a) A deficiency of the nutritional precursor to a neurotransmitter used in the brain – i.e. tryptophan or phenylalanine
b) A deficiency of Omega 3 fatty acids that make up 25% of the brain, primarily used in making myelin sheaths that ‘insulate’ nerves.
c) A vitamin A deficiency which can cause the histamine packets within White Blood Cells to be too fragile, releasing excess histamine causing an ‘allergic’ type reaction which can affect the brain.
d) A chromium deficiency which leads to hypoglycemia, neurological inflammation and hyperexcitability of the depression brain centers.
e) A Fluoxetine (i.e. Prozac) deficiency which leads to insufficient Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI).
All of the above are essential nutrients that must be eaten on a regular basis in order to: 1) live, 2) grow, 3) repair or 4) reproduce and potential causes of depression except e) Fluoxetine (i.e. Prozac). Fluoxetine is a synthetic compound which was patented for many years. There is no normal occurrence of this substance in humans and by definition, no deficiency state.
While many doctors recommend Fluoxetine and other similar SSRI medications to treat depression, these treatments do not address potential causes of the condition. Finding out why somebody is depressed requires detective work to uncover which of the potential causes have abnormal laboratory test results. Correction requires not only eliminating whichever essential nutrient abnormalities you find, but may also involve neurological retraining.
Neurological Retraining: Why & How
Nerves that fire excessively will tend to get larger, similar to the way an exercised muscle gets larger and hypertrophies. When you correct an essential nutrient deficiency that was causing a nerve to fire excessively, the larger and stronger nerve will still remain hypertrophied. Until this nerve atrophies (gets smaller from lack of excess stimulation), it will still be capable of contributing imbalanced signals into the nervous system.
Retraining is a way to redirect behaviour patterns away from the hypertrophied nerves. It may require behaviour modification, cognitive exercises, emotional patterning, meditation, etc.
This article is not intended to be medical advice and is not advising you to stop taking any medications you may currently be on. Many SSRI medications have substantial side effects when discontinuing their use. Please consult members of your health care provider team directly to explore the concepts in this article.
This article is not intended to be medical advice and is not advising you to stop taking any medications you may currently be on. Many SSRI medications have substantial side effects when discontinuing their use. Please consult members of your health care provider team directly to explore the concepts in this article.