Nutrition and Mental Health Part II

In my first Nutrition and Mental Health post I addressed the issues of adrenal imbalances, blood sugar issues and allergies and how they can directly impact mental well being. The next three issues I’d like to write about are thyroid problems, B vitamin deficiencies and essential fatty acid deficiencies.
Hypothyroidism is a very common condition these days. Often the first noticeable symptom is a distinct sluggish feeling. This sluggishness can range from slight to so severe that a person may be unable to get out of bed in the morning. Depression is also very common in people will hypothyroidism. Blood tests are used by doctors to diagnose it, but they aren’t always reliable. Also, symptoms will often present themselves in sub-clinical hypothyroidism in which the blood work still falls within the range of “normal”. These are some symptoms caused by an under active thyroid:

physical or mental fatigue or lethargy
depression
irritability
dry skin/hair
painful menstrual cramps
poor memory
intolerance to cold/cold hands and feet
bloating, gas, constipation or indigestion
muscular pain
sore throat or nasal congestion
difficulty losing weight/easy weight gain

If you have 4 or more of these symptoms you may want to get tested by your doctor. You can also test thyroid function yourself with the Broda Barnes Temperature Test. Take your temperature before rising in the morning for several days, if it is consistently below 97.7 F, your thyroid may be under active.

Hypothyroidism is often a consequence of long term stress and poor nutrition. The thyroid gland, which is at the base of the throat, makes the hormone thyroxin which tells our cells to keep active. Our thyroid is closely linked to our metabolism. Specific nutrients, stress management and exercise are key in its treatment. The hormone thyroxin is made from Iodine and the amino acid tyrosine, so try 1,000 mg of L-tyrosine first thing in the morning and again at noon, taken on an empty stomach with a multimineral containing iodine, zinc and selenium. It would also be helpful to increase Iodine containing foods like seafood and kelp.

Hyperthyroidism is less common than hypothyroidism. When for any reason the thyroid becomes overactive, chemical reactions in the body are sped up, with many resultant physical and psychological symptoms.

weight loss
excessive body heat
increased urination and bowel movements
restlessness and sleeplessness
anxiety
hyperactivity
blurred vision
bulging eyes
enlarged thyroid gland (goiter)
heightened sensitivity
inability to concentrate
breathlessness and heart palpitations
diminished muscle tone
tremors

A varied diet of whole foods and avoidance of stimulants such as sugar and caffeine are very important for people with an overactive thyroid. It would also be a good idea to take a good quality multi vitamin/mineral supplement along with some extra antioxidants while the body is playing “catch up”. Be sure to eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli cabbage or Brussels sprouts and try to stay away from high iodine containing foods such as table salt, seafood and dairy foods to name a few. Stress reduction and ample exercise are also key in treating hyperthyroidism.

B Vitamins are the most important vitamins for your brain. Niacin, B 12, Folic acid and Pyridoxine facilitate the function of important neurotransmitters. They help control methylation, which is how the brain keeps everything in balance, and they also stop the body from producing homocysteine. Homocysteine causes inflammation in the body and is thought to cause many types of mental health problems. B vitamin deficiency can cause and/or accompany depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia and can affect a person’s ability to cope with stress. Some common symptoms of B vitamin deficiency are as follows:

frequent mood swings
depression
anxiety
feeling “unreal”
inability to think straight
poor memory
seeing or hearing things abnormally
having delusions
being overly suspicious or paranoid
difficult orgasm with sex
tendency to be overweight
loose bowels or skin problems at the onset of mental health problems
high pain tolerance

The amount of B vitamins that are needed vary from person to person. For this reason it is best not to rely on blood tests but rather be guided by symptoms. Food sources for B vitamins are whole grains, vegetables, leafy greens, eggs, meat, nuts and seeds, fresh fruit…….so as you can see a varied diet is essential. If you are supplementing B vitamins it is important to do so in a complex or multi vitamin. B12 can be quite difficult to absorb so weekly shots of the vitamin may be worth looking into.

Essential Fatty Acids are crucial to a healthy brain. Imbalances in “brain fats” are now associated with learning disorders such as dyslexia, hyperactivity and autism as well as depression, manic depression and schizophrenia among others. Many people have a problem metabolising EFA’s normally and require higher amounts of it either through supplementation or diet. Some common symptoms of EFA deficiency are the following:

excessive thirst
dry or rough skin or eczema
dry hair or dandruff
loss of hair
aching joints
PMS or breast pain
asthma
dyslexia or learning disabilities
hyperactivity
depression or manic depression
schizophrenia

I have seen first hand the amazing results of supplementing EFA’s where there is a deficiency and plan on writing an in depth post on this topic at a later date. If you think that you may be lacking in EFA’s you can ask your doctor for a blood test to determine your EFA status, however it can only do your health tremendous good to supplement it regardless. It would be difficult to correct a deficiency through diet alone so I suggest taking a good, high quality supplement. I advise that a nutritionist is consulted regarding supplementation of EFA’s because of the huge numbers of products out there which differ tremendously from each other in source, purity and concentration