Common Sense Methods - Dealing with mental illnesses.
By Allen Darman.
-------------------------
"Mental illnesses" are commonly and correctly considered to be
conditions of "chemical imbalance". Well, let us talk about the
chemicals in the human body that are imbalanced in simple terms for
a little while, so that we can understand the phrase "chemical
imbalance" and the chemistry of the human body a little better.
"Understand the human cell, and you can understand the human body."
This simple statement has profound implications in regard to
correcting all mental illness.
It is important to realize that only three basic chemical classes
affect ALL cellular function in every form of life, to include every
single cell in a human being. These chemical classes are (1)
essential nutrients, (2) allergens, and (3) toxins. (1) Does the
cell have enough of all 50 or so essential nutrients to function
properly?, (2) Is the cell overexposed to substances it is allergic
to such that its performance is impaired?, and (3) Is the cell
overexposed to toxins such that its performance is impaired? These
three simple questions are quite germane to human health period,
both physical and mental. Indeed, these three simple questions
often represent the entirety of the matter. This is especially true
when "psychiatric" conditions are concerned.
The chemical class of essential nutrients referred to above
subdivides into only four sub-classes of essential nutrients. In
order of amounts present in the human body once all of the water is
taken out, these are, from largest to smallest amounts present, (1)
amino acids, (2) fats, (3) minerals, and (4) vitamins. Water
represents roughly 70% of the weight of an average human being. If
one takes the water out of an average human being, the remainder by
weight is roughly 70% amino acids, vs. only 20% by weight of fats,
5% by weight of minerals, and an even smaller percentage by weight
of vitamins.
It may be worthy to note that some nutrients can be harmful when
present in excessive amounts. Copper is one common problematic
nutrient worthy of mention in this regard. Some persons have too
much of the essential nutrient mineral copper. If so, this issue of
too much copper can and should be resolved. However, most nutrient
problems are not problems of excess such as this example with
copper. In regard to mental illness, most nutrient problems are
problems of deficiency.
Essential nutrients are responsible for the production of EVERY
neurotransmitter, hormone, and enzyme in the human body. If you are
low in any one of the 50 or so essential nutrients, you are most
certainly impaired in regard to the production of any
neurotransmitter, hormone, or enzyme these biochemicals are made
of. This is irrefutable scientific and biological fact.
Unfortunately, this is fact you regular doctor or psychiatrist
ignores. It is also fact that is being ignored by almost all
medical research worldwide, in favor of just dispensing drugs.
Why? Power, prestige, and money are why. All of these are
threatened by rather simple and understandable truths in regard to
nutrients, allergens, and toxins (even by a person that may only
have graduated high school).
In almost any person with any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever, food
allergens either directly cause or greatly contribute to their
psychiatric symptoms. This allergic exposure relates to unknowingly
ingesting common (and often multiple) food allergens, such as the
gluten-laden grains of wheat, oats, barley, and rye, dairy products,
corn, eggs, peanuts, chocolate, citrus, soy, the nightshade family,
and other common allergic foods. Almost always eating common foods
such as those in the aforementioned list is the biggest allergic
exposure that someone should be concerned about. This is especially
true if someone has any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever.
Common foods cause severe psychiatric symptoms in millions of
persons. This is a fact that conventional medicine ignores. It is
also a fact that is commonly recognized in alternative medicine.
Many toxins can be generated in the GI tract. (The GI tract is the
gastrointestinal tract. It is also commonly referred to as "the
gut".). These gut toxins are the result of having (1) too much
candida (a common yeast condition), (2) too many various other
yeasts, molds and fungi, (3) too many "bad bacteria" that do not
belong in the gut, (4) not enough "good bacteria" that should be
present in the gut, (5) the presence of parasites, and/or (6) having
too much undigested (and therefore fermenting) food. When present,
these gut toxins always are absorbed into the body to some degree.
Toxins present in the GI tract usually represent the biggest toxic
exposure that one should be concerned about. This is especially
true if someone has any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever.
Gut toxins, and the issues that cause them, cause severe psychiatric
symptoms in millions of persons. This is a fact that conventional
medicine ignores. It is also a fact that is commonly recognized in
alternative medicine.
In addition to their being problematic in and of themselves, hidden
food allergens and gut toxins substantially impair all essential
nutrient delivery into the body. In their presence, the gut acts to
protect you. Our intestines either allow for greater absorption or
restrict for lesser absorption depending on what is in them. To
lessen absorption of problematic gut contents into the body, our
intestines secrete mucous, become inflamed, or use other means in
order to partially shut down the gut from an absorptive standpoint.
This is the way nature designed the human gut, as well as the guts
of many other species as well.
The human body needs to deal with toxic exposure to some degree
every single day. It does so by a process called detoxification.
All detoxification pathways in the human body are essential nutrient
dependent. Some nutrients are more important than others in this
regard. And when the body detoxifies (either excretes or "locks
up") any toxic molecule, it uses, and uses up, essential nutrient
molecules to do so. Therefore it only makes sense to fortify one's
essential nutrient status, as doing so increases the body's ability
to handle the daily measure of toxins it is most certainly exposed
to. This concept applies, at least in part, to all allergic
exposure as well.
In simplicity, some practitioners of alternative medicine are
proposing to us, and have been proposing to us for a handful of
years, that our "various brain problems" are simply (1) food
allergic, (2) gut toxic, (3) dietary deficiency, and (4) nutrient
malabsorptive problems in disguise. They are telling us that the
brain is simply a "secondary target organ" to "primary gut events",
just as are all of the other organs and glands in the body as well.
According to these practitioners of alternative medicine if (1) we
don't eat a nutritionally adequate and non-allergic diet, or (2) our
GI tract (gut) is too toxic from candida or other biological issues
that are listed in the copy above, or (3) our gut does not work
quite right such that foods we eat are not being digested or
absorbed properly... then sooner or later we are likely to become
predisposed to chemical imbalance. Chemical imbalance equates
to "mental illness".
In regard to nutrients, plain and simple logic underlies the fact
that chemical imbalance equates to "mental illness". This is
because essential nutrients are what all of our neurotransmitters,
hormones, and enzymes are made out of. Therefore if we lack
essential nutrients, we lack what these nutrients build in our
brains and bodies as well. And therefore any problem relating to the
(1) intake, (2) digestion, or (3) absorption of an adequate amount
of essential nutrients is a causative factor in "mental illness".
This simple logic seems patently obvious to many persons.
Unfortunately, the simple logic reflected in the above paragraph is
totally ignored by modern drug pushing psychiatry as we know it.
Did your psychiatrist ever tell you that every single
neurotransmitter in your brain is made out of essential nutrients
such as amino acids, minerals, or vitamins? Did they ever
recommend these nutrients to you? Does your psychiatrist assume
that you, as their patient, currently have all of the 50 or so
scientifically known essential nutrients that your body and your
brain need? Apparently, your psychiatrist assumes just that.
