Schizophrenia, Depression, and the Little-Known "Mental Health"
Dietary
Link: An Interview with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
Did you know there could be a link between mental health and your
diet?
Imagine treating schizophrenia, depression, ADHD and ADD, bipolar
disorder, autism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder with food instead
of medicine!
In the UK, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has uncovered a link between
mental health and the food we eat. Prompted to look outside
conventional medicine for a solution to her own child's developmental
disabilities, Dr. Campbell-McBride found that digestion plays a major
role in healthy development, mood, and mental health.
Today we discuss her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome and the link
between mental health and diet that could change your life!
Q. In your book, you talk about the gut-brain connection. What is it
and why is it important to psychiatric patients?
A. No system in your body functions in isolation. They are all
connected, so it makes logical sense that all of our systems (cardio-
vascular, digestive, nervous systems) operate together and affect one
another.
Most psychiatric patients suffer from digestive problems. They have
unhealthy inner ecosystems where there is an overgrowth of bad
bacteria, yeast and fungus; they cannot digest food properly. This
creates a large number of neurotoxins that can move from their
intestines through the damaged intestinal lining into the blood stream
where the toxins are carried to the brain.
This reality makes digestive health imperative for anyone with a
mental disorder. Correcting digestive health can treat the disorder,
and in some cases heal it.
Q. Where do the dangerous neurotoxins come from that may cause
schizophrenia, depression, and other mental disorders?
A. One source of neurotoxins is digestion of certain foods, especially
processed foods like sugar, flour and milk products.
For example, many people who suffer from depression, schizophrenia,
ADD,ADHD, and autism also have an overgrowth of a yeast called Candida
albicans. Candida and other yeasts feed on glucose from sugar and
digest it differently from the good bacteria in your gut.
Candida albicans (and other yeasts turn dietary glucose into alcohol
(ethanol) and its by-product acetaldehyde.
These toxic products of impaired digestion can:
Reduce stomach acid
Damage your gut lining
Impair your immunity
Affect your metabolism
Cause brain damage
So for many people with digestive problems, consuming sugar is like
consuming alcohol.
Q. Now it makes sense why sugar is known as the "white death." What
about gluten and casein? Many people with developmental and mental
disorders avoid them. Why?
A. Gluten and casein are two other dietary substances that are
difficult to digest and may contribute to mental health problems.
Gluten is a protein found in grains, and casein is a protein found in
milk and milk products. Many people with digestive dysfunction (and
mental disorders) struggle to digest the proteins in gluten and
casein. Their bodies turn these proteins into substances similar to
opiates like morphine and heroin.
Researchers believe that these substances get into the brain and
affect it just like the drugs would and could be a cause of
schizophrenia, depression, and other mental disorders.
Q. So you're saying that improper digestion might be a leading cause
of schizophrenia, depression, ADD and ADHD, and autism. How does
digestion become so impaired to allow these disorders to develop?
A. Any of these mental health conditions is due to a complex set of
factors that is different for each individual. Gender, genetic makeup,
pre-natal nutrition, drugs, environmental factors and more all
contribute to a person's development.
In most cases, those who suffer from mental health disorders like
depression and schizophrenia, and from developmental disorders like
autism, something has harmed the beneficial bacteria in their gut,
sometimes before birth and sometimes later on in life.
Some common culprits that damage gut flora include:
Antibiotics
Over-the-counter pain killers
Steroids
Birth control pills
Diets full of sugar and processed foods
Disease
Stress
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome,
shows how digestion can affect your mental health. With clear
explanations and helpful diagrams, she clearly shows how food can
change your mood, and more! While Dr Campbell McBride's dietary
suggestions follow the guidelines of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet,
Donna Gates recommends that EVERYONE read The Gut and Psychology
Syndrome today to learn valuable information that will enhance your
understanding of the connection between the brain in our gut and the
brain in our head!
Q. How can we heal the intestines and in turn heal our mental health?
A. Diet and lifestyle are two key factors that can cause
schizophrenia, depression, autism and other mental disorders.
Similarly, diet and lifestyle can heal mental and physical health.
If digestion heals, then the brain can also heal. Soon, mental
disorders will be a thing of the past!
A Great Complement to The Body Ecology Diet!
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome,
delves into the functioning of your intestines and explains in detail
how digestion and mental health are intricately connected. She also
gives wonderful advice on how to heal your gut with diet.
This book is an excellent addition to your natural health library and
will expand on concepts you've learned in The Body Ecology Diet. Both
books together are key in your journey to mind and body health.
http://www.bodyecology.com/default.asp?iId=MEHJH
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