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Depression

Depression can be supported most effectively through a whole body approach that looks at a variety of factors known to contribute to mental health disorders.
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Depression can be supported most effectively through a whole body approach that looks at a variety of factors known to contribute to mental health disorders.

“You are not your depression. You are a person who has depression.” Stephen Fry

Sadness, grief, the blues, depression…these words and terms may sometimes be used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. Sadness is the opposite of happiness – it’s a feeling that usually is in response to a trigger. Grief is a healthy response to loss and takes the tincture of time to settle. The blues are a low mood that tends to be fairly mild and transient – maybe from feeling overtired or bored.

Depression, however, is a chemical imbalance in the brain that may be due to shifts in serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine levels, or alterations in the receptors to which these neurotransmitters bind. Medications that boost up any, all, or some neurotransmitters are life-changing for many patients, but they can come with unwanted side effects and many people would rather not be dependent upon a daily medication for life (others are totally fine with it as long as they don’t feel depression again!)

By looking at the many influences of different body systems on the brain I can help to address depression and other mental imbalances from the ground up. Areas to explore outside of the brain itself include:

  • digestive health and the microbiome
    • microbial imbalances, and addressing them, are new hot topics in depression research1
  • hormones ranging from thyroid, to adrenal, to reproductive hormones2
  • inflammation3
  • methylation4
  • nutrient optimization5

Assessing the above issues can allow for sufficient improvement in depressive symptoms that many patients are able to lower their meds to a place where side effects are minimized.

References

  1. Alli SR, Gorbovskaya I, Liu JCW, Kolla NJ, Brown L, Müller DJ. The Gut Microbiome in Depression and Potential Benefit of Prebiotics, Probiotics and Synbiotics: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials and Observational Studies. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Apr 19;23(9):4494. doi: 10.3390/ijms23094494. PMID: 35562885; PMCID: PMC9101152.
  2. Sun Q, Li G, Zhao F, Dong M, Xie W, Liu Q, Yang W, Cui R. Role of estrogen in treatment of female depression. Aging (Albany NY). 2024 Feb 2;16(3):3021-3042. doi: 10.18632/aging.205507. Epub 2024 Feb 2. PMID: 38309292; PMCID: PMC10911346.
  3. Sun Q, Li G, Zhao F, Dong M, Xie W, Liu Q, Yang W, Cui R. Role of estrogen in treatment of female depression. Aging (Albany NY). 2024 Feb 2;16(3):3021-3042. doi: 10.18632/aging.205507. Epub 2024 Feb 2. PMID: 38309292; PMCID: PMC10911346.
  4. Paoli C, Misztak P, Mazzini G, Musazzi L. DNA Methylation in Depression and Depressive-Like Phenotype: Biomarker or Target of Pharmacological Intervention? Curr Neuropharmacol. 2022 Nov 15;20(12):2267-2291. doi: 10.2174/1570159X20666220201084536. PMID: 35105292; PMCID: PMC9890294.
  5. Zielińska M, Łuszczki E, Dereń K. Dietary Nutrient Deficiencies and Risk of Depression (Review Article 2018-2023). Nutrients. 2023 May 23;15(11):2433. doi: 10.3390/nu15112433. PMID: 37299394; PMCID: PMC10255717.

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