Treating Mental Disorders Naturally

In last week’s blog I discussed the side effects of two medications, Zyprexa and Effexor. These medications are prescribed for various mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. Today I want to discuss the natural alternatives out there for treating these disorders.

It has always seemed to be thought that schizophrenia is incurable – at least I always thought so based on my own observations and the word from pharmaceutical companies. It appears that this isn’t so. A book called Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and other mental disorders by Eva Edelman discusses various mental disorders including autism, learning disabilities, depression, fatigue and schizophrenia. The book talks about the role of histamine, copper/zinc balance, over and under-methylation, allergies, physical illness, mercury and other heavy metals to name a few. She quotes the works of MDs and PhDs that are experts in the field. The book covers the various nutrients and minerals (which include copper, zinc, magnesium, amino acids, folic acid & B12, essential fats, minerals and electrolytes, vitamins A, B6, C and D) that can help battle the above-mentioned disorders. She also discusses how nutrient deficiencies can cause other health problems such as candida and systemic lupus, which would make sense considering that most, if not all issues facing Americans today are a direct result of their diets and/or lack of the proper nutrition.

One of the people quoted in Eva Edelman’s book is Dr. Abram Hoffer. He states that schizophrenia could be cured by large amounts of...

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Zyprexa and Effexor

Could your antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications be seriously damaging your organs? Read on to learn about two of the medications prescribed for depression and anxiety – Zyprexa and Effexor to understand the importance of understanding "side effects" and other issues related to long-term use of these drugs.

Zyprexa, also know as olanzipine generically, is an “atypical antipsychotic drug” used to typically treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and symptoms of dementia. Effexor, also known as venlafaxine generically, is in a class of drugs called selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs) and is used to treat depression, anxiety, and panic and sleep disorders.

Considering that my mother had been on these medications for over a decade, chances are that she has symptoms of side effects. It is my belief that these are the cause of her kidney problems or, at the very least, have exacerbated the problems, as there is nothing else that might point to why she would have developed CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease).

Side effects of any drugs can be readily found online, particularly straight from the manufacturer. To give you an idea of the damage these drugs can cause, the following are some of the “severe” side effects: Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); abnormal thoughts; chest pain; confusion; decreased urination; fainting; fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat; fever, chills, or persistent sore throat; increased saliva production or drooling; increased sweating; memory loss; menstrual changes; muscle pain, weakness, or stiffness; new or worsening mental or mood changes (e.g. depression, hallucinations); seizures; severe or prolonged dizziness or headache; shortness of breath; suicidal thoughts or actions; swelling of the hands, legs, or feet; symptoms of high blood sugar (e.g. increased thirst, hunger, urination; unusual weakness), and the list goes on and on.

For the purposes of this post, I am going to focus on the side effects that seem to cause kidney issues. First of all, based on the information for professionals, which can be found at http://www.drugs.com/sfx/zyprexa-side-effects.html, there was an increased incidence of dry mouth in patients using olanzapine versus placebo. Anytime there is an increase in dry mouth it means the body actually requires water. The body is actually becoming dehydrated; it’s not just a “side effect”. When asking many people with this condition about it, their answer is typically, “my medication does it to me” and therefore they believe that is the issue and never actually increase their water intake.

The book, "Your Body's Many Cries for Water," addresses the very issue of how dehydration causes a great many illnesses. Another article, which can be found at http://www.naturalnews.com/023441_water_pain_dehydration.html,  also discusses how, in many cases of illness, the cure is water. Many illnesses are mistaken for dehydration and most people could actually be “cured” simply by drinking water; however, this is not a common prescription. Doctors usually reach to their prescription pad before really even looking into the problem.

I have witnessed first hand that many doctors do not "prescribe" something as simple as water and actually imply that a lack of water does not cause any kind of illness. What many doctors who do this are inadvertently doing is discouraging their patients from drinking water, despite its being vital to all of our bodies' processes. Because of my own experiences with conventional doctors, namely in that they would rather prescribe a remedy for a symptom without looking to the root of the cause and prescribing a remedy or remedies for the patient I only see conventional doctors when absolutely necessary. I do believe they have a place in our medical system, but not to the extent that they do right now. Or else, these doctors should incorporate homeopathic and naturopathic treatments with their conventional treatments. Such doctors exist but they are few and far between.

So, number one, I believe kidneys could become very taxed simply because of not getting enough water. Additionally, patients who take such medications becoming more dehydrated from the medication itself causing their her kidneys to worsen.

