Each day in doctor's offices across the country people present to their trusted
family docs with the same complaints: fear, anxiety, depression and in some cases
impending doom.
These are some of the words people have used to describe the very common
condition of clinical depression and anxiety disorder.
There are more subtle things too, mood swings feelings of loss, inability to
concentrate and my personal favorite word, "ahedonia", the inability to be
hedonistic or simply being unable to enjoy yourself or feel pleasure.
In my Internal Medicine practice this is definitely one of the top 3 conditions I
see on a regular basis.
I could give you plenty of theories as to why depression seems to be so common,
but let me play devil's advocate and say that I think we "expect" to be happy
when it may not always be possible.
I also think most of us do not know exactly where happiness comes from. In my
opinion happiness comes from living the kind of life that is in harmony with your
greatest inner needs. I am not going to explain that any further, I'll just let
you chew on that and see what you come up with.
Let's go back to the doctor's office for a second. The doctor now having heard
the patient's complaints most likely will recommend a class of drugs called
SSRI's and/or benzodiazepines. The two prototypical drugs in these classes are
Prozac and Valium.
There has been tons of press lately about the dangers of SSRI withdrawal leading
to an increase in suicidal behavior, especially in teenagers.
EVERY SINGLE DOCTOR OUT THERE has fostered and continues to foster benzodiazepine
addiction. Once started, these drugs are incredibly difficult to stop.
I personally have one patient who I have been weaning off a benzo for 7 years and
we are still not at the point where she can stop it yet.
That said I will say that there are some people who just function better on these
drugs than they ever would without them.
BUT, their numbers are small compared to the number of people who are taking
either or both of these classes of drugs.
One interesting observation: The amount of "discussion" about depression and the
number of new cases diagnosed can be directly linked to the advent of Prozac and
the armada of SSRI drugs that followed.
Prior to this depression was thought of as a "mental illness". Most people were
too embarrassed to talk about it. Now its cocktail conversation and yet another
reason to pop a
pill.
The number of Americans being treated for depression went up by 300% in the
decade after Prozac was introduced.
While I am all for the destigmatizing of medical illnesses, I do think a lot of
these cases are simple responses to highly stressful and uncertain lifestyles
that may not have needed prescription drugs to treat.
There are also some serious side effects to drugs as noted above. Some of the
less serious but equally debilitating side effects include erectile dysfunction
and low sex drive for both men and women.
This brings me to another point. If you are anything but comatose you've noticed
tons and tons of commercials about "E.D." erectile dysfunction.
Would you like to guess as to how many new cases of E.D. we have out there now
since Viagra tm has been introduced. Right a 300% increase!!!
Could it be that all of this drug company sponsored press is making people
believe that the only source of help for these problems comes in a little blue
pill?!!
Anger, Frustration, Depression, Sadness, Loneliness, lack of focus, and my
favorite "ahedoia" might just be healthy responses to unhealthy conditions in
your life THAT YOU NEED TO CHANGE INSTEAD OF POPPING A PILL TO MAKE THEM
TOLERABLE!!
And of course there are alternatives to prescription drugs. Lately I have been
accused by some readers of ramming the benefits of Fish Oil down people's throats
and "insinuating" that if you don't take it you'll get all kinds of diseases.
If insinuating means showing you the references and in some cases the actual
whole studies that prove that people are far more healthy who consume Omega 3
fatty acids from Fish Oil and really do get sick less and live longer healthier
lives, then I am going to continue to insinuate!
If I can help prevent one case of Alzheimer's Disease, or one suicide, or one
heart attack then I will have done my job!
In addition to the short term patch of a prescription drug, people who are
depressed should consider taking at least 6 grams of Pharmaceutical Grade Fish
Oil a day. Behavior therapy and various types of counseling are also useful to
address the issues that got the person there in the first place (most often some
other person!).
Fish Oil is safe to use with almost any other drug, and safe to use in pregnancy
and breast feeding AS LONG AS IT IS PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE!!, otherwise you are
exposed to a multitude of toxins such as mercury and lead etc.
Here is a dramatic and personal; story some of you might remember from the early
newsletters.
