The Natural Medicine Guide To Schizophrenia

For those suffering with schizophrenia, the idea of returning to a "full participation in life" seems like nothing more than a far-off fantasy. Yet, many people with schizophrenia -- as well as those who love them -- are seeing positive results using the alternative therapies introduced in this book. The truth is, schizophrenia does not have to turn your life upside down; you can recover from this illness, be symptom-free, and take back your life. The Natural Medicine Guide to Schizophrenia offers invaluable information on ten ground-breaking therapies that have been shown to reduce the need for anti-psychotic medication. Drawing on the cutting-edge approaches of nine leading healthcare practitioners, health journalist Stephanie Marohn shows how alternative therapies have successfully reversed, reduced, and even cured the disease in many cases. Therapies discussed include orthomolecular psychiatry, biochemical medicine, homeopathy, and osteopathy. Marohn also documents the 21 factors that can trigger or worsen schizophrenia and provides an "action plan" to reduce these factors in your daily life. Marohn addresses the many falsehoods surrounding this mysterious disease and gives those suffering with schizophrenia a reason to hope for recovery. Hope that comes from real people who share their stories within these pages -- the onset of their schizophrenia, their history with anti-psychotics, and their astonishing successes with natural medicine. Book jacket.

More than three million people in the United States suffer from bipolar disorder, a mental illness that is now classified as one of the ten leading causes of disability in the US and the world. While psychiatric drugs may control bipolar disorder, they do not offer any lasting cure and carry the risk of lasting side effects. The Natural Medicine Guide to Bipolar Disorder offers an alternative: innovative, natural, non-drug based approaches that treat the underlying imbalances and restore a healthy mind. Medical journalist Stephanie Marohn identifies the key contributing factors and triggers for mood disorder and profiles a wide range of natural medicine therapies that can truly restore health: biochemical therapy, applied psychoneurobiology, biological medicine, nutritional therapy, cranial osteopathy, allergy elimination, homeopathy, amino acid/nutritional therapy, and more. This fully revised edition offers the latest statistics, research, and interviews with physicians and other healing professionals who are leaders in the field. Each approach is illustrated with case studies and includes resources for additional information. This is an accessible approach to bipolar disorder, full of helpful information and anecdotes that will be a valuable resource for those who suffer from this disorder as well as their family and friends.

Make Depression a Thing of the Past Depression is startlingly widespread in the U.S., with some 30 million people-nearly one out of ten people-taking Prozac to alleviate symptoms. One in four women will have clinical depression in their lifetime, as will one in eight adolescents or men. Yet even with so many on antidepressants, depression remains rampant and nobody is getting truly healed. Why? The answer is that the true causes of depression are not being treated, explains medical journalist Stephanie Marohn. Drawing on the successful clinical results of 11 practitioners from different fields of natural medicine she shows convincingly how depression can be reversed for good, without drugs. By treating the underlying causes of depression, rather than suppressing the symptoms as most pharmaceutical drugs do, you can have lasting recovery. So what does cause depression? Marohn identifies 16 different causes, from chemical and heavy metal toxicity to hormonal imbalances, t o food allergies and neurotransmitter deficiencies to intestinal problems and psychospiritual issues. And what heals it? Marohn reviews a rich array of successful, nondrug-based treatment approaches including applied psychoneurobiology, chelation, allergy elimination, neural therapy, anthroposophic medicine, acupuncture, herbs, homeopathy, CranioSacral therapy, flower essences, visceral manipulation, shamanic healing, and more. Marohn also draws from real-life patient stories to show how healing from depression works. It's all backed by science and clinical results. You don't have to learn how to cope with depression. The uplifting message of The Natural Medicine Guide to Depression is that you can actually heal your depression through proven treatments from natural medicine.

Medical journalist Stephanie Marohn eases the pain and trauma of addiction recovery in this guide, one in a series dealing with ailments such as anxiety and depression. In layman's terms she discusses how chemical imbalances in the brain create addiction and withdrawal symptoms, and how they can be restored. Suggestions include: amino acid supplements (to regulate sugar levels), herbs such as chamomile, valerian root (to relax the nervous system), acupuncture, aromatherapy, candle therapy, and so on. Marohn's view of addiction is clear enough to see the big picture, which encompasses everything from crippling drug addiction to minor, apparently harmless habits such as compulsive shopping. According to Marohn, addiction is a problem that effects over 100 million people every year, and needn't be seen as either freakish or a sign of "weakness." Furthermore, there is a way to recover that does not compromise a holistic lifestyle through pharmaceutical medicines, should one choose this path.

