5 Dietary and Lifestyle Factors That May Help Depression

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

The Inflammation-Depression Connection – Habits & How to Eat for Better Mental Health

Depression isn’t always a mental disorder on its own. Research reveals that the inflammation-depression connection is real, and increased inflammation truly has a big impact on our brain health.

Depression impacts more than 15 million adults every year. Treatments range from medicated antidepressants to counselling or therapy to doing nothing at all. While almost everyone can have short periods of feeling blue, major depressive episodes are classed as lasting two weeks or longer, with dysthymia (depression lasting for two years or longer) being a prolonged episode of a more serious nature.

Depression is somewhat common, but to the person suffering from it, it doesn’t feel common or normal at all. It can feel life-altering, debilitating, and never ending.

What Is Depression?

Depression (also clinically referred to as major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical condition that has a profound impact on the way a person thinks, feels, and acts.

Depression includes feelings of sadness, loss of interest in activities that used to bring joy, and a lack of feeling altogether.

Depression can be life-altering in that it can reduce a person’s ability to function in daily life, in work, and in relationships, and it can also make it difficult to have the energy or motivation to work toward treating or reversing the condition.

Depression is treatable for most people, but since it can also be associated with other chronic conditions or diseases, it can sometimes be misdiagnosed or can be difficult to treat alongside other disorders.

For example, thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, and chronic pain conditions can be misdiagnosed as depression. Sometimes thyroid problems or hormone imbalances are misdiagnosed as depression.

Women are more likely to experience depression than men, and depression can first make its appearance anywhere from the late teens to early thirties.

Depression is distinctly different from periods of sadness, bereavement, or grief, although depression can follow after those periods of time. Self-esteem and self-kindness can often decline in people suffering from depression, and self-loathing can often become a frequent feeling.

While depression can affect anyone, there are several factors that can be indicators of a predisposition to or trigger for depression.

They can include:

• Genetics: Certain genetic mutations can affect how certain chemicals work in the brain, particularly serotonin and dopamine.  Depression has a tendency to run in families for this reason.

• Environmental factors: People exposed to poor treatment, poor work environments, or abuse can develop depression. Traumatic experiences can also trigger depressive episodes.

• Pregnancy: Postpartum depression can affect as many as 20 percent of women who give birth. In some cases, this can turn into a propensity for major depressive disorder even after postpartum depression has resolved.

Bottom line: Depression is a common mental disorder that can be disruptive and debilitating. Although depression is treatable, since it can be associated with other chronic conditions or diseases, it can sometimes be misdiagnosed or can be difficult to treat alongside other disorders.

How Are Depression and Inflammation Linked?

Recent research indicates that depression isn’t just a mood disorder, but is a condition that is linked with inflammation, specifically in the gut. Gram negative bacteria, or “bad” bacteria in the gut, can increase immune responses, leading to inflammation and a role in the development of clinical depression.

Leaky gut, or increased intestinal permeability, can allow these gram negative bacteria to enter the bloodstream and systemic circulation, perpetuating the ongoing inflammation-depression cycle.

Research continues to illustrate the importance of addressing gut health in depression and stress-related disorders.

Individuals with clinical depression have been shown to have specific biomarkers that are associated with inflammation versus people who are not depressed. This is true even for those who are otherwise physically healthy, and not just individuals who have pre-existing inflammatory conditions.

Depression is a highly chronic disorder that can have flare-ups or recurrences, much like other inflammatory disorders (like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or autoimmune thyroid disease).

The more episodes that a patient has, the more prone they will be to continued and future episodes unless, of course, the inflammation is addressed at the root and multiple lifestyle, dietary, and potentially prescription methods are utilized.

Bottom line: Depression is closely tied to inflammation, and isn’t always a mental disorder on its own. Gut health is closely tied to mental health because a large portion of the enteric nervous system is located in the gut, perpetuating the inflammation-depression connection.

