Your Home on the Web For the Best of Self-Help Stuff That Works

Hello. I'm Adam Khan and I'd like to welcome you to a wide-ranging exploration of the field of self-help. Most of the material here will help you feel better more often by changing the way you think or the way you deal with other people. Those two areas have the greatest impact on your level of happiness, your mental health, and your effectiveness in life.

I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, a published collection of articles I wrote for the newsletter, At Your Best, published by Rodale Press (publishers of Men's Health, Prevention Magazine, etc.).

Here, at HealthyPlace.com, I'm going to share with you the principles for eliminating some of the unhealthy and probably unnecessary frustration, worry, stress, etc., in our lives. The best place for you to begin your exploration is the Immediate Relief Page, where you'll find remedies for any negative feelings you're having at the moment.

Thanks for coming by. Take a look around and let me know what you think. I would love to hear from you.

next: About Me

Some physically active women are at risk for a group of symptoms called the Female Athlete Triad. This often unrecognized disorder is a combination of three conditions:

• Disordered eating
• Amenorrhea (lack of menstrual periods)
• Osteoporosis

disordered eating, whether manifested as restrictive eating behaviors, binging and purging or excessive exercise, can lead to changes in normal body hormones, such as estrogen. Normal estrogen levels are needed to maintain calcium content in bone. Estrogen levels may be lowered when amenorrhea occurs and as a result, calcium content can be lost from bone. The result is osteoporosis, or porous bones.

Who's at risk: are all athletes on this team?

If you are a physically active woman, you are at risk for the Triad. The competitive nature and strong discipline that can help make you a good athlete may also be part of the equation leading to this disorder. Competitive athletes may be at a higher risk than the more casual athlete due to a more rigorous training schedule and the "play-to-win" nature of their sports. You are particularly at risk if you participate in endurance sports, like cross-country running; aesthetic sports, like gymnastics or ballet; and sports which require formfitting uniforms, like swimming. The emphasis on a certain "look" and the perception that carrying less weight will universally improve performance lead to this risk.

How will the Triad affect my performance?

Each part of the Triad can impair health and sport performance.

Disordered eating:

An underfueled athlete is a slowed and weakened athlete. No matter what the sport, if your muscles lack sufficient and proper fuel, performance is impaired. At first there might just be some early fatigue. As the fuel deficit worsens, actual loss of strength and muscle size can occur as the body uses skeletal muscle in order to fuel essential body functions, like heart function and breathing. Lack of fuel can also lead to your inability to concentrate, not a quality befitting an athlete. If you are an athlete with strength losses and poor concentration, you can be more easily injured. Injuries then are slow to heal in a poorly fueled body.

Amenorrhea:

Loss of menstrual periods may signal a change in your body's intricate and complicated hormone system. Hormone imbalance from underfueling your body can result in lowered estrogen production. There are also other causes of lowered estrogen levels. A diminished estrogen level can have many effects; the most immediately apparent one can be bone loss. Amenorrhea can often go unreported to medical providers because of the common belief it is "just part of the training effect." We do know that the bone loss that occurs as a result of this is NOT "just part of the training effect" and can start to occur after just a few months with no period. Click for more information on amenorrhea.

Osteoporosis:

Loss of bone, especially if you are an athlete, can be an unfortunate setup for an injury. Stress fractures can sideline sports activity and be slow to repair if you are underfueled. Repeated stress fractures and unexplained injuries should be a red flag to further evaluate your eating and exercise patterns. Bone loss that occurs because of amenorrhea can be permanent; osteoporosis is not just a disease grandmothers get!

What are the warning signs?

In addition to the clinical information presented, the following could be red flags:

• Frequent or unexplained injuries, stress fractures
• Excessive or compulsive exercise (not being able to skip a day of exercise or reduce time spent exercising)
• Change in performance -- loss of endurance, speed, strength
• Impaired concentration
• Absent or irregular menstrual periods
• Restrictive eating masked as a "performance enhancing" meal plan
• Use of weight loss products or supplements

Prevention of the Female Athlete Triad

Prevention of the Female Athlete Triad is the best way to stay healthy so you can enjoy participating in your sport. Try these tips:

• Choose an activity that complements your natural body strengths and suits you as an individual.
• Realize your health is more important than competitive success. Taking health risks for a perceived competitive edge will make you lose in the long run.
• Be wary of those who value your competitive success over your well being. Frequent weigh-ins, weight comments and punitive consequences for weight gain may increase an athlete's risk for the Triad.
• Appreciate your own healthy, active body. Don't compare yourself to others, especially those portrayed in the media. Optimal weight for health AND performance is different for everyone.
• Realize the thinnest athletes are not necessarily the fastest or the strongest.
• Think of fuel as the ultimate performance enhancer!
• Don't starve your bones. Part of your fuel mix should include several servings a day of good calcium sources like milk, yogurt, cheese, calcium-fortified juices and soy products. I f you are lactose-intolerant, try some of the no-lactose dairy products available. Green leafy vegetables, almonds and beans also have some calcium.
• Be a role model with both your words and actions. Speak up when you hear others making negative comments about weight or body shape. Compliment friends and teammates on their talents and personality, not their looks. Take a positive attitude about fueling yourself and enjoying foods.

next: Eating Disorders: Thin Battle
~ eating disorders library
~ all articles on eating disorders

Part 7: Secret Discovering Exercises

In following these exercises, you will create a book which will become a map, guide and vital resource for your triumphant journey. As you proceed on this new healing path you will gradually see your secrets unfold and become known by you in many surprising and relieving ways. You will begin to recognize how overeating and other out of control behaviors shield you from self-knowledge.

Soon you will be stronger and more free to choose new and more positive actions. You will begin to experience more health and joy in your life. You will not only recognize opportunities, but have more courage to act on them. You will bring more quality to your life than you have ever known.

First:

Establish a trustworthy support system so you have one or more friendly witnesses who are aware of your efforts.

Support could be:

sympathetic friend on a similar journey

trusted friend or friends

members of a psychotherapy group

12 step companions

12 step sponsor

other trustworthy and reliable person who is capable of tolerating your strong feelings without getting pulled into them.

your psychotherapist

(As close and as sympathetic some family members might be, it is usually best to have support for this process be someone who is not a relative.)

There will be times when you feel more than you think you can bear. You will need a trustworthy companion.

At first, one kind friend may be enough. Eventually, if you seriously engage yourself in these exercises, you may need more regular and reliable support than one friend can give. That's normal.

