Mental Health: It’s not in your head

Myths, there are many abounding around all areas of mental health. Not only do they lead to professionals giving inaccurate advice but they prevent or impede stability and recovery.

Mistakes, unfortunately, mainstream treatment is based on seriously flawed research and it often excludes huge amounts of alternative evidence that can be used to improve not only mental health but many other areas of health. Much of this research is funded by huge profit masking industries. One mistake is ignoring alternative and less well-funded information and not using it in an efficient plan. Another is accepting that it is all too complicated and leaving it in your fate and the hands of somebody else.

Mechanics, there are clear components and mechanisms which many professionals know and use. People outside the industry can easily learn these and once understood, these mechanics lead to a path of recovery that can be exponential.

In this article, I will explain some of these components and how they can benefit everyone.

Do you know what the difference between a symptom and a diagnosis is?

This may be one of the most important questions someone can get asked when it comes to depression. It is a concept that is vital to understand for an effective recovery.

When it comes to wellness, I have found over the last few years, that it is pivotal to listen to as many opinions as possible and look at situations from many different angles. This includes information that we commonly believe as being accurate due to the fact that it has been published in mainstream sources. It is not advisable to accept that this information which is supplied to health professionals is accurate and to accept everything they say. Having some sort of basic knowledge of your condition is vital in order to see more significant improvements. If for whatever reason, you or your family are unable to find the resources around gaining this knowledge, then you have to ask questions. It is your right to receive this knowledge.

False Beliefs about Expert Opinion and their body of Information

You cannot blindly accept that everybody in an authoritative position is an expert. Much of the information which is given to patients by the majority of health professionals, including doctors are INDUSTRY FUNDED. This means that huge companies pay for the results they are looking for from researchers and this so-called research is then supplied to doctors. Please check out my YouTube channel for information on this. Myths Mistakes Mechanics of Happiness Channel

Currently, there are numerous treatments being recommended which either have been or are being proven to be ineffective, harmful, and dangerous. A number of medications that have been widely accepted to be the Gold Standard in the treatment of some conditions have virtually no benefit. We have plenty of evidence from highly qualified and outstanding leaders in their fields detailing the questionable science. For some reason, this evidence does not filter it down to clinicians and prescribers. Could it be because there is a motive to protect profits?

Unfortunately, research is fundamentally flawed, prone to researcher bias, and ignores vital, current information, which can lead to dramatic improvements in health. This opinion from the popular online news publication “The Atlantic” is fairly shocking. David Epstein, a New York Times Number One best-selling author has compiled some quite incredible research which identifies that a whole range of different types of medical treatments is in no way beneficial to those undertaking them and in fact, at times cause harm and hasten death. https://www.theatlantic.com/…/when-evidence-says-no…/517368/

We then have problems with bureaucracy. There is often a huge delay between when important clinical data is accepted and it is implemented by the medical profession. It sometimes takes up to 10 years before policies are changed in organizations to reflect best practices.

An Important Model for Understanding Stress

Psychological:- This is the primary focus for most mental health professionals and unfortunately is incredibly misleading as it fails to address the other primary components with sufficient weight.

Physical:- this refers to things that directly affect our physical body such as chronic pain, breaking a bone, or responding to some illnesses. You can consider it that malnutrition due to modern dietary patterns, falls under this heading. The majority of the population receives more than sufficient calories but can be considered malnourished.

Chemical:- this refers to substances that cause inflammation. Unfortunately, there are a huge number of these substances which are considered safe by a host of organizations that we supposedly should trust. We have huge amounts of conclusive research showing that many everyday foods and substances which we expose ourselves to, are highly toxic and cause inflammation. Remember that inflammation is directly linked to depression and anxiety among a host of other chronic health conditions.

There are other helpful resources on my Website. https://anxietydepressionfix.com/

A Second Brain, Arguably More Important than the one in your Head

Microbiome should be one of the most important words on every health professional's lips. It is the word used to describe the trillions of bacteria that live on our bodies. They live-in a harmonious balance with each other and with us. If we killed all the bacteria on our bodies, we would be unable to survive.

We have been programmed to be fearful of bacteria. We exterminate them. In fact, some bacteria are essential for health. By sterilizing and purifying everything we are not only killing the bad bacteria but also the good.

Bacteria composition in the gut has reduced by about 30% compared to preindustrial times. The more sterile we have become, the sicker we and our children are getting. This is called the Hygiene Hypothesis. The economy pushes for food to last longer. This simply means that important bacteria on food are destroyed and we are again compromised. FOOD SHOULD ROT.

We now have evidence that bacteria can influence the sense of smell. Unhealthy groups of bacteria in the gut influence our sense of smell making us attracted to unhealthy food. Resetting the bacterial composition is vital for good health. There are thousands of studies showing the importance of the microbiome and health. You rarely hear this information from medical practitioners. It is one of the reasons why people remain sick.

