Question: Is tart cherry juice a good idea for sleeping problems with marijuana withdrawal or is it better to just order natural melatonin?

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

I don't know what the nature is exactly of your sleeping problems, other than you're going through a period of not using cannabis. Since I'm not a medical practitioner, I can't suggest to you what to try, but I can tell you that 1 mg of Melatonin works for me. All brands are not created equal, so if you try it, choose a recommended brand. Tablets work more quickly for me if chewed, but the capsules really keep me asleep, but make me groggy in the morning (I need a shower to wake myself up).

I've used Valerian capsules in the past, and even Passion Flower (although, when smoked like cannabis, it will not work until one's body is clean of THC. I haven't used cannabis in decades, but I've smoked Passion Flower with cannabis users and it seems that their synapses are being monopolized by the THC). Passion Flower tea is supposed to work. So does L-Tryptaphan, or a precursor, 5-HTP. Be sure to check this info with your physician for any potential negative interactions in your particular profile.

I've never heard of cherry juice for sleep. Vitamin C and fructose sugar comes to mind, but best wishes if you're trying to get free of any habit, cannabis included..

Question: What do you think about the supplement NAC to help me deal with cocaine and crack coaine cravings? I have ADHD do you think that the NAC will help with that also or make it worse? I am going to NA meetings but they are only helping a little bit I still have a hard time and I have relapsed a lot.

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

Amino acids may be available without a prescription, but they can have serious side effects. For example, if someone has the Herpes simplex virus, L-Argenine can induce a herpes attack. On the other hand, if one takes L-Lysine, one can prevent that same herpes attack. "NAC" or N-Acetyl Cysteine derives from L-Cysteine, which, as I understand it, should be taken with three times the amount of Vitamin C, or else the L-Cysteine can develop into kidney stones! I do not know if this is a danger with the N-Acetyl form, but I advise you to find out before you embark on any self-experimentation!

Now, I am not a medical practitioner, nutritionist, or dietitian, so I am not really authorized to give you suggestions on supplements. Since I myself do experiment with supplements, I will suggest that you do thorough research on this or any other supplement, and consult with a trained medical professional who is both well-versed in supplementation and sympathetic to their use. Many, if not most physicians that I have encountered are not in favor of laypeople experimenting with supplements, if only because many supplements are not stringently monitored for purity. I have personally experienced this with Niacin. The amount per capsule seemed to vary widely from bottle to bottle, which was immediately apparent because of the symptoms of high-dose Niacin. 

I do not have any personal experience, or anecdotal experience with this particular amino acid, but if you decide to try this, be sure to obtain a pharmaceutical grade product. It will cost more, but you'll be getting what you pay for. Best wishes on your recovery.

Question: I am considering seeing a nutritionist for treatment advice for generalized anxiety disorder. She charges $145 per 50 minute session and I will probably have to go to at least 3 sessions over three months. There are also more fees for urine testing laboratory work because she tests for imbalances in trace minerals and fatty acids and toxins and a number of other things that may be influencing my anxiety. She will develop a personalized diet plan for me. This is a lot of money for me but if it will help then I am willing to give it a try. I do not expect this to make my anxiety go away completely but to just be something that will help to reduce it a little bit. Do you think this is worth the money?

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

...is a book by Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, that I finished recently. I have a Bachelors degree in philosophy, and a Master of Theological Studies degree as well. I read Kierkegaard in the seminary too, 37 years ago. Why do I mention this? Because of all the existential problems that people suffer, like guilt, regret, boredom, meaninglessness, etc., anxiety has been the most problematic in my own life. I have studied it for decades.

There are many vectors into the problem of anxiety. I start at the bottom with physical constitution, and then work upwards to more psychological, philosophical, and spiritual sources. I move from gross to subtle causes. Food does relate to the physical causes. I supplement daily with 100 mg the amino acid L-Theanine (check with your physician first if interested), because it definitely takes some of the edge off of anxiety. Your nutritionist might suggest Green Tea (Camillia sinensis), for example, which contains L-Theanine, but I am not qualified to give nutritional advice. Before even considering food, consider that certain physical constitutions (body-type or "somatatype") experience more anxiety than others. This idea belongs to the Constitutional Psychology of W.H. Sheldon. "Ectomorphic" or "Meso-ectomorphs" (like myself) experience greater degrees of anxiety than other types. So, certain types of people constitutionally are 'less comfortable' in their own skin, by nature.

