Decline of Mental Wellness
We have an adult health crisis. According to the CDC, approximately half of all adults in the United States have at least one chronic disease, ranging from cancer to diabetes to heart disease. About 80 percent of all health care spending nationally is due to chronic disease. As if that wasn’t overwhelming enough the United States is facing a new set of epidemics: Shocking statistics from the CDC have shown that the national suicide rate has been increasing over the last decade, jumping by more than 25% from 1999 to 2016. In the latter year, we lost nearly 45,000 lives to suicide. However, deaths from suicide are not the only rising statistic related to a growing problem of despair in the United States. If current trends continue, drugs, alcohol and suicide could kill an estimated 1.6 million Americans between 2016 and 2025, according to a new analysis conducted by the Berkeley Research Group (BRG) for this report. That’s a 60 percent increase.
That equates to 350 deaths per day, 14 deaths per hour or one death every four minutes.
Our nation is facing a mounting crisis related to alcohol and drug misuse as well as a mental and behavioral health crisis that can be glimpsed in the rising suicide rate. In 2016, U.S. life expectancy decreased for the first time in two decades, and these three public health crises have been major contributing factors to this shift.
The Obvious Source of the Decline of Mental Health
Nowadays a wide range of medications are available for treatment of various mental health issues.Many psychiatrists match the symptoms to a medication and, sometimes, recommend psychotherapy. However, if these medications are really effective as they are marketed to be, why do statistics show increased number of mental health problems and diseases? An obvious, but over looked factor in the decline in mental wellness is the increase chronic inflammation and the toxicity of our environment.
“There is certainly an epidemic of adverse mental health symptoms today and there is one very prominent reason why: the toxic food and water we ingest and the environment we live in.” biosanctuary.com
Nutrient Deficiencies
When humans act out, it could be a sign of micronutrient mineral deficiencies. There are 40 essential nutrients that need to be balanced according to someone’s individual biochemistry. 11
A person out of balance might experience symptoms including cutting/self-harm tendencies, hair-pulling, skin picking, autistic “stimming”, eating disorders, and most mental health disorders.
In the US most people aren’t psychiatric because they aren’t more than 80% depleted nutritionally. The fact that we are seeing more cases of mental instability could be due to our depleted soils, processed food addiction, leaky gut, lack of probiotic & healthy gut microbes that help assimilate nutrition, and the genetic deficiencies that can actually be passed down.1,6
Prescribing pills perpetuates the chemical imbalances caused by toxicity and inflammation in addition to causing undisclosed side affects. Even natural herbal supplements that affect brain processed and mood can alter brain chemistry that simply addresses symptoms and avoids getting the root cause.
“Medications can be quick,” says Jonathan Prousky, ND, MSc, editor of the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. “They will quickly subdue someone and make them docile, which makes people think they’re getting better. But they’re not getting better. I’ve never met a patient on an antipsychotic medication who was living a thriving, flourishing life. I’ve never seen it.”
Nutrition is an oft-ignored — yet incredibly effective — way to manage mental illness, including schizophrenia, bipolar and other diagnosis-es.
Why? Because Psychiatric/Pharmaceutical Industry is Making a Killing—$84 Billion Per Year. There isn’t a profit in healing the patient with a ‘prescription’ of nutrient dense foods.
A review of clinical studies conducted by T. S. Sathyanarayana Rao from Department of Psychiatry, JSS Medical College in Mysore, India had some interesting findings. For example:
- Low glycemic index (GI) foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains etc. are more likely to provide moderate, yet lasting effects on brain chemistry, mood, and energy levels
- Deficiency of Omega 3 fatty acid is associated with heightened depression symptoms
- Consumption of Vitamin B-rich foods is linked with improved mood
- Low levels of folate are, also, connected with depression
- Iron deficiency is strongly associated with ADHD.
Two-time Nobel Prize winner, and molecular biologist, Linus Pauling, Ph.D.,coined the term “Orthomolecular” in his 1968 article “Orthomolecular Psychiatry” in the journal Science. Orthomolecular medicine describes the practice of preventing and treating disease by providing the body with optimal amounts of substances which are natural to the body. 10
Toxic Exposure
Neurotoxicity of Pesticides Used on YOUR Food that Cause Adverse Brain Function Abnormalities, & Adverse Mood, Focus, Intellectual and Behavioral Changes
Today we have epidemic anxiety, panic attacks, ADD, and depression as well as hyperactivity and deterioration of mental functions as a result of toxins and their accumulative effects. 6821 pounds of toxic chemicals are released into our environment each second these include cancer causing, neurotoxic and endocrine chemicals that are found in our air, water, on our food and absorbed by our skin .
Most Common Neurotoxic and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in our Environment
- Pesticides & Herbicides
These neurodegenerative neurotoxins such as organophosphate pesticides found in all conventional foods and many water sources- Glyphosate Herbicide a known cancer-causing agent. In the nearly 20 years of intensifying exposure, scientists have been documenting the health consequences of Roundup and glyphosate in our food, in the water we drink, in the air we breathe and where our children play. In Johnson vs Monsanto, court documents revealed that Monsanto was aware of the toxicity of Roundup on human health.
- Hormones, drugs, antibiotics
Conventionally-raised meat come from animals fed drugs, antibiotics and hormones. 80 percent of all reported antibiotic are fed to livestock. - Food Chemicals found in Processed foods-
- food dyes,
- artificial sweeteners such as splenda, NutraSweet,
- MSG,
- refined sugar
- the 2000+ other Chemical additives
- GMOs
- Conventionally grown produce, meat and processed foods. There is no longer term testing of the effects on human health
- Fluoride, Chlorine, Psychiatric Drugs, Chromium-6
- Unfiltered Tap water, Fluoride can be found in bottled water as well
- BPA (Bisphenol-A), Parabens & Phthalates
- Food & water containers are the major source, however, these endocrine disruptors can be found in children’s toys, common household wares, most anything plastic.
- Mercury /Aluminum & other Heavy Metals
- vaccines (Excipient list from CDC)
- amalgam tooth fillings
- high fructose corn syrup
- fish
- nose sprays, eye drops, cosmetics
- Mold and Fungus
- Found in our classrooms, homes and in our air
Each and every one of toxins has a potential to cause adverse mental health symptoms, however, the story is not fully explored until you consider the cross contamination and added the potential for disease and mental health decline caused by these reactive chemicals in the same environment – your body.
These chemicals were not tested in living organism with their own chemical structures in addition to typically three hundred plus exogenous toxic chemicals coming into contact with each other. This reality expresses a whole new level of concern.
The decrease of mental well being and increase of self-medication
Exposure to neurotoxins and endocrine disruptors can create addictive biochemistry and be the root cause of addiction to any legal / illegal drug or alcohol. When a person is chronically symptomatic psychologically, physically or emotionally they will reach out for relief.
Some will go to a doctor who will hand out a toxic pharmaceutical that will cover the symptoms, add side effects and fail to address the underlying cause of the imbalance.
Remember, a drug is a drug under the skin – the body does not care if a man has legalized it, it is still toxic, and it will be destructive to the biochemical processes that sustain life – your life.
One must find the root cause of the symptoms, which is most of the time toxicity – diet and environment related and remove the cause of the symptoms to correct the metabolism and heal addiction.
Support your mental healing with your diet and environment.
Trusted authorities are keeping you sick and confused. But with the right knowledge and tools — combined with the right support — you can hit the reset button and awaken the person you were meant to be. Naturally. You can heal yourself.- Aspen Marrow medfreebipolar.com
If you are symptomatic, your quest for health in today’s toxic world would be better served if you started your healing journey by considering what you sare putting in your mouth.
- Eliminate refined sugar, refined grains, and all processed foods.
- Switch to organic foods including grass-fed meats
- Increase your intake of raw vegetables and fruits to 75% or more of your diet. *A simple way is to juice raw fruits and veggies once a day. Some people find it easier to switch over using dehydrated concentrated raw fruits veggie powders (watch the ingredients, however!)
- Support your system with fermented foods: Top 3 are kombucha, keifer and saurkraut.
- Seek out Support and Surround yourself with happy people.
Patients and their families shouldn’t be shy about pushing their clinicians to look beyond the latest wonder drug and try to incorporate some orthomolecular whole body strategies for treatment.
-Andrew Saul, PhD, editor in chief of the peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service,
Natural Support for Mental Health Wellness
- Safe Harbor (http://www.alternativementalhealth.com)
- TrueHope.com/research
- www.medfreechild.com (My affiliate link discount passed on to you!) Select one item to cart and one item to auto-delivery for your own wholesale pricing! Even my retail pricing is cheaper than TrueHope or Amazon
- Best-selling book: Med Free Bipolar
- Kelly Brogan, MD — Holistic Psychiatrist
Resources for this Article Include:
1 Med Free BiPolar https://medfreebipolar.wordpress.com/category/what-it-means-to-be-med-free-bipolar/natural-cures-mental-health/
2 Our Toxic World http://biosanctuary.com/our-toxic-world/
3 Organophosphate Pesticides: On the Brain: The Environmental Factors Behind Parkinson’s Disease at http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/winter-2009/pesticides-on-the-brain-the-environmental-factors-behind-parkinsons-disease . Another very well researched study is published here regarding how organophosphates dysregulate dopamine signaling, glutamatergic neurotransmission, and induce neuronal injury markers in the striatum area of the brain http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21848865#
4 Illinois Dept of Public Health
5 Glyphosate Health https://www.ecowatch.com/15-health-problems-linked-to-monsantos-roundup-1882002128.html
6 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738337/
7 https://thefern.org/2013/05/whats-causing-the-rise-in-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria/
9 https://diet234.com/nutrition-for-mental-health-than-medication/
Sited Statistics http://wellbeingtrust.org/-/media/files/well-being-trust/tfah2018painnationupdatebrief.pdf?la=en
10 http://orthomolecular.org/nutrients/index.shtml
11 https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/
To read all drug regulatory agency warnings & studies on psychiatric drugs, visit CCHR’s Psychiatric Drug Side Effects Search Engine.
