TJ

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The Healing Process From Depression By Shaving With Chainsaws

I was interviewed by Christopher Browning, a business and career coach for men at Shaving With Chainsaws, about overcoming depression. Chris had been suicidal before and has personal experience with being in the “state” of depression.

He also has an amazing moustache.

cb1

We talk about defeating depression, the natural healing process, unique insights for men suffering from depression, and our own personal stories.

Click play below to listen to the podcast:

Download (22.3MB)

Books Mentioned in the Podcast

Learn more about my experience skydiving while depressed by clicking here.

I always love talking to people that have actually been there and made it out to the other side healthy and alive and hear their perspective as they reflect back on what it was like to be depressed.

Many of us are familiar with suicide stories, failures, and sad stories but we forget that for every sad story out there, there are many people that succeeded in overcoming depression.

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions.

6

How To Lose Someone Without Spiralling Into Depression

how to lose someone without spiralling into grief

how to lose someone without spiralling into griefThe person you love is gone.

They either passed away suddenly without warning or you knew it was coming.

After they die, it’s easy to do all the wrong things.

It is easy to try to continue on like you are OK and suppress the emotions.

To get on with life because, well, the person that died would want you to!

Yet, the more pain you feel, the more you heal.

The more you allow yourself to feel, the more alive you become.

The more you numb yourself out, the more dead you become inside.

The person you loved died physically. For you to numb out would be to join that death with them internally.

This is a vulnerable moment where life’s greatest pain and lessons come to the surface.  If you try to opt-out from this painful period, you’ll collapse over and over again.

How NOT To Deal With Grief And Loss

I experienced both losing someone suddenly and losing someone where I knew it was coming.  I’ve bottled it up and hid my feelings. I’ve allowed my feelings to express themselves fully.

The first time I experienced someone dying was my older brother.  We didn’t have the best relationship.  One day he only ate half of a hamburger and a little over a month later he died.  He had a rare form of peritoneum cancer (if you search on google all you will find is peritoneal cancer) that once discovered, only took a month to take his life.

During that month, I didn’t step up and talk with him.  He had a lot of friends and people seeing him all the time.  I was in a state of shock and didn’t fully believe it was going to happen.  I didn’t know how to assert myself and my needs.

Finally one day, I had my chance to spend time alone with him when they sent him home under the care of a hospice worker.  I went into his room and sat down.

After only a few minutes, the cancer was slowly tearing away at his stitches holding together a massive incision on his stomach.  He started yelling as loud as he could.  He grabbed me and looked deep into my eyes and screamed, “GO GET A SHOTGUN AND SHOOT ME IN THE FACE!”

How To Lose Someone Without Spiralling Into Depression

Actual picture of around 10% of his cancer that was ripping apart his insides

When the ambulance arrived, I got in the front seat and directed the driver on how to get to the cancer institute (he wasn’t sure).  My one chance to settle things, to talk to him, to express myself, was lost.

One morning later I woke up to a phone call.  I drove down to the hospital and saw bile dripping out of his mouth.  He was gone.  After a while of sitting there in the utmost worst pain a 16 year old could experience, the final zip of the body bag sealed this unreal pain’s mark on my soul.

Bottling In Emotions

Immense numbness followed.  Life didn’t seem real.  I would be floating about as if everything was good in a dissociative way, then I would randomly break down.

I remember laying in my bed at night and my body randomly shaking from the pain.  I would listen to A Momentary Lapse Of Reason album by Pink Floyd and drift away into an array of fantasy worlds to try and numb the pain.

My family was torn up.  I can’t speak for others, but I think we all lost a bit of ourselves.  They say that a loss like this can bring a family together, but in my experience and witnessing other families, I think it can sometimes numb people out to each other.  It’s like losing an integral part of yourself and of the family unit.  Nothing is really ever the same.

Suddenly loving and caring about someone doesn’t seem as safe anymore.  Nobody is born equipped on how to properly express such dark, deep, emotions.

I was lost in school.  How could I relate to anyone my age after experiencing such a loss? When asked in class to talk about my summer, the real answer would have been to say, “I witnessed my brother’s stomach slowly get torn apart by cancer and he screamed in my face to blow his head off, now he’s dead and I feel completely numb and messed up.”

How To Lose Someone Without Spiralling Into Depression

A few months later, I was introduced to marijuana.  What a wonderful, wonderful escape.

Drug Addiction, Suicidal Thoughts, And Despair

Before I tell you about how I used drugs to escape the pain of the loss of my brother, it’s important to note I was already slightly depressed before it happened.  At that point in my life, I actually had an amazing group of friends.  I had a lot of people around me.  My life was finally starting to turn around and I wasn’t nearly as depressed as I was in Junior High.  After the death of my brother was one of the darkest periods of my life.

People always debate about whether or not marijuana is bad or not.  Let me give you the answer: it is if it is bad for you.  Addiction is never about the drug or addictive behavior.  It is about deeper pain and emotions going on that need to be numbed out.  Addiction is your brain telling you, “You don’t have to feel this, smoke instead.”

The drugs are the smoke on the fire.  It is just that with drugs, once you go down the rabbit hole, your brain starts to rewire it’s reward system and down-regulates all its receptors.  Congratulations, you now have to use drugs to feel normal and if you ever want to quit, it will take months to a year to feel like yourself again.

When I would smoke weed, I wouldn’t just take a couple tokes and sit back to watch TV and laugh.  I would smoke until I was a vegetable.  I would smoke until I was staring at all the houses outside the car window as they rushed by in the passenger seat completely gone out of my mind unable to communicate anything.  I would smoke until I fell down on the floor, staring at my friend’s ceiling, mumbling in a messed up slur while watching things on his ceiling literally move.

For me, weed is bad.

I didn’t just smoke marijuana.  I would take mushrooms every weekend, take reds a few times a week (I once combined reds with mushrooms at a rave, not a good idea), smoked salvia every single night for 2 weeks once, took LSD, methamphetamine once on accident, and a wide range of other things.  I was secretly self-destructing and slowly killing myself.

My friend who was in an intense treatment center for his own drug addiction said he saw me spiral down out of control faster than anyone he had seen before.

A year or two went by and I realized I had to quit drugs.  My journey off drugs was one of the hardest things I did, but I beat it.  I also did it not by using my “willpower” but by solving my root issues.

Guess what? All those emotions I numbed out were on the other side of sobriety, patiently waiting for me.

How To Lose Someone Without Spiralling Into Depression

PET scan showing the differences in addicted brains (top row) and non-addicted brains (bottom row)

How To Lose Someone and Properly Deal With Grief And Loss

Fast forward years later.  My best friend suddenly passed away by having a seizure while driving at night.  He knew more about me than anyone.  It was pure unconditional love, two kids that met right around preschool and told each other every detail of their lives for 17 straight years.

I had gotten in an argument with him not long before he passed away.  He was Mormon and confronted me asking me why I wasn’t.  I had been abused by the Mormon church as a youngster so I had more negative views towards religion.  The conversation didn’t end well.

A few days after, while sitting on my couch, I actually heard a strong voice inside me say, “Call Spencer up. You never know when someone can die.”  I called him and told him I loved him and didn’t care about our argument.  He died about 5-8 days later.  That time, I didn’t have someone die with unresolved issues.

After he died, I just felt it.  I vomited emotions out of me as if they were poisoning my body and my body wanted to violently purge them clean. I let out the pain in the most expressive way possible.  I would buckle over from the pain and let the core of my being ripple out with deep despair.

I called people.  I told them I was lost and just needed a friend to hang out with for a few hours.  I told people I could use their support.  I asked for help.  I let people know I was in pain and that if they wanted to, I could use anyone to just hear me out and bounce my insanity off of.

A song randomly incubated itself into my mind a week after his funeral.  I put pen to paper and wrote it down in 5-10 minutes.  It just flowed from my heart as if it wasn’t even from me.

I wrote the song and played it on guitar.  I played it in front of people.  Years later, I played it in front of hundreds of people.  The song holds a sacred part in my heart.  It is what makes the pain real, keeping the effects of the relationship still alive.

I finally had enough with wasting my life away being depressed and wrote my one year suicide letter stating that I would do everything in my power to fix myself and if I was still depressed in a year I would kill myself.

In the face of my brother’s death, I chose to numb out.  In the face of my friend’s death, I chose to wake up.

Feel Your Emotions, Get Support, And Never Hide Your Pain

When my brother died, I did all the wrong things.  I pretended like I was alright.  I numbed out with drugs.  I didn’t let people in.  I didn’t let people help or support me.  I acted as if I had to be “tough” and just deal with it.  If you want to maintain your emotional sanity, don’t do what I did.

When my best friend died, I surrendered to the experience.  I respected whatever emotion came up, as if each one was a beautiful moment to not only feel my friend again, but to heal myself.  Each emotion was a life lesson, a feeling that rippled from my deeper core that can never be understood by logic.

I expressed myself.  I dropped the whole “macho tough guy” game and told people I was struggling.  I got support.

If someone you love passes away, you can either numb it out and act like you are fine or you can allow one of the most beautiful life lessons to erupt from your inner being.  You can either isolate yourself and spiral into a deep depression or you can expose yourself and let people gladly support you.  You can pretend like your emotions and pain are fine and “get along with life” or you can just breathe and let your pain run its course.

If someone dies, now is the time to take care of yourself.  Now is the time to slow down and let yourself process your loss.

Now is the time to let yourself go and feel fully.  To feel anger towards the dead person, sadness about your future, crippling neediness and loneliness, it is all fine.  Let them all run their course and don’t resist.

This is the time to look yourself in the mirror and in a deeper way than you thought possible, learn to love yourself.  Learn to be alive.  Learn to value your life. Learn to wake up and live before it is you that suddenly dies.

To numb out the emotions that come with grief would be to numb out one of the greatest lessons life has to offer.

 

3

How To Conquer Depression Without Drugs

how to conquer depression without medication

how to conquer depression without medicationI sat there nervously every single day of my life.

My palms were always slightly damp.  I was always on edge for fear of social interaction.

Every time I gave a presentation, I was filled with fear for a month before the event.

When I gave a presentation, my face would go beet red and a couple times I was so nervous I couldn’t even finish my speech.

Every day was filled with extreme fear and self-hatred.

That’s how my life used to be (keep reading to see a video of me speaking to a large group).

I’m always surprised now when people say, “You look so confident while speaking.”

Truth is, I still get nervous before I speak.  I usually stay nervous while speaking as well.

But it is more excitement than nervousness now.

I don’t lose sleep for weeks before.  And I don’t hate myself for every little mistake.

