Last summer I stumbled upon the work of Dr. William Walsh of the Walsh Research Institute, when he was interviewed by Dave Asprey on the Bulletproof Podcast. I was instantly struck with Dr. Walsh’s character; his authenticity, accessibility and humanitarian stance, as well as the groundbreaking scientific work that he has been doing for more than 30 years. He is the founder of The Walsh Research Institute, whose mission has been to “bring the benefits of advanced biochemical therapy to millions of persons challenged by ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, clinical depression, behavior disorders, autism, and neurodegenerative disorders, conduct research studies into a range of mental disorders and train doctors around the world in advanced, drug-free biochemical treatment of these disorders.”
When Dr. Walsh
mentioned a training that he would be hosting for physicians in Chicago in October 2014, I immediately resolved to go and learn from him.
Just as Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride was way ahead of her time, this is equally true of Dr. Walsh. Long before the mainstream media began to regularly report on the human micro biome, Dr. Natasha had developed the GAPS Healing Protocol, which is based upon the recognition of the primacy of the role of gut flora in autism, brain disorders and general immunity. I believe that Dr. Walsh’s treatment approach, which targets biochemical individuality and uses natural substances to correct imbalances, is the future direction of psychiatry. He actually just did a presentation at a recent meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, where his talk was well received and generated a great deal of interest.
Current conventional psychiatric practice, with its reliance on chemical pharmaceuticals and disregard for biochemical individuality, is in comparison, very primitive. Listening to Dr. Walsh, I felt inspired in the same way as I did when I attended the GAPS Practitioner Training with Dr. Natasha in 2011. It was clear to me that I was again in the presence of a courageous and brilliant pioneer. Dr. Walsh’s treatment approach will enable me to individualize treatments to a greater degree, and to incorporate natural nutrient therapies to help my patients, making it possible for more of them to avoid medications. When medications remain necessary, lower the dosages will often be sufficient, which reduces side effects. I am also excited about doing the laboratory studies on myself and identifying and treating my own imbalances. I am always my own best guinea pig.
This summer when I read Dr. Walsh’s book, Nutrient Power, I was very disappointed that treatment protocols were not included. Dr. Walsh does not want the reader to try this at home. My initial response was that this reflected a patronizing distrust of the patient; that only doctors can do this. But I changed my mind over the course of the conference. Walsh’s approach is intricate and sophisticated, and though all the nutrients are natural substances , they are extremely powerful and can do a lot of damage if not administered properly. It is truly complicated, and it was a real challenge during the training to wrap my mind around the complexities of this approach. One of Dr. Walsh’s collaborators, Dr. Albert Mensah, who also taught at the training, stated that he believes that it takes about four years to gain facility with the method. Dr. Mensah has a practice in the Chicago area, Mensah Medical, in partnership with Dr. Judith Bowman. Their website contains much useful information, including a great video library.
Here is one example of what I admire about Dr. Walsh’s work: Mainstream psychiatry treats depression as though it were single entity, essentially a serotonin deficiency condition. The first line conventional treatment for depression are medications which inhibit the re-uptake of serotonin (SSRI’s), such as Prozac. It’s essentially one size fits all. Dr. Walsh has a database of 300,000 chemical analyses of blood and 2,800 of urine and has determined that depressed persons can be classified into five major chemical classifications or biotypes. Separate nutrient therapy protocols have been developed for each of the depression biotypes. This classification explains why some people respond well and others terribly to the same medication.
Depressed persons with one of the subtypes characterized by folate deficiency, experience worsening depression and become violent after starting SSRIs. Dr. Walsh stated that there have been about 50 school shootings since the advent of Prozac in 1988, and that 40 of the perpetrators were taking SSRI’s.
Dr. Walsh has studied 10,000 violent children and adults, and noted that most of them exhibited troubles before the age of 5. In contrast, the school shooters were pretty good students until about the age of 14 or 15, when they developed anxiety and depression, were started on an SSRI, and then became violent. He believes that this is likely a very nasty effect of SSRIs in some young males with the folate deficiency depression biotype.
This is a quote from Nutrient Power, ” The school shootings at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech were carried out by students who had begun taking SSRI antidepressants. The FDA has mandated that prescriptions for SSRIs contain a warning that “anti-depressants increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior.” It seems likely that person with the low-folate biotype are especially vulnerable to this medication side effect. I recommend that psychiatrists perform simple blood tests prior to initiating SSRI therapy in order to identify low-folate individuals who are at risk for adverse side effects.” This makes a lot of sense, right?
Dr. Walsh contends that it’s simply not possible to eat the amounts of food necessary to correct inherited or acquired biochemical imbalances that are correlated with many psychiatric conditions, though you can exacerbate the condition with the wrong diet.
Individualized nutrient therapy is another powerful arrow in my healing quiver, which includes therapeutic conversation, nutrition and life style recommendations which support immunity, mind-body and energetic approaches.
Here is Asprey’s interview with Dr. Walsh:
What an interesting topic! I have been reading a lot about ubdermethylation and I do think that Walsh is on to something but much is not really explained.
Are the people with undermeyhylation that are prescribed high dosage b6 actually deficient in pyridoxine on the blood test? If the answer is yes why is the dosage so high? A few mg should be enough I would think since one need only about 1 mg. How does Walsh conclude someone needs b6?
Thank you!
Regards,
Al
There is no testing of B6 levels. High-dose B6 is simply part of his protocols. It is based upon his clinical experience and research about what is effective.
What would you recommend the next step be if results of zinc, copper, histamine, ceruloplasm and pyroluria come back normal?
Other important areas to pursue are gut health, Mold toxicity and Lyme disease, toxins and psycho spiritual issues to name a few other considerations.
My pyroluria actually came back at 28 which is severe according to ranges. Dr. Walsh worked with people with much higher ranges. Can a 28 cause significant psychological issues?
Yes, a level of 22 is above the range and correlated with symptoms.
Been tested pyloric year ago, level went from 19 to 29. Just had labs Today with new Walsh trained Dr, wants me to raise b6 to 375mg from 50mg, also raise zinc to 75, p5p to: 100, feel like system will not tolerate amount. Depression Anxiety mood swings cycling. Have anxiety in stomach.
I cannot comment on you individually but the dosages your practitioner is recommending is within the range recommended by Dr. Walsh. That being said, it’s not uncommon in my experience for people to experience side effects from B6 and zinc. Sometimes it can be helpful to increase very slowly
Hello Judy, where can I find the levels for what copper and others should be?
Thank you
Walsh/Pfeiffer Functional Range
*Zinc, Plasma 90-135
Histamine 40-70
Copper 70-110
Thanks so much! I’m just so confused because my LabCorp copper serum was 90 and my Dr. who is very cold by the way said according Walsh range is high but on the LabCorp range is fine. I was diagnosed with Bartonella last July and the in November high readings for Mycoplasma Pneumonia. My Doctor always seems to have a excuse in not saying this is a concern like that doesn’t mean Bartonella is active. Also recently the same LabCorp results have NO iodine detected from urine test yet this Dr. still doesn’t say to treat. I’m told I have to get the thesting for Pyroles/histamin yet! Would love any help you could give. Thanks, Kevin
So sorry to hear that you are so unhappy with your treatment. It would be important for you to find someone to work with with whom you are comfortable. That helps a lot on the healing journey. I have no concrete advice for you, but wish you all the best
I’m trying to treat myself for my schizophrenia using walsh approach,
The whole concept fits like perfect piece of a puzzle in my mind especially about overmethylation i always wondered why serotonin reuptake inhibitors made me feel so bad now it makes sense.
