Help Cope With Depression The Natural Way

antidepressants

They aren’t widely known or publicised but there are Alternatives to Taking Antidepressants

Everyone has their off days, but what if your off days turn into off weeks or off months? You no longer feel like yourself and are just down in the dumps on a consistent basis? Sometimes not even for any apparent reason. It’s frustrating and in some cases, debilitating.

If you listen to the television your only answer lies in expensive designer pharmaceuticals. Medications such as Xanax, Effexor, Serzone, Wellbutrin, Prozac, Zoloft or Celexa all have a host of possible side effects a mile long which include but are not limited to dizziness, headache, nausea, loss of sex drive, and possible insomnia, coma or suicidal thoughts.

If the base purpose is to make you feel better, how exactly does the possibility of ruining your sex life and causing you to contemplate suicide play into that equation?

Here at the office of Dr. Jason Kaster, D.C. we firmly believe that nature gave us all we need to heal ourselves. That is why we suggest trying the natural approach first, and working with your body rather than against it. There are several supplements, vitamins, and herbs that work organically to help improve mood and promote an overall feeling of wellness without all of the harsh side effects and latent toxicity.

St. John’s Wort – This pretty plant cascading with yellow flowers has been used since the times of ancient Greece and is known for its mood-brightening effects and ability to restore emotional balance. Scientists agree that this is an excellent choice for short-term treatment of mild to moderate depression well as anxiety and mood disorders. This herb, unlike many others, does come with cautions, which it is important to pay attention to – it can cause sensitivity to sunlight, headache, or gastrointestinal symptoms in rare cases. It also should not be used in combination with – birth control pills, antidepressants, if you have had an organ transplant, are on heart medication, use HIV medications, cancer drugs, seizure control drugs, Warfarin or any other anticoagulants.

5-HTP – Has recently also been gaining in popularity as it becomes more widely known. It is a natural plant extract, from the Griffonia simplicifolia plant, that boosts the serotonin levels in the brain. It assists with appetite control, relieves insomnia, calms anxiety, improves mood and can even help to reduce symptoms of fibromyalgia. 5-Hydroxytryptophan should not be used in conjunction with any classification of medical antidepressants.

Sam-E – is among the best of the mood-boosting supplements available. Not an herb or a hormone, it is a molecule that all living cells produce constantly. It affects everything from fetal development to daily brain function. It assists in the transfer of dopamine and serotonin in the brain from receptor to receptor. Though no one has found Sam-E to be significantly more effective than a prescription antidepressant, it is clearly less toxic and wonderful benefit can be derived from taking it on a consistent basis. Since the 1970’s, researchers have published 40 clinical studies involving roughly 1,400 patients. And though the studies are small by FDA standards, the findings are remarkably consistent. In 1994 Dr. Giorgio Bressa, a psychiatrist at the University Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Rome, pooled results from a dozen controlled trials and found that “the efficacy of SAM-E in treating depressive syndrome comparable to that of standard antidepressants.” It is interesting to note that SAM-E has been available as a dietary supplement in the US since 1999, but it has been used as a prescription drug in Italy since 1979, in Spain since 1985, and in Germany since 1989.

Another one that gets high rankings is DHEA – which is touted to enhance your immune system, as well as increase libido, increased sense of well-being, reduced stress levels, and give you energy making you feel happier, more focused and stronger. Many of the problems associated with aging, including weight gain, painful joints, and forgetfulness have been linked to a deficiency in DHEA, which is an essential hormone. No matter how healthy you are, your production of DHEA decreases dramatically as you age. By age 50, your levels may be only half of what they were at age 25 when you had peak levels of DHEA. In a recent study, men and women found they felt more youthful and had better ability to handle stress and improve quality of sleep by taking just 50mg of DHEA. It is a hormone that is naturally made by the human body. It can be made in the laboratory from chemicals found in wild yam and soy. However, the human body cannot make DHEA from these chemicals, so simply eating wild yam or soy will not increase DHEA levels. Don’t be misled by wild yam and soy products labeled as “natural DHEA.”

Vervain – is also good for calming of the nerves and relaxation. It can be taken in capsule or tincture form.

Another lesser known is Lavender. Used for centuries in aromatherapy for its ability to promote stress relief and relaxation, lavender may also help to alleviate stress, depression, fatigue, restlessness, anxiety and even insomnia. It has a very soothing sedative effect when inhaled; you can also drink it as a tea using two tablespoons of the dried herb in boiling water and allowing it to steep for 10 minutes. Make sure to strain before drinking.

All of these supplements are more gentle on your body and cost significantly less than their chemical counterparts. We hope next time you are feeling blue this article will come to mind and offer some great alternatives.

