"Key Insight to Depression in the
Gut - Brain Connection"
by Michelle
McCaslin, APRN, NP-C
The cause of depression is not clear. You can
do all sorts of research, even look up depression in the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is published by the
American Psychiatric Association.
There are many different theories, but not one “cause”.
You may have heard a lot about serotonin and
depression. The DSM does not list
serotonin as a cause of any mental disorder. There are many medications that target
serotonin and this causes some relief to the symptoms of depression. However,
over time the medications can work against the mechanism they try to help!
Medications can deplete the body of serotonin, which in turn will cause an increase
in doses of medication. This changes the
type of medication or adds even more medication, which can lead to
"poly-pharmacy" or use of many medications to treat depression. The
use of medications may improve symptoms of depression...but medications can
also cause a multitude of other symptoms as a result of side-effects.
Pharmaceutical companies have produced
numerous medications that target and/or affect the level of serotonin in the
brain. So it is easy to think that the brain is the only organ necessary to
treat depression. But did you know that 90% of the serotonin is actually made
in the enterochromaffin cells that line the gut. Read that again, 90%! If that much of
serotonin is actually made in the gut it is important to address the source of
where majority of the serotonin is produced.
A healthy gut means more serotonin production
which can cause better moods; hence the relation or connection of gut to brain.
Aside from the production of serotonin, the gut is our connection to the
outside world and gives us the ability to utilize nutrients and minerals in our
environment necessary for life.
Our gut is home to
trillions of bacteria (probiotics-good bacteria) that help digestion and
make up 80% of our immune system. Because our gut is our connection to our
environment it is important to take in or ingest high quality foods, also
remembering that if the gut easily absorbs nutrients it can also easily absorb
toxins (chemicals, pesticides, plastics…etc). High quality, organic, non GMO
and nutrient dense foods are necessary for all body systems to function
optimally. Eating bad quality fats, sugars, processed foods laced with
chemicals and GMO’s (Genetically Modified Foods) causes inflammation in our
guts. If we have inflammation in our gut the inflamed tissue works as a barrier
inhibiting us from utilizing the nutrients from what we eat leaving our bodies
starved.
An unhealthy gut can
lead to low production of serotonin and the lack of minerals and vitamins which
can set a stage for various other symptoms.
So what can we do?
1. Healing the gut by
eliminating the bad foods and toxins that cause inflammation in the gut.
2. Support the gut with a healthy diet, good bacteria and
various supplements.
3. Brain Mapping/Neurofeedback to help retrain the brain
waves in specific areas that show brain wave activity indicative of depression.
4. Supporting the Liver because it is the major organ of
removing toxins (chemicals, pesticides and plastics) from the body.
5. Making sure all hormones are optimal because all
hormones (Female, Male, Thyroid and Adrenals) are anti-inflammatory.
6. Supplements, there are many you can take for
depression.
Every person’s
situation and circumstances as to how they have come to their current state is
important to take into consideration when treatment or support is necessary.
Use of supplements may help the symptoms of depression but COMPLETE assessment
of each person is necessary for a more comprehensive approach in obtaining
optimal health and/or symptom relief.
At Alternatives we are
team equipped with a Clinical Nutritionist, a Neurofeedback team and Counselor
that work alongside practitioners (Dr. Ryan and I) to apply a more complete
method of treatment. It is also important to take in the spiritual-emotional
elements of each person as life circumstances.
How the person deals with the situations is important to also be aware
of and know how to suggest further support. Achieved wellness comes when the
person as a “whole” is taken into consideration and supported.
References:
Akhondzadeh Basti A, Moshiri E,
Noorbala AA, et al. Comparison of petal of Crocus sativus L. and fluoxetine in
the treatment of depressed outpatients: a pilot double-blind randomized trial. Prog
Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2007;31:439-42.
Akhondzadeh S, Fallah-Pour H, Afkham
K, et al. Comparison of Crocus sativus L. and imipramine in the treatment of
mild to moderate depression: A pilot double-blind randomized trial
[ISRCTN45683816]. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2004;4:12.
Akhondzadeh S, Tahmacebi-Pour N,
Noorbala AA, et al. Crocus sativus L. in the treatment of mild to moderate
depression: a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial. Phytother
Res. 2005;19:148-51.
Alpert JE, Mischoulon D, Nierenberg
AA, Fava M. Nutrition and depression: focus on folate. Nutrition.
2000;16:544-581.
Bottiglieri T, Laundy M, Crellin R,
Toone BK, Carney MW, Reynolds EH. Homocysteine, folate, methylation, and
monoamine metabolism in depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry.
2000;69(2):228-232.
Bruinsma KA, Taren DL. Dieting,
essential fatty acid intake, and depression. Nutrition Rev.
2000;58(4):98-108.
Gaster B, Holroyd J. St. John's wort
for depression. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:152-156.
Johnson MA. Nutrition and
aging--practical advice for healthy eating. J Am Med Womens Assoc.
2004;59(4):262-9.
Kasper S, Caraci F, Forti B, Drago
F, Aguglia E. Efficacy and tolerability of Hypericum extract for the treatment
of mild to moderate depression. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2010
Nov;20(11):747-65. (Epub 2010 Aug 14.)
Lazarou C, Kapsou M. The role of
folic acid in prevention and treatment of depression: an overview of existing
evidence and implications for practice. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2010
Aug;16(3):161-6.
Linde K, Mulrow CD. St. John's wort
for depression (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 4,
2000. Oxford: Update Software.
Markus R, Panhuysen G, Tuiten A,
Koppeschaar H. Effects of food on cortisol and mood in vulnerable subjects
under controllable and uncontrollable stress. Physiol Behav.
2000;70(3-4):333-342.
McGinn LK. Cognitive behavioral
therapy of depression: theory, treatment, and empirical status. Am J
Psychother. 2000;54(2):257-262.
Meyers S. Use of neurotransmitter
precursors for treatment of depression. Altern Med Rev. 2000;5(1):64-71.
Morelli V, Zoorob RJ. Alternative
therapies: Part 1. Depression, diabetes, obesity. Am Fam Phys.
2000;62(5):1051-1060.
Nemets B, Stahl Z, Belmaker RH.
Addition of omega-3 fatty acid to maintenance medication treatment for
recurrent unipolar depressive disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2002;159:477-9.
Obach RS. Inhibition of human
cytochrome P450 enzymes by constituents of St. John's wort, and herbal
preparation used in the treatment of depression. J Pharmacol Exp Ther.
2000;294(1):88-95.
Peet M, Horrobin DF. A dose-ranging
study of the effects of ethyl-eicosapentaenoate in patients with ongoing
depression despite apparently adequate treatment with standard drugs. Arch
Gen Psychiatry. 2002;59:913-9.
Rondanelli M, Giacosa A, Opizzi A,
Pelucchi C, La Vecchia C, Montorfano G, Negroni M, Berra B, Politi P, Rizzo AM.
Effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on depressive symptoms and on
health-related quality of life in the treatment of elderly women with
depression: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. J
Am Coll Nutr. 2010 Feb;29(1):55-64.
Shaw, K., Turner, J., and Del Mar,
C. Tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan for depression. Cochrane Database Syst
Rev. 2002;(1):CD003198.
Su KP, Huang SY, Chiu CC, Shen WW.
Omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder. A preliminary double-blind,
placebo-controlled trial. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2003;13:267-71.
No comments:
Post a Comment