Mental Health – Natural Revolution

Depression Can Cause Alzheimer’s – Here’s What You Should Know

Kamil Riaz Kara — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 02:03:02 +0000

By Kamil Riaz Kara

It creeps in slowly and silently sucks the life out of its victim. It is not apparent and can be only felt by those who are going through it. It creates havoc in the mind, snatches away the smiles and a person’s desire to live. Depression, a silent killer, is one of the most common ailments around the world, which can prove to be lethal if it remains undiagnosed.

Facts about depression

According to the World Health Organization, globally 300 million people of all ages suffer from depression, yet it remains one of the most underestimated disorders. As compared to men, women are more likely to have depression.

The disorder is also quite common in the elderly due to factors such as isolation and chronic illness. In the United States, around 6.5 million people aged 65 and above have depression and it often remains undiagnosed.

Depression often remains ignored because it is usually mistaken as sadness. Initially, a person may only feel lost, and lonely. However, with time these feelings may become overwhelming and in extreme cases, may lead to suicide.

Some common symptoms include low self-esteem, feelings of sadness, guilt, and helplessness. A person may also find it difficult to make decisions. Physical symptoms may include changes in weight, lack of energy, disinterest in social activities etc.

Symptoms may vary, depending on the type of depression. In major depression or clinical depression, a person may feel sad constantly and find it difficult to work or sleep. According to the National, 6.7% of the US population above age 18 gets hit by major depression. Chronic depression or Dysthymia is less severe than major depression.

Abnormal functioning of the nerves is considered to be a possible culprit. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, around 1.5% of adult Americans suffer from Dysthymia. While Dysthymia is not as crippling as major depression, it prevents a person from functioning at their best. Some other forms of depression include atypical depression, and postpartum depression, which is experienced by women after childbirth.

What causes depression?

There is no one singular cause of depression. A number of genetic, environmental and physical factors play a role. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin regulate mood. Low levels of these chemicals can result in depression. People who have a family history of depression are more vulnerable. Environmental factors such as the loss of a loved one or any other major traumatic incident can act as a trigger as well.

If left untreated, depression can have severe consequences. Prolonged depression leads to inflammation of the arteries and blood vessels that increases the chances of cardiovascular diseases.

Alzheimer’s and depression – the connection

Other drastic consequences include brain damage, which causes several ailments such as Alzheimer’s, which is a type of dementia. It is most common in people who are above 65 years of age. However, younger people are also vulnerable to what is known as early onset Alzheimer’s.

The disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It is a progressive disease that causes mild loss of memory in initial stages. In its second stage, a person may experience rambling speech, delusions, and sleep troubles. People in its late stages have hallucinations, extreme mood swings, seizures, and confusion.

Depression may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s

Depression is considered as one of the factors behind Alzheimer’s. According to a report published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, depressed adults are 65 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

A confirmed causal relationship has not been established yet, however, studies suggest that depressed people have high levels of stress hormone, cortisol and a much smaller hippocampus, a part of the brain that deals with memory. People with depression are also likely to have inflammation in the brain. Brain aging is another possible factor. Depression tends to accelerate brain aging, which is a major contributor of Alzheimer’s.

Another study, published in Lancet Psychiatry, tried to establish the link between depression and dementia. Researchers followed 3,325 people aged 55 and above, who did not have dementia, but some symptoms of depression. Researchers followed these people throughout the 11- year period. Symptoms of depression increased steadily and around 434 people went on to develop dementia.

The use of antidepressants may lead to dementia

The use of antidepressants also increases the risk of Alzheimer’s. As per a study published in The Journal of Depression and Anxiety, popular pills such as Prozac and other anti-depressants increase the chance of dementia, including Alzheimer’s by twofold.

There is a debate about depression being a symptom or a risk factor of Alzheimer’s. A study conducted by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine analyzed people above 50 for seven years. Out of the 2,416 people under observation, almost half of them developed dementia along with irritability and depression.

However, another research conducted by an epidemiologist from the University of Massachusetts tracked dementia and depression in 949 people for 17 years. By the end, 136 people contracted Alzheimer’s. 21.6% of people who had depressive symptoms developed Alzheimer’s as compared to 16.6% who did not have depression. The study concluded that depression increased the chances of dementia by 50 percent.

Conclusion

Symptoms of depression and Alzheimer’s often overlap, which makes it difficult to distinguish between the two. The National Institute of Mental Health has developed a special set of guidelines to identify depression in people with Alzheimer’s. The criteria are mostly similar to general diagnostics; it only focuses less on verbal expression and includes irritability and social isolation. For people to be diagnosed with depression during Alzheimer’s, they must be experiencing constant sadness, social isolation, fatigue, agitation and disruption in sleep.

Depression in Alzheimer’s is usually treated with a combination of medicines and counseling. Some of the non-drug approaches include support groups, therapy, exercise, and helping the person connect with activities that they enjoy.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), a type of antidepressants are often recommended for people with both Alzheimer’s and depression. SSRIs are less risky than other anti-depressants and do not interfere with other medications.

It is a mistake to ignore depression as mere sadness. It can often be often difficult to understand since there are no apparent symptoms. However, it is a serious ailment with some drastic consequences and hence should not be taken lightly.

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The Body-Brain Connection Secrets to Illness and Health

Steven Peters — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 12:34:00 +0000

Can a person literally die of loneliness? Is there such a thing as a “cancer personality”? Drawing on scientific research and Dr. Gabor Maté having decades of experience as a practicing physician, these questions about the effect of the mind-body link on illness and health and the role that stress and one’s individual emotional makeup play a vital role in an array of common diseases.

That not only conscious stress but subconscious stress, the kind that you are not aware of, can over a lifetime make you ill because the stress of any kind that is chronic is no good for your body. Stress of any kind that is chronic leads to a situation in which your body cannot relax and allow itself to heal. Healing requires that your immune system is working at its peak to protect and heal your body.

