Toxins
Modern life is full of toxins. All of us are exposed. Factors like genetic susceptibility, diet, stress levels, and level of exposure influence how much those toxins impact us. Toxins can be found in food, synthetic fragrances, and cleaning supplies. They can also come in the form of heavy metals, environmental mold, and pesticides (click each of these for sources of exposure). All of these toxins have the potential to create inflammation and neurotransmitter imbalances in our nervous system. While each of these toxins have their own unique mechanism by which they can promote mental health conditions (see individual blog posts for all the details), here are a few ways they can generally impact our nervous system and mental health:
Nutritional Depletion: Eliminating toxins from the body requires nutrients. When we have a high level of toxins, nutrients necessary for maintaining healthy brain chemistry are instead diverted to clear toxins.
Increase Blood Brain Permeability: Many toxins either cross the blood brain barrier or increase its permeability. When blood brain permeability is increased, the brain is no longer protected from inflammation in the rest of the body and quickly becomes inflamed itself.
Interferes with neurotransmitter metabolism: Many toxins have the ability to increase excitatory neurotransmitters. These are the neurotransmitters that keep our brain cells firing and promote anxiety. These same toxins can also decrease production of calming and happy neurotransmitters.
Cell and Neuron Toxicity: Toxins can decrease the health of cell membranes and nerve cells, vital for cell communication and maintaining brain health.
Mitochondrial Damage: Mitochondria are the motors of our cells. They create energy and are damaged by toxins. Virtually all chronic illness is associated with mitochondrial damage including diseases of the nervous system such as Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s Disease, and autism.
Interference with Methylation: Toxins can interfere with biochemical pathways central to mental health including, but not limited to, methylation.
Neurotoxicity: In general, toxins can create broad spectrum damage in the nervous system promoting symptoms like tremors, decreased IQ, problems with coordination and motor function, sensory interruptions, slowed reaction time and more.
Hormones
Like neurotransmitters, hormones are chemical messengers that our body uses to communicate. Because they have activity in the brain, hormones can impact mental health. To better understand hormones and how they can impact mood, check out this blog post on hormones. Here is a brief overview of how hormones can impact your mood:
Thyroid: Having too much or too little thyroid hormone has been associated with both anxiety and depression.
Progesterone: Progesterone is a naturally calming hormone that acts on GABA receptors in the brain. Functionally deficient levels of progesterone are a common cause of anxiety and insomnia.
Testosterone: Not just for men, testosterone is important for female wellbeing including mood and libido. Deficiencies in testosterone for men can promote symptoms of depression. Deficiencies in women can promote anxiety.
Cortisol: Cortisol is our stress hormone. When we are under chronic stress or have a nervous system stuck in fight or flight, cortisol can become imbalanced and promote anxiety or depression.
Trauma
I ask almost every patient if they have a history of trauma because trauma has a profound impact on the body, especially mental health. Trauma can be physical or emotional and can range from something like a car accident, to loss of a loved one, to abuse. Trauma activates the fight or flight arm of our nervous systems. This is the part of your nervous system programmed to respond to danger. The problem with trauma is that your brain can struggle to process it and file it away as a past experience. Consequently, your nervous system gets stuck in fight or flight and you begin reacting to non-threatening things in life as if they are dangerous. Symptoms of a fight or flight response can include elevated heart rate and blood pressure, tense muscles, decreased digestion, and feeling on edge. These are symptoms that overlap with and can create anxiety. Long term, your body may struggle producing stress hormones in levels that match your fight or flight response. Your baseline stress hormone levels can decrease, promoting depression. Childhood trauma can also interfere with healthy production of neurotransmitters and hormones, poising your brain to be more susceptible to mental health conditions long term. In a study evaluating the health outcomes of adverse childhood experiences, higher scores increased risk of anxiety and depression by almost 5 times!
Not only can chronic stress created by trauma impact mental health, it has far reaching impacts on physical health and can actually prevent healing. If you have a history of trauma, this needs to be addressed alongside the physical aspect of mental health. Some of my favorite therapies for addressing trauma are brain spotting, EMDR, and somatic therapy. If you are unsure, if you have trauma, this quiz is a good place to start. Although it only evaluates for childhood trauma, it may help you identify what trauma is.
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