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depression testimonial from JM

from J.M.

You were right, and after doing some serious thinking, I’m mad at a lot of doctors. I feel better than I have felt in my whole life, I think due to the diet, supplements, and testosterone injections. I was in bed for 30 years with double depression. In and out of institutions for years. I’m down to 10mg on the Celexa and 750 on the Depakote.  If this keeps up, I’m thinking about writing a book, really!

“The missing link”- already have the name picked out. I always was depressed even as a young very sick child. Doctors gave me shots and antibiotics since the day I was born. And never stopped!

I feel great but somewhat confused because I don’t know what normal feels like.

God bless and God speed…

By |2014-06-16T09:47:54-05:00June 16th, 2014|General|

Depressed? Need a lift?

Depression comes in many forms and has many possible causes. Rather than band-aiding your depression with an anti-depressant medication, The Woodlands Institute aims to detect and correct the underlying causes of your depression. Causes may be anything from a simple nutritional deficiency or hormonal imbalance to a reaction to a food. We’ll help you understand common depression signs so that you may identify depression symptoms in yourself, a family member or a friend. Then, we can also help you determine the best depression treatment for you.

We invite you to read our online article “Depression Symptoms & Treatments” for details on how depressed feelings affect all types of people and can be easily addressed with the right attention. Talking to a trained professional about your depressed feelings or those of a loved one is critical to resolving these feelings. Whether you’re a teen struggling with depression, a new mom who may be challenged with postpartum depression or a father who just isn’t energized about the things he once was, The Woodlands Institute is here for you.

Test yourself for hormonal imbalances that may be causing or contributing to your depressed moods. One culprit of your depression could be low thyroid, which we can also help address.

Contact us at now for a free consultation with one of our wellness consultants.

Click here to read a testimonial from a real patient of TWIHW who suffered with depression for many years.

By |2014-06-25T10:45:04-05:00June 13th, 2014|Articles, General|

Depression testimonial

Depression testimonial

from J.M.

You were right, and after doing some serious thinking, I’m mad at a lot of doctors. I feel better than I have felt in my whole life, I think due to the diet, supplements, and testosterone injections. I was in bed for 30 years with double depression. In and out of institutions for years. I’m down to 10mg on the Celexa and 750 on the Depakote.  If this keeps up, I’m thinking about writing a book, really!

“The missing link”- already have the name picked out. I always was depressed even as a young very sick child. Doctors gave me shots and antibiotics since the day I was born. And never stopped!

I feel great but somewhat confused because I don’t know what normal feels like.

God bless and God speed…

By |2014-05-21T09:38:21-05:00May 21st, 2014|General, Testimonials|

5-HTP

5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) is extracted from the seeds of the Griffonia plant, a shrub principally found in West African countries.5-htp 5-HTP is an amino acid derivative and the immediate precursor to serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter produced both in the intestinal tract and in the brain and is important for mood, promoting calmness, and sleep.  It can also be helpful in reducing carbohydrate cravings and supporting healthy eating patterns.  5-HTP should be taken under medical supervision.

By |2014-05-07T12:39:03-05:00May 4th, 2014|Articles, General|

Overcoming Depression Is A Balancing Act

Overcoming Depression

by Nancy Mehlert, MS

We often refer to the Standard American Diet as “SAD” and it really is – it is a very depressing diet!  The suggested food plate and previous food pyramid have led Americans into eating a very inflammatory and congesting diet of fast and processed foods, sugar, artificial sweeteners, chemical preservatives and dyes, MSG, grains, and grain fed meats. We live fast and don’t take time to figure in fresh vegetables, fruits, and undamaged, healthy fats which should make up the largest part of our diet and benefit our overall health more than any other foods.  And layer on top of that the toxic nature of our water, another fundamental aspect of our nutrition, and we are in depression trouble. Eating this SAD diet quickly leads to nutrient depletion and inflammatory diseases.  Our body is no longer in balance; it becomes overwhelmed with a lack of nutrients and an excess of inflammation. Nutrient depletion in and of itself is a known cause of depression.

The human body needs balance.  It is made to function optimally when everything is working in proper balance.  Depression occurs when there is an inadequate supply of our “happy” brain chemical called serotonin.  Many aspects of our dietary habits can inhibit the successful production of serotonin.  Sugar in general and high fructose corn syrup specifically is one such culprit.  Fructose and high sugar diets have been shown to degrade the availability of tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin.  As a result, there is barely any tryptophan available to the body for the production of serotonin.  Sugar, especially fructose has also been shown to suppress activity of a key growth hormone called BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) that promotes healthy brain neurons.  BDNF levels are consistently low in depressed individuals.

