A Dietary Treatment for Depression

By -
Link: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201703/dietary-treatment-depression

Summary: In a recent study a new dietary trial called the SMILES trial looked at a depressed population and looked to see how a dietary treatment would affect them. Individuals were to reduce the amount of unhealthy foods like sweets, fast foods, and sugary drinks for a twelve week period. Individuals were also provided with nutritional sessions where they were provided with some food and recipes. At the end of the twelve week period 32.3 percent of individuals were shown to have reduction in depression scores. The study shows that better eating can in fact make individuals less depressed and can improve other areas as well.

Reflection: I think this article can relate to the topics of emotion and the homeostasis chapters. Depression can be something that even with treatment can plague people for their entire lives and sometimes certain treatments don't work for individuals or they need more than one. If individuals can do something simple like eating better in addition to other treatments the results could be extremely positive. The only drawback as the article mentions is the amount of motivation that eating well can take. Individuals with depression often struggle with motivation so they would need a lot of support in order to make this sort of treatment work and be effective for them.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 2, 2017 at 3:59 PM

    I completely agree with study since I have found evidence with it myself. I overall am a healthy eater so the times I to decide to cheat a bit, I feel terrible afterwards, not only because of the guilt but I feel tired and groggy and bloated. Having proper nutrients and fresh food can help someone feel better emotionally and physically, no doubt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Valerie VainqueurMay 2, 2017 at 4:59 PM

    I enjoyed this read, most importantly because I completely agree with this trial. I also tried this technique of cutting out fast foods and sweets for about two months and gained some amazing results in regards to my moods. I find it really interesting and somewhat annoyed that the food that we want to eat are most of the time not healthy, but it leaves you so sluggish or feeling really low, or even having that much effect on your mood is just so shocking. I think this can relate to exercise also, the lack of exercise compared to someone who exercises on a regularly and compare their moods. I think that if this knowledge is more widely spread and shared more frequently, more and more people will try this and see that eating "junk" food is not so worth it after all. I personally liked the positive aspects that I got from my own personal experience. I love the natural boost of energy that I get and with the balance of sleep and exercise it keeps me going. It really does help if those who are around you try it too or that you have a support team, because it is easy to fall of track but as long as you get back on it, I believe that it is all worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alexander EikenbergMay 2, 2017 at 10:54 PM

    Proper nutrition is often, I think, overlooked in self-care and health education efforts in favor of easy-to-follow diets and cosmetically-aimed exercise. Depression, which often has a number of factors, can be the result of imbalanced neurotransmitters in the brain and it makes sense to me that balancing the body's nutritional intake could offer, if not a corrective, then a therapeutic response. Mike mentions in his reflection that the article doesn't mark the serious motivational aspect of the treatment, but there are other confounding factors as well. Agency in cooking for oneself, confidence from familiarizing oneself with a recipe and equipment, cutting some excessive spending in favor of more easily justifiable-- or acceptable, spending, and removal of excess preservatives, trans fats, calories, etc., all these things seem to aim the participant toward wellness.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sniffing Pleasant Odors may Decrease Cigarette Cravings

By -
https://neurosciencenews.com/olfaction-cigarette-craving-11085/ Smoking today is known to be an addictive habit. In fact, a significant group of people who want to quit smoking will relapse after roughly two weeks of not smoking. However, a new study from the APA has shown that smokers who sniff a pleasant smell prior to smoking will have an easier time resisting the urge to smoke. In this study, the researchers selected 232 smokers from the ages of 18-55. First, the participants were exposed to multiple different smells and asked to identify the most pleasant smell to them. Then, participants were asked to light a cigarette and rate (from 1-100) their desire to smoke that cigarette. After the participants gave a rating, they were given a container to sniff the odor that each participant said was most pleasant. The results suggest that sniffing the pleasant odor while a cigarette was lit caused the craving of smoking the cigarette to decrease. The researchers believe that the ple
Read more

Holding hands can sync brainwaves, ease pain, study shows

By -
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180301094822.htm Summary: Pain researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Haifa did a studying showing just how far-reaching the simple act of touch can be. They have been studying a phenomenon known as “interpersonal synchronization”, which is the idea that people physiologically sync with those they are with. Pavel Goldstein is the first to look at brain wave synchronization and its relation to pain. He was compelled to do so after the birth of his daughter because it was through that experience he realized holding his wife’s hand helped to eased her pain. He decided to take this idea to the lab in hopes to unveil the science behind a healing touch. They found through their study that “…pain totally interrupts this interpersonal synchronization between couples and touch brings it back.” Touch is powerful and it may even activate pain-killing reward mechanisms in the brain. So if ever you find yourself i
Read more

Music Therapy

By Laurel McNeal -
http:/ /www.brainfacts.org/Diseases-and-Disorders/Neurodegenerative-Disorders/2019/Music-as-Therapy-011719 Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common forms of dementia that effects memory, thinking, and behavior. In the U.S it is estimated that about 5.7 million people have Alzheimer’s and there is not a cure available. Leading caregivers to look for new ways to help their loved ones have a better day to day life. The article talks about how music therapy could help to manage symptoms like depression, anger, and agitation. Helping to improve patients mood and behavior, while decreasing the amount of medication they must take. The music does not cure the disease but does help to stimulate the brain. Music uses many different areas of the brain at one time. The brain must hear and process sounds, language, emotions, and if singing or dancing plan movements. In one research study scientist scanned the brains of dementia patients while they listened to music. One area the supplementa
Read more