ARCHIVE

Many women are affected by feelings of hopelessness and depression after giving birth. There is no single cause for this mood disorder, and postpartum depression treatment requires expert care.

What Are the “Baby Blues?”

It’s natural for mothers to feel unhappiness, sometimes referred to as the “baby blues.” This is a temporary and mild feeling that may last a week or two during periods of difficulty while managing the baby. Postpartum depression (PPD) may onset before the baby is born and affects the early weeks and months of bonding with the baby. This gives the mother extreme symptoms, getting in the way of caring for herself and the baby.

Causes & Symptoms of Postpartum Depression

Mothers with postpartum depression often experience a deep level of despair. They will feel physically exhausted and emotionally burdened while unable to lift themselves from their sadness. If left untreated, this depression can continue for an extended period of time, possibly into the baby’s early childhood. Women may also feel depressed during pregnancy, and early signs of depression should be made aware to a physician for postpartum depression treatment at the start of symptoms. Despite popular belief, depression and anxiety are very similar disorders. Mothers with postpartum depression and anxiety may feel they are swinging between two extreme moods. These are the most common symptoms of postpartum depression: • Feelings of sadness or hopelessness • Feelings of sudden anger or rage • Feelings of anxiety or difficulty with decision-making • Feelings of failing to adopt “motherly instincts” • Self-isolation from friends and family • Sleeping too little or too much, and out of sync with the baby • Eating too little or too much • Difficulty forming an attachment to the baby • Thoughts of self-harm or harming the baby Other mothers may experience postpartum infections in the uterine, bladder or kidney. These infections sometimes don’t become apparent until weeks after delivery. Mothers may also experience breast tenderness, backaches, headaches, hair loss, constipation, and pain with intercourse. Full recovery from delivery can take months, and women with cesareans may also experience pain around the site of the scar for up to six months. It’s very common for women to feel overwhelmed by the side effects of giving birth, and to fall into postpartum depression.

Postpartum Depression Treatment & Therapy

The first step all mothers must take if they are feeling the symptoms of postpartum depression is to seek help. Postpartum depression is never something to feel ashamed of, and treatment is crucial to the health of both the mother and the baby. Mothers are not at fault for their symptoms and require help in order to feel better. Mothers who are depressed put their children at risk of Reactive Attachment Disorder, a disorder where the child can’t properly form attachment due to emotional neglect. At this time in a women’s life, some mothers may also find they are genetically predisposed to a disease or experience dramatic hormonal changes. The stress of childbirth often affects our bodies to express genes which weren’t previously expressed. In a conversation on “Why Do Mothers Suffer From Depression,” Dr. Amen discusses with his wife, Tana Amen, the significance of women having their thyroid hormones checked. Hashimotos, for example, is an autoimmune disease which primarily affects the thyroid and can have a large influence on swinging between anxiety and depression.

4 Ways to Help Heal Depression in Mothers

Postpartum depression treatment starts with lifestyle changes. Amen Clinics recommends medication when necessary, and prioritizes natural treatments to help women feel themselves again. Treating postpartum depression without medication is our goal, and all cases are treated with a personalized health plan for the greatest possibility of success.

1. Exercise and Return to Fun Hobbies

Exercising is a sure way to boost your dopamine, which affects the pleasure centers of the brain. Starting up your favorite hobbies and surrounding yourself with friends and family can help boost your overall stress resilience, and can get yourself and the baby out of the house.

2. Positive Thinking

Positive thinking can be very difficult for women with postpartum depression. Here at Amen Clinics, we often talk about an acronym called ANTS, which stands for “automatic negative thoughts.” Become aware of these thoughts and learn how to correct them with our help.

3. Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Dr. Amen also recommends taking omega 3 fatty acids, as they play a role in the central nervous system and have been found to influence depressive disorders.

4. Get Assessed

Depression is not one thing, and treatment depends on what kind of depression you have. Seeking expert help is essential for identifying the root cause of the depression and treating it for lasting results. For example, many adults are undiagnosed with ADD/ADHD, and only a professional mental health expert can identify and treat for the root cause of depression and anxiety.

