Being anxious or depressed isn’t fun—we’ve all been there—but coming back into emotional balance can be a valuable exercise in learning how to take care of yourself better and keeping your life on track. Most of the time these negative states of mind are caused by some combination of physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual troubles, so it pays to check in with yourself at every level.
In North America and Europe, we tend to believe all the TV ads that tell us we’re not OK unless we’re always vivaciously energetic, laughing, happy, and ready to party at all times. In truth, what most of us need in our lives is more balance. Not wildly happy, not terribly sad, but balance. Being in balance could be experienced as a state of calm well-being, or peacefulness. Depression and anxiety are two extremes of being out of balance, but oddly enough, they tend to have similar root causes, and many people bounce back and forth between the two.
It’s also natural to be depressed if you are in the midst of grieving over the death or serious illness of a loved one, a divorce, a job loss, or another significant life event. In these cases, we sometimes can use some help, and when those times roll around, you’re way ahead if you start with natural remedies.
Don’t forego a discussion with your medical team and your pharmacist about herbs and supplements for anxiety and depression, especially if you are taking any prescription drugs. Some evidence suggests that St. John’s wort may counteract the effects of oral contraceptives and could interact harmfully with blood-thinning medicines.
Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil are very important for people with depression. A large body of research strongly links a lower omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in the diet to greater risk of depression and anxiety. Higher doses than generally required for overall good health are recommended for depression—somewhere around 2.8 to 3 grams per day of EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Refer to Andrew Stoll’s book, The Omega-3 Connection, for more on this.
An Important Note
Use St. John’s wort, or S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e), or 5-HTP. Don’t use more than one of these neurotransmitter-altering natural remedies at the same time to treat your depression, and don’t use any of them along with an SSRI, an SRNI, an MAOI, or a tricyclic antidepressant. We just don’t know enough about how these substances interact with one another and how their additive effects might tweak neurotransmitter activity.
S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM-e)
SAM-e is a nutrient important for many processes in the body, including the production of neurotransmitters that strongly affect mood and well-being. It is made in the body, but the conversion of methionine to SAM-e is suspected to be impaired in depressed people. Studies show that this supplement is more effective than placebo, bringing significant reductions in depressive symptoms. Europeans have been using SAM-e as a prescription drug for depression for a couple of decades, and it’s available over the counter in the United States. Try 200 mg twice a day for a few days; then increase to 400 mg twice a day. (Don’t use this supplement if you suspect you might be bipolar or have a manic tendency, because SAM-e can worsen these problems.) The only (rare) side effects reported are nausea and vomiting.
Tryptophan
The amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to melatonin and the neurotransmitter serotonin, is a safe and effective sleep remedy. It can also be a wonderful remedy for anxiety and depression. Years ago, tryptophan was pulled off the market in the United States by the FDA when a contaminated batch from Japan caused death and illness in dozens of people. The illness it caused had nothing to do with the effects of uncontaminated tryptophan. In truth, tryptophan is very safe—far safer than sleeping pills and antidepressants, which it was competing with in a big way when it was pulled off the market. It’s a good bet that tryptophan was pulled from the market to protect the profits of the big drug companies, not to protect your health. Ironically, tryptophan is still included in baby formulas and nutritional powders for senior citizens because it is an essential amino acid, but you can’t get it by itself as a supplement in the United States. You can, however, purchase it in a form called 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) for use as a natural insomnia, anxiety, and depression remedy.
Tryptophan’s effect on the brain is similar to that of drugs such as Prozac, except that it doesn’t have the side effects, dangers, and withdrawal problems those drugs have; it’s much less expensive; and it’s probably more effective. One of tryptophan’s primary effects on the brain is to reduce anxiety, which is often the culprit in insomnia. For the same reason, it is often quite effective for treating depression, especially if there is an anxiety component to it.
The usual recommended dose of 5-HTP is 150 to 300 mg per day.
If you are taking one of the SSRIs (Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, Luvox, or Zoloft), don’t use tryptophan at the same time. Agitation, restlessness, aggressiveness, high body temperature, diarrhea, and cramping can result.
St. John’s Wort
St. John’s wort, which has been used medicinally for many centuries by the Chinese, the Greeks, the Europeans, and the American Indians, is well known for its positive effect on anxiety, insomnia, depression, and a physical illness that has long been associated with stress: heart disease. It also seems to be effective as a treatment for SAD. This herb has been extremely well studied in Europe and found over and over again to be as effective as the SSRIs in treating depression and as the benzodiazepines in treating anxiety. You may need to take it for a couple of weeks before it starts taking effect.
Several studies comparing prescription antidepressants with the herbal remedy St. John’s wort have shown the latter to be as effective as the former against clinical depression. The encouraging results of these studies have inspired further research into the possible uses of St. John’s wort. Some of the most interesting work has revealed its effectiveness against premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and as a gentle remedy for depression and other psychological problems in children.
