This article appeared in Schizophrenia Digest, Spring 2008, Volume 6, Issue 2, Pg 24-28.

Journalist Paul Forsyth presents a balanced examination into the controversy surrounding this alternative treatment therapy to combat symptoms of schizophrenia. 

Orthomolecular Medicine

Can vitamins help those that medications have failed?

By Paul Forsyth

Nearly 40 years ago, Tom Krampf felt there was no hope.

In June, I was a guest on Vitamin Junkeys Webisode #47.

As a Registered Nutritionist and Motivational Speaker, I shared with the show's hosts, Dr. JJ. Dugoua, ND, HBSc, PhD (Cand.) and Jennifer Lyall, what I  foods and supplements I believe can help to prevent memory loss.

View it online at Vitamin Junkeys.

Stress and the immune system are closely linked.  Stress in all its forms (from the obvious school and job stressors, through the less obvious of sitting in traffic or living amidst urban pollution) triggers a ‘stress response’ mediated through the adrenal glands.

 The debate over Vitamin C contributing to the formation of kidney stones has raged for decades. And just when it seems the question has been settled a new study pops up to renew the debate. Vitamin C was first postulated to be a cause for calcium oxalate kidney stones, the most common kind of kidney stone, because ascorbic acid (vitamin c) can be converted to oxalate, which when combined with calcium can accrete into kidney stones.

Dr. Voitenko was asked the following by a community member:

“I’ve heard that certain foods will help increase neurotransmitter levels in my brain and gut. If I don’t get enough of those foods, will the neurotransmitters be shared or will one organ take everything?”

 Are we in The Dark Ages? When it comes to mental health diagnoses in the 21st century, it often seems that way. Yes, drugs can help extreme symptoms, but with a 10% 'success' rate, modern drugs seldom help anyone truly recover. Parents and other family members of those with serious mental diseases are often at their wits' end.

Anxiety disorders are extremely debilitating and are the most common psychiatric disorders in the United States. Such patients have greater chances of developing other medical illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and hypertension. The underlying anxiety that exists in these patients also tends to prolong the course of any additional medical illnesses that they may develop.

Many people believe that if they eat a “well-balanced” diet, they will get all the vitamins and minerals required for good health. But while our modern diet tends to be high in saturated fat and sugar, it is extremely deficient in essential nutrients. Sometimes even a diet full of fresh food – vegetables, legumes and whole grains – does not provide our body with all the nutrients necessary for good health.