Why Nutrients are Important in Holistic Psychiatry?
Nutrients work with the body. Nutrients are what the body was made to run on. Medications manipulate the body. They make the body think that it has more of a neurotransmitter than it has. For example, SSRI antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, etc.) work by blocking the serotonin reuptake receptor protein sites. That keeps serotonin from being taken up and recycled by the nerve cell. It leaves more serotonin in the synaptic cleft (between the cells) to be used, but it does not make more serotonin. Eventually, this lowers serotonin, and the medication has to have the dose increased or change medication or have side effects. Nutrients like SAMe, Tryptophan, and 5HTP work with the cell to make more serotonin. Usually, nutrients do not have side effects.
SAMe does even more. It balances the reuptake protein to allow the cell to work better if it is working too fast, reuptake serotonin. About 22% of the population is undermethylated and is lacking that needed methyl group that SAMe provides. Those people benefit the most from SAMe in treating depression. Testing can show if you are over, under, or just right methylated. If you would like to know more, see Dr. Walsh’s book Nutrient Power. Have questions? We are located in Black Mountain NC. Call Us @ 828-357-8542