EMPowerplus is a nutritional supplement that consists of 14 vitamins, 16 minerals, 3 amino acids, and 3 antioxidants. According to its makers, TrueHope Nutritional Support, EMPowerplus “works by giving the brain the right balance of vitamins and trace minerals on a regular basis.”
It backs up that statement with a link to 11 research studies which it says demonstrates the effectiveness of this supplement to help people with attention hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and depression.
It’s been selling the supplement for over a decade now from Canada, to hundreds of thousands of people. Many people swear by it. Others have questioned whether it is really any better than placebo.
So does it work? Let’s find out…
First, we have to look at the rationale for treating mental illness with the equivalent of vitamins & minerals. According to the folks at TrueHope, our bodies need a balance of vitamins and minerals, or else it will impact our brain chemistry:
Deficiency of one nutrient can make you unable to absorb other nutrients properly, which leads to multiple, inter-related deficiencies. These deficiencies seem to disrupt the brain chemical function in people with illnesses such as bipolar disorder, depression, ADHD, and schizophrenia.
But as we all know by now, mood disorders are not caused simply by a chemical imbalance. To suggest that bringing your chemicals “in balance” will cure these disorders is a ludicrously simplistic way of looking at mental illness.
Is EMPowerplus Just the Placebo Effect?
Of course, the first criticism might be that this is simply the placebo effect at work. But the makers argue that, despite not having any clinical evidence to the contrary, EMPowerplus’ effects don’t look like the placebo effect (as they define it):
Numerous studies on the placebo effect have shown that a placebo effect only lasts a short time. Then the effect disappears and symptoms return. EMPowerplus does not “stop working.” Even the first EMPowerplus users, who started in 1996, remain symptom-free and drug-free.
We don’t really know this to be true. The placebo effect has not been shown to simply “wear off” (according to my reading of the literature), especially if a person continues to use the product.
I find it more than a little astonishing that after more than a decade on the market, the manufacturers of this product haven’t done a single placebo-controlled trial. The surest answer to “Is it the placebo effect?” is being able to look at just such data.
Effectiveness of EMPowerplus
So what data has been collected on EMPowerplus?
According to their website, there are 11 studies — but some of that research is nothing more than a letter to the editor of a journal, describing the clinician’s own experiences with the supplement. Such letters are not considered evidence or research by the scientific community; they are simply anecdotes.
Some of the published research comes from researchers who have used the company’s own data collection routines through a “Self-Monitoring Form” that’s filled out by customers of the product (a form whose psychometric properties we know nothing of). The majority of customers stop filling out the form after two weeks, however (Rucklidge et al., 2010), suggesting they’ve either stopped using the product or stopped enjoying any positive effects from it.
In the aforementioned study, 120 families (out 709) agreed to monitor symptoms of their children who were taking EMPowerplus over 6 months’ time. Naturally, the researchers found a positive effect for the supplement — a 46% decrease in mean bipolar symptom severity scores at LOCF and a 40% decrease in ADHD symptoms.
But what’s that LOCF thing? Well, it’s a technique called Last Observation Carried Forward that researchers use that carries forward drop-out scores as though they had completed the entire study (in this case, observation of scores over 6 months’ time). In this study, only 49 percent of the participants kept providing the researchers data at 6 months — meaning the majority of them dropped out of the study before the 6 months were up!
LOCF is generally frowned upon in good research unless there’s a very good rationale for its use. Why? Because research conducted on the effects of LOCF shows that this method gives a biased estimate of the treatment effect while underestimating the variability of the result. In other words, it stacks the deck to demonstrate a treatment’s effectiveness — even when the treatment might not be effective. It’s a research slight of hand.
The bigger problem with this study and most of the studies cited by TrueHope is that they all suffer from significant design problems. All are open-label designs with biased, self-selected samples. Good, reliable research starts out with a randomized sample from a demographically-diverse population. It’s also important that both the person taking the supplement and the researchers don’t know who is receiving an active ingredient and who is receiving a placebo.
In contrast, the studies cited by TrueHope rely almost exclusively on self-report of symptoms (and in some, it’s parental report). There is little to no monitoring of patients to ensure they are taking the supplement as prescribed. There are no medical or laboratory tests of vitamin strengths in the individuals in the studies. There is no attempt to tease out or understand the underlying mechanisms for behavioral or mood change.
Of the remaining studies cited by the company, they consist primarily of case reports or small, unscientific studies describing the use of the supplement in practice with less than a dozen patients. Naturally clinicians who prescribe something and then find a positive result in their patients are going to attribute the change to what they prescribed (that’s called prescriber bias). While these are all data points we should be aware of, they don’t really help us judge the effectiveness of EMPowerplus.
As for the safety, researchers using the results of the 6 published studies on this supplement (which included a total of 157 patients) found no significant adverse effects to be concerned about (Simpson et al., 2011). So it appears to be a safe thing to take according to this one study.
69 comments
I’ve been watching this company for a few years and in my view their are engaged in quackery (some signs: calling itself a “miraculous treatment”, lack of rigorous research as you’ve described here, testimonial advertising – see http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/01/03/testimonials-arent-real-evidence/, and the product is only available through the company’s web site after providing lots of personal data and agreeing to stop taking medication and maintain ongoing contact with their sales rep.)
When you attempt to purchase the product you are forced to sign a terms of agreement that includes:
“Some of the medications I’m currently taking or have taken (if any) may require that I take extra care when starting the EMPowerplus nutrient program and I agree to follow the guidelines of the program as suggested by my Truehope Assistant.”
A Truehope Assistant is essentially a sales rep for the company. They are not mental health professionals. However, based on your checking a box when you order that states “I am taking or have recently taken medication for sleep or a mood disorder,” they advise you to discontinue taking all psych medications before taking Truehope. Why? If it were really a safe nutritional supplement, there wouldn’t be any interaction, and if it’s not, they don’t say what’s in their proprietary formula so we don’t know what’s in it that might pose a risk. Either way, advising people to discontinue medication – without a professional assessment or medical supervision – is a dangerous ploy. To me, this what’s most disturbing about Truehope, even more than their marketing techniques and lack of rigorous research.
From their FAQ:
“do medications interfere with EMPowerplus?
Yes, especially psychiatric medications. As your brain function improves, you can become increasingly over-medicated. Psychiatric medications should be gradually tapered off when using EMPowerplus.
“I’m tired of drugs. Can’t I just stop taking them now and switch to EMPowerplus?
No! Suddenly stopping psychiatric medication is very dangerous and can lead to hospitalization or worse. Withdrawal effects of medications can be severe. And EMPowerplus works gradually. That’s why the transition must be done under close supervision
“what is the Truehope Support Team?
The Truehope Support Team works with both individuals and doctors in managing the transition process. The Truehope Support Team members are not medical professionals but are highly knowledgeable about EMPowerplus and the past experiences of thousands of other EMPowerplus users. Please call [number] to register, order and access Truehope Support.”
http://www.truehope.com/truehope_bipolar_disorder_faq.aspx
A quick web search will turn up many sites that question the product and have monitored their court battles. I hope people will take time to consider all perspectives before purchasing this product and going off meds based on some slick marketing.
I agree that a person should never discontinue psychotropic meds without doctor supervision. If this product does not strongly address how important that is they should correct it immediately.
I also believe that for many this could be the answer. I have been reading of psychiatric conditions in respected forums (Pubmed, Medline, which doctors consult) that seem to have roots in deficiencies of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. (or oxidation from bad fats)
I wonder at your interest in this product. Most disease can be corrected & what the product offers is correction. Sadly, doctors don’t address causes to these kinds of illness or correct them. Without a biological connection to mental health disorders there would be no magic pills. It is confusing for the lay person & hard, if not impossible to find medical professionals trained to treat. For many this is a solution because they understand the science.
Yes, caution should be exercised, questions asked and doctors should monitor titration of medications. You just can’t fault a person for looking for ways to wellness when mainstream medicine has failed. These are people looking outside the box and finding answers.
I am reading more and more about impaired antioxidant enzymes in mental illnesses, even in autism. It is only a matter of time before the pharmaceutical industry thinks of a name for this impairment and manufactures a drug to mask it’s symptoms. The person unlucky enough to be treated with this new drug will likely suffer side affects that could be avoided by a true correction.
“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, then you win.” -GANDHI
Empower Plus has SAVED my children’s lives. Three of my five children suffer from EXTREME psychiatric problems. Since the psyc. drugs either took away their person or did no help at all; I needed to find something to give them their life back. I can’t express, with more gratitude, how amazed I am about their total recovery from a devastating mental illness on nutrition alone. I thank God everyday for Empower.
My son has severe mental illness and has been the most stable in his life and actually is like a normally functioning person now on this supplement.
I started taking it for PPD after my last child was born. I was in denial for 6 months and thought it was everyone else around me and/or it would vanish, but I finally started Empower. OMG, seeing it with my son was one thing, but to experience a total turnaround in just a week? The scariest part for me was when I was stable and happy again and realized how severe I was, looking back at how I was behaving. I realized I was in a dangerous situation and True Hope saved me.
Anyone here bashing their credentials makes me laugh. My son has autism also. I have spent most of my life since he was diagnosed, researching ways to minimize symptoms. It’s all nutrition and supplements. He had a yeast overgrowth, so the empower didn’t help at first. You HAVE to take True Hope’s advice and not just stop psychotropic meds. You have to communicate with them AND your doctors. It took us a while to fully wean off the meds and maintain stability on Empower. But once it’s there, it’s there. It works. It’s not an overnight miracle and I consider the people at True Hope more of an expert than any doctor I’ve seen or taken my son to. Anyone who lives this disease and experiences it and finds something that helps is an expert in my book.
On a side note, I am symptom free of Crohn’s Disease since taking this. I have not needed my maintenance meds and have not had a single relapse. True Hope has no mention of it helping other things, but for me, it’s a miracle alone that my Crohn’s Disease seems to have vanished…..even on my colonoscopy, the dr. can’t see traces of anything wrong. It’s all about nutrition and being able to absorb the proper nutrients.
I just wish people would not bash this company. Zoloft didn’t work for my son. At All. I am not calling up his doctor, calling him a quack. Nor am I complaining about the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug. I simply do not give it to him and moved on to something else. Move on, people.
Very right, My husband had a terrible experience with it. It does not work like they claim. It put him into the hospital for months. If you’re taking it for anything other than a multivitamin please beware!!!
My husband has been taking EMPowerplus for over 4 years. He’s back at work and living a vibrant life. The meds didn’t work. The hospitalizations didn’t work. There was alot of pain and disfunction that swirled into every aspect of our relationship and our childrens lives. It was horrible.
It took about 3 months for him to really notice a difference. I noticed within the first month that there were things that were better (less frequent rages and not so out-of -control episodes). It took alot of faith and time with the support staff at Truehope. We wanted to give up but we decided to commit to trying, struggled through the med withdrawals and continued with the EMPowerplus. Truehope are not medical proffessionals but they did answer many of our questions and help us through these bumps along the road. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
I have my husband back. There is no question in my mind that it works. If this is a placebo effect. I’ll take it.
I too had no luck with meds….I have bipolar II. I now take Lavendula Compound, which you can get from health food shops. I also take a multi vitamin, fish oil, which has been said to help with depression and bipolar, magnesium, also known to help with depression, vit D3 also known to help with depression and zinc 🙂 I have been in a better place than I have in years! No being drowsy all the time from meds and the lavendula helps wonders with my anxiety! If I’m having a more anxious day than usual I can take one and within 15mins am feeling much calmer 🙂 you can take up to 3 a day 🙂 I do even better when i stick to exercise too. where can I get some of this EMP in Australia?
Ilse, email [email protected] and they can tell you what options are available in Australia.
just started reading this web-site Jacqui I noticed your comment was in 2011, how is your husband now? is he still taking true hope supplements and if so r they still working for him
Betty
Haven’t read everything yet about Truhope & I have an old browser so I may not get the info I need specifically the ingredients(I’m gluten intolerant,taking 3mg melatonin on occasion worked better for insomnia better than chloral hydrate!!!but that was prior to being treated for ADHD/depression with Ritalin-when my retired psychiatrist told be I had to take melatonin daily I suffered intolerable adverse reactions,I tried fish oil for omega-3-fatty acids & also got intolerable adverse reactions.So I’d need to know what’s in Truhope before taking it;I’m prone to allergies-it’s in my family,too)but I will try to read more if this browser allows it,send info to my present psychiatrist if it looks promising just for the sake of interest because I actually couldn’t really afford $75(I’m on SSI & get all my medicines for free)but it’s still intriquing & I’m going to see if I can email the company with my questions-I’ll let you know if I find anything out but if it really did work I’d try to find the money & I’d find out about a refund policy & of course,consult with my doctor first.If I find anything more I’ll send it to Dr. Grohol/psych central. Sincerely, Morgana(I have Bipolar I with psychotic features(rare) & ADHD & panic/anxiety disorders & phobias complicated by Irritable Bowel Syndrome-the reason I feel disabled but I”m fairly sure the gov’t(US) determined by disability from the Bipolar Disorder although when I got SSI 30 years ago I wasn’t yet diagnosed;I was too phobic to go to the appeal court;at that time I was beginning to experience symptoms of severe Graves’ Disease,now treated-was diagnosed at 25 & I’m now 54 & take thyroid supplement.
I found out about Truehope from David Moyer’s book “Too Good to be True”.
Since then I’m getting their newsletter. I hoped to get some review of their product or any feedback from psychiatrists who used it on bipolar patients.
I see that it is not going to happen. The supplements are natural, so pharmaceutical companies will not pay for the research. The government is the one who should sponsor such studies, but they are more interested in restricting supplements in order to “protect the public” from unfounded claims. The researchers only work on studies that are funded. Doctors only prescribe what is approved by FDA.
The article gives credit to Mr. Hardy and Mr. Stephan for trying to help people in need with something they believe works to help alleviate mental illness. They need help from the mental health community to validate their results and follow-through with adequate research.
Thanks for an excellent article about such an important topic, John. There’s so much confusion out there about the causes of ADHD, and about appropriate treatment. Parents especially are so eager to give their kids the best treatment possible, it’s easy to buy into something that looks like a quick fix, and especially difficult for us lay people to discern what’s “science” and what’s spin based on, as you point out, anecdote and skewed “research.”
Much gratitude for this important piece!
Thank you.
Zoë
Psych Central Blogger, ADHD from A to Zoë
Interesting they’re Canadian as Hoffer was from there.. any affiliation?
Certainly, Hoffer and Pauling delineated many of the orthomolecular benefits and relationships between mental disorders and nutrient deficiencies.
thanks for the site.i am a 29 year old male kenyan. depression has shattered life physically,emotionally and has absolutely crippled me financially.i believe in your supplements but icannot afford.can you please connect me to a wellwisher who can help me access the supplements so that i can regain my former self?thanks.
It is sad to see an approach that is helping some people rubbished in this way. I work as a naturopath specialising in mental health and find that different combinations of nutrients and dietary modification together with psychotherapy or counselling work best both for my clients and myself. So please let us be a little more open minded and support independent research.
I am a 32 year old female on True Hope Since mid 2010. I have been on several medications for Depression and Bipolar, and the effects were very short lived. I wished they worked, I tried very hard for them to work, all the necessary lifestyle, etc. As a result I gained 50lbs, and became very ill.
True Hope came as a last hope. The recovery was almost immediate and felt within days (faster than any medication) and it was not placebo, as it lasted for over a year. There have been several times, where i decided I felt so good i went off the Program and the Symptoms returned. I tried cheaper Vitamin brands matching exactly the quantities on EMPOWER (wasn’t really that much cheaper after all the ingredients are acquired btw), and once again, realized I can’t function without True Hope’s Empower. For me this is the only available option out there that worked, and it is worth $250 a month for me, as I can stay gainfully employed on Empower, and it wasn’t the case on medication. I find Empower Especially effective for PMS Symptoms and wish someone would conduct a study.
Hi,
I wanted to weigh in here to say that while I agree that scientific evidence is important, I also feel it’s important to have an open mind about treatments that seem not to be doing harm and may be helping some people significantly — especially people who have been unable to get relief from the “proven” treatments, or who experience such terrible side effects from the usual approaches that they can’t really tolerate them.