Inflammation, Leaky Gut, and Diet

Leaky gut syndrome is a condition where the small intestine’s tight junctions become loose. The tight junctions should serve as regulated gateways to prevent unauthorized particles from entering the bloodstream.

However, when they become damaged from exposure to food allergies, sensitivities, chemicals, or toxins, they start allowing dangerous particles to enter into systemic circulation. This can result in autoimmune attacks, increased inflammation, and new food allergies or sensitivity reactions.

Certain dietary factors can exacerbate leaky gut and, ultimately, the inflammation-depression connection. These can include:

• Gluten and grains
• Soy and legumes
• Dairy products
• Trans fats and vegetable oils
• Refined sugars
• Processed foods
• Alcohol
• Caffeine

Addressing leaky gut comes down to removing offending foods, toxins, and other lifestyle factors (like smoking) and supporting the body with foods and nutrients that will help the intestinal wall to heal.

Foods and nutrients that are beneficial for leaky gut include:

• Bone broth and the nutrients it contains (collagen, glycine, glutamine, glucosamine)
• Cruciferous vegetables
• Leafy greens
• Antioxidant fruits like berries
• Pastured proteins
• Wild-caught seafood
• Healthy fats like avocado and coconut oil

5 Dietary and Lifestyle Factors That May Help Depression

Beyond addressing leaky gut, there are several other lifestyle factors which can help reduce symptoms of depression.

Move Daily

Regular exercise can help to improve depression in many people. Not coincidentally, exercise also helps to reduce inflammation.

Yoga is extremely helpful for combating depression and inflammation, and a regular yoga practice – even at home and just for a few minutes a day – can be a positive step in the right direction.

Walking alone or in a group is also a good exercise that can address depression in a proactive way, and the distance or speed isn’t as important as the regularity.

Practice Healthy Sleep Habits

Healthy sleep habits, including enough sleep, can also dramatically improve inflammatory conditions and depression. While not everyone needs eight hours a night, it’s a good goal to start with.

Not getting enough sleep, even when every other lifestyle factor is on point, can have a damaging effect on overall inflammation levels. Sleep deprivation can directly increase inflammation levels.

Insomnia can be a side effect of inflammatory conditions, but even in the presence of sleep disruptions, it’s helpful to set a regular bedtime habit that can eventually help to train the brain to go to sleep at a consistent time each day.

Skip the Alcohol

It can be a natural instinct to turn to alcohol when needing to unwind, relax, or turn off a brain that is overworked and run down. But when depression is present, it’s also important to avoid alcohol, which has a depressive effect on the body.

Switch to Decaf

Caffeine, as a stimulant, can temporarily improve symptoms, but in the long-term, perpetuates a depressive cycle. Those suffering from depression can often feel tired and unmotivated, so getting some pep from a cup of coffee or other caffeine seems like a good solution. It may work in the very short-term, but overall, will perpetuate a cycle of inflammation and adrenal stress that will prolong or worsen depression.

Quit Sugar

Avoidance of sugar is also beneficial for a depression wellness plan since sugar increases the inflammatory response within the body, and can also wreak havoc on leaky gut and digestive issues.

It’s easy to avoid sugar when you reduce processed and refined foods from your diet, and choose instead whole foods, particularly healthy meats, fats, and vegetables.

Watch this video – Effect of Diet and Lifestyle Changes in Depression by Prof Michael Berk

Bottom line: With a proper diagnosis and an anti-inflammatory care plan from a qualified professional, the majority of people who suffer from depression will find relief and remission.

In some cases, admitting that depression is a problem is the biggest hurdle, but depression can impact anyone, and there is no shame in dealing with it.

In the same way that other inflammatory conditions can happen as a result of genetics or life situations outside of your control, so can depression, too. Seeking professional for inflammation-depression help can lessen the severity and provide relief.

Written by Aimee McNew

Author Bio:

Aimee McNew is a Certified Nutritionist who specializes in women’s health, thyroid problems, infertility, and digestive wellness. She ate her way back to health using a Paleo diet, lost 80 pounds, and had a healthy baby after numerous miscarriages. She focuses on simple nutrition practices that promote long-lasting results.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

What is the Best Natural Cure for High Blood Pressure?

