Mental health.
A subject that is ignored until it gets so serious and starts creeping into our daily routines and soon before you know it, it’s driving you crazy.
I, like many others, felt embarrassed to ever admit that I wasn’t feeling okay. I always assumed I would hear the phrases ‘It will go away’ or ‘Cheer up’. But what I needed wasn’t sympathy or advice. I needed help. Professional help.
This was when I decided to approach My Vital Health Solutions - a naturopathic clinic in Melbourne.
To understand the reason why I chose a natural approach in contrast to a clinical therapist who would prescribe me pills, you need to understand the way the brain works.
Brain health is deeply connected with diet.
There are many mental problems that we know of. Some are more complex than others. However, the basis for these problems is the same: neurotransmitters either not sending signals to the different areas of the body or an imbalance in the secretion of chemicals.
While many practitioners of modern medicine recommend steroids or synthetically prepared chemicals that mimic the behaviour of the natural ones, simple therapy is diet.
Diet consists of various proteins and sugars that constitute the building blocks of these neurotransmitters.
This was my reasoning behind reaching out to a Naturopath in Melbourne.
As the mental health naturopath explained, the mood may seem a psychological state of mind, but it does have a scientific explanation. The neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that the brain nerves use to communicate with each other and relay messages back and forth.
When someone ‘isn’t in the mood’ for days or weeks or even years on end, it is often said that the person is depressed.
This depression is caused due to an interplay between the chemical messengers : dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine.
The above are the feel-good chemicals that cause us to be happy and positive. When the levels fall below the standard, it results in feelings of depression.
Foods are said to be rich in the precursors that produce dopamine, serotonin etc. Let me tell you a similar theory.
You know when you have a really bad day and someone surprises you with chocolate and it all seems to get better?
Well, it’s just like that. Only, diet does take a while to work its action on depression.
Naturopath Domenic Pisanelli emphasises on the fact that naturopathy does not aim to cure. It simply works on triggering the natural responses of the body through natural means such as diet, exercise, therapies etc.
If you are planning on availing a naturopath for mental health, I’d strongly recommend My Vital Health Solutions. They are true to what they believe in and will employ a comprehensive, personalised strategy to better your mental health!