William J. Walsh - Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain

Copyright 2012, 2014 by William J. Walsh, PhD

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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 persons 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 individuals 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 patients 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 Ive 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 dont 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, Id like to express my gratitude to the 30,000 patients whom Ive 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

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: