Back to School Tips for Parents
Do you or someone you love suffer from depression?
We held an educational webinar on mental health wellness recently with special guest speaker, Dr. Martha Koo at NeuroWellness Spa, pyschiatrist & pyschoanalyst, who shared her extensive knowledge with us about depression and integrative treatments to help those suffering from depression and other related conditions.
She explained, it’s important to understand that “depression is multi-factorial, which is why it can be difficult to treat.” There are biological factors, which is the way in which the brain is working. This includes the way the neurons are firing and the way the neurons are communicating with each other. There is also inflammation, which is why chronic inflammation can be an issue. There is your stress level, which affect our cortisol levels and your hypothalmic pituitary access. Our gut also plays a part in this. Our brain is part of our central nervous system while our gut is part of our enteric nervous system. And the vagus nerve, is the longest cranial nerve that runs from our brain connecting to our gut, which is why our gut is key to our brain health as well.
Given all this, it’s important to have a holistic approach to depression. Dr. Martha Koo poined out that part of this treatment is being able to have a powerful biological intervention. She has been working with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which is a non-invasive treatment that uses a high-intensity magnet to focally target very specific parts of the brain that they know are not functioning well in depression. This protocol would take about 40 minutes a session, done one day at a time over a series of treatments. Now, with the addition of D-cycloserine (DCS), this medication taken prior to TMS treatment primes the brain for more neuroplasticity which allows for better, quicker results that allow for less treatment sessions.
All that said, it is important to remember that any treatment should also include a strong focus on good nutrition, making sure to eat foods or take supplements that maintain better health. Supplements to consider are vitamin D and vitamin B. Prebiotics or probiotics may be appropriate to take, to cultivate a healthy microbiome. Some foods to consider in your diet are fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, and miso soup, as they help to support your digestive health with good bacteria. It is also important to look at your activity level and incorporate exercise to your regular routine. There is also the potential use for certain medications like Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) that help to decrease inflammation in our body.
Depression affects over 21 million Americans. If one person is suffering from depression, it’s affects go far beyond themselves. It affects their families, their work life, their personal life. If you would like to learn more about how to treat mental health challenges like depression, OCD, PTSD, and more let us know. We can discuss your current challenges and help pair you with a practitioner as well.
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