Elizabeth Yarnell, Author, Innovator, Naturopath, Speaker
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Tag: depression

Could a Hidden Infection Be Affecting Your Mental Health?

Fascinating research on PANS and PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) suggests that hidden infection plays a role in many mental health issues.
So far, the research has focused on bacterial streptocauccus infection, with treatment being longterm antibiotics. This approach brings its own side effect to the body’s immune system, digestive system, and microbiome and can inhibit long-term health and vitality.
Not to mention breeding antibiotic resistance that could spread to the rest of the population.
But I wonder about parasites, too. Maybe the foreign invaders that the white blood cells see in a PANS patient are strep bacteria, as some doctors have suggested… or maybe they are a virus or parasite that we just haven’t looked hard enough to find yet?
According to the article, “The clearest and most common characteristic was rapid onset: A kid could be himself one day and a stranger the next. “
One day everything is normal, and then we get infected by something and everything changes almost overnight. This is a clear indication of a new infection in the body!
Regardless of the type of foreign invader, the immune system will respond with inflammation triggered by the release of inflammatory mediators. The most famous mediator we all know is histamine, but there are eighty or more types of mediators that the white blood cells can release once they deem there is a threat to the body. It doesn’t really matter which mediators are released because they all cause inflammation.
Mediators travel everywhere the blood does, meaning that inflammation is systemic. When we are inflamed, our brain is also inflamed. Inflammation can make it difficult to think clearly, to make good decisions, to be happy. When our brain is inflamed we are moody and mean; we feel our most basic emotions of anger, guilt, sadness, fear, despair.
When our immunesystem triggers inflammation, symptoms may include mental health issues of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and panic attacks, psychosis, mania, bipolar, and more.
However, I believe there is a better way to free yourself from the hidden infestation that is at the root of your mental health than the toxicity of long-term antibiotics. It you’re interested in exploring a more natural, pharmaceutical-free way to recover from the effects of a hidden infection that could be holding you back from living your life, then it’s time to open your mind to alternative paths to healing.
I invite you to join me at the upcoming Holistic Health & Wellness Forum to meet and mingle with innovative wellness practitioners and try out new modalities for healing. You could find the solution to turn your life around that you’ve been searching for that very day!
I hope to see you there!

New Discovery: Every Neurological Disease Has an Immune Component

depression

Newly discovered vessels in the brain connect directly to the immune system, says a research study by the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine.

This pathway was previously not thought to exist and could have a major impact on how to address neurological dysfunction. Numerous neurological disorders present with signs of inflammation and accumulated waste in the brain.

“They’ll have to change the textbooks. There has never been a lymphatic system for the central nervous system…,” says lead researcher Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, professor of the UVA Department of Neuroscience and director of UVA’s Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG). “It will fundamentally change the way people look at the central nervous system’s relationship with the immune system.”

The immune system is responsible for creating inflammation in the body. I have long believed that neurologic issues are related to inflammation, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s, autoimmune issues like M.S., and even depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

In my clinic we work to reduce inflammation naturally in order to allow the body to heal and function effectively. We see dramatic improvements in neurologic function simply by identifying and removing personal inflammatory triggers.

Do you wonder if your condition might improve by reducing inflammation in your brain? Book a complimentary, risk-free, no-commitment Natural Health Assessment here and find out if you can free yourself of inflammation and feel better quickly!

The Link Between Nutrients and Mental Health

Believe it or not, your depression, anxiety, insomnia, or even schizophrenia or bipolar disorder could be linked to what you are eating… or not eating.

Food for thought
Food for thought

Last week I gave a talk on the connection between digestion and mental health. There has been a lot of research recently on the gut-brain axis and specifically on how your digestive tract with its population of bacteria affects not only physical function but also brain function and emotional wellbeing.

In The Lancet Psychiatry journal, research has recently been published showing how micronutrient levels affect our mental health.

Micronutrients are vitamin, minerals, and other nutrients that our bodies depend upon as catalysts for body functions. Micronutrients are absorbed by the intestines after primary digestion has happened in the stomach. If the food is not broken down well enough when it leaves the stomach, the bowels will not be able to absorb the nutrients from the food and pass them along into the body for assimilation.

It’s looking more and more like not absorbing nutrients correctly can lead to mental imbalance.

According to Mark Moyad, MD, MPH, and author of The Supplement Handbook, these are some of the key micronutrients we need to keep our brains happy:

  • omega 3 fatty acids
  • SAMe
  • folic acid
  • NAC
  • Zinc
  • Vitamin D

Contact me if you’re interested in checking your micronutrient levels in pursuit of better mental health.

A Natural Treatment for Depression: Probiotics

Participants in a study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity showed a reduced amount of ruminative thoughts leading to depression after supplementing with several species of probiotics for one month.Gut-brain-microbiome

The gut microbiome really is the new frontier when it comes to the science of human health, and the more we learn about our little friends living inside us, the more we are learning about our interrelationship with these “good” bacteria.

We have been slowly realizing that these good bacteria, or “pro-biotics” are essential for maintaining digestive health, but now studies are proving the link between our digestive health and our mental health.

Who would’ve thought the two would be connected?

In my own clinical experience, I notice that the majority of my patients experience a lifting of their mood as we stabilize their digestive process and reduce inflammatory activity in their bodies through a customized anti-inflammatory diet. It’s like the world becomes more vivid and full of promise.

Maybe you, too, could feel less depressed or sad if your digestive health were improved. Contact me if you’re interested in learning more about targeted ways of improving your digestive health and I will offer you a free initial phone consultation to tell you more about how to do this.

The Link Between Nutrition and Mental Illness

Clinical psychologist Julia Rucklidge at the University of Canterbury insists that optimizing nutrition is a safe and effective treatment for mental illness. She argues that our reliance on pharmaceuticals has led us down the wrong path when it comes to mental illness.

While she notes that medications can be very effective in the short term, in the long term the side effects and decreasing efficacy over time show us that pharmaceuticals may not be the answer. Her research has shown that twice as many people with ADHD, bipolar disorder, or depression improved with the addition of high doses of micronutrients to their diet. Even post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis can be impacted or avoided with the addition of micronutrients.

Dr. Rucklidge’s take-away message: A well-nourished body and brain is better equipped to manage stress and emotions.

Fascinating stuff. Watch it for yourself.

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