INTRODUCTION
BY
JA
ME
S
H
A
R
PER
AFTER FOURTEEN YEARS
of research, assisting tens of thousands of people to get
off their psychoactive medication, this book is the final
and closing chapter of the development of
The Road Back Program.
Not to say there will not be future advancements in this
program, but the needed foundation for a psychoactive drug
withdrawal program and health program is now firmly in
place. The success rate of people now using this program is
higher than ever imagined, the basic causes of drug
withdrawal symptoms and the human health decline have now
been discovered, and the solution is backed by scientific
evidence.
This book is written mainly for the patient, or individual
wanting to get off their drug or to simply rebuild or
maintain good health. The last chapter of this book details
the science behind this program and is written for the
health-care provider.
If you have tried to get off your medication in the past and
suffered, have found this book in the middle of your
withdrawal or quit the drug cold turkey, you may have a
little more work to do than most, but the success will still
be there. With the advancements in
The Road Back Program
your route to recovery and feeling well again or maybe
feeling well for the first time in years can now be
accomplished in a rather short amount of time.
If you are seeking to improve your overall health, there is
usually no need to be patient when you use the program, it
works rather quickly. Many of us are just accustomed to
feeling how we feel and we may have lost track of how good
we can feel when the body and mind work as a unique team. By
doing a few basic things, we can reverse much of what is
happening inside of our body and that reversal usually
equates to a better attitude in life and a major quality of
life improvement.
I want to acknowledge the many people, from the four corners
of Earth and all walks of life, who have successfully
changed their life while using this program. Their
perseverance and feedback have helped advance this program
to today’s high degree of success.
And I applaud you, opening this book for the first time, for
your courage and resolve to change your life and get
yourself back as your reward.
I understand the apprehension you may feel about deciding to
come off the drug, especially if you have tried to do so
before and failed, or if you have heard horror stories of
others who have tried to come off psychoactive medication.
Further, I understand the questions you might be asking at
this point:
-
Will I experience mental or physical pain while on this
program?
-
Will I have other side effects while on this program?
-
Will the drug side effects get worse before they get
better?
-
Will my depression get worse during this program?
-
Will my anxiety levels increase?
You may have many other questions in addition to those
above, but most importantly you should know that
The Road Back Program
is virtually side effect free. The testament to this, as you
will see throughout the book, is that people just like you
start to feel better, mentally and physically, sometimes
from day one.
The program is setup so that you usually only start reducing
the drug after you feel a major positive change and all or
nearly all-existing side effects from the drug are
eliminated. Thus, you know from the very beginning, change
is possible; that this time there is a chance for you, and
that you can do this and feel well once again.
The program is simple, effective, and extremely powerful
when applied correctly. You too can have resounding success
in getting off the medication and getting your life back.
Based on extensive research, specific “nutrients” have been
formulated for this program. Their use, in conjunction with
the full and complete program, have resulted in a high
success rate of people getting off psychoactive medication,
while also enormously reducing the potential and feared side
effects from withdrawal.
What unwanted feelings come from you and what feelings does
the medication generate? The program separates these
confusing symptoms, and once this separation occurs, the
real you will emerge.
One major change most people experience during the program;
their reach for life returns or truly begins for the first
time. Reach is defined as: to extend out; to touch or to
seize; to communicate with.
Life is defined as: the quality that distinguishes a
vital and
functional being from a dead body or inanimate matter
(Webster’s Dictionary). Per the definition of life,
you are vital. We
need you and humankind needs you. The positive changes you
can bring to others are beyond imagining. Life can be grand,
life can be fulfilling; you, changing your life and having
“reach” return will absolutely affect others in your
environment.
Reach can return with your children, spouse, work or
activities you have been putting
off for years that you have always wanted to do, or
to do once again.
Remember and hold the following close to your heart as you
travel this journey:
Antidepressants are often prescribed for post-menopausal
symptoms without full knowledge of the risk/benefit
equation. During 2009, two studies were published that still
stick in my mind and need sharing.
It is acknowledged by the medical community that there is an
increased risk for heart disease and stroke for
post-menopausal women taking antidepressants.
Antidepressants do work somewhat like aspirin, helps thin
the blood, helps stop clotting, and with a few percentage
points above a placebo in clinical trials, will work for
depression or anxiety.
That is the benefit of antidepressants. What are the risk
factors?
In December 2009, a troubling antidepressant study was
published in
Archives of
Internal Medicine.
136,000 women participants enrolled in the Women’s Health
Initiative study. None were taking an antidepressant at the
time of enrollment.
The women had their first follow-up visit between year 1 and
3.
During their follow-up visit, 5,500 women had started taking
an
antidepressant.
The researchers found that the women taking an
antidepressant
had a 45%
increase in the risk of stroke.
There was a 32% increase risk of dying from any cause during
the follow-up period with the women taking an
antidepressant.
The older tricyclic antidepressants were not linked to
stroke, but
they did increase the risk of
dying by 67% during follow-up.
Jordan W. Smoller, M.D., ScD, of
the Massachusetts General Hospital
(MGH) Department of Psychiatry,
was the study’s lead author.