 

Second:

Remember and list experiences that soothe and inspire you. Your list might include:

reading listening to music playing with a pet drawing model building working cross word puzzles warm baths or showers walking running gardening dancing dance classes

playing sports lifting weights exercise classes board games conversation watching movies writing bicycling painting working with clay swimming

Whenever you find yourself having an enjoyable experience where you are happy or just more comfortable being you, describe that experience on paper and add it to your list. You are building your awareness of genuine support, health and joy resources. You will this specific and written list as you proceed through the Action Steps on your Triumphant Journey.

 

Third:

Be kind and appreciative of yourself. Acknowledge yourself as part of your support system.

Every morning read aloud several affirmations [1] and [2] to the walls, the garden, the furniture and the mirror. This will help you build a kind appreciation for yourself. When you discover a thought that is meaningful and helpful to you, add it to the affirmations list. Create your own affirmations making sure they are each in a positive form.

---

Fourth:

Let yourself know how much of your life has been consumed with protecting your secrets. Often guarding and hiding inner secrets becomes the basic organizing principle which governs all your actions.

Think about what you have been absolutely certain about what you can and cannot do.

Examples to get you started thinking about this are:

What kinds of things are okay for you to talk about?

What kinds of things must you or dare you not talk about?

What kind of people can you be with?

Who must you not be with or dare not be with?

What can ask of yourself or others?

What must you not dare to ask of yourself or others?

What kind of treatment or environment or life style must you accept, like it or not?

What kind of treatment, environment or life style do you barely allow yourself to dream of? Are there ways of living that other people can have but never you? Is it forbidden, for some reason, for you to try to bring that way of living into your life?

Getting acquainted with the power and influence of your belief system takes time, patience and courage. When you start to question these beliefs you begin to challenge the power of your inner secrets.

Some limits you impose on yourself are free choices. For example, you may choose to take a boring part time job because it gives you time to be with your baby or take a class or work on a project that is important to you yet brings in no income. That's a free choice.

But if you take a boring part-time job because you believe that you can't ask for more or expect more then you may well be under the influence of inner secrets you don't know about.

Hidden inner secrets can't let you know about your own strength. If you have knowledge and strength, you might challenge the system which holds you down. And overeating holds you down.

Fifth:

Remember to breathe and allow yourself to be surprised.

Breathe evenly and surely. Watch you breath and allow oxygen to nourish your body and mind.

As you breathe, allow yourself to be surprised. When you are surprised, allow yourself to breathe. Remember to exhale fully.

When you are surprised, you are discovering something. Your surprise is a major signal that you are uncovering inner secrets. In time those nameless secrets will be understood, named and resolved. With every surprise and resolution of secrets comes more understanding and freedom.

Sixth:

Elaborate on these exercises to make them your own.

You can add to your book:

thoughts

memories

conversations of the day

daydreams

night dreams

You might include a phrase, comment, affirmation, prayer, or quote that touches your heart or your imagination.

These are personal strands of awareness that touch your genuine self. As you gather these strands, your desire to live healthy and strong will weave them into a healing, teaching, strengthening support system that will help make you whole.

Overeating is such a puny substitute for the strength and beauty you can create within yourself.

You can have self-confidence based on true personal strength and wisdom.

Seventh:

At least once every three weeks, read your book aloud. You will be sharing truth and freedom with yourself.

These are seven preparatory steps for your taking specific action. What follows is the Action Plan, the method you will use to be free of overeating.

The Action Plan is the heart of your Triumphant Journey.

Action Steps

Step One:

Make a regular appointment with yourself to travel on your Triumphant Journey. Give yourself a day, at least once a week, and a time. Give yourself a minimum of a half hour. Keep your appointment.

---

Step Two:

Obtain a 3 ring loose leaf notebook for 8 ½" by 11" sheets.

Print out the seven preparations of Secret discovering Exercises. Use a three hole punch to fit those pages in the beginning of your book.

Print out the Action Steps listed below and insert the pages in your notebook.

Write or print out each of the 20 secret discovering questions on a separate page. Insert each page with a question on it in your book. Place at least two blank sheets of paper after each question page. (Some questions may relate to you more than others. For now, keep them all in your book.)

Print out the Exercises to Stop Overeating and put them in your notebook.

Step Three

Any time your find yourself in an overeating situation, move as quickly as you can to these exercises and find what is helpful for you.

When you begin to discover additional situations and helpful exercises on your own, write them down in this section. It's amazing how brilliant we can be in the moment, and how quickly we can forget our own discoveries. Write down your new found strengths and understandings so you can recover them when you need them.

Use a divider to separate the sections in your notebook so you can find specific areas easily.

Step Four:

Select a safe and private place for this book.

Step Five:

Read the seven introduction points again.

Step Six:

Choose one of the secret discovering questions. Decide using your own criteria. For example, you may select a question because:

• It touches you the most.
• It intrigues you the most.
• It causes you a degree of emotion you feel you can tolerate.
• You feel it's the safest place to begin.

Remember, this process will take time. You do what you can do now. Tomorrow your now will be different from your now of today. You will feel differently and choose based on what you feel then. Now just choose based on what you feel now. You can't make a mistake. This is your personal journey.

 

Step Seven:

1.Sit quietly. Breathe naturally and watch your breath. Gradually breathe more deeply and free your mind.

2.Review the question you've selected as you breathe evenly.

3.Pay attention to what occurs to you.

4.Write the thoughts and feelings which occur to you on the blank pages following the question.

• You may write unconnected words.
• You may write partial or complete sentences.
• You may draw pictures or make shapes.

Whatever occurs to you is of value.

Step Eight:

Pause and breathe evenly.

Pay attention to your body.

How are you sitting?

How are you holding your head, jaw, legs?

Pay attention to how you physically feel in your

eyes head neck arms

hands chest back stomach

hips groin legs feet

Don't judge. Just pay attention to what is happening and write it down.

Step Nine

Let yourself experiences images which may flash before your mind's eye.

• They might be memories, fantasies, wishes or dreads.
• They might seem inconsequential or irrelevant.
• You might hear sounds in your imagination with no pictures.
• Or you might remember smells.
• Don't judge them. Just accept them and write them down.

Step Ten:

As you proceed, you may feel physical sensations, strong emotions or both. Stay with them and write them down.

---

Step Eleven:

Notice what you want to do to end this exercise. Postpone ending the exercise for from one to ten minutes. The minutes you spend in the exercise after you want to stop will provide you with more information. It's not necessary to push beyond ten minutes. You are stretching your tolerance in this exercise. You are also being kind, patient and accepting of yourself. Postponing from one to ten minutes will give you the strengthening and confidence building experience you need. More is not required.

As you postpone you build your own strength and endurance so you can bear more information. That's where your freedom is. Write down this experience too.

