Dr. Brown is Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University. After receiving his M.D. in 1977 from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Brown completed his Residency in Psychiatry and a Fellowship in Psychobiology and Psychopharmacology at New York Hospital. He is the recipient of numerous awards and has authored over 80 articles and book chapters on pharmacological treatments, clinical studies, and complementary approaches in psychiatry.

Professional Background and Publications

Known for lecturing on conventional psychopharmacology, Dr. Brown is also an expert in herbal medicine. He first learned about plant medicines as a child while gathering medicinal mushrooms with his grandfather in the hills of Kentucky. Every year, he teaches full-day courses on Integrative Psychiatry (combining standard treatments with complementary and alternative medicine, CAM) at the American Psychiatric Association annual meetings. He delivers over 200 medical lectures each year. In 1999 Dr. Brown introduced S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e) for treatment of depression at the New York Academy of Medicine. He coauthored, Stop Depression Now, presenting a holistic approach to depression. Dr. Brown’s chapters include “Alternative Treatments in Brain Injury” in Neuropsychiatry of Traumatic Brain Injury (American Psychiatric Press 2004) and “Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Psychiatry,” in Psychiatry Second and Third Editions (John Wiley & Sons 2003 and 2007).

Dr. Brown realized the potential benefits of the medicinal herb Rhodiola rosea while treating his wife, Dr. Gerbarg, for Lyme disease. On an expedition with Dr. Zakir Ramazanov to the Sian Mountains of the Former Soviet Union, he climbed 8,000 feet through snow and icy streams to gather wild Rhodiola rosea. The American Botanical Council published a review of this herb by Drs. Brown, Gerbarg, and Ramazanov (2002). Dr. Brown lectured on Rhodiola rosea at the Columbia University Botanical Medicine course and co-authored The Rhodiola Revolution (Rodale 2004) offering a fresh approach to the problems of stress and energy

Dr. Brown’s chapter on “Yoga in Psychiatry” appears in the publication, Clinical Manual of Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Psychiatry (APPI 2007). His neurophysiological theory of the effects of yoga breathing on the mind and body, particularly its benefits in anxiety, depression, trauma, and violence were presented at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences International Symposiums, the Aspen Masters Conference on Integrative Medicine, the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meetings, and other conferences. He consults and designs research and advises PhD candidates on projects involving mind-body-spirit practices for stress, trauma, military service, mass disasters, cancer, HIV, and other illnesses.

Dr. Brown’s broadly based, integrative approach to health and well-being is now available for health care professionals and consumers in his newest book How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care, written with Dr. Patricia Gerbarg and Dr. Philip Muskin (WW Norton 2009). The culmination of more than thirty years of practice and research, it includes integrative approaches for the treatment of anxiety, depression, mood disorders, cognitive and memory impairments, Attention Deficit Disorder, sexual dysfunction, medical illnesses (eg. cancer, heart disease, HIV), schizophrenia, and substance abuse (see link to complete curriculum vitae).

Mind-Body-Spirit Practices

Dr. Brown has engaged in yoga and meditative practices including Zen meditation, yoga and breath practices, and Chi Gong for over 30 years. He is a certified teacher of Aikido (4th Dan), yoga, Chi Gong, and meditation. This extensive experience is the basis for his new Workshop: Breath~Body~Mind^©. Participants learn to combine breath and movement practices derived from yoga, Chi Gong, Coherent Breathing, and Open Focus meditation. Special workshops are available for health care professionals and veterans. Dr. Brown supports Serving those Who Serve (www.STWS.org) by providing courses for survivors of the 9/11 WTC attacks and Ground Zero workers (see Serving Those Who Serve web page).