The PVC Pipe Book Projects for the Home, Garden, and Homestead

489 Pages·2016·1.85 MB·English

by  Leslie Corn

NUTRITION
ESSENTIALS
FOR
MENTAL
HEALTH
A Complete Guide
to the Food-Mood
Connection
LESLIE E. KORN
FOREWORD BY JAMES LAKE, MD
W. W. Norton & Company
New York • London
A Norton Professional Book
I give my heartfelt gratitude to my husband, Rudolph Rÿser. He brings
immense joy and laughter to my life, which always salves the rigors of
completing a book. He steps in when I ask without hesitation to edit, give
guidance, prepare great meals, and share unflagging optimism. He is more
than half of my overflowing cup.
Contents Acknowledgments
Foreword
Chapter 1. Why Does Nutrition Matter in Mental Health?
Chapter 2. The Second Brain: Trust Your Gut
Chapter 3. Listening to Your Clients About Their Diet and Health: Assessment
Techniques
Chapter 4. Common Diagnoses and Typical Nutritional Culprits
Chapter 5. Food Allergies, Sensitivities, and Special Diets
Chapter 6. The Kitchen Is Your Pharmacy
Chapter 7. Best Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids, Glandulars, and Special Nutrients for
Mental Health
Chapter 8. Medication: Side Effects and Withdrawal
Chapter 9. Putting It All Together: Making Recommendations for Success
Appendices
References
Index
Note: The e-book contains some places that ask the reader to fill in questions or
comments. Please keep pen and paper handy as you read this e-book so that you
can complete the exercises within.
Foreword
The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the
human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.
—Thomas A Edison In the face of widespread and often inappropriate prescribing of powerful
psychotropic medications, accumulating research evidence supports the use of a range of
nonpharmacological approaches for the prevention and treatment of depressed mood, anxiety,
dementia, substance abuse, and other common mental health problems. Diet, exercise, and stress
management fall under the broad heading of ‘lifestyle” changes and, among these, diet is
certainly the most important . Dr. Korn’s new book is an important contribution to the growing
dialog in the medical community and the general public on the role of nutrition in health and
mental health. Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health: The Complete Guide to the Food-Mood
Connection provides a comprehensive account of the evidence for nutrition in maintaining
optimal mental health and treating many common mental health problems. Dr. Korn offers clear,
simple strategies that will guide you in helping clients think about foods that are better suited to
their unique biochemical constitutions and mental health needs. The book provides a
comprehensive, step-by-step review of the vital links between what we eat, how our brains
function—or don’t —and our capacity to think and feel . The book is a tour de force of the
complex dynamic relationships that exist between the digestive process, the body, and the brain,
beginning with the simple acts of chewing and swallowing and progressing through the complex
phases of digestion and elimination. Dr. Korn introduces an important emerging concept in
Western medicine called the “human microbiome,” according to which health and mental health
are viewed in relation to the microbiome-gut-brain axis (Foster & McVey Neufeld, 2013). The
microbiome is essentially an ecosystem of symbiotic bacteria and a host of other microorganisms
residing in the healthy gut. Recent studies demonstrate that the microbiome plays a critical role in
brain development, behavior, and mental health throughout the life span. Bacteria in the
microbiome activate neural pathways and central nervous system signaling systems that play a
role in mood regulation, memory, and cognition. Recent research findings show that the gut
microbiota are influenced by stress, diet, and a host of other factors in the environment,
supporting Dr. Korn’s thesis that interventions based on dietary change and stress management
are vitally important for prevention and treatment of common mental health problems.
Epidemiological data on relationships between diet and prevalence rates of
depressed mood, dementia, and other common mental health problems support
the central role of nutrition in the world’s major healing traditions from earliest
historical times. Almost half of studies on nutrition and mental health published
between 1971 and 2014 reported significant positive relationships between diet
and depressed mood (Opie, O’Neil, Itsiopoulos, & Jacka, 2014). A large
population study revealed an alarming correlation between an increased
prevalence rate of Alzheimer’s disease in developing countries and multiple
lifestyle factors related to increasing globalization such as smoking, alcohol
consumption, and the Western diet (i.e., high daily calories consumed and high
consumption of animal fat in the diet; Grant, 2014). These results are consistent
with the findings of a 36-month prospective trial in which healthy adults who
followed a Mediterranean diet experienced a reduced rate of cognitive decline
compared to individuals following a Western-style diet with fewer vegetables
and high animal fat (Gardener et al., 2014). In keeping with the latest research
