Depression

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Depression

_http://www.newtreatments.org/depression_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/depression)

 

 

One out of 20 people is depressive

 

A depression is horrible. It's not possible for friends to imagine how it

feels. All pleasure and joy are being sucked out of a depressive person. If

it's not treated well, it can eventually even suck out the person's life.

 

 

It's very common in the Western world. Every moment, about 1 out of 20

people (5% of the population) are depressive. Please note that a depression is

nothing like the ocassional temporary moments of feeling bad after

problems in your life. In healthy people good and bad experiences and feelings

come and go. In depressive people, on the other hand, these bad feelings keep

on lasting for indefinite times. During these periods, the depressed person

isn't able to enjoy any facet of life.

 

 

Depressions often seem to be caused by stress. Especially in cases where

members of the familily or close friends have just died or because of

situations at work. Fysical stress might also be the direct trigger. In this

article, you will learn through which mechanisms stress can cause depression

and, more important, how magnesium supplements can be used to overcome the

depression. This works in up to 80% of all depression cases.

 

 

Introduction

 

 

Please note that the discovery and the research was all done by George

Eby. This article is just a short summary of his findings. Please read his

full, wonderful article and his testimonial here: George Eby's site

_http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/203_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/203) .

 

 

Below are also some of my (Ed's) personal experiences: When I discovered

in 2001 that I suffered from a magnesium deficiency, I started to supplement

magnesium by taking magnesium-glycinate tablets. I was pleasantly

surprised by the broad range of effects this had on my health. I used to feel

really bad when I was hungry. After I started to use magnesium, I feel in my

stomach I'm hungry, but the feeling is restricted to my stomach. My mood isn't

affected anymore. After doing some experiments, I discovered I could even

manage without food for eight hours (Please note: I have _hypoglycemia_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/hypoglycemia) ).

 

 

My heart arhithmia problems disappeared instantly, my muscle spasms

disappeared, I was feeling much more positive and energetic. I enjoyed life

better and my sleep improved also. Fascinated by these impressive results, I

studied magnesium further.

 

 

Magnesium: A very essential mineral

 

 

I've studied many articles and studies. I learned that magnesium is a very

essential mineral in human health. The recomended daily dosage is 350 mg

per day. The western diet, alas, doesn't contain enough magnesium, only 200

mg at best. This is because we eat too many refined foods which are

deprived of essential minerals and because the vegetables grow on soil that

lacks

minerals. The FDA even wonders if they shouldn't _increase the recomended

daily dosage to 800-900 mg per day_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/285) .

 

 

High Carbohydrate diet can cause magnesium deficiency

Studies [_Barbagallo, Renick 1994_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/270) ] show that high blood

glucose levels causes the flushing of

different minerals, among which magnesium. Calcium, on the other hand, is not

affected. This poses a problem, because calcium is the antagonist of

magnesium. A mineral antagonist " fights " some other mineral, meaning that high

calcium levels will cause lower magensium levels. Check all mineral

interrelationships. After eating a high-carbohydrate diet for several years, a

magnesium deficiency will be inevitable. This won't show up on the blood

magnesium tests, because most magnesium is stored inside the cells,

intracellular.

 

 

A magnesium deficiency, hypomagnesemia, can cause many problems, among

which:

 

-- Hypoglycemia

-- Heart arhithmia, muscle spasms

-- Asthma and allergies

-- Headaches, migraine and depressions

 

 

Relation between hypomagnesemia and depression

 

 

Several studies show without doubt that there is a definite relation

between magnesium deficiency and depression

 

 

_Low magnesium status in patients that try to commit suicide_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/286)

Patients who had made suicide attempts (by using either violent or

nonviolent means) had significantly lower mean CSF magnesium level irrespective

of

the diagnosis.