Find a Postpartum Depression Clinic

In addition to the physical stress labor, childbirth, and recovery put on women’s bodies, a newborn baby must also be taken care of. For many mothers, occasional sadness is natural to experience, but there is always help for feelings of depression. Here at Amen Clinics, we help women with postpartum depression and anxiety so that they are capable of caring for themselves and their babies. Make an appointment for postpartum depression treatment by calling 888-288-9834 today or scheduling online, and review our locations to find the nearest clinic to your home. We have eight locations across the country in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. We also have locations in Orange County, CA, in Walnut Creek, CA, and in Bellevue, WA. For more insight, watch the following video from Dr. Amen’s episode of “Why Do Mothers Suffer From Depression,” starting at the 2-min mark. If you are planning on getting pregnant or are currently pregnant, there are some major things about pesticide you should know.

What Is Pesticide?

Pesticides are chemicals that are used to kill bugs, rodents, mold or weeds. You can use some pesticides in your home. Others are for use only outside or on crops. While pesticides may be helpful in keeping your home pest-free, they can cause problems for your baby if you’re exposed to (come in contact with) them during pregnancy. When you’re pregnant, stay away from pesticides.

How Are You Exposed to Pesticides?

You may come in contact with pesticides as part of your everyday life. Pesticides can be in: • Air and water • Bug sprays • Cleaning products, like bleach • Food, farmers may use pesticides on food crops • Lawn and garden products, like weed killer • Pet products, like flea and tick shampoo • Rodent poisons, like mouse or rat bait

What Problems Can Pesticides Cause During Pregnancy?

Your exposure to large amounts of pesticides like those used on crops may be harmful to your baby during pregnancy. It may lead to: • Birth defects. These are health conditions that a baby has at birth. Birth defects change the shape or function of one or more parts of the body. They can cause problems in overall health, in how the body develops, or in how the body works. • Learning problems later in your baby’s life.

We put together 7 tips to help you or a loved one avoid the risks of prenatal pesticide exposure:

1. Use natural pest control in your garden and natural insect repellent when outdoors. 2. Adopt a ‘no shoes’ policy in your home. Tracked-in dirt may include pesticide residue that can be inhaled or ingested. 3. Trust your sense of smell. Sense of smell is often heightened during pregnancy. Take advantage of this biologic warning system —if it smells toxic, it probably is! 4. Educate yourself about the public areas you frequent most. Research the parks and beaches that use chemical versus natural pesticides. Check your city website for scheduled applications of pesticides and avoid these areas during the day of and several days after application. 5. If you are exposed to chemical pesticides, wash clothing immediately and separately to avoid any cross contamination. 6. Eat organic as much as you can. The increased cost will result in long-term benefits for you and your unborn child’s health. Check the EWG website for updates to the “Clean 15” and “Dirty Dozen.” At a minimum, work to incorporate organic choices for the foods listed as having the highest pesticide residue — and ALWAYS wash your fruits and veggies before preparing and eating. 7. Be the voice of change in your community. Speak out about the dangers of pesticide use to your neighborhood association or even at your town or city council meetings. Education is the best for propelling community change. Here’s to a happy and healthy pregnancy!

We Can Help

At Amen Clinics, we can help you and your loved ones overcome the stigma and suffering associated with ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, brain injury, weight loss, addictions, memory issues, brain fog, and other emotional and cognitive issues. If you are ready to regain control over your life or help a loved one do the same, give us a call at 1-888-288-9834 or click here to ask a question. When your brain, adrenal glands, sex organs, pancreas and thyroid gland work together, they produce just the right amounts of hormones and chemical messengers that control many of the body’s basic functions. When it’s working together, you feel great. When any of these organs are out of sync, however, you can feel awful. Problems start when too much or not enough of a hormone (or several) is produced, which can throw off the delicate balance.

You can experience two types of problems when your hormones are out of balance:

1. Uncomfortable symptoms that can begin to change how you think, feel and act, affecting your quality of life. 2. An increased risk of illness, such as depression, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and certain cancers. Communication between hormones and the brain is strongly two-way: The brain produces signals that trigger the release of hormones, and hormones from other parts of the body also influence the brain. When thyroid activity is low, brain activity is typically low as well. That’s why an under-active thyroid often leads to depression, irritability and brain fog.