I would need to know a whole lot more about you to determine whether your anxiety stems from constitutional factors, or whether there are specific events behind it that should be addresses therapeutically. The 'mother' of all anxieties is "death anxiety," and an excellent book on the topic is 'The Denial of Death' by Ernest Becker. It would be important for you to understand to what extent human beings behave in ways that are engineered to have us deny the inevitability of death, and the concomitant anxiety of being aware of our mortality. Another book with more curative than descriptive powers is 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle. THIS book has been immeasurably therapeutic for me during my most anxious times over the last several years. It is rarely shelved! Reading is also a form of therapy - Bibliotherapy.

Lastly, I would suggest hypnotherapy, since that is my specialty area of therapy. I have helped others to relieve anxiety due to more specific causes (e.g., public speaking, or athletic performances), as well as full-blown phobias, through hypnotherapy. If you live within the USA, here is the National Board that I belong to: www.natboard.com. I cannot adequately evaluate the degree to which nutrition can alleviate symptoms of anxiety (besides the obvious elimination of caffeine, or theobromine in chocolate, and other food stimulants), but I can attest to the efficacy of hypnotherapy from professional experience. If you mention money, it must be an issue, and if you seek non-medicinal treatment for anxiety, my money would be on hypnotherapy.

Question: Will a low inflammatory diet help with depression? If I skip fast food and all processed foods enough to reduce dietary inflammation is that all I need to do or do you have to pay more attention than that?

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

Firstly, I am not a registered dietitian, nor a medical doctor or a doctor of oriental medicine (like an acquaintance I just returned an e-mail to). But I'll use an example based on my own medical condition to illustrate the point that diet, regardless of the claims made for it, are not always sufficient.

My body produces an excess of LDL cholesterol. I used to treat it with Red Yeast Rice, an OTC product that contained a naturally occurring statin compound. In 2002, my physician told me that the results for me were better than the pharmaceutical drug Mevacor®! 

But a year or so later, the FDA insisted that Red Yeast Rice suppliers, remove the statin compound from their products. I do not know how consistently suppliers followed through, but Red Yeast Rice no longer works for me. So, I went on Dr. Caldwell Eselstyne's 100% Oil-Free Vegan Diet (which ostensibly saved Bill Clinton's life). For 16 months, without cheating, I ate NO animal products (meat, fowl, fish, dairy), and NO oil or foods that contained oil (peanut butter, seeds, nuts, chocolate)! I learned to bake breads and foods without oil. My results? My LDL and triglyceride numbers got worse! For me, the cholesterol could NOT have come from foods, I was producing it in my body, and I finally had to concede to take a low dose statin drug. It worked. Within two months all my lipid and associated measures were in the normal range (except for HDL which was a bit low, so I've increased my exercise routine to bring it up).

I have been health and diet oriented since age 19, and now I'm 60. Genetics plays a major role in our physical and hence mental conditions. I am completely in favor of diet, supplements, vitamins (even experimenting with mega-vitamin therapy, though mostly dismissed in psychiatric circles), exercise, Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and various meditations, before resorting to, or recommending anti-depressant pharmaceuticals. Personally, I went through a situational depression during my divorce 20+ years ago, and I could not tolerate the effects of the meds I requested, but I did get some relief from using (legal) Passion Flower (Passiflora Incarnata). I used it as one might use Cannabis, but it does NOT work if one currently uses Cannabis (THC apparently monopolizes the receptor sites needed). I have not been a Cannabis user for 30 years, so a few 'hits' on a pipe yielded mildly sedating and euphoric effects, as well as anxiolytic and anti-depressive effects for 24 hours. I understand that a tea also works, but I have no experience with it. I did not find Passion Flower to be habit-forming. 

Since am not in a position to practice herbal medicine, I am only relating my own experience, not recommending it to you. If interested, I suggest you check with your own health care professionals to see if it's OK to experiment with yourself.

Question: Are cleanses, juice cleanses and other fasting methods advisable during a marijuana detoxification program? Never want to eat when I try to quit and there so much toxicity that needs to come out of my body that it appears to me that this might be a beneficial combination. Any thoughts on this?

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

As I surmised, the fat-soluble THC and associated cannabinoids can be released into the body more quickly with serious fasting. It is not advised to fast according to Marijuana Anonymous®  https://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/literature/pamphlets/detoxing-from-marijuana

As far as eating is concerned, I expect you will have to eat during the period of time it takes to eliminate cannabinoids from your body. Just because a urine test can detect use for approximately one month after having used doesn't mean that all traces are eliminated from your system in one month. There are more sensitive blood, saliva, and hair assays that can determine the continued presence of cannabinoids. You're not going to go without eating for three months, obviously. 

The answer is to stop all intake of cannabis - period. With time, your cells will eventually rid themselves of their THC content. Remember, your brain cells also contain these unwanted molecules, and all the fasting and exercise is not going to speed up the elimination from those cells. Juice fasts may cleanse your colon, but not your brain.

Question: I have an anger management problem. I am working on it. Some sites that I visit advertise herbal anger management remedies. I am skeptical. Is there anything to these types of products which seem to be just a mishmash of different roots and berries etc etc in a capsule that is supposed to make me feel calmer the next time some guy cuts me off while I am driving?

Dr. Stuart Shipko Says...:

I don't think so.  Anger itself is not a psychiatric illness, and even though it can be a symptom of both anxiety and depression, it is not a part of the diagnostic criterion for these conditions.  Anger has a unique status as being a part of most emotional illnesses but not defining any condition.  I suppose that a person could be drugged by medications or herbs to the point where they don't react much anymore, but that is a poor solution for people who need anger management.  What I have found most helpful for patients is to use a very basic cognitive program in which the patient closely examines what triggers anger and then develops strategies to respond more appropriately when triggered. Good anger management therapists often have individual programs with workbooks and lessons. It turns out that motivated patients do pretty well with a cognitive approach.

Question: I am in cocaine recovery. My thinking is really muddy and slow. I understand that this is normal but it is frustrating. I expected to feel much better once I was sober, not worse. Actually I do feel better in most ways but my thinking ability seems to be worse now sober than it was when flying through writing in the mid afternoon. Will gingko biloba help? It has been recommended to me as a cocaine treatment and thinking aid.

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

However, there is a book that's been around since the mid 1980s. I read it then, and I can tell you that the director of the substance abuse clinic I was working at back then did not like the idea of me suggesting an herbal routine to my clients. I was not a naturopath, an herbalist, or in any certifiable way authorized to make such suggestions. If you are interested, you might find the book 'Getting Off Cocaine' by Michael Weiner, Ph.D. Amazon.com has the book used beginning at $4.00 (+S&H).

Please bear in mind that I am not recommending this book personally, because the average person who is unfamiliar with vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements will find this author's daily regime daunting. Moreover, there are now on the market so-called 'smart drugs,' the Nootropics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic . I cannot attest to their usefulness in kicking coke, but I have found some of them to increase my concentration so that I've been able to sit down and read, or write, for 6-7 hours with delight, and no fatigue. These are not pharmaceuticals requiring a prescription (and I do not want to be accused of practicing medicine without a license!), and they are not 'drugs' like amphetamines. Most are available on-line. They should be taken along with Choline which is a nutrient classed with B-vitamins. For example, I take 1200 mg of Piracetam with 600 mg Choline, three times a week. On Saturdays, I alternate taking 300 mg of Pramiracetam (and 600 mg Choline) with 300 mg Sulbutiamine (and 600 mg Choline). I am not recommending these to you, I am simply sharing my own regime of these substances.

If you are interested in supplements, I do recommend checking with your physician for any possible contraindications. S[H]e may be an allopath who is unfamiliar with, opposed to, or even sympathetic with such supplements, depending upon his/her own philosophy, so you may want to research these things first, then ask for specific dangers based on your specific medical history. Do not go by what you read on the internet alone. Please give yourself time for your brain structures responsible for Dopamine production, and associated functions to heal from your cocaine use. I once saw a brown glass Merck Pharmaceutical® bottle of Cocaine Hydrochloride. It had a skull and crossbones on it! Remember that cocaine is poisonous, that it causes necrosis (death) of tissues that are over-exposed to it. It also causes heart attacks and aneurisms in the brain leading to stroke and sudden death. I have seen these things up close and personal. Best regards on your path to getting free!

Question: I am an alcoholic and I have recurring depression which I think is probably undiagnosed bipolar since I definitely have periods of mania but my psychiatrist doesn’t think so and since he controls the meds that’s why I cant get right sometimes and its also why I am tired of western medicine and I want to explore more ways of self healing without chemicals. I was recommended Qigong which basically all about getting your life force in order. When your qi doesn’t flow properly you have illness and unhappiness. As I understand it even doctors admit that it works but they cannot explain why it works. Would you say that qigong is a good thing to try for depression and alcoholism?

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

I am not averse to other models of health, but admittedly, I am not a practitioner of Qigong, Tai Chi, or other Chinese systems. Aside from having read a handful of books on Taoist practices and having taken a course on the short Yang form of Tai Chi, I must admit ignorance. I have, however, been a student of Indian and Sikh forms of Yoga, as well as having written a dissertation paralleling Tibetan Buddhist Yoga with western psychological theories. I state all this simply to establish the fact that I do respect non-allopathic systems of health and wholeness.

