I wrote an informative paper on alleviating depression in preteens through young adults. The answer to the depression epidemic is within. Check it out and chime in with your comments. Thanks for reading. Have an awesome day.
Depression in Preteens through Young Adults – What is causing it?
Life seems anything but difficult for preteens, teenagers, and young adults these days. But, for some reason mental health issues are on the rise in this age group, along with suicide rates. How has this young generation come to have such a low self-worth, so much so, that they feel useless to the world? What causes someone who seemingly has experienced so little in life to want to, give up, and take their own life? Is it hopeless for these children and young adults? What can we do to help these kids?
First off, there is still hope. Secondly, the first line of defense is YOU. YOU, the caregiver of these children, can help them the most. “How so?”, you may ask. There are several natural ways to help your children progress through this stage of life less traumatically.
We all realize that these kids are going through major hormone changes. These hormone changes bring with them new thoughts, feelings, and elevated stimuli. However, these children have a new stimulus that wasn’t available to previous generations, they have smart phones, and tablets, personal computing devices, online gaming, instant messages, fast easy food, and microwaves. Things are a lot different for them than any generation prior, so it is no wonder that current psychiatric protocols for treatment are not working to help these kids.
The world caries emotional energy, this energy is felt all over the world and by everyone. Ever notice that some days everyone is having a bad day, or that they are just “on edge” a little bit? We all know how the ER is busier, and 911 calls are elevated, during the full moon. Most times we may not notice these things because we are wrapped up in how we, ourselves, are feeling and not so much the other guy. Until, you and the other guy collide and then, whoa, things can rapidly become exaggerated, leaving you later wondering how it all got so crazy over something so simple as, say, a parking space. This low-level aggravation can also be felt as a low-level sadness. You may be having a “sad day”, for no apparent reason, and then you notice lots of folks are on the low end; complaining, or crying, self-bashing, and just an overall sadness that is, kind of, hanging in the air.
Currently, this world energy is not something we can control. Our only power over it is how we manage ourselves. If you seek treatment from the medical community for these feelings, you are sure to land in the drug store getting a prescription, or two, filled. This should be avoided! There is no reason to give these kids prescription medications. These medications are harmful. These medications are just going to make your kid a lifelong patient to the medical establishment, in one way or another. Any person suggesting your child needs a prescription medication DOES NOT have your child’s best interest in mind. Many of them do not understand how these medications work. Nor, do they understand how these medications are leading to the death of your child, either by your child’s own hand, or due to their own incompetent medical suggestions.
Yeah, I said it, suggestions. That is pretty much all your doctor can really do for you, is suggest things. If you decide to take their suggestion, that is your choice. But, remember, every doctor is just a person with an opinion. It is always good to seek the opinion of other health care professionals, as well as, to take advantage of the millions of opinions available today on the internet. Another thing to remember, which is very important, YOUR DOCTOR IS EMPLOYED BY YOU. They work for you, so treat them as such. Your doctor is not your boss, not your mother, nor your father, nor are they any form of authority figure. Which means, you DO NOT have to take their “suggestions” to heart. Speaking of heart…… hearts are full of hope, until, they meet up with the medical establishment. Why would I say such a thing? Because, all they ever say is “I don’t know”, or “This prescription might help”, or “There is nothing we can do about that”. Until, you are on your death bed and then they will say “Oh, well, hate to tell you this but, you only got this many days to live”. And the only part they really hate about it all, is that you will no longer be filling their bank account with your hard-earned cash.
So, remember, YOUR DOCTOR IS EMPLOYED BY YOU. You are their boss. Without you they don’t get their meat, nor their pudding, for dinner. This includes all those that must utilize the government sponsored medical insurance plans. Keep your eyes open for fraud, these guys are milking the medical system with their “idk’s” and “nothing I can do’s”, not to mention the cost of all the pills they dole out. There are starving people in this country, and even in this county, in which that kind of money could be better utilized to create a strong nutritional foundation to provide long-term stability and prevalence over the depression epidemic we are currently facing.