My stepson, now 9, has been taking EMPower for almost 2 years. We worked with a respected child psychiatrist to transition him from 10 mg of Abilify to the EMPower. He is very bright but also on the autism spectrum and was having terrible tantrums that were destroying his ability to attend a regular school even with a full-time aide and a lot of special services. The Abilify had helped him calm down but also made him lethargic and hungry, and he was putting on a lot of weight. It was really hard to watch this slim, active, generally happy (if unpredictable), child balloon up and lose interest in almost everything he had cared about only 6 months before.
With the help of this psychiatrist, who is knowledgeable about alternative therapies, we tapered the Abilify down and ramped up the EMPower very carefully. We didn’t tell the school about the medication change until well after it was complete because we didn’t want to bias their recording of his behavior.
The change in him after the 2 1/2 months of shifting to EMPower was truly astounding — he came out of his stupor AND his difficult behaviors went down precipitously. They didn’t cease entirely, but disruptive behaviors that had been occurring daily became milder, weekly events instead, and resolved more quickly. He was able to stay in class almost all the time, and he renewed friendships that he had stopped caring about while on the Abilify. Our happy, funny boy is back!
I have always believed that nutrition matters, but even I would have scoffed at the idea of replacing 10 mg of an anti-psychotic with VITAMINS. I was so impressed that last summer I (I’m diagnosed with ADHD and some mood instability) transitioned from Lamictal to the EMPower myself (with the help of my psychiatrist). I take only 3-4 capsules a day (my stepson takes 11), so the expense is manageable. I expected only a mood stabilizing effect but have found I can also reduce my ADHD medication by 1/3 to 1/2.
I did try using regular vitamins in roughly the same proportions as the EMPower in order to save money — what I found was that the savings was relatively small and the combination (presumably because it was not chelated and packaged as odorless capsules) made me queasy. I wasn’t able to sustain the regimen except with the EMPower. It’s an unfortunate irony that EMPower, which overall is cheaper than pharmaceuticals, costs ME more than the psychotropic medications did because it’s not covered by insurance.
Previous posters are correct, it is very challenging to get useful research studies done about supplements. There is not much government money funding them and the pharmaceutical industry has a vested interest in keeping them from happening.
Finally, for those who don’t already know, doctors receive only the most cursory information about nutrition during medical school — basically, they are taught how to keep people alive on sugar water, and that’s about it. My suggestion is to look for a doctor who has made a significant effort to get educated about alternative/complementary medicine, or at least is open to these approaches and willing to work with you if you want to try things that may not be “proven,” but have reasonably strong anecdotal support and don’t appear harmful.
Best wishes to all.
While I appreciate the testimonial, it’s just not the same as scientific evidence.
There isn’t a whole lot of funding for research in the hundreds of different psychotherapy modalities available either. And yet, in the past 50 years, there are literally thousands of studies conducted on the effectiveness and safety of psychotherapy. All without a whole lot of government support, and with zero pharmaceutical funding.
So I don’t buy it when someone says that even simple, basic research is “too expensive.” If you’re selling a product you believe in, and believe that works, you make it a part of your business model to fund the research to support your claims. Especially if those claims are — like some people in this thread — made to support the treatment of a medical concern. (Because it’s illegal in the U.S. to advertise you treat a medical concern unless you have scientific data.)
Just my thoughts,
John
FWIW, randomized trials we had been approved for had been cancelled by Health Canada, which makes it difficult to conduct the research that validates our claims. That cancellation has since been reversed and we are in the middle of double-blind placebo-controlled studies. Hopefully, we can see the results published this year or next, but these things take times, as I’m sure you can appreciate.
Dear John,
At first when I read this, I felt disgusted by the way you talked about what has been for some people the greatest thing in their lives. So I thought it could’ve been personal thing between you and the truehope guys, but no, it’s just business for you. You’ve been working on this problem so hard and for so long that you’ve actually become obsessed with it & forgotten about the purpose of your work.
You could be using some of the passion you use in writing this article to actually do something useful.
The truehope medication has worked for some people(full stop)
Is life a complex organism, yes it is? and everyday we know a little bit more about its complexity. One doesn’t have to get a degree, or a PhD, or any piece of paper to appreciate, value or to consider that Truehope’s people are at least heading towards the “right direction”. Of course it’s not just about a few vitamins, minerals, etc. But even the most complex of things in this world, such as humans, rely on simplicity. In this case relying on the saying: healthy body, healthy mind.
Truehope, on its own, it’s not the solution(for everyone). There are other areas, like the one your an expert in, that need to work in conjuction to it. But it’s not until people start eating their pride and get ride of their stubbornness that we’re gonna start seeing some change.
PS: a fan of yours
Truehope empowerplus is not a medication. It is a “nutritional supplement.” If it were a medication, it would actually have to go through the same rigorous scientific process the FDA requires of all medications marketed and sold in the U.S.
Science is science. You’re welcomed to disagree with its purpose, but if you don’t agree science helps us with understanding data, that in turn helps us understand voodoo treatments versus legitimate treatments, this is definitely not the blog for you.
BTW, we talk about a lot of good, helpful alternative treatments on this blog too. The main difference is those treatments have bothered to do some research to back up their effectiveness, and don’t rely on individuals posting testimonials — the similar kind you see for every fake treatment pushed online.
Dr. Grohol,
Are there “scientific studies†relaying on rigorous data” regarding the effectiveness or side effects of patients taking a combination of psychiatric drugs? Are there any “scientific or rigorous studies” done regarding the effects of prescription meds on the developing brains of children? What happens with research studies that are never published because they fail to demonstrate drug effectiveness? What is the percentage of those unpublished studies? Is there any conflict of interest between pharmaceutical companies and the FDA? Do you know if FDA members have invested interests in promoting these drugs? I invite you to investigate, and you will be surprised of the findings.
If we are going to be talking about sound data and respectable studies or “good science†I think we need to be asking these questions.
The fact that Truehope has not been able to complete any double-blind experiments does not indicate that the product is not good. It simply means that the product is promising but it is still under investigation.
Professionals have the moral responsibility to discuss ALL treatment options with their patients, including the ones that are not FDA approved. Any parent can make an informed decision between trying an experimental approach with minimal side effects or an approach that has more research support but with more side effects.
Disregarding any other type of alternative or making it seen as non important is a lack of respect to many families that have found an answer in these supplements.
John,
Come on. Real science is based on a combination of non-biased research with direct experience that backs it up. Without experience of real people science could not be backed up.
There is no scientific evidences better than the testimonials provided. My son has been cured of his debilitating disease because of Q96. You are nothing more than an naysayer, skeptic hell bent on taking away from something that is a blessing to so many lives. You should be ashamed of yourself.
There is a more recent, more thorough research summary than I have seen cited above: Nutritional Management of Bipolar Disorder in Adults and Youth by Charles Popper http://bit.ly/KJwiuy at Harvard’s MacLean Hospital. He issues a great many cautions about the issues that may arise during the process of transitioning onto this formulation, but cites open-label studies involving nearly 650 pts with what I would have to consider a significant success rate (47% completely off psych meds). He offers recommendations for MDs interested in learning how to use this formulation. And he actually comes out and says “Don’t try this yourself at home!” Brains are still unique, complex and delicate, even when you treat them with nutrients instead of meds.
My pdoc made me buy them [through him], and 2 days in I’ve already had to call him due to a terrible reaction (woke up at 3am having terrible tremors, muscle pains, and anxiety; haven’t slept since). My only other med is a lorazepam (for panic attacks).
I couldn’t believe vitamins could have such a tremendous (terrible) effect on my central nervous system. Pdoc says it’s the amino acids kicking in.
I’m not even sure I have an amino acid deficiency, tbh. I do have panic attack issues, and have been on Ativan for 5 years (happily; you just wasn’t get to a point where you feel good and you’re not sure if you can come off the benzos). SSRIs and tricyclics were a nightmare (worse anxiety or [new for me] rage), and I won’t try antipsychotics since I’m happy and functional on my current med.
My comment is that the pdoc is SO into the Empower Plus. For everything: schizophrenia, bipolar, major depressive. I wondered if pDoc converted to Scientology; he’s a bit too enthusiastic about these vitamins.
