Customer Reviews

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

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For those who hover between the worldviews of the Western medical establishment and the holistic model, this book offers a balanced and informative guide. Dr.'s Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin have elite credentials, and offer excellent academic scholarship along with genuine empathy for people suffering with illnesses and traumas. This book is readable by healthcare consumers and is highly useful to mental health professionals as well.
This book is very even-handed in dealing with traditional (prescription) psychopharmacology, herbal remedies, and mind-body approaches--and their interactions. For this reason, it is the best guide on the market for people who have tried multiple approaches to life-endangering, or life-quality compromising problems. The authors intelligently and respectfully analyze self-help approaches such as yoga, Qi Gong, or breathing exercises. Though they agree with modern medicine that the peer-reviewed, placebo controlled study is important in assessing the efficacy of any treatment, traditional or holistic, they also note the limitations of this approach. Side effects, risks, and benefits of all treatments are discussed as well as how to tailor remedies for different constitutions. This includes how prescription medications may contraindicate certain herbal remedies, or even certain yoga practices. Another invaluable feature of this book is that it provides guidelines that help locate reliable quality products.
This book is a must for laymen and professionals who are open to a wide variety of approaches, use them, or share patients with other doctors or healers who use them. In a complex living nervous system, how might these interventions interact, amplifying (or detracting) from each others' effects? What are the underlying systems, say "serotonergic" or "cholinergic" that might be impacted by this anti-depressant, that herb?
Highly effective alternative but less-well-known therapies such as neurofeedback, Les Fehmi's Open Focus, and yoga breathing techniques are discussed. As a professional who is versed in these fields, I found the sections on these topics carefully researched, accurate and well-presented.

Stephen Larsen, Ph.D, LMHC, BCIA-eeg is Psychology Professor Emeritus, SUNY, and the author of The Healing Power of Neurofeedback, The Fundamentalist Mind, and A Fire in the Mind, The Life of Joseph Campbell.

This book is the reference I have been waiting for. Though many websites and health advocates promote nutritional supplements, I am aware that they are regulated by the FDA in a different manner than prescriptions and other over-the-counter medications. Like other consumers, I am forced to frequently buy without a sense of confidence. This is the first and only guide I have found that identifies manufacturers - and not in any way that benefits the authors. Though the book was filled with much valuable information, it is worth its purchase price just for the Appendix and Guide to Buying Quality Products.

Further, there is ample empirical evidence to support yoga's myriad health benefits. I frequently recommend the practice of yoga to my clients and they invariably find improvement of both their physical and mental status.

This book is a perfect reference point. Lay people and mental health practitioners alike, who respect the value of both Western and Eastern modalities and want to reap ALL of the benefits of the knowledge that is available to help themselves or their clients will find this an invaluable addition to their bookshelf.

This book is encyclopedic! It covers most areas concerning adults who take charge of their own health. The authors speak with authority, backing up their information with 60 pages of references and case studies experienced in their practices. I finally could understand what the herbs can do, where to purchase the best brands,and the safest way to use them.

Great resource guide for CAM treatments presented by esteemed doctors. Have used some of the treatments to my personal benefit.

An excellent book on evidence-based CAM treatments that serves to provide an educational foundation for both the patient and the mental health provider. The book's target audience is mental health professionals seeking that foundation for CAM treatment. Its value to laymen like me is that it really helps in showing clinical trial and clinical practice support for CAM treatments so that I can make more informed decisions, partnering with a mental health professional when various agents are used for treatment (therefore, it isn't meant to serve as a completely self-driven self-help book). On the other hand, the information on mind-body practices is not only excellent but was enough to get me to get trained on those practices that have shown great effectiveness. The non-demonization of pharmaceuticals as well as the use of CAM for supplementing them (and, of course, replacing them) was very helpful; I had some misinformation about clinical trials that the authors greatly helped with. A very strong element of the book is its openness -- grounding in science and a desire to get it across that mental health professionals need to take the responsibility to educate themselves on the mechanisms of these agents and practices (that's why the book tries to avoid a cookbook recipe for prescribing specific protocols for symptoms and disorders).