An intriguing study from Californian researchers shows that mice develop symptoms of autism when fecal matter is taken from autistic humans and transplanted. This is not saying that the bacteria is causing autism but it is relating it to the symptoms. It should be high on the list of considerations for children with autism even if there is a small chance for some improvement.

If you are unsure of the difference between organic and non-organic food, you are probably unaware that the majority of non-organic food is mineral and vitamin deficient, due to modern farming practices. Trace elements, vitamins, and minerals are the building blocks of neurotransmitters like serotonin. You are ingesting herbicides and pesticides. These cause inflammation and inflammation are linked to Mental Health problems. You have to eliminate as many processed foods as possible. This in turn will improve the bacteria composition in your stomach which will have an effect on your mood. Here is an excellent article explaining this. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gut-microbiome-and-health

There is a gene called the Agouti gene which has been altered. Rodents are bred to have this gene in its altered state. They look different from their healthy cousins. They are usually fatter, have a pasty colored coat, and are more susceptible to getting many diseases like arthritis and cancer. They look different from their healthy cousins. They are considered important for numerous types of experiments. They are fed and maintained in strict conditions so as not to contaminate to study results.

These researchers at Duke University decided that they would take some Agouti Mice and look after them properly giving them a nutritious diet.

Amazingly, all the pups had the Agouti gene but almost none of them had the Agouti gene expressed. In other words, they were slim and healthy-looking. What does this mean question mark it means that genetics do not have to predispose you to different conditions. Just because there are genetic components in your family, it does not have to seal your fate. Optimizing health changes genetic expression. I discuss this in more detail in my upcoming program MMM happiness. The message is that diet affects everything.

We now know that some bacteria types protect us from many diseases, Your GUT health should be a primary focus in addressing all medical issues.

Fasting to cure depression and anxiety?

Dr. Rhonda Patrick is an expert in the field of aging, cancer, and nutrition and Dr. Valter Longo is widely considered one of the leading experts in the field of longevity.

The main points of a discussion they recently had were as follows.

• Calorie restriction has been around for hundreds of years.
• Stem cells, the ones where new cells come from, are turned on during fasting.
• Anti-cancer properties are activated with fasting.
• Damaged cells are cleared away during fasting. The thought is that the body does not want to provide damage to cells with nutrients and as a result, they die. When feeding recommences after fasting, the lost cells are remade new they are healthy.
• Vital organs significantly reduce weight during fasting but this reversed quite quickly on re-feeding.
• We have some types of immune cells that increase in number as we get older but after fasting, these return to more youthful levels.
• There is a reduction in inflammation which is associated with longevity. Mental health conditions are associated with raised inflammatory markers.
• There appears to be reduced damage after chemotherapy when fasting is undertaken.
• Cancer cells love sugar and amino acids and need high nourishment. Without this, they struggle to survive.

They go as far as to say that fasting strategies could be the main street of treatment in general medicine in the near future.

The Often Ignored but Vital Significance of Blue Light and Depression

Blue light releases cortisol and social media cause a dopamine release. This causes mild chronic stress, fatigue and sleep problems. This alone can cause severe mood issues. Here is an excellent article, outlining the implications of this. https://thriveglobal.com/stories/what-blue-light-does-to-the-brain/. Screens of all sorts emit high quantities of blue light which can indirectly cause depression and anxiety.

Movement and Depression

The lymphatic system collects toxins. It does not have a heart. Movement is the only way to effectively clear it. Walking is not sufficient. You have to engage in high-intensity exercise daily. Start with 30 seconds and build up. You have to be out of breath. Endorphins etc associated with this go without saying.

Conclusion

A lot of what I try to do is to encourage people to take the next step in a particular direction towards wellness.

One of the obstacles to doing that is many times, things just appear too complicated and people give up. This information may simplify many topics that you may be tempted to look at but maybe put off by the possible complexity.

I do appreciate that it is very difficult to get the motivation to follow through but remember that education, first, is paramount, then having a simple and thorough plan is essential.

There is a good possibility that many have a curable condition. We are not some broken pieces of meat that continually need different medications to prevent a collapse. The body is an incredible and self-healing system that is often telling people that changes are necessary in order to become well.

Armed with the right basic structure of accurate and sound knowledge and a clear, simple, and achievable plan along with some fairly straightforward psychological techniques, recovery from a number of mental health conditions is achievable for many people.

If you want to take a deep dive and add essential information to your knowledge base, you may be interested in one of my Myths, Mistakes Mechanics of Happiness Master Classes.

With numerous resources, mental health assessments, and recommendations, a 25 chapter comprehensive e-learning program, one on one sessions with not just myself but high-level external guest coaches, you or someone you know may reap tremendous benefits.

You can take a dramatic shortcut by using the knowledge I have gained over 25 years in the health industry and my recent in-depth research in assimilating a huge number of resources into a simple and achievable plan to facilitate a dramatic turn-around in many mental health conditions

Details of my new Myths Mistakes Mechanics of Happiness programs are on my Website.

https://anxietydepressionfix.com/