The other excellent read for anyone who has experienced depression or anxiety is “The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions – Today,” by Julia Ross, M.A. This book is a powerful discourse in nutrition and brain chemistry. Yes, all the biochemistry stuff that’s so hard to grok – but she breaks it down very simply. First, she helps to identify, through a behavioral questionnaire, which of the neurotransmitters is in short supply: serotonin, catecholamines, GABA, or endorphins. Then she explores which missing nutrients or depleting factors are responsible for their short supply.
Although all of these neurotransmitters are important, I’m going to focus here exclusively on serotonin, because it is probably the most commonly deficient and the most commonly prescribed for. This neurotransmitter is found largely in the GI tract. It is synthesized from tryptophan, and it is the predominant regulator of mood, appetite and sleep. Aside from the mood symptoms I cited at the beginning of this article, physical indicators of serotonin deficiency may include 1) gut problems, 2) heart problems, 3) sleep problems, 4) fibromyalgia and other chronic pain, and 5) cravings, especially in the evenings, for carbs, alcohol, and certain drugs. (Are you getting the picture of why Ross thinks its deficiency is epidemic?)
So, first of all – where has all your serotonin gone? Ross cites 5 not-too-surprising causes. Serotonin is depleted:
Okay, you must read her book to get the whole story on all this, but a quick glance at this list should tell you why we have epidemic levels of depression, given what’s now known as the Standard American Diet – which is also appropriately acronymmed “SAD.”
So. What does Ross recommend to correct serotonin deficiency – aside from the predictable less stress, more exercise and more sunlight or full-spectrum light? Well, she gives lots of information about three over-the-counter supplements and one well-known herb. The supplements she recommends are the unmemorable sci-fi names 5-HTP and SAM-e, also the oldie-but-goodie, tryptophan, and the herb is St-John’s-wort.
The relatively new 5-HTP (5-hydroxy-tryptophan) is an inexpensive pill made from an African bean and it is widely available in health food stores. Give the body enough tryptophan and it makes its own 5-HTP, which it then converts to serotonin, and the brain gets happy. The benefits of 5-HTP have been widely studied and published, and compared favorably in clinical trials alongside Prozac and other antidepressant drugs.
A good chunk of the serotonin-starved population respond well to 5-HTP, but a small percentage of them do not. It doesn’t seem to harm anyone, aside from making them queasy – it just doesn’t relieve their symptoms. For these individuals, another amino acid is available with a longer history: tryptophan, the precursor to 5-HTP.
Remember tryptophan, folks? It was the go-to happy pill in the late 70s and early 80s. Everyone was taking it and magazine articles extolled its helpfulness. Pharmaceutical companies couldn’t get a foothold in the market with antidepressant drugs, in fact, because tryptophan was easy, cheap, harmless, and worked for nearly everybody and worked quickly. Trouble came to paradise one day in 1989, however, when a Japanese amino acid manufacturer sent a bad batch of tryptophan to the US. This batch killed over 40 people, made many people ill, and got a LOT of press. Despite the facts that that particular manufacturer went out of business and that all other manufacturers upped their (already unblemished) quality control standards, tryptophan became persona non grata in American medicine cabinets. This was good news only for the pharmaceutical companies, who now gained entry to a waiting market – and the last two decades have been VERY good for them.
In Europe, the popularity of tryptophan never waned, and in fact in recent years, thanks to scientific conferences and research in Europe, much has been published on the successful use of tryptophan to treat “resistant” depression.
St-John’s-Wort is an herb that has also gotten a tarnished reputation in America, although for a different reason. This lovely herb has been used as a safe and reliable antidepressant for 30 years, and in parts of Europe it still outsells pharmaceuticals – why is this not true not here? American marketing practices. It happens sometimes that once an herb gets a little recognition in this country, manufacturers jump on the bandwagon and start making it available to discount pharmacies at very low prices – which typically means they are using low-quality herb, the wrong parts of the plant, and insufficient strength. (The US doesn’t have the truth-in-labeling restrictions that are more common in Europe.) When consumers try the Walmart version of the herb, with no other experience of it, they say “It did nothing to help me.” Poor old St-John’s-Wort was one such casualty. Ross cites quite a bit of current research to restore the reputation of this extremely useful herb – taken in proper dosage, and from a reliable manufacturer.
