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Forward A Note From James Harper, Founder, The Road Back Table of Contents
Part One
3. Suggested Nutritionals for The Road Back Program 6. General Pre-Tapering and Tapering Instructions 9. Pre-Taper For: Benzodiazepines, Anti-Convulsants, Anti-Anxiety & Sleep Medication 10. Pre-Taper For Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, and ADHD Medication 11. How to Taper Off Benzodiazepines, Anti-Convulsants, Anti-Anxiety and Sleep Medication 12. How to Taper Off Antidepressants, Anti-Psychotics and ADHD Medication 14. What to Do If You Have Already Started to Taper Off Your Medication or Quit Cold Turkey 15. How to Taper Off Multiple Drugs 16. What You Can Do If You Have Never Taken Psychiatric Drugs 17. Science Behind The Road Back Program 18. Additional Taper Reduction Schedules
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Chapter Three “Super Foods” Used on The Road Back Program “I am now more than halfway off my antidepressant, using the program. I was able to reduce a little bit of the medication with my naturopath, but we reached a standstill after the second reduction. The side effects started and we could not get rid of them. The Omega 3 got rid of the brain zaps within a few hours and they never came back. The Body Calm has been amazing at helping me stay calm during the day and with my sleep. And that barley did just what you said it would do for my energy and complete feelings. I can’t thank you enough.” J.S. New York The Basic Nutritional
Premise As
you know, the body is an amazing and complex instrument, which was
designed perfectly to deal with all the rigors of living that we encounter,
provided that it is cared for properly. However, when you alter the chemistry or
systems in your body, in some contra-survival manner, it will fight back with
everything it has to balance out the attack that has been launched. When you supply your body with
the correct foods necessary to sustain health and life, when you give your body
foods that are dense in nutritional value, when you address the body as a whole,
rather than a piecemeal project, you will benefit from and feel the marvelous
results of your care. This is one of the reasons why
The Road Back Program only suggests the nutritional products listed in this
chapter. If you use just any supplement off the shelf, the chances are great
that you will not receive the same results, as the products are not nutrient
filled and will not assimilate into the body naturally and easily. Over the last eight years, I
have spent thousands of hours researching the correct, and most basic food
system for The Road Back Program. And from this research, I came to the
conclusion that it was not just food, but “super foods” that were required
during the process of tapering off of psychiatric medications.
“Super foods” are highly nutritious supplements and are considered to
have a complete array of all vitamins, minerals, and amino acids the human body
may need. How This Works Your body is naturally set up
with a pro-survival inflammatory process.
This process is a natural function of our bodies, and responds to such
normal daily activities as exercise, fighting off invading toxins, allergies,
illness, incorrect foods, weight gain, medications, you name it. A simple example of this would
be a sore throat or infected cut.
The area will become red and inflamed as the body rushes messages and
microscopic “fire fighters” to the infected area to contain and put out the
fire, and to then start the healing process. But, if your body gets
overloaded, and is no longer able to control the amount of inflammation, or more
basically, does not have enough “fire fighters” to douse the flames, then an
internal switch flips, and your systems can start to go awry, resulting in an
ultimate imbalance overall. If you have any physical
ailments, including menopause, weight gain, diabetes, and so forth, and then
throw psychiatric medications on top of that, you can be adding fuel to an
already burning fire. You are, in essence, flipping the switch that overloads
your body so that it can no longer function in the manner that it was intended. Based on this concept, I
started my nutritional quest, looking for the largest nutritional undercut, to
find the most basic and most simple of all physical and nutritional needs.
My goal was to somehow calm down all the systems of the body naturally,
and to stop the inflammation, so that each of you can stop suffering from the
very medications that might be creating, or contributing to your problems. Once these nutrients are
introduced into the body, the internal fire has a chance to die down, the body
has a chance to re-gain control of itself, and then the healing process can
start from within. This is the simple premise that led to the discovery and
development of the “super foods” that now comprise The Road Back Program. While my nutritional research
will always continue, the current “super foods” that have been formulated for
The Road Back Program are those that provide the most nutritionally complete
cellular support available on the market, while also allowing for the most
complete assimilation and absorption. Because these “super foods” undercut
genetic makeup, they are foods most people, whether on psychiatric medications
or not, derive vast benefit. As a note, your genetic makeup
is unique to you. Your genetics are
the microscopic combinations of DNA, which are chemical compounds that determine
the unique physical traits of each living thing. As you may know, or have
experienced, the area of nutrition is one that can be littered with words that
are confusing, and information so technical, it can often overwhelm. For your
benefit, I have tried to simplify and distill what you will need to know, so
that you can proceed with The Road Back Program feeling as though you know the
basic premise and how these “super foods” work in your body and with the drugs. Thousands of people worldwide
have stood where you stand now: ready to take their lives back and free
themselves from the psychiatric medications and resulting side effects these
drugs may have created. While each person is different, and life offers no
guarantees, if you follow this program precisely as laid out, you should start
to feel better and do better soon after starting the program. The information immediately
following will provide you with what you need to know, so that you are assured
that the “super foods” you will be taking during your tapering program will
provide you with the most benefits possible. “Super Food” Specifics “I started your program two weeks ago and what a difference! I didn’t think you were telling the truth about the products, but I feel like a new woman. Can I stay on the products for life after the taper is over? Thank you for your efforts. You all are a godsend” L.V. Reno, Nevada The reason these foods are so
effective is that they are simple, pure, strong and bursting with whole-food
nutrition. To quote “super food” guru David Sandoval, “You may exercise your
body, but super foods exercise your cells.” When I first started my
research into the psychiatric drug tapering problem, I relied on available,
over-the-counter nutritional products to help people with their tapering
programs. As with any other
research, there were ups and downs to this approach, because I found that
over-the-counter nutritional products were often either too harsh, or just not
of the quality that was needed to accomplish the task at hand. I soon realized
that I would need to formulate the specific combinations that were required, and
that I would have to find a company with the highest standards available, that
would manufacture these nutritional products exactly as laid out. The products that I recommend
for The Road Back Program, are those produced by TRB Health. Their
products include, among others, their Power Barley Formula, Ultimate Omega 3,
Body Calm capsules (or liquid), Essential Protein Formula, and Vitamin E.
If you have ever taken a barley product, Omega 3, or protein drink
before, and then try the TRB Health products, you typically will
notice the difference within a day. As you are well aware, there
are an enormous number of supplements, vitamins, and other beneficial
health-related products available on the market today.
The list is so long that it often becomes impossible to even decide what
to purchase. But for the success of The Road Back Program, I have sidestepped
these items, as they did not prove to successfully help people to taper off
their psychiatric medications, one for one, each and every time.
What I have found is that
throwing random, unrelated health products, in random quantities, into your body
during any form of withdrawal from psychiatric medications, will get, at best, a
“willy-nilly,” disordered, unpredictable response, or in the worst case scenario
extreme illness, or worse. While there are those who
might
benefit from such an approach, the vast majority of people will not achieve the
desired results, and could very well create many new problems for themselves and
their loved ones in the process. My goal is to help you safely
taper off the medications you are currently taking, while dramatically reducing
the side effects of your medication, as well as the side effects of withdrawal. What does work are the correct
“super foods,” introduced into your body, in the correct amounts and at the
correct times throughout the day, so that the side effects of the drugs and the
side effects of the tapering process are minimized, and the relief is increased. An example of this might be a
person taking benzodiazepines, a class of psychotropic medication (having an
altering effect on a perception, emotion, or behavior). This particular class of
drug is known to create two major side effects, anxiety, and insomnia. In order to counter-balance
and eliminate these side effects, specific “super foods,” taken in a specific
order and at specific times will accomplish the task.
Following The Road Back Program will be the path that will stop these
side effects. Power Barley Formula The Power Barley Formula is
comprised of three simple yet powerful ingredients: young green barley,
Aktivated Barley™,
and carrots, all blended into a powdered form for easy assimilation.