Stress, especially repressed anger, makes us vulnerable to several types of illnesses, from anxiety, depression, autoimmune dysfunction, cancer and a host of others. There is quite a lot of research to document and support these conclusions.^{[1] [2] [3]}

For twelve years Dr. Maté worked in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with patients challenged by hardcore addiction, mental illness, HIV and related conditions. For two years he was the onsite physician at Vancouver’s unique Supervised Injection Site, North America’s only such facility.

He is internationally known for his work on the mind/body unity in health and illness, on attention deficit disorder and other childhood developmental issues, and his breakthrough analysis of addiction as a psychophysiological response to childhood trauma and emotional loss.

Dr. Maté is the author of four best-selling books published in twenty languages on five continents, two of the most notable include When The Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection and the award-winning book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction.

Based on Gabor Maté’s two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouver’s skid row, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts radically reenvisions this misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach.

Dr. Maté presents addiction not as a discrete phenomenon confined to an unfortunate or weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs throughout (and perhaps underpins) our society; not a medical “condition” distinct from the lives it affects, rather the result of a complex interplay among personal history, emotional, and neurological development, brain chemistry, and the drugs (and behaviors) of addiction.

Maté’s knowledge of the body, mind and emotional connection is compelling to open one’s mind to their own possibilities of how their childhood and the way they were taught and raised to explore the profound effects it influences a person when they become an adult.

His extensive experience with clients makes for real-life stories which break down resistance to this new information and can, if one is willing to open themselves to the possibilities of what has been discovered, to unlock one’s own ability to have a clearer picture of their past and how they can begin to move forward in a healthy direction into the future.

The post The Body-Brain Connection Secrets to Illness and Health appeared first on Natural Revolution.

7 Secret Techniques to Overcome Depression and Anxiety Naturally

Steven Peters — Mon, 01 May 2017 01:11:39 +0000

“It’s pernicious . . . it’s diabolical . . . it creeps into every moment of our lives. It influences our relationships, impacts our body, works its way into our conversations, sparks non-nourishing behaviors, and forces us to do things we’d never want to do. It’s infectious; it’s relentless . . . it’s stress!” — daviji

By Steven Peters — Everyone has stress in their lives to some degree. From the moment we’re born to the time we leave this plane of existence, we’re all trying to cope with things that life throws at us. And thankfully, there are mechanisms within our brain which react to stress that can help us through stressful situations.

However, when a person is faced with stress that goes beyond the scope of ‘normal daily stress’, and stress happen abruptly like a physical injury or may be emotionally taxing over a course of months or years, it can take a profound toll on our brain and emotional state of mind, which can then adversely affect our mood and behavior.

When that happens, it literally changes the brain chemistry and depletes essential neurotransmitters, which send signals across a chemical synapse, and acts as a junction between two nerve cells, transmitting the necessary chemicals required for the brain to function normally.

There are excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters within our brain, and each plays a key role in how we feel emotionally and how our body functions. When we are stressed, our brain sends out chemicals that help us relax like GABA, and glycine for example.

The Excitatory Neurotransmitters

Glutamate is used by the great majority of fast excitatory synapses in the brain and spinal cord. Excessive glutamate release can overstimulate the brain and lead to excitotoxicity causing a host of issues.
Norepinephrine is found throughout the central nervous system. Chronic stress, if continued for a long time, can damage many parts of the body. A significant part of the damage is due to the effects of sustained norepinephrine release. The consequences can include sleeplessness, loss of libido, gastrointestinal problems, impaired disease resistance, slower rates of injury healing, depression, and increased vulnerability to addiction.^[49]
Epinephrine takes part in controlling the adrenal glands. It plays a role in sleep, with one’s ability to become and stay alert, and plays a key role in the fight-or-flight response, also called hyperarousal or the acute stress response. It’s a reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival.

The Inhibitory Neurotransmitters

GABA is used in virtually every part of the brain. Many sedative/antianxiety drugs, act by enhancing the effects of GABA. It plays the principal role in reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. ^[Source]
Glycine is found throughout the central nervous system, especially in the spinal cord, brainstem, and retina. A 2014 review on sleep aids noted that glycine can improve sleep quality, citing a study in which 3 grams of glycine before bedtime improved sleep quality in humans.^[Source]
Dopamine has a number of important functions in the brain; this includes regulation of motor behavior, pleasures related to motivation and also emotional arousal. It plays a critical role in the reward system.
Serotonin is produced by and found in the intestine (approximately 90%), and the remainder in central nervous system neurons. It functions to regulate appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature, mood, behavior, muscle contraction, and function of the cardiovascular system and endocrine system. It is speculated to have a role in depression, as some depressed patients are seen to have lower concentrations of serotonin in their cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue.^[Source]
Histamine works with the central nervous system (CNS). Although histamine is small compared to other biological molecules, it plays an important role in the body. It is known to be involved in 23 different physiological functions.

There is a vast amount of hormones, chemicals, sensory receptors and biological communication constantly being transmitted between cells in our body and the synapses in our brain. When even just one of those are overburdened to help send chemical signal to lessen the effects of stress, the stores of chemicals may be depleted, just like anything in our body which uses stored resources (bodily fluids, minerals, vitamins, etc.), due to constant physical or emotional stress, and when that happens, adverse internal (emotional) and external (bodily) symptoms begin to appear.

There’s quite a bit of research on depression and anxiety, which are commonly linked to one another by the same neuropathways in our brain that correlate to our emotional state of mind, and the symptoms that can occur can be quite debilitating if not treated, even life-threatening at times including suicide.

25 million Americans suffer from depression each year. Over 50 percent of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression. If one includes alcoholics who are depressed, this figure rises to over 75 percent. Depression affects nearly 5-8 percent of Americans ages 18 and over in a given year. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please immediately call 1-800-273-8255 or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website.

‘Recognizing’ is key to the beginning of healing

When we begin to understand how certain stressful events in our life can affect our mental health, symptoms of depression and anxiety can manifest as racing thoughts, unable to concentrate, unable to do daily task, the feeling that you can not catch your breath, numbness or tingling in your arms or legs, headaches, loss of appetite, inability to get a good night’s sleep, constant worry, feelings of dread, crying over situations that you wouldn’t normally cry about, and to the extreme, suicidal ideations.

Now that we’ve recognized some of the emotional or psychological state and the physical state of the symptoms that are present when depression and anxiety have manifested within us, we can begin to approach it in a way that can help relieve the painful emotional and physical symptoms that all too often can occur.

The reality is, there are only a few things in our lives that we are in control of. Those are our thoughts, our breathing, and our behavior. We don’t have control of much else; we can’t control our body’s involuntary functions; we cannot control how other people think, we cannot control the weather; we cannot control time, we sometimes cannot even control how we think and react to a situation, especially if depressed or anxiety related issues have developed.

Thoughts create things — whether on the outside of us or within us. The tallest skyscraper in the world and the pyramids in Egypt initially came from a single thought. Thoughts are incredibly powerful and can become things which can shape not only ourselves but communities, cultures and the entirety of the world now, lasting only momentary (a thought), or last onward into the distant future.

Each and every thought that a person thinks creates an emotional response within them. When we see a funny movie, we laugh. When someone in our lives leaves for various reasons, we can become sad, or happy for that matter. Either way, you create that emotion.

What we think affects how we feel. ‘Feelings’ are what drives our lives. So when you think, know that you are in the process of creating something profound either internally or externally whether negative or positive.

It’s essential that we take productive and necessary steps to bring our brain back into homeostasis, which is the ability of the body or our cells to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stability within its internal environment when dealing with external changes.

When a person is in a depressive, anxious or panic state, it’s extremely difficult to think about anything positive because they’re in a state of emotional crisis, and it can be very difficult to break the cycle of irrational thoughts or behaviors unless there is treatment.

Because what we think becomes things, if one is in the constant state of negative or irrational thinking, and cannot control those thoughts, like they normally would be able to if the chemical signals in the brain were functioning properly, that is the red flag that is raised and should be paid attention to with immediate intervention by seeing a medical specialist that understands mental health-related issues. A psychiatrist can write prescriptions, while a psychologist essentially uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving. Its goal is to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people’s difficulties, and so change the way they feel.

If any of these symptoms affect your relationships and your ability to function at home or work, consult with a healthcare practitioner qualified to assess and treat depression and anxiety.

Emotional Symptoms

Constant or transient feelings of sadness, anxiety, and emptiness
Feeling restless; may experience irritability
Feeling hopeless
Feeling worthless, regretful or guilty for no reason
Suicidal thoughts may occur
Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once enjoyed
Loss of libido
Feelings of isolation

Physical Symptoms

Disturbed sleep patterns; may sleep too little or too much
Low energy
Heart palpitations
Fatigue
Headaches
Significant weight loss or gain due to a change in eating habits; either loss of appetite or eating too much
Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions
Crying at the least bit of something emotional occurring
An overactive startle response
Numbness or tingling in the hands and legs

These symptoms are classic clinical signs of major depressive disorder (MDD) and general anxiety disorder (GAD).

Understanding how antidepressant drugs work

Pharmaceutical antidepressant drugs may be necessary in times of crisis, and they do help in certain instances where a person is in such a state of anxiety, depression, or psychosis, that they are unable to cope or ‘get it under control’. Pharmaceutical medication absolutely should be considered in situations where one feels they’ve lost the ability to function as they once did.

A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or (SSRI) is a class of drugs that are typically used as antidepressants in the treatment of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. They’re a type of drug which acts as a reuptake inhibitor of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) by blocking the action of the serotonin transporter (SERT). This, in turn, leads to increased concentrations of serotonin and, therefore, an increase in serotonergic neurotransmission.

Antidepressants have helped millions of people get out of the funk that they’re in, though unfortunately, many of those patients may very well be addicted to the medications that once helped them initially.

If a person needs to take medication because they’re at their wit’s end, it most certainly is appropriate to treat the symptoms of depression and anxiety with pharmaceutical drugs, at least until they are stable, which can be from weeks to months — it all depends on how a person responds to the medication they’re taking.

Generally, it takes a person to feel the effects of antidepressants within 6-8 weeks. Antianxiety medications act within minutes after ingesting them.

SSRI drugs should not be abruptly discontinued after extended therapy, and whenever possible, should be slowly tapered down in dosage over several weeks to minimize discontinuation-related symptoms which may include nausea, headache, dizziness, chills, body aches, burning or prickling sensation, insomnia, and electric shock-like sensations.

Antianxiety medication like benzodiazepines work rather quickly and people can find almost instant relief. Though they may be necessary, antianxiety medication is only a band-aid and should be considered as a temporary means to reduce anxiety as they are also very addictive. They don’t treat the underlying causes of anxiety, and this is why is important to understand there are other options available like psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and an approach with natural supplements that can help remedy depression and anxiety long-term.

Finding the treatment that’s right for you

‘Retraining the brain’ is analogous to a person who gets into an accident, injured their body and lost their ability to use their arms and legs, and must to go to rehabilitation to retrain their body how to function again. They’re actually retraining their brain to give the signals to their body which create an impulse that affects bodily movement.

If you’re experiencing depression and/or anxiety, and you value your life; if you value being happy; if you value all the positive and good things that you had in your life before you started to experience depression or anxiety, you can retrain your brain and begin to set yourself on the road to recovery, and below we’re going to dig into how you can do just that.

There’s no shortage of supply of doctors who may write a prescription they feel will help you relieve your symptoms of depression or anxiety. But in the end, those will only put a Band-Aid on the problem.

