We could start talking about schizophrenia with a saying that is worth reflecting on:
What is the difference between a genius and a madman?
The answer is that genius has limits. As Aristotle would say, there is no genius without a degree of madness. So, understanding that schizophrenia is not a disease, the main objective will be to understand what caused the biochemical alteration in the brain that led the patient to develop this mental disorder.
Isn't it true that a feverish process can lead us to a state of psychosis where we temporarily lose touch with reality?
Isn't it true that a person who takes LSD will also enter a state of altered mental status where they will experience anxiety, phobias, paranoia, fears, illusions, acoustic and optical hallucinations, and even antisocial behavior?
And it's true that these types of people aren't classified as temporarily schizophrenic just because their symptoms subside once the fever or the effects of the drug have subsided, right?
So we wonder…
– Why do we invent little names to categorize disorders that we neither understand nor comprehend when we don't understand what's happening to the patient?
– Why, instead of prescribing medications that only treat symptoms and cause countless adverse reactions and side effects, do we get to the root of the problem and address the situation in a real way?
– Has anyone ever wondered what produces a distorted experience?
A biochemical imbalance? Of course, and no one can ignore this.
So do we look for the cause that created this imbalance and provide what is necessary for that person to return to their full mental health, or do we pump the patient full of medication and plunge them into a black hole from which they will never escape?
It is clear where orthomolecular nutrition is heading.
Below we explain what we can do about this specific type of problem:
To understand what could have happened in this type of disorder, we need to understand that the human brain is basically made up of fats and phospholipids, and that a deficiency in these or lipid peroxidation causing oxidative stress can be the trigger for this and many other psychiatric pathologies.
We need a balance between the construction and destruction of membranes, because if this is not the case, our nervous system will be affected and our brain functions will be compromised, leading to dysfunctions and, in the long run, mental disorders.
– Has any psychiatrist stopped to consider that we have an enzyme called Phospholipase A2 that is responsible for destroying essential fats in brain membranes?
And when a person is subjected to oxidative stress, negatively impacting an inflammatory state, that enzyme will be more active.
Furthermore, this enzyme is often overactive in people suffering from schizophrenia.
How many psychiatrists request a red blood cell fatty acid profile and an aminoacidogram for their schizophrenic patients to assess amino acids important for brain function and phospholipid levels?
NONE
What we should not do is take the easy and comfortable solution of following the following approach:
I give him a fatty acid and phospholipid supplement and off he goes! That's what 90% of therapists do.
It is fine to give a good supplement of DHA, EPA and phospholipids if necessary, but the interesting thing is to assess the patient's lifestyle to determine if the cause (apart from this deficiency in fatty acids and phospholipids) of this problem is determined by an oxidative process in the person (and it is very common today with the lifestyle we lead that our oxidant-antioxidant balance is tilted towards the negative side, generating oxidation and inflammation in the body).
What can we do then to tip the scales towards the positive side of antioxidants?
We have innate defenses in our body such as the enzymes Superoxide dismutase (SOD1, SOD2, SOD3), Catalase and Glutathione.
The greater or lesser activity of these enzymes will determine whether we are in antioxidant predominance over oxidant predominance.
So what do we do to assess the level of activity and function of these enzymes?
In the case of SOD, we will look at the level of its cofactors (Zinc, Copper, and Manganese) in a hair analysis of minerals and trace elements.
Regarding catalase, since it shares one of the same cofactors as SOD (manganese), we will follow the same indication by performing the assessment in the hair analysis.
Regarding glutathione, a tripeptide formed by 3 amino acids (glutamic acid, glycine and cysteine), we will assess its levels in the aminoacidogram, as well as the levels of Selenium since it is important as a cofactor.
Since glutathione acts as both an antioxidant and a detoxifier in the liver, we must maintain good liver health by taking care of our diet and avoiding antinutrients that will end up burdening and saturating its functions.
So the most important point, which is to keep these antioxidant enzymes active and functioning properly, is achieved by providing their cofactors in the necessary quantities.
Next step?
Assess any deficiency you may have in different types of antioxidants (Vit C, Vit A, Vit E, Selenium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, etc.) and provide them in the appropriate amount.
Furthermore, there is clear evidence that the frontal cortex of schizophrenics exhibits increased oxidation, so the need to provide these types of antioxidant substances is indisputable.
Vitamin C has been shown to improve antioxidant defenses and also reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia, as it can counteract the excess adrenaline that is sometimes found in these individuals.
And speaking of adrenaline, I'd like to talk about something very interesting, where we'll assess the importance of B vitamins in this type of disorder.
Has anyone heard of adenochrome?
Adenochrome (a chemical that produces hallucinations) is a product of the oxidation of adrenaline.
And this is where we talk about vitB3 (Niacin), which together with vitB12 (Cyanocobalamin) and vitB9 (folic acid) will help maintain balanced levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline, and thus prevent the abnormal production of adenochrome in the brain (since these vitamins are the necessary cofactors for it to be produced correctly).
Aside from the functions we have described, these vitamins are donors and acceptors of methyl groups, which are vitally important for balancing and stabilizing neurotransmitters.
And we can add other equally important functions to these B vitamins, since in the case of B3 (Niacin) it intervenes and helps eliminate excess copper in the body, so it would be of great help to all those people with nervous system problems as a result of poor management and excess copper.
When referring to B vitamins, we cannot forget B6 (pyridoxine) and its friend Zinc, since in people who suffer from pyroluria this vitamin and mineral will be deficient.
Surely a psychiatrist would never ask a schizophrenic patient if they suffer from pyroluria? Of course not!
Because they have no knowledge of orthomolecular nutrition.
Pyroluria is related to the abnormal production of a group of chemicals called “pyrols,” and if these pyrols are present in excess in the urine, the person will need a much higher amount of Zinc and VitB6 in its active form as P5P (pyridoxal 5 phosphate) since pyrols rob the body of these nutrients.
The most amazing thing of all is that almost 70% of schizophrenics have pyroluria!
70% of schizophrenics have pyroluria
To assess whether this is happening in these types of patients, it is as simple as performing a test called the Elrich reagent, since if the urine contains cryptopyrrols it turns mauve and this will determine pyroluria, with which we can then take an orthomolecular approach to correct this deficiency of B6 and Zinc (a fundamental and vital vitamin and trace element for proper mental function and balance).
Since each particular case is unique, we will not detail the recommended amount of Zinc and B6, as it may vary depending on the patient's biochemical individuality (one might need 15 mg of Zinc and another 50 mg, and the same applies to B6: 50 mg or 200 mg).
We would like to talk about an interesting therapy regarding vitamin B3 (Niacin) since in our nervous system we have countless toxic fat-soluble substances that have been stored over time, affecting countless functions without us realizing it.
Basic concepts to understand what we will explain below:
– A water-soluble substance is easily eliminated from the body, whereas all fat-soluble substances are stored and can even remain incorporated into our nervous system for years, affecting countless functions.
Pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, LSD-type drugs, etc.
– Has anyone ever stopped to think that our nervous system is filled with all this toxic waste? I'm sure not.
– What's more, how many people diagnosed with schizophrenia have taken drugs for a long period of time?
– Has no doctor considered that this fat-soluble drug could have become stored in the nervous system, thus affecting brain function?
– If the brain is practically fat, wouldn't those fat-soluble substances, which also easily cross the blood-brain barrier, be harmful? Of course they would!
– The only thing they can come up with is the following…
You've taken drugs, they're bad and affect the mind, don't take any more.
Let's see...
Perhaps that person has such a large accumulation of toxic fat-soluble substances in their nervous system that this is what causes this alteration and mental disorder, right?
– Fat can contain up to 500 times more toxins than blood!
So let's get rid of them, shall we? Let's go!
Fat can contain up to 500 times more toxins than blood.
What can vitamin B3 (Niacin) offer?
Niacin is a vitamin that increases histamine levels and produces flushing by increasing capillary permeability, so the following therapy focuses on eliminating all fat-soluble toxic substances through the skin.
Take 200 to 500 mg of niacin (B3) (the dose depends on the individual's biochemical makeup) 30 minutes before using the sauna. During those 30 minutes, do aerobic exercise (running, cycling, etc.) until you begin to blush (the cause of the flushing caused by the vitamin).
Go directly to the sauna and do the following:
- 8 minutes in the sauna
- Get out and take a 30-second to 1-minute cold shower.
- Repeat the same example up to 3 times.
What effects does this type of therapy have on the body?
Apart from the effect of Niacin, which we have already explained above, what the exchange between the sauna and the cold water shower produces is that during the sauna, apart from sweating and facilitating the elimination of toxins, when combined with cold water showers what we are doing to the body are changes between vasodilation (heat) and vasoconstriction (cold).
These changes between vasodilation and vasoconstriction cause the release of those fat-soluble substances that have been embedded in the body for years, being eliminated through the skin's capillaries, since the substance Niacin has helped us increase capillary permeability.
The person will even be able to assess whether they are carrying a white towel if they are drying off, depending on the degree of toxicity as it changes to a yellow and brown color from all the shit and toxic garbage they had been accumulating for many years.
This therapy can be done twice a week, as long as the person does not have problems with hypotension or any type of cardiac condition.
For both schizophrenic individuals who may be diagnosed with an accumulation of fat-soluble substances, and for any other person who, even if healthy, wants to do a detoxification cleanse, it is one of the best and most affordable methods.
And of course, allergies!
Many people with mental health problems have allergies or intolerances to gluten, casein, and other difficult-to-hydrolyze proteins, which cause a host of problems for their bodies and mental health.
The body produces a class of peptides called endorphins and enkephalins, which are extremely potent pain-relieving substances.
To eliminate the perception of pain, they act by blocking receptors in the brain.
These receptors are concentrated primarily in the frontal lobes and lower limbic regions of the brain, where abnormalities have been observed in people with schizophrenia.
Gluten, a wheat protein that mimics endorphins and enkephalins, is capable of reacting with the brain's endorphin receptors in a stimulating or suppressive manner, similar to certain drugs that cause psychosis-like symptoms in patients.
Casein proteins found in dairy products are thought to have amino acid sequences similar to those of enkephalins, so they may be able to interact with brain receptors.
So the full range of intolerances and allergies must be assessed to rule out that as the cause.
And how can we not look at the alterations at the neurotransmitter level (dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, etc.) in an amino acid profile test (aminoacidogram) and correct that biochemical alteration.
We could spend all day evaluating this type of disorder and never finish, since there are infinite possibilities and therapeutic approaches (such as assessing, for example, whether you have problems with your lithium levels and how happy psychiatrists are prescribing lithium as a medication - with the consequent impact on side effects and adverse reactions - when with the simple trace element lithium - which, unlike the medication, does not generate side effects - many states where there are psychiatric disorders could be reversed.
But of course, since the trace element cannot be patented, the pharmaceutical multi-mafia attacks oligotherapy, even causing this trace element to be withdrawn from the market…
In the end…