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Safe Harbor Boston
Post Office Box 218
Newton, MA 02468
U.S.A.
Phone: 617-964-5544
SafeHarborB@aol.com

"Excellent, thrilling, high-caliber conference. Very informative. Thank you!!!!"

"Beautiful job! Bless your hearts!"

"When I return to social work I want to be working in the area of non-pharmaceutical approaches to mental aberrations."

"Thank you for this fabulous experience! I am looking forward to your next. I would like to know a whole lot more about Safe Harbor."

"This was fantastic. I hope I took enough notes because this1s a lot of info. It was very relevant material for my career."

"This was fantastic! Thank you so much! More! I have people to send to future conferences."

"Great conference/enormously inspiring. I appreciated how organized and well run it was."

"I am not actively practicing -- but the information is very informative -- and will be helpful in any future practice."

"Thanks for having these great speakers and this conference!"

"Wonderful that you made it affordable to attend! Great job in choosing content. I look forward to next year."

"I was so pleased to be able to use this weekend for CEU credit. The cost was so reasonable and the information was valuable and very applicable to my practice immediately. I hope Safe Harbor plans to offer CEU credits again!"

"Presentations were wonderful. Don't see any way they could improve."

"Good job overall."

"Thank you for all your support, help and education."

"Great meeting overall! Hope!"

"I work with consumers of state funded mental health services. Will advocate for alternative treatments through the state. So that these folks who are dependent on state assisted mental health care will have healthier more successful options."

"Gives me more ideas as to why a client may or may not be improving -- there are many more things to think about now."

The meeting discussion will include:

For more information, contact Wolfgang at alternativementalhealth@europe.com

Please pass this on to anyone in Germany whom you feel may be interested.  

"I'm looking specifically for the following: Self-motivated, reliable, and creative event planners and/or grant writers and researchers with at least one year of experience to help start New York office.  Two to five hours/week."

For more info, contact Dana Barnes at safeharborny@lycos.com

A Safe Harbor supporter in Chicago is seeking other like-minded people to help her in creating a Safe Harbor office in that city.  If you are interested, contact SafeHarborProj@aol.com . 

One of the key components to healthy recovery is a supportive living environment. Often, for people on social security income, this is harder to find than a needle in a haystack. In fact, I have found it nonexistent in my search. I think it is time, both from a personal standpoint (for my daughter with schizophrenia) and because models are needed to further promote the goals and ideas of SAFE HARBOR.

It is extremely difficult to stay on a nutritious diet in a board and care facility. At this time, I am putting out feelers to find others with a need for such a dwelling. Perhaps it could be started as a boarding house - a model program created and funding applied for from there. I know the place to start is with communication between interested people. So, if you have needed or wanted a board and care facility in the Los Angeles areas of Burbank/Glendale or the Valley - one that is based on nutrition, expressive arts and healthy activities such as gardening, group walks and bike riding - then please contact me:

Vernise Pelzel
PO Box 3340
Burbank, CA 91508
proactive2@earthlink.net

From Safe Harbor:

Here is an article we ran on head injury in one of our first newsletters:

The rate of psychiatric illness one year after a traumatic brain injury is significantly greater than that of the general population, reported the American Journal of Psychiatry, March 1999.

A sharp increase was observed in the rate of occurrence of depression. It was nearly seven times higher in the brain injury group (13.9% of the 196 adult traumatic brain injury patients studied, compared with 2.1% of the general population).

Panic disorder was more than 11 times more prevalent in the head-injury group (9.0%, compared with 0.8% of the general population).

Dr. Shoumitro Deb et al., authors of the article, stated that neurobehavioral symptoms are not uncommon after a traumatic brain injury. However, psychiatric syndromes per se have rarely been studied in patients with such injuries.

The study confirms the work of a growing number of physicians who now ask about prior head injuries as a standard procedure with any patients complaining of severe mental symptoms.


From Clancy McKenzie, M.D.:

A CT scan would show bleeding, if that hasn't been done. The hyperbaric oxygen reduces swelling very fast. Even breathing oxygen outside a pressure chamber is effective but takes longer. Ozone would be great (but not to breathe) and if you know anyone in integrative medicine in your area who knows how to administer it and is willing, that is what I would do. (In many states ozone treatment is not allowed.)

