Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain
by Dr. William J. Walsh
This book is an attempt to scale an incredibly high summit. The revolution he proposes is certain to eventually overwhelm current medical approaches with its variety of disincentives. Dr. Walsh shares insights gleaned over the years using his PhD in electro-chemistry and skills honed as a researcher at Argonne National Laboratories. In this work he discusses the biological metabolisms that influence mental health and human behavior. The quaint title fails to convey the profound implications for understanding human behavior more deeply, for recognizing new productive ways to reduce crime and helping those who may be personally impacted by a family member with a variety of mental illnesses.
Dr. Walsh carefully cites research that details his earth shaking findings about mental health in a matter of fact way. He lists major studies in the appendix with 191 references found in respected professional journals and includes some of his own extensive research among those publications. He provides and extensive glossary for those not literate in the terminology of mental health. The author does not get bogged down in the details of the studies and paints with a broad brush to save the reader time. When one looks at the studies and research it is clear that statistical analysis, technical knowledge and professional review support his painting that human behavior is driven by physiological processes. He lays the foundation that challenges the previous explanations for mental illness in a very subtle way. Demons may be responsible for human behavior to some degree. Life experience may be responsible to some degree. Parental techniques may have an influence that helps. Dr. Walsh proposed that the overwhelming evidence for mental illness (and often criminal behavior) is based on metabolic dysfunction. He allows the data speak for itself and then goes on to proposed treatments.
Dr. Walsh proposes the paradigm shift by first matter of factly examining major studies that suggest the shift is needed. In the first chapter he addresses how mental health has been dealt with historically and to the present. The book details studies in the mid to late 1900's where twins separated at birth had completely different homes, different parents and different life experiences but the emergence of mental illness was at same rate as they did when twins were together in the same homes. He describes his studies involving prisoners where violent offenders overwhelmingly had zinc to copper ratios well outside of normal. Dr. Walsh describes studies of brothers from the same home, same parents, same schools and same environment and similar life experiences but one becomes a repeat violent violent offender and the other a brother has no behavioral issue or criminal history. The brother with criminal history was found to have abnormal metal ratios and dysfunctional metabolisms. Dr. Walsh details his studies of those prisoners who used blood and urine analysis and implemented nutritional therapy. Those ex-convicts in compliance were far less likely to be repeat offenders than those who discontinued the nutrient therapy. Studies of troubled youth given physiological analysis and a nutritional plans showed improvement in behavior, school performance and Iowa Test Scores only for those who complied. The evidence was overwhelming: Physiological dysfunction is a strong causal factor for behavioral dysfunction.
In this book the author does not stop at just describing studies and research that support the idea the physiological causes may be at the root of mental illness. Dr. Walsh provides insight into metabolic functions, biochemical actors and the mechanisms that impact brain functioning. On page 33 the author states "...This book presents biochemical classifications for depression and schizophrenia based on (a) more than one million blood and urine chemical assays and (b) identification of distinctive symptoms and traits for each chemical type. To the extent possible with present knowledge I have indicated the primary neurotransmitter imbalances for each depression and schizophrenia phenotypes..." The data and his new understanding of how dysfunctional metabolisms initiate and cause mental illness make his approach to mental health much better than wild guesses that throw medication or supplements at the problem and then hopes for the best. The author shares the successes and challenges of the nutritional therapy he describes. The shortfall of this approach is that nutritional therapy requires patience and discipline as the return to correctly functioning metabolic cycles are not immediate. He has an excellent section on treatment timelines and the problem of non-compliance on pages 156-7.
Where has this approach shown success? A wide variety of mental illnesses have been show to respond to nutritional therapies that are proposed in this book. Dr. Walsh credits many others for the development and approach that has been proven so effective. Mental illnesses impacted by this approach include depression, schizoaffective disorders, Autism, Alzheimer's and ADHD each have chapters in this book explaining known metabolic pathways and treatments do help resolve these illnesses. Doctors throughout the world are implementing the approach with successes being reported widely. Curing the illness with nutrition rather than permanently treating the symptoms with medication is a huge shift in how to help people become healthy.
Dr. Walsh is the perfect person to ferment this revolution in mental health. He has a deep understanding of chemical pathways and metabolism. His formal scientific training has honed his skill in asking questions, performing investigations and then using the data to draw valid conclusions. He does not present himself as a minister bound to healing the soul in order to alter behavior. He is not a mental health professional trained up in psychoanalysis and bound tightly to the assumption that mental illness is always an offspring only of environmental issues, poor parenting or some personal traumatic experience. Dr. Walsh had knowledge of biochemical processes but he is not tied to the need for profits in treatment using medication. Readers of this book will become increasingly aware that he is providing a new and better direction for treating mental health problems. The obstacles are immense including institutional inertia in the psychiatric field, the grip of errant memory based therapies on many practicing counselors and the incredible profit that can be made by a medical firm keeping people ill and reliant on needed medications, Despite these obstacles this book plants a flag at the summit. I am sure there will be more to follow his lead as more and more people realize it works and all will wonder how we neglected to do this earlier in our history.
