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Post by Lauren Aamoth on May 25, 2017 13:02:25 GMT -4
This article touches on several interesting points in regards to how nutrition can affect mental health. The patient featured in the article not only changed her diet, but also decreased her alcohol intake, which likely had a significant effect on her depressive symptoms. As we know, alcohol is a depressant so it is no surprise that the patient decreasing her intake would result in improved mood and contentment. I also believe that by eating more nutritious foods, the body simply feels better and has more energy. Thus, feeling better and having more energy to get out and engage in activity will also likely result in an improved mood, decreased anxiety, and a more content patient overall.
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Post by Susanne Ajao on May 25, 2017 15:32:05 GMT -4
I found this article interesting as it highlighted the relationship between food and mental health. This is not really talked about. We adjust diet to deal with a lot of cardiovascular diseases but its not a focus of therapy when dealing with mental health. What stood out to me what the relationship between decreased blood glucose level and then increase in stress hormones such as cortisol which can hence negatively affect mood. Dr Rangan noted from Emma's case, that adjusting her diet made her mentally stronger and in a better position to deal with her anxiety attacks. It is definitely going to be a challenge to implement this into patient encounter with hopes of improving mental health but it seems like a challenge worth taking on.
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Post by Rashonda Carlisle on May 25, 2017 16:12:27 GMT -4
It does not surprise me that removing processed foods, high sugar snacks, and fizzy beverages from one's diet results in improved mood. It has been known for years that these same foods cause many physical complications. What is surprising is that it has taken this long for researchers to include the affect that these foods have on mental health. We know that most mental diseases come with an off balance of chemicals in the brain. So it makes sense that foods that also quickly increase and decrease these same chemicals can worsen mental conditions even while medicated. It is an interesting field of study, that could possibly end suffering and frustration by simply eating an extra serving of broccoli or choosing not to drink soda. I do not think it ends at everyday food either. I believe there are many herbs and natural plants that can decrease some of the symptoms of mental illness, as they do for physical, without the side effects of harsh chemicals. I'm pleased that Emma has found relief, and I hope this article and ones like it reach others who are struggling the same.
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Post by Peter Wahba on May 25, 2017 17:00:54 GMT -4
The enteric nervous system is the largest division of the ANS with more neurons than what is found in the spinal cord. It would be accurate to say that our gut is our second brain. Our gut is responsible for absorption of nutrients from our diet. It would make sense that taking care of what we put into our gut by eating healthy and in moderation ultimately leads to what we put in our brains. As physicians, we think of medication in terms of pills and dosages but we should also be looking at healthy, balanced foods as nature's medicine. This aspect of diet can often and easily be overlooked during the interview process but it should not as eating is something we do daily. Therefore, I think eating habits should be a center of attention as much as past medical history or any other aspect. This is especially important in the field of Psychiatry because medications run the risk of serious side effects and the medications prescribed can sometimes take up to a month to take effect. Perhaps a change in diet is something that can be used to complement already administered medications in an effort to keep dosages low and minimize the need for adding more medication to the regimen.
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Post by Mackenzie Keintz on May 25, 2017 18:10:22 GMT -4
This article makes me somewhat skeptical because of how small the sample size was in the referenced journal. While I do believe that there is some link between food and health, I am not sure how much of that is translated into mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. There are so many factors that go into mental health, that I am not sure that changing ones diet to include less sugar and increasing omega 3 will work to correct the misbalance of hormones. While it would be great to be able to offer patients a method of controlling their symptoms without the use of drugs, I would not like to give false hope to a patient that all will be solved with diet as a solution.
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Post by Fiyinfoluwa D Aderibigbe (FDA) on May 25, 2017 19:15:35 GMT -4
This article in more ways than one justifies the statement “you are what, you eat”. It’s been long known that eating healthy fresh and balanced diets is good for our physical wellbeing. But recent studies are beginning to shed more light on the positive and therapeutic effects it has on our mental state, as evident with the case of Emma Gleeson. It’s really that simple! Her progress and results speaks for itself. One also notices that she complimented her change in diet with more out door activities regular work out routine. Basically the central theme of her treatment was a change in life style, the jury is still on the efficacy of food on mental health issues. The complicity of junk foods coupled with her sedentary life style on her mental health issues cannot be overemphasized.The Japanese people that place such a high premium on fresh foods would provide a very promising case study as further links are need to establish reasonable proof on the therapeutic effects of food on mental health.
