Read Online How Come They're Happy and I'm Not? by Peter Bongiorno - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Peter Bongiorno
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level of this amino acid usually increases with age. In a large study of 3,752 men age seventy and older, an increase in homocysteine was associated with a significantly increased risk of depression. This evidence suggests that lower levels of homocysteine may decrease the incidence of depression in the elderly.
It has been found that homocysteinemia (high homocysteine in the blood) causes a decrease in S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe—a compound that has been shown to help depression—more about SAMe in chapter 5 ). This decrease in SAMe impairs your body's ability to make neurotransmitters for the brain and negatively affects the fats and nerves of your brain. There's a strong correlation between high homocysteine and vessel damage leading to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and depressive disease. This may be why people who are depressed have high rates of cardiovascular disease, and vice versa.
The Homocysteine-Depression Connection :
High Homocysteine → Low SAMe → Low Neurotransmitters,
Damaged Nerves and Vessels → Depression and
Cardiovascular Disease
How to Treat High Homocysteine
There's controversy as to whether using natural therapies such as B vitamins, folic acid, and tri-methylglycine or betaine supplements is useful to lower homocysteine and ultimately protect against cardiovascular illness. However, it's clear to me that SAMe and folic acid help depression, so for anyone with high homocysteine, I typically recommend:
SAMe: Start a dosage of 200 mg twice the first two days and then increase to 400 mg twice daily on day three, then to 400 mg three times daily on day ten, and finally to the full dose of 400 mg four times daily.
B-complex vitamin with folate: Take B vitamin that includes 800 mcg of folate (L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate form) per day. If you are taking medications that are not effective, you may increase the folate level to 10 mg per day.
Betaine (also called trimethylglycine): Take 3,600 mg every day.
CLINICAL CASE: MEL AND RESOLUTION, PASSION, AND HOMOCYSTEINE
A fifty-one-year-old engineer named Mel came into my office to work on a case of intractable depression. It seems about twelve years before, Mel had experienced his first bout with depression after starting a new job at an engineering firm. His work at the firm started becoming erratic—even the simple tasks of finishing paperwork became too difficult for him. As Mel described it, he tried to “hide underground” and get away from it all. At the time, he realized he was not happy with his life's work and was questioning his family life too.
Mel was prescribed Prozac, which helped his symptoms within a few weeks. He also started psychotherapy, which focused on tools to help Mel get back into the swing of work. Mel continued on the Prozac until about two months prior to our first visit, when he attempted, seemingly out of the blue to take his life. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful, but the fact that his depression had returned with a vengeance was undeniable. Now his doctor had prescribed him imipramine, a medication used for severe depression.
At our first visit, I asked Mel what exactly had happened during the first bout with depression. At first he couldn't remember what it was about, for, he said, “It was so long ago, and I have not even thought of it.” After I pried a bit, he remembered thinking he was saddened by a job he had “no passion for, and could not think of going there every day”—the very same feelings that prompted the recent suicide attempt.
I explained to Mel that these feelings, and this concern for the importance of his work, needed to be explored. His body had been holding on to that feeling for years, and now the pot had boiled over. This knowledge was good in a way—now Mel had an opportunity to realize his concerns and make a positive change toward enjoying his daily life. Mel didn't know what he would enjoy, so I told him he didn't need every answer right then—he just needed
It has been found that homocysteinemia (high homocysteine in the blood) causes a decrease in S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe—a compound that has been shown to help depression—more about SAMe in chapter 5 ). This decrease in SAMe impairs your body's ability to make neurotransmitters for the brain and negatively affects the fats and nerves of your brain. There's a strong correlation between high homocysteine and vessel damage leading to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and depressive disease. This may be why people who are depressed have high rates of cardiovascular disease, and vice versa.
The Homocysteine-Depression Connection :
High Homocysteine → Low SAMe → Low Neurotransmitters,
Damaged Nerves and Vessels → Depression and
Cardiovascular Disease
How to Treat High Homocysteine
There's controversy as to whether using natural therapies such as B vitamins, folic acid, and tri-methylglycine or betaine supplements is useful to lower homocysteine and ultimately protect against cardiovascular illness. However, it's clear to me that SAMe and folic acid help depression, so for anyone with high homocysteine, I typically recommend:
SAMe: Start a dosage of 200 mg twice the first two days and then increase to 400 mg twice daily on day three, then to 400 mg three times daily on day ten, and finally to the full dose of 400 mg four times daily.
B-complex vitamin with folate: Take B vitamin that includes 800 mcg of folate (L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate form) per day. If you are taking medications that are not effective, you may increase the folate level to 10 mg per day.
Betaine (also called trimethylglycine): Take 3,600 mg every day.
CLINICAL CASE: MEL AND RESOLUTION, PASSION, AND HOMOCYSTEINE
A fifty-one-year-old engineer named Mel came into my office to work on a case of intractable depression. It seems about twelve years before, Mel had experienced his first bout with depression after starting a new job at an engineering firm. His work at the firm started becoming erratic—even the simple tasks of finishing paperwork became too difficult for him. As Mel described it, he tried to “hide underground” and get away from it all. At the time, he realized he was not happy with his life's work and was questioning his family life too.
Mel was prescribed Prozac, which helped his symptoms within a few weeks. He also started psychotherapy, which focused on tools to help Mel get back into the swing of work. Mel continued on the Prozac until about two months prior to our first visit, when he attempted, seemingly out of the blue to take his life. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful, but the fact that his depression had returned with a vengeance was undeniable. Now his doctor had prescribed him imipramine, a medication used for severe depression.
At our first visit, I asked Mel what exactly had happened during the first bout with depression. At first he couldn't remember what it was about, for, he said, “It was so long ago, and I have not even thought of it.” After I pried a bit, he remembered thinking he was saddened by a job he had “no passion for, and could not think of going there every day”—the very same feelings that prompted the recent suicide attempt.
I explained to Mel that these feelings, and this concern for the importance of his work, needed to be explored. His body had been holding on to that feeling for years, and now the pot had boiled over. This knowledge was good in a way—now Mel had an opportunity to realize his concerns and make a positive change toward enjoying his daily life. Mel didn't know what he would enjoy, so I told him he didn't need every answer right then—he just needed
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