and the tranquilizer perphenazine, and taking a drug to
counteract the side effects of these drugs. He had Joseph take I gram each of
niacin and vitamin C after each meal. In addition to its other benefits, the
vitamin C would help reduce the toxic impact of the drugs on the body. Dr.
Hoffer also had Joseph observe a sugar-free diet. Food allergies were not in
evidence.
At the end of a
month, he was already experiencing improvement and his family had reduced his
Thorazine dosage. At the end of six months on the regimen, his Thorazine dosage
was down to less than half the original amount, his perphenazine dosage had
been cut in half, and he had lost 13 pounds. "His family members were
pleased with his progress as they saw his pre-illness personality
reemerging," recalls Dr. Hoffer.
Joseph had a
setback when a severe bladder infection sent him to the hospital, where he was
not allowed to take his vitamins. His condition deteriorated with every day
that he was off his vitamins, and he was put on the antipsychotic Risperdal.
When he was back home again, his family took him off the new drug and resumed
the vitamins. Shortly after, Dr. Hoffer increased his niacin dosage to two grams
after every meal.
A month later,
Joseph had lost more weight, was walking more, was much less paranoid, and
reported that the voices were receding. Dr. Hoffer reduced his Thorazine dosage
again. Three months later, he could get through a whole day without hearing the
voices. Vitamin E and folic acid were also part of his protocol now, the E to
support the antioxidant activities of vitamin C, the folic acid because it
improves the function of niacin.
Two years after
beginning treatment, Joseph's schizophrenic symptoms were gone and he was off
all medication. He no longer heard the voices, his memory had improved, he
spoke easily, and his weight was down to 217 pounds. Two years later, he was
still fine. "He fulfilled my criteria for recovery: he was symptom free
and got on well with his family and with the community. I expected he would be
back at his artist profession," says Dr. Hoffer. "He had reached my
therapeutic objective: to get him off drugs, cured of his tranquilizer
psychosis, and cured of his schizophrenia. The odds are very good that he will
not relapse as long as he remains on his orthomolecular program."
Generally, the
longer you have been ill, the longer it will take to recover, says Dr. Hoffer,
but that is not always so, as the case of Joseph demonstrates. His recovery
took only two years, despite the fact that he had suffered from schizophrenia
for nearly 40 years.
The Evolutionary
Aspect of Schizophrenia
While schizophrenia
is a devastating illness, if untreated, there is a positive side to the
disorder. Dr. Hoffer views schizophrenia as an evolutionary advance.
"There's certainly no advantage to being schizophrenic, but there's a
tremendous advantage in having the genes of schizophrenia without being
sick," he says. First, in relation to the heightened ability to convert
adrenaline to adrenochrome, a person with schizophrenic genes is better able to
deal with stress than other people, notes Dr. Hoffer, adding the qualification
that "this is when they are healthy because they don't have enough genes
to make them schizophrenic or when they are healthy because of nutrition."
In general,
schizophrenics are healthier than nonschizophrenics. They tend to age better,
retaining their hair color longer and wrinkling less. They have a higher threshold
of pain, can tolerate cold and privation better, and are not as susceptible to
shock after a physical trauma.'"
Perhaps most
significant, schizophrenic genes appear to exert a protective influence against
the development of certain diseases, notably rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.
The incidence of these conditions among schizophrenics is far lower than among
the nonschizophrenic population.
Schizophrenic genes
appear to exert a protective influence against the development of certain
diseases, notably rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. "if you are
schizophrenic, your chances of getting cancer are very slim," states Dr.
Hoffer. Of the more than 4,000 schizophrenic patients he has seen over the
years, only nine of them had cancer and all nine recovered completely. In his
nearly 50 years of practice, Dr. Hoffer has not had a single schizophrenic
patient who died from cancer.
"If you are
schizophrenic, your chances of getting cancer are very slim," states Dr.
Hoffer. Of the more than 4,000 schizophrenic patients he has seen over the
years, only nine of them had cancer and all nine recovered completely. In his
nearly 50 years of practice, Dr. Hoffer has not had a single schizophrenic
patient who died from cancer.
The explanation may
lie with adrenochrome, which has a second property in addition to its
hallucinogenic effects. Adrenochrome is a cell-mitotic poison, meaning that it
prevents cell division (mitosis), says Dr. Hoffer. "If you have
schizophrenia, it means you have too much adrenochrome, but that means you're
not going to get cancer. If you don't have enough adrenochrome, you can't
become schizophrenic, but you can get cancer."
This points to
another evolutionary aspect of schizophrenia. Dr. Hoffer cites the major cancer
epidemic facing humanity, with the incidence continuing to climb. "The
survivors are going to be the patients with the schizophrenic genes," he
says. "Eventually, our whole population is going to have the genes, but
they will never be sick because we will be intelligent enough to make sure that
every human has enough vitamins. If you give every person from the time they
are born enough B3 and maybe some of the other vitamins, in my opinion,
schizophrenia will disappear."
In Their Own Words
"I've spoken
to a lot of parents who have gone the traditional route with their children
because they're intimidated.... It took a lot of courage for me to actually
look for another method because I was given such flak by the traditional
medical profession. "'
-Rosalie, mother of
Darren, whose psychosis was reversed by orthomolecular medicine
Orthomolecular
Medicine and Conventional Psychiatry
As is so often
asked about natural medicine treatments, if the orthomolecular approach is so
effective, why isn't it a standard part of conventional psychiatry? Dr. Hoffer
cites a number of reasons for this, beginning with the tranquilizer model,
which rules psychiatry, just as psychoanalytic theories did previously.
"It's taken them about 30 years to recognize that Freud was wrong and that
this is in fact a brain disease," says Dr. Hoffer.
"But even
though they've recognized that it is a biochemical disease, they have no
conception that if you're going to deal with a biochemical disease, you ought
to restore biochemical brain function. And you can't do this with
tranquilizers. With tranquilizers, you interfere with certain brain reactions,
whereas with the orthomolecular treatment approach, you enhance certain
reactions."
Another reason
Dr. Hoffer cites for why orthomolecular treatments have not become standard practice
is the three powerful foes that have long been ranged against it: the American
Psychiatric Association (APA); government bodies such as the NIMH; and the
pharmaceutical companies. The effectiveness of the suppression of
orthomolecular information need not involve a conspiracy among these three
megaliths. With the drug companies, their focus is and always has been on doing
whatever it takes to sell their products and maximize profit. "When
treatment is determined by a bottom-line mentality, the only profit that flows
from drugs is the long-term, unsuccessful treatment of the chronically
ill," says Dr. Hoffer. "We cannot forget that the business of
business is to make money, but the business of medicine is to cure the
sick."'""
With the APA and
the NIMH, defending their current paradigm may be the operational factor.
Anything that doesn't fit is given no notice or discredited. "The old
paradigm was that schizophrenia was a very complicated psychosocial disease,
which must have many multiple causes and which would take years of
investigation and maybe decades of research before you'd have an answer,"
states Dr. Hoffer. "And we were claiming that schizophrenia was
essentially a complicated illness, but with simple causes, in the same way that
syphilis is very complicated until you discover that you can cure it by giving
penicillin to knock off the bacteria. In other words, every disease in medicine
is complicated until one discovers what to do about it."
As another
example, Dr. Hoffer recalls how in the old medical textbooks, 30 or 40 pages
would be devoted to how to deal with pneumonia, which was little understood at
the time. Today, coverage of the illness requires little space in medical
textbooks because the evidence is that standard pneumonia is easily treated.
So, in the early
days of orthomolecular medicine, the medical establishment "couldn't
conceive of the fact that something as simple as a vitamin or nutrition could
be helpful for such a serious disease as schizophrenia was." Now, when
schizophrenia is known to be a biochemical disorder, the APA/NIMH paradigm
embraces tranquilizers as the answer and continues to maintain "that
nutrition and vitamins have absolutely nothing to do with schizophrenia,"
Dr. Hoffer states. "The average doctor reads only about drugs. That's all
they are taught. They take classes in pharmacology that teach about drugs. They
don't take any classes in nutrition. They don't take any classes in the
therapeutic advantage of vitamins."""
Interestingly,
the psychological model died as hard a death as seems to await the tranquilizer
model. The medical establishment held onto that paradigm and offered strong
opposition to the advent of tranquilizers. "In fact it took a number of
congressmen and senators to persuade the NIMH, which was run at that time by
psychoanalysts, to give grants to study the tranquilizers," says Dr.
Hoffer. There was likely a lot of drug company money behind this push for
research, given the huge profits to be had in psychopharmaceuticals. As is most
often the case with natural medicine, money is not poured into the study of
substances such as niacin, which lack the moneymaking potential of drugs.
"Orthomolecular
medicine is the treatment of choice for the schizophrenias," Dr. Hoffer
states. "Any physician dealing with these patients and their families who
does not advise them that this treatment is available, and the results
obtained, is not enabling patients to make an informed consent to treatment.
"200
For more
information about orthomolecular medicine or to locate a practitioner, contact
the International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine/Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N IE9 Canada; tel: (416)
733-2117; website: www.orthomed.org.
4
Biochemical Treatment of
Schizophrenia
William J. Walsh,
Ph.D., specializes in the biochemical treatment of mental, emotional, and
behavioral disorders. While biochemical therapy is essentially the same as
orthomolecular medicine (see chapter 3), in that substances found naturally in
the body are used to restore biochemical balance, it focuses on several
different parameters in its approach to schizophrenia and other mental
disorders.
Dr. Walsh is the
heir apparent of the late Carl Pfeiffer, M.D., Ph.D., a pioneer in the
biochemical treatment of illness, and of mental illnesses in particular. Before
he died, Dr. Pfeiffer asked Dr. Walsh to establish a center to carry on the
important work in which they had both been engaged for decades. The result was the
Health Research Institute and Pfeiffer Treatment Center (HRIPTC), a
not-for-profit research and outpatient facility near Chicago, in Warrenville,
Illinois. Designed as a collaboration between biochemists and medical doctors,
HRI is the research wing and PTC the treatment wing. Dr. Walsh is the center's
chief scientist.
Since its
founding in 1989, PTC has treated approximately 3,000 people with
schizophrenia, and 12,000 others suffering from bipolar disorder, depression
and anxiety disorders, autism, attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, and
other behavioral, emotional, and learning problems.
"What I've
been doing for the last 25 or 30 years," explains Dr. Walsh, "is
trying to develop chemical classifications for conditions such as
schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, behavior disorders, and autism
because every one of these terms is an umbrella term or a garbage term that
encompasses different categories." The chemistry underlying the diagnosis
is not only the key to individual treatment, but if biochemical commonalities
could be found among individuals in each category, this could also potentially
point the way to the cause of the disorder, with attendant prevention and even
cure.
Looking at the
illness biochemically is more meaningful medically and, in the case of
schizophrenia, does not carry the stigma of the psychiatric label. "The
patients call it the `S' word," observes Dr. Walsh. "Really, what
does it mean? It's a word given to a number of completely different conditions
that require completely different treatment. It's a word that everybody finds
demeaning and almost insulting. There's a degree of hopelessness to hearing
that word. It's considered the cancer of mental health."
Identifying the
specific biochemical imbalances underlying a person's schizophrenia takes the
onus off the condition, provides specific direction and measures for treatment,
and offers hope rather than hopelessness.
Although
schizophrenia has a genetic component, that doesn't mean that the condition is
"hopeless or incurable," says Dr. Walsh. "What genetics means,
to me, is chemistry. Chemistry can be adjusted and corrected." He gives
the example of someone with depression, in which a genetic component is
involved (science acknowledges the role of genetics in depression). "Some
people, whether with medication or with some other therapy, become free of
depression. So does that mean it wasn't genetic? And they weren't really
depressed?"
About 90 percent
of the schizophrenic patients who come to PTC fall into one of three
biochemical categories, while the remaining ten percent belong to what Dr.
Walsh refers to as the "splinter types," the causality of which takes
more investigative work to identify.
Symptomatically
and biochemically, schizophrenia is close to bipolar disorder with psychotic
features, states Dr. Walsh. "I've seen almost identical patients with
identical symptoms and one is called schizophrenic and the other is called
bipolar with psychotic features. I think it's just a matter of semantics."
In addition, the blood and urine tests of people with the two conditions show
the same results. "We can't tell the difference between the biochemistry
of the schizophrenic and the bipolar with psychotic features."
In biochemical
treatment, it is the details of the biochemistry rather than the diagnostic
labels that provide the direction for therapy. This approach has the advantage
of addressing each person's unique biochemical condition. In contrast to
psychiatric drugs designed to elevate or lower one neurotransmitter or another,
biochemical therapy gives the body only what it needs, and it does so safely.
The problem with the pharmaceuticals is that they're "affecting probably
five to 15 other neurotransmitters, altering these people's brains and causing
these things called side effects," says Dr. Walsh. On the other hand,
providing the body with missing nutrients, as biochemical treatment does,
restores its innate ability to correct and regulate its neurotransmitter levels
and function.
Biochemical
Profiles of Schizophrenia
Biochemical
imbalances can be mild, moderate, or severe, which has a bearing on whether a
person develops schizophrenia or not. On the mild end of the spectrum, "if
a person is in a great environment and life is pretty copacetic and calm, they
may go through life without a breakdown," states Dr. Walsh. However, if a
person on the mild end "has a nasty environment or some troubling
traumatic events in their life, they might break down because of that. But at
the other end of the spectrum, with severe versions of these imbalances, I
think it's inevitable. It doesn't matter what their life circumstances are,
it's going to happen."
While every
individual is different, the three primary biochemical profiles found in
schizophrenia are: overmethylation/ low histamine; undermethylation/high
histamine; and pyroluria.
The Methylation Problem
In the 1970s Dr.
Pfeiffer developed a biochemical treatment model for schizophrenia that forms
the foundation for the approach PTC uses today with both schizophrenia and
bipolar disorder. Dr. Pfeiffer's model was based on his discovery of high
histamine levels in some schizophrenics. Others had low histamine levels.
Histamine is an essential protein metabolite (a product of metabolism) found in
all body tissues and, although most people associate it with allergies (it is
what produces the runny nose, weepy eyes, and other signs of inflammation in an
allergic reaction), in the brain histamine functions as a neurotransmitter.
Dr. Pfeiffer
found that he could reverse or alleviate schizophrenic symptoms by giving
supplements that normalized the histamine level, lowering or raising it as
needed. He concluded from the effectiveness of this approach that histamine, as
a neurotransmitter, might very well be the decisive factor in schizophrenia,
recalls Dr. Walsh. "A lot of time has passed since his death, and there's
a lot more evidence. It appears that histamine is actually a marker for
methylation. People who are high histamine are undermethylated. People who are
low histamine are overmethylated. What Pfeiffer did was accidentally stumble on
the right treatment, on an effective treatment. He thought he was adjusting
histamine, but what he was doing was adjusting the methyl-folate ratio."
Methyl is one of
the more common organic chemicals in the body; methyl groups are present in
most enzymes and proteins. Methylation is the process by which methyl groups
are added to a compound, making methyl available for the many reactions for
which it is needed in the body. Both methyl and histamine are major, ubiquitous
chemicals in the body and they compete with each other, Dr. Walsh explains.
With too much
methyl, the body overproduces the three neurotransmitters dopamine,
norepinephrine, and serotonin. With too little methyl, the neurotransmitter
levels are too low. Folates are the various forms that folic acid takes in the
body. Folic acid, a member of the B-vitamin family, aids in the manufacture of
brain neurotransmitters and thus needs to be available in the proper ratio with
methyl.
On the basis of
his research since the 1970s, Dr. Walsh now knows that the methylation factor
operates not only in schizophrenia but in bipolar and other mental disorders as
well. For example, high histamine and its attendant low methyl are also associated
with obsessive-compulsive disorders. As with schizophrenia, most people with
bipolar disorder have a methyl imbalance-either too much or too little.
"The methylation factor highlights the importance of knowing what is
happening in a person biochemically," observes Dr. Walsh. "For people
who are overmethylated, taking drugs to raise neurotransmitter levels will be
detrimental."
OvermethylationlLow
Histamine
Also known as
histapenia (low histamine), this is the primary biochemical pattern in 45 percent
of schizophrenics, according to HRI-PTC data. This group tends to be diagnosed
with paranoid schizophrenia. The overproduction of dopamine and norepinephrine,
which is characteristic of overmethylation, has long been associated with
paranoid schizophrenia, notes Dr. Walsh.
"If you look
at the sequence, dopamine is converted to norepinephrine by an enzyme plus
copper," he explains. "The recipe for paranoid schizophrenia is
overmethylation, detected by low histamine, and the second factor is high
copper. Virtually all of them have, for some genetic reason, a tendency for
very high copper levels. So what that causes is dramatic imbalances in
dopamine, norepinephrine, and high levels of adrenaline. These people are very
active. It's like their adrenaline is always up. They can't calm down."
This is the type
of schizophrenia identified by Dr. Hoffer in his adrenochrome model. Dr.
Pfeiffer, who was a colleague and friend of Dr. Hoffer's, discovered ten years
later that the illness labeled schizophrenia comprises at least three major
diseases that are completely different, with the most common being the one
Hoffer found. The other two are the pyroluric schizophrenics and those with
high histamine rather than low histamine.
Paranoid
schizophrenia afflicts more women than men, which has to do with the
relationship between hormones and the high copper associated with this form of
the illness, says Dr. Walsh. The more estrogen one has, the more copper one
has. (See Pyroluria for more about the role of copper in schizophrenia.)
With
overmethylated schizophrenics, the primary psychotic symptom is auditory
hallucinations. "It's usually a male voice, condemning them and telling
them to do terrible things. They either think it's the voice of the devil or
the voice of God. I must have heard that two thousand times," says Dr.
Walsh.
In illustrating
how the voices can begin and progress to psychosis, he gives an example of a
22-year-old man who was driving home from work one day and heard a voice
calling his name in the car. He thought there was someone in the back who was
going to rob him. He drove to a police station and got a policeman. They
searched the car and looked in the trunk, but there was nobody there. The young
man proceeded home and heard the voice again. This time he thought that one of
the wise guys at work must be playing a trick on him by planting a little
speaker in his car. When he got home, he searched the car for the microphone,
but again didn't find anything. Over the next few days, he started hearing voices
everywhere and all the time. They came out of his television and radio, even
when they weren't turned on. "These voices beat at you day after day, week
after week, and eventually they wear you down and overwhelm you," Dr.
Walsh observes.
Other symptoms characteristic
of histapenia are suicidal depression, religiosity, and problems with
sleep.'"'
Symptoms can
often be eliminated with biochemical treatment, which consists of supplements
to reduce methyl, notably folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin B3 (niacin or
niacinamide). Many people in the overmethylation category also have a metal
metabolism problem, as evidenced by their high levels of copper in relationship
to low zinc, so that problem needs to be addressed as well (see the section on
metal metabolism to follow). It typically takes six to eight months of
treatment for people to reach the degree of recovery that will occur in their
individual case.
Undermethylation/High
Histamine
Called histadelia
(high histamine), this biochemical pattern is the primary one present in 18
percent of schizophrenics. Those having this pattern tend to receive a
diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, or catatonic
schizophrenia.
Their psychosis
tends to be characterized by a thought disorder rather than a sensory disorder,
such as the auditory hallucinations common among low-histamine schizophrenics.
Typically, the dominant symptom is delusionary thought. However, "they
usually seem quite calm; in fact, they almost seem catatonic," says Dr.
Walsh. "It may be hard to pull words out of them and engage them in
conversation. Almost all catatonic-type schizophrenics are high-histamine,
undermethylated people. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they have
so little adrenaline."
Some people with
this biochemistry may seem quite normal, until you encounter the delusion,
which is often the belief that they are being followed by the FBI or the CIA.
Obsessivecompulsiveness, characterized by the necessity to observe certain
proscribed rituals and do things in the same way every day, may also be
present. Seasonal allergies are also associated with high histamine, as are
severe depression and blank-mindedness.
The supplements
used in treating high histamine and undermethylation are the amino acid
methionine, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B6. These supplements increase
methyl in the body and/or assist in methylation. Calcium is an important
supplement for those who are undermethylated because it helps lower histamine
levels. For those people who do not efficiently convert methionine to SAMe
(S-adenosyl methionine), a necessary step in making methyl available to the
body, SAMe supplements are part of their program.
With this
protocol, "neurotransmitter production will become more normal," Dr.
Walsh explains. However, reversing undermethylation is "a slow, gradual
process that takes four to six months to complete." For histadelics, 50
percent improvement after three months of treatment is common and it typically
takes eight to 12 months for all of their psychotic symptoms to disappear.
In addition, the
nature of high-histamine, undermethylated people sometimes interferes with
treatment. It is important to note here that this biochemical pattern exists
not only among people with schizophrenia or other mental illness, but widely in
the general population as well. Those who manifest schizophrenia have a more
severe imbalance, genetic vulnerability, or other factors that combine to
produce the disorder. "High-histamine, undermethylated people are
intrinsically noncompliant," says Dr. Walsh. "High-histamine,
undermethylated people are the kind of people who don't want to go see a doctor
for anything. If they have a splitting headache, they won't even take an
aspirin. They tend to be averse to treatment of any kind."
The High-Histamine Personality
There are many
high-histamine people who are not schizophrenic. "What histamine does is
it speeds up the body's metabolism," states Patrick Holford, founder of
the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London, England, which is devoted to
furthering research into the connection between nutrition and health. "It
'turns up the fire.' [High-histamine people] tend to be compulsive and
obsessive in their personality. They wake up early and their mind is always
thinking. This is not a problem. There are an awful lot of very successful
people, creative people, multimillionaires, and so on, and they are
high-histamine people. They're kind of driven people. However, the
high-histamine people tend to become deficient in nutrients because they burn
nutrients faster. So if they're on a bad diet, that sort of obsessive tendency
can flip over into mental illness. "I03
Pyroluria
In some cases of
schizophrenia, tests reveal a condition called pyroluria, which is
characterized by extreme deficiencies in zinc, vitamin B6, and arachidonic
acid, an omega-6 essential fatty acid. (These are the schizophrenics for whom
Hoffer found that B(, and zinc are the vital supplements in treatment.) This is
the primary biochemical pattern found in 27 percent of schizophrenics.
A pyrrole is a
basic chemical structure used in the manufacture of heme, which is what makes
the blood red. Pyroluria is a genetic disorder in pyrrole chemistry,
characterized by an overproduction of kryptopyrroles (meaning "hidden
pyrroles") during the synthesis of hemoglobin (the iron-rich component of
the blood that carries oxygen). Since kryptopyrroles bind with vitamin B(, and
zinc, which are then excreted in the urine, this leads to deficiencies in these
two nutrients. People with pyroluria may have low levels of the
neurotransmitter serotonin, as vitamin B6 is needed for its
synthesis."" Also, GABA is a zinc-dependent neurotransmitter, so a
zinc deficiency may have negative repercussions on this neurotransmitter as
well.
The diagnoses
typically given to pyrolurics are undifferentiated schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, or other "splinter" category. "It's really
schizophrenia that they can't quite figure out," says Dr. Walsh.
"Pyrolurics
live in a world of fear," he notes. "That's the thing that is the
easiest to detect with them. They are frightened and fearful all the time.
They're the people who can't bear to get on an airplane for fear it's going to
crash. They won't go on a boat for fear it will sink. They're just constantly afraid."
If the person has visual or tactile hallucinations, that also tends to indicate
that the schizophrenia involves pyroluria. Finally, while stress plays a role
in other types of schizophrenia, it is particularly a problem with pyrolurics. "With
the pyrolurics, not only do they have a highstress onset, but their relapses
are almost always tied to stress."
The role of
pyroluria in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is consistent with the first
breakdown typically taking place between the ages of 15 and 25. Dr. Walsh
believes that puberty and the growth spurt of that time period exacerbate the
biochemical imbalances by consuming zinc and elevating copper and thus trigger
the mental disorders. "Hormones are related to copper," he explains. "The
higher your estrogen level, the higher your copper level. Copper is related to
paranoid schizophrenia, so that's a direct connection. Also, for the
pyrolurics, zinc deficiency is a problem. When you go through a growth spurt,
it consumes a lot of zinc, so a pyroluric under a growth spurt may become
severely zinc deficient."
The classic signs
of zinc and B(, deficiency, which tend to go together, serve as an alert for
pyroluria. These include sensitivity to light, little or no dream recall, a
tendency to skip breakfast, and preference for spicy food. Pyroluric
schizophrenics typically have light skin. Other manifestations of this disorder
include severe depression, assaultive behavior, and poor wound healing. 20 s
Biochemical Profiles of Schizophrenia
Histapenia
Affects 45 percent
of schizophrenics
Biochemistry:
overmethylation, low histamine, high copper
Common diagnosis:
paranoid schizophrenia
Primary symptoms:
auditory hallucinations, paranoia, suicidal depression, religiosity, sleep
disorders
Treatment: vitamin
B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, zinc, manganese, vitamins E and C
Histadelia
Affects 18 percent
of schizophrenics
Biochemistry:
undermethylation, high histamine
Common diagnosis:
schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, or catatonic schizophrenia
Primary symptoms:
delusions, obsessive-compulsiveness, severe depression, blank-mindedness,
seasonal allergies
Treatment:
methionine, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B6
Pyroluria
Affects 27 percent
of schizophrenics
Biochemistry:
deficiencies in vitamin B6, zinc, and arachidonic acid; high urinary
kryptopyrroles
Common diagnosis:
undifferentiated schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
Primary symptoms:
fearfulness, visual or tactile hallucinations, severe depression, assaultive
behavior, symptoms made worse by stress, sensitivity to light, poor wound
healing, no dream recall, tendency to skip breakfast, preference for spicy food
Treatment: zinc and
vitamin B6
Splinter Types
10 percent of
schizophrenics (4 percent gluten intolerance, 6 percent other splinter types)
Causes: gluten
intolerance, cerebral allergies, thyroid deficiency, excessive water intake,
essential fatty acid imbalance, and metal metabolism problems
Treatment for
pyroluria focuses on supplementation with zinc, vitamin B6, and augmenting
nutrients. Of the three primary patterns of schizophrenia, the pyroluric form
responds the fastest and the most completely to biochemical treatment. Recovery
is often achieved in two to three months. "These people suffer more than
most people, but they're also the ones that are the quickest to recover,"
observes Dr. Walsh, adding that they are also the quickest to relapse if they
stop taking their supplements.