Step Twelve:

When you decide you have had enough, write that you have decided to stop. Also write what you intend to do in the next minute. Be honest. Then put your book in the safe place you created.

Next Appointment with Yourself

In each appointment with yourself, go through these exercises the same way, beginning with reading the introductory preparatory exercises. With each appointment with yourself you may choose the same or a different question. You will find that you avoid some and return to others. You are choosing what is right for you at the time.

Understanding Your Triumphant Journey Process

By beginning to go through these exercises, even for a moment, you are slowing down your escape behavior. You are journeying toward what has been dark inside you. This is your gentle but firm search through your protective system. You are on your way to the truth, innocence and solidity of your identity.

By moving slowly and without judgment through these carefully planned and respectful processes, you will begin to hear and understand your own well guarded secrets. Your protective system will present obstacles. You will be extraordinarily creative in the range of obstacles you present to yourself. It is a challenge to meet them. It can also be a very reinforcing time as you appreciate your own powers of unconscious creativity. Once your secrets are resolved you will be able to use your creativity for much more positive purposes.

When you know these obstacles are unnecessary defenses your protective system is putting up, you can more firmly stay present and on task. Here are a few example of self-created obstacles. Learn to recognize them for what they are.

1. You will get anxious, bored, irritated or distracted.
2. You will forget to do the exercises.
3. You will only be able to do them for a few minutes.
4. You will not image or experience a brief and little image.
5. You will say to yourself, "This is nonsense." "This isn't getting me anywhere." "I can't do this right." "I want _______(fill in your favorite binge food)."

These are the actions and the voice of your old self-protective system. Remember, you developed this system when you were a young, frightened and powerless child. Living by such rules now that you are more mature and have more personal resources is a tremendous waste of your life energy.

It takes time to let go of a system that has worked well for you for so long. After all, that part of you was designed to save your life. Maybe it actually did help to save your life or your sanity.

If you meet these obstacles with the patience and kindness they deserve, gradually you will begin to hear your true voice, a voice hidden for years by overeating and other barriers.

Over time, you will discover and develop more strength and courage. You will greet yourself as an undivided person capable of positive action and profound joy.

This will take time. You will cry. You will get mad. You will protest. Use your support systems. Be gentle with yourself. Stick with it. These are the guideposts for your triumphant journey.

end of part 7

next: Part Eight: Using Affirmations to Stop Overeating
~ all triumphant journey articles
~ eating disorders library
~ all articles on eating disorders

Part 4: Time of Decision

Once episodes of overeating diminish and hidden feelings become apparent, the second phase of your journey begins.

You feel proud and excited as you establish a healthy and reasonable eating pattern. Your good feelings, based on controlling what you eat, reinforce hope that you can create a better life for yourself. In time this more balanced way of eating and living will become familiar.

In this phase of your journey, as newly formed eating habits begin to become routine, you will begin to feel vulnerable and unsure.

This is a critical time. The emotionally flooding thrill of early success will pale as you feel previously hidden emotions. You may feel tempted to return to overeating to soothe yourself.

The temptation to return to overeating signals your next opportunity. Your feeling of exposure and vulnerability springs from being near secrets you have from yourself. Your anxieties suggest that you run away by eating. Your journey to health points forward into the challenge of meeting your fears. This is a time of decision.

Let's take a closer look at inner secrets, those secrets inside that even you don't know.

Necessity of Inner Secrets

If you overeat or binge, you may in your past have experienced something you could not bear to feel or know. Overeating puts a great, numbing shield between you and your awareness of yourself. It is part of an effective system many people develop in order to not fully know their history.

That history may involve events that happened to you, events you witnessed, events you heard about. That history may involve bewildering and powerful emotional experiences you had in the past but did not have the strength or maturity to understand or tolerate. Overeating protects you from knowledge about yourself.

No one can end an effective protective system unless they know they do not need that protection any longer. If the threatening sense of danger you have is a secret from yourself, you have no way to evaluate your safety. Without knowledge of your inner life, you can't know when you are out of danger so you will continue to use your protective system, overeating.

Once you know your secrets, you begin to learn that you are able to live with the knowledge. You can strengthen yourself through practice and understanding to live your life with more appreciation for the experiences you have survived. Then you will have no need for the methods which keep you numb and oblivious. There lies triumph and freedom.

Are you curious about your inner secrets?

Curiosity

Are you curious about your inner secrets? Curiosity is the beginning of freedom. Curiosity can mobilize your strength and courage. It can propel you on your triumphant journey.

Responsible diet books or physical exercise programs provide tools and guidance to help you achieve more physical health, strength, flexibility and stamina. They do not address the powerful issues that challenge or block your entry to a more healthful psychological and emotional path.

To reach the more healthful path that can lead to triumph and freedom you need your curiosity.

Curiosity asks, "Why must I live this way?" Then, as you become more alert and aware, you will seek your answer in a new and deeper way.

This is the search, find and understand section of your journey. Your secrets are treasures which, when discovered, understood and emotionally processed, will help free you from your overeating life style.

How Secrets Relate to Overeating and Binge Behavior

For our discussion there are two kinds of secrets: the ones you know about and the ones you don't know about.

Secrets overeaters know about and try to keep hidden from others cover a wide range of eating behaviors. Some secrets include:

• gorging on bread, pasta, pastry, ice cream, frozen yogurt, especially alone at night.
• getting caught in the sweet/salt trap eating peanuts and chips with cookies and candy.
• Sitting in front of the TV, eating and 'checking out' for hours.
• Eating for comfort while driving the car.

Overeaters often calm social jitters by eating privately before they eat a meal with other people. This also helps overeaters to hide their true eating habits. It's easy to say no publicly to second helpings and chocolate cake when you have eaten sweets before the meal. Plus, you know you can gorge yourself when you get home.

Overeaters often try to convince others to join them in "innocent treats," pretending their eating splurge is an occasional lark and not part of a regular pattern.

Keeping secrets from others often involves lying. Lying strips you of your self-esteem and fills you with permanent guilt. The guilt feels permanent because the lies seem so necessary. Without the lies, your secrets would become known. Public disclosure of your secrets seems to you like it would be a personal catastrophe.

The Darker Side of Secrets -- Moving to the Unknown

Secrets go beyond food behavior. Overeaters often try to give themselves a sense of power, thrills or feelings of superiority. They may buy things beyond their resources. They may have secret sexual relationships. They may flee a relationship if they suspect the person sees through their eating pretenses or is aware of their buying or sexual binges.

If any of these secrets apply to you, then you know about the darker side of secret keeping. You get scared. You cry or shake in the dark. You occasionally isolate yourself until you feel there is not a soul who cares about you. You feel helpless and angry regularly.

