=You are not alone; the National Institute of Mental Health found that major depressive disorder affects approximately 17.3 million American adults, 7.1% of the population in a given year.
Feel like your anti-depressants are not working? Join the 14 Million American’s who have clinical depression and find no relief from anti-depressants. That is because no one is deficient in Zoloft, Lexapro, or any other antidepressant.
But where does depression start? In our brain or elsewhere? It starts in our gut! Also called our second brain, where 95% of the body's neurotransmitters are created, including serotonin or the feel-good neurotransmitter.
What can we do
Improve our diet. Limit caffeine and sugars (real and artificial); these both create mood swings and can impact our energy levels. This does include alcoholic beverages on a routine basis. Alcohol is a depressant to our nervous system and impacts our liver which is responsible for mood and emotions. Eat healthy meals throughout the day, especially proteins and fats.
Exercise. Find what you love and enjoy doing for at least 20 minutes daily. It can be walking, running, yoga, biking, or anything else that gets your body moving. In Chinese medicine, this movement moves your blood, your qi, or life force, improves hormonal balance, and helps clear your mind. As a practitioner, I prefer daily yoga. I notice a change in my balance and outlook when I miss my daily yoga session.
Get outside. In the winter months, it's hard to want to be outside! We tend to get a bit frozen in Colorado winters. We need 20 minutes of fresh air and sunshine to reconnect. The sunshine will help the body synthesize vitamin D, improve our immune system, and allow our bodies to absorb minerals and nutrients better.
Ground yourself. This is a way to energetically connect with yourself, your values, and your vision. It creates a sense of calm and peace, allowing the chaos and distractions to disappear.
Find a hobby or activity you love doing
Get outside, take off your shoes and let your feet connect to the earth
Breathe and meditate
Daily journaling
Practice the act of gratitude in the morning; first thing when you wake up, think of one thing you are thankful for, even if it seems "small" or simple
We are your support system.
Muscle Testing. Let's find the cause of your body's dysfunction, and instead of focusing on using pharmaceutical drugs, we use nature to support your body naturally.
Mind, Body, Spirit Release. Subconscious beliefs, hidden emotional triggers, and disconnection between your body and mind can happen. Ever feel like you can't connect with yourself or things you do just all of a sudden throw you off, even though you're the one doing them? Yeah, that's the disconnect we call (dis)resonance or dissonance. This energetic technique allows us to remove those trapped or stuck emotions to allow you to be able to move forward.
Hypothalamic Reset Technique. By "resetting" the brain, we can help improve how your body responds. Whether it is your body not connecting properly, inability to absorb nutrition, or even telling the body, "hey, it's okay to allow the serotonin to work, it's something we need, and we can use it."