One of the unexpected benefits that I experienced from a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting is that it stabilized my mood and helped with depression and anxiety. I’m not saying that it will have that effect for everyone, but it certainly had that effect for me.
Same In the beginning whenever I ate some carbs (occasionally) - just after a few minutes I felt deeply depressed again. Never could understand it before. FINALLY !!!! No carbs for me anymore. I feel so balanced 😊 Once I read (about empaty): That hole you pull somebody out, is the hole wherin you bury your own sorrows.....
I have a 22 year history of taking Prozac for depression. I, however, eliminated antidepressant medications, for one year now, since adopting a ketogenic and carnivore diet that reduced brain inflammation. 😊
I had a rare moment of clarity around a year ago, where I realised what I'd been calling "depression" for decades was actually frustration - frustration that the world was not revolving around me and not in the direction I wanted it to turn. I resolved to tell myself on a regular basis not to 'get over it' - but instead to get over myself; that the world was going to keep on turning whether I like it or not. Since then, if I feel down, I ask myself why, and actually do something about it - instead of popping pills and having a little pity party for myself. It seems to work, for me at least. I no longer feel the weight of the world on my shoulders because I know the world doesn't need me to hold it up. I try to keep myself out of the centre of the Universe, and stand off to the side, where the view is much better. Whether or not going keto, quitting sugar and putting a stop to emotional eating has anything do do with it, I don't know - I'm no doctor - but perhaps it has. It doesn't really matter as long as it stays that way. And that's the bit that's up to me.
Keto-carnivore had helped significantly, moving from a constant low-level depression (dysthymia) to being a more engaged human whose feelings aren't getting "hurt" all of the time. It's a huge relief to have an improved mood instead of the "little black rain cloud" hanging over me all of the time.
I've been fighting major depression, debilitating depression, since I was 12 yr old. That's also when my physical pain and migraines started as well. It's hard to know what caused what but it all exacerbated each other. It all is part of my weight gain over the years. I've been Keto for two years and recently introduced to Carnivore. Through Keto, my depression has lessened in intensity. the dark cloud and heaviness that was a daily part of my life has lifted. The pain is still part of my life, daily (bilateral hip dysplasia and EoE), the anxiety can still be debilitating. The migraines are decreasing in number and intensity. Reducing then working towards eliminating carbs has helped so much. I do have bouts of depression, mostly due to current events and hormonal changes/instability. But, not the life controlling debilitating depression I lived with for so long. At the age of 53 I'm finally starting to want to live my life and not just exist.
Extended abstinence from carbs and sugar has given me the mental clarity to develop tools to manage emotional response. The recovery also helps me live in better emotional balance overall. I react more calmly to stressful situations; I can use justifiable anger as opposed to losing my temper. It’s a much more positive way to live.
Thank you for this- I have a grandson with major depression- I keep nudging him toward keto- he loves his steak and doesn’t eat much vegetables, but ohhh the bread and sugars.
Thanks Doc for your words. I have major depression and have been on meds. They were harder to come off than cocaine. 😢 I am post-menopausal and have been ketovore since last year. Greetings from Germany. ✌️
I have been able to relate to a doctor before like I am with you. One of my greatest blessings has been finding you on UA-cam. Thank you for being real as you share your story, your knowledge, and your failures.
Medication did zero for me. I was on Zoloft for over 2 years. In the first year all it did was make me a zombie, my emotions were so flat. No joy, no sadness, nothing. I could have walked through a plate glass window and had no reaction. In the last part of the second year it turned my anger emotions on. I was mean and loving it! Still my other emotions were invisible. In the last 4 months of me taking it I began to crave alcohol. I had never had a drink before being medicated, except at parties or weddings. At first it was once a week, which started to increase. By the time I went to my doctor to get off the poison I was drinking alcohol daily. I told my doctor I didn’t even know who I was anymore. He told me to taper it down. Those days of quitting that poison was hell. I had what I called intermittent scratchy brain. Felt like I could hear my brain moving around. Sounded like cellophane. Then at some point my mood became so erratic and was so flat I just sat in a chair staring at a wall. Took me several months to fully get off the med. my depression did return. I just dealt with it as best as I could. That was 15 years ago. I have not and will not ever take mind/mood altering medication again! I just learned to live with my depression. I worked on finding what caused my depression. Most of my depression came from me not living my life the way I wanted and should live. I found what made ME happy. Let go of the preconceived notions put out by society and people and strove to live MY true life. Seems my occasional depressive states were finally minimized. However the depression at times was still overwhelming. I would just deal with it with my new way of living. Yes, it was that simple, I just found my happy place. I understand and have great sympathy for the depression others suffer. I know the living hell it presents itself as. I likened it to someone throwing a black blanket over me. I would sit in the pitch black darkness, lost in my deep hole of blank walls, searing emotional pain and no exit 😢 My depression now for the most part is completely gone after starting Keto. Keto has been a miracle for me in more ways than I can count. But to be free, it is so priceless! There is not any or enough words to express how it feels to be free from it. I can carry on a day to day life now. Do I still get depressed, yes I do. But it’s like that pimple on a elephants ass now. Just a fleeting moment I crush like a bug and walk away
I was yelling at the video since you weren't mentioning the impact of diet on anxiety/depression. I am glad that so many people below have commented about their improvement with IF/Keto/magnesium. I have read thousands of testimonials of improvement (including me) by following this diet.
My brother suffered from depression and was bipolar, had hypertension for years, which caught up with him a year ago, after an emergency operation of the aorta above the heart, while in hospital, he passed away from Aortic dissection (bleeding to death from basically a burst aorta in the stomach). High blood pressure was the main suspect factor, caused by anxiety and perhaps medication. No proper care or therapy lead to catastrophe at the age of 66. So sad. I admit it’s taken me a long time to even begin to understand depression. Now that I have more insight, it’s too late for my brother, but I hope this topic will be better understood soon. Thank you Dr. Cywes for bringing it up.
I just wanted to say that you owning up to your mistakes is the best think I've seen from a doctor in a while. I think I had reactive depression that turned into a life long thing. I lost 2 babies, late term, in 2002. It was a down hill slide from there. I was on antidepressants. Then after I actually had kids, I ended up with post partum depression after each one. That would last years! Finally, after being keto, 2 years now, I'm off all medicines! Cymbalta was the worst thing to come off of. It took me 3 months to wean off of it. I now only have a little moodiness with my cycles, but nothing like before. Again, thank you for being a thoughtful doctor. The world needs more doctors like you!
The "Mind Cleansing Moment" sounds quite similar to what I experience as a meditator. The work of meditation is the practice of coming back to life in front of me, over, and over, and over again.
Dr Cywes, the Carnivore Diet which I am on has many success stories of people that have recovered from major depression based on living a zero carb life. It's helped me a lot.
One if your best - thank you Dr Cywes. I hope you will continue to share as you learn, and show us too, what impacts food choices may also have in both reactive and major depression.
Thank you doctor for putting this out their. I know it’s hard for people to understand major depression like I have, diagnosed by 2 doctors. I didn’t want to believe that’s what I had or take medication but I finally gave in. It helps my sadness but not my anxiety & who knows what other side effects it has but the positives out way the negatives like suicidal thoughts. And yes my life is good, I have a good job, and beautiful daughter & living husband but depression doesn’t get fixed by those things people don’t understand that. And also they don’t understand that we don’t like living sad & crying every day and most times not even knowing why. Anyway thank you again!
I've suffered from clinical (major) depression, PTSD & generalized anxiety disorder for almost all of my life. I'm also a type 2 diabetic, recently in remission, after starting keto in June. Within 2-4 weeks of starting this way of eating, saw about a 90% improvement in my lifelong symptoms. Nothing medication and/or therapy has ever accomplished. Although, medication AND therapy, along with bioidentical hormones, have all been helpful.
