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.

Diet as a drug detoxification tool is a two-edged sword.

Diet as a drug detoxification tool is a two-edged sword. That's because the same dietary choices that can help you overcome your habit or drug addiction can lift your mood in a way that encourages you to go out and look for more drugs. Do not try a detox diet, if you have not decided to stop smoking, and find the support you need to stop smoking, even if you only have the will power and resources to avoid drugs just for today.

Much of what medical science has learned about diet and recovery from drug addiction began as a study of criminal justice in Texas. Back in the 1960s, epidemiologists were puzzled that 24 Texas counties (later reduced to 11 counties in Texas) had high poverty rates, few resources for community health and law enforcement, and very near the border with Mexico, but the relatively low rates of drug addiction and violent crime. They looked at many different variables and I did not find anything to explain these results. Finally, a scientist said "there must be something in the water", and, in fact, it was.

These 24 counties in Texas, and later found several desert counties in California, have unusually low homicide rates, suicide, rape, robbery, theft, narcotics possession, and juveniles that run away from home, which coincide with high concentrations of lithium in municipal tap water. This discovery led to a clinical trial that found that users of the recovery of crystal methamphetamine (methamphetamine) and heroin that received 400 micrograms (that 400 millionths of a gram) of lithium a day showed demonstrable improvements in mood and cognition. They also gained higher scores on psychological tests that measure energy, sociability and happiness.

Dealing with street drug detoxification

If you are trying to detox from street drugs, you really do not have to go to Death Valley or the Big Bend in Texas to get your lithium, and you do not have to convince a psychiatrist that you have bipolar disorder. Lithium is readily available in some vegetables (incidentally, growing in desert regions) that are cheap and readily available year-round in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Europe.

Lithium is particularly abundant in Irish potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. It is true that chenical solanine in these "solanaceous" vegetables is associated with certain types of inflammation, but lithium deals with a broader issue. Generally speaking, any diet that places more emphasis on fresh vegetables and whole grains (ie, wheat grains instead of wheat bread, cut oats instead of instant oats, corn cobs instead of corn bread, and so on) it is likely to provide lithium, but solanaceous vegetables potatoes, tomatoes and vegetables are the best source.

Drug addiction is not the result of lithium deficiency. Instead, lithium deficiency seems to be the result of drug use, whether or not it is true addiction. The amount of lithium supplied by diet or drinking water is usually less than 1/10 of 1 percent of the standard dose used to treat bipolar disorder, but this is sufficient to allow behavioral changes in users of bipolar disorder. drugs that have resolved detoxification.

The "snack" after consuming drugs, by the way, are the body's way of fighting the depression that occurs when you get off the drug. Eating lots of carbohydrates and sugars increases the amount of sugar in your blood. This "pushes" the amino acid tryptophan through the blood-brain barrier in the brain, where it is used to make mood-raising chemical serotonin. If you continue to get the urge to sting even when you are not taking a medication, the problem is probably not withdrawn, it is depression.

The detoxification of alcohol

For many people, holidays are synonymous with too many sweets and too much alcohol. The combination of excess alcohol and excess sugar sets in motion a vicious circle that can be difficult to overcome.

The fact is that not everyone who drinks has too much more than a hangover (but if you have a problem with hangovers, more about this in a moment). Sometimes people who are not used to drinking heavily deplete the brain's supply of an enzyme called tyrosine hydroxylase. If they are also packing away the holiday treats, the brain's demand for the enzyme rises and there are three unpleasant consequences.

Drinking too much alcohol depletes tyrosine hydroxylase, and the brain can not make the chemical serotonin dthe rising mood in the most efficient way. When there is not enough serotonin, depression looms. Depression encourages more drinking, but because the remaining supply of the tyrosine hydroxylase enzyme works best if the drinker is awake and physically active, the brain responds to other chemicals that keep you alert, and drinking causes both depression and the anxiety. The liver tries to come to the rescue by clearing blood alcohol-by raising blood sugar levels. But if the vacation drinker continues to drink, the result is not just drinking that makes you feel bad, but also the sugar cravings that makes you feel worse.