Other Biochemical
Factors
As stated
earlier, 90 percent of schizophrenics fit into these biochemical
classifications. The causes for the remaining ten percent "splinter
types" are varied, and include gluten intolerance, cerebral allergies,
thyroid deficiency, excessive water intake, essential fatty acid imbalance, and
metal metabolism problems. Dr. Walsh notes that gluten intolerance can, all by
itself, cause schizophrenia, and accounts for four percent of the splinter
types.
Excessive water
intake, which produces polyuria (not to be confused with pyroluria), excess
urine output, is a factor for about one in every 300 schizophrenics, according
to Dr. Walsh. The high water intake throws off their electrolyte and pH levels.
"All you have to do is take their water away from them and they get
better. It's quite rare, but you become alert to that sort of thing."
Essential Fatty
Acid Imbalance
While in Dr.
Walsh's experience, essential fatty acid (EFA) imbalances play a greater role
in bipolar disorder than they do in schizophrenia, they can still be a factor.
"Of the 300 major fats in neuronal tissue and the myelin sheath, four of
them make up more than 90 percent of all this fatty material at brain synapses
and receptors," states Dr. Walsh, adding that these fatty acids must be
important to mental health.
The four fatty
acids are EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), AA
(arachidonic acid), and DGLA (dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid). The first two are
omega-3 essential fatty acids and the second two are omega-6s. As others have
observed, the standard American diet, with its generally poor nutrition and
emphasis on junk food, tends to result in an overload of omega-6 and a deficit
of omega-3 EFAs, notes Dr. Walsh.
This imbalance is
most often the one involved when an EFA factor is present in the
undermethylated or overmethylated schizophrenic category. The therapy is
omega-3 supplementation, specifically EPA and DHA, in addition to the rest of
the biochemical protocol. Fish oil contains both, and is therefore a helpful
form of supplement, but Dr. Walsh also uses products that are pure EPA and DHA.
Flax oil does not work as well because it doesn't have a balance between EPA
and DHA, and low EPA alone is not usually the case with people with
schizophrenia, he says.
Essential fatty
acids appear to be especially important for the pyrolurics, according to Dr.
Walsh. The problem for them is not omega-3 deficiency, but rather, low levels
of omega 6, specifically, arachidonic acid. In these cases, the EFA supplement
needed is primrose oil or borage oil.
Testing essential
fatty acids levels via bloodwork can determine if EFA imbalances are present
and supplementation indicated.
Metal Metabolism
Problem
A problem with
metal metabolism (the regulation of metals, which include both necessary
minerals and toxic heavy metals such as mercury) in the body can also be
present in schizophrenia. Heavy metal toxicity is rarely the issue in
schizophrenia, says Dr. Walsh. It is a matter of dysfunctional metal metabolism
in relation to minerals, as evidenced by high levels of copper in relation to
zinc, characteristic of the overmethylated form of schizophrenia.
Undermethylated schizophrenics generally don't have metal metabolism problems.
High copper in
relation to zinc indicates that the body is unable to control the mineral
levels in the bloodstream. Normally, the body can maintain homeostasis (the
proper ratio) of copper and zinc in the blood, regardless of diet or other
factors, because this ratio is so crucial to many functions. This mechanism of
homeostasis relies upon a vital protein called metallothionein; thus, an
inability to maintain homeostasis indicates a metallothionein deficiency or
malfunction.
Metallothionein
is involved in many functions of the body, including immunity, brain and
gastrointestinal tract maturation, and the regulation of metals. A deficiency
in or inability to utilize this substance is associated with an impaired
nervous system; mental difficulties; weakened immunity; and digestive problems
including malabsorption, nutritional deficiencies, and the development of
allergies.
Since there is no
commercial test to measure metallothionein in the body, the Pfeiffer Treatment
Center (PTC) relies on the ratio of blood levels of zinc, copper, and
ceruloplasmin (a substance in the blood to which copper attaches) as indicators
of malfunction of this protein. Treatment then consists of supplements to
stimulate the function of metallothionein.
The PTC has long
been expert at correcting disturbances in metal metabolism. "We've known
for more than 25 years that two-thirds of people with behavior disorders have a
metal metabolism problem," states Dr. Walsh. "And we've known for all
that time that it was almost certainly a problem with metallothionein. The
reason we were sure was because all of the metals that are managed by metallothionein
are the very ones that are abnormal in these people."
For example,
people with obsessive-compulsive disorder tend to have very low copper levels,
he explains, as do sociopaths (people with antisocial personality disorder).
Paranoid schizophrenics, on the other hand, tend to have extremely high copper
levels. Dr. Walsh emphasizes that it is the ratio of copper to zinc that is
important here. "We learned a while ago that you have to measure the ratio
to get solid data. If you look at the individual elements, you can get
fooled."
A metallothionein
problem, which results in a failure to achieve homeostasis of copper and zinc
in the bloodstream, is mainly a genetic disorder, according to Dr. Walsh. But a
zinc deficiency (as is characteristic of pyroluria) can also create or further
exacerbate the problem. "The primary nutrient needed in the formation of
metallothionein is zinc, so if you're extraordinarily zinc deficient, that will
disable the system," says Dr. Walsh.
In any case,
biochemical treatment is the solution to reversing the problem. "Zinc,
manganese, and vitamins E and C are all aimed at inducing and promoting normal
functioning of metallothionein," explains Dr. Walsh, adding that selenium
and glutathione (a relative of glutamic acid, an amino acid) are also very
useful nutrients for this purpose. Vitamin B6 is also part of the protocol
because "B6 and zinc work together, and B6 is directly involved in the
synthesis of some of the neurotransmitters."
Dr. Walsh has
found this program to be quite effective. Typically, the copper and zinc level
out and become normalized. "When the person achieves homeostasis of copper
and zinc levels in the blood, you can conclude that metallothionein is
operational," he says.
As the supplement
program gradually brings the metallothionein protein into proper function,
metallothionein detoxification work will resume. The emphasis here is on
gradual. "We learned long ago that we don't dare suddenly bring it to
life," Dr. Walsh explains. "Because if that happens, the metallothionein
works so well that it suddenly causes an excessive amount of toxics in the
tissues to be released all at once. And that could cause nasty symptoms and
stress the kidneys." To prevent this, the dosages of the supplements that
stimulate metallothionein are slowly increased over time.
Identifying
Biochemical Imbalances
As part of
gathering information for treatment design, Pfeiffer Treatment Center staff
look "for the symptoms that tend to accompany the various biochemical
imbalances that our work over decades has taught us are associated with these
disorders," says Dr. Walsh. In the initial hour- to an hour-and-a-half
intake, "we want to learn everything about that human being. We want to
know their medical history, their symptoms, their personality, their life
history, the kind of student they were, reaction to any medications they had.
We want to know what happened at the time of their breakdown. We want to know
what differences they felt and their family saw at the time of the breakdown.
Did they shut down and become nearly catatonic, or did they become more
physically active and talk constantly?"
This information
gives clues as to which biochemical imbalance underlies the person's
schizophrenia. Out of the three main biochemical profiles, there are actually
five possibilities: one of the three by themselves, or pyroluria with either
high histamine or low histamine. Dr. Walsh notes that, in the combination
cases, it can be more difficult to get the complete biochemical picture. In
cases where only one imbalance is present, the symptoms are clear enough that
he usually knows which one is operational before the test results come back.
The results almost always confirm his conclusions. For those who don't fall
into the main classifications, further testing may be needed to determine the
direction that treatment should take.
Blood and urine
tests provide the confirmation of observation and the scientific basis for
biochemical treatment. Blood tests are key in identifying undermethylation and
overmethylation, urinalysis in identifying pyroluria. The information gained
from these tests enables treatment to be tailored to the individual.
In addition to the
Pfeiffer Treatment Center (see the listing for Dr. Walsh in appendix B),
another clinic that specializes in this type of biochemical balancing is the
Olive Garvey Center for Healing Arts at the Center for the Improvement of Human
Functioning International (see the listing for Dr. Hugh Riordan in the
appendix).
Restoring
Biochemical Balance
While the supplements
to correct the biochemical trends of schizophrenia tend to be the same, there
is no standard protocol at the Pfeiffer Treatment Center. Treatment is based on
individual biochemistry and dosage is determined according to a person's
metabolic weight factor. This is a method of calculating dosages based on
metabolism, Dr. Walsh explains. It is far more accurate than figuring dosage as
a mere percentage of the standard 160pound person. The latter method results in
underdosing small people and overdosing big people. If you have someone who is
320 pounds, for example, it is not correct to give them twice the dose of a
160-pound person, says Dr. Walsh.
With the
biochemical program, the results for schizophrenia are quite good. An HRI-PTC
outcome study revealed that 20 percent experience a full recovery, with
complete disappearance of psychosis; 65 percent have significant partial
improvement; and 15 percent experience little or no improvement. Note that
these numbers include all cases, both acute and chronic, and all of the
biochemical and splinter types of schizophrenia.
With the biochemical program, the results for
schizophrenia are quite good. An HRI-PTC outcome study revealed that 20 percent
experience a full recovery, with complete disappearance of psychosis; 65
percent have significant partial improvement; and 15 percent experience little
or no improvement. These numbers include all cases, both acute and chronic.
PTC's success
rate is "extremely high" with the pyrolurics and the lowhistamine,
overmethylated people, according to Dr. Walsh. "The toughest ones for us
are the high-histamine, undermethylated people." Part of the problem with
this group is compliance.
In general,
however, people with schizophrenia tend to be more compliant than people with
bipolar disorder, for example. This may be because schizophrenics "suffer
so dramatically," says Dr. Walsh. "Their pain is so enormous that
they will do anything to get better. I think it's a matter of desperation for
them." This is not to say that people with bipolar disorder are not
suffering greatly, but schizophrenics are further along the continuum of pain
and dysfunction in life.
In Their Own Words
"[Medication]
relieves my mental stress, but I hate my bodily responses to it and the dulling
of my healthy emotions. Therefore, I stop using the drug as soon as the storms
in my mind subside. And I keep wondering why there isn't more emphasis on
alternative therapies, such as the holistic programs used now by people with
physical illnesses. "106
-An artist, 37, who
suffers from paranoid schizophrenia
One reason for
noncompliance may be negative experiences with medications. By the time most
people come to PTC, they have been on many medications and suffered through
their negative effects. In a not-uncommon occurrence, one young man recently
told Dr. Walsh that he didn't think he could bear to live if he had to continue
to take Zyprexa (an atypical antipsychotic) and Celexa (an SSRI). He was on a
high dose of both and didn't think they were helping him. "He said he felt
like he was a horse with blinders on and he could only see straight ahead when
he was thinking about things," recalls Dr. Walsh. "It was an
interesting way to describe the differences in his mental functioning. He would
try to focus on something and would lose all perspective."
Compliance is an
essential component of biochemical treatment because most people deteriorate
rapidly when they stop taking their supplements. "You can correct
schizophrenia, but you can't cure it," states Dr. Walsh. "Correcting
it means that if they stay on the treatment, a lot of them are completely
okay." In most cases, maintaining the biochemical balance requires ongoing
supplementation. There are exceptions. "We have some patients who became
completely well. Against our advice, they brought their medication level to
zero and stopped our pills, stopped everything. A few of them are all right.
Most of them tend to break down within six months, and usually faster than
that."
The following
case histories illustrate the three main biochemical profiles of schizophrenia,
how biochemical treatment can reverse the condition, and how stopping the
supplement protocol can lead to relapse.
Melissa:
Low-Histamine, Overmethylated Schizophrenia
Melissa had her
first psychotic break at the age of 20, when she was in college. Diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia, her major symptoms were auditory hallucinations,
paranoia, and anxiety. She also exhibited violent tendencies and would run away
and dash in front of cars. Due to the severity of the breakdown and the
possibility of Melissa harming herself or others, her family was unable to keep
her at home and had to commit her to a state hospital.
There, she went
through a variety of the old class of antipsy- chotics-Prolixin, Haldol, and
Thorazine. These did little but sedate her, which made it possible to warehouse
her, but did nothing to improve her condition. After she had been in the
hospital for nine years, she was put on Zyprexa, one of the new atypical
antipsychotics. On the new medication, she was no longer violent. Her family
was thrilled by this development and brought her home.
When Melissa was
32, her parents brought her to Dr. Walsh. "Although the medication had
eliminated her impulsivity and violent tendencies, she was a recluse in the
house and still suffered from auditory hallucinations, paranoia, and anxiety.
She didn't want to leave her room and would only come out and eat with the
family for one or two meals a week. She would talk to no one, was hearing
voices constantly, and was highly agitated and paranoid. She didn't want to go
out and be with people because she thought they were giving her dirty looks and
didn't like her."
Although she was
well enough to live at home, her life was quite miserable and she had no
socialization. She was on heavy medication, taking three different drugs.
Later, as she began to respond to PTC treatment and her communication improved,
Dr. Walsh learned that depression was part of her symptom landscape as well.
Melissa's
histamine turned out to be so low that the laboratory tests couldn't even
detect it. To address her overmethylation, Dr. Walsh gave her folic acid,
vitamin B12, and niacinamide with augmenting nutrients, including vitamins C,
E, and B(,.
A month later,
the voices Melissa heard were starting to go away and she was coming out of her
room and talking to the family more frequently. When it came time for her
three-month follow-up, to Dr. Walsh's surprise, Melissa drove to the
appointment, with her mother in the passenger seat. This was great progress for
her. In addition, she was now living around the house, instead of staying in
her room, and she had called her old high school friends because she wanted to
start seeing them. The voices were gone and her depression was reduced. "She
still wasn't herself, but she was somewhat better," Dr. Walsh recalls.
The usual
procedure at PTC is to see people once a year after their three-month follow-up
to run the tests again and make any necessary adjustments in the treatment. A
year later, Melissa again drove herself to the appointment, this time by
herself. She reported that her symptoms were completely gone. She was off two
of her medications and on one-third the dose of the remaining one, Zyprexa.
With occasional mild depression her only complaint, she felt normal and now had
a job.
Melissa kept her
yearly appointments religiously and was also totally compliant with treatment,
being careful not to miss taking her supplements. At her fifth year on the
protocol, she was better than ever. She had a good career, was earning a lot of
money, lived by herself in a nice apartment, owned her own car, and was
independent. At the end of the appointment, she said to Dr. Walsh, "Before
I leave, I want to tell you something. I've been sick a long time, and I got
better a couple of times, but I always had a relapse. On this treatment, I've
always felt that maybe I would have a relapse. I've always been afraid to have
a relationship, because I didn't want to be a burden to somebody. Now, I know
that I'm going to be okay for the rest of my life. I've met a man. I think
we're going to get married."
That was four
years ago. Melissa did get married, and she's fine. "She's one of those
who I would consider completely better," observes Dr. Walsh. "She
takes a little bit of medication, and she says she has no side effects because
the dose is so low. Her doctor's not happy; he thinks the dose is too low to do
any good. But I don't feel that way."
At another of her
yearly visits, Melissa told Dr. Walsh that she doesn't talk about those 12
years of mental illness, which were more horrible than anyone can imagine. She
compared it to someone coming back from war who doesn't want to talk about it.
When Dr. Walsh suggested that perhaps she could write a book about her experience,
she responded that she couldn't because the horrors were too great.
"One thing
I've learned is that when people like that get better, life is more delicious
for them than for normal people," he says. "We all take our mental
health for granted. When you lose it and you know the torment, and then you're
all right, you enjoy life more."
Ben:
High-Histamine, Undermethylated Schizophrenia
Ben, 45, was an
air traffic controller who had been suffering with schizophrenia from the age
of 20. People at his workplace didn't know that he had a problem. Dr. Walsh has
encountered among other patients this ability to hide their schizophrenia. He
cites a paranoid schizophrenic policeman, who of course carried a gun, and a
schizophrenic psychiatrist who was treating schizophrenics. Most schizophrenics
are not able to hide it, however. The ones who can are usually the
high-histamine type, according to Dr. Walsh. "They don't tell anybody
about their delusions, and they look and seem quite normal."
Over his 25 years
of illness, Ben cycled between severe and not severe states. Although he was on
medication (Prozac and Risperdal), he still experienced severe debility once or
twice a year. He had attempted suicide several times. His family-he was married
and had children-had helped him through. When he came to Dr. Walsh, he was on a
leave of absence from work. He had taken the leave because he felt that he
wasn't mentally capable and he knew he had people's lives in his hands. He had
been off work for six weeks and wanted to go back, but knew he needed help.
Ben was unable to
concentrate for more than a few minutes. Anything longer than that was
exhausting. For instance, he could read a few pages of a hook, but he couldn't
read a chapter. In addition, he was severely depressed and suffering from
anxiety and panic attacks. He had become antisocial, avoiding people and
parties, and preferring isolation.
Ben also had
striking delusions. He thought that a neighbor was to blame for all of his
problems. "A lot of these highhistamine people attribute all their
problems to some person. It could be his wife, a neighbor, somebody at work.
And if that person disappears, they will find someone else that will be the
cause in their mind of what's gone wrong."
He had been
diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, but Dr. Walsh believes a more appropriate
diagnosis would have been schizoaffective disorder. "The American
Psychiatric Association studied the accuracy of mental diagnoses," he
says. "They have not published the study; it's very secret. They wanted to
find out how accurate were these diagnoses throughout the country. The story I
heard from one of the psychiatrists involved in the study was that 40 percent
was the error rate. The man who told me that smiled and said, `Well, of course
it's worse than that.' The labels are just labels, but even the labels are
inaccurate and somewhat random."
In any case, Ben
had the classic symptoms of schizoaffective disorder, including his tendency
not to talk much, says Dr. Walsh. "He would just sit quietly and stare
into space and you think nothing's going on. In part, it's an anxiety disorder
where the anxiety doesn't show at all. Their minds are racing, but it looks
like they're very calm and almost catatonic."
To correct the
undermethylation, Dr. Walsh started Ben on methionine, calcium, magnesium, and
vitamin B(,, with augmenting nutrients. After three months, he was about 50
percent better, which, as mentioned earlier, is a typical progression for his-
tadelics under biochemical therapy. He was an atypical highhistamine person in
that he complied with treatment, notes Dr. Walsh. Meanwhile, Ben had returned
to work as scheduled and continued to work throughout his treatment program.
At one year, he
was completely recovered. Now, six years later, he is still free of psychosis
and has been promoted at work. He is off the Prozac and on one-third of his
original dose of Zyprexa. Dr. Walsh sees no reason to try to get him completely
off the drug because he is on such a low dose that it is not causing any side
effects.
Isabel: Pyroluric
Schizophrenia
Isabel, 30, ran the
family business. She kept the books, did all the hiring, and was the most
capable person in her large family. When one of her sisters died suddenly, she
had a mental breakdown, exhibiting the classic symptoms of pyroluria. Suicidal,
she tried to kill herself by jumping off a bridge, which resulted in broken
legs. She was constantly afraid and highly agitated, "her mind going in 49
different directions."
It took the PTC
staff three hours to get a urine sample from her because Isabel was so
agitated, troubled, and indecisive. She would start, and then say, "No, I
can't." The staff worked patiently with her until they got the sample, and
the test results showed that she had severe pyroluria. "This made me
happy," says Dr. Walsh, "because those people get better faster and
more completely."
Isabel needed
large amounts of zinc and vitamins B61 C, and E. On this regimen, her condition
began to improve in three weeks. At the two-month point, she was nearly her old
self. After three months, she was completely recovered, and she returned to
running the family business.
When she had come
to Dr. Walsh, she had been on a number of medications. Feeling 100 percent
better, she stopped taking the drugs and was still all right. "She was one
of those who don't seem to need medication, which happens most often with the
pyrolurics," Dr. Walsh comments.
Everything went
fine for three years, at which point Dr. Walsh got a call from Isabel's
brother, who reported that there was something wrong. Dr. Walsh told him to
find out if Isabel had been taking her supplements. He called back with the
information that she had stopped, probably two months before. "They don't
relapse right away," Dr. Walsh explains. "Sometimes it's faster,
sometimes slower." The family brought her to PTC again. She wasn't in as
bad a shape as she had been the first time and in six weeks of being back on
the supplements, she was normal again.
"She has now
relapsed three times, each time because of noncompliance," reports Dr.
Walsh. "I do not understand how any human being could be that horribly
afflicted, find a rather simple, inexpensive solution, and then do it
again." Isabel lives alone, and maybe that's part of the compliance problem.
There is no one right there to help her stay on the protocol. She's been fine
now for a year and a half, and Dr. Walsh hopes that she has learned that she
needs to stay on the supplements.
Medication
As these cases
illustrate, biochemical treatment makes it possible for many people with
schizophrenia to discontinue psychiatric medications or significantly reduce
the dose. Dr. Walsh reports that most who come to PTC are getting "a
boatload of medications. The psychiatrists tend to go heavy. They don't want
another breakdown, so they overdo it." The result is a lot of side effects
that make taking the drugs anathema to some patients.
As the
nutritional supplements correct the underlying problems, the person's
medication needs diminish, often to the point of doses so low that there are no
side effects, as was the case with Ben and Melissa. It is important, however,
to reduce the medications gradually.
One of Dr.
Walsh's severely schizophrenic patients suffered serious consequences when she
didn't observe this proviso. A classic pyroluric, she was very suicidal and was
on seven powerful medications to try to keep her from killing herself
When her family
brought her to Dr. Walsh, he explained to her how the program was going to
proceed, that she should stay on her medication while the biochemical treatment
brought her back into balance. He told her that she would start getting better,
feeling calmer, within about three weeks, and "then the fear would start
to melt away, and the psychosis would disappear. At that point, she could
expect to start feeling completely sedated and incredibly fatigued. I told her
and her mother that when that happened, it's time to go out and celebrate,
because that means she's getting better."
The sedation and
fatigue are the effects those powerful medications would have on a
nonschizophrenic person. The onset of these symptoms is not a signal, however,
to throw away your medication. Dr. Walsh emphasized how important it is to work
with a doctor to slowly reduce drug doses. Stopping the drugs quickly can
plunge you back into psychosis.
It happened in
just the way Dr. Walsh described. The symptoms melted away and the young woman
was overjoyed. Unfortunately, despite his warnings, the woman felt so wonderful
that she just stopped most of the medication. Within a week, she was slipping
back into the same terrible state. Now she is working with the PTC
psychiatrist, who is expert at devising medication protocols according to an
individual's body chemistry, to gradually wean her off the medications. Dr.
Walsh anticipates that she will be one of those who recover completely, but who
will need to be on a low dose of one medication, "which is far better than
a big dose of seven medications."
He reports that
about a third of pyrolurics get off their medication. Some of them keep their
medication on hand in the event that they undergo some dramatic stress, which
tends to worsen their symptoms. In this way, they can take the medication as
needed.
Histapenic
schizophrenics are so prone to relapse that only five to ten percent are able
to go off their medication. The same numbers hold for histadelic
schizophrenics. The noncompliant personality trait characteristic of this group
prompts many more to throw away their medication, but only five to ten percent are
able to stay off it.
These percentages
are higher among people from other countries, Dr. Walsh says. "If you look
at the outcomes of schizophrenia in America versus Canada, Ireland, England, or
Germany, you find that people who become schizophrenic everywhere else, even if
they don't have treatment of any kind, don't tend to be as severe and as
horribly afflicted. For some reason, schizophrenia in America is a more serious
condition." The reason for this is unknown, but he wonders if the
standard, nutritionally deficient American diet, high in processed foods and
chemical additives, has something to do with it.
The Joy of Recovery
"Of all the
things we do, there's nothing quite as thrilling as when a schizophrenic gets
better," says Dr. Walsh. "It's wonderful when a child improves, or
when a depressed person is no longer depressed, but there's something about
schizophrenia-the joy when somebody becomes themselves again. It's the peak
experience for everybody on our staff."
He tells of two
people whose recovery particularly moved him. They were both young, with
"extraordinarily severe" schizophrenia, "completely lost
mentally." They met in the mental hospital, fell in love, and got married.
They lived a marginal, poverty-stricken existence after that, both of them in
and out of mental hospitals. Six years ago, they managed to seek treatment at
PTC. Now, they're both working, they own their own apartment, and they haven't
been in a hospital for six years. The psychosis is gone in both cases.
"They're really quite inspirational," says Dr. Walsh. "They
shared a tremendously bonding experience, they've been through so much
together, and now they're dedicating their lives to helping other
schizophrenics."
Having witnessed
the reclamation of many lost lives, Dr. Walsh is frustrated that biochemical
treatment is not standard practice in psychiatry. "I know there are
millions who could be helped. And there are tens of thousands of medical
doctors and psychiatrists who would love to be able to give this kind of benefit
to their patients. They just don't know about it. We've been doing this work
for quite a while. Carl Pfeiffer was doing this 25 years ago with great
success. Hoffer's been doing it since 1955 with great success, and yet, no one
will listen to us.
"The whole
thing, I believe, is that in the Western world, everybody's trying to find a
billion-dollar drug that will solve a problem-that's where the money is. There
is very little effort, proportionately, going into understanding the basic
mechanisms and molecular biology of schizophrenia. It's really a shame. The
medical schools are all supported by drug companies. If you look at JAMA
Journal of the American Medical Association] and the New England Journal of
Medicine, every other page is a big, beautiful advertisement from the
pharmaceutical companies."
