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anxiety

Moods: Mind or Biochemistry?

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Do we control our moods or do our moods control us? Who is really in charge? Whilst there are many factors that can influence our moods such as our relationships, our environment or not feeling the best, what drives chemical reactions that can in turn make us moody?

Good Moods V’s Bad Moods

Good moods and bad moods all drive different chemical responses and depending on our choice of reaction, will determine whether they have a positive or negative affect on us. It is up to us to decide how we will allow these chemical reactions to dictate who we are. 

Negative emotions can be responsible for releasing inflammation forming toxins and oxidation, speeding up the aging process. Negative responses can take us away from being the best version of ourself. This in turn can create poor appetite, weight loss or gain, insomnia and digestive issues as we churn over what we shouldn’t even allow to control our thought pattern. 
 
On the other hand, positive emotions produce longevity hormones and responses that may assist to reduce pain, increase oxygen and reduce repair time, all by releasing healthy neurotransmitters and chemical reactions. One could say this puts us in the state of healthy, wealthy and wise. A much better place to be! 

Chemical Reactions & Emotions

There are 4 main chemical reactions that contribute to our feeling of emotion, these including:  Serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline and oxytocin.  
 
SEROTONIN
Responsible for your feelings of happiness! Whilst also assisting to regulate your sleep cycle and appetite. When you have a good level of serotonin you feel emotionally stable with a sense of calmness. Most of the serotonin in our body can actually be found in the gut, not the brain! 
 
We can naturally increase the serotonin levels in the body through many methods including; 

  • Food – bananas, chickpeas, eggs, leafy greens, nuts/seeds, oily fish, probiotics/fermented foods are all good sources that naturally contain serotonin. 
  • Sunshine – sunlight boosts your vitamin D levels which is needed for serotonin production. Not getting enough sunlight is thought to be linked to people experiencing depression. Seasonally affective disorder (SAD) a type of depression that’s related to long periods of no sunlight.
  • Exercise – Regular physical activity boosts serotonin levels .
  • Massage – has been shown to release serotonin and decrease the stress hormone cortisol.

 
DOPAMINE
Known as the feel good neurotransmitter and assists to control your mood! Dopamine allows you to feel pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. We can boost dopamine level naturally by:

  • Increasing exercise. Studies have shown that practicing yoga for 1 hour a day, 6 days a week significantly increased dopamine levels (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4769029/).
  • Get a good night’s rest: try avoiding any screen time before bed and ensure you are getting adequate sleep.
  • Increase protein intake: The amino acid tyrosine plays an important role in the production of dopamine.
  • Meditate: reduce stress and anxiety through meditation which has been shown to increase dopamine levels.

ADRENALINE
Responsible for the bodies fight or flight response. When quickly released it is known as an adrenaline rush which some may enjoy. Long term stimulation of the adrenals can lead to chronic fatigue and kidney issues.
 
OXYTOCIN
Otherwise known as the love hormone! It promotes, love, trust and empathy. Oxytocin isn’t fully understood but what is thought is that it may help assist social anxiety, depression and anger. The love hormone is produced when we do things that improve our mood or bring us pure happiness! Oxytocin is used by the body largely during childbirth and breastfeeding.

Our Emotional Choices Create Our Life

If you are finding your overall mood is not where you want it to be, could you increase any of these tips to boost a particular reaction naturally? For example if you are feeling low, poor memory and issues sleeping you may just need a boost of serotonin to stabilise your emotions and give you higher levels of energy and focus. 
 
Gratitude: reduces the inflammatory response 
Love: Lowers blood pressure 

Our emotional choices can create our life.  To understand more, read Robert Emmons’ study on Emotions + Health or Illness.

Source:  Article courtesy of Nuferm

 

Holiday season tips

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The month of festivities is here! A time of getting together, laughter, celebration and often over indulgence.  All this indulgence during the festive season can take its toll on our gut microbiome and health. Why not try to not let your gut health fall to far behind this festive season. After what 2020 has taught … Read more

Minerals: the ins and outs

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Speak to any gardener or farmer and they will tell you that the success of their plants depends on the nutrient levels of the soil.  This is also true when it comes to our body which will only thrive if all nutrients are available.  These nutrients include minerals, vitamins, essential fatty acids (good fats), complex … Read more

Herbs and Mood

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The research is in. We have comparable mood-regulating herbal options to select from that may also be suitable and beneficial alongside commonly prescribed pharmaceutical mood stabilising medications and offer additional benefits. The prevalence of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) continues to rise with up to 15% of the global population affected.1 Typical first-line treatments for anxiety include … Read more

Tired or Wired? Adrenal fatigue?

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Feeling tired?  Just not enough energy to get through the daily demands?  Have you experienced chronic stress – this does not need to be a major trauma, but can be a long-term exposure to any form of stress – physical, mental, emotional; always on the go!  If so, perhaps your adrenal glands are also tired. … Read more

Are you experiencing “Mould Sickness”?

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Common Sources of Mould Exposure in the Home Moulds are able to grow on almost any surface, especially if the environment is warm and wet. Inner wall materials of buildings, wall paper, fibreglass insulation, ceiling tiles, and drywall (Gyprock) are all good surfaces for fungi to colonise. These moulds release mycotoxins into the environment which … Read more

Hydration is more than just drinking water

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Let’s talk about what it means to be hydrated!  Many people drink abundant amounts of water, yet they are not hydrated. Drinking water does not necessarily mean you will be hydrated. Similarly to eating good food does not necessarily mean the cells are getting their nutrients either. One has to drink water of quality—water is … Read more

It’s all linked: Magnesium and Blood Sugar

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No part of our body works in isolation – everything is connected and what happens in one area affects others.  Further, pretty much everything that happens in our body is a biochemical reaction – starting with the breaking down of the foods we eat and ingest all the way through to building muscle and bones … Read more

Assessing your body’s acid levels

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Acid-alkali status is increasingly relevant as we tend more towards acid-forming diets.1 Modern western diets have a higher content of acid- forming foods as opposed to base (alkaline)-forming foods, and this results in higher acidity in the body along with the development and progression of chronic health conditions.2 In sports medicine, the process of alkalisation … Read more

MTHFR, Methylation, SNPs – what do they mean for you?

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What is Methylation? Methylation is a vital metabolic process that happens in every cell and every organ in your body, taking place a million times a second. Life would simply not exist without it. Think of billions of little on/off switches inside your body that control everything from your stress response and how your body … Read more