According to the traditional view mental health is the absence of mental illness which, in a sense, is a diseased state.  The diseased state (i.e., mental illness) is characterized by varying degrees of disturbed thought, unstable emotions and unacceptable behavior.  According to the holistic view mental health is a manifestation of balance among our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states.  An imbalance between mental functioning and any of these other states is considered to be something that requires attention.   

Mental illness is seen as having a variety of causes which include, but are not limited to the following:  genetic predisposition; experiencing a traumatic event; neurotransmitter imbalances; alcohol or drug use; faulty thinking; and learned maladaptive behaviors.  The holistic view suggests that problems in everyday functioning occur when someone is not able to manage stress consistently and that this results in an imbalance among our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states.

Treatment options for mental illness are based on the identification of symptoms and include, but are not limited to the following: counseling; medication; electroconvulsive therapy; and self help groups.  The holistic view seeks to identify the cause(s) of the problem and intends to restore balance to the unbalanced state through the use of counseling; nutrition; herbal remedies; homeopathic remedies; accupuncture; chiropractic adjustments; and various other modalities.

I welcome your comments and questions.  

An example of this would be to see stress as a symptom or driving force that leads to or reinforces smoking.  In this context stress is defined as any challenge that we face.  The stress becomes distressful when we are unable to manage it.  To illustrate, smoking would be seen as an outcome of being in a distressful situation that continues over time.  The smoking behavior is reinforced by the addictive properties of tobacco, its stress relieving properties as well as the related social components (i.e., smoking with friends, smoking while speaking on the phone, etc.).

The advantage that I see to having this perspective is that it allows the focus to be on managing the reinforcing component(s) of the addiction rather than on the substance use itself.  By integrating behavioral, cognitive and nutritional compnents into the treatment the body’s systems would be able to develop and maintain a healthy balance.  Being in balance  would maximize someone’s ability to stop using any addictive substance and to remain abstinent over time.  In a sense it would help to take the focus off of what the person is doing wrong and allow attention to be on identifying and integrating solutions that could result in a positive outcome.

I welcome your comments and questions.      

It is important to recognize the signals (i.e., symptoms) our body communicates to be the path which leads us to identify what is malfunctioning so that we can restore balance to our systems (endocrine, digestive, etc.).  Maintaing balance helps us to prevent serious physical health problems from developing and to manage them once they surface.  One of the biggest ways we can achieve and/or remain in balance is to learn how to manage the different stressors in our lives.

One way to maintain balance and to manage our stressors effectively is to eat as many nutritious foods as possible.  A simple analogy is to consider what would happen if you were to put the “wrong kind of fuel” in your car on a consistent basis.  Also keep in mind what might happen if you did not provide the proper maintenance service to your car.  You might be using the right fuel, but not giving your car the care it needs so it can use the fuel as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Future articles will discuss how to apply the principles discussed in this article to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual challenges.

I welcome your comments and questions.      

In general, the traditional medical approach very often includes hormone replacement therapy which is intended to eliminate the symptom(s).  This form of treatment focuses on directly changing or improving hormone levels.  The nutritional approach takes more of an in-depth look at the possible causes of the imbalance and includes strategies for helping the body to balance it’s physiology.  

From this perspective Dr. Lang suggests that four different areas of functioning be assessed for their possible contributions to a loss of male dominance (i.e., hormone imbalance).  She recommends looking at digestion and absorption of food, cravings for sweets and carbohydrates, stress management needs and hormone metabolism as defined by liver-gall bladder function.  Stress management and/or nutritional suggestions are provided to support the body’s ability to operate at its fullest potential.

I welcome your comments and questions.  

Both approaches require the individual who is seeking assistance to follow recommendations.  The difference between the two approaches is the first seeks compliance until the symptom is managed and the second seeks ongoing lifestyle changes.  An example of the first approach is to take an antibiotic for a prescribed length of time.  An example of the second approach is to make some lifestyle changes.  Each approach makes a valuable contribution to our ongoing health status.

It is important to recognize that following the alternative approach requires a lengthier time commitment than the traditional approach.  This is because the traditional approach generally focuses on affecting  symptoms and the alternative approach seeks to affect the underlying cause of the symptom.  To illustrate, you can take a muscle relaxant to relieve a muscle cramp or you can exercise and/or take a nutritional supplement.  The important thing to remember is each choice has its limitations (e.g., amount of time to see/feel a difference) and a time frame for maintaining positive change.

I welcome your comments and questions.   

Our mind’s ability to function properly can be affected by an unblanced nervous system.  According to NRT there are three initial muscle testing steps which help to identify anything which may be interfering with the functioning of a person’s nervous system.  First, they must have a strong muscle that can be tested for strength or weakness.  Second, they must be physiologically open to healing.  Third, their nervous system must be in balance and, in NRT terms, not be switched.   

