Depression is becoming more prevalent in America despite our relative wealth and privilege when compared to many other areas of the world. Around 26% of our population suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder. Over 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety, and close to 10% of the U.S. adult population takes powerful prescription drugs that treat mood disorders.
Depression affects 10% of us including 25% of women in their 40s and 50s. It is now the leading cause of disability worldwide. People with chronic depression frequently have serious biochemical imbalances in their neurological tissue.
Let’s take a deeper look at the root causes involved in depression and some effective natural support methods to address overall well-being and depression.
Mood disorders
Mood disorders occur across a spectrum including:
- Mania with psychosis
- Mania
- Hypomania
- Elation
- Dysthymia
- Mild depression
- Moderate depression
- Severe depression
- Severe depression with psychosis
Brain inflammation and depression
New research suggests that this imbalance is not due to genetic factors. Rather, the studies indicate that depression may be a result of excessive exposure to environmental toxins or severe nutritional deficiencies due to lifestyle that result in massive brain inflammation. This inflammation disrupts normal neurological processing.
By addressing these causative factors, one can overcome depression naturally by correcting the chemical imbalances. Let’s take a further look at some natural strategies to help ease the impact of depression.
The pharmaceutical approach
Depression and mental diseases like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are at an all-time high. The pharmaceutical industry has developed dozens of drugs to treat these conditions, and they are reaping billions of dollars in revenue and profits each year. Many individuals do find some relief from these prescription drugs. However, most experience short-term relief with waning long-term results.
However, these prescription medications do not treat the cause of the chemical imbalance. Instead, they address the symptoms and come with many serious side effects. Indeed, the FDA requires drug manufacturers to include warning labels that these medications can increase the risk of suicide, which is what they are supposed to prevent.
Chronic brain inflammation and depression
The old theory about the cause of depression states that it is due to a chemical imbalance or a deficiency in key neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. The new research suggests that depression is caused by inflammatory cytokines that impact the brain and reduce the number of neurotransmitters produced and the sensitivity of the neurotransmitter interactions.
Your body creates inflammation to protect against infections. Infections have killed more people in history than other causes, so this is an appropriate adaptive characteristic. One key inflammatory mediator is the cytokine. These are cell signaling molecules that aid cell-to-cell communication in immune responses. In addition, they stimulate the movement of cells towards sites of trauma, infection, and inflammation. Examples of cytokines include interleukins and interferons which are found in abundance in sites of inflammation.
Individuals suffering from depression have been shown to have higher levels of inflammatory cytokines in their neurological tissue. One study showed that individuals with depression have significantly higher plasma inflammatory cytokines compared to a control group and after 12 weeks of treatment they saw these markers reduce.
An increasing body of evidence indicates that specific cytokines prompt the brain to produce neuroimmune, neurochemical, neuroendocrine, and behavior changes. An imbalance of cytokines within the central nervous system (CNS), or may play a role in the pathophysiology of mood disorders.
Inflammation in the brain results in decreased neurotransmitter metabolism, decreased neurogenesis, and increased glutamate excitotoxicity. The results in altered neurocircuitry and depression.
Brain inflammation and antidepressants
Modulation of these cytokines by chronic antidepressant treatment may result in restored chemical balance. Many researchers believe that the benefits some people experience from anti-depressants are actually due to the mild anti-inflammatory effect these medications have and not on chemical neurotransmitter regulation.
This also explains why natural anti-inflammatories outperform antidepressants in clinical trials. These natural anti-inflammatories omega 3 fatty acids, resveratrol, adaptogenic herbs, sun exposure (vitamin D), and curcumin.
Your gut microbiome and depression
A considerable number of studies have linked the gut microbiome and neurological health. The gut microbiome generates hundreds of neurochemicals that your brain utilizes to regulate mental processes including memory, learning, and mood. The gut bacteria generate around 95% of the body’s serotonin, which impacts GI activity and mood.
Studies suggest that low levels and health lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are linked to neurological inflammation and higher brain excitability. They break down the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate into the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Low levels of GABA production are associated with dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression, seizures, and anxiety.
In addition, harmful microbes can secrete toxic metabolites that cause increased excitatory responses in the brain and increase inflammatory cytokine activity. Specifically, a substance from gram-negative bacteria (E Coli, Salmonella, Shigella, etc.) has a waste product called lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that inflames the brain and creates depressive-like behavior.
