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Natural
Healing of "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)"
The following are natural
treatments for OCD which are practiced by various specialists.
Charles Gant, N.M.D., Ph.D.,
M.D., Author of End your Addiction Now and ADD and ADHD
Complementary Medicine Solutions
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My protocol:
Theanine 500 mg. (green tea
amino acid-inhibits glutamic acid) - 3000 mg/day
GABA 500 mg - 3000 mg a day
Phosadyllic (purified soy lecithin) - 3000 mg a day
Magnesium taurate 3000 mg a day
P5P (activated B6) 50 mg twice a day
Seromel (5HTP) 300 mg a day
These are maximum doses
unless amino acid/mineral testing suggests that higher doses are
needed, and should be divided and can be taken at bedtime for
sleep. I send patients to Nutrenergy 888-887-7747 to
get these as they
only have assayed top quality supplements, but if you may know
of other good sources. When mixed with
anti-anxiety herbals (see http://www.naturallyhigh.co.uk/relax.asp),
and possibly some homeopathics and Bach Flower Remedies, OCD
should not happen.
William Walsh,
senior research scientist, Pfeiffer Treatment Center (www.hriptc.org)
My clinic has used inositol with thousands of
patients & learned the following:
A. Inositol is usually very helpful for
UNDERMETHYLATED, HIGH HISTAMINE patients. This includes nearly
every OCD patient we have seen. Inositol usually provides
calming throughout the day and ability to settle down to sleep
at night, for these patients.
B. On the other hand, OVERMETHYLATED patients
usually derive little or no benefit from Inositol, and may
experience very nasty side effects from it.
C. Although a couple thousand milligrams may be
needed to do the job and the tablets are often quite large,
Inositol has the great advantage of being palatable... Many of
our patients chew it before swallowing, and report it
"doesn't taste bad at all."
I'm quite surprised that Inositol isn't more popular due
to its effectiveness and its role as a major "second
messenger" in neurotransmission.
With respect to a child with the rituals, a more
direct approach would be to use methionine, calcium, magnesium,
trimethylglycine, and possibly SAMe... along with avoidance of
folic acid supplements. Methylation therapy is a direct
and effective way to treat OCD tendencies, and we regard
Inositol as a valuable adjunct therapy. Note that use of
folic acid and B-12 is NOT indicated since the methyl-trapping
effect greatly exceeds the benefits of enhanced conversion of
homocystine to methionine.
500 to 1000 mg/day of Inositol will probably be
needed to provide the benefit for a child.
Most OCD patients (both obsessive thoughts AND
compulsive actions) exhibit undermethylation and associated low
levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Choline
is anti-dopaminergic and often makes OCD patients worse.
Generally, OCD patients respond nicely to
methonine, SAMe, calcium, magnesium, B-6, Inositol, TMG, and
zinc. Most OCD patients get worse if given supplements of
DMAE, choline, copper, or folic acid.
Julia Ross, Therapist and author of The Mood
Cure
This syndrome has already been
identified as a symptom of serotonin
insufficiency. It responds well to tryptophan and 5HTP therapy
in our
clinical experience (which rarely includes psychosis).
Mary Reed, Herbalist
http://www.marysherbs.com/
[Editor’s Note: Another natural remedy
for "OCD" is included after the end of this article]
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) is defined as a condition
characterized by persistent, unwanted thoughts and/or repeated,
ritualistic behavior.
Not too long ago OCD was thought to be solely a psychological condition
in which a person who experienced too aggressive or premature potty
training adapted to the lack of bowel control by overcompensating control
over his environment and daily activities, which ironically ended up
controlling the person.
There are many reasons why I, along with a growing number of
scientists, disagree with that theory.
Although I will be the first to admit that the emotional and physical
self cannot be separated, I would lean toward this being a physical
condition which provokes emotional and mental responses.
Here are some facts which support my belief:
Research indicates that some people are born with a predisposition to
OCD. For instance, a child of a parent who suffers with Trichotillomania
(compulsive pulling out of ones hair) has a 75% chance or higher of
developing OCD.
Someone suffering with Tourette’s syndrome (involuntary motor and
vocal tics) has a 50% chance of having OCD. It has been proven
conclusively that Tourette’s is totally a physical condition.
OCD sufferers seem to notice a greater improvement with their condition
when chemicals in their brain are brought back to normal balance than by
behavioral or psychological treatment.
