Depression & Anxiety: A Functional & Holistic Approach

Do you find yourself feeling in a lower mood consistently or constantly “on edge” or irritated frequently? Feeling worn down by your health issues or concerns? Ruminating over certain thoughts or situations that you wouldn’t necessarily in the past? These feelings can be overwhelming, and it may seem as though they are taking over your life!

I see these issues becoming more and more common in society and with my clients. Depression and anxiety are increasing globally, and recent research suggests that depression and anxiety are symptoms of other underlying issues. 

Many mamas experience postpartum depression and anxiety right after birth. I touched on this a little bit in my previous post, How to Avoid the Most Common Postpartum Issues. 

However, for some women, these symptoms may last for years. Many of my health clients are unaware that anxiety can show up in a plethora of different ways, including: overindulgence, overscheduling or overworking, numbing or avoiding, sleepiness or insomnia, lack of concentration, or obsessive behavior.

These unpleasant symptoms should be a red flag that there's something more going on in your body that needs to be addressed. Many times your mental and emotional stability are influenced by your body and mind’s physical imbalances.

When these underlying issues are addressed, it may seem like the sky is a little bluer and that you are actually enjoying the little things once again. Deep exhale…

This is why I am so passionate about functional and holistic health approaches to healing. Unlike many conventional providers, I don’t cover up your anxiety and depression with a pill. We can get to the root causes of the imbalances for good! I help guide you to make simple modifications that promote whole body balance and wellness.  

Why is Holistic Care Important for Mental Health?

If you've gone to a conventional doctor for your anxiety or depression, they most likely "treat" it by prescribing anti-anxiety medication or antidepressants. Some completely need this and it’s a helpful solution. But it’s not for everyone! And poorly addresses the WHOLE picture.

Especially if you haven’t struggled with these symptoms your whole life and now they are manifesting greatly in your adult years, along with other nagging symptoms...it’s worth investigating to understand the WHY. Rather than a reflex of a band aid approach, while the physical imbalances continue to fester under the surface. 

On the other hand, a functional health approach to depression and anxiety digs deep to find the root causes for WHY you are experiencing these symptoms in the first place. Functional health practitioners understand that depression is an actual biological malfunction where the brain's frontal lobe isn't firing correctly. This problem most always stems from other dysfunctions going on in the body.

This is why women I see usually have more symptoms, other than just depression or anxiety, including constipation, brain fog, fatigue, headaches and/or poor sleep. The functional medicine approach addresses and treats those underlying causes, like nutrient deficiencies and/or hormonal imbalances, ridding many of your symptoms once and for all...instead of just placing a bandaid on them.

Common Underlying Causes of Depression and Anxiety

Gut Health and Depression

It's becoming more well known that your gut health, specifically your gut microbiome, can affect a handful of other organs and functions in your body - including your brain! Your brain-gut axis sends signals to one another. If one of these isn't functioning optimally, then most likely the other isn't as well. When your gut microbiome becomes imbalanced, and harmful bacteria take over, we see an increased risk for depression and anxiety. 

Also, let’s not forget that the majority of our neurotransmitters are produced in the gut! In fact, more than 90% of our serotonin (AKA our happy hormone) is created here. So when your gut is imbalanced, it directly affects your mood because those happy hormones aren’t being produced. Often taking a probiotic supplement and consuming a gut-supporting diet can help promote a healthy gut microbiome, which can lead to an improved mind and mood.

Inflammation and the Blood-Brain Barrier

If your gut is unhealthy, it could also impact your gut barrier's integrity...leading to "leaky gut". This means that your gut lining's permeability increases, allowing larger molecules and substances that are supposed to stay in your gut to travel out and affecting the rest of your body. 

Imagine a mesh cheesecloth compared to a chain linked fence! We want a cheesecloth of a gut lining...allowing smaller particles like micronutrients to be absorbed. But we don’t want a chain linked fence of a gut “barrier” allowing our immune system to be bombarded and constantly activated to unwanted substances. These molecules then affect our brain, because of disturbances to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and we can develop a "leaky brain".

Those unwanted molecules are now affecting your brain chemistry (an area that is supposed to be protected by the blood brain barrier), your immune system takes notice, and inflammation begins to occur in your brain. This inflammation can then impact your frontal lobe, causing dysfunction, which results in mental health issues like depression. Keep in mind that other things can cause dysfunction to your blood-brain barrier, like stress and toxin exposures.