 

Click HERE to Discover How You Can Maintain & Stabilize Your Blood Pressure Naturally

Natural Cure for High Blood Pressure Discovered (new study)

The traditional medical system has no solution for high blood pressure other than dangerous drugs, sometimes carrying lethal side effects.

But researchers from the University of Houston’s College of Pharmacy recently discovered a simple, natural cure for high blood pressure.

It’s more effective than drugs and it comes with no side effects.

You already have the cure in your kitchen, and you’re consuming it on a daily basis.

You may just need to boost it up a little to watch your blood pressure numbers drop.

The kidneys play a key role in managing blood pressure. Depending on orders from the brain, they excrete more sodium to lower blood pressure or excrete less sodium to raise blood pressure.

But for some reason, the kidneys do not always manage to do their job.

One of the most common classes of blood pressure drug, diuretics (also called a water pill), is supposed to help the kidneys get rid of excess water and sodium. But they come with serious side effects.

However, what the researchers discovered was that when oxidized stress (free radicals that cause inflammation) occurs in the kidneys, dopamine receptors that are supposed to monitor sodium excretion cannot function properly.

By loading your body with antioxidants, which fight free radicals, the oxidized stress is reduced, and your kidneys can do their job again.

The good news is that this is easy to do. using delicious fruits and vegetables without the side effects of water pills.

Blueberries have more varieties of antioxidants than any other fruit. But antioxidants can be found in all fruits and vegetables. The general rule is the more color, the better. You can also take them as supplements.

It’s equally important to avoid oxidization in the first place, by eating healthy foods and avoid everything processed. Food cooked at very high temperatures (grilled)—and of course fried foods—also contribute to oxidization.

The real underlying cause, however, lies in the phrase “oxidized stress.” Because any stress can be the underlying cause of high blood pressure. It can be physical (oxidization, diseases), mental (long-lasting difficult tasks at work), emotional (loss of a loved one), or sensory (traffic, loud TV).

And the stress accumulates. Imagine having the flu (physical stress) while there is loud construction going on next door (sensory stress). In that case, your stress level and blood pressure would rise more than it would from just one of those factors alone.

When your body is under oxidized or any other stress for a long time, your brain gets into the habit of triggering high blood pressure. This becomes chronic, habitual. So even if the stress factors are no longer present, your blood pressure stays high.

The way to deal with this is to break “the habit of high blood pressure.” You can do this by giving yourself “a Focused Break.” It only takes a few minutes, but you’ll immediately experience a drop in blood pressure.

But the Focused Break is a topic for another article. Learn more about how the Focused Break exercises work to lower blood pressure, and try them out for yourself here…

If your cholesterol is too high, it’s probably because of oxidized cholesterol buildup in your arteries. Here is how to get rid of that plaque buildup quickly…

Natural Cure for High Blood Pressure – This Healthy Food Raises Blood Pressure and Doubles Heart Attack Risk

As a health-conscious reader of Blue Heron Health News, I’m sure you pay a lot of attention to what you eat and try to choose a healthy diet.

But sometimes, not all is as it seems.

According to a new study, some healthy foods, such as common fruits and vegetables, could turn lethal if used in the wrong way. And we all use them in this way from time to time.

According to a new study from the Environmental Health Center at Seoul National University College of Medicine in Korea, consuming fruits, vegetables, and other foods from cans can double your risk of heart attack.

This only applies to cans lined with bisphenol A (BPA). Unfortunately, most food cans are still lined with this dangerous chemical, even though it’s been proven to cause many serious diseases.

Most plastic containers are also high in BPA.

The only safe way to avoid it is to only use cans, bottles, or other contains that are clearly marked as BPA-free.

In spite of the overwhelming evidence from this and other studies, the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) still argues that BPA is completely safe.