My depression and anxiety was caused by real physical issues.  Now that I’ve gotten those issues handled, I’m able to push myself, and do things like speak at public libraries.

How To Conquer Depression And Anxiety

In the presentation, you will learn not only how to conquer severe depression, but also:

  • The Surprising #1 Question I’m Asked That You Must Believe In The Right Answer To Beat Depression
  • How This Isn’t Your Fault (And A Word About Antidepressants)
  • What Could Be Your Root Cause?
  • Ways To Start Healing Today

Watch the video to learn how to overcome depression for good by realizing depression isn’t a thing, it is a symptom.

Feel free to download the powerpoint slides I used while presenting to follow along:

I gave a speech at a city library with a mix of people I knew and strangers I’ve never met.  I’d personally rather give a speech to just strangers, so the mix was interesting.  Some people knew me back when I had severe depression, others had known only the “new me.”

In this video, I first go over my individual story.  How I was told I had a disease and would be depressed for the rest of my life, how writing a suicide letter to myself led to my recovery, and the two points where hitting rock bottom brought awareness to my depression problem.

The first 30 minutes is the actual presentation, the last 30 minutes is Q&A.

How To Conquer Depression Without Medication

how to conquer depression without medication

If your brain isn’t working on a physical level,  you’ll feel depressed

If you want to skim the main points of the speech and watch it later, I’ll detail a few key points below.

The thing is, a lot of people are confused as to whether or not you can really conquer depression without drugs.

The truth is, you can.

The reality of depression is that there are a million different reasons for depression.  You cannot just magically snap out of it by being grateful or counting your blessings.  If you have had depression for any length of time, you will know that the correct answer for how to conquer depression for good is not to hope that tomorrow will be a better day or to use positive thoughts to combat it.

Never beat yourself up for not being able to think your way out of it.

I Discovered How To Conquer Depression Out Of Necessity

I learned all that I know about depression not because I wanted to grow up and be a therapist one day as a kid, but because it became my passion after working so hard at it for years and finally beating it myself.

I have a range of experiences and work history:

  • Worked At A Clinical Research Facility
  • Was On The DSAMH Committee For Youth
  • Worked For NAMI As A Mentor
  • Spoke In Front Of Doctors And Professionals About My Experience
  • Degree In Psychology
how to conquer depression without medication

I worked for NAMI, but realized they don’t offer much in terms of a drug free approach

The truth is, none of that led me to the answer.  None of those experiences ultimately led me to the solution, but they gave me a wide grasp of different concepts and what didn’t work.

After skydiving and feeling nothing, losing years and years of my life to isolation and crippling depression to the point of even hearing voices in my head, to finally receiving my wake up call in life, I had written a suicide note to myself to beat depression in one year or die.

My first attempt was taking medications.  My experience with Celexa failed miserably after the increased dosage caused a manic episode.  When I realized I was depressed and dependent on medication, it took a serious effort to get off antidepressants.  Learning how to get off antidepressants ultimately led me to the right answer.

Find Your Root Cause

I healed my depression by discovering what my root causes were.

I had:

  • Vitamin D and magnesium deficiences
  • Food allergies to gluten and dairy
  • Sugar sensitivity
  • Slight adrenal fatigue

I also used supplements like l-tryptophan and l-phenylalanine to heal my brain, get my neurotransmitter levels back, and get off antidepressants.

When I went to the doctor back when I was depressed, I was never once asked about:

  • My sleep
  • My diet
  • My digestion
  • My vitamin and mineral levels
  • Hormonal imbalances

I was simply handed a pill and told to take it.  That is the perfect example of treating the smoke, not the fire.

how to conquer depression without medication

I wish I would have gotten testing done much earlier in my journey rather than just taking antidepressants

What’s funny is how there is this negative stigma towards the word “natural.”  People in our society instantly distrust anything that remotely resembles natural healing.

Taking magnesium, vitamin d, fixing my adrenals, and eating right sounds a lot more sane than taking a random antidepressant, doesn’t it?

We are bombarded with messages that depression is something you need to take medication for.  However, we have to remember that taking antidepressants isn’t as simple as just taking some harmless pill.  They come with side effects, dependency, and severe withdrawals if you aren’t careful.

Here are some common physical causes for depression to look out for:

  • Hypoglycemia
  • Omega-3 to Omega-6 imbalance
  • Thyroid issues
  • Adrenal fatigue
  • Pyroluria
  • Inflammation

Remember, you want to ask what is causing your depression.  Reacting negatively to an unhealthy environment or problems is a natural/normal response.  No wonder I was depressed, I was deficient in nutrients, had food allergies, and suffering from slight burnout!

Believe You Can Beat Depression

One of the top questions I am asked usually happens like this:

“Hey TJ, I know you beat your depression and cite other success stories.  But really.  Can you actually beat depression?”

The answer is yes.  You can beat depression.  If you want more information, make sure to read my article specifically targeting this question, Is It Possible To Beat Depression?

Start Healing Today

how to conquer depression without medication

This brain of yours is nearly 60% fat

Start eating real food.  Start eating more healthy fats.  The brain is nearly 60% fat.  Don’t believe the “low-fat” marketing hype.  If you aren’t including avocados, fish, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, butter from healthy cows, etc. you are diminishing your brain’s ability to make you feel good.

Aim to eat a portion of high quality protein with every meal.  Protein contains amino acids which are the building blocks for neurotransmitters.  Grass fed beef, lentils, eggs, whey protein powder, etc.

Instead of eating frosted Cheerios everyday, start eating healthy carb sources.  If you are sensitive to sugar, aim to eat slower digesting carbs.  Start eating quinoa, sweet potatoes, and lots and lots of vegetables!

Be careful with caffeine, as it depletes B Vitamins and inhibits serotonin and melatonin production.

Quit eating processed meats.  This means bacon with nitrates, cold cuts, deli meats, hot dogs, salami, sausage, etc.  The artificial ingredients and preservatives will bring your mood down.

Start cutting out vegetable oils.  They contain high amounts of omega-6 fats which can tilt your fatty acid balance in the wrong direction.  Vegetable oils typically are unstable and oxidize easily.  Scandinavians can have a genetic inability to manufacture chemicals from gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is found in vegetable oils, into prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) which is associated with depression.

Nutrition is the foundation for mental health! You must get this handled.  This is what I believe about people who don’t see the light when it comes to eating healthy:

If you are unwilling to change your eating habits, either you don’t know how good you can feel or you don’t feel enough pain from depression to want to change.

How To Conquer Depression Without Drugs And Stay Relapse Free

Start attacking your root causes.  Find out what is making you depressed, and fix it.

Get all the support that you can.  Join support groups.  Reach out to people who you know can help you.  Make it a burning commitment to solve depression no matter what.

Read The Mood Cure by Julia Ross or Depression-Free, Naturally by Joan Mathews Larson.  Read up on nutrition.  Look up Chris Kresser.

Sign up for my free email list and get daily emails for little actions you can take to start moving forwards to a depression free life.

Do whatever it takes, and it is only a matter of time that you find relief from depression.

Life Is Beautiful & Meaningful After 7-Months Of Severe Depression | Maria’s Success Story

Depression success story

Depression success storyThe following is a guest story by Maria.

When I first talked to Maria I instantly knew that she was going to recover quickly.

Making a firm decision to fix your depression is the first step to actually beating it.

Maria talks about her story, the resources she used, and how she finally found what looks like a long-term cure to her mood problems.

Everything is exactly how she sent her story to me, except for added links if you want to learn more about the resources and books she mentions.

Enter Maria

It is a lovely autumn day, Tuesday October 28th 2014, and I feel life is beautiful and meaningful, again! But, just two months ago, this was not the case.  I was at the end of my rope trying to find a way to climb out a 7-month long severe depression episode that started back in January. So what happened you ask?

The turning point was Saturday August 16th when I found TJ. I was browsing the internet using the key words depression and positive thinking.   This lead me an article written by TJ:

The problem has nothing to do with positive thinking.  The problem has to do with a misunderstanding of depression… When your head’s on fire, the book “Feeling Good” is only going to make you feel worse. This book was a great read–when I wasn’t depressed or anxious. The problem is that the book was useless when I was suffering from severe anxiety and depression… If you are in a deep depression one positive thought is not enough to change your brain chemistry.  Not only that, but isn’t thinking positive hard while depressed? Isn’t that a symptom of depression?!

This message resonates with me completely: when I am not depressed, I have no problem doing positive thinking. In fact, I am known as a half-glass-full type of person to family, friends and colleagues. I never believed that negative thinking caused my depression, but what else then?

So, I read everything on http://dominatedepression.com/ that day and left a phone message on the contact number provided, but I was not sure what to expect. When the phone rang the following night past my no-phone curfew time, I had a premonition and I picked up the phone. Indeed, it was TJ calling back and we talked for forty minutes!

Next, I started his 6-week program, read the Mood Cure book by Ross recommended by TJ and arranged a few one-on-one sessions with him.   Well, I made a partial recovery after about 2 weeks (depression was gone but not the various side effects from the antidepressants I tried but had stopped back in early August; more on this alter) and a complete recovery after about 1 and half months.   Maybe the depression had run its course, but let me just tell the story.

I found the Mood Cure book a great complementary tool to the 6-week program. The amino acid supplements approach did not have the proclaimed 1-day effect, but my depression went away after about 2-weeks of trying various supplements, as well as changing my diet as recommended.

The one-on-one sessions (3 one-hour and 1 half-hour) with TJ were extremely helpful to me for two main reasons. They convinced me to do some tests to pinpoint the problems more quickly, and they offered me much needed moral support during the recovery period. (I was extremely anxious to see the result as I felt that this approach was my last resort.)

During these sessions (via Skype), TJ never gave me the feeling that he was watching the clock (like most therapists do)! Besides his passion and commitment, I was also totally floored by his professionalism. Once I pre-paid for one-hour session but then decided to do half-hour only. Before I even had a chance to tell TJ to return the money, I already received a refund from PayPal!

Back to the recovery, the various tests showed that I am mostly healthy and balanced but my stress-hormone cortisol is out of the roof, and my vitamin D and Iron level are low. In retrospect, these are not surprising findings, positive or negative: 1) I have always eaten ‘healthy’ (lots of vegetables and fruits, limited sugar) hence the overall good test results. But my past diet did not contain enough fat and protein (I am a middle-aged woman who always has the last 10 lbs to loose 🙂 which are critical to mental health. 2) My depression episodes (started 5 years ago) tend to occur in the fall and winter seasons, and vitamin D and Iron are essential to a happy mind.