 

 

_Ratio Calcium/Magnesium is significantly elevated in depressive patients_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/287)

Serum and CSF Ca/Mg ratios were found to be elevated in the depressed

patients compared with the controls

 

 

_Magnesium suppletion causes significant improvement in manic patients_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/288)

Ten patients with severe, therapy-resistant manic agitation received

magnesium sulphate infusions. Seven (of 10) patients showed a marked

improvement

in the Clinical Global Impression scale

 

 

Summarizing:

 

-- The Western Diet is very low in magnesium. This can easily cause a

magnesium deficiency

 

-- High carbohydrate consumption causes the flushing out of magnesium

 

-- In extremely depressed patients that try to commit suicide, the

magnesium levels are very low

 

-- The ratio Calcium/Magnesium is significantly elevated in depressed

patients This shows that it's important to not only measure the magnesium

levels, but also the calcium levels. A high Ca/Mg ratio means that there is

relatively more calcium than magnesium. Because of the antagonizing effects,

the magnesium levels don't even have to be low. Even when the magnesium

levels are normal, but the calcium levels are higher, this can cause a

functional magnesium deficiency and thus depression.

 

-- Magnesium suppletion causes marked improvement in condition of

depressed patients.

 

Rest of the translation follows soon

 

 

Depression: Not a psychological cause, but a physiological cause !

 

 

I dare to propose that most depressive people have a simple deficiency of

magnesium that causes their disease: A physiological cause instead of

psychological cause. If this is correct, all session with shrinks can be

considered worthless. A simple magnesium supplement can make the depression

disappear fully in only two days. It is however important to take the right

supplement, because there are many forms of magnesium and most of them are

absorbed very poorly or contain ingredients that acts as excitotoxins (poison

to

the neurons in your brain). The one and only effective supplement (until

now) is the Magnesium-glycinate supplement, produced by Carlson

Labaratories. Please don't use the Solgar's magnesium-glycinate supplement (no

offence,

Solgar has other great products), since it also contains considerate

amounts of calcium, which will act as an antagonist on magnesium.

 

 

The proof is in the eating

 

 

On George EbyEby's site _http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/203_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/ga/203) from Texas USA, you

will find his findings on using magnesium-glycinate for treating his severe

depression. Below some quotes:

 

With each meal I took 2 tablets, (400 mg elemental magnesium) totaling

1200 mg of elemental magnesium a day. Within a few days to a short week, I

felt remarkably better, my depression lifted noticeably....

 

.....Within a week to 10 days of starting magnesium, I felt close to being

well. So well, that my psychiatrist thought I looked better than he had

ever seen me....

 

..... As I improved, I lowered my dosage to find the best dose for me. I

lowered it too much and symptoms rapidly came back. Eventually, I stabilized

the dosage at four 200-mg elemental magnesium (as magnesium glycinate)

tablets a day. Four hundred mg is the RDA for magnesium for men.

 

 

My experiences

 

Like I wrote before, I also noticed a lift in mood whenever I used

magnesium-glycinate. When a friend told me he was falling in a deep black hole

(i.e. severe depression), I sent him a couple of magnesium-glycinate pills.

Within four days the depression had disappeared. He also discovered that

after stopping the magnesium supplementation, the depression stricked back at

him with a vengeance. He's currently on a daily dose of 800-1000 mg and the

depression hasn't returned since.

 

 

Another important factor: STRESS

 

 

Besides the causes you can read above, there is another possible cause of

a magnesium deficiency which then causes a depression: STRESS.

 

 

Physical (exhaustion, heat, cold, trauma, burns) and emotional (pain,

fear, excitation) stress cause the secretion of several hormones into the

blood. These hormones (adrenalin amongst others) cause the excretion of

magnesium. When this stress prolongs, a vicious cycle starts because a

magnesium

deficiency causes a greater release of hormones, which in turn cause a

greater excretion of magnesium. You get stressed easier and easier and more and

more magnesium gets excreted each time.

 

 

A good REM-sleep is important for recovery

Another vicious cycle: For good REM-sleep (Rapid Eye Movement, the deep

sleep in which the immune system recovers) magnesium is needed. And on the

other hand, Without a decent REM-sleep more magnesium is excreted (through

upset hormones because of lack of REM-sleep). A good tip is to use 400mg of

(elemental) magnesium-glycinate before sleep: This improves the REM-sleep.