findings, changes in diet are frequently “prescribed” as a central part of
treatment in Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, on the assumption that without
addressing imbalances in the body and mind at a basic level, there may be little
hope for changing the factors that manifest as illness. The ancient wisdom of
recommending dietary changes for improved health and well-being is reflected
in a quote attributed to Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, who said,
“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.” In addition to the
increased attention to the role of diet in maintaining optimal mental health,
research findings from placebo-controlled studies support the use of high-
potency nutrient supplements in the treatment of specific psychiatric disorders.
For example, foods rich in B vitamins such as whole grains and leafy green
vegetables may be especially beneficial for mood regulation. Several B vitamins
are essential cofactors that facilitate the synthesis of neurotransmitters that play
a central role in mood regulation. Individuals with mental health problems who
may be at risk of a nutritional deficiency because of their dietary preferences
should be encouraged to take appropriate doses of vitamins, minerals, or other
supplements that are known to be beneficial for their mental health problem. As
Dr. Korn explains, medical problems and mental illness often occur together;
however, causal relationships between particular physical ailments and mental
health are often difficult to discern. When a mental health problem is addressed
with dietary changes that result in optimal nutrition, medical problems often
improve. Sound nutrition advice should always comprise a cornerstone of a
comprehensive integrative treatment plan. Even in cases where prescription
psychotropic medications are a necessary part of treatment, simple changes in
nutrition provide important “add-on” benefits to medications by optimizing
levels of micronutrients critical for healthy brain functioning.
Various chapters cover the importance of nutritional assessment in mental
health care, the best foods and nutrients for mental health, food allergies,
sensitivities and special diets, and practical strategies for supporting optimal
brain health when weaning off of psychotropic medications. Chapter 3 on
nutritional assessment should be required reading for all mental health
professionals. In this chapter, Dr. Korn provides a template for evaluating each
patient’s unique history; identifies pertinent medical, social, and family issues
that affect nutrition; and explains how to assess clients for blood sugar handling,
food allergies and sensitivities, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial
energy production, and the methylation pathway, all of which play critical roles
in health and mental health.
Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health: The Complete Guide to the Food-
Mood Connection is a powerful new synthesis of the role of nutrition in mental
health. In these pages clinicians will discover many valuable clinical pearls and
insights to guide them when advising their patients about practical, safe,
effective, and affordable strategic approaches to eating and taking supplements
for optimal health and well-being, as well as for preventing and treating
common mental health problems. By examining the relationship between what
we eat and how our bodies and brains function, Dr. Korn addresses complex
problems of mental health prevention and treatment at the most fundamental
level . Optimal nutrition and the strategic uses of supplements should be
included as a necessary and central component of integrative treatment
addressing depressed mood, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance abuse,
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, cognitive decline, and
dementia. This book should be required reading for all psychiatrists and
psychologists and, more importantly, for medical students and residents in
psychiatry, family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics, where education
on nutrition has been historically lacking.
James Lake, MD, is the former chair of the International Network of
Integrative Mental Health and the author of Textbook of Integrative Mental
Health Care (New York: Thieme, 2006).
References Foster, J. A., & McVey Neufeld, K. A. (2013). Gut-brain axis:
How the microbiome influences anxiety and depression. Trends in
Neurosciences , 36 (5), 305–312.
Gardener, S. L., Rainey-Smith, S. R., Barnes, M. B., Sohrabi, H. R., Weinborn, M., Lim, Y. Y., ... Martins,
R. N. (2014, July 29). Dietary patterns and cognitive decline in an Australian study of ageing. Molecular
Psychiatry . [Epub ahead of print]
Grant, W. B. (2014). Trends in diet and Alzheimer’s disease during the nutrition transition in Japan and
developing countries. Journal of Alzheimers Disease , 38 (3), 611–620.
Opie, R. S., O’Neil, A., Itsiopoulos, C., & Jacka, F. N. (2014, December 3). The impact of whole-of-diet
interventions on depression and anxiety: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Public
Health Nutrition , 1–20. [Epub ahead of print]
NUTRITION
ESSENTIALS
FOR
MENTAL
HEALTH