So, I am now taking vitamin D and Iron supplements and also use a light box. 3) I am one of those over-achievers and perfectionists, not in the clinical sense, who burn the candle at both ends: try to be successful at a stressful job and try to run a happy family of four. At times, I almost enjoyed being a ‘super’ woman, but then I crashed, lesson learned hard way! So these days I am more in tune with my body and rest whenever necessary. Stress management is one of the keys in my case.

A few remaining but important points to make: TJ was instrumental to my recovery, but long before I found him, I tried medication, exercise, talk-therapy and mindfulness.

Medication did not work for me! In fact, the first medication I tried (I have resisted taking medication until this most recent episode) made me severely insomniac. This coupled with atypical high stress turned my mild depression into a severe one. (My previous episodes in the past 5 years were never this severe and usually lasted about 4-5 months. I recovered from them by exercising and quit drinking.)

Then I needed other medications for insomnia.   My sleep got better but my depression never went away and the medication also had various side effects on me. I understand that medication might be necessary for some people, and I did read various success stories online. But, it just did not work for me. TJ has his own interesting story with medication that is worth reading.

Exercise is key in prevention and recovery. In the past, exercise helped me recover and I noticed the pattern of slacking on exercise just before an episode hits. However, during this episode when I was severely insomniac and depressed, exercise did not have the usual effect on me, because my body was stressed to a breaking point.

Soon after I found TJ and started to take supplements and change my diet, exercise had its usual magic on me again. So I am exercising regularly now: 3-4 times a week with group aerobic exercises, weights or jogging. I also walk a lot.

Talk-therapy was helpful. I found a good therapist through a friend and I met with him weekly for about 3 months. (This was the first time I tried talk-therapy because of the severity of this episode.) Although I learned a few useful tips, I must say it provided more of a moral support than anything else. This is mostly due to the fact that I am generally a positive person, as said early, and I know the essence of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).

I have no problem implementing it when I am not depressed but it is hard when I am depressed! This explains why I found TJ’s view on depression-and-positive-thinking so refreshing and resonating. Having said that, practicing CBT every day does not hurt and seeing a good therapist is even better if finance is not a concern.

Mindfulness study was interesting. I took a 8-week course while still depressed. I also bought The Mindful Way Through Depression book by Williams, Teasdale, Segal and Kabat-Zinn. It made me realize how not mindful I had been living my life: I am goal oriented and kind of always on the run. But ,it did not pull me out of depression. The book indeed cautions against practicing it if you are in the midst of deep depression. But I was desperate, to say the least. Nowadays, I try to be as mindful as I can. It is hard but I believe it is useful in prevention.

What else? Not surprisingly I spent much time on internet and read many self-help books during my recover. Internet browsing is a double-edged sword. Without it I wouldn’t have found TJ, but I also felt that some of the time spent there was not constructive. Self-help books are, no pun intended, helpful. I personally find the following two books particularly helpful: Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh, who is the father of mindfulness practice, and Back from the Brink by Cowan, who really provided moral support through his story and his interviews with others who suffer from depression.

They say that the relapse rate is high among people who had recurrent episodes. But I hope I have found my long-term solution: stress management (rest, let-it-go, less worry and less perfectionisms, mindfulness and social activities), good diet, exercise, and some supplements when needed! I cannot thank TJ enough for helping me find this path.

TJ has asked me if I would do video testimonial, because “it seems like positive messages make it through the “depression filter” for people much better when they see a video”.  Unfortunately I am not brave enough to do so: I am worried about the stigma associated with depression. Nevertheless I hope my story here can help you in some way.

Best wishes,

Maria

Afterward by TJ: Maria was definitely set on overcoming depression by utilizing all her resources.  What resources are available to you that you can go out and start using today?

12

Depression Isn’t The Problem, It’s The Symptom

Depression is a symptom

Depression is a symptom not a diseaseYou wake up.

And feel… Depressed…

Uh oh… Here it comes…

The big dark cloud of depression is starting to overwhelm you.

There’s nothing you can do now.

The depression has taken its hold.

Your mind begins to race.  You worry obsessively.

You go down the dark spiral once again into a state of helplessness.

And think, “Damn you depression.  You’ve got me again.”

Depression Is A Symptom Not A Disease

Thinking that depression is a disease is a myth that will bring you a lot of suffering.  Believing that depression is a “thing” that you have will cause you to recover much slower.

How do I know this?

Because that is what I was told for years.  I was also very, very depressed for 11 years.  None of that helped me.  In fact, it did a good job of keeping me depressed.

I was told by doctors that I simply needed to take an antidepressant.  My therapist in college told me that I was going to have to take antidepressants for the rest of my life.  I had a disease that for the rest of my life I could simply hope to manage this disease with medication.

What a shitty life I had ahead.

Yet, now I feel better than I have in my entire existence and I haven’t taken antidepressants in years. My post about how I got off of antidepressants is the most popular post on this webpage.

People are finally starting to realize that what they’ve been told all their lives about depression just might not be true.  Because, well, they’re still depressed.  If what they were told was true, it should have given them long-lasting results by now.

So then, what are you supposed to do if you are depressed now or are starting to get depressed?

Use Depression As A “Compass”

Depression is a symptom not a disease

Learn to listen to depression and use it to pinpoint root causes

Here’s the good news: being depressed often has nothing to do with your inability to think positive 24/7 like a monk that’s been meditating for 10 years in a cave.

If you have been struggling with depression for a long time and have already tried all the cognitive behavioral experiments, quit beating yourself up.

Chris Kresser, who often talks about how depression is a symptom of deficiency and toxicity, reports that many of his patients that thought there was something wrong with them find amazing relief when they actually discover depression has physical roots.  From his article, “Is Depression a Disease or a Symptom of Inflammation?” he writes:

Understanding the physical roots of depression can have a profound effect on people who are suffering from it. Although the stigma surrounding depression has decreased in recent years, many who are depressed still carry the burden of thinking that there’s something wrong with them, and the depression they experience is “their fault”. When my patients with depression learn that there’s an underlying physiological cause of their symptoms, they often feel a tremendous sense of relief and empowerment. What’s more, when we address this underlying cause, their mood improves dramatically and they quickly realize that the self-judgment and shame they felt about being depressed was misplaced and unwarranted.  

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

If I ever start to feel depressed these days, I slow down and listen.  Depression is telling me something, and if I relax and realize something else is causing the depression, I’m back to feeling good in no time.

What Do You Do If You Feel Depression Creeping Back In?

Another thing I absolutely hate about depression is how everyone used to tell me, “If you’ve had depression before, chances are, you will relapse.”  Telling that to a depressed person is basically telling them not to try at all.  Why try getting better if depression is just going to come back?

Guess what, I haven’t been depressed in years.  There was one episode in Thailand when I got severe food poisoning and felt severely depressed when my gut was absolutely destroyed.  Luckily, I knew what to do in case of a relapse and got myself back on track.  It also didn’t just randomly “happen” out of nowhere, it was caused by a physical issue.

So much for the belief about relapsing every month into a depressive episode.

If you start to feel your mood go down or you are already depressed, I want you to try something new.

Listen to your depression and use it as a guide to finding your root causes.

Instead of freaking out and letting yourself become obsessed with the idea that you are starting down the downward spiral once again, just breathe and listen. Start asking yourself some questions.

  • What is going on here?  Anything significant happen recently?
  • Have I been eating shitty foods? Have I been eating enough calories?
  • Have I been sleeping properly?
  • Have I gotten blood work done to rule out deficiencies or hormonal problems?
  • Have I been eating anything like sugar, gluten, dairy, or anything else I’m sensitive to?

I’ve been amazed at how simple it has been sometimes to turn around and recover quickly.  One time I started to feel down.  I have an app on my phone called Sleep Cycle that records how I have been sleeping.  I opened it up, and guess what.  I had been getting around 5 hours of sleep for a week straight.  No wonder my mood is low.

One time I wasn’t feeling too hot, then realized that I had been eating white flour tortillas from burritos and eating out almost everyday.  I accepted my fate of not being able to eat burritos because of my sensitivity to wheat and gluten, cut them out again, and my mood came back.

Remember, depression is a symptom not a disease.  Once you find the root cause of what is making you depressed and fix it (or fix them if you have several things going on), the depression will lift.

Common Conditions That Are Making You Depressed

depression is a symptom not a disease

Fix root causes to stop this from happening every night.

Start to see your depression as a guidepost leading you to the causes, not the actual problem itself.

Take my story for example.

I was eating McDeath all the time, I had experienced some pretty severe trauma from watching my brother die a painful death as cancer ripped apart his insides, my family had split up, I had B Vitamin, Vitamin D, and magnesium deficiencies, was slightly allergic to gluten and dairy, and had adrenal fatigue.

After my brief experiment with antidepressants and mainly my experience with Celexa, I realized there was some major changes to make in my diet.  I ate amazingly healthy, took basic supplements and vitamins for depression, raised my Vitamin D levels into the optimal range, got my stress in check, mastered getting a good night’s rest, and started to feel better.

Holy sh*t I thought, I knew I felt bad, but I didn’t know I felt that bad.

Later on, testing revealed I had adrenal fatigue.  I fixed that, and my energy levels started to skyrocket.

What would have happened if I would have walked into a doctor’s office and instead of quickly prescribing me a drug, he checked and saw that my blood test showed I had low Vitamin D and magnesium? What if that doctor checked my hormonal panel and saw high estrogen, low DHEA, and interesting cortisol patterns and realized my adrenals were worn out as all hell from the stress I endured?

Depression Is A Symptom Not A Disease

A comment on my video that describes this situation very well

What if that doctor would have asked me what my diet was, and realized I wasn’t eating healthy at all?  What if that doctor would have realized my sleep quality sucked?

You can get depressed from thyroid problems, gut issues, IBS, parasites, candida yeast, medications, adrenal fatigue, low testosterone, improper sleep, vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies, lack of exercise, food allergies, and a whole range of other things I can’t list off the top of my head.

If all of those things can cause depression, why are we told to just accept that we are depressed as if it is some life-sentence?  Why aren’t these possibilities explored, especially when something as simple as a magnesium deficiency is so easy to correct?

Other Stories

With each person that I talk to, I always try to figure out basic changes and quickly try to target root causes for why their mood is the way that it is.

One person that was emailing me, I simply suggested that he try taking a high quality B12 supplement.  His symptoms of being dizzy and tired all the time sounded eerily similar to just a basic B vitamin deficiency.  He reported that in only a day or two, the B12 supplement was fixing his dizziness and fatigue and he was able to work through the day much easier.

