Depression and Suicide in the U.S. military

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/17/low-levels-of-ths-fat-linked-to-suicide-in-military.aspx?e_cid=20110917_DNL_art_2

This is a fantastic article from Dr. Mercola that I would like to expand on. 

Depression, especially manic-depression (bi-polar disorder), is near and dear to me, as I have seen, first-hand, the affects that it can have on, not only an individual, but an entire family.  I mentioned, briefly, manic-depression in an earlier post about ADD/ADHD with regard to blood sugar imbalances.  The causes of depression (without mania) can be wide-spread and sometimes vague.  Nassir Ghaemi, M.D., a Harvard trained psychiatrist, tells us in his book A First Rate Madness, that there are four specific lines of evidence that have become standard in psychiatry:  symptoms, genetics, course of illness, and treatment.  The one that is pertinent to this post is treatment.   Ghaemi also states, "drugs used for mental illnesses are nonspecific; they can work for several different illnesses, and they can even affect behavior in people who aren't mentally ill."

The following from the Mercola's article is very important here with regard to the prior definitions I have provided.

....for the first time in history a sizable number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to cope. This is a really bad idea and is likely part of the reason why the military is seeing such a dramatic upswing in suicide rates, as antidepressants have been linked to suicide in young adults aged 18-24, which is the prime age range of these combat troops.



Now let me add my perspective to this issue...

Dr. Mercola mentions that the breakdown of fatty acids in our systems is inhibited by impaired delta 6 desaturase activity.  The desaturase enzymes help our bodies utilize fatty acids efficiently.  Delta 6 desaturase activity is dependant on several co-factors.  These co-factors are:  Riboflavin (vitamin B2), Niacin (B3), vitamin B6, Magnesium, and Zinc.  Now, if you ask any nutritionist, dietitian, or any other health care provider that is worth a hill of beans, what foods are deficient in these co-factors, I would be hard-pressed to say that not one of them would say anything other than REFINED CARBOHYDRATES.  Or...anything that comes in a bag, can or box.  What are we feeding our military personnel?  Refined carbohydrates.  How do refined carbohydrates react in our body?  Just like sugar, and sometimes worse that sugar.

This leads me into delta 5 desaturase.  Insulin (which is stimulated by carbohydrate consumption) increases the activity of delta-5-desaturase.  Which promotes the formation of arachidonic acid or "bad" fats. On the other hand, higher intake of protein increases the activity of delta-6 desaturase, thus increasing the conversion of essential fatty acids, while glucagon (which is stimulated by protein consumption) decreases delta-5 desaturase activity, thereby reducing the formation of arachidonic acid and "bad" fats. In short, a diet that is high in protein and low in carbohydrate is ideal for producing "good" fats.



So.....what does all this mean?  Depression can not only be helped by increasing animal based EFAs, but can also be helped with by stopping the consumption of junk sugars and increasing good quality animal protein sources.  This will help to regulate the delta 5 enzyme.  Consider taking a LOW-POTENCY B-complex vitamin with some magnesium and zinc to stimulate the delta 6 enzyme (most HIGH potency B-complexes are synthetic and can actually worsen the issue at hand).

I have the utmost respect for the men and women that put their lives on the line every day so that I can write this post.  I have never been in the military so it is hard for me to even imagine the emotional trauma that can happen.  However, when you are dealing with emotions, biochemical balance is paramount.  EFAs with B vitamins and dietary changes can have profound affects on how the brain functions.

If you or someone you know is in has been in the military, and emotional therapies are helping, but not thouroughly have them try some of the aformentioned dietary tips to see if it helps.  It sure won't hurt things, and it just might be the link to healing some of the psychological trauma our brave veterans deserve.

Bed-wetting (enuresis)

Question:  Is it normal for my 5 year old to have nighttime bed-wetting problems a few nights a week?

Answer:    Many pediatricians would say, resoundingly, yes.  However, in my opinion, there are several factors that need to be addressed before we can accurately answer this question; it is not exactly black and white. 

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is essentially the "fight or flight" response and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) controls the feelings of relaxation.  Both of these branches on the Autonomic nervous system must be in balance for the bladder to function efficiently.  The ability to voluntarily inhibit urination actually develops by the age of 2–3 years, as control at higher levels of the central nervous system develops.  (right about the time when "potty training" is going on)

The urge to urinate is controlled by the SNS and the actual act of urinating is controlled by the PNS.   Many times the older child (7 to 10 years) is dry until 4 to 5 a.m. and then wets the bed.  This, many times, is due to the fact that the child is so fatigued that they cannot physically wake themselves up. 

Look for things that may be stressing them emotionally; grades, friends, siblings, and even parents.  Many times fatigue runs in the family.  Have your natural health doctor check for adrenal fatigue and thyroid problems.

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is also common, very common, with these kids.  When the blood sugar drops too low (usually around 4 to 5 a.m.) and the SNS doesn't respond by waking up the child, the PNS does it's job anyway and the bladder lets go.

Things to avoid that can commonly disrupt blood sugar balance include:

•  WHITE SUGAR
• artificial food coloring
• food with artificial sweeteners
• MSG (read labels like a hawk...it's in many things)

Things you can do to help balance your child's blood sugar include:

• Supplement with the B complex vitamins (low-potency); many times high potency B vitamins are synthetic and can make the problem worse in the long term.
• Probiotics work wonderfully, as your body generates B vitamins from the "good" bacteria in your gut
• Having them eat a small high protein snack before bed can be a great idea.

