Can Proper Nutrition Treat Mental Health Conditions?
Approximately 1 in 4 adult Americans – about 58 million people – have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), addiction, and autism affect more than 26% of the US population, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Studies show that nutritional deficiencies can contribute to the development of mental disorders and that supplements of vital nutrients often effectively reduce patients’ symptoms.
Although many promising nutritional therapy studies were done in the 1970s and 1980s, most were discontinued because they were underfunded. Pharmaceutical companies couldn’t patent nutritional therapies, so the companies that funded most clinical research spent their dollars researching drugs that they could patent and sell. For many psychiatrists, physicians and patients, prescription drugs became the preferred treatment and nutritional therapies were abandoned.
More recent studies involving nutrition and mental health are very encouraging and Nutritional Psychology is a growing field. We now know that 92 percent of the US population is suffering from at least one mineral or vitamin deficiency based on the Dietary Reference Intake. Patients suffering from mental disorders show even greater deficiencies.
Depression and/or anxiety are on the lists of symptoms of deficiency of most vitamins and minerals – the B vitamins, Vitamin D and Omega 3s – in particular. Schizophrenia symptoms have been greatly reduced through treatment with Vitamin C. ADHD has been successfully treated with a mix of vitamins, minerals and amino acids required for optimal brain functioning. Low levels of vitamin B6 and iron are related to panic attacks and hyperventilation. A lack of magnesium can cause issues like difficulty with memory and concentration, depression, apathy and fatigue, mood disorders, irritability, nervousness and anxiety. And the list goes on…
Of course, a proper medical diagnosis should always come first when treating mental disorders, and all possible treatment options should be considered. For some patients, prescription drugs just don’t work. They often cause unwanted and even dangerous side effects. Some drugs also deplete the body or prevent proper absorption of critical nutrients.
Supplements of vital nutrients often effectively reduce patients’ symptoms. Based on emerging scientific evidence, nutritional supplement treatment may be appropriate for controlling major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), addiction, and autism. The final decision on whether or not to try nutritional supplements as a treatment is up to the patient.
IV Nutritional Therapy can deliver a customized solution of vitamins, minerals and nutrients directly into the bloodstream. Bypassing the digestive system allows the body to absorb nutrients much more efficiently and restores a proper nutrient balance more quickly.
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