I didn’t get blood testing i just want to see if taking the folic acid and b6 and all that will produce a nice calming clarity effect for me or not but if i run into problems i’ll probably have to see one of the practitioners in australia.
Please tell me how we can get the testing done for my daughter, she is highly obsessive. She is over scrutinizing and the doc suggests new meds but we need REAL help.
I used to have the lab address and fb address but no money. Now I have the money but forgot the address.
I recommend that you go on the Walsh Research Institute web page and go to the page with Find a Practitioner and look for someone who can to an evaluation. http://www.walshinstitute.org/clinical-resources.html
Hello,
I suffer from schizophrenia and I’m wondering if any practitioners and/ or patients have found this treatment helpful for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. After reading the book I highly suspect that I am undermethylated and have high counts of pyloria. I have been exploring different alternatives to convential medicine because I am convinced that the brain can heal itself if it is provided with the proper diet and nutrition. However, there are so many alternative methods of treatment which makes it so hard to decipher which treatment is best for me. I have already had copious amounts of blood work done; the results did not reveal that I had any major deficiencies. I also had a neurotransmitter test done that indicated severe oxidative stress along with other neurochemical imbalences. Please let me know if anyone has had any success with this treatment or any advice would be helpful
Yes. I recommend that you get Dr. Walsh’s book Nutrient Power. Chapter 5 is about using nutrient therapy to treat schizophrenia. There are different sub types of schizophrenia, which is determined by the laboratory studies, and a specific nutrient protocol is recommended depending on the specific imbalances.
Is Dr. Walsh teaching any doctors in the state of Pa. How would one get in touch and will health care ins. cover the use of epigenetics.
Here is a link to a page of Walsh trained practitioners. I see that there are three in Pennsylvania.
http://www.walshinstitute.org/clinical-resources.html
I don’t know the answer to your question about insurance.
SAMe and Walsh protocol
Have any bipolars been given SAMe as part of the Walsh protocol? My official licensed neuropath gave me that as a part of the regimen and I am now totally off the rails manic and will most likely need to be hospitalized if I can’t bring it down.
Is it a general part of the protocol, or is it given depending upon other factors?
Sorry, I just am trying to understand and be an active partner in my health.
I have read SAMe and L-Methonine(?) can both cause relapses into mania and my Walsh protocol person had me on both of them (she’s licensed, works with med schools, a legit practictioner.)
Obviously, she’s taken me off of them now, but just has anyone else had that experience?
Dawn, both of my boys briefly tried Sam-e but it appeared
To increase mania so I quickly stopped it. Both Dr Mensah and Dr Bowman do recommend it as it is extremely effective in lowering histamine but they just do not tolerate it. They do take methionine with success, my 12 year old takes it 2x a day and he tolerates it very well. Methionine should not induce mania, however, I know Sam-e can be a problem. I am assuming you are an undermythelator? I never tried the Sam-e again with my son’s, I take it and love it but I do not have a BP dx.
Did you ever test your lithium levels? Remember
That my son does well on 2 doses of
Lithium orotate (4.5 mg) twice a day…. You could test and see what your levels are . He was in the low- normal
Range and as I said before, adding this is what stabilized him finally. All he takes to lower histamine is methionine 2 X a day in his compounded vitamins. There is 800 mg of methionine in each dose so a total of 1600 mg/ day.
Are you taking compounded vitamins? Because my son is a full patient of Mensah Medical, he receives proscriptions for compounded vitamins which we receive through Village Green Apothecary in Rockville, MD. I know they are pharmaceutical grade supplements – perhaps
The purity and complete accuracy of the dose could be a difference maker? I do know precision is essential
For some people… My son was extremely sensitive prior to his Mensah treatment- perhaps over 5 years on such top notch quality has helped heal his oxidative stress – I do know oxidative stress is a major issue – I would think from what you are reporting – this is a major problem for you as well, at this point. If you can get that under control, perhaps you would get a better response?
Don’t give up – you WILL find what is standing in your way – it may take a little while but be persistent! I hope this helps!!!
Dawn, I also want to add that a BP Dx really is an umbrella term for many imbalances or issues occurring…. I believe the Walsh research has shown 5 types… Your testing should show which type you are and this specific treatment would follow. I am not sure what testing you have had but I would look at this. Obviously everyone with BP is going to differ slightly, and my son’s vitamins are a mix of
Exactly what he needs specifically. He was very prone to mania before but it’s never an issue now. I think you need to make sure your doctor is closely aligned to what they do at Mensah Medical. Honestly, I think the two doctors there are the best in the world at this. Perhaps your doctor would call Dr Mensah to discuss your particular case? I know Dr Mensah loves conferring with other doctors – he is a wonderful man, I am sure he would
Offer his professional advice willingly to another professional.
Dawn, I just read your second email – I am
So sorry you had such a bad reaction –
It must of been frightening to be alone – I am glad you are ok and now at least you know that is not a good homeopathy for you at this time. I see you are very high histamine, one word about copper – I don’t think it makes a difference what regular standards are – go with the Walsh standards. And zinc, even if normal – remember the ratio of copper
To zinc is important- it should be a 7-1 ratio with zinc in favor of copper. And it could be Hell if you need to improve this.. Not sure what your ratio is but if you do need to lower copper and increase zinc, well the first month of this is NOT fun AT ALL if it happens too FAST!!! So keep this in mind also – titrate up very very slowly…… To avoid a bad reaction.
My son, prior to his healing with Mensah also
Reacted horribly to everything!!! You and him sound similar!! Do you have any environmental allergies by chance? We treated those with sublingual drop therapy ( allergy choices.com) and once his allergies had subdued then he responded beautifully to the Mensah treatment…. Perhaps you may have some allergies you could treat with drops? I would consider allergy choices doctors only as these drops are top quality…..
I know this seems like a lot of work!! But it helped us – and today 5 years later he
Is a different kid!
Wow guys, thanks so much for all the insightful comments.
It truly does mean a lot.
I had a very scary few days but am now back to “normal” (or what I have come to know as normal.)
Just as far as some additional info, I am under methylated but other than my histamine, everything else was pretty much in line with Walsh standards. My pyrroles (?) everything else is normal.
I’ve only seen Walsh’s five biotypes of depression, I am undermethyalted. My bipolar Dx is NOS, mainly because I have what is referred to as “mixed mania” episodes. I also used to cycle quite rapidly.
I’ve been on these vitamins and protocol since Thanksgiving, (what is that, about 4 months?) and I think what has been frustrating is that it seems no matter where / when/ how/ I take them (with food, in morning, in evening, half at lunch, half at night, etc. ) things will be great for almost a week and then I feel like I have morning sickness all day (I’ve actually missed three days of work due to it.) So, I know it takes a while, but I’ve just been frustrated that it has been such slow going.
