First-Episode Schizophrenia Ontario Outreach Case Study Series
Filed under: Case Study Outreach, Case Study Series, First-Episode Psychosis, First-Episode Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia and Medication
ONTARIO ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OUTREACH:
FIRST-EPISODE SCHIZOPHRENIA
Raymond J Pataracchia ND, BSc © 2012
Clinic Director, Naturopathic Medical Research Clinic
January 9, 2012
Our outreach project, localized to the geographic catchment of Southern Ontario and US vicinity, aims to provide an advanced drug-free treatment regimen that offers hope to first-episode schizophrenics.
First-episode schizophrenia (FES) is identifiable in people with consistent psychotic symptoms of six to twenty-four months duration. It is in this group that researchers believe early treatment offers the most benefit. Indeed it is in this group that there exists the greatest potential to bring brain chemistry back to a state of normalcy.
FES patients drastically need help and we are currently accepting patients for a one year case study series. We encourage all interested to call our Toronto clinic toll free at 1-877-ORTH-871 or locally at 416-944-8824. Although medical referral is not mandatory, we work with an array of medical professionals and aim to facilitate inter-professional collaborations. Case study protocol participation is expected to commence in February 2012.
In this international outreach effort, the Naturopathic Medical Research Clinic (NMRC), located in Toronto, Ontario, will use an advanced drug-free nutrient-based protocol with a central nutrient foundation that has been used successfully over the past half century.
We intend to report on the effectiveness of this unique first-episode treatment method in the entire sample of participants. Reporting will not only help future research efforts, but will also help society appreciate the value of a drug-free approach considered by many to offer profound hope.
FES patients taking drug medication (tranquilizer class neuroleptics, etc.) can safely and simultaneously use this nutrient-based treatment protocol. In society, we see a high drug drop-out rate in FES. Indeed many patients, upwards of 40%, opt not to take drug medication at all. With this naturally existing demographic setting we aim to determine the general and comparative effectiveness of this advanced nutrient-based protocol in drug-naïve versus drug-medicated FES. The benefit of using neuroleptic drugs in FES has not been established however a vast majority of modern day researchers assert: i) that neuroleptic benefits outweigh apparent risks; ii) that maintaining neuroleptics while implementing alternate treatment does not negatively alter study validity and; iii) that drug sedative effects play a paramount role in maintaining socially acceptable societal decorum.
In considering the protocol of choice in first-episode cases, we have taken into account sixty years of evidence-based archives and a decade of in-house data on alternative clinical treatment outcomes in schizophrenia. Our confidential clinic records on first-episode and chronic schizophrenia provide an array of comprehensive nutrient targeted data from which we have determined a unique and novel model of wellness. The chosen FES protocol contains an advanced vitamin and mineral regimen component that addresses core nutrient deficiencies and dependencies. We will be implementing comprehensive lab testing components to help determine the metabolic and biochemical factors that define good responders. There will also be a comprehensive component to assess symptoms and quality of life functional recovery aspects.
This international outreach effort will help facilitate a better understanding of what defines an effective alternative treatment model for FES. This outreach project is an ‘in-house’ case study series where everyone knows what the treatment is. We will assess and treat all FES case study participants the same way, with an advanced standard of care protocol that we consider to provide optimal benefit.
Eligible participants are required to pay for lab assessment, consult services, and treatment products; all costs are heavily discounted to increase access to a diverse and representative socio-economic population of FES patients.
Eligible Case Study Candidates are those who:
i) have a diagnosis of FES or who through a collaborative effort in assessing symptoms are provided with a solid FES diagnosis; participants must be moderate to severely symptomatic and functionally semi-independent in society; the time of onset must be determinable with accuracy in all cases; diagnostic uncertainty excludes participation; current DSM criteria must be met for diagnosis; ‘diagnosis by treatment’ is not an accepted diagnostic method; patients must be forthright in their disclosure of symptoms;
ii) are on, off, or have never taken neuroleptic medication; all conventional medical treatments must be disclosed;
iii) if on medication, are not to discontinue or withdraw unless directed under MD supervision; if progress is substantial and withdrawal from medication is indicated, this is to be done only as recommended under psychiatric supervision with the aim of maintaining the lowest effective dose to avoid receptor decompensation related confounds to treatment outcome (dose reductions should thereby not exceed 15% of the ‘stabilized’ dose of neuroleptic every 3-6 months during the one year case study treatment protocol);
iv) are about to switch or add another neuroleptic, so long as this is done under the guidance of the prescribing MD, 3-6 months before commencing the one year case study treatment protocol;
v) are less than 2 years post-onset at the time of starting the case study treatment protocol;
vi) are 18 to 40 years old at the time of starting the case study treatment protocol;
vii) are willing to allow their progress to be documented by providing disclosure to report data on their case up to 5 years post-treatment (anonymity is respected in all cases);
viii) are committed to adhering to the treatment protocol to ensure compliance; participants must be able to form an alliance with the research team to comply with treatment protocol structure (a compliance contract is mandatory); where possible, patients should be accompanied by caregivers to provide a support network that ensures compliance;
ix) have not used or plan to use other alternative treatments prior to or during the one year case study treatment protocol; all non-conventional alternative medical treatments must be disclosed;
x) do not have a history of a medical or psychological condition that is a confound to treatment response; for example, active liver disease (such as active hepatitis), illicit drug use, alcohol abuse, peptic ulcer, Lyme’s disease, temporal lobe epilepsy, behavior disorder, assaultive or flagrant uncooperative behavior, moderate to severe destructive behavior, etc; If such conditions become known during the one year case study treatment protocol, the participant will be excluded from the study; all medical or psychological conditions must be disclosed prior or during the course of the one year case study treatment protocol;
xi) are willing to pay for treatment and participate without subsidization; participants will be expected to pay for transportation to and from the Toronto clinic and any other miscellaneous out-of-pocket expenses; participants excluded from the study are not eligible for discounts.
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