Dr. Walsh is the perfect person to ferment this revolution in mental health. He has a deep understanding of chemical pathways and metabolism. His formal scientific training has honed his skill in asking questions, performing investigations and then using the data to draw valid conclusions. He does not present himself as a minister bound to healing the soul in order to alter behavior. He is not a mental health professional trained up in psychoanalysis and bound tightly to the assumption that mental illness is always an offspring only of environmental issues, poor parenting or some personal traumatic experience. Dr. Walsh had knowledge of biochemical processes but he is not tied to the need for profits in treatment using medication. Readers of this book will become increasingly aware that he is providing a new and better direction for treating mental health problems. The obstacles are immense including institutional inertia in the psychiatric field, the grip of errant memory based therapies on many practicing counselors and the incredible profit that can be made by a medical firm keeping people ill and reliant on needed medications, Despite these obstacles this book plants a flag at the summit. I am sure there will be more to follow his lead as more and more people realize it works and all will wonder how we neglected to do this earlier in our history.
OTHER REVIEWS
Some of the reviews address important issues and ideas in the book. A large number of reviews (157) on Amazon.com were available at the time of my reading and quite informative. The ratio of 5 star ratings to 1 star ratings was strikingly positive (the ration of 72% 5 star vs, 2% 1 star is incredibly high for texts of this type). The reviews below are the experience professionals who were courageous enough to actually implement some of the approaches that Dr. Walsh describes.
Review on Amazon.com by a medical doctor
Dr. Robert Patterson5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read to Understand Our Brain Biochemistry and Our Human Behavior
March 19, 2014
This is definitely a must read to understand our brain biochemistry and our human behavior from a man who has spent his life studying and trying to help us all understand the "why's" of human behaviors and many neurologic defects. Much of modern medicine's energies are still aimed at throwing medications at problems that plague us humans...Dr. Walsh seeks to describe not just how to approach many of these processes, ( like depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, schizophrenia, etc) but he has spent his life in trying to discover and delineate exactly what happens in our brains, and with our brain's biochemistry to make these things exist and attack us.
While modern medicine continues to attack the symptoms and diseases with medications that treat or cover up those symptoms, Dr. Walsh truly aims to help us understand what the problems really are, and wants to show us how to prevent and/or fix these problems.
A long overdue treatise. Thank you Dr. Walsh for your landmark contribution.
Robert W. Patterson, MD Sanford, North Carolina
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Review on Amazon.com by a medical doctor
Dr. Edmond O`Flaherty
5.0 out of 5 stars
This treatment really works for most patients
May 8, 2014
I am a primary care physician (GP) in Dublin with a special interest in nutrient therapy in mental health since 1999. I read about Dr Walsh more than 10 years ago and started to use his treatment in some of my patients. In 2006 I attended a course given by Dr Walsh and his colleagues from USA in Sydney, Australia. It was a very worthwhile experience and gradually the number of patients I see has increased to several hundred per year. Results are generally good for anxiety and depression but I have also seen patients with schizophrenia recovering well enough to attend college and graduate from there. I prescribe medication too but minimize it as much as possible to avoid side effects. Many of those with depression can be freed from medication in due course and remain well on nutrients alone- specific individualized doses of vitamins,minerals,essential fatty acids and amino acids. Nutrient therapy is the most satisfying of all the wide range of work that I do as a doctor. I bought Nutrient Power just after it was published and have read it 5 times so far . It is full of useful information but it is particularly useful for anybody working in psychiatry or those with a mental health problem. Dr Walsh trains doctors all over the world including USA. His website is at [...]
Dr. Edmond O`Flaherty, MD Dublin Ireland
===============================
Review on Amazon.com by a counselor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Food is Medicine
July 25, 2013
As a psychologist, I am dealing with autism spectrum disorders and for the first time I find specific information on causative factors in this area. Having an epigenetic model for Autism is truly a godsend in attacking the problem while directly involving the parents and their own undermethylation contributing factors. The boon of having methodologies that begin with Food is Medicine allows for addressing Pyrrole overload and subsequent behavioral disorders without involving a pharmacy, or "answers in a can by way of a pill.". Nutrient Power has been life changing for my practice and my influence on parents by emphasizing that they are the Potters and the children are the Clay, while having the parents demonstrate personal responsibility in managing food intake without needless chemicalization.
===============================
Dr. Edmond O`Flaherty
5.0 out of 5 stars
This treatment really works for most patients
May 8, 2014
I am a primary care physician (GP) in Dublin with a special interest in nutrient therapy in mental health since 1999. I read about Dr Walsh more than 10 years ago and started to use his treatment in some of my patients. In 2006 I attended a course given by Dr Walsh and his colleagues from USA in Sydney, Australia. It was a very worthwhile experience and gradually the number of patients I see has increased to several hundred per year. Results are generally good for anxiety and depression but I have also seen patients with schizophrenia recovering well enough to attend college and graduate from there. I prescribe medication too but minimize it as much as possible to avoid side effects. Many of those with depression can be freed from medication in due course and remain well on nutrients alone- specific individualized doses of vitamins,minerals,essential fatty acids and amino acids. Nutrient therapy is the most satisfying of all the wide range of work that I do as a doctor. I bought Nutrient Power just after it was published and have read it 5 times so far . It is full of useful information but it is particularly useful for anybody working in psychiatry or those with a mental health problem. Dr Walsh trains doctors all over the world including USA. His website is at [...]
