Don’t Settle For Just “Getting By”

understanding and addressing depression

Now that spring is well on its way, is your mood picking up? If you’re still feeling the “blahs” – low energy, persistent sadness, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, and a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed – this might be more than the winter blues.

While Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a well-known culprit for winter blues, it’s crucial not to overlook other underlying issues that may contribute to depressive symptoms. Booking an appointment with your ND can provide valuable insights into your mental and physical well-being. During your visit, we can explore various factors contributing to depression, including hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, lifestyle habits, and environmental stressors.

By taking a comprehensive approach, we can tailor a treatment plan to address your unique needs. This may include a combination of dietary adjustments, supplementation, herbal remedies, lifestyle modifications, and acupuncture. Additionally, we will work collaboratively with you to uncover any potential root causes and develop strategies for long-term wellness.

Here a few tips to consider as we hop into spring…

Protein

Foods that are rich in protein contain amino acids that help produce neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. If your protein intake is low, you may experience low mood. Most adults require 1g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Fortunately, it is easy to increase your protein intake – here are some easy ideas to snack on:

• A handful of unsalted almonds, walnuts, and/or pecans

• A hard-boiled egg

• No-bake energy balls

• An apple with 2 tbsp nut butter of your choice

• Sausage sticks or jerky (aim for ones with no fillers)

• Edamame

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet is a diet high in fish, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and olive oil. It is low in high fat meats and dairy products. Following the Mediterranean Diet has been shown to be protective against depression at all ages throughout a person’s lifespan. For more information, check out our past blog post.

Exercise

Adults (including seniors) should get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week[i]. Think that’s a stretch? Here are some ways to incorporate more movement into your day:

• Do squats or lunges while you brush your teeth

• Park farther away from stores or work

• Take the stairs

• Spontaneous dancing (at home OR in public 😊)

• Deep clean something

• Get up and move your body during commercial breaks – marching in place, jumping jacks, walking lunges across the room…be creative!

Sunshine

Exposure to sunlight increases serotonin levels in the brain. While you may be taking a Vitamin D supplement to keep your levels up, being in the sunshine is the best source of natural Vitamin D[ii]. In order to optimize your exposure, we recommend spending anywhere between 5-30 minutes each day outside[iii] – and while you’re out there, why don’t you get in that little extra bit of exercise and take a walk around the block?

Did you know that Vitamin D is not typically tested when you have bloodwork completed by your physician? Many people may be deficient in this important vitamin and not even know it. If this is something you are concerned about or would like to know more, bring it up with your naturopathic doctor - it may be worth investigating!

Don’t forget…

You don’t have to navigate depression alone. Your mental health matters every day and every season of the year.

[i] https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/physical-activity-tips-adults-18-64-years.html

[ii] Raymond-Lezman JR, Riskin SI. Benefits and Risks of Sun Exposure to Maintain Adequate Vitamin D Levels. Cureus. 2023 May 5;15(5):e38578. doi: 10.7759/cureus.38578. PMID: 37284402; PMCID: PMC10239563.

[iii] Srivastava SB. Vitamin D: Do We Need More Than Sunshine? Am J Lifestyle Med. 2021 Apr 3;15(4):397-401. doi: 10.1177/15598276211005689. PMID: 34366736; PMCID: PMC8299926.

Interested in IV therapy to help you feel on top of your game?

Here’s what you need to know:

IV therapy is available at our clinic for current patients of our clinic. If you are not a patient of the clinic, please book an initial visit with one of our doctors.

(If you are under the care of a naturopathic doctor or integrative medical doctor outside this clinic, you may reach out to our reception team to request an external IV referral form to be completed by your health care practitioner.)

If you are a current patient and you are interested in starting IV therapy, these are the next steps you need to follow:

STEP 1 : Call in to book a 30min IV consultation appointment. Please note that Dr. Reid ND does NOT perform IV therapy.

STEP 2: Bring in any blood work that you have had completed in the last 6-12months to this IV Consultation.

At this IV consultation, one of our three IV trained naturopathic doctors will want to hear what your health goals are and assess your eligibility for IV therapy.  This assessment includes a review of your medical history,  current blood work, a brief physical exam and a discussion on options available to you.  Based on the IV required, baseline health, and the review of past blood work, the naturopathic doctor may request more blood work be completed prior to the first IV booking.

When the assessment is complete and you are deemed eligible for IV therapy, the naturopathic doctor will customize an IV treatment plan with goals, expectations, and monitoring parameters set out. The naturopathic doctor will inform you of how to prepare for you IV treatment and give you information on what to expect for the process. At this point, you can proceed to book you first IV with our front reception team.

