There are encouraging new findings about the cellular causes of depression which offers new hope for those who struggle with this disease.
These same cellular mechanisms are also believed to be involved with bipolarism, schizophrenia, some forms of anxiety and probably PTSD.
We now look at the “symptoms” of depression (low mood, fatigue, lack of interest in things pleasurable, altered sleep patterns, decreased appetite, etc.) as the result of actual cellular damage to a specific region of brain. This damage is caused, or at least perpetuated, by metabolic inflammation within the brain itself.
Metabolic inflammation is a chemical form of stress from the immune system. Metabolic inflammation is generally driven by a variety of influences including: nutritional deficiencies, intestinal bacterial overgrowth (evidenced by food or gluten intolerance, constipation, diarrhea), and damage to the Autonomic Nervous System from a physical trauma (sports injury/car wreck, concussion), intense emotional trauma, or childbirth.
If the level of inflammation is not too great the brain begins producing new cells and repairs the area of damage over a few to several months. When people recover from depression, it’s not that they have “gotten over it” but that the brain cell damage and dysfunction have been repaired.
As life events, chronic poor nutrition, subsequent pregnancies, and the triggers of inflammation accumulate and it gets harder for the brain to repair itself. Medications like serotonin-inhibitors do help some people recover. Those drugs boost mood through their serotonin actions but also suppress metabolic inflammation to a level which enables the brain to recover. Counseling and meditation can also reduce inflammation.
But at some point people have so much inflammation that the drugs and therapy don’t help recovery. The long-term solution is found in eliminating the daily things that fuel the inflammation.
You can take the first steps yourself by increasing your omega-3 DHA fatty acids, eliminating omega-6 fatty acids (vegetable oil, fast/processed foods), and consuming less than 100 grams of carbs each day (yes, all carbs count). Additional steps of rebalancing the intestinal tract bacteria and Autonomic Nervous System repair will require the help of a physician.
It works. In the last few years I have individuals with chronic depression of 10+ years in duration and I am seeing significant recovery by reducing their sources of metabolic inflammation. This is a fantastic development which can truly improve the lives of many people.
© 2014. Dr. Patrick M. Nemechek. All Rights Reserved.
I also meant to ask if he can continue taking other supplements, like vitamins and homeopathic remedy for sleep, while starting the protocol. He is struggling so much right now that I hate to eliminate what helps him. I know the protocol will take some time to work, but in the meantime he needs all the help he can get elsewhere. Thanks!
As I write in my protocol, the other supplements often can interfere with recovery
Hi Dr. Nemechek, I have a 17 year-old son who is suffering from anxiety and depression. It got so bad that he has been to doctors and now sees a psychiatrist. He takes Amitryptilene and Lexapro. He’s currently taking Xanax when needed until the Lexapro kicks in. If I have him start your protocol, will there be a problem or interaction with his prescriptions? Will there be a worsening of his anxiety or depression at the beginning? Do I need to change his diet or will the supplements suffice? Thank you!!!
Generally there is to cross reaction with prescription medications and my protocol but always ask your prescribing physician before starting.