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Post by ljones on May 25, 2017 20:17:14 GMT -4
Treatment of mental health may include a vast amount of factors due to the many possible pathophysiologies of the conditions within the field of Psychiatry. Nutrition definitely has a significant role in the normal functioning of the body and currently is one of the most excluded factors to alter in patients with mental health issues. Generally, it is believed that nutritional deficiencies are involved in the physical pathologies but the relationship within nutritional psychiatry has been greatly ignored. This articles recognizes key points in quick and easy and mostly unhealthy ways of eating which can be detrimental in the long run. Having well balanced eating patterns with foods rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals can aid in protection of the cells of the body from oxidative stress (including the brain). This aspect should be investigated further and implemented in the assessment and treatment of psychiatric patients.
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Post by Kelenna Browne on May 25, 2017 20:27:30 GMT -4
Here's a great example of why nutrition should always be considered when treating any medical condition. Food seems to be an after thought when it comes to mental illness. One can't help but wonder if this has something to do with the stigma surrounding mental health. There still seems to be an approach to mental health that deems it less real or important. Therefore, it is not surprising that we underestimate the affect an unhealthy diet can have on our minds. Though some patients may achieve relief of symptoms just by making lifestyle changes, in most cases we will not be able to simply focus on foods that promote our "feel-good neurotransmitters" alone. It is more plausible that we will consider nutrition in adjunct with traditional care. It is my hope that some day nutrition will play a bigger role when discussing the treatment of mental health patients. However, this will not happen until there is more reliable research and studies on this topic.
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Post by Emem Kierian on May 25, 2017 21:51:25 GMT -4
We are all aware of the fact that healthy eating helps improve our heart health and reduce the risk of diabetes and other health problems but what about our minds. It is no news that the role of nutrition is one of the most obvious, yet under-recognized factors in the development of major trends in mental health. This article helps highlight the fact that we are literally what we eat and a nutritious diet isn't just good for the body but for the brain as well. We can see that the processed and unhealthy food we consume can build up to become toxins in our gut thereby having an impact on our brain function, and this is because our gut has its own nervous system which helps send information to our brain through the vagus nerve. As students we tend to consume a lot of junk food/snacks which contain high amounts of sugar, it is highlighted here that the happy feeling/energy we derive from these food products are only short lived and usually have a down side on our mood when it eventually wares off which I can testify to. We can see the progress Emma made with her recovery when she decided to “eat right”, this helps confirm the fact that even though nutrition is not a substitute treatment for mental conditions, it can be conceded as a vital contributor to good mental health. Therefore, I agree with this article that we should try to incorporate more omega-3 fatty foods and tryptophan containing foods into our diets to help us “feel good” and maximize our brain function and also enlighten our patients about this effect.
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Post by Fernando Grabner on May 25, 2017 22:26:01 GMT -4
Lifestyle changes, namely exercise and proper diet, can be important compliments to psychiatric treatment plans. Lack of healthy lifestyle habits is common among mental health patients, as we observe in our rotation on a daily basis. The study cited in the article by Jacka et al., while preliminary, shows impressive and distinct improvements in symptoms of depression (reduction in MADRS scores by nearly 50%) in patients who change their diet alone over a period of 12 weeks. This shouldn’t be surprising since diet quality can affect inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways, along with brain plasticity, among other physiologic processes that are known to influence mental health. However, lifestyle modifications are often an afterthought in psychiatric consultations when they should play a more central role.
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Post by Nyimasatta Jawo on May 25, 2017 23:18:27 GMT -4
What you consume and how you treat your body affects your health in all forms. However, this is the first article I have read about the connection between healthy eating and mental health. It makes sense that what you consume affects the chemistry in your body and can manifest in many different ways. Reading this article and seeing a patient improve in their mental health by improving their eating habits is a step forward in the research of mental health. It also brings to light the issue that diet is not really a big issue targeted by mental health professionals. In most cases diet is only targeted when the patient is suffering from depression and not necessarily other areas of mental health issues. More research into how to handle these issues is necessary not only for treatment purposes but also to help highlight reasons why some people suffer from mental health issues.
