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Archive for July, 2010

Depression Selfhelp Question 3 part a: women and depression

Posted by: Dr Janelle Sinclair | Comments (1)
Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Question Number 3: Do you always have feelings of depression, or are there days or hours during the day that you feel good?

  1. Are the depressive symptoms constant?
  2. Do they fluctuate over the day?
  3. Do they fluctuate over a week or month?
  4. Do you feel better or worse in the morning, afternoon or at night?
  5. Are there some things that trigger the depressive feelings that you are aware of now? (e.g. stress, physical exertion, foods.)

If the depressive feelings you have are not always there and you feel good some of the time, it means that we can find ways to extend these periods of time – so that you’re always feeling well. Let’s now take a look at a few different scenarios.

Women whose depression in worse 1-2 weeks of the month

If you’re a woman and you have good weeks and bad weeks –perhaps in a cyclical manner – addressing imbalances of female sex hormones could be the answer for you. Many women aren’t aware of how their hormones and their menstrual cycle affect their mood.

If your depression, irritability, and/or anxiety are worse in the week before your menstruation is due, it could indicate that you have a progesterone deficiency. On the other hand, if your depression is especially bad during your menstrual bleed (your period) you may have an estrogen deficiency.

It is known that both progesterone and estrogen imbalances can cause depression, and research shows that by treating these imbalances that depression can be resolved. One particular study demonstrated that 68% of women with major depression, dysthymic disorder, or minor depressive disorder were ‘cured’ (had their depression go into remission) when given an appropriate natural hormone medication.

I have recently written an article for women with depression that discusses how to keep a diary that follows their mood and their menstrual cycle. If you’re interested you can access it here. When you purchase a copy of my book on the biochemical causes of depression, you get a free bonus mood and menstrual cycle diary. In it you can record details about your mood and menstrual cycle, and it gives you full instructions on how to interpret what you find. My book has a complete chapter on hormonal imbalances in women, the symptoms, how to diagnose them, and how to treat them with herbs, and natural hormones.

People whose depression fluctuates throughout the day

If your mood fluctuates on a daily basis, it indicates that there could be food sensitivities, or hormonal triggers to your depression. Check out the table below to see what this could mean. In my next blog post I’m going to discuss how food allergies and other reactions to food can cause depression.

Unsure if there is a pattern to your depression?

If you’re not able to see any trend in the patterns of your mood right now, I suggest that you keep a diary. Become more aware of your body, how you feel, and if there are any triggers or patterns to your mood.

I’ll be back in a few days to discuss adverse reactions to food and how they can cause depression. See you then.

Here’s to your depression free life!

Janelle

Dr Janelle Sinclair

To download a free report which discusses ALL of the 7 Self help Depression questions (and how to interpret them) visit http://www.breakingfreefromdepression.com

Your Answer
What It Could Mean
Physical or Biochemical Imbalance to Investigate Further
Women: 1-2 weeks of the month I feel worseHormonal changes during your monthly cycle can trigger depression, anxiety and irritability.Chapter 8: Female Hormone Deficiencies
Some days I feel good, others I feel bad. My mood fluctuates over the day. I can feel good and then something happens and I can just ‘flip.’Since your mood is not constant, it shows that there may be triggers to your depression. Potential causes include food sensitivities, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia,) and adrenal imbalances.Chapter 7: Adrenal Imbalances
Chapter 10: Reactive Hypoglycemia
Chapter 12: Food Allergies and Sensitivities
My mood seems to be made worse by stress.Stress weakens the body’s adrenal glands whose role it is to respond to and deal with stress. When the adrenal glands get worn out depression can result.Chapter 3: The Mauve Factor
Chapter 7: Adrenal Imbalances
My depression is constant.If your depression is something that you feel at all moments of the day, every day of the month, it doesn’t tell us what biochemical cause is responsible for your depression, but it does exclude reactive hypoglycemia.
I feel worn out and tired in the morning. I feel more myself and have more energy at night.Stress weakens the body’s adrenal glands whose role it is to respond to and deal with stress. When the adrenal glands get worn out depression can result. Individuals with worn out adrenals find it hard to get going in the morning, whilst at night they often have more energy.Chapter 7: Adrenal Imbalances
I often feel worse 1-3 hours after a meal.If within three hours of eating your symptoms of depression or anxiety flare up, this could indicate low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) or food sensitivities – both of which could cause depression.Chapter 10: Reactive Hypoglycemia
Chapter 12: Food Allergies and Sensitivities
I can have one day which is great and I do heaps of stuff (I push myself), but then the next day I crash.Stress weakens the body’s adrenal glands whose role it is to respond to and deal with stress. When the adrenal glands get worn out depression can result. For some individuals their adrenal glands will work one day (and they will feel good), but not the next (they will feel fatigued and often depressed.)Chapter 7: Adrenal Imbalances
Categories : Depression, Hormone Imbalances, How to/ Self help
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Depression Self Help Question Number 2: Stress & Physical Trauma

Posted by: Dr Janelle Sinclair | Comments (0)
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Question 2: What was going on in your life during (or before) the onset of your depression?