Article references:

http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=109669

http://5htp.com/

http://www.5-htp.org.uk/5-htp.php

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/ataglance.htm

http://www.biopsychiatry.com/sameart.html

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-786-SAMe.aspx?activeIngredientId=786&activeIngredientName=SAMe

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dhea/NS_patient-dhea

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/331.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/138076-mood-lifting-supplements/

Chiropractor & Nutritionist in Fort Myers, FL.

Fort Myers Chiropractor, Dr. Jason B. KasterChiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent them before they start?

Dr. Jason B. Kaster, a chiropractor, and nutritionist in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.

Can’t Sleep Due to Twitching Legs?

RLS

RLSYou are just about asleep and – zap. You feel an electrical impulse shoot through your leg causing it to jerk you awake.

If you are living with Restless Leg Syndrome you know first hand that trying to get to sleep at night is difficult.

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder in which the person has a consistent uncontrollable urge in which their limbs twitch.

RLS most strongly affects people during times of inactivity and can make it extremely difficult for a person to sleep, rest or relax. While RLS can appear in a person at any age, it is considered both a progressive disease and a spectrum disease. RLS symptoms can either become worse over time or better, depending on the patient, and the severity of symptoms also varies strongly from patient to patient. RLS can also be classified as either a primary condition – one that appears independent of other conditions – or a secondary condition – one that appears as a result of another condition or disorder that is already present.

Iron deficiency or vein issue?

Unfortunately, RLS itself cannot be prevented except by attempting to prevent its underlying causes. In terms of varicose veins and venous insufficiency, the best things that a person can do to prevent such disorders is to remain active, exercise frequently, maintain a healthy diet and weight, not smoke cigarettes, and to elevate the legs when sitting or laying down. While these actions cannot prevent all the underlying causes of RLS, they can at least help to prevent those instances where RLS is caused by venous insufficiency.

While the most common cause of RLS remains an iron deficiency many cases occur as a result of varicose veins or venous reflux. Varicose veins are not only physically unattractive, but they can also cause severe discomfort and pain in the afflicted area, a discomfort that, like in RLS, can only be alleviated by activity and movement. Fortunately, as more is becoming known about the correlation between RLS and vein disorders, many patients are finding relief for their RLS symptoms through treatments of their veins.

One such treatment for varicose veins is endovenous ablation therapy, a procedure that uses heat in either lasers or radio frequencies to seal off and close affected veins. Many patients report immediate relief in their symptoms, and, because the procedure is minimally invasive and relatively painless, most patients are able to resume their normal activities almost immediately and experience no interruption in their work or home life as a result.

While there is no cure for RLS, no one should have to suffer through daily and nightly discomfort, and treatments are available through most insurance policies. Dr. Magnant of Vein Specialists is always available for a consultation and diagnosis and is here to help whether your RLS is simply a minor annoyance or a major disruption in your quality of life. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome, seeing a physician that specializes in vein disorders could be the most important step you take towards alleviating your symptoms.

If you are living with RLS visit www.eveinscreening.com and start today with a FREE online screening and talk with a professional Vein Specialist.

Could The Answer to Your Illness Lie In Your Feelings?

emotions

emotionsYour Emotions May Be Making You Sick

Do you deal with your feelings and let them out to be known or do you stifle them, and try and sweep them under the rug, just to move on with things?

If you don’t allow yourself to feel whatever you feel, process it, and then let it go you are doing yourself a great disservice. Pushing “bad” feelings down doesn’t make them go away. It’s like tossing unwanted objects into a closet. Yes, it may get them out of the way, out of sight and work for a while, but eventually, that closet gets full – too full. It may not close and when you open it an avalanche of crap may tumble out, burying you.

Emotional health has a direct effect on your physical health, over time. Emotions tend to work like an echo. Your sickness of today may just be your build up of non dealt with feelings of yesterday. And by yesterday, I do not mean that literally, it can be building up for years and in turn, begins to eat away at the self.

We are such a busy society. We focus on work, kids, school, jobs, life in general, keeping our family happy, and keeping it all together. We juggle, we schedule, we have trouble sleeping and feel rushed quite a bit of the time. We forget the most important person in our life many times. Ourselves.

Being selfish has gotten such a bad connotation. It has taken on the meaning of not caring about anyone but yourself and is therefore marked into the checkbox of being a bad person. The truth is, you need to not be selfless all the time. YOU are important. If you don’t take care of yourself no one else is going to do it. Eventually, lack of self-care or “selfishness” often leads to breakdown – either emotionally or physically due to stress.

Take care of yourself. Take the time to check in with yourself and your body and how you are feeling. When someone who actually does care about you asks “how are you?” Don’t just get stuck on auto-respond of “fine”. If you aren’t fine. Say so. Let it out, talk about it. So many of us are like teakettles ready to explode. Venting lets out that steam and you may be surprised to find out that people really do actually care and are able to empathize.

Along with the emotional side of health is the physical – it is a balance. Remaining in proper alignment by way of regularly scheduled chiropractic and massage appointments can go a long way in not only restoring but in maintaining your health.

 

Chiropractor & Nutritionist in Fort Myers, FL.

Fort Myers Chiropractor, Dr. Jason B. KasterChiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent them before they start?

Dr. Jason B. Kaster, a chiropractor, and nutritionist in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.

Natural Help for High Blood Pressure

high-blood-pressure

high-blood-pressureBlood pressure defined

Blood pressure is the measure of pressure created by your heart beating, forcing the blood into your arteries and throughout your body. There are two numbers in the reading. The top number is known as systolic – it defines the maximum pressure inside your arteries as your heart beats. The bottom number known as diastolic is the amount of pressure inside the arteries between beats.

If you take your blood pressure and its over the recommended 120/80 it is important to pay attention and start tracking it. Heart disease doesn’t set in overnight. It takes time and can creep up on you till suddenly you are ill and dont even know what happened.

What’s “high” vs. Whats considered normal blood pressure

120/80 mm Hg. is ideal.

140/98 mm Hg signals possible Hypertension (high blood pressure)when the measurement is sustained for at least 2 consecutive readings.   Elevated blood pressure can present a problem because puts adds additional pressure to your entire cardiovascular system including your heart which must then work even harder to move the blood around your body. A continued reading at or above that level means you have hypertension.

What causes high blood pressure?

So far no exact cause has been pinpointed in high pressure for the majority of patients. This is known as primary high blood pressure. Secondary hypertension can come from the use of birth control pills, excessive alcohol intake, or even renal or thyroid disease. 

Other Factors That Can Come Into Play

  • Age
  • Level of physical activity (too sedentary of a lifestyle)
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Heredity
  • High Salt Intake
  • Drinking alcohol excessively
  • Get your thyroid blood levels checked

I have high blood pressure – what do I do?

There are several natural things that can help for you to try before resorting to pharmaceutical blood pressure medications which, while they may bring your numbers down to normal levels and be beneficial for your cardiovascular health have the high-risk potential for a wide range of very dangerous side effects which can affect your health physically and emotionally.

Natural Alternatives to Help Lower Blood Pressure

If you know you have high blood pressure and would like to consider some alternatives outside of medication we would love the opportunity to work with you to get your health to where it should be so you can live the best life possible.

Chiropractor & Nutritionist in Fort Myers, FL.

Fort Myers Chiropractor, Dr. Jason B. KasterChiropractic care is a safe, alternative treatment when applied appropriately. Chiropractic treatments help in dealing with the symptoms of many conditions. Are you going to wait for your symptoms to be felt, or are you going to prevent them before they start?

Dr. Jason B. Kaster, a chiropractor, and nutritionist in Fort Myers can help you and your family achieve their optimal health.

Could it be May Thurner Syndrome?

may thurner syndrome

may thurner syndromeAre you experiencing symptoms?

Lower left leg edema and pain are the two classic symptoms. It is primarily seen in younger women twenty to forty following pregnancy or immobilization. May Thurner Syndrome is chronic. Because of this patients also tend to present pigmentation changes, varicose veins, chronic leg pain, phlebitis and skin ulcers.

It can be described in three stages:

1 – Asymptomatic iliac vein compression

2 – Development of a venous spur

3 – Development of the left iliac vein DVT

What is May Thurner?

Compression Syndrome (also called May Thurner Syndrome or Crockett Syndrome) is an affliction that is fairly rare. It consists of an anatomical variant where the left iliac artery is compressed by the right iliac artery.

May Thurner Syndrome is known by several names – iliocaval compression syndrome, Cockett syndrome or iliac vein compression syndrome. This affliction is an anatomical variant where the right lilac artery compressed the left iliac vein against the fifth lumbar vertebra.  Because of this deformity, it causes left side vein compression leading to deep vein thrombosis in the left iliofemoral.

How is it diagnosed?

Diagnosis is not always straightforward. Radiological evidence of compression combined with symptoms presented is key. Doppler ultrasound can detect a deep vein thrombosis in the iliac vessels. CT and magnetic imaging may also be used. Seeing a vein specialist is vital if you suspect you may have a vein issue including May Thurner Syndrome.

Is it treatable?

Yes. Treatment clears the thrombus to print post-thrombotic syndrome and to correct the initial compression of the left iliac vein. Several different surgical procedures may be used.

If left untreated a significant number of patients will develop post-thrombotic syndrome which can be debilitating.

Management of May-Thurner syndrome has evolved over the years.  Endovascular therapy has become the primary treatment. With early recognition and aggressive treatment, May-Thurner syndrome is a manageable disease.

If you live in the Tampa bay area and feel you may have vein issues please call us at 813-975-2800 or schedule an evaluation through our online form.

www.tampacardio.com