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Also included on the site is an array of articles on topics ranging from the medical causes of schizophrenia to the effects of toxic metals on mental health.

Special AlternativeMentalHealth.com T-shirts and bumper stickers are available at our online store.

A bookstore page lists top books that cover many areas of alternative treatments with titles like Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders and No More Ritalin.

AlternativeMentalHealth.com has been created to educate the public, practitioners, and government officials on the medical conditions that create "mental illness" and the many safe resources available for addressing and often curing severe mental symptoms.

Last year I began receiving emails from a woman - I'll call her Mary - whose young adult son had become psychotic, and though she was willing to medicate him as a last resort, she did not want him placed in a state or county facility where he would most certainly be drugged into submission as a permanent solution and put on a road from which there would be no return to a normal life.

Mary relayed how he became violent occasionally and she felt torn between concern for her own safety and her worry for her son's demise if she put him in a public facility. Once she phoned from a neighbor's house because she was not safe at home with her son.

Like so many we speak with, Mary looked and looked in vain for an affordable private facility where her son could be placed. She sought nothing special. Simply a place where he could be given a thorough medical exam, good food, appropriate nutrition, and rest. Drugs if necessary, yes, but minimally, enough to calm him down so that treatments such as nutrients could be applied.

Is that so much to ask? Is that such a burdensome request that none of our 50 states are willing to provide this option or even legalize it in the private sector for the millions of citizens who do not want to take the drugs-for-life route - the only solution that states usually offer?

Apparently it IS too much to ask. 

Yesterday, I received an email from Mary's by-now familiar email address. But it was not from Mary. It was from her family. They told me that Mary had been senselessly killed by her son's hand.

Things MUST change. Decent people must be given a choice in how their loved ones are treated in mental health facilities so they are not given the anguished choice Mary had to make.

Safe Harbor's second annual conference is coming in two months. There we will discuss the future of psychiatry and many of the safe options available in mental health. We hope you can come. We need your help in making the future better for the Marys to come.

We are very pleased to announce that Safe Harbor Boston is presenting a talk by James Greenblatt, M.D., THE BENEFITS OF NUTRITIONAL THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESS.

Time/Date: 7:30 pm, MAY 8, 2003

Location: Waltham Hospital's DeVeber Conference Center, Hope Ave., Waltham, MA

Admission: Free

Dr. Greenblatt is a dually board-certified child and adult psychiatrist who combines his interest in alternative treatments for psychiatric disorders with a traditional background in medicine. He has lectured throughout the U.S. to professionals and families on the scientific evidence of complementary and alternative therapies for psychiatric disorders. Dr. Greenblatt is the Founder and Medical Director of Comprehensive Psychiatric Resources, Inc., and is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry.

Dr. Greenblatt's talk will be followed by a SUPPORT GROUP MEETING.

Safe Harbor Boston, a satellite office of Safe Harbor, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public and mental health professionals about the advantages of using nutritional and other natural therapies for the treatment of mental illness. We also provide support group venues for those diagnosed with a mental illness and those who care for the mentally ill.

Waltham Hospital's DeVeber Conference Center is Safe Harbor's weekly meeting place. We offer weekly support group meetings every Thursday, starting May 8, 2003, from 7:30 to 9:00 PM when there is no guest speaker. During Thursday evenings when we do have a guest speaker our support group will start immediately after the talk. All are welcome to join our support group to share experiences and learn from one another in an open and nonjudgmental environment.

Anthony Stephan, cofounder of Truehope, will be speaking at Safe Harbor's support group at 1718 Colorado Blvd. in Los Angeles, which meets from 7 PM to 9 PM on April 9, 2003. There is no charge.

He will also be speaking on April 10 as a "NAMI Natural" presentation at the Chino Hills, CA, office of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (N.A.M.I)at 6251 Schaefer Ave., Unit G, Chino, CA (corner of Mountain and Schaefer). RSVP to (909) 606-9959 to confirm. Seating is limited.

Truehope created the nutritional supplement which has been used by several thousand people to alleviate symptoms of mental disorders and reduce dependency on psychiatric medication. (See article in this issue about a recent study with the supplement written up in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.)

Although reported as particularly effective for people with symptoms of bipolar disorder, the supplement has been used for all types of psychiatric diagnoses.

