The article below was written by the editor of Safe Harbor which is
an organization founded in 1998 to promote the idea that pychiatric
conditons can be treated through nutrition, and removal of toxins. Safe
Harbor wishes to expose people to other approaches besides medication
and shock therapy. Please note Great Plains Laboratory, Inc. realizes
that in many cases schizophrenia needs to be treated with medication.
Please do not go off of your medication unless advised by a physician.
Here is the article below about a psychotic woman who did lab testing
which helped her diagnose a problem, and then with the help of a doctor
is now recovered from psychosis and catatonic schizophrenia:
Woman recovered from catatonic schizoprenia and psychosis
In 1999 a man called the Safe Harbor office in great distress.
His wife was psychotic and he was at wit's end. His story - and the
happy ending - is featured in the following article on Great Plains
Laboratory, an unsung hero in this saga.
For decades various doctors have been claiming that much of what passes
for mental illness is actually a variety of metabolic problems - yeast
infections, unusual nutritional needs, allergies, toxic reactions, and
other unseen physical disturbances - that turn normal children and adults
into bizarre or disturbed ones. And many physicians have had
recovered patients to back them up.
The problem has always been: How do you test for these metabolic disturbances?
Recent breakthroughs, such as those by Great Plains Laboratory, have
now made such testing possible. This is a true godsend for the autistic
and others with severe mental symptoms. These tests can detect such
things as food allergies which can trigger abnormal brain function.
There is a chasm of difference between being told you have a wheat
allergy and being told you have schizophrenia. We congratulate Great
Plains Laboratory for contributing so bountifully to the quality of
life of those suffering mental disturbances.
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URINE TEST CAN ISOLATE CAUSES OF PSYCHOSIS, DEPRESSION
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"She has catatonic schizophrenia," the doctor told Linda
P.'s husband. No further medical tests would be needed, he added.
Linda's husband was jolted. But he refused to accept this finding.
He went through several doctors and researched the internet until he
found a physician who would examine her further. The new doctor ordered
a unique 62-point organic acid urine test developed by Great Plains
Laboratory in Kansas.
Several abnormalities were found, including a citric acid level that
was 5 times normal. The solution? Injections of a simple nutrient called
glutathione plus other nutritional supplements. Below is the organic
acid test result for the patient mentioned in the article. To view the
high Citric scroll down and look under Krebs Cycle metabolites. The
abnormal compounds are marked with an H for High or an L for Low.
Organic
Acid Interpretation
Interpretation:
Increased glyceric which is elevated in the hyperoxalurias. Normal oxalic
would rule out these disorders.
Elevated glyceric with normal oxalic acid may indicate a yeast overgrowth
of the GI tract. Certain bacteria
such as Pseudomonas species can convert yeast tartaric acid to glyceric
acid.
Increased citric. Since the enzyme needed to metabolize citric and aconitic
(aconitase) is dependent on
glutathione, this abnormality may indicate an additional requirement
for the supplement called reduced
(meaning hydrogenated) glutathione.
Elevation of the serotonin metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic which can
be due to celiac or tropical sprue,
carcinoid tumors, or ingestion of foods high in serotonin such as avocado,
banana, tomato, plum, walnut,
pineapple or eggplant.
Decreased pyroglutamic which is derived from the peptide glutathione
which is an antioxidant and a
molecule involved in detoxification of various toxins; low pyroglutamic
may indicate glutathione deficiency.
Suggest one tablet per day Thiodox, a nutritional supplement containing
glutathione, n-acetyl cysteine
(a glutathione precursor) and lipoic acid, a glutathione regenerator.
(NutricologyJnc 1 800 782-4274).
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is elevated presumably due to increased intake;
this information does not mean
that this amount of vitamin C is not nutritionally desirable.
Increased lactic acid. Lactic acid may be increased to this concentration
by a number of nonspecific factors
such as vigorous exercise, bacterial overgrowth of the gastrointestinal
tract, shock, poor perfusion, anemia
and many other causes.
Within 36 hours of her first injection, Linda P. - psychotic for seven
months and virtually mute - got on the phone and talked for an hour.
A month later she was perfectly normal. (Her full story is listed on
the www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com home page under "Dramatic Recovery.")
"She probably had a severe toxicity of some kind that depleted
her glutathione levels," says William Shaw, Ph.D., director of
Great Plains Lab. Dr. Shaw helped create the lab's remarkable tests.
Glutathione helps clear toxins from the body.
Shaw reports that the organic acid test has been used to find underlying
causes in psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, autism, attention deficit
disorder, and a host of physical ailments. "A high percentage of
people have benefited," he says, "because they pinpoint the
physical basis of the disease."
The organic acid test is commonly ordered to detect the presence of
Candida (yeast) overgrowth which can cause a broad spectrum of mental
disorders including depression and schizophrenia.
"I usually recommend allergy tests for psychosis as well,"
says Shaw. "Mold, for example, can trigger a psychotic reaction
in some people. One doctor videoed a female patient who had to be restrained
by three people after being exposed to a single drop of mold extract."
In cases of psychosis or schizophrenia, Shaw recommends a standard
physical examination and tests to check for underlying medical causes,
such as a Chem-25 blood test, urinalysis, thyroid test, and a 5-hour
glucose tolerance test. If nothing significant shows, he recommends
the
organic acid urine test, a comprehensive food allergy IGG blood test,
comprehensive inhalant allergy panel, comprehensive stool analysis,
amino acid test, essential fatty acid test, metals hair test and an
opiates peptide urine test. These tests are unique. Psychotics commonly
poorly digest wheat or milk which can result in the production of opiate
(as in opium) peptides (compounds formed from amino acids). All three
tests are available at Great Plains Lab.
"We don't have any hard numbers," says Shaw, "but I'd
say that on 50% of individuals with psychosis you would find significant
abnormalities in these areas [of the tests] and they would experience
benefit."
The costs of the tests are: Organic acid - $220; Comprehensive food
allergy - $200; Opiate peptides - $100, amino acid test $200, Metals
Hair Analysis $125 Inhalant Allergy Panel $165, Comprehensive Stool
Analysis $305, and Essential Fatty Acids $175 They are covered by many
insurance policies.
Great Plains Laboratory is in Overland Park, Kansas, at (913) 341-8949.
Safe Harbor can be reached at 323-257-7338. They can also be reached
at safeharborproj@aol.com
