Brain Gut connection

[Sage10]

Hey there,

I just wanted to say that I have been approaching "mental" health issues from the standpoint of healing the immune system and I have had phenomenal success so far.
I think that anyone who is willing to treat themselves for a mental condition should at least check out the immune link in these mental health disorders.

We can do obvious things like changing our diet. and eliminating food allergies. I know of people who have conquered panic attacks and anxiety by avoidoing trigger foods alone.

What are your thoughts on this?
Any food for thought?

[Papooses]

It was like someone turned on the sun when I read that it's rather common for people who've experienced similar things as me also have digestive disorders without an otherwise medical reason -- it gave me hope that if I could control the physical, then the mental would follow.... I don't know if it was just that belief ("power of the mind") but that's exactly what happened: I'd noticed that my most stressful triggers were correlated with flareups of my Crohns & when I worked on both together, they each eased off much quicker & easier than normal. I'm not on any meds now for the Crohns; I just eat healthy, sleep more hours (which took some creative doing to incorporate healthy sleep hygiene into my general state of insomnia), I exercise a bit more regularly + I take time for MYSELF each day: to enjoy the quiet morning moments before others awake or read a good book with tea or just sit in a cafe watching other people, LOL. The mind-body connection is powerful & easier to balance than I previously believed : I still feel the beginnings of anxiety, but Lexapro helps that -- it doesn't help the Crohns.

[Sage10]

That's great! You won't believe how my condition improved after going on an elimination diet and riding myself of parasites. things like diagnosed anxiety can clear up. even OCD in alot of cases.
What I am saying is that there MUST be a huge immune connection to mental health problems. Like antibodies towards brain proteins and other mechanisms that we are unaware of. IMO this is the first place that people should look to treat when helping mental health problems.

[sphinxie]

to remind myself that I want to reply tomorrow

[HerthElde]

Digestive problems and depression here. Also "beat" rage recently. A nutrient-dense diet has been very key, but I hav't yet been able to eliminate wheat (my trigger). I eat a lot more fat now, to nourish my brain and allow for adequate hydration. It helps.
nak.

[dingogirl]

I'm about to undergo a battery of tests. I'm hoping these tests will turn up something.



http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/about.php

[sphinxie]

Okay, finally

Sidney Baker in "detoxification and healing" had a really good approach, IIRC saying that if your systemic health is poor it's like the tide receding from the shore; it's gonna expose different symptoms in different people, just as the receding water will expose different rocks on different beaches, but it's still the same root cause. More and more I think that anxiety is one of the symptoms of poor systemic physical health. So basically I think that anxiety is basically a physical issue, and a sign of general poor health rather than exclusively a chemical imbalance. In a lot of cases at least. And I would say the same for depression. Even when a MH condition may come from more specific causes, general good health will make it more mild.

But in turn my MH affects my physical health on a lot of levels. So it can quickly turn into either a vicious cycle or a positive cycle. I haven't found the secret to fixing it, but I have found that a combination of mental and physical approaches helps the best.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Sage10

That's great! You won't believe how my condition improved after going on an elimination diet and riding myself of parasites. things like diagnosed anxiety can clear up. even OCD in alot of cases.
What I am saying is that there MUST be a huge immune connection to mental health problems. Like antibodies towards brain proteins and other mechanisms that we are unaware of. IMO this is the first place that people should look to treat when helping mental health problems.

What kind of program did you follow? I have looked a lot at the Healing the Gut thread but it becomes VERY complicated. I follow a very good nutrient rich diet. I recently read [I]The Mood Cure[I] but didn't have any success. I am currently undergoing thyroid and adrenal tests. I am interested in yeast and parasites but w/ yeast it seems so much like a trial and error thing. I'd love more input on what you are doing and what your symptoms are.