I do not take lithium for my bipolar dx. There was some difficulty with me as I’m very hyper-sensitive to medications, and, as you know, lithium can easily cause toxicity. I’ve been on Lamictal and Zoloft. I’ve done okay on them (only 2 hospitalizations in 20 years, and I work full-time) I basically turned to the protocol because I think things could be better and I could be clearer.
My histamine was the thing that was off. It was high (158) but everything else was within WAlsh standards.
I’m sorry your son had the same SAMe reactions. I confess, I’m a bit surprised that SAMe is included in the protocol for those who are bipolar knowing the mania risk, but then, I don’t know anything about organic chemistry.
Interesting about allergies. I do have some seasonal allergies—but I live in North Carolina. It’s an exceptionally bad place to be for any type of allergies. I’ve moved to an area on the coast and the geographic change / salt air has helped. I can usually maintain my allergy symptoms with just a saline rinse instead of allergy meds (which I’m sure is due to living on the coast.)
The person administering my protocol is an RD. I’d rather not mention the name because I don’t want anyone to think I’m blasting her on here, because she does have very good credentials and came highly recommended. Honestly, I seem to be the only one who has had any difficulty with treatment.
Right now in response to the manic episode, to give my body a brief “break” she had me stop all the vitamins except the calcium / magnesium. Honestly, once I stopped them I felt better and clearer than I had in months.
I’ve just started a new job and in the four months I’ve been on the protocol, I’ve missed three days of work solely from the nausea . This doesn’t count the days I wasn’t exactly with the program by going to work when I felt horrible. (I don’t have a lot of sick leave since I’m new).
She did caution me that, as blood type A and my bipolar type, I did fall into the most difficult category to treat, and, while it does work for 70 percent of people, it’s very possible I may be in that 30 percent.
Thanks so much for your kind encouragement. I’m so glad things worked out for your son.
Dawn just a quick note –
Lithium orotate is nothing like the drug of choice by traditional doctors, Lithium Carbonate. Lithium orotate, however, is elemental lithium that is so well absorbed that only a small small dosage is required – no blood testing, no toxicity, it’s not harmful at all. As I wrote,
We added it to my son when testing showed he had low- normal levels. THIS is what seemed to stabilize him. I would never ever give him lithium carbonate but this particular kind of lithium is totally different and extremely safe in such a tiny amount. Just keep that in mind.
Also the sublingual drops would work to help your body overcome the allergies – not at all like meds which only control symptoms – the drops – made by allergy choices – worked over a 2-3 year period to help his body not react or be allergic anymore… It was at that point that the supplements became healing for him.
I would also give l thought to calling village green apothecary- ask for Ben in compounding – perhaps he may have an idea or he can compound your supplements in a different way or fashion to help with the nausea. He works with many types of patients of all ages also – I would think if anyone has an idea for you, he may.
Hope
This helps!!
Dawn, my son who is now 12 has benefited greatly from Mensah Medical treatment. His Dx was bipolar and it was pretty bad. Fast forward 5 years and it’s still working exceptionally well. However, when he started the vitamins it was an uphill battle for a while. It required some tweaking and the addition of lithium oritate to stabilize him. We also had to totally stop
Omega 3’s and switch to only evening primrose oil as omega 3’s destabilized him.
May I ask what your testing showed? My son had extremely high histamine (148) and pyroluria as well
As low zinc… The undermythelators take the longest to reach success and definitely definitely listen to the moderator here – titrate up VERY SLOWLY…. That will ensure the least side effects and least amount
Of detox…. Especially if you have elevated copper. If copper
Is too high, you will most likely feel badly for a while and adding the supps slowly is necessary.
I agree the amount of B vitamins could be
Too high… Everyone is different. Dr Mensah was suprised when I told him I took over 200 mg of B6… I was tested a few years ago… He said it was fine but my point is he probably would
Of given me a lower dose.
Who is the doctor also, if you don’t mind my asking.
Maybe you can divide your compound doses also- say take 1/2 with breakfast and the rest at lunch… Morning vita
Vitamins I read pose the greatest issue with stomach issues rather than the PM… My son actually takes his closer to lunch and does better with this than taking in the earlier morning.
Look at everything you can tweak – stick with it – it will definitely help with bipolar –
I promise!! Good luck!!
I’ve been taking the Walsh protocol under supervision for 4-5 months to help with bipolar disorder. I am now on the third different type of vitamin B because I have horrible nausea (to the point that I can’t work) and extreme fatigue. I’m starting to become concerned that it may be the entire regimen of vitamins that are causing the problem. I’ve talked with my provider, but I wanted to ask if anyone else has had problems tolerating the Walsh protocol? I’m missing work and actually feeling worse on it than off of it!
Wow, I am really sorry to hear this. I have had a few patients in my practice who have had a hard time with the B vitamins in terms of nausea. I have not heard about the fatigue. I have suggested starting at really low doses and titrating slowly upwards as tolerated. I myself felt better when I reduced my dose of B Vitamins. Dr. Walsh recommends generally higher dosages than his student/colleague Dr. Mensah. I can’t tolerate high doses of them. They make me anxious and disrupt my sleep. I have pyroluria and feel well taking P-5-P 100 mg and B6 250. I weigh 165. More than that does not work for me. It sounds though that it is not just a dosing issue, but has something to do with particular preparations for you. Some people also feel nauseous from zinc. That is another one that it makes sense to titrate slowly upwards. I hope that you find a way to tolerate them and that they will ultimately be helpful to you.
Followup to the Walsh entry I had before.
I am still struggling with the Walsh protocol. I wanted to ask, is it normal to give zinc to folks even if the zinc levels are perfectly in the middle for Walsh protocol standards?
I was also given a type of homeopathic remedy to take for folks with BPD (cant remember the name of it) and while I know sometimes you show slight symptoms of the illness when on a homeopathic, last night I had a full blown relapse–to the point that I did not feel safe to be alone.
All I’m hearing is praises about the Walsh protocol like he’s the second coming of Christ. I have had my vitamins tweaked three times, and the period last night has kind of started a domino effect, so now I think I’m getting worse.
Does this happen? Surely I can’t be the only case this has happened to? I’ve talked with my alternative doctor— but I’ve not had any effective solutions. I know you can’t give medical advice, but can you give me practical advise? Please help. I’mgetting scared.
People not infrequently feel worse before they feel better. And I think it may not be appropriate for everyone. There is always that possibility. Just because some people are so helped, it does not mean it’s right for you. Sorry I cannot be more definitive.
can you speak more on feeling worse before you feel better? i am on day 25 of the protocol. 100% compliance. did the basic testing and then consult with Mensah medical. i wanted some proof before i sign up as a patient.
i felt nothing for about a week. then several good days. now 3 bad days in a row. if this is a normal thing i wish someone told me about it. i read his book and don’t recall this being mentioned. i tested low zinc, borderline pyroles, undermethylated.
thx
Dawn, be careful with homeopathy – a local alternative doctor gave my son one and it induced mania so badly that
Had I continued it he would of been hospitalized… I would stick with one doctor if I were you… Also I take
My zinc in divided doses as it makes me
Very tired.. Make sure you are only taking zinc in the pm.