Another person I just finished working with had a few more things going on.  Again, it wasn’t depression that was her enemy, it was all the conditions going on that was producing the symptom of depression that we had to target.

Medications never worked for her long-term.  After digging deeper, she found out her cortisol was through the roof and her vitamin d and iron levels were low.  Her past diet did not contain enough fat and protein.

After fixing her out of whack stress hormones and deficiencies, she feels great now simply with stress management, good diet, exercise, and some supplements when needed.

If you haven’t read Maria’s amazing story, you deserve to.  Click here to read how she beat depression and believes she has the long-term cure to her mood problems.

Using N-A-C To Fix Depression

depression is a symptom not a diseaseAnother interesting example is Mike.  His maternal side has a long history of mental illness and he struggled with anxiety and depression.  After learning that N-acetyl cysteine was used for depressive symptoms in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial to beat depressive symptoms in bipolar disorder (PubMed) he starting taking a simple dose of Jarrow Formulas N-A-C Sustain to raise his glutathione levels.

In this article, he talks about how he used N-A-C and other methods to clear toxins from his liver.  Lowering oxidative stress, he beat both his anxiety and depression, two conditions that drug companies would love to tell you you have because you need to take their medications.

Do Whatever It Takes To Find Your Root Causes

Don’t believe the BS that you will have depression forever.  Ignore the lies that depression tells you.  Realize it is possible to beat depression.  Know that you don’t have to take medications that mess you up with all sorts of side effects for the rest of your life in order to feel happy and have a meaningful life.

Make a commitment to yourself to investigate the possible reasons why you have depression.  Learn to listen to your depression and use it as a guide and a signal to what is really going on at a deeper level.

Check out your hormone levels.  Test your thyroid and adrenal function.  Make sure your gut is working properly and you can actually digest foods.  Actually eat healthy instead of making up excuses to continue eating crappy foods that are wrecking your mood.

Do whatever it takes to figure out the real reasons for why you are depressed.  Click here to sign up for my email list to get free, actionable steps to start on the right path.  Find out your root causes, then do what you need to do to correct it.

Then, you are depression free.  It’s a lot more simple than society wants you to believe.

12

Best B12 Supplement

best b12 supplement

best b12 supplementIt always amazes me how complex depression is.

It also always amazes me when someone simply has one vitamin deficiency and once that is fixed, all symptoms go away.

Depression is tricky yet simple.  On the one hand, it can be hard to figure out what the root cause of your own depression is.

It also is especially hard when you’re already depressed in the first place and have a foggy head, no energy, feel faint, and trying to figure out how to cure yourself all at the same time.

On the other hand, with a simple diagnosis of symptoms, it can be very straightforward.

On the spectrum of amazingly simple, a B12 deficiency is quite common. When this is the case, all it can take is one supplement to fix your depression.

Read on to find out what the best b12 supplement to take is and to see a reader’s story of finding relief in 5 days.

What is Vitamin B12?

Best b12 supplement

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B 12 also goes by the name cobalamin. According to Wikipedia, it is involved in in every single cell of the human body.  It affects the creation of DNA, fatty acids, and producing energy.

No plant or human alive is capable of producing Vitamin B12.  It can only be produced by humans using bacteria.  The reason I recommend eating lots of healthy foods, including healthy meats, is if you aren’t getting enough Vitamin B12, you are going to be depressed.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms

One of the most common symptoms of Vit B12 deficiency is, you guessed it, depression.  Any B Vitamin deficiency will result in depression.  B Vitamins are crucial to every step in creating neurotransmitters and overall mood.

If you’ve been stressed out for a long time or suffered from trauma It is likely that you are deficient in B Vitamins one way or another.  Sugar also depletes B Vitamins.  If you’ve been stressed and eating sugary foods to ease your pain, then B Vitamins become even more important.

Low Vitamin B12 symptoms can include or mimic:

  • Memory problems
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Learning disorders
  • Cancer
  • Infertility

Yes, cancer.  Don’t mess around with B Vitamin deficiencies.  Especially Vitamin B12.

B12 deficiency if far more common than you might think.  Data from the Tufts University Framingham Offspring Study shows that 40% of people in the age range of 26 to 83 have plasma B12 levels in the lower ranges.

If any of those symptoms above sound like what you are experiencing, try supplementing with B12 for a few days to see the results.

Who Is Most Likely To Benefit From Taking A B12 Supplement?

best b12 supplementVitamin B12 is more complex than just simply eating the right foods.  If you have any problems with your digestive system, have leaky gut or gut inflammation, drink a lot of alcohol, or take medications your ability to absorb and utilize B12 can suffer.

Even if you are eating plenty of healthy food and animal products, if your digestive system is off, you are going to have a hard time getting enough B12 to feel the best that you can.

Vegetarians and vegans are the most suspect to having a B12 deficiency. A lot of plant sources don’t contain actual B12, just B12 analogs.  80% of vegans are shown to be deficient in B12.  All vegans and pretty much all vegetarians should supplement with B12.

If you truly want to know for sure whether or not you are deficient in Vitamin B12, most insurance companies will cover the cost if you go to a doctor.  If not, you can order a simple test from a place like DirectLabs for around $65.

Benefits of Vitamin B12

best b12 supplement

Vitamin B12 helps prevent brain shrinkage.

Vitamin B12 is essential for healthy skin.  Without it, you cannot properly renew the skin cells.  Benefits of B12 also includes converting carbohydrates into energy.  Experiencing severe fatigue is another sign you may be deficient in B12.

Vitamin B12 helps protect against cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and heart disease.  It helps maintain a healthy digestive system.

Last but not least, it helps regulate the nervous system. Vitamin B12 benefits include preventing depression, stress, and brain shrinkage.

Sources of Vitamin B12

The top Vitamin B12 sources are shellfish, beef liver, fish, crab, tofu (although I recommend being careful eating soy), red meat, dairy (check for allergies first), cheese, and eggs.  As you can see, vegans and vegetarians are at risk for not getting these foods rich in vitamin B12 in their diets.

Vitamin B12 is made in the gut.  If you are eating enough healthy foods and your digestion works properly, you should be getting enough Vitamin B12.  If you are taking a Vitamin B Complex on top of it all you shouldn’t have any problems.

However, you may need to take extra B12 if you find yourself with low energy, depression, anxiety, and have responded well to B Vitamins in the past.  Try taking B12 especially if you are depressed and tend to stay away from eating meat, or if you are experiencing feelings of faintness or serious fatigue.

Vitamin B12 Side Effects

Severe allergic reactions can occur if your body can’t tolerate B12 supplements.  This can include getting a rash, hives, having difficulty breathing, having tightness in your chest, or swelling in your mouth.

However, according to Drugs.com there are no commonly reported side effects by taking Vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 Overdose

Symptoms of taking too much Vitamin B12 can include itchiness, improper heart functioning, giddiness, and regular headaches.

Again, this is very rare.  Just be careful if you are the very rare minority that begins to feel any of those symptoms.

What B12 Supplement is Best?

The best B12 supplement for absorption is sublingual B12 or taking injections.

Methylcobalamin

The most common form of Vit B12 is called cyanaocobalamin.  Methylcobalamin has recently been shown to be a better choice.  Japanese studies show that it is better absorbed because it bypasses a few problems that can occur in the B12 absorption cycle.  It also provides methyl groups to the body, which are important for overall health and mood.

Best B12 Supplement Reviews

Best B12 SupplementMany people believe that Jarrow Formulas Methylcobalamin is the best B12 supplement on the market. It can be placed under the tongue for maximum absorption.  Supplements don’t have many restrictions and regulations to ensure quality, but Jarrow Formulas is a brand I know that I can always trust.

A bottle of 60 lozenges at 5,000mcg from Jarrow Formulas is priced right around $15.  On Amazon.com, it is the best seller out of all the B12 supplements

Best b12 supplement

Best B12 Supplement

Jarrow Formulas B12 Reviews on Amazon.com

best b12 supplement

Jarrow Formulas 1,000mcg Version Reviews on iHerb.com

Best b12 SupplementNature’s Bounty comes in a close second place to Jarrow Formulas.  The price is significantly lower. At 250 microlozenges and 2500mcg, the price is $15.  Jarrow Formulas is about twice the price of Nature’s Bounty if you factor in the dosing difference.

Nature’s Bounty is sublingual also and can be placed under the tongue for absorption.  It is the same cherry flavor as Jarrow Formulas.

The one thing I don’t like about Nature’s Bounty is it contains mannitol.  Some people can have issues digesting this artificial sugar and others are allergic to it.  Jarrow Formulas uses xylitol as a sweetener, which most people are able to handle.

My personal recommendation is to go with Jarrow Formulas unless you are really struggling financially, then Nature’s Bounty would be an option.

B12 Dosage can vary, but most people who are deficient find that 5,000 mcg is an effective dose.

Best Time To Take A B12 Supplement

Don’t take a B12 supplement too close to bedtime as Vitamin B12 can be stimulating and cause insomnia.  We all know what insomnia can do to our moods.

When taking a sublingual lozenge, it is important to let the tablet dissolve as slowly as possible under the tongue.  Sublingual B12 can be taken at any time.  You don’t have to take it with food or not, although many people report that taking it right after a meal has positive effects.

How Quickly Can Taking A B12 Supplement Work?

One reader was emailing me and his symptoms indicated he may be deficient in B12 the more I talked with him.  I simply told him to take the brand I recommended to you above, Jarrow Formulas Methylcobalamin, and he experienced relief in only a few days.

From not being able to work from dizziness, severe fatigue, and feeling faint, he found himself finally being able to function from taking one supplement.

Best B12 Supplement Best B12 SupplementWith depression, it is important to go deep and find your own root cause for why your experiencing these awful symptoms of despair.  People always ask me if it is possible to beat depression.  My answer always is the same and can be found in the linked article.

To learn more about vitamin B supplements, amino acid supplements, antioxidant supplements, methylcobalamin b12, or the best vitamin brands, make sure to check out the supplements for depression master page.

If you want a proven depression relief system that takes what symptoms you are currently experiencing and shows you the best route and action steps to take for your own individual depression type, check out the course here.

If you simply want free, actionable daily emails that get you one step closer to finding your root cause and moving towards recovery, sign up here for the email list.

12

Is It Possible To Beat Depression?

Is it possible to beat depression?

Is It Possible To Beat DepressionIs it possible to pull yourself out of a depression?

Is it possible to beat depression even if your whole family is depressed, your on medication, and you have suicidal thoughts?

Is it possible to recover from depression without medication?

