Other Names:
Paranoic, Catatonic, Hebephrenic, Dementia Praecox

Symptoms:
Principle signs are moodiness, solitary habits, stupor and excitement, delusions and hallucinations.

Hallucinations common, especially of hearing. Loss of emotion or, if shown, it is out of place. Actions are absent or inappropriate. There may be impulsive destructive acts and negativism. Extremities tend to be cold, blue, and edematous (puffy with fluids). Conscious, but takes little cognizance of what is going on about him. Delusions frequent but absurd, often of grandeur and persecution. May have attacks of tears or laughter. There may be excited activity. May remain in a stupor. Grimaces and mannerisms are frequent. Symptoms sometimes change form.

Schizophrenia affects about 3% of the population at some time in their lives.

Cause:
This is the most important of the psychoses, and is characterized by a loss of contact with the environment and by a disintegration of personality. The earlier name for it was dementia praecox.

There are four primary types. A vague sense of being two personalities and "changed" occurs in all types:

1 - Simple schizophrenia: The person becomes dull emotionally, loses ambition, and tends to withdraw. Yet there is no serious intellectual impairment.

2 - Paranoid schizophrenia: The person develops extensive delusions of persecution. He believes people are plotting against him.

3 - Catatonic schizophrenia: The person may show stereotyped excitement or simulate a stupor. But he will clearly remember it, if he later recovers.

4 - Hebephrenic schizophrenia: There are mannerisms, speech anomalies, hysteroid symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, and often a dreamy, ineffectual reaction.

Some believe schizophrenia is hereditary; others think that only attitudinal, dietetic, and external factors lead to it (head injuries, complications during birth, reaction to a virus or medicinal drug, environmental poisons).

A wide range of medicinal drugs can produce schizoid symptoms. It is known that many schizophrenics had birth complications or a head injury in childhood.

Schizophrenia is also linked to an excess of copper in the body. High copper levels cause vitamin C and zinc levels to drop. It is believed that a zinc deficiency may be a key factor inducing schizophrenia. A full 80% of those with this disorder have a deficiency of zinc and an excess of copper and iron in their body tissues. Supplementation of zinc and manganese are needed to correct this.

Zinc deficiencies occur more frequently in the winter, and this is when this disorder frequently begins.

It is now known that some individuals who, later in life are schizophrenic, had a prenatal zinc deficiency, from their mother's diet and way of life.

The pineal gland in the brain normally has high levels of zinc, and weakening of this endocrine gland may be a factor.

Magnesium deficiency may also be involved, since schizophrenics have lower magnesium levels in their blood; and, when they recover from it, their magnesium levels are higher.

Hypoglycemia appears to be frequently involved in schizophrenia. A fair level supply of blood sugar is vital, if oxygen is going to be regularly provided to the brain. Yet it is believed that an undersupply of oxygen is a key factor inducing the disorder. (See "Hypoglycemia.")

High-quality food, with emphasis on slow-to-digest whole grain products, should be eaten.

Mineral and trace mineral imbalances exist in schizophrenics. A nourishing diet, along with vitamin/mineral supplementation is needed.

Severe vitamin B3 (niacin) deficiency (pellagra), with its characteristics such as nervousness, loss of memory, confusion, paranoia, insomnia, depression, and hallucinations—resembles schizophrenia so closely, that the two disorders probably are the same.

Here is an interesting fact: When experiments were made on prisoners, and they were given no niacin for extended periods of time before they were again given normal diets, it required 60 times as much niacin to return them to normal, in order to prevent pellagra.

Severe deficiencies of other B complex vitamins can also produce schizoid symptoms. Severe B12 deficiency caused difficulty in concentration, poor memory, agitation, hallucinations, and manic or paranoid behavior. Biotin deficiency causes depression, lassitude, panic, and hallucinations.

Faulty essential fatty acid metabolism or deficiency is another factor leading to schizophrenia. The remedy was 2-6 tbsp. of linseed oil, in divided doses, given daily. Flaxseed oil, wheat germ oil, or sunflower seed oil work just as effectively.

Another factor is heavy metal poisoning. This would include lead, copper, mercury,

Treatment:
• Using orthodox psychiatric treatment, complete recovery is rare. The orthodox methods use various tranquilizers, all with severe side effects—electroconvulsive shock therapy and psychotherapy. Orthodox remedial substances deplete many essential vitamins, are highly toxic, damage brain tissue, and should be avoided.

• Using natural remedies, which are far broader in scope, solutions are much more likely.

• The primary areas of treatment are discussed above.

• Go on a fruit and vegetable juice diet for a time. This will provide vitamins and minerals while keeping the blood sugar normal during the fast. Repeat short juice fasts or one longer one for 4-6 weeks. Overly sweet fruit juices should be avoided or diluted 50-50 with water.

• During this time, give massive doses of niacin, in the form of niacinamide (1,000-3,000 mg with each meal; often as much as 25,000-30,000 mg per day). An equal amount of vitamin C should be given, B vitamins, especially pantothenic acid, and 3-5 tbsp. of brewer's yeast.

• After recovery, a large daily dose of niacinamide will have to be continued indefinitely.

• Repeat: Do not give massive doses of niacin, but rather in the form of niacinamide.

• Avoid all processed, junk, and fried foods. Do not use white flour or sugar foods. Stop eating meat. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine.

• Eat a high-fiber diet, including plenty of fresh raw vegetables and quality protein. Complex carbohydrates in the diet are important to keep the blood sugar level.