Increasingly it is becoming evident, even to the sometimes single minded scientific community that natural supplements, vitamins and herbs can significantly help an individual who may be suffering from symptoms associated with Depression.
Our research team has put together this comprehensive list. If you have any other supplements you would like us to research just email info@throughthemind.com While we are not Doctors or Nutritionists, if you are confused about what supplements you should take, reach out to us via the email above or you can join our Facebook Support Group, Through the Mind. Vitamin K Vitamin K a fat-soluble vitamin which exists in many structurally similar forms. The main sources of vitamin K are meat, poultry and dairy. Vitamin K is believed to have a positive role in the management of depression. According to the research rats were divided into four groups. First group was given normal rat diet. The second group was given high fat diet. The third group was given vitamin K and the fourth group was of the rats with the symptoms of anxiety and depression treated with vitamin K. Anxiety was measured by social interaction whereas depression was studied by pursuit test. According to the research, it was observed that the rats that were given vitamin K showed decreased anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Vitamin K decreases the symptoms of depression and further human studies are needed to know the exact mechanism of action and the dose required. Zinc Zinc is a mineral. It is called essential mineral because it is not produced by human body and therefore needs to be taken in the food. The main sources of Zinc are red meat, poultry and fish. Zinc is important for various metabolic functions of body. There is an important role of zinc in certain neurological conditions of human, the most important of which is depression. Zinc is concerned with the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor which is involved in stimulation of the production of neurons and excitation of neurons in central and peripheral nervous system. According to a research 1643 patients of depression and 804 controlled patients there was deficiency of zinc the in the patients of depression. Conclusion: Studies have found that addition of zinc in the diet of the patients of depression treated with antidepressants benefit more as compare to the patients given antidepressants alone. Zinc has a positive role in the management of depression. Although further human studies are needed to assess the exacts mechanism of action and dose required. Probiotics Probiotics are living organisms that are believed to cause health benefits by increasing number or activity of gut flora. Probiotics are taken in the diet in the form of fermented products and pickled vegetables. Probiotics have a controversial role in the management of depression. According to the research it is noted that probiotics has bidirectional role in brain and gut. When fecal bacteria and symptoms of depression were studied it was observed that the addition of certain bacteria caused decrease in the symptoms of depression. According to another study it was noticed that gut flora increased the level of tryptophan and decreased level of serotonin thus causes the decrease in the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Conclusion: Above studies support the role of probiotics in reducing the risks of depression. Further studies on large scales and RCT’s are needed to determine whether probiotics significantly reduce the overall risks of depression. Turmeric Turmeric is a flowering plant, the roots of which are used in cooking. The active ingredient of turmeric as curcumin. It as an essential part of food in South Asia. Turmeric is believed to have been associated with many anti-psychotic effects According to the research it is observed that curcumin in combination with black pepper has beneficial role in the management of mild cases of depression. Furthermore, it is also seen that when curcumin is used in combination with fluoxetine in the management of depression the results are better as compared to use of fluoxetine alone. Conclusion: According to available studies it is seen that turmeric decreases the symptoms of depression but further human studies are needed to know the exact mechanism, dose and side effects in the human patients. Folic acid Folic acid is a type of Vitamin B12. Major sources are beans, peas, lentils, dry fruits, broccoli and liver. Folic acid is used in synthesis and maturation of red blood cells in the human body. In some studies, folic acid is seen to decrease the incidence of certain neuropsychiatric disorders particularly depression. In some recent studies, folic acid deficiency has been seen to be associated with increases the incidence of depression with additional symptoms of decrease appetite and folate levels. Folic acid levels are directly related to CSF levels of serotonin. In patients with decrease levels of folic acid leads to decreased level of CSF serotonin that is the main neurotransmitter used in mood enhancement. Folic acid metabolism provides methyl group to methyl homocysteine to form the serotonin. Conclusion: In view of the studies conducted it is perceived that addition of supplemented folic acid in addition to dietary folic acid may decrease the incidence or augment the therapy for depression. However, more human trails are required to give the further opinion. Vitamin C Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid is a water-soluble enzyme that is an important part of metabolism. It is richly found in citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables. In addition to its role in immune system and metabolism it is also noted to have an important role in psychiatric disorders like Anxiety and depression. Vitamin C acts as a Coenzyme in many enzymatic functions in body. The most important is the conversion of Dopamine into Norepinephrine which is pivotal in maintaining mood. In a study conducted on mice it was seen that addition of vitamin C in the diet leads to increase in mood stabilization and combating depression. In another study a continuous stress was given to mice and its response was seen after giving the mice Vitamin C and Fluoxetine. It was observed that the mice had the same positive response to Vitamin C in treating depression as with the Fluoxetine. In another study conducted in a mental hospital it was seen that the patients of depression and anxiety had low levels of Vitamin A, C and E as compared to the Normal Healthy Patients. Conclusion: Vitamin C plays and important role in the management of Depression. However Exact mechanism and dose calculation needs further human testing. Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Vitamin B3 is a water-soluble vitamin essential in many metabolic and homeostatic functions in human body. The rich sources of the vitamin are cereals, beans, liver, poultry and eggs. The purpose of the article is to elaborate role of vitamin B3 in the management of depression. According to the studies and researches conducted to establish any association between vitamin B3 and its role in treating depression it is observed that there is no definitive role of the vitamin in the treatment of depression. However, some personnel experiences do tell the beneficial effects of the vitamin in the treatment of depression. The possible mechanism of action is as a part of metabolism converting tryptophan into serotonin which is the main neurotransmitter involved in the stabilization of mood. Conclusion: Studies conducted concludes that there is no direct documented role of vitamin B3 in the treatment of depression. However further human studies are required to know the role of the vitamin and its dose required in the treatment of depression. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble enzyme needed for various metabolic functions of human body. The main sources of the vitamin are cereals, beans, liver, meat and eggs. The purpose of the article is to summarize the effects of vitamin B6 in the management of depression. According to the studies conducted to ascertain the role of vitamin B6 in the management of depression it was seen that there was no exact role of the vitamin B6 was seen in the treatment of depression but it was seen that there is positive role the vitamin the management of premenstrual syndrome. The exact mechanism of action is not known but it is believed to have some role in the metabolism of certain neurotransmitter. Conclusion: There is no direct role of the vitamin B6 in the treatment of depression but there is some association in the treatment of depression associated with premenstrual syndrome. Further study of the vitamin B6 alone or adjuvant therapy in the management of depression in women is indicated. Magnesium Magnesium is one of most important minerals found in human body. The main source of magnesium is nuts, seeds and dark chocolate. In many studies conducted it has been seen that magnesium is associated with the management of depression. A study was conducted where 6 weeks trial of magnesium supplements was given to the patients with varying degrees of the symptoms of depression. The study includes the anxiety, adherence to medication and use of magnesium supplements in the future. Results were observed at two weeks interval showing that there was significant reduction in symptoms of depression. The mechanism of action of magnesium in the management is unknown but it is the part of many hormonal, enzymatic and neurotransmitters.It acts as calcium antagonist and voltage dependent blocker of N-methyl-aspartate. Low levels of magnesium cause synaptic dysregulation. Conclusion: There is significant role of magnesium in the management of depression both as alone and in combination with SSRI. Further human studies are required to know the exact mechanism of action and safer dose required in the management of depression. Lavender Lavandula also called lavender is one of the family members of mint family which is used in food as flavoring agents. It is also used in the treatment of many diseases. Lavender is believed to have curative role in the management of depression. Lavender either in oral form or as aromatherapy is seen to play beneficial role in the management of anxiety and depression. The mechanism of action in vitro is by potentiating the expression of GABA-A receptors. The antidepressant drugs like imipramine has far better results when given in combination with lavender as compared to when given alone. Conclusion: Lavender has beneficial role in the management of depression. 