I take at dinner and some near bedtime…
I weigh 125 and take 250 of B6 in both P5P form and HCL form. I take them also in divided doses…
It
Depends on testing if you do need extra zinc, I am
Sure it’s
Requires if it’s prescribed for you. Also, if
You are a type A blood
Type – I think it’s type A, this is the slowest response I have read … I hope
This helps!! See if you can somehow divide doses up a bit – I am sure the compounding pharmacy can do this
Thanks Michele.
I actually took the homeopathy this weekend (from the same Dr., btw who is giving me the Walsh protocol) and had exactly the same experience as it seems your son did. The scary part was I live alone, and I have just moved to a new area, so I did not have someone who could come sit with me and I engaged in some mild forms of self-harm. I had the remedy once before (4 months ago)and it worked well. So we didn’t think there would be a problem. So this time I had no “safe” plan in place, so it got intense and very , very scary. If it had continued I would be hospitalized.
I’m not local, but I’m going to a PhD dietitian / nutritionist who has worked extensively with Dr. Walsh himself. She is also a homeopath and does a lot of work with a major medical school. So I think she has the legit credentials and she has come extremely highly recommended. I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one having this difficulty. We have had to completely cut out the B and zinc.
The only numbers I had that were off were my histamine. It was out of whack. Zinc was OK—right down the milddle by Walsh standards. . (but I was given more zinc because Dr. Walsh protocol likes it to be a bit higher) . The copper was a bit low for Walsh protocol but still concerned “normal” by “regular” nutirtional standards. My pyrroles (sp?) were perfectly normal.
Good to know about the blood type! I’m A positive so that might be a part of the issue. I’ve also cautioned her that I have atypical “chemistry” even for a bipolar— I get hyper on benadryl and sleepy on most antidepressants. I tend to have the opposite reaction of whatever the normal reaction is—which I guess underscores why I was here.
Thanks for the encouragement. Seriously, after this horrifying episode where I was borderline suicidal, I basically wanted to sto the whole thing.
Hi Dawn,
I hope you’re feeling better than when you wrote the above. I just wanted to say that I had the same problem, with terrible nausea while on many supplements, and B vitamins were particularly bad. The pharmacist and the doctor said they had never previously heard complaints that the compounded mixture or vitamins caused nausea. No amount of dose reduction helped. Eventually, gastritis was found on endoscopy.
It seems that many doctors and pharmacists are not aware that supplements can irritate the stomach, causing gastritis – I wonder if this is what is happening with you?
Now I take a sublingual B vitamin, which seems to work.
Good luck with it all.
That is really interesting. I am glad to learn of that approach. I have had patients who feel very nauseous from B6, and maybe the issue could be addressed with a sublingual preparation.
I Deen dealing with anxiety an panic attacks for almost two months an I don’t won’t ssri I was great to find Dr Walsh book an I watches Dr Becker who can I see about this they say I’m chemical imbalance
Has anyone gone through the protocol for over-methylation/ anxiety and panic disorder. I am currently on the protocol and have been on it for 3 months. I have seen a good amount of improvement but still not where I want to be.
I would like to hear of other people that have gone through the same protocol for anxiety, not much out there in terms of testimonials…
Dr. Walsh says that it can take 4-5 months to reach maximum benefit. It might take a couple of more months for you. I wish you all the best and hope that you feel really well soon.
Thank you so much. That does make sense. Does he say if people start to feel like themselves again or completely “normal” ? I do see the results which is encouraging, but still frustrating at times dealign with the feeling.
I don’t know how to answer to this. There is probably a wide range of experiences. It seems to me that someone who knows what it feels like to feel well, would be more likely to regain that feeling, than someone who has never experienced a feeling of well-being. On the other hand, if a biochemical imbalance is finally corrected, a person may have access to states that previously were unknown.
You are completely right, that does make complete sense. So does your following comment, there will always be ups and downs. I do see improvement with the protocol which is what matters. Thank you so much for your responses.
And I also wanted to know if its normal for some of the symptoms to come back during the process ?
Healing seems to rarely occur without occasional ups and downs and set backs.
What would dr.Walsh recommend for a patient of Alzheimer’s?
He recommends a very complex protocol called Metalliothionine promotion therapy which I do not know how to implement yet. It involved zinc loading, glutathione and amino acids.
How can I get to the Google group with Dr.Walsh?
The only Google Group of which I am aware is the one for physicians who have participated in his trainings.
I am a nurse from Germany living now in OK. I just started reading the Nutrient Power book and am filled with hope. My daughter had anxieties since she was 3 abs fir the last 10 years she has been on fluoxetine. Now she has paranoid anxieties and more meds were prescribed. Bad side affects. I heard Dr Walsh speak on Dr. Beckers YOUR HEALTH and knew that this is the God sent for our problems. Now I will try to find someone near to do the tests.
One question: my hubby who had been suffering with depression was allergy tested for the whole battery that they always test for and the Ahmed dr said:”this is rare, but you have absolutely NO single allergy. Does that mean low histamines and subsequently under methylation?
I am very skeptical about allergy tests. In my experience there are often false positives and negatives. I have much more faith in elimination diets. Methylation status is typically assessed by testing histamine levels in the blood. I hope you are able to find help for your daughter.
Hi,
I live in Quebec, Canada. I have had for many years (25) differents issues with fibromyalgia, chronic depression, and last five years, with histamine and many intolerances problems with foods and pollen reactions that I have never before in my live.
I am very interested by the Doctor Walsh approach. I buy the book and I will read it. Badly, there is no practitionner in my area. Is there a possibility to send in US a blood echantillon for diagnostic test and prescription?
Doctors in Quebec are very conservative ones and mine doctor too. Generally, they are very refractory to an approach like doctor Wash approach. «It is not scientific» or «It is not proved scientificly», etc. !!! During this time, I was alone with my health problems, suffering problems.
If you can adress my question about diagnostic test and prescription, it would help me a lot.
Greats thanks,
Anne-Marie
I would recommend going on the website of the Walsh Research Institute and to look at the practitioners page, and see who you might contact that is closest to Quebec, and go and see them. It might be worth it to travel.
I am curious about hearing more recent feedback about the Walsh approach, your work with it, and whether people who wrote previously on this thread about how to do it while on a budget or in more rural areas have learned any more since this was initially posted? Sounds like the Mensah doctors are a possibility long distance, but not sure cost-wise how that works, so will ponder that further. Thank you for bringing it all to light for us, much appreciated.
I am still learning, but so far am very favorably impressed with the results.
Yes, you can test in your hometown – call Direct HealthCare Access – they are in Chicago but work with Mensah Doctors and Walsh. Call them and discuss issues: they will recommend appropriate tests and will mail them to you. You then go to a Labcorp site and results are sent to Mensah Doctors. You can pay for a detailed phone consult to discuss results and formulate a treatment plan. I did it years ago with Dr Mensah and it has greatly helped.
Google direct healthcare access or look on http://www.mensahmedical.com for the link.
Ellen Hanson is the director, she and her staff are wonderful!
Hi Michele,
I will do it. A lot of thanks.
Anne-Marie
I have over 20 patients with Fibromyalgia. The only treatment worth talking about is lowdosenaltrexone or LDN. The dose of 2- 4.5 mg of naltrexone is successful in most patients The website is http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org .
In October of 2016 a physician from Ottawa participated in WRI training seminar. They are not listed on the resource section of the WRI website. If you call WRI they may be able to provide a name and contact number.
Go back to the Walsh ReseArch Institute website. there is a practitioner from Quebec, Canada. I healed myself from Fibro. you have to heal & seal the Gut, THEN DETOX YOUR BODY, Then do nutrient therapy. GET your BLOOD TESTED FOR THE MTHFR gene variant. This affects methylation/B6 pathways. regular B6 makes me nauseous and exhausted b/c i cant process it right d/t B6 intolerance. i must take B’s w/ the word mythyl included. We are each biochemically different. also, i got off all dairy, sugar, wheat, processed/fast/fried/packaged foods. no cakes, cookies, candies, ice cream. i eat organic fruits and veggies and ate everything fermented i could find. i discontinued beef for 6months and ate organic chicken, turkey, fish. wrnt back to work full-time & Fibro gone. Healed “Leaky-Gut Syndrome” then took Paragone by renew life. thoyght i was dying for 2weeks then pain decreased so kept on for 30 days. 50% pain GONE! (garbage was dumping out of sustem-a “Herxhimer Reaction”. I took one more 30 day regimine. That was in 2007. PAIN FREE WHEN I AVOID SUGAR & WHEAT. I use GF Bread, avoid gf crackers, and rarely drink milk/eat cheese, but i can tolerate them. I’m now ready for the Walsh Protocol!
SEE ALSO: http://www.earyhclinic.com
JUST A THOUGHT!!
Katrina
I am currently studying for my degree in holistic nutrition. Several of my family members and a number of my friends are being treated using Bill Walsh’s protocols. I would love to be able to access training in this area after I graduate.
I really hope that in future, training in Australia opens up to nutritionists – individualised nutrient therapy is what they do!
I too would like the training to be more widely available. The protocols should be more accessible to more people. Blessings to you on your journey.
I was recommended Walsh’s book by a neurofeedback practitioner I saw. It is fantasic and I am thrilled to see how much potential there is to step away from the pharmaceutical model of psychology. I truly beleve this is the future of mental health treatment. As for the protocols not being made public I understand why but I am one of those people who is trying to medicate themself and it would be a lot easier to work it out with more information. Quite simply I don’t have the funds to see a trained practitioner, not that I have any near me, I don’t have enough funds to take any more neurofeedback treatments even though they transformed my state of mind so effectively at the time. So what are my options? Carry on in suffering and sickness while I wait for this information to trickle down to the pill pushers that sit in many doctors offices so I can try to get it covered by insurance or do my best to help myself?
I’ll continue to strive for health using whatever information and means are within my reach, do you think I’ll be safer with some guidance or left to go it alone? So far I have had great results with taking SAM-e, methyl B12, zinc and a few other supplements after reading Walsh’s book and I suspect that my problem is copper overload. I have done the 23&Me test and am clear of major genetic issues. I am looking to get tested for copper next but cannot find out the best way. Blood, tissue, urine, hair? Different test give different results and different sources of information recommend different types of analysis.
A few simple guidelines would be a huge help to people such as myself. Basic ways to determine over/undermethylation, resources for simple testing for metal levels, etc. I respect that it takes a well trained practitioner to give an accurate and detailed diagnosis and treatment plan but a basic set of beginning guidelines could help a lot of people get out of the danger zone quickly who might not get any help at all otherwise.
Human nature has a strong instinct to survive. You can’t change that, people are going to try and use this information anyway even if it is incomplete and misunderstood in just the same way that they will continue to use illegal drugs despite the harsh penalties. If one can alleviate suffering to any extent they will usually do so with any means available, long term effects and risks aside. Education and guidance are what people need, not censorship and prohibition.
I don’t expect a full guide to be published as this is intricate work that takes a lot of training and experience to be proficient but a starting point would help a lot of people find some degree of relief quickly.
I really empathize with your position, and it’s a dilemma for me.
I’m not sure about that last statement of mine, the more I look into it the more I think that this is an area too complex to dabble. Either way, I’ve made some good progress so far, but when i watched a video of Walsh and found out that he was a chemical engineer working on making nuclear power stations safer who turned to neurochemistry after realising that criminals were quite often born and not created by their environment I began to see the kind of mind that came up with this whole theory. I don’t really expect to be able to gain that level of understanding with a “How To’ guide.
I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Thanks for writing again. Dr. Walsh is really an extraordinary man. The devotion of many whose lives he has touched is very apparent and striking. People just adore him, and it’s not that he has some big charisma. I think it’s his genuine kindness and humanitarian stance.
Thank you for this very helpful and illuminating blog post, and for all the comments and responses. I did not know about the Walsh Institute before this, and it’s very inspiring, especially if you are considering integrating this into your work.
As someone with an autoimmune condition who has gone through the 23andme process with a naturopathic practitioner where I live, I’ve seen many benefits with it but have also had questions about it. I would love to be able to expand my options and also have geographical and financial considerations, so it will be very interesting to see what happens going forward with this.
Thank you for all your great work and for sharing so much with us in the process.
Thank you for taking the time to write. I am so glad that its meaningful and useful to you. That’s what its all about.
For auto-immune conditions there is a useful cheap drug called LDN (lowdosenaltrexone). I prescribe it for numerous conditions where the standard drugs do not work.
You can read all about it at http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org
Hello. As I understand the conversation is around the restriction of training and testing to GP’s only?
I guess my initial comment is that “Dr” Walsh, is himself, not a medical doctor. He has a PhD in chemical engineering.
I am a psychologist and I tend to agree that the protocols should not be published. However, the public find out and self medicate regardless! I would love to do the Walsh training myself. Yet I do see the need to monitor the protocol and related issues and would not want the responsibility of someone ending up with zinc toxicity, for example.
However, I think training could be opened to suitably qualified naturopaths and nutritionists who often manage many other health issues with just as many nutrients but aren’t aware of the contraindications with certain bio-types.
It’s interesting that medicine has dominated and controlled psychiatric treatment for decades, while natural therapist have made headway without the drug side effects. And here we are, discovering the power of nutrients and lo- doctors are owning it. Let’s just hope that drug companies don’t jump on this and start patenting the nutrients themselves!
The other little problem is that while we do have a few more doctors here in Australia many of them have 3 month long wait lists, especially those specialising in children. Let’s not mention the the cost of the compounded supplements.
Regardless of how Dr Walsh decides to do things I strongly believe this information needs to get out. This really helps people! I do my best to educate whoever will listen to me!
I find bio-chemical issues can be the driver of many behaviour issues children from otherwise great families and it grieves me that without knowing many kids are labeled bad, naughty or even disordered.
With adults I also find this information amazing, For example, when I have clients who are slow in treatment or there are other flags I look to their biochemistry (and yes, I refer them to a doctor) and once they are being treated the therapy really starts to work!
Many people do need both nutrient and psychotherapy (Dr Walsh agrees with this). Long term nutrient imbalances create behavioural patterns and interact with psychology. Some people might clear up with only nutrient work but their history needs to be considered.
While doctors are using this treatment for psychological issues, they also need to be aware they don’t use this like other psychotropic medicine has been used – “take this and you’ll feel better”… what if they don’t?
In closing I need to say this is definitely a new paradigm so lets do some research!
I would love to do a PhD of my own on this so any SYDNEY doctors reading this, if you are interested in supplying subjects for research I would love to hear from you! Because if I can’t do the training and the protocol how do I do the research?
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful comment. There were all sorts of practitioners at the training in Chicago, like naturopaths and chiropracters. I am starting to think that the information should just be made available to all, and it up to individuals to make use of it responsibly. I don’t think that it works to keep things secret. Ironically, the protocols themselves were presented in such a disorganized fashion in the training in Chicago, that I don’t feel like I understand what to do. I have ordered laboratory studies on my patients and my children and on myself, and am just starting to get the results back. I am going to have to sit down and to a careful study of my notes to try and sort out what I should do with the information. Access is a big problem in this country as well.
I have 4 children and 2 of my sons had moody, oppositional, at times depressed behavior noticeable from 2 years and up. We went through Hell with my older, first born son as these issues multiplied and were misunderstood by every dr we saw. Long story short – we took him to Pfeiffer Treatment Center where William Walsh was head of at the time. Our son tested for extremely high histamine, low zinc, high copper and pyroluria. Within 1 month of treatment he was able to stop 2 meds and his behaviors and moods were much improved… Fast forward to my 3 re child – similar outlandish behaviors with lots
Of anxiety. This was an adorable child who in first grade flipped his entire desk at school twice, played chase with the school psychologist and when given foods with certain dyes, he became a monster… I took him to Pfeiffer ( now we work with Mensah Medical) and his histamine was 150! Extremely high. Similar tests to his brother but this one did not respond to the protocol… We did allergy testing as every spring he became a nightmare -‘it was so bad I had to homeschool him twice in a row starting in April. He tested allergic to certain trees and began allergy drops ( we went to LaCross WI to use Allergy Choices drops -‘only ones I recommend. After a yeAr on the drops he was able to respond to the individualized treatment. This began for this son at age 4. It took us a few years to figure all this out and by age 8 he started on treatment from Mensah. Now At age 11 he is stabilized, doing very well and takes his vitamins every day. He sees Dr MensAh 2 x a yeAr and it is only due to Drs. Mensah and Judith Bowman that he has done so well. Biggest blessing of my life! Dr Walsh is an incredible man and I cannot tell you the impact he and his Drs have had in our lives. I am so thankful and a strong follower of his protocol.
Hi all!
I am a GP in New South Wales, Australia, and have been attending Dr Walsh’s training programmes with Biobalance for the last 3 years. I have to say, his protocols have revolutionised my treatment of patients with mental health problems – especially depression, anxiety ( adults and children) and behavioural problems in children. What is wonderful is the feedback from parents and then from the children’s teachers, who notice such a difference in classroom behaviour, focus and attention. And then the questions, and referrals of new patients, start coming from other allied health professionals such as Occupational Therapists and psychologists who have been dealing with these kids. The question has been raised about making protocols available to the general population and I am completely convinced by my own experiences that that is NOT a good idea! Each protocol is actually worked out individually – each patient is assessed both clinically and biochemically and dosing of each nutrient is worked out for that individual. You wouldn’t let people just go out and by Prozac over the counter when they have self diagnosed depression, would you? Different people will have side effects to some of the nutrients at lower doses, such as the B6, requiring adjustments with each prescription and regular follow up is necessary. Some patients need “stress dosing” when faced with extra stresses such as exams or relationship issues – you need the training provided to be able to understand how to identify the needs and make the appropriate adjustments. And you need to learn what to do when things aren’t working – like the difficulties people with A Positive blood groups have! It can initially be quite overwhelming – but the end result is just amazing! And now I have the local gynaecologists interested as so many women have high copper issues associated with severe anxiety and often panic attacks, or post natal depression – because they are on a combined contraceptive pill. Once the pill is ceased and a prescription of appropriate nutrients is made up to help balance their copper, their symptoms dramatically improve – but I then need to send them to the gynaecologist for alternative contraception – giving the consultant a little lesson on copper metabolism in the process! (They are used to me now!) So you doctors in the US – be bold and run with this! It is life changing treatment! And Albert Mensah is right – it takes several years to really get your head around it – every patient is different – and so every year we head back for the next training programme!
Thank you so much for this message. I really appreciate it, and especially appreciate your perspective about self prescribing. Thank you. I feel very encouraged by your words, and am very much looking forward to gaining facility with this method. It seems very promising. Again, many thanks for taking the time to write.
Hi Dr. S.R.
Can you tell me more about “like the difficulties people with A Positive blood groups have ” ? Or direct me where I can find this information? I find it fascinating.
What I remember is Dr. Walsh saying that people with type A blood type take longer to respond to the protocols, for reasons he did not know.
I am a primary care physician in Dublin with a big interest in psychiatry. I came across Dr Walsh`s work on the internet and I attended the course given by Dr Walsh in 2006 in Sydney.
I found the course very useful and at this stage I see hundreds of patients every year, mostly from Ireland with occasional patients from across Europe and other parts of the world.
It is a very satisfying part of my work and I can scarcely believe how many lives are utterly changed as a result.
I mostly deal with anxiety and depression. I prescribe medication like other physicians but my ultimate plan is to reduce or eliminate the drugs over several months. I have seen good results too in some patients with paranoid schizophrenia and some autistic children are much improved. I reckon I save the health service millions of dollars every year too as my admission rate to hospital is greatly reduced.
Biobalance in Australia organise the course every year and I make it a point to get a copy of the outreach DVD that they make. Needless to say I got the updated version of Nutrient Power by Dr Walsh recently. I really appreciate the opportunity I got to help so many people and I would like to thank Dr Walsh and the great people in|Biobalance in Australia for all the wonderful work they do.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write. This is very encouraging to hear what good results you have had! I am just at the beginning of my journey exploring this approach. I am really eager to see get some experience with it. Do you have an opinion about whether Dr. Walsh’s protocols should be available to the public? What is your view about the necessity of oversight by someone with training? I am glad to know about the existence of the Australian outreach DVD. I am looking forward to the conference in Chicago in April with Dr. Mumper. She did a wonderful talk at the conference in October. She has a great deal of expertise in treatment of the gut.
This treatment is individualised and taking a random sample of nutrients could make a patient worse. We are a little bit out on a limb with nutrient therapy and for the safety of the patient and keeping our MD licence I would not offer treatment without testing.
Thank you for taking the time to write and to share your perspective.
Hi Judy,
I enjoyed your post, which Judy Nicol forwarded.
I’m one of the Docs in Australia who has trained with Bill, Albert and Judy B.
I think I can speak for many of the Outreach graduates, that this work revolutionized my understanding and treatment of many mental health issues. My clinical results have been most remarkable treating Copper/zinc dysmetabolism (high copper states) and pyrole disorder. Your quote from Goethe (another of my heroes!) above says it all….you can’t diagnose these biochemical disorders when they don’t exist in your paradigm.
Psychiatrists I have spoken to share the same concern as Lauren (above post)…’if it’s not published in journals, then it’s not evidenced based’…. It is great Bill’s work is starting to gather momentum in the US at the Psychiatry conferences, and with time formal trials will no doubt be performed. I’m not sure who will fund them though?
