Re: Nutrition, Depression & CRON

[Guest guest]

Since my family has a long history of clinical depression (including hospitalizations), I'm wondering if anyone has any data on which nutritional strategy might be best for combating depression and/or if anything has been documented on the effect of CRONING on depression.

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

i recently posted a long list of depression antidotes. Luckily I still have

it, I would suggest you save this somewhere:

Vit D

........These findings come as no surprise to Cannell, MD, who heads the

Vitamin D Council, a group of doctors and researchers who study the effects

of this nutrient. He is staff psychiatrist at Atascadero State Hospital, a

California psychiatric hospital.

" Basically, what vitamin D does is increase levels of the [chemical]

serotonin in the brain, " he tells WebMD. Many antidepressant medications

work the same way.

" About 90% of patients in my hospital are vitamin D deficient, and I put

them on a vitamin D regimen, and it does improve their mood disorders, " says

Cannell. " It also raises their vitamin D blood levels to above what is

considered normal, to about the 40 ng/mL levels. "

Don't Stop Other Medication

His advice: First get a simple blood test to measure blood levels of vitamin

D. If it falls under 40 ng/mL, he recommends taking daily supplements of at

least 600 IU and up to 10,000 IU a day. However, if you are currently taking

antidepressants, don't stop taking those drugs if you begin taking the

vitamin supplements.

" What this study suggests that is vitamin D deficiency may be an explanation

for depression, and that boosting vitamin D levels may help prevent or ease

symptoms, " Cannell tells WebMD. " But how much vitamin D you need depends on

several factors, such as the environment you live in, what time of year it

is, your skin type, and sun exposure.

" Taking 4,000 IUs may sound like a lot, but there has never been a single

reported case of toxicity at levels up to 20,000 IUs a day, " he says. " Your

body takes in about that much from sunlight by spending 20 minutes outdoors

.... during the summer months. The problem is what happens in winter, when

sunlight -- and vitamin D -- is in shorter supply. "

SOURCES: Vieth, R. Nutrition Journal, July 2004; vol 3. Reinhold Vieth, PhD,

director, Osteoporosis Research Center Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,

Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto. Cannell, MD, staff psychiatrist,

Atascadero State Hospital, Atascadero, Calif.; president, The Vitamin D

Council. "

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/message/12977

chromium picolinate

also:

http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/newsmaker_article.asp?idNewsMaker=5954 & f

Site=AO545

----------------------------------------------

SMILE, no matter how bad you're feeling. Sometimes your brain will follow

the " instructions " from your happy facial muscles. I don't have the studies

handy, but it's a no brainer, easy to do, has no ill effects and costs

nothing.

-----------------------------------------

Blueberries make one happier/cheerier

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> Courtesy of member Dowling:

>

> fatty fish (omega-3 oil supplements, especially EPA in

> doses > 1 gram/day may also be effective), garlic (although it might depress

> those around you!), coffee and tea and chocolate (caffeine and theanine and

> PEA and theobromine), fresh fruits, nuts.

>

--------------------------------------------

BOOSTING SERATONIN LEVELS

Seratonin is the body hormone that helps us to get to sleep quickly.

Seratonin is boosted by carbohydrate foods ie grains, vegetables. So

vegetables for tea actually helps us to get ready to sleep. If you are

going to have a snack before bed you are better with bread and vegemite or

savoury biscuits, (rather than cakes, sweet biscuits or lollies - remember

foods that turn on insulin production too much at night, stop growth hormone

production.) Other seratonin stimulants include walking, riding,

stretching, reading, meditation and prayer.

----------------------------

St 's Wort

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From: " rosasproject " <scott@...>

Reply-

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 02:32:24 -0000

Subject: [ ] Re: Supplement your CR-increased mental health

The URL:

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/86/99123.htm

The article:

Supplement SAM-e Helps Beat Depression

Adding Supplement Relieves Symptoms When Antidepressant Fails

By Charlene Laino

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By , MD

May 5, 2004 -- (New York City) -- For about half of the 18 million

Americans diagnosed with major depression each year, standard

medications fail to relieve feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and

irritability. But a new study suggests that the dietary supplement

SAM-e can help boost the effects of antidepressants, helping

patients when their regular treatments fail.

In a study of 30 men and women with major depression, nearly half

went into remission when SAM-e was added to standard treatment with

antidepressants called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors, which include Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, and

Zoloft.

" SAM-e enhanced the effects of the treatment for people who were

having little or no response to SSRIs, " researcher Alpert,

MD, PhD, associate director of the Depression Clinical and Research

Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, tells WebMD.

Plus, the supplement is associated with fewer side effects, such as

weight gain and sexual dysfunction, than conventional

antidepressants, Alpert says.

Works on Brain Chemicals

SAM-e is a molecule that naturally occurs in the cells of our body.

As we age, our bodies produce less SAM-e, so some researchers have

suggested that replacing it with a supplement can beat clinical

depression.

