What is Mental Health Nutrition and Integrative Medicine for Mental Health?
Integrative mental health involves a psychoeducational, whole body approach, dietary interventions, laboratory analysis and genomics, and self care development. Together we will create an individualized treatment plan and explore potential nutritional deficiencies, drug herb and nutrient interactions, alternatives to pharmaceuticals, and work towards optimizing nutrition.
~Nutrition is the most important missing link to mental health in society today. - Dr. Leslie Korn~
We all know that we're supposed to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, yet only about 10% of adults actually eat the recommended daily servings. Have you ever paid much attention to how you eat? Not just what you eat, but the process of eating, when you eat (chrono-nutrition), and how different foods make you feel? Do you suffer from digestive issues or food sensitivities? All of these aspects of nutrition are critical for not only your physical health but for your mental health as well.
~From Big Mac to Zantac to Prozac - Dr. Alan Gaby~
Mental health nutrition, integrative interventions, and psychoeducational information aim to help clients learn and understand the impact that our physical health and nutrition has on our mental health. Knowing how food and exercise impacts you and how your body works, and by strengthening the mind-body connection, we can better identify and differentiate symptoms and create the changes you seek, therefore accelerating progress and ultimately the efficacy of treatment.
Integrative mental health methods include psychoeducational nutrition assessment, integrative mind body assessment, lifestyle tracking, biological rhythms and chrono-therapies, neurotransmitters/amino acids, metabolic typing, neurotherapies (neurofeedback/biofeedback), testing and lab work, mindfulness, exercise and movement, light/dark therapies, detoxification strategies, and psychoeducation about biochemical individuality, whole body wellness, diet, nutrients, vitamins, minerals, botanicals, glandulars, as well as drug-nutrient-herb interactions, all as related to mental health. These methods are ideal for addressing multi-faceted, chronic psychological and somatic illnesses, like depression, substance recovery, and pain management, as well as assessments and interventions to address root causes.
Did you know -
These symptoms must be carefully differentiated by a clinician trained in integrative mental health in order to accurately diagnosis and treat clinical mental health issues.
~Nutrition is the most important missing link to mental health in society today. - Dr. Leslie Korn~
We all know that we're supposed to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, yet only about 10% of adults actually eat the recommended daily servings. Have you ever paid much attention to how you eat? Not just what you eat, but the process of eating, when you eat (chrono-nutrition), and how different foods make you feel? Do you suffer from digestive issues or food sensitivities? All of these aspects of nutrition are critical for not only your physical health but for your mental health as well.
~From Big Mac to Zantac to Prozac - Dr. Alan Gaby~
Mental health nutrition, integrative interventions, and psychoeducational information aim to help clients learn and understand the impact that our physical health and nutrition has on our mental health. Knowing how food and exercise impacts you and how your body works, and by strengthening the mind-body connection, we can better identify and differentiate symptoms and create the changes you seek, therefore accelerating progress and ultimately the efficacy of treatment.
Integrative mental health methods include psychoeducational nutrition assessment, integrative mind body assessment, lifestyle tracking, biological rhythms and chrono-therapies, neurotransmitters/amino acids, metabolic typing, neurotherapies (neurofeedback/biofeedback), testing and lab work, mindfulness, exercise and movement, light/dark therapies, detoxification strategies, and psychoeducation about biochemical individuality, whole body wellness, diet, nutrients, vitamins, minerals, botanicals, glandulars, as well as drug-nutrient-herb interactions, all as related to mental health. These methods are ideal for addressing multi-faceted, chronic psychological and somatic illnesses, like depression, substance recovery, and pain management, as well as assessments and interventions to address root causes.
Did you know -
- Malnutrition can result in less effective psychiatric medication, so it's vital to address nutrition in the context of mental health
- Dehydration, eating poor/low quality fats and oils, not exercising (or exercising too much), and having too little or poor quality sleep can all sabotage our mental health
- "Food follows mood" - eating a healthy breakfast really is the most important meal of the day
- Your second brain is in your gut and it needs to be nourished too
- Dehydration alone contributes to fatigue, depression, headaches, and pain
- Too much or too little of a nutrient creates a negative effect on mood and cognitive function, for example, too much caffeine depletes GABA and contributes to insomnia
- Functional/Reactive Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar/crash that occurs after eating sugary/processed foods) has some of the same symptoms as depression - irritability, fatigue, mood swings, headaches, sleepiness, sweating - it can actually cause insomnia, depression, and anxiety
These symptoms must be carefully differentiated by a clinician trained in integrative mental health in order to accurately diagnosis and treat clinical mental health issues.
When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.
When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.
~Ayurvedic proverb
When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.
~Ayurvedic proverb