How is my rant going to help your child? Well, the medical establishment isn’t going to help your child with these issues, they are at a loss, right now. Their protocols are not working, their establishments are over-filled and still filling, they lack qualified personnel, and their funds are running low. So, what to do? Well, you need to take matters into your own hands. Now, I know you think you have tried everything in your power to make your child happy. This is what makes this situation so difficult for parents. The helpless feeling is real. Fortunately, there are several steps that can be taken to help your child. However, it might require a bit of a backbone on your part.
The medical establishment is notorious for using enzyme inhibitors, or receptor capping substances, for treating mental health conditions. This is the wrong approach. Because, there is no reason to suppress these mechanisms, they are required for many necessary processes to happen within the body. When they are suppressed it can cause numerous effects, some of these effects can cause life-long damage. Often, these medications are prescribed after one, single, 45-minute, verbal consultation, without any physical tests, or lab work, done prior to writing the prescription. This is a very hap-hazard approach to treating the sick. As I said before, if someone wants to give your child a prescription drug, then they DO NOT have your child’s best interest in heart.
Parents and caregivers are the first line of defense against the depression epidemic we are facing. You give shelter, care, love, support, and food. All of these are important, and you do them all to the best of your ability, yet you still experience a depressed, moody, anxious youth. I am sure you have provided well for your children, so where is the fail? The answer lies in what, and how, you are feeding your children.
Currently, Americans have the largest selection of foods available, in the world, in their local supermarkets. Unfortunately, most of these foods are not fit for human consumption. If, you are feeding your child a majority of fast and processed foods, then you could be to blame for your childs un-ease. Fortunately, this is simple to remedy, change the diet.
Many of the ingredients in fast and processed foods are toxic. These foods can create additional toxins, which can burden detoxification processes, leading to inflammation within the central nervous systems. Many of these foods also contain excitotoxins, which excite the cells within the nervous systems, including the brain, to such an extreme that they die afterwards. The cells literally get excited to death. This is happening within your child on the cellular level, (if, you are feeding your child this type of food). This overexcitement shows as ADD, ADHD, anxiety, mood swings, depression, and many other ways it can present. Along with all this going on, the fight or flight system is also activated, creating even more excitement to the central nervous system, at the cellular level. How can your child possibly control all this nervous stimulation that is happening on a cellular level? Your child can’t. The cells are being told to run, duck, kick, fight, scream… “to save yourself!!”, all without any real threat involved, all because of the food that was ingested. This eventually leads to a break down of the ability to handle stressors.
Most caregivers believe they offer healthy food options for their children that do not include fast, processed foods? But, sadly, what appears as healthy options may not be appropriate for their mental stability. Some children are born with a lowered ability to process certain amino acids. Some children are born with a lowered ability to produce certain enzymes. Some children are born with food allergies, that may go unnoticed, or misdiagnosed, for years. All of these possible issues should be addressed prior to taking any prescription medications. However, even when all these mechanisms are working fine there are still foods that can over burden all these mechanisms, creating unease. This is where the backbone comes in to play. You are going to need to be strong to remove some of these foods from your child’s diet, mainly, because these foods are highly addictive. And, because you probably enjoy these foods as well.
Histamine intolerance causes hives, rashes, and allergies. This is often mis-diagnosed and mis-treated. Many foods are high in histamine. Some foods are not high in histamine, yet they have the ability to stimulate the release of histamine. Review the table below, if the diet consists of mainly these foods than histamine levels will supersede the mechanisms within the body that metabolize them, creating all kinds of havoc. Allergy medications or antihistamines may be suggested to combat/relieve these symptoms. This approach creates more imbalance within the body and possible lifelong damage to mechanisms involved.