What Bill’s work provides is a plausible (expanded) model of depression, and depressive subtypes. To this we can add the emerging evidence on the cytokine theory and Gut/Brain axis. This is obviously an evolution of the work by the likes of Pfieffer and Hoffer who Bill pays due respects to, and whose books are still worth a read for the historical context.
There is a growing tribe of us over here down under and it heartens me to know Bills work is gaining traction over there too. What’s the old quote?,… there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Orthomolecular Psychiatry’s time has come. The evidence may not be all in yet, but much groundwork has been done, and our understanding of biochemistry and the brain is evolving. Good luck with putting your training into practice, and best wishes.
Thank you for this wonderful comment and taking the time to write. I am feeling very excited about implementing this approach in my practice. Is it your opinion that the protocols should be published so that they are readily available, with the caveat that it would be preferable to seek the supervision of a physician, if possible? But that it could be safely implemented by the educated lay person? I like that quote about their being nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. All my best.
Hi Judy,
I agree with the above comments, that it is not a good idea to self medicate with these protocols. As Dr Sherri Roberts says, the protocols are individualised based on history, examination and lab findings. Many times I see patients come to me taking a large amounts of supplements (with the best intentions), some of which may be responsible for unintended consequences or adverse effects. Many multivitamin tablets may contain ingredients not suitable for some patients (eg. copper, folic acid..). Also, using nutrients at these doses requires following up lab test. Albert makes this point very clearly, ‘Don’t do this at home’. I agree wholeheartedly.
Thanks for taking the time to write. I heard today a story of a patient who was prescribed a regimen of supplements via the Walsh protocol for copper excess. She was not closely followed, and had a terrible detox reaction. My point is, that these supplements can have powerful effects and seem in some cases to need careful monitoring.
Good attitude to have. All in the pecprestive of one self. Casares was not that big a deal during the emergency, other than being without power for 4 days. Thanks for leaving a comment. Cheers, John D. Wilson
By deleting my very respectful question regarding why you support Dr Walsh not publishing about his protocols as Julia Ross does (yet claiming that following mainstream medical advice can result in homicide) you have confirmed my concerns about his ethics. I can completely understand why bloggers don’t publish trolls and spam, but seriously interest questions that may challenge your blog post? What a shame.
Dear Lauren,
Thanks for taking the time to write again.
As far as I know, I did not delete your respectful question. Either it did not post properly for me to see or I inadvertently deleted it. But there was no intent whatsoever to ignore you. It was my experience in the conference that the choice of supplements according to Dr. Walsh’s method seemed to be part art and part clinical experience, and that even though these are simple vitamins and amino and fatty acids that can be purchased by anyone, it seemed to me that it would be better to get the help of someone with training. For instance, when someone with undermethylation takes folate, they can get more depressed. I don’t have insight into Julia Ross’s perspective about this, but I felt like I understood where Dr. Walsh was coming from, and I respect him. He seems to me a man who cares deeply about being of service. He may not be right about this particular point, but my sense of it, was that his heart and soul are aligned and in the right place.
Dear Judy, thanks for clearing up the internet mishap and for taking the time to respond to me. I don’t want to sound unappreciative of his work. Clearly, doctors with this sort of vision and ability are our future. I just also know that right now, probably 95% of people in the world cannot access his care (or those trained by him) either due to finances or accessibility and in the meantime, the risk of taking folic acid when you have certain methylation defects seems small in comparison to the risk he’s suggesting (accurately, I believe) with pharmacological interventions. So many – Julia Ross, Sara Gottfried, Dan Kalish, just to name a few – are able to give safe guidelines combined with symptoms checklists for people to try at home, always with the caveat of working with a doctor being the best option. I have to believe he could do this too. Though I’m pleased to hear that you feel his heart is in the right place.
Thanks again for your consideration and your reply.
I understand where you are coming from and you may be totally right. That was my initial response to his judgement about this. I will see what I think over time with my own experience in my practice about how complicated it seems to me. All my best.
Folic acid and folate are not the same thing. If you have methylation defects you can’t take folic acid (not unless you want more health problems) but you can take folate. Which kind of folate works best will depend on other factors but I believe from what I’ve heard that many people do fine on methylfolate.
I’ve learned to be more careful in selecting my supplements because I am one of those people who probably can’t access this kind of care. I have insurance, but it doesn’t mean there’s anyone near me trained by Walsh, and travel to visit with a trained doctor is out of the question. So I make sure I’m getting proper folate, and methyl B12, and vitamin A instead of or in addition to (more so than) beta carotene since I can’t convert the latter very efficiently, and so on. Wouldn’t touch Centrum with a ten-foot pole.
I wish someone would come up with a multivitamin/multimineral that contained no more than 150-200 percent of RDI, and only that much because nutrients can degrade in storage. It’s a supplement, not a food.
I appreciate you taking the time to write this thoughtful comment. Supplements, though available without a prescription, are really powerful, and its possible to get into trouble when you take ones that are not the right ones for you. I think that because they are available without a prescription, that many underestimate their potential impact, for good and ill.
There is no comparison to Julia Ross to William
Walsh or the doctors at Mensah Medical. First of all, Julia
Is a dietician if
I remember correctly. The typical
Issues she deals with seem
To be on a smaller scale than some/ most of issues Walsh sees or Mensah. Such as bipolar, autism, post partum, schizophrenia, and such… Some of these people are at their last option when they see Mensah or Walsh. They are not suffering just a thyroid disorder or feeling tired…. The problems for the most part are HUGE – and in NO WAY can or should someone self treat with Walsh’s protocol. It’s extremely complicated and requires a “rifle shot precision” Walsh himself wrote. He is way too of a responsible and knowledgeable man to
Recommend such treatment and I find it shocking that it’s brought up so much on this blog. It’s highly irresponsible and if you realized the extreme imbalances – the extreme degree
Of knowledge and understanding than it would not be written about. Perhaps if someone has a minor issue it may be ok – in that matter Mensah and Direct Healthcare Access offers testing and a doctor phone consult for a reasonable
Price. It’s the responsible way to do this.
And I have read all
Of Julia Ross’s books – I even had a phone consult with her years ago. It really made little difference to me – what Did help
Was getting tested at DHA, finding that I undermythelate, have low zinc and mild
Pyroluria and starting/ continuing the treatment Dr Mensah recommended to me. Hope this helps provide another opinion!
Thank you for taking the time to write. I am curious why Australia is so far ahead of the USA in terms of interest and enthusiasm about Dr. Walsh’s work. It would be wonderful if some of those physicians would submit a comment to this blog post about the results they have seen in patients. I am just at the beginning of this journey and am ordering lab studies on my patients, but have not yet seen what is possible. They must be having excellent responses, given the growing interest. The word needs to get out there, as there is such a need for alternatives to psychiatric medications. Thanks again for taking the time to write.
Judy,
On this mission we’re all novitiates. I so appreciate your work here and do much look forward to our next conversations.