"Fish Oil Combats Depression and Mood Disorders"
She was a young women, I'll call her Alison. She has asked me not to
use her real name for reasons that will become obvious. All her life she had
suffered serious bouts of depression. After the birth of her latest child she
sank deeper than ever before. Those of you who have children know the time after
birth can be very difficult and demanding without the added burden of depression.
Alison was especially upset over the fact that she wanted to breastfeed her baby
but was unable to because the prescription anti-depressants she had to take
prohibited it. Unfortunately the drugs did little for her except make her sleepy
and gain weight. This only made her more depressed. Desperate and barely hanging
on she came to me for help.
She began taking my Pharmaceutical Grade fish Oil in the early spring of
this year. She kept on her prescription drugs at first. I did not hear from her
for a month or so and was getting concerned but I had heard from her friends that
she was feeling better. Not wanting to intrude on her life I held off calling
her. When I could stand it no longer, I reached for the phone to give her a call.
Call it Providence, ESP or thought waves, call it whatever but the phone rang
just as I reached for it. GUESS WHO! You're right, it was Alison.
I barely recognized her at first she sounded so different than when I had
first talked to her 2 months prior. Gone was the barely audible monotone I had
known as her voice. Instead, she sounded vibrant, confident, and full of life's
joy. She had gone back to the gym, was enjoying her new baby and the rest of her
family. She was excited about the fact that she could now breastfeed her baby.
She said. "I was so glad not to feel enslaved to that awful drug which did
nothing except make me fat, sleepy and poor!" She was even happier when I
informed her that supplementing her diet with fish oil was providing her baby
with essential nutrients needed for brain and eye development, and that she may
actually be making her baby smarter! Needless to say, she ordered a bunch more
Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil. In the next few weeks I heard from several people
Alison had sent my way in search of Dr Dave's Best Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil.
BUT, the story doesn't end there, although I wish it did. I did not hear
from Alison again for several months. I assumed she was doing fine. Then one day
I got another phone call. It was from the old Alison, the "pre fish oil one".
The life was gone from her voice and she had lost most of the ground she had
gained earlier. When I asked, "What happened to you Alison?, she told me a sad
but true story. Several of her family members and friends had convinced her that
no one could possibly do that well on just Fish Oil. Her well meaning but
misguided loved ones had her believing that her recovery was "all in her head"
and that she had simply gotten better on her own. She should stop taking the fish
oil altogether or at least get a cheaper store bought brand. Still not sure of
herself, she followed their advice. First, she got a cheaper store bought brand
and tried to take the 6 capsules a day that I had recommended. Within 2 days she
was burping and belching fish and her husband complained about her "fishy" odor.
That was all she needed to hear, so she quit altogether.
Not surprisingly, Alison slid back down the slippery slope of depression
again. Though she had been on my product 3 or 4 months it was not long enough to
prevent her backslide, and down she went. The day I received her call, I stat
mailed her order to her. Within 2 weeks, she was feeling much better. She is now
on my continuity program and receives 3 bottles of fish oil a month automatically.
Her family and friends have begrudgingly admitted to the benefits of fish
oil and several have also become continuity customers. One of them asked me why
the stuff was so expensive compared to "X-Mart" brand and catalogue versions. I
told him about the process we go through to make it Pharmaceutical Grade. This
assures the purity of the product. More importantly it removes all the toxic
heavy metals like lead, mercury and cadmium, all of which are found in store
bought "food grade" brands.
I told him that cheaper store bought brands are loaded with vitamin A which
has now been shown to accelerate osteoporosis at the hip. I told him that only
salmon liver oil is used in my product .It does not contain cod, mackerel, shark,
or tilefish like store bought brands do, all of which adds mercury and ammonia
accounting for most of the fishy taste side effect.
I also told him of the many patients who tried store and catalog brands and
were very disappointed when they did not get the same results they had on my
product. He then told me he had heard that flax seed oil was better. I reviewed
the studies with him.
I explained that there is some evidence in studies to link
Flax Oil with increased incidence of PROSTATE CANCER, and by virtue of similar
hormonal pathways, there should be some concern about breast cancer. I told him
that there have been far fewer studies showing the benefit of flax oil, or olive
oil for that matter than fro fish oil.
