Could There Be A Relationship Between The Imbalance In The Iron Status And Clinical Depression?

Discussing Body Iron is difficult and no single indicator or combination of indicators is ideal for the assessment of iron status in all clinical circumstances.

Each indicator may be affected by a variety of conditions including infection, inflammation. Liver disease and malignancy, and these factors must be considered in interpreting laboratory investigations.

Iron is very important for sustaining good health. Iron deficiencies can cause fatigue and make us more susceptible to viruses, cancer and a variety of degenerative conditions.

Likewise, iron excess or alteration in the iron-binding capability resulting in free, unbound iron carries the potential for causing or aggravating all diseases, infections, cancers and toxicities.

Therefore is it necessary that we do not only strive to both acquire adequate amounts of iron and rid ourselves of excess iron, and that every effort is made to bind and properly escort iron from the moment it enters the body until it exits. In addition, binding and escorting iron is particular important during the detoxification process.Otherwise, the many benefits iron provide are easily overshadowed by its toxicity.

Iron is essential to life, because of its unique ability to serve as both an electron donor and acceptor. But iron can also be potentially toxic. Iron's ability to donate and accept electrons means that if iron is free within the cell, it can catalyze the conversion of hydrogen peroxide into free radicals. And free radicals can cause damage to a wide variety of cellular structures, and ultimately kill the cell.

To prevent that kind of damage, all life forms that use iron bind the iron atoms to proteins. That allows the cells to use the benefits of iron, but also limit its ability to do harm.

Many proteins are enzymes that catalyze biochemical reactions, and are vital to metabolism.

The words protein, polypeptide, and peptide are a little ambiguous and can overlap in meaning.

Protein is generally used to refer to the complete biological molecule in a stable conformation, whereas peptide is generally reserved for a short amino acid oligomers often lacking a stable 3-dimensional structure. However, the boundary between the two is ill-defined and usually lies near 20-30 residues.

Polypeptide can refer to any single linear chain of amino acids, usually regardless of length, but often implies an absence of a defined conformation

The iron withholding mechanism occurs naturally at the onset of every healthy, acute inflammatory response. Given full recognition to the natural defence mechanism of iron withholding allows health professionals to be far more effective when building immunity, treating people for cancer, iron deficiency, inflammation, excessive tiredness, memory decline or depression.

The risk in amplified when laboratory testing is inadequate; typical of many insurance driven health plans. Similarly, there is risk in supplementing iron where the decision to supplement is based solely on a low serum iron reading.

To give an example, when in the chemistry it shows up that a person has low serum iron, an elevated to high Transferrin Iron Binding Capacity and a low Transferrin Saturation, this is an indicator that there is free iron. It also indicates that there is a Copper Deficiency.

Cerruloplasmin is a specialized copper-rich protein that enters the Ferritin molecule to free iron, so it can be attached to transferrin.

This is a pretty good marker, when it gets elevated, of a copper deficiency. Remember that the Cerruloplasmin is the copper bound protein or protein bound copper is the compound that pulls the iron out of the ferritin cage, puts it out on to the transferrin leash and attaches it to the leash.

If the Cerruloplasmin are not there then of course you can have a lot of transferrin in the serum without the iron molecules being attached to the leash.

Each one of these transferrins has two hooks on them so you can put two irons on each leash but if the copper is not there, if you are deficient and can't make the Cerruloplasmin, what happens Transferrin Iron Binding Capacity rises because you don't have iron actually attached to enough of the transferrins.

When there is free iron, this also indicates that the iron is not bound to the protein. One of the consequences of the depleted amino acids pool is that this has an impact on the neurotransmitters.

Therefore it could be helpful to access the iron status as discussed and the amino acid pool.

The diagnosis of Clinical Depression could be dealt with an additional different protocol, which might lead to better outcomes.

By identifying the markers for disturbed iron status and assisting you in developing a comprehensive strategy for achieving a healthy iron status your risk of all disease and toxicity and infection are lessened.

In addition to accurately measuring iron levels, strategies for restoring iron balance need to take into account many factors.

1. Maintaining a healthy intestinal mucosa

2. Sustaining adequate protein levels

3. Sustaining and aerobic versus anaerobic metabolism

4. Achieving a state of alkalinity versus acid stress

5. Maintaining a healthy cytochrome P450 system to rid the body of organic solvents and other toxins that may hinder protein-iron binding

6. Establishing a diet rich in whole eggs and cultured dairy for individuals with a tendency towards free iron, iron overload.

7. Recommending a phlebotomy program for those confirmed with iron overload.

Transferrin, lactoferrin, lactoglobin and ovotransferrin are iron-binding proteins.

Transferrin, the only commonly measured iron-binding protein that is synthesized by the body, is readily taken up by receptors of both healthy cells and cancer cells.

Lactoferrin and lactoglobin, derived from dairy foods, plus ovotransferrin (conalbumin) from eggs binds tightly to free iron.

Bipolar Disorder Manic Depression - A Closer Look and Why You Should Get Help From Professionals

Interestingly enough, in the United States, people tend to view depression as a sign of personal weakness; in which case, I would like to pose a question about how they would view someone that suffers from bipolar disorder manic depression.

I mean, you can see the depression when it's there, and you can also see the mania when it comes about. Ask yourself that question, "is this person, a sufferer, a weak-minded person, or just the victim of circumstance - a victim of a disease?"

Be under no illusions about the reality of the situation, bipolar disorder with or without manic depression, is a disease. It is a serious disease of the mind, and nothing else. And like all diseases, there is a cause and a cure, even though we do not know what that cure really is at this time.

And about the cause, we can only tell at this time that it is related to regular depression, and the genes that the sufferer inherited from his or her parents. This is one fact you need to bear in mind about this mental condition that is plaguing many people today.

Psychiatrists and psychologists acknowledge bipolar disorder as a genuine malady of the mind, albeit caused by various factors, which plague regular humans. In this view, you need to understand that the best way to go about dealing with it is to get one of these professionals to help out. At least after a couple of sessions you may find out about the perfect medication for it. This is better than assuming or believing just what any person says.

Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and Depression

Outside the rain patters on the roof-tops, the sky is blanket shade of mid-grey and there is a distinct chill in the air.

There, doesn't that make you feel... well not so good.

As winter arrives the Northern hemisphere, many people feel more depressed as their mood starts changing. Some of us are only slightly affected, whilst some find their lives almost transformed, as if they are a different person in the winter time.

People who are very social and active in the summer time can find themselves becoming almost a recluse as winter bites, not having the energy or will to go out much.

This depression causing phenomena has become known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in psychology circles.

Whilst depression is frighteningly common, it is not always easy to diagnose and treat. The reason being that it is not 'one thing' to all people, and it does not have a single cause. Even within one person, it may have different shades and come from several causes which combine to create the problem.

The main cause of this winter depression is thought to be the reduced sun light during the winter months, due to the shorter and often cloudy days.

So, what can be done about it?

Here are some suggestions on what can often help sufferers of SAD:

Buy a light box:

These are sun light substitutes, and the idea is that you sit in front of them whilst reading (for example) for 20 minutes or more per day.

People often report feeling better within 2 weeks of using them.

Stay Warm:

This may seem self-evident, but keeping your body temperature up during the cold weather can also help.

Winter Vacations:

If you can get away to a sunny and warm place during the winter, this helps break the cycle.

Regular Exercise:

You may not feel like it, but doing regular exercise boost your metabolism.

Reduce Your Carbohydrate Intake:

Cut down on the things you crave, which often accompany SAD., as are just temporary fixes to make you feel better.

Reduce Stressful Activities:

If you have less energy and enthusiasm, then take on less in the winter months.

Sleep Less:

There is often a craving to sleep longer and more often with SAD, almost as if you go into semi-hibernation. Unfortunately, this sleep is seldom refreshing, so cut it down.

Counselling:

You may find this supportive.

Move Somewhere Sunny:

Sounds a bit drastic, but if you are severely affected by SAD, this may be an option to consider.

Reference/Source:

For full details on SAD and what you can do about depression caused by SAD, I recommend Dr. Rosenthal's excellent book: Winter Blues, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder

St John's Wort

The herb St John's Wort which is considered to be one of the most effective over the counter anti-depressants.

Here are some key points about St John's Wort:

1. First and foremost it is an anti-depressant
2. Since depression has such a wide variety of symptoms, it can make it appear more of a cure-all than it really is. Hence, people can end up treating their depression, without realizing they have it
3. It has fewer side-effects than older medicinal anti-depressants, and some of the more modern ones. In fact, it has few if any side-effects.
4. It is very effective at treating milder forms of depression, but may well not be enough for more serious forms
5. As with all drugs, it is not effective for all people all of the time. Given the range of depression's symptoms, this is hardly surprising.
6. Longer term treatments help protect against relapses
7. It can help to suppress symptoms, and prevent the complications of no treatment
8. The risk of self-treatment is that it can bury problems that really require more help
9. Clinical test support the view that St John's Wort is effective with milder forms of depression. It can also be effective with dysthymia (longer term mild depression). It is not for severe depression (at least on its own).

For a more extensive discussion this subject, clinical tests and other popular herbs try this book: Herbs for the Mind, by Davidson and Connor.

穢 David R. Durham.

Success Secret - Happiness Is A Choice

People search for keys to success. Some say it is all about hard work, some attribute success to patience and perseverance, some simply credit it all to destiny. Perspectives differ but everyone agrees that success doesn't come easy.

But one misconception many people have about success is about its relation to happiness. That success leads to happiness is a common belief. And one can say it is a myth.

Success does not necessarily lead to happiness. You can have all the success, fame and riches you desire and still not be happy with what you have. Happiness does not come from abundance or opulence. Happiness is essentially a state of mind and rather than success being a cause for happiness, one can say, happiness is always a cause for success.

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen"

~ Elizabeth Kubler Ros

Happiness is a choice. You can be happy no matter what the circumstances are. The biggest struggles of life, the deepest pains, and toughest challenges do not have the power to tear you away from choosing to be happy despite everything. You may say this is impossible. How can one remain happy in the midst of pain?

You can if you approach pain with a positive attitude, as an obstacle or challenge which has been put in your path to test your resilience and stoicism, you will be able to face it square on rather than let it climb all over you and drown you in depression.

It is all a matter of your own thoughts

Happiness is not something that depends upon another person or situations either. You have the power to create things that make you happy. Many difficult or sad situations arise every now and then. It is all up to you how you choose to feel on any given day.

For instance, if you are handling too many responsibilities, your success in fulfilling each one of them will depend on how you balance the various responsibilities and approach each one as per its importance. If you let yourself become confused, hassled and disorganized, the problems that are actually opportunities in work clothes will seem all too difficult to handle. The opportunities will slip past you, and you will just be looking at the problems and not what's behind them. It is not important how you look at things but what you see there.

Turn your mind towards positive thinking. Decide to finish the jobs according to priorities, spare a few moments to absorb the beauty that surrounds you, count your blessings, and read some inspirational messages. Create your own happiness.

Remember, the amazing thing about life is that, you choose what you allow into it. You choose how things affect you, you choose how you react. Happiness is a Choice. Make it. Keep smiling!

Anxiety Depression Syndrome

Anxiety depression syndrome won't discriminate according to sex, age, race or religion. Anyone can get it but not everyone takes the all too important steps to get treatment for the condition. While women are more likely to struggle with the condition, men can too, but women usually recognize that something is wrong enough that they need help. Many men try to work through it on their own and are slower to seek assistance.

The trouble begins when people try to pass what they're experiencing off as being normal even when the feelings linger. It isn't uncommon to have a wide swing in emotion - from sadness to joy, from anxiety to feeling blue.

What separates a more serious condition from the normal is when the feelings just won't go away. If you have a life event and you feel stuck in that event or you battle a depression that sticks with you, it's not likely to go away all on its own. If that sounds like something you or a loved one has in your life right now, it's time to make an appointment with the doctor.

Some people don't want to seek help for anxiety depression syndrome because they think it'll make people think they have a mental disorder or it means they 'can't handle' their problems. Suffering from this syndrome does not mean you have a mental disorder nor does it mean that your problems are more than you can take.

It only means that at this point in life, your body isn't up to speed enough to handle what's going on. There are so many factors that play a part in causing the syndrome that there's no reason to fault yourself. You don't know that the condition wasn't brought on by a health problem, which is why it's imperative to see the doctor.

Physical results of living with this chronic condition untreated can vary from person to person. They can also appear in random order, a few at a time or all at once. Some of the main symptoms of the condition are tension throughout the body, insomnia, shaking, painful headaches and an overall feeling of illness. Most people know what anxiety is and they know what depression is. What exactly does it mean when you have this combined syndrome?

The word syndrome means that things are happening at the same time. It's all the symptoms that go hand in hand with a disease or a condition. Anxiety depression syndrome has different symptoms that can let you know if you might have the condition.

One of the main hallmarks for this is when a person persists in a state of worry even when there's nothing to worry about. It can be fear and anxiety with no foundation under it. Just because the fear and anxiety can be for things that haven't happened does not mean that what you feel isn't real.

What Can You Do?

Your physician or your mental health professional will of course advise you about medical and cognitive or emotional health issues. And there are some things you can do on your own which can impact the anxiety depression syndrome.

If you have been following the brain fitness discoveries at all in the last two years, then you have seen the words neurogenesis and neuroplasticity.

Neurogenesis refers to the growth of new neurons on a daily basis, which no one knew we human's could do even 15 years ago, and neuroplasticity refers to the connections neurons make when they learn something new. Those new connections can happen within moments of the exposure, so it turns out that the brain is much more dynamic than we knew, and that dynamism can be encouraged, should encouraged every day by living a brain fit lifestyle.

When I live a brain fit lifestyle, I will be building the internal platform which will equip me to handle the anxiety depression syndrome.

What are the pillars of brain fitness?

Physical exercise, nutrition including lots of omega 3 fatty acid and antioxidants, getting good sleep, stress management, and novel learning experiences.

If you want to check out an excellent guide, then please read Brainfit for Life by Simon Evans,Ph.D. and Paul Burghardt,Ph.D. The good news is that the intensity of your physical exercise, for example, does not have to be of Olympic caliber.

However your attention to the pillars does have to be daily to garner the best results.

Not sure about you, but I can give muster up the commitment to do some exercise, and some online computerized brain fitness programs, for example, if it makes my brain bigger.

Bigger is better when it comes to brains, as far as I am concerned. And I do want to make some recommendations as far as stress management and computerized brain fitness programs go.

I have used a heart rate variability biofeedback program for 11 years with hundreds of clients and excellent results and I love the brain fitness programs I have linked to below. They have helped make this 62 year old brain larger, with better attention, and less forgetfulness.

So you can counteract the anxiety depression syndrome by taking care of your brain.

Health Insurance For Someone With Pre-Existing Conditions

If you have you been rated up or declined for health insurance it's probably because you have a pre-existing condition.

Thousands of uninsured, underinsured and uninsurable individuals are facing serious health issues like heart disease, heart attack, diabetes, cancer, stroke, liver disease, AIDS, pregnancy, depression and kidney disease. Any of these pre existing conditions can cause them to be declined for health coverage. Today, you may even be declined if you are over-weight.

It's a real challenge obtaining health insurance for someone with pre existing conditions. However, before we get ahead of ourselves, here are some questions we need to address.

What is a pre-existing condition?

A pre-existing condition is any injury or sickness for which diagnosis has been made, treatment has been recommended, treatment has been rendered, or expenses have been incurred within a set amount of months prior to the effective date of coverage (usually 3, 6 or 12 months and this can vary by state). It includes any condition manifesting itself in symptoms which would cause a prudent person to seek medical advice.

What is a pre-existing condition exclusion period?

Insurance companies try to discourage people from waiting until they get sick to purchase medical insurance. This is accomplished by imposing what is known as a preexisting condition exclusion period. This simply means, if you have a medical problem which exists at the time you purchase insurance, the insurer will deny the claims pertaining to that medical problem for a certain period of time.

The rules governing preexisting condition exclusion periods in individual health policies vary widely from state to state and are very much different from the rules of an employer-sponsored plan. If you have or recently have had health coverage, you may be able to apply this creditable coverage to offset a preexisting condition exclusion period.

Why all the hoopla over a pre-existing condition?

The biggest stumbling block with private individual medical insurance is the problem with preexisting conditions. Plain and simple... insurance companies don't like preexisting conditions. They know in the long run... it will cost them more money to insure you. Frankly, insurers prefer to insure people who are not very likely to need the insurance.

But stop and think! Who doesn't have some kind of health or medical issue? It may be something as simple as asthma or as complex as cancer. Some pre-existing conditions can be managed and these individuals can live a relatively healthy and normal life.
Yet, insurers can and do turn down "high risks" individuals for coverage because of an existing or previous illness. Even if coverage is found, the premiums charged are often unaffordable. Sometimes the individual may end up with a modified policy paying more because of their medical history or having to take a policy that excludes their pre existing conditions.

Are there things I can do to get healthcare coverage?

Here are some choices for obtaining health coverage. See if any apply to your situation.

(1). Employer-sponsored group health plan

(2). Join a professional organization (e.g. Chamber of Commerce)

(3). Individual health insurance

(4). State risk pool (if one exist in your state)

(5). Discount health cards

(6). Guaranteed Issue Health Insurance

Whether covered by insurance or by some other means, the total cost of health insurance for someone with pre existing conditions is high enough to dramatically impact that person's lifestyle.

Today it is important for all of us to lead a healthy lifestyle. However, if you already have a preexisting condition that is keeping you from getting affordable health coverage, you should investigate the 6 options listed above to see which would work best for you.

I Have Depression! - Simple Natural Treatment Options for the Condition

Are you suffering from depression? If your answer to the question is yes I have depression, then you must be worried on the next step that you should take. Before you determine your next move, it would be important to be sure that what you have is really depression.

Depression is a mental disorder. Patients suffering from this condition have imbalanced brain chemicals and also show abnormal brain functionality.

There are four types of depression.

Major depression- A patient with major depression may experience; low moods, loss of interest in activities that he used to enjoy, low levels of energy, loss of appetite, restlessness, difficulty in making decision and concentrating, guilt, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts among other feelings.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)- patients with this type of depression experience milder symptoms as compared to those with major depression. In most circumstances, the condition may arise from chance in seasons for example experiencing longer nights during winter.

Post Partum Depression- This condition affects mothers and it is common some times after giving birth. The patient experiences the common symptoms of depression. However this condition last for a short time and then it goes away.

Dysthymia- Symptoms of dysthimia are similar to those of major depression. However, the symptoms will become milder with time. This condition may last for up to 2 years.

If you are saying that "I have depression" you may want to know what triggered the condition. Depression may be triggered by an illness, change in season as well as external factor such as divorce or grief.

When you realize that you are suffering from depression, it is best if you seek medical help immediately. There are many medications available for depression patients. However, it is important to note that most of the medicines available may leave you with severe side effects. For this reason, many people may choose to seek natural treatments for this condition.

Simple natural treatments for depression

The first way to deal with depression is through improved nutrition. This treatment option not only will it improve your physical health but will also boost both emotional and mental health.

The treatment involves modification of the diet which includes amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Amino acids play a vital role in neurotransmission. If depression was resulting from deficiency of minerals and vitamins, supplementing your meals with these nutrients will relieve such depression symptoms.

St John's wort is an herb that is popular in dealing with depression. This herb has many active ingredients such as; xanthones, phloroglucinols, naphthodianthrones, proanthocyanidins and flavonoids. This herb has been found to be very effective in the treatment of depression in its moderate and mild stages.

Ginkgo extract is also very effective in treating depression. It is mostly used to certain types of depression that are resistant to anti-depressant drugs. This is the reason why many medical researchers are focusing on this herb in their pursuit to find the best cure for depression.

If you were scared to say that I have depression, you must be happy after learning that there are simple and easy natural remedies for the condition. Don't just sit there and wait for the depression to go away, take action and seek appropriate treatment.