Researchers at the University of Exeter’s Department of Complementary Medicine in England gathered a group of 19 women who had PMS but who were otherwise in good mental and physical health and had not undergone any treatment for their PMS symptoms. These women were interviewed, completed daily symptom ratings for one menstrual cycle, and were medically screened before receiving an official PMS diagnosis. They then took 300 mg of St. John’s wort daily (standardized to 900 mcg of hypericin) for two complete menstrual cycles. Daily symptom ratings were completed throughout the two months, and other tests of depression and anxiety levels were administered periodically. The womens’ PMS symptom scores decreased 51 percent, with more than two-thirds showing at least a 50 percent improvement.
Children are being treated with SSRIs and Ritalin at an alarming rate these days. It’s important that research be done on natural remedies for depression and anxiety in children so that fewer parents feel compelled to give their children these dangerous drugs. A group of German researchers investigated the use of St. John’s wort in 101 children under the age of 12, giving them 300 to 1,800 mg daily for four to six weeks. Seventy- two percent of the physicians who followed the progress of these children rated the herb’s effectiveness as good or excellent after two weeks; after four weeks, this rating was given by 97 percent of those physicians; and at the study’s end, 100 percent approved of the job St. John’s wort was doing for the study’s young subjects. None of the subjects experienced adverse effects.
Before you turn to SSRIs or antianxiety drugs for treatment of your own PMS or of a child’s psychological problems, consider try-ing a course of St. John’s wort. Take it in the dose recommended on the container. If you are coming off an SSRI such as Prozac and want to try St. John’s wort, allow a three-week period in between so you don’t end up with serotonin syndrome (a dangerous condition where too much serotonin remains in the synapses).
B Vitamins
The B vitamins together and separately play important roles in nerve and brain function and in relaxing muscles. If you are older and not absorbing nutrien
ts as well as you might be, your body may not be able to use the B vitamins in your food. It’s important to include the B vitamins in a multivitamin. If you’re having trouble with leg cramps at night, an extra 50 mg of vitamin B6 an hour before bed may help. Some people are cured of restless leg syndrome by taking an extra 400 mcg of folic acid before bed.
The B vitamins play an essential role in our neurological health, and yet most adult Americans are deficient in these vitamins. Although each of the B vitamins plays some role in brain function, vitamin B12 is best known for its ability to combat depression. For years alternative health professionals have given vitamin B12 shots as part of an overall treatment program for people who are extremely stressed out or depressed. Until recently this practice has been pooh-poohed, but now more and more M.D.s are jumping on the B12 bandwagon.
If you want to try B12 as an antidote for stress or depression, it’s important to know that it’s not well absorbed when you take it orally (by mouth), which is why it is given in the form of injections. However, there are B12 supplements you can buy at your local health food store that are sublingual (dissolved under the tongue) and intranasal (in the nose). You’ll want to take about 1,000 mcg (1 mg) at least every other day to treat depression.
Amino Acids
Many alternative health care practitioners have had great success treating depression with amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and play a vital role in the production and regulation of brain chemicals. Most of the new “personality” drugs have much the same effects on brain chemistry as the amino acids tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine. These substances affect the brain’s production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects our moods. However, please try the simpler solutions such as nutrition and exercise first for treating depression—it’s always preferable to begin with the most simple, down-to-earth solutions.
Although amino acids are safe, especially when compared to the prescription drugs, don’t take more than the recommended dose unless it’s recommended by a health care professional, and monitor yourself carefully to track if and how they affect you (keeping a daily diary of how you’re feeling works well). The stimulating amino acids such as tyrosine and phenylalanine can cause irritability in some people.
If you have chronic, recurring depression, work with a health care professional. If you are already taking a prescription drug for depression, please do not take amino acids for it without consulting your doctor.
If you, your physician, or health care professional wants to know about amino acids in detail, read the book The Healing Nutrients Within: Your Guide to the Best-Stocked Drugstore of All—the Human Body by Eric R. Braverman, M.D. (Basic Health Publications, 2003). Your doctor may want to check out the 120-page-plus reference section. Very few prescription drugs have been so thoroughly tested.
Tyrosine
The amino acid tyrosine is fairly well established through research and the experience of hundreds of alternative health care practitioners as a safe and effective remedy for depression. Tyrosine is the precursor to some of our most important neurotransmitters, so it is an important part of our brain’s nutrition. It is also a precursor to adrenaline, thyroid hormones, and some types of estrogen. It has been shown to lower blood pressure, increase sex drive, and suppress appetite. L-dopa, which is used to treat Parkinson’s disease, is made from tyrosine.
Start with 500 mg three times a day with meals. If that doesn’t work, try 1,000 mg. The most you should take without consulting a health professional is 1,500 mg a day. Although tyrosine is considered to be one of the safest amino acids, it can trigger a migraine headache in some people and shouldn’t be used in conjunction with MAOIs.
