Depression is one of the most common diseases of our age, affecting upwards of 15 million American adults each year. When confronted with symptoms of depression, many sufferers experience feelings of shame, anxiety and hopelessness. You may wonder why this is happening to you, and you may blame yourself for your inability to pull yourself out of your dark mood. Friends and family often make things worse, telling you to “cheer up,” or offering advice that makes you feel like a failure.
Remarkably, your depression may have more to do with your diet and environment than any type of mental or emotional deficiency. With rising levels of environmental toxins, chemical-laden food and water and daily stressors that affect your body chemistry, there is a high likelihood that your depression can be managed and resolved with diet and lifestyle changes. Amino acid therapy holds promise for sufferers of depression who want to get to the root of the disease and resolve it.
Your Nervous System and Depression
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that send signals to your nervous system. They send messages between neurons, and between neurons and muscles, affecting large numbers of neurons all at once. In addition to being responsible for transmitting signals for vital metabolic processes like breathing, heart rate and vital organ function, certain neurotransmitters regulate mood, cognition and emotional responses to external stimuli.
There are three main neurotransmitters associated with depression:
- Serotonin: Responsible for feelings of serenity, safety, security and self-confidence, serotonin is the feel-good neurotransmitter. Serotonin deficiency can lead to depression, insomnia and low self-esteem. Deficiency also causes carbohydrate cravings, since serotonin is produced in the GI tract in response to food, which explains why depression often causes weight gain.
- Norepinephrine: Healthy levels of norepinephrine promote high levels of mental focus, concentration, decision-making, memory and other cognitive processes. Norepinephrine also controls blood pressure, heart rate, liver function and a variety of other vital metabolic functions. Deficiency can cause depression, impaired memory, insomnia, poor concentration and a variety of other cognitive issues.
- Dopamine: This neurotransmitter is associated with reward, pleasure, motivation and enthusiasm. Dopamine encourages us to move toward essential survival needs like food, water and sex, and to move away from danger. Chocolate and sexual pleasure both work at dopamine receptor sites. Dopamine deficiency can cause feelings of depression, apathy, low motivation, fatigue and the inability to experience pleasure.
When in balance, dopamine and norepinephrine work hand-in-hand to combat depression. Dopamine strives for immediate gratification, while norepinephrine has a buffering effect on your primal urges. Both norepinephrine and dopamine are involved in your body’s fight or flight response to threatening situations. When one neurotransmitter is either depleted or excessively high, it profoundly affects the other.
Traditional Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression
Upwards of 40 million Americans take SSRI antidepressants, even though two-thirds of them do not have clinical depression. SSRIs, or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, are a class of drugs that work by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin into neurons. SSRIs go by names like Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac and others.
The decision to place a patient on an anti depressive medication is often made after only a brief interview lasting 15 minutes or less, hardly enough time to unravel a complex psychological disorder like depression. In most cases, the prescribed pharmaceutical is an SSRI.
Like many drugs, SSRIs only mask the symptoms of depression without eradicating its roots. SSRIs may provide short-term relief, but they cause long-term serotonin deficiency, interfering with your body’s natural biochemistry, designed to regulate mood and combat depression.
The Role of Amino Acids in Regulating Depression
The biochemical pathways that promote ample amounts of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine are highly dependent on specific amino acids. Amino acids are proteins found in dietary sources, or manufactured in your body from nutrients found in both plant and animal food sources. Their synthesis relies on enzymes, vitamins and minerals that also come from dietary sources.
When your diet is deficient in amino acids and other essential nutrients, it can cause imbalances and deficiencies that lead to depression, insomnia, weight gain, poor cognitive function and a variety of other negative physical, emotional and psychological phenomena.
In addition to getting adequate amounts of amino acids and other nutrients, exercise, exposure to sunlight and time spent in nature also help elevate mood and alleviate depression.
Benefits of Amino Acid IV Therapy for Depression
Getting all the nutrients you need from diet alone can be difficult. Modern food production techniques often diminish the amount of essential nutrients in foods, leaving you craving for more. Meanwhile, environmental toxins, stress, insomnia and disease increase your need for amino acids and other nutrients. Oral supplements may help, but they often lose their potency during digestion and absorption.
Amino acid IV therapy is a safe and effective way to get the amino acids you need, in potent enough doses to impact your neurotransmitter reserves. IV therapy infuses nutrients directly into your blood stream, bypassing your digestive tract to ensure their delivery to cells throughout your body. The procedure is relaxing, minimally invasive and more cost-efficient than eating large amounts of beef, pork and chicken to meet your protein needs.
Amino Acid Depression Therapy in NYC
If you suffer from depression, moodiness or anxiety, deficiency of amino acids and other vital nutrients may play a role. At Advanced Cryo NYC, we offer IV nutrient therapy to promote mental and physical health and wellbeing. Visit our spa-like clinic for a relaxing, revitalizing IV nutrient therapy session, and see what a difference nutritional therapy can make. Contact us by phone or use our convenient online form to set up your IV therapy session today.