I have had a similar experience with eating Keto. I have a similar history & even on medication & with therapy I still felt horrible. I finally started feeling better after I had allergy testing & realized that the foods that I have allergies to make the depression worse. I’m thankful that I found Keto/low carb because otherwise when my Mom passed away in May from cancer I probably would have had a major relapse.
Depression robs you of the very tools you need to be able to get out of the hole. It's very real. I would rather be a paraplegic than to have my darkling. At least I could get shit done, even if I couldn't walk. This lockdown has brought about the worst depression of my life. My concentration is gone and my cognitive abilities are greatly reduced. It take me 5 to 10 times as long to complete a tasks because I find myself thinking in circles, chasing my own tail. I missed 2 important deadlines at work (software engineer), and they fired me. So now I don't even have my work. With more lockdowns on the horizons, I think I'd rather be dead than to have to deal with more isolation.
Textra 1: Your story mirrors my own. I have clinical depression and the onset of the holiday season always brings back memories of my childhood abuse which pushes me even deeper. I, too, lost my job in Oct. as a consequence of making an innocent mistake. One mistake in a 25-year profession! I'm trying to shut down that ugly, inner voice that blames and abuses me. I have no suggestions for you, my friend, as I can't resolve my own depression. Just know that there are many others out here who suffer right along with you.
Software engineer here too, it’s really a high stress env and there are some horrible employers but most deadlines are self imposed that’s why I don’t get why they get all up in arms over a missed deadline.
@@Babs42 Agreed. At my last job the guy who created the client quotes always short changed the time needed to complete, to appease the client (competitive market, trying to retain clients). Then I get a job shoved at me with what in my opinion is an unreasonable time frame. I always end up putting my own time into it. Which I don't mind so much but after a while one starts to feel as though they using the fact you work off clock hours to further short change the time budget.
I used to have major depression and anxiety problems. I was on Zoloft, Lexapro, Wellbutrin XL. Taking magnesium glycinate and eating a carnivore diet eventually got me off all of my medications. I went from being hospitalized for depression to being the happiest I have ever been in my life! 400-600mg magnesium glycinate a day is magic!
Good video Doc. I was diagnosed with major depression and the drug therapy was horrendous. Nothing worked and then there was the months of attempting to fine tune certain meds. What helped me was I started running again which is hard to do because when you have this disease you often can't get off the couch. Friends have also noticed since I've been on a ketogenic diet I seem so much better and they are right, I am better. To be honest I haven't met many people who will say that psych meds worked for them either.
I guarantee there is not one psychiatric doctor out there who has ever addressed clinical or major depression starting with diet.. After being on carnivore for about 15 months now i can honestly say my mental clarity and my ability to handle every day life has improved dramatically.. The cravings and wantings for alcohol which millions of people use to escape stress has diminished .. I no longer have the cravings for high carb foods to deal with anxiety.. Everything seems to be on an even keel now where any life issues can be handled.. Just my observation... Like you said most doctors treat symptoms and not the cause.
What people don’t understand is what makes them happy and what they think makes everyone happy or what should make everyone happy is not what makes a given individual happy, and that imposing your views and beliefs, which you think that everyone should hold because they seem that great and that rational to you, can preclude someone else from having happiness. I find that extroverts are really bad about this presumptuousness about what satisfies everyone and makes them happy based on how they feel.
I'm recovering from major depression. I've had lifelong experience treated somewhat successfully with chemicals. I recently finished a 6 week treatment with TMS in Jacksonville Florida and I can say it was successful. However, had I still been binging on carbs, it would not have had such a profound effect. Two years of clean keto has altered my body and brain enough to recognize the progress.
mental health is very important, helpful and hardest to understand. it's great you at least talking about it. your past is a life lesson not a life sentence. thank you for all your videos this one included!
I was diagnosed with Major Depression Disorder in the early 90’s along with Fibromyalgia and a complete hysterectomy in 97. It took me years to recover and now I can tell when I am chemically/hormonally suffering and focus on recovery. It’s usually about the food I slipped back into eating or perceived stress. It’s manageable for the most part without meditation. The medicine saved my life and then began taking my life. Found another way without them.
Very thought provoking Dr. Rob. While not really ever suffering from depression I can see having been ketogenic for 2.5 years how it does stabilize my mood and I'm not as hyper as I once was SUGAR is evil! I thought of a family member who suffers from bi-polar and she often quits her meds and feels she is "cured". Some of her problem is pure selfishness which makes it tough to have empathy for her.
I had a major depressive episode when i was a teen. For about a year i can only describe it as being like a zombie. You're somehow alive but dead inside. I was a straight A student and started failing classes; i just didnt care anymore. People experiencing this need help. I was lucky to find some really good friends at that time.
I feel diet, light exercise, and sunlight or vitamin D3 supplementation can help. I agree that drugs can help someone dig out of the hole. Then the person needs to understand what behavioral patterns they need to correct.
So good. Spot on. Thanks for making this video. Unfortunately, many people that think they have major depression but it's actually controllable reactive depression. My heart tells me that it's really all food related. Anyone reading this with major depression. Check out Dr Kelly Brogan. She is a board certified psychiatrist who completely woke up and now marches to the beat of its all diet related. She wrote an amazing book. Can't remember the name. Even the worst case of psychosis can be healed with diet.
I suffer from major depression and severe anxiety. I was recently put on a new drug and it has helped tremendously. Im able to take better care of myself, my family and the household. I found the strength to quit carbs and alcohol as they were clearly making matters worse. I do not, however, want to be on meds the rest of my life.
Keto was the only thing that has help me gain and maintain a stable mood. I avoid the word cure but I like to say my bipolar 2 and anxiety has gone into remission for over 1.5 years with the last 6 months medication free.
Yep, came to keto looking for something to help my depression. Has made a big difference, not 100% (like I was hoping for in the beginning) but enough that I have room to try some of the emotion management tools that people like you talk about, cos they can help too, if you are in a stable enough place to be able to use them. Being empathetic about depression can be hard, even if you understand what it can be. I've caught myself thinking 'harden up, you don't even know..' when someone complains about how they are feeling, but how do I? Maybe they are just able to be more honest with themselves about where the edge of the cliff is? I find it is often a Wiley Coyote situation, where I don't see the edge clearly til I'm over it.
@@nomdeplume4543 I may have to, but I find I prefer a bit more variety flavour wise, to make it sustainable. It is an ongoing process of tweaking things to see what helps :)
My daughter has anxiety/depression and an eating disorder but you should see what they're feeding them in treatment. I have to keep my stupid mouth shut because of what they're telling her and what my wife believes. I eat strict carnivore about 2 meals a day rn. I suffer with some anxiety myself. I was almost off my SSRI but I went off too fast and all hell broke loose. I'm working on getting off the benzo, staying strict carnivore, and then eventually I want off the SSRI (slowly and the right way). They put my 13 yr old daughter on prozac now. I dunno what to do. Their "nutritionists" have a crazy challenge in that eating disorder patients do have weird issues/needs but it's like feeding them SAD crap and then telling them everything in moderation, there are no bad foods, etc. just seems wrong headed as hell.
I had it horrible years ago after I got sober. Then I became allergic to too many of the meds. I thought I would die, but I didnt and I feel so much better on carnivore.
I have found myself stuck between sadness and depression since my wife passed away in September. I try to do keto/carnivore but the lure of the carbs and the endorphin release is very powerful at the moment. How can I kick this? I have done exercise, music, guitar playing, spending money on things I like, being with people, wood working projects and prayer! We were married 33 years.
