Beat Depression Naturally
Friday, April 01, 2011 by: Dr. David Jockers
(NaturalNews) People with chronic depression often times have significant biochemical imbalances in their neurological tissue. New research has indicated that this imbalance is not a genetic flaw as was once thought. Instead it is due to a heavy onslaught of toxicity or severe nutritional and lifestyle based deficiencies that cause massive brain inflammation; this in effect disrupts normal neurological processing. Fortunately, when these causative factors are addressed, one can overcome the chemical imbalances and beat depression naturally.
Depression and neuro-emotional diseases such as bipolar, schizophrenia, etc. are at an all-time high. The pharmaceutical industry has brought out dozens of blockbuster drugs to treat all of these conditions with billions of $ of revenue every year. Unfortunately, none of these drugs treat the cause of the chemical imbalance, but they merely treat the symptoms and come with a whole host of frightening side effects. In fact, years back the FDA mandated labeling requiring anti-depressant manufactures to include a warning that these drugs increase suicide risk (which is one of the things they are supposed to prevent).
The true cause of depression from a biochemical and lifestyle perspective is due to toxicity or deficiency at the cellular level. Common toxicity problems associated with depression include heavy metals like mercury, lead, aluminum, etc. that accumulate in the fatty tissue of the brain and create massive free radical damage and inflammation that alters neurological function. Viruses and environmental toxins are common inflammatory agents in the brain as well.
Another common toxin that causes massive inflammatory conditions in the brain is certain food intolerances. The most common food allergens to avoid include gluten containing grains such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, kamut, & spelt. Soy products, different nuts, eggs, and heavy proteins are often not tolerated well. Obviously all processed and man-made foods need to be avoided at all costs. Other common allergens include those of the nightshade family such as eggplant, tomatoes, & onions.
An anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle are critical for full recovery from these conditions. Anti-inflammatory foods help to modulate the immune system and give it a more accurate pair of eyes so as to not over-inflame when stimulated. To effectively de-inflame it is key to completely avoid man-made foods, sugars, and food allergens as listed above. The long chain omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA not only are critical for healthy brain function, but also powerfully de-inflame the body by restoring natural balance to the lipid wall of the cell membrane.
Healthy movement patterns produce proprioception (movement information) which is a critical essential for healthy brain enhancing and mood regulating patterns. Boosting proprioceptive input through maintaining healthy spinal function and exercise training has been shown to prevent and reverse depression. Regular chiropractic care and customized physical therapy exercises are critical lifestyle factors for maintaining healthy spinal function. A daily exercise regimen of a high-intensity burst and resistance training program that incorporates core stability and functional balance training enhances proprioceptive input into the brain and balances key hormones that play a role in weight regulation and muscle tone which are factors involved in mental health as well.
Other critical nutrients that are key for mood stabilization include Vitamin D, Folic acid, Pyridoxine (B6), Vitamin B12, Zinc, CoQ10, and trace minerals. Vitamin D levels should be between 60-100 ng/ml. Boost Vitamin D naturally with 20-60 minutes of healthy sunlight every day or 10,000-50,000 IU of emulsified vitamin D3 daily to get the levels where they should be. A raw, whole-food multi-vitamin that supplies ample amounts of folic acid (400 mcg), B6 (4mg), B12(100 mcg), Zinc (15 mg), trace minerals, & CoQ10 (500 mcg) should be consumed daily.
Blog: http://treasurevalleyhealthyliving.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label vitamin d deficiency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vitamin d deficiency. Show all posts
Friday, May 20, 2011
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Vitamin D Could Save Your Life!
Vitamin D Could Save Your Life!
Use only natural forms of vitamin D, NOT synthetic supplements
Summary
Vitamin D deficiency is becoming alarmingly common since the misguided medical advice to avoid sunshine (which makes over 90% of our Vitamin D). Vitamin D is not only a vitamin, but also an important hormone, with deficiencies causing widespread problems. In fact, Vitamin D deficiency in the US alone:
1.
Is estimated to cause severe immune dysfunction, causing 85,000 extra cancer deaths a year.