Below are simple yet very powerful tools that may help you overcome depression and anxiety naturally.

There’s a reason certain breathing practices have been around for thousands of years, and that’s because there’s actually something to it. Studies have shown that breathing techniques, particularly yogic breathing, have a profound effect on our body and mind and can actually heal the brain from injury.

Researchers have documented the benefits of a regular practice of simple, deep breathing which include:

Reduced anxiety and depression
Lower/stabilized blood pressure
Increased energy levels
Muscle relaxation
Decreased feelings of stress and overwhelm

Here is one simple yet very powerful breathing technique which when done correctly, can produce oxytocin within your brain, basically making you feel like you’ve taken a drug — but it is you that is releasing it within your body by simply breathing a certain way. Oxytocin is a natural hormone within the body that makes us release stress and feel good.

Remember, you have control of three very powerful mechanisms within you, and one of them is your breathing.

A simple but powerful breathing technique is to sit in a quiet comfortable place, your feet on the floor, arms uncrossed laying palms up on your thighs, eyes closed and focus only on your breathing. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of 5 and breathe into your belly, and then into your chest. Then breathe slowly to the count of 5, breathing out of your mouth while slightly puckering your lips making a whooshing sound.

Do that three to four times, and at the end of your last exhale, begin to notice how you feel. When you do, you’ll discover that you feel calmer. That is because you’ve released oxytocin within your brain and body.

This simple yet powerful breathing technique is retraining your brain to be calm — do this often enough and you’ll discover just how easy and effective it is. You are highly encouraged to do this daily as many time as needed.

You can begin to rebuild the supply of serotonin by doing things that increased serotonin, not only in your brain but your gut as well, like spending time outdoors in the Sun. By being in the sun, it creates and synthesizes melatonin and serotonin in our body to help regulate our mood and sleep cycle.

Get at least 20 minutes of direct sunlight every day, but only before 11 am and after 3 pm. This is because the ultraviolet light A (UVA) is less during those times.

The sunlight that reaches us is made up of two types of harmful rays: long wave ultraviolet A (UVA) and short wave ultraviolet B (UVB). UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis, the skin’s thickest layer. Both play a key role in premature skin aging, eye damage (including cataracts), and skin cancers.

Getting the right amount of sun has been shown to be healthy for us but in small amounts, so you want to restrict yourself from being in the sun at the times where the UVB rays are the strongest.

It’s also important to get enough vitamin B6 as it plays a vital role in the brain and is a very important vitamin that you can get from food. The foods to concentrate on eating that will increase serotonin are foods that contain precursors to tryptophan which then are converted into serotonin are chicken, turkey, fish, nuts, seeds, bran, oats, beans, eggs, spinach, seafood, watercress, mushrooms, broccoli, turnip greens, and lean meats.

Exercise is also very important in rebuilding serotonin and other brain-boosting chemicals. Research has shown that exercise boosts serotonin. Even gentle exercise like walking and rebounding can boost your immunity and mood.

If you’ve ever “gone with your gut” to make a decision or felt “butterflies in your stomach” when nervous, you’re likely getting signals from an unexpected source: your second brain. Hidden in the walls of the digestive system, this “brain in your gut” is revolutionizing medicine’s understanding of the links between digestion, mood, health and even the way you think.

Research has shown that lower stores of serotonin, not only within the brain but particularly in the gut, have a profound effect on your emotional state of mind. The ‘brain-gut’ connection plays a vital role.

You can also incorporate probiotics into your diet, which positively affect the microbiology of the gut and our health. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy.

We usually think of bacteria as something that causes diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy.

A new study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity suggests that taking a probiotic supplement may in fact help improve mood.

You can find probiotics in foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, and in supplements as well.

The enteric (pertaining to the intestines) nervous system doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain with profound results. When our brains are healthy as well as the brain in our gut, we see immune responses improve, which correlates to better health, as well as improved emotional wellbeing.

Did you know that your natural state of mind is joy? Everything that you experience from an outside source affects you internally. What you see, what you hear, what you taste, what you smell, and touch all affects our senses, which in turn affects how we feel. We are ‘feeling’ beings. Everything we do and everything we think about plays a crucial role in how we feel. If we don’t like something, we tend to stay away from it because it doesn’t feel good to us. The opposite is true too.

We are ‘feeling’ beings. Everything we do and everything we think about plays a crucial role in how we feel. If we don’t like something, we tend to stay away from it because it doesn’t feel good to us. The opposite is true too.

For example, you can listen to your favorite music, watch your favorite movies, read your favorite books, eat your favorite food, hang around your favorite people — anything that can give you an experience of feeling good and happy. This simple practice is what will begin to reshape your thought patterns and put you in a better state of mind, which in turn will help to increase the ‘feel-good’ chemicals within your body and brain to help lessen the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

You could also have someone give you a massage, or you could sit in a jacuzzi; you can go swimming either in a pool or at the beach; workout at the gym — anything that you enjoy doing, do. This will increase the likelihood of your brain receiving new information that is not stressful, but rather, is enjoyable.

These may seem like simple behaviors that don’t correlate to anything useful or productive, but in fact, these behaviors are helping to repair the brain and build essential neurotransmitters and other sensory stimuli to put the brain in a less state of stress.

The more often you surround yourself with things and immerse yourself into doing things that make you feel good, you will over time, start to feel just that.

Meditation is a practice that has been around for centuries. It’s necessary to quiet the mind, and when you quiet the mind you can begin to release the thoughts that may be tormenting you. With meditation, we have the control to quiet the mind. To stop the worrisome thoughts. We can relax. We can calm ourselves.

A study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison indicates that the practice of “Open Monitoring Meditation” (such as Vipassana), reduces the grey-matter density in areas of the brain related to anxiety and stress. Meditators were more able to “attend moment-to-moment to the stream of stimuli to which they are exposed and less likely to ‘get stuck’ on any one stimulus. ”

The brain needs rest from stress, and especially after a serious event which can alter our neurotransmitters, thus sending signals to the brain which disrupt those chemical signals and put us in a state of emotional crisis.

