Nutrimed Labs: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Condition: DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

SUGGESTED NUTRITION:

GlycoPlex #970
3 per day - High potency vitamin B-complex needed especially for the pituitary gland as its hormones cannot be produced in adequate amounts without vitamin B-complex, especially B-2, Pantothenic Acid and choline.

GABA-VAL #935
1 Capsule three times per day. It is a physiological calming agent.

C AspaScorb #851
Vitamin C with a magnesium and potassium in both ascorbate and aspartate form. Large amounts of vitamin. Care necessary to detoxify harmful substances formed in the body under stress because greater than normal amounts of vitamin C are lost in the urine at this time. Up to 8 grams may be necessary daily in situations of acute stress. If a "laxative effect" takes place, cut the dosage in half until the body develops a tolerance for the C.

St. John's Wort with Kava Kava. #K468
2 - 3 per day offer an effective alternative to anti-depressant drugs.

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PATHOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS:

A depressive syndrome which can affect any system of the body. It is characterized by fatigue, boredom, increasing irritability, inability to concentrate, and changes in appetite and sleep patterns. There is often abdominal bloating and eructation, with symptoms of hyperventilation expressed as light-headedness, syncope, paresthesias of the extremities and tachycardia.

PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Anxiety is a stress condition. Physiologically, the body reacts to every variety of stress in the same way. The pituitary gland reacts first, producing ACTH and somatotropin which immediately stimulates the adrenals to produce cortisone. This activates the body's alarm mechanism and mobilizes the forces of resistance to meet the emergency. Protein is mobilized and broken down to form sugar, the blood sugar soars, fat is mobilized from storage depots, blood pressure increases, minerals are drawn from the bones,and an abnormal amount of salt is retained. This pattern of reaction varies in intensity according to the degree of stress.

Depression, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III), is diagnosed according to eight primary criteria:

Poor appetite with weight loss or increased appetite with weight gain
Physical hyperactivity or inactivity
Loss of interest or please in usual activities or decrease in sexual drive
Loss of energy and feelings of fatigue
Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach or inappropriate guilt
Diminished ability to think or concentrate
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

The presence of five of these eight symptoms definitely indicates depression; the individual with four is probably depressed. According to the DSM-III, the deoressed state must be present for at least one month to be called depression.

Note: Symptoms of disease, and often the disease itself are often nothing more than the body's reaction to stress. Thus the reaction to stress, occurring during any inflammatory condition, becomes the disease, and is given the name of the organ involved with the added ending of "itis". Among others, such conditions are arthritis, bursitis, colitis nephritis, and all the allergies, may be listed as stress diseases.

TREATMENT:

Nutritional needs are greatly increased. If the diet is adequate, repair quickly takes place, but when rebuilding of tissue fails to keep pace with destruction, illness of greater of lesser intensity is the result. In addition to a highly nutritious diet of natural foods, supportive supplements are of prime importance.

The following may be helpful: St. John's Wort with Kava Kava. #K468. The May 5, 1997 issue of Newsweek Magazine reported a growing interest among doctors in the use of this herbal supplement, Hypericum perforatum, St. John's Wort, for treating mild to moderate depression. The herb has been popular in Europe for about 15 years as a natural remedy for depression and is currently the leading treatment in Germany (prescribed 25 times more often than Prozac.)

Several placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials have tested the effectiveness of Kava Kava for the treatment of anxiety. Ine one study, 400 mg. of kavain proved as effective as Oxazapam (a benzodiazepine, similar to Valium). Researchers were surprised to find that, at doses effective for reducing anxiety Kava extract improved reaction time, vigilance and word recognition.

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