Meet the Hormone “Family”

There are hundreds of hormones in the body that affect the brain. Here are 7 of the most important ones, we will discuss today: • Thyroid • Cortisol • DHEA • Estrogen • Progesterone • Testosterone • Insulin

Thyroid: The Energy Regulator

The thyroid—a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in your lower neck. These hormones are among the most influential in your body, and all have to be in the right balance to keep brain and body healthy. Too little of any thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) makes you feel like a slug; you just want to lie on the couch all day with a bag of chips. Everything works slower, including your heart, your bowels and your brain. This is because the thyroid gland drives the production of many neurotransmitters that run the brain, including serotonin, dopamine and GABA. Thyroid problems can occur at any time in a person’s life, though women are especially prone to problems after having a baby—usually within six months of the birth. During pregnancy, certain parts of the immune system relax so that immune cells and antibodies will not reject the baby’s placenta, which is attached to the mother’s uterus. This is why many women with thyroid problems feel that pregnancy is the best time of their lives, as it calms those issues.

How Many People Have Thyroid Problems?

Tens of millions of men and women are thought to have thyroid problems—5 to 25 percent of the world’s population. Most thyroid issues are autoimmune, which means that the body is attacking itself. This may be due to environmental toxins that are stored in our bodies, food allergies (gluten and dairy products, in particular) or to something in the air we breathe. Factors that Inhibit Thyroid Production: • Excess stress and cortisol production • Selenium deficiency • Deficient protein, excess sugar • Chronic illness • Compromised liver or kidney function • Cadmium, mercury, lead toxicity • Herbicides, pesticides • Oral contraceptives, excessive estrogen production

Cortisol and DHEA: Our Lady of Perpetual Stress

The adrenals, a pair of triangle-shaped glands that sit atop your kidneys, are critically involved in your body’s reaction to stress. The adrenals produce the hormones adrenaline, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA) and cortisol, which are released in the famous “fight-or-flight response.” Here is how it works: Let’s say you’re hiking through the woods with your children when you see a mountain lion; immediately, your adrenals start producing adrenaline and the other hormones that will give you the burst of energy you need to either fight the lion or pick up the children and run.

The Problem

The problem is, your body doesn’t differentiate among the various kinds of stress you experience. Whether it’s physical stress at the sight of the mountain lion or mental stress caused by your raging teenager or catty coworkers, your body reacts the same way, pumping out those chemicals. But when you run away from the mountain lion, your body processes the chemicals and gets them out of your system. Not so when you get stressed over the way your coworker treated you; all you can do is return to your office or cubicle and stew. That leaves a dangerous cocktail of chemicals surging through your body until every one of them is finally metabolized.

Can Stress Be a Trigger?

In today’s world, you’re likely faced with psychological stress daily. You wake up to a blaring alarm, and the first thing you do is check your e-mail to see what people are demanding of you. On the way to work you get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic or sardined on a delayed train and arrive late to face a slew of impossible deadlines. Your son’s school calls to tell you that he has been getting into fights. When cortisol is chronically elevated, blood sugar and insulin levels also rise. And your brain doesn’t fare well. Serotonin, the calming brain chemical, drops, leading to anxiety, nervousness or depression. Food cravings increase, your sleep is disturbed and your health can spiral out of control. Chronic exposure to stress hormones has been shown to kill cells in your hippocampus, a major memory center in the brain, especially when DHEA is also low.

Hormones & Sex

Adrenal fatigue leads to an especially dangerous buildup of fat in your abdomen. Not only do you ruin your chances of having a flat belly, but you’re at greater risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Low cortisol also promotes inflammation, affects immune function and alters blood sugar control and sex hormone production. When the adrenals are busy making stress hormones, they divert your stores of DHEA, which would have eventually been converted to sex hormones.

