Psychological health is often directly linked to nutritional deficiencies. The severity of a nutritional deficiency can even determine the extent of illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

In short, food directly impacts your physiology which directly impacts your psychology—your mental health.

Fortunately, research has shown that healthy eating and guided supplementation can help alleviate painful symptoms that accompany depression and other psychological disorders—even in advanced stages. Some supplements have demonstrated the ability to be nearly twice as effective as antidepressant medication, without dangerous side effects.

Depression is extremely difficult to manage, so it is easy to see why people go to such great lengths to ease the pain. With all the new research available, coping with this awful condition could become far more safe, healthy and economical. 

Food for Thought

Proteins, carbohydrates and fats are the three primary macronutrients humans consume for energy. Each one can affect mindset in its own way.  Through careful planning, each macronutrient provides a mental boost that can help overcome symptoms of depression and other psychological illness.

Proteins.
Proteins are composed of amino acids, which also enable the function of the brain’s neurotransmitters. There are two groups of amino acids: those that the body produces naturally (non-essential), and those that we must receive through our diet (essential). Deficiencies in essential amino acids like tryptophan, phenylalanine and methionine have been linked to symptoms of depression. Tryptophan helps the brain produce the relaxing hormone serotonin and has been used clinically to treat depression. Phenylalanine increases alertness and natural levels of dopamine, and methionine kick starts the production of the brain’s neurotransmitters. Grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs and whey all deliver a natural, healthy dosage of essential amino acids that promote proper brain function.

Carbohydrates.
Refined carbs like white bread and conventional pasta offer little benefit. Sugar can actually cause depression. On the other hand, organic vegetables and low glycemic fruits trigger the release of a healthy amount of insulin, which escorts tryptophan to the brain to achieve a soothing effect, making it easier to fall asleep. Blueberries and Granny Smith apples are both low glycemic. They simultaneously soothe your mind and satiate a sugar craving.

Fats.
The human brain contains a large amount of lipids, or fats. About 50 percent of gray matter in the brain is composed of fatty acids—one-third of which are omegas. While many common foods (beef, oils, etc.) are loaded with omega-6 fatty acids, omega-3s are more difficult to come by. Wild-caught salmon and flaxseed oil are well-known sources, but both are lacking in the typical American diet. Unfortunately, an imbalance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is known to increase symptoms of depression. Omega-3 deficiencies disturb neural function, prevent the renewal of cellular membranes and may speed cerebral aging over time. Maintaining a proper proportion of omega fatty acids is vital to ensuring cognitive ability as we age.

Vitamins and minerals are also integral to psychological wellness. Research has demonstrated the positive effects that many all-natural compounds have on the brain. For example:

• Zinc protects the brain from harmful free radicals.
• B-Complex elevates mood.
• Magnesium has been shown to improve severe depression in as little as seven days.
• Vitamin B12 delays the onset dementia.
• Folate (also known as folic acid or vitamin B9) helps the brain develop neural pathways.
• Iron deficiencies are common in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Selenium decreases anxiety and improves mood.

Proper nutrition is not solely about maintaining a healthy weight. It also allows for a healthy mindset. Antidepressants are not the best answer for depression. Choosing food for nutritional value and properly supplementing essential nutrients gives the body all the tools it needs to lessen and prevent symptoms of depression.

Study: Antidepressants actually cause many people to have worse depression

NaturalNews

Most who received placebo saw a gradual improvement in depression symptoms, while nearly 20% of those taking antidepressants became worse

A recent industry-funded study on antidepressant drugs has revealed that the medications can cause roughly 20 percent of patients to get worse depression symptoms than if they simply took nothing. Published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, the study, which was largely controlled by drug giant Eli Lilly, is an eye-opener for those who still put their faith in antidepressants like Cymbalta (duloxetine), which carry with them life-altering side effects.

Ralitza Gueorguieva, lead author of the study from the Yale University School of Health, and her colleagues conducted trials on 2,500 people, all of whom were given either Cymbalta, various other antidepressant drugs, or a drug-free placebo for two months. At the conclusion of the study, most of those who received the placebo saw a gradual improvement in their depression symptoms, while nearly 20 percent of those taking antidepressants saw a worsening of their symptoms.

According to Reuters Health one of the study’s three authors is an employee of Eli Lilly, the company that makes Cymbalta, while another is on the company’s scientific advisory board.

What this all means is that patients who choose to use antidepressants, despite the numerous studies showing that they really do not work and can cause tremendous harm (http://www.naturalnews.com/antidepr…), as well as their doctors, need to pay close attention to what effect the drugs are having. If no improvement is seen, it is perhaps best to stop using the drugs completely and turn to alternatives.

Canadian judge rules SSRI antidepressants like Prozac can cause children to commit murder

Nuts may fend off heart disease

Mental health and chiropractic

Posted on 01 February 2006.

by Dr. Christopher Kent

The scope of chiropractic is as broad as the scope of influence of the nervous system. Although many chiropractors and those they serve tend to focus on disorders associated with the physical body, it is obvious that abnormal nervous system function may also affect emotional and psychological health.

