Description

Outline:

This 2-hour lecture will present past and present cutting-edge information about mental health that can be readily utilized in naturopathic mental health practice. The first hour will cover numerous natural health products and prescriptive medication to optimize the neuropsychiatric treatment of common mental health and related disorders. The second hour will focus on current trends in mental health, such as polyvagal theory and consumer technologies – that can improve the mental health of patients while fostering ongoing resilience. There will be loads of clinical pearls and anecdotes to support the learning from this engaging and inspiring lecture. A fun time for all!

In-depth analysis of important clinical publications and/or clinical applications to optimize the neuropsychiatric treatment of common mental health and related disorders. Some of the topics to be covered include, but are not limited to the following:

• 5-Hydroxytryptophan – May assist with body composition, helps with depression, and can be safely used to augment antidepressant treatment.
• Apigenin – It interacts with gamma-aminobutyric acid–benzodiazepine receptors pointing to numerous mental health applications.
• Ashwagandha – Aside from the numerous applications for anxiety, sleep, and stress, there are compelling reasons to provide robust informed consent about its potential hepatotoxicity and regular monitoring.
• Aspartame – Reviewing intake has important safety implications, as large amounts of this artificial sweetener can cause neuropsychiatric manifestations.
• Citicoline – Applications for addiction and schizophrenia.
• Creatine – Improves cognitive processing, notably in conditions characterized by brain creatine deficits, such as mild traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.
• Gamma-aminobutyric acid – Blood levels do increase following supplementation, which suggests important treatment implications for insomnia and other conditions.
• Holy Basil – Improvements in cognitive parameters and stress.
• Palmitoylethanolamide – Role in the treatment of depression.
• Phosphatidylserine – Role in the treatment of late-life depression with omega-3 essential fatty acids.
• Progesterone (Transdermal) – Applications for mood, PMS, PMDD, and restoring resilience.
• Rhodiola – In combination with saffron extract to improve anxiety, depression, and stress tolerance.
• Resveratrol – Helpful when managing the negative symptoms of patients with stable schizophrenia,
• Saffron – Benefits on sleep beyond applications for depression and ADHD.
• Theanine – Adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia and depression.
• Thyroid (Desiccated) – A neglected use for treatment-resistant depression in euthyroid patients.

(1 hour)

Review the polyvagal theory and its relevance of mental health, some important phenomenological aspects of depression that need to be highlighted when treating patients, suicide crisis syndrome, a unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders (i.e., depression and anxiety), and important consumer technologies – without mentioning brand names – that have relevance to mental health improvement and fostering resilience.

• Polyvagal theory – Using this knowledge to help patients feel more comfortable with themselves and with other people.
• Depression phenomenology – Applying different modes of understanding to better support the recovery of depressed patients.
• Suicide crisis syndrome – This likely new suicide specific diagnosis is important to understand since it explicates patients that are vulnerable to suicide even when they do not express suicidal ideation.
• Unified protocol for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders and how we can implement something similar in naturopathic practice to helps patients that come to us seeking help with depression and anxiety.

Review beneficial consumer technologies – i.e., vibroacoustic therapy, cranial electrotherapy or cranial electrical stimulation, and a wearable brain sensing device – to better support patients in between visits while also fostering resilience.

(1 hour)

As presented at our Live 2024 ND Conference: Naturopathic Approaches to Various Disorders