May 3, 2012: May Showers,...

 Has it really been almost a month since I've posted?  Yikes!  Well I will have to get back on the ball!
It rained hard last night and this morning.  Now everything is so green and fresh!  

I must admit, I am having a wonderful time on vacation.  Yes, this is the start of the 2nd week of a two-week vacation to Wisconsin.  I love this part of the country.  The air is so clean.  It's just very peaceful.  This photo was taken at a state park - one of my favorite spots. 

So even though I am on vacation and technically not paying too much attention to my healthy habits, I have had an opportunity to attend a daylong seminar sponsored by the Institute for Brain Potential, titled Food for Thought: How Nutrients Affect Mental Health and the Brain.  The presenter was Dr. Michael Lara, Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.  His credentials include degrees from Harvard, Stanford, and UCLA School of Medicine.  The seminar was packed full of good information on nutrition, supplements, the cortisol/appetite/weight connection, blood sugar and the brain, etc. I will try to share some of this information on this blog over the next few weeks.

Neurotransmitters are those chemicals that communicate information between nerve cells.  They control many functions of our body, to include mood, memory, appetite, and the sleep-wake cycle.  Dr. Lara reviewed neurotransmitter function and talked a lot about nutrients that influence the key neurotransmitters identified as major players in mental health (serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine).  Norepinephrine and dopamine, for example, are thought to have an impact on attention.  Norepinephrine and serotonin both play a role in anxiety, impulse, and irritability.  Serotonin and dopamine together are thought to influence appetite, sexual drives and aggression.  All 3 of these neurotransmitters influence mood and cognitive function.  While psychopharmacology focuses on mimicking or altering the effects of these neurotransmitters, there are also natural ways to influence or mimic these neurotransmitters.  For example, SAMe (a naturally occurring compound found in all living things) is often used to treat depression and helps with joint health.  It was reported that it compares favorably to anti-depressants and has less side effects.  Here are a few links to research articles on SAM-e:

• Nelson, J.C. (2010). S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) augmentation in major depressive disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 167(8), 889-891.
• Papakostas, G.I. (2009). Evidence for S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM-e) for the treatment of major depressive disorder. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 70 Suppl 5, 18-22.           

Additional supplements of interest in the treatment of depression and/or anxiety include Folic Acid and St. John's Wart.  Of course, it is important to do your own research and discuss the idea of taking supplements with your medical doctor prior to doing so.

So in my quest to ward off potential stress, depression, & attentional problems, I am on a mission with my spouse to organize our kitchen.  It's time for me to run and get productive!  But I will be back, and promise not to wait so long in between posts this time!

Breathe deeply and have a super healthy, peaceful day!

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