Two out of three people taking an antidepressant prescription still have symptoms of depression. This is a statement that you hear in the commercials on TV directly from the manufacturers of medication for depression.
When you hear this, it should make you think there must be some kind of problem with the medication and perhaps we need to be doing something different. However, that is not what you are encouraged to think. Instead, the pharmaceutical industry says you should take another prescription in addition to the prescription you’re already taking.That is preposterous.
Depression occurs because of disrupted, depleted and/or imbalanced neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters become depleted and disrupted because of issues like nutritional deficiencies, food sensitivity or allergy, Candida overgrowth, environmental toxins like pesticides, hypothyroidism, a diet high in sugar, caffeine and junk food, adrenal fatigue, heavy metal toxicity,SIBO, and chronic stress, not because you need a prescription drug.
The reason two out of three people are still experiencing depression, is because antidepressants do not address the root cause of depression and therefore are ineffective the majority of the time. Antidepressants actually perpetuate the problem of depression by causing more depletion to crucial neurotransmitters in the brain. You do not recover from depression with medication, you become dependent on the medication.
Even when it is effective, eventually it depletes the neurotransmitters more and then becomes ineffective so a new antidepressant must be used until it too becomes ineffective. It is a vicious cycle of dependence and depression typically gets worse.The pharmaceutical companies are not interested in eliminating depression, because if everyone feels better, then you won’t need their drugs anymore.
In the process of neurotransmitter communication there is a phase called reuptake, where the neurotransmitter is essentially broken down, recycled and reused.
SSRI antidepressants like (Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro) allow a substance that has a structure similar to serotonin to occupy the serotonin receptor and impair the reuptake of serotonin, which artificially increases the serotonin level. Since the chemical nature of the antidepressant is different than our natural neurotransmitters, it cannot be broken down or recycled.
The brain will then become confused and think it has too much serotonin and reduce its serotonin receptors or stop producing serotonin, thus depleting serotonin levels even further and increasing depression. This is the reason why individuals taking antidepressants notice that after a period of time they need a higher dose and a higher dose to get the same effect; they are developing tolerance. Antidepressants are essentially addictive psychotropic drugs, just like cocaine and heroin.
In End Your Addiction Now, Dr. Charles Gant tells us that “artificial stimulation of receptors causes a cutback in the brain’s normal production of and responsiveness to the natural neurotransmitter.”
Not only that, serotonin is needed for other neurotransmitters like GABA and dopamine to function properly, so when your serotonin is low, then you may experience symptoms of deficiency in these neurotransmitters as well, even if they are available in sufficient numbers.
It’s also important to be aware that even herbs that work as natural antidepressants will have the same effect on your brain. Popular herbs like Sr. John’s Wort, saffron, and anti-anxiety medication like Valerian will deplete your neurotransmitters further.
You can successfully eliminate depression by restoring balance to your neurotransmitters and this is achieved by making changes in your diet, cleaning up your environment and nutritional supplementation. I know this is true because I experienced it in my own life. By following a Paleo diet, giving up nicotine and caffeine, and eliminating common everyday environmental chemicals out of my life, my clinical depression, as well as chronic anxiety attacks, magically disappeared.
In my book, What Your Psychologist Hasn’t Told You About Anxiety and Depression, you can learn everything you need to know to alleviate your depression and anxiety naturally. Don’t allow big Pharma to make your life dependent on them; take control of your own healing path.