It has been reported that those with bipolar symptoms have a record of 70% or better in coming off of medications using the supplement. The supplement has been reported widely in the Canadian media, where the Truehope offices are. More info on Truehope is at www.truehope.com.

A new radio show specifically for and about AD/HD and other learning disorders is on the air. If you haven't heard of the Results Project, maybe it's time you did. Steve Plog, its founder, just got his own radio show in London, ON, Canada, called the "Results Radio Show." The goal of the Results Project is simply to show the benefits of good nutrition and its potential to improve health, academic and athletic performance. 

This may be the first radio show specifically for and about AD/HD and other "learning disorders." Plog has just signed a two year contract to do his one-hour weekly show.

The Results Radio Show is a call-in talk show that will offer callers the opportunity to present their parenting and personal concerns to professionals. It will feature segments such as: a roundtable discussion about current events, issues or treatments, a review of upcoming possibilities, specialists, scientists (over the phone reporting live) and a joke of the week.

It will also feature interviews with local and international physicians, interviews with teens, parents and children, open phones, etc. Many of these topics could be weekly features.

The host, along with special guests, will be able to successfully field calls on a wide variety of concerns.

Plog created his Results Project, 4-Step, 12-week program in 1997. Since then it has greatly improved the academic achievements, behavior and lives in a large majority of the 1600+ kids that have participated to date, while they have also greatly reduced or eliminated the need for Class II prescription drugs. His website is at: www.resultsproject.net

If your child is between 4 to 8 years old, diagnosed with autism or related childhood developmental disorders (Asperger's Disorder or PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)), and generally healthy, your child may be eligible to participate in this clinical trial. This 10-week study will begin in late April 2003, and is limited to Florida residents.

Participants will receive all study material, forms, and study supplements in the mail. All communications and follow-ups will take place via mail, phone, and/or email with the research staff. Your child will be randomized to either the group taking the supplements or the group taking the placebo pills. A total of 13 capsules per day will be required for both study groups during the 10-week study.

The study is being led by Dr. Jeff Bradstreet (a physician with a large autism practice in Florida), with the assistance of the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences and Arizona State University.

The Defeat Autism Now ! (DAN!) conference, 2003, will be held in Philadelphia, May 16-18.

www.danconference.com

In the first half of the twentieth century chiropractic treatment was used to aid a large number of mental patients in recovery in the United States. At least two successful chiropractic mental hospitals existed.

The history of this movement is detailed in a PowerPoint presentation available at this link.

The Safe Harbor offices in Los Angeles and Boston are seeking volunteers in those areas.  Safe Harbor Los Angeles needs volunteers to work in the office during normal business hours. We need assistance with clerical, phone calling, answering emails, etc. Contact us at SafeHarborProj@aol.com or at (323) 257-7338.

From Rick Palmquist, DVM:

We have had several incidents of pets presenting for nasal or respiratory difficulties, or even depression and lethargy after being collared with pesticide flea collars. I have seen three cases where children sleeping with these pets were experiencing chronic rhinitis that had been diagnosed as "allergy," which were actually discharge phases of reaction to the toxins in the collars. These children had been placed on multiple drugs in an attempt to handle the symptoms, which disappeared upon removing the collar from the pet. The collars seem to irritate many persons with asthma, too.

I'll bet some people diagnosed as depressed will be irritated by the toxicity and perhaps some are actually toxic and not depressed. Since the organophosphate or other insecticides are metabolized in the liver, it would be logical to suspect that a drug interaction could occur with other drugs such as psychotropics. It would be extremely easy for a doctor to miss this as it is not part of any routine medical history.

From Nancy Mullan, M.D., Burbank, CA:

My most recent bipolar patient came in looking very symptomatic and on multiple meds which were not holding very well. Fortunately, he calmed down with correct empathy. After he calmed down I started to talk to him about diet and nutrition. He really couldn't relate to any approach which was so different from the standard practice of psychiatry. Over time he could relate and I allergy tested him and put him on some nutrition.

We didn't even get to the next step which is GI testing before he got much better. He took himself off of lithium pretty quickly. He keeps to the diet because he has seen it help. He has explored the Safe Harbor website and is now starting to see what different amino acids do for or to him. He is amazed at the world to which I have introduced him. He no longer feels like there is something wrong with his brain. It seems that there is something wrong with his nutrition.

