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The
ALTERNATIVE MENTAL HEALTH NEWS
A monthly newsletter brought to
you by
AlternativeMentalHealth.com and Safe Harbor, a nonprofit
corporation. |
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Issue 51, October
2004 |
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The Editors |
Dan Stradford,
Editor
Alan Graham, Assistant Editor
Gloria McTaggart, Assistant Editor
SafeHarborProj@aol.com
www.Alternative
MentalHealth.com
Feedback: We'd like to hear
your comments and views. Please forward them to the e-mail
address above. Contact information is below.
|
|
Subscriptions |
|
Did someone forward this ezine to
you? You can SUBSCRIBE and receive your own copy of the
Alternative Mental Health News directly.
Use the sign-up form at
Alternative
MentalHealth.com.
You can also e-mail your
request to...
ezine@alternative
mentalhealth.com
or contact us in any of the ways listed in this newsletter.
Complete UNSUBSCRIBING
information is located at the end of this e-mail.
All
PAST ISSUES of the Alternative Mental Heath News are
available at
Alternative
MentalHealth.com.
|
| About
Safe Harbor |
|
Safe Harbor was
founded in 1998 in the wake of growing public dissatisfaction
with the unwanted effects of orthodox psychiatric treatments
such as medication and shock therapy. Seeking to satisfy the
desire for safer, more effective treatments, Safe Harbor is
dedicated to educating the public, the medical profession, and
government officials on research and treatments that,
minimally, do no harm and, optimally, cure the causes of
severe mental symptoms. Our primary thrust is education on the
medical causes of severe mental symptoms and the use of
nutritional and other natural treatments.
|
About
Alternative
MentalHealth.com |
ALTERNATIVE
MENTALHEALTH.COM IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST WEB SITE DEVOTED
exclusively to alternative mental health treatments. It
includes a directory of over 240 physicians, nutritionists,
experts, organizations, and facilities around the U.S. that
offer or promote safe, alternative treatments for severe
mental symptoms. Many of the physicians listed do in-depth
examinations to find the physical causes behind mental
problems.
Also included on the site is an array of articles on topics
ranging from the medical causes of schizophrenia to the
effects of toxic metals on mental health.
Special
AlternativeMentalHealth.com T-shirts and bumper stickers
are available at our online store.
A bookstore page lists top books that cover many areas of
alternative treatments with titles like Natural Healing for
Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders and No More
Ritalin.
AlternativeMentalHealth.com has been created to educate
the public, practitioners, and government officials on the
medical conditions that create "mental illness" and the many
safe resources available for addressing and often curing
severe mental symptoms.
|
|
WE WELCOME YOUR
DONATIONS. AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, SAFE HARBOR IS
SUPPORTED SOLELY THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE PUBLIC.
DONATIONS CAN BE MADE ONLINE AT OUR WEB SITE OR MAILED TO
THE ABOVE ADDRESS. WE ALSO ACCEPT VISA/MASTERCARD BY PHONE.
THANK YOU. |
|
|
Editor's Comment |
A common theme of
this month's issues is CHANGE. The mental health field is
CHANGING.
Can you imagine that we are seeing the day when major medical
journal editors are claiming they won't publish only favorable
drug studies?
Or that the American Psychiatric Association has a group
within it dedicated to educating members about complementary
and alternative treatments?
Or that England's Royal College of General Practitioners would
publicly denounce pharmaceutical firms for pushing drug sales
for people who are not really in need of medication?
These things and MORE are happening and the movement is
snowballing. Safe Harbor would like to take some of the
credit, but honestly, this is the result of the work of
millions of groups and people across the planet who are
insisting on greater health for themselves and their loved
ones.
The mental health field is traditionally the last to catch up
with scientific and social advance, unfortunately, but despite
that handicap, change is still happening rapidly within
psychiatry.
These are historic times and the staff and volunteers of Safe
Harbor are happy to play whatever small role we have in them.
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Three
Announcements |
index |
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SAFE HARBOR SEEKS DONOR TO
COVER NEWSLETTER COSTS |
| |
In our fifth year now
with our popular newsletter that you are now reading, Safe
Harbor has been indebted to one of its board members for
providing the funding to allow us to distribute our
newsletter at no cost to the public.
Unfortunately, that funding will stop at the end of 2004.
We are currently in need of $50 per month (or $600
annually) to support the continued distribution of the
newsletter. Donors can provide all or part of the support.
It can be taken monthly from a credit card or paid by
check etc.
We hear regularly from readers grateful for the many
helpful tips they find in the Alternative Mental Health
News. This is a great cause! Please support it!
Donors can email Wendy at
wendy@alternativementalhealth.com or they can call the
Safe Harbor office at (323) 257-7338.
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SAFE HARBOR SEEKS SOMEONE TO
RUN NEW YORK CHAPTER |
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Safe Harbor NY, a growing
group that has been in operation for a year and a half,
needs a new president.
This person will coordinate the alternative mental health
workshop series and support groups, continue partnerships
with community organizations and outpatient psychiatric
clinics, and provide telephone and email referral
information for individuals contacting Safe Harbor NY.
The president is responsible for either supporting or
finding funding to cover administrative costs, including
phone, PO Box, and space rental fees that are not covered
by donations.
This is a volunteer position that will start on January 1,
2005. This is an amazing group that is just getting
started. Help lead it into its next chapter.
If you are interested in volunteering for this position or
to help out the new leadership either with time or
funding, please contact Dan at
SafeHarborProj@aol.com.