| T | Foods with High Histamine Levels | T | Foods that Stimulate Release of Histamine |
| Dried fruits (peaches, dates, prunes, figs, raisins) | Eggs
|
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| * | Cheese | Fish | |
| Spinach | Milk | ||
| Tomatoes | Alcohol
Wine (2-10 mg/l range) |
||
| * | Sour cream, sour milk, buttermilk | Papayas | |
| * | Yogurt (especially if not fresh) | * | Bananas |
| * | Processed meats (sausage, hot dogs, pepperoni, salami, more) | Shellfish | |
| * | Smoked fish (herring, sardines, and more) | * | Chocolate |
| * | Alcoholic beverages | Pineapple | |
| * | Vinegar or vinegar containing foods like mayonnaise, salad dressing, ketchup, chili sauce, pickles, pickled beets, relishes, olives | Tomatoes | |
| Soured bread, pumpernickel, coffee cakes, foods made with large amounts of yeast | Strawberries | ||
| * | Fermented foods; pickled or smoked meats; commercially produced sauerkraut; aged or fermented cheese (parmesan, blue, Roquefort), Kimchi |
|
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| Cider and homemade root beer | |||
| Mushrooms | |||
| Anchovies | |||
| * | Avocados+ | Prescription Medications: | |
| * | Eggplant | Morphine | |
| Mackerel | Curare | ||
| Sake (20-40 mg/l range) | Polymyxin | ||
| Sardines | Atypical antipsychotics | ||
| *.Tyramine rich also
+ avoid while figuring out which biogenic amine you are having difficulty metabolizing |
|||
Histamine is involved in many physiological functions within the body (at least 23). Histamine is involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle, and can promote arousal when activated. While histamine has stimulatory effects upon neurons, it also has suppressive ones that protect against the susceptibility to convulsion, nerve injury, death of brain tissue, stroke, and stress. It has also been suggested that histamine controls the mechanisms by which memories and learning are forgotten. Metabolites of histamine are higher in people with schizophrenia. Many atypical antipsychotic medications have the effect of increasing histamine production. Histamine causes “itchy”, but sometimes that “itchy” presents in the nervous system, including the brain, resulting in symptoms of mental imbalance. How can you scratch an itchy brain? Umm, maybe beat it against a wall? Or, hey, maybe a bullet will get that itch. Ugh! I’m telling you change is necessary!! The prescription medications utilized for treatment make this situation worse by contributing to the acidic load placed upon the cells, while also, interfering with protective mechanisms involved. Meaning they make the “itchy” even more “itchy”.
If your child is presenting with mild allergies, and the diet is overlooked, yet prominently consists of histamine foods, this could be the cause of your child’s unease. Fortunately, this is fairly simple to correct through diet. Prescription medications suppress the outward symptoms, but internally, at the cellular level, metabolic acidosis is occurring. With age this acid load becomes unbearable creating anxious, mentally unstable, preteens and young adults.
Histamine is a familiar biogenic amine that most folks have been conditioned to accept as a nuisance. However, there is another biogenic amine that causes similar reactions as histamine. This one is not as well known and is probably one of the most causative of allergic reactions. If not properly addressed it leads to depression, anxiety and mood swings. If, it continually is mistreated it will lead to a life full of doctor visits, waiting rooms, pills, surgeries, hospitalizations, and death, or a progressive worsening of condition. It is called tyramine and it is in many foods that comprise the Standard American Diet (SAD). Note the Histamine Table above, has a “T” column, with asterisks by foods that are also considered high in tyramine. This is by no means a complete list, you may have to do some research of your own to determine if foods you regularly feed your child are considered high in histamine, are histamine causing, or are tyramine rich. Tyramine is found mainly in foods that are fermented, aged, or spoiled. Tyramine acts as a catecholamine releasing agent. It is able to cross the blood-brain barrier via the TAAR1 and TAAR2 receptors, found in the gastrointestinal tract. Tyramine causes the release of several neurotransmitters, it is also a precursor to dopamine. Tyramine is metabolized by various enzymes, including naturally produced monoamine oxidases. In foods, it often is produced by the decarboxylation of tyrosine during fermentation or decay. Tyramine also can displace stored monoamines, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, from pre-synaptic vesicles. A hypertensive crisis can result from ingestion of tyramine-rich foods in conjunction with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).
Tyramine is a well known trigger for migraines in sensitive individuals. Vasodilation, dopamine, and circulatory factors are all implicated in migraine. The effects of tyramine on migraines may be adrenergic. Many foods found to trigger migraines are high in tyramine.
Peripheral adrenergic nervous system consists of three main following components:
-The thoracic and high lumbar segments of the spinal cord.