All drug protocols passed by the FDA for the treatment of OCD are
serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Anafranil, Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft and
Paxil.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter. A neurotransmitter is a substance that
chemically connects a nerve impulse from one nerve to another. A
sufficient amount of serotonin produces a soothing, calming effect to
brain activity.
The serotonin reuptake inhibitor function prevents serotonin from being
absorbed (the reuptake) and so increases the amount of available serotonin.
Another way is to increase the digestion of or the body’s production
of serotonin.
Other conditions possibly linked with insufficient serotonin are:
Anorexia Nervosa, Self- mutilation, Tourette’s Syndrome, Body Dysmorphic
Disorder (abnormal dislike for ones looks), Trichotillomania (pulling out
your hair) and Hypochondria.
OCD symptoms are not short-term or fleeting, but rather they are
PERSISTENT thoughts, rituals or impulses that seem senseless even to the
sufferer but are irresistible or uncontrollable.
To find someone in the natural healing field who has a history of
working with OCD is virtually impossible.
I had some alternative health practitioners offer advice that ranged
from "leaky gut syndrome" (yeast mutation and migration) to
"repatterning colackles" (establishing energy movement between
the top half of the body and the lower half).
There was only one whom I contacted who worked with OCD. Her mother had
developed severe symptoms of OCD about 7 years earlier. They treated her
by upping her HCL (hydrochloric acid – stomach acid), minerals, B-6 and
worked on her adrenal glands. Her mother was then symptom-free.
I myself had OCD until 8 or 9 years ago and know how hard it is to live
with. I am now symptom-free.
Many people have opened up to me about having OCD. Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder sufferers are usually intelligent, highly ethical and dependable
people. They usually are very alone in their condition. Fearing ridicule
by those who will not understand their condition, OCD-ers learn to hide
their symptoms.
I have now personally treated or consulted more than 1000 cases of it.
Of those who have done my program, 85-90% become symptom-free or
experience a dramatic reduction in symptoms.
Since serotonin is a chemical that travels across the nerve synapse and
the thicker the myelin sheathing on the nervous system, the more potential
for the releasing of serotonin, it make sense to nourish the nervous
system.
The program I recommend for my clients does just that. It is:
- Quit caffeine drinks completely. If one is a regular tea or coffee
drinker he may need to do this gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms
- If your cholesterol is below 170, get it up. Lower than 170 the body
can not repair the myelin.
- Ensure you are getting the daily minimum requirement of vitamin
B-complex.
- 1 tbs. Flax seed oil daily (fatty acids help nourish the nerve
sheathing
- Spirulina capsules, 8-10 capsules per day
- A nervine compound like Re-X. Re-X is available Dr.
Mary's Wholesale Herb Shop
(A nervine is an herbal blend that treats nerves – for this purpose it
should contain Valerian. Other common ingredients include skullcap,
hops, and passionflower. Valerian alone is not recommended. Note: The
Oriental herb mix STRC can be used if the person is having visual or
auditory hallucinations.) Take the recommended bottle dose for a week
and then increase the dose one pill every few days until you start to
dream consistently. Maintain this dose. Once you are dreaming
consistently, drop back a pill a day to get to a minimum dose. If you
stop dreaming, increase the dose again until dreaming.
Results normally begin to appear 2 to 3 months after consistent
dreaming has begun. People are usually symptom-free by 9 months, after
three additional months, after which the nutrition and herbal remedies can be stopped.
If you suffer from this condition please take heart. You are not crazy
or psychotic. You are lacking the nutrients that your body needs to get
over this. There is much hope.
Although I do sell herbs, my goal is to help and educate people. If I
can be of any assistance, please feel free to contact me.
To order
Mary Reed
626 Donnelly Ave.
Patton, PA 16668
(814) 674-8835
http://www.marysherbs.com
E-Mail: MarysHerbs@aol.com
Inositol Treatment of "OCD"
Inositol, one of the B vitamins, has been found effective in treating
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Inositol is used in biochemical processes
that effect serotonin receptors.
A double-blind study reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry,
1996 [153(9):1219-21] was done on 13 patients. They were given 18 grams of
inositol per day (2 tsp in juice 3 times daily). At 3 weeks there were no
significant effects. At 6 weeks inositol significantly reduced "OCD"
scores compared with placebo. It was as effective as some drugs.
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