Feel Better Today

At Amen Clinics, we have spent decades helping people just like you improve their overall health and thus their brain health. We offer a full breadth of treatment options and services, including an integrative medicine program. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit. The thyroid gland is small, but very powerful and is part of your body’s endocrine system. It secretes two important hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) that affect all the cells in your body by regulating the speed at which they function. These important hormones directly impact your metabolism and can dictate how well it works—and how you feel. When there are problems with the thyroid gland it can lead to hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Symptoms include:

The Prevalence of Thyroid Problems

In the U.S., the prevalence of hypothyroidism is 4.6% and hyperthyroidism is 1.3%. Thyroid problems are increasing in the population, especially among women, often surfacing after pregnancy and during middle age. It’s estimated that 1 out of 4 postmenopausal women has thyroid imbalances. As people get older, the thyroid gland has a diminished ability to take up iodine, which it needs in order to make the hormones. A research study on post-menopausal women found that between the ages of 30 and 80, thyroid gland function decreases by 40%. Hormonal imbalances can affect brain function in many ways. Research studies have found links between untreated thyroid imbalances and depression, anxiety, mental fog, and memory issues: Untreated thyroid imbalances can affect brain function in many ways and lead to depression, anxiety, mental fog, memory problems, and other issues.
Click to tweet

10 Ways Healthy Thyroid Function Can be Disrupted

Aside from the biological changes related to thyroid problems, there are other factors that can interfere with healthy thyroid function, including these 10:
  1. Excess stress and cortisol production
  2. Selenium deficiency
  3. Chronic illness
  4. Deficient protein, excess sugar
  5. Certain medications, such as lithium
  6. Overexposure to iodide from medications or x-ray contrast dyes
  7. Compromised liver or kidney function
  8. Cadmium, mercury, or lead toxicity
  9. Herbicides and pesticides
  10. Oral contraceptives and excessive estrogen production

Important Thyroid Blood Tests

If you’re having symptoms that might be related to thyroid problems, the best thing to do is to speak with your doctor. Most docs only order the blood test for TSH—thyroid-stimulating hormone—but all of your thyroid hormones have to be in the right balance for you to feel your best. Even if your TSH levels are normal, you can still be having symptoms. To get a more comprehensive thyroid evaluation, ask your doctor to order the following panel of blood tests:

Balancing Your Thyroid

Thyroid issues can be effectively treated with a number of thyroid medications. When you are first diagnosed, your doctor will usually prescribe a lower dose of medication to begin with, and depending on your response, will adjust it as needed to address your symptoms. Thyroid levels can fluctuate, so your doctor will need to test your levels regularly to make sure you’re on the correct dosage. There are also a number of natural dietary supplements that support thyroid function, including the herb rosemary, zinc, chromium, potassium, l-tyrosine, vitamins A, B2, B3, B6, C, D, selenium, and ashwagandha. Be sure to check with your doctor to make sure that any supplements you take will complement, rather than compete with medications you are on. Keeping your thyroid and other hormones in balance is so important to your overall health and is a key component to optimizing how your brain functions. So, if you are dealing with the symptoms listed above, be sure to get an evaluation to see what’s going on. A functional medicine physician who takes a whole-person approach to treat the root cause of symptoms might just be the right type of doctor to get you and your life back in balance! Hormonal imbalances and the mental health symptoms that often accompany them are treatable. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. In addition to having functional medicine physicians on staff, we offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here. Eating healthy during pregnancy is one of the most important things to take into consideration for the health of your baby’s growth and development. After all, if you are eating brain-healthy foods, so is your baby. An ideal diet for a pregnant woman is one that incorporates a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, and lean proteins like fish. h Fish is one of the healthiest forms of lean protein you can eat, but you need to make sure the fish you are eating is wild caught high-quality fish that is contaminant free.  Pregnant women need to be especially careful because eating fish that contain even low levels of mercury can increase the risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring.  This can be confusing for mothers to be because there are also several other types of fish during pregnancy may protect against the disorder.

Is There An ADHD Risk in Children From Their Mother’s Fish Consumption?