Meditation is a great way to achieve the kind of peace we all need to bring about lower levels of stress. Meditation has been found to be as effective to treat anxiety and depression as antidepressant drugs.

Benefits of Meditation

Reduces stress
Improves concentration
Improves focus, attention, and ability to work under stress
Increases happiness and overall sense of wellbeing
Helps regulate mood and anxiety disorders
Slows aging
Reduces risk of heart diseases and stroke
Helps to tolerate pain easier
Improves learning, memory, and self-awareness
Opens up channels of creativity
Benefits cardiovascular and immune health

Practicing daily meditation has been shown to reduces levels of depression by 75%, and reduce levels of anxiety by 30%. It also has remarkable benefits to increase the overall sense of wellbeing by 65%.

When we are mentally active, resting or sleeping, the brain always has some level of electrical activity. During meditation, our theta brain waves are most abundant in the frontal cortex and middle parts of the brain. These types of waves originate from a relaxed state of consciousness and are essential for a rested state of mind.

There are approximately 23 types of meditation. If you’d like to learn about which meditation practice is best suited for you, click here.

Meditation is like multivitamins for your brain. It’s good to take it every day.

Only when we are on the road to recovery can we begin to heal what has caused us so much emotional or physical pain. In some instances, we may not even recognize that certain things in our life have affected us until outward symptoms present themselves.

You can approach relieving depression, anxiety, panic or other mood disorders by taking the pharmacological approach and seeing a medical doctor with whom can give you medication that will help you if you’re in a state of crisis. For many, this is a fix that can help get them through those rough times when they are feeling their absolute lowest.

It’s important to understand that with prescription drugs, come psychological dependence and a host of other symptoms that can set in, which actually can sometimes be worse than the symptoms that were present before taking the medication.

Natural remedies to help overcome depression and anxiety

5-HTP is a precursor to tryptophan that increases serotonin. 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. Several studies have found that doses of 150-3000 mg daily for 2-4 weeks can improve symptoms of depression. Some early research shows that 5-HTP may be as beneficial as conventional antidepressant therapy for some people. [Source]
St. John’s wort is most commonly used as a natural remedy for depression and symptoms, such as anxiety, tiredness, loss of appetite and trouble sleeping. It’s also used to treat heart palpitations, moodiness, the symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and symptoms of menopause.
Valerian root extract has been used to ease anxiety, and nervous restlessness since the second century A.D. It became popular in Europe in the 17th century. Some research suggests that valerian may help people with insomnia. The Food and Drug Administration listed valerian as “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS). For anxiety, 120 to 200 mg, 3 to 4 times per day. Extreme caution should be used if combining valerian with any medications that have sedative effects. [Source]
Cannabis is a medicinal herb and has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for depression, PTSD, and anxiety. The oral administration of the non-psychotropic, the substance that doesn’t get you “high”, cannabidiol or (CBD) which its extracts are made into an oil form is safe and well tolerated in humans, according to clinical trial data published online by the Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Design. The dry herb can be smoked, but we recommend vaporizing cannabis to lessen the inhalation from carbon particles that are released when ignited by a flame. [Source]
L-Theanine is a relaxing and non-dietary amino acid found pretty much exclusively in teas from Camellia sinensis (green tea) and is known to promote relaxation without sedation, as well as reducing stress at standard dosages. L-Theanine tends to be taken in the dosage of 100-250mg. Theanine may also have effects on the cardiovascular system and play a preventative role in cancer. Theanine is sold in the United States as a dietary supplement and has been granted GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status by the Food and Drug Administration. [Source]
Melatonin is the natural hormone your body secretes that helps to maintain your wake-sleep cycle (also called “biological clock”) and can help you sleep. It is synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan and then released into the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, crossing the blood-brain barrier. It sends messages to the melatonin receptor agonist in the brain and other areas of the body to help control the sleep and wake cycles. [Source]
B-Complex vitamins play a role in producing brain chemicals that affect mood and other brain functions. Low levels of B-12 and other B vitamins such as vitamin B-6 and folate may be linked to depression. [Source]
Omega-3 fatty acid has shown in studies that up 2 grams of EPA (omega-3 fatty acid) taken daily is sufficient for decreasing symptoms of several mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety with no side effects. [Source]
Kava has been consumed in many cultures because it is known to relieve anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia for centuries. Kava has a calming effect, producing brain wave changes similar to changes that occur with antianxiety drugs such as Valium, for example. Kava also can prevent convulsions and relax muscles. Although kava is not addictive, its effect may decrease with use. In several studies, kava is as effective as benzodiazepines in eliminating anxiety symptoms. [Source]

Overcoming depression and anxiety naturally

Although the natural treatment approach may outweigh the risks with conventional drugs, these natural substances can have side effects, especially when they’re combined with pharmaceutical drugs like antidepressants or benzodiazepines, which in combination, can sometimes bring about adverse side effects.

However, the safety records of natural remedies far surpass any drugs created by the pharmaceutical industry, especially in light of the FDA admitting that 106,000 people each year who take prescription drugs die from their use which they deemed “safe” prior to approving the drug. This ‘medical cartel’ has been engaged in massive criminal fraud, presenting their drugs as safe and effective across the board—when, in fact, these drugs have been killing and maiming huge numbers of people at a staggering rate.

The benefits of natural remedies, which have been used for thousands of years, have a fairly good safety record. Mind you, there are natural products that potentially may cause harm because of different factors including underlying diseases, age, drug/herbal interactions, etc., but the risk-benefit ratio clearly points to more benefit than risk when consuming a natural substance, especially when clinical data shows their relatively safe profile.

