HEAL YOUR ANXIETY & DEPRESSION… NATURALLY

CLINICAL ANXIETY & DEPRESSION

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

These are the most prevalent of mental disorders, 1/6 of all Americans suffer from anxiety and/or depression, only 50% of sufferers seek professional treatment

The costs run into $ Billions of healthcare dollars annually

Exists in all cultures and crosses all socio-economic lines

60% of all suicides in USA can be traced back to depression

Hindu writings dating back to 1500 BC detail anxiety and depression

The Old Testament describes King Saul’s severe depression and suicide

Ancients thought it was caused by evil spirits, they thought they could they would release them by drilling holes in the skull

There has been little progress in treatment for the past 1,700 years

Depression (from the latin verb deprimere, to press down)

The Birth of Neurotransmitters

The human brain is extraordinarily complex:

Adult brain: 100 billion brain cells, with an average of 1,000 synaptic connections per cell

Every thought, action, and emotion involves communications between brain cells triggered by special chemicals called NEUROTRANSMITTERS

What Is A Neurotransmitter?

Neurotransmitters are chemicals signals that are released from a presynaptic nerve cell (sender) in the central nervous system into the synapse. The chemical signals bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron (or other type of receiving cell, such as muscle or gland). The type of receptor determines how the message is received and passed along.

• Neurotransmitters affect the whole body:
  • Mentally – concentration, focus, learning ability
  • Physically – sleep, cardiac function, metabolism/weight
  • Emotionally – mood, behavior, social attitude
  • They exist in the brain, intestines, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and certain glands.

How Are Neurotransmitters Produced in the Body?

• Most neurotransmitter production begins with an amino acid from the diet or from another chemical that is already present in the brain or intestines. Different amino acids are precursors for different neurotransmitters and the receptors they bind to.
• Enzymes (genetic defects can stop production of these enzymes), SAMe and nutrients are required to convert the amino acid into the needed brain chemical.
• B vitamins, along with minerals, vitamin D and others, play a critical role in brain health and in the manufacture of all your neurotransmitters.

By the mid 1970’s most scientific and medical experts agreed the dominant cause of most mental illness involved genetic or acquired chemical imbalances that alter brain functioning.

Psychiatry focus now was on:
Neurotransmitters, receptors and the molecular biology of the brain

Digestive Dysfunction Impacts Body’s Ability to Utilize Nutrients

• Impaired digestion makes it difficult for the body to convert protein/amino acids into neurotransmitters.
• Even with adequate amounts of amino acids/protein consumed, poor digestion can hinder nutrient assimilation and absorption in the small intestine, leading to impaired ability to create neurotransmitters.
  • Poor digestive functioning may be caused by lack of proper enzymes and/or HCl levels, imbalance in gut flora, inflammation, and conditions like leaky gut, colitis, IBS.
  • Acid suppressors and proton pump inhibitors inhibit the body’s ability to properly break down protein, so these do not solve the problem!

Brief Overview of Common Neurotransmitters

• Serotonin – Sleep cycle, depression, anxiety, PMS, temperature regulation, pain suppression, appetite
• Dopamine – Focus, attention, memory, motivation, drive, mood, addictive disorders, voluntary movement
• Norepinephrine – Energy, drive, stimulation, “fight or flight” response, insomnia, anxiety
• Epinephrine – “Fight or Flight response”, metabolism, energy, depression, cognitive function
• GABA – reduces excess stimulation
• Glutamate – agitation, sleeplessness, depression when low

Measuring the Neurotransmitters

At the Natural Medicine Institute, we use:

 Urine testing to measure the neurotransmitters

• Simple urine test done in the privacy of your own home and then set to a lab for analysis

• Humans share 99.9% of their DNA; it’s the 0.1% that makes us different.
• Our unique DNA determines our eye color, gender, ethnicity, and many physical and mental characteristics.
• DNA differences also cause great variations in our innate biochemistry and our susceptibility to disease and illness including anxiety and depression.

Research Database Findings

Laboratory testing of 30,000 mental health patients and controls.

• More than 3 million lab assays for ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, anxiety, autism, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.
• > 2 million medical history factors.

“There are striking blood/urine chemistry differences between mental illness populations and the rest of society.”

Walsh WJ (2012). Nutrient Power. Skyhorse Publishing. New York, NY. CraytonJW, Walsh WJ (2007). J Trace Elements Med Biol. 21:17-21.

A Much Different Approach to the Treatment of Anxiety and Depression is the:

Nutrient Therapy Approach

• Extensive medical and mental health, family history
• Lab testing of blood, urine, saliva
• Diagnosis of metabolic and nutrient imbalances
• Design of individualized nutrient treatment.
• Pfeiffer’s Law: “For every drug that benefits a patient, there are natural substances that can achieve the same effect.”
• More than 300 important nutrients in human biochemistry.
• Some nutrients have powerful impacts on serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, GABA, and neurotransmission.
• Our nutrient therapies focus on normalizing blood and brain levels of these nutrients.

The Good News

• Nine nutrient imbalances dominate mental disorders,
• These key nutrients are essential for either Neurotransmitter synthesis or regulation
• Initial lab testing and clinical treatment focus on these factors.

High-Incidence Imbalances in Mental Disorders

Methylation Disorder

Zinc Depletion

Copper Overload

Folate Deficiency or Overload

Pyrrole Disorder

Toxic-Metal Overload

EPA, DHA, and/or AA Deficiency

The Power of Nutrients and their affects

1. Neurotransmitter synthesis
2. Epigenetic regulation of gene expression
3. Influence Neurotransmitter reuptake processes
4. Protection against oxidative stress

Magnesium found to treat DEPRESSION better than antidepressant drugs: New science

A breakthrough nutritional study conducted at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and published in PLoS ONE has found that just 248mg of magnesium per day leads to an astounding reversal of depression symptoms in study subjects.*

Pyrrole disorder, also known as Pyroluria, or Mauve disorder:

This is a urine test that checks for a biochemical imbalance involving an abnormality in hemoglobin synthesis that can be purely genetic or acquired through environmental and emotional stress and especially from dysbiosis & ‘leaky gut syndrome’ and the over use of antibiotics.

• Some persons are born with low levels of natural antioxidants like glutathione etc.
• Illness, injury, or emotional trauma can produce oxidative stress.
• Exposure to toxic metals, pesticides, and industrial pollutants increases oxidative stress.
• Excessive oxidative stress has been observed in 95+ percent of mental disorder patients.
• Most behavior, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and psychosis patients need strong antioxidant support.

Fatty Acid Imbalance

More than 300 fats in the human body and brain. The brain is 80% fat (dry weight)

Saturated and unsaturated fats are especially important

Low Fat/No fat diet is a HUGE MISTAKE

Brain synapses- 4 fats make up 90% of the lipid content:

DHA (DOCOSAHEXANOIC ACID) DEFICIENCY: depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, dementia

EPA  (EICOSAPENTANOIC ACID)

AA (ARACHIDONIC ACID)

DGLA (DIHOMO-GAMMA-LINOLEIC ACID)

At the Natural Medicine Institute we use:

The Only Nutritional & Functional Brain Health Assessment
Measure the Health & Function of the Brain & Nervous System

Structural Brain Health Biomarkers

Omega-3 Index
Omega-6/3 Ratio
Trans Fat Index
Palmitic Acid Index

Functional Brain Measurements

Focus/Attention
Memory
Processing Speed
Cognitive Flexibility

Comprehensive NeuroHealth Score

Objective measurement of the health of your central nervous system with actionable results that empower improvement.