If any of these condions exist the next step, according to the NRT approach, is to determine if any of five possible blocks are affecting the body’s ability to be muscle tested.  These blocks are immune challenges, chemical toxicity, heavy metal toxicity, food sensitivities, and scars.  A psychologically healthy individual is someone whose nervous system is in balance and working in harmony with the rest of the body.  If someone has any of these blocks their body’s ability to be in balance must be strengthened to enhance their potential to experience psychological health and freedom from addictions.  

I welcome your comments and questions.

The price of a supplement is very often related to the cost of manufacturing it.  A supplement sold in a department store will usually cost less than one sold at a health food store.  The less expensive one usually costs less to produce and may be composed of several fillers and synthetic vitamins. 

The amounts recommended are based on the minimum amount needed to address a specific symptom and does not account for individual differences among people.  These individual differences include but are not limited to the following:  age; genetics; health status; activity level; the bioavailability of the nutrient; and the individual’s ability to absorb it adequately.  More expensive supplements or larger doses are not necessarily the best approach.  

Also of importance is the source of each nutrient.  Is it synthetic or natural?  Synthetic substances tend to be more difficult to absorb and you may need greater amounts to obtain the desired effect.  Natural substances are more readily absorbed since they are closer, in structure, to food.  They provide the body what it needs so healing comes from within the body.  Whole food supplements from natural sources contain smaller amounts of nutrients that include synergistic effects and provide the fuel the body needs to heal itself.  

I welcome your comments and questions.

There is an approach that may help you to get the answers to these questions.  Nutrition Response Testing (i.e., NRT) assesses neurological reflex points on your body by using a technique called muscle testing (i.e., Applied Behavioral Kinesiology).  The principle behind muscle testing is that anything which is not good for you results in you having a weak muscle response when gentle pressure is applied to your arm or any other major muscle group.  Anything that is good for you will not result in any weakness when the gentle pressure is applied.  The NRT practitioner uses muscle testing and touches various neurological reflex points along your body to check for weak and strong responses.  Supplements are then checked to see the one(s) that may change the weak response and the person takes those supplements until the reflex point maintains a strong response and previously identified challenges no longer occur.

You may be wondering if there is anything specific that could be stopping you from achieving optimal psychological health and freedom from addictions.  Another question often asked is what makes one supplement different from or better than another?  These two areas will be discussed in my upcoming blogs.

I welcome your comments and questions.   

These seemingly elusive component involves addressing the underlying factors which could be contributing to existing symptoms rather than solely treating the symptom itself.  It is my belief that chemical/nutritional imbalances fuel psychological/substance use distress.  Thus, assisting the body/brain to perform at its optimal functioning level by giving it the fuel (i.e., nutrients) it needs can provide the so called missing link to achieving a long-term solution.

To illustrate this point let’s consider the following example.  Imagine the situation in which someone  regularly drinks alcohol.  This substance is broken down into a simple sugar in the body.  Generally speaking, ongoing use of sugar contributes to the craving of simple carbohydrates and sugar.  Ongoing consumption of simple carbohydrates and sugar has been shown to correlate with the existence of a medical condition called diabetes.  It is not unusual for a doctor to give someone who is showing diabetic tendencies suggestions about foods to eat and foods to decrease.  This advice might come directly from the doctor or from a referral made by the doctor to a trained profesional.  The doctor’s objective would be to help his “patient” prevent the development of the need to take insulin in the future.  This same rationale would apply to someone who already has the diagnosis of diabetes.  Eating less sugar and simple carbohydrates could affect the individual’s needed insulin dose.  Based upon this line of reasoning, helping to manage ”sugar cravings” could then help someone abstain from the use of alcohol.

I welcome your thoughts and questions.            

How our experiences affect us is related to our overall state of health which includes mental, emotional, physical and spiritual functioning.  Whatever compromises any of these areas creates an extra challenge to our ability to manage stress effectively.  If any of these areas are overly stressed then that area is the “weakest link” and is the most likely area to be adversely effected.  This, in turn, will put extra stress on the other areas and result in additional difficulties over time.

Consider an individual who is experiencing stress related to work and finances.  Over time his/her mental and emotional state will be affected.  If this person resorts to smoking cigarettes, using drugs or alcohol to manage the stress physical health as well as other areas of functioning will be influenced.  In a sense, this person will have resorted to indirect and inefficient ways of dealing with the existing stressors that will eventually result in additional problems.

Consider someone else who is experiencing the same scenario I just described.  However, this person eats healthy, exercises, takes time to relax and has some spiritual practice (e.g., attends religious services, prays, meditates, does volunteer work, etc.).  This way of life provides a foundation of strength and health that will help minimize the negative effects of stress over time.  Therefore, it is important for each of us to identify our “weakest links” and to develop a strategy for managing our stress that takes our individual values and strengths into account.

I welcome your questions and comments.