Depression and diet go hand in hand

NICHOLAS D. POLLAK CHt
Clinical Hypnotherapist
Certified Master Hypnotist
Handwriting Analyst
310.204.3321
www.hypnotherapy4you.net
nickpollak@hypnotherapy4you.net

I received a phone call recently from a person who was in severe distress. She was crying into the phone and stated that she was seeing a psychiatrist for a depression that she has been experiencing for the past two years since a close male friend of hers had died. A psychiatrist that she is seeing had prescribed Zoloft (an anti depression medication) for her some two years ago and had now decided that she needed to increase her dosage to deal with her current continuance of her depression.

This woman had called me as a result of some work that I had done with a close friend of hers, and she had noticed the huge improvement in her friend and was calling me because she was desperate and that her friend had improved so dramatically in such a short time that she felt that I could help her. She was also concerned at the increase in the medication dosage and that in all this time she was still not feeling better and would cry at the drop of a hat over nothing and would cry uncontrollably for quite some time.

Depression is an illness that has a debilitating effect on many people and can absolutely destroy anyone’s life if not treated. Supposedly anti depression medication combined with psychiatric therapy is meant to resolve a person’s depression and it is clear that in this case, has not worked.

The psychiatrist had delved into her past but had not addressed one of the most important issues when it comes to depression, and that is diet. When I met with this client it became very clear that her diet was a huge factor in her depression. She was not eating enough protein and was “hooked” on a carbohydrate diet. This kind of diet often produces symptoms similar to depression and can be resolved very easily.

When a person is not eating adequate protein and is relying on carbohydrates for energy the individual is going to suffer from depressed moods, sweating, nervousness, hyper ventilation, dizziness, insomnia as well as continuous panic and anxiety attacks.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good protein based diet. It is critical for a person to have stable sugar levels.

When a person is not eating enough protein their sugar levels fluctuate wildly, causing unprecedented mood swings. When the sugar level is stable a lot of their issues are resolved. The brain requires sugar to function effectively and when a constant source of protein (which breaks down to sugar very slowly) is available, the sugar levels remain even and so do the person’s moods and behaviors. If not, then the person is going to experience the above mentioned symptoms.

We are still basically animals, and we still have what is known as the primitive fight or flight reflex. In prehistoric days this was very useful as any individual could either run or fight depending on the situation that presented it self. In modern society, even though we still have the reflex it is socially unacceptable for us to run from a situation or to fight in a situation. (Of course there are still many situations when we might have to use fight or flight such as in a war zone or if faced with imminent attack from an overwhelming force where to fight would end in disaster and to run would be prudent.)

When the brain does not receive adequate sugar in a continuous flow, to survive, it becomes hyper vigilant. This means that the brain is constantly on the look out for more nourishment and is only functioning from a “primitive” level, which leads to the above mentioned symptoms. Carbohydrates breaks down to sugar very quickly and will give an increased burst of energy, but only for a short time and the sugar level will drop just as quickly and usually drops to a level lower than when you first had your carbohydrate.

When the brain is receiving the correct amount of protein the protein breaks down to sugar far more slowly than carbohydrate and as a result with the constant source of protein the brain begins to function from it’s higher functioning levels which allow us to make less emotional decisions and to react from a higher level of thinking. This higher level of thinking allows us to function not from the primitive emotive state but more effectively and logically. As a result the brain loses its hyper vigilance and reduces the nervousness, panic and anxiety it is experiencing. These symptoms ultimately disappear with continued good diet and with hypnotic desensitization to the issues which may be the trigger for the depression and anxiety.

Needless to say after just three sessions and her change in diet this client is now feeling better than she has in the past two years, and, with every passing day her depression lessens and her desire to be a better and more energetic person is increasing, to the point were she is now actively looking for work, is able to go out and have fun with friends and is very focused on doing what she know she wants to do to be the successful, happy, prosperous person that she had always wanted to be, and is now becoming that with very little effort other that watching what she eats.

Just as a by the way, she has stopped the medication and is no longer seeing the psychiatrist.