Dr. Walsh
believes, however, that the effectiveness of biochemical treatment will
eventually result in its widespread use. "It seems likely that the next
century's treatments will implement natural body chemicals that restore the
patient to a normal condition, rather than drugs that result in an abnormal
condition," he states. "The world may eventually learn the wisdom of
Pfeiffer's Law: For every drug that benefits a patient, there is a natural substance
that can achieve the same "211-
5
The Five Levels of Healing
While many people
speak generally of the body-mind-spirit connection, Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D.,
Ph.D., based in Bellevue, Washington, has developed a detailed model that
explains that connection in terms of Five Levels of Healing: the Physical
Level, the Electromagnetic Level, the Mental Level, the Intuitive Level, and
the Spiritual Level. The model provides a comprehensive way to understand and
approach the treatment of any illness.
Dr. Klinghardt is
internationally acclaimed for this brilliant model of healing and for
developing a number of therapeutic techniques (see "About the Therapies
and Techniques" at the end of this chapter) that have proven useful in the
treatment of a range of conditions, including schizophrenia. He trains doctors
around the world in both his model and the use of the therapies he developed.
While mental
illness is not the focus of Dr. Klinghardt's practice, a psychiatric internship
was part of his early medical training and he has treated more than a hundred
people with schizophrenia since then, primarily in Germany, where he sees
patients for part of each year. As more doctors are trained in his therapeutic
approach, it is to he hoped that hidden causes of schizophrenia, such as the
dental factors, allergies, viruses, and transgenerational energy legacies that
Dr. Klinghardt has discovered in his practice, will become a standard route of
investigation. The Five Levels of Healing model provides a map for this
approach to treatment.
Health and
illness are a reflection of the state of the five levels in a given individual.
Schizophrenia, like any health problem, can originate on any of the levels. A
basic principle of Dr. Klinghardt's paradigm is that an interference or
imbalance on one level, if untreated, spreads upward or downward to the other
levels. Thus schizophrenia can involve multiple levels, sometimes even all
five, if the originating imbalance was not correctly addressed. Each of the
contributing factors discussed in chapter 2 falls on one, or sometimes two, of
the five levels. For example, viruses exert their effects on the Physical Level
while heavy metal toxicity creates interference on both the Physical and
Electromagnetic levels.
Another basic
principle of Dr. Klinghardt's model is that healing interventions can be
implemented at any of the levels. Unless upper-level imbalances are addressed,
restoring balance at the lower levels will not produce long-lasting effects.
This provides an answer to why rebalancing the biochemistry of the brain does
not resolve some cases of schizophrenia. Treating the chemistry only addresses
the Physical Level of illness and healing and leaves the causes at the
Intuitive Level, for example, intact. The brain chemistry will soon be thrown
off again by the downward cascade of this imbalance.
The Five Levels
of Healing model also provides a useful framework for the natural medicine
therapies covered in the rest of this book. You will see that they approach
schizophrenia by identifying and treating disturbances at the different levels.
In keeping with the holism of natural medicine, a number of the therapeutic
modalities function on several levels (see chart, page 125).
The following
sections describe the Five Levels of Healing in general and identify therapies
that can remove interference at each level. Then we turn to a more specific
discussion of the three levels that Dr. Klinghardt has found are most often the
source of the problem in schizophrenia. Keep in mind that interference at
different levels can manifest as the same condition in different people, so
while the source of the problem for one person with schizophrenia or another
disorder is on the first level, the source may be on the fourth level for
another person with the same diagnosis.
The First Level:
The Physical Body
The Physical Body
includes all the functions on the physical plane, such as the structure and
biochemistry of the body. Interference or imbalance at this level can result
from an injury or anything that alters the structure, such as accidents, birth
trauma, concussions, dental work, or surgery. "Surgery modulates the
structure by creating adhesions in the bones and ligaments, which changes the
way things act on the Physical Level," says Dr. Klinghardt.
Imbalance at the
first level can also result from anything that alters the biochemistry such as
poor diet, too much or too little of a nutrient in the diet or in nutritional
supplements, or taking the wrong supplements for one's particular biochemistry.
Organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites can also change the host's
biochemistry. "They all take over the host to some degree and change the
host's behavior by modulating its biochemistry," Dr. Klinghardt explains.
"The whole world
of toxicity also belongs in the biochemistry," he says. Toxic elements
that can alter biochemistry include heavy metals such as mercury, insecticides,
pesticides, and other environmental chemicals. Interestingly, heavy metals
operate on both the Physical Level and the next level of healing, the
Electromagnetic Level. Due to their metallic nature, they can alter the
biochemistry by creating electromagnetic disturbances.
In addition, Dr.
Klinghardt notes that even if the source of the problem is on the fourth
(Intuitive) level, until you get the mercury out, therapies that operate on the
fourth level won't be able to clear the interference. The mercury creates a
kind of wall that prevents the other therapies from working.
All of these
factors at the Physical Level-surgery, injury, dental work, nutritional
imbalances, microorganisms, heavy metals and other toxins-can play a role in
producing symptoms of mental illness, including schizophrenia, according to Dr.
Klinghardt.
The therapeutic
modalities that function at this level are those that address biochemical or
structural aspects, from drug and hormone therapies to herbal medicine and
nutritional supplements, as well as mechanical therapies such as chiropractic.
The Second Level:
The Electromagnetic Body
The Electromagnetic
Body is the body's energetic field. Dr. Klinghardt explains it in terms of the
traffic of information in the nervous system. "Eighty percent of the
messages go up to the brain [from the body], and 20 percent of the messages go
down from the brain [to the body]. The nerve currents moving up and down
generate a magnetic field that goes out into space, creating an electromagnetic
field around the body that interacts with other fields." Acupuncture
meridians (energy channels) and the chakra system are part of the
Electromagnetic Body.
A chakra, which
means "wheel" in Sanskrit, is an energy vortex or center in the
nonphysical counterpart (energy field) of the body. There are seven major
chakras positioned roughly from the base of the spine, with points along the
spine, to the crown of the head. As with acupuncture meridians, when chakras
are blocked, the free flow of energy in the body's field is impeded.
Biophysical
stress is a source of disturbance at this level. Biophysical stress is electromagnetic
interference from devices that have their own electromagnetic fields, such as
electric wall outlets, televisions, microwaves, cell phones, cell phone towers,
power lines, and radio stations. These interfere with the electromagnetic
system in and around the body.
For example, if
you sleep with your head near an electric outlet in the wall, the
electromagnetic field from that outlet interferes with your own. An outlet may
not even have to be involved. Simply sleeping with your head near a wall in which
electric cables run can be sufficient to throw your field off. The brain's
blood vessels typically contract in response to the man-made electromagnetic
field, leading to decreased blood flow in the brain, says Dr. Klinghardt.
Geopathic stress,
or electromagnetic emissions from the Earth, is another source of disturbance.
Underground streams and geological fault lines are a source of these emissions.
Again, proximity of your bed to one of these sources-for example, directly over
a fault line-can throw your own electromagnetic field out of balance and
produce a wide range of symptoms. Simply shifting the position of your bed in
the room may remove the problem.
In addition,
biophysical or geopathic stress amplifies the symptoms of heavy metal toxicity,
says Dr. Klinghardt. Heavy metals are found mostly in the brain, where they
work like antennas, he explains. They pick up the electromagnetic or geopathic
interference, which exacerbates the symptoms of mental disorders. Repositioning
the bed can eliminate this exacerbating effect.
Interference at
the second level can cascade down to the Physical Level. The constriction of
the blood vessels in the brain in response to biophysical or geopathic stress
results in the blood carrying less oxygen and nutrients to the brain. The
ensuing deficiencies are a biochemical disturbance, with obvious implications
for brain function and mental health. If such deficiencies have their root at
the Electromagnetic Level, however, it is important to know that you cannot fix
them by taking certain supplements to correct the biochemistry, cautions Dr.
Klinghardt.
For example, if
an individual has a zinc deficiency, supplementing with zinc may correct the
problem if it is merely a biochemical disturbance (a first-level issue). If the
restriction of blood flow in the brain as a result of sleeping too close to an
electrical outlet (a second-level issue) is behind the deficiency, taking zinc
may seem to resolve the problem, but it will return when the person stops
taking the supplement. Moving the bed away from the outlet will stop the
electromagnetic interference and prevent the recurrence of a zinc deficiency.
Physical trauma
or scars can also cause an electrical disruption, creating what is known as an
interference field or energy focus. "If a scar crosses an acupuncture
meridian, it completely alters the energy flow in the system," observes
Dr. Klinghardt. An infected tooth or a root canal can accomplish the same.
Dental interference fields are known as dental foci.
Heavy metal toxicity,
from mercury dental fillings and/or environmental metals in the air, water, and
food supply, can block the entire electromagnetic system. "We know that
the ganglia [nerve bundles that are like relay stations for nerve impulses] can
be disturbed by a number of things, but toxicity in general is often
responsible for throwing off the electromagnetic impulses."
The therapies
that address this level of healing are those that correct the distortions of
the body's electromagnetic field. Acupuncture and Neural Therapy (see
"About the Therapies and Techniques," at the end of the chapter) are
two strong modalities for this level. Neural Therapy's injection of local
anesthetic in the ganglion breaks up electromagnetic disturbances. You could
call the local anesthetic "liquid electricity," says Dr. Klinghardt.
Another
therapeutic modality that functions at the second level is Ayurvedic medicine
(the traditional medicine of India). As it employs a combination of herbs and
energetic interventions, it actually covers the first two levels of healing:
the herbs work on the Physical Level, and the energetic aspect on the
Electromagnetic Level.
The Third Level:
The Mental Body
The third level is
the Mental Level or the Mental Body, also known as the Thought Field. This is
where your attitudes, beliefs, and early childhood experiences are. "This
is the home of psychology," says Dr. Klinghardt. He explains that the
Mental Body is outside the Physical Body, rather than housed in the brain.
"Memory, thinking, and the mind are all phenomena outside the Physical
Body; they are not happening in the brain. The Mental Body is an energetic
field."
Disturbances at
this level come from traumatic experiences, which can begin as early as
conception. Early trauma, or an unresolved conflict situation, leaves faulty
"circuitry" in the Mental Body, explains Dr. Klinghardt. For example,
if at two years old, your parents divorced and your father was not allowed by
law to see you, you may have formed the beliefs that your father didn't love you
and that it was your fault your parents broke up because you are inherently
bad. These damaging beliefs are faulty mental circuitry.
The brain replays
traumatic experiences over and over, keeping constant stress signals running
through the autonomic nervous system. These disturbances trickle down and
affect the Electromagnetic Level of healing, changing nerve function by
triggering the constriction of blood vessels, and in turn, affecting the
biochemical level in the form of nutritional deficiency.
It may look like
a biochemical disturbance, says Dr. Klinghardt, but the cause is much higher
up. "Again, this is a situation you cannot treat with lasting results by
giving someone supplements, Neural Therapy, or acupuncture." You have to
address the third-level interference, the problem in the Mental Body.
Despite what
people may conclude from the related names, so-called mental disorders aren't
necessarily a function of disturbance in the Mental Body. The cause can be on
any of the five levels, iterates Dr. Klinghardt. In fact, in most cases, the
third level is not the source. In his experience, most "mental"
disorders arise from disturbances on the fourth level. In all cases, the source
level must be addressed or a long-term resolution will not be achieved.
Dr. Klinghardt
uses Applied Psychoneurobiology, which he developed, to effect healing at the
third level (see "About the Therapies and Techniques"). Among the
other therapeutic modalities that work at this level are psychotherapy,
hypnotherapy, and homeopathy.
The Fourth Level:
The Intuitive Body
The fourth level is
the Intuitive Body. Some people call it the Dream Body. Experience on this
level includes dream states, trance states, and ecstasy, as well as states with
a negative association such as nightmares, possession, and curses. The
Intuitive Body is what depth psychologist Carl Jung called the collective
unconscious. "On the fourth level, humans are deeply connected with each
other and also with flora, fauna, and the global environment," says Dr.
Klinghardt.
The fourth level
is the realm of shamanism, the ancient tradition of spiritual or psychic
healing (see chapter 9). Other healers who can work at this level to remove
interference are those who practice transpersonal psychology. Stated simply,
transpersonal refers to an acknowledgment of the phenomena of the fourth level,
"the dimension where people are deeply affected by something that isn't of
themselves, that is of somebody else. Transpersonal psychology is really a
cover-up term for modern shamanism," observes Dr. Klinghardt, meaning that
psychotherapists who acknowledge the importance of spiritual connection are
facilitating the kind of healing that was traditionally the purview of shamans.
For healing of
the Intuitive Body, Dr. Klinghardt uses what is known variously as Family
Systems Therapy, Systemic Psychotherapy, or Family Constellation Work.
Developed by German psychotherapist Bert Hellinger, the method addresses
interference that comes from a previous generation in the family. In this type
of interference, says Dr. Klinghardt, "the cause and effect are separated
by several generations. It goes over time and space." Rather than a
genetic inheritance of a physical weakness, it is an energetic legacy of an
injustice with which the family never dealt.
For more information about Family Systems
Therapy and to locate a practitioner, visit the Bert Hellinger website at
www.hellinger.com.
The range of
specific issues that can be the source is vast, but it usually involves a
family member who was excluded in a previous generation. When the other family
members don't go through the deep process of grieving the excluded one, whether
the exclusion results from separation, death, alienation, or ostracism, the
psychic interference of that exclusion is passed on. Another common systemic
factor involves identification with victims of a forebear.
"A member of
the family two, three, or four generations later will atone for an
injustice," without even knowing who the person involved was or what they
did, explains Dr. Klinghardt. For example, a woman murders her husband and is
never found out. She marries again and lives a long life. Three generations
later, one of her great-grandchildren is born. To atone for the
greatgrandmother's murderous act, the child self-sacrifices by, for example,
developing brain cancer at an early age, being abused or murdered, or starting
to take drugs as a teenager and committing a slow suicide.
Systemic family
therapy involves tracing the origins of current illness back to a previous
generation. Sometimes an event is known in a family, sometimes it is not. By
questioning a client, Dr. Klinghardt is usually able to discover an event from
a previous generation that is a likely source of interference for the client's
current condition.
"It's a form
of selfpunishment that anybody can see on the outside, but nobody understands
what is wrong with this child-he had loving parents, good nutrition, went to a
good school, and look what he's doing now; he's on drugs. But if you look back two
or three generations, you'll see exactly why this child is
self-sacrificing." Dr. Klinghardt notes that mental illness is "very
often an outcome on the systemic level."
Systemic family
therapy involves tracing the origins of current illness back to a previous
generation. Sometimes an event is known in a family, sometimes it is not. By
questioning a client, Dr. Klinghardt is usually able to discover an event from
a previous generation that is a likely source of interference for the client's
current condition. If no one knew about a certain event, such as the murder in
this example, there are usually clues in a family that point to those people as
a possible source.
For the therapy,
the client or a close relative chooses audience members to represent the people
in question. In our example, they would be the great-grandmother,
great-grandfather, and the new husband. These people come together on a stage
or central area. They are not told the story, even when the story is known.
"They just go up there not knowing anything, and suddenly feel all these
feelings and have all these thoughts come up.... Very quickly, within a minute
or two, they start feeling like the real people in life have felt, or are
feeling in their death now, and start interacting with each other in bizarre
ways," says Dr. Klinghardt.
In Their Own Words
"1 love life
and want to live, to cry but cannot-I feel such a pain in my soul-a pain which
frightens me. My soul is ill. My soul, not my mind. The doctors do not
understand my illness. "'°8
-Nijinsky, Russian
dancer and choreographer, schizophrenic at age 29
The client
typically does not participate, but simply observes. "The therapist does
careful therapeutic interventions, but there's very little needed
usually." The person put up for the murdered husband stands there, with no
idea of what happened in the past, but then he falls to the floor. When someone
asks, "What happened to you?" he answers, "I've been
murdered." It just comes out of his mouth. Then the therapist asks if he
wants to say anything to any of the other people. He speaks to his wife and it
becomes clear that she was the one who murdered him. They speak back and forth,
and "very quickly, there's deep healing that happens between the
two," states Dr. Klinghardt. "Usually we relive the pain and the
truth that was there. . . . It's very, very dramatic.... Then the therapist
does some healing therapeutic intervention with those representatives."
Family Systems
Therapy is not a long-term endeavor. Dr. Klinghardt has found that the
releasing work can be completed rapidly, usually in one to three sessions.
"The remarkable thing about the systemic work is that it is so
quick," he says.
With removal of
the interference that was transmitted down the generations, the client's
condition is resolved, although the trickle-down effect to the lower levels of
healing may need to be addressed. Often, however, healing at the higher level
is sufficient. With balance restored at that level, the other levels are then
able to correct themselves.
Dr. Klinghardt
likens Family Systems Therapy to shamanic work in Africa, in which healing
often has to be done from a distance through a representative because of the
impracticability of a sick child, for example, traveling 200 miles from the
village to see the medicine man. The representative holds a piece of clothing
or hair from that child, and the shaman does the healing work on the stranger.
"There's a magical effect broadcast back to the child," says Dr.
Klinghardt. "The child often gets well. It's the same principle [with
Family Systems Therapy]. We call it surrogate healing." He adds that
Systemic Family Therapy has become very popular in Europe in the last two
years, while it is still relatively new in the United States.
Dr. Klinghardt
has developed a variation of this technique that enables the work to happen
with just a practitioner and the patient in a regular treatment room. He
accomplishes the same end without representatives of the antecedents, using
Autonomic Response Testing (ART, a kind of muscle testing; see "About the
Therapies and Techniques") to pinpoint what happened and engage in the
dialogues that arise in this work.
He gives the
example of a 45-year-old woman who had lived daily with asthma since she was
two years old. Through ART, in a kind of process of elimination, Dr. Klinghardt
learned that physical causes were not the source of the asthma and that it had
to do with exclusion of some kind in a previous generation. Further exploration
revealed that this woman's mother had lost a younger sibling when she was two
years old. In this case, the woman knew of the event, but that was all she
knew. ART confirmed the connection between this buried death and the asthma.
Dr. Klinghardt stopped the session at this point, instructing his client to
find out what she could about this family occurrence and then come back.
The woman's
mother was still alive and told her that the baby died shortly after birth, was
buried behind the house without a gravestone or other marker on the site, and
was never mentioned again in the family. Everyone knew where the child was
buried, but there was an unspoken agreement never to speak of her. Not only
that, but the next child born was given the same name, as if the one who had
died had never existed or, worse, had been replaced.
"This was a
violation of a principle of what we know about Systemic Family Therapy, which
is that each member that's born into a family has the same and equal right to
belong to the family." Exclusion, even in memory, is a form of injustice,
and creates interference energy that is transmitted through the generations.
Exclusion of a family member in the past is frequently the source of
disturbance at the Intuitive Level, according to Dr. Klinghardt.
The client came
back for the second session, and Dr. Klinghardt put her into a light trance
state. "In that trance state she was able to contact that being, the dead
sibling, and say to her, `I remember you now, I bring you back into my family,
I give you a place in my heart, I will never forget you.' Then she cried, and
it was a very transformative experience." He observes that this process
required very little guidance from him and took only about 20 minutes.
During the
session, the woman made a commitment to go back to the house where the child
was buried-it was still a family property-and put a gravestone on her grave.
After the session, the woman's asthma was clearly better. She rated it at 50 to
60 percent better, and reported later that it stayed that way. "It took
her about three months to put up the gravestone, and she said the day after she
set up the gravestone for that child, her asthma disappeared completely,"
relates Dr. Klinghardt. That was eight years ago and the asthma has not
returned.
Dr. Klinghardt and
others who practice Family Systems Therapy have seen similar connections in
cases of mental illness, as you will see in the case of Sonya. Schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder, chronic anxiety or depression, addiction, hyperactivity in
children, aggressive behavior, and autism can all lead back to systemic family
issues. In fact, Dr. Klinghardt estimates that "about 70 percent of mental
disorders across the board go back to systemic family issues that need to be
treated. People try to treat them psychologically, on the third level, and it
cannot work. This is not the right level." Similarly, focusing on the
biochemistry is not going to fix the problem when the source is at the fourth
level.
The Fifth Level: The Spiritual
The fifth level is
the direct relationship of the patient with God, or whatever name you choose
for the divine. Interference in this relationship can be caused by early
childhood experiences, past life traumas, or enlightenment experiences with a
guru or other spiritual teacher. Of the latter, Dr. Klinghardt says, "Some
enlightenment experiences actually turn out to be a block. If the experience
occurred in context with a guru, the person may become unable to feel a
connection with God without the guru. The very thing that showed them what to
look for becomes an obstacle."
This level
requires self-healing when there is separation or interference in a person's
connection to the divine. Direct contact with nature is one way to reforge the
connection. "True prayer and true meditation work on this level as ways of
getting there, but it's a level where there is no possibility of interaction
between the healer and the patient," states Dr. Klinghardt. "I always
say, if anybody tries to be helpful on this level, run as fast as you
can." He notes that gurus and other spiritual teachers belong on the
fourth level and have a valuable place there, but have no business on the fifth
level. If they trespass into that level, they are putting themselves where God
should be, says Dr. Klinghardt. "It's very dangerous."
That said, a
number of the therapies in this book clear impediments to spiritual connection
at other levels, thus opening the way for individuals to reestablish balance
for themselves on the fifth level.
Operating
Principles of the Five Healing Levels
The levels affect
each other differently, depending on whether the influence is traveling upward
or downward. Both trauma and successful therapeutic intervention at the higher
levels have a rapid and deeply penetrating effect on the lower levels, says Dr.
Klinghardt. This means that both the cause and the cure at the upper levels
spread downward quickly. For example, if a systemic family issue is strongly
present at the fourth (Intuitive) level, it will have profound effects on the
first three levels. Similarly, resolving that issue can produce rapid changes
in the Physical, Electromagnetic, and Mental Bodies. The lower levels may
correct on their own, without further remediation.
Natural Medicine and the Five Levels of
Healing
The chart below
shows on what level the natural medicine therapeutic modalities in this book
function.
Therapy Level Chapter
Applied Psychoneurobiology Physical Body 5
Electromagnetic Body
Mental Body
Biochemical Therapy Physical Body 4
Cranial Osteopathy Physical Body 6
Electromagnetic Body
Family Systems Therapy Intuitive Body 5
Homeopathy Mental
Body 7
NAET (allergy elimination) Electromagnetic Body 5
Orthomolecular Medicine Physical Body 3
Psychosomatic Medicine Mental Body
8
Shamanic Healing Intuitive Body 9
At the same time,
trauma or therapeutic intervention at the lower levels has a very slow and
little penetrating effect upwards. When you get a physical injury (the first
level), for instance, it will gradually change your electromagnetic field (the
second level), altering the energy flow in your body. It's a slow process,
however. The same is true for healing. "If you want to heal an injury on
the second level-let's say you have a chakra that's blocked-you can do that by
giving herbs and vitamins (biochemical interventions) but it will take
years," says Dr. Klinghardt. But if you do an intervention on the third or
fourth level, it can correct the blocked chakra on the second level
immediately, within seconds or minutes, he notes.
Schizophrenia and
the Five Levels of Healing
As stated earlier,
schizophrenia can be the result of interference or disturbance on any of the
Five Levels of Healing. In his practice, Dr. Klinghardt has discovered that
schizophrenia usually involves level one (Physical) or level four (Intuitive),
with level four being the most common. Occasionally, level two
(Electromagnetic) factors can be involved.
Dr. Klinghardt's
approach is based on treating the underlying factors involved in illness. Many
of the people with schizophrenia who came to him for treatment consulted him
initially for other health problems. After treatment resolved the particular
underlying factors present in each individual, psychiatric symptoms improved or
disappeared, as did physical symptoms or conditions. In decades of using this
approach to treatment, "it has been rare that a patient's psychiatric
symptoms have not significantly improved or disappeared altogether,"
states Dr. Klinghardt.
Schizophrenia and
the Physical Level
The factor on the
Physical Level that is often present in schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder as
well, is an underlying virus, says Dr. Klinghardt. The presence of a virus is
determined through Autonomic Response Testing (see `About the Therapies and
Techniques"). The viruses are typically contracted in the womb,
transmitted from the mother to the fetus, and tend to be herpes viruses, such
as genital herpes or herpes simplex (the virus that causes cold sores).
The mere presence
of the virus in the body is not problematic in itself. It is when the virus is
able to replicate that problems begin. In order to replicate, viral particles
must be able to penetrate into new cells. Healthy cell membranes in the body
prevent this from occurring. As cell membranes are made up of oils, such as
essential fatty acids, the EFA deficiency characteristic of mental disorders
has serious consequences. The compromised cell membranes in people with an EFA
deficiency allow the viral load to rise.
This still may
not be a problem until other factors combine to create an overload on the
body's nervous and other systems that then manifests as schizophrenia or
bipolar disorder. Dr. Klinghardt notes that the rapid hormonal changes of the
teen years may be one of the factors that in combination with the virus serve
to trigger these disorders, both of which typically have their onset in late
adolescence or early adulthood.
Fortunately, says
Dr. Klinghardt, it is a relatively simple matter to stabilize the system
through supplementation with fish oil and coconut oil. The benefits of EFA
supplementation (fish oil) in the treatment of mental disorders is thought to
be due to the importance of EFAs in brain development, function, and health
(see chapter 2). Another quality of EFAs may also explain their efficacy. They
are powerful antivirals in that they strengthen cell membranes and in so doing
suppress viral replication in the body. With underlying viruses common in
schizophrenia, this antiviral activity has obvious application.
"After
you've successfully suppressed the viral activity, the schizophrenia goes away
or symptoms improve significantly in over half the cases," states Dr.
Klinghardt, noting that these results are from the antiviral approach alone.
Changes in diet
can address the viral issue as well, and are an integral part of Dr.