You make private, wild promises about changing, but can't. You binge on food or other activities until you feel drugged. You may be hung over for days.

You won't tell anyone about this secret personal hell you're living. You make complaints of being ill. You may accept or expect caretaking and feel profoundly sad when it is not enough.

Now we are entering the vast areas of secrets you do not know about yourself. Here are major signals that you are entering a secret territory within yourself. You yell, cry, plead or become stone silent with someone while feeling self-righteous.

This may be a familiar and recurring scene, yet you may not wish to know how you contribute to create it. You may not wish to know how your troubled-eating practices and binge behaviors cause many problems in your life.

You can succeed in not knowing. You have for a long time.

To explore how you create some of your troubles would bring you uncomfortably close to your unknown inner secrets.

What are these secrets? What is the darkness from which they arise? Letting your curiosity come forth will help you tolerate your feelings as you explore the possible roots of your inner secrets.

Part 4: Roots of Inner Secrets

Secrets from yourself are usually based on inescapable stress situations in childhood. They often involve blatant physical, sexual and emotional abuse. However, roots of secrets can be found elsewhere as well.

Some examples are:

* To change homes, schools, friends and neighborhoods regularly or in a traumatic way.
* To face death or serious illness of crucial people in your life.
* War
* Riots
* Earthquakes
* Fire
* Refugee flight and resettlement

Too much unpredictable behavior and schedule changes can cause intolerable stress to a child. Sometimes the child discovers that food stops or at least dims the pain of that stress.

Part 4: More Subtle Causes of Inner Secrets

When a child's identity, worth in body, mind, soul and imagination, are disregarded or trampled, the bewildering emotional pain is too much for most children to bear. Because they are children, they have no criteria for behavior, no comparison, no frame of reference. They believe that this is the way the world is. And, of course, this is the way their world is. They will accept as true and valid the destructive messages pouring into them and struggle to find a way to survive their pain.

Some methods of destroying a child's worth are:

• To belittle a child's thinking.
• To disparage a child's natural desires and behaviors.
• To neglect or isolate a child.
• To break promises.
• To tell fantasies as if they were true.
• To tease unrelentingly.
• To not believe a child who says friends, teachers, neighbors or strangers are harassing her or him.
• To punish a child for telling his or her experience and/or telling the child his or her experience did not happen.

Today sensational, exaggerated language is often used in advertising, news and conversation to make an emotional point.

In the context of an assaulted child's experience, the roots of inner secrets are genuinely intolerable. Intolerable means truly unendurable. The child cannot stay alive and sane and experience what is intolerable.

When stress, pain, horror, confusion, bewilderment and fear are both intolerable and inescapable there are usually two choices. The situation must end or the child must die or go insane.

The creative child finds a third choice. The child who will survive blocks awareness. Intolerable information becomes a well-guarded secret.

The secret is guarded until the child is strong enough, mature enough, has enough support and information, to retrieve his lost experience and live a more full life.

If you are an overeater, the darkness and compulsive behaviors around your inner secrets are the devices that have saved your life. It takes a lot of trust and courage to know that you can survive without them. When you rally your trust and courage to begin to explore your own darkness you embark on the next phase of your triumphant journey.

end of part 4

next: Part Five: The Creation of an Overeater -- Mary's Story
~ all triumphant journey articles
~ eating disorders library
~ all articles on eating disorders

"Personal unhappiness is the greatest contributor to relationship problems."

"You don't love me like I love you"

Problems can creep in when we start to have thoughts of "do I love him more than he loves me?" We start examining all the things we do for our lover. All the ways we express our love and how much time and energy we're putting into the relationship. Then we try to figure out if our lover is giving an equal amount back. If we perceive a discrepancy in that balance sheet, we start to back away from the relationship. We don't want to love more than they love. We become fearful that if we love them more than they love us, we might be played for a foo

Useful Questions:

• Focus on how you feel when YOU are loving. Does loving someone feel good regardless if it's returned? Is your loving someone conditional on them loving you back? If so, why?
• Do you feel loved when your partner isn't around? If not, why not? Do you accept yourself, appreciate your qualities?
• Are you doing things for your lover that you really don't want to do, but feel you need to, to keep their love? Are you doing things for them, expecting something in return? What are you expecting? And have you told them what that is?
• Have you talked to your partner about what things cause you to feel loved? (Don't get caught up in "if they loved me, they'd know", cause they don't.)

"We don't have anything in common anymore."

You love each other and that's why you got together in the first place, but you don't really seem to have much in common anymore. You're into philosophy and art. They're into sports. You like books and going for walks, and she always wants to go sailing. But you tell yourself that marriage is a sacrifice. A give and take. You've been told you should put aside your own interests to make the relationship work. You have to compromise, right? But when you give up what you love for the sake of the relationship, you end up resenting the person and conclude you don't have anything in common.

If you had these differences when you fell in love, chances are it's not about having nothing in common, but not having the connection and intimacy you once had.

Useful Questions:

• Has the amount of one-on-one time changed since you first met?
• Do you still share everything with your partner like you use to?
• What would happen if you did what you wanted, and they did what they wanted?
• How much time do you have to spend with your lover to feel you have a successful relationship? How did you arrive at that amount? What would it mean if you had separate interests?
• Do you see yourself and your partner as two separate people who choose to be together or do you feel some type of obligation?
• Do you believe "Love means to sacrifice."? If so, why?

"We can't talk about that."

Every time you approach certain subjects, it turns into an argument. In the back of your mind, you decide to avoid that topic in the future because you don't want to fight. You don't want the conflict. You believe fighting means the relationship is on rocky ground or is threatening to the relationship. You want to stay together, but believe if you fight, you might separate. So you become afraid to talk about one or two subjects. Over time, that list of "don't touch that one" becomes more and more numerous. And as the list of avoided topics grows, it starts to feel like you can't talk with each other anymore. You feel distant and detached. You start wondering how much longer you can live like this. The silence grows.

Useful Questions:

• Examine your beliefs about love and arguing. Are you afraid of being hurt in relationships? Does disagreeing with someone always mean hurt feelings? If so, why? How could you do it differently?
• Do you limit yourself in some way when with your lover? Why? What might happen if you let them see and hear all of you?
• Is honesty in your love relationship ever a "wrong" move?
  Why do you believe that?
• Talk to your partner about your concerns while keeping the focus on your feelings and not their behavior. (Helpful hint: Be watchful of terms like "you always, you never, you make me feel." Try this instead: "When you [the behavior], I find myself felling [your feelings]...")
• Learn to be more accepting of your partner by becoming more accepting of yourself.

"It would be easier to start over with someone else."