I also explained that while flax oil is an Omega 3 fatty acid, it is a short
chain compound. The human body requires long chain fatty acids. While flax oil
can be converted by the body to long chain, it is slow and very inefficient. In
short Flax seed oil is a poor source of Omega 3's for humans.
Finally just when I thought I had worn this guy down, he brought up a study
done in a famous consumer magazine which reported that most fish oil brands were
OK as far as purity and there was no reason for the cost differences. I then told
him that the levels of detection used in that study were so low and so poor that
pond scum could have passed for a pure product. My product is pure out to the
parts per billion! This is an order of magnitude greater than used by the
magazine.
He was still not convinced, I asked him to chew one of the capsules that he
could "steal" from Alison and compare it to the taste of one of the "X-brand"
capsules he had. He called the next day to order my product. He had nearly
vomited from the store bought variety and was tasting fish for hours. In the end
he wound up ordering a whole case of Marine Lipid Concentrate, every 3 months on
continuity.
And it doesn't stop there...
"Fish Oil may help Newborns become smarter!"
During my research I came across some astounding information about a study
done in Scotland on newborns. In this study mothers who were breastfeeding were
given Fish Oil supplements. Their children were followed through for several
years and their ability to solve problems was measured. Also measured was hand
eye coordination. Compared to non-supplemented children the supplemented group
did markedly better. Wouldn't that be a great benefit to your children: better
problem solving skills and better coordination?
So, now you've seen how Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil may benefit everyone
from the newborn to the elderly. Here is a short list of the many other benefits
that can be achieved with this amazing product that we haven't yet talked about.
(Be sure to sign up for the free newsletter and get the full story with all the
details.)
Here are a few references for you referring to fish oil and the treatment of
depression. Please read them before you join the "Prozac Nation"!
1: Midwifery Today Int Midwife. 2004 Spring;(69):26-31.
Omega 3 oils and pregnancy.
Gallagher S.
Women can safely commence omega 3 intake in early pregnancy to allow the full
benefits to be incorporated into the body. Pregnant women should consider the
intake of omega 3 oils and evening primrose oil throughout pregnancy in order
possibly to prevent preterm delivery, promote an easier birth, assist the baby's
brain and eye health and preprogram the baby's cell membranes for optimum
lifelong wellness. Benefits to the mother may include prevention of postnatal
depression and the comfort of knowing that she is giving her baby a healthy
start in life.
: Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2003 Sep;25(3):184-7.
Omega-3 fatty acids in mood disorders: an overview.
Young C, Martin A.
Child Study Center. Yale University School of Medicine. New Haven, Connecticut
06520-7900, USA. christopher.young@yale.edu
This review addresses the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in mood
disorders, from the biochemical rationale for their use to the growing body of
data supporting their clinical efficacy.
Publication Types:
1: Altern Med Rev. 2003 Nov;8(4):410-25.
Neurobehavioral aspects of omega-3 fatty acids: possible mechanisms and
therapeutic value in major depression.
Logan AC.
CAM Research Consulting, 13 Stonewall Court, Mahwah New Jersey 07430, USA.
aclnd@cfs-fm.org
Omega-3 fatty acids have been the subject of volumes of international research,
the results of which indicate these substances may have therapeutic value in a
number of medical conditions. An emerging area of research is examining the
neurobehavioral aspects of omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic,
eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic) and the critical role of these essential fats
in the functioning of the central nervous system. Investigations have linked
omega-3 fatty acids to a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, including
depression. The purpose of this article is to examine the possible mechanisms of
action and potential clinical value of omega-3 fatty acids in major depression.
A novel mechanism involving omega-3 modulation of cAMP response element binding
protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is proposed.
My friend I will say this much with all of the established benefits and the well
known safety of fish Oil, you owe it to yourself to see if it cannot improve your
mood, even if you are not clinically depressed. Best, Doc
Dave Woynarowski, M.D., CPT
The Nation's #1 Anti-Aging Physician
P.S. For the worlds best anti-aging supplements including Dr Dave's Best
Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil go here and order now.
Don't delay; you are not getting any younger, YET!
