Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a relatively uncommon neurological brain disorder, affecting approximately one per cent of people. It is a severe and disabling condition, which can affect anyone at any age but most cases develop between the ages of 16 and 30. Whilst awareness about schizophrenia is growing, its sufferers remain vastly misunderstood by society at large. It remains difficult to detect, with matters made only worse due to the slow onset of this disease.

No single cause has been identified, although biological, behavioural and social research suggest a complex interplay between different factors. It may be the case that some people have an inherited tendency towards schizophrenia that is triggered by environmental circumstances. Studies suggest that schizophrenia tends to run in families, further supporting arguments for a genetic disposition. Recent research links abnormalities in fatty acid metabolism with schizophrenia. There is strong evidence to suggest that with natural EPA supplements like Vegepa, you can lessen and manage psychotic symptoms associated with this illness.

Definition of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a major disorder affecting thoughts, perceptions and behaviour. It manifests itself in a variety of symptoms; classification is broken down into three sub-categories of positive, disorganized, and negative symptoms - positive and negative symptoms are the most common types.

• Positive symptoms refer to thoughts, perceptions, and behaviours that are ordinarily absent in people in the general    population, but are present in persons with schizoaffective disorder. The severity of symptoms often varies over time, and may be absent for long periods in some patients. Positive symptoms are characterised by abnormality of thought, including delusions and hallucinations.
• Negative symptoms are the absence of thoughts, perceptions, or behaviours that are ordinarily present in people in the  general population. These symptoms are often stable throughout much of the patient's life. Negative symptoms, on the other hand, tend to be reflected in withdrawn behaviour; sufferers may be apathetic, have impaired attention, speech is likely to be poor, and they may remain motionless for hours on end, termed "catatonic stupor".

A feature of all types of schizophrenia, is the interference with a person's ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others. Specifically, it may result in alteration of the senses, problems sorting and interpreting incoming sensations, and an inability therefore to respond appropriately. Particularly noticeable may be difficulty in ability to communicate. It may also result in an altered sense of self, with sufferers experiencing dramatic changes in emotions, movements and behaviour.

Biological evidence suggests that schizophrenia is closely related to levels of fatty acids in the brain. Supplementation with long-chain fatty acids - contained in ultra-pure form in Vegepa - may reduce the severity of symptoms for many sufferers.

How Fatty Acids Help Schizophrenia

There is strong evidence which now suggests that there is an association between schizophrenia and abnormal metabolism of phospholipids, confirming that it is a biochemical, neurological disorder. Evidence suggests that this disorder is closely related to levels of fatty acids in the brain, affecting the levels of neurotransmitters, essential in the communication of messages between brain cells.

Specifically, scientists have found reductions of lipids in the brains of patients with schizophrenia. The consequences of this are significant, as this decreases the ability of brain cells to communicate. Professor Puri and colleagues found that EPA reversed the phospholipid abnormalities associated with schizophrenia, which resulted in a dramatic and sustained clinical improvement in both positive and negative symptoms.

Further corroborating the use of EPA in alleviating symptoms of schizophrenia, brain scans reveal a correlation between lateral ventricle size and psychoses; specifically, schizophrenics often have enlarged ventricles (spaces) in the brain, thus representing a reduction in "grey matter" or brain tissue. When Professor Puri used EPA to treat a patient with schizophrenia, he discovered, to his surprise, that the patient's brain size had actually increased (the size of the ventricles in the brain had decreased).

Vegepa is now successfully used by Diane Le Fevre of the Mental Health Unit at Basildon Hospital for patients with Schizophrenia.

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For the recommended dosage, please consult either a doctor or specialist. Research suggests that between 1 and 2 grams of EPA daily is beneficial for alleviating symptoms.

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