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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by stan_the_man70 on July 10, 2016, at 3:22:59
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http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/how-our-gut-bacteria-control-our-mood/
---------------------------end quoteHow Our Gut Bacteria Control Our Mood
by Dr. David Williams
Last Reviewed 11/20/2015Theres no doubt about it: Depression is a real problem. One in every ten adults reports being depressed. The World Health Organization states depression is the fourth leading cause of disability and disease worldwide and will rank number one by 2020. Reports indicate that more than 15 percent of the population will experience depression serious enough to require treatment at least once in their lifetime.
Although depression is real, synthetic drugs arent the only (or best) way to address the problem. My focus has always been on safe, effective solutions, cures, and alternatives to drugs and surgery. Just a few of my top recommendations to combat depression have been
Aerobic exercise (it typically takes 30 minutes for the body begin to release mood-enhancing endorphins and increase blood levels of serotonin)
Eliminating food allergies
Balancing blood sugar and hormones
Supplementing with substances known to benefit the brain and mood, including omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil), melatonin, tryptophan, low doses of the trace mineral lithium, niacinamide, St. Johnswort, and di-methylglycine (DMG)Additionally, research is beginning to find a strong connection between mental health and the health of our gut bacteria.
Our bodies have a second braina separate enteric nervous system (ENS) that controls and regulates our intestinal tract. We now know that the ENS has the capability of working independently or in conjunction with the brain. The ENS senses environmental threats just like our eyes, nose, skin, etc.
An enormous about of information about our environment comes from our gut, and although the information affects our overall well-being, it doesnt always come to consciousness. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve and has the widest distribution of any nerve in the body. It connects the intestinal tract with the brain, and 90 percent of all the signals passing along this nerve are traveling from the gut to the brain and not from the brain downward.
Our second brain also produces numerous hormones and about 40 different neurotransmitters of the exact same type found in the brain. In fact, 95 percent of all the serotonin found in the body at any one time is in the enteric nervous system. It has been well established that the nerve signals from the gut to the brain, passing along the vagus nerve, affect our mood. Stimulating the vagus nerve can be an affective treatment for depression.
Research has also shown that eating fatty foods sends a strong message from the gut to the brain that negates sadness. Oftentimes stress can be the trigger.
Stress causes the gut to increase production of the hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin sends messages to the brain, through the vagus nerve, telling it to release more dopamine, a substance that reduces depression and anxiety. But ghrelin also makes us hungrier. Stress starts a chain of events that leads to an increase in hunger and a craving for fatty foods.
All of this helps explain why fatty foods make us feel good. It also explains why animals under stress tend to seek out fatty foods. And its why that big bowl of ice cream tastes so good when youre feeling down.
If you dont already, its imperative that you start taking a probiotic supplement to ensure healthy gut bacteria. In doing so, you are taking the necessary steps to support the health of your brain and boost your mood. You also may want to increase your intake of live, fermented foods, which are naturally rich in beneficial bacteria.
Posted by stan_the_man70 on July 10, 2016, at 3:36:25
In reply to How Our Gut Bacteria Control Our Mood, posted by stan_the_man70 on July 10, 2016, at 3:22:59
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http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/causes-of-depression/
------------------------------end quoteUnderstand the Cause of Depression
by Dr. David Williams
Last Reviewed 07/02/2015---------------------------------
Nutritional and hormonal imbalances may be the culpritEveryone at one time or another experiences feelings of guilt, irritability or sadnessthis is normal. Severe chronic depression for no reason is another matter. If you suffer from bouts of depression, the standard medical treatment involves hours of psychoanalysis and/or mind-altering drugs.
Theres no lack of evidence that physical and chemical problems can lead to depression. Rarely is it all in your head. Like all health conditions, finding the exact cause is often more difficult than correcting it. As always, I suggest working with your doctor.
Ill start with the more common problems linked to depression which also are often the easiest to correct.
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Liver CongestionOne of the major jobs of the liver is to breakdown and detoxify waste material absorbed from the intestine. With constipation, more waste and toxic materials are continually being absorbed into your system. Food that stays too long in the colon becomes poisonous and rancid. Your colon doesnt recognize this fact. It just continues to do its job of absorbing and reabsorbing. The extra toxins can overload the liver and prevent it from its other duties, one of which is to break down extra hormones circulating throughout your body causing uncontrollable mood fluctuation.
