More Mental Health Research is Needed

More medical research is needed on a variety of diseases, but brain diseases have baffled researchers for decades. Mental health research has been a can of worms, so to speak. One of the problems is that there are vested financial interests. This leads to bias in the research.

Ref. 1 is a publication for the laymen. It is easier to understand than academic articles.

Drug Abuse

Some of the problems of mental health clients are self-inflicted (2).

Psychiatric Drugs

Unfortunately these drugs have terrible side effects(3, 4), including problems in babies when the pregnant Mother takes the drug.

Orthomolecular Theory

"Expensive urine is a bizarre argument because a $50 restaurant meal and a bottle of fine wine also lead to expensive urine, but no one seems to be complaining about those things. Numerous studies have shown, however, that vitamin supplements do increase people's blood levels of those nutrients." Jack Challem (Ref. 5)

"Only a quarter of our subjects reached their vitamin C maximum at 1,500 mg a day. More than half required over 2,500 mg a day to reach a level where their bodies could use no more. Four subjects did not reach their maximum at 5,000 mg." Michael Colgan, PhD (6)

References 5-10 explain orthomolecular theory. One of the main theories is that an endogenous hallucinogen causes schizophrenia (11). References 12-17 report favorable results with orthomolecular treatment for cancer. Vitamin D has been used (18).

Tryptophan

Refs. 19-23 have implicated excessive tryptophan metabolism in schizophrenia. Tryptophan has also been suspected in depression (24). Since tryptophan is found in the diet, this appears to support orthomolecular psychiatry. It is possible to manipulate tryptophan levels in the brain by diet. This can be done with tryptophan depletion foods such as gelatin and corn. It also can be done with amino acid mixtures.

Conclusions

I have presented a great deal of academic references because there are people who are skeptical of orthomolecular psychiatry. These people can look up the references. Those who do not like academic references, which are hard for the lay reader to digest, can look up my articles on Associated Content (25-28). I have only referenced 4 articles at Associated Content, but I have written hundreds of articles there. The other articles can be seen free full text by searching for my name there.

I have photo albums at Gather that are easier to digest than the academic references, but some technical details of the brain are shown.

References

1. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may share genetic origins.

[No authors listed]

Harv Ment Health Lett. 2009 Jun;25(12):7.

2. Chronic toxicology of cannabis.

Reece AS.

Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2009 Jul;47(6):517-24.

3. SSRI antidepressants and persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns.

[No authors listed]

Prescrire Int. 2008 Aug;17(96):156.

4. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are associated with a modest increase in the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Targownik LE, Bolton JM, Metge CJ, Leung S, Sareen J.

Am J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jun;104(6):1475-82. Epub 2009 Apr 28.

5. http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/10_vitamin_truths.html

6. http://annieappleseedproject.stores.yahoo.net/expensiveurine.html

7. Levy T. Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases & Toxins: Curing the Incurable.

8. Kaufman W. [Saul AW, editor]. Nutrition illiteracy and nutritional inadequacy. J Orthomolecular Med, 2007. Vol 22, No 2, p 83-89.
9. Feingold BF. Why Your Child is Hyperactive. NY: Random House, 1985.

10. Hoffer A. Healing Children's Attention & Behavior Disorders: Complementary Nutritional and Psychological Treatments. Toronto: CCNM Press, 2004. ISBN-10: 1897025106; ISBN-13: 978-1897025109.

11. Hoffer A. The Hallucinogens. Academic Press (June, 1967).

12. Pilz S, Dobnig H, Winklhofer-Roob B et al. Low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D predict fatal cancer in patients referred to coronary angiography. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 May;17(5):1228-33. Epub 2008 May 7.

13. Garland CF, Gorham ED, Mohr SB et al. Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer: pooled analysis. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 2007. Mar;103(3-5):708-11.
14. Gorham ED, Garland CF, Garland FC, Grant WB, Mohr SB, Lipkin M, Newmark HL, Giovannucci E, Wei M, Holick MF. Vitamin D and prevention of colorectal cancer. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2005 Oct;97(1-2):179-94.
15. Garland CF, Garland FC, Gorham ED, Lipkin M, Newmark H, Mohr SB, Holick MF. The role of vitamin D in cancer prevention. Am J Public Health. 2006 Feb;96(2):252-61.
16. Desmonts T, Duclos M, Dalmau. [Favorable effect of vitamin D on the evolution of a case of Hodgkin's disease.] Sang. 1951;22(1):74-5.

17. DESMONTS T. [Favorable action of vitamin D in leukemic erythroderma and Hodgkin's disease.] Pathol Gen. 1951 Mar;51(326):161-4.

18. Linser P. [Spontaneous cure of skin carcinoma by vitamin D treatment.] Dermatol Wochenschr. 1955;132(40):1072-3. German.

19. Cytokine changes and tryptophan metabolites in medication-naïve and medication-free schizophrenic patients.

Kim YK, Myint AM, Verkerk R, Scharpe S, Steinbusch H, Leonard B.

Neuropsychobiology. 2009;59(2):123-9. Epub 2009 Apr 22.

20. New promises for manipulation of kynurenine pathway in cancer and neurological diseases.

Costantino G.

Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2009 Feb;13(2):247-58. Review.

21. Pharmacological manipulation of kynurenic acid: potential in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.

Erhardt S, Olsson SK, Engberg G.

CNS Drugs. 2009;23(2):91-101. doi: 10.2165/00023210-200923020-00001. Review.

22. Inflammation and the glutamate system in schizophrenia: implications for therapeutic targets and drug development.

Müller N.

Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2008 Dec;12(12):1497-507. Review.

23. Kynurenine pathway in psychosis: evidence of increased tryptophan degradation.

Barry S, Clarke G, Scully P, Dinan TG.

J Psychopharmacol. 2009 May;23(3):287-94. Epub 2008 Jun 18.

24. COX-2 inhibition in schizophrenia and major depression.

Müller N, Schwarz MJ.

Curr Pharm Des. 2008;14(14):1452-65. Review.

25. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1919042/side_effects_of_organic_treatments.html
26. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1903696/super_psychiatrists_dr_uranova.html

27. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1900228/the_giants_of_science_psychiatry.html
28. www.associatedcontent.com/article/1885884/top_nutrition_doctors_the_giants_of.html