Depression: How To Feel Awesome Without Drugs

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Depression is rampant in today’s society. It’s safe to say that if you’re not on antidepressants yourself, you know someone who is. But these medications only treat the symptoms of depression – not the root cause(s).

If you’re like most people, some days just rock. Sometimes you feel superhuman, other times it can feel like something is just missing. For example, most people know that low amounts of sleep make them perform poorly, and that’s just a part of life, or they believe that in order to be thin, you should just get used to being hungry all the time. We’ve seen how those ideas stand up to Bulletproof methods.

Depression, however, can require medical attention – seek out your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.  It is normal to have small amounts of sadness or depression, and they manifest themselves in different ways.  Or maybe you’ve experienced a loss and it’s totally normal to feel sad and grieve. In those cases, if you don’t feel sad, you’re probably not processing an emotion so you can let it go.

However, sometimes sadness and depression persist. When this happens, some people feel lethargic, others tearful, or maybe you just lack your normal level of motivation. Or maybe it manifests as irritability or even numbness.  Whatever it is, at the end of the day, it saps your performance and makes you feel less Bulletproof.

If you are diagnosed with depression, seek medical attention immediately.  There are also some alternative treatments you can read more about below.  CES technology in particular has shown beneficial for insomnia and mood, as well as treating some cases of depression.

• Read more about the Fisher Wallace CES device here
• For an over the counter CES machine to boost mood and relaxation, try MindAlive’s David Pro system

If you don’t have depression: mood hacks for the blues

So maybe it’s not depression, but hey, what if you could avoid those little grumpy moments that make your kids stay away from you, or those times your co-workers get coffee from a different floor instead of the coffee bar next to your office?  What if you could build your resilience and even prevent it before it starts?

The rest of this post will give you some ideas to help transform the type of mild depression that sucks your energy into simple feelings you can work through and release, bringing you back to full strength.

The traditional approach to treating depression is to balance certain neurotransmitters with drugs.  Drugs have their place, but many of the ones targeting depression are failures.  They often work only as well as placebos, and they have a lot of unwanted side effects.  Just like statins, these drugs don’t target the real cause of the disease – just the symptoms.  They might help in the short term, but to really solve the problem you need to fix it with a more holistic systems thinking, Bulletproof methods.

While researching the Better Baby Book I came across a study on the topic of depression. The study focused on mothers, but the recommendations in it apply to us all.

This study’s four main recommendations for how to fight sadness without drugs are: happiness, spending time outside, exercise, and diet.

I used to have serious mood swings and unjustified bursts of anger that impacted my own health and my relationships with people I care about.  That was until I hacked my brain and Bulletproofed my body.  I started eating the Bulletproof Diet, lost 100 pounds, and used advanced technology to work my brain into a high-performance state.  Now, I’d be shocked to feel myself wasting that much productive energy on being angry or depressed. Here’s how you can do the same:

1. Redirect your thoughts

Ok, this might sound annoying simple. But studies show that when you redirect your attention to the positive, your serotonin levels increase.  There’s some evidence that your thoughts can alter blood flow to the brain, but only recently have scientists discovered that how you think can also alter neurotransmitter levels.  Meditation has been shown to increase dopamine levels, and feelings of happiness also alter serotonin levels in your brain.

Low serotonin receptor function is associated with poor mood, and high serotonin levels areassociated with better mood.  Basically, while low serotonin may cause you to feel sad, feeling happy may also increase your serotonin levels.  It’s not clear which is more powerful, but one way to increase serotonin may be through psychotherapy methods like cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, and my personal favorite, HeartMath training.

Doing Heart Math training literally strengthens the part of your brain responsible for turning on the “happy state.”

2. Get outside more

photo by baaker2009

Mark Sisson has written some excellent articles on the importance of sunshine and light exposure.  He’s made a great point about how working outside can increase your productivity, happiness, and health.  The problem is that it’s hard to move your office outside (although there are some tricks you can use to make it work).  Nevertheless, working outdoors is not something most people are going to do.  However, other research is showing that bright light exposure may be a way to help increase serotonin levels and alleviate depressive symptoms.

Bright light therapy is especially effective in pregnant women.  On a slightly macabre note, autopsies have shown that people who died in the summer have higher serotonin levels than those who died in the winter.  In studies where they purposely restrict tryptophan to lower serotonin levels, bright light prevents the normal drop in serotonin levels.  If you’ve been suffering from depression or unexplained sadness, try to get outside more often.  If you can’t, think about getting a wakeup light or installing some halogen bulbs in your work area.

In fact, since I live in Canada where it gets dark in the winter, I have 1000 watts of halogen light mounted above my desk, which serves nicely to stave off the winter blues.

3. Exercise

If you’ve been reading the blog or listening to the podcast for any length of time, you’ve probably figured out that excess exercise is not Bulletproof.  However, the right kinds of exercise can be beneficial for a number of reasons.  A massive review of most of the available evidence found that exercise is extremely good at improving depressive symptoms and increasing mood.  Some forward thinking agencies are even prescribing exercise instead of antidepressants, because “the risk–benefit ratio is poor for antidepressant use in patients with mild depression.”  In other words, exercise is more effective and safer, at least for people with mild depression.  In animals, exercise increases serotonin levels and the firing rates of serotonin neurons.  Does this mean you should start training for the Boston Marathon?  No, but it is evidence you might benefit from a strength plan like the one we’ve laid out here.  To learn more about the benefits of Bulletproof exercise, listen to our interview with Dr. Doug McGuff, M.D.

4. Diet

The last, and possibly most effective way to increase serotonin levels in your brain and improve your mood is to eat the Bulletproof Diet.  In animals and humans, tryptophan increases serotonin levels.  In cases of light to moderate to depression, tryptophan can alsoimprove mood. Even in healthy people who are ranked as slightly more irritable than most, small amounts of tryptophan can make them more agreeable and less irritable.  However, there is a difference between dietary and supplementary tryptophan.

Tryptophan supplements raise serotonin levels, but dietary tryptophan does not.  If you do take tryptophan as a supplement, don’t take it when you have recently eaten protein, the other amino acids in protein compete with the absorption of tryptophan in the brain.

There is also evidence that a high tryptophan diet may be bad for you over the long-term.  However, there are a few foods that may increase serotonin levels.  Some of the proteins in whey can improve mood in humans after just a few hours.  This might be one of the reasons people feel so much better eating Upgraded Whey.

In the end, changing the types and amounts of protein you eat is probably less effective than the types and amounts of fat you eat.  Studies have shown that consuming omega-3s improves mood.  On the other hand, consuming large amounts of oxidized artificial trans fats can decrease your mental performance and hurt your mood.  When you eat these fats, they’re assimilated into your brain and other tissues.  They replace the fats that you need like omega-3s, and make you more irritable, less intelligent, and less Bulletproof.

The Bulletproof Diet is high in omega-3 fats, clean saturated fats, and moderate amounts of animal protein to give your body what it needs for a stable mood, but not too much to cause inflammation.

How to Bulletproof your brain against depression without drugs

Like most recurring problems, the Bulletproof approach is to try what should work, if that works, great.  If no, then do what “shouldn’t” work.  Drugs are supposed to be some sort ofcure-alll for depression and mood disorders, but most of them don’t work very well.  Here’s what you can do to help prevent and fight depression without turning to medication:

1. Practice pleasure. Use meditation or Heart Math training to learn to “turn on” a state of happiness that can replace sadness. At a minimum, take some time out of your day to focus on everything you love in life.  Get therapy if these things don’t help.

2. Be in nature, or at least pretend to be.  Humans evolved over millions of years living outside.  Only in the last several thousand have we migrated into the sheet rock caves that we now call offices.  Bright light therapy has been shown in several trials to helps alleviate depressive symptoms.  If you can, install some bright lights inside your workspace.  Being outside is even better, because you’ll also increase your vitamin D levels naturally. At least add a few plants to your work space.

3. Exercise.  The right kind of exercise can do wonders for your body and mind.  Not only will it get you leaner, stronger, and help you live longer, it also improves your mood.  Use a plan like the Bulletproof Body or Body by Science to strengthen your mental and physical abilities.

4. Eat the Bulletproof Diet.  Avoiding toxins and getting enough – but not too much – tryptophan will help your mood.  The Bulletproof Diet also optimizes your omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratios, which improves your brain performance and overall health.

Using a combination of high doses of fun, bright lights or nature exposure, the right kind of exercise, and the Bulletproof Diet, you can help fight mild depression and optimize your mental  performance.

How do you take care of yourself when you are down?  What has worked for you?

https://blog.bulletproof.com/how-to-fight-depression-and-feel-awesome-without-drugs/

Aloe Vera to Treat Eczema, Psoriasis, Dermatitis and Other Skin Allergies

Aloe Vera is one of the most beneficial plants you can keep at home, as it offers countless medicinal properties and can be used in various ways to strengthen and improve health, from cuts and burns to cancer.

These are some of its numerous uses:

— The consumption of aloe Vera juice soothes menstrual cramps and alleviates pain and fatigue.

— It has potent anti-inflammatory properties which treat and prevent acne.

— It easily penetrates into the skin layers, and treats dermatitis, herpes, eczema, skin allergies, and psoriasis.

— Its antiseptic properties effectively heal sunburns.

— The high vitamin, mineral content, as well as the numerous amino acids and enzymes, strengthen the immune system and help you fight common colds and flu.

— Aloe Vera provides oxygen to the cells and thus strengthens the tissues and moisturizes the skin.

— Apply it on the swollen gums to soothe them and boost the body’s defense mechanisms.

— Its regenerative properties prevent and eliminate stretch marks.

-Aloe Vera contains an enzyme which boosts hair growth.

— It also strengthens nails.

— To make the hair shiny, just add a bit of aloe Vera gel to your shampoo. Also, you can use it as a conditioner. Just massage the scalp with gel and leave it to act for 2 minutes, and then wash it off.

— It can also be used as a shaving gel, and it will leave the skin smooth and soft.

— You can use aloe Vera to remove your makeup, and calm the skin, as it also acts as a cooling agent.

http://www.mrlifehacks.com/natural-remedies/aloe-vera-treat-eczema-psoriasis-dermatitis-skin-allergies/

Fight Inflammation and Chronic Disease by Walking Barefoot on the Earth

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Visit the Mercola Video Library

By Dr. Mercola

Through the deceptively simple act of walking barefoot on the Earth — an act known as grounding or earthing — it may be possible to thwart chronic diseases and even slow aging. It’s a crucial topic that has the potential to change lives, from relieving chronic pain to slowing down the silent killer known as systemic inflammation.

In the film “Down to Earth,” I speak alongside other experts to shed light on what may be one of the most overlooked yet easiest ways to protect and improve human health: getting grounded to the Earth.

The short of “Down to Earth,” above, is up for a number of awards, and in January, 2017, received the IndieFEST Award of Excellence for a documentary short.

The full feature-length movie of “Down to Earth” will be available in fall, 2017, with special premiers in theaters in Los Angeles and New York City. Highly respected cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra explains in the film:

“In simple terms, grounding is literally putting your bare feet on the ground. When you do that, you’re in contact with the Earth, and mother Earth is endowed with electrons, and these electrons are literally absorbed through your feet. It’s like taking handfuls of antioxidants, but you’re getting it through your feet.”

What Is Grounding and How Does It Work?

The concept of grounding was initially developed by Clint Ober, who began studying it in an effort to heal himself and who introduced the concept of grounding to Sinatra. As a retired cable television executive, Ober noticed that when cables are “grounded” to the Earth, it eliminates interference from the signal.

All electrical systems are stabilized in this way, which led Ober to wonder whether the human body, also a bioelectrical, signal-transmitting organism, should also be grounded.1

He describes the invention of synthetic materials, which in turn allowed synthetic soles to be put onto our shoes, as a key part of the problem, as it effectively insulates us from the Earth.

It’s not unusual for Americans to spend their entire days, from sun up to sun down, without being grounded. But though it has become the norm, it’s also completely unnatural. We depend on the Earth to survive, but we’ve become entirely disconnected from it, such that we’re completely separate.

Dr. Laura Koniver, who discovered grounding quite by accident after it seemed to soothe her crying infant, says in the film:

“Grounding means connecting to the Earth to support the specific function of the organs in your body. It supports the body as a whole but it specifically supports organ systems down to the tissues and the cellular function of the entire body.”

Your Body Needs Grounding Just as It Needs Air and Sunshine

You may not think of your body as a generator of electricity, but you are very much an electrical being, and this is in large part why it’s so important to use grounding to harness the electrical charge of the Earth to positively influence your health. Gaetan Chevalier, Ph.D., an engineer/physicist who has studied grounding, explained:

“Unbeknownst to us, we live inside a battery. The surface of the Earth is charged negatively and the ionosphere, a layer of the atmosphere about 60 miles up, is ionized by the sun. The rays of the sun are so strong that they split the molecules in two, a positive charge and a negative charge.

