Natural Ways to Improve Your Mood By Dr. Allen S. Josephs, MD
Natural Ways to Improve Your Mood
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| By Dr. Allen S. Josephs | |
A little bit of stress in one's life can actually be a good thing because it's often a motivator to get things done. Too much stress, however, can be a bad thing because after a while, it wears on both body and mind, so much so that in the end, nothing gets done. If you are experiencing an unhealthy amount of stress, or an overall unhealthy mood, there are safe, natural nutrients available that are shown to be beneficial. They may be just what you need to feel like yourself again.
Prescription antidepressants are out of control in this country. It is estimated that in 2005, a total of 2.4 billion drugs were prescribed by physicians in the United States. Amazingly, 118 million of those prescriptions were for antidepressants. This was actually more than for high blood pressure drugs, which came in at 113 million prescriptions. The amount of antidepressants prescribed for adults has almost tripled between 1988-1994 and 1999-2000. I know that family doctors and internists give out these drugs like water.
If you go to your doctor and you're a little bit unhappy, maybe under a little stress, there is a high likelihood that you'll be leaving that doctor's office with a prescription antidepressant. I can't tell you how many teenagers I have seen in my office who have been on prescription antidepressants for years. These drugs, as with all drugs, can have very bad side effects and, in some cases, may actually increase the risk of taking one's own life.
There are natural and safe nutrients proven to promote healthy mood. In a study1 published in the June 2008 edition of European Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers from Harvard Medical School randomized a group of 35 adult outpatients with poor mood to receive either 1 gram a day of oral DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid from fish oil), 2 grams a day of DHA or 4 grams a day of DHA. Interestingly, it was found that those individuals given either 1 gram or 2 grams a day of DHA for twelve weeks experienced a significant improvement in mood.
In a related study2 published last month in the Journal of Affective Disorders, 31 patients suffering from both poor mood and poor neurologic health were randomized to receive either fish oil or mineral oil for twelve weeks. Patients in both of these groups were also on prescribed antidepressants. It was found that those patients given the fish oil had improvement in their overall mood.
I previously reported on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for poor mood during pregnancy. There was a study3 published in the April 2008 edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in which 36 pregnant subjects were randomly assigned to receive either omega-3 fatty acids or placebo in a double-blinded fashion. At the end of the study, it was noted that those women who were given the omega-3 fatty acids had significant improvement in poor mood symptoms. The omega-3 fatty acids were obviously well-tolerated and, as I've noted in previous newsletters, may very well be extremely beneficial for newborn brain development.
I also previously mentioned a study4 published last month in the Archives of General Psychiatry regarding the benefits of vitamin D for promoting healthy mood. Just to reiterate, almost 1,300 community residents between the ages of 65 to 95 were followed and it was noted that there was a statistical correlation between the level of vitamin D in the blood and likelihood of poor mood. The authors of the study indicated that the results demonstrated association between poor mood and severity with decreased levels of vitamin D in this older age population.
There are also other nutrients shown beneficial for promoting healthy mood. The authors of an article5 published in the May 2008 issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders, who are from the Department of Psychiatry at the Pittsburgh School of Medicine, observed that there is a growing number of patients with poor mood who are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and felt that St. John's Wort and S-adensylmethionine (SAMe) showed the best overall evidence for supplementation to promote healthy mood.
Finally, completely changing the subject, there was an interesting study6 published in the June 18 edition of The Journal of NeuroScience from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine (where I did my neurology training). Researchers utilized mice that were genetically modified to develop onset of poor cognitive health. The animals were then either supplemented with a grape seed extract or placebo for five months. It was found that at the end of the study, beta amyloid accumulation was significantly decreased in the animals that received the grape seed extract compared to the placebo group. The animals performed better in tasks requiring spatial memory compared to those that were given placebo. The accumulation of amyloid deposits in the human brain is felt by many researchers to be a critical component in the development of poor cognitive health.
I have written many newsletters on the benefits of EPA and DHA omega-3 essential fatty acids. I have seen over my years of clinical practice that these nutrients have clearly crept into mainstream medicine because of their incredible benefits. Nutraceutical Sciences Institute® (NSI®) offers a wide selection of fish oil products with our premiere #1 seller being Mega EFA®. I personally take and recommend Mega EFA at the ideal dosage of two to four softgels per day. This product provides two times the active EPA and DHA when compared to other fish oils.
Mega EFA is pharmaceutical grade and molecularly distilled. 291 customers have reviewed NSI Mega EFA with the reviews averaging 4.5 to 4.8 out of five stars for value, quality, effectiveness and satisfaction. I also recommend 2,000 – 4,000 IU per day of vitamin D3 based on the most recent studies for promoting healthy mood, balance, cellular health, cardiovascular and bone health. The RDA/DV of 400 IU is absurdly too low.
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and enjoying good health!
1. Mischoulon D, Best-Popescu C, Laposata M, Merens W, Murakami JL, Wu SL, Papakostas GI, Dording CM, Sonawalla SB, Nierenberg AA, Alpert JE and Fava M, A double-blind dose-finding pilot study of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for major depressive disorder, European Neuropsychopharmacology, available online June 6, 2008.
2. Moralez da Silva T, Puppi Munhoz R, Alvarez C, Naliwaiko K, Kiss Á, Andreatini R and Curte Ferraz A, Depression in Parkinson's disease: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study of omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation, Journal of Affective Disorders, available online May 15, 2008.
3. Su KP, Huang SY, Chiu TH, Huang KC, Huang CL, Chang HC and Pariante CM, Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Major Depressive Disorder During Pregnancy: Results From a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2008;69:644-651, online ahead of print March 18, 2008.
4. Hoogendijk W, Lips P, Dik M, Deeg D, Beekman A and Penninx B, Depression Is Associated With Decreased 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Increased Parathyroid Hormone Levels in Older Adults, Archives of General Psychiatry,Vol. 65 No. 5, May 2008.
5. Andreescu C, Mulsant BH and Emanuel JE, Complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of bipolar disorder-A review of the evidence, Journal of Affective Disorders, available online May 5, 2008.
5. Wang J, Ho L, Zhao W, Ono K, Rosensweig C, Chen L, Humala N, Teplow DB and Pasinetti GM, Grape-Derived Polyphenolics Prevent Aβ Oligomerization and Attenuate Cognitive Deterioration in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease, The Journal of Neuroscience, June 18, 2008, 28(25):6388-6392.
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