What is Psychiatric Naturopathy and How Can It Help Your Mental Health?
When you think of psychiatry, does your mind automatically equate the field with prescription medication? Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, or other issues but don’t want pills to be your only treatment option? Have you already tried conventional treatment without relief from your symptoms? Are you hesitant to see a psychiatrist because you’re interested in a more holistic approach to treatment for mental health issues? There’s a solution, and it’s called psychiatric naturopathy.
Are you hesitant to see a psychiatrist because you’re interested in a more holistic approach to treatment for mental health issues? There’s a solution, and it’s called psychiatric naturopathy.
WHAT IS A PSYCHIATRIC NATUROPATHY?
Naturopathic psychiatry takes a holistic mind-body-spirit approach to mental health and well-being that aims to educate the patient, prevent mental illness, and provide natural solutions. This is in contrast to allopathic psychiatry (also known as conventional or traditional psychiatry), which typically looks to use medications to mask symptoms. It’s important to note that naturopathic doctors (NDs) who specialize in psychiatry are trained in conventional medicine as well as being educated in complementary medicine. They rely on science, and the therapies they recommend are backed by rigorous research.LOOKING FOR THE ROOT CAUSES OF MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
Licensed professionals who practice naturopathic psychiatry look at how a person’s biology, psychology, and spirituality are connected and can contribute to mental health disorders. In addition, they seek out the root causes of psychiatric issues. A naturopathic psychiatrist may explore the following as possible contributors to mental health problems:- Gut health: A condition called leaky gut is associated with mood and anxiety disorders, ADD/ADHD, and even Alzheimer’s disease.
- Adrenal health: The adrenal glands, located above your kidneys, play a vital role in how your body reacts to stress. When stress becomes chronic, a cocktail of harmful chemicals can come with it and can overwhelm your body and contribute to mental health issues.
- Nutritional deficiencies: People with mental health issues are more likely to have deficiencies in key nutrients, and scientific research suggests that nutritional treatment may help prevent, treat, or improve mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, autism, addiction, and eating disorders.
- Exposure to toxins: Environmental toxins impact nearly every aspect of your body and brain and can lead to a wide range of physical and psychiatric symptoms. In terms of mental health and cognitive function, exposure to toxins can increase the risk of depression, ADD/ADHD, brain fog, memory problems and dementia, learning problems, autism, temper outbursts, psychotic behavior, and suicide.
- Inflammation: Research shows that chronic inflammation has been associated with a wide range of mental health problems, including depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, personality disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease
- Hormonal imbalances: When hormones are out of balance you may experience symptoms typically associated with psychiatric illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, moodiness, irritability, and psychosis.
- Infections: Having underlying chronic infections, such as Lyme disease, or having long-haul COVID (also known as COVID-Brain) is linked to many issues typically viewed as psychiatric problems. These include brain fog, attention issues, depression, and more.
- Head trauma: The brain imaging work at Amen Clinics clearly shows that head injuries increase the risk of anxiety, panic disorders, depression, PTSD, ADD/ADHD, substance abuse, personality disorders, aggression, learning problems, and dementia. The problem is that few people, including most naturopathic psychiatrists, know this because the field of psychiatry typically doesn’t look at the organ it treats. At Amen Clinics, naturopathic psychiatrists use functional brain SPECT imaging to identify underlying brain injuries that contribute to mental health disorders.