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Post by Steven Nguyen on May 26, 2017 0:12:05 GMT -4
The hidden power of food is often underutilized as an approach to improving mental health. The types of food one consumes is an important contributing factor for anxiety and panic attacks and other mental health conditions. Using our knowledge of the chemical processes that take place in our body when we consume certain foods, we can follow specific tips to take advantage of these chemical processes as outlined in this article. It’s not just the types of food you eat, but the amount, methods of preparation, and timing of consumption that all play a crucial role in food’s ability to provide maximal benefit for mental and physical health. Therefore, doctors should continue to make it a routine part of patient care to have a discussion regarding nutrition with their mental health patients and hopefully more of these patients will be able to use food to their advantage to improve their mental health.
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Post by Aishat Zurakat MS3 on May 26, 2017 0:30:40 GMT -4
When we ask about food in psych, it is majorly to see if there is a side effect in medications. This article has changes giving my thoughts about food a good turn. We are what we eat; certain foods are potentially having a negative impact on our mental health. The severity of terrible lifestyle and diet in the world needs to be controlled. For different worthless reasons, we kill ourselves bit by bit. Whether due to work or whatever, what is the use of it all when we cannot have peace of mind or end up spending it on medical bills?
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Post by Wardah Khalid on May 26, 2017 15:04:06 GMT -4
Food may be just one factor that affects our mental health, but it is often overlooked. The fact that the girl in the article had such a significant improvement in her mental state by changing her diet shows how powerful dietary choices can be. Along with improving one's mental health, a healthy diet will help treat other comorbidities, which will in turn further improve mood and mental health. I feel that pharmacotherapy should still be used concomitantly while encouraging patients to eat "clean" by cutting out processed foods and refined sugars. A combination of dietary changes, lifestyle changes, and pharmacotherapy will improve patient outcome the most. During patient encounters, we often ask patients if they have an increase or decrease in appetite, but we don't focus on the types of foods they are consuming. As providers, discussing nutrition will help our future patients take control of their mental health.
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Post by Svetlana Iskhakova on May 27, 2017 21:28:38 GMT -4
It's great to see healthcare moving more towards utilizing integrative medicine approach. Integrative medicine uses everything available to care for a patient, whether it is conventional or alternative medicine, alone or in combination. It is practiced by an MD/DO who has extensive knowledge in both fields. As mentioned in this article, some food and supplements act on the same neurotransmitters and receptors, and it is crucial to understand these processes and to know how to simultaneously manage conditions, medications, and diet. Nutrition has always been an important part of good health (mental or physical), but it has been underestimated and neglected. It is unfortunate that pharmacology has become the main reason behind a visit to a doctor, it is rarely for just a healthy visit to discuss ways to maintain such lifestyle and prevent or prolong (may need them eventually) future need for potent medications. Perhaps the issue with this is the need to quickly fix the problem. When you are healthy and on a good diet, it is easy to maintain. However, if you are suffering, it is hard to start a diet that will show improvements slowly. In the case of Emma, there was great support, an open mindset, and a lot of patience. I did not find how long it took for Emma to feel the improvements, but according to the study mentioned there, it took 12 weeks for the subjects, and this may be too long for many. Appropriate nutrition is a great part of treatment for some patients, but it may not work for all at this late stage of a disorder. However, the great thing about this treatment is that it does not hurt to try. The diet modifications mentioned in the article include decreasing alcohol use, increasing healthy oils content and Mediterranean diet, decreasing intake of processed food and preservatives. In addition to these, Integrative Medicine textbook by D. Rakel (MD), mentions the importance of a decrease in coffee consumption. A study has shown that large intakes of caffein (750mg daily) is associated with depression. (Interestingly enough, another study showed that daily tea drinking (did not specify which tea) has an inverse relationship with depression)
Overall, I think it is an important article for patients and providers to see. Hopefully it can motivate more people to take control of their health starting with nutrition. Seeing someone in a similar situation succeeding, might set the right mind for others. I think the implementation of proper nutrition, targeted to individual health issues, should be started at PCP's office and made important at every specialist's visit.
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