[sparkletruck]

... the hypothalamus is in charge of so many systems in your body (endocrine, digestive...) and it is affected by outside stimuli, like diet, environment, STRESS (which includes the first two). Once your hypothalamus is overburdened, and the level of this varies for every person based on genetics, nurture, diet... your body manifests this in many ways; fertility, mood, digestion, headaches/migraines, skin disorders, etc. And vice versa, if you are doing things to care for your hypothalamus; good diet, meditation, etc, your other symptoms will improve

[Surfacing]

I'm very interested to see this thread tonight as I'm suffering from anxiety attacks again after having a bought of stomach flu. Seems that being sick has triggered an adrenal overload....it's miserable! And difficult! I'd forgotten what it was like to have this and try to manage at work. When I was sick with stomach flu I hardly ate but drank Gatorade and ate things gentle to my digestive system like rice, bread, crackers. Hello yeast.

Finally I've been eating better (back to a more nutritious balanced diet) and taking my supplements again (multi, Bvit, cal/mag, fish oil, 5HTP)...so I feel a bit better, but these darned nerves are still PLAGUING ME! It's very unpleasant. I've also been doing some yoga, breathing in a square (5 sec in, hold 5, breath out 5), CBT workbook. Today I just started some homeopathic tablets for nervousness and hauled out my forgotten Rescue Remedy. So far it just puts a wee dent in it but I can't wait for it to improve further as I have lots of challenges to meet at work in the week coming and don't want to walk around with a red flush and have to cope with stomach cramps while I'm in a pressure-cooker situation. : :

I've started taking probiotics again too to replenish the good bacteria in my gut after the stomach flu, but it makes me a little gassy and makes my tummy run. Given that I already still have strong discomfort and pain and an irritable bowel after the flu, I have to fight avoiding taking the supplement.

Anyway, good to hear others discussing this. What else have people done to eliminate anxiety attacks? I found cutting out caffeine (like coffee) and sugar (sweets like chocolate, cookies, cakes), eating more protein & veg, eating very nutritiously made a HUGE difference for my overall mood and health. Plus taking my supplements and vitamins.

Thanks for listening.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Emese'sMom

Anyway, good to hear others discussing this. What else have people done to eliminate anxiety attacks? I found cutting out caffeine (like coffee) and sugar (sweets like chocolate, cookies, cakes), eating more protein & veg, eating very nutritiously made a HUGE difference for my overall mood and health. Plus taking my supplements and vitamins.

Thanks for listening.

I just hadmy thyroid and thyroid antibodies tested. I am going to do a saliva test for adrenal issues. I am addressing both of these both w/ medication and nutrition. I feel strongly that these two things need to be resolved in order for things to get under control. I totally agree w/ your suggestions above as I find they are helpful too. I am so glad I found out about the thyroid/adrenal connection to mental health.

[Surfacing]

bubbles - what are signs of adrenal issues, do you know?

Sage10 - can you recommend any reading on the connection?

Spinxie - I have to check out that resource...did Baker instruct on HOW to detox, not just WHY to detox? Thanks.

[sphinxie]

Originally Posted by Emese'sMom

Spinxie - I have to check out that resource...did Baker instruct on HOW to detox, not just WHY to detox? Thanks.

He does, but he just highlights certain methods of detoxing and supplementing... it's in no way thorough. Still the ones he highlights are common and good and relatively simple. And his "why" is pretty interesting.

[Surfacing]

Originally Posted by sphinxie

He does, but he just highlights certain methods of detoxing and supplementing... it's in no way thorough. Still the ones he highlights are common and good and relatively simple. And his "why" is pretty interesting.

Money's a little tight and I'd like to get a book that is comprehensive... would you suggest this or another one? TIA

[sphinxie]

Originally Posted by Emese'sMom

Money's a little tight and I'd like to get a book that is comprehensive... would you suggest this or another one? TIA

I don't know. It's the only good book I've found on detoxing specifically, there is a lot of low quality books on that subject I've found. Otherwise "Healing with Whole Foods" is very good and comprehensive, but can be overwhelming, and it is from a traditional Chinese approach. I'm sure there's someone on MDC who knows more about this than I do, though!

ETA: Try the library?