The Korean researchers recruited 60 men and women to drink either three cans lined with BPA or 3 glass bottles of soy milk per day. Those who drank out of cans had a five-point rise in blood pressure on average, compared to the glass-drinking group.

The researchers also found a scary 1,600% (yes—one thousand, six hundred percent) increase in BPA in the urine of the can group compared to the glass group.

A spike in blood pressure drastically increases the risk of heart attack. So if you consume a higher volume of BPA, it can easily double your heart attack risk.

With high blood pressure being so serious, it’s extremely important to lower it. The best way I know to lower blood pressure naturally is to use three easy exercises. Try these exercises out for yourself here…

High levels of bad cholesterol are another factor behind stroke and heart attack. But not in the way that most doctors think. Here is the step-by-step strategy I used to clear my 93% blocked heart arteries and avoid a heart attack…

Natural Cure for High Blood Pressure – 80% of High Blood Pressure Cases Caused by This Single Thing

One challenge in treating high blood pressure is that there seem to be so many factors that affect this disease.

A bad diet, lack of exercise, high cholesterol, and obesity are just a few examples of the hundreds of things considered to cause high blood pressure.

But researchers from Australia recently discovered a single factor that is behind 80% of high blood pressure cases. The best thing is, it’s easy to tackle this underlying cause and permanently get rid of high blood pressure.

In a new study published in the journal Cell, the researchers tested the effects of leptin on high blood pressure. Leptin is a hormone that, among other things, regulates appetite, metabolism, and body fat storage.

More body fat causes more leptin to circulate in the bloodstream. The researchers found that this tends to increase blood pressure. This is one reason that obesity and high blood pressure so often go hand in hand.

These scientists claim that high leptin levels may be the cause of up to 80% of all high blood pressure cases.

But that’s not the end of the story, because not everyone who has high blood pressure is obese, and vice versa.

The researchers took a group of obese mice with high blood pressure and disabled the receptors in their brains that process leptin. Like magic, the blood pressures of the obese mice went down.

But mice are not humans. So next, the researchers hunted down a group of people who were obese, with high leptin levels. However, either genetically or because of a disease, these people’s brains didn’t process leptin as effectively as normal. Without exception, these people had normal blood pressures, despite obesity.

What about slim people, then? Maybe some people just have more sensitive leptin receptors in their brains. So even if they’re not obese and their leptin levels are normal, their brains still trigger an elevation in blood pressure.

But does this mean that the solution is to just tone down the leptin receptors in the brain (as the researchers indicated)?

No, that’s just another way to use drugs to unbalance your system. And these drugs will always come with serious side effects and mess up something else in the process.

When your brain is reacting to leptin, it is correctly saying that something is wrong.

Being obese puts extreme stress on your body. And a functional way to deal with any stress is to raise blood pressure.

If you’re not obese and still have high blood pressure, it means that your brain is reacting to some other kind of stress. And stress accumulates. Yes, forcing leptin down could lower blood pressure (because it’s one of many influences), but it doesn’t address the real underlying stress.

Only your brain regulates your blood pressure. It gets messages from your body and senses, which it processes to decide how high your blood pressure should be (did you get an unexpected expense, have your arteries narrowed, etc.) But, just like the CEO of a major corporation, your brain makes the final decision.

The problem is that your brain gets used to firing off high blood pressure orders. It becomes an unconscious habit. And just like other bad habits, this habit needs to be broken.

The method I use to break this “habit of high blood pressure” is something I call a Focused Break.

Throughout the years, thousands of clients have used these easy Focused Break exercises to successfully lower their blood pressure to a healthy level.

This is by far the easiest and most effective method I know to drop blood pressure permanently.

Watch this video – No Pills! Natural Cure for High Blood Pressure

Learn how the simple Focused Break exercises work, and try them out for yourself…

This post is from the High Blood Pressure Exercise Program. It was made by Christian Goodman Blue Heron health news that has been recognized as one of the top-quality national health information websites. 

