schizophrenia Archives - Your body ~ Your brain ~ Your diet

This Is What Happens To Your Brain When You Cut Out Carbohydrates

October 10, 2022October 10, 2022 MariaC bipolar, ketogenic diet, low carbohydrate, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia

Treatment for mental health conditions is not always effective. Sometimes the meds work, sometimes they don’t. When they don’t, science has to look beyond the usual parameters for the solutions needed.

That’s why, between 2019 and 2020, French psychiatrists carried out an experiment on adults with “severe, persistent mental illness”. These various illnesses included major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. Their symptoms had responded poorly to intensive drug treatment.

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How Exercise Changes Your Brain and Your Mood

February 1, 2021September 1, 2022 MariaC BDNF, bipolar, dementia, Depression, schizophrenia

Beyond the runner’s high lies a biochemical process that is part of the brain’s growth and repair system. Central to that process is a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF protects existing brain cells from damage. It strengthens the synapses (a synapse is the structure between nerves, through which messages are transmitted), and helps form new synapses. BDNF is also involved in a process called neurogenesis, the creation of new brain cells.

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Why Giving Up Sugar Is So Good For Your Mental Health

January 7, 2021September 1, 2022 MariaC Depression, diabetes, dysglycemia, glycemic index, Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, schizophrenia

Sugar makes you fat, which is bad enough. But can it really make you depressed? Clinically depressed, even? The evidence is compelling, and it’s a journey that starts with a mild blood sugar imbalance and can end with serious mental illness. Each step of that journey is fuelled by sugar, or more specifically, glucose.

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The physical symptoms of mental illness

September 3, 2019September 1, 2022 MariaC ADHD, autism, Depression, DHA, dysmenorrhea, EPA, inflammation, oily fish, omega-3, omega-6, schizophrenia

Alicia was certainly different, but she was typical in one regard: she had a combination of physical and mental symptoms. And, as it turned out, there was one underlying cause. Alicia’s brain lacked fatty acids, and this deficiency was manifesting in other parts of her body.

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How your skin colour is linked to your mental health

August 13, 2019September 1, 2022 MariaC ADHD, Alzheimer's Parkinson's, autism, Cheddar Man, dementia, Depression, Homo sapiens, mental health, race, schizophrenia, vitamin D

You probably associate vitamin D with bone health, but that’s just a fraction of the picture. There are receptor sites for this vitamin throughout the brain and deficiency is associated with a range of neurological disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, dementia (including Alzheimer’s) and Parkinson’s disease.

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Is gluten messing with your mind? Find out now.

November 2, 2018June 24, 2019 MariaC 0 Comments celiac disease, Depression, gluten, gluten intolerance, gluten psychosis, NCGS, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, schizophrenia

Sometimes you crave the very foods that are making you ill. These foods can mess with your mind, as well as your body. Of all potential food felons, there’s nothing quite like gluten. This protein can trigger a broad range of symptoms and conditions, from gastrointestinal pain to schizophrenia, from depression to fatigue.

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How fat babies develop healthy adult brains

February 22, 2018February 22, 2018 MariaC 0 Comments ADHD, Alzheimer's, arachidonic acid, autism, brain, Depression, DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, fat, Homo erectus, ketogenic diet, ketone bodies, ominvorous diet, Paleolithic, sapiens, schizophrenia

Human babies are the only land mammals born fat, and there is good reason for that. When humans evolved from plant-eating tree-dwellers to omnivorous land-dwellers, an extraordinary burst of brain growth was triggered. The large human brain is dependent on fat for growth and function, from conception to old age.