Day Three Hundred and Twenty Two!!!!!!!!!

Depression/Anxiety 


Depression is related to anxiety and both are highly related to chronic stress imposed on the system. Depression  is thought to be from situations of the past whereas anxiety is thought to be of situations of the future. Both nutrition and hormones interact throughout the lifecycle, the combination of which plays a role in depression to do with both men and women, especially around the age of forty. Up until the age of forty life is about learning, growing and becoming, and past the age of forty it is about dealing with aging. 


For women, as estrogen levels decrease, so do serotonin levels associated with peri-menopause or menopause as well as testosterone levels to do with andropause. Chronic stress plays a huge roll as well as systemic inflammation. Inflammation effects not only your brain but your gut cells in your second brain. There are many factors that underly the symptoms of depression, which can be related to ADHD, cognitive decline, dementia, traumatic brain injury, deficits in omega-3 fatty acids, deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, or even excessive levels of lead and copper. Low levels of magnesium can contribute to anxious depression.


People who suffer from anxiety also can suffer from panic. Symptoms are that of hyperventilation as well as aches and pains throughout the body. People with anxiety have a tendency to have erratic breathing which increases fatigue, reduces oxygen, which can also contribute to depression. People who suffer from anxiety may also have low levels of magnesium and low levels of the neurotransmitter Gaba. Anxiety can be taught through the family system as well as depression as a way to deal with stress, depression is about removal and anxiety is about constant worry.


Mood disorders have a tendency to be related and are on a spectrum, the deficiencies of excesses mentioned earlier can also exacerbate depression and anxiety when there are food sensitivities such as sensitivity to gluten and casein or reactivity to aspartame or hypoglycaemia which aggravates mood lability. Those that have  trauma as well as stress related disorders such as PTSD or complex trauma or developmental trauma also experience, depression anxiety, insomnia, and disassociation. There can also be physical symptoms which include pain, digestive problems, heart, respiratory, and reproductive problems. 


People who struggle with trauma or stress related disorders have increased levels of inflammation, allergies, and are also vulnerable to higher rates of autoimmune diseases and depressed immune function. Those that suffer with mood disorders also have a tendency to have nutritional deficits related to poor dietary habits associated with impaired self-care strategies. Those that take pharmaceuticals to treat either emotional or physical pain systems, also suffer the side effects, which can include weight gain. 


This can also apply to the effects of substance abuse as a self medication strategy in order to off set the symptoms, emotional, psychological, and physical, of mood disorders.