Biochemical Causes Of Depression | The Breaking Free From Depression Blog: by Dr Janelle Sinclair

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Sleep & Depression: Is there a solution that will help both?

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Monday, July 2nd, 2012

A client asked me a very interesting question this week & I thought that I would share my thoughts on it with everyone.

Sleep & Depression: Is there a solution that will help both?

I was asked whether there was something that would help someone sleep better & help with the depression at the same time.

I know that there will be many of you out there, that will be asking the same question. I hope this will help you out- to get a better night sleep & a rosier day. So here’s my thoughts on that.

Is there anything that can cause poor sleep & depression?

There are a few physical causes for depression that can also lead to bad sleep.

Hormonal imbalances: A progesterone deficiency as well as menopause can lead to poor sleep. Progesterone is a hormone, and it has calming properties. Therefore if you don’t have enough progesterone, it can affect your sleep as well as contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.
Adrenal imbalances: Your adrenal glands make hormones that wake you up in the morning and give you alertness. If your adrenals aren’t working properly, it can lead to fatigue & depression during the day (low adrenal hormones), but keep you from falling asleep at night (because there’s too many adrenal hormones for this time of the day).
High Histamine (under methylation): Histamine is a neurotransmitter (as well as being involved in allergies). This neurotransmitter gives you alertness, and keeps you awake. If you’ve got high levels of histamine it can stop you from getting enough sleep.

In my free report & my book I discuss these physical causes for depression, and how to treat them naturally. And remember when you treat these causes for depression, it will help the depression lift, as well as give you a better night sleep. For more information check them out at www.breakingfreefromdepression.com/ebook and www.breakingfreefromdepression.com/free-report.

In my next blog, I’ll discuss a natural supplement that may be used alongside antidepressants that can help with sleep.

Talk to you again soon.

All the best.

Janelle

Dr Janelle Sinclair

Clinical Biochemist

Categories : Biochemical Causes of Depression, Depression

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Break free from depression- using Omega 3 fish oil supplements

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Thursday, June 28th, 2012

How Can Fats be Good?
Fats have recently got a bad rap. But the truth is that some fats are actually needed for good health and good mood. That’s the case for omega fatty acids. So let’s take a look at them now.

Omega Fatty Acids
Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids cannot be made or stored in the body, and are therefore described as essential fatty acids (EFAs.) That is it is essential that we supply these valuable nutrients to the body through our diet, otherwise the body will go without.

2 Main Functions of Omega Fatty Acids:

To serve as a building block (a structural molecule) for the outside membrane of all cells including the nerve cells in the brain.
To produce chemicals which regulate the immune system and inflammatory processes.

It probably comes as no surprise that imbalances of these fatty acids can lead to neurological, immune, and inflammatory conditions.

Omega 3 & 6 Deficiencies and Mental Health

Omega 3 and/or 6 deficiencies are related not only to depression, but other mental health illnesses such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease, conduct disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD, as well as postnatal depression.

It’s been shown that omega 3 supplementation (and sometimes omega 6) can help in the treatment of depression, including bipolar depression.

What Next?

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll review a few studies on omega 3 supplementation and mental health. Then we’ll discuss optimal doses of omega 3 supplementation in depression in both adults and children. If you’d rather get started on omega 3 supplementation right away, click on the following link, download a copy of my book and break free from depression.

But What There’s More…

Omega 3 deficiencies are only one cause of depression. To help you find out about the other physical causes of depression I’ve written a report that discusses which ones may be the root cause of your depression. You can get a copy of it here.

That’s it for today, but I’ll be back with further helpful and life changing information soon.

All the best

Janelle
Dr Janelle Sinclair

Categories : Biochemical Causes of Depression, Depression, Nutrient Deficiencies

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Books about depression – my advice

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Thursday, July 7th, 2011

Learn what to look for in a book about depression. Today Dr Janelle Sinclair gives you her advice.

To get a copy of my book “Breaking Free: Exposing the biochemical causes of your depression” follow this link.

Categories : Biochemical Causes of Depression, Depression

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Easter Eggs- a treat won’t harm you will it? (& their relevance to depression)

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Friday, April 29th, 2011

Chocolate easter eggs… mmm. They taste good don’t they. Well I hope that over the Easter period you didn’t indulge too much in that chocolate. I’m not here to be the party pooper, in fact the very reason I want to share this information with you today is so that you can live a happier, more satisfying life.