Sadly, your psychiatrist knows very little to nothing about the
therapeutic use of nutrients. And sadly, your psychiatrist knows
almost nothing about the various nutrient, malabsorptive, allergic,
and toxic factors that cause almost all mental illness in the first
place. All that your psychiatrist knows is how to dispense
medication in an attempt to control your symptoms.
It is becoming clearer and cleared in the alternative medical arena
that (1) broadly increasing one's essential nutrient status (with
some exceptions in some cases, but always paying attention to the
key detoxification nutrients), (2) minimizing one's exposure to
allergens, (3) minimizing one's exposure to toxins, while (4)
broadly addressing the common malabsortive factors that impair
nutrient delivery of (a) chronically ingesting food allergens, (b)
intestinal dysbiosis, (c) a probable lack of digestive enzymes, (d)
a possible lack of adequate stomach acid, (e) underhydration, and
(f) a lack of enough exercise… when these issues are all corrected
in total this more or less represents "a foundation biochemical
intervention" to in order recover human health period (to include
mental health). God, in the form of the natural wisdom of nature in
your body, a wisdom that knows how to heal itself when given enough
nutrients to do so, does the rest.
The above is not the whole story by any means. It is simply an
introduction to the whole new wave of understanding that alternative
medicine represents.
My own profound recovery from over 30 years of heavy bipolar
symptoms greatly concurs with the basic understanding of alternative
medicine that is reflected above.
I did not have to fix my brain directly to recover from bipolar
disorder. I had to (1) eliminate chronic ingestion of multiple
hidden food allergens that were really crippling me and (2) I had to
fix my gut; as my gut did not digest and absorb well at all until I
learned how to intervene with digestive enzymes, HCL, probiotics,
glutamine, bentonite, and a number of other gut healing measures.
The first crucial concept that I had to learn in my recovery was
that for me to even have a chance of truly succeeding, I had to take
full personal responsibility for my own wellness and my own
recovery. This concept got me "unstuck" from relying on any doctor
or any other outside party to "fix my mental illness". I admittedly
did not learn this powerful and personally empowering idea on my
own. I learned this idea from an earlier version of "The Depression
Workbook" by Mary Ellen Copeland, a book that is unfortunately no
longer in print.
In my opinion, it so turns out that even though alternative medicine
has developed (and is still developing) much new truth in which to
help us, one often does not need ANY doctor's services at all in
which to recover from mental illness. Almost everything an
alternative doctor can do for you can be performed at home by
yourself, if not performed at home even better by yourself, than
using any doctor's services whatsoever, alternative or not.
I sure don't need a doctor to tell me what supplements I should
take, or what dosage of them to take as well. Nor do I need any
doctor at all to tell me how to address hidden food allergy,
candida, or any other common problematic gut issues in myself. In my
recovery from manic depression, I found that I could learn about all
of these issues and/or how to correct for them from various books
and from the Internet on my own.
I was hurt by medical ignorance once (traditional psychiatry). And I
see many being hurt again... hurt by some alternative doctors that
don't know alternative medical concepts well, and yet still charge
an awful lot of money for very erroneous advice. Even if you choose
to use an alternative medical practitioner to help you, I highly
recommend that you do a good deal of your own research, such that
you will know if your alternative doctor is giving you fairly
competent advice or not.
And be very suspicious of any alternative doctor that tries to sell
you on the fact that you are "biochemically individual"
or "biochemically unique. Certainly we are all biochemically
unique, but this is not the heart of the matter when overcoming
mental illness. Dealing with the various nutrient, malabsorptive,
allergic, and toxic factors as introduced herein is the heart of the
matter in this author's opinion, for the most part. We human beings
are far more biochemically alike that we are different.
Also, be very suspicious of any alternative doctor that tries to
sell you on the fact that you need a lot of expensive laboratory
tests in order to be treated properly by alternative medicine. Many
alternative medical practitioners recommend such. Food allergy
testing, stool testing, and amino acid testing are almost useless in
most cases, if not can give erroneous results which can obscure the
truth (this is especially true in regard to food allergy testing).
And much (but not all) mineral testing is of very limited value as
well. A hair test, although not perfect, might be wise, and a ph
test of one's saliva should be done (this latter test only costs
pennies, and a hair test costs about $60).
I consider the following books to be "must read books" for those
persons that wish to overcome a number of psychiatric conditions
naturally. This reading list is only for those persons that have
taken full responsibility for their own wellness and their own
recovery, and are able to read and discriminate between quite a bit
of information, some of which is in error.
Admittedly, one needs to "read between the lines" of the books in
the list below in order to realize their connection to "mental
illness". Why is this the case? This is because many of the books
listed do not even mention any "psychiatric" condition at all (and
they may not mention yours), even though they are all quite germane
to such (to include yours as well).
How can the above be true?
The books listed below concern various (1) nutritional, (2)
malabsorptive, (3) allergic, and (4) toxic factors. These four
factors affect human health, due to their ability to cause essential
nutrient deficiency, affect cellular performance, or both. One
reason that some of the books in the list below don't mention
any "psychiatric" condition is that some (but not all) of the
authors of these books did not realize when they wrote them that
these malabsorptive, allergic, and toxic factors were important to
deal with when properly correcting almost any instance of "mental
illness".
In leaving out of the list a number of other great books on
overcoming chemical imbalance naturally, I do not mean to demean
either the authors of these books or the valuable insight contained
in them in any way. Dr. Abram Hoffer, Dr. William Crook, and Joan
Matthews Larson are very worthy of mention in this regard. Although
none of these author's books are in the reading list below, they
have written some really great books.
If "I had to do my recovery all over again" I sure feel that the
following twelve books would have been a great place to start vs.
the hundred and fifty to two hundred books that I had to plough
through over ten years to find these gems. Essentially books one
through five in the list below were where I found various truths
that I needed to find in order to get better from 30 years of heavy
bipolar symptoms. Books six through twelve I read after I got well,
and saw much value in them.
I cannot thank the authors of the books listed below enough. In a
very real sense, I owe the authors of some of these books my very
life.
1. "The Way Up From Down" by Priscilla Slagle. This book is a true
classic (it was first published in 1987). Its amino acid
prescriptions are quite out of date, but when they were first
published they were way ahead of their time. This book is available
as a free download from the website www.thewayup.com. It is also
only about $6.00 in paperback, probably the best use of $6. I
experienced in my entire life.
The great value in this book is that it is not too complex and it is
rather easily understood. It gives someone a very useful overview
of some of the concepts that are necessary to change their
neurotransmitter levels naturally. It also gives someone a very
useful overview of what some of the common biochemically depleting
factors are (such that one's neurotransmitter levels are depressed).