Third, with cravings for sugar and alcohol at work, it is difficult to get other nutrients that the body needs. If all this is happening in just a week's vacation, it's not likely to have a catastrophic effect on your health (assuming you're not involved in a car accident or something similar), but you can be left with the mother of all the hangovers. So, how do you begin to detoxify?

Even if you still crave alcohol, at least stop eating sugar. Actually, it may be better to pass the dessert table and go to the bar if you can not control both the cravings. You will still have a hangover, but at least you will not have to deal with the sugar slump that follows a high sugar level. If you must drink, then there are no cookies, cakes, no small candies, no cakes.

Even more important is not the mixture of alcohol with a cola made with high fructose corn syrup, for example, rum and cola. High fructose corn syrup interferes with the production of a hormone in fat cells, leptin, which tells your brain that you have consumed enough calories. Without enough leptin to tell your brain that you have eaten enough, and the general disinhibition, caused by alcohol, the combination of fructose and alcohol keeps you drinking and eating more and more as you feel worse and worse.

Then there are some supplements that help your brain produce some chemicals to make up for the interruption by alcohol. The pyriodoxal-5'-phosphate vitamin B, which is the active form of vitamin B6, helps your gastrointestinal tract absorb the amino acids that the brain uses to produce serotonin and dopamine. The 5-HTP supplement provides the amino acid tryptophan that the brain converts to serotonin, and the D-amino acid phenylalanine (which appears in supplements labeled as DL-phenylalanine) produces the "reward" chemical enkephalin. This chemical tells the brain "enough" and deadens the cravings for alcohol and sugar.

What can undo your alcohol detoxification?

If you are a regular drinker, staying away from caffeine will help you stay sober. If your liver has been damaged by alcohol, it can not process caffeine, either. A medical study to be performed at Bromley Hospital in Kent, England found that alcoholic livers have twice the time to process caffeine as non-alcoholic livers. Caffeine combined with sugar aggravates anxiety and increases the need to drink. Do not drink strong coffee to cure your hangover unless the bottles of your favorite alcoholic beverages are out of reach.

And, strange as it may seem, it is possible to perpetuate the hangover by just watching a drink. A psychological research team at the University of Pittsburgh found that just the sight of an alcoholic beverage reduces the reaction times of alcoholic men more than the sight of a glass of water. Just thinking about drinking keeps you drunk. If you are having a hangover in the morning after the party, postpone cleaning until you feel better, and turn off the television, especially the programs that feature alcohol advertising.

Giving your liver a break after alcohol and drug detoxification

The liver is not a moralist. It works just as hard detox prescription drugs and illegal drugs. However, what commentators with an alternative health orientation often overlook is the fact that the liver is not only a detoxification organ, but also a pre-toxifying organ. Some chemicals are not toxic until after the liver has processed them.

These include acetaminophen pain reliever without a prescription, which is the main ingredient in the anti-cancer drug tamoxifen, and a class of diabetes medications called TZD (which is short for), including Actos and Avandia. As detoxification from other drugs and alcohol and liver becomes healthier, some medications actually become more problematic. If you are detoxifying or In the recovery of drugs or alcohol, ask your doctor about alternative medications.

Fortunately there are always alternatives, both prescription and natural, for addiction and drug and alcohol abuse. Your first step is simply to decide, at least for today, you are going to take control over your life and your health.

Can there be a relationship between anxiety and drug use?

We can consider that the relationship between anxiety and substance use is bimodal: on the one hand, the continued use of a substance can lead to experiencing symptoms and even anxiety problems. On the other hand, some anxiety disorders may be associated with a higher consumption of certain drugs, for example, alcohol or tobacco.

