This section focuses on alternative health treatments. Please note that I am not a medical expert, you should definitely consult a medical professional regarding how these may affect you.

Version: 1.6 (3/12/2023)

Types of Alternative Treatments

• Diet
• Supplements
• Herbs
• Behavioral

Bibliography

ADHD

• Dr. Sandy Newmark. “The ADHD Food Fix: How to Fight ADHD Symptoms With Diet and Supplements.” ADDitude Mag.
• ADDitude Editors. “6 Essential (and Often-Overlooked) Supplements for ADHD.” ADDitude.
• Dr. Daniel Amen. “An ADHD Eating Plan and Nutrition to Supercharge Your Brain.” ADDitude.
• Dr. Edward Hallowell, Kay Marner, Tina Adler. Fish Oil for ADHD: Can a Daily Fish Oil Supplement Help Curb Symptoms of ADHD? ADDitude, 2005.

Depression

• Dr David Mischoulon, et al. Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Major Depressive Disorder With High Inflammation: A Randomized Dose-Finding Clinical Trial. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2022 Aug 22; 83(5):21m14074.
• Dr. David Mischoulon. Omega-3 fatty acids for mood disorders. Harvard Health Blog, 10/27/2020.
• Alessandro Cuomo, Bruno Beccarini Crescenzi, Simone Bolognesi, Arianna Goracci, Despoina Koukouna, Rodolfo Rossi, and Andrea Fagiolini. S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) in major depressive disorder (MDD): a clinician-oriented systematic review. Annals of General Psychiatry, 2020 Sept 5, 19: 50.
  • Overall positive evaluation of SAM-e, encourages larger studies.
• Mount Sinai Health Library. S-adenosylmethionine.

OCD

• Jerome Sarris, et al. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) augmentation in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A phase III, 20-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry. 2022 Jul 13; 117:110550.
  • No positive indication for OCD or depression.
• Gabrielle M Parli, Mark A Gales, Barry J Gales. N-Acetylcysteine for Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Review. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 2022 Nov 16.
  • Limited evidence for use in children/adolescents.
• J. Sá Couto, J. Rodrigues, M. Pão Trigo, B. Da Luz and T. Ventura Gil. The Role of N-Acetylcysteine in Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD) and Related Disorders. European Psychiatry, Vol 65 S1, June 2022, pp. S644-S645
  • Mixed evidence requiring further research.
• Stephen A. Kichuk, Richard M Carlton, Christopher Pittenger. Over-the-Counter Supplements in the Treatment of OCD. IOCDF, 2013.
• Canan Kuygun Karci, Gonca Gül Celik. Nutritional and herbal supplements in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. General Psychiatry, 2020, 33(2).
• Dr. Jon E. Grant, Sarah A. Redden, Dr. Samuel R. Chamberlain. Milk Thistle Treatment of Children and Adults with Trichotillomania: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Negative Study. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2019 Mar-Apr, 39(2), 129-134.
• Farzaneh Yousefzadeh, Erfan Sahebolzamani, Arash Sadri, et al. 5-Hydroxytryptophan as adjuvant therapy in treatment of moderate to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder: a double-blind randomized trial with placebo control. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2020 Sep, 35(5), 254-262.
• Maryam Hosseini Abrishami, Mohamad Reza Noras, Atefeh Soltanifar, et al. Clinical Evidence for the Effectiveness of Herbal Medicines in the Treatment of an Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder: A Review Study. Current Drug Discovery Technologies, 2022, 19(5).
• Nafiseh Sadat Sanikhani, Mohammad Hossein Modarressi, Parvaneh Jafari, et al. The Effect of Lactobacillus casei Consumption in Improvement of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: an Animal Study. Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, 2020 Dec, 12(4), 1409-1419.

Other

• Dr. Olivia Dean, Dr. Frank Giorlando, Dr. Michael Berk. “N-acetylcysteine in psychiatry: current therapeutic evidence and potential mechanisms of action.” Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience (JPN), Canada Medical Association, March 2011, 36(2), 78-86.
• University of Michigan Medical Center. “S-adenosymlmethionine.” 2011.
• Dr. Andrew Weil. “Rhodiola for What Ails You.” January 1, 2013.
• Dr. Mehmet Oz. “5 Effective Energy Boosters.” DoctorOz, January 10, 2013.
• Nancy Ferrari, ed. “9 Tips to Boost Your Natural Energy.” Harvard HEALTBeat, June 7, 2006.
• Kathleen Doheny. “The Benefits of Fiber: For Your Heart, Weight, and Energy.” WebMD.
• R. Morgan Griffin. “Energy Boosters: Can Supplements and Vitamins Help?” WebMD.
• Dr. Andrew Weil. “What Does Dr. Weil Say About Turmeric?” MegaFood.
• Dr. Andrew Weil. “5 Ways to Boost Your Mood.” September 4, 2014.
• Christine Byrne, Christine Yu. 19 Complex Carbs You Should Def Incorporate Into Your Diet. Women’s Health, 2019.
• Kristeen Cherney. Simple Carbohydrates vs Complex Carbohydrates. healthline, 2019.
• Dr. Edward Hallowell. 11 Brain-Building Food Rules. ADDitude, updated: 7/2021.