Although this book is a good introductory book in regard to
developing some basic general understanding of how to change one's
mood and brain chemistry with nutrients, this book does not contain
nearly enough knowledge to be able to correct severe mental illness
in oneself. The more one learns the better, and this book is not
nearly comprehensive enough.
2. "Depression - Cured At Last" by Sherry Rogers, M.D. A truly
landmark work. Not to be missed. This book can be found on
www.prestigepublishing.com, as can all of Dr. Rogers books. For
those that like to read Sherry Rogers goes into depth, but she does
so in a way that is readily understandable by most persons. Sherry
Rogers was my greatest teacher by far. I say this despite the fact
that Dr. Rogers does not know how to use the tremendous therapeutic
power of amino acids at all. And I do not agree on everything Dr.
Rogers has written (better concepts on certain things can be found
elsewhere). However, Dr. Rogers's books, when they are judged in
their totality from reading all of her books, are absolutely
fabulous. Dr. Rogers greatly helps a layperson to understand the
chemistry of the human body better. They also greatly help someone
to understand the common problematic gut issues that often underlie
nutrient deficiency (and thus neurotransmitter, hormonal, and enzyme
deficiency in the body and brain as well). And her books cover so
much else related to natural healing as well.
Both of the above authors (Dr. Priscilla Slagle and Dr. Sherry
Rogers), despite being medical doctors, are not drug oriented at
all. They favor nutrients and other natural healing measures vs. the
use of medication. And they both trash the orthodox medical
establishment for the way it deals with depression in a very logical
and understandable way.
Incidentally, the Dr. Priscilla Slagle and Dr. Sherry Rogers are
both medical doctors that suffered from depression themselves. They
both found and used many similar concepts in order to overcome
depression naturally. And they both think quite highly of each
others written work. It sure seems to me that if one actually
suffers from an illness, as these authors both personally did, it
gives them a significant advantage in gaining an accurate and true
understanding of the illness in question vs. someone who does not
have this particular illness at all.
3. "Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management" by Bernard Jensen.
This book is a true classic on the gut, and it has been for years.
It contains some knowledge and concepts not found on any other book
in this list. This book is truly a "must read book". Despite the
fact that this book mentions no psychiatric illness at all, it is
germane to all psychiatric illnesses. The concept of bowel transit
time is very important, if not crucial, to mental health, as is the
concept of autointoxication. Did you know that a healthy human
being eating a natural diet has two or three loose, easy to pass,
healthy bowel movement a day? Bernard Jensen knew this, and he has
taught many persons this fact. Bernard Jensen also taught many
persons how toxic the colon can be, and how important it is to
correct for this in order to recover one's health. What Bernard
Jensen taught us is quite germane to all mental illness from
depression to schizophrenia.
4. "Patient Heal Thyself" by Jordan Rubin. Jordan Rubin draws
heavily on the knowledge of Bernard Jensen and others, but puts
forth some of his own concepts as well. His own personal story of
recovery, which is in most of his books, is both miraculous and true.
Jordan Rubin is "the new kid on the block gut-wise". Both his books
and his Garden of Life supplement products are well spoken of by
many.
5. "Digestive Wellness" by Elizabeth Lipski. This book is a real gem
on the gut. It is a very worthy read in regard to common
problematic gut issues and how to correct them.
6. "Restoring Your Digestive Health" by Jordan Rubin. This book
details his "Guts and Glory Program" for healing the gut. Jordan
Rubin does miss the issue of hidden food allergy almost completely,
but on other gut issues he is very insightful.
7. "No More Heartburn" by Sherry Rogers, M.D. This is Dr. Rogers
only professionally edited book (all the rest were self published,
which is not at all a negative feature, as when Dr. Rogers self
published she often put quite a few helpful references at the end of
each chapter). "No More Heartburn" essentially strips "the gut
issues" out of her book "Depression - Cured At Last" and expands on
them somewhat.
8. "Conquering Yeast Infections" by S. Colet Lahoz. This is the
only book that I know of that extols the use of bentonite and
psyllium for dealing with candida and other intestinal dysbiosis
issues. As such, this book automatically makes my favorite reading
list. I say this despite the fact that I often use far more
bentonite and psyllium than Ms. Lahoz recommends. I think that her
dosage recommendations are often far too low to adequately and
quickly correct serious intestinal dysbiosis.
Ms. Lahoz suggestion of using olive oil and coconut oil to correct
the gut is a very good one (caprol which she recommends, is a
combination of these two oils). I personally take these and other
gut healing oils apart from taking bentonite and psyllium, as Ms.
Lahoz recommends.
I was actually using bentonite and psyllium much earlier in my
recovery than when I found and read this book. In my opinion, it is
inevitable that bentonite and psyllium are going to be found to be
incredibly useful in regard to treating a whole host of mental
conditions, to include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and all the
rest. This is due to bentonite and psyllium being able to purge the
gut of a wide range of intestinal dysbiosis and intestinal
malabsorptive issues fairly quickly without experiencing any (or
hardly any) die off reaction whatsoever.
9. "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross. This book is a very worthy read,
despite the fact that there is not enough emphasis placed on the
common problematic gut issues that underlie most mental illness. It
is one of the few books that recognize the tremendous therapeutic
power of amino acids.
Julia Ross, Margot Kidder (the actress that overcame bipolar
disorder in herself naturally), and myself all seem to have
independently come up with a very similar amino acid prescription
for inhibition and/or to promote sleep in the late 1990's. This
amino acid prescription regime uses tryptophan, taurine, GABA for
the most part, although other nutrients are also involved.
I have one major disagreement with Julia Ross. Until she recommends
some kind of broad based amino acid prescription for depression, I
strongly feel that she is incorrect on this issue. Her old
tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan prescription for depression is
simply a page out of Dr. Slagle's book "The Way Up From Down". It
is quite out of date. Taking broad based amino acid preparations is
a far more effective approach for the relief of depression than
simply boosting a few key neurotransmitters (by taking a few
individual amino acids, as Julia Ross and Dr. Slagle recommend).
10. "The Amino Revolution" by Robert Erdmann. This book has some
serious flaws, but so little is written on amino acids. This book
made my favorite book list more or less by default, due to the fact
so few decent books are written on how to use amino acids
therapeutically.
Robert Erdmann does know that taking broad based amino acids is
wise. Although he also recommends coupling various amino acids to
treat various problems, he also recommends broad based amino acids
as well.
One obvious error that comes to mind when I read Robert Erdmann's
book is that he does not mention the use of taurine for inhibition.
This is a clear mistake, as taurine is powerfully inhibitory for
many persons.