The very first thing you must do to conquer depression is make sure the bowels are working properly. Other substances like alcohol, medication, marijuana, caffeine and fried foods can also cause liver congestion. Red beet, papaya and black radish juices are excellent liver cleansers. The plant, milk thistle, can help clean and rebuild the liver. Milk thistle extracts can be found as herbal preparations in most health food stores. Freeze-dried preparations seem to work best.
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HypothyroidismOne of the most common conditions associated with depression is an underactive thyroid. Thyroid hormones regulate your metabolism or how much energy you have.
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HypoglycemiaHypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can be equated with an emotional roller coaster. Moods fluctuate, short-term energy boosts are followed by fatigue and depression. Addictions to alcohol, drugs and sweets are a natural progression of blood sugar problems. Other symptoms include dizziness when standing too quickly, swelling in the ankles, hands or feet, allergies and shakiness among others.
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Food SensitivitiesFood sensitivities have been found to trigger depression as well as headaches, fatigue and an inability to think clearly. Oftentimes, the foods you enjoy the most and eat frequently are the problem. Eliminating one or two suspect foods for a week or so could alert you to the problem. If you actually feel worse for the first two or three days after you discontinue a particular food, its a pretty sure bet that its the culprit.
The most common problem foods are milk and wheat. Tomatoes, eggs, soybeans, peanuts and potatoes may also be on the list. (If a long list of foods cause problems, look under the discussion on zinc.)
After your body becomes more balanced nutritionally and hormonally, most likely, you can reintroduce any offending foods back into the diet. Rarely, have I found foods to be the sole source of depression problems (with the exception of sugar). Food sensitivities, however, can contribute to many of the other problems discussed here.
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Zinc DeficienciesZinc deficiencies have been linked to depression. If you happen to be sensitive or allergic to a list of foods as long as your arm, you may be low on zinc. (Dont forget digestive enzyme problems either.) Supplementing the diet with 15 mg of zinc, taken three times a day before each meal, can often remedy the food sensitivity problem rather quickly. In a roundabout way, it is one mineral necessary to defeat depression.
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LithiumLithium is one of the trace minerals of which the body needs very little to function properly.
Deficiencies in lithium have been linked to higher rates of manic depression and suicides. No toxicity problems have been reported at doses of 1020 mg of elemental lithium a day. The chelated form of lithiumeither lithium orotate or lithium aspartateis recommended. Check the label to see the actual amount of elemental lithium the supplement contains. For example, a 120 mg tablet of lithium orotate provides roughly 5 mg of elemental lithium.
Don't confuse elemental lithium with the pharmaceutical medication lithium carbonate, which has been used for decades to treat manic depression. The side effects of this drug are manyheart, kidney and thyroid damage, diarrhea, eventual blindness, diabetes, and a list of nerve, and skin and urinary problems.
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CopperCopper levels, when too high, can cause depression. Blood levels can be excessive for several reasons. Drinking water from copper pipes, chronic stress or illness, low amounts of zinc, manganese or molybdenum from the diet can all be the problem.
Bringing copper levels to normal can usually be done naturally with additional zinc and vitamin C, but it can be tricky, so its best to work with a doctor familiar with the technique.
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LightLight levels can affect mood. Seasonal affective disorder has been found to be common in the winter months where bright light is often absent. You can use special lights to expose yourself to more bright light, but special lighting fixtures may seem like a lot of trouble when you can just spend several minutes each morning in the sunlight to get the same results.
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ExerciseExercise can help depression. Numerous studies show regular daily exercise promotes a strong sense of well-being and more vigorous exercise, like jogging, releases chemicals called endorphins into the bloodstream. Endorphins are responsible for runners high, the euphoric feeling runners experience after about 30 minutes of strenuous running.
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Chronic depression can be caused by various imbalances like those Ive described. Before submitting yourself or a loved one to mind altering drugs, investigate the alternative causes.---------------------------------------------
Posted by stan_the_man70 on July 10, 2016, at 3:44:14
In reply to Understand the Cause of Depression, posted by stan_the_man70 on July 10, 2016, at 3:36:25
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http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/therapies-reduce-parkinsons-symptoms/
------------------------------------end quoteTherapies to Reduce the Symptoms of Parkinson's
by Dr. David Williams
Last Reviewed 07/01/2015Learn about natural therapies for Parkinson's disease
As many as one million Americans live with Parkinsons disease, a degenerative neurological condition, and approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease each year.
