Virtually everyone has had some type of mental health issue at some time in their lives. However, some mental problems can be long lasting or severe. By looking at the biochemistry of your brain and body, you can gain an understanding of how nutrition affects your mental health. Then, with the right nutritional plan, you can move towards improved mental functioning. Here’s how it works.
Could an evidence-based nutritional plan improve your mental health? Contact Newbridge Health and Wellness for help with healthy solutions.
Nutrient Imbalances and Your Brain
You know that you need the right nutrients to stay physically healthy. This is true not only for organs like your heart but also for your brain. When you have too much or too little of any macronutrients or micronutrients, your brain’s health suffers as well.
How Does Nutrition Affect Your Brain Health?
Research on nutrition and its effect on the brain – including mental health — has been abundant lately, and many of the results have shown the effectiveness of nutrients in improving brain function and health. Here are just a few of the interesting studies you can read about online.
- Alzheimer’s Disease – There is evidence that poor nutrition can make someone more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Studies on The Bredesen Protocol [ReCODE Protocol Efficacy] have shown that improving nutrition has the potential to prevent or even reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
- Autism – The results of a 12-month study [Comprehensive Nutritional and Dietary Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder] suggested that nutrition and diet had a beneficial effect on symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. Those who had nutritional interventions had improved significantly more than the control group.
- ADHD – Another study [Effects of a restricted elimination diet on the behavior of children with ADHD] found that nutritional changes improve the behavior of children with ADHD. The diet group had more improvement than the control group, and when the diet was discontinued, 63% of the children relapsed, with more symptoms of ADHD again.
- Pregnancy – Nutrition has nearly always been suggested for women who are pregnant or lactating. However, you don’t have to eat more while pregnant. You only have to eat the right foods and get the best nutrition. Several advantages of healthy nutrition were suggested by a study on pregnant and lactating women’s nutrition. The Pregnancy and Birth to 24 months Project found that women with the proper nutrition were less likely to have hypertension during pregnancy, less often had gestational diabetes, and had a lower risk of preterm birth. Additionally, maternal weight and nutrition intake before or during pregnancy was linked to outcomes for the child’s neurocognitive, mental, and behavioral health. This study was included in a review of the research [The importance of nutrition in pregnancy and lactation: lifelong consequences]. The overall conclusion was that, with improvements in nutrition, pregnant and lactating women, as well as their infants, consistently fared better.
The Walsh Approach to Nutrition and Mental Health
In many cases, biochemistry is at the heart of mental health issues. Dr. Walsh has been at the forefront of the movement to heal brain disorders through better nutrition. The Walsh Approach recognizes the effects of nutrient imbalances and the prevalence of toxins in the environment. Dr. Walsh has trained hundreds of physicians and other medical practitioners to use the Walsh Approach to improve mental health.
Benefits of the Walsh Approach
Walsh’s Advanced Nutrient Therapy often brings about several benefits that positively impact brain health. While psychiatric medications can cause side effects, Advanced Nutrient Therapy only uses natural chemicals as it accomplishes several important tasks. For example, nutrition can help the brain get the right mix of brain chemicals so that your brain produces and regulates the right levels of neurotransmitters for mental health.
Newbridge and the Walsh Protocol
At Newbridge Health & Wellness, we use the Walsh Approach to help people with mental health disorders. Liz Kirt is our practitioner who is trained and certified in The Walsh Protocol. Walsh has developed Advanced Nutrient Therapy, a system that focuses on biochemical processes and how to improve them through nutrition, including vitamins, minerals, essential oils, and amino acids.
What Mental Disorders Can Advanced Nutrient Therapy Benefit?
For a very long time, the psychiatric profession has known that mental disorders relate to an imbalance of brain chemicals. Their solution has often been to offer prescription drugs in an attempt to correct these imbalances.
However, mental disorders have many components impacting them. The Walsh Protocol recognizes that nutrition is a piece of that puzzle. Thus, with the right nutrients for each individual, your brain can function better. Some of the mental disorders that can benefit from nutritional interventions include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
- ADHD
Dr. Walsh has developed the Advanced Nutrient Therapy model and trained many practitioners in this system. Thus, more people are seeing their mental disorders improve due to having the ideal nutrients to promote healthy biochemical processes.
Customized Nutrition
You not only need the right nutrients, but you need the ones that are right for you. That’s why our medical team starts by finding out where you have nutrient deficiencies. Then, too, if you also need pharmaceuticals, you can work on your nutrition at the same time, along with therapy, if needed.
Customized nutrition, with the right nutrients and the right amounts, seeks to correct the imbalances in your brain and body. After determining your needs, your medical practitioner will create a nutrition plan to help you get on the right track to better mental health.
Functional Medicine, Integrative Medicine, Mental Health, and You
As an integrative/functional medicine clinic, we at Newbridge Health & Wellness focus on finding the root cause of your problem first. After that, we can move on to creating a custom-designed plan for you. We can combine different therapies that can work together to improve your mental and physical health.
As for your dietary plan, it will include meal plans, recipes, and dietary supplements, along with other helpful resources. We continue to monitor your progress and update the plan whenever necessary. As a functional medicine clinic, we provide holistic healing so that your body and brain function at optimal performance. As an integrative practice, we combine alternative therapies with conventional therapies as needed to help you reach optimal physical and mental health.
Newbridge Health & Wellness in Minnesota and Beyond
If you are looking for a functional medical clinic, Newbridge Health & Wellness can help you. Located in Edina, Minnesota, we serve clients throughout the Midwest and even around the world. We have specialists in the Walsh Approach and the Bredesen Protocol who use evidence-based approaches to support your physical and mental health.
Since we see you as a whole person, we provide healing for your body along with your mind. We favor natural therapies but use conventional medicine whenever it is advantageous to do so. As our patient, you are the center of our services. Meeting your needs for optimal health is our goal any time you come to us.
Curious how functional and integrative medicine can help improve your mental health? Contact Newbridge Health & Wellness to find out how we can assist.