Klinghardt's treatment approach. "With these dietary measures,
schizophrenics do extremely well," he says. "They need to eat a diet
that is not glycemic, which means a highprotein diet, with no starch, sugar, or
grains." A glycemic diet promotes high blood sugar (glucose) levels. As
insulin is needed for the breakdown of glucose, high glucose leads to increased
production of insulin. The diet Dr. Klinghardt recommends prevents high blood sugar
levels, which in turn keeps insulin secretion down. This is important because
"insulin is one of the peptides that crack open the cells and make them
leaky," meaning that their walls become permeable, he explains. Viruses
can then enter the cells. Thus, higher insulin levels create an optimal
environment for viral replication.
Other antivirals
that Dr. Klinghardt uses are coconut oil, the South American herb una de gato
(cat's claw), and the herb cilantro. "We put almost everybody with
schizophrenia on cilantro," he says. "It is a very strong antiviral
compound." Cilantro is also a natural chelator (see "About the
Therapies and Techniques"), meaning it gets heavy metals such as mercury
out of the body, which has additional benefit for people with schizophrenia.
"We usually try to cover three, four things with one intervention,"
he says.
Schizophrenia and
the Electromagnetic Level
Heavy metal
detoxification in itself has not shown as strong therapeutic results with
schizophrenia as it has with other mental disorders, such as depression, for
example. Nevertheless, "it is important with all psychiatric and
neurological illnesses that people have a metal-free mouth," says Dr.
Klinghardt, referring to mercury fillings and other metal-containing dental items.
As noted earlier,
heavy metals can create interference on both the Physical Level and the
Electromagnetic Level. The leaching of mercury from fillings, for example, is
an ongoing source of exposure to a known neurotoxin, a Physical Level factor.
"Probably the more important effect in terms of mental illness is that
each metal has a strong electromagnetic field around it," notes Dr.
Klinghardt. "The upper teeth are close to the brain. The field of metal
crowns, metal fillings, and metal bridges impairs the blood flow inside the
brain, and that's a very important thing with all the mental illnesses."
A word of caution
is necessary regarding mercury filling removal, however. If it is not done
correctly, it can be more harmful than leaving the fillings in. Removal needs
to be done by a dentist who has been trained to do it safely and effectively,
as mercury vapors and particles are released during the removal process. In
addition, to complete the mercury detoxification, a chelation protocol (either
oral or intravenous) needs to be implemented after the fillings have been
replaced with non-mercury composite fillings. Chelation is a method for
removing heavy metals from the body (see `About the Therapies and
Techniques").
For information
about dental mercury, see the websites of. Dr. Joseph Mercola, at
www.mercola.com, and Dental Amalgam Mercury Syndrome (DAMS), at www.dams.cc.
For help in locating a dentist, call the DAMS National Office at 800-311-6265.
Schizophrenia and
the Intuitive Level
On the fourth
level, in the arena of family systems, Dr. Klinghardt has found that the
pattern in schizophrenia is similar to that of bipolar disorder. The typical
pattern in both is that the child identifies with more than one person from a
previous generation. Or stated in another way, "the child is strongly
identified with two completely different consciousness fields," explains
Dr. Klinghardt. "One person was abused in a certain way and another one
was excluded or abused in another way. There aren't enough offspring to take this
on, and it all ends up in one person. That person develops two different
streams of consciousness."
He gives the
example of a grandfather who fought in Vietnam and participated in killing the
children in a village. He also became involved with a Vietnamese woman, got her
pregnant, and then abandoned her. Later, the man married and had only one
child, who also had only one child, a son.
"Now, two
generations later, there's one offspring, but two generations before there are
two victims: the village children and the woman who was left with another
child. The one offspring, the grandchild, has the job of atoning for both the
massacre in the village and the illegitimate child that wasn't recognized, that
wasn't nurtured. The grandchild will unconsciously be identified with the
victims in the village, and behave like a child who has been murdered or
crippled by machine-gun fire or agent orange or whatever it was. The child at
the same time will behave as if it is an abandoned child whose father has
disappeared. That split of being identified with two different consciousness
fields at the same time in the same person, we very often find, is the cause of
schizophrenia or bipolar disorder."
Through Family
Systems Therapy, the dually identified person can make peace with the ancestors
or victims and release the need to atone. As mentioned previously, this is not
a long-term therapy, but can be accomplished in one to three sessions.
The following case
illustrates how factors on three levels can contribute to schizophrenia and how
undetected causes such as viruses and dental factors can be a source of
psychotic symptoms.
Sonya: A Triad of Causes
Dr. Klinghardt
first saw Sonya when she was 33. The symptoms for which she initially sought
his help had come on gradually over the previous two or three years, and
consisted at that time of fatigue, headaches, various body pains, mental fog,
and memory problems. As you will see, her problems later developed into a
psychosis that was diagnosed as schizophrenia.
Dr. Klinghardt
determined that the problem lay with dental foci (as noted previously, an
Electromagnetic Level problem). Several of her teeth were dead (meaning that
the pulp, the live center of the tooth that contains cells, nerves, and blood
vessels, was no longer functional) and there was infection in the surrounding
jawbone.
Sonya, who lived
in Germany, went to a dentist in Munich who, over the next two years, performed
the major dental work she needed. He pulled the dead teeth, operated on her jaw
to remove the infected pieces of jawbone, then installed bridges, two of which
needed to be quite long to span two missing teeth. After the removal of the
dental foci, her fatigue and other symptoms disappeared and she felt remarkably
well. Unfortunately, she didn't get to enjoy her newfound health for long.
For the bridges,
the dentist used a new material that contained zirconium, among other metals.
Six weeks after her final dental session, during which he put in the last
bridge, Sonya had a severe psychotic breakdown (the first of her life) with
auditory hallucinations. Diagnosed schizophrenic, she was hospitalized and put
on multiple antipsychotic drugs.
After six weeks,
the doctors considered her stable and discharged her. Sonya went back to work.
A few months later, when she tried to withdraw from the medications because of
the side effects-dry mouth, dizziness, and nausea-she slipped into another
psychotic episode and was rehospitalized, this time for four weeks. She
consulted Dr. Klinghardt again after her discharge.
First, he found
via ART that Sonya was allergic to the dental material used in her bridgework,
particularly the zirconium. This was a disturbance on the Electromagnetic
Level. "It was a bridge that doesn't tend to leak metals, so it wasn't
toxic. But the metals had a certain electromagnetic field effect," said
Dr. Klinghardt. As discussed in chapter 2, allergies can throw off the
electromagnetic field of the body and those that produce mental symptoms are
known as brain allergies. In Sonya's case, with the bridge situated in her head
and her exposure constant, the situation was far more severe than occurs with
intermittent exposure to an allergen.
Second, also
through ART, he discovered that she had a viral infection in her brain (a
Physical Level factor); in her case, it was a herpes virus. The herpes family
of viruses are known to live in nerves and the central nervous system (brain
and spinal cord), explains Dr. Klinghardt. "They were until recently
thought to be `silent' unless there is an acute outbreak, such as shingles
[caused by the herpes zoster virus]. Now we know that, once a person is
infected, there is constant low-grade activity affecting the brain, the nerves,
and other tissues in devastating ways."
Dr. Klinghardt
started Sonya on the antiviral protocol of omega-3 essential fatty acids
derived from fish oil, one capsule containing 180 mg of EPA (eicosapentaenoic
acid) and 120 mg of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) four times a day.
He then used
NAET, an allergy identification and elimination method (see "About the
Therapies and Techniques"), to clear her of her sensitivity to zirconium
and the other dental material in her bridge. NAET is based on the medical model
of acupuncture, in which disease is diagnosed and treated as an energy
imbalance in one or more of the body's meridians, or energy pathways. These
meridians-there are 12 major ones-carry the body's vital energy, or qi (chi),
to organs and throughout the system. Acupuncturists rebalance a meridian's
energy by treating acupoints, the points on the body's surface that correspond
to that meridian, via the painless insertion of needles or the application of
pressure.
According to Devi
S. Nambudripad, M.D., D.C., L.Ac., Ph.D., who developed NAET, allergies create
energy blockages in the body.'"" That is, the body's energy field
regards the energy field of a substance-eaten, inhaled, or otherwise
contacted-as incompatible with its own, and its presence disturbs the flow of
energy along the body's meridians. One, several, or even all the meridians may
be affected. The central nervous system records the energy disturbance and is
then programmed to regard the substance as toxic. NAET uses chiropractic and
acupuncture techniques to restore the smooth flow of energy along the meridians
and reprogram the central nervous system to no longer regard the substance as
incompatible energetically.
To clear an
allergy, the person holds a vial of the offending substance while the NAET
practitioner uses slight pressure, needles, or a chiropractic tool to treat the
appropriate points to restore energy flow on the affected meridian(s). Keeping
the vial in your energy field during this process reprograms the brain and
nervous system to regard the substance as innocuous. In general, it is then
necessary to avoid ingesting or otherwise having contact with the substance for
25 hours after treatment (24 hours is the time it takes for an energy cycle
through all the meridians, with one hour added as an extra precaution).
Often, only one
NAET treatment is required to clear an allergy. In Sonya's case, it took four
treatments to clear the zirconium, which indicates that she was highly allergic
to the substances and the resulting electromagnetic interference was severe. In
some instances, problematic dental materials need to be removed in order to
resolve symptoms. In Sonya's case, however, the NAET was effective and she was
able to keep the zirconium bridges, which was fortunate because they were quite
costly.
Dr. Klinghardt
also used NAET to clear Sonya of her sensitivity to one of the antipsychotic
drugs she was taking. They then undertook a slow withdrawal process from all of
the drugs, which took ten weeks in all. During that time, Dr. Klinghardt
repeated the NAET clearing several times, which lessened the effects of withdrawal.
On this program,
Sonya was stabilized. A year and a half later, however, she had another
psychotic episode, which told Dr. Klinghardt that there was something more to
address. At that point, he turned to family systems exploration and uncovered an
interference on the Intuitive Level.
When Sonya was
five, her father, who was Italian, left the family. Her mother, who was German,
became her sole parent and Sonya did not see her father again until a few years
before she had her first psychotic episode. At that point, she wanted to
reconnect with him, but felt no sense of connection when they got together.
Instead, there was "a remarkable distance," which she found strange
because she was ready to re-embrace her father. She was also struck by how physically
different they were. She could see nothing of herself in him.
In a Family
Systems Therapy session, Dr. Klinghardt set up a family constellation. He
designated a person to represent her father and another to represent her, while
Sonya watched. "It was very clear that the person representing her in the
constellation didn't have any energy toward the father," he recalled.
"So I put another man in-Mr. Unknown-as a representative of a possibility
for a father. The representative for her immediately started crying, falling to
the floor, wailing in tears of being touched deeply."
They ended the
session and Dr. Klinghardt asked Sonya to gently and lovingly inquire of her
mother if there was another man. When Sonya did, her mother broke down crying
and admitted that she had had an affair with a French soldier at the time she
was engaged to the Italian. It was completely unacceptable after the war for a
German woman to be involved with a French man, while an Italian-German alliance
was acceptable, so she went ahead with the marriage. She knew by the timing of
the pregnancy that Sonya was the child of the French man, but she kept that
secret until the day Sonya confronted her.
"When the
truth was brought to light, there was a deep, deep healing in the family,"
says Dr. Klinghardt. As often happens in Family Systems Therapy, it took only
one session to resolve the old issue that had been creating disturbance in
Sonya, without her awareness. Healing required that she acknowledge her true
father and restore him to his rightful place in the family. This can be done in
the context of a therapy session and does not require an actual meeting between
the people involved. After the healing of the family therapy work, however,
Sonya wanted to track down her real father. She was able to do so, learned that
she had sisters, and met other relatives, which brought further healing to the
entire family.
It has been seven
years since Sonya learned of her real lineage, and she has had no further
psychotic episodes.
In summarizing this
complex case, Dr. Klinghardt comments that the relief Sonya got (a year and a
half free of psychosis) as a result of the correction of the dental foci and
the viral issue was more than he would have expected given the strong Intuitive
Level factor. The latter "was definitely the big piece, and until that was
touched, the other treatment would not be enough," he says. "I'm not
sure if we had just done the family work, without the viral issue, whether that
would have succeeded. It really was a combination."
About the Therapies
and Techniques
Applied
Psychoneurobiology (APN): This therapeutic technique was developed by Dr.
Klinghardt. Employing his muscle testing method (see ART, following) as a
guide, APN uses stress signals in the autonomic nervous system to communicate
with a patient's unconscious mind. "You can establish a code with the
unconscious mind for yes and no in answer to questions," he explains.
"The code is the strength or the weakness of a test muscle." APN can
lead the way to the beliefs that underlie illness and exchange those beliefs
with ones that promote balance in the Mental Body. This can produce dramatic
shifts in the health and well-being of the person, notes Dr. Klinghardt.
Autonomic
Response Testing (ART): ART, also called neural kinesiology, is a system of
testing developed by Dr. Klinghardt. It employs a variety of methods, including
muscle response testing and arm length testing, to measure changes in the
autonomic nervous system. (The autonomic nervous system controls the automatic
processes of the body such as respiration, heart rate, digestion, and response
to stress.) ART is used to identify distress in the body and determine optimum
treatment.
In general, a
strong arm (or finger, depending on the kind of muscle testing) or an even arm
length (in arm length testing) indicates that the system is not in distress. A
weak muscle or uneven arm length indicates the presence of a factor that is
causing stress to the client's organism.
Chelation: This
is a therapy that removes heavy metals from the body, among other therapeutic
functions. DMPS (2,3-dimer- captopropane-1-sulfonate) is a substance used as a
chelating agent, which means that it binds with heavy metals, notably mercury,
and is then excreted from the body. DMPS can be administered orally,
intravenously, or intramuscularly. Other chelation agents are cilantro,
chlorella, alpha lipoic acid, and glutathione.
NAET
(Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques): NAET, developed by Devi S.
Nambudripad, M.D., D.C., L.Ac., Ph.D., is a noninvasive and painless method for
both identifying and eliminating allergies. It uses kinesiology's muscle
response testing to identify allergies. Chiropractic and acupuncture techniques
are then implemented to remove the energy blockages in the body that underlie
allergies, and to reprogram the brain and nervous system not to respond
allergically to previous problem substances. For more on NAET, see chapter 2.
Neural Therapy:
Developed by German physicians in 1925, Neural Therapy employs the injection of
local anesthetics such as procaine into specific sites in the body to clear
interferences in the flow of electrical energy and restore proper nerve
function. The interferences, or "interference fields," as they are
known in the profession, can be the result of a scar, other old injury,
physical trauma, or dental conditions such as root-canalled or impacted teeth,
all of which have their own energy fields that can disrupt the body's normal
energy flow.
Disruption in the
body's energy field has far-flung effects, and can manifest in seemingly
unrelated conditions. "Any part of the body that has been traumatized or
ill-no matter where it is located-can become an interference field which may
cause disturbance anywhere in the body," states Dr. Klinghardt.2 ° Neural
Therapy injections may be into glands, acupuncture points, or ganglia (nerve
bundles that are like relay stations for nerve impulses), as well as scars or
sites of trauma.
For more
information about the therapies or to locate a practitioner near you, see the
following:
APN, ART, and
Neural Therapy: Dr. Klinghardt (see appendix B); websites:
www.neuraltherapy.com and www.pnf.org/neural_kinesiology.html.
Chelation: The
American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), 23121 Verdugo Drive, Suite
204, Laguna Hills, CA 92653; fax: 949-4559679; website: www.acam.org.
NAET: Devi S.
Nambudripad, M.D., D.C., L.Ac., Ph.D., Pain Clinic, 6714 Beach Boulevard, Buena
Park, CA 90621; tel: 714-523-8900; website: www.naet.com; also see her book Say
Good-Bye to Illness (Delta Publishing, 1999).
6
Restoring the Tempo of Health:
Cranial Osteopathy
Structural
factors, specifically cranial compression and its farreaching effects, may also
be a component in schizophrenia. Cranial compression results from distortions
in the skull caused by birth trauma or later trauma from injury, emotional
stress, vaccinations, medications, or dental factors, such as mercury fillings
or root canals, says Lina Garcia, D.D.S., D.M.D., of Schaumburg, Illinois, who
specializes in holistic dentistry and cranial osteopathy.
Compression is
constriction due to pressure exerted on a body part or system. The impact of
cranial compression extends throughout the body, but the immediate effects in
the head can be pressure on the brain and cranial nerves, with attendant
compromise of neurotransmitter function and brain function in general.
Cranial
distortions and compression can be corrected through cranial osteopathy. Dr.
Garcia, who frequently works with psychiatric patients, many of whom are
referred to her by their psychiatrists, has found that such correction can
resolve some cases of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe clinical
depression, among other conditions.
Dr. Garcia brings
a powerful blend of therapeutic traditions to her osteopathic work. Her healing
orientation began in her childhood in Brazil, when she discovered that she has
what people call "healing hands," the ability to synchronize with the
healing process and bring about positive changes in an ailment by placing her
hands on the person's body. Practicality and family pressure resulted in her
directing her healing talents into training in dentistry. She brought a
holistic orientation to her work as a dentist, however, and became one of a
growing number of dentists who understand the pervasive influence that problems
of the teeth and jaw exert on the entire body.
For more about the
effects of dental factors, see chapter 5.
Dr. Garcia went on
to train in cranial osteopathy and is a member of the Cranial Academy (a
component society of the American Academy of Osteopathy). It is not uncommon
for dentists to pursue osteopathic training after they learn that problems of
the teeth and jaw often arise from distortions in the bones of the skull. She
later returned to the energetic healing interest of her childhood and trained
with numerous hands-on healers. She also trained with a clairvoyant (a person
with psychic abilities) and later studied the Five Levels of Healing and Family
Systems Therapy with Dr. Klinghardt (see chapter 5). Her work is now a potent
blend of these disciplines.
Cranial Compression
from Birth
While cranial
distortion can occur through various traumas, a common source is birth trauma
resulting from the use of an epidural and the drug Pitocin during
childbirth."' An epidural block, or epidural for short, is a local
anesthetic injected into the space around the lower spinal cord for pain relief
during childbirth. Pitocin is the drug given to speed the contractions of labor
and hurry the process along. The use of both is common in current obstetrical
practice.
While they may be
convenient for those involved, these substances can result in the baby's skull
being subjected to incredible pressure during birth. Under normal conditions,
the woman's pelvis reshapes itself to accommodate birth. This process begins
long before the first labor contraction. When the baby drops in late pregnancy,
that's already part of the pelvic reshaping. If you anesthetize the pelvis, as
with an epidural injection, the reshaping that normally occurs is inhibited.
When labor does not progress because the vital pelvic involvement has been
turned off, Pitocin is introduced to force the uterus to contract artificially.
What Is Cranial Osteopathy?
Osteopathy, or osteopathic
medicine, began as a medical discipline in the late 1800s, introduced by
physician Andrew Taylor and founded on the principle of treating the whole
patient, rather than addressing symptoms on a crisis basis. The
interrelationship of anatomy and physiology is central to osteopathy.
Manipulation techniques have evolved as hands-on treatment for restoring free
movement in the body."'
Cranial osteopathy,
or osteopathy in the cranial field, was developed by William G. Sutherland,
D.O., and is based on an anatomical and physiological understanding of the
interrelationship between mechanisms in the skull (cranium) and the entire
body." The central component of this relationship is what Dr. Sutherland
termed the primary respiratory mechanism, or PRM. This is "a palpable
movement within the body that occurs in conjunction with the motion of the
bones of the head. "214 The flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid
that bathes the brain and spinal cord, is integral to the PRM.
The cranial bones
move rhythmically, alternating between expansion and contraction, and this
motion is reflected in every cell of the body. Palpable means that the PRM can
be felt anywhere in a patient's body by someone who is trained to feel it, that
is, a person trained in cranial osteopathy. The PRM can be thought of as the
intrinsic fluid drive in the system.
As treatment
consists of restoring the full functioning of the PRM in the context of the
whole body, it is not restricted to the sacrum, spinal cord, and cranium.
Cranial osteopaths use gentle, hands-on manipulation and pressure to release
areas of restricted motion. In addition to structural or pain problems, cranial
osteopathy can be beneficial for conditions in virtually any system or area of
the body, including behavior problems, seizures, developmental problems,
allergies, asthma, frequent colds or sore throats, and irritable bowel
syndrome, among many others."'
Fontanels of
Infant's Skull and the Main Bones of Skull
Osteopathic
physician Lawrence Lavine, D.O., whose medical roots are in neurology and
cranial osteopathy, among other disciplines, describes what follows as
"using the child's head as a battering ram to force the pelvis to reshape
to accommodate it. . . . Normally in labor, the head comes through, compresses,
twists, then extends, and everything opens up.... When Pitocin and/or an
epidural are used, distortions tend to be locked in."
A newborn's head
is made up of cartilage and membrane, except for two small areas of bone at the
lower back of the head. There are two fontanels, or openings, in the membranous
areas: the anterior fontanel in the front and the posterior fontanel in the
hack. These openings and the fact that the cranium is not yet bone allow the
sections of the skull to overlap so the head can get through the birth canal.
Closed fontanels after birth indicate a misalignment of the cranial base, which
is the base of the entire skull, where all the structures of the skull attach.
If the cranial base is out of alignment, nothing that attaches to it can be in
alignment. 217
The result is
compression on the brain, compression of cranial nerves, and systemic effects
resulting from disturbance in the primary respiratory mechanism (see "What
Is Cranial Osteopathy?"). Brain function can be compromised. In addition
to the structural effects of compression on the brain, cranial compression may
disturb neurotransmitter function.211 Compression also diminishes cerebrospinal
fluid flow, which affects all the other fluid systems of the body, including
circulation. This leads to fewer nutrients and less oxygen being delivered to
the brain."' Further, the compression in the skull makes the brain
"irritable," and this irritability makes the brain far more
vulnerable to adverse environmental influences, including toxins and stress.
The brain may be
doubly irritated: first, by the compression on the brain from birth; and
second, by brain allergies. The toxic effect of substances (food molecules) not
normally found in the bloodstream (as occurs in leaky gut) and continual
allergic reaction can irritate the brain as well. In addition, people can
develop allergies to their own neurotransmitters. In this case, the body
doesn't recognize its own serotonin, for example, instead regarding it as a
foreign substance. The feedback mechanism sends the message that more serotonin
is needed, so the body just keeps producing it, but the brain is unable to
utilize it, which further compromises neurotransmitter function .2
For more about
allergies, see chapters 2 and 5.
Fortunately, cranial
osteopathy releases the locked state of the skull, restoring it to its natural
fluidity, thereby restoring the proper flow of cerebrospinal fluid and the
function of the primary respiratory mechanism, removing structurally based
interference in neurotransmitter and brain function, and returning balance to
the body as a whole.
A case from I)r.
Garcia's patient files illustrates how cranial factors and the separation of
the Physical, Electromagnetic, and Spiritual Bodies (as explained by Dr.
Klinghardt in chapter 5) can play a role in schizophrenia.
Darrell: TM) and
Schizophrenia
Darrell, 34, came
to Dr. Garcia for treatment of TMJ (temporomandibular joint) syndrome, which
involves misalignment of the teeth and jaw and can produce everything from headaches
and neck or back pain to insomnia and depression, in addition to the more
obvious jaw pain. TMJ problems are an indication that the hones of the skull
are out of alignment, says Dr. Garcia. In Darrell's case, the TMJ syndrome
manifested in jaw pain. Dr. Garcia used cranial osteopathy to realign the bones
of his skull, which would in turn restore alignment to his jaw and teeth.
Moving the bones allows the craniosacral system to "breathe" again,
and "everything else breathes, too, including emotions," she
explains.
Cranial osteopathy releases the locked
state of the skull, restoring it to its natural fluidity, thereby restoring the
proper flow of cerebrospinal fluid and the function of the primary respiratory
mechanism, removing structurally based interference in neurotransmitter and
brain function, and returning balance to the body as a whole.
All of a sudden,
during this treatment, Darrell became "very dissociated." Dr. Garcia
had already noticed in talking with Darrell that he was "one of those
people who are not there." Treatment temporarily exacerbated his
dissociation as it opened up his long-locked system. While the treatment was
TMJ-oriented, Dr. Garcia never merely treats symptoms, so it was working at a
deeper level to restore balance.
The next week,
Darrell's TMJ problem was resolved, but he had a bad cold and was having a very
hard time emotionally. In the week after a second treatment, his mental
condition worsened and he was having trouble functioning at work. At his next
appointment, Dr. Garcia looked at him and said, "Darrell, this is not the
first time this has happened to you. If you want to talk about it, I'm here.
Until you choose to do so, I can't help you."
After a delay,
Darrell chose to tell Dr. Garcia his story. He had been hospitalized on a
psychiatric ward and diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was in his early
twenties. His mother was the only person in his life who knew. She had kept it
from the rest of the family, and he had not told anyone about it until now.
This episode was not his first. He had tried to commit suicide twice when he
was younger.
What triggered
the psychotic break that landed him in the hospital for a long stay was his
involvement with a meditation institute and tutelage under a guru there.
Darrell believed that the guru was using his mind, that he shifted something
inside him "by looking into his eyes and changing something," which
scared him. Between this and frequent meditation, the dissociation from which
Darrell had been suffering since he was a child grew worse.
Dr. Garcia notes
that while many people might dismiss Darrell's statement about the guru as the
paranoia of a schizophrenic, in actuality, people who work with energy, as
gurus do, can do a lot of damage if they are not working responsibly with the
energy. People tend to accept that to work with people on the physical level,
as in the medical profession, you need to be well trained. Working on the
energetic level, however, is not generally subjected to the same standard.
"But it is just as important to be well trained if you're working with
energy," says Dr. Garcia, "otherwise it's the same as working in
someone's mouth or on any part of them where blood is present without gloves
and a mask." Without such protection, infection can pass between patient
and practitioner.
Resources
For help in
locating a cranial osteopath, contact the Cranial Academy, 8202 Clearvista
Parkway #9D, Indianapolis, IN 46256; website: www.cranial academy.org.