Your chiropractor is trained to balance the nervous system.  If your child has problems wetting the bed, make an appointment to get him adjusted.  Many times it is a structural imbalance that is irritating the nervous system.  

As the child gets older, this issue becomes more emotional.  Knowing that there are things that parents can do, NATURALLY, can be very empowering for all who are involved.  Balancing the nervous system early when symptoms first appear can help prevent long term emotional scars.

Hopefully this sheds some light on an issue that can be difficult to treat at times.

ADD/ADHD study

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16699814

This is a great start to addressing the actual causes of attention disorders.  However, this study only addresses one aspect of this diagnosis; elevated dopamine and and adrenaline levels.  Clinically known as adrenal-cortical HYPER function (elevated cortisol) and with this state of functioning comes the increased fight or flight mechanism in our nervous system and in the short term, can be a very good thing; not so good in the long term. 

Prolonged elevated cortisol levels are very detrimental to the body and lead to increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, digestive problems and thyroid dysfunction to name a few.  The body begins to "break down"  faster than it can repair itself.  One example of this would be someone that has just had a big emotional stress like a death in the family.  If emotional healing isn't addressed in an efficient time frame, the body then starts to degenerate and a myriad of physical symptoms can develop.  When the emotional trauma has healed, the body has "paid the toll" so to speak and then the physical symptoms must be addressed as a separate issue.

In my clinical experience, ADD/ADHD is what I call a multi-layered issue.  Treating physicians must "peel away the layers"; much like that of an onion.  Once the cortisol levels have decreased, these patients generally go into adrenal cortical HYPO function (another layer of the onion).  More commonly known as adrenal fatigue.  With this comes a whole host of symptoms where patients present with the "I feel like crap and nobody can figure out why" syndrome.  One of the biggest issues with adrenal fatigue is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.   When the blood sugar is decreased, the body craves food to get its sugar back up.  What type of food would that be you ask?  Yep...more sugar.  Then the blood sugar is elevated too much, the blood sugar then comes crashing down again.  And then the roller coaster ride begins...up, down, up, down.  Many of these people are diagnosed psychologically as bi-polar.  Why?  Moods generally follow the blood sugar.   

Contributing factors to ADD/ADHD

1.  Sugar Overload
2.  Heavy Metals
3.  Adrenal Stress
4.  Mineral Imbalances
5.  Fatty Acid Deficiencies

What can you do from a more holistic standpoint, to balance these factors?

1.    Stop eating sugar and sugar-laden foods.  This puts a large amount of stress on the adrenal glands.  As I described above, this is a very important issue when dealing with ADD/ADHD.

2.  This is a heavily debated topic.  Dental amalgams, vaccinations, and aluminum cookware are a few factors involved with heavy metal body burdens.

3.  I have addressed some of the adrenal balance factors above and touched on it in an earlier post on salt.

4.  Trace mineral imbalances are running rampant in the U.S.  This has a lot to do with the amount of refined carbohydrates people are eating.  These nutrient devoid foods actually deplete the trace minerals in our systems.  A large one being zinc.  Zinc is necessary for MANY biochemical functions in the body.  It is needed for proper insulin in the pancreas production and hydrochloric acid production in the stomach.

5.  This is an area that has received more attention in the mainstream media in the last 7 to 10 years.  Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)  are just that: essential.  Our bodies are not able to produce these by itself so it is essential we get these from our food.  EFAs are needed for just about every function in the body.  Largely, liver and brain function (ever loose your train of thought?). 

EFAs include fish and flax seed oil, coconut oil, avocado, etc.    However, what most people are not told is that the hydrogenated, or bad fats, actually deplete the EFAs, good fats, from our system.  Hydrogenated fats (margarine, vegetable oil, fried foods among others) are in just about everything that comes in a bag, can, or box.  These bad fats are also one molecule away from plastic.  Read EVERY food label.  Know what you are eating and what you are feeding your family. 

Many of you may ask, "what about the ADD/ADHD drugs like ritalin?".  These drugs are in the same class as cocaine.  Yes, you heard me correctly, cocaine.  This is a huge adrenal STIMULANT.  Why would a doctor stimulate an already over-stimulated person?   Most doctors cannot answer this question, they just know that ritalin helps these people.  It really is simple, it addresses the adrenal fatigue.  These drugs, however, "burn-out" the nervous system, which is why many times people notice that they "stop working".  The prescribing physician then changes the medication to another stimulant that works slightly differently.  Then that one stops working and then they are back on the one prior.

We cannot forget to look at the structural component of these issues.  Above I mentioned the nervous system with the increased fight or flight mechanism, chiropractors call this "sympathetic dominance".  Many times there has been physical trauma creating the sympathetic dominance.  For example, sports injuries, falls, and even the birth process itself.  Balancing posture through chiropractic care utilizing applied kinesiology diagnostics has made massive changes in many of the patients I have treated with ADD/ADHD.

These people that have been labeled with the diagnosis of ADD or ADHD really are on a roller coaster so to speak.  In my opinion, attention problems are notoriously difficult to work with.  It is not as simple as "take this pill and you will be fine".  It requires dedication from not only the treating physician, but also the patient.

My goal with this post is to inform the reader that there are other options other than medication.  I have attempted to be as thorough as possible, but many times questions arise.  Please don't hesitate to contact me with further questions.