If the authors are reading this, here is some feedback on improvements: 1. Dr. Brown has commented elsewhere on the use of Tianeptine, Reboxetine, Picamilion, and Piracetam for depression but these aren't discussed in the mood disorders chapter (Tianeptine is mentioned in the DHEA discussion; Picamilion, and Piracetam are discussed in a different chapter). 2. I think it's important to emphasize the value of CBT/ExRP therapy (esp. given the numerous clinical studies showing its effectiveness) and the need to get a well-trained CBT therapist (someone who knows Beck or Barlow methods). 3. It would have been helpful to get at least clinical experience regarding the effect of diet changes for the disorders. 4. Inositol should have been given more discussion in the anxiety chapter esp. given that the authors cite the clinical trials done in Israel on its effectiveness for OCD. Note: from what I've read, the dose for depression for Inositol (12-20g) is incorrect. Note that the studies showed high effectiveness with 12g for anxiety and 18g for OCD. Also, anti-agingsytems.com doesn't carry Inositol. 5. I felt that Shannahoff-Khalsa's studies on left-nostril breathing for OCD should have been delved into more. 6. Other integrative doctors (e.g. Dr. Podell -[...] and Dr. Schachter - [...]) take a 'targeted amino acid' therapy approach (e.g. test blood/urine for hormone, neurotransmitter deficiences & then prescribe supplements/treatment based on that). I would have liked a discussion on whether this testing and specific targeting based on the results of this testing has value. 7. Nutrients (e.g. B vitamins, etc.) and clinical studies supporting their effectiveness in anxiety disorders would have been helpful in the anxiety section (nutrients are given slim discussion there). 8. I nkow these are guidelines but ... pg 342 ('Impairment of Cognition...') was unclear: should one use ALL of these agents or try them one at a time? 9. I was confused w/ the list of asmple meds for depression & severe anxiety on pg. 135 - I thought tricyclics have been largely replaced by SSRIs and SNRIs, no?

The above 'improvements' show how much I value and digested this book because the information in here is VERY valuable & needs to be given strong and diligent consideration. It's very reinsuring that there are people like Doctors Brown, Gerbarg, and Muskin as well as Podell and Schachter who come from prestigious medical schools and facilities & who see the value in CAM.

When I was the mental health librarian at the Augusta Mental Health Institute, I had many conversations with both patients and caring professionals about the inadequacy of pharmacologic treatments for mental illness. While many of the medications we prescribed helped treat the symptoms, they often created side effects which were equally as distressing to the recipient. We often wondered aloud if there weren't better, more humane ways to assist people in the management of their illnesses.
Richard Brown, Patricia Gerbarg and Philip Muskin have written such a resource. It is easy to read, even-handed and describes clearly research by reputable people into the complementary treatment of a wide range of illnesses. The book is divided into ten chapters; Basic principles of integrative health care, Mood disorders, Anxiety disorders, Disorders of cognition and memory, Attention-deficit disorder and learning disabilities, Sexual enhancement and other life stage issues, Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, Medical illnesses, Substance abuse and CAM to counteract medication side effects. It includes appendixes for guides to quality products, useful resources for integrative mental health care and a glossary of medications as well as a comprehensive list of references and an index. Each of the chapters covering a series of disorders has a table listing the CAM, clinical uses, daily doses and side effects/drug interactions of contraindications.
The authors have taken great pains to comment on studies relating to the findings discussed in the book so readers can draw their own conclusions and they have placed frequent text boxes called clinical pearls which are quick reads designed to convey important clinical observations to readers. While extremely content-rich, the book is easy to read and understand and the chapter layout allows for quick location of desired information. In addition to being a terrific resource for individuals, whether they be practitioners or consumers, this would be an essential addition to any library that provides consumer health information or serves health professionals in an academic setting.

This book is a gift to us all. For those of us who have always known there was a better way than the existing mental health system, this book provides the Western data to support what many of us have known through direct observation of people that we've assisted over the years. This book will become a major source of reference for our agency: we are a trauma- focused, holistic Community Mental Health Center that provides spirit/mind/body work for our clients. I am very grateful for a tool that summarizes such invaluable information.

