“It may come as no surprise - that without mental health - there is no health. It’s something we all need to nurture, foster and embrace.”

A note on the petition to Parliament

A huge THANK YOU to all of you that have signed the petition.

You may know about the incredible work Professor Julia Rucklidge has done on specific high-dose micronutrients.

If you’ve taken one of my courses (Changing Lives or Nutrition in Mental Health), you will understand why nutrients are so important for brain and body function.

A few of you have contacted me about the importance of micronutrient products as part of your recovery from mental health conditions.

If you’ve not been made aware - there’s a little more information below to help you understand why this is an important issue for New Zealanders and mental health in general.

What’s being banned?

One of the brands of these micronutrients - specifically designed and used in mental health conditions is DENs - Daily Essential Nutrients, by a Canadian company called Hardy’s Nutritionals. The other is a product called Empower Plus, by True Hope. These were being sold directly to the public in New Zealand.

Why are these vitamins so important?

There have been vast amounts of research on multivitamins (yes, I’m speaking about something as simple as multivitamins!)

Some multivitamins (often referred to as micronutrients) have been studied specifically for mental well-being. These vitamins have high doses and were specifically designed for people with bipolar disorder initially, but have been found to be effective in other mental health conditions.

Other conditions that have seen positive results include postnatal depression, premenstrual syndrome (or the more serious premenstrual dysphoric disorders), bipolar disorders, ADHD and PTSD.

In short:

• They have been proven to be safe and effective in various conditions, including during pregnancy

• They have few or no side effects

• Those who used these during pregnancy were less likely to have a premature birth(!) especially when compared to ordinary antidepressant medications

• Participants were found to have improvements in sleep, mood regulation, coping, anxiety, and resilience

• Results have shown improvement in recovery from traumatic events (Eg Christchurch Earthquake in New Zealand)

• People have been able to reduce or stop other medications used for bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, ADHD and other ongoing chronic mental health conditions.

Kim - user of DENs (Daily Essential Nutrients)

Why is signing this petition so important?

Because these supplements have been shown to be effective - Medsafe have requested all sales direct to the public be stopped.

This is not due to any concerns regarding its safety but due to its effectiveness.

In a strange twist - when supplements work - they get classed as being ‘therapeutic’ and therefore a medicine.

Unfortunately, by restricting access to these vitamins - they are placing people at risk of mental health decline.

It’s a frightening position for people to be placed in.

Even if you are not likely to use these products - please spare a moment for the people who do!