Unfortunately, Robert Erdmann does not give any dosage
recommendations in his book, or any set of guidelines for
determining such. In general, one needs to determine their own
dosage in regard to amino acids (both blended and individual amino
acids), by dosing up slowly and cautiously over a period of time
while monitoring their effect in oneself.
I have personally taken well over 80,000 capsules of individual or
blended amino acids since 1997, along with a whole range of vitamin
and mineral cofactors. Amino acids are incredibly helpful
substances in regard to correcting depression and mania in other
manic depressive persons and myself, once one learns how to use them
properly. They are also incredibly helpful substances in regard to
resolving a whole host of other mental and physical conditions. In
addition, amino acids are also incredibly helpful substances in
regard to resolving all cases of substance abuse (from alcohol to
heroin and everything in between). Yet so little is known about how
to use amino acids properly when treating ill health of any sort.
And so few books are written about them as well. At least Robert
Erdmann wrote one, not a perfect book, but quite useful nonetheless.
It never ceases to amaze me how little is written in regard to
applying amino acids to mental conditions. After all, amino acids
are the primary nutrient precursors to nearly every
neurotransmitter, hormone, and enzyme in the human body. Remember,
if one takes the water out of an average human being, the remainder
by weight is roughly 70% amino acids, vs. only 20% by weight of
fats, 5% by weight of minerals, and a small amount of vitamins. In
saying what I have about amino acids, I do not mean to demean the
importance of minerals, as this class of essential nutrients is
crucial to the proper functioning of every cell in the human body
(minerals are arguably as important as amino acids in regard to
chemical balance, despite their being so much less of one's body
weight). Nor do I mean to demean the importance of enough "good
fats", as these essential nutrients, just as vitamins, minerals, and
amino acids are, are also crucial to human health and well being as
well.
11. "Is This Your Child?" by Doris Rapp. Do not confuse this book
with the book "Is This Your Child's World?" by Doris Rapp. These are
two different books. "Is This Your Child?", although written for
ADHD, strongly applies to depression, bipolar disorder and many
other psychiatric conditions as well.
Dr. Doris Rapp (as well as Dr. William Crook and many others) has a
good part of the basics down right. She knows that hidden food
allergies and problematic gut issues (such as candida) are the major
causes of ADHD in most children that are so afflicted. Current
alternative medical thought recognizes the power and prevalence of
food allergies, just as Dr. Rapp does. However, current alternative
medical thought goes beyond addressing just candida when addressing
problems in the gut. The new buzzword for common gut problems
is "intestinal dysbiosis". In simple terms, intestinal dysbiosis
means disordered biology in the GI tract. This is an inclusive term
that encompasses (1) too much candida (a common yeast condition),
(2) too many various other yeasts, molds and fungi, (3) too
many "bad bacteria" that do not belong in the gut, (4) not
enough "good bacteria" that should be present in the gut, and (5)
the presence of parasites.
12. "Optimum Nutrition for the Mind" by Patrick Holford. One of the
newer "brain books". This book has its strengths and weaknesses, as
do all of the books that are listed here. Patrick Holford does
realize the importance of hidden food allergies and intestinal
dysbiosis when dealing with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and the
like. These common malabsorptive issues are recognized by many
persons as being crucial to the treatment of bipolar disorder,
depression, schizophrenia, and the like. However, these common
malabsorptive issues are still missed by many persons in these
regards as well, to include many persons involved in the highest
echelons of medical research.
There are many great truths in the above books. Putting these
truths together may represent close to the best level of
understanding in regard to overcoming bipolar disorder, depression,
schizophrenia, alcoholism, and a whole host of other mental and
physical conditions at the current time.
However, I am admittedly in disagreement with some material in
almost every book that is listed above. It seems to me that most of
the above authors were right on some stuff and wrong on others... at
least in regard to understanding what I needed to know to overcome
bipolar disorder in myself. Some of the errors in the above books
were just plain errors. Some of the errors in the above books were
errors of emphasis (such as not emphasizing the importance of hidden
food allergy or intestinal dysbiosis issues enough while focusing on
issues such as the thyroid or blood sugar control, both of which are
often caused by nutrient deficiency as a result of a deficient diet,
food allergies, or intestinal dysbiosis). And some of these errors
were errors of omission (such as Sherry Rogers not knowing how to
use amino acids, Jordan Rubin discounting the importance of food
allergy, etc.).
In addition to the above books, many websites are a valuable
resource of information as well. These websites are far too
numerous to list, but the following should give someone an idea of
how many there are, and where to find them.
By using Google as a search engine on June 2, 2005, I coupled the
individual illnesses of depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD, ADD,
bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and alcoholism with the words or
phrases of food allergy, candida, intestinal dysbiosis, digestive
enzymes, malabsorption, leaky gut, and irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS). In essence, I was coupling a number of common psychiatric
illnesses (and one issue of substance abuse common to psychiatric
patients) with various common problems related to the gut.
When I coupled the word depression with the aforementioned gut
issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits:
1,110,000, 39,000, 3,930, 209,000, 81,700, 27,600, and 823,000
respectively.
When I coupled the word anxiety with the aforementioned gut issues,
Google came up with the following amount of hits: 823,000, 296,000,
723, 180,000, 56,100, 21,600, and 657,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word autism with the aforementioned gut issues,
Google came up with the following amount of hits: 405,000, 64,100,
1,560, 26,300, 10,200, 11,100, and 428,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word ADHD with the aforementioned gut issues,
Google came up with the following amount of hits: 1,000,000,
130,000, 582, 157,000, 7,690, 2,910, and 96,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word ADD with the aforementioned gut issues,
Google came up with the following amount of hits: 2,000,000,
483,000, 2,070, 497,000, 52,200, 49,400, and 451,000 respectively.
When I coupled the words bipolar disorder with the aforementioned
gut issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits:
659,000, 35,200, 185, 54,000, 9,330, 754, and 467,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word schizophrenia with the aforementioned gut
issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits: 826,000,
38,000, 384, 28,500, 13,100, 4,320, and 579,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word alcoholism with the aforementioned gut
issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits: 384,000,
40,100, 490, 36,100, 22,600, 4,300, and 212,000 respectively.
Admittedly, not all of the hits reflected in the lists above are
very useful. In fact, many of them are not. However, the high
amount of hits of almost any "psychiatric" illness when this illness
is coupled with common gut problems cannot, nor should not, be
ignored. Such counts in the paragraphs above are strongly
suggestive that all common gut problems should be assessed and
addressed when correcting any "mental" illness whatsoever (even if
other natural measures need to be done as well). Indeed, these high
counts from simple searches on the Internet are a pretty strong
indication that the entire concept of mental illness is becoming
functionally obsolete.
I do hope that some of the information contained in the above
material is helpful to the reader in some way.
