[scotto]

I have been doing some reading around and I came across these few things. I dont have a bunch of time to type a lengthy thoughtful response, but here are a few snipits and things to read.....


some things to look into that have shown to help people with depression:
macura puriens
amino acids L-Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, and 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP; Oxitriptan)

If there is a biological component instead of just environmental try magnesium.
here is a good link for that discussion...
Depression Treatment: A Cure for Depression using Magnesium?

another interesting read on blood sugar and controlling mood swings.
Mood Swings And Depression: Let's Get To The Bottom Of It

I also have a very lengthy read on the balance of omega6/3 fatty acids in our diets, and how our current day diets are typically way out of balance. We should be pretty balanced in our intake of each but the typical modern day diet has more of a 15/1 ratio which can do wild things in your body. not only in body composition with body fat, but also in how your brain functions and what it needs to function in a balanced manner. if anyone would like it I can post a link or something along those lines...

[zbestwun2001]

Very interesting.. a little above my knowledge but I need to learn this.

[scotto]

sorry I was meaning to start this thread and Ive just been busy so I put it up for a placeholder. Ill expand as I have time or there are questions.

Let me preface this by saying I am not a health care provider or any type of qualified doctor. I am however a seeker of knowledge and I have access to some interesting discussion forums and I use them often to search for knowledge.

A few years ago I started really researching nutrition, and how different foods affect our body as I was having bad allergic reactions. One thing lead to another as I started researching different subjects. This has completely changed the way I eat, the things I eat, and I now have a whole list of things that I will never put in my body lol.

I have always been against western medicine and after reading a bit, I am even further from wanting to ever put regular medicine in my body. Obviously there are some exceptions to this, but I try to find an herbal or natural remedy before I start guzzling down pills. Now with reference to mental illness, I personally dont feel I suffer but I have some family members and close friends that do, and Im not a real big fan of the presc meds for these issues....this is where this research came in....

I was researching amino acids and came across an article and discussion on the use of a few specific amino acids that seem to help with depression.


as far as the amino acids... there are 20 amino acids that the body uses to synthesize proteins. Obviously there are certain amino acids found in food, and without a well balanced diet there will be some shortcomings. This is where supplementation comes in. I try to eat a complete well balanced diet, but I still supplement with a few minor naturally occurring items.
anyway,

L-Tyrosine: this is found in such foods as: soy products, chicken, turkey, fish, peanuts, almonds, avocados, bananas, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds.
Without getting too technical, let it just be said that L-Tyrosine is a precursor to neurotransmitters, so youre brain needs this to function properly at its capacity. It is said that not a whole lot of change is noticed in mood unless the person is in abnormally stressful situations.
So youre not going to feel happy go lucky simply by taking this, but if it helps to make stressful situations better.....then it makes sense to me.

L-Phenylalanine: does basically the same thing as L-tyrosine.

5-Hydroxytryptophan: does the same thing again, but is a precursor to serotonin.

[silvercloud]

Originally Posted by scotto

I have been doing some reading around and I came across these few things. I dont have a bunch of time to type a lengthy thoughtful response, but here are a few snipits and things to read.....


some things to look into that have shown to help people with depression:
macura puriens
amino acids L-Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, and 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP; Oxitriptan)

If there is a biological component instead of just environmental try magnesium.
here is a good link for that discussion...
Depression Treatment: A Cure for Depression using Magnesium?

another interesting read on blood sugar and controlling mood swings.
Mood Swings And Depression: Let's Get To The Bottom Of It

I also have a very lengthy read on the balance of omega6/3 fatty acids in our diets, and how our current day diets are typically way out of balance. We should be pretty balanced in our intake of each but the typical modern day diet has more of a 15/1 ratio which can do wild things in your body. not only in body composition with body fat, but also in how your brain functions and what it needs to function in a balanced manner. if anyone would like it I can post a link or something along those lines...

Good topic ,scotto ~ the *EssentialFattyAcids (OMEGA-3) ,EPA (Elcosapentaenoic Acid) ,DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) @ 2.5 g/ea/day/150 lb wght ~ supports heart ,lung ,liver ,kidneys ,skin ,MOOD ~ Magnesium can benefit constipation ,but use caution ,too much ,diarrhea ~ much better to eat plenty of insoluble ,soluble ,fibre ~ that is all

psst* OMEGA-6 is furnished in plentiful w/normal diet ~

[scotto]

^^ while that is true, its a bit more complicated than that... here are some excerpts regarding omega 6/3's

The foods that were commonly available to pre-agricultural humans (lean meat, fish, green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, and honey) were the foods that shaped modern humans’ genetic nutritional requirements. Cereal grains as a staple food area relatively recent addition to the human diet and represent a dramatic departure from those foods to which we are genetically programmed and adapted. Cereals did not become a part of our food supply until very recently — 10,000 years ago — with the advent of the Agricultural Revolution. Prior to the Agricultural Revolution humans ate an enormous variety of wild plants, whereas today about 17% of plant species provide 90% of the world’s food supply, with the greatest percentage contributed by cereal grains.