In other words, abnormal gut function can increase stress, alterations in behavior, cognition, and emotion, as well as altered levels of inflammatory cells. This leads to abnormal CNS function.
Depression and blood sugar
The blood brain barrier (BBB) protects your brain from infectious microbes, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. When your blood sugar levels are imbalanced, openings in the BBB can allow toxins into your brain and increase inflammatory activity. This inflammation lowers neurotransmitter levels and increases depression and anxiety.
Blood sugar imbalances also lead to nutrient deficiencies in key B vitamins, trace minerals, and magnesium that further weaken the BBB and increase oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain.
Disruption of your circadian rhythm and poor sleep
Mom was right. You need your sleep. Sleep is essential to your physical, emotional, and mental health. Your cells repair and regenerate when you sleep. Poor sleep leads to poor moods, low energy, fatigue, inflammation, and other health problems.
Research shows that around 90% of those with depression also experience sleep disruptions. Around 65% of individuals experiencing a major depressive episode will also have insomnia, with around 40% experiencing difficulties going to sleep, staying asleep, or waking too early. Around 15% experience hypersomnia. Sleeping too much or too little disrupts your circadian rhythms, which then exacerbates the cycle of disrupted sleep and depression.
Mitochondrial dysfunction
Each cell in your body has mitochondria that produce energy for the cell. They are very important to proper cell function, and high levels of oxidative stress wear down the mitochondria, which results in a dysfunctional state.
Research shows that people with major depressive disorder have an advanced state of mitochondrial dysfunction. Abnormal mitochondrial morphology, size, and density have been reported in the brains of individuals with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. The research shows that this is due to significant glutathione (GSH) decrease and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Glutathione depletion and Nrf2
During a depressive episode, cells experience excessive stress that their (GSH) becomes worn down. Oxidative stress damages the mitochondria resulting in cell death. High environmental toxin exposure and poor blood sugar control reduce glutathione levels and impair mitochondrial function.
The Keap1-Nrf2 pathway helps maintain appropriate glutathione levels and enables cells to adapt to stress. When the Nrf2 pathway breaks down, oxidative stress increases leading to glutathione depletion and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Glutathione offers key health benefits including:
- Improving markers of liver health
- Supporting growth and repair of cells
- Improving insulin sensitivity
- Reducing oxidative stress levels
- Reducing inflammation and risk of chronic disease
Methylation and depression
Methylation is the controlled transfer of a methyl group (one carbon and three hydrogen atoms) onto proteins, amino acids, enzymes, and DNA in every cell and tissue of the body to regulate neurology, immunity, liver detoxification, genetic expression of DNA, cell energy, and healing.
Methylation helps your body adapt to stress and change. Research shows that individuals with depression have altered methylation processes due to genetic polymorphisms (MTHFR, MTRR, and COMT among others) and nutrient deficiencies.
Key methylation elements include methylated B vitamins (riboflavin, B6, folate, and B12 in particular), magnesium, selenium, zinc, and various trace minerals. People experiencing depression are frequently deficient in these key nutrients and need nutritional supplements to address these key methylating agents.
Anti-inflammatory diet
An anti-inflammatory diet that is low in carbohydrates and rich in healthy fats and antioxidants is crucial to preventing and treating major depressive disorder. The brain is primarily water, fat, and cholesterol. These are all key building blocks for promoting healthy brain function and rebuilding a damaged brain.
A healthy diet to stave off depression includes phytonutrient-dense vegetables, healthy fat, and clean protein sources. Healthy fat sources include coconut, avocados, olive oil & sprouted nuts, and seeds. These help promote healthy brain function.
Add the following foods to your diet for their anti-inflammatory effects:
- Grass/pasture-fed meat, poultry, and wild game
- Lemons, limes, and berries
- Avocados and avocado oil
- Green tea
- Non-starchy vegetables
- Turmeric
- Wild-caught fish
- Bone broth
- Apple cider vinegar
- Ginger
- Olive oil
- Fermented vegetables
- Coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, and coconut flakes
- Basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sage
- Garlic, onions, chives
Restrict your intake of pro-inflammatory foods including:
- Refined grains and white flour
- Deep-fried foods, processed foods, and packaged meats
- Grain-fed meats and dairy
- Soda
- Most commercial dressings, trans fats, and margarine
Stimulating neurogenesis
The discovery of neurogenesis was an exciting breakthrough in neuroscience. Neurogenesis is the ability of the brain to generate new healthier and stronger cells and synaptic junctions.
In cases of depression, the brain incurs significant damage from inflammation. It occurs more quickly than the body can heal itself, which is why it is a neuroinflammatory disorder. Other examples of neuroinflammation include Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
Neurons secrete a compound called brain-derived neurotrophic growth factor (BDNF), which stimulates the growth and differentiation of new neurons and synapses. In the brain, it affects the cortex and hippocampus, which are crucial to memory, learning, and higher thinking. It also plays a key role in mood regulation.
You can stimulate the production of BDNF through exercise, aromatherapy, listening to classical music, social interaction, learning new concepts, and practicing novel movement patterns. You can also encourage the production of BDNF by practicing good habits in diet, sleep, and exercise while keeping your stress levels down. BDNF helps your brain adapt and learn. It improves all forms of neuroplasticity.
Natural support methods to improve mental health
You can take proactive steps to improve your mental health. These are natural methods rather than prescription medications. If you currently take prescription medications, check with your doctor before stopping or changing them and consult on new mental health methods. You will also want to consider consulting with a functional medicine doctor to ensure the right natural support strategy for your specific condition.
Reduce stress and practice gratitude, prayer, and meditation
Take an honest inventory of the things in your life that cause you stress. It may be watching the news, social media, or other activities. Reducing stress is crucial for decreasing inflammation and improving brain health.
It’s ok to say no. If a particular person causes you stress, it’s ok to decrease your time around that person. Surround yourself with uplifting people. Proactively practice relaxing activities like walking in the park or trying aromatherapy.
Practicing gratitude can help alleviate depression. Managing your emotional state and attitudes can help improve depression, increase physical energy, and alleviate mental fatigue. Both gratitude and prayer may help with this.
Having regular gratitude, prayer, or spiritual practices are effective methods to improve your mood. Begin your morning by counting the blessings in your life and by saying a short prayer. Stop throughout the day to appreciate new and small things. Keep a gratitude journal and write down at least three things you are grateful for before the end of the day. Say a prayer of thanks before meals or bedtime or whenever you seek connection to a higher power.
Practice good sleep habits
Poor sleep is a contributing factor and a symptom of depression as noted earlier in this article. Depression may make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. You may experience nightmares, and you may wake up exhausted.
Practicing good sleeping habits and supporting your natural circadian rhythms are crucial for mental health. Make your bedroom into a comfortable sanctuary with a comfortable bed, bedding, and pillows. Develop a regular relaxing nighttime routine that works for you.
Turn off electronics and avoid sugar or caffeine at least one hour before bedtime. Engage in relaxing activities. Sip on herbal tea and light a candle. Try prayer, meditation, journalism, reading, board games, crossword puzzles, and coloring at night. Do a quick stretch, check-in with your body and emotions, say your intentions, be grateful, and take time for a short prayer.
Sleep enables your brain to detox. Research shows that your brain cells do the following while you sleep:
- Detoxify metabolic waste
- Eliminate dysfunctional neuronal cells
- Rebuild new neuronal connections
- Reset the balance of neurotransmitters
- Improve neurotransmitter receptor sensitivity
These five activities are crucial for both short and long-term memory and cognitive processes. Poor sleep is linked to brain fog, mood problems, and cognitive decline.
Anti-inflammatory diet and ketosis
Eating an –inflammatory diet is a key step to improving your brain health and supporting a positive mood. Eliminate inflammatory foods including refined sugar and flour, gluten, soda and sugary drinks, deep-fried and processed foods, grain-fed meat, eggs, and dairy, and refined oils.
An anti-inflammatory diet is high in greens, vegetables, healthy fats, wild-caught fish, grass-fed meat, dairy, and eggs, spices, herbs, and low glycemic index fruits. You may want to consider a ketosis approach if you have a mental health condition.
Achieving ketosis will enhance mitochondrial function in the brain. Many people experience a significant boost in their mood when following a ketogenic diet. Although a ketogenic diet cannot change emotional trauma, it can help you remain calmer. This may help you heal emotional trauma.
Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a ketone body that is produced when following a ketogenic diet, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties in brain tissues. A 2017 study observed in rats that BHB helped to mitigate stress-induced inflammation in the brain and exhibited anti-depressant activity.
Intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting involves not consuming food for specific periods. The benefits of intermittent fasting benefits include cellular repair, autophagy, immune regulation, inflammation levels, and insulin sensitivity.
It also helps to improve mental health and brain function. Going 16–18 hours between dinner and breakfast is one of the best ways to improve mitochondrial production. Your body improves energy efficiency by increasing and strengthening the mitochondria during periods of fasting. Consume your meals in a 6–8-hour window and fast in between.
When you practice fasting, you enhance cellular healing and brain cell regeneration. Fasting increases the production and utilization of ketones as an energy source that reduces inflammation in the brain. Additionally, fasting increases BDNF which enhances the growth and development of brain cells.
Exercise and moving your body
If you are experiencing depression, getting out of bed can be difficult. Exercising once you are out of bed can be even more difficult. Still, exercising is a regularly recommended and scientifically proven way to improve your mood and any form of depression.
Moving your body helps to release chemicals that help your mood. These chemicals include endorphins that may help to ease sadness or brain fog. Research suggests that even 10 minutes on the treadmill or 30 minutes of walking may result in significant and lasting benefits.
You don’t need to become a great athlete overnight. It’s important to simply move your body. It’s just fine to start slowly at your own level. Research suggests that consistency and frequency are much more important than duration or intensity when it comes to the benefits of exercise to combat depression. Try walking your neighborhood, practicing yoga, dancing to your favorite song, or joining a group fitness class to start out.
As you continue, you can develop a regular routine combining cardiovascular, resistance, and strength training. Stay consistent and move your body 20 to 30 minutes each day. Start and finish your day with a short, few-minute stretch or yoga routine.
Other benefits of exercise include:
- Improves circulation
- Stimulates lymphatic drainage
- Enhances tissue oxygenation
- Balances key brain neurotransmitters
- Reduces stress and tension
- Improves mood and happiness
- Enhances mental clarity and memory
Ground your body
In our society, we are surrounded by toxic electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs). These EMFs increase stress within our body and alter neurotransmitter function.
By going outside daily and walking barefoot on grass, dirt, or sand you absorb natural EMFs from the ground that balance your electrical rhythms.
The health benefits of grounding include:
- Improves mood
- Improves sleep
- Reduces pain
- Reduces stress
- Improves wound healing
- Improve immunity
- Reduces inflammation
- Reduces jet lag
Get enough magnesium and vitamin B
Magnesium helps to improve blood sugar signaling patterns and protects the blood-brain barrier. The best magnesium and B vitamin-rich foods include dark green leafy veggies, avocados, grass-fed animal products, raw cacao, and pumpkin seeds.
You can also do Epsom salt baths to support your magnesium levels, or supplement with a good magnesium and B complex supplement. For B vitamins, look for one with pre-activated forms such as methyl-folate, methylcobalamin (B12), Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate form of B6, and Riboflavin-5-phosphate form of vitamin B2. The methyl groups are in the active form and will be better utilized by the body.
Get daily sun exposure
Higher levels of sun exposure are associated with improved mood and lower rates of depression. Sun exposure stimulates the production of vitamin D, improves mitochondrial health, stimulates feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin, endorphins, and BDNF.
However, since sun exposure is not possible every day when you live in colder parts of the world, you might try regular red-light therapy to receive similar benefits while indoors.
Reduce your exposure to toxins
Reducing your toxic exposure is crucial for protecting your health from a leaky brain. Buy organic food as much as possible. Stop using conventional beauty, body, and household products, and replace them with organic, natural, or homemade alternatives.
Use glass, stainless steel, wood, and bamboo products instead of plastic. Spend time in nature and breathe in the fresh air. Use a good indoor air filtration system. Make sure that you drink clean, toxin-free water by using a high-quality reverse osmosis system.
Support detoxification pathways
It is not enough to put good things into your body, you need to ensure that the harmful things are eliminated. Drink plenty of water to support detoxification through sweating and urine. Support your detoxification pathways to protect your body from brain inflammation.
Try using an infrared sauna to promote detoxification through sweating. Support two major detoxifying organs, your kidneys, and liver with herbs like milk thistle, parsley, dandelion, and bioactive carbons which can penetrate and remove toxins from deep within the tissues and cells.
Toxins enter your body through the lungs, skin, and gut. Fat-soluble toxins like pesticides and heavy metals have an affinity for fat cells, bone marrow, liver, and the CNS. Water-soluble toxins have an affinity for joints, blood, tissues, and muscles. Your body eliminates toxins through the skin, kidneys, colon, and lungs, while your liver is the primary detoxifying organ.
Supplement with vitamin D
Vitamin D is an important vitamin that is important for many areas of your health, including your immune function, bones, muscles, and mental health.
Vitamin D has been linked to depression and mood disorders. People with depression often have low levels of vitamin D and supplements may help. Research has found that vitamin D may be an important treatment method for mental health disorders.
Since obtaining enough sunshine while spending a lot of time indoors during the colder months is difficult, supplementing with vitamin D is critical. In fact, vitamin D is one of those vitamins that everyone may benefit from. You may want to consider taking a vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 supplement as well.
Signs that you may need more vitamin D include:
- Greater sensitivity to pain
- Mood issues
- Depression
- Sleepiness
- Muscle weakness
- High blood pressure
- Decreased endurance
- Stress fractures
- Frequent illness
- Learning disorders
Add laughter to your day
Laughing has proven health benefits. It may improve your immune system, hormones, mood, and pain levels, work your muscles, and make you happier. It increases endorphins in your body and may reduce depressive symptoms.
Make sure to laugh more during the day. Be a kid again for a moment. Get silly and laugh with your kids or pets. Watch a funny movie. Read a comic book. Look up some jokes. Laugh at yourself in a positive way and laugh with others. Laugh for no reason.
The benefits of laughter include:
- Stimulates endorphins
- Reduces stress hormones
- Boosts anti-aging hormones
- Enhances creativity
- Makes daily life more enjoyable
Try omega 3 fatty acids
Inflammation is one of the common culprits behind mood disorders. Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats with anti-inflammatory benefits. Research has found an association between omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic) and depression and found that supplementation may improve symptoms. Increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce your risk and improve your mood.
Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids include pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed butter, salmon, cod liver oil, sardines, herring, mackerel, anchovies, other fish, and kelp, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds. You might want to consider a supplement.
Plant-based omega 3’s such as flax oil only contain the small chain omega 3 called ALA and do not have any DHA. It is difficult for the body to convert ALA into DHA so a high-quality fish or krill oil that is rich in EPA and DHA is best. Look for a brand that is molecularly distilled to take out any heavy metals and other contaminants.
EPA and DHA help with:
- Brain development
- Eye health
- Heart health
- Cognitive function
- Mood-boosting
- Joint health
- Triglyceride support
- Immune response
Support healthy mitochondria
The mitochondria are the source of energy for each cell. Your brain has the greatest density with more than 10,000 mitochondria per neuron. Compare that to approximately 1,000 mitochondria per muscle cell.
Some experts believe that a mental health disorder may be a sign of mitochondrial dysfunction.
Support your mitochondria with clinical doses of CoQ10, L-carnitine, N-acetyl cysteine, creatine monohydrate, B vitamins, magnesium, alpha-lipoic acid, and D-ribose. You can find mitochondrial support supplements that have most if not all of these key nutrients.
The nutrients that support mitochondrial health include:
- Quercetin
- Alpha-lipoic acid
- Omega 3 fatty acids
- Green tea
- B vitamins
- Glucosamine
- N-acetyl cysteine
- Nicotinamide riboside
- Creatine monohydrate
- Acetyl l-carnitine
- Resveratrol
- Coenzyme Q10
Support a healthy gut
Your brain and gut are closely linked and supporting your gut is important for preventing and reducing brain inflammation. Make sure you consume a gut-friendly, anti-inflammatory, and nutrient-dense diet abundant in veggies, healthy fats, clean protein, and probiotic-rich foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir.
In addition, you may want to consider a daily probiotic supplement. Probiotics help to optimize your gut health and improve your nutrient absorption while reducing gut-related inflammation. When gut inflammation goes down it also reduces inflammatory mediators in the brain and improves depressive symptoms.
The benefits of using probiotics include:
- Immunomodulation
- Protection against infection
- Better digestive health
- Increase nutrient absorption
- Metabolic by-product formation
- Aid in weight loss
- Improve brain function
Final thoughts
Depression is a mental health condition that is becoming more common in our modern world. Its symptoms include sadness, fatigue, low energy, and trouble sleeping. These strategies are natural supports for better mental health. If you are taking prescription medication for depression, check with your doctor before discontinuing or changing your medication. Talk to a functional medicine doctor to determine which natural strategies are right for you.