Easy assimilation of these vital nutrients is key to the nutritional
effectiveness of this product, as well as all the other super foods on The Road
Back Program. Power Barley Formula is
U.S.D.A. approved, and based on the contents of this formula, and an FDA issued
statement in December 2005, TRB Health can make the following health
claim regarding the Power Barley Formula: “ Soluble fiber from foods,
such as Power Barley Formula, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and
cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
A serving of Power Barley Formula supplies two grams of the soluble fiber
necessary per day to have this effect.” Chlorophyll Young green barley is a “green
food,” and as such, one of the main components is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is
the single most critical substance in plants that allows them to absorb light
from the sun and convert that light into useable energy.
Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green color. This captured energy
then translates into higher quality nutrients when ingested, either by way of
fruits and vegetables, or “green foods” such as barley grass juice, wheat grass
juice, alfalfa juice, Spirulina, and others. The part that chlorophyll plays in
the Power Barley Formula, is that it has a neutralizing effect on the high
levels of acid that have been created in your body, because of the drugs you are
taking. Between our daily diet of
highly-processed, high protein / high acid foods, and the medications you are
taking, the acid /alkaline balance in your body has been severely thrown off.
When you add young green barley to your body, the high level of acidity starts
to calm down, and move back into the balanced range it needs to be in to repair
damage, and for good health. This
green is one component that gives your body a fighting chance in your tapering
process. Other benefits include helping your liver to detoxify, while also
increasing the oxygen levels throughout your blood stream. As noted by the famous
research scientist, E. Bircher, “Chlorophyll is concentrated sun power and it
increases the functions of the heart, affects the vascular system, the
intestines, the uterus and the lungs.
It raises the basic nitrogen exchange and is, therefore, a tonic which,
considering its stimulating properties, cannot be compared with any other.” Glutathione and DNA Studies During my research and DNA
studies, I found that roughly 50% of the population has a genetic variation, or
inability, to accept and use Vitamins B6, B12, and Folate easily. These three
vitamins are all part of the larger group called B Complex, which consists of
eight separate B vitamins. While all
of these vitamins can be obtained from separate sources, they are also
interdependent on one another. Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and Folate (otherwise
referred to as folic acid when found in a synthetic form) are critical to your
health and recovery from psychiatric mediations because they deal with systems
of your body that have been directly affected by these medications. Because of this genetic
variation, 50 % of the population is lacking the components that are needed in
order to cleanse and detoxify the body, create healthy new cells, and assist
with mental and emotional factors. Additionally, the inability to assimilate
these vitamins can leave people craving these nutrients, and they may try to
satisfy this by consuming large quantities of such foods as, beans, eggs, fish,
lentils, meat, soybeans, seeds, and yogurt. However, no matter how large the
consumption of these foods, the body cannot assimilate all the nutrients, and is
often left still craving the missing nutrients. The importance of B6, B12, and
folate in the diet is also essential because these vitamins aid the body in
creating something called glutathione.
Glutathione is a small protein
composed of three amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of the body,
and they build every part and every system in our bodies. We do create
glutathione naturally from a variety of foods. However, the level that can be
achieved solely from your daily food intake is not enough to supply the demands
that are being created by drug toxins.
Glutathione is the master anti-oxidant in the body, and is directly
involved with detoxification.
Glutathione binds up toxins in the body, and transforms them so they are capable
of being excreted. In order to do its job properly and at maximum levels, an
ample supply of glutathione is constantly needed.
The
human body must have an ample supply of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate in
order to convert one amino acid into another amino acid, which leads to the
natural production of glutathione within the cells. This is a naturally
occurring process when B6, B12 and folate are present. The body does not need or
require a glutathione supplement for this process. Once the body receives and
recognizes that it has enough of the basic nutrients required, it will set about
creating all the glutathione it needs. Lacking the correct nutrients, your
immune system and many other areas of your body will not be able to effectively
get the show on the road, so to speak. With an immune system that is not fully
functional, and toxins not being broken down and eliminated, your body will
suffer the side effects of drug withdrawal even more, as your toxicity levels
rise. Aktivated Barley™ The second ingredient in the
Power Barley formula is Aktivated Barley, and no…Aktivated is not misspelled.