A treat now and again won’t harm you…. right?

I want to give you a brief word of warning- now this doesn’t apply to everyone, but for some of you I hope that this will give you some life changing help.

SUGAR, WHITE BREAD & OTHER PROCESSED FOOD MAY TRIGGER YOUR DEPRESSION & ANXIETY!

Did you find yourself more anxious, depressed or tied over Easter? Were your moods up and down? Did you fly of the handle for no real good reason?

Have you considered that what you were eating could be the cause?

Sugar, hypoglycemia, depression and fatigue.

It’s possible that the sugar in those Easter Eggs you LOVED over the past weekend could’ve contributing to those changing moods of yours. The sugar gives you an initial ‘high’ only to be followed by a LOW (a low in blood sugars and in mood).

If this sounds like you, watch yourself over the next week. See if you can track whether the food you eat has an effect on your mood. See whether your moods fluctuate after you’ve been eating lots of sugar.

Next time you’re feeling anxious, sad or fatigued ask yourself:

What have I eaten in the last hour or two?
Have I eaten at all? (could it be that I have low blood sugars?)

A simple thing like sugar could be triggering your anxiety or depression. Keep a track of it!

Next Time

Next time I’ll give you more of a background about low blood sugars and hypoglycemia. We’ll talk about how it could be causing your mood problems- and best of all how to prevent it.

Talk to you then.

All the best

Janelle

Dr Janelle Sinclair

Clinical Biochemist

Categories : Adverse Reactions to Food, Depression, How to/ Self help

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More research hot off the press: Menopause, depression & omega 3 supplementation

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Thursday, March 10th, 2011

As a researcher I like to keep up with all of the latest studies of nutritional medicine in mental health, and this weeks not an exception.

What’s this study show?

You’ll find below a study which shows that in menopause women, omega 3 can help up to 70% of those with depression. This can happen in as little as 8 weeks! It’s quite astounding. Check it out below.

How can you get some omega 3 supplementation (at the right dose)?

I’ll have a blog post soon that will tell you the right doses of omega 3 for depression and what brand I use with patients that you can get for yourself. My book also provides you with the information you need, and you can get it here.

Omega 3 supplementation can help you break free from depression. It’s not the only natural supplement that can help- if you want to find out about other alternatives download my free report by visiting www.breakingfreefromdepression.com/free-report.

All the best. Talk to you again soon.

Janelle

Dr Janelle Sinclair

Omega-3 fatty acids for major depressive disorder associated with the menopausal transition: a preliminary open trial.

Menopause. 2011 Mar;18(3):279-84.

Freeman MP, Hibbeln JR, Silver M, Hirschberg AM, Wang B, Yule AM, Petrillo LF, Pascuillo E, Economou NI, Joffe H, Cohen LS.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: : We sought to obtain preliminary data regarding the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids for major depressive disorder associated with the menopausal transition. Secondary outcomes were assessed for vasomotor symptoms (or hot flashes).

METHODS: : After a single-blind placebo lead-in, participants received 8 weeks of treatment with open-label omega-3 fatty acid capsules (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, 2 g/d). The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was the primary outcome measure. Hot flashes were monitored prospectively using daily diaries and the Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale. Blood samples for plasma pretreatment and posttreatment essential fatty acid assays were obtained. Because of the small sample size, data were analyzed using nonparametric techniques.

RESULTS: : Of 20 participants treated with omega-3 fatty acids, 19 (95%) completed the study. None discontinued because of adverse effects. The pretreatment and final mean MADRS scores were 24.2 and 10.7, respectively, reflecting a significant decrease in MADRS scores (P < 0.0001). The response rate was 70% (MADRS score decrease of ?50%), and the remission rate was 45% (final MADRS score of ?7). Responders had significantly lower pretreatment docosahexaenoic acid levels than nonresponders did (P = 0.03). Hot flashes were present in 15 (75%) participants. Among those with hot flashes at baseline, the number of hot flashes per day improved significantly from baseline (P = 0.02) and Hot Flash Related Daily Interference Scale scores decreased significantly (P = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS: : These data support further study of omega-3 fatty acids for major depressive disorder and hot flashes in women during the menopausal transition.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21037490

Categories : Biochemical Causes of Depression, Nutrient Deficiencies

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