Three cereals: wheat, maize, and rice together account for 75% of the world’s grain production. Human beings have become entirely dependent upon cereal grains for the greater portion of their food supply. The nutritional implications of such a high grain consumption upon human health are enormous. Cereal grains are high in carbohydrates and omega-6 fatty acids, but low in omega-3 fatty acids and in antioxidants, particularly in comparison to green leafy vegetables. Recent studies show that low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets increase insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, conditions that increase the risk for coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity...

basically its saying that it takes much much much longer for our bodies to adapt to our current diet than we have given. these changes in diet create deficiencies that are bodies cannot handle. In the last 15-20 years this has become even more apparent with the introduction of a wide variety of processed premade food.

how does this affect brain function....
"Psychologic stress in humans induces the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as interferon gamma (IFNy), tumor necrosis factor ~ (TNF~), IL-6, and IL-10. An imbalance of omega-6 and omega-3 PUFA in the peripheral blood causes an overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines. There is evidence that changes in fatty acid composition are involved in the pathophysiology of major depression. Changes in serotonin (5-HT) receptor number and function caused by changes in PUFA provide the theoretical rationale connecting fatty acids with the current receptor and neurotransmitter theories of depression.89–91 The increased Arachidonic acid (20:4n-6 )/Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (20:5n-3 ) ratio and the imbalance in the omega-6/omega-3 PUFA ratio in major depression may be related to the increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and eicosanoids in that illness.89 There are a number of studies evaluating the therapeutic effect of EPA and DHA in major depression. Stoll and colleagues have shown that EPA and DHA prolong remission, that is, reduce the risk of relapse in patients with bipolar disorder.92,93"

[silvercloud]

Well scotto you stopped me right in my tracks ,ya see there is no question we're on the same page b/c "this" bi-polar has been juicing EFA's (5000 mg/daily) for many moons ~ liked your detailed input ,shows plenty of initiative ~ that is all

[JPchillin]

I take L-Theanine and do great. Sometimes it can be the slight difference in me having an attack or not. I am also forced to regulate my Blood Sugar Levels, so I can certainly say that the right foods DO make for a good mood. My favorite is some good ol sushi, settles very well and I feel good for a long time.

[scotto]

Originally Posted by JPchillin

I take L-Theanine and do great. Sometimes it can be the slight difference in me having an attack or not. I am also forced to regulate my Blood Sugar Levels, so I can certainly say that the right foods DO make for a good mood. My favorite is some good ol sushi, settles very well and I feel good for a long time.

well if youre in temecula than you need to hit hana sushi if you havent already. the amber roll is one of my all time fav's :)

[Smokus Cannabis]

Excellent thread, and very informative. I have rarely connected depression with my lousy diet, but now I'm thinking it may be a major factor as you demonstrated. I had heard about Omega 3 capsules, took them for a while and felt no different. I took tryptophan for years, even as a teenager, but didn't find it helped much. So, I always thought about the environmental stresses that brought about severe episodes, and drugs used to combat depression.
The only thing I will add, and obviously I know little about how or why it affected me like it did, is that pork meat seems to help me greatly when I'm in a depression. I call it, pork therapy. It lifts my mood and is sometimes the only thing I'll want to eat in a depression. I rarely ever eat pork otherwise. Depression is such a complex condition, with multiple factors involved. Having a healthy diet would obviously give a person an edge against it.

[scotto]

Originally Posted by Smokus Cannabis

Excellent thread, and very informative. I have rarely connected depression with my lousy diet, but now I'm thinking it may be a major factor as you demonstrated. I had heard about Omega 3 capsules, took them for a while and felt no different. I took tryptophan for years, even as a teenager, but didn't find it helped much. So, I always thought about the environmental stresses that brought about severe episodes, and drugs used to combat depression.
The only thing I will add, and obviously I know little about how or why it affected me like it did, is that pork meat seems to help me greatly when I'm in a depression. I call it, pork therapy. It lifts my mood and is sometimes the only thing I'll want to eat in a depression. I rarely ever eat pork otherwise. Depression is such a complex condition, with multiple factors involved. Having a healthy diet would obviously give a person an edge against it.

hmm thats really interesting about the pork. never heard of that. I rarely eat pork just because there are better choices readily available. I do love me some bacon every now and then though haha.

as far as the omega 3's...you kinda have to take a lot of them, and even more if youre diet is super high in omega 6's. see we are trying to find that 1/1 balance so if youre super high in 6's then a few hundred mgs of 3 prolly wont do anything. Ive taken very very high amounts with different diets and I didnt feel anything specific other than it helps with fat burning somehow and that was an energizing feeling in itself... idk how to explain that.

[JPchillin]

Originally Posted by scotto

well if youre in temecula than you need to hit hana sushi if you havent already. the amber roll is one of my all time fav's :)

Uh oh, now I've got that sushi itch! I love Hana, sounds like I have to take my baby out to dinner tomorrow

But meat is certainly a feel-good food. Same with most all Seafood. I had some crab legs the other day that were HUGE! (from Sams Club, too) I didn't have to think about food for a few hours, I was stuffed. I tend to eat a lot of chicken, but I LOVE buffalo. Buffalo burger salad is probably one of the best feel good foods I eat. CAN'T forget the grilled onions on that.

Diet very much so helps in how one feels!