Dr. Edmond O`Flaherty, MD Dublin Ireland
===============================
Review on Amazon.com by a counselor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Food is Medicine
July 25, 2013
As a psychologist, I am dealing with autism spectrum disorders and for the first time I find specific information on causative factors in this area. Having an epigenetic model for Autism is truly a godsend in attacking the problem while directly involving the parents and their own undermethylation contributing factors. The boon of having methodologies that begin with Food is Medicine allows for addressing Pyrrole overload and subsequent behavioral disorders without involving a pharmacy, or "answers in a can by way of a pill.". Nutrient Power has been life changing for my practice and my influence on parents by emphasizing that they are the Potters and the children are the Clay, while having the parents demonstrate personal responsibility in managing food intake without needless chemicalization.
===============================
Quotes of Interest:
"...Roger 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 of the many persons are born with nutrient imbalances that play a key role in heart disease and other disorders. The breakthrough has inspired many researchers to study of the biochemistry of diseases and to investigate the biochemical therapies aimed at correction of nutrient imbalances."
pg 4
"...After clinical experiences with thousands of mental health patients, I was surprised to learn that nutrient overload usually causes more mischief than deficiencies ."
pg 5
"...A major advantage of biochemical therapy is the absence of serious side effects associated with psychiatric medications."
pg 12
"...This book presents biochemical classifications for depression and schizophrenia based on (a) more than one million blood and urine chemical assays and (b) identification of distinctive symptoms and traits for each chemical type. To the extent possible with present knowledge I have indicated the primary neurotransmitter imbalances for each depression and schizophrenia phenotypes..."
pg 33
"...Many mental disorders result from environmental factors that cause genes to behave (or express themselves) improperly ."
pg 35
Metabolic Pathways to Schizophrenia
Overmethylation and Copper Overload
Undermethylation and Pyrrole Disorder
Gluten Intolerance
Thyroid deficiency
Polydipsia (excessive drinking of water)
Homocystinuria
Drug induced schizophrenia
Porphyrias
pg 66-8
"..More than 50% of the patients exhibit a dominant chemical imbalances that is the cause of their illness. ."
pg 152
..."For every person who does not respond to nutrient therapy, there are many more who report major improvements and achieve a higher quality of life. The treatment approaches described in this book are relatively safe and free of side effects. As biochemical science progresses, great improvements in treatment effectiveness will be achieved..."
..."Every human being deserves the opportunity to achieve the highest obtainable degree of health, safety, function and happiness, and this approach is the best way to obtain this goal."
pg 158
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RESEARCH ON MEMORY BASED THERAPY
BOOKS ON MEMORY BASED THERAPIES
LEGAL CASES AND PRECEDENTS
HARMFUL PRAYER MINISTRY
PERSONAL "MEMORY HEALING" STORIES
VIDEOS ON MEMORY BASED THERAPIES
EXPERT LECTURES ON HARMFUL THERAPIES
NEWS ON MEMORY BASED THERAPIES
CLINICAL HEALING AND MEMORY
BOOKS ON MEMORY BASED THERAPIES
LEGAL CASES AND PRECEDENTS
HARMFUL PRAYER MINISTRY
PERSONAL "MEMORY HEALING" STORIES
VIDEOS ON MEMORY BASED THERAPIES
EXPERT LECTURES ON HARMFUL THERAPIES
NEWS ON MEMORY BASED THERAPIES
CLINICAL HEALING AND MEMORY
========================================
*** WARNING ***
If you are seeking help for personal struggles and a therapist, counselor or friend says that "recovering childhood memories can help you get better" then IMMEDIATELY get up from your chair (or off the couch), run to the door, open it and flee. Hundreds of thousands have lost families, years of productive living and squandered immense wealth with tragedy inducing therapy that produces horrid false memories, splinters families, isolates the client and is documented to cause decline in mental health.
OUR DAUGHTER BEFORE THERAPY
MEMORY EXPERTS COMMENT
DARK AGES OF MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
*** WARNING ***
If you are seeking help for personal struggles and a therapist, counselor or friend says that "recovering childhood memories can help you get better" then IMMEDIATELY get up from your chair (or off the couch), run to the door, open it and flee. Hundreds of thousands have lost families, years of productive living and squandered immense wealth with tragedy inducing therapy that produces horrid false memories, splinters families, isolates the client and is documented to cause decline in mental health.
OUR DAUGHTER BEFORE THERAPY
MEMORY EXPERTS COMMENT
DARK AGES OF MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
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