Orthomolecular Medicine
No one denies that people can have difficult problems in their lives, that at times they can be mentally unstable. Mental health care is therefore both valid and necessary. However, the emphasis must be on workable mental healing methods that improve and strengthen individuals and thereby society by restoring people to personal strength, ability, competence, confidence, stability, responsibility and spiritual well-being.
People in desperate circumstances must be provided proper and effective medical care. Medical, not psychiatric, attention, good nutrition, a healthy, safe environment and activity that promotes confidence will do far more than the brutality of psychiatry’s treatments.
The following information is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness; it is provided for educational purposes only. Do not suddenly stop taking psychiatric drugs as this may provoke severe withdrawal symptoms. Consult a competent, non-psychiatric, health care provider who can perform clinical tests and discover root causes of distress.
[The following information on orthomolecular medicine is taken from www.orthomolecular.org.]
In 1969 Linus Pauling coined the word “orthomolecular” to denote the use of naturally occurring substances, particularly nutrients, in maintaining health and treating disease. Orthomolecular medicine describes the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body.
[“ortho-” is a combining form from Greek orthós meaning straight, upright, right, correct]
Orthomolecular medicine is 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. There is evidence that an increased intake of some vitamins, including ascorbic acid, niacin pyridoxine, and cyanocobalamin, is useful in treating schizophrenia.
Nutrient related disorders are always treatable and deficiencies are usually curable. To ignore their existence is tantamount to malpractice. To deny the patient information and access to alternative treatment is to deny the patient informed consent for any other treatment.
[The following information on orthomolecular medicine is taken from www.alternativementalhealth.com.]
Orthomolecular medicine may be helpful for mood and behaviour disorders, commonly misdiagosed by psychiatrists. This broad grouping includes symptoms such as anxiety, severe depression, bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, hormonal depression, seasonal affective disorder, OCD, ADHD, ODD, and addictive behavior.
It is not uncommon to see toxic levels of lead, mercury, aluminum, and copper on lab test results of mood and behaviour disorder patients. The thyroid and adrenal glands are compromised in the majority of mental health cases.
Hypoglycemia is the term that describes low sugar in the blood. The brain’s demand for glucose is so immense that about 20% of the total blood volume circulates to the brain. Neurons function poorly in sugar deficient states. The hypoglycemic state involves a sharp rise of simple sugars in the blood followed by a sharp decline which robs the neurons of their main energy source; the sharper the decline, the greater the effect on brain cells. Irritability, poor memory, “late afternoon blues”, poor concentration, tiredness, cold hands, muscle cramping, and “feeling better when fighting” are typical hypoglycemic symptoms.
Mood and behaviour disorder patients have the potential to exhibit mild to severe food intolerance symptoms. The digestive tract reacts to food allergens by eliciting an immune response.
For more information about alternatives to psychiatric treatments consult the following resources:
http://www.cchrint.org/alternatives/
http://www.cchrflorida.org/recommended-medical-list.html