Do you know how your daily routine could be affecting your mental health?
Last week we mentioned very briefly that nutrition has an impact on mental health. We discussed the role of vitamin B1 in calming anxiety, depression and irritability. We also mentioned that carbohydrates can deplete our B1 reserves, causing mental health problems.
This week we’ll touch on how bodily ingestion of other substances in drinking, breathing and through our skin can also contribute to poor mental health.
Nutrition and bodily ingestion formulate the foundational building block of our Building Blocks Model for Mental Health. Bodily ingestion also crosses over into the second building block, being environmental toxicity, which we will discuss here.
For example:
· drinking artificial sweeteners in diet sodas can cause neurological problems by affecting the production of the happy hormones like serotonin and dopamine (1);
· breathing in polluted air, which contains chemicals like nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX) and particulate matter, is also associated with increased risk for schizophrenia and depression (2);
· absorbing chemicals through the gut and skin can cause multiple wide-spread endocrine effects resulting in depression and anxiety (3). For example, chemicals like BPAs (found in plastics) and phthalates (found in most skin creams and treatments). Furthermore, most antiperspirant deodorant contains aluminium, which is known to accumulate in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s. Contrary to popular belief, many of these conditions including Alzheimer’s, can largely be reversed.
Why haven’t the government outlawed these chemicals? My belief is because of the financial cost to the economy and any resulting legal ramifications.
Never mind the reasons, let’s think twice before we drink most commercial drinks, inhale anything other than that which is necessary (including spending time in polluted places) and before we lather anything at all on our skin.
Whilst I realise it is impossible to avoid all these things, we can make different choices to reduce our exposure to them. We can also support our detoxification pathways to improve the removal of them from our bodies. If you’d like more information on this, please do get in touch.
This was a quick review of how the foundational first and second building blocks to mental health (Block 1: nutrition and bodily ingestion and Block 2: environment - toxicity) impact our psychological wellbeing. Next week we’ll dig further into how our physical environment (as opposed to toxicological environment) can impact mental health.
Well wishes,
Andie. x