2.
Increases osteoporosis.
3.
Increases pain in chronic pain conditions.
4.
Not only increases osteoporosis, but also the risk of falling .
5.
Significantly increases the risk of Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.
In addition to the above, treatment with Vitamin D can also improve lung function and help people with asthma, while also decreasing the risk of heart disease, hypertension and stroke.
Because Vitamin D is stored in the fatty tissue (fat soluble) instead of being washed out in the urine (water soluble), it is possible to overdose if you get too much. This unnecessarily scares people away from getting the optimal dose, as even 10 times our current RDA ("Ridiculously Low Allowance") of 400 IU/day for Vitamin D is safe (consult your physician if you have an unusual condition resulting in high blood or tissue calcium levels). For those with decreased bone density, I recommend 2000-4000 units a day. Otherwise, 1000-2000 units a day is optimal.
Most importantly, remember to go for walks and get your sunshine—which is good for you. For optimal health, AVOID SUNBURN—NOT SUNSHINE.
Vitamin D Deficiency is Very Common
The importance of Vitamin D deficiency is finally gaining increasing attention. This nutrient deficiency is critical, causing tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths in the U.S. each year. Because of this, and the deadly recommendation to avoid being out in the sun without sunscreen that people are given, I am going to cover the importance of this nutrient in depth.
Vitamin D deficiency is common. In fact, a review in the Mayo Clinic Journal showed that approximately 36 percent of healthy young adults and 57 percent of general medicine inpatients in the United States have inadequate levels of vitamin D.59 Vitamin D deficiency is even more common in people with chronic pain.
This problem has increased since skin cancer awareness prompted many to fore go sunshine. The misguided advice from well-meaning doctors and media outlets was given to decrease the number of dangerous skin cancers called melanomas—a worthy goal. However, 90 percent of our Vitamin D comes from the sun, and the skin cancers usually caused by sunshine (e.g., basal cell cancers) are usually quite benign and easy to treat. In fact, most melanomas are not in sun-exposed areas; they develop on skin covered by clothing. It is likely that the increase in melanomas is mostly occurring because of changes in diet, environment and sleep, which are resulting in weakened immune systems. A good rule to remember is to avoid sunburn, not sunshine.
Many other cancers increase in the face of Vitamin D deficiency and it is currently estimated that the advice to avoid sunshine is resulting in as many as 85,550 unnecessary cancer deaths each year.60 To give a few examples, increasing Vitamin D levels is associated with:
1.
A decrease in lymphomas and leukemia (malignant white blood cell cancers).61-64
2.
A 50% decrease in breast and colon cancer risk.65-67
3.
A lower prostate cancer risk.68
4.
Lung cancer protection.69
5.
A 30% drop in ovarian cancer.70
In addition to causing upwards of 85,000 unnecessary cancer deaths each year, Vitamin D, deficiency also contributes to weak bones and osteoporosis. Vitamin D is low in 98 percent of the elderly who break their hip, a major cause of these people losing mobility and therefore being in nursing homes.71,72 And, vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women actually increases the risk of her child developing osteoporosis.73,74
Vitamin D deficiency is wreaking havoc in many other ways as well. It is critical in regulating immune function, and Vitamin D deficiency is implicated in Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis,75 inflammatory bowel disease76 and diabetes.77-81 Treatment with Vitamin D can also improve lung function and help people with asthma,82-85 while also decreasing the risk of heart disease86 and stroke.87
This leaves the question of what level of supplementation is optimal. I concur with Dr. Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, from the Harvard School of Public Health who notes "Recent evidence suggests that Vitamin D intakes above current recommendations may be associated with better health outcomes. An intake for all adults of (at least) 1,000 IU of Vitamin D/day is needed."88,89
Reprinted with permission from my book "From Fatigued to Fantastic!" (Penguin / Avery Oct 2007).
Use only natural forms of vitamin D, NOT synthetic supplements
Summary
Vitamin D deficiency is becoming alarmingly common since the misguided medical advice to avoid sunshine (which makes over 90% of our Vitamin D). Vitamin D is not only a vitamin, but also an important hormone, with deficiencies causing widespread problems. In fact, Vitamin D deficiency in the US alone:
1.
