Depression is an illness that affects
the whole human body, nervous system, moods, thoughts, and
behavior. It affects the way you eat, sleep, and even how you
feel about yourself. It affects the way you react to and think about
the people and things in your life. Symptoms can last for weeks,
months, or even years. There are many kinds of depression, with
variations in symptoms, their severity, and how long they last. People with depression
normally withdraw and
hide from the world. They lose interest in things around them
and find it difficult experiencing pleasure. Symptoms of
depression include chronic
fatigue, sleep disturbances like insomnia or sleeping too
much, appetite changes, headaches,
backaches, digestive problems,
restlessness, stress, irritability,
quickness to anger, loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies,
and feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy. It is common for
a sufferer of depression to think of
death and consider suicide. Things appear dark and time seems
to pass very very slowly. A person with depression may be chronically
angry and irritable, sad and despairing, or display little or
no emotion at all. Sometimes they try to "sleep off"
depression, or do nothing but sit or lie around.The two major classifications of depressive disorders are
unipolar and bipolar.
Unipolar disorders are characterized by depressive episodes
that most often recur at least several times in the course of
a person's life. Bipolar disorders usually begin as
depression, but as they progress, they involve alternating
episodes of depression and mania. As a result, bipolar
depression is commonly known as manic depression. This section
focuses primarily on various types of unipolar depression. The
causes of depression are not fully understood, but they are
probably many and varied. Depression may be triggered by
tension, stress, a traumatic life event, chemical imbalances
in the brain, thyroid disorders, upset stomach, headache,
nutritional deficiencies, poor diet, the consumption of sugar,
mononucleosis, lack of
exercise, endometriosis, any
serious physical disorder, or allergies.
One of the most common causes of depression is food allergies.
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
is another common cause of depression. Heredity is a
significant factor in this disorder. In up to 50% of people
suffering from recurrent episodes of depression, one or both
of the parents also experienced depression. Whatever the
factors that trigger it, depression begins with a disturbance
in the part of the brain that governs moods. Most people can
handle everyday stresses; their bodies readjust to these
pressures. When stress is too great for a person and his or
her adjustment mechanism is unresponsive, depression may be
triggered. Perhaps the most common type of depression is a
chronic low-grade depression called dysthymia. This condition
involves long-term and/or recurring depressive symptoms that
are not necessarily disabling but keep a person from
functioning normally and interfere with social interactions
and enjoyment of life. Research has found that this type of
depression often results from (unconscious) negative thinking
habits. Double depression is a variation of dysthymia in which
a person with chronic, low-grade depression periodically
experiences major depressive episodes, then returns to their
normal mildly depressed state. Some people are more depressed in the
winter, when the days are darker and shorter. This type of disorder is known as
SAD "seasonal
affective disorder". Women are more often suffer from
SAD than men. People who suffer this type of depression in
the winter months lose their energy, suffer anxiety or panic
attacks,
gain weight as a result of craving the wrong foods, sleep too
much, and have a reduced sex drive. Many people get depressed
around the December holidays; while some just
have the "holiday blues," others may be
suffering from seasonal affective disorder. Suicide rates are
high during this time of year. Some researchers believe
that depression can be caught, like a cold or the
flu. In his book, "Contagious Emotions: Staying Well
When Your Loved One Is Depressed" (Pocket Books,
1993), Dr. Ronald M. Podell says that in a marriage, if one
partner is chronically depressed, both are affected.
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; they can then give a case of
depression to other people.
Over 11 million Americans each year are affected by depression
and it is
increasing. Women get it twice as often as men. This health
problem is the focus of a considerable amount of
research, and as we learn more about this disease in all its
complexity, maybe we will not use the name depression and diagnose people according to their
specific chemical imbalances. Foods greatly influence the
human brain's behavior. It is believed that a poor diet and
nutrition,
especially snacking on junk foods all the time, is a major cause
of depression. The levels of neurotransmitters which are brain chemicals
neurotransmitters, that regulate our behavior, are controlled
by what we eat, and neurotransmitters are closely related to
mood. The neurotransmitters most commonly associated with mood
include: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. When the brain
produces serotonin, tension is reduced. When it produces
dopamine or norepinephrine, the person tends to think and act more
quickly and are normally more alert. At the neurochemical and
physiological level, neurotransmitters are very important. These substances carry impulses between nerve
cells. The substance that processes the neurotransmitter
called serotonin is the amino acid tryptophan. The consumption
of tryptophan increases the amount of serotonin made by the
brain. Thus, eating complex carbohydrates, which raise the
level of tryptophan in the brain and cause an increasing serotonin
production, with a calming effect. High protein foods will
promote the production of dopamine and
norepinephrine, which both promote alertness in people.
GOOD SUPPLEMENT PROGRAM TO TRY
ADULTS and TEENS:
1. Advanced
Omega
2. Mega
Juice
3.
NutraPack
4. Genesis
CHILDREN UNDER 10:
OTHER CHANGES TO MAKE
- drink 6-8 glasses of steam distilled water a day
- eat lots of raw fruits and vegetables
- juice is good (make your
own with a juice machine)
- do not drink coffee, alcohol, soda pop, other junk food drinks
- do not eat processed foods white sugar, white flour, etc...
- try not eating wheat products and see if that helps
- use stress relief like going for walks in the park
- brown rice is good to eat
- avoid red meat and animal fats
- reduce dairy products cheese, milk, and others
- fast a few days a month
- get sleep
- exercise moderate amounts
- avoid artificial sweeteners like Aspartame and NutraSweet
- do not smoke and avoid second hand smoke
- deep breathing exercises and yoga may help
- PRAY ... it does help with all aspects of life and healing
|
Symmetry products people
tell us they use for Depression
