Getting Started - Diet Changes

People do recover from illnesses affecting cognition and mood which get labelled bipolar, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Many people have had great success with "micronutrient supplementation" such as TrueHope's supplement EMPowerPlus or Hardy Nutritionals' Daily Essential Nutrients (DEN) alone, but many others have found that more was needed.

Oft times, the "more" includes addressing gut issues, systemic yeast, genetic issues around methylation or vitamin D utilization, hormonal issues, inflammation, allergies, dealing with sleep issues, dealing emotionally with stress and past traumas, changing the diet and personal environment, and more. (See book for more on these topics.)

In our own family's case, without EMPowerPlus/DEN, my kids' cognition would not have been adequate to even be able to take the next steps necessary on their journey to wellness. But let's talk about that major step - dietary changes. Everyone is different.

Mood Swings, Hearing and Seeing Things, Anxiety - Interview with Recovered Adults

What is it like to have years of Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety and/or Schizophrenia and then recover?  Most people do not even know it is possible to completely recover from what we are told are life-long illnesses, even after the person has been symptomatic for decades.

What is it like to be sick? What therapies help in recovery? What kind of strength does it take to do what is necessary to recover? What kind of support does it take from close family members? What helps while the person is still sick and struggling?

Listen to Helen Woo's radio interview on "Self Aid Success Stories" with the author  of "It's Not Mental" including two daughters who had been diagnosed with multiple "mental" illnesses and went on to recover. 

Education for Mental Health Practitioners Must Include Our Real-Life Stories!

I am pleased to introduce guest writer Nancy Pizzo Boucher. Nancy has extensive education and experience in Special Education, is a NAMI presenter, and the author of two books: Replanting Lives Uprooted By Mental Illness, a practical guide for families and Getting My Night Vision. (More detailed professional background is at the bottom of this article.)

---

Set A Place At The Table For Families And Consumers 

By Nancy Pizzo Boucher 

I believe that the future treatment of mental illness will have at its core an understanding and acknowledgment that families and consumers are colleagues in the quest and development of best treatment practices.

Beginning of Hell - Psychosis and Hospitalization

What is psychosis like for a child?  What is it like for a parent to have a psychotic child?  What do you do when your child thinks everyone has suddenly become evil and wants to jump from a moving car, stab herself... and attacks?

The author of "It's Not Mental" had a follow up guest appearance on Edin Road Radio, reading the end of "The Brewing Storm" and the start of "Hell." She read most of Chapter 18 - "Blindsided" then had a short chat with host Jesse Coffey.

Sleep Issues Are Being Misdiagnosed as ADHD and other Mental Illnesses

It was over 3 years ago that I wrote Is It ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)?, but for some reason in the U.S.A. the psychiatric community is slow to act like the real medical doctors (MDs) they ARE.  Many still are not looking for WHY a child is exhibiting symptoms we label "ADHD." Instead, they simply slap on the label itself, which only serves to say, "This child exhibits attentional difficulties and possibly hyperactivity." That simple "mental" illness label, eliminates all their obligation to investigate the true underlying cause of any particular child's symptoms.

One of the things so many of us have been saying is that SLEEP issues (ranging from sleep apnea to narcolepsy or even just staying up a little too late) can contribute to or even cause psychiatric symptoms that are getting diagnosed as many kinds of "mental illness" ranging from Depression and ADHD to Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia!

At least even the U.S. mainstream newspapers are starting to warn people that many of these increasingly numerous "ADHD" (and Depression) diagnoses we and our children are getting may actually be manifestations of SLEEP-related issues.

Audio: Child Hears Voices and Has Tactile, Pain Hallucinations.

An audio excerpt from the book "It's Not Mental"is on Internet radio (Edin Road - 1 March 2012). The excerpt is read by the author, Jeanie Wolfson, followed by a short chat with the host, Jesse Coffey

Whole Health Healing

I was only slightly surprised that some speakers at integrative medical conferences, and some writers of whole-body healing, had their start in the chiropractic profession. After all, their skills are often viewed as “alternative” (especially by orthopedic surgeons, in my experience. Admittedly, to me, I was very glad to have such an “alternative” to the back surgery my orthopedist insisted was absolutely necessary!).

People who manipulate the body, whether by an Osteopath (DO—similar to an MD) or a Chiropractor, are immersed in the body’s own ability to heal itself.

Readers of my book and blog know very well that my family uses Integrative medicine for both managing chronic ailments, and natural techniques (such as diet changes, sleep hygiene, exercise, and supplements) for healing. We helped the “mind” by helping the body.

Coming from the chiropractic profession, we have a guest writer who would like to share his view on the use of natural remedies: Dr. Tom Potisk—author of the book “Whole Health Healing” and owner of the website of the same name: Whole Health Healing.