  • Did the depression start during (or after) a stressful time or event in your life?
  • Did you have a ‘break-down’?
  • Were there stressful things happening? (e.g. divorce, exams, death, job change, financial stress, relationship breakup, abuse (mental, emotional or physical,)) a stressful job (fireman, policeman, doctor, nightshift, etc.)
  • Were you exposed to a situation that put stress on your physical body? (e.g. surgery, accident, head injury, partying too hard with no sleep, pregnancy, exposure to a toxin (pesticide, heavy metals, etc?))

This question helps expose triggers for the depression that you have been suffering.

Stress is powerful. It is known that stressful events are one of the major risk factors for depression. Childhood trauma also plays a huge role for the development of major depression later on in life. Prolonged and/or extreme stress weakens the body’s adrenal glands. The role of the adrenal glands is to respond to and deal with stress. When the adrenal glands get wound up or worn out depression can result. There are powerful herbs, supplements, and medications that can feed and repair the adrenal glands. If your depression is caused by adrenal imbalances (or preceded by a major stressful event) these types of treatments and certain lifestyle changes can help resolve and eliminate fatigue and depression.

There’s also a biochemical imbalance known as ‘The Mauve Factor’ (formerly known as kryptopyrroles) that people with depression often have, which means they don’t deal with stress well. This biochemical imbalance seems to run in families too. If stress has been or still is one of your triggers for depression, or you have had depression from a child (or early on in life), it will be worth investigating the Mauve factor. The mauve factor can cause depression, Schizophrenia, autism and other behavioural problems.

The Mauve factor was first discovered in the 1950’s and it can be balanced (and the depression resolved) with high dose nutritional supplements. It is reasonably well-known by practitioner’s training in natural medicine and orthomolecular medicine, but it is not recognized by mainstream medicine. During the original research on the Mauve factor, there was considerable opposition by the standard psychiatric establishment against the nutritional and megavitamin therapy approach used to treat high-Mauve patients. The resistance, and therefore the Mauve Factor being relatively unknown today, is possibly due to pharmaceutical companies who produced tranquilizer drugs at the time being opposed to the research. I’ll discuss this biochemical imbalance again a little more in question 5 of this 7 part self help series.

Other physical trauma can give rise to depression in a number of ways. For example, head or neck injuries can lead to hormonal imbalances that can lead to depression. I’ve provided you with the following table below which has been copied from my recent book “Breaking Free: Exposing the biochemical causes of your depression”. It will give you a short summary and an insight into what types of stress, and physical trauma can give rise to depression and why (and hopefully reveal to you a possible physical cause for your depression).

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to use the comment box below. I’d love to hear from you.

Sincerely

Dr Janelle Sinclair

Your AnswerWhat It Could MeanBiochemical Imbalance to Investigate Further
A physical ‘break-down’, divorce, exams, death of a loved one, job change, financial stress, relationship breakup, abuse (mental, emotional or physical), surgery, accident, partying too hard (no sleep), a stressful job.Stress weakens the body’s adrenal glands whose role it is to respond to and deal with stress. When the adrenal glands get worn out depression can result.

In certain individuals, stress can lead to high levels of a chemical in the body called the “Mauve Factor’. High levels of the “Mauve Factor” can cause depression. “High-Mauve” tends to run in families (especially those with a history of depression and other mental illnesses).
Chapter 3: The Mauve Factor

Chapter 7: Adrenal Imbalances
Neck surgeryNeck surgery can cause thyroid problems which can lead to depression.Chapter 6: Low Thyroid Function
Head injury or surgeryHead injury or surgery can damage the part of the brain that regulates hormone levels in the body. Low or high levels of certain hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, thyroid, and adrenal hormones (DHEA and cortisol) can lead to depression.Chapter 6: Low Thyroid Function