Is estimated to cause severe immune dysfunction, causing 85,000 extra cancer deaths a year.
2.
Increases osteoporosis.
3.
Increases pain in chronic pain conditions.
4.
Not only increases osteoporosis, but also the risk of falling .
5.
Significantly increases the risk of Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.
In addition to the above, treatment with Vitamin D can also improve lung function and help people with asthma, while also decreasing the risk of heart disease, hypertension and stroke.
Because Vitamin D is stored in the fatty tissue (fat soluble) instead of being washed out in the urine (water soluble), it is possible to overdose if you get too much. This unnecessarily scares people away from getting the optimal dose, as even 10 times our current RDA ("Ridiculously Low Allowance") of 400 IU/day for Vitamin D is safe (consult your physician if you have an unusual condition resulting in high blood or tissue calcium levels). For those with decreased bone density, I recommend 2000-4000 units a day. Otherwise, 1000-2000 units a day is optimal.
Most importantly, remember to go for walks and get your sunshine—which is good for you. For optimal health, AVOID SUNBURN—NOT SUNSHINE.
Vitamin D Deficiency is Very Common
The importance of Vitamin D deficiency is finally gaining increasing attention. This nutrient deficiency is critical, causing tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths in the U.S. each year. Because of this, and the deadly recommendation to avoid being out in the sun without sunscreen that people are given, I am going to cover the importance of this nutrient in depth.
Vitamin D deficiency is common. In fact, a review in the Mayo Clinic Journal showed that approximately 36 percent of healthy young adults and 57 percent of general medicine inpatients in the United States have inadequate levels of vitamin D.59 Vitamin D deficiency is even more common in people with chronic pain.
This problem has increased since skin cancer awareness prompted many to fore go sunshine. The misguided advice from well-meaning doctors and media outlets was given to decrease the number of dangerous skin cancers called melanomas—a worthy goal. However, 90 percent of our Vitamin D comes from the sun, and the skin cancers usually caused by sunshine (e.g., basal cell cancers) are usually quite benign and easy to treat. In fact, most melanomas are not in sun-exposed areas; they develop on skin covered by clothing. It is likely that the increase in melanomas is mostly occurring because of changes in diet, environment and sleep, which are resulting in weakened immune systems. A good rule to remember is to avoid sunburn, not sunshine.
Many other cancers increase in the face of Vitamin D deficiency and it is currently estimated that the advice to avoid sunshine is resulting in as many as 85,550 unnecessary cancer deaths each year.60 To give a few examples, increasing Vitamin D levels is associated with:
1.
A decrease in lymphomas and leukemia (malignant white blood cell cancers).61-64
2.
A 50% decrease in breast and colon cancer risk.65-67
3.
A lower prostate cancer risk.68
4.
Lung cancer protection.69
5.
A 30% drop in ovarian cancer.70
In addition to causing upwards of 85,000 unnecessary cancer deaths each year, Vitamin D, deficiency also contributes to weak bones and osteoporosis. Vitamin D is low in 98 percent of the elderly who break their hip, a major cause of these people losing mobility and therefore being in nursing homes.71,72 And, vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women actually increases the risk of her child developing osteoporosis.73,74
Vitamin D deficiency is wreaking havoc in many other ways as well. It is critical in regulating immune function, and Vitamin D deficiency is implicated in Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis,75 inflammatory bowel disease76 and diabetes.77-81 Treatment with Vitamin D can also improve lung function and help people with asthma,82-85 while also decreasing the risk of heart disease86 and stroke.87
This leaves the question of what level of supplementation is optimal. I concur with Dr. Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, from the Harvard School of Public Health who notes "Recent evidence suggests that Vitamin D intakes above current recommendations may be associated with better health outcomes. An intake for all adults of (at least) 1,000 IU of Vitamin D/day is needed."88,89
Reprinted with permission from my book "From Fatigued to Fantastic!" (Penguin / Avery Oct 2007).
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