Are you doomed to taking strong medications that cover up the symptoms of a condition for the rest of your existence?

Why did I decide to write about this today?

For one, I forgot how long I used to be stuck in harmful beliefs.

I forgot that depression lies to you by telling you you’re stuck and doomed.  I forgot that depression tells you it is an “illness” or “disease” that you’ll live with for the rest of your life.

I forgot that at one point, doctors told me that I had a condition like type one diabetes. I would have to take strong medications for the rest of my life, just like insulin.

I forgot that in my recovery and the state I’m in now, that other people have either forgotten or didn’t know that overcoming depression is possible.

This might be the most important article you read.  Almost every single one of you who signs up for my email list responds to my first question with the same answer.

Is It Possible To Overcome Depression?

I ask every person that signs up to my email list one simple question.

“What’s your single most important question about overcoming depression without medication?”

The most common response I get is, you guessed it, “Is it possible to cure depression?” or “Is it possible to get over depression?” or “Is it possible to recover from depression?” or “No, really, is it possible to beat depression if I’ve been depressed for 10 years?”

If you noticed, medication isn’t even mentioned in these questions.  People aren’t just unsure if it is possible to beat depression without meds, they are simply unsure of whether or not it is possible to cure depression at all.

What this means is that it is an almost universal symptom of depression to believe that it isn’t possible to beat it.  Even worse, our society and medical system is there to reinforce that belief.  I had trained professionals telling me that I had a disease for the rest of my life and I was doomed to taking powerful mind altering chemicals produced in a lab until I die in order to feel normal.

The media is the most obvious.  How often do we hear about someone who took his or her own life?  What brings more viewers, a sad chaotic story of violent suicide? Would anyone watch if the news said, “Man slowly heals himself over the course of 6 months from depression.  Says he feels happy now.”?

Why did I get so many emails when Robin Williams took his life where people thought that if he failed, they couldn’t possibly succeed?  Do you or I know what it is like to be that famous or what other things he was actually dealing with?

Why do we all succumb to the belief that depression is an ailment that we will have for life? Reading statistics about depression online doesn’t help. How often have you heard, “Unfortunately, 50% of people who have one major episode of depression will relapse, and the likelihood goes up if you’ve had more than one,” in your lifetime?

Depression is downward spiral for a reason.  It makes you feel horrible, which makes you question everything including the possibility of depression’s defeat, which in turn makes you feel even more horrible.  The cycle goes on and on.  Every relapse you experience becomes yet another reinforcement for the belief that depression simply cannot be defeated.

Is it possible to beat depression?

Depression makes you feel hopeless, hopelessness makes  you feel more depressed, which makes you feel more hopeless…

When was the last time you sat down with yourself and really thought about whether or not depression can actually be solved.

Is it not true, that there are thousands and thousands of people recovering from depression?  What about them?  Why don’t we ever listen to the success stories?

Now that I’ve recovered I’ve often asked myself, “What is depression really?” Is depression a thing, or is it a symptom of something else going on?  Is depression a disease that attacks you for no reason, or is it symptom that either something is off in your life or in your body?

What Are Some Known Or Possible Causes Of Depression?

The most commonly known triggers for depression are things like trauma, grief, financial troubles, relationship breakup, unemployment, or a big move to another city.  Then there are poor sibling relationships, dysfunctional families, or a lack of purpose in life.

There is a genetic component with depression.  So if you’re parents are depressed, well guess what, you now have a higher likelihood of being depressed, not to mention being around depressing parents isn’t probably helping either.

If you’re reading this website, however, I’m sure a lot of you have looked into those things and still find yourself depressed.  Or, what if none of those things apply to you? Is it possible to have depression for no reason?

Other notable causes can be things like SAD, or seasonal affective disorder.  This is where someone gets depressed in the winter.  Shockingly, they now say that for less than 1% of SAD sufferers, it can even strike someone in the summer.

There are people who don’t react well to birth control pills and find themselves feeling depressed as a result.  There are other medications where the one of the possible side effects listed on the bottle is depression.

If you abuse substances, it is possible to find yourself depressed.  If you have a sudden stressful event, it can put you in a depression…

Are you getting the point? There are a lot of possible explanations for depression and we haven’t even skimmed the surface yet!

Sometimes, I believe people substitute the word depression for sadness in a lot of cases, such as moving to another city, but regardless there are a lot of reasons for feeling down or depressed.

So what can a person do?!

Possible Physical Causes For Depression

People forget that there are physical possibilities for keeping them down.

Here is a small list of possible reasons for depression that are purely physical:

  • Lack of exercise
  • Lack of sunshine
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Candida or yeast infection
  • Poor adrenal function
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Heavy metal toxicity
  • Premenstrual syndrome
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Dental problems
  • TMJ
  • Infection like AIDS
  • Medical conditions like heart problems, lung disease, cancer, or head injury

What if you simply had a thyroid problem, and after getting it corrected, your symptoms of depression vanished? Have you looked into the symptoms of a bad thyroid to see if you match any of the criteria?

Have you looked into adrenal fatigue? The test is easy. You simply get levels of your cortisol and DHEA levels checked.  I’ve done it myself.

Is it possible to beat depression?

After learning about my low levels of DHEA, healing my adrenals got my motivation and energy back.

What if you had a simple issue going on in your body and by looking deeper into that and with the proper care, your symptoms of depression vanished?

What Are The Possible Dietary Causes For Depression?

Now lets take a look at possible ways you can be depressed through your diet or food.  I know that, at least in the Western part of the world, there are a lot of people that believe that diet has no role in depression or any ailment for that matter. I used to be one of those people.  I also used to eat a lot of McDeath (otherwise known as McDonalds).

These days, whenever I hear that or read that diet plays no role in mental health conditions I just shake my head and wonder how we have all gone crazy and think food doesn’t affect anything.

People like Julia Ross, Joan Mathews Larson, Priscilla Slagle, Andrew Saul,  and Stephen S Ilardi have been using nutrient therapy for years to cure people of conditions like depression and substance abuse effectively.  Not only that, but also helping people get off antidepressants safely and effectively.

I would know, because I got started down this whole rabbit hole of actually being healthy myself after randomly picking up Julia Ross’s Mood Cure. I stumbled around in a depressive stupor, walked down to Barnes and Noble, and desperately went to the Mental Health section to find a solution to my depression in one year or kill myself and picked up her book.

As you can see, I’m still alive.

A lack of Omega-3 fatty acids is a major issue for most people.  In a typical diet, Omega-6 fats are abundant and Omega-3 fats are lacking.  This causes problems within the brain when it comes to neurotransmitters working properly and leads to higher inflammation, both reasons for not feeling too great.

Numerous studies have shown that most study participants were deficient in magnesium, a critical nutrient for both anxiety and depression.  It also makes a great supplement to promote sleep, if you suffer from insomnia.

If you don’t get enough B Vitamins, you won’t have the proper cofactors in converting amino acids into neurotransmitters like serotonin or dopamine.

Is It Possible To Beat Depression?

B Vitamins Are Necessary For Neurotransmitter Production

If you have a Vitamin D deficiency, this is going to affect your body’s functioning in more than one way.  It can also cause depression.  I had this problem.  Using supplementation brought my Vitamin D levels up into the optimal range, which did wonders for my mood.

Is it possible to beat depression?

Was lower than 34 before this test. I was still working on raising it.

Is it possible to beat depression?

This is after supplementing with Vitamin D and correcting my DHEA levels

Other researchers are finding that people can develop depression simply by eating foods they are allergic to.  Two of the most common allergens that you might have heard about are gluten and dairy.

There are people that find that just by cutting out gluten they find their depressive symptoms vanishing.

Many people get depression or mood swings because of eating too much sugar or starchy carbohydrates.  The rapid changes in blood sugar levels can affect mood dramatically.

These people can often find relief simply by eating more protein (supplying more amino acids, the building blocks of neurotransmitters), eating more healthy fats (the human brain is nearly 60% fat), and replacing their morning cereal and starchy treats with foods like vegetables, yams, or occasionally fruit.

What’s the message here?

It Is Possible To Beat Depression

You just have to find out the root cause that is making you depressed and correct it.

Want to know how to overcome depression? Here’s the formula:

Step 1: Figure out why you are depressed.
Step 2: Correct the root cause(s).

Okay, I get it.  If you knew why you were depressed you’d already have begun working on fixing it.

My question to you is, have you let go of all your preconceived notions about depression, and really allowed yourself to dig deeper and do whatever it takes to figure out why you’re depressed? Have you looked at all the other ways to correct it?

My Promise To You

Yes, it is possible to feel good. Depression is not forever. Remember that depression places a “filter” over your thoughts. I know that even as I am writing this blog post, if depression has that filter up over you, a lot of this isn’t going to register until you finally feel better.

This filter produces all-or-nothing thoughts, and the biggest one is that you are going to be this way forever. Psychiatrists told me that all the time. They said I had a lifelong “disease” and would have to take antidepressants for the rest of my life.

Guess what? I don’t even take many supplements anymore. I feel great.

Listen, if you make it an absolute commitment to overcome your depression and find the root cause for why you are feeling the way you do, and do that no matter what, you cannot fail. You will find the solution. I promise you that.

I had food allergies, wasn’t eating healthy at all (but thought I was), didn’t eat enough fat, had low Omega-3 levels, had burnt out adrenals and depleted B Vitamins from stress, and had a magnesium and Vitamin D deficiency.  I corrected it all with diet, supplementation, and using amino acids to get off Celexa and bring back my levels of serotonin and dopamine naturally without drugs.

What If I’m Too Depressed In The First Place To Do Anything?

Let’s return to the dark cycle of depression.  You feel like crap because you are depressed, yet you don’t have any willpower or energy from the depression to get up and do something about it.

I’ve found that the trick is to find just a tiny bit of relief.  Whether that is through taking amino acids to bring your mood back, correcting your sleep, or eating a little bit healthier so you get that tiny little increase in energy.  Once you begin on the journey and learn more and more about yourself, it will only be a matter of time until you get to the root cause of your depression and start feeling great.

The key is to forget everything you think you know about depression and start looking at your symptoms.  Take those and take the most likely solution for your current symptoms and go at it.  Don’t stop until you are cured.

You can do this with or without medication. That is your choice.  My personal experience is that antidepressants and medications have unknown long-term effects, don’t positively affect 5-HIAA levels which have been shown to be just as important as things like serotonin for mood, and the withdrawal effects are horrendous.

I also used to work in a clinical research facility.  Behind the scenes, there is a lot that goes on to quickly pass off drugs as safe so they can hit the market.

