Neurochemistry Components of Schizophrenia and Other Psychiatric Diseases

"I have reached the conclusion that another general method of treatment, which may be called orthomolecular therapy, may be found to be of great value, and may turn out to be the best method of treatment for many patients." - Linus Pauling (1968)

"The author defines orthomolecular psychiatry as the achievement and preservation of good mental health by the provision of the optimum molecular environment for the mind, especially the optimum concentrations of substances normally present in the human body, such as the vitamins." Pauling (Journal Of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol. 7, No. 1, 1995)

Introduction

The bibliography contains a lot of background information on psychiatry and on nutrition. The 1995 article was published posthumously. Pauling died in 1994 in his nineties.

The Toxic Factor Theory

"Proper nutrition is essential to prevent deficiencies and toxicosis." van Winkle, 2000

Unfortunately van Winkle is now deceased. She thought that a toxin called DMPEA causes schizophrenia. This toxin is a doubly methylated metabolite of dopamine.

"Dietary changes are known to alleviate symptoms of nervous and mental disease ..." van Winkle (2000)

This view was also shared by the late great Linus Pauling. Pauling's work is being carried on by Dr. Abram Hoffer of Canada.

"The toxic mind theory, by providing an understanding of the physiological effects of toxicosis on behavior, will have a positive influence on the way people deal with emotions in everyday life, on the development of therapeutic methods, and on measures taken by society to eliminate violence." van Winkle (2000)

"Unequivocal evidence for toxicosis in mental illness is found in the pathology of the human brain." van Winkle

My personal view is that van Winkle was correct. There have been almost countless reports of neuropathology in schizophrenia and in "dementia praecox". The many reports of gliosis do indeed suggest that a toxic factor is at work.

Orthomolecular Psychiatry

Pauling expanded orthomolecular medicine to include many other diseases including cancer. Pauling thought that vitamin C fights cancer. Other scientists have found other nutrients, including beta-carotene, that are also thought to fight cancer.

There is a theory that fish oil helps depression and bipolar disorder. Fish oil is also considered to be good for the heart. It has been found by many studies to fight cholesterol. Thus if you are taking it for bipolar disorder, it has beneficial side effects. On the down side, it could cause weight gain because of the calories.

Tryptophan

My own theory is that tryptophan is in excess in the brain in schizophrenia and depression. Tryptophan is found in the following foods, which should be avoided in these diseases:

Bananas, beans, brewer's yeast, brown rice bran, caseinate, cottage cheese, dairy products, dates, eggs, fish, lactalbumin, legumes, meat, milk, nuts, peanuts, protein (hydrolysis), seafood, seeds, soy, turkey, whey, whole grains.

Flavonoids

There is an interesting website that discusses flavonoids. It is called World's Healthiest Foods, abreviated WHFoods. The URL is http://www.whfoods.com/.

Flavonoids are in the following foods:

apples, apricots, blueberries, pears, raspberries, strawberries, black beans, cabbage, onions, parsley, pinto beans, and tomatoes.

My own theory is that flavonoids and certain other polyphenols may help menatal diseases. The reason is that they inhibit the enzyme COMT which creates DMPEA from dopamine. DMPEA is the toxin that causes the brain cells to be flooded with tryptophan in schizophrenia.

Flavonoids are also considered to have antibiotic activity according to WHFoods. They are also considered to help hemorrhoids. They have other beneficial properties including helping vitamin C. Some workers consider them to have anticancer properties.

Boiling and cooking of vegetables have adverse effects on the content of flavonoids. Flavonoids are considered to help the immune system.

Omega-3-Fatty Acids

These are considered the active ingredients in fish oil. Rich sources of them are in the following foods:

Salmon, flax seeds and walnuts

WHFoods considers them to be helpful to cardiovascular problems, depression, inability to concentrate, fatigue, diabetes, and other problems. Cod liver oil contains these nutrients. Soybeans, halibut, shrimp scallops, tofu, snapper, scallops, and winter squash also contain these essential fatty acids. They are polyunsaturated fats. Saturated fats are considered bad as cholesterol can be made from them.