20-80 mg of Lavender extracts is advised daily for the effective treatment of depression. Valerian Valerian is a perennial flowering plant native to America and Europe. It is used as flavoring agent in food and as an herbal medicine for various psychotic diseases. Valerian is said to have beneficial role in the management of anxiety, depression and sleep disorder. According to NCCAM the valerian is used for the treatment of anxiety, depression and sleep disorder. Although there is no scientific evidence that the valerian works well for anxiety and depression but studies have shown that 4 to 6 weeks of treatment can be given. According to the mayo clinic valerian has no side effects but it is associated with headache, dizziness and gastrointestinal upset. Conclusion: Valerian is useful in the management of anxiety and depression but further human testing is required to inquire about the mechanism of action and side effects. The researchers are not clear about the mechanism of action but 200 mg of valerian 2 to 3 times a day are beneficial for anxiety, depression and sleep disorder. Lemon Balm Lemon balm is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to mint family. It is used in many foods as flavoring agent and also has various other health benefits. It is believed to have role in sleep disorder and allaying the symptoms of depression. In a study conducted it was seen that the Rosmarinus acid which is the main ingredient of Lemon balm is effective against the symptoms of anxiety, sleep disorders and depression as compare to the placebo group. Conclusion: Lemon balm is useful in the management of depression although further human studies are needed to comment on the exact mechanism of action and dose required. Melatonin Melatonin is a hormone produced in vivo by pineal gland of human body. This hormone is involved in internal circadian rhythm which regulates the sleep wake cycle. This article is intended to establish and conclude any role of melatonin the management of depression. Melatonin is produced by pineal gland from serotonin. Serotonin is the main neurotransmitter involved in happiness and feeling of joy. Melatonin creates the sleep wake cycle and thus has a positive role in the treatment of depression but it also decreases the energy level of body and may exaggerate the depression in some individuals. Melatonin is used and benefited mostly by people suffering from seasonal affective disorder due to lack of exposure to sunlight. Conclusion: It is concluded that melatonin has a beneficial role in treating the depression but its use must be cautious and needs further human testing as it may cause and exaggerate the depression in some individuals. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Dehydroepiandrosterone is the most abundant endogenous steroid hormone of the body. It is formed by adrenals, gonads and brain. The objective of this review is to establish the role of Dehydroepiandrosterone in the management of depression. According to the National institute of mental health Dehydroepiandrosterone hormonal replacement plays an effective role in the management of mild to moderate depression in the midlife. According to a study 50 percent of the patients had decreased symptoms of depression with the use of DHEA. This hormonal replacement can be used in those patients who do not respond to the first line treatment of depression or do not want to take traditional medication. Conclusion: Dehydroepiandrosterone can be used in the management of depression. Further human studies are needed to give the mechanism of action and the dose required. Cannabidiol Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the Phyto cannabinoid discovered in 1940. Testing in animal models provide some evidence that Cannabidiol is beneficial in the management of depression. According to some studies in 2014 it is suggested that CBD helps relieving the anxiety and depression. In the reviews of 2018, it is again suggested that CBD is used both as short term and long term in the management of anxiety and depression. The only mechanism of action understood is by interacting with serotonin and endocannabinoids in the central nervous system. Conclusion: Cannabidiol is supported by animal models to have beneficial role in the management of depression. Further human studies are required to give exact mechanism of action and dose required. Calcium Calcium in an important mineral and is the major part of bones and teeth. The main source of calcium is dairy products, kale, broccoli, citrus fruits and canned fish. Calcium is believed to be have an important role in the management of psychological condition such as anxiety and depression. In a study it was seen that addition of calcium supplements in the diet of patients of depression with varying symptoms had a positive impact in alleviating the stress and depression. Calcium is also associated with the management and reducing the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. The exact mechanism of action of calcium is not known but it is believed to be part of calcium/calmodulin protein kinase system in the hippocampus that is associated with long term depression. Moreover, the calcium in the extracellular fluid is associated with nerve conduction and that is how is related to mania and irritability. Conclusion: Calcium has a beneficial role in the management of depression but the exact mechanism of action needs further human testing conducted under control environment. Anise Anise also called as aniseed is a flowering plant that is used as a flavoring agent in many foods and alcoholic beverages. Anise is said to have a beneficial role in the management of depression. In a study conducted on mice the anise seed extract shows high benefits in the management of depression as any other commonly use antidepressant. In another study 107 patients were given 3 grams of aniseed extracts 2 times a day reduced the symptoms of depression. In another study 120 patients were given 200 mg capsule of anise oil two times a day and it also showed beneficial effects for depression as any other antidepressant available. Conclusion: According to the studies conducted on human and animals, anise has proven to be useful in the management of depression. Caffeine Caffeine is a Central Nervous System stimulant that is used to treat many psychogenic disorders worldwide. Caffeine acts as a reversible inhibitor of adenosine at its receptor and thus reduces the onset of drowsiness. Depression is a psychiatric disorder affecting a large number of people in the world. Depression is treated by many psychiatric therapies and medications. Studies suggest that Caffeine plays a beneficial role in the patients of depression. According to a research it has been seen that Caffeine reduces the risks of depression but in another study, it is seen that there is no connection between risks of depression and use of non-caffeinated drinks. Caffeinated drinks have been seen to reduce the rate of suicide in the patients suffering from depression but this depends on the age of the patients as well because in another study caffeine has been seen to increase the incidence of depression in the students of grade five to ten. There is also an indirect role of caffeine and depression as the caffeine decrease the sleep induction that may lead to increase incidence of depression. Conclusion: According to studies conducted it seems that caffeine decrease the symptoms of depression but it may also worsen it. More human studies are needed to see the impact of caffeine on depression and other mood disorders. Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) Pantothenic acid is widely distributed in foods with the richest source coming from meat (liver, heart), avocado, broccoli and some yeasts. Higher levels of nutrient intake, including pantothenic acid, results in better mental health scores, as based on the global assessment of functioning scores and the Hamilton depression rating scale. It is sometimes called the "anti-stress" vitamin, but there is no concrete evidence whether it helps the body withstand stress. Because pantothenic acid is found so readily in many foods, its deficiency is rare. Pantothenic acid deficiency has been observed only in severely malnourished patients and in patients treated with an antagonist of pantothenic acid—omega-methyl pantothenic acid. These patients experienced burning sensations of the feet, insomnia, weakness, and depression. Conclusion: Vitamin B5 is one of the most important vitamins for human life. It’s necessary for making blood cells, and it helps you convert the food you eat into energy. Further studies are required to determine whether pantothenic acid plays a role in mental health disorders, including depression. L-theanine L-theanine is an amino acid that is found in tea leaves. it is a water-soluble, non-protein amino acid commonly found in green tea and some mushrooms, has been widely studied for its ability to encourage wakeful relaxation without sedation. It was identified in tea by Japanese scientists in 1949. While tea is the most common dietary source for L-theanine, this compound is also found in some types of mushrooms. In foods, particularly green tea, L-theanine is thought to be a source of umami, the savory, brothy taste. L-theanine is what’s known as an anxiolytic—it works to reduce anxiety. Some anxiolytics, such as valerian and hops, have sedative effects. L-theanine, on the other hand, promotes relaxation and stress reduction without sedating. L-theanine can help foster a state of calm, attentive wakefulness. Conclusion: L-theanine has positive effects on both the mental and physical symptoms of stress, including lowering heart rate and blood pressure. In patients with major depressive disorder, the supplement ameliorated symptoms of anxiety and depression and improved sleep quality and cognitive function. Omega-3 fatty acids Omega-3 fatty acids are found primarily in fish oil and certain marine algae. Two omega-3 fatty acids — eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — are thought to have the most potential to benefit people with mood disorders. Because depression appears less common in nations where people eat large amounts of fish, scientists have investigated whether fish oils may prevent and/or treat depression and other mood disorders. Omega-3 can easily travel through the brain cell membrane and interact with mood-related molecules inside the brain. They also have anti-inflammatory actions that may help relieve depression. Recent work at Massachusetts General Hospital and Emory University suggests that depressed individuals who are overweight and have elevated inflammatory activity may be particularly good candidates for EPA treatment. Conclusion: Children and adolescents with depression may also benefit from omega-3 supplementation. At Harvard, there is a large study underway examining whether omega-3 supplementation (alone or in combination with vitamin D) can prevent depression in healthy older adults. Vitamin B-12 Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. Vitamin B12 is generally not present in plant foods, but fortified breakfast cereals are a readily available source of vitamin B12 with high bioavailability for vegetarians. Some nutritional yeast products also contain vitamin B12. Vitamin B-12 play a role in producing brain chemicals that affect mood and other brain functions. Low levels of B-12 and folate may be linked to depression. Vitamin B12 exists in several forms and contains the mineral cobalt, so compounds with vitamin B12 activity are collectively called “cobalamins”. Vitamin B12 is required for proper red blood cell formation, neurological function, and DNA synthesis. Conclusion: The vitamin B12 level and the probability of recovery from major depression may be positively associated. Nevertheless, further studies are suggested to confirm this finding. If you have a vitamin B-12 deficiency, taking a daily supplement that includes vitamin B-12 may help your body get the nutrients it needs. But study results have been mixed and questionable on whether vitamin B-12 supplements can help reduce the risk of depression. Because B-12 and other vitamin supplements can interact with some medications, especially in high doses. Vitamin D Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble nutrient. It helps keep bones healthy and strong, helps cell growth, and benefits immune function. Human body absorbs vitamin D primarily through sun exposure, although dietary supplements and certain foods are also sources of the nutrient. Vitamin D deficiency occurs when your body doesn't absorb the recommend levels. Insufficient vitamin D levels can cause your bones to become misshapen, brittle, or thin. Studies have shown a link between vitamin D deficiency and depression. Researchers behind a 2013 meta-analysis noticed that study participants with depression also had low vitamin D levels. The same analysis found that, statistically, people with low vitamin D were at a much greater risk of depression. Conclusion: The researchers believe that because vitamin D is important to brain function, insufficient nutrient levels may play a role in depression and other mental illnesses. An earlier 2005 study Trusted Source identified vitamin D receptors in the same areas of the brain associated with depression. Saffron Saffron is a spice made from the stigmas of the fall-flowering plant Crocus sativus, a member of the iris family. Saffron threads are fine and have a yellow tendril on one end and a flute on the other. Saffron contains chemicals that alter mood, kill cancer cells, decrease swelling, and act like antioxidants. Research shows that taking saffron or saffron extract by mouth for 6-12 weeks improves symptoms of major depression. Some studies show that saffron might be as effective as taking a prescription antidepressant, such as fluoxetine, imipramine, or citalopram. Early research in patients already taking an antidepressant shows that taking crocin, a chemical found in saffron, for 4 weeks reduces symptoms of depression more than taking the antidepressant alone. Conclusion: While results of increased mental wellness coupled with good short-term basic safety profile recommend saffron may be an exceedingly efficient alternative approach for the treating depression. It is at present unidentified that the positive results of saffron obtained during preliminary trials will proceeds in long-term health benefits until well-controlled and longer-term research are achieved. L-Tyrosine L-Tyrosine is an amino acid, which is a building block of protein that occurs naturally in the body. L-Tyrosine can also be found in certain foods such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, beans, nuts, oats, and wheat. It produces important brain chemicals that help nerve cells communicate and may even regulate mood. Tyrosine has also been said to help with depression. Depression is thought to occur when the neurotransmitters in your brain become unbalanced. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to help realign and balance them. Because tyrosine can increase the production of neurotransmitters, it’s claimed to act as an antidepressant. L-tyrosine is a precursor of more than one of the neurotransmitters affected by depression. Even though setbacks of monoamines precursors include high doses and low efficiency, many studies have suggested using L-tyrosine as antidepressant. Conclusion: The effects of L-tyrosine administration on the cerebral levels of tyrosine hydroxylase and corticotropin-releasing factor should be further investigated. Acute tryptophan depletion continues to provide a research tool for investigating the relevance of serotonin to depression onset. There is limited evidence that tryptophan loading is effective as a treatment for depression through its action of increasing serotonin production. The evidence for tyrosine loading promoting catecholamine production as a possible treatment for depression appears even less promising, and depletion studies less informative. L-glutamine Glutamine is an important amino acid with many functions in the body. It is a building block of protein and critical part of the immune system. L-glutamine can be produced naturally in your body. In fact, it is the most abundant amino acid in the blood and other body fluids It has been found that l-Gln supplementation showed antidepressant properties on adult study participants suffering from depression. Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. It is required for learning and memory. Low levels can lead to tiredness and poor brain activity. Increased levels of glutamate can cause death to the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain, a symptom of this would be memory loss. Dysfunction in glutamate levels are involved in many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Tourette's. High levels also contribute to Depression, OCD, and Autism. Conclusion: Glutamine has been used in the treatment of depression, but there are no studies examining whether it is any more effective than placebos. Glutamate is also a precursor to the ‘inhibitory’ neurotransmitter GABA. GABA works by preventing neural signaling in over-excited neurons caused by glutamate that could result in anxiety and depression. Researchers shows that neuronal deficiency of L-glutamine causes depression. There is presently no good evidence that glutamine is an effective treatment for depression. St. John’s wort St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a flowering plant. The flowers are used to make liquid extracts, pills, and teas. The popular herbal therapy is often used to ease symptoms of depression. People have been using St. John’s wort for centuries. John's wort is most commonly used for "the blues" or depression and symptoms that sometimes go along with mood such as nervousness, tiredness, poor appetite, and trouble sleeping. There is some strong scientific evidence that it is effective for mild to moderate depression. Combining St. John’s wort and certain antidepressants can lead to a potentially life-threatening increase in your body’s levels of serotonin, a chemical produced by nerve cells. Conclusion: For a long time, scientists thought a chemical in St. John's wort called hypericin was responsible for its effects on improving mood. More recent information suggests other chemicals like hyperforin may play a larger role. These chemicals act on messengers in the nervous system that regulate mood. S-adenosyl-L-methionine S-Adenosyl-L-methionine is a chemical that is found naturally in the body. It’s made in the body from methionine, an amino acid found in foods. It has been found to regulate key functions in living cells. Abnormal levels of SAMe in the body have been reported in liver diseases and depression. Research has evaluated several potential uses of SAMe, and a substantial number of studies on depression and liver diseases have been completed. However, some of the studies used injected SAMe, which may not have the same effects as SAMe taken as a dietary supplement. Conclusion: SAMe has been studied primarily for depression, osteoarthritis, and liver diseases. Although there are hints that it might be helpful for these conditions, the evidence is not conclusive. 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) 5-HTP works in the brain and central nervous system by increasing the production of the chemical serotonin. Serotonin can affect sleep, appetite, temperature, sexual behavior, and pain sensation. Since 5-HTP increases the synthesis of serotonin, it is used for several diseases where serotonin is believed to play an important role including depression, insomnia, obesity, and many other conditions. One study concluded that 5-HTP shouldn't be given by itself because it's not very effective and it may actually deplete neurotransmitters in your brain like dopamine and norepinephrine, which can make your depression worse. Instead, the researchers noted, 5-HTP should be given with dopamine or serotonin amino acid precursors in order to minimize side effects, prevent neurotransmitter depletion, and to get the most efficacy from 5-HTP. However, these supplemental amino acids need to be kept in careful balance or there's a risk of depression symptoms becoming worse due to neurotransmitter depletion. Conclusion: Available evidence does suggest these substances are better than placebo at alleviating depression. Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 5-HTP and tryptophan before their widespread use can be recommended. Some clinical research shows that taking 5-HTP by mouth might be as beneficial as certain prescription antidepressant drugs for improving depression symptoms. Overall, the clinical trials published to date indicate that 5-HTP may be effective in treating depression symptoms, both on its own and when used in conjunction with prescription antidepressants. However, better quality studies are needed to firmly establish its effectiveness, especially since they have only been done in small groups of people. Kava Kava Kava kava is a medicinal shrub that has been used since ancient times to stimulate neurotransmitter production in people that suffer from anxiety or depression. The primary active ingredient in kava root is kavalactone. Kavalactones are a class of lactone compounds that are thought to have psychotropic effects in the human brain. Kava affects the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. The kava-lactones in kava are believed to be responsible for its effects. It is widely accepted that kava kava is similar in structure to GABA, a natural neurotransmitter. The herb is frequently recommended by alternative medicine practitioners for the treatment of depression. Conclusion: Kava root supplements and medications may offer hope for those suffering from temporary anxiety caused by the uncertainty of daily life. Kava seems to have the ability to reduce feelings of stress and depression. L-tryptophan L-tryptophan is an amino acid. It is called an "essential" amino acid because the body can't make it on its own. It must be acquired from food. People use L-tryptophan for severe PMS symptoms (premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD) and quitting smoking. It is also used for athletic performance, depression, insomnia, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support many of these uses. Early research suggests that L-tryptophan might improve the effectiveness of common medications for depression. Because serotonin is involved in the regulation of mood and anxiety, low brain serotonin levels may contribute to increased anxiety and depression. Tryptophan depletion showed decreased mood states in participants with major depressive disorders, with a family history of depressive disorders, or with major depressive disorders in remission. Study results indicated that depression and stress were reduced and mood was significantly enhanced (p < .05) after consumption of the high tryptophan food. Conclusion: Increasing dietary intake of tryptophan may affect depression and mood scores of healthy participants resulting in less depressive symptoms and better mood states when more tryptophan was present in their diet. Few clinical studies have addressed the effects of dietary tryptophan consumption on affective disorders such as mood, depression and anxiety in healthy individuals, further research is recommended. Cordyceps Patients with depression can experience sleep disorder. Current treatments for depression, such as duloxetine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, not only have a slow onset of action but also are associated with side effects such as dizziness, blurred vision, and ataxia. The main active ingredient of cordyceps sinensis, cordycepin, may have antidepressant effects, as well as pro-immunity, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-fatigue, and anti-viral properties. Conclusion: Cordyceps sinensis combined with duloxetine can effectively improve sleep symptoms of depression. Researchers has investigated the safety and effectiveness of cordyceps sinensis (containing approximately 1.0% cordycepin) in combination with duloxetine in treating sleep disorder in patients with depression. Salix Alba Salix alba (SA), commonly known as white willow, is a plant used in folk medicine for the treatment of chronic and acute inflammation, infection, pain, and fever. The phytochemical characterization of the bark extract of this plant indicated that its main component is salicin, a precursor of the anti-inflammatory agent acetylsalicylic acid. The bark of the stately white willow tree (Salix alba) has been used in China for centuries as a medicine because of its ability to relieve pain and lower fever. Early settlers to America found Native Americans gathering bark from indigenous willow trees for similar purposes. Relieve acute and chronic pain, including headache, back and neck pain, muscle aches, and menstrual cramps. The effectiveness of white willow bark for easing these and other types of discomforts results from its power to lower prostaglandin levels. Control arthritis discomforts. Some arthritis sufferers taking white willow bark have experienced reduced swelling and inflammation, and eventually increased mobility, in the back, knees, hips, and other joints. Conclusion: Salix Alba does not play any role in treatment of depression. It is only use in treatment of pain and fever. Guarana Guarana was also shown to improve attention speed, sustained attention performance, working and explicit memory. Longer treatment periods did not produce any significant mood effects in healthy individuals or in individuals undergoing radiation therapy. However, 1 study reported that 50 mg of guarana administered twice daily for 21 days improved ratings of fatigue and tiredness without influencing anxiety or depression in individuals undergoing systemic chemotherapy. Additional concern comes from the observation that potential uses include mood enhancement as well as treatment of depression, together with the suggestion that guarana may increase feelings of well-being. Conclusion: The reports show that guarana displays countless health benefits in cognitive disorders, such as depression and panic disorder or Alzheimer. Also, it is very promising as an antibacterial for oral diseases, such as plaque and periodontal diseases, and against bacterial species associated with cariogenic activity. Thus, the pharmacological activities should be fully explored with in-depth in vitro and in vivo tests, and, ultimately, clinical trials to prove these activities in humans. #### Have any more you would like us to research, let us know in the comments below.
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Suicide rates are up. Mental Health professionals are saying Depression is at an all time high. Psychiatrists are having a field day.