Whatever you choose, just know that yes, it is possible to beat depression. You don’t have to live like that forever.

Feel free to comment below what your own personal journey has been, any questions you have, or shoot me an email.  I’ve been there.

If you want a risk free proven system to find relief without medication or having to rely on positive thinking, find your root cause and begin fixing it, I’ve developed a course to help you do just that.

 

9

Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP Reviews

jarrow formulas 5-ht reviews intro
jarrow formulas 5-ht reviews intro

Boost your serotonin naturally

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was just serotonin pills we could take and feel better?

Especially if it was natural?

And didn’t cause dependency?

If you’ve been depressed for a while, chances are you’ve heard the news about serotonin.

Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and low self-esteem are symptoms of low serotonin.

In other words – not having enough serotonin makes life miserable.

Serotonin is made by converting L-Tryptophan into 5-HTP (hydroxytryptophan) and then into 5-HT (serotonin).

Most people are able to get enough tryptophan and B vitamins in their diets to produce sufficient serotonin.

However, if you are depressed, you can jump start that process to get your brain back quicker.

Read on to learn about the uses of 5-HTP and the best brand to take.

Does 5 HTP Work

5htp is made from griffonia simplicifolia. Seeds from this african plant are harvested in order to producue 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). In fact, many vendors sell griffonia seed extract for the same effects of taking a 5 htp supplement.

5-HTP is well known for its quick effects when taken on an empty stomach.  According to Julia Ross and her clinic, 5-HTP can raise your serotonin levels by 540%.  That is compared to Prozac’s 150%-250%.

By taking a 5-htp supplement you are stepping in halfway in the process of making serotonin.  5-HTP works for around 80% of people who try it for depression.  Others, like myself, tend to respond to L-Tryptophan better.

5 htp uses range from using it to combat depression and anxiety, help you sleep better at night, fix irritability, or some people get a 5 htp high by taking large amounts of it.  There is also a big community of people who get high off MDMA (ecstasy) and use 5-HTP to lessen their withdrawal symptoms.

5 htp Benefits

5 htp Weight Loss

Jarrow formulas 5-htp weight loss

Claims of weight loss have exploded with 5-htp

I would be surprised if you haven’t heard of 5-htp before.  The biggest marketing pitch for 5-htp is for weight loss.

One research study took two groups of overweight women.  One group had 5 htp 200mg before each meal.  The other group took a placebo before each meal.  The women who took the actual 5-htp ate 1,084 fewer calories per day and felt less hungry.

Another research study found that women who took a 5-HTP supplement lost 10.3 pounds in 3 months.  The placebo group only lost 2.2 pounds.

Why does this happen?  You crave food when you have low serotonin.  You especially crave carbs when you have low serotonin.  If you are suffering from depression and find that you tend to binge on carb rich foods like candy, bread, starches, and treats then 5-HTP might be something to look into.

5 htp Insomnia

Many people use 5 htp for sleep.  Your body produces melatonin from the extra serotonin left over at the end of the day.  That is why, if you are like me, you find it so frustrating that when you are depressed and need sleep, you don’t sleep!

People find it bizarre that when I become sleep deprived and depressed I tend to have a harder time sleeping.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, people who took 5-htp went to sleep quicker and slept more deeply than those that were given a placebo.

5 htp Anxiety

Using 5 htp for anxiety is recommended for those people that are suffering from both depression and anxiety.  Many people that suffer from social anxiety have found relief by taking 50 mg of 5-htp everyday for 3-4 days.

One user on a social anxiety forum said that he found that he increasingly talked to his family members, reconnected with old friends, and slept better after taking 5 htp for a few days.

5 htp Depression

If you are reading this site chances are you’ve been waiting to hear all about using 5 htp for depression.  5 htp effects have been described as calming, uplifting, soothing, and has an anti-depressive effect.

Like you saw earlier, there have been studies that have shown that 5-htp effectively raises serotonin more than popular antidepressants do. Not only that, but the dreaded side effects of traditional antidepressants aren’t seen with 5-htp.

Antidepressants have around a 50%-70% chance of giving someone sexual side effects and dysfunction.  5-HTP has never produced sexual dysfunction in people who have taken it.

Here’s the kicker.  Antidepressants only make existing serotonin more available.  They do not produce more serotonin.  They also don’t increase 5HIAA which is essential for your mood.

jarrow formulas reivews serotonin supplements

Antidepressants don’t solve the complete problem

This means that this serotonin can’t move on to perform other functions.  Serotonin is used to make melatonin or 5HIAA. Many people on antidepressants have messed up sleep patterns.  Not sleeping defeats the whole purpose of taking an antidepressant.

5HIAA might be just as essential to your mood and well-being as serotonin itself.  There have been several court cases involving violence where the criminal was shown to have lower levels of 5HIAA.  Not allowing serotonin to move on and produce 5HIAA can have bad effects long-term on your mental well-being.

The good news about using a supplement like 5-HTP is that you are producing more serotonin.  Not just reusing the existing serotonin in your brain.

5 htp Dosage

The best way to find out what 5 htp dose you need is to always start with a low dose.  5htp dosage can vary from person to person.  You should always start out with the smallest amount you can find (typically 50mg) and move up from there.

jarrow formulas 5-htp reviews 5-htp dosage

Take just one 50mg pill to test out 5-HTP effects on your personal biochemistry

The 5 htp dosage for depression I would recommend is start out with 1 capsule of 50 milligrams for a few days.  Take the capsule on an empty stomach.

If you don’t feel any weird effects at that dose, try raising it all the way up to 200mg a day.  Take 2 capsules of 50 mg each once in the afternoon meals and another 2 capsules before you go to bed.

Do this for a week, and see how it affects your mood.

After a while of taking 5htp and having it help you feel better, always try at the end of each bottle to see if you can stop taking it.  A lot of the time you will have restored your serotonin naturally.  You can stop taking 5htp and still feel good.

If you ever start to feel bad again, you can use 5htp to get yourself back quickly.  5 htp half life is short and acts very quickly, so you should begin to feel results almost immediately.

If you want to learn more about taking amino acids, which schedules to follow, printable guides, videos and instruction on how to tackle boosting your serotonin back up make sure to check out my course here.

5 htp Side Effects

Side effects of 5 htp include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.  These typically occur only at very high amounts.  As I mentioned before, start with the lowest dose possible for a few days to see hot it affects you.  Then, and only then, move on to taking larger amounts to avoid these side effects.

5 htp Safety

If you are taking St. John’s Wort, antidepressants, or other medications, make sure to speak to a doctor before trying out 5-htp.  Combining it with other herbs and drugs, or a 5 htp overdose, can possibly cause a problem called serotonin syndrome.

Serotonin syndrome can produce suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, and basically resemble not having enough serotonin.

5 htp Drug Interactions

The biggest drugs to be careful combining with 5htp is other antidepressants.  Because of the effects both 5htp and antidepressants have on serotonin, you have to start out very small and work closely with your doctor.  Many psychiatrists are now combining 5htp with antidepressant drugs safely.

5 htp Alcohol

jarrow formulas 5-htp reviews 5-htp and alcohol

Be careful taking 5-HTP with alcohol… Unless you use it for the hangover

You should be careful combining 5 htp and alcohol.  Many people have reported strong reactions such as seizures, blacking out, being really drowsy, or having a bad experience.

You should allow at least 6 or so hours after taking 5 htp to drink alcohol.

However, if you want to help ease your alchohol withdrawal, 5 htp can help.  A study done in 2006 showed that 5-HTP helped reduce alcohol withdrawal in rats.

5 htp and Melatonin

People who are taking melatonin might find they like taking 5 htp better.  There aren’t any real harmful interactions between taking them both at the same time that we know of.

Many people that take melatonin and suffer from depression find that melatonin can make them feel worse (this is what happens to me).  Also, melatonin shouldn’t be taken more than 1 or 2 weeks straight.

5-HTP raises melatonin levels by making serotonin.  This extra serotonin can be used to produce more melatonin.

You can enjoy the same benefits of melatonin by taking 5HTP.  You will also be getting the other benefits from increased serotonin levels that you don’t get by taking melatonin alone.

Try experimenting with one or the other to see which one affects you the best.

Best 5 htp Brand

Supplements for Depression

Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP Capsules in my Hand

5 htp reviews are confusing to navigate.  Searching “5htp reviews” in Google brings up nothing but random generic websites.

The biggest and most popular are NOW 5-HTP and Natrol 5-HTP.

However, in my research on supplement brands and personal experience, Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP should be your first choice.

Jarrow Formulas 5-htp Dietary Supplement

jarrow formulas 5-htp reviews bottle

Jarrow Formulas 5-htp

Jarrow products are known for their high quality. The only problem is that their products are usually a little more expensive.  I typically take Jarrow Formulas when that is the only brand that I have used that I have felt any effects.

I take other brands if they work due to their lower cost.  Jarrow B Right is an excellent product for people who need B Vitamins that absorb easier on the stomach, for example.

Jarrow Formulas reviews are typically very high.  You can learn more about Jarrow vitamins at Jarrow.com.

I have tried other 5 htp pills and never really felt anything.  I thought that 5-HTP simply didn’t work for me but decided to keep searching to find the best 5 htp.  When I tried out Jarrow Formulas 5 htp 50 mg I felt the effects of 5htp for the first time.

Jarrow Formulas 5-htp Ingredients

Jarrow Formulas 5-htp reviews ingredients

Jarrow Formulas 5-htp Ingredients

The only ingredient in Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP is 5-Hydroxytryptophan.

Jarrow Formulas 5 htp Reviews

Jarrow Formulas 5-htp reviews

Jarrow Formulas 5-htp reviews on Amazon

This is the one warning I have with Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP: There are a few reviews on there that say one bottle for them worked while another bottle didn’t.

As far as everything I have tried, Jarrow Formulas products always work.  I haven’t had the 5-HTP I bought from Jarrow not work for me, but I have only bought 2 bottles of the stuff.

People who have subscribed to a monthly delivery of it have said that sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t.  However, the vast majority of reviews appear to be positive.

The positive reviews range from “I’m finally sleeping!” to “This changed my life.”

With Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP, if you get a good bottle (which is most likely) it will work really well.  There might be a small chance that you get a bad bottle, however.

A bottle of Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP 50mg 90 capsules goes for around $12.29 a bottle.

Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP Reviews vs 5 htp Natrol

Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP reviews

Natrol 5 htp Reviews on Amazon.com

Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP reviews natrol

Natrol 5-HTP 100mg

This is the 5-HTP you will see at Costco.  It is one of the most popular brands that is often marketed for weight loss.  It has more reviews than Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP and has sold much more.