For more information on this subject, consult WHFoods.

Conclusions

My previous articles have dealt with neuropathology findings in schizophrenia. These neuropathology findings strongly suggest errors in amino acid metabolism in schizophrenia. Biochemical studies have also been dealt with in some of my previous articles. Biochemical studies have also shown that errors in amino acid metabolism cause schizophrenia.

My theories are a bit different from those of Linus Pauling, but not completely different. Pauling found a deficiency of vitamin C in schizophrenia, but my view is that this is a side effect of the disease, not the cause. Some toxic amine is probably destroying some of the vitamin C. Therefore I favor taking vitamin C supplements because vitamin C is so valuable. If a way could be found to destroy the toxic amine, possibly DMPEA, that would make a good treatment. So far nobody has found a good way. The enzyme MAO will destroy toxic amines, but MAO would be destroyed by the digestive system. Therefore it is not practical to give MAO by mouth.

Another possibility is to conjugate the toxic amine with glucuronic acid. This would not destroy the amine, but it would make it easier for the body to excrete it. It also conjugates with the sulfate ion. Thus the sulfate ion is another possible treatment.

The toxic amine, DMPEA, is similar in structure to mescaline. In the future I may present these chemical structures. Both have methoxy groups, but mescaline has three and DMPEA only has two. Mescaline is TMPEA. Both are phenethylamines. The structures are in Alexander Shuglin's book PIHKAL and in Shulgin's papers on structural correlates of hallucinogens. These are copyrighted, so I will have to find public domain images for them.

Hoffer & Osmond blamed schiophrenia on a mescaline-like substance. This was also the view of Stockings in a 1940 paper in the Journal of Mental Science. Osmond & Smythies wrote a similar paper in 1952 in the same journal. It was a British journal, but the name of the journal has since changed. Osmond was so mad that his views were rejected by British psychiatrists that he then moved to Canada. He is now deceased, unfortunately. Hoffer & Osmond favored orthomolecular treatment. Hoffer is still alive but old. The same is true of Smythies.

I am proposing a low tryptophan diet with supplements. I call this diet the "Boston diet" because I thought it would not be modest to call it the "Olson diet". I live in Boston.

Bibliography

1. Pauling, L.: Orthomolecular psychiatry. Science 160: 265-271, 1968.

2. Pauling, L., Robinson, A.B_ Oxley S.S., et a]: Results of a loading test of ascorbic acid, niacinamide, and pyridoxine in schizophrenic subjects and controls, in Orthomolecular Psychiatry: Treatment of Schizophrenia. Edited by Hawkins, D., Pauling, L San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Co., 1973, pp 18-34.

3. Hawkins, D., Pauling, L (eds): Orthomolecular Psychiatry; Treatment of Schizophrenia. San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Co., 1973

4. Hawkins, D.: Orthomolecular psychiatry: treatment of schizophrenia. Ibid, pp. 631-673.

5. Stone, L: The Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease. New York. Grosset and Dunlap, 1972.

6. www.associatedcontent.com/article/942267/abnormal_psychology_the_etiology_of.html
7. www.associatedcontent.com/article/931767/the_interpretation_of_abnormal_lymphocytes.html

8. www.associatedcontent.com/article/929351/thoughts_on_bipolar_disorder.html

9. Van Winkle, E: The toxic mind: the biology of mental illness and violence. Medical Hypotheses 2000; 55(4): 356-368.

10. Friedhoff AJ, Van Winkle E. Isolation and characterization of a compound from the urine of schizophrenics. Nature 1962; 194: 897-898.

11. Schweitzer JW, Friedhoff AJ. The metabolism of alpha-14C-3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine. Biochem Pharmac 1966; 15: 2097-2103.