Chapter 7: Adrenal Imbalances

Chapter 8: Female Hormone Deficiencies

Chapter 9: Testosterone Deficiency in Men
Exposure to a toxin (pesticide, heavy metals)Exposure to a toxin, including pesticides, lead and mercury, can affect the function of the brain, and therefore depression.Chapter 5: Toxic Overload
PregnancyThe hormone deficiencies or fluctuations that can occur after childbirth can cause depression.
A growing baby needs lots of essential fatty acids (EFAs) to makes its body and brain and it gets them from you. You can become deficient in EFAs during pregnancy and that can cause depression.
Chapter 8: Female Hormone Deficiencies

Chapter 13: Essential Fatty Acid Deficiencies

To download a free report which discusses ALL of the 7 Self help Depression questions (and how to interpret them) visit http://www.breakingfreefromdepression.com

Categories : Depression, Hormone Imbalances, How to/ Self help, Stress
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Depression Self Help question number 1 part B: For those that have suffered from depression for most of their lives.

Posted by: Dr Janelle Sinclair | Comments (0)
Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Hi there. We’re continuing today on our 7 part series entitled “Seven powerful depression self help questions”. We are using these 7 questions to uncover what physical imbalances can contribute to depression.

I’d love it if you’d join me on this journey, ask yourself the seven self help questions and see if they help discover the physical cause of your depression! Once we do that we can then find the most effective treatment for your depression. The treatments I suggest aren’t antidepressants, and most often they involve nutritional supplements, herbs, hormone medications and occasionally specific diets.

Let’s get started where we left off last time.

Question 1: Looking back, when did you experience the first signs of depression? What age were you?

Last time we considered what it could mean if your depression started in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. As we discussed hormonal deficiencies are the first thing you would rule out in both men and women who experience depression later on in life. It doesn’t rule out other causes for depression, but it is definitely the first place to begin.

Let’s now consider depression that has started at a young age.

When it comes to uncovering the physical causes for depression, in those that have had depression most of their lives, it is unfortunately a little more involved.

There are a lot of potential physical causes for depression for those that have suffered from it from a young age. Because of that fact, this blog is going to be a bit more general today, and the other 6 questions of this 7 part series will help bring more clarity to the situation. So keep in mind what I tell you below, when you answer the next 6 self help depression questions in this series.

Depression as a Child

If you’ve had depressive feelings from a very young age a number of physical or biochemical imbalances need to be ruled out:

  • Exposure to a toxin early on in life (as a child, or during your mother’s pregnancy with you) (for e.g. lead, mercury, pesticides)
  • A hormonal imbalance from birth or early on (for e.g. Low thyroid function)
  • A nutrient deficiency from birth or early on (for e.g. Omega 3 deficiency)
  • A food allergy or intolerance from birth or early on
  • Genetic biochemical imbalances that contribute to depression (that run in families).

Puberty

Puberty causes large changes in ones body (e.g. growth spurts, sexual maturity, the beginning of menstruation for girls). This can lead to nutritional deficiencies, hormonal changes and emotional stress, all of which can lead to depression.

We’re going to discuss each of these biochemical imbalances in more detail throughout this 7 part series.

Depression that Runs in Families

For some of you, depression may run in your family and you may be saying ‘The depression is genetic and I’ve been told that there’s nothing I can do about it’.

I agree that sometimes there is a genetic reason that depression runs in families, but I don’t agree that there’s nothing you can do about it (at least in many situations when you know how). You may not be able to ‘fix’ the problem at the genetic level, or stop the next generation from having the same genetic cause for depression. But I tell you what, you can give the body what it needs to compensate or counteract the genetic abnormality. You can give the body (and your brain) nutrients to function properly and to help lift the depression. You can also give these same nutrients to your children and other family members, so they don’t have to suffer from depression either.

Question 5 of this 7 part series will discuss the biochemical imbalances that can lead to depression in families. Know that in all of these situations that I will discuss, the depression can be treated with supplements or diet. You don’t have to be defined by your genes you simply must compensate for them, and I can show you the best way to do that.

For Next Time

Before I go, I’ll give you question number 2 so that you can ponder your answer before next time.

Question 2: What was going on in your life during (or before) the onset of your depression? Did the depression start during (or after) a stressful time or event (emotional or physical) in your life?

Until next time. Here’s to your depression free life.

Sincerely

Dr Janelle Sinclair

Categories : Biochemical Causes of Depression, Depression, How to/ Self help
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Depression self help question number 1: It’s of particular interest to the older depressed woman and man.

Posted by: Dr Janelle Sinclair | Comments (0)
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Hi. I’m glad you could join me today on the first blog in a 7 part series entitled “Seven powerful depression self help questions”.

Would you like to uncover the real cause of your depression? Well this series will help you do just that- it’ll help you understand whether there is a physical cause for your depression.