Earlier in 2009, the American Medical Association’s,
American Medical News* (vol. 59, #9) includes an article:
“The long goodbye: The
challenge of discontinuing antidepressants; Tapering slowly
is the mantra for pruning these regimens, but some patients
may still experience withdrawal symptoms.”
“For various reasons, patients often are eager to
discontinue antidepressants.”
“Some stop or reduce dosages on their own because of side
effects, the
expense, a
desire not to take pills anymore or as a response to
perceived stigma.”
The labels of antidepressants warn of symptoms that can
occur
with sudden
discontinuation, and physicians often use this as a
motivator for adherence.
Studies suggest about 20% of patients on these medications
will experience
symptoms of what’s been coined “the antidepressant
discontinuation syndrome” when they try to stop.
Dr. Charles Whitfield M.D. describes in detail the trauma
caused by psychoactive medications in his new book,
Not Crazy:
You May Not Be Mentally Ill. Many times we spend more time assisting
a person through the trauma caused by these medications than
the actual withdrawal of the drug. This is also the part
where the real you begins to come out and shine again.
The Road Back Program
does handle the body and the drug now with ease and this can
be quite shocking for some individuals. If you were to take
a person who has never spoken one word and have them speak
overnight, if you were to take any person addicted to a drug
and create such a sweeping positive change in a matter of
hours, they need time to adjust and get accustom to how they
now feel. This feeling has been described to me as near
overwhelming and has been instrumental in helping overcome
the drug-induced trauma.
I have included information from these two articles in this
section of the book for a few reasons:
-
I want you to know you are not alone with how you may
feel now and that your experience with attempting to get
off an antidepressant in the past was not you being
mentally ill.
-
There are risks with antidepressants that may be
downplayed by your physician. Your physician may not
even be aware of the two studies I have mentioned.
Educate yourself.
Review the chapter, Medication Side Effects Defined for a
complete list of published side effects of psychoactive
medication.
My intent is not to worry you, but to inform. Each
physician, before prescribing any medication is required to
use what is called Informed Consent. Explaining the risk and
benefits in a manner that the patient can fully understand,
is Informed Consent.
This list of side effects includes the risks
associated with stopping any medication. In other words, the
side effects that are possible while taking the medication
can also happen during withdrawal from the drug. All too
often, a person was able to use an antidepressant for years
and never gain weight, but the moment they began to reduce
the antidepressant weight gain started. This weight gain was
a withdrawal side effect.
The Final Stages of The
Road Back Program
While I start to write this part of the book I am
overwhelmed with emotion. This has been a fourteen-year
journey so far and most of my original goals with this
program have now reached their conclusion. I almost wish I
could now sit back and relax and put my attention elsewhere,
but it is time to set the next goals for this program and
ensure they are as far reaching as they were in 1999.
It is equally as important for you to begin setting your
next goals as you read this book. You will get off the
medication and you will feel good once again and there will
be a reach for life.
Getting off the medication is a major decision and will feel
like a major accomplishment and having your next goal ready
to launch is vital. Don’t let any person tell you that you
can’t attain your new goal. What have you dreamt of doing
for years? Start
planning now!
In June 2010, I found a clinical study detailing the cause
of antidepressant weight gain.
We have a gene in our body that is called JNK, and the JNK
gene becomes over activated by antidepressants and that
phenomenon is the cause of antidepressant induced weight
gain. On further research I found the activation of the JNK
gene is not only the cause of antidepressant induced weight
gain, but virtually all side effects caused by a
psychoactive medication can be directly linked to the over
activation of the JNK gene.
Reducing the JNK gene expression can be accomplished
naturally and that technique is now a major part of this
program.
The role of the JNK gene in our health is a basic starting
point. Most disease cannot begin or at the least cause harm
inside the body unless this JNK gene becomes overly
activated. The poliovirus must first activate the JNK gene,
Parkinson’s does not begin until the JNK gene is stimulated,
cancer and tumors cannot exist as long as the JNK gene
remains in a normal state. An autistic begins to lose their
symptoms of autism when this JNK gene expression is reduced.
Diabetes requires an activated JNK gene, just the same as
weight gain and liver conditions.
Asian’s have a problem when consuming alcohol due to a
missing gene. When an Asian drinks alcohol, the alcohol
creates an immediate and prolonged activation of the JNK
gene and this is what causes the near immediate
intoxication, liver problems and more.
The answer is to reduce the JNK gene activation naturally
and quickly. This is what
The Road Back Program
now accomplishes. This may seem like this program is
treating, preventing or curing disease with these
statements, we are not.
We are just reducing the activation of the JNK gene and
letting the body do what it naturally does when this gene is
regulated effectively.
Drugs create a metabolic disorder. The metabolic disorder
occurs while taking the drug as well as when you begin
reducing the drug. An example of one would be the depletion
of the B vitamin biotin if a person has a prolonged use of a
benzodiazepine, anti-anxiety drug. The individual may
experience a reaction to bright light, a reaction to loud
noise and more. This is a symptom of low biotin in the body
and when you take biotin the symptom goes away as long as it
was coming from low biotin levels. This approach is not
treating, preventing or curing an illness or disease.
In closing, as you read this book, perhaps you might be
thinking “...this sounds good for others...” or “...others
can make it, but not me...” Believe me; I am referring
directly to you.
My best to you in your journey,
Jim Harper
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