Anxiety, Stress And Depression

Research shows that those who suffer from depression respond better to their treatment if they have high levels of vitamin B12 in their blood.

People diagnosed with depression may have lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

Some experts consider certain nutritional supplements to be helpful for those who have bipolar disorder (manic depression). These include fish oil and certain amino acids.

Several companies on the market have developed nutritional supplement that specifically treat a variety of mental health problems.

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, may hold the key to naturally easing depression.
In the past, studies have shown that in countries where large amounts of fish are consumed, rates of depression are low as compared with countries where little fish is consumed. This has led researchers to examine whether omega-3 fats found in the fish are responsible for the decreased evidence of depression.

The researchers then conducted an additional experiment on nine men using an oral daily dose of 400 or 800 mg of PS or a placebo for 10 days prior to exercise. The research team found that, compared to placebo, the plasma cortisol response to exercise was about 16 percent lower for the 400 mg dose of PS and 30 percent lower for the 800 mg dose. These findings show that, in healthy people, PS can lessen the severity of the stress response to exercise.2

New research has found that people with depression who received a daily dose of 1 gram of an omega-3 fatty acid for 12 weeks experienced a decrease in their symptoms, such as sadness, anxiety and sleeping problems.

The United States Patent Office delayed issuing a patent on the Wright brothers’ airplane for five years because it broke accepted scientific principles. This is actually true. And so is this: Vitamin B-3, niacin, is scientifically proven to be effective against psychosis, and yet the medical profession has delayed endorsing it. Not for five years, but for fifty.

When we were conducting the double blind experiments to test vitamin B-3 for treating schizophrenics I discovered that for a while we were no longer admitting any schizophrenic patients to the Munro Wing, the psychiatric ward of the General Hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The over-the-counter dietary supplement SAM-e ("SAMMY") shows promise as an alternative treatment to prescription drugs for depression and osteoarthritis and may help some chronic liver conditions, according to an Evidence Report Summary on the supplement released this week.

It is becoming clear that folic acid affects mood and thinking, especially in older individuals

Most people prefer to look on the bright side of life, and new research suggests that such people may try to maintain that viewpoint by steering clear of their pessimistic peers.

Unlike tryptophan, 5-HTP has been shown to increase brain dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) activity. These are two key mood and alertness regulating neurotransmitters, and when tyrosine, the amino-acid precursor for brain DA/NA is given along with 5-HTP, the effect is even more powerful.

Pregnenolone has been studied extensively since the 1940's, when it was used both experimentally and medically. Experiments conducted in the 1940's and 1950's found pregnenolone to increase productivity and reduce the stress of factory workers, and to be an excellent anti-inflammatory in conditions such as, arthritis and allergies. Pregnenolone was phased out of medical use; yet ironically pregnenolone is radically safer and more versatile than the specific steroid hormones which replaced it! Pregnenolone is safe even at gram (1000mg) dosages, a claim no steroid hormone can make.

Omega-3 fatty acids -- found in salmon, swordfish, and tuna -- are one of the healthier forms of fat. And now, a study shows that they may also help relieve depression.

Wrong habits of living , over work , etc., lower the tone of nervous system and contribute towards neuritis. This disease can also result from a variety of nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disturbances such as faulty calcium metabolism, deficiencies of several B vitamins like B12, B6, B1, pantothenic acid and B2 and general toxaemia.

As you will see, there are several very effective — and side-effect free — nutritional approaches to enhance serotonin, including a unique new formulation that utilizes all the most powerful supplements available. Furthermore, we’ll show you solid scientific evidence that these nutritional approaches may actually work as well as (or even better) than Prozac or similar types of drugs known as SSRI’s or Selective Reuptake Inhibitors.

British researchers suspect that a lack of omega-3s may be responsible for some cases of depression. They examined the fatty acid composition of red blood cell membranes in both depressed patients and non-depressed controls. The depressed group had significantly fewer omega-3s, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), than the control group.

The novelty of this drugless approach is what persuaded me to try it. It worked; the pain went away. For the first time in my life I had a prescription filled not at the drugstore, but at the bookstore.

Kava (Piper Methysticum), a member of the pepper family, is one of the most fascinating of medicinal plants. Native to the South Pacific, a beverage (also called Kava)
made from the rootstock of the plant has been used for centuries in ceremonies and celebrations because of its calming effect and ability to promote sociability. The kava
beverage is still used today by inhabitants of the island communities of the Pacific including Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. It is thought that the frequent consumption of kava
is partially why these people are referred to as the happiest and friendliest in the world.

After switching to St. Johnswort, Amanda says her behavior and grades improved at school. "I didn't get any D's or F's or C's. I didn't have to go to detention for five weeks" -- a record of sorts for the girl, whose attention deficit previously had landed her in hot water regularly.

These panic attacks are generally intense and can occur without warning. The triggers are generally stress related.
Various foods can also trigger attacks. Caffeine stimulants, such as colas, teas, coffees, and chocolate are triggers. Other substances include alcohol, and food allergies. In addition, deficiency of calcium, and deficiency of B vitamins can trigger these attacks.

Some researchers believe that depression can be "caught," like the flu or a cold. Dr. Ronald Podell in his book, Contagious Emotions: Staying Well When Your Loved One is Depressed, says that in a marriage, if one partner is chronically depressed, the other probably will be too. Researchers have found that some people are powerful mood transmitters and others are mood receivers. Mood transmitters can control the mood of a family or group of coworkers just by being in the room. Mood receivers are very susceptible to the changing moods of those around them. This subconscious interaction is most dangerous when the mood transmitter is exhibiting depression through constant moodiness, anger, anxiety, or sadness: he or she can then "give" a case of depression to others.

I have a specific recipe for stress that I recommend to many of my clients. This combination of nutrients helps promote relaxation and peaceful, regenerative sleep. It is helpful that people take one to three tablets containing these dosages about 30 minutes before bedtime.

St. John's Wort has been used traditionally as an herbal treatment for anxiety and depression. It is an effective astringent that promotes wound healing and has antiviral properties that can counter herpes simplex, flu viruses and is being investigated as a treatment for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).