Nutritional approaches to mental health (1)

What were these pills? The basic multivitamin/multimineral capsules are standard fare in my office, often restoring energy and emotional balance in depleted individuals. The herbs were St. John's wort, the herbal antidepressant, and kava-kava, a South Pacific herb used to help relieve stress. As his depression and anxiety lifted, Jeff was able to think more clearly, and began to seek my advice. Psychotherapy, or any learning, can take place much better when the brain is working properly. Any prior attempts at therapy with Jeff would probably have driven him further away. However, with the proper brain food, he was able to have some insight into his situation, and move in the direction of healing. Jeff's moodiness might have been ignored by those around him, as friends and family of depressed people often rationalize that while something is not quite right, the person remains healthy in most respects. But sweeping these difficult issues under the carpet may lead to catastrophic consequences. Fortunately for Jeff, early intervention on several levels prevented his disturbance from becoming chronic. Nutritional Balance and Depression: Amino Acids, Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Nutrients Like Jeff's diet, the standard American diet is deficient in many of the nutrients we need to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. What causes these deficiencies? We need only consider the high-sugar, low-fiber, additive-preserved foods that many people consume on a regular basis, combined with the impaired absorption of nutrients that accompanies such poor nutrition. Many people simply do not get the important nutrients needed for good health. They are at once overfed and undernourished, and a poorly nourished body contains a malnourished brain. In my own practice, I prefer to begin psychotherapy only after excluding an underlying physical cause. In fact, deficiencies in almost any of the vitamins and minerals can show up first as emotional or mental symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, or impaired memory and concentration. Because lab tests to determine specific deficiencies can be costly, I most often recommend the use of multivitamin/multimineral supplements. (For more information on vitamins and minerals, see Prescription for Nutritional Healing by James and Phyllis Balch(Avery) and The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book by Shari Lieberman and Nancy Bruning (Avery). Let's look at the amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are especially important for mental health. (The essential fatty acids are also significant in the prevention and treatment of depression and other disorders.) Amino Acids Depression can result if brain messengers called neurotransmitters are in short supply. Synthetic antidepressants work by raising neurotransmitter levels in the brain, and it is likely that St. John's wort does the same thing. Amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are the precursors, or raw materials, for neurotransmitters and other mood-regulating compounds. It is possible to reverse depression by loading up on these amino-acid precursors. There are three amino acids that are most directly related to mood and depression: phenylalanine, tyro-sine, and tryptophan. Phenylalanine and tyrosine produce the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, and tryptophan is eventually converted to serotonin. Research has proven the effectiveness of amino acid therapy in fighting depression. Both phenylalanine and tyrosine-which is created in the body from phenylalanine-have been found to be as effective as the antidepressant drug imipramine. Phenylalanine has also been shown to reduce pain by preserving brain levels of endorphins, the body's natural painkiller. Tyrosine is helpful in the treatment of PMS and chronic fatigue syndrome. Tryptophan, which the body converts into the precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HT), has also been found to be as effective as the synthetic antidepressants.