Natural Healing of “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)”

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
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, Walsh Research Institute www.walshinstitute. 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.
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/natural-healing-of-…/

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Hypoglycemia

Obsessive compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be treated without drugs. In an article by Juririan Plesman, who describes the cause of OCD by excess secretion of adrenaline, the fight/flight hormone. Adrenaline is also the hormone that in case of danger you cannot take your eyes away from the enemy (tiger). Thus it forces you to focus on things. Hence excess adrenaline production can result in obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors of the kind of "making sure behavior",like making sure the door is closed, making sure that you stay away from germs, washing your hands over and over again, obsession with cleanliness, or symptoms of perfectionism.

OCD can be described as a cluster of symptoms that compels a person to act or think in repetitive ways. The person may be afflicted with compulsive thoughts or possessed with fear of contamination. Others are compelled to make sure that water taps have been properly closed or things are in their correct place.
Being suddenly bombarded with stress hormones - such as cortisol and adrenaline - the mind appears to create images and ideas that fit the strange inner experience of panic and fear. The activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) by adrenaline prepares your body for strenuous action in face of danger in the environment. But if the SNS is activated by an internal biological mechanism due to a biological disorder, there is no external enemy or stimulus. So you have to make one up to give you some sort of rational explanation of why you feel the way you do.
OCD is a sub-class of anxiety attacks. Both OCD and anxiety attacks are marked by excess adrenaline production.
This can also be tested with a paper-and-pencil test such as The Nutrition-Behavior Inventory questionnaire
(NBI) or the The Hypo Quizz.
The real question is why is the body overproducing adrenaline and at the wrong time and circumstances?
The answer lies in the function of adrenaline. Adrenaline apart from being a fight/flight hormone is also a hormone that converts sugar stores in the body (glycogen) into glucose. Glucose is the brain's major source of energy. It requires about 70% of glucose to fuel the biochemical machinery of brain cells. Without that energy brain cells will soon die. Thus whenever the brain senses energy starvation it will trigger the release of adrenaline so as to feed the brain again with energy.
The next question is: why is the brain starved of energy with all that sugar being consumed in our society? The reason is that a person may have a physical disorder that prevents the conversion of sugar sources in food (carbohydrates) into biological energy called ATP. That energy is essential in the production of feel good (relaxing) neuro-chemicals, such as serotonin. Without it we will feel anxious, insecure, in danger
and panicky without knowing why.
This is usually the case when a person suffers from Insulin Resistance. Insulin Resistance is usually associated with the development of Diabetes Type II. Most doctors can test this, but they appear to have problems testing for pre-diabetic insulin resistance, because they have not been trained for this. We have a test for hypoglycemia at our web site. The Hypo Quizz.
This condition is called "The Hypoglycemic Syndrome" which is characterized by unstable blood sugar levels, going up and down. Unstable blood sugar levels, due to insulin resistance, cause the body to release stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. Whenever there is a sudden drop in brain sugar levels, adrenaline kicks in to attempt the redress the imbalance.
We have an explanation how excess adrenaline can cause OCD. The solution is to go on a hypoglycemic diet, which is similar to a diabetic diet. It normalizes blood sugar levels, and stops the brain from producing stress hormones.
According to Dr. Carl Pfieffer, M.D. and research Psychiatrist who reversed mental illness by using nutrition, many vitamins and minerals are involved in glucose metabolism. Namely, Vitamin C, B complex vitamins, calcium, magnesium, zinc. Chromium, manganese, potassium and phosphorous.
Dr Pfieffer, also states that adrenaline and glucocortoid hormones trigger the pancreas to secrete glucagons, which, in turn, promotes the conversion of glycogen to glucose in the liver. The liberated glucose is then released from the liver into the bloodstream and this contributes to hypoglycemia. It can be a vicious circle.
An alkaline diet can help prevent hypoglycemia.
Fish oil can also help OCD.

Books and Workbooks to Help Eliminate OCD

“The OCD Workbook,” is an excellent resource to help those with OCD. It includes self-assessment, intervention strategy, how to help yourself, success stories of others, breaking free, changing your faulty beliefs and more. The book is by Bruce M. Hyman, Ph.D. and Cherry Pedrick, RN

“Brain Lock-Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior,” by Jeffrey Schwartz, MD.