This program will provide you the natural high blood pressure treatments, natural recipes to cook healthy meals and useful strategies to build a healthy diet with the aim to help you to maintain, stabilize and get your blood pressure down in minutes permanently and naturally.

To find out more about this program, click on Natural Cure for High Blood Pressure

Here are the 11 Natural Remedies to Calm Anxiety

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Anxiety – Symptoms, Causes & Natural Remedies

The pace of life seems to have accelerated over the past decade. Today, the constant stream of emails, never-ending social media updates, and blurring of the lines between work and home life are increasingly stressful on your body and brain.

In fact, our increasingly hectic schedules have paralleled a similarly alarming increase in the rates of anxiety in the general population over that time.

It’s becoming more and more common for people to experience anxiety in the workplace; a recent study found that up to 40% of workers today have reported high levels of anxiety in their jobs.

Today’s constant connectivity is terrific for driving productivity and innovation, but if you’re not mindful, it can start to negatively impact your health.

Anxiety disorders affect about 1 out of 5 adults in America, and 40% of people take some sort of mood altering medication from their doctor. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that by the year 2050, one-third of the global population will suffer from either anxiety or depression.

Let’s take a look at some typical signs of anxiety, after which we can look at some simple strategies to help curb these symptoms.

Anxiety Symptoms

When I see patients in clinic, many people are surprised to see that some (or many) of the symptoms of anxiety apply to them.

Common symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety can include:

• Inability to focus
• Inability to concentrate
• Feelings of uneasiness
• Quick breathing
• Increase heart rate
• Dry mouth
• Cold or sweaty hands or feet

As your symptoms become more pronounced or if your anxiety is more longstanding, you may experience some of the following symptoms:

• Insomnia (trouble falling or staying asleep)
• Excessive fear or worry
• Obsessive thinking
• Rapid heart rate
• Heart palpitations
• Numbness or tingling in hands and feet
• Avoidance of work or social situations

You can see from this list that symptoms of anxiety can be very general; it’s therefore easy for doctors to miss and many people may experience a few of these symptoms at some point in their lives.

If you notice these symptoms increasing in frequency or severity, then it’s time to think about actively incorporating strategies to address the root cause.

What Causes Anxiety?

There are number of things that can contribute to symptoms of anxiety, and one of the most common might be part of your regular morning routine. That’s right, caffeine is listed in the DSM-5 (the medical bible for mental health diagnoses used by the American Psychiatry Association) as a direct cause of anxiety, yet for many anxiety sufferers it continues to be part of their morning routine.

Food can also predispose you to bouts of anxiety. If you struggle with poor blood sugar control, when your levels bottom out you’ll be at a much greater risk of symptoms of anxiety.

The natural reaction when blood sugars are low is to look for a sugary snack, which shoots blood sugars way up and leaves you prone to constant “highs and lows”. Unstable blood sugar levels, caffeine and stress all contribute to anxiety.

Stress is another major cause of anxiety. Stress comes in many different forms: work, school, relationships, finances, alcohol and drugs, and even too much exposure to WIFI and mobile devices.

Reducing exposure to stressors under your control (caffeine, alcohol, recreational drugs, etc.) is the first place to start, thereby enabling you to improve your response to the stressors which are not in your control (i.e., your workload in school or at the office).

Your reaction to the stressors is the only thing you can truly control, and it plays a massive role in how well you cope with stress. If you struggle with anxiety, your sympathetic nervous system is likely too-ramped up in “fight or flight” mode (in which your brain and body think you’re running away from a tiger or lion), when in reality it’s simply too many emails or work deadlines to meet.

If you constantly react very strongly to stressors, you effectively program your nervous system to always “hyper-respond” to stress, which will lead to symptoms of anxiety.

The good news is you can reprogram your stress response and build better resilience, or capacity, to cope with stress. Reprogramming your nervous system with some gentle exercises or lifestyle “hacks” will help to reboot your overactive “fight or flight” nervous system.

