Dr Conrad Steyn

Qualifications and Training Which Meet A.C.T. Ltd. Regulated Standards:

MBChB 1999 Diploma in Mental Health 2001
Medical Acupuncture 2005 EMDR 2008
NLP and Hypnosis Master Practitioner 2004

Association Memberships Required by A.C.T. Ltd.:

GMC - Independent Medical Practitioner 2000
SAMDC - General Practitioner                1999

Clinic Working Hours:

Saturday 9:00 to 15:00 at ACT in Caridff Also Home Visits and other clinic hours in the Midlands

Prices:

Treatments                  £100    1 hour Initial consultation including Medical exam, Psychiatric assessment and physical screening tests                          
£145    1-2 hours

Who Am I? What Do I Do?

Although I have been educated in conventional western medicine, I became fascinated with the wide array of alternative approaches that are freely available in society today.  I often received feedback from some of my patients who have explored these avenues with astonishing positive results.  On numerous occasions patients “miraculously” improved, even though I could not find any scientific explanation when I tried to clarify their sudden change for the better.  Many of my patients have became more and more dubious with regards to medication over the past few years.  The media is littered with articles regarding the side effect profile of especially psychiatric medications.  I soon came to realize that, focusing only on the conventional approaches, not only have limited success, but often also expose my patients to undue risks to there health.

Focussing on only conventional approaches inevitably leads to a premature dismissal of alternative approaches to health which is often perceived as unfounded by some. My colleagues who were educated, like me, in western medicine are particularly doubtful in regards to the effectiveness of more “alternative” approaches to health.
Although the scientific  evidence base is relatively easily obtainable for physical medicine, our knowledge of the human psyche is not yet developed enough to be able to do the same with a substantial proportion of psychological illness.
The evidence for the effectiveness of some of our western medicine, especially where mental health is concerned, is in my opinion still doubtful.  Even though millions are spent on research to prove the effectiveness of antidepressants for example, the negligible benefit it has over a placebo is often not highlighted.

 A simple search on the internet will reveal that there is often only a 10% benefit to using an antidepressant above a placebo! (a placebo is a tablet with supposedly no effect, a fake tablet) The fact that there is also often side effects with antidepressants will further narrow this gap. Let me explain: If people are in a placebo controlled trial to test the effectiveness of an antidepressant, they will be told that half of them will receive the real antidepressant, and the other half will get a fake tablet (placebo).  If you then start taking the tablets and you experience some side effects (most often nausea or a stomach upset) you will automatically assume that you are getting the real thing.  This will most definitely result in you reporting an improvement in your depression as you will know that you are receiving the “real” tablet and not the “fake” one.  
Average reports for these studies, seems to report a +/- 30% improvement in depression for the placebo and a +/- 40% improvement for the antidepressant.

 

I have now worked as a Medical Doctor in Psychiatry for more that 9 years.  My initial enthusiasm for some of the drugs we use has sadly dwindled. I do however want to make it clear that there are certain conditions within the remit of mental health were I would most certainly still  advocate the use of medications.  In my opinion there has however been a frenzy of over prescribing of certain psychiatric medications all over the world.  This can be contributed to various different factors, a few of which I will briefly elaborate on.  

    •       The medical education system is still mostly focused on a biological approach. We learn about chemicals, organs and bones; and too often treat the body as a “robot”.  I prefer to believe that we are much more sophisticated than that and as such we should pursue a holistic approach.That is where the body, mind and social circumstances/surrounding are closely related and dependent on each other for an optimal state of well being.

    •       The media portrays a world where a “quick fix” is the order of the day. If you feel down and sad, just take the tablet and all will be good again!  Don’t bother trying to ask yourself: ”Why do I feel this way?”

    •       We all know that we live in a world where finances are pivotal in the society.  There are billions of dollars/pounds tied up in the pharmaceutical industry and the incentive to prove the effectiveness of a certain medication can not be under estimated.  The evidence for the effectiveness is always presented in a very convincing manner.   As qualified doctors we have to focus on staying objective and to always closely scrutinize the evidence provided. The power of modern day advertising and the fact that a significant percentage of research and thus evidence is sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, does however often make one ponder the objectiveness. 

    •       The superior method of proving effectiveness, in my opinion, is to actually listen to what your patient says and to see for yourself whether there is an improvement on the treatment.  Sadly, the improvements I have witnessed thus far remains average at best fora substantial sector of mental health patients treated with medications only.  I have however also noticed the favourable responses in patients where the prescription of medication was indeed justified.

    •       A trend that I have noted is for patients to have multiple prescribed medications.  It is often the case that in order to treat the side effect of one medication, another has to be prescribed, and so forth.  I vividly recall an elderly lady I saw in one of my psychiatric clinics.  For the past 25 years she has been unable to leave her house on her own without the company of her husband.  When they did manage to go to the local cafeteria for “a trip out” she would most often burst into tears for no apparent reason; her husband then had to escort her home to calm the situation. She was commenced on treatment for anxiety 25 years ago; the anxiety was related to an event at her then place of employment.  Upon carefully reviewing her psychiatric medication, I came to the conclusion that her current predicament was probably made worse by the side effects of the combination of medication that she was taking.  It is however extremely difficult to stop some of these medications as it will initially increase the levels of anxiety due to withdrawal symptoms. After working very closely with her for nearly 2 years and utilizing some of the alternative approaches, we managed to get her off most of her medications. We only kept a small dose of one of the medications for her anxiety which she felt comfortable to continue to take; and were not willing to part with after all these years.  From having seen her on very regular basis, I now have difficulty in getting her to attend appointments as she is touring all over the country with her husband and making up for lost time.  Success stories like this one is very gratifying and one of the incentives that still makes it worthwhile for me to continue to practice Psychiatry!

The opportunity to have been able to gain more skills than just the conventional approach has been an exciting and very satisfying journey.  My passion for practicing in mental health is now often strengthened on a daily basis due to the positive feedback I receive of my patients.  The expansion of my practice to include more alternative approaches has indeed been an exciting development and opportunity for me to enable me to successfully assist a wider array of people.

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