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Dr. McDougall's Comments
This is a chicken or egg question:
Which came first, Theresa’s mental or physical illnesses? I
suppose, it does not really matter, since both were primarily
due to malnutrition and fixed by a healthy, starch-based diet.
Obesity and diabetes are common in people with schizophrenia and
depression. Worldwide, the same kind of dietary intake known to
predict the development of coronary heart disease and
diabetes—the
Western diet—also predicts the
development of schizophrenia and depression, according to
research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.1
More specifically, they found dairy products and refined sugars
predicted a worse two-year outcome for people with schizophrenia
and an increased prevalence of depression. Starchy vegetables
(potatoes, pasta, etc.) were associated with better mental
health. The authors of this work also recommend a dietary
approach be tried to treat both of these mental health
problems.
Schizophrenia, a mental illness
commonly manifesting as
hallucinations, (hearing voices, seeing visions),
delusions (false beliefs about commonly held views of reality)
and bizarre thought patterns, affects roughly 1% of the
population. The mechanisms by which diet causes schizophrenia
(and a similar condition of children called autism) are
explainable.2-5 Diet, and especially dairy products,
can produce an excess of opium-like compounds, which affect the
brain.6 In addition, an unhealthy diet can damage the
walls of the intestine, increasing their permeability; causing
what is commonly referred to as a “leaky gut.” This permeable
gut-wall now allows the passage of neuro-active substances into
the blood that can cause hallucinations and delusions—similar to
the effects of psychedelic street drugs. Eliminating casein, a
protein in cow’s milk, and gluten, a protein in wheat, barley,
and rye products, from the diet reverses these effects—with
studies showing a drastic reduction, if not full remission, of
schizophrenic symptoms after the complete removal of casein and
gluten.2-5
Depression is a common psychiatric
disorder, characterized by a depressed mood, loss of interest or
pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, low energy, and
poor concentration. Two studies using a low-fat,
high-carbohydrate diet with a primary intention of reversing
cardiac disease have shown significant improvements in mental
health and quality of life, as well as significant reductions in
heart attack and stroke risk.7,8 One of these studies
showed response rates of approximately 90% for clinical
depression, 85% for stress, and 87% for mental health.7
Changes in brain chemistry account for these benefits. A meal
high in carbohydrates increases the rate that an amino acid,
tryptophan, enters the brain, leading to an increase in the
level of the neurotransmitter serotonin that improves mood.9
(For a review of the simple,
highly effective dietary and lifestyle changes that can cure
depression see the March 2004 McDougall Newsletter).
Therefore, like Theresa, you
should expect improvements in body and mind when you change your
diet, giving up both the chicken and the egg (and the cheese,
milk, beef, and fish). Contrary to popular opinion, giving up
eating fish may also be beneficial for relieving depression.10
Better mental health will cause you to want to make even more
changes to improve your physical health. The end result is an
uphill spiral, rather than the downhill one that everyone else
following the Western diet is on.
References:
1) Peet M.
International variations in the outcome of schizophrenia and the
prevalence of depression in relation to national dietary
practices: an ecological analysis. Br J Psychiatry. 2004
May;184:404-8
2) Christison
GW, Ivany K. Elimination diets in autism spectrum disorders: any
wheat amidst the chaff? J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2006
Apr;27(2 Suppl):S162-71.
3) Reichelt KL,
Seim AR, Reichelt WH. Could schizophrenia be reasonably
explained by Dohan's hypothesis on genetic interaction with a
dietary peptide overload. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol
Psychiatry. 1996 Oct;20(7):1083-114.
4) Kalaydjian
AE, Eaton W, Cascella N, Fasano A. The gluten connection: the
association between schizophrenia and celiac disease. Acta
Psychiatr Scand. 2006 Feb;113(2):82-90.)
5) Millward C,
Ferriter M, Calver S, Connell-Jones G. Gluten- and casein-free
diets for autistic spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database Syst
Rev. 2004;(2):CD003498.6)
6) Shah NP.
Effects of milk-derived bioactives: an overview. Br J Nutr.
2000 Nov;84 Suppl 1:S3-10.
7) Vizza J,
Neatrour DM, Felton PM, Ellsworth DL. Improvement in
psychosocial functioning during an intensive cardiovascular
lifestyle modification program. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev.
2007 Nov-Dec;27(6):376-83.
8) Weidner G,
Connor SL, Hollis JF, Connor WE. Improvements in hostility and
depression in relation to dietary change and cholesterol
lowering. The Family Heart Study. Ann Intern Med. 1992
Nov 15;117(10):820-3.
9) Wurtman RJ. Effects of normal
meals rich in carbohydrates or proteins on plasma tryptophan and
tyrosine ratios. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jan;77(1):128-32.
10) Ness AR, Gallacher JE, Bennett
PD, Gunnell DJ, Rogers PJ, Kessler D, Burr ML.Advice to eat fish
and mood: a randomised controlled trial in men with angina.
Nutr Neurosci. 2003 Feb;6(1):63-5.
We encourage you to pass
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I love candy, especially Skittles.
Sometimes I would even fall asleep with a mouthful of them. In
the morning I would look in the mirror and hate the obese person
I saw, yet I never connected the two. So, I stopped looking in
the mirror, thinking that if I didn’t see the problem it wasn’t
really there. This was in 2005. I was 30 years old, stood
five-foot-eight, and weighed 245 pounds.