 

 

Prevention

 

 

To prevent future depressions, we should try to thwart the causes: Below

is a review of the causes:

 

-- High Carbohydrate Consumption

-- Too low magnesium intake or too high calcium intake

-- Stress

 

 

Prevention

Try to decrease the amount of carbohydrates in the diet. Read here

_http://www.newtreatments.org/whatiswrong.php_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/whatiswrong.php) why carbohydrates are so

unhealthy. Also read the _the

hypoglycemia article_ (http://www.newtreatments.org/hypoglycemia) in which

the

dietary solution is shown. Especially worthwile if you suffer from

fluctuating blood sugars or diabetes.

 

 

Try to eat foods that contain relatively more magnesium and less calcium.

Check this for a quick overview: _Nutrient Investigator_

(http://www.scdiet.nl/nutrients.php?v18=on & v20=on & advsort=Magnesium/Calcium & as=)

and you can

also construct your own diet, using the _Diet Investigator_

(http://www.scdiet.nl/diet) . . Also check the list on George's site.

_http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html#stressrelief_

(http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html#stressrelief)

 

 

Also try to prevent stress situations. Try to find a less stress-full job.

Work ahead of time and work out backup plans in case your car fails, etc.

Yoga might be considered. Also check the stress-relief techniques on

George's site.

 

 

The connection with estrogen, the female hormone

 

 

Postnatal depression, depression during menopause and depression after

stopping the anti-conception pills all have the same cause. These three

situations have in common a decrease of estrogenvalues in the blood. After

pregnancy the estrogen levels decrease, during menopause the estrogen levels

decrease and after quiting the anti-conception pill the estrogen levels drop to

normal levels (during pregnancy and anti-conception they are increased).

 

Estrogen causes a higher absorption and use of magnesium and zinc.

Estrogen is normally associated with pregnancy. During pregnancy the body needs

more minerals en estrogen takes care of the higher absorption. The estrogen

enables a female to get just enough magnesium out of a low-magnesium diet.

When the estrogen levels drop, the magnesium absorption drops and

hypomagnesemia (magnesium deficiency) is the result. This can then cause a

severe

depression or diabetes or hypoglycemia or many other problems. The

anti-conception pill is often used to heal acne. Possibly this works because the

estrogen increases absorption of zinc, which is essential for a healthy skin.

 

 

George Eby's Rules for Success

 

 

After much e-mail correspondence with people not finding success with

" magnesium " as rapidly as they wanted, we (they working with me) have found

that their personal choices and long-standing dietary habits contributed to

failures. If the following rules for success were followed, success in

defeating magnesium-deficiency mental health problems was usually theirs:

 

-- _Use only non-toxic forms of magnesium, such as magnesium glycinate_

(http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html#caution) ,

 

-- _Terminate all calcium supplements and dairy_

(http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html#milk) for a few

months to a year,

 

-- _Do not consume neurotoxins, like glutamates, aspartates_

(http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html#glutamate) and

 

-- _Prevent diarrhea_

(http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html#tips) .

 

 

Please review each of the above links at least once.

 

 

This is what a bottle of Carlson Magnesium Glycinate looks like. You

should be able to find them at your favorite health food store. If you prefer

to

order Carlson's Magnesium glycinate, click this graphic of Carlson

Magnesium Glycinate to go to George Eby's order form. [ picture ]

 

 

Sources

 

90% of what's written down here, is taken from George Eby's site

 

_http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html_

(http://george-eby-research.com/html/depression-anxiety.html) .

The NewTreatments article only summarises George's wonderful work. The only

thing I've added is the relation with carbohydrate consumption and some

details on estrogen.

 

 

Studies

 

Overview of _studies regarding hypomagnesemia and depression_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypomagnesia/)

 

Overview of _studies regarding hypoglycemia_

(http://www.newtreatments.org/Hypoglycemia/)

 

 

 

Revision: May, 29th 2002, 2nd December, 30th 2002, Ed

 

 

Revision: May, 29th 2002, 2nd December, 30th 2002, Ed