Should you Google “They want us to be ill (or sick)” you will get almost 200 million hits/results. Thus I am not alone in thinking that doctors are not looking after our best interests.

Based on “Davidson’s Principles & Practice of Medicine” (every doctor and surgery have one) on page 236 (22^nd Edition) the authors instruct: “Medically unexplained somatic symptoms – Patients commonly present to doctors with physical symptoms. Whilst these symptoms may be an expression of a medical condition, they often are not. They may be referred to as ‘medically unexplained symptoms’ (MUS). MUS are very common in patients attending general medical outpatient clinics. Almost any symptom can be medically unexplained**. Patients with MUS may receive a medical diagnosis of a so-called functional somatic syndrome, such as irritable bowel syndrome and may also merit a psychiatric diagnosis on the basis of the same symptoms. The most frequent psychiatric diagnosis associated with MUS are anxiety or depressive disorders.”

** Worth mentioning – and these are not my words but those of Dr. A. Gawande B.A.S., M.A., M.D., M.P.H., and philosophers Samuel Gorovitz and Alasdair MacIntyre: “There are two primary reasons why doctors might fail. Number one is ignorance: we have only a limited understanding of all of the relevant physical laws and conditions that apply to any given problem or circumstance. The second reason is called “ineptitude”, meaning that the knowledge exists but an individual or a group of individuals fail to apply that knowledge correctly. Besides ignorance, besides ineptitude, there is necessary fallibility: some knowledge science can never deliver on”.

You may merit a psychiatric diagnosis on any condition only because the doctor, due to his/her ignorance and ineptitude, has not been able to recognise your symptoms and illness and, mainly, because he/she has not done his/her job proficiently.

Regarding ‘mental conditions’, if these are recognised by the doctor (GP) or by the psychiatrist (doctor) then the only solution proposed will be to be prescribe drugs and medications (antidepressants, SSRIs,  SNRIs antipsychotics or novel serotonergic drugs).

How often do the doctors look at the source of the symptoms and problems or urge prevention?

Targeted nutrition is the main answer and resolution to many problems. Even Autism, can be helped with interesting alternatives.

Carl C. Pfeiffer, M.D., Ph.D. was a physician and biochemist who researched schizophrenia, allergies and other diseases. He wrote, amongst many, a book entitled: “Mental and Elemental Nutrients” where he states: “Psychiatric diagnoses are only diagnoses of elimination”. But Dr. Pfeiffer was mainly concerned with ‘deficiencies’ and he stated: “A study at Jersey City Medical Centre showed that 83 percent of patients admitted to the hospital have, at least, one vitamin deficiency and 68 percent have two or more deficiencies”.

Emphasis should be placed on the preventative approach using nutrition rather than on the role of drugs treating health problems after they fully develop.

Nutrition affects our physical appearance, our emotional health, our energy levels, our intellectual and creative abilities, our mental health and general feeling of well-being. Proper eating habits promote productivity and longevity, while poor eating habits deprive body cells and tissues of substances necessary for vital functions, causing weakness and increased susceptibility to disease. “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are” was Anthelme Brillat-Savarin famous aphorism.

Our bodies need vitamins, essential amino acids, essential fats and minerals. Before starting on any antidepressants or any other drugs, consider natural solutions; those that will enhance your auto-immune system that will then ‘recover’ those cells in your body that have been affected by deficiencies.

Following abnormal psychiatric symptoms in a female patient, Derrien and Benoit (1929), first suggested that a trace element deficiency might be a factor in mental disease. Essential trace elements like zinc and manganese have been noted as factors in brain disease since the 1920s. Issues like Pyroluria can cause dramatic deficiency of zinc and vitamins B3 and B6 in our bodies, for example. For these and many other reasons, Pfeiffer has been successful at treating patients affected by schizophrenia with high doses of vitamin B and drops of zinc and manganese.

Low levels of zinc and vitamin B6 have also been frequently associated with a type of anxiety characterized by social anxiety, avoidance of crowds, a feeling of inner tension, and bouts of depression. Studies carried out on manganese have shown a correlation between low levels of this mineral and the presence of epilepsy [Paul S. Papavasiliou et.al, the American Academy of Neurology, 1979].

SSRIs (medications) stand for Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and it is thought that SSRIs work by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin, the brain hormone associated with mood elevation, rises with exposure to bright light and falls with decreased sun exposure. In 2006, scientists evaluated the effects of vitamin D on the mental health of 80 elderly patients and found those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who received healthy doses. Another recent study performed by the Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research recruited 358 patients and compared their vitamin D levels against measures of symptom severity. They also found that low vitamin D levels were significantly associated with negative symptoms and depression. Vitamin D deficiency was also linked to impairments in processing speed and verbal fluency and healthy controls in cognitive functions.

Magnesium is needed to help our bodies transport calcium across cell membranes and bone matter [milk does not provide calcium to our bodies but does just the opposite – Dr. F. Oski]. Magnesium deficiency comes from a poor diet, chronic stress, alcohol abuse and poorly controlled diabetes; totalling — stress! Magnesium is a calming mineral that nourishes the nervous system and helps prevent anxiety, fear, nervousness, restlessness and irritability. Magnesium is also very protective of the heart and arteries; again, this is important if you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks.

There are also studies and suggestions that Milk Thistle might reduce symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Bacopa, Echinacea, Vitamin B5 and Taurine have all been tested to control attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Solutions to a problem without medications are plentiful. As a psychologist/counsellor it is my obligation to address diet and all relevant clinical tests available to determine faster outcome to treatments. The above, in reality, is only the tip of the iceberg – Pfeiffer book is 500 pages thick, for example.

In therapy we work together although it is “you” that must believe in changes ask me for positive changes.

 

Article by A.B.M. Procaccini – Psychologist, Naturopathist, NLP Practitioner