Barley historically has been used by everyone from the Romans in war, to the
Greek gladiators training for the ring, to mothers who use this magical food to
feed their babies. Aktivated Barley is barley, which has been turned into a
“super food,” via a patented process that captures all of the barley’s powerful
nutrients and energy just before flowering. Capturing these vital
nutrients before the bloom stage provides you with more of what makes barley the
miracle food that it is. Aktivated Barley is an excellent, slow burning, good
carbohydrate.
Because it is slow burning, it allows for a continuous, balanced
absorption of the nutrients contained in the powdered formulation. An example of how slowed
absorption works would be eating a very sugary dessert, or meal, and then
not experiencing the normal “sugar rush.”
The lack of sugar rush would be because
something was there impeding the flood of sugar into the blood stream.
Aktivated Barley provides almost complete assimilation and utilization of
the nutrients, without requiring large volumes to accomplish this.
Also, it is extremely rich in naturally
occurring amino acids, as well as protein and other nutrients. Due to the rich nutritional
basis of the products contained in the formula and the slow, balanced
absorption, this product is essential in a healthy rebuilding of cells on the
most basic level. For these reasons, among many, Aktivated Barley is called a
“super food.” Carrot The carrot portion of this
formula is the third ingredient, for several very simple reasons the obvious one
being that it tastes great. But
carrot also provides an ample supply of minerals in a form that is, again, easy
to absorb and assimilate. The most powerful vitamin supplied by carrots is
Vitamin A. Vitamin A boosts the immune
system and is abundant with antioxidant properties. It is also closely tied to
proper cellular development and maintenance. For these reasons, carrots go
hand-in-hand with all the other nutrient dense, alkaline-based ingredients that
have been formulated for this product. Ultimate Omega 3 As of this printing, Omega 3,
thankfully, has been all over the news regarding its highly beneficial
qualities, and your body’s need for this essential oil. Nutritionists, doctors,
and health researchers have been conducting studies, and making public note of
the fact that our daily diets, and the tendency towards being skinny and
malnourished, have led the public at large to omit all fats and oils from their
diets. Now, again thankfully, the difference is being written about, stating
that there are “good” fats and “bad” fats and that the goods fats, such as Omega
3, are a must in all our diets. Omega 3 is an essential fatty
acid that is naturally derived from various types of fish. There are two key
chemical components in Omega 3, which are EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and
DHA (Docosahexanoic). Both of these compounds are essential to your
body’s health, and are available in either capsule or liquid form. EPA assists in the workings of
your brain and neurological system - the system that encompasses your nerves.
EPA enhances the electrical functions and communications between all the systems
in your body, and upon which your body relies in order to function properly. DHA helps to build the brain
structurally, and, as such, is a much-needed nutrient for the correct formation
of the brain during the growth of a body. Both EPA and DHA are critical
compounds for a person who is on psychiatric medications, as these drugs strip
the body of these compounds. With these compounds stripped from the body, the
communications, or electrical impulses from one nerve ending to another do not
flow smoothly, but rather jump in all directions, creating such things as “brain
zaps,” “fogginess,” irritably, agitation, forgetfulness, and so forth. The medications you are taking
work in direct opposition to your body’s neurological system, by way of the side
effects that you experience from the drugs, as well as those you suffered with
when you may have tried to withdraw from your medications. Because of this, the
most critical element, between the EPA and DHA, is the EPA. The amount of EPA
and DHA taken during your taper will directly affect how well, or how poorly,
you do on The Road Back Program.
