Vitamin D – Why You are Probably NOT Getting Enough
By Mark Hyman, MD
“WHAT VITAMIN DO WE need in amounts up to 25 times higher than the government recommends for us to be healthy? What vitamin deficiency affects over half of the population, is almost never diagnosed, and has been linked to many cancers, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic muscle pain, bone loss, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis?”
Treatment of depression: time to consider folic acid and vitamin B12.
J Psychopharmacol. 2005 Jan;19(1):59-65.
Coppen A1, Bolander-Gouaille C.
“We review the findings in major depression of a low plasma and particularly red cell folate, but also of low vitamin B12 status. Both low folate and low vitamin B12 status have been found in studies of depressive patients, and an association between depression and low levels of the two vitamins is found in studies of the general population. Low plasma or serum folate has also been found in patients with recurrent mood disorders treated by lithium. A link between depression and low folate has similarly been found in patients with alcoholism. It is interesting to note that Hong Kong and Taiwan populations with traditional Chinese diets (rich in folate), including patients with major depression, have high serum folate concentrations. However, these countries have very low life time rates of major depression.”
“One of the most remarkable papers I have read in the psychiatric literature was about a 57 year old woman who was treated with months of both antipsychotic and antidepressant medications and given two rounds of electroconvulsive treatment before anyone bothered to check her vitamin B12 level.”
Vitamin B12 Supplementation in Treating Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Ehsan Ullah Syed,2 Mohammad Wasay,1,* and Safia Awan1,*
Open Neurol J. 2013; 7: 44–48.
Published online 2013 Nov 15. doi: 10.2174/1874205X01307010044
“Recent literature has identified links between vitamin B12 deficiency and depression.We compared the clinical response of SSRI-monotherapy with that of B12-augmentation in a sample of depressed patients with low normal B12 levels who responded inadequately to the first trial with the SSRIs.”
Patrick J. Skerrett, Former Executive Editor, Harvard Health
“What harm can having too little of a vitamin do? Consider this: Over the course of two months, a 62-year-old man developed numbness and a “pins and needles” sensation in his hands, had trouble walking, experienced severe joint pain, began turning yellow, and became progressively short of breath. The cause was lack of vitamin B12 in his bloodstream, according to a case report from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital published in The New England Journal of Medicine. It could have been worse—a severe vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to deep depression, paranoia and delusions, memory loss, incontinence, loss of taste and smell, and more.”
Omega-3 fatty acids and major depression: A primer for the mental health professional
Lipids Health Dis. 2004; 3: 25.
Published online 2004 Nov 9. doi: 10.1186/1476-511X-3-25
Alan C Logan1
“Omega-3 fatty acids play a critical role in the development and function of the central nervous system. Emerging research is establishing an association between omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic) and major depressive disorder. Evidence from epidemiological, laboratory and clinical studies suggest that dietary lipids and other associated nutritional factors may influence vulnerability and outcome in depressive disorders. Research in this area is growing at a rapid pace. The goal of this report is to integrate various branches of research in order to update mental health professionals.”
The Use of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Treatment of Depression
August 01, 2008 | Integrative Psychiatry, Bipolar Disorder, Comorbidity In Psychiatry, Depression, Major Depressive Disorder By Chih-chiang Chiu, MD, Jenny Peilun Liu, MS, and Kuan-pin Su, MD
“According to the World Health Organization, by 2020, depression will be second only to heart disease as a cause of disability and premature death in established market economies.[1] With unsatisfactory monoamine-based pharmacotherapy and the high comorbidity of medical illnesses in depression, the serotonin hypothesis seems to be insufficient in determining the cause of depression.[2] Recently, ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been gaining attention as a promising alternative treatment for mood disorders, based on epidemiological evidence, preclinical trials, case-control studies, and clinical trials.”
Your brain’s only protection is adequate levels of anti-inflammatory omega-3s.
Barry Sears Ph.D. Posted Jan 03, 2012
“Anxiety is one of most the common neurological disorders, but it also is one of the most difficult to understand. Simply stated, anxiety is an apprehension of the future, especially about an upcoming challenging task. This is normal. What is not normal is when the reaction is significantly out of proportion to what might be expected. Over the years, a number of specific terms, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobia, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and separation anxiety disorder have emerged in an attempt to better categorize general anxiety. Any way you describe anxiety, it is a big problem with nearly 20% of Americans suffering from it, thus making anxiety the largest neurological disorder in the United States (1).”
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