Surprisingly, the most common treatment today is based on Ayurvedic medicine used to treat the condition over 4,000 years ago. Since there is still no known cure, treatment has primarily consisted of therapies that increase dopamine levels in the brain, which in turn improve the transmission of nerve impulses. The chemical dopamine itself cant be given because it cant cross the delicate blood-brain barrier. A compound called L-dopa (levodopa) can pass through this barrier and gain access to the brain. Once there, L-dopa is converted to dopamine.
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Mucuna BeanIn 1936, Drs. Damodaran and Ramaswamy of India discovered the mucuna bean (Mucuna pruriens) is an excellent plant source for L-dopa, but this discovery didnt receive much attention because the ParkinsonsL-dopa connection wasnt made by scientists until the 1960s. Once that connection was made, thousands of plants were screened in the search for those with high levels of L-dopa. But, as so often happens in the U.S., L-dopa was made synthetically, and efforts to extract the compound from plants were abandoned. The synthetic form of L-dopa has since become the accepted way to control the symptoms of Parkinsons.
One of the problems with the use of synthetic L-dopa is that over the long term it appears to lose its effectiveness. Another problem is side effects. Included among these are nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, fainting, increased thirst, and tremors. These same side effects were noted in ancient Ayurvedic writings, but only as problems associated with overdosing with plant extracts of L-dopa.
In Ayurvedic medicine, mucuna beans are ground into powder and given to treat not only Parkinsons, but also cholera, snakebite, worms and intestinal parasites, nerve problems, tumors, mumps, paralysis, cancer, impotence, fertility problems, and tuberculosis, just to name a few. While the list of ailments treated with mucuna bean powder might seem quite varied, there is growing scientific rationale to support this form of treatment. Unlike the drug L-dopa and other pure, synthetic medicines, powdered mucuna beans contain dozens of different compounds that appear to exert a strong synergistic effectan effect far stronger than if each isolated compound was used independently. Mucuna beans are also members of the legume family, and when the whole seed is used, it not only provides a rich source of vitamin E, but also roughage. The roughage helps combat the constipation commonly associated with Parkinsons.
If you or someone you know suffers from Parkinsons disease, I would certainly discuss the use of mucuna powder with your doctor. I do not advocate self-treatment for Parkinsons, because, regardless of therapy, this is a disease that needs monitoring.
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A Wii Device With Big BenefitsWith all the technological advances weve seen in the last few years, one of the most interesting aspects is observing how a technology eventually gets utilized. A good example is computer games, which have just recently been recognized as an effective form of physical therapy.
No large-scale clinical trials on the use of these game consoles exist, but preliminary data suggest that these computer games can increase dopamine levels.
Some patients suffering from Parkinsons disease have seen dramatic improvements in their symptoms after just a month from playing the tennis game for only three hours a week. They report experiencing fewer tremors and also being able to move and walk better with increased coordination.
In one small 20-patient study, Dr. Ben Herz, an occupational therapist at the Medical College of Georgia, found that when Parkinson patients regularly played Wii games like tennis, bowling, and baseball, their physical conditions improved significantly. As a result, many showed improvement in their mental health as well.
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Creatine Can Help Shaky MusclesCreatine also shows promise in treating patients with neuromuscular disease such as Parkinsons.
One study involved 80 patients with muscular dystrophies and other neurological diseases. Participants were given either a placebo, or 5 grams of creatine a day for five days and then 10 grams of creatine for an additional week. All of the patients taking creatine experienced significant improvements in overall strength and muscle mass. For example, those on creatine had an 11% increase in knee strength compared, to only 2.3% in the placebo group.
Creatine is available in capsules and powder in just about any health food store. While its not the precise dosage used above, the general recommendation is a loading dosage of 15 to 20 grams a day, and then a maintenance level of 5 grams a day. You should begin to see a difference in muscle strength in as little as 10 days.
Creatine has been used for some time now and is considered to be quite safe. Some people experience dehydration, which is solved by adding an extra glass or two of water a day (something that would undoubtedly benefit most of us anyway).
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DISCLAIMER: The content of DrDavidWilliams.com is offered on an informational basis only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified health provider before making any adjustment to a medication or treatment you are currently using, and/or starting any new medication or treatment. All recommendations are "generally informational" and not specifically applicable to any individual's medical problems, concerns and/or needs.
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Posted by Hello321 on July 14, 2016, at 20:24:08
In reply to Therapies to Reduce the Symptoms of Parkinson's, posted by stan_the_man70 on July 10, 2016, at 3:44:14
You would probably find the books Grain Brain and Brain Maker to be very interesting.
This is the end of the thread.
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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