A new study of 19 "bipolar" patients by Miles Simmons, M.D., Town Park Psychiatric Associates, Brunswick, Maine, provides independent confirmation of the effectiveness of Truehope's E.M.Power+ nutritional supplement in such cases. Dr. Simmons states:

"By clinical global estimate, 12 of the 19 patients showed marked clinical improvement, 3 showed moderate improvement, and 1 showed mild improvement. Thirteen patients (10 marked responders, 3 moderate responders) were able to completely discontinue psychiatric medications over a mean of 5.2 weeks (range, 3-10 weeks) and remain stable on EMP alone. Of the 12 showing marked improvement, 10 have remained on EMP (current follow-up mean length = 13 months; range 5-21). One of the 3 moderate responders has also continued on EMP, so that 11 of 19 patients have chosen to remain on EMP rather than psychiatric medication."

"....It is clear that the effectiveness and safety of EMP remain to be established in controlled trials, but this approach does appear to represent an exciting potential direction for new research in bipolar disorder."

Can you remember your first sip of cola, first chocolate cookie, or first bite of chocolate? If you're like the millions of other caffeine consumers, chances are, you can't. What about birthday parties, Easters, Valentine's Days? Do you recall nibbling on chocolate treats? Pastries, and candy? And Halloween? Wasn't it fun, hanging the old neighborhood with your chums, collecting chocolate goodies, and washing them down with cola?

Well, the truth is sometimes hard to swallow, especially as you age, step up your caffeine intake, and suffer symptoms of what doctors call "ADHD." The memories become a little foggy. Focus disappears.

You seek medical help for deteriorating mental skills, and leave the doctor's office, holding a prescription for Ritalin or another drug, which you think will help you focus. But the doctor forgot to tell you that if you use a stimulant with caffeine you can suffer psychosis: delirium, delusions, mania, and loss of insight, judgment and values.

The doctor neglected to ask about your caffeine intake and mention that caffeine in chronic (daily) amounts can cause a mental fog (Allbutt, Clifford T. A System of Medicine. VII. Part I. London: MacMillan. 1909), which eventually can include symptoms of psychosis. (Crothers, T.D. Morphinism and Narcomanias from other Drugs. Philadelphia: W. B. Sanders & Co. 1902.)

Have you kept inner demons to yourself and tried skipping right over the "ADHD" stage? After all, if you tell anyone how crummy you feel and that you think you're losing your mind, people will think you are mentally ill. So, you drink your morning cola or coffee and hope to get through another day.

But the mental symptoms are still there and you believe you are going crazy. You don't feel like you anymore. "Someone has got to help me," you naively think. Yet, no matter how many times you speak with a doctor, any doctor, every doctor, the best in the field, the worst in the field, it seems doctors don't understand. In fact, you think they believe you're a hypochondriac, making up symptoms, because you have too much time on your hands in your "anxious," and "panic" ridden state.

For anxiety, you are given tranquilizers. And you take the medication with a glass of cola. Later, you reach for your tea and chocolate dessert.

Days and months pass. Still feeling lousy, not at all like the old you, you keep seeking medical help for odd physical and mental symptoms. And, still, receive no relief.

Eventually you feel a little better, not as confused, not as anxious. You can stay up longer, perform tasks longer, and, with mixed confidence, after changing your mind a few times, and, probably a few more, you make decisions. You believe yourself so good at decision making that you help others with their problems.

Some may accuse you of being "codependent," when the truth is, in your caffeine psychosis, you need to talk. And, when speaking, you must change subjects before the next thought rushes into your head in the "flight of ideas" notion of things. Why are you so talkative? So friendly? You never used to be like this. "Oh well," you think. "It will pass." And you sip a little cola.

With symptoms progressing, eventually you can't sense that anything is different. That's what happens when the brain is poisoned.

You are ill. Chronic caffeine intake led to organ malfunction, including brain malfunction. As symptoms progress, with you laughing one day, or minute, and crying the next, and with the mind spinning, rattling, obsessing, unable to completely focus or rationalize, medical professionals diagnose "bipolar disorder." Or, if genetics renders you quiet, or your toxic symptoms aren't as progressed, you are surely a "schizophrenic."

According to the FDA, caffeine is a GRAS (generally regarded as safe) agent. But according to chemical manufacturers, caffeine is toxic when swallowed and harmful when inhaled. There are plenty of manufacturers' safety and data sheets (MSDS) on the web. You'll have to go looking.