Physical causes of depression often go overlooked- so I encourage you to follow this 7 part series to make sure that you aren’t suffering from an undiagnosed nutrient deficiency, hormonal imbalance, food allergy or toxin that could be contributing to your depression.

I gave you a little sneak preview of question 1 last time- let me remind you what it is.

Question 1: Looking back, when did you experience the first signs of depression? What age were you?

The reason that asking this question is so important is that it can help reveal some of the triggers of depression, especially whether there are any hormonal triggers.

There are obviously a lot of potential answers to this question, but we’ll look at the following general answers.

When did your depression first start?

  1. over the age of 40
  2. around puberty
  3. always had it, or had it as a child

If you’re thinking to yourself- my answer doesn’t fit in with these options- that’s okay. It’s vey possible that age (or stage) is not a significant factor in your journey with depression. That is why we have 7 powerful depression self help questions rather than just 1. Hang in there.

Let’s start with Women: Over 40 years of age.

If women experience their first bout of depression during their forties, it is highly likely that the hormonal imbalances, brought on by menopause (or peri-menopause), is the cause.

Peri-menopause describes the stage in which the first symptoms of menopause are experienced up until at least one year after a women’s final menstrual period. Peri-menopause is usually experienced between the ages of 45-50 and normally lasts for 4 years (but could be felt as early as the age of 35). Menopause is defined as the time in a woman’s life when menstrual periods permanently stop as a result of a loss of ovarian function.

Peri-menopause is characterized by widely fluctuating hormone levels along with an overall decline in first progesterone and then estrogen levels. The hormone levels can be different every single day, and this can go on for years. These hormone deficiencies and fluctuations are often the cause of the depressive symptoms and the other mood changes experienced during the different stages of a woman’s life

The depression that women suffer, because of these hormonal changes, are not just mild. They can lead to major depressive disorder. In an interesting study which followed women with no history of depression over an eight year period, 50% of those going through peri-menopausal had an increase in depressive symptoms, and 26% received a formal diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The good news is that the right hormonal treatments can help resolve the depression in the large majority of patients.

I have a whole chapter in my book about the hormonal imbalances that can lead to depression in females- not just around menopause, but for those that suffer from postnatal depression and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It discusses the symptoms of these hormonal deficiencies, the tests to diagnose the imbalances, treatment options (supplements, herbs and hormone medications), and also provides the scientific evidence that you can give your doctor (so that they will agree to help you and will know how to help you).

Men: Over 40 years of age.

Women aren’t the only ones to suffer from hormonal imbalances as they age.  The same goes for men in their forties, fifties, and sixties – men can have their own form of ‘menopause’ which is often known as andropause.

As men age their testosterone levels decrease (testosterone is also known as an androgen hormone- hence the name andropause). When testosterone and the other androgen hormones are too low men can experience depression. Other symptoms of a testosterone deficiency include fatigue, lowered assertiveness, increased body fat (obesity), decreased muscle mass and strength, lowered sex drive and erectile dysfunction.

Recent studies show that men with depression are 2.7 times more likely to have low testosterone levels than men without depression. More exciting is the fact that the latest clinical trials have proven that testosterone supplementation can resolve depression in more than 50% of older males with depression.

There is also a specific chapter in my recent book that is devoted to the topic of testosterone deficiency in men. It will not only show you how to diagnose a testosterone deficiency (and how to make sure that your doctor doesn’t miss the diagnosis), it will also provide the latest medical research on the topic. It’s highly likely that your doctor doesn’t know that a testosterone deficiency can cause depression. To make sure that you get the help you need, I have included the references, the most important studies and the right doses of supplements and medications for treating this hormonal deficiency.

This is becoming a bit of a long blog today. This information is just the tip of the iceberg- there’s so much to share with you. But I’ll leave it there for now, and next time I’ll discuss what it could possibly mean, if you have been suffering with depression since puberty or since you were a child.

I’d love to hear your comments and questions. I pray that this information will help bring you the freedom that you need in your life.

Sincerely

Dr Janelle Sinclair

To download a free report which discusses ALL of the 7 Self help Depression questions (and how to interpret them) visit http://www.breakingfreefromdepression.com

Categories : Depression, Hormone Imbalances, How to/ Self help
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7 Powerful Free Depression Self Help Questions

Posted by: Dr Janelle Sinclair | Comments (6)
Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Learn how to discover the physical cause of your depression (and how to treat it naturally).

Hi there. Today I’ve decided to start a 7 part series entitled: ‘7 Powerful Free Depression Self Help Questions’.