The danger of
transmitting energetic "pollution" is far greater because people are
not educated in preventing it, as most medical personnel are in regard to
transmission on the physical level. When someone is in a state of dissociation,
those who work with that person on an energetic level have to be responsible
about how they do it, Dr. Garcia cautions, for both their own safety and that
of the patient. Otherwise, they may take in some of the energies themselves or
introduce more foreign energies and cause the person to dissociate even more.
Some
practitioners are simply not being careful or are not well trained enough,
while others are well trained and step beyond the bounds of what they should be
doing with a client, student, or patient, observes Dr. Garcia, which may have
been the case with the master under whom Darrell studied. "I can't confirm
this, but from an energetic point, it could easily have happened. You've got to
be very careful where you go as a practitioner, and as a patient. It's far more
serious than it looks."
During his involvement
with the guru, Darrell's dissociation had increased to the point of a psychotic
break. In the hospital, he was given shock treatment and put on medication,
which he stopped taking not long after he was discharged. Since then, he had
managed to keep himself together enough to work and to prevent people from
learning of his disability.
The dissociation,
in terms of Dr. Klinghardt's levels of healing, meant that Darrell's Physical
Body was disconnected or dissociated from his Electromagnetic (Energy) Body and
Spiritual Body. The result was the sense that "he was not present."
Dr. Garcia notes that this disconnection is a factor in many of the psychiatric
patients she sees.
"Their life
force, their potency, their ignition system, as we call it, is depleted,"
she explains. "It's not being able to recharge itself. Every step of the
way, everything is overwhelming. It takes too much out of the body to keep
reigniting the system. The life force is not flowing. The body and the person
are not working as a whole, but as separate parts. The physical, functional,
energetic, and spiritual are disconnected."
In Their Own Words
"My son has
been a paranoid schizophrenic for nine years.... [l]n Jim's case . . . there
was intrauterine complication, arduous birth, postbirth breathing block, and
extreme colickiness. From what I have read it is possible that these factors
might be implicated in some way. "1d
-Father, whose son
became schizophrenic at 19
Part of their
overwhelmed state stems from the fact that their Energy Bodies are picking up
so much information, according to Dr. Garcia. With the Energy Body dissociated
from the Physical Body, they have no boundaries and cannot differentiate the
sources of information and what to do with them. "There are very different
degrees of dissociation," she continues. "Some of us have a low
degree where we can, by ourselves, without chemicals, come back. At the high
degrees, you have schizophrenia." Healing involves reconnecting the
Physical, Energy, and Spiritual bodies.
While numerous
factors may contribute to the separation of the bodies, the success of
osteopathic treatment does not depend on uncovering these causes. In some
cases, the physical or spiritual body has been so much abused (by the various
traumas mentioned earlier) that "the spirit decides to disconnect and have
its own separate life," Dr. Garcia explains. One of the factors in
Darrell's dissociation may have been his alienation from his family. His father
had died when he was young and his mother physically and emotionally shut him
out of the family. In combination with other factors, the result was the
present state of disconnection between his bodies.
Osteopathic
examination revealed that his cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was not flowing well.
The CSF has its own electromagnetic charge and when it is not flowing well,
that charge is disturbed. This throws the Energy (Electromagnetic) Body, which
is referred to in osteopathy as the individual's "potency," into a
state of disorganization, Dr. Garcia explains. "If that is disorganized,
it's the same as if your liver was extremely toxic, your kidneys were not
eliminating properly, and your digestive system was totally overwhelmed."
To compensate for
his depleted life force, Darrell had for years been pushing himself to keep
going. "It was almost like having a superficial kind of ignition
system," comments Dr. Garcia. The first osteopathic treatment opened him
up a little, and he began to become aware of what had been going on in him. At
that point, he fell apart, his immune system went down, and he got the severe
cold. "Before, he was dissociated, but he was so used to it that he didn't
notice. After I treated him, he had to take a step back before he could take a
step forward. Before he could be present, he had to realize what he had been
doing to survive."
Dr. Garcia's
osteopathic focus with Darrell was to reorganize his potency (Electromagnetic
Body). Bringing it back into an organized state would reconnect it to his
Physical Body. For the first month, she treated Darrell once a week, and
thereafter once a month. Her sessions last between half an hour and an hour,
depending on the information she gets from the body and spirit of each person
about what that individual needs at a particular time.
Part of the work
was also to help Darrell to be comfortable with being present, feeling himself
in his body. As he had been quite dissociated his whole life, living
disconnected from his body, he at first experienced being present as scary and
would seek refuge in dissociation without being aware of it. In a sense, he
needed to be trained in what it was to be present and to recognize when he
moved out of it. During treatment sessions, "every time he would go out of
his body, I would say, `You're out. You've got to come back,"' recalls Dr.
Garcia. Doing the practical training in combination with the osteopathic
treatment enabled him to shift relatively quickly.
Before he was
able to accept the training in being present, however, he had to let go of the
suspicious guardedness toward any practitioner that had resulted from his bad
experience with the guru. "Once he trusted, and once he was aware of what
was happening and was able to talk about it, things really shifted for
him," said Dr. Garcia.
Darrell described
his state prior to treatment as chronic, lowgrade schizophrenia. He suffered
from confusion along with his dissociation. He could maintain control as long
as nothing too stressful happened in his life. When stress was added to his
precarious state, it was too much for him to handle and could send him into an
acute episode. And, if he wasn't treated properly, as happened with the guru,
that could trigger another crisis.
While his
condition worsened after his first osteopathic session as the treatment began
the reorganization of his locked and restricted system, the worsening was only
temporary. When his system was restored to its natural, balanced state, the
result was restoration of health at all levels.
Without
osteopathic treatment or another successful intervention, Darrell would
eventually have had another breakdown, perhaps sooner rather than later, says
Dr. Garcia. The signs were there in his life that he was reaching the breaking
point. He wasn't sleeping well and was extremely fatigued. He was finding it
more and more difficult to hold it together. He was getting confused and lost
at work. "His appearance of functioning was a fake, not a true
functioning."
To provide a
strong nutritional base for his depleted system, Dr. Garcia recommended a
low-carbohydrate diet and the avoidance of sugars. Darrell made these changes
in his eating habits and felt so much better that "he doesn't want to go
back. It has become a lifestyle change for him," she reports.
In Darrell's
case, cranial osteopathy and dietary changes were sufficient to restore him to
health. He didn't need the Family Systems Therapy that Dr. Garcia uses with
some patients to explore transgenerational factors. It has now been three years
since Darrell first came to Dr. Garcia, and he has not had another psychotic
episode in that time. He recently moved to another state, has a new job, and is
doing very well, truly functioning in work and other aspects of life.
Listening and
Healing
Dr. Garcia's first
step with patients is to talk with them about what's going on for them. What
they say gives her information on both the Physical Level and the
Electromagnetic (or energetic, spiritual) Level. Information about the
Electromagnetic Level is not so much communicated to her through their words,
but in what she picks up telepathically. She then does a hands-on osteopathic
evaluation of the person's system, diagnosing how the cerebrospinal fluid is
flowing, whether the potency in the system is strong or weak.
She describes her
role in treatment as "listening to the information" that the body and
spirit of the patient communicate if the practitioner is very still. "You
don't dictate anything. You're not going in there and cracking hones and doing
all of that," she explains. This is termed being an "efferent
practitioner," which is a practitioner who waits to receive the
information about how to proceed and what the patient needs rather than
deciding where to work on a patient. It is the body and spirit of the patient
that dictate the direction that treatment should take, and it is the gift of
the doctor to allow this, she says.
Dr. Garcia's
particular blend of healing disciplines and abilities makes what she does
different from what most other osteopaths do. They have similar training, but
her orientation is more to the electromagnetic, spiritual level of osteopathy,
while theirs is to the physical level.
For example, in
comparing her work with that of a close colleague, a physician who is also an
osteopath, she notes that when they check a patient for diagnostic purposes,
her tendency is to tap into the potency-the electromagnetic and the
spiritualwhile his tendency is to tap into the physical first. "He will go
to the musculoskeletal and describe that well, whereas I will describe the
electromagnetic and the spiritual in more detail," she notes. That's not
to say that working on the physical level only is not healing, but Dr. Garcia
seeks information from both body and spirit for the direction healing should
take.
The information
arrives silently and comes mostly from what osteopathy calls "the
embryo." Osteopathic training involves extensive study in embryology, says
Garcia, with the fundamental teaching that "in the first six to eight
weeks of embryonic life, there's no genetic or environmental influences at all.
The embryo has its own intelligence and is developing on its own." After
that point, genetics and environmental factors begin to influence the
developing fetus. Those factors comprise the first "lesion," as it is
known in osteopathy, meaning "the first challenge that the embryo has to
overcome." According to this model, if the mother is having a difficult
time with her spouse, that emotional frequency will only influence the embryo
after the first six to eight weeks, and not before.
The initial
period in the life of the being, "when the embryo dictates the
embryological development, when there is no other influence but its own
intelligence and knowing," is the source of the body's wisdom. That is
where the information comes from that the practitioner receives regarding how
to restore the health of the system. It is "the pure intelligence of the
body," which is later obscured and blurred by the toxins of external
influences. Dr. Garcia regards this pure intelligence as part of the spirit.
Restoring health
is like resetting the timing belt back to its original setting, that is,
restoring the system's tempo to what it was in the embryonic stage before
genetic and environmental influences intervened. "That tempo is
health," says Dr. Garcia.
"I don't
ever only treat the symptom," she notes. "I take the patient's whole
body to neutral and go from there." Returning to neutral is the first step
in restoring the system's natural, original tempo. Being in neutral means that
the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is balanced, with neither the
parasympathetic nor the sympathetic branch dominant. (The ANS controls the
automatic processes of the body such as respiration, heart rate, digestion, and
response to stress, with the sympathetic branch being the one involved in the
high-adrenaline, fight-or-flight response to stress.)
With the ANS
balanced, "the patient gets very calm and the whole system gets very
quiet. Then when it's quiet, you've got to be very still as a practitioner, and
wait for the health to dictate whatever else needs to be done in this system.
It knows exactly what to do in different situations in the body. You're trying
to balance the body by bringing that original self-healing ability back into
focus. It's gotten so blurry."
It is necessary
to synchronize with the health at different layers. Therefore, much of
osteopathic work entails a purely musculoskeletal orientation, Dr. Garcia says.
"Working on the body, you are unlocking the tightness, the rigidity, the
obstacles that are keeping the cerebrospinal fluid from being able to flow
optimally. Being a dentist, I really focus on the head; that's the cranial
osteopathy. I check different parts of the body, but that's where I treat
from."
In addition to
birth trauma, any other trauma can lock up the system, according to Dr. Garcia.
Any physical trauma, such as an accident or fall, emotional trauma, or
spiritual trauma shocks the system. The spirit, for example, "may have
been so tremendously abused that it's almost having its own life away from the
physical," as mentioned in the case of Darrell. Spiritual trauma produces
the same results as the physical trauma of a serious car accident.
Shock to the
system causes it to lock up. It can stay that way for a whole lifetime, she
notes. In the locked state, the system doesn't breathe or expand. "Every
bone, everything in your system has to breathe, has to expand and contract to a
certain extent. When bones are locked into one position, the system is not
breathing enough. By moving the bones, by letting them breathe, everything else
breathes, too, from the fluids to the emotions and spirit," Dr. Garcia
explains.
Many people
regard bone as hard, unshapeable, and immovable. On a practical level, this
view is belied by what results from osteopathic treatment. Restoring the skull
bones to their proper flexible position may produce noticeable structural
changes or not, but a number of Dr. Garcia's TMJ patients say to her after
treatment that their teeth come together in a different way than they did
before-proof of bone movement.
When you consider
the environment in which bones exist in the body, it is a vital milieu. The
bones of the head and spine are bathed in cerebrospinal fluid. "Everything
is surrounded by life, by liquid, by life force, by the electromagnetic,"
observes Dr. Garcia. "It's not a stagnant system at all." Regarding
the body as purely musculoskeletal is "a very Newtonian perception and
understanding of the system, of the body. When you go to Einstein and other
wonderful scientists, you start seeing medicine in a totally different way. For
example, in quantum physics, the quantum (the subatomic particle) is pure
energy. It's an illusion that there's actually any physical to it. So medicine
is the same. Some people, a lot of people, are still in the Newtonian knowledge
and understanding of the mechanical existence."
The osteopathy
that Dr. Garcia practices is a traditional model of osteopathy, in which the
practitioner doesn't treat just the bone, but the fluids and the potency that
are integral to the body's structure and which unlock everything from the
physical to the spiritual. "Once you go deeper into treatments, the
structure is just part of it." Restoring the body to its innate tempo
(working as a whole rather than in disjointed parts), the state of balance and
health that existed before genetics and environment intervened, allows the
body, mind, and spirit to heal themselves. Given the genetic and environmental
nature of schizophrenia, restoring the tempo of health in those who suffer from
it can have far-reaching effects.
7
Rebalancing the Vital Force:
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is
what is known as an energy medicine, which means that homeopathic medicines do
not contain biochemical components of the plants or other substances from which
they are derived, but rather transfer their energetic patterns. The medicines
help restore the individual's energy (vital force) to its natural equilibrium
and thus return balance to the body, mind, and spirit. Disturbed energy flow is
an underlying factor in any illness, including schizophrenia.
Judyth
Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D., L.C.S.W., an internationally known naturopathic and
homeopathic physician based in Edmonds, Washington, has seen the beneficial
effects of homeopathic treatment for schizophrenia and other mental disorders.
In fact, it was her interest in mental health and disillusionment with the
results of conventional treatment that led her to homeopathy.
In her early
career as a psychiatric social worker, she worked on a locked psychiatric ward,
in emergency rooms, nursing homes, halfway houses, and patients' homes. "I
saw the whole spectrum, and the suffering was terrible," she recalls.
"I didn't see conventional medicine as having a magic bullet for most of
these people. With the degree of side effects they were experiencing [from
medications], I thought there must he a better answer."
Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman discovered that answer in homeopathy, as did her husband,
Robert Ullman, N.D. They now teach, lec ture, and have written numerous books
together, including Prozac Free: Homeopathic Alternatives to Conventional Drug
Therapies. Their column on homeopathic treatment has run in the popular journal
Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients since 1990.
They wrote Prozac
Free to share their discovery of an effective alternative to medications for
schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and other psychiatric disorders.
"As shown by the numerous patients we have treated successfully, we
believe we have found a method that can transform the lives of many people,"
she states."' "Certainly homeopathy can't help everybody, but the
number of people that can be helped with these impairing mental and emotional
conditions is incredibly gratifying."
Homeopathy is safe, longlasting, and has the
further potential benefit of alleviating physical problems along with the
mental/emotional symptoms for which someone with schizophrenia seeks treatment,
says Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman. This is because homeopathy addresses the
underlying imbalance that is responsible for all of a person's symptoms.
Another
homeopath, who is also a psychiatrist, has this to say about homeopathy's
effectiveness in his foreword to Prozac Free. "In my 30 years as a
psychiatrist I have found over and over again that nothing can match homeopathy
in efficacy for treating mental and emotional illness when the provider of
homeopathic treatment is a well-trained and competent classical
homeopath," states Michael R. Glass, M.D., of Ithaca, New York. "Even
in those cases where we cannot take the patient off psychiatric drugs, we
usually can reduce the dosage and thereby decrease uncomfortable side effects,
while at the same time producing real improvements in functioning.""'
Homeopathy is
safe, long-lasting, and has the further potential benefit of alleviating physical
problems along with the mental/emotional symptoms'=1 for which someone with
schizophrenia seeks treatment, says Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman. This is because
homeopathy addresses the underlying imbalance that is responsible for all of a
person's symptoms. The imbalance occurs on an energetic level, which is why an
energy medicine such as homeopathy is so effective in restoring balance. Let's
look more closely at the concept of energy imbalance.
Schizophrenia and
the Vital Force
We are energetic
organisms, or energy-modulated organisms, explains Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman, and
that energy is our vital force. "The vital force of each person, because
of her makeup, has a certain susceptibility. Due to that susceptibility, there
are going to be certain factors that trigger an imbalance or symptoms in that
person."
For example, in a
family with two parents who suffer from schizophrenia, which gives the children
nearly a 40 percent chance of becoming schizophrenic, one child may develop the
illness while others don't. That child was susceptible in some way. The same is
true of nonpsychiatric illnesses, Dr. ReichenbergUllman points out, citing
epidemics as an example. Even in virulent epidemics, there are people who are
not susceptible and do not contract the illness, she notes.
Even with a
susceptibility, or vulnerability, a triggering factor may not necessarily tip
the balance into a psychotic breakdown unless the person's vital force is
compromised. Traumatic events, stress, shock, illness, toxic exposure, and
other life occurrences can compromise the vital force. In turn, a compromised
vital force makes the person less able to handle future occurrences of this
nature and the energy disturbance deepens.
"It's
important to realize that the vital force, or the energetic equilibrium, of
that individual is the bottom line," says Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman.
"When there is an imbalance, a disturbance underneath the surface of the
'lake,' then there are ripples that go out. Those ripples can manifest in any
number of ways. One of those ripples could end up being a biochemical
imbalance, an imbalance in neurotransmitters, or a frank expression of a
genetic tendency toward schizophrenia."
Scientific
consensus currently holds that some problem with the brain's neurotransmitters
is the factor behind schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and other
mental illnesses. In actuality, the research supporting this is "still
more theoretical than they would make it out to be," says Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman. In her view, a deeper imbalance in a person's energetic
equilibrium is what throws neurotransmitter supply and function out of balance.
In Their Own Words
"Oh, if I
could have worked without this accursed disease-what things I might have done.
"I
-Vincent Van Gogh
Thus, simply
attempting to correct the individual's biochemistry is not getting to the real
source of the mental disorder. "You have to deal with that underlying
disturbance, or else it's like putting your finger in the dike, which I think
is what, to a large degree, conventional medicine is doing."
Like many natural
medicine physicians, Dr. ReichenbergUllman regards symptoms, be they mental,
emotional, or physical, as an individual's attempt to cope with the underlying
disturbance. The body has its own wisdom, and symptoms are the ways in which a
particular person adapts to the imbalance in its vital force. The beauty of
homeopathy is that it goes to the heart of the matter and corrects the
disturbance in the vital force. From that, all the other specific imbalances or
symptoms correct as well. This is why homeopathy can address both your
schizophrenia and whatever physical problems you are manifesting.
Standard
laboratory tests have revealed the changes that transpire on the physical
level, notes Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman. For example, she has seen cases of an
overactive or underactive thyroid, as identified by tests that measure thyroid
function, in which a second test taken after classical homeopathic treatment
showed that the condition had reversed itself. She has seen similarly beneficial
results in the red blood cell counts in people who prior to homeopathic
treatment were anemic.
What Is Homeopathy?
To understand
homeopathy, it is helpful to consider the derivation of the word as well as
that of allopathy, both of which were coined by the father of homeopathy, Dr.
Samuel Hahnemann, in the late 1700s. A German physician and chemist who became
increasingly frustrated with conventional medical practice, Dr. Hahnemann
devoted himself to developing a safer, more effective approach to medicine. The
result was homeopathy, which arose out of his discovery that illness can be
treated by giving the patient a dilution of a substance that produces symptoms
resembling those of the illness, when given to a healthy person.
This principle,
"let likes be cured with likes," became known as the Law of Similars.
Dr. Hahnemann named this system of healing "homeopathy," a
combination of the Greek homoios (similar) and pathos (suffering). At the same
time, he dubbed conventional medicine "allopathy," which means
"opposite suffering," to reflect that model's approach of treating
illness by giving an antidote to the symptoms, a medicine that produces the
opposite effect from what the patient is suffering. (A laxative for
constipation is an illustration of the allopathic approach; it produces
diarrhea.)"
A homeopathic
remedy can be employed as a simple remedy to address a certain transitory
ailment or as a constitutional remedy to address the more permanent
constellation of physical, psychological, and emotional characteristics-the
constitution-of an individual patient. A constitutional remedy works to restore
balance and thus health on all levels.
Homeopathic
remedies are prepared through a process of dilution of plant, mineral, or
animal substances, which results in a "potentized" remedy, one that
contains the energy imprint of the substance rather than its biochemical
components. This is why homeopathy falls into the category of energy medicine;
it works on an energetic level to effect change in all aspects of a person and
restore balance to the whole.
Paradoxically,
the higher the number of dilutions, the greater the potency and the effects of
the remedy. (Note that the word "potency" as it is used here reflects
the more traditional usage of the word, meaning "strong, powerful,"
as contrasted with the use of the word in osteopathic medicine, as discussed in
chapter 6. Both usages refer to energy, however.) Thus, the higher the potency
number, the more powerful the remedy. Remedies used to treat a transitory
condition are usually 6C, 12C, or 30C, relatively low-potency remedies. A
constitutional remedy is often a 200C potency, which means it has been diluted
200 times (99 parts alcohol or water to one part substance), or a I M potency,
which means it has been diluted a thousand times.
The Benefits of
Homeopathic Treatment
Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman cites the following benefits of constitutional homeopathic
treatment.227 Homeopathy:
treats the whole
person
treats the root of
the problem
treats each person
as an individual
uses natural,
nontoxic medicines
is considered safe
and does not have the side effects of prescription drugs
heals physical,
mental, and emotional symptoms
uses medicines, one
dose of which works for months or years rather than hours
uses inexpensive
medicines
is cost effective
Constitutional
Treatment of Schizophrenia
Classical or
constitutional homeopathic treatment is distinct from the use of homeopathic
remedies for acute symptoms in that it employs a single remedy that addresses
the particular and unique mental, emotional, and physical state of an
individual. Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman explains it this way: "Each child, or
adult, is much like a jigsaw puzzle. Once all of the pieces are assembled in
their proper places, an image emerges that is distinct from other puzzles. It
is the task of a homeopath to recognize that image and to match it to the
corresponding image of one specific homeopathic medicine.'`'"
The homeopath
makes that match by considering the person's behaviors, feelings, attitudes,
beliefs, likes, dislikes, physical symptoms, prenatal and birth history, family
medical history, eating and sleeping patterns, and even dreams and
fears."" By giving the remedy whose qualities match this unique
cluster most closely, the homeopathic principle of "like cures like"
is put into operation and the remedy works to restore the person to balance.
People may have one constitutional remedy that is their match throughout their
life, or it may change over time and a different constitutional remedy might
then be required.
Homeopathy does
not prescribe according to diagnostic labels, but rather according to the
complete picture of the individual. Thus, there is no universal remedy for
schizophrenia, and two people suffering from this condition will likely require
two entirely different remedies, chosen from more than two thousand possible
homeopathic remedies.
It's interesting
to note that the qualities of the remedy that is the correct one for a person
reflect their areas of susceptibility or vulnerability. "When a certain
homeopathic medicine benefits a person, that tells me something about that
person," observes Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman. "From understanding that
homeopathic medicine, I know what kinds of conditions, whether mental, emotional,
or physical, the person is likely to be susceptible to and what kinds they
aren't. It often gives you a predictive capacity."
A single dose of
a constitutional remedy is sometimes all that is needed at first (though the
remedy may also be given more often, even daily). When the remedy is the
correct one for an individual, changes can begin relatively quickly, within two
to five weeks after taking the dose. (Some people experience changes in the
first day, or even within hours.) If there are no changes within five weeks,
that generally indicates that it is not the proper remedy. A remedy continues
to work over time, anywhere from four months to a year or longer. Repeat doses
may be necessary if there is a relapse of symptoms, or sometimes a different
remedy may he called for.
Due to the way
homeopathic remedies work, it is important to continue treatment for at least
two years, and in the case of schizophrenia, usually five years or longer,
states Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman. This does not necessarily entail frequent
appointments with your homeopath, however. As stated, a single dose of a remedy
works for some time; this is also true of a daily remedy.
While certain
substances (notably coffee, menthol, camphor, and eucalyptus) can antidote
single-dose homeopathic remedies in some sensitive individuals, prescription
medications may not interfere with their function. (Topical steroids,
antibiotics, and antifungals and oral antibiotics and cortisone products can be
suppressive and are best used in consultation with your
homeopath.)-"" Be assured, however, that homeopathic remedies do not
interfere with the function of conventional medications. Thus, you can pursue
homeopathic treatment while continuing your medications or working with your
prescribing doctor to phase them out when possible. "Patients with
schizophrenia may need to continue their prescription medications along with
homeopathic treatment," Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman notes.
As a final note,
regarding the efficacy of homeopathy for schizophrenia, she states: "Homeopathic
effectiveness is most limited by the skill, knowledge, and experience of the
homeopath and the cooperation of the patient. . . . [S]chizophrenia is
definitely challenging to treat homeopathically and should only be attempted by
a practitioner with considerable experience in both homeopathy and mental
health."=1'
As is the case
with any medical intervention, results are likely to be better when treatment
is initiated early in the course of the illness. One of the difficulties in
treating people who have had schizophrenia for years is that the drugs used to
keep it under control are very strong and cloud the symptom picture, making it
difficult to determine the appropriate homeopathic remedy. "They are so
numbing over time," says Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman, that it is very hard to
get clear psychological, emotional, and physical symptoms and thus the accurate
image of the person needed to identify the constitutional remedy for that
individual.
Avoiding
substances such as coffee, which can interfere with the action of homeopathic
remedies, is recommended, but for patients who are unable to do that, there is
a solution. "They are given a daily dose of their remedy," she
states.
The results she
has seen with schizophrenia and other "mental" illnesses have given
Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman a vision for the future. She would like to see
homeopathy become standard treatment in both inpatient psychiatric facilities
and emergency rooms. In the latter, homeopathy could he used "across the
whole spectrum, for everything from trauma to acute psychiatric
disturbances," she notes.
Resources
There are more than
a thousand classical homeopaths in the United States, a small percentage of
whom specialize in mental health. One source to help you find a qualified
homeopath in your area is the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians
(HANP), 12132 SE Foster Place, Portland, OR 97266; tel: 503-761-3298; website:
www.healthy.net/hanp.