What is that all about? The most immediate answer is that Isolation can cause depression. But is that what is really going on? The answer may not be what you think… Welcome to Through the Mind, Discovering Mental Health
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Transcript of Podcast April 25, 2020 Podcast, Episode 2 Through the Mind, Isolation & Depression Hello friends. Welcome to another insightful episode of Through the Mind Discovering Mental Health with me, your amateur host, Matson Breakey, where my goal is to help us all become more successful in life, by having a better understanding of our human minds, our human bodies and our human spirit. Today I want to talk about Isolation and Depression. Obviously, that is a heavy topic right now because this recording is being done on April 22nd, 2020 because the Covid-19 “crisis”, we have been in social isolation for about six weeks, about a month and a half, pretty much suppressed by this concept of staying in place of sheltering in place for about six weeks. Some of you are doing so as a being self-quarantined. My wife is an example with her immunocompromised situation. She is, she is immunocompromised so therefore she is decided to be self-quarantined. By the way, let's clear up a couple of things - Isolation and quarantine are a couple different terms and I actually had to clear this up. I didn't quite understand it. My wife said she was self-quarantine and I had to keep telling her no, no, no, you're not quarantined. You don't actually have the sickness. Well that was my mistake. I had to go look up quarantine and of course it comes from the idea of quarter or 40 or 40. It comes from back when the plague happened and ships were coming in to Venice, Italy, they were made to stay out to sea for 40 days. Hence quarantine. Not because anybody was sick, but because the process of quarantine ensures that nobody is sick as they come in. So, that was a little definition, clarification for all of us in case we had any misunderstood on that, because I definitely did. Which is why I do this show quite selfishly, I'm trying to learn as well. I'm doing this and I have the stack of stuff here and a Evernote app full of clippings because I'm trying to learn and as I learn and I share that with you, I'm hoping that you enjoy it enough to learn with me and to share with me as well. So, my wife, because of her immunocompromised situation, her status, she has, I won't get into details, but she needs to be quarantined or she's self-quarantined. Not me! For me, I have a business that is deemed essential. Therefore, I have the opportunity and I'll call it an opportunity because it's better than being stuck at home all the time to go to work every day and help my customers and ensure that my employees can continue to do something and not be, again, isolated at home. Why this episode? So, isolation, depression, because it is such a prevalent point with all this data coming out about people being stuck about this isolation leading to loneliness, loneliness, leading to depression. I wasn't quite sure if that truly is the reason why suicide rates are up or depression is up, and remember, if you listen to my first episode, I'm skeptic about everything that comes out from the media. I'm skeptic about everything comes out from government. I am skeptic about anything that comes out from the Mental Health Industry to explain a way, something, So, let's take a chance to look into it. Let's dig a little bit deeper. What is isolation? So, let's define that. Let's figure out how they define isolation, how it's defined officially for Mental Health and for health purposes and for what we've been doing and then we'll go from there. I did a little search on Wikipedia of isolation, you can do this too, and of course when I, when there's a word like isolation, Wikipedia gives you a little bit of an index and so I went through and I found three different definitions for isolation. First let's tackle the oldest definition of isolation that I could find. That is the psychological definition, according to Wikipedia, isolation as its offense mechanism in psychoanalytic theory first proposed by that Freud, Sigmund Freud, that fraud Sigmund Freud. I always loved that his name is one letter away from fraud, Sigmund Freud while related to repression, the concept distinguishes itself in several ways. It is characterized as a mental process involving the creation of a gap between an unpleasant or threatening cognition and other thoughts and feelings by minimizing associative connections with other thoughts that threatening cognition is remembered less often and it's less likely to affect self-esteem or self-concept. So, isolation, that's more like saying, I am not going to, I am going to push away and take a thought or a process or something that occurred in my life and I'm going to repress it. Even though it says related repression, it distinguishes itself in several ways. It is characterized by a mental process involved, the creation of a gap. You are mentally creating a gap. You are mentally pushing yourself away. That's what they're trying to say. So, when you isolate, you can isolate a portion of your memories away. All right, fine. Now let's look at the emotional isolation in Wikipedia. Emotional isolation is a state of isolation where one may have a well-functioning social network but still feel emotionally separated from others. Well, that is probably much more open today. I mean, gosh, we are so social network now with computers even today, as many of you are sitting at home, you have a computer in front of you, you have your Facebook. My wife commented though just tonight that Facebook is not fun anymore because it's no longer about what people are doing with their lives and no longer about the joy of taking your kids out or the joy of going for a bike ride. It's all about social isolation. It's all about Covid-19. It's all about memes about this means about that. So even then you have the social network, but you and I both know there are people out there and I'm sure you can spot somebody right now or think of somebody right now who has a vast social network but doesn't necessarily have any friends, doesn't necessarily have somebody they can call on, doesn't necessarily have somebody to confide in. Right? So, you can have a vast social network. It comes down to the idea of friends versus acquaintances. I will admit I have a very wide-ranging group of acquaintances. People I know. I have a very, very close, little, small little group of good, good friends that I can confide in, but I do consider all my acquaintances to be friends. I do consider that big group out there to be friends because there are people that I will do something for and people that will do things for me, which is the definition of a friend, right? But you get so many people that have the social network that have all these different acquaintances, but don't really have somebody they can call upon to say, Hey, I need help. Or Hey, I want to run something by you or hey, I have an idea. Now let's look at isolation according to healthcare, which is something we are pretty much dealing with that, right? When you think of social isolation, this is the healthcare definition in Healthcare Facilities - isolation represents one of several measures that can be taken to implement infection control. Oh, that's not quite what we expected! Was it? The prevention of contagious diseases from being spread a patient to other patients, Healthcare Workers and visitors, or from outsiders to a particular patient. Various forms of isolation exist and some of which contact procedures are modified. So, here's the deal, right now we're in social isolation. Now let's get into nuances. Earlier I said had to look up the definition of quarantine. This is interesting, when language is used, I would say against us, not for us, against us. Do you think we would have all stayed home if they had started calling it social quarantine? Do you think we all would have felt comfortable with social quarantine? I don't think so. Social isolation, yes, but isolation's definition for healthcare is when you are sick, you are isolated. When you are not sick, you are quarantined to see if you're going to be sick. So pretty much by calling, the social isolation is saying, yep, alright, we're isolating y'all guys because we're expecting you to get sick. We're expecting you, expecting you to already be sick on, you remember the numbers they came out with, the scare that came across with these millions of potential deaths, social isolation, but it does sound a lot better than social quarantine, doesn't it? Definition of isolation. All right. When it comes down to is isolation is separating somebody out and putting them in a position where they are not going to effect someone else. Right? But let me give you another definition. Let me give you a little different take on isolation for me. We are being isolated so that we will not cause problems. We are being isolated so that we will not have any issues against those who are trying to suppress us. Suppression is another word for isolation, in this case, suppression. What do I mean by suppression? Suppression is very simply when you are suppressed, you are a force against you for which you cannot fight back. Can we fight back against isolation? No, no, no. Cause if you were to fight back against it, if you were to say no, well then you're going to be classified as somebody who doesn't care about your community, doesn't care about your fellow man. Even though my company that I, my day job was open, we received emails. How can you be an essential business? You're not an essential business. You need to need to help us all flatten the curve. Well how do you fight back against that? because if I tell the guy you're right, well that I should close my doors, but if I tell the guy, no, you're wrong, then I'm a bad person. So, this whole drama is being written out and played out in front of our eyes in order for us to not be able to fight back. But who's doing that? Who are the forces putting this suppression on our lines? So, here's the, here's the problem with suppression. If you can't fight back against suppression, you are in a dwindling spiral. If you can't fight back against oppression, you are in a dwindling spiral. What I mean by dwindling spiral, what do I mean by that? Just think about