Top Physiological & Nutrient Imbalances in Mental Health

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If you want to improve your mental state you have to intercede at a basic level and adjust the physiological and nutrient imbalances found in your body. Get the nourishment you need and your brain cells begin to make important substances and use them appropriately to balance mood and improve your concentration, etc. Food is an obvious source of nutrients and this is a mainstay of treatment. We often give supplements to meet the demands of a brain that requires more direct support. Finally, the stresses of life are always taking us back a step and our body physiology gets affected; industrial pollutants for example, release toxins that force body systems to respond and with time, weaken our ability to maintain our own bodily functions.The improvement attained by correcting these imbalances can be profound.

The following physiological and nutrient imbalances are directly linked to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, ADD, and OCD.

Imbalance	Symptoms	Description
Low Thyroid	fatigue, poor concentration, brain fog, constipation, psychosis, depression, anxiety, bipolar depression (high to low thyroid pattern), over-weight	A low thyroid state results in sluggish brain metabolism. When you have encountered continuous stresses your thyroid glands give out. Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormones and iodine deficiency is common.
Heavy Metal Toxicity	poor memory (mercury), poor learning (lead), rapid up/down fatigue, headaches, allergies, nervous irritability, ↑ blood pressure, joint pain	Lead, mercury, cadmium, and aluminum destroy brain tissue. They are widespread in air, industrial waste, dental fillings and household chemicals.
Copper Toxicity	paranoia (frontal brain cortex stimulation), psychosis, anxiety, hormonal cyclic depression, PMS, rheumatism, bipolar disorder, OCD, ADD, gum bleeding, poor verbal-intellectual learning, irritability	Copper excess can over-stimulate the brain. Copper is found in dental fillings, cigarettes, animal feed, and plant sprays (vegetarian consumption). After WWII, homes built with copper water pipes and birth control pill use led to greater copper toxicities.
Under-Methylation	fatigue, poor concentration, heart disease, strokes, delusions, seasonal allergies, medication burn-out	In this condition you basically do not make neurotransmitters on demand. This is associated with B12 and folic acid deficiency.
Protein Deficiency	ADD, irritability missing meals, bone matrix problems, tired after meals, anxiety in stomach, not reaching developmental weight/height, problem putting on weight, depression, hair loss	Most brain chemicals are made from the protein from the diet. Kids and adults also often break down their protein too fast. North American diets are high in carbohydrates, low in protein. Patients who do not eat 3 solid meals a day are often protein deficient.
Niacin Dependency	hallucinations, delusions, time distortions, scattered organization of ideas, depression with seclusion, bright people who take a sharp downturn in the prime of their life, suicidality, denial, poor insight	Schizophrenics are so deficient in niacin they are dependant on it. Excess neurotransmitters that are not eliminated readily break down to substances similar to the hallucinogen LSD. Schizophrenics have a ready supply of hallucinogen that requires niacin neutralization.
Iron Deficiency	flat fatigue, poor attention, poor cognition, difficulty swallowing pills or food, sallow complexion	Iron deficiency is quite common and more so in women with menstrual blood iron loss. Iron is needed for thyroid hormone production.
Poor Digestion	constipation, diarrhea, bloating, stomach or duodenal ulcers, food intolerance, candidia (fungal infection), parasitic infection, IBS, Crohn’s disease, colitis	With poor digestion we deplete nutrient minerals, vitamins, fats and proteins essential as building blocks for hormones and brain chemicals. We also get toxic build-up and consequent poor nutrient absorption.
Hypoglycemia	sugar, drug, and alcohol addiction, great irritability and sometimes criminal behaviour, tired after meals, constant hunger	Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar. Carbohydrate dominant North American diets cause spikes in sugar followed by sharp drops. The brain is therefore intermittently starved.
Vitamin B6/zinc Deficiency	poor mental health, stress intolerance, poor dream recall, poor memory, acne, nail white spots, poor appetite, lax joints, starvation states	B6 and zinc are together involved in basic protein manufacturing. Without them brain chemical manufacturing comes to a halt. Zinc also helps keep heavy metals at bay.
Essential Fat Deficiency	reduced mental health, brain tissue compromise, heavy metal stress, depression, anxiety, psychosis	Essential fats (EFA’s) are important components of nerve cell walls and are involved in neurotransmitter electrical activity.
Copper Deficiency	cherry red skin bumps (angiomas), bacterial infection, bleeding gums, easy bruising, brain aneurysms	Without copper, mood and motivation can be disrupted. Copper is needed for catecholamine neurotransmitter production and regulation.
Magnesium Deficiency	anxiety, sleep disturbance (problems staying asleep), clumsiness, depression, muscle cramps/tension, blood pressure changes, bed wetting	Magnesium deficiency is extremely common. Your bone matrix is magnesium dependant. Too much fiber and too few vegetables will deplete magnesium.
Calcium & Ditamin D Deficiency	fast metabolism, external bone structure loss, winter blues, psychosis, anxiety, bipolar depression, frequent infection, thyroid conditions	Vitamin D helps to maintain calcium levels. Women under 40 can use these nutrients to restore bone tissue. Vitamin D helps form that feel good chemical serotonin.
Food Intolerance & Brain Allergy	any mental health symptom provoked by eating foods or upon exposure to a toxin	Foods that you do not tolerate can be partially ‘digested’ and form substances that are toxic to your brain.