Probiotics Help Reduce the Symptoms of Depression

When we speak in terms of mental health, most assume that the brain is the one in charge. Actually, your gut could be the determining factor.

Interestingly, between the seventeenth and early eighteenth century, it was thought that the remains in the colon could cause infections that would cause depression. And it turned out that, in fact, they were not so wrong.

Currently, scientific advances suggest that the mental state is influenced-or rather, directed, to a large extent, by the intestinal microflora; and probiotics (beneficial bacteria) are considered "the new antidepressants".

However, while it might be tempting to change one pill for another, I ask you to consider adopting a broader approach.

Taking a probiotic supplement might be useful, but if you still eat the same junk food as before, it is likely that no significant difference will arise. Actually, the key is to have a healthy diet.

Limiting or eliminating sugar is absolutely essential, while adding healthy fats will provide your brain with much needed fuel, and fermented foods will provide you with the beneficial bacteria you need.

If you add it to daily movements and regular exercise, sleep well and expose yourself prudently to the sun's rays, this will really provide your body with the basic constituent elements it needs to have an optimal functioning - physically and mentally.

A probiotic supplement could not achieve this on its own. That said, studies have shown how important healthy intestinal bacteria are when it comes to addressing depression.

Probiotics Reduce Depression Symptoms

Very recently, a small, randomized, placebo-controlled study1,2,3,4 involving 44 adults diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and with mild to moderate depression or anxiety, found that the probiotic Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 provided relief for depression.

Half of the participants received the probiotic, while the other half received a placebo. At six weeks, 64% of the treatment group had reduced their depression scores, compared to 32% in the control group.

Those who received the probiotic also reported having fewer IBS symptoms and improved overall quality of life. At the end of 10 weeks, approximately twice as many in the treatment group still reported lower levels of depression.

Interestingly, functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed a link between having a lower depression score and actual changes in brain activity, specifically in areas involved in mood regulation, such as the amygdala.

As noted by Dr. Roger McIntyre, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of Toronto, who was not involved in the study:

"We know that a part of the brain, the amygdala, tends to be a red hot spot, in people with depression, and apparently calms down with this intervention." This provides greater scientific credibility for something in the brain, a very biological level, seems to be affected by this probiotic.

The co-author, Dr. Premysl Bercik - associate professor of medicine at McMaster, and gastroenterologist at Hamilton Health Sciences - added that:

"This study shows that consuming a specific probiotic could improve both intestinal symptoms and psychological problems caused by IBS.

This opens new avenues not only for the treatment of patients suffering from intestinal functional disorders, but also in the case of patients with psychiatric illness ... 6

[A] others, patients who consume probiotics reported having an improvement in IBS symptoms ... at the end of probiotic treatment, but not four weeks later, when the beneficial effect on depression was still present.

So one could argue that the main effect of this probiotic is on depression.

In addition, the amygdala is one of the important centers in the processing of abdominal pain, so if the probiotic has altered the function of this brain region, it could also improve the intestinal symptoms caused by IBS (pain is the hallmark of IBS) .7

The Convincing Relationship Between Depression and Intestinal Inflammation

Several studies have confirmed that gastrointestinal inflammation could play a crucial role in the development of depression, and that healthy bacteria could be an important part of the treatment. For example, a scientific analysis of Hungary8 published in 2011, made the following observations:

1. Often, depression is accompanied by gastrointestinal inflammation, as well as autoimmune, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and low-grade chronic inflammation is a significant contributing factor in all this.

Therefore, "Depression could be a neuropsychiatric manifestation of a chronic inflammatory syndrome"

2. Numerous clinical studies have shown that treating gastrointestinal inflammation with probiotics, omega-3 fats and vitamins B and D also improves the symptoms of depression by attenuating pro-inflammatory stimuli in your brain9

3. Research suggests that the main cause of inflammation could be a dysfunction in the "brain-gut axis" .10 The brain-gut connection is widely recognized as a basic principle of physiology and medicine, so this is not entirely surprising.

Your gut acts like a second brain and, in fact, during pregnancy, it is created from a tissue identical to your brain.

If you eat a lot of processed foods and sugars, the intestinal bacteria will be severely compromised, because processed foods tend to decimate the healthy microflora.

This leaves a void that fill the pathogenic bacteria causing diseases, yeasts and fungi, which promote inflammation

Also, previous research has shown that probiotics have the power to alter brain function, 11 so the study presented is not only in that sense.

