Seasonal affective disorder SAD is a type of depression related to the change in seasons. The symptoms start in the fall due to diminished sunlight and continue through the winter months, sapping our energy and affecting our moods. This lack of light affects the levels of serotonin. Most cases of SAD occur during winter, but some people experience it during spring and the summer months.
There are many symptoms experienced with winter SAD such as feelings of anxiety and “empty” mood, loss of interest in pleasure or hobbies, decrease in energy, difficulty in concentrating, oversleeping, and overeating and feeling like hibernating, to name but a few.
Researchers are still trying to determine what causes SAD and studies seem to indicate that it is reduced levels of serotonin which regulates our moods. It is sunlight that affects the levels of the molecules that help regulate normal serotonin levels.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter and carries messages from the nerve cells in the brain to cells throughout the body and plays a key part in mood, sleep, digestion, nausea, wound healing, constipation, bone health, blood clotting and sexual drive. It is made from the essential amino acid tryptophan, which must be consumed from foods such as meat, dairy products, eggs, and nuts. The gut and the brain produce serotonin, but serotonin cannot cross the blood brain barrier. The brain therefore must produce its own serotonin. This means that treatments for depression do not supply serotonin directly to the brain, but trigger reactions that boost serotonin in the brain. The problem is that serotonin levels can only be measured in the blood and not in the brain. Consequently, we have no idea as to the efficacy of the drugs. The body usually reabsorbs a neurotransmitter after it has transmitted its neural impulse, so most antidepressants stop the body from reabsorbing serotonin but here again the brain levels of serotonin do not register in the blood which is the only way we have of checking levels.
There is therefore a great need for safe and effective natural treatments for SAD and as the medications presently used to treat depression have many serious side effects including nausea and vomiting, weight and appetite loss, blurred vision dizziness, indigestion constipation and suicidal thoughts.
Full spectrum light therapy seems to be helpful with SAD. Special receptors in the retina affect the body’s master clock deep in the brain and recent research discovered additional pathways from these retinal light receptors to other parts of the brain. Vitamin D levels tend to be lower in the winter months due to the lack of sunlight and light therapy tends to raise the vitamin D levels. Vitamin D also regulates serotonin and with less vitamin D around in the winter this may be responsible for reduced serotonin activity.
A recent study {Eur J Clin Nutr2007; 61:355-61} discovered that people with more depression had significantly more improvement in mood on a probiotic than on a placebo. This led to many more studies being conducted and the evidence that probiotics help depression has accumulated. Further studies have indicated that probiotics are also beneficial for anxiety, stress, anger, contribute to making you happier, and can also help ADHD and autism. More research has revealed that the communication between the gut and the central nervous system i.e., the “gut-brain axis” has shown that changes in the microbiome have been linked to psychiatric disorders. In clinical trials Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium appear to be the most helpful for mental health.
There are other supplements available to help with mood disorders, but if you are taking a prescription for depression be sure to check that there is no interaction between the products. Supplements such as Relora, Rhodiola, Holy Basil, Passionflower to name a few can help regulate symptoms caused by SAD and depression and possibly stimulate serotonin and dopamine activity.
GABA is also a type of neurotransmitter in the nervous system and is naturally produced in the brain. Like serotonin it is another inhibitory neurotransmitter which can block certain nerve transmissions and decrease the stimulation of neurons along a pathway. This slows down the message transmission and can be helpful in modulating mood and anxiety.
With this array of natural remedies available in Health Stores please be sure that you ask for help and information before you purchase anything that may possibly conflict with medication. We are here to help and if you are unsure, please check with your doctor or pharmacist. Just one more gem of information, tea contains GABA which lends credence to the old British mantra “Let’s have a cup of tea, keep calm and carry on!”
WRITTEN BY: NATHALIE McNEILL, THE FOUNTAINHEAD HEALTH STORE, FERGUS
