Depression affects nearly 350 million people worldwide, and those numbers have continued to rise over the last several decades.

As a matter of fact, depression is now the #1 leading cause of disability, replacing chronic back pain and arthritis.

Recently, it’s gotten even worse—during the COVID-19 lockdowns it was estimated that US cases of depression nearly tripled!

Depression is very difficult to treat because it’s not a “cut-and-dry” illness…and sadly that means many people are either untreated or improperly treated!

Here are some facts you probably don’t know about depression and safe and effective ways you can help get relief.

Depression—what exactly is it?

Depression isn’t like pregnancy—it’s not a matter of either you are, or you aren’t. 

Instead, most of us are on a “sliding scale” that ranges from happy and upbeat to completely depressed.

Many people may occasionally feel depressed or suffer from a low mood, but it’s temporary and before long they feel more positive again.

Others have the “winter blues” otherwise known as SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and feel better once the sun starts shining.

But still others slide into a deeper, longer-lasting depression, and are very likely to seek help from a doctor. 

It’s not one size fits all

It’s important to realize that depression is not one size fits all.  There are actually several causal possibilities to explore—including your frame of mind/life events, your physical health (including your gut health), and any existing nutrient deficiencies.

And one of the biggest problems that arises is when people report feeling depressed to their doctor, they come out of the appointment with a prescription for antidepressants! 

Antidepressants “work” (and I use that term VERY loosely) by shutting down your brain’s “vacuum pumps” that are designed by Nature to absorb excess serotonin.  Serotonin is your “feel good” neurotransmitter, and the (unproven) theory behind antidepressant use is that depression must be due to a deficiency in serotonin…so let’s monkey with your brain’s inherent functioning because Nature doesn’t know what’s right—the pharmaceutical industry does.

Current research is showing that depression is in most instances NOT caused by an imbalance in brain chemicals that can be "corrected or balanced" with antidepressants. 

Instead, studies are now suggesting that information processing within your brain’s neural networks may be more likely to trigger depression.   

So when you consider the staggering number of people taking antidepressants, and all the while the drugs are likely not doing one iota of good for their depression, they’re suffering horrible, potentially life-altering side effects, and they may actually be worsening their depression by causing too much serotonin to build up in the brain!

Let’s look for real answers, shall we?

If you are prone to depression, whether occasional/seasonal or ongoing, there is a whole lot you can do to safely and naturally help yourself feel MUCH better.

When you take a look at all the possible factors that may be triggering your depression and do something about them, you can see a big difference in how you feel!

Here are some possibilities you should consider:

1- Imbalances in the body

Blood sugar imbalances

This is most commonly the result of a diet heavy in refined carbs including white bread, bagels, hamburger and hot dog rolls, cookies, cakes, pastries, pasta, crackers, chips and soda.

Repeatedly eating foods like these stresses your pancreas, encourages insulin resistance, packs the pounds on you and can drive blood sugar spikes and crashes.

Oh, and contribute to depression too. 

To help ensure a brighter mood, avoid refined carbohydrates as much as possible.

Low thyroid function

Depression is very often a symptom of a low-functioning thyroid.

If you suspect this is an issue for you, ask your doctor to perform the very thorough and accurate "TRH challenge test" also known as the “TRH Stimulation test” to detect low thyroid function.

If he/she is not familiar with this test, find a doctor who is and here’s why.  The typical standard TSH test done by most doctors is more of a measure of pituitary function than thyroid function, and it misses a lot of hypothyroidism.

2- Gut health

You may not realize this, but your gut produces 90 percent of the serotonin in your body…so if it’s unhealthy and not able to do its job, that can definitely produce a “true” serotonin insufficiency and darken your mood.

Unfortunately, many Americans have diets that are high in processed foods and refined carbs, plus we take antibiotics and acid reducers by the truckload—and ALL of these can seriously impair your gut microbiome, creating an environment that favors harmful pathogens and keeps your gut from working optimally.

Although fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi can be very helpful to help encourage a healthy microbiome balance, probiotic supplementation is your ticket to making sure that your population of friendly inhabitants is where it needs to be.

And Super Shield probiotic formula is just the supplement that’s up to this important challenge. 

Super Shield’s 13 strains of well-studied, helpful bacteria help to repopulate and support your supply of friendly bacteria, fight off and crowd out dangerous pathogens, help encourage better digestion, boost your immune system functioning…

And help create a healthy gut environment that makes serotonin like it’s supposed to!

3- Nutrient deficiencies

B vitamin deficiency

Vitamins B3, B6 and B12 are vital to proper mental health, and without them your brain can produce chemicals that actually make you feel insane (in addition to depressed)! 

Lacking in these essential nutrients can lead to a whole series of disturbing symptoms including:

• Feeling unreal or disconnected
• Hearing your own thoughts
• Anxiety and inner tension
• Suspicious of people
• Inability to think straight
• Frequent mood swings
• Seeing or hearing things abnormally
• Having delusions or illusions

The good news is that a B vitamin deficiency is relatively easy to overcome…IF you use the right form of supplementation!

And Hydroxaden 2.5 B12 spray can help make sure you’re getting the crucial B vitamins you need for strong mental functioning!

Hydroxaden 2.5 is a sublingual spray that provides a therapeutic dose of B12, plus its mental health teammates vitamins B3 and B6, as well as riboflavin (vitamin B2).

Vitamin D deficiency

Studies have repeatedly shown that people with low vitamin D levels are more prone to depression. 

This is especially true this time of year in the northern hemisphere, where our exposure to sunlight is diminishing each day.  Seasonal affective disorder (SAD—a good acronym) is a form of depression that rears its ugly head during the colder months when people are low in vitamin D, and that has nothing to do with serotonin.

To help ensure you have health-supporting levels of this vital nutrient 365 days a year, it’s wise to supplement with an outstanding product like Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B.

Optimum DK Formula provides a therapeutic 5,000 IUs of vitamin D3 in each capsule, as well as vitamins K1 (500 mcg) and K2 (50 mcg), and the mineral boron. 

Omega-3 EFA deficiency

Omega-3 essential fatty acids (especially EPA and DHA) are crucial to mental health--your brain absolutely must have them to function properly, including proper neural functioning, which is now suggested as being an underlying cause of depression. 

In addition to incorporating more wild-caught (NEVER farmed) fatty fish like salmon into your diet, a high-quality Omega-3 fish oil formula like VitalMega-3 can make a tremendous difference in your mental health.

VitalMega-3 delivers 1,200 mg of Omega-3s in every daily two-capsule serving, including 600 mg of EPA and 400 mg of DHA—the two fatty acids that are especially important to your brain.

4- Frame of mind/Life events

Although many counseling techniques may be helpful, the one that stands out to be very effective with depression is cognitive therapy.

Psychologists and mental health practitioners trained in cognitive therapy seek to help change the way a depressed person consciously thinks about experiences, failure, defeat, loss, helplessness and hopelessness.

Cognitive therapy has been shown in medical literature to be very effective in relieving depression.  In addition, the rate of relapse with cognitive therapy is relatively low, so it’s got a good track record too!

See what a difference it can make in your depression when you address some of these possible underlying causes and solutions.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia