Schizophrenia Symptom Alleviation Through Implementation of a Lifestyle Intervention Program.

BACKGROUND: This case report illustrates the use of a lifestyle intervention program entitled "Vital Mind Reset" which led to the alleviation of disabling schizophrenic symptomology. SUMMARY: A 22-year-old male with onset of Tourette's Syndrome and depression with suicidal ideation as a teenager began declining in mental vitality, resulting in the eventual diagnosis of treatment-resistant schizophrenia at the age of 17. At this time, he was admitted to an adolescent mental health ward due to delusional thinking and auditory hallucinations. Despite administration of a multitude of antipsychotic medications throughout the ensuing years, he was admitted yearly to the same hospital during the winter months until 2015. The patient began the Vital Mind Reset (VMR) program in 2017, committing to a series of lifestyle interventions which included dietary modifications, daily meditations, and detoxification practices. After completing the program, the patient experienced significantly improved quality of life, as he was once again able to leave his house. One year after completing the program, his physicians reported his schizophrenia appeared "to be in remission." Given these results, when medication and conventional therapies gain limited progress, lifestyle interventions outlined in the VMR program should be considered, perhaps even as first-line therapy. This case defies the chronicity of severe psychiatric symptomologies such as schizophrenia and exemplifies the potential for healing and resolution of persistent psychiatric illness.

Healing of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Borderline Personality Traits, and Bipolar Disorder Through Lifestyle Interventions: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: This case report illustrates that the use of a series of lifestyle interventions delivered via the "Vital Mind Reset" online program led to the resolution of disabling psychiatric symptoms. SUMMARY: A 40-year-old, married, Caucasian female, with onset of suicidal ideation as a teenager, was treated with antidepressants and was later formally diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID), borderline personality traits, and bipolar disorder (BD). In the ensuing years, the patient was treated with 35 psychiatric medications. Additionally, she experienced numerous hospitalizations and received over 30 electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. Despite this extensive conventional treatment, she reported limited gains. In October 2017, the patient committed to the Vital Mind Reset (VMR) online program and implemented a series of lifestyle changes over 44 days, starting with 30 days of dietary, meditation, and lifestyle protocols, followed by supplementation. Notably, the patient has since resolved both physical and psychiatric symptoms including fatigue, acne, migraines, cold sweats, dizziness, nausea, blood sugar crashes, resting tremors, brain fog, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, auditory hallucinations, and delusions. In this patient's case, hypertension, bradycardia, headaches, increased frequency of mania, tremors, insomnia, and weight gain accompanied her medications. This case exemplifies the dramatic resolution of disabling psychiatric symptoms after engagement in the lifestyle interventions outlined in the VMR program, medication taper, and supplementation. When medication demonstrates limited clinical yield and a plethora of side effects, tapering combined with lifestyle interventions and supplementation should be considered as first-line therapy. This case is evidence of the potential for healing and resolution of severe and persistent psychiatric illness with dietary and lifestyle changes.

Clinical Remission of Treatment-Resistant Depression, Polysubstance Abuse, and Antidepressant Discontinuation Syndrome Through Engagement of Lifestyle Interventions.

BACKGROUND: This case illustrates the relationship between gut, hormonal, and brain function in that dietary changes, mindfulness interventions, and detoxification led to resolution of disabling psychiatric symptoms and protracted psychotropic medication withdrawal symptoms. SUMMARY: A 50-year-old partnered, unemployed, Caucasian female with a history of major depressive disorder, multiple suicide attempts, extensive trauma and abuse, and substance abuse presented for outpatient management. The patient reported limited benefit from over two decades of conventional treatment with psychotropic medications. She presented with depression and symptoms of protracted withdrawal after self-discontinuation of multiple psychiatric medications and was prescribed a dietary, detoxification, and supplementation regimen by the primary author. Additional lifestyle interventions implemented included daily meditation, dry-skin brushing, and coffee enemas. CONCLUSION: This case exemplifies dramatic clinical remission after cessation of medication treatment and engagement of lifestyle interventions, which include dietary change, meditation, and detoxification. As such, when limited results are achieved by psychotropic medication, tapering combined with dietary interventions as the first-line therapy should be considered. This case is also evidence of the role of lifestyle interventions in treating protracted withdrawal symptoms associated with discontinuing psychotropic medications.