Winter Blues
BEAT the
system and helps to fight cancer. Without i t, we
s low down, get slug-
gish and gain weight. This is due to the connection between Vitamin D and thyroid. Sufficient
T
he days are short- er. The land-
scape is dull and barren. The weather is, at times, harsh and unwel- coming. It's no wonder many people feel glum during winter. Add to that the stress of the holidays, and you have a recipe for full-blown depression. But whether you develop a mood disorder out of the blue, or you experience depressive symptoms every winter (a condition known as sea- sonal affective disorder, or "SAD"), there are treatments and preventive measures that will help you get back to your normal self.
"D" is for Daylight
Most people do not get enough expo- sure to sunlight during winter. They go to work when it's dark, and by the time they get home, the sun has already gone down. This reduced exposure to sunlight means most people aren't making enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D is important for a number
of functions in the human body in addition to building bone. It boosts the immune
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levels of Vitamin D are necessary for optimal thy- roid function. If we were bears and hibernated throughout the winter, less would be fine. (We
would get hypothyroid) But because we are humans on the go, we need the extra support that vitamin D can give. Another important benefit of this vita- min is that it can positively affect the brain. In recent years, doctors have noticed that patients who experience depression or SAD tend to be low on vitamin D. Re- search confirms this connection as well. A study of people in nursing homes found that taking vitamin D improved their de- pression and cognitive abilities. Actually, older adults should consider taking vitamin D year-round, with an in- creased dose in winter. Older adults do not make as much Vitamin D in the sum- mer as their children and grand children.
A Secret Weapon for Serotonin Production
Here's a challenge: Look up the amino acid 5-hydroxy tryptophan (5-HTP) on the internet. You're likely to find lots of warnings against using it in conjunction with SSRIs, (selective serotonin re-uptake
inhibitors), the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants. The truth is, 5-HTP can be a great addition to depres- sion treatment, especially considering the tendency for SSRIs to become less effective over time.
5-HTP crosses the blood brain barrier
and is converted to serotonin, 5-hydroxy- tryptomine (5-HT), which is a calming neurotransmitter that promotes self es- teem, reduces the tendency to feel over- whelmed, reduces fear, reduces the ten- dency to be overly critical of others and of oneself and decreases the tendency to worry. People with adequate serotonin are happier with themselves and their sur- roundings.
Deficiencies or disruptions in sero- tonin can lead to depression or obsessive compulsive tendencies. SSRIs play only one role in correcting this problem, how- ever. They allow serotonin to remain in brain synapses longer so that downstream nerves get a higher concentration of the neurotransmitter. While this is helpful, it does not address the problem of deficien- cies in serotonin. SSRIs only rearrange where serotonin is; they don't stimulate production of more of it. And, in fact, these antidepressants can lead to a reduction in serotonin levels over months to years. In the late 1980s when Prozac, the first SSRI, became popular, doctors began noticing a phe- nomenon known as "Prozac poop-out." Patients would respond successfully to the drug at first, but then their symptoms would start returning. It's now believed that SSRIs' continu- al blocking or inhibition of the serotonin
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