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Complementary and Alternative Medicine and
Therapies for Bipolar Disorder
The following excerpt is reprinted from Randi Fredricks'
book Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health © 2008 and the chapter
Bipolar Disorder: Managing Mood Disturbances with Evidence-Based Approaches. It has been edited and footnotes have been removed for readability.
Nutritional Supplements to Avoid or
Use with Caution with Bipolar Disorder
The Pfeiffer Treatment Center (PTC) in Warrenville, Illinois, has gathered biochemical data on over 20,000 patients from
50 states and more than 75 countries. William Walsh, co-founder and chief-scientist of PTC, has discovered that
some nutritional supplements cause adverse reactions in people with bipolar disorder.
Based on his research,
Walsh has developed three biochemical classifications of bipolar disorders along with a list of supplements that
work for people with bipolar disorder, and ones they should avoid:
- Undermethylation - characterized by low levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, high histamine and basophil
levels.
- Overmethylation - characterized by elevated levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, low histamine and basophil levels.
- Pyrrole Disorder - characterized by elevated urine kryptopyrroles, and deficiency of zinc, B6, and arachidonic acid.
Bipolar patients with undermethylation have a high incidence of seasonal allergies, OCD tendencies, competitiveness and
perfectionism, and high libido. They generally respond well to methionine, SAMe, calcium, magnesium, omega-3 essential
oils (DHA and EPA), B6, inositol, and vitamins A, C, and E. They should avoid supplements containing folic acid.
Bipolar patients with overmethylation are the biochemical opposite of undermethylation. This population has a tendency
towards high anxiety, panic, underachievement, food/chemical sensitivities, musical and artistic abilities, and a low
libido. They usually respond well to folic acid, B12, niacinamide, DMAE, choline, manganese, zinc, omega-3 essential
oils (DHA and EPA) and vitamins C and E, but should avoid methionine, SAMe, inositol, trimethylglycine, and
dimethylglycine.
Pyrrole disorder (also called pyroluria), is a genetic disorder associated with severe mood swings, fearfulness,
poor short-term memory, reading disorder, sensitivity to light and noise, poor immune function, and poor morning
appetitie. Pyrolurics are devastated by stresses including physical injury emotional trauma, illness, and sleep
deprivation. They usually respond well to zinc, B6, and evening primrose oil and should avoid the amino acid histidine,
copper and omega-3 fatty acids.
In the course of doing research, scientists have noted a variety of adverse reactions with bipolar patients and
certain nutritional supplements and herbal remedies. What follows are the results from those studies.
Return to Subject Index
Randi Fredricks' website is www.RandiFredricks.com.
To order Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health,
click here.
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Healing & Wholeness Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health
Your Complete Guide
to Natural Methods for
Optimal and Vibrant
Emotional Health.
Randi Fredricks, author Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and
Alternative Therapies
for
Mental Health
RandiFredricks.com
Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health is a thorough guide to
alternative therapies in the mental health field, organizing a large amount of information in a relevant,
easy-to-use format. It
can be used as a standard reference for the mental health care professional, the graduate student,
or anyone looking to improve their emotional health.
- Google Book Review
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