For me, one more night like last night, I’m done with the Empower.
Also, I’m 100lbs, and will not take 8-15 vitamin pills per day, ever. I’d rather pop an Ativan; helluva lot cheaper, fewer side effects. However, if I titrate up to 4 pills a day (2X2/day), and it’s helping at all, I’ll buy another bottle.
(If it’s not working, I can tell you now I’ll have to find another pDoc — he wouldn’t HEAR of these vitamins not working.)
Shouldn’t there be a test to determine if there ARE deficiencies before Rxing these, though? Seems like such a waste if there aren’t nutritional problems present. And I’m a little worried about getting a toxic dose of vitamins. I get a lot naturally (whole milk addict; big fresh fish eater).
Only well people need clinical studies to prove anything. People with chronic conditions only need to know that it is not dangerous. We are at our wits end, and will try whatever is safe to get better.
No offense to the author, but I suspect there is no incidence of mental illness in his immediate family. If there were, he would not need studies, just options.
The benefits of the Ivory Tower is that it creates new thought. The drawbacks is that those in the Ivory Tower only have theory. And as any sea-going person knows, you want a Captain with many years of sea legs, not someone who has never sailed before but only watches and jeers from the land.
You are so right. Only people without the disease need scientific evidence. My son has been cured of his bipolar disorder and lives a very happy life because of Q96, and that is all the evidence I need. Thank you for your comments.
Hoping this goes through to counter all the misinformation in most of these comments…
Does the company who makes this product take any responsibility for the death of Donald Ramsay and beating of Wendy Ramsay?
The company apparently recommended taking their son Jordan off his Schizophrenia medication(s) while taking their product. Jordan then got up one day and decided his parents were aliens who needed to die, bludgeoning them in their bed with a wrench.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/07/04/bc-schizophrenic-homicide-trial.html
Take a look at what pharmaceutical drugs do… http://www.ssristories.com .
The products have worked wonders for our family. Our now 8 year daughter has an early onset BP. Numerous different drugs wouldn’t touch it. She was either drugged asleep or in a screaming rage. Now she is essentially neurotypical 1 year after starting Empower and changing the diet to eliminate grains, dairy, and chemical additives in our food. My wife has been on BP meds for 25+ years. A year ago, she was on 5 different meds at maximal doses (Lamictal, Geodon, Busbar, Ativan, Ambien), and had been on more different meds than I can count off the top of my head. She still lived most of her life in an agitated mania. She has spent the last year tapering off the meds, and is down to less than therapeutic levels of 2 meds, and she is doing great.
I read 100s of journal articles before we started this course of treatment. There is significant published literature to support using nutritional therapies in the mainstream, even if a lot of it is open label or otherwise does not all meet the double blind bar.
Aside form nutrition working, it meets “do no harm” and is essentially without side effect. Whereas, the psychiatric meds are highly addictive and with significant side effects. (Our daughter still has a heart rhythm disturbance). My question is: What would make more sense–to put a 5 year old child on addictive brain chemical altering drugs or to first try and resolve her illness through nutrition? I wish we had known about the latter at the time.
For our daughter, the drugs didn’t work at all and some intensified the rages. Not Lamictal, Geodon, Depakote, Lithium, Risperdal, Adderal, Klonapin, Intuniv, nor Trileptal. Maybe other combinations would have worked better? She had been hospitalized a few times. It had not helped, and a long term residential care facility was the next option. We started EMPower when she was in a crisis but we had to wait for another hospital bed to open up. Within 2 days, there was no need for that hospital bed. Not perfect, but much improved. We had a great month, then, we were arm twisted by the local docs and CPS to discontinue. 1 week later, she was in a rage so intense that I can’t really describe it in words. It took 5 adult men to hold her and strap her to the ambulance stretcher, and 7-8 injections to sedate her. Thankfully, her pediatrician reluctantly agreed to help us, and went back to EMPower (although he doubted it’s effectiveness). We had a few good months, then several months of pain with a 7 year old girl going through med withdrawals. Now today, it is a happy story. Aside from taking a boatload of supplements and a strange diet, she is essentially neurotypical.
Add us to the list of testamonials strongly supporting the product, and who hopes it does not ever get forced off the market.
Brian
Brian, if it’s simply nutrition a person lacks — and it “cures” a person of a serious mental disorder like bipolar disorder — I suspect the person wasn’t properly diagnosed in the first place.
Exercise and proper nutrition — the kind you get from just eating the right kinds of food in the right quantities — are the basic building blocks of good health for everyone. But such basics come in the form of green vegetables, fruits, and minimizing sugar intake — not from a bottle of pills.
I’m glad to hear your daughter is better no matter what the reason. But again, a testimonial isn’t the same as scientific evidence, and no one should confuse the two. There are millions of testimonials online, for every possible treatment under the sun, such as eating wheatgrass to cure cancer.
But it’s not science and it’s no better than bleeding or using leeches (both of which also still have testimonials for support for a wide range of diseases).
EMPower is not some miracle drug, and it has little science to support its use for anything, except maybe using an empty bottle of it to store buttons in.
I would respectfully submit that testimonials are indeed evidence. The more testimonials, the more credible the evidence.
I would also respectfully submit that there are indeed a number of peer reviewed published articles. Hence, I take issue with the statement “it has little science”. I as well would like to see a carefully controlled study, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t science out and it is of little use.
Here are a few references:
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2011.0270
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/11/62
http://www.cnsspectrums.com/aspx/articledetail.aspx?articleid=2613
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/cap.2009.0011
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887618509000577
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cap.2008.0157
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/104454604773840553
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/104454602760386897
Here is an article describing a possible mechanism of action: http://www.ajcn.org/content/75/4/616.full
Other possible mechanisms include poor absorption of vitamins&minerals from the GI tract and swamping the system with vitamins and minerals helps rectify the situation.
Are you saying my wife was misdiagnosed? She has had a BP-1 diagnosis for approx. 25 years, has had a number of psychiatric hospitalizations, and has seen several psychiatrists over her life. She has spent a lot of her adult life in somewhat of an agitated mania. Yet, now a year after starting EMPower she is almost completely off psych meds and doing great.
What about numerous other testimonials: Were they all misdiagnosed as well? I can not possibly believe that a placebo effect would have had any lasting effect on anybody with a severe mental illness, and certainly not either my wife or daughter. New medicines rarely worked for more that a few weeks.
In my opinion, the time is now to start introducing the True Hope products into mainstream medicine. A responsible “do no harm” approach to a new case of childhood mental illness would be to start with the mildest treatment possible, which would be EMPower combined with diet and other supplements. It could also be prudent to use the approach in mainstream medicine with established patients who are seeking fewer side effects or who have not been completely treated through conventional techniques. Again, there is A LOT of testimonial evidence, some PEER REVIEWED literature, and minimal NO SIDE EFFECTS.
Brian
I didn’t say there wasn’t any research on this pill. The whole blog entry reviews some of the studies to demonstrate they aren’t exactly without their problems. So “little science” simply means the data that’s out there, in my opinion, is mostly of the weak variety. Case studies, open-label designs (where the researchers know who gets what, leading to unconscious bias), mixed data on some results, and no RCTs for the type of mental disorders it’s being “prescribed” for.
Testimonials do not, and have never, equaled scientific data. There are dozens of reasons why a person might write something positive about a treatment they believe is helping them, including confirmation bias and a whole host of other reasons:
http://www.exercisebiology.com/index.php/site/articles/why_anecdotes_testimonials_are_unreliable/
I can’t speak to specific cases, since I don’t know you or your family, sorry.
Doctor, with all due respect, I disagree that “nutritional supplements cannot treat, let alone cure, an illness.†Study after study,based on the research of Dr. Linus Pauling and Dr. Abram Hoffer, have shown that Orthomolecular treatment works. Personally, I have been stabilized using an orthomolecular treatment since 1999. It works! It is not a placebo.
Dr. Grohol,
There are also a number of reasons why randomized controlled trials are misleading as well. For one, most trials start with a rapid taper down of existing psychiatric medication. The subjects are essentially in a state of acute drug withdrawals. Anything that activates the receptors would be expected to show benefit compared to placebo.
Many techniques in wide use in medicine do not have the RCT trials. For instance, how can you do a RCT on a heart-healthy diet, yet diet is clearly addressed for heart conditions. The psycho-therapies such as CBT and DBT are widely accepted, yet there are no double blind RCTs. Furthermore, a large number of common psychiatric medicines are used off-label. I think almost all of the bipolar medicines were originally used off-label before RCTs allowed marketing for bipolar disorder.
Additionally, both conventional or nutritionally based treatments are rarely monotherapies, like the trials. Conventional treatment generally includes both mood stabilizers and antipsychotics, often combined with anti-anxiety meds, sleep meds, and/or anti-depressants. There are not RCTs on the combinations, just a few consensus based guidelines and practitioner skill.
The same is that a successful nutrition based treatment includes a multi-pronged approach. No one aspect is a magic bullet by itself, not even EMPower. Other components can include addressing food allergies and sensitivities, intestinal flora, casomorphins and gladiomorphins, proper functioning of the methylation cycle, addressing sleep deficiencies, and the addition al supplements.
In our case, I read 100s of journal articles , several books, and communicated with other parents before starting our daughter on a nutritional treatment path. In addition to EMPower, we take additional True Hope products, AminoPower, inositol, and phosphatidyl choline. On top of that, we add extra vitamin C, NAC, and melatonin. Inositol does have a RCT behind which shows it is as effective as SSRIs in treating OCD. NAC has RCTs for a variety of mental illness, and is a component of EMPower. Choline derivatives has significant research articles related to reducing mania but at a possible cost of inducing depression. Amino acid mixtures (but I don’t think the True Hope mixture) have been shown by RCT to be effective at abruptly stopping an acute mania.
Part of the Hippocratic Oath that all US doctors take is to do no harm. To me that should include starting psychiatric treatment on young children using low-risk methods first, such as EMPower and diet. If the effect is not as desired, then move to the strong medications with significant side effects. There is certainly a plethora of research literature available for all kinds of nutritional interventions.
Regards,
Brian
Nutritional supplements, by definition, cannot treat — much less cure — any medical or mental disease. If they made that claim, they would be considered medications and be subjected to the usual FDA clinical trials requirements.
So since EMPower cannot make this claim and is unwilling to undergo FDA clinical trials, they will remain in the same category as taking any multi-vitamin or nutritional supplement.
Taking such vitamins, in general, are a placebo effect:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2078861/Taking-multi-vitamin-pills-does-health.html
Unless your doctor has determined specific vitamin deficits, taking vitamins or minerals — outside of what you normally ingest in a balanced, healthy diet — are unnecessary and actually may be harmful (in some minority of cases).
While it’s certainly a possibility that a complex and serious mental disorder like bipolar disorder could be caused by a simple lack of nutritional balance, in the vast majority of cases, that has not been shown to be a significant causal factor. If it were, we would be sending people to nutritionists — not psychiatrists and psychologists.
Hey, if a placebo works for you — more power to you. Seriously. I’m not going to convince someone who’s belief (like in a religion) is more powerful than actual scientific data.
Just for the record, Truehope has a DIN (Drug Identification Number) from Health Canada for EmpowerPlus and it is considered an effective treatment for depression and bipolar.
Having a special number (which they only got as a result of a court case, where a court decided not to take away the supplement from existing customers, since they said they gained a benefit from having it) or a patent doesn’t say anything about a drug’s efficacy. These are the smoke and mirrors companies will often use to dance around the primary question — has your drug been tested against a sugar pill, and if so, what were the results?
Dr. Grohol,
You make a strong negative statement when you call it a placebo. I would encourage you to read more of the research that is out there. I understand being skeptical about quantity or quality of research, but that does not mean it is a placebo. I doubt any researcher would want to use EMPower as a placebo in a pharmaceutical study.
Here is a case-controlled study with Autistic Children. 44 children took micronutrients and were compared to 44 children taking pharmacauticals: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cap.2009.0011.
“Both groups also exhibited significant decreases in total Aberrant Behavior Checklist scores, but the micronutrient group’s improvement was significantly greater (p < 0.0001). SIB {Self Injourous Behaviour} Intensity was lower in the micronutrient group at the end of the study (p = 0.005), and improvement on the Clinical Global Impressions scale was greater for the micronutrient group (p = 0.0029). It is difficult to determine whether the observed changes were exerted through improvement in mood disorder or through an independent effect on autistic disorder. There were some advantages to treatment with micronutrients—lower activity level, less social withdrawal, less anger, better spontaneity with the examiner, less irritability, lower intensity SIB, markedly fewer adverse events, and less weight gain. Advantages of medication management were insurance coverage, fewer pills, and less frequent dosing."
Here is a large double-blind placebo controlled study showing the effect on stress. While not curing mental illness, it certainly shows a clear beneficial effect of micronutrients in reducing stress. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/11234653?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn
"RESULTS: Thirty-three patients dropped out and were replaced, leaving 300 patients who completed the study–151 in group 1 (multivitamin-mineral combination), and 149 in group 2 (placebo).
There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding demographics and baseline stress scores at study entry. Both groups improved between baseline and the end of treatment as assessed. The degree of improvement was statistically significant and greatest in group 1 for all psychometric instruments, with this beneficial effect increasing over the course of the day. Subgroup analyses for age (18-44 and 45-65 years), gender and ethnicity showed no general effect on the overall study outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The multivitamin-mineral combination tested is well tolerated and can be used as part of a treatment programme for stress-related symptoms at the recommended dose"
I hope that these 2 articles + the earlier ones I submitted are sufficient to warrent changing the tune from "placebo" to "interesting prospect", or even to "would consider trying it with medication resistant patients" or "would consider it with medication nieve children whose parents are concerned about side effects".
Brian
A more recent study suggests such multi-vitamin formulations have little impact on mood:
A. Pipingas, D.A. Camfield, C. Stough, K.H.M. Cox, E. Fogg, B. Tiplady, J. Sarris, D.J. White, A. Sali, M.A. Wetherell, A.B. Scholey. (2013). The effects of multivitamin supplementation on mood and general well-being in healthy young adults. A laboratory and at-home mobile phone assessment. Appetite, 69, 123-136.
From the study:
And if you look at the mobile phone mood assessments over time from the same study, all you see is the wonderful effects of time moderating out all treatment effects of the MV.
In other words, when compared directly to placebo, specially-formulated MV supplements do little to help.
Thank you Brian for your articulate, well-thought out answer.
What is driving the skeptics crazy is the possibility that it could be that simple. That a particular composition of vitamins and minerals could help alleviate or even eliminate certain mental illness symptoms.
True hope does not claim it cures or treats anything any more than food cures hunger – we all have to continue eating for the rest of our lives. That does not mean it is hoax – it is a fact. We need vitamins and minerals everyday. Period.
The B vitamins, particularly Vitamin B12 is significantly connected to mental functioning. Look at the alcoholic who develops Korsakoffs syndrome and short term memory deteriorates – while little is known about this syndrome, they do know that it is because a chronic alcoholic loses their ability to digest and absorb vitamin B12.
I am still a skeptic but after one month on EMP, I have to admit the results are something else. After being diagnosed with depression for almost 30 years, on Prozac and Wellbutrin for a good portion of them, being told I would be on anti-depressants for the rest of my life, i sought a second opinion from a different psychatrist. I got my answer – I am actually bipolar, brain scans and appointments with two more leading psychiatrists (including one who is world-renowned and a leading expert on bipolar) confirmed this diagnosis.
With the Rx for bipolar looking less attractive than the anti-depressants, EMP was recommended to me by a registered psychologist. I am trying it. I am off ALL medications for the first time in my life. Nobody could have convinced me that was possible a few months ago. You can argue about my diagnosis/misdiagnosis all you want – all I know is that I needed those medications to prevent me from sinking into deeper depressions and having repeated suicidal attempts.
What it doesn’t do is numb you from all of the crap we all have to deal with – still, I can get out of bed in the morning without the dread and depression I have battled for many, many years.
Allison
Allison,
Can you say who checked the brain scan for you and who’s a good psych doc?
