People dealing with anxiety and depression have to tackle a complex set of functional and emotional challenges daily. Being able to address these challenges is one of the critical benefits of a holistic approach to mental health.
According to a study done by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Forty million adults over the age of 18 today suffer from anxiety and depression in the United States alone. Alarmingly, Suicide Rates are at their Highest level since WWII, quickly rising to become one of the leading causes of death in the United States. This number is baffling, especially considering the existence of modern medicines and the use of pharmaceuticals like anti-depressants to treat these symptoms.
However, what many don’t know is that the same anti-depressants used to treat depression can also trigger a plethora of side effects that can offset ones mental health entirely.
A Holistic functional approach to addressing disease or sickness isn’t merely concerned with healing a particular issue with the mind or body but healing the body as a whole. Holistic and functional practitioners understand that true health can only be accomplished by identifying and addressing the underlying root causes of all the imbalances.
Healing the Causes of Poor Mental Health
Various signs warn us about degrading mental health. Issues like anxiety, depression, mood swings, mind racing, memory loss, etc. are all red flags that should be taken seriously.
To fix these issues, it is crucial first to understand what causes them.
Understanding and Addressing the Underlying Causes of Brain Chemistry Imbalance
There are many different brain chemicals that play a role in mood, memory, decision making, and cognitive function. While serotonin is one of the brain chemicals that plays an important role, other neurotransmitters also play a significant role in whether someone is suffering with anxiety and depression, or anger, or even impulse control. For example, excessively high or low levels of dopamine in the body are one of the significant causes of anxiety and depression in humans. Dopamine imbalance can be as a result of a variety of things like a leaky gut, Vitamin deficiency, lack of protein, and COMT Gene mutations, to name a few.
A holistic approach requires one to understand what the underlying combination of issues are and fix them permanently. The holistic practitioner enables individuals to adopt preventative measures that nip mental issues in the bud, thus saving tons of money on prescription drugs, doctor visits, and loss of work and productivity.
Balancing Estrogen and other Hormone Levels.
Estrogen deficiency and Estrogen dominance are two common causes of anxiety in women. A holistic approach acknowledges the role of this hormone and works alternatively in balancing it with the help of a holistic lifestyle, changes in foods, and plant-based or other natural hormones when necessary.
Estrogen imbalances can be taken care of by consuming food rich in protein and nutrients, exercise, avoiding sugar and refined carbs, stress management exercises, and eating healthy fats and making sure the foods are organic and free of environmental toxins that are known to disrupt estrogen levels.
Adequate Amino Acid Availability
The brain cells in our body usually communicate with each other through neurotransmitters, which are made of amino acids. The body needs proteins to create ample amounts of amino acids to seamless communication between brain cells in our body.
Adding food products rich in protein like organic, fish, chicken, and eggs in your diet is crucial in tackling mental health issues.
Identify and Correct Nutritional Deficiencies
Food is the architect of one’s personality. The food you choose to include and exclude from your diet can affect your mental health as well as your physical health. Hence it is crucial to consume food that has all the nutrition our body and mind need to heal operate normally.
Vitamins like A, Folate, B12, B6, and C, minerals like zinc, magnesium, iron, selenium, choline are all essential nutrients for a healthy brain. Food rich in all these nutrients should be a part of our regular diet.
Adapt Lifestyle Changes that are Known to Improve Brain and Body Function
As discussed, the health of your mind and your belief systems are directly associated with the health of your body and brain.
Your belief systems and self limiting beliefs can prevent you from healing your body and mind. In fact, thoughts are so powerful that they can literally change our genetic expression and biological chemistry. Adapting a lifestyle of investing in your self growth is paramount to healing your body and mind.
Your daily habits from what foods you eat, to your sleep hygiene habits, to your physical exercise habits and how much screen time you have each day all have huge effects on your body and it’s ability to heal and stay healthy.
Incorporating time and a budget to invest in yourself has huge paybacks in your life from your relationship with your self and others to your vitality and happiness, to your productivity and career. It’s hard to put ourselves first when we have been raised in a society where we run ourselves into the ground but there is no better time to break free of this bad habit than once we’ve become ill and don’t have the life we want because we have ignored our own needs far too long. Start now! You’ll either pay for your wellness or you will pay even greater for your illness.
Principle of Adopting a Holistic Lifestyle
A functional holistic approach identifies the role of the body on mental health and hence works on improving its overall health. It does so by fixing the root cause of anxiety or depression rather than just alleviating the symptoms.
With the help of holistic practices that include complementary therapies, organic diet, lifestyle changes, etc., holistic practitioners can help you successfully pursue the highest quality of mental, emotional, physical, spiritual health that you can achieve.
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Modern Holistic Health
3267 Bee Cave Rd, Ste. 107-187 Austin, TX 78746 - 512.550.7933 | (888) 260-3377
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