Sincerely,
Allen Darman
conditions of "chemical imbalance". Well, let us talk about the
chemicals in the human body that are imbalanced in simple terms for
a little while, so that we can understand the phrase "chemical
imbalance" and the chemistry of the human body a little better.
"Understand the human cell, and you can understand the human body."
This simple statement has profound implications in regard to
correcting all mental illness.
It is important to realize that only three basic chemical classes
affect ALL cellular function in every form of life, to include every
single cell in a human being. These chemical classes are (1)
essential nutrients, (2) allergens, and (3) toxins. (1) Does the
cell have enough of all 50 or so essential nutrients to function
properly?, (2) Is the cell overexposed to substances it is allergic
to such that its performance is impaired?, and (3) Is the cell
overexposed to toxins such that its performance is impaired? These
three simple questions are quite germane to human health period,
both physical and mental. Indeed, these three simple questions
often represent the entirety of the matter. This is especially true
when "psychiatric" conditions are concerned.
The chemical class of essential nutrients referred to above
subdivides into only four sub-classes of essential nutrients. In
order of amounts present in the human body once all of the water is
taken out, these are, from largest to smallest amounts present, (1)
amino acids, (2) fats, (3) minerals, and (4) vitamins. Water
represents roughly 70% of the weight of an average human being. If
one takes the water out of an average human being, the remainder by
weight is roughly 70% amino acids, vs. only 20% by weight of fats,
5% by weight of minerals, and an even smaller percentage by weight
of vitamins.
It may be worthy to note that some nutrients can be harmful when
present in excessive amounts. Copper is one common problematic
nutrient worthy of mention in this regard. Some persons have too
much of the essential nutrient mineral copper. If so, this issue of
too much copper can and should be resolved. However, most nutrient
problems are not problems of excess such as this example with
copper. In regard to mental illness, most nutrient problems are
problems of deficiency.
Essential nutrients are responsible for the production of EVERY
neurotransmitter, hormone, and enzyme in the human body. If you are
low in any one of the 50 or so essential nutrients, you are most
certainly impaired in regard to the production of any
neurotransmitter, hormone, or enzyme these biochemicals are made
of. This is irrefutable scientific and biological fact.
Unfortunately, this is fact you regular doctor or psychiatrist
ignores. It is also fact that is being ignored by almost all
medical research worldwide, in favor of just dispensing drugs.
Why? Power, prestige, and money are why. All of these are
threatened by rather simple and understandable truths in regard to
nutrients, allergens, and toxins (even by a person that may only
have graduated high school).
In almost any person with any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever, food
allergens either directly cause or greatly contribute to their
psychiatric symptoms. This allergic exposure relates to unknowingly
ingesting common (and often multiple) food allergens, such as the
gluten-laden grains of wheat, oats, barley, and rye, dairy products,
corn, eggs, peanuts, chocolate, citrus, soy, the nightshade family,
and other common allergic foods. Almost always eating common foods
such as those in the aforementioned list is the biggest allergic
exposure that someone should be concerned about. This is especially
true if someone has any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever.
Common foods cause severe psychiatric symptoms in millions of
persons. This is a fact that conventional medicine ignores. It is
also a fact that is commonly recognized in alternative medicine.
Many toxins can be generated in the GI tract. (The GI tract is the
gastrointestinal tract. It is also commonly referred to as "the
gut".). These gut toxins are the result of having (1) too much
candida (a common yeast condition), (2) too many various other
yeasts, molds and fungi, (3) too many "bad bacteria" that do not
belong in the gut, (4) not enough "good bacteria" that should be
present in the gut, (5) the presence of parasites, and/or (6) having
too much undigested (and therefore fermenting) food. When present,
these gut toxins always are absorbed into the body to some degree.
Toxins present in the GI tract usually represent the biggest toxic
exposure that one should be concerned about. This is especially
true if someone has any psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever.
Gut toxins, and the issues that cause them, cause severe psychiatric
symptoms in millions of persons. This is a fact that conventional
medicine ignores. It is also a fact that is commonly recognized in
alternative medicine.
In addition to their being problematic in and of themselves, hidden
food allergens and gut toxins substantially impair all essential
nutrient delivery into the body. In their presence, the gut acts to
protect you. Our intestines either allow for greater absorption or
restrict for lesser absorption depending on what is in them. To
lessen absorption of problematic gut contents into the body, our
intestines secrete mucous, become inflamed, or use other means in
order to partially shut down the gut from an absorptive standpoint.
This is the way nature designed the human gut, as well as the guts
of many other species as well.
The human body needs to deal with toxic exposure to some degree
every single day. It does so by a process called detoxification.
All detoxification pathways in the human body are essential nutrient
dependent. Some nutrients are more important than others in this
regard. And when the body detoxifies (either excretes or "locks
up") any toxic molecule, it uses, and uses up, essential nutrient
molecules to do so. Therefore it only makes sense to fortify one's
essential nutrient status, as doing so increases the body's ability
to handle the daily measure of toxins it is most certainly exposed
to. This concept applies, at least in part, to all allergic
exposure as well.
In simplicity, some practitioners of alternative medicine are
proposing to us, and have been proposing to us for a handful of
years, that our "various brain problems" are simply (1) food
allergic, (2) gut toxic, (3) dietary deficiency, and (4) nutrient
malabsorptive problems in disguise. They are telling us that the
brain is simply a "secondary target organ" to "primary gut events",
just as are all of the other organs and glands in the body as well.
According to these practitioners of alternative medicine if (1) we
don't eat a nutritionally adequate and non-allergic diet, or (2) our
GI tract (gut) is too toxic from candida or other biological issues
that are listed in the copy above, or (3) our gut does not work
quite right such that foods we eat are not being digested or
absorbed properly... then sooner or later we are likely to become
predisposed to chemical imbalance. Chemical imbalance equates
to "mental illness".
In regard to nutrients, plain and simple logic underlies the fact
that chemical imbalance equates to "mental illness". This is
because essential nutrients are what all of our neurotransmitters,
hormones, and enzymes are made out of. Therefore if we lack
essential nutrients, we lack what these nutrients build in our
brains and bodies as well. And therefore any problem relating to the
(1) intake, (2) digestion, or (3) absorption of an adequate amount
of essential nutrients is a causative factor in "mental illness".
This simple logic seems patently obvious to many persons.
Unfortunately, the simple logic reflected in the above paragraph is
totally ignored by modern drug pushing psychiatry as we know it.
Did your psychiatrist ever tell you that every single
neurotransmitter in your brain is made out of essential nutrients
such as amino acids, minerals, or vitamins? Did they ever
recommend these nutrients to you? Does your psychiatrist assume
that you, as their patient, currently have all of the 50 or so
scientifically known essential nutrients that your body and your
brain need? Apparently, your psychiatrist assumes just that.