-The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) includes the outflow from the cranial nerves and the low lumbar and sacral spinal cord.
-The enteric nervous system (ENS) are intrinsic neurons in the wall of the gut.
A large dietary intake of tyramine (or a dietary intake of tyramine while taking MAO inhibitors) can cause the tyramine pressor response, which is defined as an increase in systolic blood pressure of 30 mmHg, or more. The increased release of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) from neuronal cytosol, or from storage vesicles, is thought to cause the vasoconstriction, the increased heart rate, and the increased blood pressure of the tyramine pressor response.
In severe cases, adrenergic crisis can occur. The adrenergic system (ANS) is a group of organs and nerves upon which adrenaline (epinephrine) and/or noradrenaline (norepinephrine) act as neurotransmitters. The ANS is counted as one of the main neurohormonal systems that regulate cardiovascular function, including smooth muscle tone.
An adrenergic storm is a sudden, and dramatic, increase in blood levels of the catecholamines, adrenaline and noradrenaline, (aka epinephrine and norepinephrine), with a less significant increase in dopamine transmission. It is a life-threatening condition because of extreme tachycardia and hypertension, this is especially true for those with prior heart problems. The behavioral symptoms are similar to those of an amphetamine, cocaine or caffeine overdose. Overstimulation of the central nervous system results in a state of hyperkinetic movement and unpredictable mental status including mania, rage and suicidal behavior.
Physical symptoms are more serious and include heart arrhythmias as well as outright heart attack, or stroke, in people who are at risk of coronary disease. Breathing is rapid and shallow, while both pulse, and blood pressure are dangerously elevated. Adrenergic storms are often idiopathic in nature; however, there is an underlying condition, that must be addressed after bringing the heart rate and blood pressure down to normal range.
If there is repeated exposure to tyramine, then there is a decreased pressor response. Tyramine is degraded to octopamine, which is subsequently packaged in synaptic vesicles with norepinephrine (noradrenaline). Therefore, after repeated tyramine exposure, these vesicles contain an increased amount of octopamine and a relatively reduced amount of norepinephrine. When these vesicles are secreted upon tyramine ingestion, there is a decreased pressor response, as less norepinephrine is secreted into the synapse, due to the presence of octopamine, and octopamine does not activate alpha or beta-adrenergic receptors.
Octopamine is closely related to norepinephrine. It behaves as a neurotransmitter, a neurohormone, and a neuromodulator that is widely used in energy demanding behaviors. Octopamine exerts its effects by binding to and activating receptors located on the surface of cells. Octopamine binds weakly to receptors for norepinephrine and epinephrine, it binds more strongly to trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs), especially TAAR1. This is one reason why prescription medications are not successful and can also be damaging.
Tyramine excess can cause side effects such as high blood pressure, headache, heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, and confusion. A low tyramine diet is recommended if you are taking certain medicines such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), some medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease, and certain antibiotics.
Some other drugs that require a low tyramine diet include:
Isocarboxazid (Marplan)Ò
Linezolid (Zyvox)®
Pargyline hydrochloride (Eutonyl)Ò
Phenelzine sulfate (Nardil)Ò
Procarbazine hydrochloride (Matulane)Ò
Tranylcyromine sulfate (Parnate)Ò
But, realistically, all pills add to the acidic load at the cellular level.
Subarachnoid hemorrhage is an extremely serious condition in which a neural membrane is breached, and the brain itself is compromised. The onset is sudden, described as “the worst headache of one’s life,” and many grave symptoms follow. Many of these symptoms mimic tyramine overload. If not properly treated, this can lead to a swift death.
Click this link for a nice overview of the Low Tyramine Diet Guidelines. Foods containing considerable amounts of tyramine include the items with asterisks in the Histamine table above; and animal based products (fish, poultry, beef, and pork), cheeses (except ricotta, cottage, cream and Neufchâtel cheeses); shrimp paste, soy sauce, soybean condiments, teriyaki sauce, tempeh, miso soup, broad (fava) beans, green bean pods, Italian flat (Romano) beans, snow peas, edamame, pineapple, figs, red plums, raspberries, peanuts, Brazil nuts, coconuts, processed meat, and yeast.