Chuck
Your message is very inspiring and exciting to me. In Australia for ten years there are people who are finding great value in Dr. Walsh’s approach. Thank you for letting me know. I am at the beginning of my journey with this, and it is always wise both to keep an open mind and to be skeptical. My most trusted instrument in terms of validity is always my own experience, but its so great to hear this from you. I have ordered studies on about 8 patients or so and on myself and two of my kids, so I am really curious to see what will happen. Thank you for passing my message around to Australian doctors. It would be great for American and international readers of this blog to hear about their impressions and results, and maybe will point them in the direction of effective treatment options of which they were unaware. I also took a look at your website, and there appears to be many wonderful resources there which I look forward to exploring. I look forward to communicating more with you in the future.
Judy,
Excellent posting – we’re much on the same path. Sorry didn’t connect more with you in Chicago. Subscribed and will be looking forward to further notes. Well done!
Chuck
Thank you, Chuck. I look forward to exploring your site. I am hoping that I will be able to go back in April to Chicago to learn more. Are you planning on that as well?
Yes, Judy, April is absolutely on my agenda – really appreciated that learning opportunity!
Have a great day!
Chuck
I say Yo! Judith
This link to Dr Walsh is brilliant and interesting…..and it does not matter if he has hit a bullseye. The food for fought is ground-breaking and beyond the conservative norm.
Thank you.
You are so welcome. Thank you for sharing my enthusiasm. I am really curious about its efficacy and have ordered lab studies on a number of my patients and of course myself, so we will see!
Sorry I didn’t see your reply until now.
I had the test through Dr. Mensah, and it was serum for histamine. My result was 61 in a reference range of 12-127, so they determined that I do not have a methylation issue.
But I have the 1298C MTHFR mutation, so I am uncertain about this. I am at the beginning of the process with Mensah Medical and have not settled on a protocol yet. I have so many other issues that I think we are going to do an Organic Acid test before treatment.
My impression from what I learned at the conference, is that the MTHFR mutation is really neither here nor there in terms of its clinical manifestation. Its such a huge snp, that the mutations that are identified by a service like 23ndme represent such a very small piece of the whole, that you cannot extrapolate from the presence of the mutation to how it actually functions. I know that Genetic Genie claims that some mutations are correlated with a 70% reduction in functioning. Dr. Walsh and his associates disagree. Their perspective is that whole blood histamine is a much more reliable marker for histamine status in the body, because it is measuring actual quantity. Histamine and methylation are inversely correlated. According to their way of thinking, the genetic information does not really tell you very much about what is going clinically with the person. I am not familiar with the Organic Acid test. I have a lot to learn here! I wish you all the best and hope that the protocol you create will be very helpful to you.
One other quick point on this discussion is the observation that I’ve already seen two folks who inadvertently took antihistamines before the measuring the whole blood histamine at the lab. One person was taking an entire bottle at night of sleep-aid liquid [with antihistamines] with the result that she looked undermethylated based on high histamine results. I still don’t understand how this works. SAMe and methionine sent her completely around the bend. Clinically she is seriously overmethylated and I reordered tests yesterday. I told her to stay off antihistamines for at least a week. Some say 1 day, some say 4 days – I just wanted to measure as correctly as possible and look forward to discussing over at our meeting site.
It is puzzling and counter intuitive. Maybe ask Dr. Walsh in the Google group.
Hi Judy
I was so happy to see this article from you!
I am a GAPS practioner/health educator here in Illinois, and was also at the one day( SAT) lecture that was open to non- physicians
I thought he and the panel were quite amazing- and am hopeful too- especially for those individuals that find diet and lifestyle changes alone are not enough.
I was aware of your practice through the GAPS practioner forum and have referred a few people to you out in the Boston area
So happy to think that you will be able to give more visibility to all of this-
I look forward to hearing more from you
Going to the WAPF conference in Indy?
Hi Katie,
I am so glad to hear that you also were impressed with Walsh’s work. It seems so promising. And it is my experience that for many people who consult with me, diet and lifestyle changes are simply not enough. I love to have something else to offer that is not medication with all of its side effects, and I particularly like that each patients biochemical individuality is taken into consideration. Of course, I have not yet tried the protocols, and the proof of the pudding will be the way my patients respond. But I have ordered the lab studies on quite a few already, and we will see. I am also very eager to get my own results back. I suspect that I have elevated copper. I never even considered the possibility prior to the conference! I do plan to write more about it. There are many interesting topics related to Dr. Walsh’s research. I understood things after the conference that had been very confusing to me previously, particularly how to think about MTHFR mutations. I am not going to the conference in Indiana. But hopefully our paths will cross one day.
This research looks very promising. I work with children in s therapeutic setting who have significant psychiatric and behavioral issues. I am wondering though, when going to someone who is trained in this protocol, are they testing and then recommending supplements/nutrition treatment that you have to buy only from them? I have seen this model in several types of holistic medical treatment (Nutrition Response Testing is just one) and it concerns me. While I think there can be great value, is it a conflict of interest that the evaluator is also the prescriber and the salesperson for the treatment?? It can become an abuse system and moneymaking business if not carefully monitored.
I know what you mean, that such systems do exist where there is a major conflict of interest. The supplements that are recommended by Dr. Walsh can be brought at any reputable supplier of supplements. They are not exotic at all.
Excellent! Best of both worlds then. That is what I appreciate so much about my current naturopath. She makes recommendations for supplements and offers to order them for me, but also gives me information about other places to purchase. Thanks for the info! I will be following this work closely.
This is really exciting. I’m a psychotherapist who is working hard to incorporate this kind of healing into my practice, while still remaining within the scope of my practice – and that my mean finding integrative psychiatrists in my area (Northern New Mexico) who subscribe to these ideas. Still figuring it out.
I am also struggling with a toxin-based neurological d/o, myself, and this seems promising for that, as well.
Is he the only person who is trained in his technique?
Thanks for the post! Take good care.
If you go on the Walsh Research Institute site, you will see that there is a list of practitioners trained in this method. I think that they also sponsor an outreach clinic in Arizona which may be doable for you. It is really exciting.
Thanks much!
This, of course, is also great for functional medicine docs who treat neurodegenerative d/o’s. (Well, for all docs, but the functional medicine folks will be the first adopters! But, boy will the pharmaceutical industry fight this – or try to co-opt it!)
I want to get the book, but if it doesn’t show protocols, and I understand why, then I’m not sure it’ll be helpful. I’m dying to know more about what protocols do what – just from a learning standpoint.
Please keep us updated!
I am planning to write more about it. I understood things this weekend this weekend that had previously been confusing to me that I would like to share. There will be a lot of interesting things to consider. Thanks for sharing my excitement.
Great!
Looking forward to it!
It is great to get a hot-off-the-press review of Dr. Walsh’s conference this week. Thanks for writing.
I found your site when I was researching the histamine issue, as I just had the blood test. Do you believe an in-the-moment serum test is an accurate assessment of a person’s histamine status? My results were normal, but I do have some symptoms, including “urticaria dermatographic” and extreme response to bee stings.
And were you convinced that histamine status is an accurate assessment of a person’s methylation status?
Thank you.
What blood test did you have? The test that Dr. Walsh recommends is the whole blood histamine level. I don’t think the serum level qualifies at that. There is an inverse relationship between the level of whole blood histamine and methylation status. If the whole blood histamine level is from a properly handled sample, then Yes, I do believe that it does reflect methylation status. At least that is what we were taught at the conference.