Are you Anxious or Depressed? It Could be Genetic By Jared M. Skowron, ND and
Michelle Hessberger, ND, MS, LAc, Dipl
nxiety pays. At least, it pays the pharmaceutical companies. Antidepressants are the #2 most common drug class pre- scribed in the United States, after cholesterol medications. Out of the $300 billion spent on pharmaceuticals in the US, more than $25 billion are spent on antidepressants and antipsychotics. (IMS Health 2010 Statistics). That’s a lot of sadness. A lot of patients come into my office with anxiety, sadness, or depression. I often think to myself, ‘Where does all this anxiety and grief come from?’ When you read the psychology of Sigmund Freud, he states the anxiety of males comes from the PTSD after circumcision, but then again, Freud will be Freud. For others, the extreme stress of our lives can push us over the edge. The stress of the economy, family, relationships, finances, our self-imposed high standards, and even inflated life expectations can add to our lack of happiness. I’d like to think some of us may be depressed because we aren’t pursuing our life’s goal, as a sign that we need to get on track. However some people, especially the children in my office,
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Brain Chemistry There are chemicals made in our bodies that affect our emotions
and moods. These are called neurotransmitters or brain chemicals. They affect our entire nervous system, not just mood, but also our peripheral nervous system that senses the world around us. Many of us are familiar with the names of these. Serotonin is the most well known of our brain chemicals; it
seem to have anxiety or depression for no explainable reason. In these cases one problem can be their genetics. Are your genetics contributing to your anxiety and depression?
Ask yourself the following questions:
• Do you feel anxious for no discernable reason? • Do you have trouble sleeping?
• Is there a history of depression, anxiety or mental illness in your family? • Do you often have cold fingers or toes? (Raynaud’s symp- toms) • Did you have trouble conceiving a child? • Is there a family history of unexplained heart disease? • Do you have a quick temper? • Do you have a high pain tolerance? • Are you hypersensitive to light touch, noises, or smells?
If any of these questions resonate with you, we need to test your emotional genetics and brain chemicals!
18 Natural Nutmeg June 2012
Proteins + Vitamins = Brain Chemicals These chemicals are created, do work in our bodies, and are re-
moved through the urine. The chemicals work by activating receptors on the nerves. When the chemical activates a receptor (think about a key in a keyhole), then different signals occur in the nerve that alter our emotions, our thoughts, and our sensations. There are two major actions that pharmaceuticals have that
change our mood. One group of pharmaceuticals includes inhibi- tors. These drugs inhibit the removal of brain chemicals from the brain. SSRI are part of this category. If we are making a low level of serotonin, the goal of the drug is to hold on to the serotonin, so it is not removed from the body as fast as usual. The other group of drugs includes agonists or activators. They activate the nerve receptor (keyhole) on their own, and don’t affect brain chemical levels di- rectly. Ativan and lorazepam are good examples of this type of drug. They activate the receptor for the brain chemical, GABA. This brain
generally gives us a feeling of calmness and happiness. The majority of antidepressant drugs are called SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). They maintain serotonin in our brain to continue the good feelings we want. Let’s take a step back and understand how these brain chemicals work. Our body creates these chemicals from the foods we eat.
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