Depression

Did you know that depression is on the rise in greater and greater numbers than ever before? Do you ever wonder why that is so? Do you suffer from depression, or at least from those symptoms that are generally diagnosed as depression?  Did you know that if you do suffer from depression, there is a way out of it for you and you don’t have to go the “prescribed drug ‘ route? Do you know what depression really is? Doesn’t Mr. & Mrs. Doctor tell us that depression is a mental and/or emotional problem? Do you believe that to be so?

 

Do you know what to look for in a depressed person? The symptoms of depression are many and varied. They include insomnia, lethargy, chronic fatigue syndrome, anger and irritability, sadness, feelings of worthless and despair, loss of appetite, headaches, backaches, to mention but a few.

There is depression, then there is major depression, there is manic depression and there is depression with chronic fatigue. And there is help and hope for them all.

Let’s consider some aspects of that condition we have come to call depression. It can be caused by any number of a wide variety of factors. Conventional dictates will say that depression may be caused by such condition as stress, headaches, tension, thyroid disorders, allergies or even seasonal effective disorders. Rather, these are all what I feel are symptoms, not causes, of depression.

Depression begins with an upset and/or imbalance of body chemistry, especially in the brain. The first disturbance usually manifests itself in that part of the brain that governs moods. Most people can handle it and continue on their way and are readily able to adjust to the pressures presented. It is when the stress becomes too great or is consistent that depression will be triggered.

Certain outward manifestations to be aware of would be such things as a markedly diminished interest in any of your usual activities, even including sexual relations, a significant weight loss or gain, or even a change in appetite, fatigue or loss of memory and concentration, recurrent thoughts of suicide or death. And this can hit any age group.

Depression starts out as being strictly physical and, while almost everyone in our culture today at one time or another will suffer from a mild form of depression, we need to look at our lifestyles and see what those factors of cause are. Do not most people’s dietary lifestyles today leave much to be desired? I’ve watched in the supermarkets what people put into their shopping buggies and it tells me so very much about the health of that family or person in general. So many people today just simply drag themselves around with such great effort. If I had to say what I see people lacking the most of today, I would have to say it is energy.

There are some who become more depressed in the winter than at any other time of the year because of lack of sunshine. The days are shorter and darkness comes so much earlier. Sunshine provides the body with certain nutrients that trigger a response by the pineal gland to produce melatonin, a hormone in the brain which, in part, helps to prevent experiencing the “blues”. Interestingly enough, research has revealed that just a couple of hours of early morning sunshine will go a long way to lifting depression. We also need to take a sincere look at our diets. So many diets today are lacking in such things as folic acid and vitamin B complex, both of which figure prominently in what we would call depression. I think you’ll agree that foods do greatly influence our behaviour. When we have poor eating habits and snack on a lot of junk foods, we are messing up our brains’ neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, GABA, norepinephrine, etc.

When the brain has a healthy production of serotonin, for example, we find that we are not affected much by tension. When the brain has a healthy production of norepinephrine or dopamine, we tend to think and act more alertly and have quicker responses to what’s going on around us.

At a physiological and neurochemical level, these neurotransmitters become extremely important. They, along with the acetylcholine chloride molecule, carry impulses from nerve to nerve. A most important precursor to the serotonin molecule is the amino acid, tryptophan, which is readily available in turkey and whole grains, for example, as well as fish (especially salmon) and fish oils. If you are nervous or uptight and wish to become more relaxed, then you should consume more carbohydrates. If you are tired and wish to become more alert and want more energy, then you should consume more protein than carbohydrates.

We’ve talked about certain areas of nutrition but, in the final analysis, what is the most important aspect of all this? First, shouldn’t we keep the body clean and therefore in a constant state of self repair? You’ve heard me say this many times before but it never hurts to reiterate these important facts. I know most of you out there in YU-CCAN land are quite health conscious and take as good nutritional care of yourselves as you can, and that, of course, is important. It is so much easier for the body to be a good state of repair when it is clean internally. Then the body doesn’t have to focus on getting rid of the wastes, which tend to accumulate in the body. We are doing that ourselves be maintaining a reasonably good and healthy lifestyle.

Depression and chronic fatigue tend to go hand in hand, and while it may not be considered as serious as major depression or manic depression, it sure does rob from the quality of life. It has so much to do with physical and chemical imbalances within the body. Adopting a regular schedule that provides adequate rest, and exercise, not overworking, avoiding alcohol, illicit drugs and excessive caffeine products, as well as eating a balanced diet with regular meals and proper nutrition, will take you a long way to dealing with depression.

As always, I recommend the YU-CCAN products because of the tremendous job they do in helping to keep the body clean, as well as giving the body so many nutrients with which to work. Over the years, I have seen the tremendous boost that they have provided in helping so many people get back on the track to good health and well-being.

P.S. Yes, dear friends in YU-CCAN land, in every article that I have contributed to the YU-CCAN SUCCESS EXPRESS, you will see that I am quite biased – and right well I should be! The integrity behind the production of the YU-CCAN products is second to none, as I have had the opportunity to observe personally. And the results I’ve seen with literally thousands of patients using the products over the years, have shown me beyond a shadow of a doubt that these products have a bright and sure future ahead in assisting us with keeping up good health.