Eating a diet that includes variety of fresh foods, aimed at reducing overall tyramine intake can create huge changes in how your preteen thru young adult feel on every level. The amount of tyramine the body is designed to metabolize is very small. Yet, the ingestion of these foods, combined with the tyramine produced within the body by biogenic amines, this system becomes overwhelmed presenting in reactions that look similar to allergies. But, there are other things in the diet that contribute to mental instability.
Foods that have been prepared in a microwave oven promote histamine release upon ingestion. When food is microwaving the molecules are spinning super-fast, and bumping into one another, this is what generates the heat within the food. When these molecules collide they damage each other creating molecules that the body no longer recognizes as food. Nor, does the body know how to utilize, or dispose, of these damaged molecules. As soon as these foods are ingested the immune system mounts an attack, because these foods are not recognized by our immune system. Which equals more histamine and more stimulation of the nervous systems via catecholamine release.
Often, people who utilize these devices tend to eat the foods right from the microwave while they are too hot to be consumed. This damages receptors in your mouth that signal many things within the body, particularly: receptors that naturally release antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal substances within the body; and receptors in the mouth that tell your body which enzymes to release in the digestive track to metabolize the nutrients consumed. I also believe that, as long as, a microwaved food is hot, that it is still cooking. So, if you are eating these foods hot, then they are cooking your insides while you eat and digest the food, until the food has cooled inside of you. This is what is causing the rise in mouth, throat, and esophageal cancers; stomach imbalances, and ulcers; and the rise in breast cancer. Microwaved foods and drinks also contribute to anxious behaviors’ and mood swings.
Minerals are important for many metabolic processes within the body. Magnesium is utilized in almost every metabolic process within the body, especially for soothing smooth muscles and soothing the nervous systems. Unfortunately, with all these processes taking place; histamine intolerance, tyramine intolerance; and overactive immune responses; magnesium has little chance of ever getting to the smooth muscles or the dendrites of the nervous system. Making sure to get sufficient amounts of magnesium is crucial for mental stability and much more.
As amines and their byproducts overwhelm your metabolic processes there is something else happening at the cellular level called metabolic acidosis. This is difficult to test for, so it is often overlooked. Metabolic acidosis arises from an overload of lactate in the cells which causes hydrogen build up within the cell, raising pH levels at cellular level, and asphyxiating the cells. This leads to further complications in health as the cells starve for oxygen and nutrients. This is not something that a prescription medication can treat, prescription medications accelerate the lactate load and suffocation of the cells even further. Metabolic acidosis leads to death if not recognized and treated properly. This can happen very quickly, in some instances, but more often, it can be a very, long, miserable way to live, right up until you die from this.
So, what you are allowing your children/teens to eat can directly be contributing to their depression. What else is going on with kids the we need to address to help them? How, about hopelessness?
These kids feel hopeless, enough so, that they are taking their own lives. Why do they feel like this? These kids have “instant” everything at their fingertips. Smart phones stimulate dopamine rush which leads to ups and downs in mood. Every sound or vibration that phone makes is stimulating chemical releases of both dopamine AND the catecholamines which activates the fight or flight mechanisms. Dopamine is the “feel good” hormone, but the levels that kids experience today are overwhelming their systems.
Without regular stimulation of dopamine they can quickly spiral downward. This can be compared to any other addiction that works on dopamine. Dopamine stimulation, from ingested foods, and from environmental stimuli, leads to what looks like dopamine overproduction, or lack of enzymic activity, and will be treated as such by medical establishment. This leads to the body creating more receptors for dopamine, and to the production of, even more, dopamine to compensate for suppressed mechanisms. If the medications are discontinued, then these internal changes lead to even further uncontrolled dopamine pathways. This all leads to an even less stable individual, on the cellular level, than prior to prescription medications usage. Leading to things like mass shootings and suicides.
These smart devices are interrupting sleep cycles also. These things go off at all hours, even promotional ads pop up all night long. Your child may have friends that live in china, and they need to be up in the middle of the night to connect with them. All is good, as long as, regular sleep cycles are maintained. It is good to shoot for a solid 8 hours of rest during every 24 hour period. If sleep cycles cannot run with the normal daylight schedules than you should attempt to artificially mimic these cycles to promote rest. If your child already seems to sleep too much, suggest getting up and out for some fresh air and aerobic stimulation.