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BRITISH PSYCHIATRISTS SET UP
"SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON NUTRITION AND MENTAL HEALTH" |
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Professor of Primary
Care, Dr André Tylee, from London's Institute of
Psychiatry, has set up a "special interest group on
nutrition and mental health," open to doctors and
psychiatrists.
At the first meeting, scheduled for November 12 in London,
Professor Malcolm Peet will discuss his work on omega
fats. The group will then explore possibilities for future
research, priorities and funding sources. The possibility
of establishing a group within organizations such as the
Royal College of Psychiatry will also be considered.
Any UK-based doctors or psychiatrists who wish to attend
are invited to register at
www.mentalhealthproject.com.
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Book Review:
Teaching The Restless
By, Chris Mercogliano |
index |
The subtitle of
Mercogliano's book tells it all: "One School's Remarkable
No-Ritalin Approach to Helping Children Learn and Succeed."
The author challenges head-on the notion that some children
need to be medicated to go to school. Instead, he demonstrates
that the adults around such children can make a lot of
progress using common-sense approaches that are not focused on
making the child fit in.
He walks us through a number of cases of children who have
attended his school (the "Free School"). We see how simple
but firm discipline combined with treating each kid as an
individual brings results for these children so that drugs are
not needed. Mercogliano clearly sees that "Ritalin kids," as
he calls special children, are not so much in need of drugs,
but they are in need of sensible, caring adults who can give
guidance, set examples, and use creative reasoning to bring
out the best in them.
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British Doctors
Denounce Drug Firms' "Disease Mongering" Tactics |
index |
The Royal College
of General Practitioners has accused pharmaceutical companies
of
"disease-mongering" as a marketing tactic.
By overplaying the dangers of mild depression, slightly raised
blood pressure, and the like, drug firms encourage unnecessary
prescribing of costly drugs, bringing the National Health
Service to the brink of collapse, the doctors' group told a
parliamentary inquiry.
Dr. Maureen Baker, the college's honorary secretary, wants the
Commons health inquiry to investigate the companies'
practices.
"It would be fruitful to look into the increase in
disease-mongering by them," she told The Sunday Telegraph. "It
is very much in the interest of the pharmaceutical industry to
draw a line that includes as large a population as possible
within the 'ill' category. The bigger this group is, the more
drugs they can sell. If current trends continue, publicly
funded health-care systems will be at risk of financial
collapse with huge cost to society as a whole."
The college lists hypertension, high cholesterol,
osteoporosis, anxiety and depression as examples of common
conditions that, in mild forms, are often inappropriately
treated with drugs.
Richard Ley, a spokesman for the Association of the British
Pharmaceutical Industry, said: "It seems odd for this
criticism to come from the Royal College of all organizations,
because a decision on when and how to treat a patient is the
doctor's."
Such decisions, however, are based on treatment guidelines
issued by bodies of specialist doctors. All too often such
panels are heavily subsidized by pharmaceutical money, Dr.
Baker pointed out.
It was recently divulged that three senior members of the
government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization
have received "industrial support" from Aventis Pasteur and
Merck Sharp & Dome, manufacturers of a new 5-in-1 baby vaccine
that the committee recommended.
Some observers are also concerned about "hard-sell" tactics
applied to general practice. Last year, a survey of 1,000 GPs
published in the British Medical Journal found that those who
saw drug company representatives at least once a week were
more likely to prescribe drugs that were not needed.
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APA
Establishes Caucus On Alternative Mental Care |
index |
An official
satellite activity at the American Psychiatric Association's
annual meeting in May 2004 was an organizing meeting of the
Caucus On Complementary, Alternative And Integrative
Approaches In Mental Health Care.
Twenty-eight psychiatrists convened, bringing expertise in
such diverse specialties as massage therapy, yoga, prayer,
dietary supplements, orthomolecular approaches, and
traditional Chinese medicine. Most are Board-certified
clinical psychiatrists, and some are full-time researchers at
Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, Duke, et al.
Following informal introductions, a draft charter was reviewed
and initial goals were discussed. The central objective of the
Caucus is to give physicians and mental health professionals
access to accurate, clinically relevant information on safe
and effective non-conventional treatments.
Three broad goals were discussed:
1. Educating mental health professionals about safe,
evidence-based uses of complementary and
alternative treatments in mental health care.
2. Surveying psychiatrists' beliefs and practices with respect
to alternative treatments.
3. Setting research priorities.
The first goal would be addressed with courses and symposia at
future APA regional and national meetings. Courses on Western
herbal medicines and natural supplements have been well
received in recent years.
The importance of developing evidence-based clinical practice
guidelines for the use of CAM or integrative approaches was
discussed.
The APA has established an email forum in which Caucus members
can exchange perspectives on their fields of interest. A new
website,
www.apacam.org, is now available to clinical and research
psychiatrists to help them evaluate alternative treatments.
Michael Cohen, JD, MBA, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Center for Integrative Medicine, Harvard Medical School, has
agreed to help the Caucus draw up legal guidelines for
psychiatrists using or recommending alternative treatments.
Psychiatrists, whether APA members or not, are invited to
visit
www.apacam.org, complete a brief survey, and register to
participate in the Caucus.
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Fatty Acid
Found In Cold-Water Fish May Arrest Alzheimer's |
index |
A diet rich in
the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, found in salmon, halibut, and
other cold-water fish, has been found to protect animal brains
from the damage associated with Alzheimer's disease, says a
new study published in the September 2 issue of Neuron.
The research was based on human studies of risk factors for
Alzheimer's disease, said study author Greg Cole, a professor
of medicine and neurology at UCLA's David Geffen School of
Medicine.
Many studies have linked Alzheimer's to low intake of DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid), Cole said. A constant supply of DHA is
key to normal human brain function.