According to B.J. Palmer, “D.D. Palmer was the first man to discover that insanity was caused by displaced cervical vertebrae, that by replacing them the patient could be restored to normal condition.” [1] B.J. also described his expert testimony in a case where he stated, “If an atlas is subluxated it makes abnormal the functions of the brain” In answer to the question, “What is to be done in insanity?” he admonished his reader to “Go back to cause. Adjust that and return that brain to its normal capacity and capability.” [2]

Several inpatient mental health facilities were established, where chiropractic adjustments were the dominant clinical service provided. Two of these were located in Davenport. In 1922, the Chiropractic Psychopathic Sanitarium was established. The facility was later known as Forest Park Sanitarium. North Dakota Judge A. W. Ponath noted that at the North Dakota state mental hospital, the “cure and discharge rate” ranged from 1827%, compared to 65% at Forest Park. [3]

The second facility, Clear View Sanitarium, was established in 1926. In 1951, Clear View was acquired by the Palmer School of Chiropractic. Dr. W. Heath Quigley, who directed the sanitarium, described he clinical protocol: “Each day, each patient was examined with the neurocalometer (NCM). If the clinician interpreted the NCM to indicate nerve impingement, the patient was adjusted.” Quigley reported that the rooms were “sunny and bright,” and that meals included “large servings of fresh vegetables…from a garden.” [4]

Unfortunately, both institutions closed, (Forest Park in 1959 and Clear View in 1961) in large measure because of third party pay issues. Insurance companies often refused to pay the costs of care. Iowa statutes at the time did not provide for licensing specialized hospitals; only full service medical hospitals could be licensed. [5] Clear View was not licensed as a hospital, and functioned legally as a nursing home.

The 1970s saw a renewed interest in chiropractic care and mental health issues. In 1973, Dr. Herman S. Schwartz, a chiropractor, published a book titled “Mental Health and Chiropractic: A Multidisciplinary Approach.” [6] In 1949, Dr. Schwartz had published a preliminary report of 350 patients afflicted with a “nervous or mental disorder” and reported that the majority of them showed improvement under chiropractic care. [7] Dr. Schwartz was active in the ACA Council on Mental Health (formerly Council on Psychotherapy), which survived through the ’70s, but no longer exists.

In the 1980s, Dr. Quigley published an article describing a four decades period where “treatment of the mentally ill was a highly motivated discipline within the chiropractic profession.” [8] In 1988, Dr. Goff, an Ed.D., published a review of the theory and practice of “chiropractic treatment for mental illness.” [9]

Interest in this field continues. In a previous column, the author reviewed the role of chiropractic care in children with learning and behavioral impairments. [10] Blanks, Schuster and Dobson [11] published the results of a retrospective assessment of subluxationbased chiropractic care on selfrelated health, wellness and quality of life. This is, to my knowledge, the largest study of its kind ever undertaken regarding a chiropractic population. After surveying 2,818 respondents in 156 practices, a strong connection was found between persons receiving Network care and selfreported improvement in health, wellness and qualityoflife.

Genthner et al [12] recently reported on a series of 15 patients with a history of depression. The Beck Depression Inventory II was used to measure the baseline level of depression and any postcare changes following orthospinology care. A paired ttest demonstrated significant improvement in depression test scores.

Nearly 38 years ago, my chiropractor explained that everything we experience is processed through our nervous system. When our perception of the world is distorted by nerve interference, it compromises our ability to respond appropriately. He noted that in addition to damaging our physical health, it could result in impaired psychological and emotional function as well. Finally, he opined that when this happened to a significant number of people in a society, a sick society would result.

In response to my question, “So what do you do?” he answered, “I locate and correct the cause of that interference.” I got goose bumps then, and I’m getting them now. It became obvious at that point that I had to become a chiropractor, and change the world.

References

1. Palmer BJ: “History Repeats.” The Palmer School of Chiropractic. Davenport, IA. 1951. Quoting from The Chiropractor Vol. 1, No. 7, June 1905.

2. Palmer BJ: “The Science of Chiropractic.” Volume 2. The Palmer School of Chiropractic. Davenport, IA. 1920. P. 41.

3. http://www.thehealthwriter.net/newsletter.1.htm

4. Quigley WH: “Clear View Sanitarium Part 5.” Dynamic Chiropractic. April 11, 1990. Vol. 8, No. 8.

5. Quigley WH: “Clear View Sanitarium The final years.” Dynamic Chiropractic. June 19, 1992. Vol. 10, No. 13.

6. Schwartz HS: “Mental Health and chiropractic: A Multidisciplinary Approach.” Sessions Publishers. New York, 1973.

7. Schwartz, HS, “Preliminary analysis 350 mental patients’ records treated by chiropractors,” Journal of National Chiropractic Association (Nov. 1949), pp. 1215.