Over the years, I have received many calls and questions from people regarding
the Omega 3. It seems that the most
common problem is that they are either not taking enough Omega 3, or they are
taking sub-standard Omega 3, which is not delivering the quality and quantity
that is needed for a successful taper. If you will be tapering off an
anti-depressant, anti-psychotic, or ADHD medication, it is doubly important that
you use the correct quantity and quality of Omega 3. Here is a simple test you
can do at home, if you already have some Omega 3 in your cabinet. Check the back
of the bottle under the “nutritional facts.”
If the label states that it has less than 180 mg. of EPA, per capsule,
you are holding a bottle that is vastly insufficient for the requirements of
this program. Your bottle of Omega 3 will be
less than effective because when tapering off anti-depressants, anti-psychotics,
or ADHD medications, you will need about 3,000 mg. of EPA each day.
Doing the math, you can see that with the
bottle above, you would need to take approximately 17 capsules of Omega 3, per
day, in order to get the correct quantity for your taper. Additionally, it is
imperative that the Omega 3 that you take is free of any toxins or heavy metals. Because your body is
hypersensitive, due to the medications you are taking, any metals whatsoever,
from any source, are enough to turn on many symptoms, such as headaches, extreme
irritably, massive agitation, and more. As you may already be experiencing these
symptoms from the medications, you certainly do not want to add to, or increase,
them. Body Calm One of the most common
complaints of people either on psychiatric medications or those who are trying
to come off them is that they have anxiety during the day and cannot achieve
normal sleep at night. Sleep is an integral part of daily life, which helps to
stabilize mood, foster clear thinking, and assists with quick reaction time. It
provides the body with a chance to rebuild during the sleep cycle. So even
though your body is doing a lot of work while you sleep, you should not be!
Without plenty of restful sleep, many of us find that functioning during the day
is a miserable affair. Now, take the situation you
are in. Your body is already
stressed from its private war against the medications you are ingesting each
day. It is nutritionally stripped of
the basic food elements that it needs for health and proper re-growth of cells,
and now you can’t sleep. Without sleep, anyone would understandably be a “basket
case” after just a few sleep deprived nights. And this is where the catch-22
comes into play. The drugs you are taking are
creating the sleeplessness. Your
body’s fight to minimize the drugs you are taking is creating your
sleeplessness. And the side effects
of trying to withdraw are creating your sleeplessness. There is no way you are going
to win this battle without some help.
And quite often, the doctor’s response to your comments that you can’t
sleep are met with a new prescription, for yet another side-effect-producing
drug. It was this basic insanity -producing problem that led me on the hunt for
something that would be natural to the body, and would promote and allow sleep
to occur easily, while at the same time, not creating any new and unwanted side
effects. I found the answer to this in the form of a product made from tart
cherries. A true miracle food, tart
cherries, (the proprietary blend of Body Calm) is one of nature’s most
nutritionally dense foods. They contain a wide variety of powerful anti-oxidants
and phyto (plant) chemicals. Tart cherries also have a small amount of naturally
occurring melatonin and potassium, both of which are the magic elixir when it
comes to addressing the issues of anxiety and inability to sleep. Tart cherry
products are also highly regarded because their anti-oxidant properties help
with inflammation of the joints, aches and pains, cramps, even headaches. What you will find that is
different from any prescribed medication you may be on, or have taken in the
past, is that Body Calm does not knock you out, or turn you into a zombie. Taken
during the day, Body Calm will help relieve anxiety, without making you tired,
foggy and having a feeling of not being there. Body Calm taken at night, about
an hour before bed, will help you to just fall asleep naturally. When you wake
in the morning, you won’t feel groggy, weary or like you have to drag yourself
from the sheets. But you
will
feel as though you had a restorative, restful sleep. Body CalmSupreme
Anxiety, stress, and insomnia are major withdrawal side effects and a set
of the most common side effects with all psychoactive medication, especially
during withdrawal. The Body CalmSupreme was formulated to be used in conjunction
with Body Calm to handle anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Body CalmSupreme is made
of 50 mg Body Calm and 200 mg of Passion Flower.
