DEPRESSION - YOU CAN CONTROL IT!

A very common complaint that I hear from my patients is that of moodiness and depression. Many of my patients tell me that they have no real reason to be depressed because they have a happy life, a happy marriage, healthy children etc. But, they are still feeling depressed and they don’t know or understand why. They usually feel guilty about it, as they compare themselves to others who have many reasons to be depressed. I then explain to them that they may have very valid reasons to be depressed and this is where Naturopathy can help.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF DEPRESSION?

1. Blood Sugar Imbalances
The first and most common reason for depression, which most people don’t even suspect, is BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCES. When your blood sugar in on a roller coaster (going too high and too low), this has a dramatic effect on your body as well as your mind. When your blood sugar drops (called hypoglycemia) because you forgot to eat or skipped a meal, it has tremendous consequences on your physiology and your mood.

The symptoms may start with difficulties concentrating and foggy Brain, but it can also be symptoms such as muscle weakness, extreme and sudden fatigue (like somebody had pulled the plug), to the extreme point of fainting. Most frequently, people will say that they become extremely moody, cranky, and feel depressed.

The simplest remedy in this case is to be sure that you eat at regular times, never skip a meal, and sometimes even add a snack in between meals. It’s incredible the number of people who’s depressed feelings totally disappear by following this simple advice. Another common reason of blood sugar imbalances is the lack of proteins and / or the excess of sugar, which applies to a lot of vegans or vegetarians, or even simply to people that do not include enough proteins to their meals.

2. Adrenal Fatigue
The second most common reason for depression is Adrenal Fatigue. As you may know, your Adrenal Glands are the two little glands located on top of your Kidneys. They are responsible for helping us react to stress. It can be any type of stress: physical, mental, emotional or environmental. When we are under stress, the Adrenals send out their hormones to allow the body to react, either to fight or flight. After this response has concluded, the Adrenals are supposed to rest and recuperate, something that is not necessarily possible in our very busy modern society. Instead of resting, most people’s Adrenals must almost immediately respond again to another situation and then again and again.

After several years of high Adrenal demand, the body stops being able to respond properly, and this is when people can become exhausted, both physically and mentally. Despite their exhaustion, they are unable to sleep deeply and hence, their level of fatigue increases. This leads to a chronic state of fatigue which induces a state of depression. Thus, it is absolutely necessary to support your Adrenals when you feel depressed. Otherwise, you stay in a vicious cycle of fatigue and lack of recuperation, becoming what I call a “Tired-Wired” person.

The basic supplements for Adrenal support are called Adaptogenic Herbs. They help the Adrenals to adapt to stressful situations. My favorite one is called Adrenotone Plus from Designs For Health, and needs to be taken twice a day as long as you are under stress, and maybe a year longer after the stressful situation is over. A good book to understand your Adrenals is called, Adrenal Fatigue, the 21st Century Stress Syndrome by James L. Wilson.

3. Chronic Sickness
If you have been sick for many months and sometimes for many years, either from a chronic infection (Candida, virus, bacteria, parasites), heavy metal poisoning (mercury, aluminum or others), digestive disorders (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS), inflammatory diseases (Alzheimer, Parkinson, atherosclerosis, arthritis) auto-immune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Lupus, allergies, asthma), or any other chronic conditions, then it is very probable that you get depressed at one point or another during your illness. Beside the obvious difficulties that living with a chronic disease represents for anyone, the body gets extremely depleted of essential nutrients, which can lead to a state of depression. The Adrenals Glands again, are always affected by a chronic illness.

4. Hormonal Imbalances
For both males and females, our hormones are very potent chemicals that influence many of our organs and body functions. I can state clearly that if your hormones are off balance, then your body and mind are off balance too!

For example, Progesterone and Estrogen levels directly affect our Brain function. If these hormones are off balance, you may feel depressed, irritable or anxious. The reason is that these hormones send information to the Brain and this influences our neurotransmitter production. Some women report that they never feel as good as when they are pregnant. This is simply because their hormonal levels are balanced in their state of pregnancy. In every case of a depressed patient, I always have their hormones tested properly through Saliva Tests. In this way I can address a probable cause of their distress. I use a quality testing laboratory by the name Diagnos-Tech which specializes in hormonal testing.

Thyroid hormones are as equally important in cases of depression. The Thyroid Gland is in constant communication with the female or male hormones, as well as with the Adrenal Glands and the Brain through the Hypothalamus. Checking your Thyroid is an absolutely necessary step in your quest for a better mood.

