Page 16 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

16 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

While to some psychiatrists CAM may appear to be a random
series of “new age” therapies that whimsically catch media
attention, the larger message that has emerged is that CAM
reminds us to look at the entire individual rather than just the
brain when dealing with psychiatric disorders.
The additional advantage of CAM is that, while pharmacology
can help manage symptoms, it does not necessarily raise overall
health and can, in fact, mask signs that unhealthful conditions
exist. This can worsen health and well-being in the long run. The
CAM approach lets us look at the whole person to increase the
chances of those negative conditions being uncovered.

Treating the Body
It is easily observed that physical health affects mental health.
Even in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, he observed
that one’s senses and perceptions could be altered by the body:
“A little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach
makes them cheats. You [the ghost] may be an undigested bit of
beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an
underdone potato.”
The array of physical conditions that can impact mental health
is so vast that many books have been written on the subject and
the topic remains substantially incomplete. We have devoted a
chapter to this subject but, suffice it to say, the importance of
proper physical screening of psychiatric patients cannot be
overemphasized.
Additionally, as Dickens noted, diet plays a significant role in
mental well-being and overall health. Lack of proper nutrition,
food allergies that present with psychiatric symptoms (such as
depression and anxiety), food additives that some individuals are
sensitive to, and an excess of junk food can negatively affect
mood and behavior, sometimes to a pathological level.
Toxic exposures of many kinds can dramatically influence
mood, perceptions, and actions. Pesticides, mercury, gases,
pollutants, lead, and even mycotoxins can all be suspects in