Know The Facts!

In today’s fast-paced society, it’s no wonder that so many people suffer from depression. But is the remedy for this modern-day epidemic really found in pharmaceuticals?

The answer is unmistakably NO!

Depression is merely a symptom of a much bigger problem. The general health of America (and other countries) has been on a dramatic decline due to chronic exposure to multiple stressors, including

• Environmental (air, water pollution, processed and chemical-ridden foods, etc.)
• Emotional (work, societal, family, etc.),
• Physical (lack of or over-exercise, smoking, excess alcohol, etc.).

And all of the stressors we are subjected to significantly deplete the body of vital nutrients. If the nutrients required by the body for optimal health are not replenished, symptoms of disease soon follow.

So let’s talk a bit about some of these nutrients.

Without amino acids, life would not be possible. However, in order for amino acids to function properly, there must be a balance of amino acids in conjunction with vitamins, minerals and other substances that are necessary for good health.

Let’s take tryptophan (a precursor to serotonin) as an example. In order for tryptophan to do its job, it must first react with Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C. Water-soluble vitamins such as the B vitamins and Vitamin C are easily destroyed, and if they are not replaced daily a deficiency is sure to follow.

In the case of tryptophan, if there is insufficient Vitamin B6 and/or Vitamin C in the body, the tryptophan-serotonin pathway becomes blocked resulting in low serotonin levels in the body. And the effects of low serotonin levels in the body are extremely well-known. They are:

• Insomnia
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Eventual hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Many people have tried to use tryptophan to treat these conditions only to give up because they were unable to get relief from their symptoms. You can now see how without addressing all nutritional deficiencies, the desired result would be impossible to achieve.

Unfortunately, even modern medicine hasn’t made this obvious connection. Instead of addressing the root cause of the condition, countless pharmaceuticals have been created to simply treat the symptoms (many serotonin-based, the very hormone that is dependent upon tryptophan).

Popular prescriptions for insomnia have recently made headlines due to “Risk of Death”. The following are only some that have been named:

• Ambien
• Restoril
• Sonata 
• Lunesta

A recent article on FOX News.com stated,

“People who took more than 132 pills a year were not only five times more likely to die, but were also at greater risk of developing several types of cancer, and 35 percent more likely to be diagnosed with any type of cancer, overall”

In the UK, the following was said in an eye-opening article;

   “Compared to never using sleeping pills, even using no more than 18 a year is tied to a more than threefold increased risk of death, according to researchers in the US who saw this result after controlling for every possible factor they could think of that might influence it. They also found a more than fourfold higher risk of death and a significant increase in cancer cases among regular pill users.” Sleeping pills tied higher risk of death

The list of drugs used for treating anxiety is almost endless, however some of the more popular include:

• Cymbalta
• Ativan
• Lexapro
• Paxil
• Valium
• Xanax 

Dr. Peter Bongiorno, naturopath, wrote an interesting article in Psychology Today. He states,

“These anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications are among the most prescribed in the United States – and possibly the most dangerous. According to a report in the 2010 Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, people who use anti-anxiety medication have a 36% increased mortality risk. That means persons using these drugs are almost 40% more likely to die than people who do not use them…”

To further support this argument was a Canadian study done 2010 finding that the dangers of anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs were significant enough to conclude the following;

“…physicians should systematically consider possibilities for nonpharmacological treatment of sleep disturbances and anxiety.”

A highly recommended read is ANTIANXIETY DRUGS: The facts about the effects Published by Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

Anti-depressants are not in short supply. The list of these drugs grows every year, no doubt due to the high demand and obvious profit tied to this modern day epidemic. Some of the more popular anti-depressants are:

• Wellbutrin
• Cymbalta 
• Paxil
• Prozac
• Zoloft 

But these drugs are not necessarily what they are advertised to be. The following movie is revealing:

Furthermore, recently the  FDA warned patients and physicians of a link between SSRI antidepressants and Birth Defects. For more see Is Big Pharma Fueling Depression? Natural Cure for Depression Silenced!

So for many, it’s a question of, “What do I do now?”

And the answer has been here all along. Consume real nutrition, supplement the deficiencies, manage stress and get regular moderate exercise.

Personally I have experienced all three symptoms on that list: insomnia, anxiety and possibly depression. Never did the medical doctors (and I went to four looking for answers):

• Show concern about my lifestyle habits (stress, exercise, etc.)
• Show concern for chemicals in the air, water and food supply
• Show concern about nutritional deficiencies
• Show concern as to WHY I felt these symptoms

What they did do was give me free samples of drugs and told me to “Try it and see if it helps, and if it doesn’t, we’ll try a different drug (or add another one)”. (See “My Story of Healing“)

Another example is the connection between a deficiency of the amino acid arginine and disease.  An arginine deficiency can potentially cause high blood pressure and eventually cardiovascular disease. This is because arginine is a precursor of nitric oxide (NO) which is vital for cardiovascular health. This is evident by the drugs most commonly prescribed for angina pectoris (severe chest pain due to a lack of blood, thus oxygen supply to the heart muscle). For more, see Heart Disease: Nitric Oxide/Arginine Cure?

Some of the more popular drugs include:

• Caduet
• Coreg
• Nitrostate
• Ranexa

The key to true health lies in the cause, not masking the symptoms. With depression/anxiety and cardiovascular/heart disease being major health concerns in today’s society, you can see the importance of maintaining a balance between amino acids and other nutrients.

Without amino acids, many vitamins and minerals could not be utilized in the body. And with the U.S. steadfast to a nutrient-deficient diet consisting of never-ending processed foods and fast-foods, all with added chemicals, preservatives, and food additives, along with the increasing dispersal of prescription drugs for everything under the sun, it is more than likely that we suffer from amino acid imbalances to a greater extent than once thought.

If this wasn’t the case, wouldn’t people be getting healthier rather than sicker!

References:

Psychology Today

Mortality hazard associated with anxiolytic and hypnotic drug use in the National Population Health Survey

FOX News: Popular sleep medications associated with increased risk of death

Robert Erdmann, PH.D; Amino Revolution

Amino Acids: Biochemistry and Nutrition

Related Articles:

• Anxiety Drugs: Worth Risking Your Life?
• Popular sleep medications associated with increased risk of death
• Heart Disease: Nitric Oxide/Arginine Cure?
• Stress! It’s NOT just in your Mind!
• Emotional Stress: Modern Way of Life (Part 1)
• Emotional Stress: Modern Way of Life (Part 2)
• Big Pharma Fueling Depression
• AMA, FDA, and Big Pharma are Causing a Drug Epidemic