After a series of IVs are completed, you may book a follow up IV consultation with your naturopathic doctor to review evaluate your response and need for ongoing IV therapy. (Usually updated blood work and/or imaging is reviewed at this time)

Optimize Your Health During Nutrition Month!

NUTRITION MONTH

March is Nutrition Month! Nutrition is the study of how we, through our diets, get the nutrients we need to live. “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, a quote attributed to Hippocrates, is a simple but powerful statement on the importance of our diet. Optimizing nutrition status - making our diets as healthy as possible - is one of the foundational goals in improving our health at every age.

A diet providing all of the nutrients we not only need to live, but need to live healthy lives, is dependent on many factors. We can generalize what a healthy diet looks like for the majority of people, however it is important to be aware of certain factors that can impact an individual’s nutritional requirements. For example, those who are pregnant will have different nutritional requirements than others. Additionally, certain medical conditions, treatments and even some medications can impact proper absorption of nutrients. Optimal nutrition is also a public health issue - for example, low socioeconomic status is associated with poorer nutrition [1] - possibly because it can be difficult to afford or even access healthy foods.

Although the food you eat is one of the most important aspects of nutrition, it is not the only important factor. Nutrition also involves how your food is broken down into nutrients, how well these nutrients are absorbed, how well your body puts these nutrients to use, and finally how well your body eliminates what it no longer needs and protects you from potentially toxic substances. 

How can a Naturopathic Doctor (ND) help optimize your nutrition? NDs have extensive training in nutrition, and can offer a variety of services and assessments to support your individual nutritional needs:

• Lab testing to assess for nutritional deficiencies or conditions associated with nutritional deficiencies

• Education surrounding appropriate diets for your health status and goals

• Expertise on all aspects of digestion, including optimizing the absorption of nutrients and supporting your body’s ability to eliminate waste products

• Assessing your current diet and making recommendations to support an optimal diet

• Addressing obstacles that come up (ie. financial, accessibility, resources) that make it difficult to make healthier changes

• Providing expertise on what nutritional supplements may be helpful for you

Interested in optimizing your nutrition? Book an appointment with one of our Naturopathic Doctors today!

[1] Alkerwi A, Vernier C, Sauvageot N et al. Demographic and socioeconomic disparity in nutrition: application of a novel Correlated Component Regression approach. BMJ Open. 2015; 5(5):e006814.

Omega-3s for Inflammation-Associated Depression

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, meaning the body cannot make them on its own so they must be obtained through diet. They are both polyunsaturated fatty acids, however, they are found in different foods and have different roles in the body. Omega-3s are found in fish, nuts, seeds, and plant oils, while omega-6s are found in meats, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and processed foods.

The body requires a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for good health. However, the western diet is abundant in omega-6-rich foods, shifting this balance in some cases by 20:1 or higher. While both beneficial and necessary for the maintenance of good health, omega-3 and omega-6s have opposite effects on inflammatory modulation – the omega-6 pathway being more pro-inflammatory, the omega-3 being more anti-inflammatory.

Inflammation & Depression

Neuroinflammation is an inflammatory response within the brain and is a known component of many brain disorders. Rapaport et al., conducted a study exploring whether inflammatory biomarkers might act as measures of clinical response to omega-3 fatty acids – specifically eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid – in subjects with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

The subjects were assessed for their baseline biomarkers of inflammation, as well as the presence and severity of their depressive symptoms using the Hamilton Depression rating scale. They were then randomized to 8 weeks of double-blind treatment with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or placebo. Those given EPA who had high inflammation consistently reported a significant decrease of depressive symptoms by treatment week 8. While also critical to brain function, DHA did not produce the same effect. This difference is possibly explained by the fact that EPA has the ability to dampen the inflammatory response, while DHA does not.

This study highlights the importance of individualized assessment and treatment in mental health, and the value of EPA as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for depression.

Written by Dr. Jacalyn Sieben ND

References:

Kalkman H. O. (2020). The Association Between Vascular Inflammation and Depressive Disorder. Causality, Biomarkers and Targeted Treatment. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 13(5), 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph13050092

Rapaport, M. H., Nierenberg, A. A., Schettler, P. J., Kinkead, B., Cardoos, A., Walker, R., & Mischoulon, D. (2016). Inflammation as a predictive biomarker for response to omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder: a proof-of-concept study. Molecular psychiatry, 21(1), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2015.22