Welcome to another edition of Common Ground Online. Here's what's in this week's edition:
- Survey Draw Winners!
- Study: Effect of Micronutrients on Behavior and Mood in Adults With ADHD: Evidence From an 8-Week Open Label Trial With Natural Extension
- Tell Your Doctor: Upcoming Workshop
We want to say a big "Thank You" to those of you who took a few minutes to complete the customer survey in our last edition of Common Ground Online!
We announced in our last edition that one of you would be chosen to win 4 FREE bottles of EMPowerplus powder, capsules or tablets in your next order. Because so many of you gave us such valuable feedback, we decided that 2 additional winners should be selected to win 2 FREE bottles each.
Congratulations to our winners!
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Nathan A. - Connecticut, USA - 4 FREE Bottles of EMPowerplus (valued at $300)
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Niki B. - Kansas, USA - 2 FREE Bottles of EMPowerplus (valued at $150)
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Allana S. - Ontario, Canada - 2 FREE Bottles of EMPowerplus (valued at $150)
New Zealand researchers Julia Rucklidge, Mairin Taylor, and Kathryn Whitehead recently published a study in the Journal of Attention Disorders which followed a number of adults with ADHD who were taking EMPowerplus. Thier study "revealed significant improvements on all five outcome measures assessing mood, as well as ADHD symptoms, both according to self and observer reports. Effect sizes confirmed that the changes were large and clinically meaningful." Below are some excerpts from their research:
Background
"ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders, characterized by problems with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity with worldwide-pooled prevalence estimates for childhood ADHD falling at 5.29%. It is now estimated that as many as 4% to 5% of adults may suffer from ADHD. Response to medications tend to be lower in adults with ADHD as compared to children with ADHD; it is estimated that between 34% and 78% of adults with ADHD will respond to psychopharmacological interventions with placebo responses rates ranging from 11% to 56%."
"Given that at least a fifth of the adult ADHD population (higher if other problems are present) do not respond to pharmaceutical medications or have adverse effects like nausea, cardiovascular side effects, insomnia, and agitation, many individuals seek other treatments for ADHD symptoms. Studies investigating one ingredient at a time have shown some promise, other nutrients show mixed responses across studies and other individual nutrients simply have no support for their use in the treatment of ADHD. However, this approach of using one ingredient at a time may be too simplistic, as interventions of single ingredients may actually upset nutritional balances, creating deficiencies in other nutrients. Individual nutrients work in combination with each other as well as act as cofactors in enzymatic reactions. Therefore, a more effective nutrient intervention to evaluate for mental or physical health may be one containing a broad array of balanced nutrients.
"There have been several case reports showing off-on-off-on control of mood lability, aggression, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder symptoms using a multinutrient formula, distributed under the name of EMPowerplus. Open-label trials have also shown positive and significant symptom reductions. Results from a 6 month study of 11 patients indicated a 55% to 66% reduction in symptoms reported on a measure of depression and an overall psychiatric measure and a 50% decrease in the need for psychiatric medications. Twenty-two private practice patients were monitored and 19 (86%) were reported to benefit from the supplement. Similarly, of 19 patients monitored clinically by a different psychiatrist, 16 (84%) improved on the supplement; in 12 (63%) the improvement was “marked”. Kaplan, Fisher, Crawford, Field, and Kolb completed a case series to further test the impact of EMPowerplus in 11 children aged 8-15 with mood and/or behavioral problems (6 had ADHD). For the 9 completers, improvement was significant on most outcome measures. A large database analysis of 682 adults with bipolar disorder taking EMPowerplus, found that 53% experienced 50% improvement in psychiatric symptoms at 6 months.
"This research on multi-ingredient approaches to the treatment of mood instability could be of relevance to ADHD given that many now conceptualize ADHD not as a disorder of attention per se but a disorder of self-regulation. Indeed many researchers include poor affect regulation as a core feature of the disorder. Furthermore, given that up to 70% of adults with ADHD may have a history of a mood disorder, it is essential that treatment studies consider the full picture of problems associated with ADHD rather than just the core diagnostic features. As such, a treatment that has shown promise for individuals with mood instability may also have a positive impact on those with problems with self-regulation, including ADHD."
Method
"All study procedures were approved by both the University and Health and Disability Ethics Committees. All participants signed consent forms after being told about the experimental nature of the treatment. They were also informed of other treatments available in the community."
"All of the other 14 participants (9 males, 5 females) completed the 8-week open label trial with EMPowerplus. Mean age was 37.53. Six (43%) met criteria for ADHD Predominantly Inattentive Type and eight (57%) met criteria for ADHD, Combined Type. Other current diagnoses included: 10 had a major mood disorder (7 major depressive disorders (MDD; 50%) and 3 Bipolar Disorder II (BDII; 21.4%)), 6 Social Phobia (42.9%), 3 generalized anxiety disorder (GAD; 21.4%), and 3 drug/alcohol abuse (21.4%)."
Intervention
"The baseline assessment was followed by an open-label acute trial with EMPowerplus for an 8-week period. During this time, participant progress was monitored weekly or fortnightly using outcome measures at specified intervals. Capsules were dispensed at these assessment times and participants were asked to monitor compliance with a diary. In an attempt to make the dosing simple for participants to follow, the instructions to the participants were to take 5 capsules a day initially, divided into three doses (2, 2, 1) and increase to 10 capsules a day after 3 days, divided into three doses (4, 3, 3). At the 7th day, they increased to the full dose of 15 capsules per day, preferably in 3 doses of 5 capsules and always taken with food and plenty of water. Safety, compliance, and adverse effects were assessed at each visit."
Results
ADHD and Mood Instability
"Paired sample t-tests revealed significant improvements on all five outcome measures assessing mood (depression (MADRS), mania (YMRS) and emotional lability (CAARS)), as well as ADHD symptoms (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity), both according to self and observer reports. Effect sizes confirmed that the changes were large and clinically meaningful."
Quality of Life and Overall Symptom Distress
"Quality of life on the Life-Rift improved (a decrease in score indicates better quality of life across employment, relationships, and recreation) and overall levels of distress, as measured by the OQ [Outcome Questionnaire], decreased over the 8-week period. The changes are large and clinically meaningful—the mean on the OQ at post 8 weeks was within the range of a normal community sample."
Anger and Aggression
"According to self-report[s], there was a significant drop in self-reports of arousal and behavioral responses in conjunction with improved ability to regulate anger. Although baseline scores were all within the normal range, mean change on these subscales was large and equivalent to almost one standard deviation drop (or increase for regulation) from baseline. A smaller change was noted in angry cognitions."
Discussion
"This study also replicates other international studies showing the benefit of EMPowerplus in the treatment of mental illness. The treatment had also remarkably few side effects in comparison to many of the antidepressant and stimulant regimes. For example, although there were only a few participants who had a history of manic symptoms, the treatment did not activate mania in them or any other participants, a concern for some antidepressants. Many studies do not evaluate a number of different conditions within the same study to assess the effect of a treatment; it is therefore clinically relevant that we chose a more complex group of participants and found improvements across a wide range of symptoms, such as stress levels, anxiety, aggression, anger control, and quality of life. It is possible that these other improvements were due to a halo effect, which is when improvement in one area of functioning (such as depression) resulted in a perceived improvement in another area of functioning. However, positive changes were also reflected in the observer reports, a finding not always seen when self and clinician reports document improvement. Based on meetings with some of these observers, they were typically initially sceptical of the likely effectiveness of this treatment approach."
"Minerals, vitamins, and amino acids are critical to the synthesis of neurotransmitters and often are required in combination for optimal benefit. Although single ingredients contained in EMPowerplus have been identified as being deficient in some people with ADHD (e.g., zinc; magnesium) and single ingredients have been found helpful in the treatment of ADHD, single nutrient approaches may not be sufficient to correct all imbalances due to the array of nutrients required for effective neurochemical synthesis…It may be that only a broad-based micronutrient formula can correct and stabilize all these functions, particularly in cases that have been resistant to other forms of treatment."
Click on the citation below to access the full article:
Rucklidge, J., Taylor, M., & Whitehead, K. (2010). Effect of Micronutrients on Behavior and Mood in Adults With ADHD: Evidence From an 8-Week Open Label Trial With Natural Extension. Journal of Attention Disorders , XX(X) 1–13.
Please let your doctor know that a follow-up workshop to the 2009 Micronutrients for Mental Health Conference will be held for all health care professionals May 14-16, 2010.
Why should clinicians and researchers attend the Workshop on Micronutrient Treatment and Research for Mental Health?
 Learn about micronutrient deficiency concepts in relation to mental health. - Learn and discuss the difference between single nutrient and broad-spectrum micronutrient approaches.
- Learn how experienced psychiatrists and other health professionals are using micronutrient treatments in practice.
- Hear and discuss case presentations.
- Learn about practical applications for clinical practice.
- Hear presentations from scientists on published and ongoing research in this growing field.
- Learn about conducting research in clinical practice.
- Come, share, and ask questions!
Click on the workshop brochure image to view workshop details.
For more workshop information, contact:
Teresa Kolpak, workshop coordinator
1-866-397-2209
teresa@mmhassociation.com
www.mmhassociation.com
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We want to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date program information so that you can continue to make informed decisions regarding your health. Our hope is that you will find hope, healing, and health through education and continued support.
Yours in health,
The Truehope Staff
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