Are Your Thyroid Issues Causing Your Anxiety?

Women who struggle with hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis often also struggle with depression and anxiety. Usually, the more severe your thyroid imbalance, the more extreme your mental health symptoms are. Since your brain has impressive amounts of thyroid hormone receptors, it means that your brain can be majorly impacted when your thyroid levels are imbalanced...hence your mood changes. 

Connection Between Hormone Imbalances and Mental Health

Women often brush their mood issues off as, "Oh it's just the hormones". But do you really understand the significant impact that hormones have on your health? Hormones pretty much affect every aspect of your health- including your mental state. Many of the women I see have some degree of hormone imbalances, contributing to their mild to severe symptoms.

In today's society, it's unfortunately pretty easy to get to this spot. From the overabundance of toxins to the presence of daily stressors, hormones don't stand a chance at staying in balance...unless we intentionally create an internal and external environment to support that balance.

Hormones are so finicky and potent...so when one of them is out of whack, it is likely contributing to other imbalances and symptoms. This creates a domino effect in your body and mind. When certain hormone levels are too high or too low, like progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, and/or testosterone, it can lead to higher anxiety and depression rates.

Can Nutrient or Mineral Deficiencies Lead to Depression?

Certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies can lead to depression as well as anxiety. I see numerous cases where women who are deficient in either omega–3 fatty acids, B vitamins, minerals, and amino acids (which are precursors to neurotransmitters), also show signs of depression. 

Going back to gut health, sometimes an unhealthy or imbalanced gut inhibits these nutrients from being absorbed optimally in your body. Add to that poor intake of these nutrients, chronic stress, and/or pregnancies and breastfeeding...no wonder Mommas experience anxiety and depression so commonly after having children! The basic building blocks for your neurotransmitters are depleted. This is why it's so vital to get your nutrient and mineral levels tested!

Functional and Holistic Ways to Reduce Depression and Anxiety

When moms come to me looking to rid their depression and anxiety, I don't just hand over a prescription and send them on their way. When you work with me, I invest quality time into getting to know your background and health history, so that I can dig deep into potential culprits that may be causing your mood disorder and other nagging symptoms. 

I will work with you to develop personalized nutrition plans, simple and sustainable lifestyle changes, customized supplementation, environmental modifications (air, water, personal care products), emotional regulation practices, and sometimes recommend other professional help as needed (therapists, acupuncture, etc).

• Many times to improve your anxiety and/or depression, I recommend doing the following to improve not only your mental health, but your overall well-being. Discuss these with your trusted provider or seek the appropriate support and guidance for your situation.
• Have someone you trust encourage self-care practices or help you recognize your triggers. Sometimes at the beginning it’s hard to recognize the early signs of your mood changes or when your stress levels are heightening. This can be your spouse, close friend, or loved one.
  
• Avoid any food sensitivities that may be causing low-grade inflammation (this is something we can uncover together, since you may not always know which specific foods these are). The most common ones are gluten and dairy.
• If you suspect inflammation is a root cause contributing to your symptoms, discuss with your provider if curcumin, omega-3 EPA and DHA, or resveratrol may be helpful supplements in your case. They have high anti-inflammatory properties, which can help with inflammation in your gut and brain.
• If your symptoms are anxiety predominant, consider a Magnesium supplement along with l-theanine and GABA to help manage your stress response and improve your sleep. 
• Get adequate amounts of high quality sleep during the night. Avoid screen time close to bedtime and try to have a calming bedtime routine.
• Get outside in nature and soak in some natural light. 
• Surround yourself with friends and family members that make you feel at ease. 
• Talk to a therapist. Even if you don't have severe symptoms, talking to someone and gaining insight and tools is so helpful!

If you are struggling with depression and/or anxiety and want to feel like yourself again...finding joy in the daily things and feeling a sense of calm and presence...then contact Jaclyn Bacon. She offers 1:1 online health consulting and coaching for customized natural health solutions so that you can truly feel your best.

Let's get to the root causes of your symptoms and balance the contributing factors for your depression and anxiety. Connect with her here to get started!