Many physicians and therapists agree that herbs and mind/body health enhances overall health - but few integrate these paths into clinical work. This book comes from three experts in integrative medicine and shows how to blend herbs and yoga into mental health care, using research to draw links between medical conditions and diet and nutrients. College-level collections strong in medical or mental health alternative therapies will find this a specific survey focusing on evidence-based practices and clinical research applications: invaluable for practicing physicians and those in the mental health industry.

This book is a most valuable source of information for those who would like scientific evidence of the benefits of yoga as a component of a mental therapy. The three authors are regarded as leading authorities on the application of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) to mental health treatment. They have outstanding academic credentials as researchers and psychiatry professors and clearly affirm through the entire book that CAM procedures, particularly yoga, are mainly complementary, rather than alternative strategies. The book is organized in ten chapters dealing with specific mental health conditions ranging from anxiety and mood disorders to schizophrenia and substance abuse, and has a general introductory chapter about the basic principles of integrative mental health care. Their major focus of attention is on those CAM treatments that the authors have found helpful in clinical practice, are easy to administer, and have low side effects. Each chapter has a comprehensive presentation of the mental condition under consideration and the most common treatments used by specialists, as well as the research evidence and clinical experience in applying both traditional and CAM treatments. This encyclopaedic book is a rich source of information on the positive contribution of CAM procedures, including yoga practices; it has an abundant bibliography and has many case examples illustrating the complementary results of traditional and CAM approaches. There are also well-prepared summaries, charts, tables, 'clinical pearls,' a selected list of websites, and appendixes about finding safe and effective nutrients and herbal products. This review is limited to the yoga contribution to the management of mental health issues.

From a yoga perspective, the authors take a holistic approach that incorporates not only various Asanas, but also precise breathing and relaxation techniques, meditation, and yoga philosophy. Their major source of inspiration comes from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation, and creator of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY). This yoga school gives particular emphasis to various Pranayama ('breath control') practices that include Ujjayi ('victorious breath'), Bhastrika ('bellows breath' or 'breath of fire'), and Nadi shodanam ('alternate nostril breathing'). The authors say that SKY calms the sympathetic nervous system, activates the parasympathetic nervous system and elevates serum levels of brain-derived neurotropic factors, which is an indicator of increased neuroplasticity. In one of their 'clinical pearls' (page 113), they conclude that yoga can enhance psychotherapy because it may reduce the need to avoid emotions through repression, suppression, denial, numbing, and dissociation; it reduces anxiety, over reactivity, and sleep difficulties; it improves cognitive-emotional integration; and it reduces trauma-related somatic experiences, and strengthens the therapeutic alliance through patient empowerment and collaboration. This book is necessary read, not only for mental health care clinicians, but also for anyone curious about the assistance provided by yoga and other complementary and alternative approaches.

Dr. Richard P. Brown is Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University. He has been practicing yoga, Zen meditation, QiGong and Aikido for more than 30 years. In addition to his training in psychiatry, psychopharmacology and psychobiology, his personal interest in the therapeutic use of herbs prepared him to become a leading authority on CAM treatments for mental health. Dr. Brown has played a major role in offering workshops and guidance to members of the September 11 Community (Serving those Who Serve - STWS). Dr. Patricia L. Gerbarg, is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York Medical College. With her husband, Dr. Brown, she wrote about the use of Rhodiola rosea to combat stress. And Dr. Philip R. Muskin is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University and a specialist in geriatric psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. He has written about the uses of yoga and CAM in psychiatry, and founded the Comforter Program at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital to provide emotional support to families of patients in intensive care units.

I heard Dr. Gerbarg speak several months ago and immediately began using several of the supplements she recommended, Rhodiola Rosea and SAMe. I felt a significant improvement in my energy level after about 2 weeks. It's as though my energy finally kicked into gear for the first time in a long time, and I felt myself again. Then I ordered her book. This is the best composite of research and useful information on non-medical remedies for depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia and other conditions that I have yet to come across. It clarifies how to use these supplements, what dosages to take them in, and how to find them. This is a win-win.