11 Natural Remedies to Calm Anxiety

1. Remove (or Reduce) Caffeine

If you struggle with regular or severe bouts of anxiety, it’s time to kick coffee to the curb. Caffeine triggers the release of the stress hormone adrenaline, which can be beneficial for some, but disastrous in others if the caffeine dose is too much.

Moreover, if you’re genetically a “slow metabolizer” of caffeine, it will remain in your bloodstream for longer periods, which can worsen anxiety symptoms or inhibit deep sleep.

2. Lift Weights

Numerous studies have shown the clear benefit of resistance training for improving cognition, mood and anxiety. If you’re sedentary, you can start by performing bodyweight exercises at home, join a local gym or CrossFit box, or try a new class in your area.

3. Go for a Run

If lifting weight isn’t your thing, get moving and add more cardio to your daily routine.

Experts at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America have found that regular aerobic exercise can decrease overall levels of tension, balance mood, improve sleep, and increase self-esteem.

4. Turn Up the Music

When life gets busy, social outings and even listening to music often go by the wayside. Attending a live music concert, or even listening to relaxing music at home, have been shown to reduce anxiety levels. Turn off your TV and turn up your stereo to help decompress.

5. Get a Massage

Physical touch is an important and calming influence on the brain, yet when we get busy we often distance ourselves from friends and loved ones. Something as simple as going for a massage and receiving some therapeutic touch has been shown to be effective for decreasing an overactive sympathetic nervous system.

6. Do Yoga

If you can’t carve out time for a massage, relax your nervous system at home with some gentle stretching or yoga. Performing some basic poses for 10-15 minutes is a great way to turn off your “thinking” brain so your body can begin to relax, possibly helping to relieve symptoms of anxiety in some people.

7. Try Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has used acupuncture for millennia for treating anxiety and research, and there is support for its use as an effective anxiety aid.

Acupuncture helps to relax tight muscles, dampen a hyperactive nervous system, and provide an environment to disconnect from your work and life stressors.

8. Talk It Out

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a proven scientific talk therapy approach that uses problem solving techniques to reprogram your reaction to stressors. CBT is a great technique for getting to the root cause of your anxiety.

9. Take a Nature Walk

If you live a city, constant exposure to concrete, noise and pollution takes its toll on your body and mind.

A recent study found that rediscovering nature and going for a walk outdoors is naturally calming to the nervous system and can improve symptoms of anxiety. Find a local park or take a trip to the countryside near you.

10. Deep Breathing

Your breath is the connection between your body and mind. When life gets busy, you likely breathe up in your chest, and this “pump handle” type breathing is a sympathetic nervous system stimulator.

Carving out 5-10 minutes to take deep, belly breaths (using your diaphragm) activates the vagus nerve in your brain to tell your body “ahh, relax”. It’s a wonderful tonic for mild or severe anxiety.

11. Sing

There are many other ways to help calm your overactive sympathetic nervous system, and singing is at the top of the list. A recent study in choir members found a positive impact on psychological indicators of mood and anxiety. Try singing in the shower, in your car, or during your outdoor walks!

Our environment today is a major driver of symptoms of anxiety like restlessness, poor focus, insomnia and general feelings of uneasiness.

Help offset the stimulatory effects of today’s fast paced world on your nervous system by adding some of these simple strategies to your routine. Your health, productivity and happiness will all be rewarded.

Watch this video – 10 natural remedies for helping anxiety and stress

Written by Dr. Marc Bubbs

Author Bio:

Dr. Marc Bubbs, ND is a Naturopathic Doctor, Strength Coach, Author, Speaker, and Blogger practicing in Toronto, Canada. He believes that diet, exercise, and lifestyle factors have the most profound impact on your overall health and performance. Marc is the author of The Paleo Project – A 21st Guide to Looking Leaner, Getting Stronger, & Living Longer and currently serves as the Sports Nutrition Lead for Canadian Men’s Olympic Basketball Team.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook