I came across this book called "Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain" by Dr William J Walsh. I read the book preview on Amazon and listened to an interview with Dr Walsh. I'm wondering whether the principles he describes might be useful for treating the symptoms of HD. I copied the preface of the book and an excerpt of chapter 1 below. Here's a link to the book on Amazon: [www.amazon.com]

The interview is here: [www.youtube.com]


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.

Excerpt from chapter 1:

The Birth of Neurotransmitters

The human brain is an organ of extraordinary complexity.13-14 A typical adult has approximately 100 billion brain cells, with an average of 1,000 synaptic connections per cell. Every thought, action, and emotion involves communications between brain cells that are triggered by special chemicals called neurotransmitters. It is now generally accepted that most mental disorders involve imbalanced levels or altered functioning of these critically important brain chemicals.
In the 1970s, most research focused on a handful of neurotransmitters that were considered dominant in thought processes. Low serotonin activity was associated with clinical depression, elevated norepinephrine with anxiety, and elevated dopamine with schizophrenia. Other intensively researched brain chemicals included acetylcholine, aspartic acid, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Many additional neurotransmitters have been identified in the past 50 years, and it is believed that more than 100 are active in the human brain.
We do not receive a lifetime supply of brain chemicals at birth. Instead, the brain is a chemical factory that continuously produces serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters throughout our lifetime. Scientists have identified the brain locations where individual brain chemicals are synthesized and also defined the chemical reaction steps involved.

The Power of Nutrients

An underappreciated fact is that the primary raw materials for the synthesis of many neurotransmitters are nutrients—amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other natural biochemicals that we obtain from food. Serotonin is produced from the amino acid tryptophan, a constituent of protein, and the final reaction step requires vitamin B-6 as a cofactor. Dopamine can originate from either of two amino acids with iron and folate also involved in the process. Norepinephrine is produced from dopamine with copper (Cu) having a decisive role. In another example, zinc (Zn) and B-6 are required for the synthesis and regulation of GABA. There are numerous other examples of the decisive role of nutrients in neurotransmitter synthesis.
Good mental health requires proper neurotransmitter activity at synapses. The dominant factor is reuptake, in which neurotransmitter molecules are whisked away from the synapse and returned to the original brain cell like a vacuum cleaner inhaling dust particles. This process is enabled by transporter proteins15-16 (aka transporters) embedded in the cell membrane that act as a passageway for the returning neurotransmitters. The population of transporters generally has a more dominant effect on synaptic activity than the number of neurotransmitters present. Transporters are continuously produced in the brain by genetic expression, the process by which information in a gene is used to produce a protein. The rate of production of transporters is enhanced by certain nutrients and inhibited by others. For example, methylation (addition of a CH3 chemical group) of DNA is a primary mechanism for “silencing” (switching off) genes that produce neurotransmitter transporters. The net result is that undermethylated persons generally have reduced serotonin activity and a tendency for depression. In another example, overmethylated persons may have excessive dopamine activity and a tendency for anxiety and paranoid schizophrenia. Nutrient therapy to adjust methyl levels can produce major benefits for these patients by normalizing the synaptic activity of these important neurotransmitters.
There are a multitude of genetic and environmental aberrations that can produce nutrient imbalances in the brain. If the brain is presented with a severe overload or deficiency of a nutrient required for neurotransmitter synthesis or activity, one can expect that mental problems will result. This understanding has given rise to a new medical approach for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and other types of mental illness called biochemical therapy or nutrient therapy. The primary elements involve (a) diagnosis of nutrient imbalances through testing of blood, urine, and tissues, and (b) therapies aimed at normalizing nutrient levels in the brain.

Biochemical Individuality

Each of us has innate biochemical factors that influence traits such as personality, behavior, mental health, immune function, and allergic tendencies. The number of different genetic combinations possible in a child from the same two parents exceeds 40 million. Human beings are not a combination of their mother and father but possess physical characteristics and traits from a genetic lottery involving many ancestors. Except for identical twins, each human being has unique biochemistry, resulting in quite diverse nutritional needs. Shakespeare was correct when he wrote “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” For example, some of us are genetically suited for a vegetable-based diet and others are not. Some persons can satisfy their nutritional needs by diet alone, and others must have nutritional supplements in order to overcome genetic aberrations.
A major breakthrough in medical science was the concept of biochemical individuality developed by Roger Williams in the 1940s. Williams, the discoverer of the B vitamin pantothenic acid, was renowned for his pioneering research on folic acid and other vitamins. However, his greatest contribution may have been the discovery that many persons are born with nutrient imbalances that play a role in heart disease and other disorders. This breakthrough has inspired many researchers to study the biochemistry of diseases and to investigate biochemical therapies aimed at correction of nutrient imbalances. Williams founded the Clayton Foundation Biochemical Institute in Texas that continues as a world leader in nutrition science.
It is now clear that abnormal levels of key nutrients can have an adverse effect on brain chemistry and mental health. Because of these abnormalities, some individuals have a predisposition for conditions such as clinical depression, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while others are quite invulnerable to these disorders. Biochemistry can be affected by diet and stressful life events, but the dominant factor often goes back to genetics or, additionally, epigenetics. The concept of epigenetics will be addressed more thoroughly in Chapter 4, but very briefly, the environment (e.g., diet, toxins, lifestyle) can affect the expression of a person’s genes, and this alteration in gene expression is called epigenetics. Epigenetics explains why one identical twin may manifest a particular disease, while the other does not.
A comprehensive metabolic analysis of any person would likely reveal several nutrients that are deficient due to genetics. Some deficiencies might be of minor importance with respect to human functioning, while others could result in serious mental problems. If people knew which nutrients were deficient, they might benefit greatly from many times the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of those nutrients since they may be fighting a genetic tendency for deficiency.
After clinical experience with thousands of mental health patients, I was surprised to learn that nutrient overloads usually cause more mischief than deficiencies. This explains why most multivitamin/mineral products are ineffective for mentally ill patients and can cause more harm than good. Patients with an overload of copper, methionine, folic acid, or iron are likely to deteriorate if they take supplements containing these nutrients. In most cases, mentally ill persons cannot become well using a special diet or indiscriminately stuffing themselves with amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.

Eric,

This is far beyond me. I'll let someone else chime in.

Will

I read it, the Whole frigin thing, it says nutrients are good, well dah, everyone knows that, and then it says, psychiatric meds should be completely avoided. Well, that's bull for hd, once again, yeah ericR, so impressed once again. Telling people with hd to avoid psychiatric meds, wow! Do you know the harm that does in our community??? Do you know how many caregivers are biting nails right now, trying to get their loved one to take their psychiatric meds!!!??? Or even just trying to get them to go to the doctor??? Once again, yeah ericR.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2014 06:38PM by Barb.

Hi Barb,

Here's the reason I posted this:

Dr Walsh has had success in treating psychiatric problems by diagnosing and treating nutrient imbalances. I'm suggesting to anyone reading this that they might want to look into Dr. Walsh's research as a way to treat the psychiatric issues associated with HD. As a starting point they can read the book excerpts and listen to the interview.

There is nothing in the excerpt saying psychiatric meds should be avoided. And I didn't mean to suggest this.

Eric

Ok, fair enough, if that isn't what you meant, but if I took it that way, others could too, but, ok, maybe I over-reacted? Sorry



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2014 12:08AM by Barb.