The negative charges are transferred to the surface of the Earth, through lightening mainly, and the positive charges stay 60 miles up. The problem arises when we don’t have a negative charge. We need grounding just as we need air and we need sunshine.”

When you put your bare feet on the ground, you absorb large amounts of negative electrons through the soles of your feet. In today's world, this is more important than ever, yet fewer people than ever connect with the Earth in this way anymore.

Free radical stress from exposure to pollution, cigarettes, pesticides, processed foods and radiation, just to name a few, continually deplete your body of electrons.

The Earth, however is always electron-rich and can serve as a powerful and abundant supply of antioxidant free-radical-busting electrons, if only you make an effort to stay grounded.

Without a proper supply of antioxidants, the free radicals can overwhelm your system leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and accelerated aging. "We now know that oxidative stress causes disease. It causes inflammation," Sinatra says. "[But] we have this Earth — Mother Earth — that’s going to give us all these free electrons."

Grounding Puts Out the Fires of Inflammation

One of the primary health benefits of grounding is that its antioxidant effect helps alleviate inflammation throughout your body. Sinatra notes:

“In simple terms, what Earthing does, is literally it squelches the fires of inflammation, and if inflammation is the source of all root illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, heart disease, diabetes — I mean the list goes on and on — if you can impact inflammation and … stop it, we’re going to be healthier beings.”

In research conducted by Chevalier and colleagues, it’s noted that grounding produces measurable differences in the concentrations of molecules, including white blood cells and cytokines, involved in the inflammatory response.

The report also found that grounding “reduces pain and alters the numbers of circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes, and also affects various circulating chemical factors related to inflammation.”2 In the film, Ober explains how grounding can reduce inflammation by supplying your body with free electrons:

“Inflammation is produced by neutrophils, which are white blood cells. You have an injury, you have a damaged cell, and so these white blood cells come over and they encapsulate the damaged cell and …  release reactive oxygen species, which rip electrons from the damaged cell and that destroys the damaged cell.

If there’s not enough free electrons there to reduce the remaining radicals, they’re going to steal an electron from a healthy cell and in the process damage it.

Then the message goes out to the immune system and another neutrophil does the same thing and eliminates that cell, and then you have a chain reaction.”

Grounding May Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease, Protect Against Electromagnetic Fields and More

Heart disease is rooted in an inflammatory process, so it’s not surprising that this major disease killer is among those helped by grounding.

Research published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine revealed that two hours of grounding increased the surface charge of red blood cells and thereby reduced blood viscosity and clumping.3 As a result, the researchers, who include Chevalier and Sinatra, concluded, “Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.”4

In other research, a pilot study on the effect of grounding on delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which often occurs after intense exercise, grounding the body to the Earth was shown to alter measures of immune system activity and pain.5

Grounding for one hour also significantly improved mood among a group of 40 adults6 and calms your sympathetic nervous system, which supports your heart rate variability. When you support heart rate variability, this promotes homeostasis, or balance, in your autonomic nervous system. This is important because anytime you improve your heart rate variability, you're improving your entire body and all its functions.

Grounding your body to the Earth during sleep has similarly been shown to have beneficial effects, including normalizing the daily cortisol rhythm and improving sleep.7 There is even evidence that grounding reduces electric fields induced on your body, which is increasingly important in the modern world.8 Researchers wrote:

“The study showed that when the body is grounded, its electrical potential becomes equalized with the Earth's electrical potential through a transfer of electrons from the Earth to the body. This, in turn, prevents the 60 Hz [ambient voltage] mode from producing an AC [alternating current] electric potential at the surface of the body and from producing perturbations of the electric charges of the molecules inside the body.

The study confirms the ‘umbrella’ effect of earthing the body explained by Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman in his lectures on electromagnetism. Feynman said that when the body potential is the same as the Earth's electric potential (and thus grounded), it becomes an extension of the Earth's gigantic electric system.

The Earth's potential thus becomes the ‘working agent that cancels, reduces, or pushes away electric fields from the body.’”

What Types of Shoes Allow You to Stay Grounded?

Rubber, plastic and other synthetic soles on your shoes will insulate you from the Earth and its grounding benefits. Traditional leather soles will not, but you can also gain grounding benefits simply by walking barefoot, which is still practiced in some parts of the world.

Just as walking barefoot was once widespread, so, too, was sleeping on the ground. In the modern world, sleeping indoors serves to further insulate you from the Earth, although it’s relatively simple to ground your mattress while you sleep. When you’re indoors, a grounding mat, placed where you work or sleep, can ground you to the Earth just like walking barefoot outside.