Price comparison wise, you can get a bottle with 150 tablets of 100mg Natrol 5-HTP for $22.89.  It is cheaper than Jarrow Formulas.

The Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP comes in capsules, which offers better absorption.  I also prefer the 50mg version of Jarrow Formulas as mentioned in the side effects and warnings of taking too much 5-HTP above.

A few reviewers say that this brand is a little on the weak side and only slightly sedative.  That is with a higher dose of 100mg (there is a Jarrow Formulas 5 htp 100 mg version, but again, I’d recommend sticking with 50mg first).

However, if these work for you, they might be a better option because of the price difference.  You could simply cut the tablet in half to test it at the low dose of 50mg.  I have just personally taken these and not felt much.

Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP Reviews vs NOW 5-htp

Jarrow Formulas Reviews NOW Foods amazon

NOW Foods 5-HTP 100mg Reviews on Amazon.com

Jarrow Formulas 5-HTP reviews NOW Foods

NOW Foods 5-htp

NOW Foods is one of my favorite supplement companies.  However, for some reason, NOW Foods version of 5-HTP didn’t click with me.  I might have gotten a bad bottle from them and need to try it again, but I just didn’t feel much.

NOW Foods 5-HTP is cheaper than Jarrow Formulas.  You can get the NOW Foods 5-HTP 50mg 90 capsules version for $9.50 on Amazon.com.

NOW Foods 5-HTP also has more negative reviews than the other brands.  It seemed to have a lot of mixed results with people finding it a lifesaver, having it only “kind of” work, and other people saying it didn’t work at all or it made their situation worse.

Basically with NOW Foods 5-HTP, your mileage may vary.

Where to Buy 5 htp

The best place to buy 5-htp is Amazon.com or iHerb.com.  If you use iHerb.com, the Rewards Code GVH528 will give you $10 off.  Sometimes the price on Amazon.com can be cheaper than iHerb.com and vice versa.  

Amazon.com

iHerb.com

  • Click here to open up iHerb with all the supplements in one place.  Delete the ones you don’t want.

If you want to learn more about serotonin supplements and supplements that work for depression, make sure to check out my master page of which supplements have been proven to work.

28

Twinlab Niacin Review

twinlab niacin review ingredients
twinlab niacin review niacin flush

This guy took a little too much

Want a vitamin that makes you relaxed, calm, sleep better, and fixes your depression?

A vitamin that only costs $0.06 per capsule?

One that has even been shown to cure schizophrenia?

Is extremely safe, water soluble, and easy to try?

Read on to find out how to take this vitamin, what to do if “flushing” occurs, and where to buy the best niacin out there for the lowest price.

Niacin is something I wish I would have tried earlier.

Nicotinic acid, which is niacin, is a common name for vitamin B3.  Getting enough B3 vitamin in your diet is necessary to break down fats, proteins, and to help process carbohydrates to use for energy.

Niacin can be confusing.  There are two forms – nicotinamide (also called niacinamide) and inositol hexanicotinate.

Niacin causes flushing, whereas products labeled no flush niacin typically contain inositol hexanicotinate.

Read on to find out more about how these different forms work and which one you should take for depression.

What is Niacin Good For

Niacin Detox

twinlab niacin review niacin detox

Niacin is popular among the drug using crowd to supposedly clean your system out faster.

Many people do a niacin cleanse to flush toxins out of their body.  If you search Google you will find tons of people using Niacin to flush drugs out of their system before a drug test.

Supposedly, niacin opens the capillaries when you get the “flush” effect causing blood to flow closer to the surface of the skin.  This causes your body to release histamines.  This increase in histamines tells the body to send more blood in order to remove excess toxins.

However, there has been no documented studies showing that it will help flush out marijuana quicker for your drug test.  If you’re worried about that, just ask me to send you a clean pee sample and I got you covered. Just kidding, that is illegal.

Niacin to Lower Cholesterol

One of the major niacin uses is to use niacin for cholesterol. You won’t be able to use the flush-free version.  Sorry cholesterol sufferers, but you are going to have to experience the dreaded flush.  Niacin can lower two types of your bad cholesterol while it increases your levels of good cholesterol.  Crazy thing is, it has even been shown to increase HDL more than medications.

No-flush niacin is basically inositol hexanicotinate.  It works great for energy and helping your nervous system, but hasn’t been shown to affect cholesterol levels.

If you’re looking to lower cholesterol while improving your mood, stick with the regular niacin.

Niacin Weight Loss

twinlab niacin review weight loss

Niacin supposedly helps with weight loss as well

Among the list of niacin benefits is weight loss.  Niacin slows down the production of cortisol.  Cortisol is the hormone that is released in response to stress. If you have too much cortisol, your body won’t be able to burn fat.  You will be storing all that food in the fat cells on your body.

Vitamin b 3 helps convert the food you eat into energy.  It helps your body make L-Carnitine, which is an amino acid that helps burn fat.

Niacin and Blood Pressure

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information Niacin B3 caused short-term lowered blood pressure.  Larger studies show that prescription niacin and extended release niacin have a blood pressure lowering effect over the long-term.  Many people list lowering blood pressure and bad cholesterol as the main vitamin B3 benefits.  But, obviously, I had other plans in mind when I took it.

Niacin For Depression

Why I became interested in niacin benefits was obviously for depression. My first experience taking a niacin pill was after buying Twinlab niacin caps off the internet.

What was weird was how relaxed I felt after I took it.  I literally felt like a warm blanket was placed over me.  After I took one Twinlab Niacin 500 mg capsule I had that “Everything is going to be okay” type of feeling.  I liked niacin so much I wanted to create a site purely for niacin reviews.

twinlab niacin review depression

Depression & social isolation used to be how I lived

I gave my brother some, and he loved it so much it almost looked like he was taking a drug.  He took it every night for about a month.  I almost thought he needed to go to Niacin Anonymous from all the flushing he was doing.

There is a lot of debate around B Vitamins and curing not just depression, but schizophrenia as well.  Andrew Saul had a patient that had been hospitalized for schizophrenia and was extremely hyperactive at night, unable to sleep.  Using 3,000mg of niacin and 1,000mg of Vitamin C each day, he suddenly slept 18 hours a day and was normal in a few days.

What is the deal with niacin therapy?  Do we all have a niacin deficiency?

Dr. Hoffer, a leading doctor in orthomolecular therapy that uses vitamins to cure people, explains a few key points about niacin:

twinlab niacin review schizophrenia

Painting done by someone with Schizophrenia

  • Niacin acts as an antihistamine.  People who suffer from psychotic behavior typically have some form of cerebral allergies.  Eating certain foods can really mess them up, such as junk food and sugar.  This means that they need more niacin to cope with these foods than the average person.
  • If you take niacin and don’t flush red, that means you need more of it.  You are literally soaking up the niacin in your body.  The Niacin creates NAD, which is one of the most important coenzymes in the body.
  • Schizophrenic patients have have a high amount of oxidized adrenalin, called adrenochrome, that has an almost LSD-like effect on the body.  Niacin serves to reduce the body’s production of this toxic material.

Niacin Dosage and How To Take Niacin

What I didn’t know for a long time was that flushing meant you were saturated with enough niacin.  In other words, if you flush beet red from niacin, you’ve taken plenty (if not a little too much).

twinlab niacin review bottle

Twinlab Niacin B-3 Caps

This is particularly interesting, because there have been a few times where I took a Twinlab Niacin B-3 capsule and literally didn’t flush at all.  Now I know that that meant I needed all that niacin and it was being absorbed into my body.

You want to take just enough so that you have a slight flush.  This means a little bit of pinkness visible on your skin.  If you are turning beet red like you’ve been living on the sun for a few says and this lasts a half hour or longer, this means you’ve taken too much.

Niacin should be taken right after you eat a meal.  If you take it on an empty stomach, a niacin flush can occur within 20 minutes.  If you take it after a meal, it can appear in an hour or two.  If you start to flush red, just remember that you took niacin that day!

Many people suggest taking a small dose, around 50mg to 100mg, after each meal over the course of one day.  I would suggest trying to take one half of the Twinlab Niacin (b-3) 500mg 100 Capsules and see what happens.  If you don’t flush at all, take a whole capsule the next time.  If you flush too much, try taking it with food or even a smaller dose.

It would be wise to take niacin along with a b complex and other B Vitamins throughout the day.  B Vitamins work together, and a B Complex is one of the best vitamins you can take for fixing depression.  To learn more about which B Complex vitamins I recommend, check out my Supplements for Depression page.

Niacin Side Effects

The biggest side effect you will find taking Twinlab Niacin B-3 caps is the “flush.”  Niacin flushing can be described as burning, tingling, itching all over, redness of the body, and even headaches.

Other side effects can include stomach upset, intestinal gas, and dizziness.  If you experience anything like this, than you have definitely taken too much.

If the main side effect of niacin is simply the flushing, why not just the buy no flush niacin?

Flush Free Niacin

To flush or not to flush, that is the question.  Why would someone take flushing niacin when non flush niacin forms exist?

There is nothing wrong with taking the non flush version.  However, it is less effective in inducing relaxation and calming effects.  It also doesn’t do much to lower cholesterol.

I have talked to people that say they took large amounts of flush free niacin and significantly reduced their depression.  I have tried it myself, and personally felt nothing.  With regular flushing niacin, I can definitely feel the effects.

There is also a sustained release niacin.  It is often advertised as another niacin flush free product.  It is supposed to not cause a flush while still keeping all the cholesterol lowering and calming effects of regular niacin.  However, the flush can simply just happen hours later.  This makes it harder to tell if you are properly saturated with niacin and how to adjust your dose.  They can also cost a lot more (Twinlabs Niacin B3 is extremely cheap).

Twinlab Niacin Ingredients

twinlab niacin review ingredients

Twinlab Niacin Ingredients

Twinlab niacin B-3 500mg capsules simply contain Niacin.  The picture above shows the Twinlab Niacin 1000 mg version.  I’d personally recommend getting the niacin 500 mg version (links below).  Taking niacin 1000mg is almost guaranteed to cause a pretty intense flush.

Other ingredients are gelatin, purified water, and MCT.

Twinlab Niacin Review

Why twinlab niacin?

Twinlab vitamins are known for their high quality, pure ingredients, and amazing reviews.  Their version of niacin is also some of the cheapest niacin I have ever seen in comparison to other brands such as nature made vitamins.  You can currently buy Twinlab Niacin off of Amazon.com for $0.06 a capsule.