That being said, I will also say that I am not a medical doctor, nor do I recommend an all-or-nothing extremism. I was once pulled into participating in a Bible-reading prayer session in an American public school, to aid a boy who had 'episodes!' Those episodes were explained medically as the result of sickle cell anemia, where the sickling was occurring in his brain, resulting in transient psychotic episodes. He was receiving treatment at the local clinic for this medical condition, while also being treated 'as if' he was being oppressed by demons, as described biblically. In THAT particular case, I personally belonged on the medical side of the physical-metaphysical continuum.

In your instance, I would begin to familiarize myself with the practices and philosophy of Qigong, while continuing to receive medical treatment. Medicine operates under one world-view while Qigong operates under completely different assumptions. The subjective factor is very important in Qigong, just as it is in Yoga and Ayurvedic medicine. One cannot assume an eastern model with western assumptions and expect it to work similarly. The subjective factor is also a component of homeopathy and spagyric alchemy, and one does not simply go through the physical actions in order to reap any benefits. There is a necessary shift in the psychosomatic aspect, and I do not use the term in a typically western way, as if to marginalize the psychic aspect, like 'it's just in your mind.' No, one must transition between models, such that if proficiency in Qigong reduces one's need for medication, fine. Just jumping ship from a medical model to a metaphysical model would be reckless. As human beings, we belong to both domains simultaneously, and one must establish balance. By all means learn Qigong, but do not simply abandon the medical model. That would do violence to your dual nature. Transition with patience and with evidence of gains.

Question: What is the best natural supplement to use as an everyday anti anxiety medication instead of Xanax? I need a constant low grade anxiety remover to help me deal with constant worry and rumination but I do not want to get involved with Xanax ever again. I am looking for something that is not addictive and that I won’t develop a tolerance to and keep needing more and more. And also something that is safe to use every day for probably the rest of my life? And also something that helps me with my anxiety but doesn’t put me to sleep or make me feel high or drunk or thinking impaired… a tall order, I know! Is there anything you could recommend to me that would fit my parameters?

Dr. Mark Abrahams Says...:

The recommendation of substances that may be used medicinally is not the province of a non-medical, mental health professional, so I am not going to recommend anything to you for ethical and legal reasons. However, I would direct you to your own physician and inquire about the amino acid L-Theanine. A former colleague of mine used to use it in an aerosol delivery system for rapid onset panic attacks with very good results, according to her report. I have had good results myself from 100 mg of L-Theanine prophylactically, with an additional 100 mg later in the day, if needed. 

But, as I said, I am not in a position to recommend a substance, so please run this past your medical practitioner, who is familiar with you and can warn you of any contraindications for its use. There is no drowsiness or impairment in my experience, but concentrations of amino acids can cause dramatic results, wanted or unwanted! For examples, certain popular energy drinks are loaded with the amino acid L-Taurine. Concentrations of L-Arginine, which is touted for sexual enhancement and body-building can bring on a Herpes Simplex outbreak for those people whose body harbors the virus, almost immediately. L-Phenylalanine can be very dangerous or even fatal for people with the disorder Phenylketonuria (PKU). Just because a substance is available without a prescription does not mean that it is automatically harmless - to you. There are probably additional conditions in which concentrated amino acids are contraindicated, so ask your physician first. Be safe!

Question: My son has asperger’s and he is using alcohol and drugs. He is having a lot of trouble socially. He does not open up well to strangers. Is art therapy something that is going to be beneficial to him given his asperger’s? He is working with a psychiatrist but I feel he needs to explore some additional therapies.

Dr. Carol Bunch Says...:

Art therapy is an excellent way for patients especially
those with autism to facilitate emotional expression and improve
self-confidence and self-esteem through the use of the group therapy
format. It is use to improve and enhance the well-being of individuals of all
ages not just children. According to the American Art Therapy Association, art
therapy can assist with resolving conflicts and problems, developing
interpersonal skills, managing behavior, reducing stress, reducing self-esteem
and self- awareness, and achieving insight.

In addition, I would recommend substance abuse counseling. Drugs and alcohol are also used as a way to cope with anxiety and/or
depression from dealing with been stigmatized or ostracized from their peers. The awkward
attempts and social deficits of individuals with Asperger's often make
them the outsider in their peer groups; therefore, engagement with others can been difficult. As a consequence, Asperger's does not cause substance abuse. The substance abuse can be caused by circumstances such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, or social reasons.

Art therapy is an excellent way to tap into the underlying consciousness of a patient. There's a level of insight that can come to the surface through art that has been trapped in the unconscious. In a group setting, a patient will be able to experience the "I'm not alone."  The art therapy technique can increase self-esteem and self-awareness.