And while Bercik and his team could not lower anxiety levels, a study in mice12 found that Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 - the same strain used in the Bercik study - has a normalized behavior similar to anxiety in animals. who had an infectious colitis.

Here, the anti-anxiety effect is attributed to the modulation of the vagal pathways, within the brain-gut axis.

Other research13 has shown that Lactobacillus rhamnosus is a probiotic that has a marked effect on the levels of GABA - an inhibitory neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of many physiological and psychological processes - in certain brain regions, where it decreases hormone levels of stress, corticosterone.

As a result, it decreases behaviors related to depression and anxiety. Also, strong links have been found between the intestinal microbiome and schizophrenia, as well as with bipolar disorder.

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Information and guidance on drugs

Help, how to stop drugs

You want to eat and don't know how? Do you have difficulties quitting alcohol, cocaine or other drugs? Do you think that you will be unable to leave the consumer, you're engaged? Using drugs for fun and think that maybe they are becoming a habit or a need? You tired of eating but you don't know how to put brake? Have you tried to put limits of consumption then you've failed? Sales of party and you can not stop eating? You tried to leave the consumption by yourself and it has cost you much not to consume and you've done it again? Do you eat only weekends weekends but lately only waits arriving these days to consume?

These and others are many of the questions that are in forums, specialized pages, pages of general health, etc., on the subject of drugs. It is logical that arise all these doubts when, after a period consumed, either regularly or occasionally, difficulties to cease consumption, sometimes willpower is assuaged by the desire to consume.

You must keep in mind that a person consuming need not be an addict, there are several types of consumption and any of them can lead to problems for the person. The consumer can make use of the substance well be experimental, social, casual, etc. I.e., at the beginning, is consumed to test, experiment, to be more sociable, etc. Although there are many people who are left here, i.e., make use of one or more drugs and then left him without many complications, there are others that would make an abuse of substances, where it is consumed on a regular basis and the negative effects of the consumption outweigh the positive. Finally, you arrive to the unit. At this stage refers to various criteria that must be present as: tolerance, loss of control, I want intense consumption, use of time consumption and therefore reduction of occupational and social activities, and continued drinking despite having awareness of physical and/or psychological problems caused or exacerbated by the consumption.

As we have already mentioned several times, stop consuming is not only suppressed, the single goal isn't abstinence. To stop consuming it is necessary to modify and re-educating several aspects of your life since otherwise the probability of return to consume is very high. Even what happens sometimes is that when a person is an abstinent period and return to eat again, the desire is much higher, seems to have to make up the lost time.

At this point, if you are considering you that your relationship with drugs is not high enough, and you've arrived here because you're disoriented, because you think - I want to stop eating but I can't, I need help, tips-, tell you that you have already taken a big step, find information and be aware of all the possible options you have in different centers of drug addiction.

Now the important thing is to know what is happening to you, and does not need to crush you telling you that you are an alcoholic, drug addict, cocaine addict, etc., because they are simply labels. The key is to know which problems and difficulties you have to be able to work together with a professional.

We understand that they may arise you many doubts in this whole process, and know that the fact that one same recognizes that it has a problem, either of the theme that is, it can cost, so here is a series of questions that may help you to reflect.

Things that make you think that this is a problem or difficult for you? So or until point this worries you, as influences you?

What difficulties you have had with the way in which drugs you use what is what you are worried about your current situation of consumption? How substance has been or is a problem for you? Not has it allowed you to do what you wanted? Do you think that you can pass if you continue eating? What do you think it would be you if you don't make a change?

Think that if you're reading this, it indicates that perhaps a part of you believes that there is something not working properly, or does not fit, and who has time to do something about it, therefore: what makes you think that perhaps the time stop consumption, a change has come? What are the reasons for which a change is possible? What should happen to be able to make this change? What could you do to promote this change?

What make you think that you have that continue consuming the same way that you do it now? What are the advantages of letting the consumer? And the drawbacks?

-What to drink? -the little Prince asked him.

-To forget - replied the drinker.

-To forget that? -He asked the little Prince, who already pitied him.

-To forget that I have shame - confessed drinker down the head.

-What shame? -asked the little Prince, wanted to help him.

-Shame of drink - ended drinker, which is definitely locked in silence.

And the little Prince went, stumped.

Great people are decidedly very, but very strange, he said also during the trip.