Sadly, your psychiatrist knows very little to nothing about the
therapeutic use of nutrients. And sadly, your psychiatrist knows
almost nothing about the various nutrient, malabsorptive, allergic,
and toxic factors that cause almost all mental illness in the first
place. All that your psychiatrist knows is how to dispense
medication in an attempt to control your symptoms.
It is becoming clearer and cleared in the alternative medical arena
that (1) broadly increasing one's essential nutrient status (with
some exceptions in some cases, but always paying attention to the
key detoxification nutrients), (2) minimizing one's exposure to
allergens, (3) minimizing one's exposure to toxins, while (4)
broadly addressing the common malabsortive factors that impair
nutrient delivery of (a) chronically ingesting food allergens, (b)
intestinal dysbiosis, (c) a probable lack of digestive enzymes, (d)
a possible lack of adequate stomach acid, (e) underhydration, and
(f) a lack of enough exercise… when these issues are all corrected
in total this more or less represents "a foundation biochemical
intervention" to in order recover human health period (to include
mental health). God, in the form of the natural wisdom of nature in
your body, a wisdom that knows how to heal itself when given enough
nutrients to do so, does the rest.
The above is not the whole story by any means. It is simply an
introduction to the whole new wave of understanding that alternative
medicine represents.
My own profound recovery from over 30 years of heavy bipolar
symptoms greatly concurs with the basic understanding of alternative
medicine that is reflected above.
I did not have to fix my brain directly to recover from bipolar
disorder. I had to (1) eliminate chronic ingestion of multiple
hidden food allergens that were really crippling me and (2) I had to
fix my gut; as my gut did not digest and absorb well at all until I
learned how to intervene with digestive enzymes, HCL, probiotics,
glutamine, bentonite, and a number of other gut healing measures.
The first crucial concept that I had to learn in my recovery was
that for me to even have a chance of truly succeeding, I had to take
full personal responsibility for my own wellness and my own
recovery. This concept got me "unstuck" from relying on any doctor
or any other outside party to "fix my mental illness". I admittedly
did not learn this powerful and personally empowering idea on my
own. I learned this idea from an earlier version of "The Depression
Workbook" by Mary Ellen Copeland, a book that is unfortunately no
longer in print.
In my opinion, it so turns out that even though alternative medicine
has developed (and is still developing) much new truth in which to
help us, one often does not need ANY doctor's services at all in
which to recover from mental illness. Almost everything an
alternative doctor can do for you can be performed at home by
yourself, if not performed at home even better by yourself, than
using any doctor's services whatsoever, alternative or not.
I sure don't need a doctor to tell me what supplements I should
take, or what dosage of them to take as well. Nor do I need any
doctor at all to tell me how to address hidden food allergy,
candida, or any other common problematic gut issues in myself. In my
recovery from manic depression, I found that I could learn about all
of these issues and/or how to correct for them from various books
and from the Internet on my own.
I was hurt by medical ignorance once (traditional psychiatry). And I
see many being hurt again... hurt by some alternative doctors that
don't know alternative medical concepts well, and yet still charge
an awful lot of money for very erroneous advice. Even if you choose
to use an alternative medical practitioner to help you, I highly
recommend that you do a good deal of your own research, such that
you will know if your alternative doctor is giving you fairly
competent advice or not.
And be very suspicious of any alternative doctor that tries to sell
you on the fact that you are "biochemically individual"
or "biochemically unique. Certainly we are all biochemically
unique, but this is not the heart of the matter when overcoming
mental illness. Dealing with the various nutrient, malabsorptive,
allergic, and toxic factors as introduced herein is the heart of the
matter in this author's opinion, for the most part. We human beings
are far more biochemically alike that we are different.
Also, be very suspicious of any alternative doctor that tries to
sell you on the fact that you need a lot of expensive laboratory
tests in order to be treated properly by alternative medicine. Many
alternative medical practitioners recommend such. Food allergy
testing, stool testing, and amino acid testing are almost useless in
most cases, if not can give erroneous results which can obscure the
truth (this is especially true in regard to food allergy testing).
And much (but not all) mineral testing is of very limited value as
well. A hair test, although not perfect, might be wise, and a ph
test of one's saliva should be done (this latter test only costs
pennies, and a hair test costs about $60).
I consider the following books to be "must read books" for those
persons that wish to overcome a number of psychiatric conditions
naturally. This reading list is only for those persons that have
taken full responsibility for their own wellness and their own
recovery, and are able to read and discriminate between quite a bit
of information, some of which is in error.
Admittedly, one needs to "read between the lines" of the books in
the list below in order to realize their connection to "mental
illness". Why is this the case? This is because many of the books
listed do not even mention any "psychiatric" condition at all (and
they may not mention yours), even though they are all quite germane
to such (to include yours as well).
How can the above be true?
The books listed below concern various (1) nutritional, (2)
malabsorptive, (3) allergic, and (4) toxic factors. These four
factors affect human health, due to their ability to cause essential
nutrient deficiency, affect cellular performance, or both. One
reason that some of the books in the list below don't mention
any "psychiatric" condition is that some (but not all) of the
authors of these books did not realize when they wrote them that
these malabsorptive, allergic, and toxic factors were important to
deal with when properly correcting almost any instance of "mental
illness".
In leaving out of the list a number of other great books on
overcoming chemical imbalance naturally, I do not mean to demean
either the authors of these books or the valuable insight contained
in them in any way. Dr. Abram Hoffer, Dr. William Crook, and Joan
Matthews Larson are very worthy of mention in this regard. Although
none of these author's books are in the reading list below, they
have written some really great books.
If "I had to do my recovery all over again" I sure feel that the
following twelve books would have been a great place to start vs.
the hundred and fifty to two hundred books that I had to plough
through over ten years to find these gems. Essentially books one
through five in the list below were where I found various truths
that I needed to find in order to get better from 30 years of heavy
bipolar symptoms. Books six through twelve I read after I got well,
and saw much value in them.
I cannot thank the authors of the books listed below enough. In a
very real sense, I owe the authors of some of these books my very
life.
1. "The Way Up From Down" by Priscilla Slagle. This book is a true
classic (it was first published in 1987). Its amino acid
prescriptions are quite out of date, but when they were first
published they were way ahead of their time. This book is available
as a free download from the website www.thewayup.com. It is also
only about $6.00 in paperback, probably the best use of $6. I
experienced in my entire life.
The great value in this book is that it is not too complex and it is
rather easily understood. It gives someone a very useful overview
of some of the concepts that are necessary to change their
neurotransmitter levels naturally. It also gives someone a very
useful overview of what some of the common biochemically depleting
factors are (such that one's neurotransmitter levels are depressed).