Some time has passed in the relationship and you've both built up lies. Some big ones but mostly small ones. They're not blatant lies, but mostly unspoken thoughts and feelings. The intentions behind the lies were to protect yourself and your partner from pain. But now, your problems seem overwhelming and you can't talk openly and honestly about them because you've already established a certain pattern of communication. It seems it would be considerably easier to just start fresh with a new partner. One where you could be yourself without fear.

Useful Questions:

• Is honesty in your love relationship ever a "wrong" move?
  Why do you believe that? (Read more about how honesty affects relationships)
• Get clear on what you've lied about to your partner. What would happen if you shared what you learned? What is the worst that would happen? Are you capable of handling that? Why or why not?.
• Figure out what you're afraid would happen if you were honest with them about those issues.
• Talk to your partner about your concerns of being TOTALLY honest. Keep the focus on YOUR feelings and not their behavior.
• Muster up the courage to tell them what you've lied about. Repeat to yourself, "No matter what happens, I will be okay."

"If you loved me you would....."

Unspoken and unacknowledged expectations take a large toll in relationships. In having expectations, you're expecting your partner to be a certain way in order to believe they love and care about you. If you don't get what you expect, you conclude all kinds of negative things about the relationship that may not be true.

Useful Questions:

• Do your expectations have to be fulfilled for you to be happy? If so, why?
• Do you expect your partner to conform to your wants? What does it mean when they don't?
• Do you have preset rules in your love relationships? If so, what are they and why?
• Do you find yourself often saying "he should" or "she should"?
• Do you have any "If you loved me you would...[fill in the blank]'s"? If so, what are they?
• Can you think of a time you didn't do what someone wanted you to do? Did you love them, even though you didn't do what they wanted? Could it be the same with your partner?
• Do you use another's words and actions as "evidence or proof" that they love you?. If your partner does that thing or activity you want, then do they love you? If they don't, is that a sign they don't love you or care? If yes, why?
• Understand everyone has different wants, desires, and beliefs about what it means to be loving.
• Be Honest
• Examine what expectations you DO have, then openly discuss them with your partner. Find out what theirs are.

Relationships Require Attention - Every Day and Every Minute! All there is, is relationships! Relationships are about how we relate; with ourselves; with people; with our love partner; with the predicaments we find ourselves in; with our boss; with everything!

"What I have found is that in many instances even though the levels that I can see, that I am conscious of, are mostly dysfunctional - arising out of the false beliefs and fears of the disease of Codependence - on deeper levels there are right on reasons for behaviors for which I was judging myself.

As one simple example . . . when I started to learn about Codependence, I used to really beat myself up because I found that I was still looking for her, even though I had learned about some of the dysfunctional levels of that longing.

I had learned that as long as I thought that I needed someone else to make me happy and whole I was setting myself up to be a victim.   I had learned that I was not a frog who needed a princess to kiss me in order to turn into a prince - that I am a prince already, and just need to learn to accept   that state of Grace, that princeness.

I had come to understand that those levels of my longing were dysfunctional and Codependent - and I judged and shamed myself because I could not let go of the longing for her.

But as my awakening progressed I realized that there were right on reasons for that longing, for that endless aching need that I felt.

One of those right on levels was that the longing was a message concerning   my very real need to attain some balance between the masculine and feminine energy within me - which begets dysfunctional behavior when it is projected, focused, outward as I had been taught to do in childhood.

And on a much deeper level I came to understand that I am - and have been, ever since polarization - looking for my twin soul."

From my earliest memories in this lifetime I had experienced her occasional presence in my dreams.   I have never been able to retain a clear visual image of her upon awakening, but the echo of the memory of how it felt to be with her has been with me   always.   I very rarely brought it to conscious awareness, or spent time thinking about her, but the sensation of her haunted me.   I would catch myself looking for her as I walked down a street or shopped in a store - anywhere and everywhere.   The looking was seldom a conscious process - it was almost as if some part of my deepest being was always watching, always waiting.

When I began my recovery process, my healing, it had been necessary for me to become conscious of the dysfunctional attitudes I had learned about relationships in childhood.   That was when I became aware that on some levels my looking for her was about the princess and frog syndrome.   That is, the false belief that I needed a princess to love me before I could be whole.   It was society's reversed perspective on life that had led me to believe that someone outside of myself was necessary to full-fill me.   That attitude is dysfunctional because it is a set-up.   As long as I was giving other people the power to make me whole, I was doomed to be a victim.

Once I started to erase the old tapes about needing some her to make me okay, I started to awaken to the Truth that Spiritually I am a prince.   I started to realize that only through healing my wounded soul could I become conscious of my wholeness.   When I committed myself to Spiritual purpose and growth, and let go of the false belief that I needed some one else to fix me, then I realized that only in health and wholeness could I Truly give myself in a relationship.   Only by learning to access Love for myself could I share that Love with another person.

It was after I accepted that I was the only person who could fix me, that I became aware of a deeper level from which the looking for her impulse originated.   I started to understand how humans have attempted to apply Spiritual Truths to physical existence, and how confused we had become because of this reversed thinking.   That was when I realized that, although the levels of thinking that I had to find her to be whole were dysfunctional, there was a deeper level where the impulse came out of Truth.   That Truth was that my soul was looking for it's other half.   The polarization of the lower mind, and subsequent reversal of the Earths energy field of consciousness, had caused my twin soul and I to be torn apart sixty-six thousand years ago.   I came to realize that an important part of the evolutionary process was the awakening of my soul to wholeness so that my twin soul and I could be reunited.   And that our reunion was not necessary for becoming whole - but rather that becoming conscious of wholeness, of Oneness within, was necessary for that reunion to take place.

The Dance of the Wounded Souls Trilogy   Book 1 - "In the beginning . . . "

Everything is cause and effect. Everything comes from somewhere.   The dysfunctional, codependent, twisted, distorted perspective of Romantic Relationships ultimately goes back to a longing for our twin soul.   We all have a twin soul.   We each also have several soul mates.   It is not bad or wrong to long for them. It is dysfunctional for us to expect them to show up in this lifetime - and if they do show up to expect that that means everything will go smoothly.   We have a lot of Karma to settle - there is work to do to make any Romantic Relationship work for us.

next: Facet # 7 - Reasons to take the Risk

Red Flag Thoughts:
"You are my life. I can't live without you."

There are some feelings we have when infatuated that we don't have when we're feeling love. Some of the "symptoms" of infatuation are; feelings of panic, uncertainty, overpowering lust, feverish excitement, impatience, and/or jealously.

