Depression: It’s Not Your Serotonin {Extensive article many ref's}

WORTH REPEATING, FOR SURE, imho.

originally posted by: rickymouse

You can balance the neurochemicals by balancing copper in the body. Too much good chocolates can make you real happy initially but they can cause you to have too much copper. Copper is needed in processing tyramines so it can lead to elevated neurochemicals and an imbalance. Moderate amounts of copper are necessary, too much is no good. Also low magnesium levels can lower our ability to moderate the neurochemicals and copper and magnesium are competitive, both are often in chocolate but copper gets absorbed first.

Leaves me wondering . . . I eat a fair amount of almond butter--with say about 5% of the quantity--added on Nutella chocolate sauce. That's probably 1/4 to half my calorie intake per day. Am currently doing a fair amount of juice stuff, good supplements including magnesium and potassium . . . beet juice . . . etc. Less than one meal with meat per day and usually that is fish or chicken. I'll get a blood screen later in July. Guess I should ask about the copper in my system??

This is just one situation that can occur. Other imbalances can occur. Also the imbalance does not have to negatively effect people so badly, but we live in a society filled with stress everywhere and that is not good. Attitude is important when dealing with depression. It can help a lot. Training the mind to deal with minor imbalances does work. Therapy helps with that.

ABSOLUTELY INDEED and very well put. Actually, the mind can also be trained to overcome and help overcome even a lot of "major" imbalances.

If hormone levels aren't right, it can also lead to anxiety or depression. They moderate things too. Most hormones are oil based, restricting fats in the diet can cause these problems to occur. Coconut oil is a good calming chemistry and in moderation it is very good for balancing things. Real butter, preferably grass fed or pasture grazed is good too. Even whole milk, again pasture grazed or more naturally fed with little added hormones or hormone producing grains is good. Some people may even benefit by regular milk instead of grass fed if it helps balance things. Milk also contains opiate peptides which make us feel calmer. So does wheat. Some people need these things and shouldn't avoid them, others have problems with them.

INDEED. Great points. Thanks. I cut off a 1-3 tblspoon chunk of Coconut oil daily . . . usually with graham crackers to help the texture etc.

Identifying triggers is essential, especially if asthma symptoms are present. Asthma and metabolic intolerances can cause depression because of the constant triggers in the diet. We can learn to eliminate things we are metabolically intolerant to to make things run good. We need to get more aware of how things effect our bodies.

There will always be some people who actually need meds to correct things but most people can learn to help themselves with awareness, education on possible triggers, and therapy to learn how to deal with things better.

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I fiercely agree. THANKS BIG for putting it so well on so many factors and concerns, considerations.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: BO XIAN

No, psychology pissed in my apple juice.

Sorry, but "psychology" doesn't have a pecker to piss with.

I'm sorry that some 'mental health professional' pissed in your apple juice. There are bad apples, clueless sorts; people having a bad day; ignorant idiots; etc. etc. etc. in virtually every group.

Psychology is human observation of human thinking and behaviour. Human thinking is flawed therefore psychology is flawed.

Uhhhhhh yeah. And therefore?

So is every OTHER anything that has humans involved with it--including--every church of every flavor.

Psychology says its bad to be depressed, I say it is health in moderation.

"Health" . . . in moderation?

I don't see it that way. I can see it as 'normal' and common and understandable and very human. I don't see it as a wonderful thing.

If David had not been depressed, we wouldn't have all those beautiful Psalms. The question is, what can you learn from depression.

And, what did David write?

He ORDERED his soul to REJOICE IN THE LORD! Essentially, he realized that he needed to correct his stinking focus, his stinking thinking.

Certainly it is a better priority to learn from all our life experiences. That seems to be a major reason we are here.

That is why it needs to be sorted out by the individual. In most cases, involving other people will complicate or enable depression. Either seek the answers from God, or find your own solutions. Personally I prefer God.

Hmmmmmmm Certainly God is the first priority to consult. And He is the ultimate authority, comforter, etc.

Yet, like the little boy, often enough, we "need God with skin on."

And the Bible is plentiful with Scriptures about encouraging one another; crying with those who cry; rejoicing with those who rejoice; strengthening one another's hand in The Lord; bearing one another's burdens; encouraging one another to dwell on whatsoever things are true, of good report, pure, etc.; comforting one another; etc. etc. etc.

And avoidance of that kind of relationship connectedness is UNBIBLICAL, UNCHRISTIAN and far below what God calls all of us to. And I don't think that He will just wink at our ignoring those Scriptures.

And yes, I get depressed often.

So, how much, how often do you do something active about the source of your depression?

I do not believe it is The Lord's highest for His kids to suffer needlessly and endlessly with such as even depression. Christ did not die that we could continue to be burdened with such or wallow in such.

He died that we might have life and that more abundantly.

Now the local Body of Christ, imho, is far too "good" far too frequently at increasing depression; abusing the parishioners etc. etc. etc. And . . . as with me currently, it's very difficult to find a group to fellowship with that's congruent, warm, loving, humble, Biblical, caring, communicative, available etc. Thankfully, I have friends and a men's group that are pretty good. But the churches locally are a mess . . . as they tend to be all around the world. Sadly.

I don't have a great solution for that . . . other than to doggedly seek out individual believers who are trustworthy and worth being around--and then to make "being with each other" regularly happen--regardless of what it takes.

I pray that The Lord will lead you out of such a pattern of recurring depression. There are some good Ted Talks on it as well as some good Christian articles on it on the net. Have you searched FOCUS ON THE FAMILY's site about it?

Anyway--God be with you,
BoX

a reply to: BO XIAN

It is possible to be depressed and happy at the same time. Depression is an emotional response to environment, or realization of true environment. By that I mean, as we mature (spiritually) we realize that the world isn't what its cracked up to be. That will bring depression more recurrently as you progress in maturity, but that depression is an EMOTIONAL response created by the biochemistry of the brain.

Happiness is not a biochemical phenomenon. Happiness what happens in the soul as you progressively integrate your mind with God. This is done by seeing things through His eyes. Flawed humans cant do this at 100% capacity, but the level of integration we can achieve directly corresponds to the level of happiness that our soul can experience....as well as the level of depression that the body can and will periodically experience.

If you reach the point to which your soul experiences depression, then that is not emotion. That is a result of being distanced from God (stinking thinking). It will usually result in bitterness, and the emotions of the body will dominate the logic of the soul.

Psychology rarely distinguishes the soul from the emotions. The soul (psyche) is the real individual. It consists of the mind (nous) and heart (kardia). Emotions are (biblically) symbolized by the kidneys (nephros). Emotions are only designed to respond to the soul, never to override its logical function. As a result, psychology largely seeks to appease the emotions, (often with drugs), which allows a very small problem to wax out of control. I've work in the same pharmacy for 7 years now. I've seen what the psychology industry has done to mildly depressed individuals. I've seen the progression of the downward spiral that usually starts with a mild dose of fluoxetine, or sertraline, or paroxetine, etc.

I'm sure there are some decent people in the psychology, but the useless ones cause far more damage that the objective ones can fix.

a reply to: BO XIAN

Its awesome, you become "enlightened"