8. Quigley WH: “Pioneering mental health: institutional psychiatric care in chiropractic.” Chiropractic History 1983;3(1):6973.

9. Goff P: “Chiropractic treatment of mental illness: a review of theory and practice.” Research Forum 1988;4(1):410.

10. Kent C: “Children, ADD/ADHD, and chiropractic.” The Chiropractic Journal. August 2002.

http://www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2002/aug/aug2002kent.htm

11. Blanks RHI, Schuster TL, Dobson M: “A retrospective assessment of Network care using a survey of selfreported health, wellness and quality of life.” Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research 1997;1(4):15.

Defeating Depression: as Easy as Omega-3

Posted By Dr. Mercola |

 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

There are a number of studies that show that fish oils are associated with decreased depression.

If this subject interests you, I highly recommend Dr. Stoll's book The Omega-3 Connection. He is a Harvard psychiatrist who has done a great job of compiling the evidence supporting the use of fish oils for depression.

It is important to recognize that I no longer recommend taking fish oil in capsule form. Ideally, fish oil should be consumed in a liquid form, as then there is no gelatin capsule to digest. Using high quality oil is essential to ensure that the product is pure and fresh, though it can be hard to locate a good brand in stores. 

The dose for both the cod liver or plain fish oil liquid is about one teaspoon for every 50 pounds of body weight per day. So, if you weigh 150 pounds that would be about one tablespoon (three teaspoons) per day. This is the equivalent of 15 typical fish oil capsules. This is a good initial dose for most people, but if you notice any belching or repeating it is likely your gallbladder is not digesting the fish oil properly and you may need to take a high potency enzyme with plenty of the fat digesting enzyme lipase.

If you continue to have nausea with the fish oil, it is probably wise to activate the Listen to Your Body Principle and avoid the fish oil until you can be evaluated by a competent natural health care practitioner.

Many people are confused about the difference between fish oil liquid and cod liver oil. It helps to consider cod liver oil as fish oil Plus. It is the same as fish oil, but it has natural vitamin D and A. For most of us, during the winter this becomes an important consideration as we don’t receive enough sun exposure to generate the vitamin D we need to provide us with all the health benefits vitamin D has to offer.

If you are unsure about your vitamin D levels, you should have them measured. Ideally, everyone should. If you overdose on vitamin D you can actually cause osteoporosis and hardening of your arteries as it causes a reverse effect. Unfortunately, very few physicians offer this test.

A recent study highlighted another reason for pregnant women to supplement their diets with fish oil. (J Affect Disord 2002 May;69(1-3):15-29) The study showed that mothers transfer DHA, a fatty acid found in fish oil, to their fetuses to support optimal neurological development during pregnancy. If the woman doesn’t receive enough DHA, she runs the risk of developing severe postpartum depression.

Related Links:

  Mom's Depression Affects Her Infants' Learning 

  Antidepressant in Pregnancy Not a Great Idea 

You can choose the life that you want. Creating more energy in your life is a decision. The first step you can take is to become more conscious. To do so, you need to look at the things that chip away at your energy each day. 

      Please Check off the statements below that apply to you. 

MY ENERGY GAINERS                               MY ENERGY DRAINERS 

􏰃 Speaking my truth                                       􏰃 Sugar 

􏰃 Quality time with kids                                  􏰃 Caffeine 

􏰃 Being honest                                               􏰃 Not exercising 

􏰃 Following through                                        􏰃 Arguing with my spouse 

􏰃 Reading good books                                   􏰃 Stress 

􏰃 Keeping promises to myself                        􏰃 Drama 

􏰃 Being grateful                                              􏰃 Interruptions 

􏰃 Prayer                                                          􏰃 Being overweight 

􏰃 Eating healthy                                              􏰃 Overscheduling my day 

􏰃 Taking my supplements                               􏰃 Saying yes when I mean no 

􏰃 Date night with spouse                                 􏰃 Overworking 

􏰃 Quality time with friends                               􏰃 Not taking play time 

􏰃 Focusing on the positive                               􏰃 Taking abuse 

􏰃 Having faith                                                   􏰃 Worry 

􏰃 Expressing gratitude                                     􏰃 Slouching 

􏰃 Standing up for myself                                  􏰃 Overanalyzing 

􏰃 Staying on task                                             􏰃 Trying to change other people 

􏰃 Letting go of the things that are                    􏰃 Being a people pleaser 

out of my control                                             􏰃 Stressing out 

􏰃 Taking action on my goals                           􏰃 Mindless television 

􏰃 Making time to exercise                               􏰃 Not having a purpose 

􏰃 Getting chiropractic care                              􏰃 Not completing things that I start 

􏰃 Good posture 

􏰃 Massages 

􏰃 Saving money 

􏰃 Being involved in things I believe in 

􏰃 Celebrating special occasions