Very sorry, John, for your broken heart. Grieving can be a solitary journey because your reaction to loss is different to the way someone else might react. Hopefully no one near you is saying anything like, "This sadness has gone on long enough. Now it's time to cheer up." Keep people near you who are supportive. Don't be reluctant to say what you need, or what you find unhelpful. People generally want to help but don't actually know what is the best thing to do or say. If you can be clear about your needs, they can do their part more effectively. There is no 'deadline' here. Time will do its work. Be patient with yourself. And by all means, continue looking after your physical health, too. That will give you strength to cope with the rest. Peace to you. 💐
@@professorr.5427 Thank you for your thoughts! I find myself being very candid with folks. Everyone in my life at the moment has been great! Very supportive and not really giving me any "advice" . Those closest to me have let me do my thing . I seem to have gotten past the anger and shock stage since her death was very sudden but the sadness and deep grief has stayed with me . I try to shake it but I suppose it will go away in time. My diet has taken a real hit . The carbs give me a lift but the crash is horrible! I am going to try and continue the keto and carnivore lifestyle starting tomorrow. I feel more even tempered when I do. One foot in front of the other and one breath at a time! I guess there is no short cut . Time just has to pass. I appreciate your thoughts! From what you have said I guess the whole process is up to me. Cheers!
@@johnhorgash9031 Don't suffer in silence. There are lots of resources available. I spent years at reddit/keto helping people, as I believe that was the best self-help resource at the time. I also like the group at facebook.com/groups/401615293530598 . Also, www.ketogenicforums.com/search?q=depression has some great content. And I absolutely agree that Intermittent Fasting, Keto, and magnesium __________ate are very helpful for me with anxiety/depression symptoms. Good luck.
@@bidnow2946 thank you for the resources! I will check them out. Its just so weird to be the guy that lost his wife! Never in a million years would I have thought this would happen! Thanks for caring!
Sign of the times when a doctor, an extraordinary one actually, can’t just say women have more depression (a fact) without having to walk on eggshells for fear of being labeled as sexist.
@@Babs42 Hello, Daniel. I agree with you men are much less vocal about their feelings on average, we, men and women, are what we are I guess, biology is king. It could be man have more unreported depression but doctors and scientists can only count with available data and as Doctor Cywes says women seem to be more prone to it. But from what I know men are more fatal when they commit suicide so that is probably taken to account. No matter what each gender seem to have different reactions. Nonetheless that was not the point of what I wrote. My point was some diseases are more prevalent on men and others on women and no doctor or scientist should be afraid of offending sensibilities by stating the truth or their opinions. That’s how I see it.
It disappoints me how quickly UK doctors thrust a prescription for anti depressants or SSRI on menoapausal women without a single test or without trying an alternative HRT to the one they are on. It is shocking how many women in my office function worse once pressured (and they are pressured) into these medications. UK doctors get little if any training on menopause or the symptoms unless they elect it as an extra. The resultant anxiety and cognitive fog including memory loss and reduced ability to focus are quite debilitating. It is not depression from the offset but it can lead to depression as confidence erodes as we feel less and less able to cope with what feels like early onset dementia and loss of intellect.
So doc, I’ve been learning about the MTHFR gene expression as I’ve just been diagnosed as an under methylator, depression is a hallmark, along many other mental conditions, MTHFR mutations cause biochemical issues... with this in mind and the amount of people who are proposed to have this condition it’s most certainly important to rule out this problem before we start going on pharmaceutical medications..., I’m now starting a cocktail of dietary supplements to try to bring my methylation up to normal. I’ve used plenty of drugs in my time just to feel good, diet helps but I’ve never felt like I was ‘right’... fingers crossed that I’m on the right path now.
How did you go about getting this diagnosis. I suspect this is my problem but here in Canada where I live no one listens when I bring this up. It’s not a standard blood test on a lab requisition. Antidepressants have never helped me after thirty years of using them off and on. I watched my mother suffer with major depression her entire life before cancer took her life. I wish there was a doctor locally who would take me seriously when I bring this MTHFR gene up. I take about a dozen supplements daily but I do not believe mg body processes them they way a normal persons does.
@@jordynoleymom I got lucky, in Australia we don’t have specific testing for MTHFR but the doc I saw had just done a 3 month long course on it and knew what to look for in pathology that indicates methylation issues. A genetic test like 23 and me will pick up the gene mutation but I’m not going to bother with that because since the doc suggested some basic supplements I’m doing soooo much better. I also have SIBO accompanying my problems which has gotten way better too, and wow, I survived the holidays without feeling like 💩 for the first week of the year like usual. I’ve had loads of recurring depression, it’s a hallmark of low methylation. A good naturopath would know a thing or two about MTHFR, there’s someone to help you just have to keep looking. The things I take that have made all the difference are 2000mg of vitC, SAMe, vitE, iodine/tyrosine blend and zinc , then magnesium, inositol, more vitC and melatonin before bed. I’ve been eating all the holiday foods and I still somehow feel okay, I even drank tequila (lots of it) and didn’t get a hang over- if I drink I’m usually sick for weeks. I can’t say what you should take but those things above, intermittent fasting, a daily walk and some resistance training are really helping me. (Cold showers too, but you’re probably cold enough in Canada ) I hope you find some things that work for you... I’ve also been battling for a long time, it destroys life and I feel for you. 💗
@@Wavesurfa thanks for your reply! I will bring it up to my naturopath in feb. she diagnosed me with hashimotos a year ago but I’ve only been able to do phone consults with her due to Covid. I just had one in december. I’ve thought about doing the 23 and me more for finding long lost relatives but the health aspect of it might be kind of cool too. Or scary perhaps. I just decided to try iodine drops. I bought some a year ago. Before I was diagnosed with hashimotos. I was skeptical about taking it as one doctor I saw said there was no need but lately I figure what’s it going to hurt? It’s sitting in my cupboard, May as well put a drop or two in my tea. I take 1000mg of vitamin C, had thought next time I run out I will buy one that also contains zinc. I have taken zinc in the past. Melatonin before bed doesn’t seem to help with sleep issues for me. I take magnesium citrate, will research the others you are suggesting. I take so many others it’s not even funny. Probiotics, Candida cleanse, digestive enzymes, DHA oil, vit D, collagen powder, some sort of hormonal supplement, some kind of cortisol control formula, and a few others when I think of it. Always a battle trying to figure out the right things to achieve better health.
@@Wavesurfa well I suspect it may have somewhat but also I’m happier in the summer but I’m also working a different job and living in a different place all summer long. Gotta fire up my sun lamp I pad looking thing!
I, a man, had a major depression. Like you said it's coming but you don't know why it's there. And it's a bitch. MAkes youcry all the time, panic attacks, constantly feeling miserable and so on. But with time and especially forcing yourself to do some other activities then it goes away. If you're in this case, just hang in there, the light at the end of the tunnel will be there before you can realize it.
@ Un Perrier; Lucky you. "just hang in there"? "the light at the end of the tunnel will be there before you know it?" "force yourself to do an activity?" really? You clearly aren't talking about the real deal if it just went away with time. I'm happy for you feeling better but please don't assume it's that simple for the rest of us and trivialize what we're going through. Tired of hearing the "just go for a walk and get a hobby" school of thought. Again, no disrespect meant, i'm sincerely happy for you but don't think you know what you're talking about because you got over a bout of the blues.
@@gienbot7954 you don't know what I experienced, you were not there. Please don't make comments based on extrapolations you made from the few lines I've wrote. Especially omitting half of the comment (I wrote I was crying suddenly without any reason, was having panic attacks etc... these are not symptoms of a mere blues or seasonal mood swing) First, it's very difficult to put in words, especially considering English is not my first language and second it happened 15+ years ago. I don't pretend to depict accurately what happenned and how I felt. But at the end of the day it's extracting myself from the world and completly immersing in Sci-Fi novels that got me out of it. At first I didn't have the motivation (and still this is a poor choice of words), but little by little I got into it and that's how I got out of it. I also was seein a psychiatrist and it helped a lot to speak. I remember the first question: what do you want to do? I stayed blank. I didn't have any will to do anything, I just wanted to be suppressed from the world until it's bein reinstated back as it was before. Anyway, if you're depressed I understand what you feel, hang in there.
Exercising increases endorphins and helps both anxiety and depression. I suffer from GAD though and not depression but crying spells are always there especially if tapering a Benzo. It’s doesn’t help to attack people here as people have gone through all kinds of hell and you may not know their full story.
For me depression is a purely physical condition. I only get depressed when I eat carbohydrates. As long as I stay away from them I always feel calm and happy, no matter what life throws at me. I am a carbohydrate addict and I understand that I must not eat those under any circumstances, because it's true, they are really so addictive! My whole family is affected. I'm the only one who broke free by going full carnivore.
Major Depression is a minefield, one i have had to navigate since I was 16! The sad reality, the medical profession over prescribe the drugs of choice in my opinion. I lost 5 years of my life with devastating drug reactions. A vicious cycle of drugs! Until I said enough is enough and found a psychiatrist who LISTENED to me. I still take an antidepressant, but such a small dose most Drs say it is placebo!! But let me wean myself...and I feel the difference within 3-5 days. Hate the pills but cannot be fully productive without them.
I get SAD in our never ending humid, scorching summers here in Brisbane - It’s only tolerable to go outdoors around 5am (as long as I’m walking in the shade) and make sure I’m back inside by 6:30am, after that it’s too hot and humid and so for 6 months of the year I am locked indoors in my home or the work place in the air-conditioning and in darkness with blinds drawn from around midday to keep the sun and heat out... it’s no way to live your life, extremely depressing and one day soon we will move some place down south where summers are short and autumn, winter and spring exist....
My psychiatrist agrees that sugar contributes to my bipolar depression. She's put me on the combination of Wellbutrin and topamax to assist with my carnivore diet in weight loss and with my depression along side my Geodon. I've improved greatly.
Unfortunately my spouse was overwhelmed with anxiety and cyclical thinking and thought she would never get better. She didn't think she could better. She had attempted at 16 yr old with pill overdose, again in 2007 with pills. In 2007 she was in inpatient hospital for 2 weeks. She seemed to get better until late last year. Triggered from stress at work then many sleepless nights. She had only 2 weeks ago gone to see a hormone specialist. Had only started treatment, she had also started near beginning of year to go more keto, then last couple months more carnivore, having watched some of Amber O'Hearn and Dr Georgia Ede videos. Still having the obsessive and anxious thoughts plus thinking she would be like some other people whose stories she read in forums. But on Monday 23 Nov 2020. She became so overwhelmed that she took her own life by hanging. I am now going through the aftermath and all that may entail. I have never lived independently in my life and I'm close to 50. I now have so many regrets, and those questions come. What could I have done, so that she would still be here today. #sucide, #anxiety
Both bipolar 1 and 2 have major depression. BP1 has at least one manic episode and BP2 has at least one hypomanic episode. The major depression episodes in BP2 tend to be more chronic.
Major depressive disorder (MDD), a.k.a. 'major depression', a.k.a. 'clinical depression', that is related solely to, 'organic' problems or 'chemical imbalance' is only accurate in maybe 5 percent of those diagnosed with MDD. But meds help initially in feeling better, without any focus given to situation(s) that led to the depression in the first place. Some are more resilient than others, and many times those situations are complicated, and some have gone on so long the person has taken on the identity; still, the depression is more related situation(s) related than anything else. About the only example of 100 percent pure, 'chemical imbalance' related depression I am aware of is postpartum. Most others respond best to a psychopharmacotherapeutic approach initially, which means co-therapy (psycho-therapy and meds), with a goal of weaning off the meds as soon as feasible. About 1 in 4 will experience depression in a lifetime; many go undiagnosed, and most recover with or without treatment. A supportive environment goes a long way in helping but, for many, the environment is part of the problem. Regardless, diagnosis and treatment of MDD is often complicated, and best left to qualified mental health professionals. Dr Cywes thanks for all you do here, in helping us to better understand life's complications, especially our physical health!
Depression is considered a psychiatric disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It's a significant mood disorder that's known to interfere with daily activities, which may include your ability to work.👏
I find it very strange that you wouldn’t mention the carnivore diet as a suggestion. Many people that come on here see “depression” and listen (most probably not being severe) I have listened to so many podcasts on how people with depression and anxiety have overcome this on the carnivore diet. After all, you are the carb addiction Doctor! Isn’t it at least worth a mention?? You missed an opportunity......
Don't know about anyone else, but I was diagnosed lactose intolerant years ago, and I suffered greatly with symptoms, but now that I've been a ketovore, those are gone. I eat cheese with no problems now.
Depression and using carbs for their instant endorphin activation absolutely linked. Chronic excessive carb addiction leads to obesity diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Keto and then carnivore has helped me come off most of my medications for Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I use a special full-spectrum daylight lamp for my Seasonal Depression Disorder. Unfortunately at age 60 I do not think that dietary changes will help my Autism symptoms.
Benzos are hell on earth. They always go paradoxical on you eventually and then you must keep cutting to get off. I hate them with a passion. The longer acting ones where they claim they are "self-weaning" is a load of crap, IMHO.
I can't keep riding my bicycle, I'm old , y I smoke stuff, it's how I delt, but iffy people's can cause that , watch your toung with house mates & family, or we'll get out your silly way, whallah ! 🚴♀️
Things add up ,a walk + something else that makes you relax might ,with time fix a little something here or there , never give up , you can and you will get out of it , I wish you the best !!👍🙏
So wrong. One walk does nothing, doing things routinely every day builds emotional buoyancy that lifts you out of depression. Called cognitive behavioral therapy. Takes time but works
Major depression in women is a reaction to the patriarchy constantly repressing them within every aspect of their lives. Its an uphill battle for women from birth. Repression leads to depression.
@@granny58 some people are bonafide victims. There's no need for them to keep repeating what they already know is fact. However, YOU can choose to tell yourself the ole "they're playing victim" story line if you feel it relinquishes you from your social responsibility. Intellectual, moral laziness is what I call it.. same as the "just be positive " movement designed to shut people with serious problems down.
One of the unexpected benefits that I experienced from a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting is that it stabilized my mood and helped with depression and anxiety. I’m not saying that it will have that effect for everyone, but it certainly had that effect for me.
True!!👍👍👍
Same
In the beginning whenever I ate some carbs (occasionally) - just after a few minutes I felt deeply depressed again.
Never could understand it before.
FINALLY !!!!
No carbs for me anymore. I feel so balanced 😊
Once I read (about empaty):
That hole you pull somebody out, is the hole wherin you bury your own sorrows.....
I have a 22 year history of taking Prozac for depression. I, however, eliminated antidepressant medications, for one year now, since adopting a ketogenic and carnivore diet that reduced brain inflammation. 😊
I had a rare moment of clarity around a year ago, where I realised what I'd been calling "depression" for decades was actually frustration - frustration that the world was not revolving around me and not in the direction I wanted it to turn. I resolved to tell myself on a regular basis not to 'get over it' - but instead to get over myself; that the world was going to keep on turning whether I like it or not.
Since then, if I feel down, I ask myself why, and actually do something about it - instead of popping pills and having a little pity party for myself.
It seems to work, for me at least. I no longer feel the weight of the world on my shoulders because I know the world doesn't need me to hold it up. I try to keep myself out of the centre of the Universe, and stand off to the side, where the view is much better. Whether or not going keto, quitting sugar and putting a stop to emotional eating has anything do do with it, I don't know - I'm no doctor - but perhaps it has. It doesn't really matter as long as it stays that way. And that's the bit that's up to me.
Keto-carnivore had helped significantly, moving from a constant low-level depression (dysthymia) to being a more engaged human whose feelings aren't getting "hurt" all of the time. It's a huge relief to have an improved mood instead of the "little black rain cloud" hanging over me all of the time.
Nicely explained. I had a very similar experience.
I've been fighting major depression, debilitating depression, since I was 12 yr old. That's also when my physical pain and migraines started as well. It's hard to know what caused what but it all exacerbated each other. It all is part of my weight gain over the years. I've been Keto for two years and recently introduced to Carnivore. Through Keto, my depression has lessened in intensity. the dark cloud and heaviness that was a daily part of my life has lifted. The pain is still part of my life, daily (bilateral hip dysplasia and EoE), the anxiety can still be debilitating. The migraines are decreasing in number and intensity. Reducing then working towards eliminating carbs has helped so much. I do have bouts of depression, mostly due to current events and hormonal changes/instability. But, not the life controlling debilitating depression I lived with for so long. At the age of 53 I'm finally starting to want to live my life and not just exist.
Thank you Doctor. Mental health is so important. Love to you, your wife and little one, from Cape Town, South Africa
My Moederstad
Extended abstinence from carbs and sugar has given me the mental clarity to develop tools to manage emotional response. The recovery also helps me live in better emotional balance overall. I react more calmly to stressful situations; I can use justifiable anger as opposed to losing my temper. It’s a much more positive way to live.
As with some of the other comments I to have found that keto has helped the amount of times I get depression
Thank you for this- I have a grandson with major depression- I keep nudging him toward keto- he loves his steak and doesn’t eat much vegetables, but ohhh the bread and sugars.
Keep working at it
Thanks Doc for your words. I have major depression and have been on meds. They were harder to come off than cocaine. 😢 I am post-menopausal and have been ketovore since last year. Greetings from Germany. ✌️
I have been able to relate to a doctor before like I am with you. One of my greatest blessings has been finding you on UA-cam. Thank you for being real as you share your story, your knowledge, and your failures.
thats me .major depression\ no help.
feeling better on carnivore.
thanks Doc
Medication did zero for me. I was on Zoloft for over 2 years. In the first year all it did was make me a zombie, my emotions were so flat. No joy, no sadness, nothing. I could have walked through a plate glass window and had no reaction.
In the last part of the second year it turned my anger emotions on. I was mean and loving it! Still my other emotions were invisible. In the last 4 months of me taking it I began to crave alcohol. I had never had a drink before being medicated, except at parties or weddings.
At first it was once a week, which started to increase. By the time I went to my doctor to get off the poison I was drinking alcohol daily.
I told my doctor I didn’t even know who I was anymore. He told me to taper it down. Those days of quitting that poison was hell. I had what I called intermittent scratchy brain. Felt like I could hear my brain moving around. Sounded like cellophane. Then at some point my mood became so erratic and was so flat I just sat in a chair staring at a wall. Took me several months to fully get off the med. my depression did return. I just dealt with it as best as I could.
That was 15 years ago. I have not and will not ever take mind/mood altering medication again! I just learned to live with my depression. I worked on finding what caused my depression. Most of my depression came from me not living my life the way I wanted and should live. I found what made ME happy. Let go of the preconceived notions put out by society and people and strove to live MY true life. Seems my occasional depressive states were finally minimized. However the depression at times was still overwhelming. I would just deal with it with my new way of living. Yes, it was that simple, I just found my happy place.
I understand and have great sympathy for the depression others suffer. I know the living hell it presents itself as. I likened it to someone throwing a black blanket over me. I would sit in the pitch black darkness, lost in my deep hole of blank walls, searing emotional pain and no exit 😢
My depression now for the most part is completely gone after starting Keto. Keto has been a miracle for me in more ways than I can count. But to be free, it is so priceless! There is not any or enough words to express how it feels to be free from it. I can carry on a day to day life now.
Do I still get depressed, yes I do. But it’s like that pimple on a elephants ass now. Just a fleeting moment I crush like a bug and walk away
Great that you came out of this hell!!!!! 🍳🍖
I was yelling at the video since you weren't mentioning the impact of diet on anxiety/depression. I am glad that so many people below have commented about their improvement with IF/Keto/magnesium. I have read thousands of testimonials of improvement (including me) by following this diet.
Thank you, dr. Cywes. I think your contribution as a doctor is really helpful and unique.
I simply LOVE Dr. Cywes....his message of sagacity and hope. Extreme thanks for simply being here. You are acknowledged and admired.
My brother suffered from depression and was bipolar, had hypertension for years, which caught up with him a year ago, after an emergency operation of the aorta above the heart, while in hospital, he passed away from Aortic dissection (bleeding to death from basically a burst aorta in the stomach). High blood pressure was the main suspect factor, caused by anxiety and perhaps medication. No proper care or therapy lead to catastrophe at the age of 66. So sad. I admit it’s taken me a long time to even begin to understand depression. Now that I have more insight, it’s too late for my brother, but I hope this topic will be better understood soon.
Thank you Dr. Cywes for bringing it up.
A great man can admit he has been wrong , respect ,you are wonderful and very helpful,I have seen the light 👏😘
Fast and you shall heal.
Hmm... 🤔 Hindsight and humility are powerful tools for learning. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Powerful. Thank you for your understanding, Dr. Cywes.
Well said. 2 different issues 2 different treatments
Thank you for you’re humility...Speaking for myself, having people validate how I’m thinking or feeling is important
I just wanted to say that you owning up to your mistakes is the best think I've seen from a doctor in a while. I think I had reactive depression that turned into a life long thing. I lost 2 babies, late term, in 2002. It was a down hill slide from there. I was on antidepressants. Then after I actually had kids, I ended up with post partum depression after each one. That would last years! Finally, after being keto, 2 years now, I'm off all medicines! Cymbalta was the worst thing to come off of. It took me 3 months to wean off of it. I now only have a little moodiness with my cycles, but nothing like before. Again, thank you for being a thoughtful doctor. The world needs more doctors like you!
The "Mind Cleansing Moment" sounds quite similar to what I experience as a meditator. The work of meditation is the practice of coming back to life in front of me, over, and over, and over again.
Thank you for your clear and sensible approach.
you are the best Doc, straight to the point and easy to understand, another excellent video, thanks
Dr Cywes, the Carnivore Diet which I am on has many success stories of people that have recovered from major depression based on living a zero carb life. It's helped me a lot.
One if your best - thank you Dr Cywes. I hope you will continue to share as you learn, and show us too, what impacts food choices may also have in both reactive and major depression.
Thanks for the insight doc! You’re an amazing human being.
Thank you doctor for putting this out their. I know it’s hard for people to understand major depression like I have, diagnosed by 2 doctors. I didn’t want to believe that’s what I had or take medication but I finally gave in. It helps my sadness but not my anxiety & who knows what other side effects it has but the positives out way the negatives like suicidal thoughts. And yes my life is good, I have a good job, and beautiful daughter & living husband but depression doesn’t get fixed by those things people don’t understand that. And also they don’t understand that we don’t like living sad & crying every day and most times not even knowing why.
Anyway thank you again!
I've suffered from clinical (major) depression, PTSD & generalized anxiety disorder for almost all of my life. I'm also a type 2 diabetic, recently in remission, after starting keto in June. Within 2-4 weeks of starting this way of eating, saw about a 90% improvement in my lifelong symptoms. Nothing medication and/or therapy has ever accomplished. Although, medication AND therapy, along with bioidentical hormones, have all been helpful.
Fantastic!
I have had a similar experience with eating Keto. I have a similar history & even on medication & with therapy I still felt horrible. I finally started feeling better after I had allergy testing & realized that the foods that I have allergies to make the depression worse. I’m thankful that I found Keto/low carb because otherwise when my Mom passed away in May from cancer I probably would have had a major relapse.
Major depression regularly occurs strongly every 4 weeks in my case (as a woman)
Thank you for your work and studies Dr. Cywes
Depression robs you of the very tools you need to be able to get out of the hole. It's very real. I would rather be a paraplegic than to have my darkling. At least I could get shit done, even if I couldn't walk.
This lockdown has brought about the worst depression of my life. My concentration is gone and my cognitive abilities are greatly reduced. It take me 5 to 10 times as long to complete a tasks because I find myself thinking in circles, chasing my own tail.
I missed 2 important deadlines at work (software engineer), and they fired me. So now I don't even have my work. With more lockdowns on the horizons, I think I'd rather be dead than to have to deal with more isolation.
Textra 1: Your story mirrors my own. I have clinical depression and the onset of the holiday season always brings back memories of my childhood abuse which pushes me even deeper. I, too, lost my job in Oct. as a consequence of making an innocent mistake. One mistake in a 25-year profession! I'm trying to shut down that ugly, inner voice that blames and abuses me. I have no suggestions for you, my friend, as I can't resolve my own depression. Just know that there are many others out here who suffer right along with you.
Software engineer here too, it’s really a high stress env and there are some horrible employers but most deadlines are self imposed that’s why I don’t get why they get all up in arms over a missed deadline.
@@Babs42 Agreed. At my last job the guy who created the client quotes always short changed the time needed to complete, to appease the client (competitive market, trying to retain clients). Then I get a job shoved at me with what in my opinion is an unreasonable time frame. I always end up putting my own time into it. Which I don't mind so much but after a while one starts to feel as though they using the fact you work off clock hours to further short change the time budget.
Thank you.
I used to have major depression and anxiety problems. I was on Zoloft, Lexapro, Wellbutrin XL. Taking magnesium glycinate and eating a carnivore diet eventually got me off all of my medications. I went from being hospitalized for depression to being the happiest I have ever been in my life! 400-600mg magnesium glycinate a day is magic!
Ditto, but I was never hospitalized. I had Prozac as well, and really hated it.
Thank you...
Good video Doc. I was diagnosed with major depression and the drug therapy was horrendous. Nothing worked and then there was the months of attempting to fine tune certain meds. What helped me was I started running again which is hard to do because when you have this disease you often can't get off the couch. Friends have also noticed since I've been on a ketogenic diet I seem so much better and they are right, I am better. To be honest I haven't met many people who will say that psych meds worked for them either.
I guarantee there is not one psychiatric doctor out there who has ever addressed clinical or major depression starting with diet.. After being on carnivore for about 15 months now i can honestly say my mental clarity and my ability to handle every day life has improved dramatically.. The cravings and wantings for alcohol which millions of people use to escape stress has diminished .. I no longer have the cravings for high carb foods to deal with anxiety.. Everything seems to be on an even keel now where any life issues can be handled.. Just my observation... Like you said most doctors treat symptoms and not the cause.
Well said
What people don’t understand is what makes them happy and what they think makes everyone happy or what should make everyone happy is not what makes a given individual happy, and that imposing your views and beliefs, which you think that everyone should hold because they seem that great and that rational to you, can preclude someone else from having happiness. I find that extroverts are really bad about this presumptuousness about what satisfies everyone and makes them happy based on how they feel.
Agreed. Emotional buoyancy is an ROI of effort
I have so much respect for you,you have been soooo helpful to me
I'm recovering from major depression. I've had lifelong experience treated somewhat successfully with chemicals. I recently finished a 6 week treatment with TMS in Jacksonville Florida and I can say it was successful. However, had I still been binging on carbs, it would not have had such a profound effect. Two years of clean keto has altered my body and brain enough to recognize the progress.
Thanks doc. Good video. I too suffer from severe. Keto helped soooo much. More than many drugs.
mental health is very important, helpful and hardest to understand. it's great you at least talking about it. your past is a life lesson not a life sentence. thank you for all your videos this one included!
Well said
I was diagnosed with Major Depression Disorder in the early 90’s along with Fibromyalgia and a complete hysterectomy in 97. It took me years to recover and now I can tell when I am chemically/hormonally suffering and focus on recovery. It’s usually about the food I slipped back into eating or perceived stress. It’s manageable for the most part without meditation. The medicine saved my life and then began taking my life. Found another way without them.
Thank you so much.
Very thought provoking Dr. Rob. While not really ever suffering from depression I can see having been ketogenic for 2.5 years how it does stabilize my mood and I'm not as hyper as I once was SUGAR is evil! I thought of a family member who suffers from bi-polar and she often quits her meds and feels she is "cured". Some of her problem is pure selfishness which makes it tough to have empathy for her.
I like this man alot
I feel SAD issues pretty much anytime it rains for 2 or 3 days straight.
Cod liver oil contains about 8000IE of vitamin D per can. Combine with eggs because of K2
This needs to be understood by workplaces and HR departments. I suspect workplaces are hot beds of depression.
I had a major depressive episode when i was a teen. For about a year i can only describe it as being like a zombie. You're somehow alive but dead inside. I was a straight A student and started failing classes; i just didnt care anymore. People experiencing this need help. I was lucky to find some really good friends at that time.
I like what you say about Major Depression ..
I feel diet, light exercise, and sunlight or vitamin D3 supplementation can help. I agree that drugs can help someone dig out of the hole. Then the person needs to understand what behavioral patterns they need to correct.
So good. Spot on. Thanks for making this video. Unfortunately, many people that think they have major depression but it's actually controllable reactive depression. My heart tells me that it's really all food related. Anyone reading this with major depression. Check out Dr Kelly Brogan. She is a board certified psychiatrist who completely woke up and now marches to the beat of its all diet related. She wrote an amazing book. Can't remember the name. Even the worst case of psychosis can be healed with diet.
I suffer from major depression and severe anxiety. I was recently put on a new drug and it has helped tremendously. Im able to take better care of myself, my family and the household. I found the strength to quit carbs and alcohol as they were clearly making matters worse. I do not, however, want to be on meds the rest of my life.
Thanks for the great content
Here Here.
Keto was the only thing that has help me gain and maintain a stable mood. I avoid the word cure but I like to say my bipolar 2 and anxiety has gone into remission for over 1.5 years with the last 6 months medication free.
Yep, came to keto looking for something to help my depression. Has made a big difference, not 100% (like I was hoping for in the beginning) but enough that I have room to try some of the emotion management tools that people like you talk about, cos they can help too, if you are in a stable enough place to be able to use them.
Being empathetic about depression can be hard, even if you understand what it can be. I've caught myself thinking 'harden up, you don't even know..' when someone complains about how they are feeling, but how do I? Maybe they are just able to be more honest with themselves about where the edge of the cliff is? I find it is often a Wiley Coyote situation, where I don't see the edge clearly til I'm over it.
Watch our carb addiction videos
I respectfully recommend the carnivore diet to deal with depression. I found I needed to move from ketogenic to carnivore for my depression.
@@nomdeplume4543 I may have to, but I find I prefer a bit more variety flavour wise, to make it sustainable. It is an ongoing process of tweaking things to see what helps :)
My daughter has anxiety/depression and an eating disorder but you should see what they're feeding them in treatment. I have to keep my stupid mouth shut because of what they're telling her and what my wife believes. I eat strict carnivore about 2 meals a day rn. I suffer with some anxiety myself. I was almost off my SSRI but I went off too fast and all hell broke loose. I'm working on getting off the benzo, staying strict carnivore, and then eventually I want off the SSRI (slowly and the right way). They put my 13 yr old daughter on prozac now. I dunno what to do. Their "nutritionists" have a crazy challenge in that eating disorder patients do have weird issues/needs but it's like feeding them SAD crap and then telling them everything in moderation, there are no bad foods, etc. just seems wrong headed as hell.
I had it horrible years ago after I got sober. Then I became allergic to too many of the meds. I thought I would die, but I didnt and I feel so much better on carnivore.
I have found myself stuck between sadness and depression since my wife passed away in September. I try to do keto/carnivore but the lure of the carbs and the endorphin release is very powerful at the moment. How can I kick this? I have done exercise, music, guitar playing, spending money on things I like, being with people, wood working projects and prayer! We were married 33 years.
Very sorry, John, for your broken heart.
Grieving can be a solitary journey because your reaction to loss is different to the way someone else might react. Hopefully no one near you is saying anything like, "This sadness has gone on long enough. Now it's time to cheer up."
Keep people near you who are supportive. Don't be reluctant to say what you need, or what you find unhelpful. People generally want to help but don't actually know what is the best thing to do or say. If you can be clear about your needs, they can do their part more effectively.
There is no 'deadline' here. Time will do its work. Be patient with yourself. And by all means, continue looking after your physical health, too. That will give you strength to cope with the rest. Peace to you. 💐
@@professorr.5427 Thank you for your thoughts! I find myself being very candid with folks. Everyone in my life at the moment has been great! Very supportive and not really giving me any "advice" . Those closest to me have let me do my thing . I seem to have gotten past the anger and shock stage since her death was very sudden but the sadness and deep grief has stayed with me . I try to shake it but I suppose it will go away in time. My diet has taken a real hit . The carbs give me a lift but the crash is horrible! I am going to try and continue the keto and carnivore lifestyle starting tomorrow. I feel more even tempered when I do. One foot in front of the other and one breath at a time! I guess there is no short cut . Time just has to pass. I appreciate your thoughts! From what you have said I guess the whole process is up to me. Cheers!
@@johnhorgash9031 Don't suffer in silence. There are lots of resources available. I spent years at reddit/keto helping people, as I believe that was the best self-help resource at the time. I also like the group at facebook.com/groups/401615293530598 . Also, www.ketogenicforums.com/search?q=depression has some great content.
And I absolutely agree that Intermittent Fasting, Keto, and magnesium __________ate are very helpful for me with anxiety/depression symptoms. Good luck.
@@bidnow2946 thank you for the resources! I will check them out. Its just so weird to be the guy that lost his wife! Never in a million years would I have thought this would happen! Thanks for caring!
Sign of the times when a doctor, an extraordinary one actually, can’t just say women have more depression (a fact) without having to walk on eggshells for fear of being labeled as sexist.
I have no idea if that is true at all. I would think men just deal with things and are less vocal about it.
@@Babs42 Hello, Daniel. I agree with you men are much less vocal about their feelings on average, we, men and women, are what we are I guess, biology is king. It could be man have more unreported depression but doctors and scientists can only count with available data and as Doctor Cywes says women seem to be more prone to it.
But from what I know men are more fatal when they commit suicide so that is probably taken to account. No matter what each gender seem to have different reactions.
Nonetheless that was not the point of what I wrote. My point was some diseases are more prevalent on men and others on women and no doctor or scientist should be afraid of offending sensibilities by stating the truth or their opinions. That’s how I see it.
It disappoints me how quickly UK doctors thrust a prescription for anti depressants or SSRI on menoapausal women without a single test or without trying an alternative HRT to the one they are on. It is shocking how many women in my office function worse once pressured (and they are pressured) into these medications. UK doctors get little if any training on menopause or the symptoms unless they elect it as an extra. The resultant anxiety and cognitive fog including memory loss and reduced ability to focus are quite debilitating. It is not depression from the offset but it can lead to depression as confidence erodes as we feel less and less able to cope with what feels like early onset dementia and loss of intellect.
American doctors as well
So doc, I’ve been learning about the MTHFR gene expression as I’ve just been diagnosed as an under methylator, depression is a hallmark, along many other mental conditions, MTHFR mutations cause biochemical issues... with this in mind and the amount of people who are proposed to have this condition it’s most certainly important to rule out this problem before we start going on pharmaceutical medications..., I’m now starting a cocktail of dietary supplements to try to bring my methylation up to normal.
I’ve used plenty of drugs in my time just to feel good, diet helps but I’ve never felt like I was ‘right’... fingers crossed that I’m on the right path now.
How did you go about getting this diagnosis. I suspect this is my problem but here in Canada where I live no one listens when I bring this up. It’s not a standard blood test on a lab requisition. Antidepressants have never helped me after thirty years of using them off and on. I watched my mother suffer with major depression her entire life before cancer took her life.
I wish there was a doctor locally who would take me seriously when I bring this MTHFR gene up. I take about a dozen supplements daily but I do not believe mg body processes them they way a normal persons does.
@@jordynoleymom
I got lucky, in Australia we don’t have specific testing for MTHFR but the doc I saw had just done a 3 month long course on it and knew what to look for in pathology that indicates methylation issues. A genetic test like 23 and me will pick up the gene mutation but I’m not going to bother with that because since the doc suggested some basic supplements I’m doing soooo much better. I also have SIBO accompanying my problems which has gotten way better too, and wow, I survived the holidays without feeling like 💩 for the first week of the year like usual.
I’ve had loads of recurring depression, it’s a hallmark of low methylation.
A good naturopath would know a thing or two about MTHFR, there’s someone to help you just have to keep looking.
The things I take that have made all the difference are 2000mg of vitC, SAMe, vitE, iodine/tyrosine blend and zinc , then magnesium, inositol, more vitC and melatonin before bed. I’ve been eating all the holiday foods and I still somehow feel okay, I even drank tequila (lots of it) and didn’t get a hang over- if I drink I’m usually sick for weeks.
I can’t say what you should take but those things above, intermittent fasting, a daily walk and some resistance training are really helping me. (Cold showers too, but you’re probably cold enough in Canada )
I hope you find some things that work for you... I’ve also been battling for a long time, it destroys life and I feel for you. 💗
@@Wavesurfa thanks for your reply! I will bring it up to my naturopath in feb. she diagnosed me with hashimotos a year ago but I’ve only been able to do phone consults with her due to Covid. I just had one in december. I’ve thought about doing the 23 and me more for finding long lost relatives but the health aspect of it might be kind of cool too. Or scary perhaps. I just decided to try iodine drops. I bought some a year ago. Before I was diagnosed with hashimotos. I was skeptical about taking it as one doctor I saw said there was no need but lately I figure what’s it going to hurt? It’s sitting in my cupboard, May as well put a drop or two in my tea. I take 1000mg of vitamin C, had thought next time I run out I will buy one that also contains zinc. I have taken zinc in the past. Melatonin before bed doesn’t seem to help with sleep issues for me. I take magnesium citrate, will research the others you are suggesting. I take so many others it’s not even funny. Probiotics, Candida cleanse, digestive enzymes, DHA oil, vit D, collagen powder, some sort of hormonal supplement, some kind of cortisol control formula, and a few others when I think of it.
Always a battle trying to figure out the right things to achieve better health.
Does low carb/keto/carnivore help?
@@Wavesurfa well I suspect it may have somewhat but also I’m happier in the summer but I’m also working a different job and living in a different place all summer long. Gotta fire up my sun lamp I pad looking thing!
I, a man, had a major depression. Like you said it's coming but you don't know why it's there.
And it's a bitch. MAkes youcry all the time, panic attacks, constantly feeling miserable and so on.
But with time and especially forcing yourself to do some other activities then it goes away.
If you're in this case, just hang in there, the light at the end of the tunnel will be there before you can realize it.
@ Un Perrier; Lucky you. "just hang in there"? "the light at the end of the tunnel will be there before you know it?" "force yourself to do an activity?" really? You clearly aren't talking about the real deal if it just went away with time. I'm happy for you feeling better but please don't assume it's that simple for the rest of us and trivialize what we're going through. Tired of hearing the "just go for a walk and get a hobby" school of thought. Again, no disrespect meant, i'm sincerely happy for you but don't think you know what you're talking about because you got over a bout of the blues.
@@gienbot7954 you don't know what I experienced, you were not there. Please don't make comments based on extrapolations you made from the few lines I've wrote. Especially omitting half of the comment (I wrote I was crying suddenly without any reason, was having panic attacks etc... these are not symptoms of a mere blues or seasonal mood swing)
First, it's very difficult to put in words, especially considering English is not my first language and second it happened 15+ years ago. I don't pretend to depict accurately what happenned and how I felt. But at the end of the day it's extracting myself from the world and completly immersing in Sci-Fi novels that got me out of it. At first I didn't have the motivation (and still this is a poor choice of words), but little by little I got into it and that's how I got out of it. I also was seein a psychiatrist and it helped a lot to speak. I remember the first question: what do you want to do? I stayed blank. I didn't have any will to do anything, I just wanted to be suppressed from the world until it's bein reinstated back as it was before.
Anyway, if you're depressed I understand what you feel, hang in there.
Exercising increases endorphins and helps both anxiety and depression. I suffer from GAD though and not depression but crying spells are always there especially if tapering a Benzo. It’s doesn’t help to attack people here as people have gone through all kinds of hell and you may not know their full story.
For me depression is a purely physical condition. I only get depressed when I eat carbohydrates. As long as I stay away from them I always feel calm and happy, no matter what life throws at me. I am a carbohydrate addict and I understand that I must not eat those under any circumstances, because it's true, they are really so addictive! My whole family is affected. I'm the only one who broke free by going full carnivore.
Major Depression is a minefield, one i have had to navigate since I was 16! The sad reality, the medical profession over prescribe the drugs of choice in my opinion. I lost 5 years of my life with devastating drug reactions. A vicious cycle of drugs! Until I said enough is enough and found a psychiatrist who LISTENED to me. I still take an antidepressant, but such a small dose most Drs say it is placebo!! But let me wean myself...and I feel the difference within 3-5 days. Hate the pills but cannot be fully productive without them.
ive been low carb for 3 years, I suffer depression due to chronic pain and fatigue
I get SAD in the fall and winder. Wellbutrin ER does help. Sunlight help too.
I get SAD in our never ending humid, scorching summers here in Brisbane - It’s only tolerable to go outdoors around 5am (as long as I’m walking in the shade) and make sure I’m back inside by 6:30am, after that it’s too hot and humid and so for 6 months of the year I am locked indoors in my home or the work place in the air-conditioning and in darkness with blinds drawn from around midday to keep the sun and heat out... it’s no way to live your life, extremely depressing and one day soon we will move some place down south where summers are short and autumn, winter and spring exist....
I have noticed there is a higher incident of “depression” when a person’s thyroid is an issue. For example, Hypothyroidism.
My psychiatrist agrees that sugar contributes to my bipolar depression. She's put me on the combination of Wellbutrin and topamax to assist with my carnivore diet in weight loss and with my depression along side my Geodon. I've improved greatly.
Unfortunately my spouse was overwhelmed with anxiety and cyclical thinking and thought she would never get better. She didn't think she could better. She had attempted at 16 yr old with pill overdose, again in 2007 with pills. In 2007 she was in inpatient hospital for 2 weeks. She seemed to get better until late last year.
Triggered from stress at work then many sleepless nights. She had only 2 weeks ago gone to see a hormone specialist. Had only started treatment, she had also started near beginning of year to go more keto, then last couple months more carnivore, having watched some of Amber O'Hearn and Dr Georgia Ede videos.
Still having the obsessive and anxious thoughts plus thinking she would be like some other people whose stories she read in forums.
But on Monday 23 Nov 2020. She became so overwhelmed that she took her own life by hanging. I am now going through the aftermath and all that may entail. I have never lived independently in my life and I'm close to 50.
I now have so many regrets, and those questions come. What could I have done, so that she would still be here today.
#sucide, #anxiety
I am so sorry for your loss. This is exactly what we so desperately need to avoid
@@robertcywes2966 thank you for your videos, thank you for your reply. 🧡
I hope your videos will save many others and people will spread the word.
Both bipolar 1 and 2 have major depression. BP1 has at least one manic episode and BP2 has at least one hypomanic episode. The major depression episodes in BP2 tend to be more chronic.
There's a helpful mindfulness guide titled "30 Days to Reduce Depression" by Harper Daniels, found online...I recommend it. Pass it on!
Major depressive disorder (MDD), a.k.a. 'major depression', a.k.a. 'clinical depression', that is related solely to, 'organic' problems or 'chemical imbalance' is only accurate in maybe 5 percent of those diagnosed with MDD. But meds help initially in feeling better, without any focus given to situation(s) that led to the depression in the first place. Some are more resilient than others, and many times those situations are complicated, and some have gone on so long the person has taken on the identity; still, the depression is more related situation(s) related than anything else. About the only example of 100 percent pure, 'chemical imbalance' related depression I am aware of is postpartum. Most others respond best to a psychopharmacotherapeutic approach initially, which means co-therapy (psycho-therapy and meds), with a goal of weaning off the meds as soon as feasible. About 1 in 4 will experience depression in a lifetime; many go undiagnosed, and most recover with or without treatment. A supportive environment goes a long way in helping but, for many, the environment is part of the problem. Regardless, diagnosis and treatment of MDD is often complicated, and best left to qualified mental health professionals. Dr Cywes thanks for all you do here, in helping us to better understand life's complications, especially our physical health!
Depression is considered a psychiatric disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It's a significant mood disorder that's known to interfere with daily activities, which may include your ability to work.👏
I find it very strange that you wouldn’t mention the carnivore diet as a suggestion. Many people that come on here see “depression” and listen (most probably not being severe) I have listened to so many podcasts on how people with depression and anxiety have overcome this on the carnivore diet. After all, you are the carb addiction Doctor! Isn’t it at least worth a mention?? You missed an opportunity......
Does anyone have any recommendation for going low carb when someone has a dairy intolerance? This intolerance puts a lot of limits on what I can eat.
Don't know about anyone else, but I was diagnosed lactose intolerant years ago, and I suffered greatly with symptoms, but now that I've been a ketovore, those are gone. I eat cheese with no problems now.
Dr Cyses does depression and weight gain have a strong relationship?
Depression and using carbs for their instant endorphin activation absolutely linked. Chronic excessive carb addiction leads to obesity diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Can I place a question here ?
What do you think of liverwurst ? Good or bad ?
Keto and then carnivore has helped me come off most of my medications for Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I use a special full-spectrum daylight lamp for my Seasonal Depression Disorder. Unfortunately at age 60 I do not think that dietary changes will help my Autism symptoms.
Benzos are hell on earth. They always go paradoxical on you eventually and then you must keep cutting to get off. I hate them with a passion. The longer acting ones where they claim they are "self-weaning" is a load of crap, IMHO.
I can't keep riding my bicycle, I'm old , y I smoke stuff, it's how I delt, but iffy people's can cause that , watch your toung with house mates & family, or we'll get out your silly way, whallah ! 🚴♀️
U hear about it , they do heavy drugs & to excess & don't recover , 💝 why alcholic parents make lousy parents, 🍸
If you got depression like me, taking my dog for a walk aint gonna do it. Sorry Doc.
Reactive or major? Likely the latter. But drugs like carbs make it worse
Things add up ,a walk + something else that makes you relax might ,with time fix a little something here or there , never give up , you can and you will get out of it , I wish you the best !!👍🙏
@@uaebifvideo5472 im taking l theanine and sam e. But dont seam to be working. 5htp works a little.
@@sandyhobo2053 Always a push here and a little push there,Sandy !!best wishes!!🙏
So wrong. One walk does nothing, doing things routinely every day builds emotional buoyancy that lifts you out of depression. Called cognitive behavioral therapy. Takes time but works
Sex is the solution, wich is why women have more depression
Doc, I love your vids, but there is no need to start them like you are a police officer turning up at someone's door to tell them a loved one is dead.
Sadly I have to play that role more often than anyone should
I found this to be quite depressing.
Major depression in women is a reaction to the patriarchy constantly repressing them within every aspect of their lives. Its an uphill battle for women from birth. Repression leads to depression.
Nonsense. But depression can come from constantly telling yourself you're a victim.
@@granny58 some people are bonafide victims. There's no need for them to keep repeating what they already know is fact. However, YOU can choose to tell yourself the ole "they're playing victim" story line if you feel it relinquishes you from your social responsibility. Intellectual, moral laziness is what I call it.. same as the "just be positive " movement designed to shut people with serious problems down.