Recently a customer of ours called with some feedback on Inositol which she has been purchasing from us. The purchase was for her daughter who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Since taking Inositol she found that her compulsive handwashing was managed down to 4-5 mins but after stopping taking the supplement it increased back up to 30-40 minutes.
Understanding OCD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious anxiety-related condition where a person experiences frequent intrusive and unwelcome obsessional thoughts, often followed by repetitive compulsions, impulses or urges.
The illness effects approximately 1.2% of the population (approximately 750,000 people in the UK) and can effect all genders and ages. It can be so severely debilitating that the World Health Organisation has ranked OCD in the top ten most debilitating illness in the world due to the extent to which it can diminish quality of life.
Compulsive hand washing frequently comes to mind if you ask a person what they think OCD is but symptoms of the illness goes way beyond this and has many guises. Sufferers often experience obsessions which result in uncontrollable thoughts, images, impulses, fears and worries. Often people with OCD realise that the obsessions are irrational but perform compulsive behaviours as a way to relieve their anxiety.
Despite extensive research into the cause of OCD scientists are yet to identify a definitive cause to a person developing OCD. It is believed that a combination of either neurobiological, genetic, behavioural, cognitive, or environmental factors can trigger the disorder in a specific individual at a certain point in time.
Natural treatment of OCD with Inositol
Inositol (more specifically myo-inositol) has an established history of use for pyschological disorders. It is a water soluble part of the vitamin B complex group and is naturally occurring drug rather than one of pharmaceutical origins.
Animal and human studies have shown Inositol to be effective in treating: mild anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive dsorder (OCD), agoraphobia, social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder and mild-moderate depression.
Studies have shown that Inositol is significantly effective for approximately 60-70% of patients depending on the severity of the condition - the benefit from Inositol appears to increase with severity of the disorder.
Studies have shown that in an attempt to stop use after 6 months of consumption, 50% of subjects in studies relapse to pre-treatment condition after discontinuation of Inositol.
In addition to treating the effects of the psychological disorder, Inositol also commonly provides a calming effect throughout the day and ability to settle down to sleep at night.
Dosage
Unfortunately we are not able to comment specifically on the dosage for this type of treatment however there is a wealth of information and forum conversations on the topic available here on Google which you can review for yourselves.
A healthy balanced diet is the best way to consume all the nutrients we need. Sometimes however this isn't possible and then supplements can help. This article isn't intended to replace medical advice. Please consult your healthcare professional before trying any supplements or herbal medicines.