Here in the grand valley there is another issue that I hear often from teens. They are worried about debt. Their smart devices are constantly feeding them news. News is designed to instill fear in people, to control their behaviors. And it works! Kids in the grand valley lose hope when they are so young, because when they attempt to combat this debt issue they are unable to secure employment. They realize the country’s debt, and they realize that college is going to leave them in debt, without the promise of future employment. This leads to hopelessness. It is extremely difficult for anyone under 18 to find employment in the grand valley. So, they are unable to get a job to save money for college; they are unable to save up money to buy a car that they could drive off to college in; they are unable to gain employment experience, or to build self-esteem; or even just to have some spending money for a night out with friends. The grand valley should promote more jobs for teens. Employer’s in this valley need to get involved. Employer’s should offer more job opportunities for these ambitious kids, before their ambition fades to hopelessness.
There is also the complaint, that all the activities in the grand valley for kids costs too much money to do. This situation here is creating more opportunities for drug usage and other risky behaviors due to boredom. It is easier for them to get drugs and alcohol than to pay for a movie at the theater, or to go bowling, or go play putt-putt. They can’t get jobs to buy cars, so they need to utilize the bus system. The bus system has reduced hours; doesn’t run on Sundays; costs money to ride; and is contaminated with the germs, and rants, of the homeless, who utilize this system the most. Talk about adding to the toxic load, just composing that sentence got me needing to do a deep breathing exercise, shew. Age restrictions exist for acquiring a taxi and most teens don’t meet this restriction, and taxi’s cost money.
The educational system is another source of toxic burden on kids. They are required to arrive very early, stay long hours, in over-crowded conditions, with other germy kids. There is a lot of stimuli going on in schools on mental, physical and metabolic levels. Things in the environment like asbestos, formaldehyde, and other chemicals used in the building and cleaning of these facilities contribute to allergic reactions, and the toxic burden on metabolic systems. The lighting often causes problems for children. Schools are noisy. The curriculum is outdated, the food is processed or fast, the water is polluted with fluoride and who knows what else, and the teachers are just as polluted. Schools have become day cares in the minds of society. God out, new math in, cursive out, school shootings in, lack of creative down time. These places are like sweat shops that produce unhappiness. Not to mention the viral, bacterial, and fungal exposure acquired on a daily basis from attending these over-crowded facilities. It is an outdated system that is currently utilizing children as nothing more that a propaganda t-shirt for gun control. They kill our kids, report the fuk out of it, scare everyone, then have the children, involuntarily, protest for gun control. Don’t allow the education system to turn your children into martyrs, nor, into their propogandist T-shirts.
After every mass shooting, what is the second news report you hear? … umm… “Turns out the suspect had been in psychiatric treatment, and was currently taking, or had taken, some sort of prescription medication.” A medication you probably see a promotional advertisement for, every day. This should be a revered as a warning to everyone. These medications are failing. We need to apply better methods to deal with mental issues. Guns are not the reason for mass shootings. Prescription drugs, outdated protocols, and misdiagnoses ARE the reason for the increased mass shootings.
Attaining counseling for your child can be useful, but costs money. Many programs currently available, require that your child participate in their prescription medication programs to be eligible. With proper nutrition your child will feel better naturally rather quickly. Drug free. Without the worry of long term damage.
All the above mechanisms are contributing to the depression epidemic we currently face, here in the grand valley. AND this is not just for kids, folks, this applies to everyone alive today. The combination of all these factors constantly stimulating your child on every level is contributing to their unease. You are your child’s first defense. With a proper nutritional approach, the other burdens of society will not be so overwhelming on the systemic level.
If you are interested in providing a natural, healthy, nutritional approach for your child’s mental health issues, contact me. Ask about the DragonTamer program which teaches preteens and young adults lifelong skills to managing their special genes, and special diet requirements, for lifelong happiness and good health.
The Food Alternative Blog 