Favorite Functional Medicine Psychiatry Books

Nutrients, Diet, Environmental Toxins, Accessing the Vagus, Epigenetics, Complex Illness, Mold Toxicity, Lyme & Preventing & Reversing Alzheimer's

Having shared my favorite books for the right brain last year, I thought I’d share some for the left brain. Just as it’s a good idea to eat protein with carbs to avoid a spike in blood sugar, it’s a good idea to pair left-brain reading with some right-brain reading. Otherwise, we can get lost in the details of healing, increase stress in our bodies, and lose sight of the bigger picture of our lives.

Anyone who follows the world of functional medicine knows that there is a lot of information out there - some useful, some overwhelming, some supportive, and some scary. Being overwhelmed and fearful isn’t conducive to healing and thriving.

The books I’ve listed below have been written for those seeking answers for themselves, someone they care about, and clinicians wanting to better serve those they treat. Each book is informative, provides useful tools, and offers hope (for good reason). Each is pioneering and is or will likely stand the test of time.

1. Nutrient Power - Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain (2014) by William Walsh, PhD.

“Neuroscientists have identified the nutrients needed for the synthesis of neurotransmitters, gene regulation, and antioxidant protection, and special blood and urine tests can identify imbalances in the nutrients. Biochemical therapies that use chemicals natural to the body can adjust brain levels of these key nutrients and have a powerful impact on mental health.”

2. Change Your Diet Change Your Mind - A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, and Protect Memory For a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health (2024) by Georgia Ede, MD

“I was genuinely shocked to learn that there is absolutely no science (or logic) behind recommendations to eat plant-based diets, balanced diets, high-fiber diets, low-cholesterol diets, or diets containing whole grains, low-fat dairy products, or rainbows of fruits and vegetables. At best, these ideas represent well-intentioned guesses based on deeply flawed, unscientific food questionnaires; at worst, they are intentional distortions of the facts designed to protect professional reputations or serve political and commercial agendas, not to protect and serve public health.

The truth about nutrition is this: Meat is not dangerous, vegan diets are not healthier, and antioxidants are not the answer.”

“The good news is that hiding underneath that moutan of biased, consuming guesswork are clear, elegant, compelling scientific principles about nutrition that make intuitive sense, work in clinical practice, and stand the test of time. Do we know everything we wish we knew? No. Do we know more than enough for you to substantially improve your brain health starting today? Absolutely.”

3. Toxic: Heal Your Body from Mold Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Chronic Environmental Illness (2018) by Neil Nathan, MD

“But some of the illnesses we are seeing today seem to be of a different breed entirely. Patients present with symptoms that are more global, more diffuse, and harder to pin down. These symptoms arise in so many different areas of the body that they don’t seem to make sense. Your family physician has run as many tests as he or she can think of, and nothing is showing up. He or she may have referred you to rheumatologists, infectious disease specialists, gastroenterologists, orthopedists, neurologists, and pain specialists and finally, in desperation, has sent you to a psychiatrist for evaluation….

To make matters worse, because the root of the problem is so unclear, the growing implication is that somehow the illness is not “real” - it is all in your head. As doctors communicate that message to you and your family, your family begins to assume the same thing - that you are someone under too great a stress or have some perverse “need” to be ill….Deep inside, you know that this is not true- it is not all in your head. You are sick, but you don’t know why, and neither, it seems, does anybody else.”

“….complex medical illnesses. Examples include, but are not limited to fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease with its co-infections, autism spectrum disorder, neurodegenerative diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, ALS, and Parkinson’s disease), mold toxicity, heavy metal toxicity, chronic viral infections, PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections), and many others.”

“….My intention is to share with everyone who wants to listen how to make these diagnoses, tease them apart, and then begin the treatment process. ….”

“Because I have seen this process work for hundreds of patients, this is also a book of hope - realistic hope for really, really sensitive and sick patients.”

4. Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism (2018) Stanley Rosenberg, Cranial Sacral Therapist

“For achieving lasting health, by contrast, there is a largely untapped potential in understanding how the nervous system works and approaching difficult health issues in a new way. Simply stated: if the ventral branch of the vagus nerve is not functioning, make it functional. Since the autonomic nervous system regulates important functions in the body, such as circulation, respiration, digestion, and reproduction, a wide range of consequences can occur if the vagus and other cranial nerves are not working properly…..”

“I believe, and have repeatedly confirmed, that if we can get the five nerves that support social engagement to function properly, there is a good chance of alleviating or eliminating many of the symptoms on the list.”

5. The Toxin Solution - How Hidden Poisons in the Air, Water, Food, and Products We Use Are Destroying Our Health - And What We Can Do to Fix it (2017) by Joseph Pizzorno, ND

“But, starting about sixty years ago, something fundamental changed: toxins started entering our world in massive amounts. But, only relatively recently has it been possible to really grasp their effects on us….This book will uncover those findings, while offering a time-tested program to counter these toxins and support you in lightening your toxic load to regain your health.”

6. Your Genius Body - A Guide for Optimizing Your Genes & Changing Your Life (2018) by Andrew Rostenberg, DC

"Before I get down into the nitty-gritty details of our genes and the biological systems of the human body, you need to remember the big picture-our genes are only as healthy as the environment in which they live…”

“One big Idea in this book is the concept of epigenetics, which literally means “above the genes.” Epigenetics is the study of how the environment inside our bodies turns our genes on and off. It explains how our DNA is activated by the choices we make, giving us the power to determine our fate regardless of the genes our parents gave us. Although the field of epigenetics and DNA research is fairly new, we don’t have to wait fifty years before we can start applying this amazing science.”

7. Reversing Alzheimer’s - The New Toolkit to Improve Cognitively and Protect Brain Health (2024) by Heather Sandison, ND with Kate Hanley

“The remarkable improvements in cognition that I have witnessed are thanks in large part to a complex systems medicine approach to Alzheimer’s treatment that supports all aspects of brain health using a comprehensive and robust set of tools, including diet, exercise, sleep, the remediation of toxic exposures and infections, and stress reduction. It’s a far cry from the typical treatment for Alzheimer's, which relies on pharmaceutical treatments that, despite having FDA approval as treatments for Alzheimer’s, don’t have a measurable beneficial impact on cognitive function and have concerning side effects. And what I have seen time and time again is that this new Alzheimer’s toolkit works.”

8. How Can I Get Better?: An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme & Chronic Disease (2017) by Richard Horowitz, MD

“Your genetic makeup, and even the bacterial population within the microbiome of your gut, is specific to you. These factors affect how you react to infections as well as how you absorb nutrients, detoxify chemicals, create hormones, and handle inflammation. Each of us also carries different infectious burdens, including bacteria, parasites, viruses and/or fungi, varying levels of inflammation and immune dysfunction, possible food and environmental allergies, different toxic loads, detoxification abilities, hormone levels, and sleep and exercise habits, as well as different levels of cellular and organ damage from previous or underlying infections. In short, your prior and current medical status determine how Lyme disease will affect your health.

Consequently, there is no single “right way” to treat this illness, and this is why general guidelines to diagnose and treat Lyme and associated co-infections will never be adequate. Each regiment must be customized to your unique pattern of illness. However, there are some basic rules to help you heal from Lyme and chronic illness that I have found after effectively treating thousands of patients. In this book, you will learn how to apply these rules to your individual situation so that you can get better.“

I’m grateful to these practitioners/authors/teachers/thinkers for generously putting their expertise and experience into books. I’m especially thankful to Dr. William Walsh and Dr. Neil Nathan, whose training and mentoring continue to influence how I practice medicine and psychiatry.

I’d love to know what book(s) you’d add to this list.

Until next time,

Courtney

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Medical Disclaimer:

This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for yourself or others, including but not limited to patients you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your physician for any medical issues that you may be having.