5. Lack of Serotonin
Most people know that they can be depressed if they are lacking serotonin. “Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to resynchronize your Brain so that every morning you begin with a fresh start,” writes Dr. Eric Braverman (a specialist in Brain function) in his book The Edge Effect. If you have enough Serotonin you are mostly a realistic person, you are playful, love to interact with others, you are an achiever, adventurous, in touch with your body and mind, physically coordinated, and very resourceful. If your Serotonin level is depleted, you will feel like you are off the edge, you feel like you are overtired, out of control, and unable to get restful sleep; your Brain cannot recharge itself; you cannot think clearly, you feel unworthy and depressed. You may have addiction, bingeing, you could sleep for hours but do not fell rested, you may have severe PMS, uncontrolled hypertension, dizzy spell or irregular heartbeats…and the list goes on.

The good news is that we now have ways of measuring your serotonin level through a simple urine analysis. This test is done at home by a laboratory called Sanesco who then send me the results, not only about your Serotonin, but also Dopamine, Cathecolamines and GABA levels. These are other very important neurotransmitters for your mental and emotional health. Then according to the results, I can use various supplements that are extremely efficient such as 5HTP, Melatonin, Magnesium, B6, fish oil, or the herb St John’s Wort.

6. Unhealthy Guts
What have the my guts have to do with my mood, you are thinking. Well, I believe that it has everything to do with mood and well being. One very important point that was discovered in the past 10 years is that our digestive system actually has many more receptor sites for Serotonin than does our Brain! Actually some researchers claim that 95% of the receptor sites for Serotonin are in the digestive tract. This is where “the gut feeling” expression is coming from.

If your digestive system is disturbed by food intolerances, heavy metals or parasites infection, and the lining of your guts is inflamed, irritated or covered with protective mucus, it means that your gut lining is not making the receptor sites available for Serotonin. Thus, even if your body is producing enough Serotonin, if the receptors are not open or available, then the effect is the same as if you didn’t have enough Serotonin. Thus, an unhealthy gut is equal to an unhealthy mood.

Again, in Naturopathic Medicine we can test your digestive system and look at infections (fungus, parasite, and bacteria), imbalanced flora, food intolerances, inflammation, leaky guts, or lack of enzymes. Once we find the cause, then we can remedy the problem with the appropriate diet and appropriate supplements. Such supplements may include Probiotics, Digestive Enzymes, Herbs to eradicate bacteria and parasites, or amino acids such as L-Glutamine from Designs For Health to repair the damage afflicted to your intestines.

7. Unresolved Emotional and Mental Issues
This cause is certainly the most obvious for most people and practitioners, as we well know that past trauma can affect the way we feel about ourselves, and affect our mood. My rule as a Naturopath is to guide my patients toward therapies that will benefit them the most. I refer patients to different therapists according to their needs and their personalities. There are also self help techniques that can be very useful, such as meditation, visualization, sophrology, or E.F.T. (Emotional Freedom Technique). These techniques are simple to learn, and help individuals to manage their emotions or mental states, once they have identified their issues with the help of a counselor or a therapist.

8. Genetic Chemical Imbalances
There are a small percentage of individuals that have genetically driven chemical imbalances which are totally independent of any of the causes mentioned in the previous paragraphs. These are the cases where I believe that medications are necessary, and thank God medical doctors are now able to prescribe these drugs instead of the barbaric treatments that were used in the past. In my opinion, this group of people is only a small percentage of the population, as least that’s what I see in my clientele.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, I believe that too many anti-depressant medications are too often and to quickly prescribed before looking at all the other many possible causes. Only a very methodical detective work can allow a health practitioner to investigate and find the root causes of the problem. So, before you embark on taking prescription drugs for depression, and if you know that it is not a genetic disorder, I invite every one of you to seek help through a health practitioner like myself who is knowledgeable in this area. By doing so, you may be able to resolve a problem that has seemed impossible to you. As I always say and I deeply believe in this concept: “If you give your body the Right Tools, your body will Heal”.  First you find the causes, second you use the tools available such as herbs, amino acids, vitamins and nutrition, then you can heal.  It is the Natural Law of Nature for the body to Heal. Keep looking for answers, and you will find solutions.

Yours in Health,

 

The entire contents of HEALTH AWARENESS are based upon the opinions of Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath, unless otherwise indicated. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as an offering and sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath within the U.S. and Europe. Beatrice Levinson, Naturopath encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

©Copyright 2007 Beatrice F. Levinson, Naturopath. All Rights Reserved.  This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Beatrice Levinson is required.

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