Lifestyle & Mental Health

Nutrient Levels: 

Healthy nutrient levels are the foundation of mental health. Nutrients are involved in helping us make and break down our neurotransmitters as well as in the reduction of inflammation. Studies assessing the effect of micronutrient supplementation on ADHD revealed that 60-80% of patients responded positively to that supplementation, demonstrating how powerfully nutrient levels can impact mental health. Some of the most important nutrients to consider when addressing mental health are: 

• Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acids known for their many health benefits. They are found in foods like fish, avocados, olive oil, and nuts. Research has demonstrated that people with anxiety and depression have lower levels of essential fatty acids. Further research has demonstrated that giving Omega 3 supplementation decreases risk of psychological disorders converting to psychosis by 80%. In addition to their clear beneficial impact in reducing symptoms of mental health conditions, Omega 3’s benefit the brain by reducing inflammation and helping promote the production of healthy nerve cells and cell membranes. 

• B Vitamins: B vitamins are involved in maintaining the health of the nervous system in a number of ways. Vitamin B6 is one of the most relevant nutrients to the nervous system as it assists your body in making and breaking down neurotransmitters. Specifically, it is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters like serotonin, melatonin, dopamine, and GABA. Vitamins B12 and B9 are other important mental health nutrients. Both are involved in a biochemical pathway, known as the methylation pathway, that indirectly supports mental health by creating precursors to neurotransmitter production; helping reduce levels of a chemical called homocysteine, which has been linked to anxiety; and through supporting detoxification. Other B vitamins also contribute to mental health. Vitamins B1, B2, and B3 have natural anti-anxiety properties. Vitamin B5 is involved in the breakdown of histamine, which can promote anxiety when too high. 

• Vitamin D: Vitamin D is one of the most important nutrients for supporting mental health. It is synthesized by exposure to sunlight, but not well obtained through diet. Deficiency of Vitamin D increases risk of anxiety and depression. 

• Magnesium: Magnesium is my go-to for all mental health conditions. It is a naturally calming nutrient that helps your brain break down neurotransmitters associated with excitation and stress. It additionally helps make the neurotransmitters serotonin and GABA. 

• Minerals: Minerals are important for helping clear intracellular inflammation and support healthy thyroid function, both of which can have secondary impacts on mental health. Specifically, zinc deficiency increases risk of anxiety and depression and zinc supplementation has demonstrated to be beneficial in ADHD. 

I start all mental health protocols by running a micronutrient panel.

Gut Health 

Have you ever heard the gut called the second brain? Your gastrointestinal and nervous systems develop from the same embryonic tissue for the rest of your life. Your gut has its own nervous system called the enteric nervous system which communicates with your central nervous system. In fact, your gut sends more information to your brain than your brain does to your gut. In addition to educating the brain through nervous system signals, the population of good, bad, and neutral bacteria (microbiome) in your gut interact with your nervous system. Changes in this bacterial population can increase risk of anxiety and depression. It can also cause changes in immune activation and hormone production that can interface with the brain to create mental health symptoms. Finally, many of our neurotransmitters are actually made in the gut. Most notably, around 75% of your serotonin is made in your gut and changes in gut health can cause changes in mental health. 

For most mental health protocols, I run a GI panel.

Diet & Lifestyle 

Diet and lifestyle are the foundations for healing from any condition and are essential to healing from mental health conditions. Here are a few lifestyle conditions that must be in place to heal your brain: 

Diet

Studies show that the more you eat the western diet, the higher your risk of anxiety and depression. One of the mainstays of a western diet is processed carbohydrates and sugars. Think breads, noodles, cookies, crackers, chips, sodas and more. Beyond these junk foods, many foods that we would think are healthy like salad dressings or protein bars have added sugar in them. Consuming these foods can create blood sugar swings. When you eat a processed carbohydrate that rapidly converts to sugar in your body, your blood sugar rapidly increases, only to drop shortly thereafter. Symptoms of unstable blood sugar can be similar to those experienced during anxiety. Not only can food create symptoms similar to anxiety, it can also interact with neurotransmitters in a way that promotes anxiety and depression. Certain foods, especially those high in sugar, stimulate the release of happy and reward neurotransmitters in the brain. When these neurotransmitters are imbalanced in our brains, we might find ourselves gravitating towards foods that force the release of these neurotransmitters. However, the effects of this are temporary and can create a neurotransmitter excess followed by a neurotransmitter deficit, only worsening the symptoms of our anxiety, depression, or ADHD. 

In addition to processed carbohydrates and sugars, the western diet is rich in Omega 6 fatty acids. These are heavily processed oils that come from plant foods. Start reading ingredient labels and you will see that oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean, and peanut oils are added to nearly everything. While Omega 6 oils are not intrinsically bad, they compete with Omega 3 oils. When you have an excess of Omega 6 oils in comparison to Omega 3 oils, which most people do, you block the anti-inflammatory actions of Omega 3 and promote inflammation. We know that inflammation negatively affects the brain. 

Due to poor farming and food industrial practices, modern food is also frequently a source of toxins and preservatives. While research is still ongoing as to the impact of these things on the brain, preliminary studies suggest that these types of compounds are toxic to the nervous system and may worsen mental health conditions. 

If food can create disease, it can also help reverse it. While there is no one diet that I recommend for mental health conditions, whole foods rich in nutrients, antioxidants, proteins, and anti-inflammatory fats can help reduce symptoms of mental health conditions. Because industrial food processing removes much of food’s nutritional value, nearly any whole food you eat will be rich in nutrients in comparison. Additionally, they offer these medicines: 

• Antioxidants: Antioxidants are compounds found in plant foods that help neutralize the inflammation created by reactive, charged particles. While there are many types of antioxidants, I generally look for color as a sign that a particular plant food is rich in antioxidants. Carrots, peppers, tomatoes, pomegranates, and berries all get their color from antioxidant compounds. Antioxidants are being used increasingly in integrative and conventional medicine for their powerful impact in healing the brain. 

• Proteins: Sources of high quality protein can also be helpful in supporting mental health. Neurotransmitters are made from amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Therefore, getting adequate amounts of protein can support healthy production of neurotransmitters. While animal proteins are not the only source of brain healthy proteins, certain foods like turkey and chicken are especially supportive of neurotransmitter production as they contain tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin. 

• Anti-inflammatory oils: If you eat the right type of fat, it is a brain superfood. Our nerve cells are coated in a fatty substance called myelin. Our cell membranes are also composed of fat. These fatty barriers facilitate communication between cells. Our our sex hormones, which can also create symptoms of anxiety when imbalanced, are also synthesized from fat. Healthy fat, omega 3 fatty acids, are intrinsically anti-inflammatory. When we are deficient in these fats, we have increased risk of anxiety and depression and when we increase consumption of them, we can help heal the nervous system in many ways. Some of my favorite forms of Omega 3 fatty acids include wild caught fish, avocados, egg yolks, walnuts, and olive oil. 

Lifestyle

Exercise:

Did you know that exercise can be as effective as pharmaceutical drugs in reducing symptoms related to anxiety and depression? For this reason, I always recommend that my patients with mental health conditions have some type of movement practice. Exercise does not have to be intense or strenuous to provide a mood benefit. Something as simple as a walk has proven benefit in improving mood. Exercise can help discharge stress, balance hormones, and help regulate your nervous system to decrease fight or flight responses. To supercharge a mental health workout, exercise can be paired with the health benefits of getting outdoors. 

Time in Nature: Most of us intrinsically notice increased physical wellbeing when we spend time in nature. Nature is full of healing colors and sounds which help soothe our nervous systems. Being outside also increases our exposure to sunlight. Sunlight helps us make vitamin D, a vital nutrient for mental health. Sunlight also programs our circadian rhythms for balanced sleep, another essential component of mental health. In general, time in the sun has also been demonstrated to improve mood and reduce anxiety and depression. 

To learn more about the health benefits of getting outside, check out this video. 

Sleep:

Sleep is one of the most important factors in healing from any disease and mental health is no exception. When we are sleep deprived, our brains become inflamed, making us more vulnerable to neurotransmitter disruptions. Sleep deprivation has been associated with increased risk of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. It can also impact our daily mood, increasing anger and irritability and decreasing resilience to stress. Sleep disruptions often go hand-in-hand with mental health conditions, since the neurotransmitter imbalances that promote mental health conditions can also disrupt sleep. 

Stress:

Increased risk of anxiety and depression are two of the major risks of chronic stress. When we are stressed, it can impact our cognitive function and make us less able to cope with the emotional changes we are experiencing. Stress actually changes the electrical circuitry in the brain to impact the health of the brain and the entire body, including systems like your endocrine system and your metabolism. For these reasons, stress management is a foundational therapy to healing from mental health conditions. This may look like scheduling time to do things you enjoy, learning to set boundaries or say no, dealing with emotional issues that create stress, or practicing mindfulness based therapies.