Phenylalanine
The amino acid phenylalanine is the precursor to tyrosine and has been used in numerous studies to successfully treat depression. Many supplement manufacturers will combine tyrosine and phenylalanine, but vitamin B6 should be added to this combination for better use.
This amino acid should be avoided by people who have phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic defect in the body’s ability to process and use phenylalanine. This defect can cause severe retardation. If it is caught early enough, retardation can be avoided with a phenylalanine-free diet. Some researchers believe that many children who are hyperactive or have learning disabilities are suffering from a mild form of PKU. Because there are a small number of women whose phenylala-nine levels fluctuate when they are pregnant, this amino acid should be avoided if you are pregnant, just to be on the safe side.
The most common source of phenylalanine these days is the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet). Every time you use aspartame, you get some phenylalanine and aspartic acid. However, it’s better to take phenylalanine in a supplement because we don’t know enough about aspartic acid and its side effects, or what it does in combination with phenylalanine. You can take up to 500 mg of phenylalanine three times a day.
Phenylalanine has been reported to raise blood pressure, so if you have high blood pressure, please monitor it carefully or consult your doctor. Phenylalanine gives some people headaches. A few studies suggest that phenylalanine may promote the growth of cancerous tumors. So if you have cancer, this should not be your antidepressant of choice, and please avoid the aspartame!
Chapter 16
Diabetes Drugs, Obesity Drugs, and Their Natural Alternatives
If you have adult-onset (type 2) diabetes and your physician isn’t working with you to aggressively treat the disease with diet and exercise, then you are simply being manipulated by the medical industry and used as a cash cow. The vast majority of type 2 diabetes, especially when it is caught early, can be very successfully treated with diet, exercise, and supplements, but most conventional physicians won’t take that course. Instead they prescribe drugs that control the symptoms without treating the underlying disease, putting you on a road to certain illness and disability.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is approving new types of diabetes drugs on a regular basis—it’s a huge and rapidly growing market, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. A few years ago, a slick, full-color, four-page advertisement appeared in a pharmacy magazine and began with the headline, “The Diabetes Consumer: Shops More. Spends More. Shops the Whole Store.” The headline on the following page read, “Maximize Your Profits with Diabetes Category Management.” It went on to predict “dramatic growth” in the diabetes market.
The ad went on to explain that a diabetic customer spends about $2,500 more in a pharmacy each year than the average customer, and listed some 26 products needed by a diabetic, including insulin, syringes, cotton swabs, and blood glucose monitors.
Pharmacy costs for a diabetic don’t take into account the cost of regular visits to the physician and the cost of the side effects of diabetes. Diabetics are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or a stroke. They also represent one-third of kidney dialysis patients, and they suffer from impotence, loss of vision, increased susceptibility to infections, and loss of sensation in the hands and feet. These costs line the pockets of physicians and hospitals. Any way you look at it, a person with diabetes is a financial boon for physicians, drug companies, and pharmacies. The rapidity with which unsuspecting patients are prescribed diabetes drugs can be dizzying, and the consequences can be dire.
Once you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, your physician is pressured, from many directions, to put you on diabetes drugs to control blood sugar. This ensures that you will need to visit your physician frequently to renew your prescription and guarantees the drug company and pharmacy a lifetime customer. All of the diabetes drugs have side effects, and all of them lose their effectiveness over time, guaranteeing the drug-dependent diabetic the lifethreatening side effects of both the drugs and the disease.
This wouldn’t be such shameful behavior if it weren’t for the fact that adult-onset diabetes is one of the most preventable of all chronic diseases and is highly treatable and reversible with diet and exe
rcise. Taking the right nutritional supplements and herbs improves the picture even more.
Some 90 percent of adult-onset or type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, is caused by poor eating habits, obesity, and lack of exercise. Three-quarters of those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can avoid insulin injections and other drugs by losing weight, but most physicians believe that it’s too difficult to help patients lose weight and eat properly, so they are most likely to recommend (pay lip service to) weight loss and exercise while simultaneously writing you a prescription for a diabetes drug.
Diabetes is such a profitable business that physicians will put “prediabetic” patients, with only marginally high blood sugar, on diabetes drugs before trying weight loss and exercise. The logic is that the drug will control blood sugar until the patient gets his or her act together and makes the necessary lifestyle changes because the earlier high blood sugar is controlled, and the more it is controlled, the less likely a person is to suffer from the side effects of diabetes. While this is very true, there’s no comparison between the safety and effectiveness of lifestyle changes versus diabetes drugs when it comes to long-term health and quality of life—the drugs are the first step onto a deadly drug treadmill. The only comparison that makes diabetes drugs look good is the patient who is obese, eating poorly, and not getting any exercise and who does not make any lifestyle changes.
Prescription Alternatives Page 43