Alternative Mental Health Solution

Functional Nutrition for Mental Health

You probably learned somewhere along the way that mental health symptoms like anxiety or depression are caused by a 'chemical imbalance' that’s fixed by taking psychiatric medication.

Maybe you got this idea from advertising that blankets the media or from one of the doctors who you've seen for help...

Sometimes antidepressants or other medication help dramatically, but often things are a bit more complex.

There are actually dozens of common root physical causes of mental health symptoms and unless you figure out what the specific causes are for your symptoms, you will likely struggle with unresolved issues for years.

Some common physical causes of mental health symptoms are:

-Nutritional deficiencies like vitamin D, B12, B6, magnesium or Zinc

-Imbalances in neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine or GABA

- Methylation issues

- Hypothyroidism

- Candida or bacterial infections

- Hypoglycemia

- Food allergies

- Chronic inflammation

- Heavy metals

- Adrenal fatigue

- Fatty acid imbalances

- Autoimmunity

But by no means are these all the causes.

And in all likelihood, your mental health issues are not being caused by the same factors as your friends’, so figuring out the specific cause can be invaluable!

The really interesting thing is that, with the right information about your unique biochemistry, you can develop a targeted action plan involving diet, supplements, stress management, exercise and other lifestyle interventions to address your specific issues.

So, if you've been on medication for a while and are still having symptoms, it’s likely you haven’t addressed all of the root causes.

But, the good news is that there are tools to help you figure it out.

This is where Functional Nutrition comes in.

It’s a new way of thinking that uses targeted functional lab testing to identify the key biochemical factors driving your symptoms.

Since research has identified a list of the common physical causes of mental health issues, we have a pretty good idea of where to start looking. It’s only when these usual suspects don’t turn up do we dig deeper.

As a mentor of mine, Dr. Charles Gant says:

“Unless you test, you’ve guessed.”

The main question I had when I was first introduced to this information was:

“Why isn’t every mental health clinician working this way?”

Ten years later I am still asking that question, but am so happy that more and more of this information is getting through to the people that need it.

If you are ready to find and address the root causes of your mental health symptoms, click here to learn more about setting up an initial phone or Skype case review with me.