Day 21 Warning: The SAD Diet Will Make You Sad
As you know, it is not like saying, "I have a headache"---
something that we can stop with some simple steps and also with
depression we receive all kind of advice from one extreme to another. We
can hear anything from "Just snap out of it" (what a lot of our
family members say) to "Come get hooked on anti-depressants" (what
the medical profession often says because they don't explore the underlying
causes). It is because it is often misunderstood by the medical profession
and everyone else. You don't understand depression until you have faced it. So
what should we do???? Now I want to strongly clarify something here---I'm
not judging your actions. I am here to support YOUR decision for YOU, even
though I may totally disagree on that decision for ME. It just really bothers
me that 40 million Americans have a diagnosable anxiety disorder with 60,000
overdoses, and there were 40,000 suicides last year. Folks, something is wrong.
,
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My number one concern, as you would probably guess, is the way it is treated in the medical world. I'll just tell you my story and maybe you will understand a little about why I think this way. As a background story, Larry and the boys and I went twenty years without medical insurance simply because we could not afford it. Remember this is MY story, so keep your insurance!!! We both taught school for seven years when we were first married and with that we had state insurance. But then we stopped teaching and Larry started a church, where we had a Christian school. I stopped teaching to teach in the school with no pay because we did not charge tuition. We simply went out on faith and made some decisions that only we understood. We trusted God to supply our needs and He did. Larry for some reason felt that insurance was not a necessity. And truthfully we would have been stretched to make monthly payments for something that we may not need. I remember very well the day Larry sat me and the boys down in a little circle on the floor and said, " Boys, we have no insurance, so we will not be going to the doctor unless there is an emergency. So, I am going to pray and ask God to take care of us, and I just want you to be careful". Of course they were delighted that there would be no more doctor visits and no more shots. So for 20 years we went to the doctor one time. God's miraculous provisions in our lives during this time baffles me to this day. But that is a story in itself that could easily turn into a book. I only told that story so that you might understand the next story a little more clearly. We moved to Tennessee and still had no insurance. After a few years I took a full time marketing job that required that I have insurance. Not only that, but they required that I have a physical. I assured them that there was nothing wrong with me--- I wanted to say because I haven't been to a doctor in 20 years----but I didn't. They gave me $750 and said use it for the physical or quit your job. It was right after I read the book " The Solid Golden Stethoscope" by Dr. Edgar Berman and he said to stay away from doctors because they would make you sick or give you medication that would require a return visit. Shocking?? Do you know that there is a term for that? It is an illness called iatrogenic-- an illness caused by a doctor or health care provider. I think that is funny! and sad!!! I'll bet you don't believe it--Google it!!! So I was almost afraid because I had not totally developed the confidence to question a doctor. In most people's mind doctors are right there next to God. But I loved my job, so I went, and you guessed it--nothing wrong. But before I left the office he tried to give me two medications. He said that I was getting close to menopause and was probably was having some hormonal issues, so he wanted me to take this free sample and call him back and let him know how it was working. He said that he was sure the hormones would make me feel better. I was thirty-five at the time and had no hormonal issues. I told him I had already made the decision not to take hormones. I did not question his judgement at this time, but Larry and I had read about the side effects and they sounded scary to us. Then he said the unbelievable. Would you like to have a prescription for an anti-depressant? I said, "And why?" He said, "Well, some women your age just need something at times to make them relax and face life's stresses. I told him, no thank you and left his office with the free sample just to prove to Larry that I was not lying, and I then promptly threw it in the garbage. I was appalled. So you see I know personally that there are people out there taking things just because their doctor told them to, without ever looking at options and reading about the side effects.
