Defeating Depression

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Defeating Depressionhttp://www.mercola.com/2002/nov/30/depression.htmOmega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, may hold the key to naturally easingdepression.In the past, studies have shown that in countries where large amounts offish are consumed, rates of depression are low as compared with countrieswhere little fish is consumed. This has led researchers to examine whetheromega-3 fats found in the fish are responsible for the decreased evidence ofdepression.One study followed patients with bipolar disorder. Half of the participantswere given fish oil tablets and the other half received a placebo. Afterfour months, half of those on the placebo had fallen into depression, butonly two out the 15 people given fish oil were depressed.Other studies have shown similar results indicating that omega-3 fatty acidsmay in fact relieve depression, and some psychiatrists are now recommendingthat their depressed patients increase their consumption of these fattyacids.In addition to its positive effects on depression, studies have linkedomega-3s with improved cardiovascular health, as well as shown them to be apotential prevention and treatment tool for certain cancers and inflammatoryconditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.Omega-3 fatty acids have also proved beneficial to the development ofbabies' brains; therefore, pregnant and breast-feeding women are encouragedto consume these fatty acids. However, eating fish as a source of omega-3scan be dangerous to pregnant mothers because of potentially high levels ofmercury in the fish.One side effect that may occur from consuming increased amounts of fattyacids through fish or fish-oil tablets is an increase in dyspepsia, orindigestion that may result in gas, though researchers point out that thishas been the only side effect discovered.Researchers noted that further studies need to be done to determine whetherpatients would benefit from an increase in omega-3s in combination withantidepressant drugs.ABC News September 17, 2002DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:document.write ( "E-mail to a friend" );E-mail to a friendThere are a number of studies that show that fish oils are associated withdecreased depression.If this subject interests you, I highly recommend Dr. Stoll's book TheOmega-3 Connection. He is a Harvard psychiatrist who has done a great job ofcompiling the evidence supporting the use of fish oils for depression.It is important to recognize that I no longer recommend taking fish oil incapsule form. Ideally, fish oil should be consumed in a liquid form, as thenthere is no gelatin capsule to digest. Using high quality oil is essentialto ensure that the product is pure and fresh, though it can be hard tolocate a good brand in stores. I now offer Carlson's brand cod liver oil andfish oil on this site. Carlson's is the only brand that I offer, as I havetried several varieties and found that it is of superior quality.The dose for both the cod liver or plain fish oil liquid is about oneteaspoon for every 50 pounds of body weight per day. So, if you weigh 150pounds that would be about one tablespoon (three teaspoons) per day. This isthe equivalent of 15 typical fish oil capsules. This is a good initial dosefor most people, but if you notice any belching or repeating it is likelyyour gallbladder is not digesting the fish oil properly and you may need totake a high potency enzyme with plenty of the fat digesting enzyme lipase.If you continue to have nausea with the fish oil, it is probably wise toactivate the Listen to Your Body Principle and avoid the fish oil until youcan be evaluated by a competent natural health care practitioner.Many people are confused about the difference between fish oil liquid andcod liver oil. It helps to consider cod liver oil as fish oil Plus. It isthe same as fish oil, but it has natural vitamin D and A. For most of us,during the winter this becomes an important consideration as we don'treceive enough sun exposure to generate the vitamin D we need to provide uswith all the health benefits vitamin D has to offer.If you are unsure about your vitamin D levels, you should have themmeasured. Ideally, everyone should. If you overdose on vitamin D you canactually cause osteoporosis and hardening of your arteries as it causes areverse effect. Unfortunately, very few physicians offer this test.A recent study highlighted another reason for pregnant women to supplementtheir diets with fish oil. (J Affect Disord 2002 May;69(1-3):15-29) Thestudy showed that mothers transfer DHA, a fatty acid found in fish oil, totheir fetuses to support optimal neurological development during pregnancy.If the woman doesn't receive enough DHA, she runs the risk of developingsevere postpartum depression.