" We're really not sure exactly how it works, " Alpert says. But since

it's involved in a number of metabolic pathways, including the

neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine that are out of whack in

people with depression, it would stand to reason that it could help

depression.

Alpert notes that there is indirect evidence from animal studies

that SAM-e works by driving the brain chemicals serotonin and

dopamine. " But even if it didn't, I wouldn't care, " he says. " No one

really knows how conventional antidepressants work either. "

Depression, Anxiety Both Improved

The new study, presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the

American Psychiatric Association, included 30 patients who continued

to suffer from symptoms of major depression despite being on SSRI

therapy.

When SAM-e was added to their usual medication, half of the patients

improved and 43% went into remission, Alpert reports. " These are

quite strong responses and remission rates for a population that

failed traditional therapy. "

Improvement was seen after just one week of treatment, he says. And

much to his surprise, anxiety also got better.

There were no serious side effects, Alpert says, although about half

of the patients suffered constipation " that responded to the usual

measures, " and about 13% suffered headaches.

Further Study Needed

Stabinsky, MD, director of psychiatry at the Hudson Valley VA

Healthcare System in Castle Point, N.Y., and moderator of the

session, says she thinks SAM-e is worthy of further study.

" It looks like it may open new doors for some people with

depression, " she tells WebMD.

But at this point, she says, " I would not use it on patients until

there's more evidence of effectiveness and safety. "

Alpert agrees. The next step, he says, is a larger, longer study,

already funded by the National Institutes of Health, in which half

the patients will get the supplement and the rest a placebo.

" If that trial confirms these results, SAM-e will probably become an

integral part of our armamentarium against depression, " he says.

SOURCES: American Psychiatric Association 157th Annual Meeting, New

York, May 1- 6, 2004. Alpert, MD, PhD, associate director,

Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General

hospital, Boston. Stabinsky, MD, director of psychiatry,

Hudson Valley VA Health Care System, Castle Point, N.Y.

---------------------------------------------------

> Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst

people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a

banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that

the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your

mood and generally make you feel happier.

>

----------

PBS ran a special program about depression and the latest findings on how to

beat it.

The latest findings according to the program are that LIGHT is even more

important than previously thought. That the brightest indoor light can't

come close to the illumination of the darkest overcast or rainy day. So it

was recommended to always exercise outdoors and do as many of the your

activities as you can outside (bill paying, reading etc). Take an outdoor

walk on your lunch hour even in bad weather, just dress properly Also the

best vitamins to beat depression, a daily dose of:

50 mg B1

50mg B2

50 mg B6

400 mg folic acid (which is another B vit)

400 mg Vit D

200 mcg selenium

Dim the inside lights at night to get the body ready for melatonin release

and sleep. Walking near water or in snow increases the light intake and is

very desirable. Keep your SKIN protected - the benefit comes from light

entering the eye - so keep that in mind if you wear dark sunglasses outside.

Of course exercise was mentioned also. It was a three prong attack: light,

exercise and vitamins.

__________________________________________________

After having depression for years , former TV producer Amy Weintraub

happened into a yoga class and found that the ancient discipline helped her

more than her antidepressant drugs did. Nine months later she

was off meds, relying on daily yoga practice to bring a sense of well-being.

Now, after teaching yoga since1992, Weintraub has penned " Yoga for

Depression " (Broadway Books, 2003). We talked with her recently

about it.

How does yoga help with depression?

When you're doing yoga, you're paying

close attention to your breathing, making it

deeper, which makes for better blood flow

to the brain. . . . The stretching activates

receptors that send messages of relaxation

to the brain. And a recent study done in

Pennsylvania showed that yoga lowers

levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

You say it can even help those with

bipolar disorder? I've known and taught a number of people

with bipolar disorder who have been able to

manage their symptoms with yoga. One

person who had terrible bouts of mania had

been hospitalized eight times and was told

she'd spend the rest of her life in and out of

mental institutions. Her daughter's teacher

said, " Let me show you some yoga

moves. " She hasn't been hospitalized since.

She uses the breathing techniques she learned in yoga to control her mania.

How many hours do you have to put in to feel better?

For me, doing yoga every day is essential. I do it for an hour at home,

first thing, before I start my day. . . .

And, depending on how you feel that day, whether you're anxious or

depressed, you can practice differently --

slowly if you're anxious, more vigorously if you're feeling low. I look at

it this way: If you're on Prozac . . .

you take it every day. Yoga is no different.

-- Suz Redfearn

on 9/28/2004 12:33 PM, bernadettepawlik@... at bernadettepawlik@...

wrote:

> Since my family has a long history of clinical depression (including

> hospitalizations), I'm wondering if anyone has any data on which nutritional

> strategy

> might be best for combating depression and/or if anything has been documented

> on the effect of CRONING on depression.

>

> Thanks!

>