Depression and mood disorders are considered the most devastating health problems today. If you go to your doctor, he will likely prescribe one of the popular antidepressants in return. Many doctors do not deal with metabolic or nutritional deficiencies that may be the real cause of your depression. Patients do not even know why they feel so terrible and where to find the answer to this question. They expect their doctor to make the only right decision. But instead, he takes and prescribes medication as the easiest way to mask the symptoms. In fact, medications have many serious side effects.
Doctors prescribe these drugs based on information from manufacturers, but often it is only part of the truth. The side effects and dangers of these drugs are understated or hidden altogether. Prescription drugs should be prescribed only after a complete medical examination and the exclusion of the likelihood of any problems that may arise as a result of their intake.
If you suffer from depression or a mood disorder, you may be deficient in one of the valuable substanceslisted below. Researchers have found that many people are deficient in more than one nutrient, further exacerbating their symptoms.
1. Deficiency of a healthy diet
Junk food includes sugar-filled foods, sodas, and processed foods. Do you remember to have breakfast? If you suffer from depression or mood disorders, keep a food diary and write down everything you eat daily. At the same time, you will definitely be able to answer yourself all the questions regarding health problems. Your grocery basket and the contents of the fridge will tell you more than enough about this. When shopping for the whole family at the store, consumers often fill their cart with ready-made cereals, chips, sweets, sodas, convenience foods and processed foods. The shopping list of the average European has practically no fresh vegetables or fruits. This is why many are confronted with obesity, mental illness and diabetes. If your life isn't going well, stop eating junk food.
2. Lack of Omega-3 fats
They are found in foods such as fish and flaxseed oil. A deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids or an imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats can be one of the factors contributing to depression. Omega-3 fats are important for brain function and determining your attitude towards life. They also help people suffering from inflammation and pain. Researchers have found that many patients with depression and mood disorders are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. It is important that the fish oil you purchase is cold processed and tested for heavy metals and other contaminants.Be sure to read everything that is written on the label.
3. Vitamin D deficiency
This vitamin is important for the health of the immune system, bones, and brain. Sunlight is the richest source of natural vitamin D. It has been found that deficiency is often diagnosed in patients with depression and panic disorder. Studies have shown that patients who are deficient in vitamin D are at higher risk of developing depression later in life. A special risk group is the elderly and those who work in offices for many hours. Go out into the sun. Take a walk during your lunch break or play with your dog. Relax with your children from computers and television. Just leave the house and get some sun. Just don't overdo it if you are sensitive to sunlight. Bending the stick is also not very good.
4. Lack of B vitamins
There are many studies proving a link between vitamin B deficiency and mood disorders, including depression. Choose softgels with at least 25 mg of each of the different B-vitamins in the formulation instead of tablets.
5. Deficiency of zinc, folic acid, chromium and iron
Deficiencies in many nutrients, including these, are common in patients with depression. Unfortunately, modern food is not rich in minerals and trace elements.
6. Lack of iodine
This element is needed for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, which is a component of the endocrine system and one of the most important glands of the human body. It affects all of its functions, including regulating temperature, maintaining good immunity, and ensuring proper brain function. Iodine is found in foods such as potatoes, cranberries, and seaweed (kelp, arame, hiziki, kombu, and wakame). Once the iodine deficiency of the population has already been overcome by fortifying salt with this element, but today the lack of iodine is again becoming a problem. Salty chips, processed foods, and fast foods do not contain iodized salt.
7. Deficiency of amino acids
There are 9 essential amino acids that our body cannot manufacture. You must supply them to the body by consuming quality food.
Amino acids are found in meat, eggs, fish, cereals, seeds, and nuts. To provide the body with all the amino acids it needs for health, you need to eat a variety of foods. Not every food contains all nine amino acids. Plant sources include moringa oleifera leaves. The brain uses the amino acids in the food we eat to make the neurotransmitters it needs to function optimally.
What are neurotransmitters and how do they affect depression?
Healthy brain function requires the right balance of neurotransmitters. Some neurotransmitters calm the brain while others wake it up. Their balance in the brain ensures the stability of emotions and thinking. Depression and other psychiatric disorders are often responsible for neurotransmitter imbalances.
Dopamine, norepinephrine, and GABA are three important neurotransmitters that are often lacking in depression. Orthomolecular medicine experts have found that amino acid supplements, including tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and methionine, can help treat a variety of mood disorders, including depression. First, urine and blood tests are taken to check the patient's amino acid levels. If an imbalance is found, amino acid supplements are prescribed in dosages that are optimal to correct the problem. In this way, orthomolecular doctors work on the underlying cause of depression or mental disorder. If a nutrient imbalance is found, such as an omega-3 deficiency, you will be prescribed supplements. Instead of resorting to medications, they correct the vitamin, mineral and amino acid deficiencies that are the true causes of symptoms.