Book description
For years scientists have searched for a "magic bullet" to
relieve the pain of depression and other mood disorders -- safe enough
for nursing mothers, children with ADHD, and the elderly, without the
side effects associated with medicines like Prozac, Zoloft, and lithium.
Now the search may finally be over, thanks to the Omega-3 Renewal Plan,
introduced here by Andrew L. Stoll, M. D., Director of the
Psycho-pharmacology Research Laboratory at Harvard's McLean Hospital.
In his groundbreaking research, Stoll found that omega-3 fatty acids,
already known for their importance in preventing heart disease,
Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer, play a crucial role
in mental health -- regulating and en-hancing mood, sharpening memory,
and even aiding concentration and learning. And these remarkable
substances, so essential to our health, are found abundantly in common
fish oils and other sources.
The bad news is that even though omega-3 fatty acids have played a
critical role in our evolutionary past, these extraordinary substances
have been depleted by our Western diet and lifestyle, and the
resulting nutritional imbalance seems to have led to a sharp rise in
heart disease and depression. By contrast, in Japan and other
countries where fish consumption is high, both heart disease and
depression rates are low. Stoll explains how easily omega-3s can be
used up in just a few generations, and how a new mother with depleted
omega-3s loses still more to her baby -- a fact that may account for
the severe postpartum depression so many women suffer. He documents
evidence that a shortage of omega-3s may also play a role in attention
deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other learning problems. The
good news is that this downward spiral of depletion and depression can
finally be reversed.
In his revolutionary Omega-3 Renewal Plan, Dr. Stoll presents readers
for the first time with all the tools for restoring their natural
balance of omega-3 fatty acids, including which foods to eat and how
to choose the most effective over-the-counter supplements. Featuring
information on how to integrate flaxseed and fish oils into diet and
medication plans, and including simple recipes as well as supplement
dosages and sources, The Omega-3 Connection offers an entirely
new, practical method for improving mental health.
Lauren Marangell, M. D.Director of
Psychopharmacology, Baylor College of MedicineDr. Stoll, well known
for his tremendous empathy and creativity, provides a clear synthesis
of an important and novel concept. He translates information from a
wide array of scientific disciplines into a highly readable and
provocative book, with implications for many of the diseases of
Western society.
Andrew L. Stoll, M. D., is Director of the
Psychopharmacology Research Laboratory at McLean Hospital in Boston
and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, as
well as the recipient of the 1999 Klerman Award from the National
Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression for the studies
described in this book. He is the author of dozens of academic papers.
This is his first book for the general public.