Cole's team focused on altering the diet of lab mice once they
were 17 months old, after feeding them a normal diet high in
omega-3 fatty acids during their infancy.
They studied mice bred with genetic mutations that cause the
lesions linked to advanced Alzheimer's, assigning them to one
of three groups. "Group one continued on the diet they had
always gotten," Cole said. "Group two was put on a special
diet with no DHA. Group three's diet had more DHA than the
diet they grew up on."
Three other groups of mice without the genetic mutations,
serving as controls, were given the same three diets as the
genetically altered mice. After five months, the researchers
compared the various groups' brain structure.
The mice with the genetic mutations fed a DHA-deficient diet
had high amounts of Alzheimer's-like brain damage in the
synapses -the chemical connections between nerve cells. "The
[DHA-deficient] diet and the Alzheimer's gene interact to
cause a deficit of DHA in the brains of the animals," Cole
said.
The mice on the DHA-deficient diet with the genetic mutation
had 90 percent more synaptic loss than those with the genetic
mutation fed the DHA-rich diet.
The animals with the genetic mutation whose diets had no DHA
took twice as long to perform on a test of spatial memory,
said study co-author Sally Frautschy, an associate professor
of medicine at UCLA. The test would be roughly equivalent to a
human trying to remember where he parked his car, she
explained.
The study breaks new ground because "it shows the disease
itself depletes our brain of DHA through oxidation, and you
can correct it by putting it back [via a DHA-rich diet],"
Frautschy said. "The study shows that replenishing the DHA can
arrest the development of Alzheimer's, at least in animals."
Added Cole: "We have evidence that DHA works as a risk factor
for Alzheimer's disease from associated studies. We know DHA
is getting oxidized in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. And
it's practically harmless to add it back to your diet" by
eating more fish, taking fish oil capsules, or eating omega-3
enriched eggs.
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Drug Trials Found
Deficient In Safety Emphasis |
index |
The APA's
American Journal of Psychiatry has published a study showing
the pharmaceutical industry's inattention to safety in the
development of psychotropic drugs.
The EU[European Union]-PSI Project devised the study to
 | "address the lack of readily available evidence for the
efficient management of mental health care by grouping the
evidence and making it available to anyone interested..."
and to
|
| "disseminate evidence derived from clinical trials of
interventions for a wide range of mental health-related
problems and conditions." |
The authors randomly selected 200 entries from the PsiTri
registry of mental-health-related controlled trials (http://psitri.stakes.fi/index.html).
They narrowed the field to 142 randomized controlled trials,
including 103 drug trials, and analyzed them for adequacy and
relative emphasis on safety issues.
Among drug trials, only 21.4% had adequate reporting of
clinical adverse events, and only 16.5% had adequate reporting
of laboratory-determined toxicity. On average, drug trials
devoted 1/10 of a page in their results sections to safety,
and 58.3% devoted more space to the names and affiliations of
authors than to safety.
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Journals
Insist Drug Manufacturers Register All Trials |
index |
A dozen editors
of leading medical journals jointly announced in September
that they will refuse to publish drug research sponsored by
pharmaceutical companies unless the studies have been
registered in a public database from the outset.
"When a pharmaceutical company sponsors a clinical trial and
the results turn out not to be in the best financial interests
of the company, it has been our experience these results are
never made public," said Gregory D. Curfman, executive editor
of the New England Journal of Medicine. "They are buried
away."
So far, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the
Annals of Internal Medicine, the Lancet, the New England
Journal of Medicine, and several other international
publications signed the initiative, intended to give
physicians and the public a window on unfavorable studies they
would otherwise never see.
Jeff Trewhitt of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
Association of America said several companies are already
registering clinical trials on a voluntary basis, but
individual companies "may have reservations about divulging
proprietary information in clinical tests that are in very
early phases."
Virtually the same stock phrase was used to explain the
actions of the pharmaceutical companies concealing evidence
that antidepressants prescribed to children are no more
effective than sugar pills, and that they increase the risk of
suicide attempts and suicidal ideation.
The federal Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of
1997 established a database at
www.ClinicalTrials.gov and required companies to register
trials, but there has been no enforcement.
Last year, British authorities warned doctors not to prescribe
a number of antidepressants to children, but Prozac was not on
the list. The FDA declined to take a similar step,
commissioning a further study instead. In September, the
author of the new report, FDA scientist Tarek Hammad, told
investigators: "I can no longer say that Prozac is okay for
children."
"It makes no scientific sense that you would find any
significant difference in the effects" of the various SSRI
drugs, said Dr. Steven Hyman, a Harvard psychiatrist and
former director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
"All target and bind to the same molecule in the brain" - the
one the body uses to dampen the activity of a mood-altering
brain chemical called serotonin.
In any drug trial for depression, both the diagnosis and the
evidence of recovery are subjective. From 31% to 59% of a
"depressed" sample will feel better the next time you test
them, as placebo results in the suppressed trials have shown.
Christine Laine, senior deputy editor of the Annals of
Internal Medicine, said the registration requirement would
apply to any trial begun after July 1, 2005. For trials
already in progress, she said, companies would have to
register them before seeking publication.
The editors hope that preserving the opportunity to publish a
positive study in a prominent journal, which can greatly boost
the visibility of a new drug, will be enough incentive for
most companies to register their studies. If not, they would
forgo favorable publicity as well - a classic case of throwing
the baby out with the bath water.
