How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care

Richard P. Brown, MD.
Patricia L. Gerbarg, MD.
Philip R. Muskin, MD.

Praise for How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care

"Congratulations to Drs. Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin for giving us one of the most clinically useful and practical books on integrating complementary and alternative treatments into our practices!....[A] must-have book!"
—Michelle Riba, MD., Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Chair for Integrated Medicine and Psychiatric Services, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan.

"If you care about sustaining optimum mental health, memory, and sexual enjoyment, this book is essential reading. Drs. Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin have written a text that has the potential to revolutionize mainstream mental health care, and provide practitioners and consumers alike the confidence to seek out alternative treatments. This exhaustive guide is the most thorough and well-written resource of its kind. I will use it as a primary reference, not only in working yogically with people suffering from depression and mood disorders, but for my own optimal well-being."
—Amy Weintraub, Founder and Director of LifeForce Yoga® Healing Institute and author of Yoga for Depression

"A truly impressive compilation of the latest research in the field of integrative mental health care. Optimal treatment of our patients demands that we challenge our biases about healing and that we educate ourselves about the latest in integrative technologies. This book, with its rich clinical examples and informative treatment guidelines, is an excellent resource for doing just that."
—Erin L. Olivo, PhD., MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology, Director, Integrative Medicine Program, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons

"Rational, reliable, authoritative, and highly recommended!"
—Mark Blumenthal, Founder & Executive Director, American Botanical Council, Editor, HerbalGram, Senior editor, The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs

Overview

Many physicians and therapists agree that herbs and mind-body practices enhance health, but many more are reluctant to integrate them into their clinical work because of a lack of training or, given how long it takes to master the use of hundreds of different herbs, a lack of time. But the trend is clear: clients and consumers alike want control over their health care choices, making the time ripe for a practical resource that guides both the clinician and the consumer on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

This book answers that call. Three noted experts in integrative medicine, Drs. Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin, demystify the complexities of alternative mental health care, giving readers a comprehensive yet accessible guidebook to the best treatment options out there.

From mood, memory, and anxiety disorders to ADD, sexual enhancement issues, psychotic disorders, and substance abuse, every chapter covers a major diagnostic category. The authors then present a range of complementary and alternative treatments—including the use of herbs, nutrients, vitamins, nootropics, hormones, and mind-body practices—that they have found to be beneficial for various conditions within each category.

For example, B complex vitamins and folate have been shown to help with depression; omega-3 fatty acids can offer relief for bipolar sufferers; coherent and resonant breathing techniques—used by Buddhist monks—induce healthy alpha rhythms in the brain to relieve anxiety; the elderly can boost their memory by taking the ancient medicinal herb Rhodiola rosea; and those with chronic fatigue syndrome can find comfort in acupuncture and yoga. Focusing on evidence-based approaches, the research, the author’s clinical experience, and the potential risks and benefits of each treatment are carefully examined.

Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin have distilled an otherwise daunting field of treatment down to its basics: their overriding approach is to present the CAM methods that are most practical in a clinical setting, easy to administer, and low in side effects. With helpful summary tables at the end of each chapter, clinical pearls, and case vignettes interspersed throughout, this is a must-have resource for all clinicians and consumers who want the best that CAM has to offer.

Contents

Preface

1. Basic Principals of Integrative Mental Health Care

2. Mood Disorders

3. Anxiety Disorders

4. Disorders of Cognition and Memory

5. Attention- Deficit Disorder and Learning Disabilities

6. Sexual Enhancement and Other Life Stage Issues

7. Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders

8. Medical Illnesses

9. Substance Abuse

10. CAM to Counteract Medication Side Effects

Appendix A: Guide to Quality Products

Appendix B: Useful Resources for Integrative Mental Health Care

Appendix C: Glossary of Medications

Excerpt

From Chapter 2:

SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) has been a first-line, mainstream antidepressant in many European countries for over 20 years. It is still considered an alternative treatment in the United States where the FDA approved its use as an over-the-counter nutraceutical in 1998.

SAMe is an essential molecule that participates in hundreds of biochemical reactions within the cells of all living organisms . . . SAM-e was shown to be safe and effective for the treatment of major depression in 16 open trials, 13 double-blind placebo-controlled studies, and 19 double-blind controlled trials in comparison to standard antidepressants . . . Because SAMe is a natural metabolite (more like a vitamin), it is very low in side effects when compared with prescription antidepressants and it has a more rapid onset of action. There are no reported adverse interactions with other medications. In fact, SAMe protects the liver from the toxic effects of other medications. SAMe can augment the action of standard antidepressants and restore efficacy when they have “pooped out.” It is the only antidepressant that has been studied in combination with MAO inhibitors with good results (Torta, Zanalda, Rocca et al., 1988). In addition to its antidepressant effects, SAMe has numerous long-term health benefits and advantages for patients with a wide range of serious medical conditions.

The EEG profile of SAMe is similar to that of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), while the EEG profile of St. John’s Wort is like SSRIs. The effect of SAMe on cortical nerve cell metabolism also overlaps with those of TCAs. Three controlled studies have shown that SAMe enhances the action of TCAs (Brown, Gerbarg, & Bottiglieri, 2000). SAMe is more like a TCA, but with minimal side effects, rendering it more tolerable.

About the Authors

Richard P. Brown, MD., is associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Patricia L. Gerbarg, MD., is assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at New York Medical College.

Philip R. Muskin, MD., is professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and chief of consultation-liaison psychiatry at New York–Presbyterian Hospital.

ISBN 10: 0-393-70525-0
ISBN 13: 978-0-393-70525-6
October 2008 / 288 pages / hardcover