Depression and Anxiety May Be As Harmful to Physical Health as Obesity and Smoking

When we think about physical health and the most obvious factors that can jeopardize it, smoking and obesity are oftentimes at the top of the list of major health risks. Smoking can lead to cancer, emphysema, and damage to every organ in the body. Obesity is harmful to our health by increasing the risk of certain cancers, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, and more. While smoking is a health risk within each person's control (when it isn't secondhand exposure), and obesity is within the control of most (aside from those with mobility limitations, thyroid issues, and additional medical conditions), research is pointing toward another health threat just as detrimental to us as smoking or obesity, and isn't something that can always be controlled. Sound scary? It really is, especially since these threats can be triggered by a variety of sources such as environmental factors, biological factors, and even trauma. The threat comes from depression and anxiety, and the researchers who've discovered this are psychiatrists at the University of California in San Francisco.

Andrea Niles, Ph.D., and Aoife O'Donovan, Ph.D., at the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and San Francisco VA Medical Center recently examined the health information of over 15,000 retired adults, approximately 68 years of age, over the span of four years. In their study, published in the Health Psychology journal this December 17, 2018, they found that those with high amounts of depression and anxiety were 65% more likely to develop a heart condition, 64% more likely to have a stroke, 50% more likely to have high blood pressure, and 87% more likely to develop arthritis than those who did not have anxiety or depression. O'Donovan stated that the increased risks for developing such health conditions are similar for those who smoke or suffer from obesity. The only differences noted were that depression and anxiety increased the risk of arthritis more than smoking and obesity, but had no influence on a person's likelihood for developing cancer.

This makes the need for mental health treatment even more real and urgent when looking at the research and statistics. Approximately half of those who suffer from depression also suffer from anxiety, which affects nearly 30% of the US population. And with 50% of people suffering from depression receiving no relief from the more popularly diagnosed antidepressant medications, the need for measures that extend beyond psychotropic meds is real. In fact, 37% of people suffering from depression do not receive treatment whatsoever. This is a dangerous statistic.

The Need for a Better Solution

The first solution for solving the mental health crisis is to increase awareness surrounding anxiety and depression. So many cases go untreated because people are either misdiagnosed, unaware that their symptoms and struggles are related to a mental health issue, or they simply avoid seeking help. Part of the resistance to seeking treatment could be due to the stigma surrounding mental illness. It's much lighter these days than it used to be, but it still holds the power to keep so many suffering in silence, alone. Another factor could be the lack of knowledge surrounding holistic treatment options for the public. It's sad, but it's true... When a person visits the doctor's office and complains of symptoms of depression or anxiety, he/she is oftentimes slapped with a label that will follow this person throughout life and bring into question his/her mental stability, and oftentimes be given a prescription for antidepressants, and sometimes benzodiazepines. Taking such medications daily is not the best method of treatment for everyone, and it's never a good idea to take “benzos” daily on a long-term basis, as they can become physically addictive after only one month with fatal withdrawal symptoms. This is why we need more safe and effective treatment options for these most prevalent mental health disorders.

The Better Solution

Up until recently, much of the mental health community relied solely on psychotropic medications paired with therapy to treat depression and anxiety. While this is a great method for some and therapy can be beneficial for all, not every medication reacts the same way with every person who suffers from a mental health disorder. This is why the fact that micronutrients are effective at treating depression and anxiety is so important. Micronutrients have been researched by a variety of medical professionals, most notably by Dr. Charles Popper, a psychiatrist at Harvard. He found broad-spectrum micronutrient supplements to be effective treatment options for mental health disorders without the side-effects of psychotropic meds. Micronutrients have been found to effectively treat depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, trauma, stress, and psychosis for adults and children. This is the solution the mental health community has been needing for quite some time. Since not every micronutrient supplement is created equally, it's important to do your due diligence in researching how each supplement is made, and where each ingredient is sourced from. The micronutrient supplement I stand behind has been engineered to be superior against other supplements with the best ingredients and designed for optimal absorption. I've sampled this product, and it made me feel incredibly focused, at peace, and free from any symptoms of depression and anxiety.