When infatuated, we are thrilled, but not happy, wanting to trust, yet suspicious. There are lingering, nagging doubts about our "partner in infatuation" and their love for us. We're miserable when they're away, almost like we're not complete unless we're with them. It's a rush and it's intense. It's difficult to concentrate. And most infatuation relationships have a high degree of sexual charge around them. Somehow being with them is not complete unless in ends in some type of sexual encounter.

Do any of these "symptoms" resemble feelings of love? Hardly. So why do we become infatuated? Where does it come from? Perhaps it's biological.

When infatuated we experience a surge of dopamine that rushes through the brain causing us to feel good. Norepinephrine flows through the brain stimulating production of adrenaline (pounding heart). Phenylethalimine (found in chocolate) creates a feeling of bliss. Irrational romantic sentiments may be caused by oxytocin, a primary sexual arousal hormone that signals orgasm and feelings of emotional attachment. Together these chemicals sometimes override the brain activity that governs logic.

The body can build up tolerances to these chemicals so it takes more of the substance to get that special feeling of infatuation. People who jump from relationship to relationship may be craving the intoxicating effects of these substances and may be "infatuation junkies".

When the chemical flood dries up, the relationship either moves into a loving romantic one or there is disillusionment, and the relationship ends.

continue story below

next: Different Types of Relationships

Detailed information on herbal treatments, natural remedies, vitamins and supplements and other alternative treatments for psychiatric disorders.

1. Treatments for Specific Disorders
2. Herbal Treatments
3. Supplemente and Vitamines
4. Other Alternative Treatments

1.- Treatment for Specific Disorders

• ADHD
• Addictions
• Alzhheimer's
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Personality Disorders
• Schizophrenia

2.- Herbal Treatments, Natural Remedies

• American Ginseng
• Dandelion
• Ginkgo Biloba
• Ginseng
• Gotu kola
• Kava Kava
• Lavender
• Lemon Balm
• Licorice
• Passion Flower
• Roman Chamomile
• Rosemary
• Skullcap
• St. Johns wort
• Valerian

3.- Supplements and Vitamins

• 5-HTP
• Alpha-linolenic Acid
• Beta-carotene
• Carnitine
• Dehydroepiandrosterone
• DHA
• EPA
• GLA
• Melatonin
• Omega-3
• Omega-6
• Potassium
• SAMe
• Selenium
• Thiamine
• Tyrosine
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B5
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B9
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Zinc

4.- Other Alternative Treatments

• Acupuncture
• Alcohol Avoidance
• Alcohol Relaxation
• Aromatherapy
• Caffeine Avoidance
• Chocolate
• Color Therapy
• Dance and Movement Therapy
• Exercise
• Fish Oils
• Ginkgo Biloba
• Ginseng
• Glutamine (L-Glutamine)
• Homeopathy
• Hypnotherapy
• Inositol
• Lemon Balm
• Light Therapy
• Massage Therapy
• Meditation
• Music
• Natural Progesterone
• Negative Air Ionizatization
• Pets
• Phenylalanine
• Pleasant Activities
• Relaxation Therapy
• SAMe
• Selenium
• St. John's wort
• Sugar Avoidance
• Tryptophan
• Tyrosine
• Vervain
• Vitamins
• Yoga

next: Recovering Your Mental Health: A Self-Help Guide

Detailed information on vitamin B6, uses of vitamin B6, signs and symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency, and vitamin B6 supplements.

Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B6

Table of Contents

• Vitamin B6: What is it?
• What foods provide vitamin B6?
• What is the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin B6 for adults?
• When can a vitamin B6 deficiency occur?
• What are some current issues and controversies about vitamin B6?
• What is the relationship between vitamin B6, homocysteine, and heart disease?
• What is the health risk of too much vitamin B6?
• Selected Food Sources of vitamin B6
• References

Vitamin B6: What is it?

Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that exists in three major chemical forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine [1,2]. It performs a wide variety of functions in your body and is essential for your good health. For example, vitamin B6 is needed for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism. It is also essential for red blood cell metabolism. The nervous and immune systems need vitamin B6 to function efficiently, [3-6] and it is also needed for the conversion of tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (a vitamin) [1,7].

Hemoglobin within red blood cells carries oxygen to tissues. Your body needs vitamin B6 to make hemoglobin. Vitamin B6 also helps increase the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. A vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anemia [1] that is similar to iron deficiency anemia.

An immune response is a broad term that describes a variety of biochemical changes that occur in an effort to fight off infections. Calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals are important to your immune defenses because they promote the growth of white blood cells that directly fight infections. Vitamin B6, through its involvement in protein metabolism and cellular growth, is important to the immune system. It helps maintain the health of lymphoid organs (thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes) that make your white blood cells. Animal studies show that a vitamin B6 deficiency can decrease your antibody production and suppress your immune response [1,5].

Vitamin B6 also helps maintain your blood glucose (sugar) within a normal range. When caloric intake is low your body needs vitamin B6 to help convert stored carbohydrate or other nutrients to glucose to maintain normal blood sugar levels. While a shortage of vitamin B6 will limit these functions, supplements of this vitamin do not enhance them in well-nourished individuals [1,8-10].

What foods provide vitamin B6?

Vitamin B6 is found in a wide variety of foods including fortified cereals, beans, meat, poultry, fish, and some fruits and vegetables [1,11]. The table of selected food sources of vitamin B6 suggests many dietary sources of B6.

What is the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin B6 for adults?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97 to 98 percent) healthy individuals in each life-stage and gender group [12].

The 1998 RDAs for vitamin B6 [12] for adults, in milligrams, are:

References

When can a vitamin B6 deficiency occur?

Clinical signs of vitamin B6 deficiency are rarely seen in the United States. Many older Americans, however, have low blood levels of vitamin B6, which may suggest a marginal or sub-optimal vitamin B6 nutritional status. Vitamin B6 deficiency can occur in individuals with poor quality diets that are deficient in many nutrients. Symptoms occur during later stages of deficiency, when intake has been very low for an extended time. Signs of vitamin B6 deficiency include dermatitis (skin inflammation), glossitis (a sore tongue), depression, confusion, and convulsions [1,12]. Vitamin B6 deficiency also can cause anemia [1,12,14]. Some of these symptoms can also result from a variety of medical conditions other than vitamin B6 deficiency. It is important to have a physician evaluate these symptoms so that appropriate medical care can be given.

Who may need extra vitamin B6 to prevent a deficiency?
Individuals with a poor quality diet or an inadequate B6 intake for an extended period may benefit from taking a vitamin B6 supplement if they are unable to increase their dietary intake of vitamin B6 [1,15]. Alcoholics and older adults are more likely to have inadequate vitamin B6 intakes than other segments of the population because they may have limited variety in their diet. Alcohol also promotes the destruction and loss of vitamin B6 from the body.