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Rheumatic
Fever and "OC Spectrum Disorder" Linked |
index |
Researchers have
found that rheumatic fever may increase the risk of
"obsessive-compulsive disorder" (OCD), tic disorders, and
"body dysmorphic disorder" (BDD - exaggerated concern about
physical appearance), according to a study recently published
in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Ana Hounie (University of Sao Paolo, Brazil) and colleagues
say that their findings "reinforce the idea that OC spectrum
disorders may share common underlying pathophysiologic
mechanisms and vulnerability factors with RF, or that RF could
trigger central nervous system late manifestations such as OC
spectrum disorders."
Rheumatic fever (RF) can damage multiple organ systems,
including the central nervous system. This is characterized by
the movement disorder known as Sydenham's chorea.
Previous research has indicated higher frequencies of OCD and
tic disorders in patients with RF. Hounie et al assessed for
OC spectrum disorders in 59 outpatients with non-acute RF.
The age-corrected rate of OC spectrum disorders combined was
eight times higher in RF patients than in controls, 20.89% as
compared to 2.56%.
"If these findings are confirmed, clinicians should be careful
to investigate and recognize psychiatric symptoms in RF
patients, allowing early diagnosis and treatment when
necessary," the authors concluded.
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Issue 49, August 2004 |
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|
|
|
|
The Editors |
|
Dan
Stradford, Editor
Alan Graham, Assistant Editor
Gloria McTaggart, Assistant Editor
SafeHarborProj@aol.com
www.Alternative
MentalHealth.com
Feedback: We'd like to hear your comments and views. Please forward
them to the e-mail address above. Contact information is below. |
|
Subscriptions |
|
Did someone forward this ezine to you? You can SUBSCRIBE and receive
your own copy of the Alternative Mental Health News directly.
Use the sign-up form at
Alternative
MentalHealth.com.
You can also e-mail your request to...
ezine@alternative
mentalhealth.com
or contact us in any of the ways listed in this newsletter.
Complete UNSUBSCRIBING information is located at the end of this
e-mail.
All
PAST ISSUES
of the Alternative Mental Heath News are available at
Alternative
MentalHealth.com.
|
|
About Safe Harbor |
|
Safe Harbor was founded in 1998 in the wake of growing public
dissatisfaction with the unwanted effects of orthodox psychiatric
treatments such as medication and shock therapy. Seeking to satisfy
the desire for safer, more effective treatments, Safe Harbor is
dedicated to educating the public, the medical profession, and
government officials on research and treatments that, minimally, do no
harm and, optimally, cure the causes of severe mental symptoms. Our
primary thrust is education on the medical causes of severe mental
symptoms and the use of nutritional and other natural treatments. |
|
About Alternative
MentalHealth.com |
|
ALTERNATIVE
MENTALHEALTH.COM IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST WEB SITE DEVOTED
exclusively to alternative mental health treatments. It includes a
directory of over 240 physicians, nutritionists, experts,
organizations, and facilities around the U.S. that offer or promote
safe, alternative treatments for severe mental symptoms. Many of the
physicians listed do in-depth examinations to find the physical causes
behind mental problems.
Also included on the site is an array of articles on topics ranging
from the medical causes of schizophrenia to the effects of toxic
metals on mental health.
Special AlternativeMentalHealth.com T-shirts and bumper stickers are
available at our online store.
A
bookstore page lists top books that cover many areas of alternative
treatments with titles like Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and
Other Common Mental Disorders and No More Ritalin.
AlternativeMentalHealth.com has been created to educate the public,
practitioners, and government officials on the medical conditions that
create "mental illness" and the many safe resources available for
addressing and often curing severe mental symptoms.
|
|
WE WELCOME YOUR DONATIONS. AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, SAFE HARBOR
IS SUPPORTED SOLELY THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE PUBLIC. DONATIONS
CAN BE MADE ONLINE AT OUR WEB SITE OR MAILED TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.
WE ALSO ACCEPT VISA/MASTERCARD BY PHONE. THANK YOU. |
|
|
Editor's Comment |
|
(My thanks to
readers who caught my spelling error in last month's issue in the
phrase "as ye sow, so shall ye also reap" - I shall not let it happen
again!)
Remarkably, this issue starts our 5th year of bringing you the AMH
News. The small newsletter we started is now so full of announcements
and news items that we can scarcely contain them all.
Through the hard work and support of so many, Safe Harbor now has
events going across the planet the next three months.
Would you like to help? Like all other organizations, Safe Harbor
needs funding to operate. We need it to hire staff, pay our bills, and
fund the many events we do.
Once a year Safe Harbor actively engages in fundraising so that we can
support this important work. That time is now. Our big event is
October 7, as you see below. A lot of people, including Dr. Laura
Schlessinger, are donating their time and efforts to make this event a
success to bring us much-needed funds.
You can help by buying your tickets early. If you can't come, you can
donate tickets or donate to our general funds or to help us underwrite
the event. Or you can connect us with a foundation that may want to
help underwrite the event or support our work.
If you can help us with the finances, I assure you that we will
provide the heart, passion, and hard work so that, together, we can
continue to carry out our motto of "changing lives every day." |
|
Announcements |
index |
|
DR. LAURA SCHLESSINGER, DR. DORIS RAPP
HEADLINE SAFE HARBOR EVENT, OCT. 7 |
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|
Mark your
calendar for October 7, Safe Harbor's remarkable Fourth Annual
Awards Benefit - this year featuring two best selling authors who
are legends in their fields.
Dr.