Two other side effects, which can be found at http://www.prozactruth.com/zyprexa.htm are Acute Renal Failure (the kidneys stop functioning properly to excrete wastes) and an increase in hepatic enzymes (the amount of paired liver proteins that regulate liver processes causing a condition where the liver functions abnormally). Of course this Acute Renal Failure is different than Chronic Kidney Disease in that the former can be "fixed" and the kidney function could return to normal. Common sense tells us, however, that any kind of kidney failure would obviously affect their health over the long term.

Many "official" web pages state that caution should be used when prescribing Zyprexa in:...

Read More (This blog has been moved to Nature's Presence, Are Antidepressants Destroying Your Organs?)

Kidney Problems and the Effects of Antidepressants

For the past two years my mother has been having kidney problems. Her kidneys have been functioning only at 25%. The only real advice her doctors (primary care and nephrologist) have given her is to reduce her sodium intake. She understands the need to do whatever it takes to get her kidneys functioning properly so she has done a very good job at reducing her sodium intake.

What I found odd was that neither of her doctors recommended that she drink more water – you know that pure fluid that our kidneys require to flush out all those pesky toxins we ingest every single day? No, her doctor told her that drinking more water would not necessarily help get her creatinine to an ideal level.

For years we have been telling my mom that she needs to drink more water. We visibly see her dry mouth – which, she claims is a result of her medications. "All the MORE reason to drink more water," we tell her. It was very frustrating to know that her doctor, in whom she has placed much trust, would give her this kind of information. Although she has tried to drink more water since we have explained that it is indeed important for optimal kidney function – regardless of what her doctor says – I felt like that was a huge step back in our quest to help her see where she could do something so simple to improve her health.

My mother has a tendency for stubbornness. I’ve been telling her for years that she needs to take supplements because we just don’t get the proper nutrition from the food we eat. Due to the over-processing of food as well as all the pesticides used on our “fresh” produce our food is just not very nutritious. She disagreed with me again, of course. She believes that she eats just fine, thank you very much. She’s set in her ways, what can I say?

She’s been seeing her nephrologist every six months at which time she goes over my mother’s blood test results with her and tells her at what percentage her kidneys are functioning. I decided that I should go with her to her last appointment to hear the latest verdict. It turned out that her kidney function had dropped, yet again. I sat there listening to the doctor asking questions…and checking my mom’s legs. I watched as the nephrologist took a phone call on her cell phone during my mom’s visit. I also saw her check the phone a second time at which point I was prepared to say something to her had she taken the call. She then asked my mom again, the same question…and checked my mom’s legs for swelling…again. Had she forgotten she’d already done it? She then said that there was a note from my mom’s regular doctor that stated that her liver enzymes were high now so she wanted my mom to have another blood test and go back to see her in two months. 

That was about the gist of the appointment. Had it not been for the liver count, my mom would have made an appointment for 6 months out and that would have been that. Additionally (more of an aside), her blood pressure was up. The doctor recommended that my mother have her blood pressure checked over the next couple of weeks and if it showed her blood pressure to be high, she would recommend a medication to lower it.

Meanwhile I apparently forgot that I was actually able to speak. The only useful thing that came out of my mouth was “Can I have a copy of the blood test results?” which she “allowed” me to have. I got the copy and we left.

A couple of days later I started thinking, “What the heck was wrong with me? Why didn’t I say something about the phone call…or ask what her real purpose was? Was she just monitoring my mom’s creatinine levels until her kidney function got so low that she had to go on dialysis?” She had absolutely no useful information to help my mom get better. This is when I decided that I needed to take matters into my own hands. I took a copy of the blood test results to my chiropractor who had been treating my mom. I also wanted to try and figure out what was causing the kidney problems in the first place.

After looking at the blood test results, it became clear that much of the problem was likely the medication she had been on for over a decade. It is no secret that, for the most part, conventional doctors only look at whether or not levels are within the accepted range. They rarely, if ever, look at what the implications of other issues might be; it doesn’t really matter if they’re on the cusp. They also typically only look at each issue separately and not how they may contribute to the main problem or be part of the same problem.

For example, the results of her test showed that while her blood sugar was...

Read More (this blog has been moved to NaturesPresence.net)

Also, please find the follow up blog regarding specific information about Zyprexa and Effexor by clicking here: "Are Antidepressants Destroying Your Organs?"