Depression. It is a topic that needs to be discussed more often and openly. Depression can be a tricky, unrelenting beast. Sometimes noticeable. Often hidden. Even from those suffering, depression can be hard to pinpoint, understand and accept because feelings of sadness are part of the human condition. We all experience despair and grief at times but if one suffers from depression, the tables turn and we seem more at battle with ourselves, than life.
Depressive episodes can come in waves, but are characterized as lasting two or more weeks, and can feel like on-going tunnel vision, with the darkest and emptiest of thoughts. The World Health Organization defines a depressive episode as feeling sad, irritable and empty with a loss of interest, or pleasure in things that once brought you joy. In reality, it can also look like fatigue, difficulty managing emotions (ranging from irritability, to anger, sadness, etc.), a tendency to ruminate and obsess about things, (like fears and regrets), difficulty focusing, just wanting to sleep, or thinking that the world being better off without you. (It wouldn’t be, trust me).
Our family recently lost a kind and gentle soul to a secret battle with their mental health. My intention in writing this article is that we come to understand depression a tiny bit better and perhaps come to accept that is not something one just “snaps out of”… Nor is it something our society should continue to shame, or sweep under the pristine carpet, but rather address, with ideally more than just pharmaceuticals.
There are many contributing factors when discussing root causes of depression, including social, biological and psychological factors but when we take one giant step backward, one factor remains very clear— Research shows that more than 90% of serotonin in the human body is created by the gut.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that carries chemical messages between the brain and rest of the body. Serotonin influences your ability to learn, but also plays a role in your happiness in addition to regulating your sleep, hunger, body temperature and sexual desire. Normal levels of serotonin are linked to feelings of emotional stability, while low levels of serotonin are linked to depression and anxiety.
The gut is always at play, affecting our entire body. As a nutritionist, my biggest focus is on gut health— aka: digestion, elimination and the quality of fuel being used as energy for the body at a cellular level. When we address gut health, first, we can see how it impacts our overall well-being, pushing us closer to finding the balance we all seek. Western medicine likes to isolate and treat symptoms. Anti-depressants work by influencing chemicals in the brain.
I grew up in the pharmaceutical industry. I worked for my father starting at the age of 12, who was responsible for the creative material and content Big Pharma would supply doctors with (who were prescribing their medication). When I graduated from college, I became a pharmaceutical sales representative, at one point “selling” anti-depressants. The extensive education I received was fascinating and even now as a holistic nutritionist, I am still thankful for it today. However, one thing we did not learn is this: While an estimated 90% of serotonin is found in the lining of your gastrointestinal tract (gut) only 10% of serotonin is produced by the brain.
Medicine has an exceptional place in our society. However, as someone that started to noticeably suffer from depression and anxiety on my way off college, it was not until I made the connection between lifestyle (mainly: diet) and brain health that I actually started to see a major shift in my overall well-being.
While depression may not be something one can just snap out of, here are a few simple tips to help yourself, and/or loved ones in your life right now.
Anyone can benefit with these simple tips.
- Take a probiotic in the morning.
- Drink half your body weight (in ounces) of pure drinking water every day.
- Take magnesium in the evening.
- Focus on adding more leafy green and fibrous cooked vegetables into your daily life.
- Eliminate grains for the time being.
- Add in more high quality protein at each meal.
- Eliminate alcohol.
- Minimize caffeine.
- Walk.
- Eliminate toxic relationships.
- Turn on an inspiring podcast and cut out the news.
- Take a food sensitivity test to rule out potential gut issues for you.
- Address your hormones. Hormonal imbalances can be associated with mood imbalances. Note: The birth control pill can directly affect your mood. (It sent me spiraling).
- Play uplifting music in the background.
- Trade out sugar and artificial sweeteners for pure stevia, or monk fruit.
- Work with a nutritionist to improve your diet. It should not be surprising to find that humans that associate with having mood imbalances (notably depression and anxiety) often also suffer from gut related issues, like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), constipation, leaky gut, etc.
As always, this advice should not replace the advice of your health care practitioner. If you are experiencing thoughts of guilt, worthlessness, or thinking about harming yourself, or others, please reach out immediately to a trained crisis counselors texting HOME to 741-741.
Work with Lauren Gillan, CN. You can find her at FeminologyMD.com in Dallas or @laurentgillan on Instagram.
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