Gwen: Homeopathic
Zinc
At the age of 56, Gwen had
a psychotic break and was put on Stelazine, one of the old class of anti
psychotics.' Her troubles
began with an increasingly stressful situation at work. An elementary school
teacher, she began to be terrified of the principal, a very large woman whom
Gwen describes as a "maternal archetype." She felt demeaned by the
woman and tried to resolve the situation by keeping her distance, but it seemed
that the principal and another teacher were colluding to make Gwen's work life
difficult. They interfered with her ability to be effective and to feel
satisfaction in her job.
Her terror
increased. "My mouth was completely dry for a whole month," she
reports. "I felt adrenaline rushes and found it hard to focus my mind. I
couldn't seem to get enough water."
When she was
given a class that "didn't want to learn," Gwen was sure that the
principal had done this on purpose. Soon, she began to believe that the FBI had
bugged her classroom and people were watching her everywhere she went. The
latter made it hard for her to be in a public place and she began to avoid it.
"I was in utter agony," she recalls. She became convinced that her
house was bugged as well, and as a consequence she took to writing notes to her
husband instead of talking. Her feelings of being demeaned and diminished
increased. It was clear that Gwen had broken under stress and acute psychosis
was the result.
After putting her
on Stelazine, an antipsychotic, Gwen's psychiatrist urged her to return to Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman, whom she had seen, and been successfully treated by, for a
variety of physical complaints over the years. Gwen did so, meanwhile
continuing to take the Stelazine, which was helping to reduce her paranoia.
Gwen told Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman that she didn't have good boundaries, that "people's
stuff sticks to me." She related a dream she had had in which a solid
floor "needed a fire to keep it going. The plywood walls were separating
from the solid tongue-andgroove floor." She also reported that her
previous complaints of chronic hoarseness, severe headaches, incontinence, and
violent belching had returned. In addition, she craved salty food and fruit.
The
constitutional remedy indicated for her was Phosphorus, which was the remedy
she had received before. "This is a medicine for thirsty, sensitive,
fearful yet compassionate people who pick up very easily on the thoughts and
feelings of those around them," explains Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman.
Gwen was able to
discontinue the Stelazine after taking it for a month. A few months later, she
had another psychotic episode, although it was milder this time. She again felt
terror and anxiety at work, believed that people were thinking about her, and
felt the compulsion to try to please people. She stayed home from work for
three days and took Stelazine again.
When Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman asked Gwen to identify the overriding psychological issue in
her life, she answered: "It's being the victim, the outcast. Separation
from my family. I was the black sheep, the scapegoat, the schoolyard victim. I
never felt part of the group." She explained that her family moved a lot,
which made it hard to develop friends, and within her family, she experienced
rejection by her parents, which was the hardest thing of all. Gwen felt great
guilt over her inability to please her parents.
Her experiences
at the school tapped into these feelings. With the psychotic break, she
"had a fear that I was being framed, imprisoned, and condemned for being who
I was and for what I was sharing with the children. I felt more and more
threatened. I withdrew more and more. I felt shunned, excluded, as if I weren't
teaching well."
Schizophrenia can
be one of the means by which a person copes with an untenable situation, notes
Dr. ReichenbergUllman. When a sensitive person encounters a situation such as
Gwen did as a child-she could not be accepted for who she was and would have to
become someone else to gain acceptance-she must find a way to cope with the
irresolvable dilemma. "There is just no way to make sense of what's going
on, so she just leaves, and there's a separation of her reality, a whole
delusional state that develops," she explains.n'2
After Gwen's
second breakdown, Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman gave her the remedy Zincum metallicum
(zinc), which was indicated by the feeling of being a criminal and a history of
restless legs.
Over the next
three and a half years, Gwen was fine. On a few occasions, when her paranoia
began to return, she repeated doses of the remedy, along with taking Stelazine
at a low dose for a short time, and the paranoia subsided.
Later, she told
Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman: "I've felt really good, very centered and focused
in the classroom, handling a million details. Before, I couldn't keep the
thread together. One of my watercolor pieces was even accepted in a show. All
the pieces are fitting together. I have my courage, self-respect, and dignity
back."
Later still, Gwen
was given Zincum phosphoricum to address her lingering symptom of incontinence
(all her other physical complaints were resolved), since Phosphorus had worked
so well with that in the past. Over the past five years, Gwen has had to repeat
the remedy periodically. On several occasions, when she was under a lot of
stress at work, she took a very low dose of Stelazine, but for the past few
years none has been needed.
"Her
intellect, alertness, and creativity have been excellent, as has been her
overall degree of happiness and satisfaction," reports Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman. She notes that Gwen never required hospitalization,
although without homeopathic treatment, it might have come to that. "Gwen
is thoroughly convinced that homeopathy works, and so is her
psychiatrist."
Considering the
discussion in chapter 4 regarding pyroluric schizophrenia, it is curious that
the remedy that worked to dispel Gwen's psychosis was homeopathic zinc, which
is the primary nutrient needed in this form of schizophrenia. Zinc was
prescribed for Gwen, however, based on extensive homeopathic interviews and the
emergent constitutional cluster unrelated to the concepts in chapter 4. Once
again, a remedy that works well for one person with schizophrenia will not
necessarily do the same for another person with schizophrenia. Homeopathic
treatment is based entirely on the individual.
Freddie:
Stabilizing a Teenager
From the time he
was eight years old, Freddie went through periods of wanting to hurt people.*
"I wanted to
make them feel scared so they'd know what I was going through," he says.
He kept these feelings to himself, knowing that this kind of thinking was odd.
At the age of 15, Freddie had a psychotic break, during which he heard voices.
He lived in a state of fear-of himself, of other people, and of objects. Afraid
that he might hurt himself, he would sit on his hands to keep them from
strangling him. He was scared that kids at school would hurt him or cabinets
would fall on him or chairs swallow him up. "I see pictures in my head of
me getting hurt. My dreams move very fast," he says, adding that until he
was put on psychiatric drugs, he didn't know if his dreams were real or not.
Eight months
before his breakdown, his mother had observed a disturbing change in him. From
a seemingly confident, adventurous boy, he grew "quiet, sullen, gloomy,
and secretive." He stayed in his room a lot and wrote on the computer,
producing a flood of poetry, mostly about death, some of which was frightening
in its depiction of murder. His interests during this time focused on the
macabre and the paranormal, from mystery and horror novels to the eerie
television show The X-Files. To Freddie's mother, it seemed as though her son
was in a trance.
He couldn't sleep
and became confused and depressed. School was difficult for him because he
couldn't concentrate and he didn't want to talk to people. He was preoccupied
with thoughts of injury and saw bloody images in his head, including "body
parts being thrown into a river."
Alarmed by the
way he was acting, school authorities talked to Freddie's mother about getting
him help at a children's psychiatric hospital. She did so, and one doctor there
prescribed Zoloft and Haldol. A second psychiatrist substituted Risperdal (an
atypical antipsychotic, presumed to have fewer side effects than the older
class of antipsychotics) for the Haldol. The doctors disagreed on the
diagnosis, suggesting schizophrenia, severe depression with psychosis, or
bipolar disorder.
On the
medication, Freddie's depression eased and his hallucinations stopped. At this
point, two months after his psychotic breakdown, his mother took him to Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman. He had stopped taking the drugs a week before, with the
support of his psychiatrist. Off the drugs, Freddie was lethargic, weepy,
dazed, unable to concentrate, and unable to make it through a day of school.
Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman notes that normally she would prefer that a person in
Freddie's state continue taking his medications until the appropriate
homeopathic remedy could be identified and have a chance to work. This approach
makes it more likely that the person will be able to avoid relapse and
hospitalization.
"When we saw
Freddie for the initial appointment, he reminded us of a terrified deer
paralyzed by the headlights at night on a forest road," she recalls. He
impressed her as "extremely bright, introspective, creative, and
sensitive. We thought it would be a terrible shame for such a brilliant individual
to be trapped in a schizophrenic world for life."
Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman prescribed Thea (tea), which is indicated for "people
who have an unexplainable desire to injure or kill others." This medicine
successfully "took the edge off" Freddie's fears for some months.
Then, after discovering that he was fascinated with quantum physics and spent a
lot of time learning about it, Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman changed his homeopathic
remedy to Hydrogen, indicated for "extremely deep thinkers and highly sensitive
individuals who search intently for the meaning of life. They may soar to
blissful states in which they feel integrally connected to the universe, then
plunge to the depths of despair and separation." People who need this
remedy often exhibit an interest in the stars, planets, black holes, and the
"farthest reaches of the universe."
It has now been
more than two years since Freddie began homeopathic treatment. He never did
need to go back on psychiatric medications nor did he have to be hospitalized.
Although he has periods of anxiety and instability, overall he is
"relatively stable and able to function," reports Dr.
Reichenberg-Ullman. He returned to school, interacted more with others, and was
able to get his driver's license and land a summer job. By Freddie's account,
he no longer suffered from fear, felt "much more together," and was
"doing better in all ways."
Freddie
discontinued treatment at this point, although Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman would
have preferred regular homeopathic follow-up for at least two more years.
However, she adds, "His mother contacted the office a year later to say
that Freddie had successfully completed his first year of college and had
progressed well in all areas of his life."
8
Conflict and Spirit:
Psychosomatic Medicine
While we have
seen in this book that biochemical factors play a strong role in schizophrenia,
the source of the disturbed biochemistry may not be on the Physical Level. As
discussed in chapter 5, such imbalances are often caused by interference on
other levels of healing. Here we look at disturbance at the Mental Level of
Healing, which in turn can manifest as problems in a person's energetic field
or biochemistry or both.
As stated before,
to consider the possible role of psychological factors does not signal a return
to the former psychological model of bad parenting as the source of
schizophrenia. Rather, it acknowledges that body, mind, and spirit are
inseparable and that in some individuals, the psychological factors discussed
in this chapter may be operational.
Psychosomatic
medicine, a European academic discipline, provides a means of understanding
interference on the mental plane. In this chapter, Johannes Beckmann, M.D., a
general practitioner who specialized in psychosomatic medicine at the University
of Toulouse, France, and the University Miguel Cervet in Madrid, describes how
an irresolvable conflict in the psyche can result in schizophrenia. In his
private practice in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, he integrates this psychological
approach to illness with biological medicine (which regards illness as stemming
from imbalance in the "internal milieu" or cellular terrain of the
body, with treatment operating on the cellular level to restore balance) to
attend to the body, mind, and spirit aspects of healing.
As with other
medical modalities that focus on addressing the underlying factors in illness,
Dr. Beckmann's approach has broad application and he sees patients with a wide
range of conditions. While he has treated fewer than 20 people with schizophrenia
thus far in his practice, the results of his innovative early work are
encouraging. Psychosomatic medicine produced recovery in 20 percent. In the
remaining cases, Dr. Beckmann found that overmedication was an impediment to
treatment.
This raises two issues
of importance to the discussion of natural medicine treatment of schizophrenia.
First, the application of many natural medicine techniques to schizophrenia is
relatively new. As these techniques begin to be practiced more widely and
receive research attention over the next decade, we can expect exciting new
advances in the field of treatment.
The second
important issue is the damaging effects of medication, as discussed in chapter
1. While antipsychotic drugs may be necessary in some cases, it is sound
medical practice to pursue natural treatments that can resolve or ameliorate
psychotic symptoms rather than abandon an individual to drugs as the only
intervention. Taken for long enough or prescribed irresponsibly, psychiatric
drugs may interfere with the efficacy of natural treatments that might
otherwise have been beneficial.
What Is
Psychosomatic Medicine?
Psychosomatic
medicine is an area of specialization in European medical training. While the
term also applies to an approach used by some psychiatrists and physicians in
the United States, the two forms of psychosomatic medicine are quite different.
Among other distinctions, the American approach tends to emphasize behavioral
therapies, while European practice focuses on the deeper psychological issues
behind illness.
European
psychosomatic medicine reflects the simple recognition that the mind and spirit
(the Greek psyche means "breath, principle of life, soul," and in
combination form indicates this along with "mind and mental
processes") are integrally connected to and influence the body (soma means
"body").
A psychosomatic
disorder is one in which an internal unresolved conflict finds outlet in the
body in what is called a functional disease, according to Dr. Beckmann.
Functional disease is distinct from organic disease in that diagnostics such as
X rays, blood tests, and electrocardiograms can find none of the measurable
changes of organic disease. In functional disease, the functions are being
interfered with, but there is no sign of organic disease.
As an example of
a psychosomatic disorder, Dr. Beckmann cites a 13-year-old girl who had not yet
started to menstruate, but was beginning to look at boys. Her father, noticing
this, told her that she should not look at any male aside from him until she
was 16. When the girl still did not start menstruating in the next few years,
her parents were concerned and took her to the doctor. The doctor determined
that everything was fine; she did not have any organic disease that would
interfere with menstruation. When she turned 16, released from "the
program her father had impressed on her mind and psychic world," she began
to menstruate. Freed from the conflict the prohibition posed to her, her body
was free to become a woman.
Conflict and the
Spirit
In his practice,
Dr. Beckmann deals with dilemmas of the mind, body, and spirit. (He notes that
"the unconscious and the spirit are the same thing; one word in
psychology, another in the religious sciences.") A conflict is at the root
of all disorders, according to his model. Often, the conflict relates to
childhood experiences. As a child, the person begins to suppress his own
wishes, his own self, because when he shows his true self it creates conflict
with his father, mother, siblings, or society. The threat of conflict trains
the person into an adapted way of life, explains Dr. Beckmann. "The person
says, `I cannot be myself because when I am myself I have problems with
others."'
At first, his
spirit finds an outlet in dreams. As the conflict grows stronger, nightmares
ensue. This reflects the mounting inner tension of suppressing the spirit,
which can also be called the imaginary (imagination is a component of the
imaginary). When dreams are remembered, that means the suppression is not
complete. Nightmares are the spirit attempting to resolve the conflict and
remove the blockage. When the nightmares stop and dreams are no longer
remembered, this means that the person has adapted to completely suppressing
the conflict and to being "a good boy, a good student, the best." The
price is suppression of his soul and his feelings.
In Their Own Words
"For me,
madness was definitely not a condition of illness; I did not believe that I was
ill. It was rather a country, opposed to Reality, where reigned an implacable light....
""'
-Renee, a recovered
schizophrenic
This pattern was
described by psychosomatic medicine clinician and Professor Mahmoud Sami-Ali of
the University of Paris as "the pathology of adaptation" or "the
pathology of banality." The latter phrase is apt because, without soul or
spirit, life is banal, explains Dr. Beckmann. Although this example is a
childhood one, the same process occurs whenever the spirit is suppressed in
order to "resolve" a conflict. It is not a true resolution, and body,
mind, and spirit bear the consequences of the suppression. Internal conflicts
that arise in adulthood are related to early childhood conflicts and their
attendant messages, according to Dr. Beckmann.
"There is a
law in nature that says you attract your similars," he says. "This is
a law of physics, where matter attracts matter, and the same happens in the
spiritual world," he says. If you have conflict and disorder internally,
you attract conflicts that involve similar contradictions. This gives you the opportunity
to resolve it this time and "get out of the disorder. We always attract
what happens to us."
Dr. Beckmann adds
that he believes even babies attract their similars. "They attract this
terrible situation or this beautiful situation of family, of parents," he
says. "They are not passive. They have an energy, a very powerful energy
that attracts also." Viewed from this light, "you understand that the
father and the mother are not the culprit or guilty party. This is not to
exempt them from responsibility, because they could give the child a better
life, but the real origin of the situation is in the person."
The Spirit's
Message
In Dr. Beckmann's
view, illness, whether schizophrenia or heart disease, arrives when "the
development of the spirit has stopped or something that needs to happen is not
happening.... We are not here to develop a body or psychology; these develop by
nature. We are here to develop human consciousness, spirit-it's the same. To
develop the behavioral virtues connected to thisto behave with wisdom,
kindness, compassion, all the things that are related to love or justice, to
purity, to connection with spirit."
In Dr. Beckmann's view, illness, whether
schizophrenia or heart disease, arrives when the development of the spirit has
stopped or something that needs to happen is not happening.... We are not here
to develop a body or psychology; these develop by nature. We are here to
develop human consciousness, spirit-it's the same." Schizophrenia and
other disorders, then, can be seen as the spirit's attempt to tell you
something.
Schizophrenia and
other disorders, then, can be seen as the spirit's attempt to tell you
something. Each form of response has its logic. Dr. Beckmann explains that the
nature of the conflict dictates the manifestation. For example, physical
symptoms relate to the stage of development during which the conflict
originated. "Every organ or system in the body has its moment in the time
loop. You would look at when the affected organ or system develops in the life
of a child, then you would know when the conflict started."
In psychosomatic
disorders, "the mind can't face the conflict and the imaginary helps to
solve the conflict through the body in the form of functional disease."
When the conflict is too great and the suppression is complete and goes on for
too long, organic disease results. "Organic disease is the last
development of the pathology of banality, of adaptation," says Dr.
Beckmann.
In terms of
"mental" disorders, the manifestation relates to the options
contained in the conflict. In depression, the person waits for the solution to
the internal conflict to come from outside, "doing nothing, staying there,
waiting." In neuroses, such as obsessive-compulsive or anxiety disorders,
the nature of the dilemma is that a solution exists, there are at least two
choices and one of them offers a way out of the internal conflict, but the
person doesn't act on it.
"This is the
definition of neurotic," states Dr. Beckmann. "It is the conflict
with the possibility of a solution, but the person stays in the continuous
dilemma." An example is wanting to separate from a partner that you know
for your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being you need to leave, and you
have the financial and circumstantial wherewithal to do it, but you don't.
In the case of
one woman in this position, for years she thought to herself every day,
"Soon I'll go." Then her husband had a stroke and half of his body
was paralyzed. She could no longer play with the possibility of going, and now
told herself, "I must stay. I now have no choice." The internal
conflict was still there, however. With the continued suppression of her
spirit, organic disease developed. Six months later, she had developed a brain
tumor.
Another of Dr.
Beckmann's patients experienced a trauma that, if her spirit had been
suppressed, would have led to depression, anxiety attacks, or even organic
disease. Instead, something different happened. This woman found out, after 20
years of marriage, that her husband had been cheating on her the whole time and
had had lots of other women. She had thought all those years that she was the
only one. "She was in shock after she found out," says Dr. Beckmann,
"but she did not get ill because, although she loved her husband, she
existed independently of him and had a strong relationship to a higher power.
She did not get ill because her husband was not her life's source and as a
result she did not experience the situation as an extreme conflict." Her
spirit was not suppressed, so she could find her way out of a potential dilemma
by not defining it as a dilemma at all.
"When
organic disease occurs, there is always an old conflict that brought the person
in the past into the pathology of suppression and adaptation. The spirit is, in
this case, asleep," which is the means of managing the conflict, explains
Dr. Beckmann. "When a new, extreme conflict arises, organic disease is the
next step in managing it. The adapted person has no other resources for
handling the conflict." By contrast, in neuroses and psychoses, the spirit
or the imaginary is less suppressed and the inner conflict finds an outlet
through the mind.
In the case of
schizophrenia, taking leave of one's mind is perceived as the only means of
escape from the conflict, an eventuality mentioned by Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman in
the previous chapter. Dr. Beckmann tells of a Russian woman who was brought to
Spain by a man upon whom she was completely dependent (her pattern was
dependence). He came home drunk every night and beat her. She could not go back
to Russia and she could not stay where she was. "This was a conflict that
could only be solved through her mind. The only way to solve it was to go
crazy," Dr. Beckman explains. In psychosis, the imaginary has not been
completely suppressed and is strong enough to provide an outlet through the
mind. "The psyche finds the solution in the nonreality," says Dr.
Beckmann.
In neurosis, the
ongoing conflict from which the person fails to extricate herself interferes
with the individual living to her full potential, to the fullest life of her
spirit. In psychosis, the disorder in the psyche has the same effect. Dr.
Beckmann notes that the antipsychotic drugs used to "treat"
schizophrenia and other psychoses suppress the imaginary, which further
restricts the spirit and opens the way to the development of organic disease,
compounding the already significant problem of schizophrenia.
On the physical
level, the effects of psychosis go beyond disturbed biochemistry, says Dr.
Beckmann, citing the work of his mentor, German researcher and physician Ryke
Geerd Hamer, M.D., who studied the link between traumatic events (which include
the onset of an inner conflict) and the development of illness. The
contradiction or conflict actually creates blockages in the brain, with
different kinds of conflict affecting different areas in the brain.
Normally, if
there is a problem in one hemisphere of the brain, the other hemisphere can
compensate. With schizophrenia, however, there is blockage in both hemispheres
and in different places. The sites of blockage determine the kind of
schizophrenia that manifests. For example, catatonic schizophrenia has
blockages in different locations from those of paranoid schizophrenia.
Resources
Dr. Hamer's work is
widely known in Europe. If you read German, an Internet search on his name will
give you many choices for learning more about his pioneering approach to
medicine. Some English translations are available; contact Quintessenz, Box
39510, 374 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga, Ontario, L5G 4S6 Canada; tel/fax:
905-271-8047.
Psychosomatic
Treatment
Unlike
psychoanalysis, psychosomatic medicine often produces fast results. By homing
in on the internal conflict behind the illness, the issue can often be resolved
in one or two sessions. While there may be childhood conflicts that relate to
the most recent catalyzing conflict, it is not necessary to uncover all of
those in order to release the mind from the schizophrenia crisis. The tendency
to become ill in this way remains, however, says Dr. Beckmann. "The
patient just learns to handle the basic conflict and avoid schizophrenic life
situations."
After recognizing
the conflict, it may take the person some time to act on a solution, but
identifying it can do a lot to ease the mind. Some people choose to continue
psychosomatic analysis in order to explore deeper psychological and spiritual
issues, but the initial problem can often find quick resolution.
In the case of
schizophrenia, it might take longer to remove or resolve one side of the
conflictual equation in order to provide the mind with an escape route aside
from madness. In some instances, however, the solution is relatively simple, as
occurred with Madeleine, once the truth was uncovered.
Madeleine:
Resolving a Psychic Dilemma
Madeleine, 32, was
diagnosed with schizophrenia a year and a half before she came to Dr. Beckmann.
Her breakdown was severe enough to require a stay in a psychiatric hospital,
where she was put on heavy antipsychotics. After she was discharged, she was
under the care of a psychiatrist. For the next year, she took the drugs he
prescribed, but she was so disturbed by how they made her feel that she finally
stopped taking them.
Not long after,
her husband observed that her symptoms were starting up again, that she was
imagining things and losing touch with reality. She didn't think she was in as
bad a shape as he thought she was, but he was afraid she was headed for another
breakdown and wanted her to get help. As Madeleine didn't want to go back on
the medication, she went to Dr. Beckmann.
To begin the
search for the conflict, he asked Madeleine what was going on in her life in
the period just before her breakdown. Madeleine talked of a problem she had
been having at the little butcher shop she ran. She rented the space and her
landlord and his family lived above the store. She began to notice signs of
someone having been in her shop after hours. When she would come in at the
start of her work day, things would not be exactly where she had left them and
it would be clear that someone had gone through her papers. It happened
numerous times and she suspected that someone in the landlord's family was
looking for money. As she never left money there, she lost nothing, but she
didn't like someone being in her shop when she wasn't there. (You might say
that this is typical of the onset of paranoia, but the resolution of her
illness showed that her illness actually started later.)
She was afraid to
talk to the landlord and didn't want to bother her husband with this problem.
She ran the shop by herself, and he had his own work to contend with. So this
was a conflict from which she saw no escape. Her schizophrenia provided an
escape, however, in that she could not work and had to close her business. But
ending the conflict had not resolved her illness.
"I knew
there was another problem," Dr. Beckmann said, but Madeleine couldn't
recall any other conflict in her life at the time. After he asked her to think
again about what had happened before her first breakdown, she suddenly remembered
something else. "Oh, yes, I went to a psychic," she said. At that,
she began to cry.
She had consulted
a psychic in the hopes of getting some guidance as to what to do about the
situation. She had consulted psychics before and had great faith in them. She
told the psychic, "I've come because of my work. If you see anything bad
about my life, please don't tell me."
The psychic
irresponsibly disregarded this request. The first thing she said was, "I
see your husband dead," and she added that it would happen soon. Madeleine
was shocked by this revelation. Her husband, who was an aggressive man, was her
protector. He was the one who would return her sense of security at the store
if she asked him to deal with her problem. She hadn't called upon him to do so,
but she always knew that he was there and would protect her. She depended on
him.
As she firmly
believed in psychics, she did not question the prediction. "When she heard
that he was going to die, it was at that exact moment that the schizophrenic
conflict began," says Dr. Beckmann. There was no escaping his death, and
she felt she couldn't live without him. The problems at the shop were secondary
to losing her husband. From that moment on, she began to have auditory
hallucinations, which escalated to the point of complete delirium, and she had
to be hospitalized.
After Madeleine
told Dr. Beckmann about the psychic, he pointed out that it had been a year and
a half since the prediction and her husband was not dead. He asked if her
husband was ill. Madeleine replied that he was not, but that she lived in fear
of him having a fatal accident. "You could see her fear," recalls Dr.
Beckmann, "and all of this because a psychic said her husband would die
soon."
Dr. Beckmann
tried the tactic then of talking about what a psychic is and how clairvoyants
have existed throughout history, but that didn't signify that they are all-wise
and all-knowing. "I was explaining this to the woman when a look of
amazement appeared on her face, and she said, `There is something I'm not
telling you.
She had suddenly
remembered that a month after her session with the psychic, she had gone with
her husband and a friend who worked for a film crew to a set for a Western they
were filming. They had put her husband in the movie as a cowboy extra. In the
scene, her husband was in the town saloon when another cowboy came in and shot
him dead.