I just started the TH program on my own will because I don’t want to go on meds. All my family is on meds and they are whacked! The first 3 days for me worked great and then now weird things from my past are all popping up and it feels like I’m being eaten up inside.
I think that the author of this article makes some good points, but then regresses and makes a couple of very poor statements. To suggest that anyone can go down to the local store and buy any cheap supplement and have the same results shows very little knowledge about supplements. My naturopath said that water soluable vitamins are hard to mess up chemically, but that fat soluable ones and minerals can have the chemistry messed up more easily. There is also the absorption issue and the amount and type of fillers. This is the first time that I’ve taken a multivitamin and mineral (including vitamin B) where my urine was not bright yellow due from what was not being metabolized. And of course there is the exact ratio of things. One would need to mix quite a lot of different supplements to get that.
why is it “interesting” that EMP+ came to be by pig observations? same thing is done by scientists w/lab rats, & applied to humans! no less ridiculous
There are studies on EMPowerplus! Some are through the University of Canterbury.
Also:
Empirical reports on EMPowerplus
plus some relevant reviews and commentaries
(June 2013)
(Some are in open access journals, and typing in the url provided will give you free access to the article)
1. Rucklidge JJ. Could Yeast Infections Impair Recovery From Mental Illness? A case study Using
Micronutrients and Olive Leaf Extract for the Treatment of ADHD and Depression. ADVANCES
SUMMER 2013. VOL. 27. NO 3.
2. Frazier EA, Gracious B, Arnold LE, Failla M, Chitchumroonchokchai C, Habash D, and Fristad MA.
Nutritional and Safety Outcomes from an Open-Label Micronutrient Intervention for Pediatric Bipolar
Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology
3. Harrison R, Rucklidge JJ, Blampied N. Use of micronutrients attenuates cannabis and nicotine abuse as
evidenced from a reversal design: A case study. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (in press).
4. Rodway M, Vance A, Watters A, Lee H, Bos E, Kaplan BJ (2012), Efficacy and cost of micronutrient
treatment of childhood psychosis. BMJ Case Reports, 2012 Nov 9. doi:10.1136/bcr-2012-007213.
http://casereports.bmj.com/sevendays?fdate=11/05/2012&tdate=11/11/2012
5. Rucklidge JJ, Andridge R, Gorman B., Blampied N, Gordon H. & Boggis A. (2012). Shaken but
unstirred? Effects of micronutrients on stress and trauma after an earthquake: RCT evidence comparing
formulas and doses. Hum Psychopharmacol Clin Exp. 27(5):440-54.
6. Frazier EA, Fristad MA, Arnold LE (2012). Feasibility of a nutritional supplement as treatment for
pediatric bipolar spectrum disorders. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 18(7):678-
685.
7. Rucklidge JJ, Johnstone J, Harrison R (2011). Can micronutrients improve neurocognitive functioning
in adults with ADHD and severe mood dysregulation? A pilot study: A pilot study. Journal of
Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 17(12):1-7.
8. Rucklidge JJ, Blampied NM (2011). Post-earthquake psychological functioning in adults with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Positive effects of micronutrients on resilience. New Zealand
Journal of Psychology, 40(4):51-57.
9. Rucklidge JJ, Johnstone J, Harrison R & Boggis A (2011). Micronutrients reduce stress and anxiety
following a 7.1 earthquake in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Psychiatry
Research, 189:281-87. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2011.06.016
10. Simpson JSA, Crawford SG, Goldstein ET, Field C, Burgess E, Kaplan BJ (2011).Systematic review of
safety and tolerability of a complex micronutrient formula used in mental health. BMC Psychiatry.
11:62. http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-244X-11-62.pdf
11. Rucklidge JJ, Taylor MR, Whitehead KA (2011). Effect of micronutrients on behaviour and mood in
adults with ADHD: Evidence from an 8-week open label trial with natural extension, Journal of
Attention Disorders. 2011;15(1):79-91.
12. Rucklidge JJ, Gately D, Kaplan BJ (2010). Database analysis of children and adolescents with Bipolar
Disorder consuming a micronutrient formula, BMC Psychiatry, 10:74.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-244X-10-74.pdf
13. Rucklidge JJ & Harrison (2010). Successful treatment of Bipolar Disorder II and ADHD with a
micronutrient formula: A case study, CNS Spectrums. 15(5):231-237.
14. Mehl-Madrona L, Leung B, Kennedy C, Paul S, Kaplan BJ (2010). Micronutrients versus standard
medication management in autism: A naturalistic case-control study, Journal of Child and Adolescent
Psychopharmacology. 20(2): 95-103.
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/cap.2009.0011
15. Gately, D., Kaplan, B.J. (2009). Database analysis of adults with bipolar disorder consuming a
micronutrient formula. Clinical Medicine Insights: Psychiatry. 4:3-16. http://lapress.
com/article.php?article_id=1384
16. Rucklidge, J. J. (2009). Successful treatment of OCD with a micronutrient formula following partial
response to CBT: A case study. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23: 836–840.
17. Frazier, E.A., Fristad, M., Arnold, L.E. (2009). Multinutrient Supplement as Treatment: Literature
Review and Case Report of a 12-year-old Boy with Bipolar Disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent
Psychopharmacology, 19:453-460.
18. Kaplan, B.J., Fisher, J.E., Crawford, S.G., Field, C.J., Kolb, B. (2004). Improved mood and behavior
during treatment with a mineral-vitamin supplement: An open-label case series of children. Journal of
Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 14(1), 115-122.
19. Kaplan, B. J., Crawford, S. G., Gardner, B., & Farrelly, G. (2002). Treatment of mood lability and
explosive rage with minerals and vitamins: Two case studies in children. Journal of Child and
Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 12(3), 203-218.
20. Simmons, M. (2003). Nutritional approach to bipolar disorder (Letter). Journal of Clinical Psychiatry,
64, 338.
21. Popper, C. W. (2001). Do vitamins or minerals (apart from lithium) have mood-stabilizing effects?
[Commentary]. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 62, 933-935.
22. Kaplan, B. J., Simpson, J. S. A., Ferre, R. C., Gorman, C., McMullen, D., & Crawford, S. G. (2001).
Effective mood stabilization in bipolar disorder with a chelated mineral supplement. Journal of Clinical
Psychiatry, 62, 936-944.
You’re kind of missing the point of the article if you reply with just a reference list of letters to the editor and open-label studies. These are not robust, scientific studies demonstrating a pill’s effectiveness over a sugar pill.
If I give you a pill and say, “This might help with your depressive symptoms,” guess what? In about 25-30 percent of the people you give it to, it will help. Even if that pill contains no active ingredient.
And that’s the problem with these nutritional supplements — which, by the way, are not approved by the FDA to treat any condition. They are really nothing more than a fancy placebo, in my opinion, because in the decade(s) they’ve been studying this stuff, nobody’s bothered to do a rigorous clinical trial comparing it to placebo.
Dr. Grohl,
Instead of throwing rocks, how about coordinating a suitable study yourself? I had earler given references of case-controlled studies and blind studies.
All these studies and the case-controlled studies do indeed constitute a growing body of evidence. Add to that substancial clinical evidence. I think it would be much more fair to state that this is a new and interesting area of research in which there needs to be a large scale double blind trial.
In addition, you can not neglect the low risk and low side effect profile of EMPower and related nutritional schemes. The psychiatric meds alternative has horrible side effects, some of which in our family seem to be permanent.
When our own youg daughter (Age 5 at the time) was first diagnosed and put on meds, I wish a doctor would have spoken up and said: “There is a nutritional supplement available over the counter, which has minimal side effects, and which has shown some promise in preliminary research studies and in clinical evidence. In all honesty, we don’t know much about the products and we feel the quality of the research could be better.” That would have been a true informed consent.
Brian
At one time, I would’ve agreed with you about the fact that the common wisdom says vitamins and such are safe to take for most people. But in recent years, there’ve been more and more studies that demonstrate there is potential for harm in taking vitamins (see this NY Times article for a good rundown: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/opinion/sunday/dont-take-your-vitamins.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 ).
I don’t work in this area of research, so it’s not something I personally could take on (besides, I already have a full-time job!). A well-designed, placebo-arm study should come out of a university, anyways, and such studies can be expensive. However, that’s no reason not to run one.