In general, the continued use of a substance can lead to the appearance of some symptoms associated with anxiety such as discomfort, irritability or tachycardia. For example, the important relationship between the use of ecstasy and / or stimulants and the appearance of psychological alterations such as anxiety, panic or concentration difficulties has been described. People who experience the withdrawal syndrome of a substance can also manifest anxiety. In fact, an anxiety disorder has been described that considers that it may be induced by substances (or, in other words, be a consequence of its frequent and excessive use). In substance-induced anxiety disorder, anxiety symptoms are associated with the use, abuse or dependence of a drug (caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, etc.). Regular drug users have higher levels of anxiety than non-consumers, even after they have given up their use (even periods longer than six months).

On the other hand, the social use of some substances is widespread. They are usually taken because the person who consumes them feels less inhibited, or because of the pleasurable sensations they produce. Some people with anxiety disorders may use some substances as a strategy to cope with their problem and reduce anxiety. For example, a person with difficulties in social situations can drink alcohol or take marijuana because its effects disinhibit it and can perform better in that situation.

Anxiety is basically a defensive mechanism. It is a warning system in situations considered threatening. It is a universal mechanism, occurs in all people, is normal, adaptive, improves performance and ability to anticipate and respond. The function of anxiety is to mobilize the organism, keep it alert and willing to intervene in the face of risks and threats, so that its consequences do not occur or are minimized. Anxiety, then, pushes us to take the appropriate measures (flee, attack, neutralize, face, adapt, etc.), depending on the case and the nature of the risk or danger. The danger is given by the obstruction of any project or desire important to us, or by the degradation of status or achievements already achieved. The human being wants what he does not have, and wants to keep what he has.

The anxiety then, as an adaptive mechanism, is good, functional, normal and does not represent any health problem.

However, in some cases, this mechanism works in an altered way, that is, it produces health problems and, instead of helping us, it disables us. What factors can influence that a normal, healthy and adaptive mechanism ceases to be?

Predispositional factors

Biological factors, some of them genetic

Personality factors Patterns of stress coping. Lifestyle

Environmental factors. Learning. Contexts and social supports

Activating or triggering factors

Situations or events that are experienced as overflowing our resources

Vital events with serious consequences or that require significant adaptive efforts.

Obstacles to achieve or that limit our ability to achieve or maintain them

Consumption of stimulants or other drugs

Maintenance factors, linked to the management of one's anxiety

The "fear of fear"

The loss of conditions or faculties, due to the anxiety itself, that make it difficult to face the problems

Attempted solutions that are counterproductive

The problematization of initially non-conflictive areas, as a consequence of one's anxiety

Inadequate or erroneous confrontation of the problems originating anxiety.

The establishment of phobic mechanisms

Anxiety problems occur, usually, by a combination of some of these factors over a period of time.

The main enemy of anxiety is the feeling of hunger caused by prolonged hours of fasting or lack of food. In the mornings we rushed home, breakfast something very light or sometimes nothing, at lunch we are on the street eating whatever we find and we come to the house to open the refrigerator or pantry and eat whatever, as we We die of hunger. It is here, when we say "anxiety kills me" or "anxiety as they put me in front". And, it is precisely the lack of order in the meals, the disorganized schedules, or the poor selection of food is what leads us to have this type of problems in the diet. The lack of food for long hours causes the blood sugar to drop and awakens the desire to eat sweet or very caloric things, thus generating a vicious circle.

To combat anxiety, foods rich in magnesium, B vitamins and tryptophan should be consumed:

1. Magnesium: Due to its relaxing properties, this mineral maintains a stable heart rate. We find it in nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.), legumes (beans or lentils), leafy green vegetables (spinach, Swiss chard) or whole-grain carbohydrates (noodles, bread or brown rice, wheat germ).

2. Vitamins B: They participate in the formation of serotonin from tryptophan, therefore they are important in emotional and neurological health. We find B vitamins in whole grains such as oats or wheat, in nuts or vegetables.