Although this book is a good introductory book in regard to
developing some basic general understanding of how to change one's
mood and brain chemistry with nutrients, this book does not contain
nearly enough knowledge to be able to correct severe mental illness
in oneself. The more one learns the better, and this book is not
nearly comprehensive enough.
2. "Depression - Cured At Last" by Sherry Rogers, M.D. A truly
landmark work. Not to be missed. This book can be found on
www.prestigepublishing.com, as can all of Dr. Rogers books. For
those that like to read Sherry Rogers goes into depth, but she does
so in a way that is readily understandable by most persons. Sherry
Rogers was my greatest teacher by far. I say this despite the fact
that Dr. Rogers does not know how to use the tremendous therapeutic
power of amino acids at all. And I do not agree on everything Dr.
Rogers has written (better concepts on certain things can be found
elsewhere). However, Dr. Rogers's books, when they are judged in
their totality from reading all of her books, are absolutely
fabulous. Dr. Rogers greatly helps a layperson to understand the
chemistry of the human body better. They also greatly help someone
to understand the common problematic gut issues that often underlie
nutrient deficiency (and thus neurotransmitter, hormonal, and enzyme
deficiency in the body and brain as well). And her books cover so
much else related to natural healing as well.
Both of the above authors (Dr. Priscilla Slagle and Dr. Sherry
Rogers), despite being medical doctors, are not drug oriented at
all. They favor nutrients and other natural healing measures vs. the
use of medication. And they both trash the orthodox medical
establishment for the way it deals with depression in a very logical
and understandable way.
Incidentally, the Dr. Priscilla Slagle and Dr. Sherry Rogers are
both medical doctors that suffered from depression themselves. They
both found and used many similar concepts in order to overcome
depression naturally. And they both think quite highly of each
others written work. It sure seems to me that if one actually
suffers from an illness, as these authors both personally did, it
gives them a significant advantage in gaining an accurate and true
understanding of the illness in question vs. someone who does not
have this particular illness at all.
3. "Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management" by Bernard Jensen.
This book is a true classic on the gut, and it has been for years.
It contains some knowledge and concepts not found on any other book
in this list. This book is truly a "must read book". Despite the
fact that this book mentions no psychiatric illness at all, it is
germane to all psychiatric illnesses. The concept of bowel transit
time is very important, if not crucial, to mental health, as is the
concept of autointoxication. Did you know that a healthy human
being eating a natural diet has two or three loose, easy to pass,
healthy bowel movement a day? Bernard Jensen knew this, and he has
taught many persons this fact. Bernard Jensen also taught many
persons how toxic the colon can be, and how important it is to
correct for this in order to recover one's health. What Bernard
Jensen taught us is quite germane to all mental illness from
depression to schizophrenia.
4. "Patient Heal Thyself" by Jordan Rubin. Jordan Rubin draws
heavily on the knowledge of Bernard Jensen and others, but puts
forth some of his own concepts as well. His own personal story of
recovery, which is in most of his books, is both miraculous and true.
Jordan Rubin is "the new kid on the block gut-wise". Both his books
and his Garden of Life supplement products are well spoken of by
many.
5. "Digestive Wellness" by Elizabeth Lipski. This book is a real gem
on the gut. It is a very worthy read in regard to common
problematic gut issues and how to correct them.
6. "Restoring Your Digestive Health" by Jordan Rubin. This book
details his "Guts and Glory Program" for healing the gut. Jordan
Rubin does miss the issue of hidden food allergy almost completely,
but on other gut issues he is very insightful.
7. "No More Heartburn" by Sherry Rogers, M.D. This is Dr. Rogers
only professionally edited book (all the rest were self published,
which is not at all a negative feature, as when Dr. Rogers self
published she often put quite a few helpful references at the end of
each chapter). "No More Heartburn" essentially strips "the gut
issues" out of her book "Depression - Cured At Last" and expands on
them somewhat.
8. "Conquering Yeast Infections" by S. Colet Lahoz. This is the
only book that I know of that extols the use of bentonite and
psyllium for dealing with candida and other intestinal dysbiosis
issues. As such, this book automatically makes my favorite reading
list. I say this despite the fact that I often use far more
bentonite and psyllium than Ms. Lahoz recommends. I think that her
dosage recommendations are often far too low to adequately and
quickly correct serious intestinal dysbiosis.
Ms. Lahoz suggestion of using olive oil and coconut oil to correct
the gut is a very good one (caprol which she recommends, is a
combination of these two oils). I personally take these and other
gut healing oils apart from taking bentonite and psyllium, as Ms.
Lahoz recommends.
I was actually using bentonite and psyllium much earlier in my
recovery than when I found and read this book. In my opinion, it is
inevitable that bentonite and psyllium are going to be found to be
incredibly useful in regard to treating a whole host of mental
conditions, to include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and all the
rest. This is due to bentonite and psyllium being able to purge the
gut of a wide range of intestinal dysbiosis and intestinal
malabsorptive issues fairly quickly without experiencing any (or
hardly any) die off reaction whatsoever.
9. "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross. This book is a very worthy read,
despite the fact that there is not enough emphasis placed on the
common problematic gut issues that underlie most mental illness. It
is one of the few books that recognize the tremendous therapeutic
power of amino acids.
Julia Ross, Margot Kidder (the actress that overcame bipolar
disorder in herself naturally), and myself all seem to have
independently come up with a very similar amino acid prescription
for inhibition and/or to promote sleep in the late 1990's. This
amino acid prescription regime uses tryptophan, taurine, GABA for
the most part, although other nutrients are also involved.
I have one major disagreement with Julia Ross. Until she recommends
some kind of broad based amino acid prescription for depression, I
strongly feel that she is incorrect on this issue. Her old
tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan prescription for depression is
simply a page out of Dr. Slagle's book "The Way Up From Down". It
is quite out of date. Taking broad based amino acid preparations is
a far more effective approach for the relief of depression than
simply boosting a few key neurotransmitters (by taking a few
individual amino acids, as Julia Ross and Dr. Slagle recommend).
10. "The Amino Revolution" by Robert Erdmann. This book has some
serious flaws, but so little is written on amino acids. This book
made my favorite book list more or less by default, due to the fact
so few decent books are written on how to use amino acids
therapeutically.
Robert Erdmann does know that taking broad based amino acids is
wise. Although he also recommends coupling various amino acids to
treat various problems, he also recommends broad based amino acids
as well.
One obvious error that comes to mind when I read Robert Erdmann's
book is that he does not mention the use of taurine for inhibition.
This is a clear mistake, as taurine is powerfully inhibitory for
many persons.