My number two concern is that it is a never ending prescription. They use the phrase "it is a chemical imbalance for which there is no cure". I don't doubt it is chemical, in fact biochemical. The bio means "life" so that means the life in the body has an effect on the brain so as I began to read about doctors who reversed or controlled this imbalance with life giving substances called food. From my readings I knew this did not have to be a life-long condition. There are thousands or maybe millions that did not accept this diagnosis and have gradually weaned themselves off the medication never to return. I have researched it because I wanted an answer as to why those I loved were in a life-long trap for some twenty plus years. So when I read the side effects, I became fearful for them because of what it can do to your brain. Look up the side affects---Alzheimer's is just one of them. Because my family was suffering, in the back of my head I had the thought---what about me? I had faced bouts of depression and at times wanted a drug that made me not care. But I fought through it because I was scared of the alternative that I had witnessed. I had seen the outcome of anti-depressants and it was not a pretty picture. Remember this is MY story. I would never tell you what to do. Whatever you do, I just hope you feel like you are in control. I can tell you that there are alternatives that are as good and better for you. That's all I want is to not put my life into the hands of someone when I have natural options. If I get into an accident, I am going straight to the hospital. Hands down, we have the best trauma doctors in the world. I would put my life in their hands any day of the week. So it is not that I distrust all doctor's, I just want to be in control when I can.
My number three concern is that people do not explore the options---one being diet. One doctor that I highly admire is Dr. Hyla Cass. She is a cutting edge integrative physician with a specialty in psychiatry. She has authored several books--none which I have read, but I have viewed numerous videos where she talks about the effect of food on the brain. I could fill up a bookshelf with books on what I consider to be God's way of eating, but rather than spend too much money (I have quite few by the way), I have learned to research their name, their methods, and their successes. When I am convinced that it is worthwhile and lines up with other nutritional facts that I know are true from my own experience, I set out on a Google search. Just Google "foods that cause depression". You will find the same old things that cause other medical problems----sugar, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, fast foods, alcohol, trans fats, high sodium foods, caffeine etc, Google "foods that make you anxious" or any other problems you are having. They are all there. So Dr. Cass says that foods control your brain chemistry. Food goes into your stomach and then it has a direct line to your brain. It is called the vagus nerve. So when you crave unhealthy foods, those unhealthy foods also cause other organs including the brain to be unhealthy. And worse still, when I was depressed I craved them more---especially sugar. Oh how many times when I became depressed I would head to the kitchen to get my sugar high. My "comfort foods" were the best---doughnuts, cookies, candy, etc. I felt better immediately because it gave me an instant "lift" by triggering the releasing of serotonin which regulates our moods, and this is a God thing. The only problem with that is it wears off, and you become more depressed and feel fat and doesn't solve your problem. And worse still, it depletes the body of serotonin and depression worsens. It is very common for serotonin levels to be deficient in people who are chronically depressed. So the next job was to find foods that boost serotonin levels---back to Google. Are you surprised by what I found? God's food---eggs, cold water fish, fermented foods, turkey, nuts, seeds, etc. You don't even have to know about serotonin levels, just Google anti-depressant foods. You will find chia seeds, sweet potatoes, avocados, flax, gluten free oats, broccoli, seeds, walnuts, greens, probiotic rich foods. Sound familiar? And who created them???? I think you know the answer.
It was during this search that I learned that the curcumin from turmeric is also an anti-depressant. It increases the serotonin and dopamine levels which boosts moods. So it acts like a pharmaceutical drug without the risks. So I started with the curcumin.
But you know the miracle of all times? It has been so long since I have been depressed that I can hardly remember that "state of mind" at all. Now I have had sad times when situations were not going my way, or I had devastating things happen to my friends. But these are life situations that come and go and will bring sadness and when not addressed properly (more later) can bring on depression. Elijah in I Kings was depressed. So what did he do---he went to sleep (I've been there--just go to bed, turn out the lights and see if you can sleep it off). But the angel woke him up and said, "Arise and eat"---maybe he needed some vegetables, nuts or seeds to boost his serotonin levels. We just know he overcame it and went on to do great things for God. Just don't give up. When you are depressed first check you diet. What did I eat today or the previous few days? It takes some foods time to have or show their effect on our bodies. Now if you are on some kind of antidepressant, I have heard and read that it is not wise to give it up cold turkey. I know people personally who did that, but that is a decision that you would have to have perfect peace about. I would suggest that you listen to Dr. Cass on the internet and learn from her. Her goal is to get her patients off anti-depressants and on the road to health. She also encourages her listeners how to search for a holistic doctor in their area that can help with this problem. I just know from personal experience that foods affect my mood. And I am happy to say that you can be Healthy and Happy at the same time.----More later on depression that can be caused by trauma.
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