As autism rates in children continue to rise--the latest studies suggest anywhere from 1 in 50 to 1 in 100 American children is autistic—parents are scrambling to find effective treatment methods The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism offers answers by exploring a range of effective treatment options and the possibility of a positive outcome via natural medicine therapies. The book covers the basics of autism--what it is and what causes it--and the factors that are often involved in the disorder: heavy metal toxicity, nutritional deficiencies/imbalances, food allergies, digestive problems and fungal overgrowth, viruses or viral overload, immune dysfunction, problems in the birthing process, energetic legacies from unresolved family issues in previous generations, and vaccines. It also covers a range of natural medicine treatments, including elimination diets, listening and learning skills, nutritional supplements to correct imbalances, cranial osteopathy to reverse birth trauma, and many more. A chapter is also devoted to the deeper question of what makes a child susceptible to autism. Included in this discussion is the work of William J. Walsch, PhD, whose research may well have pinpointed the genetic component of autism that has previously eluded scientific inquiry.

Despite growing awareness in the psychiatric community of the multifaceted medical needs of the severely mentally ill, statistics show that as much as 60% of all schizophrenia patients die prematurely from nonpsychiatric medical conditions -- in part because many physicians have not yet recognized how to properly treat common diseases and illnesses within this complex patient population. Medical Illness and Schizophrenia, Second Edition, is the only clinical guide to focus exclusively on the treatment of common medical comorbidities among patients with schizophrenia. Like its best-selling predecessor, the book compiles the latest research and clinical information on integrating medical and psychiatric care for the schizophrenia patient. Twenty-eight physicians and psychiatrists, including editors Jonathan M. Meyer, M.D., and Henry A. Nasrallah, M.D., lend their expertise to this new, expanded edition. In fifteen chapters, this volume covers a wide range of common medical problems -- from metabolic and heart conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity and diabetes, to substance abuse and smoking. Each chapter concludes with "Key Clinical Points" that summarize important concepts and ensure reader retention. Additionally, the second edition includes new chapters that touch on some of the most complex clinical issues in the field of schizophrenia treatment today: Recent trends in the integration of medical and mental healthcare Behavioral treatments for weight loss in persons with schizophrenia Treatment of sexual dysfunction among persons treated for schizophrenia Health outcomes of schizophrenia treatment in children and adolescents Health outcomes of schizophrenia treatment during pregnancy and breastfeeding As the only clinical text of its kind, Medical Illness and Schizophrenia, Second Edition, is an invaluable resource for psychiatrists, nurses, healthcare professionals, and psychiatric and clinical residents. The goal of this text has always been to help clinicians recognize schizophrenia as both a brain disorder and a systemic disease with multiple manifestations that go beyond the obvious psychiatric symptoms -- and thus take a broader approach to treatment of schizophrenia. This new edition is a comprehensive, practical manual that serves as a reference for the medical management of seriously mentally ill patients across the age spectrum in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

A compendium of alternative nutrient treatments used to address schizophrenic symptoms in a number of documented cases offering an interesting albeit controversial approach to mental health. The volume overviews the history of schizophrenia and toxic treatments, introducing various nutritional methods with "testimonies" from patients, herbalists, and doctors. It includes extensive reference to relevant studies. Also covered are "biotypes," metal overload, physical illnesses that may mimic schizophrenia, depression, neurotransmitters, toxicity, and a response to criticism. The presentation is balanced by a good dose of disclaimers emphasizing that the book is not a treatment guide but rather an educational resource. The appendices supply guidance on testing, epidemiology, and resources. Lacks an index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Natural History of Mania, Depression, and Schizophrenia takes an unusual look at the course of mental illness, based on data from the Iowa 500 Research Project. This project involved the long-term (30-40 years) follow-up of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar illness. After presenting a history and background of the study, the authors provide fascinating, verbatim interviews with patients at the time of hospital admission in the 1930s and 1940s. Eight of the 15 chapters are dedicated to the modern, systematic follow-up and family study of these patients. Medical students, residents, psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, ministers, and clinicians are offered an interesting look at what might be expected should treatment not be instituted with such patients. Unlike earlier works that focused on the descriptive aspects of mental illness, this book provides clinicians with a more systematic evaluation of the symptom picture, course and outcome, and family history. It concludes with useful information on the diagnosis and classification of the affective disorders and chronic nonaffective psychoses.