Post concussional disorder (PCD) can have lasting sequellae (after-effects of an injury), so it important to get treatment to reduce swelling as soon as possible. The bleeding causes release of iron from hemoglobin, which leads to the Fenton reaction that produces free hydroxyl radicals that attack the cell membrane and then result in 4- hydroxynonenal which is a neurotoxin. This can result in an ongoing process.

Often people do not recognize PCD as a cause of irritability, depression, absentmindedness - and they wonder what is wrong. She should be made aware of what is causing it, and also that usually it is temporary. In light of the lack of coordination I would definitely get a CT scan which would show any bleeding.


From Dr. Ted Cole, D.O., N.M.D.:

The best is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, second is Neural Therapy.
These can usually reverse the problems in 1-3 days.


From William Walsh, Ph.D.:

I have met many persons who are in prison because of behavior changes following a head injury. A prime example is Bobby Joe Long who became a different person after a motorcycle crash, and now is on Florida's death row for murdering eight persons. I've tested his chemistry, and it is quite normal. I believe that approximately 5 percent of prison residents are incarcerated because of behavioral changes after a head injury.

Many years ago, the great Carl Pfeiffer told me that head injury patients often respond well to supplements of octacosinol (2,000 to 4,000 mg daily), taken together with zinc, B-6, and Vitamin C. He said that it helped repair damage to myelin sheaths in the brain. I've used this many times over the years with apparent excellent success, based on anecdotal case histories (which of course have limited scientific value).

A few years ago, we collaborated with a doctor from the Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital which specializes in head and spinal injuries. We provided the above nutritional supplements to about a dozen persons with severe brain injuries. About 2/3 of them reported very nice improvements. One man who had been on a plateau after 2 years of Schwab's physical therapies was able to walk again after 3 months of octacosinol, etc. Another head injury client with aphasia was able to talk coherently after a few months.


From Luis F M Campos, M.D.:

Concussion, traumatic brain injury & post-traumatic caphalea (headaches) unhappily are far more common than we can imagine. I suggest:

Immediately
1 - Give a lot of green tea, vitamins C & E in megadoses (2400 UI vit E/day and 3 g/day Vit C) + Resveratrol (a natural remedy) + Lipoic Acid 600 mg/ day + Coenzyme Q 100 mg/ day (antioxidants)
2 - Corticostesteroids (betametasone 5 mg/ injectable) /day (3 days) + Vitamins B1 and B12 (injectables) in high dosages
3 - Pentoxyfiline [a medication for blood circulation] (injectable in the first 3 days)
4 - Magnesium injectable (best) or oral (orotate) 500 mg/day of elemental magnesium
4 - MRI Brain & Skull
5 - Search for a good neurologist
6 - Access sites National Neurotrauma Society http://www.edc.gsph.pitt.edu/neurotrauma


From Walter Lemmo, N.D.:

While the medical work up is being performed, don't forget about using good vitamin c. Lower plasma levels of vitamin c has been correlated with more serious brain traumas: most like related to increased oxidative stresses. At the very least, the oral use of vitamin c should be implemented, however, the intravenous application would be most ideal, very easy, and safe to perform. Short IV boosters using 2000-5000mg 2-3 times per week would most likely suffice followed by continued oral dosing.


From Kit Humphrey:

In addition to the noted vitamin C,E, fatty acids, alpha lipoic acid, magnesium, Milk thistle has been shown to have neuroprotective benefits. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12059045&dopt=Abstract


From Michael Wood, D.C.:

After ruling out haemorrhage consider having a chiro check her spine. Trauma of that nature to the cervical spine can cause persistent symptoms such as you describe.


Gary Erkfritz, D.C.:

One of the things I've found highly successful in situations such as this is using a Bach Remedy called "Rescue Remedy". You can find them at almost every health food store. Bach remedies are made from flower essences.

Another thing I've found successful is a product called "Traumeel" by the Heel Company. They are a German homeopathic company with US Distribution offices in Albuquerque. Many times you can find this product at health food stores as well.

Arnica montana (an herb and a homeopathic remedy) might be of some value, although after four days I would think not. Perhaps something for the medicine cabinet for "next time".

And, oh yes, you might consider getting some cranio-sacral care for her as well. You can go to www.upledger.com for a list of cranio-sacral people - perhaps in your area.

My experience with mental illness started in February 2003 when my 20-year-old son called me in the middle of the night saying he felt weird. He said he thought he was dreaming. He is a junior at UC Riverside and has always been very smart and made good decisions but I still had a feeling that maybe he was using drugs. I asked him, and his reply was yes, he had smoked some weed. As we ended our conversation, he said he would be fine. I spoke with him the next day and everything seemed fine.