Doris Rapp, author of the blockbuster books Is This Your Child?
and Is This Your Child's World? plus the recent Our Toxic World,
is the world's leading spokesperson on how allergies affect child
behavior. Her work on Donahue, Oprah, and through lectures around
the world has dramatically impacted a generation of children. One
television appearance alone prompted over 100,000 letters from
viewers. Safe Harbor is privileged to honor Dr. Rapp with our
2004 Lighthouse Award, presented annually to men and women who
benefit humanity by forwarding truly safe and effective mental
health treatments.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, America's top radio therapist with over 10
million weekly listeners, has generously agreed to donate her time
as our keynote speaker. Dr. Laura finds common ground with Safe
Harbor as a champion of children, a public voice encouraging the
use of psychiatric drugs only as a last resort, and a promoter of
the philosophy that full recovery comes from taking responsibility
for one's health and one's life. Dr. Laura, author of seven New
York Times bestsellers, including her recent mega-hit The Proper
Care and Feeding of Husbands, will answer questions from the
audience.
Also honored will be Melvyn Werbach, M.D., renowned nutritional
psychiatrist and editor of numerous internationally popular texts
such as Nutritional Influences on Illness and Nutritional
Influences on Mental Illness.
Ticket prices: $95 in advance; $125 at the door
Special seating at Dr. Laura's or Dr. Rapp's table: $500
SEATING IS LIMITED - THIS EVENT IS GENERATING A LOT OF BUZZ SO
BOOK EARLY!
Where: Glendale Hilton, 100 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale,
California
When: 7:30 PM, Thursday, October 7.
Prizes, including jewelry made by Dr. Laura, will be raffled off.
Tickets can be purchased at the Safe Harbor office: (323) 257-7338
or mail checks to Safe Harbor, 1718 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA
90041
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|
SAFE HARBOR LA OFFICE SEEKS VOLUNTEERS |
|
|
Due to the rapid
expansion of Safe Harbor internationally, the main headquarters is
seeking volunteers who can help in the Los Angeles office with the
day-to-day activities. Schedules can be flexible but day help is
needed. The office is located in the Eagle Rock section of Los
Angeles between Glendale and Pasadena. Contact: (323) 257-7338 or
safeharborproj@aol.com
|
|
6-WEEK NUTRITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CLASS 9/25-10/30,
CHINO, CALIFORNIA |
|
|
THE MIND-BODY
CONNECTION
Physical Causes Underlying Mental Disorders
LEARN THE SCIENCE BEHIND NUTRITIONAL TREATMENTS
FOR MENTAL DISORDERS
...in a series of Saturday morning workshops with,
Nancy Mullan, MD - Burbank psychiatrist
Stu Shipko, MD -Pasadena psychiatrist
Prof. James Croxton - Educator, physiological psychology
Dan Stradford - Pres., Safe Harbor
Week 1: Stress and Neurological Structures and Processes
Week 2: Nutritional Factors Relative to Brain Structure and
Function
Week 3: Hormonal Issues, Cerebral Allergies, and Food Intolerances
Week 4: How Pollutants and Toxins Affect Brain Function
Week 5: Medical Causes of Mental Disorders
Week 6: Resources for Alternative Mental Health Care
PLUS hear the personal stories of people who have recovered from
mental disorders through nutrition, diet changes, and other
natural means
Presented by NAMI Chino Valley - formerly NAMI Chino Hills -
(National Alliance for the Mentally Ill)in partnership with Safe
Harbor, the nation's leading nonprofit agency for
non-pharmaceutical mental health education.
Saturdays - Sep. 25 through Oct. 30, 2004
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
6251 Schaefer Ave., Unit G
Chino, California
Fee (all six weeks): $38
Two attendees together: $58
Each additional family member: $10
Seating is limited so register early!
Phone : NAMI (909) 923 7517 or Safe Harbor (323) 257-7338
Online:
www.alternativementalhealth.com
Mail: Check payable to "Safe Harbor" or "NAMI Chino Valley",
send to Safe Harbor, 1718 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041
VISA, MasterCard, AMEX accepted.
For more information contact
www.alternativementalhealth.com
or call the above numbers
|
|
SAFE HARBOR NY TALK, AUGUST 23:
INTEGRATIVE PSYCHIATRIST STEPHAN QUENTZL |
|
|
Dr. Stephan
Quentzl will provide an overview of complementary approaches for
dealing with mental health symptoms with an emphasis on self-care.
He will discuss nutrition, nutriceuticals, and exercise as well as
effective interaction with health care professionals, especially
related to the integration of complementary techniques. He will
also cover lifestyle issues, such as time management, and their
effect on mental health.
WHEN: Monday, August 23rd from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
(Note: Please do not arrive earlier than 6:15. We do not
technically have
the space until 6:30.)
WHERE: The Continuum Center for Health and Healing, an initiative
of Beth Israel Medical Center, located at 245 Fifth Avenue
(between 27th and 28th Streets), 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016.
The closest subways: N, R to 28th St. or the 6 to 28th St.
DONATION: $5 requested donation (to help cover Safe Harbor NY's
operating costs)
RSVP: Please let us know if you will be attending: 212-302-9811 or
ny@alternativementalhealth.com. We are volunteer-run
and will not be able to confirm reservations. We will only contact
you regarding reservations if you have a specific question or in
the unlikely event that we have a question or concern. Please note
it may take a few days to respond to any questions.
We hope to see you there!
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SAFE HARBOR INDIA TALK, AUGUST 23 |
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We are pleased
to announce that prominent Indian nutritionist Dr. Vijaya Sathe
will be presenting the first talk for the Safe Harbor chapter in
Pune, India, on August 23. The subject will be "Nutrition and
Mental Health."
For details on time and location, contact Ramya of the Safe Harbor
chapter at
wamhc@vsnl.net
or (0091) 020-26837644.
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SEEKING SOMEONE TO HEAD SAFE HARBOR BOSTON |
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The current
president of our Safe Harbor Boston chapter is seeking someone to
replace him. For personal reasons, he is no longer able to devote
the amount of time he has in the past to the chapter but he will
remain to help with events, etc. Boston was our first chapter and
we have had numerous events and meetings there to meet the strong
interest in alternative mental health in the Boston area.
If you are interested, contact Gary at
SafeHarborB@aol.com or at
617 964 5544.
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SAFE HARBOR SITE GETS A NEW LOOK! |
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Safe Harbor's
site - the world's largest of its kind - at
www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com has been upgraded and
streamlined for easier use and better access. Take a look!
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AUSTRALIAN WORKSHOP - NUTRITIONAL MENTAL
HEALTH TREATMENT FOR KIDS |
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Fountaindale
Clinic (Australia) Presents:
THE ALPHABET KIDS
Professional 2-day Workshops (August 21 & 22) plus others
Maximum 10 participants per workshop
"Designed for those many interested psychologists, special eds.,
nurses and others involved professionally in this huge problem -
who asked me to share what I have learned." Michael Sichel, D.O.,
N.D., Ph.D., author of "Good News for the Alphabet Kids"
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
You will learn everything necessary to reverse, or significantly
improve, the vital but damaged
physiological/gastro-intestinal/metabolic function and nutritional
status in children with all types of regressive (late onset)
autism spectrum disorders. You will learn how these damaged
processes have affected the brains of these children.
For more information:
adhd-specialist@hotkey.net.au
Phone: 02 43 622 458
Fountaindale "Get Well Naturally" Clinic in Ourimbah, one hour
north of Sydney.
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GUEST EDITORIAL: FORCED MENTAL HEALTH SCREENINGS - A PSYCHIATRIC
INQUISITION |
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by Nathaniel S.
Lehrman, M.D.
(The following was sent to us in response to recent headlines claiming
that the Bush Administration is in support of mandatory screenings for
mental disorders.)
Forced screening of the general population for "mental illness," and
the possibility of forced
treatment for those then "diagnosed," is a dangerous un-American
fraud. When people are troubled, they, and they alone, should
determine whether to seek help, and, if so, where. We don't need
experts to tell us when we are troubled. And when children have
difficulties, it is the parents, not the state, who have primary
responsibility for helping to deal with them.
"Mental illness" is a vague term which has now expanded beyond all
limits. Should "experts" so label any of us, or our children, how do
we disprove it? And should they then insist that medication be given
against our will - as some public schools are already doing with
ADHD-labeled children - how do we protect ourselves against these
often-dangerous substances?
Some forty years ago, a psychologist on Long Island urged a group of
educators to have "mental health teams" drop unannounced into
classrooms to find "sick" teachers needing "treatment," because they
were supposedly so harmful to their students. All present were
horrified, and rejected this proposed resurrection of the medieval
Inquisition, with "mental health experts" taking the role of the
medieval Church.
Psychiatry has been called the only business in America where the
customer is always wrong. Allowing it forcibly to screen the American
public would benefit only the screeners and the drug companies, and
harm the rest of us - as well as destroying our democratic traditions
of free speech and thought. |
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Nathaniel S.
Lehrman, M.D., is former Clinical Director, Kingsboro Psychiatric
Center, Brooklyn NY. Contact: 10 Nob Hill Gate, Roslyn NY 11576;
516/626-0238 |
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NATUROPATHIC PROGRAM FUNDED AT PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL |
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The Mental Health
Center of Greater Manchester (New Hampshire) was recently awarded a
$40,000 Ittleson Foundation grant designated to support the agency's
efforts to integrate naturopathic medicine among the array of
treatments available for behavioral and mental health concerns. The
two-year grant will support efforts to develop a program model,
treatment protocols and educational materials that can be replicated
by other mental health programs throughout the country.
A year ago, The Center became one of the first community mental health
centers in the United States to offer naturopathic medicine as a
treatment option. At a time when more people are seeking alternatives
to traditional medical care and, in particular, looking to rely less
on medication to manage their symptoms, the demand for complementary
therapies like those provided by naturopathic medicine is growing.
Research has shown that naturopathic therapies including clinical
nutrition, vitamin and mineral therapy and botanical medicine, are
effective in treating conditions such as attention deficit disorder,
depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other behavioral health
problems.
According to The Center's Medical Director, Daniel P. Potenza, MD,
"The Ittleson Foundation grant affords us an exciting and unique
opportunity to establish a first-of-its-kind program model. Dr.
Jeffrey Sager, the naturopathic doctor on our staff, will be
developing the program model, treatment protocols, educational and
program development materials that will be an invaluable tool for
other mental health organizations locally and nationally who want to
replicate the program."
Dr. Sager, a licensed doctor of naturopathic medicine, joined the
staff of The Center's Bedford
Counseling Associates one year ago. He is also on the staff of the
Center for Life Management, the community mental health agency located
in Derry.
Since 1932, The Ittleson Foundation has been serving the needs of the
underprivileged and providing resources for not-for-profit
organizations. Today, The Foundation continues a commitment to
bringing a "venture capital" approach to philanthropy and is
particularly interested in the areas of mental health, AIDS, and the
environment.
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For more
information regarding Naturopathic Medicine services, contact The
Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester at (603) 668-4111 or
visit
http://www.mhcgm.org/. |
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STUDY SHOWS DIETARY NIACIN EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING ALZHEIMER'S |
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Eating abundant
amounts of niacin-rich foods can protect against mental decline by
80%. That is the finding of a new study reported in the August issue
of the Journal of Neurosurgery & Psychiatry authored by Dr. Martha
Morris of the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago.