After reflecting on these questions you consider that at the moment you don't or you're not ready to make a change, for the reason that is, it is not that you can keep these questions in mind and continue reflecting on them to go to assessing your situation and consider one change more later if you consider it necessary.

On the other hand, if you decide that it is time for a change in your life, ask yourself, what you want to change? I.e., what changes would make? What are the reasons for making these changes? Think also that goals can get to start these changes and that you can perform actions to achieve them. For example: I want to stop consuming > maybe have to stop going with people consuming (aim) > let out holiday weekends (action). It is also very important that you can see specific dates to begin to carry out these actions and changes.

It can be very useful to reflections about what what might work for you? I.e. what strategies you can be useful? To do this you can try to remind other significant changes in your life and see that strategies you were effective. You can also reflect on what are the obstacles, what you can prevent to achieve what you want, to have it present and explore alternatives.

You can also try rating have confidence in yourself to make this change because this factor is very important to make the change. For example, on a scale of 1 to 10, would where you placing confidence in yourself to change, to leave the consumer?

It is also interesting that you can ask yourself who could help in this process of change. You can take a role and try to score that people can help and how. For example: my mother can help me managing my money, because if I take it over I have temptation to spend on consumption.

Something that you have to be very present when you are considering who can help you and support you in this process, is who can really do it. At first can seem that everybody is prepared to do so but the reality is that this is not so. You have to analyze who truly can be useful for this purpose.

So with regard to the family, can be a great support but is not always the case. Sometimes the family doesn't know how to deal with the issue, sometimes we find, for example, a parent or an overprotective mother, that means that, in many cases, they will try to conceal the child consumer trying to avoid more negative consequences for the latter. Make this type of action is not helpful for a person who wants to leave the consumption and having some difficulties to do so. Therefore, it is recommended that family, if you want to help this person and don't know how, is can direct specialist to guide you at all times with respect to the entire process. For us the family, understanding the family as the person who lives with the consumer, is of vital importance for the treatment.

Friends may also not be effective in helping since sometimes these friends are also consumers or are friends of consumption, i.e., the main objective of the relationship with each other is the own consumption. Thus, for example, a friend of the consumer, at first, when you told him that you intend to leave the consumption can rejoice for you and tell you that will help you, but then you can try to manipulate you so you are going to consume with it. So, if you want to leave the consumption more prudent is surrounded by friends, not consumers.

Here you are some strategies that you can be useful to initiate this change.

Write a letter from the future in which you answer to these questions, among others: How can you imagine after a change? What expectations you have? How can you come to make these changes? Write a letter from the past: what differences you see between the past and the present? How were you before? How the consumer did you not continue forward with your goals and personal development? How were things before eating?

Get a self-registration on your consumption: here's an example.

As we have already mentioned at the beginning of this article, if you want to stop using, even if you don't have it entirely clear, go to a specialized center. However it is important that you assess that type of facility, initially, you think that it would be more convenient for you according to your needs, since not everyone goes well a same treatment or the same type of Center. However, when you go to a specialized outpatient or primary care physician, they will advise you and guide, according to the assessment of needs and difficulties, towards the Centre that is most convenient for you.

Is important, to the extent possible, reflections about your situation, so thus you can share with the professional and finally, form joint, decide where to initiate treatment. For example, if your environment is a very risky situation for eat, perhaps may be beneficial for you to get away the same time making treatment in a therapeutic community, or in a residential flat.

The treatment process to stop consumption, broadly speaking, begins with request information and advice on the subject, perhaps, due to the internal consumption ambivalence or the consequences, namely the fact of wanting to stop eating and continue eating at the same time. However should take into account that many times when a person starts treatment, isn't this who has chosen to launch it, but that it goes to the Centre by pressure from relatives or friends, are concerned about their consumption and behaviour.

Then there is a request in a professional Centre where first contact is made in a first interview with host, to thus appraisal both medical, psychological, social and educational, to make a design of the therapeutic process taking into account the needs and characteristics of the person. Through this link you can see the different stages of the treatment, as well as the different stages of change.

We hope that this article has served you help, but keep in mind that is just an orientation, a first step, and under no circumstances replaces the guidelines established by the professional reference, is not a treatment to stop drugs.

From here we remind you that if you are disoriented and do not know what to do or where to go, you can get in touch with us, either leaving a comment or through the contact form, we offer a completely free information service.