What a tragedy. When famous people die, it is sad. However,
Robin Williams was not just a famous personality. He had an incredibly unique talent to
make people feel good. He gave us with the
best gift--laughter.Do you remember how many times you got lost in one of Williams' countless performances? There has been no one like him and perhaps never will be.
The real tragedy is that with all of the joy he brought to so many,
he couldn't do the same for himself. Most unfortunately, Robin Williams is
far from being alone. Once again,
depression is making headlines and growing at alarming rates. The plethora of "experts" I have been seeing in the news talk about the signs and symptoms. They then proceed to advise to seek professional counsel where there are many medication options to help combat depression.
While I always encourage to seek counsel, it is always curious to me that I have never seen any "expert" talk about what may be the
root cause of depression. Is it overwhelming sadness from some event or trauma? How did the sadness get so bad or was it just a feeling that snowballed?
Actually, most experts agree that
depression is the result of some type of imbalance. However, is this imbalance due to a deficiency of Prozac? Perhaps it could be a
deficiency of some type of nutrient that is not getting absorbed by our bodies causing our organs and our brains not to function optimally. Furthermore,
if we don't have the proper nutrition, our body has a difficult time producing the proper hormones it needs to regulate mood (among other functions).For example, most people don't realize that our
"feel good" hormone called serotonin, is p
roduced in the gut--no, not in the brain. Well, when your gut is
clogged up with bacteria produced from eating nutritionally deficient carbohydrates, it cannot produce as much serotonin as it needs to maintain balance with mood. That may lead to....you guessed it.
Depression. Nutrition deficiencies also may lead to the thyroid not being nourished. As we discussed in last week's article, the
thyroid is a master gland that is responsible for oxygen metabolism to
every cell with the parathyroid being responsible for
mineral metabolism. Therefore,
if these glands are suppressed, it's a double whammy. Even if you realize that you may be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals and therefore take supplements--
they may not be able to get absorbed. In fact, years before antidepressants were manufactured, the
choice of medication for Depression was dessicated thyroid hormone! This is a natural form of thyroid (think Synthroid without the synthetic additives and side effects).
Once the thyroid works, there is far more absorption leading to less deficiencies on a cellular level. Make sense?There has to be some sort of root cause. "Modern eating habits are part of what makes many people depressed," says Michael Lesser, a psychiatrist in Berkeley, CA, who also
bases his treatment on an evaluation of a patient's diet and lifestyle. Lesser is part of a
growing trend in nutritional therapy, in part, due to growing discomfort with antidepressants and their long list of side effects.
Perhaps our
SAD (Standard American Diet) with
low fat and high carbohydrate plays a seemingly large role related to the rising depression rates.
The best way to combat any type of mood-related imbalance is to balance your gut with food rich with nutrients. Get your brain to function normally with clean protein and vegetables with every meal. As I always say, stick to more one-ingredient foods (the perimeter of the supermarket!).
In addition, there are some
key supplements that are typically deficient in those who show depression. Psychiatrist Hyla Cass based in Los Angeles, said she has observed that people with depression are commonly diagnosed with low levels of
zinc, magnesium, B vitamins, essential fatty acids and amino acids. Keep in mind that when a person's diet is deficient in some of these nutrients,
neurotransmitters aren't made correctly or don't get what they need to function properly, and various emotional and mental disorders can result.Once again, folks.
Hippocrates put it best when he said,
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."Let's have a conversation on
Jill the Health Coach FB page!
All material in this newsletter is provided for information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this publication;instead readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The information provided has not been approved the Food & Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease.
I hope everyone has enjoyed a wonderful summer as we start to wind down and the kids get ready to go back to school. I have exciting news to share with my wonderful readers. I was thrilled to be asked to be a guest on the radio show Moore and Better Health hosted by Dawn Moore. I invite you to listen in on Tuesday, August 26th from