Hi! Do you have the blues, the blahs, or are you down and out? There are a lot of terms for depression because it’s common! Yes, depression is a mood disorder but could it also have a root cause of inflammation? Depression is often treated with SSRI’s but if the root cause is inflammation, maybe there are some things we can do to lower inflammation and therefore improve the mood.
This post will cover simple things you can do to reduce inflammation and improve your mood.
There can be a million reasons why someone feels depressed. Sometimes it’s a passing feeling of the blues, sometimes it may feel like a vortex of suck that you can’t imagine ever crawling out from. When depression hits it’s easy to feel like there is nothing that can be done. And once you feel depressed, the last thing anyone wants to do is some complicated challenging health protocol. If you can PREVENT depression with a few tweaks, well…. you know the saying, an ounce of prevention…
Anyhow, as far as preventative behaviors it seems there is a pretty strong link between inflammation and depression. In fact, this study on The Bidirectional Relationship of Depression and Inflammation: Double Trouble, discusses the theory of inflammation and depression. Based on this research, there may be many things we can do to stave off the nasty moody blues before they get a foothold!
Start with your diet. Eat whole foods. It’s easy to reach for junk food when you feel depressed or anxious but that’s not going to help things in the long run. Processed foods, refined grains, sugars, and oil all increase inflammation. My favorite junky treat is probably a donut. This is the trifecta of refined grains, simple sugars, and rancid oil. Why do I even like them? I don’t really know, it only feels good for about 60 seconds. Then my blood sugar goes whack a doo, and I feel like suck for the rest of the day and the next day. If you can make this connection between foods and mood it will be easier to say “no way” next time you think to grab some junky food.
Add High-Quality Supplements: I’m not talking about a bunch of multivitamins. There are two in particular that seem to have some strong evidence. Curcumin and Omega 3 fatty acids. Curcumin really is a superstar in so many areas. It’s known as an anticarcinogenic supplement, reduces arthritis symptoms, and improves heart health. All of these things have one thing in common, inflammation. Curcumin reduces that.
Additionally, Curcumin increases DHA uptake, and this study shows how that can increase one’s mood. DHA is an Omega 3 fatty acid that is necessary for healthy brains. Omega 3 fatty acids, with high amounts of EPA and DHA, are also linked to improved mood. Fatty fish, like salmon, is the best source for complete Omega 3 profile but supplements also help. There are many studies showing the benefits of supplementing with a high-quality omega 3 for depression.
St. John’s Wort is a supplement that can help SAD.
St. John’s Wort for SAD. I came across St Johns Wort when I was looking for help with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD as it is aptly abbreviated. This is a type of depression that comes on when you are a college student, living in the dark snowy world of New Hampshire for 8 months of winter all while eating a bunch of junk and drinking too much alcohol. It also affects normal people as the daylight shortens, usually from fall to early spring.
Obviously, I couldn’t control the seasons (oh, did I mention that was me I was referring to?) but I also didn’t have to just accept my sadness for four years. I thought the only solution was moving to Southern California, which I did, and it did help. But, I digress.
St Johns Wort, or Hypericum perforatum, works through its ability to inhibit monoamine neurotransmitters re-uptake. But it also downregulates inflammation which is probably not a coincidence…seeing a pattern here? By treating the inflammation, not only will you feel better, but your body will be healthier as well.
Daily Habits that may help
Start your day with a cup of coffee. Coffee is not only amazingly tasty but studies show that it does improve mood. Do we really need a study to tell us that? Anyhow, coffee is full of polyphenols that yes… reduce inflammation. Reducing inflammation makes us happier! If anyone tries to tell you coffee is unhealthy ask them if they have ever stared into the vortex of suck-how healthy is that???
Before you go off and drink 10 cups of coffee, check this out. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. This means that at some point the benefits don’t increase with higher levels of coffee. According to several studies the sweet spot is only around 400ml/day which is just over 13 oz, not much! And for all of the non-coffee, tea drinkers, black tea also has a positive impact on depression, with the most benefit between 1-4 cups. Keep in mind that for teenagers and younger, coffee doesn’t seem to have the same impact. In fact, the disruption of sleep can actually make depression worse. So be sure to drink your coffee or tea early in the morning so you can get a good night’s sleep later.
Take a cold shower. Ok, hear me out. I know the last thing you may want to do when you are depressed is something uncomfortable. You probably want to stay cuddled in your bed and go back to sleep. But these are things to do BEFORE you are depressed and there is some science backing up the reasoning for this. In fact, there are businesses popping up to take it to another level. If you want to try it out yourself, you can start with a 30-second cold shower and graduate to a 3-5 minute cold plunge in your bathtub. The connection to anti-inflammation is pretty obvious here. You know how when you sprain your ankle and it swells up, ice reduces the inflammation? Same thing here, but on a larger scale. Just work up to it slowly. Your body will actually adapt and over time make more brown fat (the type that produces body heat and raises your metabolism).
If you feel like you just can’t stand the cold showers, you may try to bump up your intake of fish oil first. Another benefit of proper Omega 3 supplementation is the stimulation of brown fat. I’ve personally noticed that when I’m taking my fish oil, it’s a LOT easier to tolerate the cold. Here’s the study on cold therapy for mood: Whole-body cryotherapy as adjunct treatment of depressive and anxiety disorders
Get outside and move. Regular exercise also lowers inflammation. Sunshine and fresh air have an uplifting effect. Make yourself go outside, just for 5 minutes. Once you get outside you may decide to stay longer but give yourself permission to go back in after 5 minutes if you still want to. Baby steps are ok people, be nice to yourself.
Finish your day with a nightly journal. I’m not just talking about writing down every boring or stressful detail of your day. Nope, sorry. This is not the time to vent. Right before bed, you need to ask yourself, “what went well today?” This simple question may be hard to answer at first. That’s because you actually have to train your brain to notice and remember the things that go well. And don’t tell me nothing went well. You just did notice it! Practice will strengthen this skill. By ending your day on this positive note, your subconscious will dwell on the good all night. You will sleep better and when you wake up, you will feel better.
Now you know some simple ways you can reduce or even eliminate Depression.
But if these aren’t enough, professional help may have more tools for you. Don’t be shy about getting help- be bold! Be an advocate for yourself. Nobody knows how you are feeling if you don’t speak up. Don’t assume people don’t care just because they haven’t noticed you are depressed. Everybody is going through something. And there are more and more options today for resistant cases. Specifically, Ketamine, Magnetic therapy, and more are all showing promise.
