Case studies are great ways for practitioners to share ideas and prospective patients to understand how a health concern may be handled. Naturopathic Doctors treat every case very differently and create a plan specific to the needs of the patient. The case I am discussing here is about diet causing depression symptoms. It is unique to this individual, but may have some suggestions that could work for others. The best way to know? Connect with me and we’ll find out.
Meet John
Of course, this is not his real name. But his story is very true. John is a 30 year old man with a unique history of anxiety and depression for the last 10 years.
John’s episodes of depression came on for months at a time, and rarely ever had a trigger. In these episodes, he experienced extreme fatigue, very low motivation, bouts of anger and apathy. His family members were worried. After napping all day, he would work late into the night. He was living at home with his parents and working at a grocery store. John had begun education for many different careers, but always seemed to change his mind or lose interest and leave the program.
John was very aware of his mood changes and claimed to be introverted, avoiding social gatherings so as “not to spread negativity to others”.
John’s Diet Causing Depression
When I first met John, he didn’t know how to cook. Frozen dinners, cured meats, and processed foods were the norm. He barely had an appetite, and often his first meal was around 6pm. He never had any digestive issues – bloating, gas, etc. – so he didn’t think too much about what he was eating.
In my first visit with John, he agreed that his diet was not great. However, he did not believe that food could be causing depression. He had tried many different pharmaceutical meds from his family doctor, and with little success, he was willing to try something different. He promised he would try the treatment plan for 2 months, and if nothing changed, he would look to another option.
John’s Treatment Plan
To keep things as simple as possible, we began with diet and lifestyle changes paired with a few supplements. I wanted to emphasize the importance of the diet, so John and I worked out a plan that helped him select better options at the grocery store and minimize eating out. Since his appetite was so poor, I wanted him to focus on just eating more, regardless of whether it was gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.
Normally, with these types of health concerns, I would recommend some tools to help naturally increase appetite, support digestion and reset the balance of bacteria in the gut. With John, our supplements were focused on calming his mind to help him sleep. We agreed together that if he were to sleep well throughout the night, he may feel rested and positive enough to make better dietary choices in the daytime. It was worth a shot!
One Month Later
At the end of the first visit with John, I was not convinced that he would follow the treatment plan. I was not confident that I had emphasized the role of diet as much as I wanted to, and was convinced that he wouldn’t be able to follow it.
One month later, John came to my office a whole new person. He had purchased some of the supplements, but had focused mostly on changing his diet. He had started buying fresh meats and vegetables, cooking his own food and planning meals ahead of time. John had gotten into an exercise routine, maintained a sleep routine and had begun studying for a program he wished to pursue.
John agreed it was a lot of work to maintain this schedule, but he was shocked with how quickly he saw results. He admitted he hadn’t been consistent with taking the supplements, but the diet change alone was almost 100%. His mood was still up and down, but the episodes were less intense. The brain fog had reduced a little and the mood swings had decreased alot. He was starting to feel like himself for the first time in years.
Another Month Later
We decided not to change anything about his treatment plan and just see how much farther we could take the diet changes. Another month later, John confidently strolled into the treatment room. He happily talked and laughed about how terribly he used to eat. He agreed on his solution – diet causing depression.
John’s appetite was continuing to increase slowly, and the brain fog had almost completely disappeared. He was enjoying cooking his meals, and was splitting his time between working and studying to go back to school. The best part was that he couldn’t remember the last time he felt sad or depressed.
We are all John
Much of eating well and living well appear to be common sense. We all know how we should be eating, exercising and sleeping. The hard part is actually implementing the change and sticking through to see the benefits. I feel very strongly that many mental health concerns don’t require pharmaceuticals and far too many people are being medicated without a proper assessment.
John is an example of someone who was so desperate for a solution that he was willing to try anything. If you are like John and don’t know where to begin, set up a free consult today to get started.