Functional Approach to Mood Disorders
Did you know that Functional Medicine can help you to feel better emotionally?
Categories of mood disorders are just that, categories! But as you know, Mint Health wants to know more about the etiology (cause) and not just have a “name” for the condition. We want to understand the whys of the condition, so we can go after the root cause and fix it! It is no different with mood disorders then if it were joint pain, inflammation, or an autoimmune condition.
Mood disorders are not one-size-fits-all,…. give you some Prozac and Xanax and all better… wrong! Instead, issues with your mood are multifactorial. What if the depression is related to gluten which caused Hashimotos and now you are hypothyroid, or what if you have been on a proton pump inhibitor for 10 years and now have a B12 deficiency, or what if your vitamin D level is super low, or you have taken an antibiotic twice a year and your gut microbes are all out of whack (did you know a lot of your serotonin is made in the gut??), or what if you eat too much fish that is high in mercury which is a neurotoxin along with other things, or what if you don’t like fish at all and have an omega 3 deficiency, or maybe you have eaten too much sugar and now have insulin resistance. It’s the continuum of disfunction that is causing the problems, and this holds true for things like anxiety disorders, depression, and PMS too.
We also use supplements when appropriate. There are several supplements that are known to help your body make neurotransmitters.
Supplements for Consideration
IMPORTANT WARNING: Some of these supplements cannot be taken when already on prescription medications for psychiatric issues, or you could be at risk for very serious side effects like serotonin syndrome. Also certain vitamins/minerals should have levels monitored periodically while taking. So make sure you review any supplements with your doctor before starting.
These are some of the supplements that we have found to be helpful: SAMe, Zinc, Copper, L-methylfolate, vitamin D, B vitamins, and Omegas. Other supplements like 5-HTP, GABA, L-theanine, and Tyrosine help more directly with boosting neurotransmitter levels.
So if you are low in any of these nutrients then you will be more prone to have low neurotransmitters. Knowing about the importance of these nutrients helps us understand why if you take an antidepressant when you already have low nutrients or low neurotransmitters, then it may not help that much.
So let Dr Buchert and I do what we love and be the detectives in your case. We take a very thorough health history, spend extra time getting to know you, and we consider events throughout a lifetime, genetic predispositions, and lifestyle factors. In addition to our routine investigation with uncovering nutritional deficiencies, inflammatory triggers, leaky gut issues, mitochondrial dysfunction, and evaluating for toxicity and infections, we also incorporate other modalities when needed such as cognitive behavioral therapies, referring for brain mapping, neurofeedback and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). We will go to great lengths to find and treat causes of dysfunction in your body!! We understand that most health issues have many causes, are not linear, and that YOUR symptom signifies an issue within YOUR system. We know that mood disorders may be the early manifestation of other underlying processes which later frequently (30-50% of the time) manifest as neurodegenerative disorders. It’s a teamwork effort that is guided by our professional expertise.
Why Mint Health??
Here at Mint Health, helping you to become healthier and providing you with the tools to use for yourself and your family, brings us so much satisfaction, because we know how bad things can be health-wise, and we also know how powerful making a few changes can be in helping you to restore health. We love to teach people to be more in tune with their bodies, and to learn that symptoms are actually signs that something within you is out of balance. We love hearing - I feel like I am probably the healthiest I have been in my life!! (This was said after 2 years of working with us, and I'm not going to lie, that did make me tear up a little when he said that!)
We hope to see you soon!
Renee NP and the Mint Health team
Did you know Dr Buchert & Renee Boudreaux NP are both certified Functional Medicine providers through the prestigious Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM)?
IFM certified health care providers are consistently recognized as the most thoroughly trained and tested Functional Medicine clinicians in their fields and the most sought-after by patients. IFM is continually developing content for clinicians to stay up-to-date on the latest scientific advancements in Functional Medicine and to continue to develop skills and competencies to provide the best treatments for their patients with complex, chronic illnesses.
For even more information about this cutting-edge approach to meaningful wellness, and how we, as Functional Medicine practitioners, help people where the conventional system fails, visit Institute of Functional Medicine.