Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain

225 Pages·2014·1.77 MB·English

by  William J. Walsh

Copyright © 2012, 2014 by William J. Walsh, PhD
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Cover design by Fiona Mayne
ISBN: 978-1-62636-128-7
eISBN: 978-1-62873-987-9
Printed in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to my loving mother, Christina, who long ago
inspired me with the words “If you can help just one child, all of your
work will have been worth it.”
Disclaimer
The nutrient therapies described in this book require supervision by an
experienced medical professional. Nutrient overloads or deficiencies can have a
powerful effect on brain functioning, and improper treatment can cause harm.
The brain is a very complex organ, and accurate diagnosis of nutrient imbalances
requires testing of blood and urine together with a detailed knowledge of a
person’s medical history, traits, and symptoms. Readers must not attempt self-
treatment based on information in this book.
The case histories in this book provide examples of the treatment approach for
specific biochemical imbalances and describe the experiences of real patients.
Names and certain other information have been changed to assure patient
confidentiality. The case histories are intended to illustrate the clinical process
and should not be regarded as evidence of treatment effectiveness.
Finally, The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language* defines
mental illness as “Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an
individual’s normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning, and caused
by social, psychological, biochemical, genetic, or other factors, such as infection
or head trauma.” The use of the term mental illness in this book is descriptive
only, and no disrespect is intended to the value of the persons experiencing the
types of challenges described in this book. The principal objective of this volume
is to provide information to help restore health, function, and happiness in the
safest way possible.
*The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition,
copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by
Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Acknowledgements
Isaac Newton once said that scientific progress is achieved by “standing on the
shoulders of giants.” Heroic figures in the field of nutrition include Roger
Williams, who established the concept of biochemical individuality; Abram
Hoffer, who was the first to demonstrate that nutrient therapy can benefit mental
patients; and Carl Pfeiffer, who developed meaningful chemical classifications
for schizophrenia. As a young man, I had the privilege of knowing these very
dedicated individuals, and I was inspired by their great accomplishments.
My education in the field of mental health started as a volunteer working with
ex-convicts released from Illinois prisons. I was surprised to learn that many
criminals were raised in good environments along with brothers who had
become productive, law-abiding citizens. Several mothers said their offspring
who later engaged in criminal activity were clearly different from birth and
exhibited shocking behaviors by age two. This led me to a series of experiments
at Argonne National Laboratory, where I searched for biochemical abnormalities
in violent persons. I am grateful to supervisors Les Burris, Ed Croke, and Walter
Massey, who encouraged this work and allowed use of world-class lab facilities.
More than a dozen Argonne scientists and engineers generously volunteered
their time and talent for the early studies. Our research successes led to the
founding of the Health Research Institute in 1982 and the establishment of the
nonprofit Pfeiffer Treatment Center in 1989. Jan Olah, Mike Donohue, and Dr.
Bob Thomas provided invaluable contributions to this initial clinical adventure. I
am forever grateful to the doctors, nurses, and support staff who exhibited great
dedication in assisting patients challenged by behavioral disorders, autism, or
mental illness. It was a joy working with colleagues who cared more about a
patient’s welfare than about making money. I am also very appreciative of the
volunteer efforts of Ed Tanzman and other board members through the years
and to the many donors who provided financial support. Everett “Red” Hodges
provided generous research funding during the 1980s. Bruce Jeanes, Judy Nicol,
and John Skelton have worked tirelessly in developing our physician training
programs along with the indomitable Marion Redstone and her daughter Marnie
Lo. Ted DeZurik, Ron Elliott, and Jim Baird provided business expertise that
brought financial stability to our charity. Sue Hanegraaf has been invaluable in
her role as Special Projects Director. Dr. Woody McGinnis was dynamic in
developing autism research collaborations. Jeff Tarpey and Aditi Gulabani made
important contributions to our research programs. Most of what I’ve learned
about the brain can be credited to Dr. Robert deVito, a psychiatrist and friend
who patiently mentored me over the past 12 years.
Financial support for this book was provided by the Hilton Family Foundation
based in Panama City, Florida. They were very supportive and patient with me as
this 10-month writing project extended past 24 months.
One morning in 1986 at breakfast, Barbara, my wife, asked, “Why don’t you
quit your job at Argonne today and do what you really want to do?” Her
willingness to accept this financial risk while raising five children allowed me to
devote the rest of my life to the study of mental illness and development of new
medical treatments. Without her constant support and encouragement, my work
and this book would not have been possible.
Thanks also go to my outstanding editor, Teri Arranga, for her care in shaping
my experiences and thoughts in a way to best serve my vision to help the public.
Marlon Irizarry and Tim Rohlwing created the graphics, and Fiona Mayne
expertly formatted the manuscript into book form.
Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to the 30,000 patients whom I’ve
studied over the past 38 years. True understanding of a mental disorder cannot
come from laboratory experiments or the scientific literature alone. I found it
both educational and inspiring to engage in hand-to-hand combat against
mental illnesses in partnership with countless brave patients challenged by these
disorders. They have been my greatest teachers.
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1. Biochemical Individuality and Mental Health
Chapter 2. Brain Chemistry 101
Chapter 3. The Decisive Role of Nutrients in Mental Health
Chapter 4. Epigenetics and Mental Health
Chapter 5. Schizophrenia
Chapter 6. Depression
Chapter 7. Autism
Chapter 8. Behavioral Disorders and ADHD
Chapter 9. Alzheimer’s Disease
Chapter 10. The Clinical Process
References
Glossary
Appendix A. Methylation
Appendix B. Oxidative Stress
Appendix C. Metallothionein
Appendix D. Clinical Resources
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.