Unfortunately, Robert Erdmann does not give any dosage
recommendations in his book, or any set of guidelines for
determining such. In general, one needs to determine their own
dosage in regard to amino acids (both blended and individual amino
acids), by dosing up slowly and cautiously over a period of time
while monitoring their effect in oneself.
I have personally taken well over 80,000 capsules of individual or
blended amino acids since 1997, along with a whole range of vitamin
and mineral cofactors. Amino acids are incredibly helpful
substances in regard to correcting depression and mania in other
manic depressive persons and myself, once one learns how to use them
properly. They are also incredibly helpful substances in regard to
resolving a whole host of other mental and physical conditions. In
addition, amino acids are also incredibly helpful substances in
regard to resolving all cases of substance abuse (from alcohol to
heroin and everything in between). Yet so little is known about how
to use amino acids properly when treating ill health of any sort.
And so few books are written about them as well. At least Robert
Erdmann wrote one, not a perfect book, but quite useful nonetheless.
It never ceases to amaze me how little is written in regard to
applying amino acids to mental conditions. After all, amino acids
are the primary nutrient precursors to nearly every
neurotransmitter, hormone, and enzyme in the human body. Remember,
if one takes the water out of an average human being, the remainder
by weight is roughly 70% amino acids, vs. only 20% by weight of
fats, 5% by weight of minerals, and a small amount of vitamins. In
saying what I have about amino acids, I do not mean to demean the
importance of minerals, as this class of essential nutrients is
crucial to the proper functioning of every cell in the human body
(minerals are arguably as important as amino acids in regard to
chemical balance, despite their being so much less of one's body
weight). Nor do I mean to demean the importance of enough "good
fats", as these essential nutrients, just as vitamins, minerals, and
amino acids are, are also crucial to human health and well being as
well.
11. "Is This Your Child?" by Doris Rapp. Do not confuse this book
with the book "Is This Your Child's World?" by Doris Rapp. These are
two different books. "Is This Your Child?", although written for
ADHD, strongly applies to depression, bipolar disorder and many
other psychiatric conditions as well.
Dr. Doris Rapp (as well as Dr. William Crook and many others) has a
good part of the basics down right. She knows that hidden food
allergies and problematic gut issues (such as candida) are the major
causes of ADHD in most children that are so afflicted. Current
alternative medical thought recognizes the power and prevalence of
food allergies, just as Dr. Rapp does. However, current alternative
medical thought goes beyond addressing just candida when addressing
problems in the gut. The new buzzword for common gut problems
is "intestinal dysbiosis". In simple terms, intestinal dysbiosis
means disordered biology in the GI tract. This is an inclusive term
that encompasses (1) too much candida (a common yeast condition),
(2) too many various other yeasts, molds and fungi, (3) too
many "bad bacteria" that do not belong in the gut, (4) not
enough "good bacteria" that should be present in the gut, and (5)
the presence of parasites.
12. "Optimum Nutrition for the Mind" by Patrick Holford. One of the
newer "brain books". This book has its strengths and weaknesses, as
do all of the books that are listed here. Patrick Holford does
realize the importance of hidden food allergies and intestinal
dysbiosis when dealing with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and the
like. These common malabsorptive issues are recognized by many
persons as being crucial to the treatment of bipolar disorder,
depression, schizophrenia, and the like. However, these common
malabsorptive issues are still missed by many persons in these
regards as well, to include many persons involved in the highest
echelons of medical research.
There are many great truths in the above books. Putting these
truths together may represent close to the best level of
understanding in regard to overcoming bipolar disorder, depression,
schizophrenia, alcoholism, and a whole host of other mental and
physical conditions at the current time.
However, I am admittedly in disagreement with some material in
almost every book that is listed above. It seems to me that most of
the above authors were right on some stuff and wrong on others... at
least in regard to understanding what I needed to know to overcome
bipolar disorder in myself. Some of the errors in the above books
were just plain errors. Some of the errors in the above books were
errors of emphasis (such as not emphasizing the importance of hidden
food allergy or intestinal dysbiosis issues enough while focusing on
issues such as the thyroid or blood sugar control, both of which are
often caused by nutrient deficiency as a result of a deficient diet,
food allergies, or intestinal dysbiosis). And some of these errors
were errors of omission (such as Sherry Rogers not knowing how to
use amino acids, Jordan Rubin discounting the importance of food
allergy, etc.).
In addition to the above books, many websites are a valuable
resource of information as well. These websites are far too
numerous to list, but the following should give someone an idea of
how many there are, and where to find them.
By using Google as a search engine on June 2, 2005, I coupled the
individual illnesses of depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD, ADD,
bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and alcoholism with the words or
phrases of food allergy, candida, intestinal dysbiosis, digestive
enzymes, malabsorption, leaky gut, and irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS). In essence, I was coupling a number of common psychiatric
illnesses (and one issue of substance abuse common to psychiatric
patients) with various common problems related to the gut.
When I coupled the word depression with the aforementioned gut
issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits:
1,110,000, 39,000, 3,930, 209,000, 81,700, 27,600, and 823,000
respectively.
When I coupled the word anxiety with the aforementioned gut issues,
Google came up with the following amount of hits: 823,000, 296,000,
723, 180,000, 56,100, 21,600, and 657,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word autism with the aforementioned gut issues,
Google came up with the following amount of hits: 405,000, 64,100,
1,560, 26,300, 10,200, 11,100, and 428,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word ADHD with the aforementioned gut issues,
Google came up with the following amount of hits: 1,000,000,
130,000, 582, 157,000, 7,690, 2,910, and 96,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word ADD with the aforementioned gut issues,
Google came up with the following amount of hits: 2,000,000,
483,000, 2,070, 497,000, 52,200, 49,400, and 451,000 respectively.
When I coupled the words bipolar disorder with the aforementioned
gut issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits:
659,000, 35,200, 185, 54,000, 9,330, 754, and 467,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word schizophrenia with the aforementioned gut
issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits: 826,000,
38,000, 384, 28,500, 13,100, 4,320, and 579,000 respectively.
When I coupled the word alcoholism with the aforementioned gut
issues, Google came up with the following amount of hits: 384,000,
40,100, 490, 36,100, 22,600, 4,300, and 212,000 respectively.
Admittedly, not all of the hits reflected in the lists above are
very useful. In fact, many of them are not. However, the high
amount of hits of almost any "psychiatric" illness when this illness
is coupled with common gut problems cannot, nor should not, be
ignored. Such counts in the paragraphs above are strongly
suggestive that all common gut problems should be assessed and
addressed when correcting any "mental" illness whatsoever (even if
other natural measures need to be done as well). Indeed, these high
counts from simple searches on the Internet are a pretty strong
indication that the entire concept of mental illness is becoming
functionally obsolete.
I do hope that some of the information contained in the above
material is helpful to the reader in some way.
Sincerely,
Allen Darman
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