Mental Health

Occasionally feeling upset is a natural part of life, but most of the time we're able to snap out of it on our own or with the help of someone who's close to us. When the feeling of unhappiness becomes severe, (lasting for days, weeks, or even months), it can affect everything that's important to you, including your health.

Depression - Symptoms

It's important to familiarize yourself with the signs of depression. Some of the most evident symptoms include:

Debilitating sadness
Frustration
Irritability
Loss of interest in daily activities
Becoming increasingly isolated
Diminished libido
Extremes in sleep habits such as excessive sleeping or insomnia
Severe appetite changes that lead to either significant weight loss or weight gain
Trouble concentrating
Loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness
Feelings of hopelessness
Suicidal thoughts

Causes of Depression

Some of the physical causes of depression include:

Physical changes in the brain
Neurotransmitter imbalances. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals in your brain that help control everything from body functions to your mood
Hormone imbalances
Prescription drugs such as blood pressure medications or sleeping pills
Hypothyroidism

Some of the social factors that contribute to depression are:

Low self esteem
Excessive pessimism
Not having enough close friends to share your thoughts and feelings with
Having family members or friends with depression
Traumatic events in your life such as financial hardships, relationship problems, or the death of a loved one
Trauma that occurs during childhood including the death of a loved one or some form of abuse whether it's physical, sexual, or emotional
Alcohol, nicotine, or drug abuse

Treatment of Depression

Depression can be treated effectively with bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, also known as BHRT. Conventional HRT uses synthetic versions of hormones that are similar, but not exactly the same, as those your body produces naturally.

BHRT provides hormones such as melatonin, cortisol and DHEA that are chemically identical to those that occur naturally in your system.

Some other common forms of depression treatment are:

Psychological evaluations
Antidepressant medication
Psychotherapy / talk therapy
Support groups

Get Help Now

No one should have to live with the crippling sadness and frustration of depression. Imbalanced hormones may be responsible for your depression. If you're struggling, please call (813) 333-5593 or request more information online.

Mood Disorders

Neurotransmitters are molecules made out of amino acids that serve as the chemical messengers of the nervous system. They transmit information between the brain and the organs to control vital functions such as breathing and heart rate. Neurotransmitters are also involved in our cognitive functions such as thinking and memory, and can affect our emotions or sleep.

There are a number of factors that can diminish our body's supply of neurotransmitters. These include:

Chronic stress
Diet
Neurotoxins
Genetics

Symptoms of Mood Disorders

Since neurotransmitters play a vital role in the way our brain interacts with our immune, endocrine, digestive, and nervous systems, a depleted supply can lead to a host of problems. People suffering from a neurotransmitter imbalance may experience:

Mood swings
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
Irritability
ADD
ADHD
Stress
Anxiety
Difficulty concentrating
Memory decline
Sleep disturbances
Headaches
Weight issues
Fatigue
Decreased sex drive
Hormonal imbalance
Digestive troubles

Treatment of Mood Disorders

In recent years, technology has advanced to a point where doctors can now measure the level of neurotransmitters in your system. These tests can include the monitoring of chemicals such as:

Serotonin
Dopamine
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid)
Histamine
Glutamate
Glycine
Phenylethylamine

Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters are brain neurochemicals, messengers that transmit signals from one cell (presynaptic cell) to another cell (postsympatic cell). There are neurotransmitters known as Norepinephrine and epinephrine that excite the brain. Taurine, Gaba, L-theonine, melatonin are all neurotransmitters that:

Inhibit or slow down the brain, there are neurotransmitters that help with memory known as acetycholdine.
Serotonin helps with overall well-being and decreases food cravings.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter

When there is depletion of any of these neurotransmitters certain parts of the brain that control memory, sleep, sexual pleasure, hunger and appetite are affected.

Unfortunately, drugs like Zoloft, Xanax, Ambien, and many others only concentrate the neurotransmitter level at the synapse. They do not make or restore neurotransmitter levels at the presynaptic cell. That is why eventually those medications lose their efficacy. Once those medications begin to loose efficacy doctors are lead to increase the dosage of medications. All this does in the long run is cause side effects.

Neurotransmitters are made up of specific amino acids. These amino acids need vitamins and minerals to work with certain enzymes to convert them to neurotransmitters some vitamins and minerals needed are B3, B6, Vitamin C to aid in Tryptophan (amino acid). It is easy to see that we are deficient in certain amino acids or vitamins we are not going to get production of serotonin and eventually melatonin. Which are two very important neurotransmitters presented in depression or insomnia.

Unfortunately poor diet, gastrointestinal disease, medications, toxins and stress prevent optimal digestion and absorption of amino acids and vitamins. Therefore many people have large nutrient deficiencies causing deficiencies in hormones and neurotransmitters. Supplementing with the right amino acids and nutrients will greatly improve your health by bringing levels to a normal range in a natural way.

Erin and her team at Evolution can accomplish this by spending ample time with patients. This allows him to order the appropriate diagnostic, test to find your deficiencies. With accurate diagnostic testing you save both time and money, by buying supplements they do not require from websites and or health food stores. Erin will take away the guessing or trial and error game and make you feel optimal in the shortest amount of time.