All authors Ross, Breggin, and Cohen recommend working with a qualified practitioner to make the journey out of depression and anxiety. Another reason cited for failure in the use of supplements is that consumers will often self-prescribe – since most of these are available over-the-counter – and without feedback about proper dosages, lab work, duration of treatment, etc., they determine that they aren’t seeing results. All authors acknowledge that it takes time – something that, sadly, most MDs are no longer allowed. And nutritional rehab takes dedication on the part of the patient – something that requires willingness. But they all do agree that it is possible for everyone to “lift the dark cloud” without resorting to chemicals.
Do you have a tendency to see the glass half-empty? Are you often worried or anxious? Do you have feelings of low self-esteem, low confidence, self-criticism or guilt? Are you obsessive – with work, computer games, drugs, other? Do you routinely crave sweet snacks at night, or alcohol or marijuana at night? Have you experienced fibromyalgia or TMJ?
The above questions are those used to determine whether a person can be diagnosed as “depressed” – most specifically, “depressed due to low serotonin.” Chances are, if you’ve answered “Yes” to many of those questions in a doctor’s office, you’ve been prescribed an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication. Now… I don’t want to open a can of worms here (i.e., provoke an endless online debate) about the relative merits of antidepressant prescriptions. I just want to put forward some information I’ve gleaned from two very useful books I’ve read recently.
I started this inquiry after hearing about three absolutely tragic events this summer, most probably attributable to side effects from anti-anxiety medications. I know I’m citing anecdotal incidents – not clinical trials – but three incidents in one summer involving a close friend and two tangential friends -- these got my attention. Anyway, I found myself wondering, once again, “Since people are aware of the harmful side effects of antidepressant/anxiety meds, why are they still taking them? Why are doctors still prescribing them?” And the simple answers to those questions, as you probably know are 1) desperation, 2) lack of better (known) options, and 3) “follow the money.”
Item # 1 in that list is self-evident. Item # 3 – you’ve all heard my rant on this, so I will spare you at this time. It’s item #2 I’ll be discussing here. What other options are available, yet less well known?
The two books I mentioned have been around for a while, published in 2000 and 2002 respectively, but they’ve just now popped into my reading list. “Your Drug May be Your Problem: How and Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications,” was written by two M.D.s, Peter R. Breggin and David Cohen. Now, if you’ve read the title and you’re currently taking some psychiatric med, you undoubtedly think that I want you to stop taking it. NO. I love you and I don’t want you to do anything injurious to yourself or to anyone else. But information is power, and this book is a wealth of information. It presents a well-researched history of all types of psych meds – SSRIs, MAOIs, etc – their mechanisms, known uses, their positive and their adverse effects, plus the roles of the FDA, the media, the pharma companies, etc. And yes: it does give blueprints for the safe withdrawal from most known medications, for those who want to go there. (I’m not advising you try this without the help of a qualified health practitioner.)
One of the most important concepts I gleaned from this book was the fact that people taking psychiatric meds become, in the authors’ words, “spellbound by drugs” in a phenomenon known as “intoxication anosognosia.” “Anosognosia” means the inability to recognize illness in oneself. In other words, people taking them often feel themselves to be functioning better – and often fail to recognize impaired mental function in themselves – even when the people closest to them observe impairment or at the very least will say, “He/she still seems depressed.” Often, in fact, a person who has been taking antidepressants for a long time is likely to say,” Well yes, I am still depressed … but just imagine how I’d be if I weren’t taking the drugs!”
For my part, the “placebo effect” – a drug makes you THINK you’re better, even if clinically you’re not – does have some usefulness. In the absence of side effects, my thoughts are “What the heck. Feeling better is feeling better – who cares if it’s just a placebo!” But with psych meds, the side effects are often real, potent, dangerous, and well-concealed from the public. Okay. ‘Nuf said. Next post – review of a book that presents nutritional and herbal approaches to depression and anxiety.
My first blogpost! I’m inspired because one of my favorite herbalists, Kerry Bone, is going to be here on September 26th at the Austin Centre for Wellness. I probably have a crush on him because he’s Australian, but I also have tremendous admiration for him (along with several other long-time herbalists) because of his dedication to bringing a very old science into modern quality standards. He is the founder of MediHerb, one of the herbal lines we carry.
This post is taken directly from one of Kerry Bone’s lectures, and it is for any of you contemplating surgery. We alternative practitioners do everything we can to avoid surgery, but sometimes it’s just the last and best option. This article, “The 5 Herbs You Need to Know About Before Going Under the Knife,” will prepare you for the quickest possible healing. Spoiler alert: I’ll tell you what they are first, for those of you who don’t want to read the entire article. They are milk thistle (silymarin), echinacea, grape seed extract, gingko biloba, and gotu kola. These will 1) minimize the effects of general anesthesia, 2) minimize the risk of post-surgical DVT, and 3) speed up your body’s self-healing powers.
In Kerry Bone’s words:
“The first thing on your pre-surgery to-do list is to make sure any herbs you’re using are safe, and that they don’t interact with anesthetic drugs. Therefore, most herbs should be discontinued about one week prior to surgery – with the exception of milk thistle, which can offset one of the most debilitating aspects of surgery: the side effects of general anesthesia.
“The longer the surgical procedure, the more likely it is that one will experience these effects. But milk thistle (Silybum marianum) reduces the risk my minimizing the impact of anesthesia on the whole body, especially the liver. I recommend starting the herb about three weeks prior to surgery, continue taking it right up to the day before, and then pick up as soon as possible afterwards.
“The dosage amounts depend on the anticipated length of the procedure. For surgery up to two hours, I recommend 600 mg per day, and you should continue taking it for four weeks after surgery. If it’s between two and four hours, I would recommend 800 mg per day, continued for six weeks after. And for any surgery longer than four hours, I would still recommend 800 mg per day, but continued for two to three months post-surgery.
“Keep in mind that milk thistle primarily protects the liver against toxic insult and is very safe. In fact there’s no evidence to suggest that it interacts with drugs by speeding up the rate at which the liver metabolizes them, so it won’t adversely interact with the anesthetics.
“Without the miracle of the body’s own healing, all surgery would be lethal. So enhancing the healing response should be a major priority for any patient who has just undergone any surgery.
“Immune support is one of the key aspects of improving healing. Major surgery also suppresses natural killer (NK) cell activity. These two factors make Echinacea root the ideal herb to use post-surgically, given what we now know about its ability to boost innate immunity and NK cell production and activity. I recommend between 2.5 and 5 g of good quality Echinacea root per day, depending on the severity of the surgery and the risk of infection.
“But equally important is the use of herbs that promote blood flow to connective tissue in areas that have been operated on. Grape seed extract has a number of actions related to healing, including the support of connective tissue by protecting collagen and elastin. And in clinical trials, grape seed extract has been shown to support microcirculation and improve capillary resistance. It also improves venous function, reducing edema (swelling) and improving venous tone, which helps reduce the risk of post-surgical deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). I recommend 100 to 150 mg of grape seed extract per day.
“There is also clinical evidence that suggests Gingko biloba leaf extract helps improve microcirculation. It combines well with grape seed extract, so I typically recommend 100 to 150 mg per day of a 50:1 leaf extract.
“Like grape seed extract, gotu kola (Centella asiatica) also helps strengthen veins and capillaries, so it’s likely that it can help minimize the risk of post-surgical DVT as well. But the area where this underestimated herb really shines is in wound-healing. In fact, it’s been the subject of numerous clinical trials that testify to its ability to boost healing –even when all else has failed.
“The production of new connective tissue is probably the most important aspect of healing, and gotu kola is the only herb that stands out in this area. Clinical trials have established that the active fraction from the herb that improves microcirculation, production of connective tissue, and overall wound healing. In fact, studies have shown that it actually speeds up the healing process, especially in terms of production and strengthening connective tissue.
“These effects have been noted after surgical procedures and traumatic injuries. Clinical trials have also proven that gotu kola helps correct and prevent the formation of scar tissue. The daily dose of gotu kola I suggest following surgery is 7.5 to 15 g per day.
Recap:
Milk thistle (silymarin) – Starting 3 weeks prior to surgery, take right up to the day and as soon as possible thereafter. Surgery up to 2 hours: 3 tablets daily, continue 4 weeks after. Between 2 and 4 hours: 4 tablets daily, continue 6 weeks after. Longer than 4 hours: 4 tablets daily, continue 2-3 months after.
Echinacea – After surgery, 1-2 teaspoons Echinacea Premium 1:2 liquid extract per day, OR 2-4 tablets Echinacea Premium per day.
Gotu kola, grape seed extract, and gingko biloba – After surgery, 4 tablets Gotu Kola Complex per day.
P.S. I followed Kerry Bone’s prescription after my own hip surgery, and brothers and sisters, I can testify!