 Aside
from the Skittles, my diet consisted of processed foods, such as
Hamburger Helper, macaroni and cheese, and canned pasta and rice
dishes. My exercise program consisted of walking to the kitchen
to get food and back to the living room to watch TV. Because I
would eat so much, I would often exhaust myself
and need to lie down after meals. Eating a lot of food
was my way of dealing with how bad my life had become: I had no
job, a less-than-perfect past, a seemingly dead-end future, and
very low-self esteem.
I felt that I was literally eating
myself to death.
Growing up, my mom did encourage me to eat vegetables and
fruits, but I lived in the microwave age and was soon using it
to cook everything I ate. I remember thinking that microwaving
bacon was healthy because the drip tray would catch all the fat.
Things got even worse when I moved out on my own and was able to
buy all the foods my mom never bought, such as Chef Boyardee
Raviolis, steak, chocolate milk, ice cream, and cheese. If it
was bad for me I ate it because now I could.
In early 2006 my poor eating patterns
led to my health deteriorating even further. One night I woke up
in excruciating pain so I called for an ambulance to take me to
the hospital. After being examined I was told that I had a
kidney stone. No one at the hospital asked me about my diet, so
I didn’t think to change it.
Things continued to get worse. My
diabetes, which had been diagnosed in 2000, was beginning to
worsen, although I kept telling myself I didn’t have diabetes.
Again, denying the problem meant it didn’t exist. But all of
these problems did exist, and they were also taking a toll on my
mental health.
I was
beginning to withdraw from my friends, and felt very depressed
and often paranoid. After consulting
with a psychiatrist, I was told that I was suffering from
“schizoaffective disorder” (having symptoms of both
schizophrenia and depression). I was
devastated. She told me that I would never be able to work and
that I must learn to redefine success. It was hard not to
notice how heavy I was, but she never asked about my diet or
suggested that I lose weight. A lot of the medications they
prescribe for depression and schizophrenia cause weight gain and
the first ones I was put on did exactly that. When I hit the
260-pound mark I went crying to the doctor who told me “Well
you’re a big girl there is nothing wrong with that.”
At 31 my life seemed to be over. I no
longer wanted to live. Mental illness is so difficult.
I gave up.
From that point on, any little mood
change would result in me running to the hospital, begging them
to “fix” me. When I did have real symptoms, their willingness to
help me was lacking since I had “cried wolf” so many times
before. At one point a staff member at the hospital remarked
that they were like my family since I was there so much. I was
sickened. It was like a reality snap for me, and I vowed never
to return to the hospital unless I absolutely had to. That was
the night I decided to do something about the mess my life had
become.
Reclaiming my health and life
Comments were being made to me about my weight that hurt more
than I could bear. “What are you eating? I want to be a football
player too.” So I bought a treadmill and vowed to eat healthier.
Initially a few pounds were shed, but it was slow going. I then
decided to cut out red meat—that being done, I continued on.
After sharing my thoughts about
changing my life with my mother, she suggested that I read a
book called The China Study, and from there I read
The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss
and things began to change even more than I could have hoped
for.
I
stopped eating meat and dairy, as well as oils, and refined
foods. I also stopped eating candy, gave up caffeine, and quit
smoking, cold turkey. I had finally
stopped living in a state of denial. All my time spent walking
alone in the mornings provided me with a chance to reflect on my
life. This ritual was meditation as well as exercise for me.
 Starting
to feel better about myself, I found a new doctor and therapist,
people I felt could give me the care I needed and deserved, and
would see me as a person; not just my illnesses. It has worked
out well, and I have made good on my promise not to return to
the hospital. My anxiety is almost completely gone since
I stopped drinking coffee and consuming refined sugar. I take no
medication for my diabetes now, as it is considered to be
“diet-controlled,” and I only take low doses of medication for
my hypothyroidism and schizoaffective
disorder.
Well into my new way of eating, I went
to the doctor to have my blood sugar checked, which was in the
healthy range. In fact, I hadn’t remembered to fast before my
test, and it was still in the normal range; a good sign indeed.
My new doctor congratulated me by telling me I had beat diabetes
by changing my diet. He no longer tries to convince me to eat
butter with my potatoes to slow the absorption of sugar into my
system.
My
family and friends are all very encouraging, although a few
people were concerned that I would not be getting all the
necessary nutrients from my new diet. When I explained to them
that I had researched my information and would actually be
eating healthier this way, they became more supportive, and
always complimented me on my progress.
I was
told I have a permanent disabling mental illness by my doctors
and that I would never work. I now know that is not true.
My journey to regain my life has
provided me with purpose and drive, two things that I have been
lacking for many years. My dietary changes have also
helped my once ravaged mind gain some peace and clarity, and
boosted my self-esteem. The 96 pounds I have lost over the last
year—I now weigh164 pounds—has helped me tremendously too. I
have now been accepted to college and plan to study nutrition. I
would like to be a registered dietician. Not surprisingly, I
want to do research into how a plant-based diet affects mental
illness. After wandering through life for so long I have now
found a goal. It is an unfamiliar, but an uplifting feeling.
Another thing all this change has helped me do is to redefine
success. Success is coming through the battles I thought I had
lost and moving on to help others fight the battles they thought
they had lost too.
Teresa Rodriguez
Rochester, NY
February 2008
 2008
John McDougall All Rights Reserveded
McDougall Wellness
Center P.O. Box 14039, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
http://www.drmcdougall.com
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