One in ten Americans are suffering from depression. Eighty percent of those have symptoms and are being treated. Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia and Oklahoma have higher rates of depression. India, the United States, France and the Netherlands have rates of depression exceeding the other countries in the world.
There are many types of depression. The symptoms worth acting on immediately are trouble sleeping, preoccupation with death, irritability, loss of interest in favorite things, loss of appetite and periodic increases in energy for no reason.
Depressed people tend to be obese, have heart disease, higher risk of stroke, and sleep disorders. They are also found unemployed and recently divorced. Depression is found more often in those 45 to 64 years of age. Women are twice as likely to have depression as men of the same age. Women are also more likely to have depression in the weeks following birth. Healthcare costs for the depressed are twice compared to those not depressed.
I read an article today about diet and depression. The ModiMedi diet contains 18% protein, 40% fat, 37% carbohydrates, 2% alcohol and 3% fiber. Calories were not limited. Studies showed good results with this diet and depression.
I advocate balanced nutrition. I think you should ensure your body has all the nutrients it must have daily to ensure that you aren’t suffering from a vitamin, mineral or other nutrient deficiency. Typically, depression symptoms can be found in people deficient in omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin D3, magnesium, vitamin B (all), amino acids, iron, zinc, iodine and selenium.
Frequently, the symptoms and intensity of depression can be countered by the addition of probiotics, vitamin C, turmeric, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), melatonin, and SAM-e (S-adenosylmethionine) in your diet and combined with exercise and meditation. This assumes that you have balanced your other nutrient requirements.
Dr. Perlmutter’s book, Grain Brain, discusses the role of gluten in depression, anxiety, ADD and ADHD, particularly in children. Gluten inflames the brain significantly in some people causing depression and anxiety. A 30-day abstinence of gluten reversed nearly all the symptoms of depression in his patients.
A few years ago, my daughter lost her boyfriend to a traffic accident. She suffered greatly. Her doctor advised her to take some anti-depressants. She refused and underwent a vigorous daily exercise regimen, and added selective supplements (SAM-e and others). Her diet was stabilized nutritionally and her symptoms of depression waned quickly.
Our bodies can heal themselves in many cases. Balance your nutrition, increase your exercise, actively manage stress daily and incorporate meditation, Neural Linguistic Programming (NLP), hypnosis, acupuncture, and/or Emotional Freedom Techniques to address depression. It might work for you.