A more complex issue arises with aspartame (eg. Nutrasweet and Equal) and monosodium glutamate.  These neurotoxins interrupt the balance between neurotransmitters in the brain, thus promoting depression.

There is something out of balance about 6-11 servings a day of grain.  At a minimum, if you happen to be able to make time to eat three times a day, you’d need to eat two servings of grain at every meal in order to meet the minimum recommendation.  Gluten, found in the grains wheat, rye and spelt, is another food that can block the production of critical brain neurotransmitters including serotonin and has been demonstrated to be especially problematic for those with gluten allergies or sensitivities.

More recent research into the balance of healthy bacteria in the small and large intestines has also revealed that in truth, more of our serotonin is made in the gut lining than in the brain.  This critical neurotransmitter, which we usually call a “brain chemical” is actually a “gut chemical”!  But this fact reveals that having a healthy gut full of favorable bacteria and not overcome by yeast, parasites or pathogens is mission critical to resolving depression.  The gut is the human body’s second brain and its health is highly correlated to brain health.  A healthy gut is a healthy brain.  Balancing gut flora, sealing a leaky gut and addressing unwelcomed inhabitants is a primary step in resolving depression.  Unwelcome gut inhabitants prosper and grow well on processed and sugary foods, but are not especially fond of fresh vegetables and healthy fats!

Overburden the body with anything and balance is lost.  What do water, toothpaste and anti-depressants all have in common? Fluoride!  It is added to over two-thirds of our nation’s water supply and is in all of our basic toothpaste products as well as found in anti-depressant drugs!  Yet it is a known endocrine (ie: hormone) disruptor and especially impacts the thyroid, which is essential to good mental health.  Depression is a common symptom of endocrine malfunction and we ingest considerable levels of fluoride through the water we drink and bathe in, to the toothpaste we put in our mouths, to the prescription drugs we take, and this imbalance creates havoc.

Bottom Line:  When it comes to nutrition and overcoming or avoiding depression:

  • Eliminate sugar from your diet and limit intake of fresh fruits
  • Avoid artificial sweeteners, especially Aspartame that is found in common brands such as NutraSweet and Equal.
  • Eliminate gluten from your diet especially if you are allergic to gluten or sensitive to it.  Regardless, we recommend trying a gluten elimination diet for several weeks to see if it helps you to feel better over all. Gluten is highly associated with many diseases.
  • Avoid monosodium glutamate normally found in fast foods and processed foods and also know as MSG.  Be careful to avoid other names for MSG which include hydrolyzed vegetable protein, textured vegetable protein, yeast extract, Torula yeast, just to name a few.
  • Be a detective and find out all the ways you are ingesting fluoride and begin to trade for fluoride free options.  Household water can be filtered to remove fluoride, many fluoride free toothpastes exist on the market today and try our supplement suggestion in this newsletter instead of an anti-depressant (be sure to consult a physician before stopping an antidepressant medication)

Pursuing a whole food diet, rich in vegetables, herbs, spices, undamaged natural fats such as those found in pastured eggs and butter, Pacific salmon, nuts and seeds, coconut oil, and olive oil can help to bring balance to the inner workings of the human body and ward off and overcome depression.

By |2014-05-02T11:39:59-05:00May 2nd, 2014|Articles, General, NANCY’S NUTRITIONAL NUGGET|

Overcoming Depression Testimonial

Overcoming Depression Testimonial

by Mila McManus MD

As I was my first wellness patient, and depression was one of my many issues, I thought it would be appropriate to share my story this month since this newsletter focuses on depression.

I remember feeling depressed when I was in high school, but seemed mostly situational. College years were good, but developed anxiety. Two yrs into medical school, life was rough. I was exhausted and emotional and anxious all the time. I started on antidepressants and boy did it help a lot.  I went from a lot of emotion to NO emotion. It helped anxiety as well.  I craved carbs terribly and continued to have issues with insomnia which I first noticed in my early teens.  I also had issues with terrible allergies, constipation, headaches, PMS, reflux, high blood pressure, unexplained 80 lb weight gain over a 5 year period, and eczema, just to name a few.

OK, so in retrospect, I had severe adrenal fatigue, low thyroid function, I was riddled with yeast, and was nutritionally bankrupt.  Keep in mind that my labs were ALWAYS perfectly normal (so it had to be all in my head, right?). Over the years I tried several times to wean my antidepressant to no avail.  Of course now I know that it’s because I wasn’t addressing the underlying causes of my depression and anxiety in the first place.  Skip ahead to my first year in private practice as a family physician.  I’ve now accumulated 12 prescription medications and I’m 30 years old, going on 90. I lived on diet soda and fast food. Nobody taught me in medical school that it wasn’t healthy to eat that way.  Seriously!

Thank Goodness I found wellness, which is everything we doctors don’t learn in medical school.  I was able to discover that the underlying causes of my depression and anxiety were due to nutritional deficiencies, abnormal gut flora, hormonal imbalance, and having toxic overload. Within 2 weeks of starting bio-identical hormones, changing my diet, and taking a handful of vitamins, I was well on my way to shedding all 12 of my medications.  It did take about 6 months, but my antidepressant was the first to go.

I often wonder where I would be today, almost 11 years later, if I had not found wellness.  My story is unfortunately a very common one, and I hope reading this story gives you hope.  I feel so blessed every day that I get to pay it forward by helping other people overcome what ails them!

By |2014-10-20T12:50:10-05:00May 2nd, 2014|Ask Dr McManus, General, Testimonials|

Overcoming Depression

Depression is a common disorder.  While we all may experience temporary blues or discouraging setbacks in life, when these feelings persist and compromise our daily functioning, it can be a sign of a serious problem.  Depression can take a major toll on our lives as well as the lives of those around us.

Depression is much more prevalent today than it was 50 years ago.  Ten times more people suffer from major depression today than in 1945.  Fifty years ago the average onset of depression was 29 years old and, sadly today, the average onset is just 14.5 years of age!  Depression cuts across all ages, genders, every socioeconomic level, and it’s estimated that at least 1 in 10 Americans takes anti-depressant medication.

Symptoms of depression include:

  • Persistent sad, anxious, or empty feelings
  • Markedly diminished interest or enjoyment in nearly all activities most of the time
  • Excessive or inappropriate feelings of guilt, inadequacy, or unworthiness
  • Irritability and restlessness
  • Persistent fatigue, sleeplessness, or excessive sleeping
  • Increase or decrease in appetite
  • Recurrent suicidal thoughts or attempts
  • Constant pains, headaches, or stomach problems that do not respond to treatment

Every individual may exhibit different signs and symptoms with varying frequency and severity.  If five or more of these symptoms apply to you or someone you know – it could signal depression.

Here is a list of possible reasons a person may be experiencing depression that you may not know about:

  • Imbalances between abnormal gut bacteria and healthy gut flora
  • Nutritional deficiencies, especially Vitamin D, B Vitamins, Omega 3’s and Magnesium
  • Hormonal Imbalances such as estrogen dominance, adrenal fatigue, chronically elevated insulin levels, and functional hypothyroidism.
  • Hormonal deficiencies including thyroid, DHEA, Estrogen, Progesterone, Cortisol, and Testosterone just to name a few. (Click here to understand why your hormone levels may appear normal on labs despite your symptoms)
  • Food allergies and sensitivities, such as gluten (wheat products)
  • Chemical imbalances in the brain and gut (80-90% of the body’s serotonin is made in the intestinal tract if it is healthy!)
  • Foods and additives including artificial sweeteners, sodium nitrate, monosodium glutamate, Acesulfame-K, some food dyes, aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal), alcohol, sugar, and grains.

The good news is that today we know much more about the underlying causes of depression and here at TWIHW we seek to find and correct the underlying causes of depression rather than band-aiding with antidepressants.  Depression is NOT caused by a deficiency of Cymbalta, Zoloft or Wellbutrin.  Through targeting the underlying causes of depression, which may be related to dietary habits, vitamin deficiencies, food sensitivities and hormonal imbalances described above, TWIHW helps you to overcome depression and get your health and life back on track.  If you or a loved one is suffering from any form of depression, please call 281.298.6742 and ask to speak to a Wellness Consultant.

Click here to read a testimonial from a real patient.

References:

http://www.depressionperception.com/depression/depression-facts-and-statistics.html

http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/dlp/depression-information/major-depression-facts/

 

By |2014-06-16T09:52:12-05:00April 18th, 2014|Articles, General|