Mental Health Services

The Centers for Disease Control have reported that an estimated 92% of Americans are deficient in the vitamins essential for synthesis of the neurotransmitters critical to mood. Treatment statistics have also shown that approximately 85% of depression cases can be resolved systemically by identifying the underlying cause. At Arche Wellness, over 90% of our depressed patients have tested positive for one or more infections, deficiencies in essential vitamins and markers for poor neurotransmitter synthesis. These issues can severely disrupt mood, cause fatigue, anxiety and depression. And in almost all cases, depression symptoms lift when infections and deficiencies are properly treated.

In some cases, depression is caused by toxicity and liver process imbalances that are actually exacerbated by psychotropic medications, as is often the case with addicted patients. Many times, when patients see their symptoms getting worse with medications, doctors will simply add more drugs, further compounding the problem.

Ultimately, the human brain IS attached to the human body. Systemic problems in body performance will affect mental health. It is our approach to resolve underlying health issues and imbalances BEFORE resorting to psychotropic medications. In our experience, a properly functioning body feeds and supports a properly functioning mind.

The Arche Wellness program works to resolve depression biochemically without medications. For patients who have been taking a number of psychotropic drugs with no success, we provide extensive laboratory testing, biochemical restoration and slow titrations from psychotropic medications when appropriate. While we understand that, at times, medication is absolutely necessary, it is our hope that all of our patients can live a happy, healthy lifestyle with as few medications as possible.

Anxiety is a mental health issue with very physical symptoms and a number of physical causes. However, most treatments for anxiety are targeted toward masking symptoms without actually working to resolve them. Furthermore, the benzodiazepine drugs often prescribed to treat anxiety (alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), chlordiazepoxide (Librium) clorazepam (Klonopin), eszopiclone (Lunesta), zolpidem (Ambien), triazolam (Halcion), etc) can be very addictive and result in greater anxiety symptoms over time. Our benzodiazepine addiction program has demonstrated repeatedly that patients who use these drugs regularly for an extended period of time can easily become dependent on them and experience a severe increase in anxiety symptoms. Today, benzodiazepine withdrawal is one of the most dangerous and complicated addiction recovery processes a person can endure.

At Arche Wellness, we provide a natural and biochemical approach to anxiety management that is often necessary for former addicts and those who are reluctant to engage an addictive medication such as benzodiazepines, sleeping pills and psychotropic medications. We administer an extensive battery of tests to determine what biochemical imbalances are contributing to anxiety symptoms and provide treatment accordingly. We also provide one-on-one counseling, dietary guidance and personal training to help alleviate stress symptoms, increase coping mechanisms and encourage endogenous opiate production. Our program works to find a long-term lifestyle solution to anxiety that is healthier and safer than a pharmacological approach.

Eating disorders and food addictions are a growing problem in our society. Treating these issues is extremely complicated because patients cannot avoid food. They must learn to manage food and develop a healthy relationship with it. This requires a deep understanding of how food affects the body and mind, the role of cravings and coping mechanisms.

Patients with eating disorders often experience a number of gastrointestinal imbalances, elevated insulin levels, poor neurotransmitter production and other problems that make healthy eating patterns even more difficult to achieve. At Arche Wellness, we address the body and mind to resolve these issues and create a healthier, more balanced approach to food and life.

Sleep is not an entitlement. You must work on your sleep patterns just as you work on building a healthy body and educating a healthy mind. Sleep patterns are a key identifier of systemic problems in the body. Hormones and neurotransmitters that facilitate healthy sleep patterns often become deficient when the body is not fueled properly. As a chronic insomnia, Arche Founder and Executive Director, Erin McClelland has spent 15 years understanding sleep and developing techniques to build healthy sleep patterns without the assistance of medications. Through supplementation, exercise, counseling and lifestyle adjustments, the severity of sleep disturbances can be significantly decreased and their impact on daily functioning nearly eliminated.

In our fast paced world of dual income families, children's activities and drive-thru dinners, stress levels can become insurmountable. Stress manifests itself in a number of forms and can also be a manifestation of other issues. Many mental health patients present reporting "stress" as their primary concern. However, testing will often reveal that the sensation of stress is caused by a fungal infection, gastrointestinal malabsorption or vitamin deficiencies. While mainstream medicine continues to trivialize the importance of a properly functioning and well-fueled body in the treatment and maintenance of mental health, few will argue that vitamins are REQUIRED in order to synthesize neurotransmitters. Expecting the mind and body to perform adequately without them is like building a house from a few toothpicks and some cotton – the necessary raw materials simply aren't there.

At Arche Wellness we provide the necessary "raw materials" to help promote good physical and mental health. We use biochemical testing and analysis, customized dietary guidance and personal training, nutritional supplementation and individual counseling to identify and solve the underlying causes of stress and its symptoms.

Arche Wellness views health issues as disruptions to systems within systems within systems. A person with a tumor may be considered a cancer patient. But the tumor affects how other systems in the body perform. Once it is identified, the tumor will affect how the patient acts, feels and interacts with others. Family members, close friends and even colleagues will be affected by the cancer as well.

Mental Health issues NEVER occur in a vacuum. An outside force almost always plays a role in their development and their symptoms always plays a role in the lives of others. At Arche Wellness, our patients are often asked to bring other family members and friends into the treatment process. This interaction allows us to address the systemic issues that occur in families more directly. It also creates a greater opportunity for long-term success. We provide a private, safe environment for family and couple's counseling based on the understanding that people do not intend to hurt those they love. These issues do not require judgment or taking sides to be resolved. They simply need a new medium of communication and understanding to create a strong foundation for a sound and enjoyable relationship.

The Stepford Triad is a term we coined at Arche Wellness to characterize the many patients who seek assistance reducing their use of benzodiazepines, sleep medications and psychotropic medications. Our prescription drug performance assessment shows that these people present for treatment taking 3 to 12 medications and experience no improvement or deterioration in their symptoms. At Arche Wellness we have come to realize how significant the problem of over medication is in America and work to help those who feel their initial symptoms were more tolerable than the side effects of the numerous, toxic, sedating medications that have prescribed to them as "treatment".

At Arche Wellness, we assess each patient to determine if decreasing medications is an appropriate option. Once assessed, patients undergo a battery of tests to determine underlying causes for the initial symptoms. Then we work to slowly and methodically titrate dosages in order to ensure a safe and effective recovery process while supplementing the body with necessary nutritional support to alleviate symptoms of withdrawal. Once therapeutic dosages are reached, the doctor may replace an ineffective medication with an alternative medication or supplement, reduce the number of medications taken or discontinue medications if appropriate. We have treated patients who have experienced severe side effects and peripheral health disturbances due to over medication of blood thinners, supplements, antihypertensive drugs, statins, sleep aids and psychotropics.