Passion Flower has been used in several clinical trials during the last
decade to handle such things as, generalized anxiety, insomnia, hypertension,
withdrawal off benzodiazepines, withdrawal off opiates, narcotics, alcohol, and
several other addictive substances. Every clinical trial was successful. The
same type of Passion Flower used in the clinical trials has been used to
formulate Body CalmSupreme. Of course, not all Passion Flower is the same. There
are over 500 species of Passion Flower. If you happened to use the correct
species, you would still need to pull out of this herb the specific part to
achieve these results. The Passion Flower
produced by TRB Health is the closest to the product used in all the
clinical trials. Nothing else came close.
This discovery and waiting until several of our own test cases could be
run delayed the publication of this book by several months. The wait was well
worth the delay. The most difficult of cases with anxiety turned around quickly
and smoothly. These side effects were gone in a few days instead of the normal
one or two weeks. Essential Protein Formula Protein, as you all know, is a
fundamental building block of the body, which can be found in both animal and
plant sources. Various animal sources include fish, chicken, beef, as well as
dairy products, eggs, and cottage cheese. Plant sources of protein include
beans, soy, and soy products, nuts, grains, and even some vegetables, such as
broccoli. However, one of the best sources of protein comes from something
called whey protein isolate. This is
a protein derived from milk, which is obtained during the process of turning
milk into cheese. Whey isolate protein has the
perfect make up to be assimilated easily, which means you get more of the
nutrients in the protein. As well as
being an excellent protein source, whey isolate protein also acts as an
antioxidant, helps support a strong and healthy immune system, and balances out
blood sugar levels. Psychiatric medications have a
terrible side effect of ramping up your blood sugar levels, while also creating
a high-level, internal, acidic environment.
When this happens weight gain is an inevitable result. With your blood
sugar levels stabilized, you are one step closer to being able to stop weight
gain, and then start overall weight reduction. As discussed in the section on
Power Barley, the Essential Protein Formula also contains Aktivated Barley,
which as you know, is a slow-burning, good carbohydrate, that
assimilates over an approximate four-hour time period.
Because of this slow assimilation, your blood sugar levels are balanced
and you will not experience “spikes” in your energy levels, but you will feel a
sustained energy that carries you through your day. One of the final ingredients
that performs its own set of magic, is lecithin, somewhat of a miracle food.
Lecithin, among other things, transmits nerve impulses or messages in the brain;
helps maintain the structural integrity of the cells, and acts as a natural
tranquilizer for glandular exhaustion, as well as nervous and mental disorder.
And if that isn’t enough, a few of the other benefits include assisting
the liver in disposing of all the waste that filters through it and out of your
body, and helps relieve insomnia. With all these benefits in place, and
especially with your blood sugar levels stabilized, you will feel less jittery,
fewer mood swings, and less anxiety.
Your brain will calm down as the nerve endings are soothed, and thus the
messages that are constantly being sent and received are more accurate and less
chaotic. Vitamin E This vitamin is most commonly
found in regular foods, such as vegetable oils, nuts, whole grains and leafy
vegetables. As we discussed earlier, though this vitamin can be found in many of
the foods you consume on a regular basis, it is difficult, if not impossible, to
derive the total amount that you need from your diet alone. Again, based on the lives we
lead - the pollution, fried foods, bad carbohydrates, drugs, birth control
pills, hormone replacement therapy, and so many other bad influences, we put the
vitamin E that we do have in our bodies to the test. Vitamin E is an
anti-oxidant, or a natural compound that protects the body from toxins, and also
helps protect other anti-oxidants in the body from being destroyed.
As such, it helps the body eliminate the toxins or poisons that are
circulating in your body. When taking the Power Barley Formula, you are getting
a mild detoxification process to occur, which is a good thing.
Vitamin E helps your body to neutralize these toxins and as these toxins
un-stick themselves from various locations in your body, you will start to feel
better and have more energy. |
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