It sounds so simple, almost too simple, but as Sinatra said, “This is Nobel Prize material.” There are now nearly two dozen published studies on grounding and more certainly to come.

“The research done to date,” researchers wrote in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, “supports the concept that grounding or earthing the human body may be an essential element in the health equation along with sunshine, clean air and water, nutritious food, and physical activity.”

If you’d like to learn more, another documentary film, “Grounded,” lets you see this amazing phenomenon transform the life of people who had been struggling with health issues like chronic pain, and one man who had been wheelchair-bound for decades is able to walk again after grounding. Seeing the transformations first-hand is quite moving and shows this isn’t just “new-age nonsense” but a scientifically proven and valid method for improving your health.

Magical Natural Viagra: If You Like To Have Long and Fantastic Erection Use These Products!!!

Bananas are rich in vitamin B which is why they can give a longer lasting and more enjoyable time in bed, making you more energized and stress-free.

Certain types of foods can significantly improve s*xual arousal and in this article we’re going to share with you which foods should be eaten and which avoided right before s*x.

If you want to spice up your s*x life and improve your man’s potency try some of these aphrodisiacs before intercourse, the results will amaze you for sure. There are a lot of aphrodisiacs which can help you improve your s*x life and your partner’s endurance, but we’ll share with you the most potent ones. Just like there are foods which can enhance your pleasure there are also foods which can ruin the moment, so you should be wary of the latter. Here’s a list of the so called “friends of erection” and “enemies of erection”.

Friends of Erection

Bananas

Bananas are rich in vitamin B which is why they can enhance and improve your s*x life. They give you energy and reduce stress. Aside from the vitamin B, there are a number of other ingredients like tryptophan which increases the secretion of the hormone serotonin, potassium responsible for production of s*x hormones and bromelain, a libido boosting enzyme, which also improves circulation.

Pumpkin and sunflower seeds

These seeds are rich in zinc, which is responsible for the quality of sperm and testosterone, and also contain high levels of healthy fats, beneficial for intimate health.

Celery

Celery increases the production of androsterone pheromone, a natural aphrodisiac commonly found in a man’s sweat. It also has the ability to widen blood vessels and increase the s*x drive, giving you an improved s*xual experience and more potent orgasm.

Enemies of orgasm

Hot dogs

You should choose wisely what to eat for dinner if you want to enjoy a night of fiery sex. Sausages and hot dogs contain high levels of saturated fat which can lead to clogged arteries and poor blood circulation in the penis. You certainly wouldn’t like this to happen when you’re planning a steaming night with your loved one. Moreover, hot dogs contain the lowest grade meat, which can cause an inflammation and hormonal imbalance.

Buttercup chips

Why is it that everything that is so delicious is usually bad for your health? If you expect a wild night in the bedroom you better leave the buttercup chips for the next day because they can ruin your potency. They contain high levels of fat which negatively impact circulation and testosterone. Also the salt can cause high blood pressure and cause erectile dysfunction, as well as swelling and gases.

Spearmint

We know that fresh breath is very important in the bedroom but mints just before intercourse can reduce the testosterone level and ruin your performance. Just brush your teeth and you’ll be fresh smelling, no worries.

Snacks and sweets

If your hunger kicks in just before sex you should forget about candy bars and chocolate, they will increase your blood sugar levels instantly but in short time you’ll experience a sugar crash and feel hungrier than ever. It’s better if you opt for nuts or veggies and you’ll be good to go!

Source http://hlthfoodhouse.com/

All content on this Web site, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation. Use of this site and the information contained herein does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.

http://www.baby-kids-parents.com/natural-remedies/1182-magical-natural-viagra-if-you-like-to-have-long-and-fantastic-erection-use-these-products

Strokes ~ The warning signs.

I URGE YOU ALL TO READ & SHARE THIS; YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE BY KNOWING AND PASSING ON THIS SIMPLE INFORMATION.

Stroke has a new indicator! They say if you forward this to ten people, you stand a chance of saving one life. Will you send this along? Blood Clots/Stroke - They Now Have a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue.

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

IDENTIFYING A STROKE

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR. 

Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. Chicken Soup)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist said that if everyone who gets this message shared it with 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

I have done my part. Will you?

Please share this link on your Facebook wall. It could save a life.

http://www.wisdomtoinspirethesoul.com/2014/09/strokes-warning-signs.html