Foreword

This book presents a natural treatment system based on current science that can help millions of persons who have been diagnosed with mental disorders. This approach recognizes that most human beings have nutrient imbalances due to genetic and environmental factors, and these imbalances can cause mischief in many ways, which include the following:

   Serotonin, dopamine, and other key neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that enable brain cells to communicate with each other) are continuously produced in the brain from nutrient raw materials that may be at improper concentrations.

   Nutrient imbalances can alter gene expression of proteins that govern neurotransmitter activity at synapses.

   Deficiency in antioxidant nutrients can cripple the brain’s protection against toxic metals.

Neuroscientists have identified the nutrients needed for synthesis of neurotransmitters, gene regulation, and antioxidant protection, and special blood and urine tests can identify imbalances in these nutrients. Biochemical therapies that use chemicals natural to the body can adjust brain levels of these key nutrients and have a powerful impact on mental health.

Psychiatry has made great advances in the past 50 years but needs a new direction. Today’s emphasis on prescription psychiatric medications will not stand the test of time. These drugs have helped millions of people diagnosed with depression and other mental disorders, but benefits usually are partial in nature and involve unpleasant side effects. Medication therapy is more art than science, and it involves a considerable amount of trial and error. A fundamental limitation is that psychiatric drugs are foreign molecules that result in an abnormal condition rather than producing normalcy. It is unlikely that these drugs will ever be universally effective or free of side effects. A new approach is needed. Recent progress in brain science has identified the molecular biology of many mental diseases, and this research provides a roadmap for developing effective drug-free therapies aimed at true normalization of the brain. Psychiatric medications have served society well over the past decades, but the need for drug therapies will gradually fade away as science advances.