The conflict was
resolved. Her husband was indeed "dead," as the psychic had
predicted. Madeleine no longer had to live in fear. "From that moment on,
she had no schizophrenia," says Dr. Beckmann. The symptoms that had begun
again when she went off the drugs disappeared and there was no need to go back
on medication. Now, five years later, Madeleine is secretary and receptionist
for a small company and is still free of psychiatric symptoms and medication.
In the interim,
she worked on her belief that she can't live without her husband protector. The
existence of that belief indicated that spirit was excluded in her life,
despite her belief in psychic readers, Dr. Beckmann explains. "Without
spirit, without independence and consciousness of the self, you cannot heal
fully. We must make the connection between body, mind, and spirit. If you don't
bring in the spirit, you don't have healing."
9
The Shamanic View
of Mental illness
As discussed in
chapter 5, interferences that manifest as schizophrenia can occur on any of the
Five Levels of Healing. Earlier chapters focused on the physical and
electromagnetic levels and the application of biochemical and energy medicine,
among other modalities. In the previous chapter, Dr. Beckmann's work in
psychosomatic medicine centered on interferences at the mental level and the
importance of the spirit in psychological well-being.
This chapter
addresses disturbances that arise on the fourth level of healing, the Intuitive
Level. This is the psychic dimension, where forces outside of oneself can
affect one's well-being. Shamanic or psychic healing is the intervention that
operates at this level to remove or reconcile the foreign energies that are
creating disturbance and manifesting as schizophrenia.
By addressing the
foreign energy, shamanic healing helps to bring body, mind, and spirit back
into alignment. As with other energy-based medicine, the goal is the same: the
clearing of negative influences and blockages, and the restoration of balance,
wholeness, and connectedness.
In addition to
its useful analysis of energetic issues, shamanic tradition offers a view of
mental disorders that is sorely lacking in the Western world and that holds the
key to a whole other way of healing. Disregard of this view has led to
treatment based on suppression of symptoms, rather than therapeutic methods
that bring the body, mind, and spirit back together. In the shamanic view,
mental illness signals "the birth of a healer," explains Malidoma
Patrice Some, Ph.D., an internationally celebrated African shaman, diviner, and
teacher. Thus, mental disorders are spiritual emergencies, spiritual crises,
and need to be regarded as such to aid the healer in being born.
What Is Shamanic Healing?
Shamanism is
"perhaps the oldest form of practical spirituality in the world,
originating in the time of Ice Age people, going back as far as 35,000 B.C.
""" It is also practiced virtually everywhere in the world. A
shaman is someone who has gone through advanced initiation into the
"hidden" realm. The shaman uses the knowledge gained from the other
realm for healing and the good of the community. Shamanic healing is psychic
healing, but the term delineates, in particular, indigenous healing that is
rooted in traditional ritual.
Shamanic traditions
around the globe subscribe to this view and the West could benefit greatly from
absorbing its wisdom. As psychologist and anthropologist Holger Kalweit writes,
"If we were able to understand sickness and suffering as processes of
physical and psychic transformation, as do Asian peoples and tribal cultures,
we would gain a deeper and less biased view of psychosomatic and
psychospiritual processes and begin to realize the many opportunities presented
by suffering....""`
What a Shaman Sees
in a Mental Hospital
Dr. Some is a
member of the Dagara tribe, which is from an area situated at the intersection
of Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) in western
Africa. Dr. Some left his homeland to study in Europe and the United States and
holds three master's degrees and two doctorates from the Sorbonne and Brandeis
University. He has authored two books, Ritual: Power, Healing, and Community and
Of Water and the Spirit.
The latter is his
moving autobiography, which tells of his kidnap at the age of four by Jesuit
missionaries who kept him prisoner and trained him as a missionary until at 20
he managed to escape. After an arduous trip back to his village, he underwent
an initiation that restored him to his people and opened the way to his
shamanic practice. Now dedicated to bringing the healing wisdom of the Dagara
tribe to the West, he conducts workshops and classes around the world, while still
maintaining a close connection with his village in Burkina Faso.
What those in the
West view as mental illness, the Dagara people regard as "good news from
the other world." The person going through the crisis has been chosen as a
medium for a message to the community that needs to he communicated from the
spirit realm. "Mental disorder, behavioral disorder of all kinds, signal
the fact that two obviously incompatible energies have merged into the same
field," says I)r. Some. These disturbances result when the person does not
get assistance in dealing with the presence of the energy from the spirit
realm.
One of the things
Dr. Some encountered when he first came to the United States in 1980 for
graduate study was how this country deals with mental illness. When a fellow
student was sent to a mental institute due to "nervous depression,"
Dr. Some went to visit him.
"I was so
shocked. That was the first time I was brought face to face with what is done
here to people exhibiting the same symptoms I've seen in my village." What
struck Dr. Some was that the attention given to such symptoms was based on
pathology, on the idea that the condition is something that needs to stop. This
was in complete opposition to the way his culture views such a situation. As he
looked around the stark ward at the patients, some in straitjackets, some zoned
out on medications, others screaming, he observed to himself, "So this is
how the healers who are attempting to be born are treated in this culture. What
a loss! What a loss that a person who is finally being aligned with a power
from the other world is just being wasted."
Another way to
say this, which may make more sense to the Western mind, is that we in the West
are not trained in how to deal with or even taught to acknowledge the existence
of psychic phenomena, the spiritual world. In fact, psychic abilities are
denigrated. When energies from the spiritual world emerge in a Western psyche,
that individual is completely unequipped to integrate them or even recognize what
is happening. The result can be terrifying. Without the proper context for and
assistance in dealing with the breakthrough from another level of reality, for
all practical purposes, the person is insane. Heavy dosing with antipsychotic
drugs compounds the problem and prevents the integration that could lead to
soul development and growth in the individual who has received these energies.
We in the West are not trained in how to
deal with or even taught to acknowledge the existence of psychic phenomena, the
spiritual world. When energies from the spiritual world emerge in a Western
psyche, that individual is completely unequipped to integrate them or even
recognize what is happening. The result can be terrifying. Without the proper
context for and assistance in dealing with the breakthrough from another level
of reality, for all practical purposes, the person is insane.
On the mental ward,
Dr. Some saw a lot of "beings" hanging around the patients,
"entities" that are invisible to most people but that shamans and
some psychics are able to see. "They were causing the crisis in these
people," he says. It appeared to him that these beings were trying to get
the medications and their effects out of the bodies of the people the beings
were trying to merge with, and were increasing the patients' pain in the
process. "The beings were acting almost like some kind of excavator in the
energy field of the people. They were really fierce about that. The people they
were doing that to were just screaming and yelling," he said. He couldn't
stay in that environment and had to leave.
In the Dagara
tradition, the community helps the person reconcile the energies of both
worlds-"the world of the spirit that he or she is merged with, and the
village and community." That person is able then to serve as a bridge
between the worlds and help the living with information and healing they need.
Thus, the spiritual crisis ends with the birth of another healer. "The
other world's relationship with our world is one of sponsorship," Dr. Some
explains. "More often than not, the knowledge and skills that arise from
this kind of merger are a knowledge or a skill that is provided directly from
the other world."
In Their Own Words
"My illness is
a journey of fear ... Sometimes / feel I can't stand it any longer. It hurts
too much.... It seems, at these times, when I reach bottom, that I'm given a
message and I feel mystical, spiritual, and like a prophet who must tell anyone
that there's really nothing to fear.... I somehow feel better for being the
courier. "2-16
-An artist, 37,
diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia
The beings who were
increasing the pain of the inmates on the mental hospital ward were actually
attempting to merge with the inmates in order to get messages through to this
world. The people they had chosen to merge with were getting no assistance in
learning how to be a bridge between the worlds and the beings' attempts to
merge were thwarted. The result was the sustaining of the initial disorder of
energy and the aborting of the birth of a healer.
"The Western
culture has consistently ignored the birth of the healer," states Dr.
Some. "Consequently, there will be a tendency from the other world to keep
trying as many people as possible in an attempt to get somebody's attention.
They have to try harder." The spirits are drawn to people whose senses
have not been anesthetized. "The sensitivity is pretty much read as an
invitation to come in," he notes.
Those who develop
so-called mental disorders are those who are sensitive, which is viewed in
Western culture as oversensitivity. Indigenous cultures don't see it that way
and, as a result, sensitive people don't experience themselves as overly
sensitive. In the West, "it is the overload of the culture they're in that
is just wrecking them," observes Dr. Some. The frenetic pace, the
bombardment of the senses, and the violent energy that characterize Western
culture can overwhelm sensitive people.
The Science of the
Energy Field
The foreign energy
addressed in shamanic healing enters the energy field that surrounds the body,
which is also called the aura. While, unlike shamans, laypeople cannot
typically see their aura, they receive evidence of its existence all the time.
Have you ever "felt your skin crawl" when you met someone new? Have
you ever suddenly and for no apparent reason felt drained or depressed when you
walked into a room of people? These reactions are the result of discordant
foreign energies entering your energy field, or aura, where they are not a good
match with your energy and consequently produce a sense of unease or
discomfort. These foreign energies can be beings from the spirit realm or
energies in your environment.
Energy influences
may not be transitory. The energy field around your body is subtle and fragile
and can actually be damaged, which renders it more permeable to foreign
energies and more likely that they will remain. Among the events or practices
that can damage or pollute the aura are emotional or physical trauma, psychic
or verbal abuse, other people's negative or bad thoughts about you, and
substance abuse. To help in understanding energy and the aura, think of the
aura as an opaque cloud that surrounds the body and the foreign energies as
dust and dirt that collect in the cloud. The more foreign energies the person
is exposed to, the more dusty and dirty the cloud becomes, the more clogged the
energy field or aura. With too much buildup of dust and dirt, energy flow is
compromised and the person's health begins to suffer.
Physicians and
psychics alike have noted that the energy field can be occupied by energies
that produce mental, emotional, and physical symptoms and, if allowed to
remain, can lead to dis- ease.2'' Psychiatrist Shakuntala Modi, M.D., of
Wheeling, West Virginia, has been researching energy field disturbances for
more than 15 years. She has identified a range of physical and psychological
symptoms and conditions that result from such disturbances, including
schizophrenia, panic disorders, depression, headaches, allergies, uterine
disorders, weight gain, and stammering. Further, under clinical hypnotherapy,
77 out of 100 patients cited foreign "beings" in their aura as
responsible for the symptoms or condition for which they were pursuing
treatment.
Dr. Modi's
research revealed that these beings are "the most common cause of
depression" and "the single leading cause of psychiatric problems in
general."="' Dr. Modi also found that after removing the foreign
energies from the patient's energy field using hypnotherapy, the patient's
symptoms "often cleared up immediately. "239
The concept of
energy disturbances in a person's energy field causing a variety of physical
and psychological problems is gaining greater recognition and acceptance in the
healing professions and among the public at large. A simple way to look at the
issue of "energy pollution" is that, like the environment and your
body, your energy field is subject to toxic buildup (the dust and dirt analogy)
and requires cleansing to restore it to health. Just as we take measures to
clean up our planet and engage in various body detoxification methods such as
fasts or colonics, we need to take steps to clear the toxins from our auras.
Shamanic healing
is a method for cleansing your energy field of the toxins that are interfering
with your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Or in the case of a spirit
being trying to merge with you for healing purposes, shamanic practice brings
your energy and that of the spirit being into alignment, thus resolving the
symptoms resulting from discordant energy and realizing the potential for
individual growth.
Schizophrenia and
Foreign Energy
With schizophrenia,
there is a special "receptivity to a flow of images and information, which
cannot be controlled," states Dr. Some. "When this kind of rush
occurs at a time that is not personally chosen, and particularly when it comes
with images that are scary and contradictory, the person goes into a
frenzy."
What is required
in this situation is first to separate the person's energy from the extraneous
foreign energies, by using shamanic practice (what is known as a
"sweep") to clear the latter out of the individual's aura. With the
clearing of their energy field, the person no longer picks up a flood of
information and so no longer has a reason to be scared and disturbed, explains
Dr. Some.
Then it is
possible to help the person align with the energy of the spirit being
attempting to come through from the other world and give birth to the healer.
The blockage of that emergence is what creates problems. "The energy of
the healer is a high-voltage energy," he observes. "When it is
blocked, it just burns up the person. It's like a short-circuit. Fuses are
blowing. This is why it can be really scary, and I understand why this culture
prefers to confine these people. Here they are yelling and screaming, and
they're put into a straitjacket. That's a sad image." Again, the shamanic
approach is to work on aligning the energies so there is no blockage,
"fuses" aren't blowing, and the person can become the healer they are
meant to be.
It needs to be
noted at this point, however, that not all of the spirit beings that enter a
person's energetic field are there for the purposes of promoting healing. There
are negative energies as well, which are undesirable presences in the aura. In
those cases, the shamanic approach is to remove them from the aura, rather than
work to align the discordant energies.
Alex: Crazy in the
USA, Healer in Africa
To test his belief
that the shamanic view of mental illness holds true in the Western world as
well as in indigenous cultures, Dr. Some took a mental patient back to Africa
with him, to his village. "I was prompted by my own curiosity to find out
whether there's truth in the universality that mental illness could be connected
with an alignment with a being from another world," says Dr. Some.
Alex was an
18-year-old American who had suffered a psychotic break when he was 14. He had
hallucinations, was suicidal, and went through cycles of dangerously severe
depression. He was in a mental hospital and had been given a lot of drugs, but
nothing was helping. "The parents had done
everything-unsuccessfully," says Dr. Some. "They didn't know what
else to do."
With their
permission, Dr. Some took their son to Africa. "After eight months there,
Alex had become quite normal, Dr. Some reports. He was even able to participate
with healers in the business of healing; sitting with them all day long and
helping them, assisting them in what they were doing with their clients.... He
spent about four years in my village." Alex stayed by choice, not because
he needed more healing. He felt "much safer in the village than in
America."
To bring his
energy and that of the being from the spiritual realm into alignment, Alex went
through a shamanic ritual designed for that purpose, although it was slightly
different from the one used with the Dagara people. "He wasn't born in the
village, so something else applied. But the result was similar, even though the
ritual was not literally the same," explains Dr. Some. The fact that
aligning the energy worked to heal Alex demonstrated to Dr. Some that the
connection between other beings and mental illness is indeed universal.
After the ritual,
Alex began to share the messages that the spirit being had for this world.
Unfortunately, the people he was talking to didn't speak English (Dr. Some was
away at that point). The whole experience led, however, to Alex's going to
college to study psychology. He returned to the United States after four years
because "he discovered that all the things that he needed to do had been
done, and he could then move on with his life."
The last that Dr.
Some heard was that Alex was in graduate school in psychology at Harvard. No
one had thought he would ever be able to complete undergraduate studies, much
less get an advanced degree.
Dr. Some sums up
what Alex's mental illness was all about: "He was reaching out. It was an
emergency call. His job and his purpose was to be a healer. He said no one was
paying attention to that."
After seeing how
well the shamanic approach worked for Alex, Dr. Some concluded that spirit
beings are just as much an issue in the West as in his community in Africa.
"Yet the question still remains, the answer to this problem must be found
here, instead of having to go all the way overseas to seek the answer. There
has to be a way in which a little bit of attention beyond the pathology of this
whole experience leads to the possibility of coming up with the proper ritual
to help people."
Longing for Spiritual
Connection
A common thread
that Dr. Some has noticed in "mental" disorders in the West is
"a very ancient ancestral energy that has been placed in stasis, that
finally is coming out in the person." His job then is to trace it back, to
go back in time to discover what that spirit is. In most cases, the spirit is
connected to nature, especially with mountains or big rivers, he says.
In the case of
mountains, as an example to explain the phenomenon, "it's a spirit of the
mountain that is walking side by side with the person and, as a result,
creating a time-space distortion that is affecting the person caught in
it." What is needed is a merger or alignment of the two energies, "so
the person and the mountain spirit become one." Again, the shaman conducts
a specific ritual to bring about this alignment.
Dr. Some believes
that he encounters this situation so often in the United States because
"most of the fabric of this country is made up of the energy of the
machine, and the result of that is the disconnection and the severing of the
past. You can run from the past, but you can't hide from it." The
ancestral spirit of the natural world comes visiting. "It's not so much
what the spirit wants as it is what the person wants," he says. "The
spirit sees in us a call for something grand, something that will make life
meaningful, and so the spirit is responding to that."
That call, which
we don't even know we are making, reflects "a strong longing for a
profound connection, a connection that transcends materialism and possession of
things and moves into a tangible cosmic dimension. Most of this longing is
unconscious, but for spirits, conscious or unconscious doesn't make any
difference." They respond to either.
As part of the
ritual to merge the mountain and human energy, those who are receiving the
"mountain energy" are sent to a mountain area of their choice, where
they pick up a stone that calls to them. They bring that stone back for the
rest of the ritual and then keep it as a companion; some even carry it around
with them. "The presence of the stone does a lot in tuning the perceptive
ability of the person," notes Dr. Some. "They receive all kinds of
information that they can make use of, so it's like they get some tangible
guidance from the other world as to how to live their life."
When it is the
"river energy," those being called go to the river and, after
speaking to the river spirit, find a water stone to bring back for the same
kind of ritual as with the mountain spirit.
"People
think something extraordinary must be done in an extraordinary situation like
this," he says. That's not usually the case. Sometimes it is as simple as
carrying a stone.
A Sacred Ritual
Approach to Mental Illness
One of the gifts a
shaman can bring to the Western world is to help people rediscover ritual,
which is so sadly lacking. "The abandonment of ritual can be devastating.
From the spiritual viewpoint, ritual is inevitable and necessary if one is to
live," Dr. Some writes in Ritual: Power, Healing, and Community. "To
say that ritual is needed in the industrialized world is an understatement. We
have seen in my own people that it is probably impossible to live a sane life
without it."'
Dr. Some did not
feel that the rituals from his traditional village could simply be transferred
to the West, so over his years of shamanic work here, he has designed rituals
that meet the very different needs of this culture. Although the rituals change
according to the individual or the group involved, he finds that there is a
need for certain rituals in general.
One of these
involves helping people discover that their distress is coming from the fact
that they are "called by beings from the other world to cooperate with
them in doing healing work." Ritual allows them to move out of the distress
and accept that calling.
Another ritual
need relates to initiation. In indigenous cultures all over the world, young
people are initiated into adulthood when they reach a certain age. The lack of
such initiation in the West is part of the crisis that people are in here, says
Dr. Some. He urges communities to bring together "the creative juices of
people who have had this kind of experience, in an attempt to come up with some
kind of an alternative ritual that would at least begin to put a dent in this kind
of crisis."
Another ritual
that repeatedly speaks to the needs of those coming to him for help entails
making a bonfire, and then putting into the bonfire "items that are
symbolic of issues carried inside the individuals.... It might be the issues of
anger and frustration against an ancestor who has left a legacy of murder and
enslavement or anything, things that the descendant has to live with," he
explains. "If these are approached as things that are blocking the human
imagination, the person's life purpose, and even the person's view of life as
something that can improve, then it makes sense to begin thinking in terms of
how to turn that blockage into a roadway that can lead to something more
creative and more fulfilling."
The example of
issues with an ancestor touches on rituals designed by Dr. Some that address a
serious dysfunction in Western society and in the process "trigger
enlightenment" in participants. These are ancestral rituals, and the
dysfunction they are aimed at is the mass turning-of-the-back on ancestors.
Some of the spirits trying to come through, as described earlier, may be
"ancestors who want to merge with a descendant in an attempt to heal what
they weren't able to do while in their physical body."
"Unless the
relationship between the living and the dead is in balance, chaos ensues,"
he says. "The Dagara believe that, if such an imbalance exists, it is the
duty of the living to heal their ancestors. If these ancestors are not healed,
their sick energy will haunt the souls and psyches of those who are responsible
for helping them."24' The rituals focus on healing the relationship with
our ancestors, both specific issues of an individual ancestor and the larger
cultural issues contained in our past. Dr. Some has seen extraordinary healing
occur at these rituals.
Taking a sacred
ritual approach to mental illness rather than regarding the person as a
pathological case gives the person affected-and indeed the community at
large-the opportunity to begin looking at it from that vantage point too, which
leads to "a whole plethora of opportunities and ritual initiative that can
be very, very beneficial to everyone present," states Dr. Some.
A f terword
The Natural
Medicine Guide to Schizophrenia places the syndrome known as schizophrenia
(which, remember, is not a distinct disease) in the context in which it
properly belongs: as a condition that has no single cause but can be brought
about by a wide array of factors, from biochemical imbalances to allergies to
energy disturbances to psychospiritual interferences, often acting in
combination. To approach the treatment of schizophrenia from this context makes
recovery a possibility, rather than an improbability.
Understanding
illness in the natural medicine model means putting together all the
pieces-physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual-that are contributing
to the illness in a particular person. Inherent to the natural medicine
approach is the knowledge that body, mind, and spirit are wholly interrelated,
such that an imbalance or interference in one affects the others and can
produce symptoms in all three areas. For treatment to be effective, it must
treat the whole person.
Approaching the
treatment of schizophrenia as a matter of putting together the pieces,
identifying all of the underlying imbalances and systematically addressing
them, can help dispel some of the pain, confusion, fear, and despair raised by
receiving such a serious diagnosis as schizophrenia. With steps to take to
reduce the environmental stressors-the body, mind, and spirit factors-that
contribute to the disorder, people with schizophrenia and their families have
active options, in contrast to the passive acceptance of the widely touted view
that drugs are the only course available. This book makes it clear that there
are many other courses to take and much more positive prognoses.
Treating the
whole person and working to restore health on all levels offers the possibility
of ameliorating or even reversing the symptoms of schizophrenia. The goal of
this approach is not maintenance, but restoring health in body, mind, and
spirit and in so doing returning the individual to full participation in life.
Natural medicine
therapies offer a future in which the monikers of fear-the "S" word
and "cancer of the mind"-lose their relevance and become relics of
the past as schizophrenia becomes known as a treatable condition.
May the
information in this book enable those with schizophrenia to leave the
debilitating aspects of their illness behind and live to their greatest
potential.
Appendix A
Dr. Beckmann is a
general practitioner and master of psychosomatic medicine (a European degree
and medical specialty). His private practice in Palma de Mallorca, Spain,
integrates biological medicine, a psychological approach to illness, and
body-work therapy.
Dr. Garcia
practices holistic dentistry and holistic healing with a primary modality of
cranial osteopathic diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Klinghardt
specializes in Neural Therapy, Applied Psychoneurobiology, and Family Systems
Therapy to address energy disturbances and the transgenerational energy
legacies at the root of illness.
A doctor of orthomolecular
medicine, Dr. Lesser has 40 years of experience in treating schizophrenia and
other disorders with the orthomolecular approach. He is the author of Nutrition
and Vitamin Therapy and The Brain Chemistry Diet.
The Pain Clinic
treats various allergy and pain disorders using NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy
Elimination Techniques), acupuncture, and chiropractic. The Allergy Research
Foundation is a nonprofit organization devoted to conducting clinical trials
and studies on NAET and educating the public and professionals alike. Dr.
Nambudripad is the author of numerous books, including Say Goodbye to Illness.
In practice with
her husband, Robert Ullman, Dr. ReichenbergUllman is a licensed naturopathic
physician board certified in homeopathy. She has been practicing for 18 years
and is the author/coauthor of six books on homeopathic medicine, including
Prozac Free, Ritalin-Free Kids, and Whole Woman Homeopathy.
Dr. Riordan,
author of Medical Mavericks, Volumes I and II, has practiced
"individualized medicine" for over 40 years. He is president of the
Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning International, a nonprofit
medical, research, and educational organization, which includes the Olive
Garvey Center for Healing Arts. Evaluation and treatment focuses on discovering
and correcting the underlying biochemical causes of illness.
Dr. Some is an
African shaman, diviner, and teacher who brings the healing wisdom of the
Dagara tribe to the West.
Dr. Walsh is the
chief scientist/biochemical researcher at HRIPTC, a nonprofit organization
based in Illinois, with services in Minnesota, Maryland, Arizona, and
California. A collaboration between medical doctors, biochemists, and
nutritionists, the outpatient clinic offers individualized nutrient therapy for
schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, ADD, depression, and other conditions.
Organizations
Endnotes
Introduction
1. C. J. L. Murray,
and A. D. Lopez, eds., Summary: The Global Burden of Disease: A Comprehensive Assessment
of Mortality and Disability from Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors in 1990
and Projected to 2020 (Cambridge: Harvard School of Public Health on Behalf of
the World Health Organization and the World Bank, Harvard University Press,
1996). Available on the Internet at:
http://www.who.int/msa/mnh/ems/dalys/intro.htm. Cited in U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, "Mental health: A Report of the Surgeon
General, Executive Summary" (Rockville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
Center for Mental Health Services, National Institutes of Health, National
Institute of Mental Health, 1999): ix.
2. C. J. L.
Murray, and A. D. Lopez, eds., Summary: The Global Burden of Disease: A
Comprehensive Assessment of Mortality and Disability from Diseases, Injuries,
and Risk Factors in 1990 and Projected to 2020 (Cambridge: Harvard School of
Public Health on Behalf of the World Health Organization and the World Bank,
Harvard University Press, 1996). Available on the Internet at:
http://www.who.int/msa/mnh/ems/dalys/intro.htm.
3. R. C. Kessler,
et al., "A methodology for estimating the 12month prevalence of serious
mental illness," in: R. W. Manderscheid and M. J. Henderson, eds., Mental
Health, United States, 1999 (Rockville, Md.: Center for Mental Health Services,
1998): 99-109.
4. Center for
Mental Health Services, Survey of Mental Health Organizations and General
Mental Health Services (Rockville, Md.: Center for Mental Health Services,
1998).