3. Tryptophan: this amino acid is a component of proteins, which is a precursor of serotonin, which allows to maintain adequate levels of it. Serotonin is a cerebral neurotransmitter related to mood, and which participates in the control of appetite; Low levels of it are related to anxiety attacks that lead us to lose self-control. Tryptophan is found in animal proteins such as meat, fish, turkey, dairy products or eggs or in fruits such as pineapple and banana. Try to consume these products in the afternoon, to avoid anxiety during the night.

Tips to fight anxiety

Respect food schedules: make all meals at the same time.

Avoid caffeine, prefer aromatic waters.

Staying hydrated, the best source of hydration is water.

Walk or maintain some type of physical activity to increase serotonin levels.

Chew food well.

Sit at the table to eat, avoid doing other activities while eating (watch TV, work on the computer, etc.).

To avoid low blood sugar, make 4-5 meals a day.

Incorporate fruits or vegetables in all meals.

Consume a couple of tablespoons of flaxseed in yogurt or breakfast milk.

Take Omega 3 supplements.

Remove sources from the table, after serving your portion.

Plan the weekly menu, especially the dinners.

Avoid

Skip meals

Consumption of alcohol, cigarettes or chocolate

Lack of rest or sleep

Unbalanced or disordered diet

Lack of exercise

Foods that help fight anxiety

Pickles

Dehydrated fruits

Low-fat yogurt

Whole grains

Fish

Nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts)

Gelatin diet

Vegetable soups or broths

All kinds of fruits and vegetables

Eggs

Top 10 clinics of detoxification in Spain

Since this blog's health we continue trying to a delicate social issue and that more attention should be given. Therefore, we intend to develop a short list with the top 10 clinics of detoxification in Spain. Out of a situation in which drugs are the basis necessary for personal development

The most important detoxification clinics are, in general, in Madrid and Barcelona. But in addition, there are also others scattered throughout the Spanish geography.

Either way, that we are in the top 10 in Spain Detox clinics:

-Detoxification Control & Consulting Centre. It is located in Mataró (Barcelona) and offers the treatment of addiction to psychoactive substances to the patient and his environment. Phone: 93 758 97 98, and 661-301-722. It also offers you all kinds of information about treatments and therapeutic programs. Web page.

-Clinical Capistrano: Detoxification Center located in Miquel Rosselló, number 46 (Palma de Mallorca - Balearic Islands). It is a non-denominational and private rehabilitation center specializing in the treatment of addictions, inaugurated in 1988. Phone: 971-401-484. Web page.

-Sinesis Detox Center: Center for the treatment of addictions without need for substitute drugs. It has offices in Madrid and Barcelona and she is responsible for developing rehabilitation programmes in residential regime. 938 60 57 00 phone. Web page.

-Proyecto Hombre: Has branches almost in all Spain. A therapeutic program for the treatment and prevention of drug addiction. Phone: 902 88 55 55. Web page.

-Narconon Mediterranean: It has a centre in Madrid and two in Andalusia, in which highlights of Seville (Alcala de Guadaira). Help people to end their addictions to drugs, alcohol, analgesics, and any other addictive substance. Phone: 902 101 501. Web page.

-Yrichen Fundación canaria: prepares itineraries or individualized ways of treatment. It is a non profit, non-partisan and non-denominational organization. Born in the District of La Pardilla, municipality of Telde (Gran Canaria). Phone: 828-025-418. Web page.

-Intradi. Antonio Machado de Málaga is located next to the new promenade. The recovery farm is in the Guadalhorce Valley. Phone: 952 350 401. Web page.

-Institute Castelao Galicia. Located in the Darwin Street, in Santa Cristina Oleiros (La Coruña). Private institution specialized in the treatment of patients who have a disorder by dependence on psychoactive substances. Telephone: 900 505 505. Web page.

-La Huertecica: Is an Association of social initiative. They work in Cartagena and Murcia. Phone: 968 52 46 56. Web page.

-Tavad. Their name collect stands for advanced treatment of addiction and has large number of programs. They are in Avenida Fuentelarreina, 8 (Madrid). Phone: 902 100 197. Web page.