If you’re suffering from the debilitating symptoms of depression or anxiety, these tools can help put you on a path of healing. Healing our emotional state of mind can be more difficult than physical healing, though may not come overnight if you or someone you know is dealing with these kinds of issues, know that with the right treatment it is ‘fixable’ over time.

Consider the time that it took, perhaps months or years, which brought about depression and anxiety — it requires a dedicated approach over time to help heal the internal wounds.

However, if you’re in constant emotional agony and you find it hard to cope, seeking medical attention is essential to bring about fairly immediate relief; going to the emergency room at a hospital, or seeing your primary doctor may be the most beneficial thing you can do for yourself.

It’s also important to empathize with those that are close to the person who is going through these kinds of issues — they’re taking on the emotional rollercoaster with that person and can be very difficult for them too. Being gentle and kind to others prior to and while going through treatment can help advance the recovery/healing process.

Finding stability and feeling ‘normal’ again

After you’ve found the right medications that are right for you, and you then are stable enough and would like to get off of prescription medications after several months, you may consider trying the natural approach to sustaining your emotional stability. Though, you may still require antianxiety medication if needed to get you through the rough spots.

If you are considering tapering off of benzodiazepine medication like Xanax or Ativan, etc., your doctor may be unaware of The Ashton Manual, which in the UK is regarded as the pinnacle of information that has been compiled over the course of thirty years on how to taper off of benzodiazepine drugs safely, and put in an easy to understand tapering schedule and guidelines that can help reduces withdrawal symptoms.

If you’re trying to taper off of any medication, it’s always best to consult your doctor. However, medical doctors only know so much. They aren’t always versed in the traditional approaches to treating diseases and disorders, or how to taper patients off medication properly, especially those that have a high susceptibility to addiction like some antidepressants and antianxiety medication.

Assessing the risk-benefit ratio

Modern medicine has provided an immense amount of proven life-saving interventions like surgery, as well as drugs such as antibiotics and pain medication that can, in fact, save lives in many situations.

However, man-made synthetic prescription drugs, while they can save lives, don’t come without their inherent risks. There are now antibiotic-resistant strains of MRSA and other life-threatening infections that are no longer effective because of the overprescribed usage of antibiotic medications.

For the more common pain conditions like back pain, chronic headache, and fibromyalgia, opioids may offer some relief, though in some cases, the drug doesn’t help, but rather, cause severe constipation as well as dangerous sedation.

A person who takes an opioid can become cognitively impaired and confused. Taken as prescribed, opioids can be used to manage pain safely and effectively. However, when abused, even a single large dose can cause severe respiratory depression and death.

Antidepressants too don’t come without risks. There are 15 times more suicides among people taking prescription antidepressants than reported by the Food and Drug Administration, which issued a black-box warning on antidepressants more than a decade ago. The agency did so after conducting hundreds of studies involving nearly 100,000 patients that showed the rate of suicidal thinking or suicidal behavior doubled among those taking antidepressants to 4% of patients, up from 2% of patients given a placebo.

The risks of adverse events related to antidepressants come in all varieties. Some you could live with them, like dry mouth or an occasional headache. Others are quite severe and even life-threatening at times, although those are extremely rare.

Ultimately, we don’t know very well how these medications interact with the brain in the long-term. That means standard rules of medication still apply: You want to take the drug as long as necessary, but no longer. In the case of taking antidepressants to treat depression, that includes being careful not to stop too early either, which could cause a relapse – though relapses can occur in patients who take antidepressants daily, as prescribed.

Good things come in good time

It’s important to realize if you’re in the midst of a depressive/anxiety state and are taking prescription medications, it will take time for your brain to readjust. If you aren’t ready to jump back into your old routine again, it may be best to consider easing off those regular routines and focus on healing yourself until you’re emotionally stable enough to resume those activities.

It’s best not to put yourself in any kind of stressful situations, or surround yourself with people that are not serving you in the best possible way, or giving you what you need in this time of crisis. Friends, family, and emotional support are imperative to help you through the hard times. It won’t last, and you will get better (“this too shall pass”) — you just need some time until you feel better again, and the less stress, the better.

Also, not sticking to either a natural or pharmaceutical approach if you are depressed or anxious, and talk therapy with a psychologist just won’t cut it because it does take time to ‘retrain your brain’, to get you back to ‘normal’ again, can make it even that much harder and longer to recover. Whatever approach you take, just stick with what works best for you.

Prescription antidepressants and antianxiety drugs have their own positive and negative effects when taken, although they can provide people relief they may need to get them through profoundly stressful circumstances that led up to a point where they need urgent medical attention.

It’s also crucial to be aware of the alternative approaches to prescription medication, which have shown through clinical studies to be proven effective in certain people who are trying to overcome depression and anxiety naturally and find the relief they need to get their life back.

If you would like to try a natural supplement to help with your depression, anxiety, or sleep, we’ve put together a list below of herbal and natural supplements that can help depression, anxiety, and sleep issues.

The supplements are from one of our affiliate partners, Amazon. To read more about how affiliate links help sustain the cost of running this website and bring you articles like this, feel free to click here.

Natural supplements

If you are considering taking any herbal or natural supplement, especially if you’re taking prescription medication, you should discuss it with a pharmacist, therapist or medical doctor prior to taking them.

Bonus — Music as medicine

Music is one of the best things you can have in your life for your state of mind. While music has long been recognized as an effective form of therapy to provide an emotional outlet, the notion of using music to treat physical ailments is a relatively new domain. A wealth of new studies are touting the benefits of music on mental and physical health. For example, a meta-analysis of 400 studies found that music improves the body’s immune system function and reduces stress. Listening to music was also found to be more effective than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety before surgery. [Source]

Below is some very soothing meditation music that has proven benefits of lessening stress, and listening to it in combination to the breathing techniques I’ve outlined above, it absolutely can affect your state of mind in a very positive way. You can do this daily as needed.