Despite the fact that teachers often initiate ADHD referrals leading to diagnosis, a new study shows that they are frequently unaware of current research on ADHD symptoms and the side effects of treatment.

The study, authored by Vicki Snider, Ph.D., of the Program in Learning Disabilities at the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire and her colleagues, appeared in the January/February 2003 issue of Remedial and Special Education. Out of 400 surveyed, 145 Wisconsin general and special education teachers responded to the study, including elementary, middle school, and high school teachers.

Two-thirds of survey respondents indicated that teachers most frequently made the initial referral for a child to be evaluated for ADHD. These referral frequency rates are echoed in earlier studies, which found that teachers initiated 40 to 60 percent of children's ADHD referrals. The teacher referral is so important, as the study's author suggests, because "referred students are frequently diagnosed as having ADHD by the physician based on reports from the teachers and parents."

In this study, many teachers missed the answers to basic questions about the benefits and side effects of the drugs used to treat ADHD. Ninety-four percent of teachers surveyed wrongly thought drugs improve academic performance in the long run. Seventy-three percent of teachers surveyed did not know that even while on drugs, kids diagnosed with ADHD do not manifest normal childhood behavior, that they don't have the same level of problem behavior as their "normally developing peers." In addition, 62 percent were unaware that stimulant medication may affect a child's growth potential.

According to the authors of the study, "teachers' lack of knowledge about ADHD in light of their central role in referral and diagnosis and the increasing numbers of students diagnosed with ADHD suggests that... teachers could increase their reliance on research knowledge to inform and guide their professional decisions."

The list below shows how the teachers scored on a number of questions:
 

Item	Frequency of correct answers
Studies show that stimulant medication has a positive effect on academic achievement in the long run. (False)	6%
There are data to indicate that ADHD is caused by a brain malfunction. (False)	10%
While on stimulant medication, students exhibit similar amounts of problem behaviors as their normally developing peers. (False)	27%
Diagnosis of ADHD can be confirmed if stimulant medication improves the child's attention. (False)	33%
Stimulant medication use may decrease the physical growth rate (i.e., height) of students. (True)	38%
Stimulant medication use may produce tics in students. (True)	45%
Adderall, Ritalin, and Dexedrine have abuse potential similar to Demerol, cocaine, and morphine. (True)	46%
Over time, stimulant medication loses its effectiveness. (True)	46%
ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder of childhood. (True)	58%
ADHD symptoms (e.g., fidgets, does not follow through on instruction, easily distracted) may be caused by academic deficits. (True)	63%
The long-term side effects of stimulant medications are well understood. (True)	67%
Stress and conflict in the student's home life can cause ADHD symptoms. (True)	71%
Note: Statements were rated using a 5-point Likert-type scale (I = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Percentage correct indicates percentage of respondents who answered 4 or 5 to an item that was true and I or 2 to an item that was false.

My daughter was institutionalized on and off for 6 years. She even lived on the streets for a couple of months. She had a psych history that would blow your mind. In addition, she had a history of panic attacks, hypertension, headaches and sweating.

My son had congenital Lyme Disease, meaning he picked up Lyme Disease from me during pregnancy. He was diagnosed as bipolar long before the Lyme diagnosis, and on 3 psych drugs, was no longer being sent home from school frequently.

Months of antibiotics allowed us to lower the dosage of all 3 to half, but still with many difficult behaviors and we were stuck there.

Carl Pfeiffer, MD, PhD described nutritional deficits noted in the chemistry of many types of mental illness. In the case of bipolars, he described three different types of patients with nutritional deficiencies. Bill Walsh, PhD, the chief scientist of the Pfeiffer Treatment Center was kind enough to tell me that he had only seen three Lyme patients who were bipolar, but all three suffered from an ailment called pyroluria.

This condition occurs when there are too many pyrroles in the blood. Pyrroles are a normal byproduct of hemoglobin recycling in the body but poor metabolism can create an excess of pyrroles. Pyrroles bond to B6 and zinc, thus an overload of them creates a deficiency in these nutrients.

The result is a genetic stress disorder associated with severe mood swings, high anxiety, and depression. The biochemical signature of this disorder includes elevated urine kryptopyrroles, a double deficiency of zinc and B-6, and low levels of arachidonic acid.

