Irregularity Linked to Depression

There are few bodily systems that are more important to our overall health and wellness than the digestive tract. It is here that critical nutrients are absorbed and transported throughout the body, and just as importantly, toxins and waste products are eliminated from the body. If a person is constipated and does not have enough bowel movement activity, neither of these functions operates efficiently. The bowel is also the place where 70-80% of the immune system is located!

Not only does bowel health affect our physical status, but as the article below points out, it is crucial to our emotional wellness as well. It is a travesty the way that antidepressant drugs and other medications are thrown around in this country as the cure-all for everything from stumping your big toe to depression, with increasing efforts at targeting children for these toxic drugs. Instead of exposing people to the hazardous side-effects of these synthetic medications that often make matters worse instead of better, it would be much wiser to treat mood disorders in more natural ways that include improving bowel health through the relief of constipation. The first step in this process is to undergo a thorough and complete digestive tract cleanse. For safe and effective constipation relief and natural colon cleansing using Mag O7 is what I recommend. For more information see: http://www.oasisadvancedwellness.com/ask-doctor.html


Depression Via Constipation
By Dr. Jennifer Daniels

Anger, hate, unhappiness and depression are only a few of the emotions that often invade our lives, harming ourselves and the ones we love, as well as limiting our unique ability to grow and to evolve. Unfortunately, the clouds of depression and other so-called "emotional disorders" that canvas America today have led many to believe that it is acceptable to numb the pains and symptoms of our "illnesses" with drugs and other harmful therapies rather than addressing the root causes.

Decades ago, negative thinking was referred to as "stinkin thinkin", the reason for this being depression's link to constipation. Our brains are programmed for happiness, as there are several types of neurotransmitters which are made by the brain that facilitate and induce various feelings. Happiness is one of these feelings, and in order for the body to make neurotransmitters, it needs enough B-vitamins and minerals (only a few of the many key nutrients). If the human body goes without the necessary supply of B-vitamins and minerals, it cannot utilize glucose, often resulting in wide mood swings and depression, and if the brain has no access to any glucose or minerals, plain old depression will more than likely develop.

When someone is constipated, much of the residue from yesterday's meals remains in the intestines, hampering the absorption of nutrients ingested in today's meal as well as leading to toxicity. Regardless of how nutritious the meal is or how expensive the vitamins are, the nutrients needed for the brain to function optimally are not fully absorbed when the body is constipated. In addition, long standing constipation can result in an impermeable layer of toxins that line the small intestine, preventing nutrients from getting to the rest of the body.

If we delve deeper, looking to our brains and the interactions that lead to certain feelings and moods, we begin to realize how influential constipation can be in our everyday lives and that it isn't irrational to believe that the lack of frequent bowel movements can lead to negative emotions. When an emotion is experienced, neurotransmitters are released, and seconds later, the cell reabsorbs it and another chemical comes along to destroy what was not reabsorbed. The emotional system of the body naturally "resets" after each emotion as enzymes in the cell replenish the neurotransmitters to pre-emotion levels, readying the brain for the next emotion. This activity or mechanism of spontaneously resetting consumes a lot of B-vitamins and energy, and thus when B-vitamins are in short supply, it can lead to people having "mixed" emotions, due to the neurotransmitter from the last emotion still hanging around.

When someone is constipated, some of the chemicals in the intestine that are unable to exit into the toilet, are reabsorbed into the blood, which can spur depression and irritability. Furthermore, food that is eaten and not absorbed becomes food for bad bacteria.

Depression is also without a doubt very sensitive to the foods we eat. Food additives of any kind, such as artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, preservatives, pesticides and herbicides can all worsen depression. While the first step to improving depression is resolving constipation and having 3 bowel movements a day, further improvement can be achieved by reducing the amount of chemicals we ingest, increasing the amount of organic unprocessed foods in our diets and reducing the processed ones.

Much research still needs to be conducted in this field, and hopefully with an ever-increasing number of people who refuse to wade blindfolded in a sea of ignorance, together we will shed more light on this and other issues of great importance in our lives.

Jennifer Daniels, M.D., M.B.A is a graduate of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and the Wharton School of Business. Dr. Daniels loves receiving email, so feel free to drop her a line at jennifer@vitalitycapsules.com