When it’s all said and done, it is up to the individual to be their own best health advocate, because only they, and perhaps with the help of others, can find the answers to the questions they’ve been looking for that will finally set them on a path of healing.

Here’s to your good mental health!

If you liked this article, spread the word and share it, and leave us your thoughts in the comments below. We welcome your input!

The post 7 Secret Techniques to Overcome Depression and Anxiety Naturally appeared first on Natural Revolution.

This Video Will Challenge Everything You Know About Drugs

Steven Peters — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 20:47:10 +0000

Chris Hayes of MSNBC reports on the promising published results from research into LSD-assisted psychotherapy to treat anxiety associated with advanced-stage illness, to other drugs that have a wide scope of therapeutic applications to treat other mental health disorders.

“It’s evidence like this that tends to challenge the preconceived notions we have, or have been taught to have, toward illicit drugs,” notes Hayes.

Watch what Dr. Carl Hart says about the misconceptions about drugs that may blow your belief system out of the water.

The post This Video Will Challenge Everything You Know About Drugs appeared first on Natural Revolution.

NORML Debunks Latest Smear Campaign Against Cannabis

Steven Peters — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 19:32:31 +0000

As cannabis becomes more popular as being a legal way to medicate oneself in 24 states across the U.S., a tirade of news outlet who are dead-set against cannabis use in any form, are pushing out false information (propaganda) from a deeply flawed study which claims that it causes psychosis.

Paul Armentano, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) joins Thom Hartmann. This “study” claims that smoking will make you go crazy – as in psychotic crazy.

But what the majority of scientific research says about cannabis is actually contrary to the study’s claims, and in fact consuming cannabis improves mental health and other health benefits in the body.

Let us know what you think about this in the comments below. We welcome your input!

The post NORML Debunks Latest Smear Campaign Against Cannabis appeared first on Natural Revolution.

14 Signs You Have Anxiety and Don’t Know It

Steven Peters — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:23:21 +0000

The word ‘Anxiety’ seems like such a harmless word which begins with stress or any kind of chronic worrying, and when our minds are at a constant state of stress, anxiety can occur and cause havoc on the neuropathways in our brain that control the function of our body which then can translate into all kinds of adverse physical symptoms.

So, how do you know whether your anxiety is a serious mental health condition where it keeps you from doing activities — anything from solving a jigsaw puzzle to impairing your ability to do the daily tasks that you were once able to do?

“Anxiety is a normal emotion that almost everyone feels,” Lawrence D. Needleman, Ph.D., associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the Ohio State University Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. “But if it is persistent, and it’s interfering with important aspects of their lives, then people should seek attention for it.”

Although common physical conditions might be easy to diagnose with a number of tests, mental health disorders tend to be more complicated. In fact, doctors diagnose less than half of patients who meet the criteria for psychological disorders, according to the World Health Organization. Medical professionals often under diagnosed because they haven’t had sufficient training with mental illness, Dr. Needleman said.

But patients also need to seek out help. Though it may be difficult to even admit we may have anxiety if we are unaware of the full spectrum of symptoms that are associated with it.

“People who are suffering might not bring their problem to someone’s attention because of shame or embarrassment,” added Dr. Needleman. “(Patients) might also not recognize what their problem is — they might not realize it’s an underlying anxiety disorder.”

Anxiety can be a normal reaction of the body. For example, if you are hiking and run into a bear, the anxiety you experience will help you get away. This is a normal response, but at times our mind and bodies can experience anxiety from abnormal responses.

Approximately 40 million adults in the United States have some type of anxiety disorder, and much more might not realize it. Deciphering how your thoughts, feelings, and fears compare to the average person can be difficult.

What symptoms of anxiety might you have without realizing it?

Overreactions to Stress

“Anxious thoughts or anxiety-provoking thoughts can often have to do with anticipating some negative or catastrophic event in the future,” said Dr. Needleman. “So people with anxiety disorder tend to overestimate these events or catastrophes and underestimate their resources.”

Difficulty Relaxing

An inability to relax, ease the mind of concerns and constantly carrying around stress could be a sign of an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. If stress-reducing techniques work for others but don’t work for you, a stronger treatment might be required to treat a possible anxiety disorder.

Easily Startled

Jumping out of your chair at a showing of Paranormal Activity happens to plenty of people, and is not necessarily a sign of anxiety disorders. But experts classify an “exaggerated” startle response as a sign of anxiety, according to the NIMH.

Frequently feeling on edge and startled by even the slightest, unexpected event could mean you have an exaggerated startle response and perhaps anxiety.

Difficulty Concentrating

A primary symptom of several mental health disorders, staying focused and concentrating on a task can be difficult for people living with anxiety disorders.

Trouble Falling or Staying Asleep

Sleeping problems and anxiety often go hand in hand. Not only can a lack of sleep worsen anxiety symptoms, but also difficulty sleeping can be a sign of anxiety disorders.

A racing mind of thoughts when trying to fall asleep can be problematic. It can cause us to get inconsistent sleep and can upset our circadian rhythm, which is the rhythm that helps our bodies cycle sleep effectively. If you can’t ‘shut off’ your mind when trying to fall asleep, or you just can’t fall asleep because of this, there’s a good chance you have anxiety.

Feelings of Unreality

“Something people with anxiety experience is a feeling of unreality,” explained Dr. Needleman. “They feel detached from themselves or sometimes even feel out of the body.”

Headaches

Anxiety disorders cause painful problems that many physical and mental conditions share. Identifying these as signs of anxiety, rather than other disorders, could be difficult, but a combination of these symptoms could represent an anxiety disorder.

“Many of the physical symptoms in isolation might just lead people to think they have headaches for whatever reason, or nausea because of a stomach bug,” said Dr. Needleman.

Generalized anxiety disorder can cause migraine headaches with severe pain felt on one or both sides of the head, just behind an eye or ear, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Muscle Aches and Tension

People with anxiety can commonly experience chronic pain, including diseases like arthritis and fibromyalgia. Symptoms of these conditions include pain, stiffness, inflammation, and damage to joint cartilage.

