Depression; Why is it so complicated? Part I

                                             

   

I recently read news that you most likely won’t hear about, and that is that Robin Williams suicide may have been precipitated by the medications he was taking for both Depression and Parkinsons. The news reports are sketchy, and I don’t know if we’ll ever know what happened, or learn what Mr. Williams was taking, but it is true that for some, antidepressants can cause suicidal thoughts.

Depression is complicated, and the treatment can be too. Beyond complicated it can also be scary to the individual and to the people around them. We receive so many mixed messages about mental illness that some are still too ashamed to admit they need help, while friends and family members may be unsure as to how to help, or simply what to say. Who or what can we trust if even the medications don’t always work, or worse yet sometimes increase the symptoms?

Many times Depression can be traced to what many would simply refer to as lifes ups and downs. Have you ever gone through a lot of changes in your life? Have you lost a spouse, a friend, or had a cat or dog die? Have you ever had trouble finding a job? These and other situations can cause what is often referred to as Situational Depression. Most people would feel depressed having experienced these or other events, but for many the feelings are transient. What causes some people to become so depressed that they feel no hope whatsoever, or feel the only answer is to be take their own life? I believe that it’s often a combination of factors.

There are many causes of Depression, and therefore the diagnosis and screening is crucial. In some cases a thorough medical exam with blood work and other testing may be necessary. These are some factors that can lead to Depression.
1. Trauma, whether from a car accident, rape, sexual or emotional abuse as a child, spousal abuse, war, etc.
2. Hypothyroidism, which can be caused by Hashimoto’s Disease, Thyroiditis, tumors, a lack of iodine in ones diet, a car accident causing whiplash, etc.
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/depression/a/quiz.htm

3. Poor diet, or more specifically a deficiency in Essential Fatty Acids, Vit D, iodine and selenium can lead to symptoms of Depression. Though a poor diet can also lead to overall poor health, which too can cause Depression.
4. Drug use and alcohol abuse can exacerbate or lead to symptoms of Depression.
5. Mold Exposure and Chemical Toxicity can lead to brain, immune and nervous system dysregulation that can lead to symptoms of Depression.
http://chronicfatigueandnutrition.com/mold-toxicity/mold-depression/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2072855/

 6. Stress, genetics and other situational factors like those discussed above can also contribute to the condition of Depression or depressive symptoms.

So if Depression is so complicated where do you go for help? There are some basic treatment options that will be helpful regardless of the cause, so I would start with these. Core treatments for Depression include finding a Counselor that you feel comfortable with and that will challenge you. A good diet and exercise program are an essential part of treating Depression and a healthy lifestyle. Next I would look for a complementary Doctor or a Nurse Practitioner who can do a general check up, and help you rule out thyroid issues, vit D deficiency, etc. Maybe this same practitioner or someone else can help you determine if mold/chemical exposures are a factor in your case. Finally I would suggest cleaning up your life/environment, and general detox. These two will be included in Part II.
#depression #thyroid #antidepressants #diet

Trust Yourself and EAT.

During and after going through a long illness in my twenties I read everything I could get my hands on that pertained to health, complementary therapies and nutrition.  I myself was a Vegetarian, followed a Rotation Diet, a Candida Diet, a Gluten Free Diet, a, well and some other variation of such.

Everywhere you go and turn you hear about some diet or program that will change your life.  Some are fad diets, some are based on scientific inquiry, others are just, well you decide.

There’s Vegetarianism and Vegan, similar, but being a Vegan means no eggs or dairy either.
There’s the 4 or is it 5 food group standard diet, which really is quite good, except that many people assume all carbs are the same, and can substitute Twinkies for real grains, or processed oils for cold pressed oils.
There’s the Atkins Diet, which actually isn’t that crazy if you read the book, and look at the later stages.  I’ll agree the first stage is extreme.
Then there’s the Caveman Diet.  What can you say, bizarre, yet makes sense if we’re still genetically similar to our ancient ancestors.
Speaking of ancestors, then there’s the Blood Type Diet, which assumes we all came from a Blood Type of O, the caveman, but then due to migration, geography, agriculture, etc. changed the way we eat, and the type of food we eat.  It maintains that as we changed the food we ate over the years our bodies changed, making different blood types more suitable for different diets.
Rotation Diet, suggests you rotate your foods every four days, so that you don’t eat anything everyday.  Difficult in today’s world, but a good idea to some degree.  Many of us are sick from eating foods we’re sensitive to everyday, ie. dairy, corn, gluten, eggs are some of the big culprits.
Gluten Free Diet, simply means eliminating everything with gluten in it; wheat, rye, oats, barley, spelt, kamut.  Daunting at first, but once you start it becomes easier.  This is necessary for those with certain digestive and allergy problems.
Raw Food Diet.  This one is kind of self explanatory, but extreme to say the least.  Raw foods are important, they carry enzymes and vitamins which can be lost in the cooking process, but...moderation.

So what is the point of all of this.  I’ve come to believe in moderation.  Nothing to the extreme, seems natural or good for me.  I’ve know people that went Vegetarian for ethical reasons only to have to add meat back into their diets some years later due to health reasons.  I’ve know people who thrive on a Vegan diet.  I’ve known people who swear by the Blood Type Diet.
Also I’ve come to believe in trusting myself, and am continuing to embrace this practice in all areas of my life.  When it comes to food it means trusting that my body, and it does, know’s what it needs...which is not what I may crave.  I eat meat, and feel that 2-3 times a week seems like a good place to be for me at this time.  That may change in the future.  I eat gluten grains now, though don’t eat wheat daily.  I eat dairy, but also not daily.  There was a time when I could eat neither, and when I had to eliminate all grains during pollen season due to allergies, and inflammation.  Yes grains, all grains can cause many people problems.

You are bombarded with information and advertising, and you are restricted by time.  It’s not easy, but more than ever it’s rewarding to slow down and listen to what your body truly needs.  Trust yourself.