1. Questionable Theories

The human brain is likely the most complex structure in teh universe. Even though it produces our understanding of the world, we are still in our infancy of understanding it. Even so, technological advances in the past few decades have produced images that allow researchers to observe different parts of the brain reacting to stimuli in real time, and also to measure variations in brain structures to compare populations. Alongside these developments, the field of psychiatry has increasingly sought after and put fourth biological explinations for psychiatric disorders. With the influence of billions of advertising dollars from pharmaceutical companies, [1] these theories have been simplified and sold to laypeople in the form of “mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.”[2]

For someone who is newly diagnosed with a major psychiatric disorder, such an explination can provide relief. It offers a reason for extreme behavior that s/he may find shameful or bewildering, and it assures family members that they are not at fault. Blaming the brain also discredits the self-denigrating notion that one’s inability to cope with psychological problems is connected to weakness of character.

Yet there are serious reprocussions for endorsing these theories. People who believe that chemical imbalances underlie psychiatric disorders are likely to believe that medication must be used as a corrective measure, often for life. They are also likely to overlook the causative influence of socio-cultural factors and history of trauma and abuse.

(To view complete article, please click the link.) http://www.vermontrecovery.com/files/Download/RethinkingTheBrain.pdf

• Free weekly yoga classes for teens in our Weight Loss for Life program.

              You can do it! Feel good on the inside, look good on the outside!

• Military Discounts for psychotherapy and pain management (a 20% discount on those services).

               We are thankful for our military family’s service and commitment.

• Free initial visit for our patients on the Autism Spectrum (a $350 value).

               We want to bring the joys of friendship and relational competence to you.

• Free 1 week conditioning for pain patients and weight loss patients in our health and weight management program (a $200 value).

               Discover ways in which you can enjoy new-found freedom of movement.

• Free initial health evaluation for pre-diabetic patients in our Health and Weight Management Program (a $325 value). 

               Turn back the clock to a younger, healthier you!

• Free weekly yoga classes for moms who have a child or teen in our Intensive Outpatient Program (an $80 per month value).

            We appreciate our moms and want to give back to them for their love and dedication.      

Please feel free to contact us at any time. We’re always happy to hear from you, and answer any questions you may have.

Please bring a copy of this page to claim your discount. Page must be presented at onset of treatment, and is valid starting 9/22/2011.

“When we lie together in the dark at the end of the day, I sometimes wonder how their brain architecture might have been — might still be — irreversibly altered, even if only slightly, by brain-damaging chemicals that are still allowed to be manufactured and sold…

…don’t give me any more shopping tips or lists of products to avoid. Don’t put neurotoxicants in my furniture and my food and then instruct me to keep my children from breathing or eating them. Instead, give me federal regulations that assess chemicals for their ability to alter brain development and function before they are allowed access to the marketplace.”

Read the whole article »

Children do not think, act, or manage stress like adults.  Kids do not talk through their problems.  Children play out and through their conflicts and problems; the younger the child, the smaller the stressors that can be upsetting. Change can be upsetting, even a surprise birthday party.
Clingy behaviors at times of transitions, melt-downs, sleeping problems or nightmares, refusal to go to school, acting younger than their age, bedwetting, stomach aches and head aches, all can be signals that your child may be experiencing too much stress.

Help your child to play without worry and stress.

A stress-free child will be a happy and creative adult.

with special thanks to Lori Lite at www.stressfreekids.com

In injury and illness it is not the body alone that hurts: Our entire being feels hurt. We need to be seen and responded to in our pain. We have a desire to help the healing process along and to be affirmed that we are not helpless and alone in the face of injury and illness. It helps to share our experience of pain, and we’re comforted knowing that others have similar feelings. Every time we’re injured or sick, we respond emotionally. These responses vary from person to person and can affect healing. Part of the process of recovery is regaining confidence that we will be whole and healthy again.

But imagine those who know their condition is permanent, that they will never fully recover. That realization becomes linked to a feeling of being defective. Chronic and congenital conditions become woven into the fabric of self-worth and personality.

We’re surrounded by promises of instant and total cures. Drugs companies, the medical establishment, and the media promote the belief that the right pill will end our suffering and deliver us into fulfilled new lives. Objective reality belies these promises: 70 percent of those who seek medical help have symptoms that do not fit neatly into known illnesses. Drugs prescribed for psychological problems such as depression work best for those whose symptoms recently arose and least for those whose condition is chronic or reoccurring. Research suggests that the gains observed with psychotropic drugs are not maintained; individuals who have suffered three or more episodes of depressions or other psychiatric events may be required to stay on medication their entires lives if they wish to be treated with medication alone.

Our entire culture urges us to be faster, better, and more productive; down time is bad time. Some treatment approaches tell us to just have positive thoughts, to just change our reality with new and better affirmations, or to just use imagery to recreate ourselves.

But positive thinking that ignores the realm of feelings, that does not listen to fears, doubts, and despair, will do nothing more than bury unwanted emotions and experiences. Often, what we bury re-emergers in illness and other life events. Meaning and understanding do not come from images that we put on like makeup or a new outfit. Meaning and understanding are the gifts of getting to know ourselves. Hope does not arise from illusion. Hope has its roots in acceptance of suffering; its stem represents our knowledge of life’s limitations and fragility; its branches and leaves whisper of a longing for connection and a desire to grow beyond our limitations.