Over the next 3 weeks or so, I’ll tell you what these seven questions are, and I’ll show you how to use them to reveal if it is likely there is a physical cause for your depression. I believe that too many people that suffer from depression have not had these physical causes ruled out. It’s a tragedy as all can be treated specifically, and often the treatments are very simple.

I also have a second aim for doing this 7 part series. I hope that by going through these questions and explaining more about these physical/biochemical imbalances that you’ll get to know me and my approach to depression.

To give you an idea of my general approach to the physical/biochemical causes of depression, let me give you a brief overview of it with a very simple example:

  1. Review your medical history: Through questionnaires your medical history and your current health complaints are reviewed. Your extended family’s medical history is also looked at. As an example, let’s say we have a person with depression who also has type I diabetes and suffers regularly with mouth ulcers. Someone in the extended family has Celiac disease (an autoimmune disorder caused by dietary gluten).
  2. Look for tell-tale signs: The 20 or more different physical or biochemical imbalances that can contribute to depression often have tell-tale signs. Through reviewing yours and your family’s medical history these tell-tale signs are highlighted. In our above example, the depression, type I diabetes, mouth ulcers and Celiac disease may all be interconnected. Mouth ulcers are a symptom of Celiac disease. Celiac disease is 10x more likely in those that suffer from Type I diabetes, and 20x more likely for someone that has a family member with Celiac disease. Depression is also a symptom of Celiac disease.
  3. Highlight the most important biochemical imbalances: From what is found in your medical history we highlight the top 1-3 biochemical imbalances that could be causing or contributing to your depression. In our example, because the symptoms are suggestive of Celiac disease it would be recommended that this person is tested for this disease. Unfortunately 90% of people with Celiac disease go undiagnosed. That means that there are a lot of people that have Celiac disease and don’t know it- and are suffering needlessly. A simple diet could end their depression, their fatigue, their infertility, their menstrual issues, their migraines…. whatever the ailment the Celiac disease gives them.
  4. Diagnose the biochemical imbalance using medical tests: Rather than just going on symptoms, in the most part it is best to use medical tests (e.g. blood tests, urine tests) to diagnose the biochemical imbalance. At this step, there does need to be some caution, to make sure the right test is chosen, that the sample is prepared under the proper conditions and that the test results are interpreted adequately. Our depression sufferer would benefit from having a blood test and a small bowel biopsy to confirm the Celiac disease.
  5. Treat the biochemical imbalance appropriately: Rather than just trialing supplements, medications or diets randomly, the above approach means that the treatments chosen are a lot more specific and effective. This approach diagnoses the biochemical imbalance that is causing or contributing to your depression, which means that the treatment chosen is specific and individualized. In our example, if Celiac disease is diagnosed, then a strict gluten-free diet is followed, and dietary supplements are taken to help give back lost nutrients. A gluten-free diet, for those that have Celiac disease, can resolve their depression.
  6. Methodical and Based on scientific research: As you can see this approach that I will be following in my blog, and what can be found in more detail in my book for diagnosing the biochemical causes of depression, is very methodical. It is also based on the latest scientific research. I have read hundreds if not thousands of scientific articles to bring you this latest information – in a very user friendly manner so that you don’t need a PhD to understand it. My book also contains over 200 references of the most important scientific articles so you (and your doctor) can see its based on solid scientific data.

Before you go racing off to get your doctor to test you for Celiac disease, realize that it is just 1 of the physical causes for depression. There are more than 20 physical causes for depression.

If you want to discover the physical cause of your depression, join me on my seven part series- ‘7 Powerful Free Depression Self help Questions.’

I know you’re really wanting to know what the questions are, aren’t you? We’ll today I’ll give you the first question, but you’ll have to wait to find out what it reveals about the physical cause of your depression. Are you ready for it?

Question 1: Looking back, when did you experience the first signs of depression? What age were you?

I know that it’s a simple question, but I do think for some people at least it is powerful and can reveal a lot.

So think about this question- and I’ll be back with you in a couple of days to tell you what your answer shows about the physical cause of your depression.

Feel free to leave me some comments. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’re intrigued and can’t wait to find out what the seven questions are and how you can diagnose the physical cause of depression, feel free to get yourself a copy of my book by clicking here.

Talk to you soon.

Janelle

Dr Janelle Sinclair

BSc, MSc, PhD (Biochemistry), NZNMA

To download a free report which discusses ALL of the 7 Self help Depression questions (and how to interpret them) visit http://www.breakingfreefromdepression.com

Categories : Depression, How to/ Self help
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