FWIW, when I contacted one of the researchers in this area for a followup article I’m working on to this one, the researcher said:
Which is exactly what we’re finding in the re-analysis of antidepressant research too — placebo is a lot stronger than we had originally thought.
Which, to me, really says something. We could very well just be seeing a placebo-effect here.
Dr. Grohl,
If it is a placebo effect, it won’t last for long in a severely BP patient. My 2 cents would be to follow them for longer. There is no way a placebo effect could last more than a few weeks at most.
And, I suspect the RCT drug trials that are the gold standard here have their own systematic problems as well. If you remove anybody from their psych meds, they will go into a state of acute withdrawal. Give them any psycho-active drugs, you should see a reduction in withdrawal symptoms and a positive effect, regardless if it is therapeutic to the underlying disease.
Brian
The drug company Pfizer held a clinical trial for depression on Zoloft vs. Exercise. The results were.. Exercise came in first, exercise and Zoloft came in second and Zoloft alone came in last. The FDA has not approved exercise as a treatment for depression, but they have approved Zoloft.
Not sure what this has to do with EMPowerPlus (the topic of this blog entry)…?
Lots of studies have shown variable effects of various antidepressants — that’s not news to anyone.
The primary difference between Zoloft and EMPowerPlus? Zoloft is approved in the treatment of depression in the U.S. and many other countries. EMPowerPlus has not been approved by the U.S. FDA to treat anything.
I am going to say just this and HOPE you all listen.
If you listen to a shrink and take his drugs and advice,he and all that will kill you with those drugs and advice.
I have been around shrinks and simple( yes, simple) gp’s for thirty five years!
The shrinks were always wrong and prescribed me benzodiazepines and other mess that knocked me out for what they said was agoraphobia then,panic attacks and then, schizophrenia.
As it turns out, I’m simply a person that had a violent upbringing and as such, am timid.
I avoid socializing where there is risk of violence or even a hint of it.
Doctors think that isn’t normal yet, I am guessing that 90 percent of people do
As I do.
I am now 52 and have lost all trusting in doctors because frankly, I was stoned all those years on their drugs!
It took me 3 years to get off those drugs and it was nightmarish I can tell you.
It was all you heard, saw or read about.
Now, my medical records are ahead of me in jobs and any endeavours.
I am considered nuts and still on meds. The damage done.
I have had no family. No marriage. No career and live in public tenements as a result and, I can see my future and retirement looking very bleak.
All that and so much more due to my trust in doctors and their screw ups.
We were ALL conditioned to trust doctors.
That is wrong and is a business that parasites if you.
( I will add most off the associated agencies that ‘take care’ of patients while they are in meds also profit .It’s a HUGE business)
Now, to the coup de grace,
In the 3 years that I weaned off meds I also are a lot and now exercise a lot every day.
I feel as good as a world athlete now except of course with the limitations of my age.
Some things we must accept lol 🙂 .
I also take vitamins!
Zinc. B12,E,Ginseng,C and I eat things which make
Me HAPPY!
I exercise them off though.
I EMPHASIZE! Do NOT trust doctors!
The only things you might trust them with are surgeries and the things you can’t so yourself and even then, good luck! You will need luck as they are just floundering about inside you with their knives, scopes and sutures.
As it turns out,my condition is Schizotypal!
A very large amount of people have it and it is due to self protective instinct we all have which emerges when threatened.
In most cases it STAYS active once activated for life.
I now regard it as a bonus in life as it makes a
Person very aware. It’s a survival instinct at raw as nature itself.
Point is, doctors CANNOT treat what is normal and right but, they tried in my case with devastating effects to my life.
Also, my condition is very noticeable once you read and know about it and there was NO REASON NOT TO SEE IT BY DOCTORS.
In any case,since being off meds I am much better.
I simple take vitamins and exercise.
No shrink or gp ever suggested that but instead, as a sure means
Of profit and perpetual medical claim forms told me to take narcotics that would addict me.
Eat healthy, take vitamins and exercise.
Listen to me and this company that had helped people.
Empower. They may be right.
I believe the human body is a very complex machine but also a
Simple one that only needs what Mother Nature provides and, she does not create drugs in a lab.
Avoid injuring yourself at all cost too.
You DON’T want to see doctors.ever.
P.s. empower says do not discontinue your meds if you start taking their
Product.
I must agree with them because they know and I do to that stopping them cold turkey can kill you.
WEAN yourself off slowly and with a friend.
It can be done.
I am living proof.
I must add
The doctors and shrinks here that shoot down vitamins and self help as well as this product have much to lose if you believe in yourself.
It’s not just money they lose but a lifetime of supposed enlightenment.
Imagine if you will that all you learned is now questioned.
Everything you believed in has been a farce and a scam.
I don’t blame the doctors for being upset but, the truth is, the medical business is exactly that! A business!
One designed to addict you and take your money or insurance companies
Money.
If only any of us could hear what is said in universities we would know what a joke a nasty business medicine is.
It’s tragic that some doctors find out what a scam
It is too late and must now defend here what is
Left of their ruined dream.
Is Empowerplus by truehope similar to Empowerplus Q96 by Qsciences ?
Are they the same product ?
I have tried this supplement and can vouch for the fact that it works but I am unable to determine which one to take ?
Truehope is the manufacturer so buying it directly from them is always better. It is the same product.
hello i would appreciate ur opinion about bipolar disorder if patient has thalassemia minor which affects VIT B 12 and iron and folic acid etc could the lack of these VITAMINS was a great contributor
Dear John, I came across this post and thought you would be delighted to know that a double blind trial has finally been published on Empowerplus. I do hope you choose to write about it in your blog. It alleviates much of your concerns. It came out on line yesterday in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Kind regards, julia
I can’t find the relevant article in British Journal of Psychiatry for Dec. 2013 through March 2014. Please send exact reference.
Sorry, I found it in the online section.
Empower Plus Saved my children’s lives. And since I’m SOOOO GRATEFUL, I take offense at this article. Three of my five children have sever psychiatric problems. The psy. drugs either took away their person, caused organ damage, or didn’t work at all. I, and many others, are living proof of the amazing effects nutrition alone has on the brain. I can’t believe a simple vitamin saved their lives; but it did. They went from killing themselves all the time to perfectly normal with Empower Plus. Yes, they had to take more than the recommended dose….but who cares. It works! This vitamin is sent from God.
At the outset, I’d like to say that I have no conflicts of interest or stake in Empower.
Science moves slowly. MDs and PhDs are trained rigorously in the scientific model. It becomes their belief and their “power”. They become linear thinkers and believe their way is the best treatment and use science as both their crutch and their credibility. I totally understand taking a position that Empower hasn’t been proven and should be viewed with skepticism. Also agree that meds, ESPECIALLY psychiatric meds are “dirty” and have many side effects. Especially the antipsychotics. I dislike prescribing psych meds just a little less than the people who have to take them. Yes, I’m an MD. (PhDs can’t prescribe meds). I believe that antidepressants do work on some patients and not others. I also am open to a supplement that may work as well, especially with all the anecdotal reports. I don’t believe that the empower people have orchestrated a coup to get mass testimonials. I also do not believe that it is a mass placebo effect. I also don’t believe that Empower works for everyone.
Dr Grohol is saying that Empower has no real (unflawed) studies behind it. I’m inclined to agree that the studies are not double blind placebo controlled. But, even if the DBPC studies were performed, the results are up for interpretation (just as the studies of antidepressants) and psychological parameters are subject to interpretation, both by patient and interpreter. It’s not like the effect is black or white. For example, if a new drug is proported to lower cholesterol, that can be measured directly – it lowers cholesterol or it doesn’t. In psychological testing the results are much more difficult to quantify. My interpretation of Dr Grohol’s words is that without a DBPC study he cannot recommend Empower, which is exactly what you’d expect from a scientist.
Listen, you don’t go to a hardware store for cheese. If you ask a drug scientist, he’s gonna want a DBPC study before he endorses a product. I’d respectfully suggest that you don’t get all emotional and condemn him for following his beliefs and training.