It has been known that a severe deficiency of niacin (B3) causes a
condition called pellagra, which is characterized by dementia, and
that pellagra can be resolved with synthetic niacin. However previous
studies did not determine whether dietary niacin would also be an
effective guard against mental deterioration.
Dietary data was collected every three years from 1993 to 2003 from a
group of 6158 Chicago
residents over 65 years old. Cognitive testing was done four times
over that period of time. A
random sample of various subgroups within this larger group (sorted by
race, age, sex and those who had a change in cognitive performance)
was done. Of 815 people identified for the random sample, 131
participants experienced mental decline.
The random sample was then divided into five groups, rated according
to their intake of dietary niacin. The top fifth (highest intake of
niacin-rich foods) were 80% less likely to develop dementia than the
group in the bottom fifth. The middle three groups were 70% less
likely to develop dementia than the bottom fifth.
The study provided controls for various important risk factors for
dementia, such as age, education, race, and the presence of a gene
associated with risk for Alzheimer's, as well as intake of various
other B vitamins, antioxidants, fats, and folate.
Food sources of niacin include liver, poultry, fish, lean meats, whole
and enriched grains (except corn), dried peas and beans, nuts,
peanuts, Brewer's yeast, wheat germ, avocados, and dates.
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HELPING THE HELPLESS IN CALCUTTA, INDIA |
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Ishita Sanyal's life
completely changed when she learned that a loved one was believed to
have the most dreaded mental illness, schizophrenia. As a
psychologist, she felt helpless to improve the quality of life for the
affected individual or the parents. Neither medication nor counseling
can provide what is most needed in these cases - rehabilitation,
learning life skills, social
interaction, and communication.
None of the centers she looked into offered real, practical answers.
She decided to do it herself, founding the Turning Point center and
designing its entire program. Where other centers offered bookbinding
or pickle making as occupational therapy, she launched a computer
training program for mental patients, the first of its kind in
Calcutta.
Her programs have garnered international praise, usually accompanied
by astonishment that she has done all this without funding. She is
recognized as a pioneer in making patients more responsible. Her paper
on the role of responsibility in mental treatment has been adopted by
the WFSAD Conference (World Fellowships for Schizophrenia and Related
Disorders).
Turning Point's first conference took up the subject of caring for the
caregiver. Under her
leadership the first parent group was formed in Calcutta, a precursor
to the present trend toward family acceptance and contribution as an
alternative to institutionalization.
Ishita has arranged a number of awareness programs on mental health,
and plans to start a mental health quiz program at Swabhumi.
In addition to all these activities, she is a regular columnist at the
Telegraph, working to promote broad public awareness and understanding
of mental health issues.
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JAPANESE RESEARCH LINKS TOXICITY AND AGGRESSION |
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Japanese researchers
are concerned about the impact of environmental chemicals on normal
hormone functioning in mammals, including humans, according to a July
article in The Yomiuri Shimbun.
The article echoed the concern of the Japan Society of Endocrine
Disrupters Research that DDT, dioxin, PCB, plastics, BPA, nonylphenol,
and about 65 other named substances can suppress normal growth,
nervous system and cognitive development, and fertility, with abnormal
behavior a likely outcome.
The Society stressed the importance of the problem at its June 25
meeting, following the release of a report that rats fed Bisphenol A -
a chemical used in the manufacture of wrapping paper, plastic bottles,
and other products - found it more difficult to negotiate a maze and
exhibited ADHD-like symptoms.
Female rats born to mothers that had ingested Glufosinate, a weed
killer used on golf courses, were extremely aggressive toward other
rats. The chemical structure of Glufosinate mimics that of glutaminic
acid, which is indispensable to the human brain.
A national campaign to assess the damage caused by such substances has
lost momentum of late, said the story.
In Taiwan, an average drop of about five percentage points in IQ on
average was reported among children aged 6 to 7 suffering from
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) poisoning.
Underactive thyroid function in mothers during the early stages of
pregnancy has been linked to lower IQ scores in their children.
Chemically, PCB resembles thyroid hormones and may inhibit their
production.
Studies conducted in the mid-1990s reported that small traces of an
endocrine disrupter could lead to smaller testes in carp and smaller
penises on crocodiles, while male fish exhibited more female traits.
Japanese scientists have dubbed such chemicals "environmental
hormones" because of their
hormone-like behavior when ingested, a kind of toxicity that defies
usual classification.
Yoichiro Kuroda of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience
said: "If something unusual happens to genes, any effects will take
several thousand to several tens of thousands of years to become
obvious. The abrupt changes in the past must have been caused by
chemical substances."
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STREPTOCOCCAL INFECTIONS MAY LEAD TO DYSKINESIA IN CHILDREN |
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Streptococcal
infections may lead to dyskinesias (abnormalities in performing
voluntary muscle
movements) and associated psychiatric disorders in some children, says
a July report in Archives of Diseases in Childhood.
In the report, Dr. R.C. Dale and colleagues summarized their
experience of post-streptococcal
dyskinesias and mental symptoms in 40 patients (ranging in age from
1.2 to 16 years) examined between 1999 and 2002 at London's Institute
of Child Health.
The most frequent dyskinesias were chorea (rapid, involuntary
dance-like movements) in 20 children, vocal tics in 17 children, and
motor tics in 16.
An infectious illness compatible with beta-hemolytic streptococci
shortly preceded the movement disorder onset in 34 children, the
authors report, whereas the remaining 6 patients had 2 or more
relapses associated with streptococcal infections.
Additionally, 33 of the children experienced mood swings, obsessions,
compulsions, or depression, sometimes accompanied by unwanted
behaviors.
