Alternative Treatments for Schizophrenia

Understanding Schizophrenia Better

Alternative Treatments for Schizophrenia

  schizophrenia

Current medical research has shown that a variety of healthy substitute treatments for schizophrenia are available. This article will outline a few of these for the patient, his family and his physician to consider.

Antioxidant Vitamins

Medical researchers have discovered that oxidative stress may play a role in the development of schizophrenia. As a course of treatment, therefore, intake of foods which contain a high level of antioxidants may prove to help in decreasing the risk or the severity of the disease. Some foods that provide a high level of antioxidants are strawberries, dried plums, spinach and blue berries.

Music Therapy

Not many studies have been conducted on the efficacy of music therapy on the treatment of schizophrenia. One study, however, conducted by the Cochrane Review, looked at the available data for a recent review. The review included four studies related to the benefits of music therapy when combined with conventional pharmaceutical treatments. The therapy included both active and receptive modes, meaning the patient either participated in improvisational music creation or merely listened to music. The results were positive, showing that active participation worked better than passive listening.

Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treating Schizophrenia

The Cochran Review published an article in January 2006 that covered studies that had been done to date on the use of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of schizophrenia. They noted that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used to treat mental disorders for over 2000 years. The authors also pointed out that the Chinese medical herbs used in TCM may contain antipsychotic properties. The study consisted of six trials. The results showed that the use of Chinese herbs alone may not be recommended, but when used in conjunction with Western antipsychotic drugs, the results were beneficial. There have been recent studies conducted and show that CBD CAPSULES can be used to treat schizophrenia.