Throat Problems

Feeling like something is stuck in your throat is known as globus hystericus. Stress and anxiety can cause this sensation, in addition to a feeling of tightness in the throat. These can contribute to difficulty swallowing.

Trembling

Trembling and shaking can be a symptom of anxiety, especially if a person feels like they can’t stop themselves. Tremors can be more pronounced when resting or trying to sleep, according to the Anxiety Centre.

Sweating

Sweating before a presentation doesn’t instantly mean a person has an anxiety disorder. But anxiety sweating can be a sign of a larger disorder if it is also associated with constant problems relaxing.

Nausea

Stress, fear, and anxiety can cause a number of stomach and intestinal distress, including nausea. These mental health conditions cause the body to function abnormally, resulting in an unsettled feeling in the stomach.

Urge Incontinence

Anxiety can cause frequent trips to the bathroom, especially for women, according to a study from Leicestershire MRC Incontinence Study Group. Researchers found that more than half of the study participants with urge incontinence showed other symptoms of anxiety.

Shortness of Breath

Anxiety itself can already be troubling, but when that anxiety affects the way you feel about your own health, it becomes a tremendous burden. It’s not uncommon for many people suffering from anxiety and anxiety attacks to feel as though they have health issues, and one of the main contributing symptoms is a shortness of breath.

Shortness of breath is a common symptom of an anxiety disorder, especially if anxiety affects the way you breathe. In this article, we’ll take a look at the causes of shortness of breath, how to cope with it, and how to prevent it from occurring.

Causes of Short of Breath from Anxiety

Shortness of breath can be frightening. In some cases, shortness of breath causes anxiety, while in others, shortness of breath is caused by anxiety. Many times it is both.

To get an idea if your shortness of breath is related to an anxiety disorder, take the free 7-minute anxiety test developed specifically to give you a snapshot of your anxiety.

Anxiety related breathing issues tend to be a result of hyperventilation. Hyperventilation is also known as “over-breathing,” and it occurs when your body is receiving too much oxygen and is expelling too much carbon dioxide.

Hyperventilation is the physiological symptoms that occur when you have chronic anxiety.

Even though the bodies need oxygen, healthy carbon dioxide levels are still important. When you are taking in too much air and letting out too much oxygen, it can cause your body to feel like you’re not breathing enough. Anxiety hyperventilation is often caused by one of two issues:

Breathing too fast, such as during an anxiety attack when your body is in fight or flight mode.
Thinking about your breathing, which may cause trigger anxiety and you then take in more air than you need.

The term “fight or flight” describes a mechanism in the body that enables humans and animals to mobilize a lot of energy rapidly in order to cope with threats to survival.

Shortness of breath from anxiety or any other stress-related disorder is the brain’s way of trying to relax or calm down from the perceived thoughts of stress or threatening situation puts a person in a fight or flight response, and if it’s chronic, shortness of breath can occur from almost any thought.

Even though the fight or flight response is automatic, it isn’t always accurate. In fact, most of the time when the fight or flight response is triggered it is a false alarm — there is no real threat to survival. The part of the brain that initiates the automatic part of the fight or flight response, the amygdala, can’t distinguish between a real threat and a perceived threat, or stressful situation.

Breath is one of the most powerful factors that affect our mind and our body’s ability to sustain homeostasis which is the tendency of the body to seek and maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium within its internal environment, even when faced with external changes.

If breathing is such that it isn’t allowing a normal breathing cycle for the body to function properly and calmly, a host of medical conditions can present themselves. One of those is Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD).

VCD has long been strongly associated with a variety of psychological or psychogenic factors, including conversion disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, stress, physical and sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and panic attacks. [Source]

Heart Symptoms

Symptoms of anxiety can also mimic those of certain heart diseases. These are natural body responses that help us on a very basic level to escape from danger or harm. They allow the body to respond quickly and in a heightened way. They also cause the heart rate to elevate quickly and the force of each beat to increase.

There are a number of abnormal heart rhythms that come from the upper heart chambers. When these rhythms are fast (over 100 beats per minute) they are called supraventricular tachycardias or SVTs. These abnormal rhythms can occur in completely normal hearts as well as in people that have had prior heart injuries or problems. In some people, they are a random event and not provoked by exercise or other activities.

These abnormal rhythms can occur in completely normal hearts as well as in people that have had prior heart injuries or problems. In some people, they are a random event and not provoked by exercise or other activities.

Anxiety, however, can often cause symptoms of palpitations, lightheadedness, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and at times passing out. Many people who experience these kinds of heart symptoms believe that they are having signs of a heart attack or some other heart-related disease.

When they go to the hospital and get their heart tested, the results usually come back as negative for anything related to heart disease.

The light at the end of the tunnel

Stress in its chronic state can come from the most normal activities or thoughts and can manifest into physical symptoms as outlined above. At this point, you’re in a constant state of fight or flight mode and require some form of intervention, whether it’s from breathing techniques, medications, cognitive behavioral therapy or other psychological counseling, or a combination of these.

When symptoms present themselves to the point that they are interfering with your everyday life and activities, it’s essential to find a qualified practitioner who can treat and manage these kinds of brain-related issues.

Also, no amount of “research” on the internet will ever be able to provide a person with what a practitioner with a medical degree can offer from the 8-10 years of medical schooling, 3-5 years of medical internship, and many years of professional hands-on experience with patients that have these kinds of issues.

You may run into medical doctors who may not be well versed in your particular situation, and you very well might be face to face with a quack practicing medicine at some point, and they are out there, however, if you search out other practitioners who you can respect, perhaps a naturopathic doctor or counselor who specializes in behavioral health, you may be able to find the relief you’re looking for.

Did you enjoy this article? If so, share it and let us know what you think in the comments below. We welcome your input!

Sources:

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