Asthmatic children treated with the medicine theophylline may need to take a vitamin B6 supplement [16]. Theophylline decreases body stores of vitamin B6 [17], and theophylline-induced seizures have been linked to low body stores of the vitamin. A physician should be consulted about the need for a vitamin B6 supplement when theophylline is prescribed.

What are some current issues and controversies about vitamin B6?

Vitamin B6 and the nervous system
Vitamin B6 is needed for the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine [1]. These neurotransmitters are required for normal nerve cell communication. Researchers have been investigating the relationship between vitamin B6 status and a wide variety of neurologic conditions such as seizures, chronic pain, depression, headache, and Parkinson's disease [18].

Lower levels of serotonin have been found in individuals suffering from depression and migraine headaches. So far, however, vitamin B6 supplements have not proved effective for relieving these symptoms. One study found that a sugar pill was just as likely as vitamin B6 to relieve headaches and depression associated with low dose oral contraceptives [19].

Alcohol abuse can result in neuropathy, abnormal nerve sensations in the arms and legs [20]. A poor dietary intake contributes to this neuropathy and dietary supplements that include vitamin B6 may prevent or decrease its incidence [18].

Vitamin B6 and carpal tunnel syndrome
Vitamin B6 was first recommended for carpal tunnel syndrome almost 30 years ago [21]. Several popular books still recommend taking 100 to 200 milligrams (mg) of vitamin B6 daily to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, even though scientific studies do not indicate it is effective. Anyone taking large doses of vitamin B6 supplements for carpal tunnel syndrome needs to be aware that the Institute of Medicine recently established an upper tolerable limit of 100 mg per day for adults [12]. There are documented cases in the literature of neuropathy caused by excessive vitamin B6 taken for treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome [22].

Vitamin B6 and premenstrual syndrome
Vitamin B6 has become a popular remedy for treating the discomforts associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Unfortunately, clinical trials have failed to support any significant benefit [23]. One recent study indicated that a sugar pill was as likely to relieve symptoms of PMS as vitamin B6 [24]. In addition, vitamin B6 toxicity has been seen in increasing numbers of women taking vitamin B6 supplements for PMS. One review indicated that neuropathy was present in 23 of 58 women taking daily vitamin B6 supplements for PMS whose blood levels of B6 were above normal [25]. There is no convincing scientific evidence to support recommending vitamin B6 supplements for PMS.

Vitamin B6 and interactions with medications
There are many drugs that interfere with the metabolism of vitamin B6. Isoniazid, which is used to treat tuberculosis, and L-DOPA, which is used to treat a variety of neurologic problems such as Parkinson's disease, alter the activity of vitamin B6. There is disagreement about the need for routine vitamin B6 supplementation when taking isoniazid [26,27]. Acute isoniazid toxicity can result in coma and seizures that are reversed by vitamin B6, but in a group of children receiving isoniazid, no cases of neurological or neuropsychiatric problems were observed regardless of whether or not they took a vitamin B6 supplement. Some doctors recommend taking a supplement that provides 100% of the RDA for B6 when isoniazid is prescribed, which is usually enough to prevent symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency. It is important to consult with a physician about the need for a vitamin B6 supplement when taking isoniazid.

References

What is the relationship between vitamin B6, homocysteine, and heart disease?

A deficiency of vitamin B6, folic acid, or vitamin B12 may increase your level of homocysteine, an amino acid normally found in your blood [28]. There is evidence that an elevated homocysteine level is an independent risk factor for heart disease and stroke [29-37]. The evidence suggests that high levels of homocysteine may damage coronary arteries or make it easier for blood clotting cells called platelets to clump together and form a clot. However, there is currently no evidence available to suggest that lowering homocysteine level with vitamins will reduce your risk of heart disease. Clinical intervention trials are needed to determine whether supplementation with vitamin B6, folic acid, or vitamin B12 can help protect you against developing coronary heart disease.

What is the health risk of too much vitamin B6?

Too much vitamin B6 can result in nerve damage to the arms and legs. This neuropathy is usually related to high intake of vitamin B6 from supplements, [28] and is reversible when supplementation is stopped. According to the Institute of Medicine, "Several reports show sensory neuropathy at doses lower than 500 mg per day" [12]. As previously mentioned, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has established an upper tolerable intake level (UL) for vitamin B6 of 100 mg per day for all adults [12]. "As intake increases above the UL, the risk of adverse effects increases [12]."

Selected Food Sources of vitamin B6

As the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states, "Different foods contain different nutrients and other healthful substances. No single food can supply all the nutrients in the amounts you need" [38]. As the following table indicates, vitamin B6 is found in a wide variety of foods. Foods such as fortified breakfast cereals, fish including salmon and tuna fish, meats such as pork and chicken, bananas, beans and peanut butter, and many vegetables will contribute to your vitamin B6 intake. If you want more information about building a healthful diet, refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid.

Table of Food Sources of Vitamin B6 [11]

Source: Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health

References

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References

1. Leklem JE. Vitamin B6. In: Shils ME, Olson JA, Shike M, Ross AC, ed. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 9th ed. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1999: 413-421.
2. Bender DA. Vitamin B6 requirements and recommendations. Eur J Clin Nutr 1989 ;43:289-309. [PubMed abstract]
3. Gerster H. The importance of vitamin B6 for development of the infant. Human medical and animal experiment studies. Z Ernahrungswiss 1996; 35:309-17. [PubMed abstract]
4. Bender DA. Novel functions of vitamin B6. Proc Nutr Soc 1994; 53:625-30. [PubMed abstract]
5. Chandra R and Sudhakaran L. Regulation of immune responses by Vitamin B6. NY Acad Sci 1990; 585:404-423. [PubMed abstract]
6. Trakatellis A, Dimitriadou A, Trakatelli M. Pyridoxine deficiency: New approaches in immunosuppression and chemotherapy. Postgrad Med J 1997; 73:617-22. [PubMed abstract]
7. Shibata K, Mushiage M, Kondo T, Hayakawa T, Tsuge H. Effects of vitamin B6 deficiency on the conversion ratio of tryptophan to niacin. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 1995; 59:2060-3. [PubMed abstract]
8. Leyland DM and Beynon RJ. The expression of glycogen phosphorylase in normal and dystrophic muscle. Biochem J 1991; 278:113-7. [PubMed abstract]
9. Oka T, Komori N, Kuwahata M, Suzuki I, Okada M, Natori Y. Effect of vitamin B6 deficiency on the expression of glycogen phosphorylase mRNA in rat liver and skeletal muscle. Experientia 1994; 50:127-9. [PubMed abstract]
10. Okada M, Ishikawa K, Watanabe K. Effect of vitamin B6 deficiency on glycogen metabolism in the skeletal muscle, heart, and liver of rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 1991; 37:349-57. [PubMed abstract]

