Many people see psychiatrists and psychologists to relieve their issues through deep conversation or medicine. But what if it was easier than that? What if our ?brain problems? don?t originate in the brain at all, but in the body?
Patients with depression and suicidal tendencies are often sent to psychiatrists. Psychiatrists try to guide their clients through the complexities of their past to find appropriate coping mechanisms for life. If that doesn?t work, they prescribe medicine to help relieve the patient?s symptoms or issues.
We all know someone who is medicated for some sort of ?brain? problem: depression, memory issues, ADD, anxiety, anger. After all, 1 out of every 5 Americans are taking some sort of psychiatric medication [1]. With a population of nearly 320 million, that?s an awful lot of drugs. The specifics of these figures are astounding. 18% of the nation has some type of anxiety disorder [2]. 11% are on an antidepressant medication [3]. Not only are we mentally unstable, we are putting our futures in danger from the side effects of these drugs.
Medication aside, the fact is that when a patient simply puts the blame of their mental issues in the past, it is out of their own hands. If the source of an issue is just ?in your genes? or the fault of your parents, how feasible could it be to fix? You have no real control over your total health. However, my experience has proven differently. Many people with mental health issues are tackling them in the wrong way. The basic key to wellbeing is the balance that you strike between the mind and body health.
Psychiatrists May Not Be Able to Fix Your Problems
What I?ve found is that instead of seeking out a psychiatrist to fix the mental instabilities, many problems can actually be balanced by a regular physician, that too And without any dangerous medications. Although psychiatrists can save lives in some cases, they have a completely different approach than a holistic doctor or functional medicine doctor.
Testing the balance of the mind and body health is necessary because psychiatric problems, which we think of as occurring in the brain, actually might often originate below the neck. Contrary to popular belief, many doctors believe that many mental issues come from a lack of nutrients or toxins present in the body. As the saying goes, you are what you eat. Instead of therapy, your body may need more physical help. Psychotherapy can?t do any good if the body is craving nutritional and chemical balance instead.
Think of it like this. If my computer crashes, it won?t help me to reminisce about what I might have done wrong. It also won?t help if I replace the screen. The issue will probably be somewhere within the hard drive. And unless I find a repairman who knows about the inner workings of computer hard drives, I won?t be able to fix it.
An Unbalanced Body May Encourage Crime or Unstable Behavior
As we discussed last week, the alteration of the brain can lead to dangerous behaviors, as we?ve seen in recent years with school shootings and premeditated plane crashes. When it seems like there is nothing we can do to prevent tragedies other than having people face their past, we are wrong. A lack of nutrition in the brain and body can also cause people to become mentally unsound. Many dangerous criminals or self-harming people are coming from places of depression, schizophrenia, dementia or even brain tumors, which can simply be the results of an unhealthy body.
Of course, not every mentally unsound person is going to go crazy and kill themselves and/or others. There are other, milder ways that mental instability from lack of nutrition can affect lives and cause damage.
Let?s say you want to go out to a restaurant with a friend. But when you go to leave, he says you should just stay in because there?s a chance that parking will be difficult or the restaurant will be too full. This is a clue for us doctors about the brain function. Sure, he may have a traumatic past experience linked with the thought. But he also may just have a simple imbalance that is blocking higher function of the brain.
Another friend is in her 20?s or 30?s but has trouble walking around her own neighborhood due to getting lost or overwhelmed. Again, this is a great indication about what?s going on in her brain. Anti-depressants and heavy medication are rarely (if ever) necessary?psychiatric problems commonly start below the neck.
The Link Between Body Health and Mind Health
The highest percentage of people taking psychotropic medications in the US is in the ?diabetes belt,? which includes many of the South-central states. It?s been proven that people who suffer from diabetes actually have higher likelihood of a mental disorder like depression or anxiety [4]. Diseases in the body have a massive effect on the brain and the ability to function in general.
What?s more, recent research has also found that dementia can cause people to behave criminally. Neurodegenerative diseases have been shown to lead to criminal or anti-social behavior by people with no past history of anything but friendliness. These diseases can affect judgment, emotions (or lack thereof), sexual behavior, violent nature, and body and brain function [5]. Dementia can come in all different degrees. The person afflicted may not commit serious crime at first, but it?s hard to predict what will come with a worsening condition. It can all be avoided by first looking within the body.
If you or someone you love is dealing with any sort of mental unhealthiness, consider seeing a functional doctor before you load up on prescriptions and therapy. Functional medicine approaches the body holistically, treating it as one element with interconnected parts, rather than many separate organs and functions. We examine the whole person to find the source of the problem instead of prescribing medicines to only cure its symptoms.
The bottom line is if your body is healthy, your spirit will be healthy too.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/753789
http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db76.htm
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/753789
http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2088872