Two days later his girlfriend called my house early in the morning and told me I needed to pick my son up. She said he had gone crazy and he would not lie down and go to sleep. I was at this point convinced that drugs were taking over. When I went to pick my son up he seemed calm, and actually acted quite like his "normal" behavior. The girlfriend was crying and appeared out of control. After talking for a while, we could see my son needed sleep. I went back into the room where my husband had been talking to my son.

My husband had noticed odd behavior in my son at this point. For example, my son thought his girlfriend was evil and had put a spell on him. He thought she had programmed the TV set to send him messages. He then tried to show my husband on the TV set, but he was flipping channels so fast we couldn't see anything. We took him to our house to rest. We decided to leave the house so it would be quiet for him to sleep. We fed him a big breakfast and as he lay down, we left for the day. When we returned we found he had not slept at all that day. He had locked the dog in the bathroom because he didn't want the dog to see what he was doing. He played CD's over and over again, saying they were describing his life. He was obsessed with rap music and kept repeating that he was going to be a rap artist. He believed big name rap artists had been sent to his workplace to scout him. He saw UPS boxes and believed that it was equipment for him to start his own rap studio. He thought his girlfriend had poisoned him.

Believing the poisoning story, I took him to the emergency room. The tests found only marijuana. The doctor wrote a diagnosis of "schizophrenia" and gave him prescriptions for Haldol and Ativan, telling us to follow up. I went to a follow up with a psychologist and a psychiatrist 2 days later. They added Resperidol and said "see you in a month."

I didn't like that, so I made a private appointment with a psychiatrist. After four-minute visit, he said exactly the same thing - "keep him on meds, see you in a month." It had now been 8 days. I never gave him the Resperidol. I continued the Haldol and Ativan. During this week there was no psychosis, but he had extreme panic attacks and was extremely moody. I fed him 3 nutritious meals a day and encouraged a regular early bedtime. (He also usually took short naps in the day). The whole eight days he begged me to reconsider the decision to give him meds. He told me he didn't like the way they made him feel. The doctors were insistent, telling me "the absolutely only way he will be able to have any type of normal life is to continue the meds."

I found NAMI Natural and Safe Harbor on the Internet. Dan responded to my email, gave me some information, and referred me to Pam from the NAMI Natural group in Chino Hills, California, which is close to me. This was very enlightening.

I then called another doctor, a psychologist who said he was willing to experiment without the drugs under his supervision. My son was seen 3 times a week by this psychologist. He'd been on Haldol eight days, then we took him directly off. He had panic attacks daily for the first three days. When these would occur, he would take an Ativan and lie down to take a nap. As the week went on, the panic attacks lessened, and his Ativan dosage was reduced. After one week he was taking no meds at all. It is now three months later and I am happy to report that my son has been back in school one month now and he will be returning to his job in one week. His visits to the doctor have been reduced from three per week to just one.

As of today the doctor has released him, saying of his prognosis, "I think he will be fine." My son lives with roommates 20 miles from me. He stayed at our house about two weeks in the beginning, then decided to move back to his place. I made sure he had groceries and was eating well and called daily or visited him to make sure he was doing OK. He now has trust in the girlfriend and she has been of great help.

Approximately two weeks after my son's incident, the same thing happened to another boy at his school. The parents have introduced themselves and have been corresponding. Their son has been admitted to the psychiatric ward over six times in the last two months. He is 19 years old. He is on several different meds, and at one time so many meds the hospital had to detox him because he had a bad reaction. In his return home last week he tried to commit suicide! IS IT THE MEDS?

Thanks especially, Dan Stradford and Safe Harbor, for your time and concern. You're doing great things. I wish I could convince this last family to see that meds are not working and to try some other method!  

I have a son who has autism. Since receiving the Master's Miracle Products, I have been giving him about an ounce of Neutralizer in his water daily and he takes a daily bath or shower in the Moisturizing Soap. The most amazing thing has occurred: he has stopped wetting the bed every night. He has not wet his diaper even once since starting on this product! He appetite has greatly increased (he hardly ate anything) and he is in a great mood. We have changed nothing else in his daily routine or diet. We are not the only ones who are noticing. People outside the family who know nothing of these products have commented on how happy and verbal he is becoming.

For more information about these products call 818-302-0057 or e-mail ptembick@attbi.com. You can order online at http://Theresa7.themastersmiracle.com.