Pyrolurics are devastated by stresses including physical injury, emotional trauma, illness, sleep deprivation, etc. Symptoms include sensitivity to light and loud noises, tendency to skip breakfast, dry skin, abnormal fat distribution, rage episodes, little or no dream recall, reading disorders, underachievement, histrionic behaviors, and severe anxiety. They usually respond quickly to supplements of zinc, B-6, Primrose Oil, and augmenting nutrients. Pyrolurics are generally deficient in arachidonic acid (an omega-6 fat) and benefit from Primrose Oil, rich in a primary precursor of arachidonic acid. The key lab test is urine kryptopyrroles.

More information is available at drkaslow.com/html/pyroluria.html

Encouraged by the results of a pilot study that showed that high doses of vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid lowered homocysteine levels in Alzheimer's disease patients, researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center's Memory Disorders Program are now coordinating a double-blind eighteen month trial to confirm that the vitamins help slow the disease. Prior research has established an association between Alzheimer's disease and elevated homocysteine levels.

The pilot study, which was published in the April 2003 American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, revealed that an eight-week trial of the vitamins significantly lowered homocysteine levels in 66 Alzheimer's patients. Principal investigator Paul S. Aisen, MD, who is a professor of neurology at Georgetown University explained:

"Individuals with Alzheimer's disease have higher levels of homocysteine than people of similar age who do not have the disease. In our vitamin pilot study we have demonstrated that we are able to reduce levels of homocysteine using a vitamin regimen that is both safe and inexpensive. Now we are conducting a therapeutic trial to determine whether use of the vitamins folic acid, B12 and B6 to lower homocysteine levels has a favorable impact on the course of the disease."

According to new guidelines published in January by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), perhaps half of U.S. hypothyroid cases have gone undiagnosed - and literally millions could have mistakenly been diagnosed with depression, a common symptom of low thyroid, and treated unnecessarily with powerful antidepressants.

Using a simple blood test called the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test, any physician can determine whether someone is suffering from an overactive or underactive thyroid - in many cases, even before patients begin to experience symptoms.

According to the AACE, doctors have been basing their diagnoses on the "normal" range for the TSH test. The typical normal levels at most laboratories has fallen in the 0.5 to 5.0 range. 

The new guidelines narrow the range for acceptable thyroid function, and the AACE is now encouraging doctors to consider thyroid treatment for patients who test the target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.04, a far narrower range.

AACE estimates that the new guidelines actually double the number of people who have abnormal thyroid function, bringing the total to as many as 27 million.

The publication of these new guidelines may help many patients who would otherwise be misdiagnosed. The easy prescription of a synthetic hormone pill is not the only answer, though conventional doctors can be expected to take this route. Natural thyroid is also available as are nutrients that support thyroid function.

If you have not read much on the role of enzymes in mental health, here is your chance. There are few good books on the topic but this is one of them.

Enzymes are not vitamins or minerals, but are natural chemicals in our food and our bodies that play a vital role in physical and mental health. They speed up chemical processes which, in some cases, would not occur at all without them. Not knowing about the role of enzymes in your health can make the difference between good and poor functioning.

Just ask Karen Defelice. She tells the remarkable story of having two young sons exhibiting autism-like behavior and how she unraveled the problem by ensuring they had proper diet, including the correct intake of enzymes.

Her book, Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Conditions, covers such topics as "Digestive System Basics," "Food and Its Effect on Neurology," "What Are Enzymes and What Do They Do?", and "Enzymes and Disease." It also covers other concerns commonly associated with autism, such as heavy metals, restricted diets, and nutrients. The book is over 360 pages.

Biologists at the University of Pennsylvania report that male perspiration has a beneficial effect on women's moods. It helps reduce stress, induces relaxation and even affects the menstrual cycle.

"This suggests there may be much more going on in social settings like singles' bars than meets the eye," said Charles Wysocki, an adjunct professor of animal biology at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine.

In a study to be published in the journal Biology of Reproduction, researchers collected samples from the underarms of men who refrained from using deodorant for four weeks. The extracts were then blended and applied to the upper lips of 18 women aged 25 to 45, who were variously told that they were helping to test alcohol, perfume or lemon floor wax.

The women rated their moods on a fixed scale for a period of six hours. The findings suggested something in the perspiration brightened their moods and helped them feel less tense. Blood analysis also showed a rise in levels of the reproductive luteinizing hormone that typically surges before ovulation. There were no reports of sexual arousal.