As an MD on the front lines of patient care, I’m going to get a select number of people to try this product and SEE for myself if it works. I will explain to people that this seems to have a lot of anecdotal reports suggesting efficacy but no real solid studies as yet. Also, I don’t care if it’s a placebo effect. I just want my patients to feel better and I hate the side effects of the medications. It doesn’t seem to have any significant safety issues (the drugs are far more unsafe) I’m not going to take anyone off medication to switch to empower but I am going to inform patients with mild to moderate symptoms to try it. If it seems to be effective I will try it on more patients and see where things go from there. Drugs are a last resort in my opinion.
Anecdotal evidence is not scientific, agreed. But if we wait for every product to have DBPC studies behind it, we are doing a disservice to people in the meantime. And the meantime can be very long. Not to say that we should just give vitamins or any non drug product that hits the market, but my gut instinct looking into it is that it has enough backing to at least be open and try it and see.
Again, In my opinion, there is enough anecdotal reports, including one from a Harvard Psychiatrist, that it has earned a trial in a select group of patients. The only downside I can see is the cost of empower and perhaps getting peoples hopes up, but as long as they are informed that it’s a trial before we move to the “big guns” of medication, I think it’s worth a try.
Science moves slowly, but not all doctors are content to move at that pace. There is a change in many of my fellow MDs away from heavy use of pharmaceuticals as first line therapy with acceptance of a more mind/body focus. We are a small group at present, but our ranks are growing as we grow more suspicious and disappointed in the pharmaceutical industry and drug based treatments.
I am not anti pharmaceutical. Many meds seem to work well with acceptable levels of side effects. Unfortunately the psych meds do not fit this category and I for one am encouraged that something MAY be an alternative.
Without a placebo control, however, you’ll never know if your patients are getting better because they’re taking the equivalent of a sugar pill (and enjoying the placebo effect) or because they’re taking something that actually works. Research shows the placebo effect is real — and can be powerful. Just as powerful as active medication.
As a physician, don’t you want to know what’s working and why? If it’s just the placebo effect, why bother with the cost and effort of obtaining a supplement like this (or a prescription) if you could just be prescribing sugar pills??
I would just like to thank you Dr. Grohol for trying to explain RCTs and how research on drugs/ nutrition work to your readers. Unfortunately, many people don’t quite get it.
I have ADHD and work in the field of nutrition, and have found based on the research that micronutrients only work as a treatment in those who have deficiencies. Even omega-3 fatty acids only have a modest improvement on symptoms based on the research I have reviewed.
But exercise, eating a healthy diet and taking my medication (Ritalin) along with therapy and making routines has changed my life around- and it’s backed by the science so I’m quite happy with it.
I just hope these people understand that research in mental health still doesn’t demonstrate that micronutrients can help everyone- perhaps it’s for the best that they believe in whatever they think helps them… and if vitamins don’t, they will turn to exercise, routines and their medication.
Thanks once again,
Becky
I like that Dr. Russ said he doesn’t care if it’s a placebo effect, he just wants his patients to feel better. Bravo!!! And bravo again!!!!! I wish we could see you as our doc!
We have a 5yr old son we don’t want to medicate. His mind is still developing, we just can’t. I’ll homeschool him and we will take our time figuring out what will safely help him. He’s been diagnosed adhd, anxiety, early onset bipolar.
We are already using vitamins, melatonin, exercise, occupational therapy – these are helping, but not enough. We haven’t added all the vitamins he needs. It’s nearly impossible to chase down all those separate vitamins & minerals, without artificial colors & flavors, and we haven’t even started amino acids… And getting a five yr old to swallow or chew or otherwise choke down tons of jumbo awful tasting tablets! And liquids even worse…
EMPower looks to have everything in one place, and no documented harm from trying. I read all the comments here, he’s not been diagnosed or medicated as schizophrenic, so all this banter just persuades me more.. I resonate with the references to the Hippocratic oath.
We are already seeing improvements with our pieced together nutrition/vitamin efforts. We want help to try this approach better. And I’d pay anything to help my son! As long as it’s money out of my pocket and not injury or negligence inflicted on my son..
Thank you, Dr. Grohol, for worrying about me paying too much for possible sugar pills. But I would very gladly pay for even unsweetened sugar pills if they would help my son!
I am so happy for those who don’t have loved ones suffering mental health issues. I’m grateful that there are folks who can be scientifically objective and research minded because they do not drown in the depths of agony and despair on a daily basis with their baby boy. I pray they will prosper and please continue their rigorous work on our behalf.
I pray my son will also get the chance to think critically, enjoy acceptance by his peers, pursue truth, express himself clearly and safely, delight in his hard work and accomplishments, rest on some laurels… Even just hang out with some friends.
To that end, placebo, it could be a gazebo. I’ll be ordering our first round of EMPower as soon as I post this comment..
Here are some links to a recent symposium I attended with excellent research on micronutrients, including Empowerplus/q96.
Dr. Kaplan talk.pdf
Dr. Rucklidge talk.pdf
Dr. Kaplan Introduction of Dr. Rodway.pdf
Dr. Rodway talk.pdf
Dr. Kaplan symposium closing comments.pdf
Some recommended readings.pdf
Website links for natural health product companies.pdf
If you would you like more information here are some links:
Dr. Rucklidge
Press release – Study on micronutrient treatment of ADHD in adults:
http://www.comsdev.canterbury.ac.nz/rss/news/?articleId=1196
Abstract published in British Journal of Psychiatry:
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/early/2014/01/27/bjp.bp.113.132126.abstract
Site describing Dr. Rucklidge research program:
http://www.psyc.canterbury.ac.nz/people/rucklidge.shtml
TV, print and radio:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Nutrients-could-help-ADHD–study/tabid/1160/articleID/330230/Default.aspx
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-25946116
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/player/ondemand/cl-juliarucklidge-30jan2014
Dr. Kaplan
Micronutrients Versus Standard Medication Management in Autism: A Naturalistic Case–Control Study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2875953/
Nutrient intakes are correlated with overall psychiatric functioning in adults with mood disorders
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22340148
Other research:
http://research4kids.ucalgary.ca/members/kaplan_full
Dr. Rodway
Efficacy and cost of micronutrient treatment of childhood psychosis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23144350
– See more at: http://www.autismcalgary.com/2014/04/thank-you-for-atteding-handouts-mental-health-and-nutrition/#sthash.qIvbYHTb.dpuf
The main reason there are so few RCTs on micronutrient treatment for mental health is ***lack of funding***
The National Institute of Health and overseas funding agencies make it very difficult.
Here are the references to the three papers published on the double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT for adults with ADHD:
Rucklidge, J. J., Frampton, C., Gorman, B., & Boggis, A. (2014). Vitamin-mineral treatment of ADHD in adults: A double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial. British Journal of Psychiatry, 204, 306-315.
Rucklidge, J. J., Johnstone, J., Gorman, B., & Boggis, A., & Frampton, C. (2014). Moderators of treatment response in adults with ADHD to micronutrients: demographics and biomarkers. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 50, 163–171.
Rucklidge, J. J., Frampton, C., Gorman, B., & Boggis, A. (in press). Vitamin-mineral treatment of ADHD in adults: A one year follow up of a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Attention Disorders. doi: 10.1177/1087054714530557
A few comments: First it is folly to disregard the value of case reports and open label clinical trials. The devastating side effects of thalidomide were initially brought to light as a case report as an example. Second, despite comments to the contrary, even simple research that rises to a publishable level is expensive. Having spent several years as a member of a Institutional Review Board I can testify to that. Third, to my knowledge there is no known mechanism of action of any psychotropic that has been brought to market so it’s unlikely any amount of research will discover why EmpowerPlus Q96 works. Finally, as a practicing physician of 30 years, I have been relieved to find a product I can use, to the benefit of many but not all, that has very few side effects. Thanks
I started the EMPowerplus and my heart heart went sky high. I started under the advisement of my shrink and my regular md was monitoring me and it just kept going up and up. When it would go below 105 beats per minute we trace it back to the only change in my routine was the addition of these supplements. Once I quit taking the supplements it slower went back down. I haven’t been able to get back to see the shrink yet, so hard to get into one these days but when my appt comes up in 2 months I will inform him. I have left messages with his assistant. Please beware of unknown, unproven supplements and doctors who giving them endorsements.
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