Did you know:
- Depression is the top cause of disability worldwide. It will be, or already is, the top cause of disability in America.
- Around 40 million Americans have a diagnosable anxiety disorder.
- There are 60,000 overdoses in the opioid crisis.
- There were 40,000 suicides last year.
- 1 in 6 Americans take some kind of psychiatric drug, mostly antidepressants.
- The most dangerous illness for you and your family isn’t cancer or heart disease, its depression.
- Depression is more prevalent, easier to get, and unfortunately, more lethal.
This is not normal.
– Depression & Anxiety, EPISODE 5, The Broken Brain; Dr. Mark Hyman
As mentioned in last month’s blog, I’m starting a series on brain health. It’s always fascinating to me how the universe delivers things to you.
I decided in December, to focus my blogs on brain health in the New Year. Shortly after this decision, an email arrived advertising a series by Dr. Mark Hyman, entitled The Broken Brain; I immediately signed up and found the information both scary and empowering.
For those of you who know me or have worked with me, you know my work approach is holistic based. Meaning, I have never seen the brain as a separate aspect from the body. In fact, I look at the body as the storehouse for the subconscious beliefs that influence health and behavior.
The doctors and experts in The Broken Brain series are supporting this concept that the healing of our brains and bodies needs to be viewed from a whole system perspective, not as separate systems.
In other words, everything is connected, hence the name Connection Point Coaching! ☺
So, is there hope for our ability to heal depression and anxiety in our society?
First, keep in mind that mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual issues can contribute to the rise of depression. I always remind clients that there are multiple paths to explore on their healing journey.
However, science is finding one factor in particular that has a huge influence on your risk of becoming depressed or anxious, and that lies in what you choose to eat!
According to Dr. Hyman, diets high in sugar and starch and low in fat, along with all the processed foods, are extremely harmful. Studies conducted by the NIH (National Institute for Health) show us that refined Omega 6 fats from processed oils not naturally found in nuts, seeds, and food have been linked to depression, homicide, suicide, violence, and even poverty. So, perhaps we are underestimating the impact of food on our mood!
My goal in sharing this information with you is not to promote any particular diet or lifestyle, but rather to keep you informed and aware. The cost to businesses and our society as a whole is substantial when you look at the statistics presented at the beginning of the blog, but don’t lose hope. You can influence this in a positive way as you become more informed.
Remember, knowledge is power, and we all need to become advocates of our own health! Stay informed; make decisions that feel right for you. If you don’t feel what you’re doing to improve your health is working, take action and explore other options.
In the next blog, I will explore some statistics on ADD and Autism.
In the meantime, if you are looking for an inexpensive and simple way to lower your stress level…and by the way, stress is one of the other major factors that influence depression…check out my Distress Less audio program. It provides simple actions you can take on a daily basis to lower your stress.
Distress Less Program
This is a simple yet thorough program that breaks down the physiological and psychological impacts of stress and provides simple and effective techniques to apply daily to take control of your stress.
Stress is a common condition that is created from a triggering stimulus. The triggering stimulus can be internal or external; the result however is a change in the chemical balance of the body. This chemical change compromises health and performance both physically and mentally. This program quickly and easily teaches you how to change that chemical process so that the body can return to a state of homeostasis and perform at peak levels.
Distress Less is a four module series complete with worksheets and recordings. Below is a brief overview. Each module is around 20 minutes or less.
Module One clarifies the two different types of stress and provides a stress self analysis quiz and a body scan exercise to recognize stress triggers.
Module Two explains the stress activation process in the brain and how this impacts the autonomic the nervous system.
Module Three explores the affect of thoughts on stress and how breathing can turn on or off the fight/flight/freeze reaction of the nervous system.
Module Four looks at how stress can become an addiction and provides a quick and simple stress management tool to train the brain to better manage stress