Twinlab Niacin review amazon reviews

Twinlab Niacin Amazon Reviews

Where to Buy Niacin Pills

My favorite place to buy niacin supplements and niacin pills is Amazon.com.  Some people like iHerb.com better because Amazon supplements can sit on the shelf for a while.  I’ve never received an expired niacin vitamin bottle from Amazon.com before, but iHerb is a great vendor to choose from as well with comparable prices.

Twinlab Niacin B 3 500mg – This is the “internet bottle.”  It is break resistant, ships easier, and is only $7 dollars for 120 capsules when you order it with any order over $25.

Twinlab Niacin B 3 1000mg – Same as above, except the 1000mg mega dose.  Costs $11 dollars.  I would recommend sticking with 500mg for first time users of niacin.

Twinlab Niacin No Flush isn’t typically reviewed very well.  I would recommend going with another brand if you decide to opt for the no flush route (I would urge you to try using regular niacin!)

Life Extension No Flush Niacin 800 Mg , 100 Capsules – This goes for around $13 dollars and contains the special form of niacin (inositol hexanicotinate) that I talked about in the intro that doesn’t cause flushing.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Review

carlson labs very finest fish oil review
carlson labs very finest fish oil review

Fish Oil – Does it really work for depression?

Can taking fish oil have an almost immediate effect on your mental well-being?

Are all fish oils created equal?

Did you know that some fish oil is contaminated with toxic metals like mercury?

That some fish oil doesn’t break down in your stomach properly for digestion?

Read the article below to learn some secrets on fish oil and get the low-down on various fish oil supplements and why Carlson Labs comes out as a top brand for fish oil.

Why Take Fish Oil?

The benefits of fish oil supplements have been hammered into our heads for many years now.  You may have heard advertisements about fish oil and weight loss, fish oil Vitamin D, Fish Oil Anti Inflammatory, and Fish Oil Cholesterol benefits.

But what is fish oil for?

Our brains are made up mostly of fatty acids.  This fatty acid balance is delicate.  When it is properly working, your brain will be firing on all cylinders.

Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio is completely messed up in most people’s diets.  Most people have way too many Omega-6 fats and not enough Omega-3 fats.

Without enough Omega-3 fats, you are more prone to inflammation, your neurotransmitters won’t be produced as efficiently, your cholesterol will be higher, and your fatty acid balance will be out of whack.

Fish Oil works to prevent artery disease, namely heart disease and strokes.

Most people take fish oil liquid or fish oil pills purely for the health benefits of fish oil.  If you aren’t taking it for just that, you should.  However, the main reason why I started taking it (and you should too if you’re reading this site) is for depression.

Fish Oil For Depression

According to Julia Ross in her book The Mood Cure, eating more fish and getting more omega-3 fats by taking fish oil, you can raise the amount of neurotransmitters responsible for attention and focus by 40%!

You can also feel the effects quite quickly.  Many people who have serious issues with this fatty acid imbalance report that they are suddenly feeling energized for the first time in years once they start taking fish oil.

Fish Oil EPA DHA

Fish oil contains EPA and DHA.  These are omega-3 fats that are best used in the brain. You want DHA and EPA if you are depressed. Flaxseed also contains omega-3 fats, but many people cannot convert those fats into DHA and EPA efficiently.

The reason is because flaxseed contains ALA, or alpha linolenic acid.  This has to be converted into DHA and EPA.  It has been shown that about 66% of people cannot properly break down ALA and our ability to do also declines with age.  Aim to get high quality fish oil instead.

MAO Inhibitor

EPA and DHA act as an MAO inhibitor.  This means that fish oil literally slows down the enzymes in your brain that destroy dopamin and serotonin.

If you start taking more fish oil and getting more Omega-3 fats, your brain will have more feel good neurotransmitters such as catecholamines and serotonin.

How Much Fish Oil Should You Take?

If you are suffering from depression, you should start taking around 2 grams per day of combined DHA and EPA.  You can see on the label of fish oil how much DHA and EPA each serving contains. If you decide to just eat fish instead, that would be about eating a one-quarter pound of salmon.

Fish oil can also be overstimulating to many people.  If you take too much fish oil and you find yourself suddenly starting to wake up at 4am with too much energy, you might need to cut back a bit.

How to Take Fish Oil

You want to find pure fish oil so that you can avoid toxic metals such as mercury in certain fish oil brands.  You also want high EPA fish oil.  You can check out fish oil ratings.  A 5-star rating means that the fish oil has greater than or equal to 60% concentration of EPA and DHA per gram of fish oil.

If you are depressed and correcting fatty acid imbalances, I would recommend taking a serving of fish oil at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Make the total amount for the day equal 2 grams of combined DHA and EPA.

I also like taking fish oil with vitamins that are fat soluble, such as Vitamin D, as taking those vitamins with a source of fat will increase their absorption.

For a few months you might need to take even more fish oil than that.  You will know you have taken too much if a higher dose overstimulates you.

People suffering from bipolar have found relief with using fish oil alone by taking up to 9 grams per day.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Review

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish oil is one of the best fish oil supplements out there in my personal opinion.  Many people think that Carlson Labs is the best fish oil brand due to its high quality and manufacturing standards.  You can get more information on this family owned business at Carlsonlabs.com.

Julia Ross lists Carlson Labs as one her first recommendations for fish oil in her well researched book.

Many people prefer to take fish oil in capsules, but I think liquid fish oil is far superior.  It absorbs better, can take a spoonful of it easily, and you know that it is fresh. Fish oil in capsule form can be hard to tell if it has gone rancid.  When fish oil is in liquid form, you’re forced to notice if it’s rancid.

The only issue is you have to keep it in the fridge, which can cause problems if you want to take Carlson Fish Oil liquid while at work.

Carlson Fish Oil shows almost 500 reviews on Amazon.com.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review amazon reviews

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Review on Amazon.com

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil by Carlson has the right concentration of EPA/DHA of 1.3g/teaspoon.  This stuff also tastes good.  It has extra Vitamin E in it as well. Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Lemon 500ml is usually priced right around $30.  This is a price effective choice for fish oil as 500ml is quite a lot and will last you a while.

I actually like this liquid fish oil so much, I had my sister buy it for me as my Christmas present.

Carlson Fish Oil Review Consumer Labs

ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of information for supplements.  They independently test products in the health and nutrition industry.

Consumerlab.com’s suvery rated Carlson Laboratories as a #1 Fish Oil Brand on 4/30/2013.  The results were based on the consumer satisfaction from over 10,000 subscribers to ConsumerLab.com.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Ingredients

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review ingredients

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Nutrition

You can see above in Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil Label that there is a high amount of EPA and DHA per serving. Just one teaspoonful will get you 1,600mg of omega-3 fatty acids!

Carlson Labs Fish Oil Soy

Carlson Labs Fish oil has been tested for soy and does not contain soy.  If you are allergic or have problems with soy, you are safe taking this fish oil supplement.

Carlson Labs Fish Oil Mercury

Carlson Labs Very Finest Fish Oil is regularly tested, using AOAC international protocols, for freshness, potency, and purity.  It has been determined by a FDA-registerd laboratory to be fresh, fully potent, and free of detrimental levels of mercury, cadmium, lead, PCB’s, and 28 other contaminants.

You know by taking Carlson Labs Fish Oil that you aren’t harming yourself with other contaminants. Carlson labs fish oil purity is of the highest standard.

Carlson Labs Liquid Fish Oil vs Nordic Naturals Fish Oil

Nordic Natural Ultimate Omega Fish Oil has been one of the biggest fish oil supplements on the market.  They are known for high quality products and get plenty of great reviews.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review nordic naturals amazon

Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega Fish Oil Amazon.com Reviews

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review Nordic Naturls front bottle

Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega

They are typically higher cost, as a bottle with 180 softgels costs $45.

I have never taken them myself personally, but I have heard of people getting good results with it.

According to testing done, Nordic Naturals was a clean product.  It is rated 5 stars as a fish oil supplement, is soy free, GMO free, mercury free, and the price is OK.

On the other hand, it contains cholesterol, it is not enteric coated, it is not vegetarian, it is not certified Kosher, and it has a relatively low omega-3 potency.  Some people have reported the taste of their other products isn’t quite as good as Carlson Labs either.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil 16.9 vs Barleans Fish Oil

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review Barlens Omega Swirl Fish Oil

Barleans

Barleans Omega Swirl Fish Oil is another popular fish oil product.  It supposedly tastes amazing, is a 5-start rated fish oil supplement, has one of the highest omega-3 potencies on the market, is molecularly distilled, soy free, GMO free, mercury free, and cholesterol free.

On the other hand it is not enteric coated, is not vegetarian, is not certified Kosher, and can be more on the expensive side.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review Barleans omega swirl amazon review

Barleans Omega Swirl Amazon.com Reviews

This is a good product to try if you aren’t a fan of the taste of Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil for some reason and are willing to spend a little extra money for the taste and high Omega-3 potency of Barleans.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil vs Kirkland Fish Oil

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review Kirkland Signature Amazon pic

Kirkland Signature Omega 3

Kirkland Signature Omega-3 Fish Oil is one of the cheapest sources of fish oil you will find.  A bottle of 400 softgels costs less than $14 on Amazon.com and you can find it at Costco for sometimes cheaper.

Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil review Kirkland Signature Amazon

Kirkland Signature Fish Oil Amazon Reviews – You Can See More Negative Reviews and comments like “SEEMS to be pretty good”….

There are mixed opinions on this brand of fish oil.  On the one end, Consumerlabs.com (and even Julia Ross) recommend it as a fish oil supplement.  On the other end, there are many negative reviews of Kirkland Fish Oil being rancid, having gone bad, or not being potent.

According to a report by WebMD.com, two of three samples of Kirkland Signature Fish Oil Supplements had an enteric coating (used to prevent a fishy aftertaste) which did not dissolve properly.

This means that the coating might break up in the stomach rather than in the small intestine. This fish oil might not be the best for proper absorption in the body.

Many fish oil supplements passed the test (including Carlson Super Omega-3 Gems and Barlean’s Organic Oils EPA-DHA) but Kirkland Signature Fish Oil did not pass.

Where to Buy Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil

I recommend people buy top fish oil supplements on Amazon.com.  I have seen Carlson Labs Very Finest Liquid Fish Oil in local stores and the price has usually been a lot higher than what you can get it for online.  Whole foods fish oil in particular seems to cost way more than Amazon.com’s prices.

Calson Labs Fish Oil Amazon:

Other Choices of Fish Oil

For more information on other supplements that have been shown to alleviate depression, check out the master page: Supplements for Depression