[HerthElde]

Just wanted to mention that there are a LOT of posters in the "traditional foods" forum who have used nutrition for mental issues. Also, there's the "Healing the Gut" monthly thread in Health and Healing that's somewhat relevant.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Emese'sMom

bubbles - what are signs of adrenal issues, do you know?

Thanks.

A lot of them are similar to low thyroid symptoms. There are a lot of symptoms but here are some from the list in The Mood Cure
-sensitivity to exhaust fumes
-depression or rapid mood swings
-dark circles under the eyes
-lack of mental alertness
-insomnia
-salt cravings
-feeling of not being rested upon awakening (even if you slept)
-tendency to startle easily
-low blood sugar symptoms
-feeling of tiredness all the time
-lightheadedness
-low tolerance for alchohol, caffeine, or other drugs
-tendency to get upset or frustrated easily, quick to cry
-tendency to get a second wind at night (especially following a pattern of lethargy in the afternoon and energy around 6 pm and then being wakeful at bedtime)
-fatique and muscular weakness
-feeling of being weak and shaky
-inability to concentrate and/or confusion , usually along w/ clumsiness

That is not a complete list. There is a lot more info on it in books specific to adrenal issues. I am reading Adrenal Burnout:The 21st Century Stress Syndrom that my dr suggested. I can't find it at the moment but I remember some of the key ones from that are, low sex drive, decreased tolerance for others, late night wakefulness and more. Worth a look if you think you are having an adrenal problem. There are also some home tests you can do using a flashlight to test your pupils and a blood pressure test if you have a blood pressure monitor. I couldn't find anything on those tests by searching the internet and can't find my book. Post again if you want the tests and I will tell you about them when I locate the book. I think my 2yo hid it somewhere, lol.

[Flowergirl~]

I couldn't agree more! The source of all my problems (and I had MANY) were because of food intolerances and allergies that caused a leaky gut and made my system go : : : : and caused inflamation.

If you can eliminate those successfully and give time to heal, you'll be surprized.

[TushasAmi]

Originally Posted by bubbles

A lot of them are similar to low thyroid symptoms. There are a lot of symptoms but here are some from the list in The Mood Cure
-sensitivity to exhaust fumes
-depression or rapid mood swings
-dark circles under the eyes
-lack of mental alertness
-insomnia
-salt cravings
-feeling of not being rested upon awakening (even if you slept)
-tendency to startle easily
-low blood sugar symptoms
-feeling of tiredness all the time
-lightheadedness
-low tolerance for alchohol, caffeine, or other drugs
-tendency to get upset or frustrated easily, quick to cry
-tendency to get a second wind at night (especially following a pattern of lethargy in the afternoon and energy around 6 pm and then being wakeful at bedtime)
-fatique and muscular weakness
-feeling of being weak and shaky
-inability to concentrate and/or confusion , usually along w/ clumsiness

Thank you so much for posting this! I honestly have all of these symptoms and have for so long that I no longer realized that it wasn't normal. a few years ago I was convinced that I was hypothyroid but the tests always came back normal.

I always assumed my adrenals were shot from eight years of grad school was untreated major depression but I never followed up on it. I am newly motivated!

If you get the chance yo post the home test you mentioned, I would appreciate that too. Thanks again!

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by TushasAmi

Thank you so much for posting this! I honestly have all of these symptoms and have for so long that I no longer realized that it wasn't normal. a few years ago I was convinced that I was hypothyroid but the tests always came back normal.

There is also Wilson's Low Temperature Syndrome: www.wilsonssyndrome.com

You test using your body temperature taken 3x/day for 3 days. Active thyroid hormone is converted in the body's cells and just because your gland is making it, it doesn't always mean your body is using it.

Research Broda Barnes, he used just BBT's to detect low thyroid function.
http://www.maryclinic.com/thyroid.html

You also would need to make sure you are getting lots of iodine, the thyroid cannot make T4 or T3 w/o it. Thyroid disease is very low in countries like Japan who eat a lot of seaweed. The type of iodine in processed salt can be problematic, best to concentrate on celtic sea salt and seaweed or a whole iodine source like Lugol's Solution.