going down and down and down and down. Think about a time in your life. Think about a moment now I can, I can give my own examples, but a moment in your life where you were trying to accomplish something and every time you did it, you failed. It didn't come out right. It could have been as simple as trying to get your mom's attention or your dad's attention or being at a meeting and trying to get somebody's attention or being at a party and a bunch of people talking and you're trying to get someone's attention. It could be that girl you were trying to date and she kept saying no. It could be the job you were trying to do and you kept being told you were doing it wrong. It could be any number of things. It could be as simple as you're trying to hammer a nail and I guess wouldn't work. When you started the process of hammering that nail and you were enthusiastic about it. Yeah. All right, I'm going to fix this thing. Yeah, that's great. Done. Damn. Dammit. Darn that nail. I'll get another tool. Nah, I'm bad. It's still not working right. It's ah, now the board broke, ah, to the point where, Oh, you hear film or something and now you're angry. You throw the hammer across the room. I've seen golfers like that. You get out there, hit that ball. Ch ah, Mitch. Ah, frustrated time and again, the goal not being achieved, not being able to achieve one to do and getting frustrated and going from enthusiasm down, down, down, emotionally to anger, apathy to depression, right down to where all of a sudden you're going, ah, the heck with this. I don't want to do this anymore. So, that’s what happens when suppression is on your lines, when you are trying to do the same thing, you'd keep him to try to do it. You're trying to make something happen, you're trying to do something and you can't. So, this whole thing of social isolation is basically said you can't do what you want to do. Be at home, play with your kids, but you can't go to the park. You know, you got to invent new ways. Some people are very successful at that, but you can even get to the point, like my wife recently told me, it feels like Groundhog Day. What she means by that - every day is the same. Now understand that, my wife is amazing with the kids and she absolutely loves to take them out. I have a three-year-old, a four-year-old and a 10-month-old. The three old and four-year-old, she makes sure they get to go out to the children's museum once a week. They go to the park every couple of days. They get out and do things. They go walk over at grandma's house. They do things almost every day and that was their routine and then we'll get to do any of that now. So, there's even a suppression on them, even though they don't quite get it. Their isolation is suppressing their own ability. They manifest that suppression in different ways. Some of us will manifest that, but that suppression as depression, but what do we mean by depression? What is depression? We keep using that term. Let me give you the psychiatric definition of depression. It is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, it can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and get a reason person's ability to function at work or at home. There's a lot of symptoms they have less to do, like feeling sad or having a depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in appetite, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much. Loss of energy or increase in fatigue, increase in purposeless physical activity, things like hand ringing or slowed movements in speech, feeling worthless or guilty. Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions. Thoughts of death or suicide. Well, other than the suicide, I've pretty much had every one of those things at some point in my life, and maybe you have to, maybe you have that right now, but is that really a mental illness or it is just a description of how we feel, when we can't really do anything. Right? Like when we're low emotionally. So, what do I mean by that? If you imagine that emotions are on a scale and this can be proved, it's been proven before that motions exist in relative position to each other, right? Like if you are extremely happy, man, you are just at the top of the world, right? That phrase top of the world, but if you're a totally an apathy and oppress, you're in the bottom of the pits. Those phrases, bottom of the pits, top of the world aren't just descriptions of something that were drawn out of no place there. There's some validity there, because when you are in totally enthusiastic, you are at the top. All the hormones in your body are running at a great level. Everything is going good. You can see clearly, you're happy. You can think clearly. You're the best you can be, but when you're an apathy, when you're in, when you're depressed, you might say you're the worst you can be. Things are running slower. The mind isn't working properly. You forget things. You don't really want to do anything. You don't want to get out of bed. You don't want to go to sleep. On an emotional level you are at the bottom of the barrel. So, what causes that? Let's go back to that dwindling spiral I talked about earlier. Alright, that dwindling spiral. When you want to do something and you're excited about it and you're at that top of that emotional like, "I am going to tackle that project". "I am going to get that new job". "I am going to go out and make myself better." I going to go back to school. I'm going to make sure that our, my wife and my marriage succeeds. I am going to make sure that I do things well, when you're, when you're doing that, you're enthusiastic, you're driven, and that every time you hit your head against the wall not able to do that, not able to succeed, suppression pushing you back, stopping you, stopping you, stopping you. You go down emotionally until you are sitting in this world of, "I can't do anything." "I don't want to do anything". "Life isn't worth it", and on an emotional level, depression is right above death. The concept of suicide is not unheard of when people are sitting at that deep of a true depression. Cause all it takes is one more push, one more push. So, tying this back in depression to isolation to suppression. When we're sitting here and we're being told you can't go outside, you can't do the things you normally do. Now, even though I get to go out to work, I mentioned this in our first episode, there's many different ways isolation expresses itself, represents itself. For instance, I'm around people all day. I'm not isolated, but I can't shake anybody's hand. I can't give them a hug. I got to stand six feet away from them. I can't have more a couple of people in my office. I'm wearing a mask. Everybody else is wearing masks. I can't have customers walk in the front door. That may not be as bad as being quarantined, but to me it's still an isolation. To me it is still a suppression. I am still being suppressed. I still am being suppressed by being told what I can or can't do because this is all for the quote and quote good of the community. I didn't opt for that. You didn't opt for the situation you're in. You might be thinking but, but, but this is for the good for the community. This is for the good. Well this show is not going to be about the statistics of Covid-19. The statistics that are coming out, it's going to be for historians two or three years from now to figure out the truth about all of this and whether it was all worth it. That's not what this show is about, but in my mind, the way I see things, I'm being unnecessarily detained from living life. I am being suppressed. You may look at it a little bit differently and I appreciate that you do, but when you're in isolation or people you know are in isolation, isolation for some people is a step away from loneliness. Found this interesting article, so, it talks about loneliness. So, what is loneliness? because isolation is just steps away from loneliness for many, many, many people. The term was first used at the end of the 16th century to define the condition of being solitary, quote and quote, the condition of being solitary, loneliness, and that's what isolation is basically, right? Heck, they could have called this social loneliness, but again, a term that we would not have found helpful, but who are the forces behind the suppression? Who are the forces causing loneliness? Who are the forces causing this isolation? Well, there's three main ones that I've found in my research and ones that I have had a very long history with. One is the media also known as the Merchants of Chaos. One is Opportunistic Politicians. In a former life, I was one. and Opportunistic Experts. If you watch the news, which God, I hope you don't, but if you watch the news, everybody's an expert. When the fears first started, now I'm talking about media, politicians and experts. They created fear. They created fear. Let's be clear about it. They created the fear and the hysteria that we all see. Nobody else but the media, the politicians and the experts, created the fear that we all feel. The fear that kept us at home. The fear the made us willing to isolate ourselves, the fear that made us willing to be under their suppressive thumb. The fear that leads to somebody like when I was in the store the other day in the shopping market, this wonderful lady walking down the aisle, gloves on, dressed head to toe, full length sleeves, mask on, hat on, completely protecting herself. We were in a wide supermarket aisle. She was going down the center of the aisle. She stocked eight feet for me to wait till I was done before passing me. She got a pass me easily with four or five feet, but she's, but she is obviously so scared and so under the suppressive thumb that her own fears and anxieties were just building up and this is how she has to go out and get her food. Even when all this stuff has said and done and here's the problem with all this stuff has said and done and the merchants of chaos find it okay to talk about how we're recovering she's still going to be scared. She still going to be sitting in that suppressive thumb, because there's not going to anybody to come to her and say it's okay. You can feel better now. It's okay, it's over. It's okay. It was never true or whatever you need to say. Again, personal beliefs, but these people, these opportunistic politicians, and you know what I'm talking about. For