Page 56 - Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

56 | Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Psychiatry

Zinc
Zinc has been studied as a treatment for a number of psychiatric
issues. Zinc deficiencies—commonly recognized by white spots
or lines on the fingernails—create symptoms such as behavioral
disturbances, depression, and confusion. Amongst other roles,
zinc regulates copper levels in the body as evidenced in the
treatment of Wilson’s Disease, a liver disorder that causes copper
to accumulate to toxic levels. Psychiatric sequelae such as
psychosis, anxiety, and depression are common in Wilson’s
sufferers, and a typical treatment to avoid symptoms and
maintain normal copper levels is zinc supplementation.
For some, depression may respond to zinc treatment. A review
of all zinc research for depression—covering six databases—
concluded: “Evidence suggests potential benefits of zinc
supplementation as a stand-alone intervention or as an adjunct
to conventional antidepressant drug therapy for depression.”
(Lai 2011)
Zinc has also been shown to increase mental and physical
resiliency. Rats placed on zinc supplementation for 4 weeks, then
administered a moderately severe traumatic brain injury, were
found to have reduced depression-like behaviors and improved
cognitive behavior compared to controls. Additionally, they
showed no significant difference from non-injured controls at
any point in the 10-day trial when required to swim a water
maze (Cope 2011).
Since lack of appetite is another symptom of low zinc, the
mineral has been seen to be helpful in the treatment of anorexia
nervosa. Approximately half of anorexics tested are low in zinc
and supplementation has been shown to increase weight gain in
these patients (Shay 2000).

Calcium and Magnesium
Calcium and magnesium are biochemical partners in the human
body. Deficiencies in these two minerals are actually quite
common and often overlooked in medical settings (Olinger 1989).