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service,1999. USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 13. Nutrient Data Lab Home Page, http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp
2. Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, biotin, and choline. National Academy Press. Washington, DC, 1998.
3. Alaimo K, McDowell M, Briefel R, Bischof A, Caughman C, Loria C, and Johnson C. Dietary intake of vitamins, minerals, and fiber of persons ages 2 months and over in the United States: Third National Health and Nutrition Examination survey, Phase 1, 1988-91. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Center for Disease Control and Prevention; National Center for Health Statistics, 1994:1-28.
4. Combs G. The Vitamins: Fundamental aspects in nutrition and health. San Diego, California: Academic Press, Inc., 1992; 311-328.
5. Lumeng L, Li TK. Vitamin B6 metabolism in chronic alcohol abuse. Pyridoxal phosphate levels in plasma and the effects of acetaldehyde on pyridoxal phosphate synthesis and degradation in human erythrocytes. J Clin Invest 1974; 53:693-704. [PubMed abstract]
6. Weir MR, Keniston RC, Enriquez JI, McNamee GA. Depression of vitamin B6 levels due to theophylline. Ann Allergy 1990; 65:59-62. [PubMed abstract]
7. Shimizu T, Maeda S, Mochizuki H, Tokuyama K, Morikawa A. Theophylline attenuates circulating vitamin B6 levels in children with asthma. Pharmacology 1994; 49:392-7. [PubMed abstract]
8. Bernstein AL. Vitamin B6 in clinical neurology. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1990;585:250-60. [PubMed abstract]
9. Villegas-Salas E, Ponce de Leon R, Juarez-Perez MA, Grubb GS. Effect of vitamin B6 on the side effects of a low-dose combined oral contraceptive. Contraception 1997; 55:245-8. [PubMed abstract]
10. Vinik AI. Diabetic neuropathy: pathogenesis and therapy. Am J Med 1999; 107:17S-26S. [PubMed abstract]
11. Copeland DA and Stoukides CA. Pyridoxine in carpal tunnel syndrome. Ann Pharmacother 1994; 28:1042-4. [PubMed abstract]
12. Foca FJ. Motor and sensory neuropathy secondary to excessive pyridoxine ingestion. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1985; 66:634-6. [PubMed abstract]
13. Johnson SR. Premenstrual syndrome therapy. Clin Obstet Gynecol 1998; 41:405-21. [PubMed abstract]
14. Diegoli MS, da Fonseca AM, Diegoli CA, Pinotti JA. A double-blind trial of four medications to treat severe premenstrual syndrome. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 1998; 62:63-7. [PubMed abstract]
15. Dalton K. Pyridoxine overdose in premenstrual syndrome. Lancet 1985; 1, May 18:1168. [PubMed abstract]
16. Brown A, Mallet M, Fiser D, Arnold WC. Acute isoniazid intoxication: Reversal of CNS symptoms with large doses of pyridoxine. Pediatr Pharmacol 1984; 4:199-202. [PubMed abstract]
17. Brent J, Vo N, Kulig K, Rumack BH. Reversal of prolonged isoniazid-induced coma by pyridoxine. Arch Intern Med 1990; 150:1751-1753 [PubMed abstract]
18. Selhub J, Jacques PF, Bostom AG, D'Agostino RB, Wilson PW, Belanger AJ, O'Leary DH, Wolf PA, Scaefer EJ, Rosenberg IH. Association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and extracranial carotid-artery stenosis. N Engl J Med 1995; 332:286-291. [PubMed abstract]
19. Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB, Sampson L, Colditz GA, Manson JE, Hennekens C, Stampfer MJ. Folate and vitamin B6 from diet and supplements in relation to risk of coronary heart disease among women. J Am Med Assoc 1998; 279:359-64. [PubMed abstract]
20. Refsum H, Ueland PM, Nygard O, Vollset SE. Homocysteine and cardiovascular disease. Annu Rev Med 1998; 49:31-62. [PubMed abstract]
21. 31 Boers GH. Hyperhomocysteinaemia: A newly recognized risk factor for vascular disease. Neth J Med 1994; 45:34-41. [PubMed abstract]
22. Selhub J, Jacques PF, Wilson PF, Rush D, Rosenberg IH. Vitamin status and intake as primary determinants of homocysteinemia in an elderly population. J Am Med Assoc 1993; 270:2693-2698. [PubMed abstract]
23. Malinow MR. Plasma homocyst(e)ine and arterial occlusive diseases: A mini-review. Clin Chem 1995; 41:173-6. [PubMed abstract]
24. Flynn MA, Herbert V, Nolph GB, Krause G. Atherogenesis and the homocysteine-folate-cobalamin triad: Do we need standardized analyses? J Am Coll Nutr 1997; 16:258-67. [PubMed abstract]
25. Fortin LJ, Genest J, Jr. Measurement of homocyst(e)ine in the prediction of arteriosclerosis. Clin Biochem 1995; 28:155-62. [PubMed abstract]
26. Siri PW, Verhoef P, Kok FJ. Vitamins B6, B12, and folate: Association with plasma total homocysteine and risk of coronary atherosclerosis. J Am Coll Nutr 1998; 17:435-41. [PubMed abstract]
27. Ubbink JB, van der Merwe A, Delport R, Allen RH, Stabler SP, Riezler R, Vermaak WJ. The effect of a subnormal vitamin B-6 status on homocysteine metabolism. J Clin Invest 1996; 98:177-84. [PubMed abstract]
28. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2000. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2000/000218.b.htm

Disclaimer

Reasonable care has been taken in preparing this document and the information provided herein is believed to be accurate. However, this information is not intended to constitute an "authoritative statement" under Food and Drug Administration rules and regulations.

General Safety Advisory

Health professionals and consumers need credible information to make thoughtful decisions about eating a healthful diet and using vitamin and mineral supplements. To help guide those decisions, registered dietitians at the NIH Clinical Center developed a series of Fact Sheets in conjunction with ODS. These Fact Sheets provide responsible information about the role of vitamins and minerals in health and disease. Each Fact Sheet in this series received extensive review by recognized experts from the academic and research communities.

The information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is important to seek the advice of a physician about any medical condition or symptom. It is also important to seek the advice of a physician, registered dietitian, pharmacist, or other qualified health professional about the appropriateness of taking dietary supplements and their potential interactions with medications.

back to: Alternative Medicine Home ~ Alternative Medicine Treatments