5. Elizabeth
Carla Jacobs, M.D., and Beth Howard, eds., L.P.S., `A New Vision for Mental
Health Treatment Laws: A Report by the LPS Reform Task Force," published
by the LPS Reform Task Force, Long Beach, California (March 1999): 32-3. The
L.P.S. is the Lanterman Pettis Short Act, passed in 1967, which closed the
doors of many mental hospitals and drastically reduced the staff in many
others.
6. The numbers
are likely higher today. This was the estimated cost in 1990, the most recent
year for which estimates are available, according to "Mental Health: A
Report of the U.S. Surgeon General" (1999); available on the Internet at
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter6/sec2.
html#figure6_3. D. P. Rice and L. S. Miller, "The economic burden of
schizophrenia: conceptual and methodological issues, and cost estimates,"
in M. Moscarelli, A. Rupp, and N. Sartorious, eds., Handbook of Mental Health
Economics and Health Policy: Schizophrenia, Vol. 1 (New York: John Wiley and
Sons, 1996): 321-4.
7. The full text
of the letter is available on the Internet at:
http://www.connix.com/-narpa/mosher.htm.
1: What Is
Schizophrenia, and Who Suffers from It?
8. NIMH,
"Schizophrenia," National Institute of Mental Health (NIH Publication
No. 99-3517); available on the Internet at:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/schizoph.cfm. Irving I. Gottes- man,
Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W. H. Freeman and
Company, 1991): xi.
9. Taber's
Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 17th ed. (Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company,
1993): 1759.
10. Irving I.
Gottesman, Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W. H.
Freeman and Company, 1991): 8.
11. Richard S. E.
Keefe and Philip D. Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New Research
on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 1994): 10.
12. Sources for
statistics: American Psychiatric Association, DSMIV-TR (Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual ofMental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision) (Washington:
American Psychiatric Association, 2000): 304, 307-8. Masks of Madness: Science
of Healing, a film written, produced, and directed by Connie Bortnick, produced
in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue,
Toronto, Ontario M2N 1 E9 Canada (Sisyphus Communications, Ltd., 1998). NAMI,
"Untreated Mental Illness: A Needless Human Tragedy," Omnibus Mental
Illness Recovery Act (OMIRA) Brochure, published by NAMI (National Alliance for
the Mentally Ill), available at their website: www.nami.org. NARSAD,
"Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide for People with Schizophrenia and
Their Families," 1996, NARSAD (National Alliance for Research on
Schizophrenia and Depression), 60 Cutter Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11021; (800)
829-8289 or (516) 8290091; website: http://www.mhsource.com/narsad.html. NIMH,
"Schizophrenia," National Institute of Mental Health (NIH Publication
No. 99-3517); available on the Internet at: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publi-
cat/schizoph.cfm. E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for
Families, Consumers, and Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 215.
13. Autobiography
of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of `Renee" (New York:
Meridian/Penguin, 1994): 26.
14. Ibid., 98.
15. DSM-IV-TR
304.
16. Abram Hoffer,
M.D., Ph.D., and Humphry Osmond, M.R.C.S., D.P.M., How to Live with
Schizophrenia (New York: Citadel Press/Carol Publishing, 1992): 27.
17. DSM-IV-TR
301.
18. E. Fuller
Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and
Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 39, 40.
19. David A.
Kahn, M.D., et al., "Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients
and Families," A Postgraduate Medicine Special Report, April 2000;
available from NDMDA (National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association),
tel: 800826-3632, website: www.ndmda.org; or NAMI (National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill), tel: 800-950-6264, website: www.nami.org.
20. DSM-IV-TR
304.
21. DSM-IV-TR 312
22. Abram Hoffer,
M.D., Ph.D., and Humphry Osmond, M.R.C.S., D.P.M., How to Live with
Schizophrenia (New York: Citadel Press/Carol Publishing, 1992): 27.
23. DSM-IV-TR
313.
24. DSM-IV-TR
314.
25. From the film
Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by Connie
Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenic Foundation,
16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N I E9 Canada (Sisyphus Communications,
Ltd., 1998).
26. Francis Mark
Mondimore, M.D., Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families
(Baltimore, Md.: John Hopkins University Press, 1999): 51.
27. Richard S. E.
Keefe and Philip D. Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New
Research on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster,
1994): 61.
28. Irving I.
Gottesman, Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W. H.
Freeman and Company, 1991): 80-81. E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., Surviving
Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and Providers (New York:
HarperPerennial, 1995): 12-13.
29. E. Fuller
Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and
Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 14-15.
30. DSM-IV-TR
307.
31. Peter R.
Breggin, M.D., and David Cohen, Ph.D., Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How and
Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications (Reading, Mass.: Perseus Books,
1999): 41.
32. Torrey,
Surviving Schizophrenia, 7-8.
33. Richard S. E.
Keefe and Philip D. Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New
Research on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster,
1994): 54.
34. DSM-IV-TR
308.
35. NIMH,
"Schizophrenia," National Institute of Mental Health (NIH Publication
No. 99-3517); available on the Internet at:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/schizoph.cfm.
36. Keefe and
Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia, 47.
37. DSM-IV-TR
304.
38. NARSAD,
"Fact Sheet: The Warning Signs of Suicide," NARSAD (National Alliance
for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression), 60 Cutter Mill Road, Suite 404,
Great Neck, NY 11021; tel: (516) 829-0091; fax: (516) 487-6930; website:
www.narsad.org.
39. DSM-IV-TR
304.
40. Rita Elkins,
Depression and Natural Medicine: A Nutritional Approach to Depression and Mood
Swings (Pleasant Grove, Utah: Woodland Publishing, 1995): 16. Demitri Papolos,
M.D., and Janice Papolos, Overcoming Depression: The Definitive Resource for
Patients and Families Who Live with Depression and Manic-Depression (New York:
HarperPerennial, 1997): 270.
41. DSM-IV-TR
309.
42. E. Fuller
Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and
Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 122.
43. Ibid.
44. Kay Redfield
Jamison, Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic
Temperament (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 1993): 249.
45. E. Fuller
Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and
Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 123.
46. Irving I.
Gottesman, Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W.H.
Freeman and Company, 1991): 9.
47. Demitri
Papolos, M.D., and Janice Papolos, Overcoming Depression: The Definitive
Resource for Patients and Families Who Live with Depression and
Manic-Depression (New York: HarperPerennial, 1997): 32-33.
48. Catherine
Carrigan, Healing Depression: A Holistic Guide (New York: Marlowe and Company,
2000): 75.
49. Irving I.
Gottesman, Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W.H.
Freeman and Company, 1991): 64.
50. E. Fuller
Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and
Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 24.
51. Elizabeth
Carla Jacobs, M.D., and Beth Howard, eds., "A New Vision for Mental
Health' Treatment Laws: A Report by the LPS Reform Task Force," published
by the LPS Reform Task Force, Long Beach, California (March 1999): 32-33.
52. Masks of
Madness: Science of Healing, a film written, produced, and directed by Connie
Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia Foundation,
16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N I E9 Canada (Sisyphus Communications,
Ltd., 1998).
53.
"Untreated Mental Illness: A Needless Human Tragedy," Omnibus Mental
Illness Recovery Act (OMIRA) Brochure, published by NAMI (National Alliance for
the Mentally III), available at their website: www.nami.org.
54. Ron Honberg,
"Weston Case Raises Legal Questions Over Forced Medication,"
available on the NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally III) website at:
http://www.nami.org/legal/990828b.html.
55. Jay
Neugeboren, Imagining Robert: My Brother, Madness, and Survival-A Memoir (New
York: Henry Holt, 1997): 4.
56. Patty Duke
and Gloria Hochman, A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic-Depressive Illness
(New York: Bantam, 1993): 205.
57. Richard S. E.
Keefe and Philip D. Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New
Research on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster,
1994): 108-9.
58. Eva Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders, 3d ed.
(Eugene, Ore.: Borage Books, 2001): 142.
59. Joseph
Glenmullen, M.D., Prozac Backlash (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster,
2000): 16.
60. E. C. Azmitia
and P. M. Whitaker-Azmitia, "Awakening the sleeping giant: anatomy and
plasticity of the brain serotonergic system," Journal of Clinical
Psychiatry 52:12 suppl. (1991): 4-16. Cited in Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., Prozac
Backlash (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 2000): 16.
61. Glenmullen,
Prozac Backlash, 340.
62. Tabers
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63. Edelman,
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64. Russell
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65. Edelman,
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66. Peter R.
Breggin, M.D., and David Cohen, Ph.D., Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How and
Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications (Reading, Mass.: Perseus Books,
1999): 76, 77.
67. NIMH,
"Schizophrenia," National Institute of Mental Health (NIH Publication
No. 99-3517); available on the Internet at:
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68. John F.
Thornton, et al., "Schizophrenia: The Medications," available on the
Internet at: http://www.mentalhealth.com/book/p42-sc3.html#Head_5.
69. Ibid.
70. Peter R.
Breggin, M.D., and David Cohen, Ph.D., Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How and
Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications (Reading, Mass.: Perseus Books,
1999): 78.
71. Personal
communication with Dr. Rimland, 2002. Also cited in Edelman, Natural Healing
for Schizophrenia, 147.
72. M. Jarema and
M. Kuciska, "Practical aspects of drug resistance in schizophrenia,"
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73. "New
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www.world-schizophrenia.org. NIMH, "Schizophrenia," National
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74. "New
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1998); available as Pamphlet 2 of the Publications of the World Fellowship for
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Ontario M4W 2H2, Canada; tel: (416) 961-2855; website:
www.world-schizophrenia.org.
75. C. S. Brown,
et al., "Atypical antipsychotics: Part II: Adverse effects, drug
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Problem: How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications (Reading, Mass.:
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76. G. Remington
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77. J. Geddes, et
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78. "Surge
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79.
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80. Joseph
Glenmullen, M.D., Prozac Backlash (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster,
2000). Peter R. Breggin, M.D., and David Cohen, Ph.D., Your Drug May Be Your
Problem: How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications (Reading, Mass.:
Perseus Books, 1999): 46-47.
81. Peter R.
Breggin, M.D., and David Cohen, Ph.D., Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How and
Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications (Reading, Mass.: Perseus Books,
1999): 82-83.
2: Causes,
Triggers, and Contributors
82. Quoted on the
website of Volunteers in Psychotherapy, in an article entitled "Are Personal
and Emotional Problems Diseases?" available on the Internet at
www.ctvip.org/web2c.html, or contact Richard Shulman, Ph.D., director,
Volunteers In Psychotherapy, Inc., 7 South Main Street, West Hartford, CT
06107; tel: (860) 233-5115.
83. Ibid.
84. Ibid.
85. Joseph
Glenmullen, M.D., Prozac Backlash (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster,
2000): 193.
86. U.S.
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Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
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Health, National Institute of Mental Health, 1999): x.
87. Joseph
Glenmullen, M.D., Prozac Backlash (New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster,
2000): 198.
88. NARSAD,
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89. Irving I.
Gottesman, Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W. H.
Freeman and Company, 1991): 102-103.
90. Richard S. E.
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Research on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster,
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91. Richard
Leviton, The Healthy Living Space (Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton Roads, 2001):
2.
92. Ibid., 3.
93. "Doctors
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95. Sherry A.
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94.
96. John Foster,
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97. Eva Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders, 3d ed.
(Eugene, Ore.: Borage Books, 2001): 93.
98. Dietrich
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99. Morton Walker,
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100. Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia, 93.
101. Syd Baumel,
Dealing with Depression Naturally (Los Angeles: Keats Publishing, 2000): 34.
102. Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia, 96.
103. D. P. Perl
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104. See
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105. Devi S.
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106. Ibid., 33.
107. Ibid.
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110. Paul
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112. See
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113. Adapted
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114. Sherry A.
Rogers, M.D., Depression-Cured at Last! (Sarasota, Fla.: SK Publishing, 1997):
460.
115. Ibid.,
461-62.
116. Eva Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders, 3d ed.
(Eugene, Ore.: Borage Books, 2001): 108.
117. Rogers,
Depression, 165-67.
118. Rogers,
Depression, 166.
119. Personal
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120. John N.
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L. D. Stegink and L. J. Filer, Jr., eds., Aspartame (New York: Marcel Dekker,
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122. Susan C.
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128. Presenter
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133. Irving I.
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134. Eva Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders, 3d ed.
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135. E. H. Cook
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137. DSM-IV-TR
305.
138. E. Fuller
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139.
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141. Richard S.
E. Keefe and Philip D. Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New
Research on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster,
1994): 94.
142. E. Fuller
Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and
Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 116, 117.
143. Eva Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders, 3d ed.
(Eugene, Ore.: Borage Books, 2001): 70.
144. Ibid., 70.
145. Syd Baumel,
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146. Ronald
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147. Peter C.
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148. DSM-IV-TR
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149. Nic Rowan,
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150. DSM-IV-TR 309,
334.
151. DSM-IV-TR 339.
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153. Anne
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154. NIMH,
"Schizophrenia," National Institute of Mental Health (NIH Publication
No. 99-3517); available on the Internet at:
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155. Richard S.
E. Keefe and Philip D. Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New
Research on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster,
1994): 47.
156. E. Fuller
Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and
Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 257.
157. Rita Elkins,
Depression and Natural Medicine: A Nutritional Approach to Depression and Mood
Swings (Pleasant Grove, Utah: Woodland Publishing, 1995): 138.
158. Ibid.
159. Ibid. Eva
Edelman, Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders,
3d ed. (Eugene, Ore.: Borage Books, 2001): 85.
160. Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia, 86.
161. Richard S.
E. Keefe and Philip D. Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New
Research on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster,
1994): 47.
162. E. Fuller Torrey,
M. D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and Providers
(New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 252.
163. Ibid.
164. Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia, 84.
165. Edelman,
Natural Healing for Schizophrenia, 134.
166. Rita Elkins,
Depression and Natural Medicine: A Nutritional Approach to Depression and Mood
Swings (Pleasant Grove, Utah: Woodland Publishing, 1995): 103. Edelman, 40.
167. M. E. McGrath,
Schizophrenia Bulletin 10 (1984): 638-40. Cited in Irving I. Gottesman,
Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W. H. Freeman and
Company, 1991): 42.
168. David
Kaiser, M.D., "Not by Chemicals Alone: A Hard Look at Psychiatric
Medicine," available on the Internet at: www.rust.net/-
norman/kaiser.html.
169. Richard S.
E. Keefe and Philip D. Harvey, Understanding Schizophrenia: A Guide to the New
Research on Causes and Treatment (New York: Free Press/Simon & Schuster,
1994): 175.
170. M. J.
Goldstein, et al., "Drug and family therapy in the aftercare of acute
schizophrenia," Archives of General Psychiatry 45 (1988): 225-31.
3: Orthomolecular
Psychiatry
171. From the
film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by
Connie Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N I E9 Canada (Sisyphus
Communications, Ltd., 1998).
172. A. Hoffer and
Ms. J.M., "Inside schizophrenia: before and after treatment," Journal
of Orthomolecular Medicine 11:1 (1996): 7-37; available on the Internet at:
http://www.orthomed.org/links/papers/hofshz2.htm.
173. Abram
Hoffer, "Gaining control of schizophrenia," American Journal of
Natural Medicine 5:5 (June 30, 1998): 21-25.
174. Abram
Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., Orthomolecular Treatment for Schizophrenia (Los Angeles:
Keats Publishing, 1999): 7.
175. Abram
Hoffer, "Chronic schizophrenic patients treated ten years or more,"
Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 9:1 (1994): 7-37; available on the Internet
at: http://wwworthomed.org/links/papers/hofschz.htm.
176. Abram
Hoffer, "Gaining control of schizophrenia," American Journal of
Natural Medicine 5:5 (June 30, 1998): 21-25.
177. From the
film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by
Connie Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N I E9 Canada (Sisyphus
Communications, Ltd., 1998).
178. Ibid.
179. Abram
Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., Orthomolecular Treatment for Schizophrenia (Los Angeles:
Keats Publishing, 1999): 24-25.
180. Abram
Hoffer, "Gaining control of schizophrenia," American Journal of
Natural Medicine 5:5 (June 30, 1998): 21-25. Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., and
Humphry Osmond, M.R.C.S., D.P.M., How to Live with Schizophrenia (New York:
Citadel Press/ Carol Publishing, 1992): 172.
181. From the
film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by
Connie Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N IE9 Canada (Sisyphus
Communications, Ltd., 1998).
182. Ibid.
183. Abram
Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., Orthomolecular Treatment for Schizophrenia (Los Angeles:
Keats Publishing, 1999): 19-20.
184. From the
film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by
Connie Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N IE9 Canada (Sisyphus
Communications, Ltd., 1998).
185. Abram
Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., and Humphry Osmond, M.R.C.S., D.P.M., How to Live with
Schizophrenia (New York: Citadel Press/Carol Publishing, 1992): 175.
186. From the
film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by
Connie Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N 1E9 Canada (Sisyphus
Communications, Ltd., 1998).
187. Abram
Hoffer, "Gaining control of schizophrenia," American Journal of
Natural Medicine 5:5 (June 30, 1998): 21-25.
188. Michael
Lesser, M.D., The Brain Chemistry Diet (New York: Putnam, 2002).
189. Michael
Lesser, M.D., Nutrition and Vitamin Therapy (New York: Bantam, 1981): 42.
190. H.
Vanderkamp, "A biochemical abnormality in schizophrenia involving ascorbic
acid," International Journal of Neurochemistry and Psychiatry 2 (1966):
204-6.
191. Michael
Lesser, M.D., Nutrition and Vitamin Therapy (New York: Bantam, 1981): 46.
192. Abram
Hoffer, "Gaining control of schizophrenia," American Journal of
Natural Medicine 5:5 (June 30, 1998): 21-25.
193. Ibid.
194. Ibid.
195. Abram
Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., Orthomolecular Treatment for Schizophrenia (Los Angeles:
Keats Publishing, 1999): 26.
196. Abram
Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., and Humphry Osmond, M.R.C.S., D.P.M., How to Live with
Schizophrenia (New York: Citadel Press/Carol Publishing, 1992): 16, 90.
197. From the
film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by
Connie Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N I E9 Canada (Sisyphus
Communications, Ltd., 1998).
198. Abram
Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., Orthomolecular Treatment for Schizophrenia (Los Angeles:
Keats Publishing, 1999): 12.
199. From the
film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by
Connie Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N I E9 Canada (Sisyphus
Communications, Ltd., 1998).
200. Abram
Hoffer, "Gaining control of schizophrenia," American Journal of
Natural Medicine 5:5 (June 30, 1998): 21-25.
4: Biochemical
Treatment of Schizophrenia
201. William J.
Walsh, Ph.D., "Biochemical treatment: medicines for the next
century," NOHA (Nutrition for Optimal Health Association) News 16:3
(Summer 1991), available on the HRI-PTC Website
(www.hriptc.org/nextcentury.htm).
202. Ibid.
203. From the
film Masks of Madness: Science of Healing, written, produced, and directed by
Connie Bortnick, produced in association with the Canadian Schizophrenia
Foundation, 16 Florence Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M2N 1E9 Canada (Sisyphus
Communications, Ltd., 1998). To contact the Institute for Optimum Nutrition
(ION), Blades Court, Deodar Road, London SW 15 2NU England; tel: 020 8877 9993;
Fax: 020 8877 9980; website: www.ion.ac.uk.
204. William J.
Walsh, Ph.D., "Biochemical treatment: medicines for the next
century," NOHA (Nutrition for Optimal Health Association) News 16:3
(Summer 1991), available on the HRI-PTC Website
(www.hriptc.org/nextcentury.htm). William J. Walsh, Ph.D., "The Critical
Role of Nutrients in Severe Mental Symptoms," available on the Internet
(www.alternativementalhealth.com/arti- cles/article-pffeiffer.htm).
205. William J.
Walsh, Ph.D., "Biochemical treatment: Medicines for the next
century," NOHA (Nutrition for Optimal Health Association) News 16:3
(Summer 1991), available on the HRI-PTC Website
(www.hriptc.org/nextcentury.htm).
206. M. E. McGrath,
Schizophrenia Bulletin 10 (1984): 638-40. Cited in Irving I. Gottesman,
Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W. H. Freeman and
Company, 1991): 41.
207. Ibid.
5: The Five Levels
of Healing
208. E. Fuller
Torrey, M.D., Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and
Providers (New York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 123.
209. Stephanie
Marohn, The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism (Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton
Roads, 2002): chapter 5.
210. Richard
Leviton, "Migraines, seizures, and mercury toxicity," Alternative
Medicine Digest 21 (December 1997/January 1998): 61.
6: Restoring the
Tempo of Health: Cranial Osteopathy
211. Stephanie
Marohn, The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism (Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton
Roads, 2002): chapter 8.
212. "What
Is Osteopathy?" available at the Cranial Academy website
(http://www.cranialacademy.org/whatis.html).
213. H.I. Magoun,
D.O., Osteopathy in the Cranial Field, 3d ed. (Kirksville, Mo.: Journal
Printing Company, 1976): 1.
214. "What
Is Osteopathy?" available at the Cranial Academy Website
(http://www.cranialacademy.org/whatis.html).
215. "Common
Problems," available at the Cranial Academy Website
(http://www.cranialacademy.org/cmpr.html).
216. Ibid.
217. Ibid.
218. Lawrence
Lavine, "Osteopathic and Alternative Medicine Aspects of Autistic Spectrum
Disorders," article on the Internet (available at
http://trainland.tripod.com/lawrencelavine.htm).
219. Stephanie
Marohn, The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism (Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton
Roads, 2002): chapter 9.
220. Ibid.,
chapter 8.
221. Anonymous,
Schizophrenia Bulletin 9 (1983): 439-42. Cited in Irving I. Gottesman,
Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W.H. Freeman and
Company, 1991): 170.
7: Rebalancing the
Vital Force: Homeopathy
222. Personal
communication (2001), and Judyth ReichenbergUllman, N.D., L.C.S.W., and Robert
Ullman, N.D., Prozac Free: Homeopathic Alternatives to Conventional Drug
Therapies (Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books, 2002): xiv.
223.
ReichenbergUllman and Ullman, Prozac Free, viii, ix.
224.
Reichenberg-Ullman and Ullman, Prozac Free, xiv.
225. There is
disagreement today over what mental illness Van Gogh had; some professionals
say it was schizophrenia, while others say he suffered from bipolar disorder.
Quote is from a letter to his brother, Theo, cited in E. Fuller Torrey, M.D.,
Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers, and Providers (New
York: HarperPerennial, 1995): 124.
226. Miranda
Castro, R.S.Hom., The Complete Homeopathy Handbook (New York: St. Martin's
Press, 1990): 3-5. Anne Woodham and David Peters, M.D., Encyclopedia of Healing
Therapies (New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1997): 126.
227. Judyth
Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D., M.S.W, and Robert Ullman, N.D., Ritalin-Free Kids:
Safe and Effective Homeopathic Medicine for ADHD, and Other Behavioral and
Learning Problems (Roseville, Calif.: Prima Health, 2000): 83.
228. Ibid., 95.
229. Ibid.,
95-96.
230. Personal
communication (2001) and Reichenberg-Ullman and Ullman, Ritalin-Free Kids, 90.
231. Personal
communication (2001) and Reichenberg-Ullman and Ullman, Prozac Free, 57,
217-18.
232. Personal
communication (2001).
8: Conflict and
Spirit: Psychosomatic Medicine
233.
Autobiography of a Schizophrenic Girl: The True Story of "Renee"(New
York: Meridian/Penguin, 1994): 26.
9: The Shamanic
View of Mental Illness
234. John Lash,
The Seeker's Handbook (New York: Harmony Books, 1990): 371.
235. Holger
Kalweit, "When Insanity Is a Blessing," in Stanislav Grof, M.D., and
Christina Grof, eds., Spiritual Emergency (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam,
1989): 80.
236. M. E. McGrath,
Schizophrenia Bulletin 10 (1984): 638-40. Cited in Irving I. Gottesman,
Schizophrenia Genesis: The Origins of Madness (New York: W. H. Freeman and
Company, 1991): 43.
237. Richard
Leviton, The Healthy Living Space (Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton Roads, 2001):
354-58.
238. Ibid.,
362-63.
239. Ibid., 364.
240. Malidoma
Patrice Some, Ritual: Power, Healing, and Community (New York: Penguin, 1997):
12, 19.
241. Malidoma
Patrice Some, Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic, and Initiation in the
Life of an African Shaman (New York: Penguin, 1994): 9, 10.
About the Author
Stephanie Marohn
has been writing since she was a child. Her adult writing background is
extensive in both journalism and nonfiction trade books. In addition to Natural
Medicine First Aid Remedies and the six books in the Healthy Mind series (The
Natural Medicine Guide to Autism, The Natural Medicine Guide to Depression, The
Natural Medicine Guide to Bipolar Disorder, The Natural Medicine Guide to
Addiction, The Natural Medicine Guide to Anxiety, and The Natural Medicine
Guide to Schizophrenia), she has published more than thirty articles in
magazines and newspapers, written two novels and a feature film screenplay, and
has had her work included in poetry, prayer, and travel writing anthologies.
Originally from
Philadelphia, she has been a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area for over
twenty years, and currently lives in Sonoma County, north of the city.
Hampton Roads
Publishing Company
Hampton Roads
Publishing Company publishes books on a variety of subjects, including
metaphysics, health, visionary fiction, and other related topics.
* This case study adapted, by permission of
Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., from his book Orthomolecular Treatment for
Schizophrenia (Los Angeles, Calif.: Keats Publishing, 1999): 37-39.
This case study adapted, by permission of Judvth
Reichenberg-Ullman, from ludyth Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D., L.C.S.W., and Robert
Ullman, N.D., Prozac Free: Homeopathic Alternatives to Contentional Drug
Therapies (Berkeley, Calif: North Atlantic Books, 2002), pages 218-21. With
update provided through personal communication, 2002.
This case study adapted, by permission of Judyth
Reichenberg-Ullman from Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D., L.C.S.W, and Robert
Ullman, N.D., Prozac Free: Homeopathic Alternatives to Conventional Drug
Therapies (Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books, 2002), pages 222-5. With
update provided through personal communication.
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