Depression/anxiety as symptoms of underlying physical issues (and what to do about it)

Post Reply
User avatar
Lieutenant Lucid
Posts: 20 | Thanks: 17
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2022 5:38 pm
Goal: Self-optimization
Age: 34
Motto: Give meaning to your suffering.

Thu Sep 15, 2022 6:22 am

I'm not a doctor, nor have I had any medical training. This post is not medical advice, but based entirely on my own experiences and insights.

You go to your doctor, tell them you feel depressed, and what's their solution? They put you on anti-depressants which alter your brain chemicals to increase your feeling of wellbeing.

Makes sense on the surface, and anti-depressants have certainly been a game-changer for lots of people. But when you consider the growing epidemic of depression and anxiety - especially in younger men - the strategy as a whole just doesn't seem to be working as well as it should

That's because the core problem with the modern approach to mental illnesses is that they're treated as if they're localized entirely within the brain

This might be true for people suffering environmental or event-related triggers. But barring that, one needs to consider:

Depression and anxiety can also be symptoms of physical or chemical imbalances in the body.

If there's one thing I've learned in my recovery, it's that everything in the body is connected

Literally everything. Poor gut health can let toxins and food particles slip through the stomach lining into the bloodstream, causing chronic illness in the form of a system-wide autoimmune response. Years of digestive dysfunction have built up so much stress in my body that my brainwave patterns reflect PTSD. I need to kick-start the oxygen uptake process in my brain for the same gut-related reason

Issues like these can go undetected for years before they get bad enough, with the only noticeable symptoms being depression or anxiety

It's important to note that my lifelong depression and anxiety practically evaporated once I started getting these issues under control. Without exaggerating, I feel like a completely different person now - with a level of awareness and emotional intelligence I was never capable of before

It makes sense when you think about it. Your gut's not functioning correctly? Then your entire system is under constant stress and needs to compensate for whatever the problem is. On top of that, you're not absorbing the nutrients you normally would - causing you to feel sluggish and depressed. Your liver is underperforming? Then you're not filtering out the toxins you normally would, which are making you sick and - once again - putting the body in a state of constant, system-wide stress and making you feel anxious

And it's worth noting - my current situation is gravely depressing. I won't get into the details but it is far, far from what I want my life to be like. Yet despite that, on low-symptom days I'm able to effortlessly tap into this sense of joy just for being alive I never had before... which in turn makes pursuing my goals and meeting new people infinitely easier

Does that mean everyone's mental health can be fixed the same way? Of course not. But my body has the same blueprints as anyone else's does. If it worked for me (and who-knows how many other people), then doubtless it may work for you as well.

Point being - if you struggle with depression or anxiety and can't seem to get a handle on it, approaching it from a more holistic perspective could be the game-changer you're looking for

And let me be clear - it's perfectly possible to be sick in this way without knowing it. I was for years before I realized what was going on. It could take decades or even a lifetime for the symptoms to reach a point where you realize something's wrong, with only the depression or anxiety being what you're able to notice

Case in point, had I gone to any mainstream doctor about my insomnia or tinnitus, they would have focused on my ear drums or prescribed benzos. But the neurological chiropractor I'm seeing - who follows integrative medicine practices - was able to figure out that they were symptoms of imbalances in brain waves and low brain oxygen. Through treating those issues, I've seen significant reduction in those symptoms, including my anxiety

If you're interested in this route, I'd strongly suggest looking for a reputable functional medicine or integrative medicine doctor. They treat the body holistically and chase symptoms down to the root cause, where they can treat it at the source.
Post Reply