When we suffer illness or injury to the body, we need medical treatment that heals it. We also need to be received in our experience of wounding and suffering. We need other people and genuine relationships to remain connected to ourselves as whole and good. Healing and recovery requires incorporating the essence of the limiting condition into a meaningful life. Healing means identifying and using one’s strengths, respecting limitations and frailties without succumbing to them, and finding ways to contribute to others. This process may take many years, may have many successes and defeats, and needs to focus on healing body and soul and strengthening both through the care and attention given by others. We need treatments that help us continue to develop and grow despite illness and injury; treatments that help overcome the fear that illness and circumstance can take away our humanity.

The therapy is the basis for a popular treatment known as Floortime, in which a therapist follows a child’s lead during play activities to build communication and social interaction skills.

Read the full article at the L.A. Times.

Research suggests that three exercise sessions per week, each 15 to 30 minutes long, can achieve an anti-depressant effect. Daily walks of 10 to 20 minutes have also shown to be effective.

Immediate and long-term effects of regular, moderate exercise

• Mood improves for approximately one to one and a half hours
• Professor Larry Leith of the University of Toronto’s faculty of physical education and health has found that 80 percent of exercise studies reported significant reductions in depression following exercise.
• Substantial and more sustained improvement of mood after 10 weeks of regular exercise.
• Research at the Menninger Clinic indicated that a one-hour walk daily, preferably with a friend and in any weather, is superior to light therapy and equal to medication therapy.

In short, we use regular exercise, and walking in particular, to achieve powerful and long-lasting benefits for our patients. This way, we can avoid the complex side-effects of potent psychotropic drugs.

Fair Oaks Therapeuticum is located near the American River Parkway in Fair Oaks and our patients frequently take advantage of this beautiful expanse of California countryside to enhance their treatment program.

Author: Donald Brown, ND

Reference: Richardson AJ, Montgomery P. The Oxford-Durham study: A randomized, controlled trial of dietary supplementation with fatty acids in children with developmental coordination disorder. Pediatrics 2005;115:1360-6.

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Participants: 117 children (ages 5 to 12 years; 78 boys and 39 girls) with a diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD).  DCD, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), involves specific impairments of motor function independent of general ability. It affects approximately 5% of children to a serious degree and shows substantial overlap with ADHD, dyslexia, and autistic spectrum disorders. In the academic setting, the primary difficulties are with written language (i.e., the overlap with dyslexia) and/or difficulties with organizational skills, attention, and behavior (i.e., overlap with ADHD symptoms), although these are typically compounded by low self-esteem and behavioral problems.

Study Medication and Dosage: The active treatment was capsules containing 80% fish oil and 20% evening primrose oil — children received 2 capsules t.i.d. Six capsules supplied 558 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 174 mg of docosahexanoic acid (DHA), 60 mg of gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), and 9.6 mg of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol). Placebo capsules contained olive oil. The source of the essential fatty acids (EFA) and placebo capsules was not disclosed.

Duration: 3 months, followed by a 1-way crossover from placebo to active treatment for an additional 3 months

Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measures were the changes observed during the 3 months of treatment on age-standardized tests of (1) motor function (assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children), (2) reading and spelling achievement (assessed with the Wechsler Objective Reading Dimensions), and (3) teacher-rated ADHD-related symptoms (assessed with Conners’ Teacher Rating Scales, Long Version CTRS-L]).

Key Findings: During the 3-month parallel-group phase, the mean increase in reading age was 9.5 months for the EFA group compared to 3.3 months for the placebo group (p < 0.004). The mean increases in spelling age were 6.6 months for the EFA group compared to 1.2 months for the placebo group (p < 0.001). On the CTRS-L, scores decreased from a mean of 74.7 to 58.1 in the treatment group compared to almost no change in the placebo group (p < 0.0001). After 3 months of treatment, only 24 children still had CTRS-L scores that placed them in the clinical range for ADHD. Among those receiving EFA, 7 of the initial 16 no longer fell into this category compared to only 1 of 16 in the placebo group. There were no significant differences in motor skills between the two groups. After crossover, similar changes were seen in the group previously taking placebo during the 3-month, parallel group phase and children continuing on EFA treatment maintained or improved their progress.

Practice Implications: This amazing study is the first of its kind with children diagnosed with DCD. In this group of children, delays in literacy development usually increase over time, indicating the value of early intervention. As noted in the results of the study, children in the placebo group fell even more behind, although they did show some average progress in reading. In contrast, children in the EFA group made three times the expected improvement in reading and twice the expected improvement in spelling, bringing their values close to normal values! Equally interesting is the fact that continued EFA treatment led to either maintained or improved progress.

It’s important to note that children who meet the criteria for DCD and ADHD by age 7 show a particularly poor prognosis on both academic achievement and psychosocial adjustment when evaluated at age 22. Hopefully, future clinical trials will be funded to compare different EFA combinations and dosages as well as delivery forms that will be lead to greater compliance with this pediatric population