An Introduction To Alternative Medicine For Psychiatric Conditions (2005)

Dear friends:

I wrote the copy below in the summer of 2005. The reading list in the document below is sorely due for a major upgrade. However, even as it stands, the concepts and ideas in this document may be useful to many.

Also, perhaps I should again mention at this time that my access to computer time over the net is minimal (public library only). Due to this I often do not have time to answer all of the emails that I get, or I am very late in replying. I wish to apologize for this in advance.

Allen

An Introduction To Alternative Medicine For Psychiatric Conditions:
to include a reading list that is helpful to overcome these conditions naturally. Also a simple guide that will help to find thousands of helpful web resources

Although depression, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizo-affective disorder, schizophrenia, etc. are currently considered “mental illnesses”, many doctors and other knowledgeable persons realize that this very simplistic outlook is incorrect. Mental illnesses are always whole body illnesses; they are never just mental in nature.

Although the number of persons (and alternative doctors) that realize that mental illnesses are whole body illnesses is relatively small at present, this number of persons is growing, and is growing exponentially. It is inevitable that the entire concept of “mental illness” is going to become functionally obsolete. Sometime in the 21st century, none of the aforementioned illnesses will be considered mental illnesses at all, due to a growth in human understanding.

Just as the earth was once considered to be flat by the entire human race, and later was found to be round, “mental illness” is going to be recognized by the entire human race as not really being “just mental illness” at all. Thank god for the tremendous reduction in human suffering that this growth in human understanding will represent.

Depression, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizo-affective disorder, schizophrenia are all illnesses that quite obviously affect the brain. Indeed, this is why these illnesses are currently considered psychiatric in nature. However, some persons (to include a number of alternative doctors) currently realize that these “mental illnesses” also concern the thyroid gland, the adrenal gland, the pancreas (in regard to both it’s insulin production and digestive enzyme production functions), the liver, and every other organ and cell in the human body to some degree as well. These persons realize that mental illness is ALWAYS a whole body illness; it is NEVER just mental in nature.

Many persons seem intimated in regard to even attempting to gain a useful understanding of their own body. They erroneously assume that their body is far too complex in which to do so. Often they assume that they would need to go to some sort of medical school and become a doctor in order to be able to treat severe mental illness in themselves. This is definitely not the case.

The truth is that it is not that difficult for someone to gain a practical understanding of their own body in order to recover their health, to include their “mental health”. One only needs to read and reflect on a dozen or so books to do so, and then implement what they have learned. Almost anybody that (1) has graduated high school with a “B” average, (2) is still mentally functional, (3) is willing to learn to understand a few dozen new words, and (4) is willing to put forth the effort necessary can learn enough about their own body such that they can recover from severe mental illness. One does not need to be a doctor to do so. They only need to be functional enough to able to read and retain some new information, and be able to apply this information effectively to themselves. This “new information” is not that much more than one would have to learn during a single semester in college.

“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 perhaps 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, the above are facts that your regular doctor or psychiatrist almost summarily ignores. They are also facts that are 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 (and understandable 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 commonly ingested 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 generated in the GI tract often 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, do 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 essential nutrient status, as doing so increases the body’s ability to handle the daily measure of toxins it is most certainly exposed to as a result of our modern lifestyle. (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, (4) nutrient malabsorptive problems, and/or (5) nutrient deficiency 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 intestinal dysbiosis issues such as too many bad bacterial, or too many parasites, etc., 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. 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 essential nutrient status (perhaps with some exceptions in some cases), (2) minimizing exposure to allergens, (3) minimizing 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…. 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 and other tools 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 psyllium, 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 http://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 http://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 a bit 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 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 a powerfully inhibitory nutrient 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 yourself.

Incidentally, I have personally taken about 100,000 capsules of individual or blended amino acids since 1997, along with a whole range of vitamin, mineral, essential fatty acids, digestive enzymes, probiotics, etc. as well. (My personal experience in using nutritional supplements and other natural means to deal with manic depression is very probably unparalleled.)

In my opinion, amino acids are incredibly helpful substances in regard to correcting depression and mania in anyone, 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 by any means, 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, just as all of the books that are listed here do. 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. Unfortunately, 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.

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 sincerely hope that some of the information contained in the above material is helpful to the reader in some way.

Allen Darman