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1. Are Menopausal
Symptoms Normal?
2. Could Your Depression be Due to Low Magnesium?
3. Another interesting item from Alternative Mental Health
4. Is Organic Produce Worth The Extra Cost?
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Are Menopausal Symptoms
normal?
It's not normal. Dr. Berg explains about the mechanism
behind menopausal symptoms. Don't try and cover up the
symptoms go to the cause of the problem.
Menopausal
Symptoms
For more information go to Adrenal
Exhaustion
Could Your Depression be
Due to Low Magnesium?
By
Erin Stair
The "serotonin hypothesis" is the
most popular theory associated with depression, but there are many other
theories that don't make it into the pharmaceutical limelight. One of
them is that low magnesium levels can lead to depression. Many
holistic diets for managing depression include eating more foods that
are high in magnesium.
There is evidence that suggests a magnesium deficiency leads to
depression. A 2009 cross sectional study involving 5,700 people
and conducted by Jacka et al. shows that one's severity of depression is
negatively correlated with one's level of magnesium. This means
that the more depressed someone feels, the lower his or her magnesium
levels were found to be. A study conducted in 2008 by Iosifescu
et al. shows reduced levels of magnesium in the brains of people
diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. A 1985 study looked
at magnesium levels in suicidal patients, and found it to be low.
Another study conducted in 1999 by Levine et al. shows that magnesium
levels are low in patients who are admitted to the hospital for a
depressive episode.
Animal studies have been conducted, as well.
A 2010 Austrian study by Whittle et al. shows that mice who eat a
magnesium-restricted diet exhibited significant depression-like
behavior. Interestingly enough, those mice were responsive to SSRIs (Serotonin
Reuptake Inhibitors). In the same study, proteomics (which simply
measures levels of proteins in the body) revealed changed levels in
the following proteins: DDAH was lowered; MnSOD was high; VDAC1 was high
and GDH1 was high.
One
way that low magnesium may lead to depression is via an increase in
nitric oxide (NO). A simplified explanation of this theory
is that magnesium inhibits a receptor that, when active, signals a
pathway that activates the enzyme, NO synthase. No synthase makes NO.
Mice that are missing the enzyme, NO synthase, show
decreased depression-like behavior, theoretically because they are
unable to create NO. A study by Mak et al. shows that a low
magnesium diet increases plasma levels of NO in rats.
Another
theory of how low levels of magnesium leads to depression focuses on
oxidative stress. I mentioned earlier that the protein, MnSOD is
high in a low magnesium diet. As it turns out, MnSOD is an anti-oxidant
protein, so researchers think the fact that it is over-expressed in a
low magnesium diet is because there is an increased amount of oxidative
stress in the body, and therefore more of the anti-oxidant proteins,
like MnSOD, are needed. Furthermore, several studies have shown
that low magnesium diets create an increased level of oxidative
stress in plasma and tissues (Astier et al. and Freedman et al.). An
increase in oxidative stress simply means more disease-causing free
radicals floating around in your body. Free radicals have been
implicated in almost every disease known to man, and that's the reason
everyone says to eat anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants fight free radicals.
Yet
another theory is the "Altered Energy Metabolism" theory. Low
levels of magnesium are shown to cause reduced activity from an
enzyme (GDH1) which is involved in the Krebs cycle, or the series
of chemical reactions that creates ATP in our bodies. ATP is our body's
fuel and energy, and without it we'd all be dead. At least two
researchers, Beasley and Iosifescue, believe this resultant altered
energy metabolism may manifest as depression.
If
interested in increasing magnesium in your diet, here is a list of foods
that are high in magnesium:
Pine nuts, Sesame Seeds, Sunflower
Seeds, Spearmint, Watermelon Seeds, Dill, Basil, Broccoli, Okra,Almonds, Pumpkin
Seeds,Brazil Nuts,Flax Seeds, Spinach,Chives
Another interesting item
from Alternative Mental Health
The
staff at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently
announced that they will no longer use the DSM as the "gold
standard" for diagnosing mental illnesses nor for conducting mental
health research. The NIMH's move is a huge blow for conventional
psychiatry and for those who call DSM the "bible," but a giant
step in the right direction for those of us seeking better mental health
research and sounder treatments. As NIMH director Dr. Tom Insel says,
"The diagnostic system has to be based on the emerging research
data, not on the current symptom-based categories." It's
about time! The future looks bright.
- Erin Stair, M.D.
Is Organic Produce Worth
The Extra Cost?
We all know it’s better to
eat more fruit and vegetables. But concerns about the safety of
conventionally grown produce versus organically grown always comes up as
well.
When produce is organic, it means that it has been produced without
using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. There are some compelling
reasons why people choose to buy organic produce. The main reason to eat
organic produce is to avoid the pesticide residue left on foods. Hands
down, organically raised food is better for the environment. Absence of
pesticides results in healthier soil, water, and wildlife. Buying
organically grown produce supports small farmers and contributes to
biodiversity.
Some people choose organic produce because they believe it has a higher
nutritional value than commercially grown produce. The comparisons of
nutritional content between food organically grown and conventionally
grown produce, however, shows little difference. Consider also that much
of the produce we buy today is not always locally grown. We have many
fruits and vegetables to choose from year round because they have been
shipped from other parts of the country (or the world). The fact that a
fruit or vegetable is organic does not necessarily translate to
nutritional superiority simply because it’s organic. If shipped from
far away, it may already be past its nutritional peak.
For many health conscious families, the purchase of organic produce is
cost prohibitive. As much as they would like to eat more organically
grown food, they simply cannot afford the higher cost. Most of us have a
food budget and have to make choices about what we buy, and perhaps a
compromise is what’s called for. There are two things you can do to
take advantage of organically grown produce as much as possible.
Buy local organic produce when it’s in season. In many parts of the
USA, that means taking advantage of certain fruits and vegetables during
the warmer months when available. Freezing or canning local organic
produce is a possible option for when those items are out of season.
Buy conventionally grown produce from the "Clean 15" list, and
organic only for those foods that are on the "The Dirty Dozen"
list. The Dirty Dozen are the fruits and vegetables which have the
largest amount of pesticide residues, and the Clean 15 have the least
amount.
The "Clean 15":
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions
The "Dirty Dozen":
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Spinach, kale and collard greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported grapes
Lettuce
When the warm weather arrives again, make a habit of visiting your local
farmers' markets and buy local organic produce throughout the season.
© 2013 Gretchen Scalpi. All rights reserved.
Gretchen Scalpi is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes
Educator. She is the author of "The Quick Start Guide To Healthy
Eating", "The Everything Guide to Managing and Reversing
Pre-Diabetes", "The Everything Diabetes Cookbook, 2nd
ed." and "Pre-Diabetes Your Second Chance At Health". Use
your organic produce in the recipes from her book "Quick Start
Recipes For Healthy Meals" available at http://gretchenscalpi.com/
quick-start-recipes/.
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