Monday 21 July 2014

Low blood sugar and depression

When suffering from a depressive illness it is vital that the sufferer has an abundance of nutritional food, but even more than that, and particularly with 'hormonal depression' there is an element of insulin resistance . What this means is that the women will have trouble maintaining her blood sugar levels and this in turn can alter her mood and create a cycle of irritability and even rage and anger issues.

Dr Katerina Dalton advocated in her book, Depression after Childbirth, and The PMS Bible, the so called 'three hour starch diet' which should always be used as a weapon against this type of depression. In my  book I refer to it as the 'three hour slow release diet' as I believe that you should maintain stable blood sugar levels with a small mount of carbohydrate and then some protein to slow it down even further. My favourite snack was simply an oatcake with peanut butter, and when I was very poorly, I would even wake at night and need to eat in order to slow a racing mind. My unwanted thoughts would always stop and I would feel calmer, more serene and able to return to sleep. If I didn't snack then I would inevitably become shaky, nervous and would suffer from the most awful palpitations as my body desperately tried to maintain equilibrium. My nightmares also increased if I went to bed hungry, or indeed thirsty.

The reason for the blood sugar issues is often hormonal, and lack of food is a known component of mood swings,anxiety, panic attacks and even symptoms of psychosis (hard to believe I know)! However the first thing any suffering women should consider when having symptoms is whether she is hungry and then how this is affecting her mood. A stable blood sugar is a stable mind and at least should be the first thing one thinks about if having a wobble. Once you have considered the effect that hunger has on your system, you should then be able to eradicate food cravings (another hormonal symptom). For further assistance and in particular with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, I would advocate the use of Chromium and Magnesium which should help you find further balance.

Happy Hormones.
Suzi xxx

Monday 7 July 2014

Can you 'cure' depression alone?

When I  have been researching, and when speaking to other sufferers its immediately obvious that people would rather use a holistic or natural approach to curing their depressive disorder. This would include Anxiety disorders and indeed hormonal or reproductive depression. I too was initially reluctant to use psychiatric medication and would say I was even frightened, especially when I discovered the many side effects and the fact that some sedatives can be addictive.

It was the same when I began to learn about hormonal therapies, I was mortified to learn that some pharmaceutical hormones had been linked with some cancers and could even make some depressive symptoms worse, being that many women are intolerant to progesterone. The minefield of information was often too much to take in and I would often be left confused and perplexed by what to do and where to turn (which isn't good when you are clinically depressed)!!

So how does one make sense of this? First of all medication has now come a long way forward and often it is a matter of finding one that suits you with the least side effects. Often this can take some time and requires an abundance of patience. And secondly, the hormones which I use are bio-identical and are made from plants, working in precisely the same way as my own hormones would. This of course was a great relief as I wasn't getting better with the variety of natural therapies I had tried.

When speaking to and observing other sufferers many of them have tried numerous holistic therapies and I myself spent small fortunes trying to avoid using conventional medication. As much as I wanted to believe that I would one day be cured, the various routes I tried were only 'managing' my symptoms rather than curing me completely. These would include nutritional supplements, talking therapies, cranial osteopathy, visualization, meditation, CBT, Bach flowers, massage and reflexology to name but a few! All of these were very helpful in maintaining a relaxed state of mind but unfortunately did not bring about a cure which I was endlessly searching for.( I only wished they had then I would have avoided the subsequent hysterectomy).
It is my own personal opinion, and so it is purely subjective, that as hormonal depression is a chemical disorder, that it needs professional intervention by an endocrinologist, and cannot be managed alone. I sincerely hope for all the fellow sufferers out there that this will indeed change and one day this diabolical affliction will be eradicated completely.
Blessings.
Suzi xxx