Home Health Another Tool for Depression & Anxiety: Chiropractic Care

Another Tool for Depression & Anxiety: Chiropractic Care

depression
(Image: Jos @ FPS-Groningen/Flickr)

Everyday on social media sites and in the news, we hear about people who are suffering from depression and/or anxiety and the havoc it wreaks on the person’s life and almost everyone they encounter.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America states that approximately 40 million adults,  or 18% of the general population in America, suffer from what is called Anxiety Disorders. The ADAA also says that anxiety and depression usually go hand in hand, meaning that when a person is afflicted with one disorder, they generally suffer from the other as well.

(stevepb/pixabay)

When I watch the evening news, I am horrified to see the battlefield that has become common in the US. Armed guards at schools? Shootings in movie theaters? The shooting or bombing of workplaces and the murder of journalists and doctors

While we can blame everything under the sun (guns, violent video games, lack of parental authority, etc.) what concerns me is that we aren’t addressing the issues. Everyone is too busy pointing fingers and laying blame on the other guy or the other guy’s policies.

Faith Based Events

Let’s Talk about Helping People

I’m not here to argue about policy or gun rights or other political issues. There are plenty of people doing that already. I want to discuss finding ways to actually help people.

Let me say right off that I am not a psychiatrist. I’m not a politician with all the answers to the world’s problems. However, I’m tired of hearing nothing but blame and rhetoric. I believe we need to start somewhere and stop avoiding the real issue, which is a serious problem with the mental health system, including the way society looks at mental health.

Drugs: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Antidepressants are the first line of defense when fighting depression and anxiety, with therapy coming in a close second, but do these drugs work?

While opinions vary greatly, studies tell us that it depends greatly on the severity of the depression. For those with chronic or severe depression, these drugs appear to be very effective, but for those with mild to moderate depression? This study says that 20-40 people out of 100 saw improvement with a placebo!

For those who suffer from other mental health issues, such as OCD or bipolar disorder, taking medication can be a risky endeavor that can lead to abuse.

I believe that the medical profession should stop looking at cases of mild or moderate depression and anxiety as having a lack of serotonin and start looking at (and therefore treating) alternative methods.

Another Consideration

(Image: Jos @ FPS-Groningen/Flickr)

Is it possible that depression and anxiety come from an imbalance in the body, not of serotonin, but the body’s inability to handle multiple stressors?

Our bodies have yet to evolve to deal with the multiple sources of stress that come from our everyday lives, let alone traumatic events, high-stress jobs, and mall shootings.

The adrenal glands are part of the system which help the body deal with stress. This system involves the hypothalamic, pituitary, and adrenal glands, known collectively as HPA.

Chronic or extreme stress can completely deplete the adrenal system, leaving the body vulnerable to many types of feelings/symptoms including:

  • A lack of energy
  • Sleep disorders (insomnia or a desire to sleep more than 10 hours at a time)
  • Lowered sex drive
  • Lack of interest in life
  • Feelings of being “disconnected” or being in a dream

These are almost identical to the feelings described by those with depression.

When the HPA system is depleted and it is no longer able to produce the necessary hormones, there is bound to be repercussions that lead to mood disorders.

What if we were to address the stress and exhaustion of the HPA system without the use of medication?

Chiropractic Care as Part of the Solution

Since I am a chiropractor in Better Health Alaska, some people reading this might believe that I am “tooting my own horn” or attempting to drum up business. Let me assure you that this isn’t the case.

I do have 25 years of extensive experience in dealing with all types of patients, including those who have discussed their depression with me.

For patients who have mild to moderate depression or anxiety, I recommend a natural system for restoring balance to their HPA system and learning to deal with stress.

Lifestyle Changes = Emotional Support

“Reduce Stress” has become a meaningless catchphrase for many people. What does that mean to the average person exactly? Patients ask me how they can reduce stress at work when they hate their boss, they have issues with family members, they have a horrible commute, or they can barely make ends meet?

Lifestyle changes will vary tremendously depending on the patient’s exact situation, as well as the individuality of the patient themselves. Telling a middle-aged woman who hates sports that she should join a soccer team will not be a valid solution.

While I will make some suggestions for patients, I often recommend therapy to help them find other solutions they might not feel comfortable sharing with me, or in some instances, a life coach.

Chiropractic Adjustments = Physical Balance

Chiropractic care is all about alignment and balance. By restoring the spine to a natural position, free from subluxations, you allow the free transfer of energy and signals between the body, including the HPA system, and the brain.

Physically rebalancing the spine will lead to improved function of the entire adrenal system, allowing it to heal and set it on the road to restored function.

Most of my patients tell me that they feel a physical sense of relief and well-being after adjustments and when chiropractic massage is also used, these feelings of being cared for become more intense.

Dietary Recommendations = Recovery and Sustenance

Ask anyone suffering from depression and I can bet that their diet is a fairly consistent stream of fast food, pizza, and frozen dinners.

I firmly believe that Hippocrates was correct when he said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

An improved diet, such as the anti-inflammatory diet, or at least one that involves plenty of fresh produce, is something I strongly encourage. A healthy diet helps to maintain a state of homeostasis in the body.

Dietary supplements that can help the adrenal system to recover include:

  • B Complex
  • Folic Acid
  • Vitamin D (or more sun exposure)
  • Fish Oil
  • Vitamin E
  • Rhodiola Rosea

These supplements are known for increasing cortisol levels or preventing the body from discharging large amounts of cortisol.

The End Game

Everyone’s body is different. What works well for one person does not work for another. I am not implying that antidepressants or other types of medications have no place in dealing with depression or anxiety, I am only suggesting that, based on my professional experience, there are viable alternatives for many people which don’t involve drugs.

Our society would improve for the better if we were to teach people various methods of dealing with stress and learning how to effectively deal with the problems that occur in life, rather than pushing pills that end up doing very little good for some and absolutely nothing for others.


About Dr. Brent Wells

Dr Brent Wells

Dr. Brent Wells, D.C. founded Better Health Chiropractic & Physical Rehab in Alaska in 1998 and has been a chiropractor for over 20 years. His practice has treated thousands of patients from different health problems using various services designed to help give you long-lasting relief.

 


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