Episode 15: What Does the Microbiome Have to do With Treating Anxiety and Depression?

Join us as we discuss a holistic approach to treating anxiety and depression with Dr. Peter Bongiorno. Did you know you can get depressed and anxious from not pooping everyday? Or not getting enough fatty acids and fiber in your diet? As evidenced by the growing research, our current lifestyle, foods we're eating, the stressors we have, the lack of sleep, and the lack of exercise are major causes of mental health issues. 

 

Brain function is directly related to what’s going on in the gut, so when we make improvements to the gut microbiome, sleep, movement routine etc. we see major improvements in mental health and clarity.  

 

Dr. Peter Bongiorno graduated from Bastyr University after completing five years of medical training in naturopathic medicine and acupuncture. He authored Healing Depression: Integrated Naturopathic & Conventional Treatments, the first comprehensive textbook designed to teach physicians how to use the science and art of natural medicine to heal depression. Dr. Bongiorno is vice president of the New York Association of Naturopathic physicians, a member of the American Association for Naturopathic Physicians, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and has a diploma in acupuncture. He helped create the first elective Natural and Integrative Medicine Class at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and regularly guest lectures to medical students about natural medicine and acupuncture. He has been regularly interviewed on national and local television as a natural medicine expert, and writes for national media. He regularly writes articles for the Dr. Oz and Sharecare websites, and as an invited expert blogger at Psychology Today. Dr. Bongiorno is also a major contributor to the third and fourth editions of the Textbook of Natural Medicine.

 

Connect with Dr. Peter Bongiorno:

Website: www.drpeterbongiorno.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peter.bongiorno Book: Put Anxiety Behind You Book: How Come They're Happy and I'm Not?

 

Episode Takeaways:

Holistic approach to managing mental health

Focus on root causes, rather than managing symptoms and patchworking That means spending time listening to patients or applying a comprehensive patient form to study prior to seeing the patient  There are a lot of clues as to what might be causing mental health issues when you ask the right questions 

 

Causes of this mental health epidemic

From 2003 through today, suicide rates alone have skyrocketed, and suicide rates in women especially, have doubled The opioid epidemic is one cause Current lifestyle, foods we're eating, the stressors we have, the lack of sleep, the lack of exercise are more likely the cause Family history plays a small role in this too

 

 Is anxiety the beginning of a snowball effect for mental health?

It certainly can be People will go on for years with anxiety at some level and it basically burns their system out Inflammation tends to go up, nutrients get depleted, the adrenal system doesn't work, people start sleeping poorly, and circadian rhythm gets all out of balance Altogether, these dilapidated functions in the body can wreak havoc on a persons mental health In addition, when we have predispositions to poorly functioning mitochondria, that's also going to play a role in depression

 

How does trauma affect mental health?

Childhood trauma, what they call adverse childhood events can alter your ability to cope with stress, anxiety, depression Prenatal stress, when you're in the womb and your mom's really stressed out, that's going to change the set points of your stress system, too EMDR work and energy healers can help unlock some of the blocks that the brain and body create when there is trauma

 

How brain function relates to the health of the gut microbiome 

Robust research showing the very strong connections between the nervous system in the digestive tract If there's a lot of inflammation in the digestive tract, we'll find a lot of inflammation in the brain How balanced the germs are in the microbiota and the digestive tract will directly affect what is made, and what happens in the brain

 

Fundamentals of mental health when treating a patient

Listen for these top three: One, how often do they poop Two, how is their sleep Three, are they happy at their job and in the household

 

Why do we sleep?

We power down so that the mitochondria, which are those energy packs in our nervous system, can fix themselves and clean themselves up and break down and make new ones So that our system can de-inflame and can detoxify Glutamate is a good neurotoxin but when we don’t sleep and there's too much of it, then it becomes a problem, and it’ll contribute to anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, and more FYI - some of the top drugs to induce sleep are actually very bad for you. Those drugs are shown to increase all mortality by about 300%

Can acupuncture be helpful?

Yes, at least for many people It can help to relax the nervous system, it can help induce balance back in the body,and it can help to induce sleep. All without requiring much from someone The place between your eyes is called the third eye and it is a very powerful meridian that can induce relaxation. You can press on that when you are stressed to get a little relief however acupuncture will have a more profound effect

 

Why is pooping everyday important for mood and mental health?

There is a lot of scientific literature and evidence showing the relationship between  constipation, IBS, or constipation, and higher rates of anxiety and depression Daily movement is important for good motility - There's no way we can get rid of the toxins that our liver is putting out, no way we can balance hormones, and there's no way we can keep the microbiota in balance and keep those germs in balance there if we aren’t moving our bodies Water is also very important for motility - if you don't have enough water, the colon’s job is to extract water from the poop which can lead to constipation Essential fatty acids and fiber are great for the gut and brain as well A few other key things that help working on stress and getting people to either meditate or work on why they're stressed, or get a massage, or do castor oil packs on their stomach, things like that to help bring the circulation back to the digestive tract

 

Connect with Kiran and Dr. Beurkens:

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