many, I don't care what side of the aisle you're on. This is an opportunity to make a name for ourselves as the once in a lifetime opportunity, once in a lifetime chance, once in a lifetime thing, either to provide great leadership or seem like you are, or to be seen by the media to ensure your re-election, politicians main jobs get re-elected. If you're in the house of representatives, no matter what side of the aisle you're on, your main job every two years is to get re-elected. That's what you have to do every two years you have to get re-elected. There's nothing else, so everything you do is about getting re-elected. Unless you're in leadership, and here's a little note, if he didn't know the people that are in leadership or the people that are insecure districts that will always get re-elected. Therefore, they have time to spend in leadership. If you're the governor of a state, you got to go with your voters and what your voters want. Well, the people that I like to do are the majority people of your own party. Therefore, you're pushing the agenda of your party, the agenda of those people that elect to you, that people that want you want to re-elect you. You're a politician. You're taking this as an opportunity. Merchants of chaos make their money off of our eyeballs. Our eyeballs are drawn to that, which is disastrous and negative. We're not drawn to stories about butterflies, we're not drawn to stories about flowers. We're not drawn to stories about how this little girl did a fantastic job and became a PHD or this little, we're not drawn to those stories. They're great. They're filler, but we're at a race or run an event and the car crashes. We all stand up to look when there's a crash on the side of the freeway, we all slow down to look. We are drawn to disaster. So, the media presents disaster. They present that constant barrage of story of negative T, a fear, that constant barrage of nothing you can do about it. You've got to go in, there's going to be millions of deaths. Oh, look at this poor person. I mean, there's several examples. Obviously the media just this last six weeks getting caught with their hands down their pants because they didn't figure out, or they didn't take the time to double check references or resources when they're putting somebody up or they're putting an image up, an image of hospitals overrun in New York and that image, well that was from Germany or some other place or France or Italy, a video of a girl crying because she was scared to death of having her, of, of catching Covid-19 at the hospital jobs she worked at, cause he wouldn't provide her masks. Well, it turns out she hadn't worked there for a year, but the media didn't take the time to check this because the media is being, again, merchants of chaos, merchants of destruction, providing us with the things we need to be scared, to be suppressed and the politicians, of course, they just are taking a measure or the experts popped up early on. I remember early on, it must have been February, somebody from the FDA came out and said there's going to be half a million deaths. Well first off, the FDA has got a lot of problems. A lot of questionable ethics over there. That's time for maybe some other shows some other time, but why is he getting out in the media putting him on the stage? Who the hell is he? I want to hear from the experts. I want to hear from the CDC who quite frankly is one of the few unmolested organizations in this country. One of the few organizations that doesn't have a taint over them. One of the few government agencies that hasn't had a scandal that I know of. That was some guy from the FDA making that proclamation, but he got his time. He got his 15 minutes of fame, probably got him a better job, probably got him on the resume, probably got a lot of attaboys from his social group. What the flip side of that is, he scared a lot of people. He suppressed a lot of people with that fear. That's oppression, leads to depression, suppression leads to depression. So, you know the show is not always, the show is just not about the crap for lack of better words. The show is also about what we can do about it. We better understand what is being said around us. We better understand what we're looking at in our lives. We better understand what might be happening to us. Well, what can we do about it? So, what I did was I went out and did research on that. Like what do people say now. I'm going to use two things. I just mentioned the CDC here. I found a great article from the CDC and I found a great article from NAMI. NAMI is the national, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Okay. So, a group that I'll admit I don't have a lot of love for, but the national Alliance on Mental Illness and the CDC, both of which National Alliance about the wellness, how to protect your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak. That's their article, how to protect your mental health during the coronavirus outbreak available on their website. Then there is the CDC, Coronavirus Disease 2019, stress and coping. That's their article. So, something I found here that I thought was very interesting and it was a under number two. Take reasonable precautions, but don't go overboard. Use only reliable sources of information such as the CDC or John Hopkins University informing me to make a plan for your health habits, as hard as is important not to give into compulsive behaviours. So, they're saying you'll keep yourself informed of the CDC and can't keep yourself…. So why is it important? Why is it important to keep yourself informed via the CDC website or John Hopkins University? Those are both obviously the main sources. Anybody who's going to find out how many people that died. Johns Hopkins University, beautiful graphic, beautiful covid-19 graphic showing all the cases, red and black, very impactful. All the cases around the world. number of deaths. You can scroll down to your own little States and then your County and find out if the data is there, how many people have died and the CDC, straight up numbers, four o'clock every day numbers are updated and you have a straightforward, X number have died of X number of cases we've had. John Hopkins is getting a lot more hits, but I'll tell you why. It's because of the frigging website. It is so impactful, like you get addicted to it. I got to see that again. Oh my God. The red circle around my town is huge. Fear, scare, fear, scare, isolation, depression, but then there's a CDC, which of course probably has not gotten as many people looking at it because who goes to the CDC about how to handle their mental health? Take care of yourself in your community. Take breaks from watching reading or listening to news stories. Oh my gosh. What do you know? Ways to cope with stress. Take breaks from watching reading or listening to news stories, including social media. Hearing about the pandemic repeatedly can be upsetting. Amen. CDC. Amen. You don't need to, you don't need to be listening to it all the time. You don't need to really know what's going on. You don't need to have the constant influx of 10,000 people have died. What's the latest - United States of America has the most deaths in the world. Well, we also have one of the biggest populations, right, and for a generally freedom, loving country freedom loving people. We've been pretty darn good, but you don't need that. You don't need that. Check out the CDC. I'll put a link in our show notes that you can find it ThroughtheMind.com link to these articles, I mean, I just thought the CDC article was great. Healthcare providers can and do help connect people with family and loved ones to help lower distress and feelings of social isolation, but older adults and people with disabilities not as common for people to feel distressed or in crisis. Have a procedure and referrals ready for anyone to show severe distress or express the desire to hurt him or herself. By the way, I do also like that distress is a term being used here by the CDC and not some psychological terms, some psychiatric terms, some known mental health terms right out of DSM5, the Diagnostic Statistical Manual Number Five with its thousands of disorders. What communities do to long-term care facilities should be vigilant for people coming out of quarantine. Most of the reactions to coming out of quarantine may include mixed emotions, relief, fear, and worry about your own health and the health of your loved ones. Stress and experience of monitoring yourself are being monitored. Sadness, anger, frustration, because friends, loved ones have unfounded fears. Guilt about not being able to perform normal work, other emotional, mental health changes. So yeah, so you're basically, you've been suppressed and you're going to have mixed emotions when you come out. It's going to happen, guys. It's going to happen, and your awareness may be higher than others. You may come out thinking, Oh, we're good to go and you're going to be concerned because still as you're operating, you're going to reach out to shake somebody's hand. Like I'm going to, I know, I know it'll happen. I'll reach out and shake somebody's hand and they'll hold back. They'll do an elbow bump. Right? So even a fist bump anymore. Now it's the elbow bump, elbow bump. I'm going to reach out to give somebody a hug and he's going to walk me cause I'm a hugger now. Oh yeah, yeah. Sorry. Sorry man. Sorry. Yeah, I don't mean to do that. So, what can you do? Alright, so let's get down to it. Down to brass tacks. We're about getting things done. We're about doing, we're about fixing, we're about helping. So, CDC had some great advice there. First step:
I'm reading a book right now by Steven Levy about Facebook and trust me, all of that is designed to do exactly what I just said. It's designed to keep you in. It's designed to suck you in. It's designed to pull you in more. Every feature ever developed was about growth. Every feature of developed was about capturing your ideal eyeballs for longer and longer and longer and longer. So, I have this app, it blocks in the newsfeed. The only time I will see you as a friend is if I go to you as a friend. So, step away from Facebook, step away from this If you're feeling depressed at all, shut off the news. You don't need to watch the news. You don't need to know what's going on because trust me, if the world's going to end, there's gonna be a knock at your door or somebody is going to call you. You don't need to know every day what the news is saying, what the governor is saying, what the people are saying in your town. There's other ways you can find out without having the merchants of chaos tell you. There's other ways you could find out. You don't need the politicians telling you and suppressing you and suppression leads to depression. When it comes down to it, when you are less threatened by your environment, you will start doing better. So, get away from those threats, and even if it means not taking the phone call from old aunt Betty because she is just scared to death and she's telling you, what do you mean? Well, why did you go for a walk? He can't go for a walk with the kids or somebody else passing on false information, right? False information, false information leads to fear. When you're fearful and you can't do anything about it, you're suppressed and when you're suppressed for a long enough, at least the depression, apathy, death, desire for. Alright, so isolation, depression, as we end this show, which I hope we've all learned a little, something about isolation, about depression, about suppression as we in the show, as we will do with all shows in the future, there's going to be an exercise you didn't know that, did you. There's going to be an exercise. So I am going to assign an exercise to all of us, including myself and the next week when I come on our next episode, I will talk immediately about the results of my episode and in fact, one of the things I'm trying to do, I'm trying to start keeping a diary. I'm trying to start keeping a journal. I'm trying to start keeping a journal, daily thoughts. There's a great book, the Five-Minute Journal forces you every day to answer some questions, I haven't quite figured out if that's my solution or what works best for me, but I'm trying to, and if I can do that, then I could share those thoughts with you, but next week I will talk about the results of this week's assignment and since we've been talking about media and the media and the merchants of chaos, putting forward all this negativity and what they're allowing the politicians to channel into and what they're allowing the experts to channel and to create this fear and this isolation as depression. I'm asking you to do one thing just for the next week for the next seven days till our next episode. Turn off the media. Don't watch the news. Don't read the newspaper. Don't look at your social media feeds. If you want to go see what your friends are doing, fine, but shut off at least, at least, at least shut off anything that feeds you news, don't go to Yahoo's homepage where they have all these new articles post there. Don't go to your favorite blog with news articles. Don't go to the Huffington post. Don't go to any of the other daily feeds, Blaze, or any others that just are trying to get clickbait, clickbait, clickbait comes from fear. Get somebody scared of, Oh! It says, I gotta know. I gotta know. Oh, suppression equals depression. So that's the assignment. Turn off the news for one week, just one week, and see how you feel. One week starting now. Next week I'll talk about what I've done and I hope we all get something out of this. Well, my friends, I hope you've enjoyed this new episode of Through the Mind, Discovering Mental Health. Remember to visit us on Facebook. We have a brand-new page over there and we'd appreciate you coming by liking us, following us. There's also the Facebook support group we created, which is linked through - Through the Mind, it's called Through the Mind Discovering Mental Health. It's a support group, private group where you can share your thoughts, your opinions, the results of your own experiments and of course visit us at throughthemind.com where you can see this and other blog posts is a brand new website, so visit it if you like it, if you don't tell us, tell us we'd like to see there instead. I'm literally, this will be the third post on that site. The second one was an article we just wrote and just posted it up on Green Tea and its effects on Depression - and as always, if you need to get hold of me, please send me an email at matson@throughthemind.com or you can reach out to us through the Facebook page. Thank you, my friends, and thank you for joining me on this journey in discovering more about our human minds, our human bodies, and our human spirits. #### Does Green Tea Help with Depression? We think so. Depression has been called the bane of human existence. It is a silent killer that completely consumes our mind, body, and spirit, while we try to maintain a strong front on the outside. Although talking to a professional or a loved one can help with our issues, there is another effective treatment that should be dabbled into more often. That treatment is food. We are what we eat, and our gut is responsible for the production of serotonin that happens to be our 'happy hormone.' So, a happy, healthy gut means a happy, healthy you. Green tea is one such product that is extremely helpful in dealing with depression and anxiety. Until now, most of us have associated green tea with weight loss, but the possibility of curing depression is another one of the many benefits of this magical drink. To further prove our claim, we have gathered all the benefits of green tea and how its antioxidants work to uplift your mood. What is Green Tea? Green tea is a type of tea that is only minutely processed. Freshly picked tea leaves are boiled to avoid oxidation and to deactivate enzymes that might kill the organic green color. It aims to retain the quality of plant polyphenol. Polyphenols are the main elements that lead to the development of mental well-being. They make up 30 percent of the total weight of fresh leaves. Antioxidants such as these are referred to as catechins. Amino acids make up 2-4% of the total weight of green tea leaves, and one particular amino acid portion is theanine, which has unusual relaxing properties. The wellbeing-promoting influence of green tea is not due to a specific psychoactive chemical; rather, there is a symbiotic mixture of all antioxidants and active substances. How Green Tea Helps Fight Off Depression The following are the various properties of green tea that make it an excellent potential cure for depression in isolation. The Anti-Depressant Properties of Catechins and Theanine The antioxidants in green tea can aid to combat stress by working on the HPA axis. The HPA axis is a channel between the hypothalamus and the adrenal and pituitary glands, which are the essential hormone-producing parts of the human body. This channel controls our response to stress and is affected by the rates of cortisol, a hormone that leads to the response to stress. Malfunctioning of the HPA axis is found in severe depressive illness. Catechins decrease pain hormone rates and boost HPA axis instability to alleviate depression and symptoms of depression. Another mechanism of action that reduces anxiety and depression is affecting neurochemistry and enhancing antioxidant protection in the brain. Along with catechins, green tea often provides a unique amino acid known as theanine that may assist with anxiety. L-theanine performs a therapeutic, anti-stress function by attenuating the operation of the HPA axis. Getting Rid of Anxiety with L-Theanine Consuming tea is a widely regarded and valued practice in Asian nations. In reality, relaxing is a core philosophy of the tea-drinking tradition. The intake of a single cup of green tea has an anti-inflammatory and calming effect. This preventive activity is verified by scientific research. Several types of research have demonstrated the numerous forms in which catechins have an anti-depressive outcome:
Reduction of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Inflammation has a central part in causing depression and may lead to the development or deterioration of the condition. It can also be blamed for the clinical signs of depression, such as nausea, stomach discomfort, and decreased sleep. High levels of stress hormones induce increased inflammation in depression. The key active ingredient of Green Tea, EGCG (epigallo catechin-O-gallate) has an anti-inflammatory impact. It prevents the function of large metabolic targets participating in inflammatory activities. This anti-inflammatory activity of catechins may be helpful in inhibiting brain inflammation in psychiatric disorders. In addition to inflammation, there is a substantial rise in oxidative stress rates in anxiety. Better Sleep Quality in Depression Due to Low Quantity of Caffeine in Green Tea Sleep disruptions in depression can affect the cognitive capacity of the individual. Night disruptions and depression can also be a concrete proof-based warning indicator for suicide. Both scientists and patients are searching for healthy sleeping aids that are safe and free from these adverse effects. Standard sleep-enhancing medications are widely addictive and have many side effects, including prolonged sleepiness. As a consequence, adherence to traditional sedative treatment is low. With minimal caffeine, green tea can assist in boosting sleep patterns and reducing tension. Refinements in sleep quality are more noticeable in people who consume green tea and have a reduced amount of caffeine relative to regular tea. There was also a decrease in depression and tension signals in the low caffeine community. This is probably attributed to higher amounts of theanine in green tea. The proportion of theanine to caffeine and EGCG is 2.5 times greater in reduced caffeine tea than in regular tea. L-theanine is also an established natural sleep support. Final Verdict Regular intake of green tea has a definite correlation with a decreased incidence of depression. Catechins, including ECGC, caffeine, and theanine found in green tea, strengthen antioxidant protection, increase cell viability, and preserve neurons. They mediate a therapeutic impact by regulating the function of the HPA axis, reducing the rates of stress hormones, and affecting neurochemistry. L-theanine has an anti-inflammatory influence and enables enhanced attention and awareness. Which is why, for moderate depression and for rehabilitation and avoidance of depression, the regular intake of green tea can have a possible preventive impact. |
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