The disorder resolved completely after one episode in 11 patients
(27.5%), the results indicate, but 15 have persistent static disease,
and 14 have relapses associated with further infections. It is hoped
that further study will lead to effective treatment methodologies.
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SCHIZOPHRENIA DRUG MAKER ADMITS RISKS |
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The maker of a
leading anti-schizophrenic drug has notified doctors that it minimized
potentially fatal risks and made misleading claims about the drug in
promotional materials.
Janssen Pharmaceutica Products sent a two-page letter to the health
care community in July to
clarify the risks of Risperdal, said Carol Goodrich, a spokeswoman for
the Johnson & Johnson
subsidiary.
The letter complied with a directive issued last year by the Food and
Drug Administration, which told several makers of anti-psychotic drugs
to update their product labels.
Janssen reported compliance in November 2003, but the FDA determined
that the company's promotional materials still minimized the risk of
strokes, diabetes and other potentially fatal complications. The
agency also said Janssen made misleading claims that the medication
was safer in treating mental illness than similar drugs.
The Miami Herald reported in July that a handful of boys in Florida
developed lactating breasts
after taking Risperdal.
Also in July, the drug - which is prescribed to more than 10 million
people internationally - was named in a federal lawsuit by a doctor
who claims children have been harmed and even killed by the misuse of
drugs he blames on aggressive marketing by drug manufacturers.
Risperdal was first marketed about eight years ago.
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ANTIDEPRESSANT DANGERS CONTINUE TO MAKE HEADLINES |
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Doctors will be
required to warn all patients under 30 of the suicide risk posed by
the
antidepressant Seroxat (Paxil) following an investigation into the
drug by a European medical
agency, AMH News learned in late July.
The European Commission is expected to ratify the findings this fall,
which would make the
recommendations law throughout the European Union (EU).
The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA)
had announced in April that Seroxat can lead to an increased risk of
"suicide-related behaviour in young adults," recommending extra
caution in prescribing the drug to those aged 18 to 29 and calling
close monitoring of patients throughout treatment. The EMEA licenses
drugs for use in the EU.
A significant number of patients prescribed Seroxat are under 30,
according to the drug's
manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline. The drug was banned for patients under
18 in the UK last year.
The mental health charity Mind called on the UK Medicines and
Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to order family doctors to warn
all their depressed patients about the EMEA's findings immediately.
A Mind spokeswoman said: "The European ruling on Seroxat makes it very
clear that the very real problems with this drug potentially go far
beyond the groups already acknowledged to be at risk.
"When there are up to 800,000 people currently taking Seroxat in the
UK, there is an urgent need for these risks to be made plainly known,
and for GPs to be very aware of potential problems when they hand out
prescriptions."
In the U.S., an unprecedented effort has been undertaken to evaluate
suicides in a large population of depressed individuals taking
antidepressant drugs for months or years. The study analyzed data
collected on more than 2,500 patients prescribed fluoxetine (Prozac),
paroxetine (Paxil), amitriptyline, or dothiepin.
Suicides and suicide attempts increased sharply in the month after
patients started taking the
antidepressants, reported Hershel Jick and colleagues at the Boston
University School of Medicine (Journal of the American Medical
Association, July 21). They argued, however, that the suicides must be
a result of the depression and not of the drug treatment, which
supposedly takes several weeks to "kick in."
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SUCCESSFUL NON-DRUG PROGRAM FOR LEARNING-DISABLED KIDS |
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The principal of CL
Milton Elementary School in Laredo, Texas, has just announced
breakthrough results for a pilot study using balancing and
coordination exercises for children with learning disabilities or ADHD
symptoms.
After only four months of twice daily exercises, eighty-three 2nd,
3rd, 4th and 5th grade students showed 75% more reading progress than
a control group of non-learning disabled students from the same
grades.
According to the school principal, learning-disabled children
typically progress in reading ability only 25% to 50% as much as
non-learning disabled students over a given period.
The Learning Breakthrough Program is a balance and sensory activity
program designed to help better organize brain processing in order to
improve a child's overall functioning in areas of learning such as
reading, writing, comprehension and focus.
The program is suitable for those 7 years and older. Improvement
reportedly becomes permanent after 9-12 months of use for fifteen
minutes twice daily.
The program may not only help struggling children catch up, but may
help gifted children to excel. It does not replace skills training or
tutoring, but enhances the results of such activities.
According to Dr. Irvine Mason, Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry
and Neurology, "It is
difficult for many to understand how a physical exercise program can
improve reading, writing, comprehension and attention ability. My
initial skepticism was replaced with excitement after a careful review
of the program, research and user reports. With one in six school
children diagnosed with a learning disability and probably an equal
number that fall through the cracks, widespread use of a non-medical
program such as this will have a significant impact on not only the
children and families involved, but society as well."
"As the parent of a child with dyslexia who was also identified as
gifted and talented, I had looked at everything I could find," says
Mrs. Ratliff, principal, C.L. Milton Elementary School. "The balance
and sensory exercises that are part of the Learning Breakthrough
Program made sense to me. So much so, that I took a leap and
integrated it into the school. Simultaneously, my 8-year-old son used
the program at home each day. After 5 months of program use, his
reading level jumped by 2 years. My goal was to guide other parents
who I knew from experience were as frustrated and desperate as I was
in trying to help their children succeed."
A child enrolled in the program watches on videotape, then performs
tasks such as throwing beanbags, tossing balls at a bounce-back
target, and tapping a hanging ball, while standing on a unique balance
board. Two 15-minute sessions per day are recommended for maximum
benefit.
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