A cohort study of almost 400 children showed that the risk for inattention and impulsivity at the age of 8 years was significantly associated with maternal mercury levels and as the mercury levels increased, so did risk. The study was conducted between 1993 and 1998.  788 infants from Massachusetts were enrolled in the study which was designed to assess a possible link between exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and neurodevelopment. Soon after birth, hair samples were collected from the mothers and analyzed for mercury levels. The mothers also filled out a questionnaire regarding fish consumption during pregnancy. At 8-year follow-up, 421 of these children were assessed for possible ADHD behaviors and the results showed that not only was mercury exposure associated with inattention and impulsivity/hyperactivity, but the risk for these behaviors increased with maternal hair mercury levels.  The threshold for first association with ADHD symptoms appeared to be at least 1 μg/g or more of mercury.  In addition, these associations were more notable in boys than girls. This research does not mean that pregnant women should avoid eating all types of fish because the study also found offspring of mothers who consumed at least 2 servings of fish a week (which is currently more than the current recommended amounts from the FDA and EPA) had a decrease in ADHD-related behaviors — especially in impulsivity/hyperactivity. “These findings underscore the difficulties of balancing the benefits of fish intake with the detriments of low-level mercury exposure in developing dietary recommendations in pregnancy,” write the investigators. Although the researchers did not assess which fish are worst and best to consume while pregnant, they noted in a release that previous studies have shown that shark, fresh tuna, and swordfish should be avoided by pregnant women, whereas fish such as haddock, salmon, and flounder are good because of their low levels of mercury and their nutritional value. “Women need to know that nutrients in fish are good for the brain of a developing fetus, but women also need to be aware that high mercury levels in some fish pose a risk,” said lead author Sharon Sagiv, Ph.D., MPH, from Boston University School of Public Health in Massachusetts.

Brain Healthy Pregnancy Tips

The FDA provides three recommendations for young children, pregnant women, and women of child-bearing age:

  1. Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish because they might contain high levels of mercury.
  2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. Five of the most commonly eaten fish and shellfish that are low in mercury are: shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Another commonly eaten fish, albacore or big eye (“white”) tuna depending on its origin might have more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, it is recommended that you should not eat more than up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
  3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but consume no other fish during that week.
A diet rich in omega-3’s can help boost mom and baby’s brain and neurological development. Incorporate a DHA supplement, flaxseed oil, walnuts, and fatty fish to avoid getting DHA from high mercury foods. Benefits include better memory, vision, and better language comprehension during their early childhood. Mom’s can reap all these benefits and reduce the risk of post-partum depression. Recognizing how important it is to make sure the fish you consume comes from high-quality wild caught sources is a must. The National Institutes of Health recommend that pregnant and nursing women get at least 300 milligrams of DHA in their daily diet. Amen Clinics wants to help support brain health of all women including the health of our future generations. If you or someone you know is struggling with brain health contact us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit today. For daily brain health updates, follow us on Facebook.  Back in the day, pregnant women were treated like they had some sort of illness and were advised not to exercise. Today, this type of advice just sounds absurd. Moderate exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your baby during pregnancy. It will help your body cope with all the changes it’s going through, will help prevent gestational diabetes, will build your strength and stamina in preparation for labor and delivery (which also reduces the likelihood of cesarean section), and is the absolute best way to reduce rising levels of stress and anxiety, which is critical.

Can Stress Harm You While Pregnant?

The answer is YES. An abundance of stress and anxiety can harm both you and your baby. Stress has been linked to premature birth, neurodevelopmental disorders, anger, and even allergies. Furthermore, untreated stress and/or anxiety will dramatically increase your chances of developing depression after the baby is born, so it’s best to manage your stress levels throughout pregnancy with calming, brain-healthy exercises.

Is Yoga a Good Type of Exercise for Pregnant Women?

Yoga is a perfect choice for expectant mothers because it doesn’t elevate the heart rate above 140 beats per minute and won’t leave you breathless, which could compromise oxygen supply going to your baby. Plus, it’s fantastic for both strength and serenity, and this study has confirmed it.

What Research Confirms

Published in the Journal of Depression and Anxiety, the study monitored 59 first-time pregnant women over a span of 8 weeks. The women were randomized into two groups: a weekly yoga class group and a treatment-as-usual group. Researchers asked both groups to self-report their stress and anxiety levels, while also recording cortisol (stress hormone) levels at both the first and last session of the 8-week course.

The Results

The outcome was impressive! • The pregnant women who attended yoga class every week for 8 weeks experienced less anxiety, compared to those who didn’t do yoga. • A single session of yoga was found to reduce self-reported anxiety among the women by one-third, and reduce cortisol levels by an average of 14%. If you often experience elevated stress levels or are anxious about giving birth, we strongly suggest that you try yoga. If there isn’t a studio where you live (or you are nervous about taking your first class in a room full of strangers) there are some great online classes to try.

Feel Better Fast

At Amen Clinics, we have spent decades helping people just like you improve their overall health and thus their brain health. We offer a full breadth of treatment options and services, including an integrative medicine program. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit.