Tonsils – the brain’s drain

Depression is a complex disease with multiple contributing factors. The diagnostic criteria for depression include:

• Depressed or irritable mood
• Decreased interest in pleasurable activities and ability to experience pleasure
• Significant weight gain or loss (>5% change in a month)
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
  (Berton O, et al. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2006)

Chances are that you have felt several of the above criteria but yet you may not have associated it with depression.

This is because depression is a broad term that may affect one person differently to the next, along with having a diverse range of possible causations.

Below is a list of some of the factors that can lead to depression and apathy:

• Trauma
• PTSD
• Abuse
• Post-natal depression
• Adverse childhood exposure
• Lack of safety
• Economic struggles
• Autoimmunity
• Social isolation
• Heartbreak
• Social media
• Lack of purpose
• S.A.D – Seasonal Affective Disorder (Vitamin D deficiency)
• Mold exposure
• Anaemia
• Sex hormone imbalances (Low/high oestrogen, low testosterone)
• Hypo/hyper thyroidism
• Stress
• Pain
• Chronic illness
• Genetic traits
• Methylation issues
• Heavy metal toxicity
• Parasites
• Nutrient deficiencies (B6, etc)
• Nutrient excess
• Artificial light exposure
• Poor sleep
• Mitochondrial dysfunctions
• Poor gut health
• Gut/brain axis inflammation
• Cytokine model of depression
• Medication
• Loss of a loved one
• Divorce
• Substance abuse
• Neurotransmitter imbalances
• Lyme
• Toxic and ambivalent relationships

Each reason, being so unique, may require a completely different approach for therapy from the next.

This reverberates a quote of William Osler, stating ‘It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has’. Unfortunately, society generally neglects the beauty of individuality whilst overlooking the crucial interplay and synergy from the multifactorial systems essential for optimal function within our body.

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The effectiveness of Vitamin B6 in the treatment of PMS dates back over 40 years. Results were noted, such as:

• ‘Significant decreases in all symptoms’ (1)
• 70% reporting good or partial response’ (2)
• ‘Improvement in 63% of patients on pyridoxine’ (3)

The dose used within these studies ranged from 40-200mg (with a possible risk of toxicity at 200mg).

Only one patient of the 940 participating in these trials indicated the presence of any side effects that could be attributed to the neuropathy associated with pyridoxine toxicity. (4)

A meta-analysis of nine published trials involving almost 1,000 women with PMS found that vitamin B6 is more effective in reducing PMS symptoms than placebo. (5)

A double-blind, randomized controlled trial in 94 women found that 80 mg pyridoxine taken daily over the course of three cycles was associated with statistically significant reductions in a broad range of PMS symptoms, including:

• Moodiness
• Irritability
• Forgetfulness
• Bloating
• Anxiety (6)

Below are my preferred dietary sources of Vitamin B6 per 100g:

• Liver – 1mg
• Salmon – 0.9mg
• Sunflower Seeds – 1.33mg
• Pistachios – 1.7mg

The recommended daily allowance sits around 1.3mg, which makes an easy target to obtain via food.

However, to achieve the dosage used in the above studies is between 30-153 times higher than the RDA, making it unachievable to obtain through diet alone.

As you can see here, Designs For Health provides 50mg of Vitamin B6 in just one capsule. This is in the form of Vitamin B6 in its most bioavailable form – P5P.

Magnesium and Vitamin B2 are required for the conversion of P5P. The deficiency rates of magnesium make this conversion much harder.

High protein diets or genetic susceptibilities (such as NBPF3) are factors that can increase the need for more Vitamin B6.

Have you ever used B6 for your PMS?

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References:

1. Goei and Abraham, 1983
2. Brush, 1988
3. Day, 1979
4. London RS, et al. 1991
5. Wyatt KM, et al. BMJ 1999
6. Kashanian M, et al. 2007

Globally, more than 50% of all people are infected [8], with the prevalence of escalating with age. [9]

Helicobacter Pylori is a gram-negative bacterium that colonises within the human gastrointestinal tract (this includes the mouth).

Symptoms:

• Belching
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Difficulty swallowing
• Abdominal discomfort
• Upper abdominal bloating
• Decreased appetite
• Peptic ulcers
• Bad breath
• Heartburn
• Reoccurring oral plaque
• Gingivitis
• Tooth cavities

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Risks:

• H. Pylori infection is the main cause of chronic gastritis, with an infection rate between 80%-95% in sufferers. [7]
• It is present in almost all cases of duodenal ulcers and most cases of gastric ulcer [10] with as many as 90% of individuals with ulcers being infected.
• H. Pylori is a significant contributing factor for the risk of gastric cancers.
• H. Pylori burrows deep within parietal cells (cells that secrete stomach acid), not only does this make it harder to eradicate, but this also leads to unique symptoms within the host. One factor being hypochlorhydria (low levels of stomach acid secreted within the body); this prevents the host from sterilising bacteria in food, reduces the ability to obtain nutrients desired from food and the inability to assimilate certain key minerals, such as zinc or iron.
• Reduced intrinsic factor (IF) production is also likely for individuals suffering from a H. Pylori infection. IF is essential to bind with vitamin B12, preventing further breakdown from stomach acid along with attaching to the surface of the ileum to allow for absorption of B12 into the body.
• H. Pylori can also block vitamin C absorption, thus compounding to the amount of oxidative damage inflicted onto the body.
• H. Pylori infection augments the gastric mucosal damage induced by NSAIDs.
• H. Pylori antagonises Aspirin-induced delayed ulcer healing due to suppression of acid secretion by the enhancement of PGE2 possibly derived by COX2 expression.
• Benefits:
  Due to the nature of the parasite being a gram-negative bacteria, it shifts the immune system more towards a Th1 mediated response as opposed to Th2 – this can reduce the severity of allergies, asthma and other humeral/mucosal reactions.

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Benefits:

Due to the nature of the parasite being a gram-negative bacteria, it shifts the immune system more towards a Th1 mediated response as opposed to Th2 – this can reduce the severity of allergies, asthma and other humeral/mucosal reactions.

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References:

1. Morales-Espinosa R, et al., Oral Microbiol Immunol. 2009
2. Nguyen AM, et al., Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 1995
3. Miyabayashi H, et al., Helicobacter. 2000
4. Gebara EC, et al., J Clin Periodontol. 2006
5. Dye BA, et al., Am J Public Health. 2002
6. Eskandari A, et al. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal.
7. Abro AH, et al. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2011
8. Saudi J Gastroenterol. 2014
9. J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. 2011
10. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2011
11. Surveillance of Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance in England and Wales; Public Health England, 2008
12. Jernberg, C, et al. 2010