What If It's NOT Depression? Podcast Achina Stein

Often, people come to find me because they have been on the medication merry-go-round and haven’t gotten better or don’t tolerate medication side effects. From time to time, I do include amino acids in my treatment plans, but I don’t specifically call it that.Amino acid therapy is not appropriate to use if you are taking psychotropics unless you are working with a trained professional. However if you have mild to moderate mood or anxiety symptoms, amino acids are very helpful to take in the interim to buy you time to find root causes of your symptoms especially if you have trouble digesting protein. I’ve asked Laurie Hammer to talk about these “nutrients” specifically as a form of therapy. Laurie is a Functional Nutritional Therapist and Neuro-Nutrient Specialist who has a passion for helping clients with brain toxicity, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and related auto-immune conditions.

She’s had her own health journey and discovered that one didn't have to live with "depression and anxiety.”

We discussed: 


The top five amino acids for your brain
Which amino acids most people are deficient
How to find out which amino acids you are deficient


When your brain is physically balanced, the emotional and spiritual aspects of life fall into place. Then you can live in a place of joy!



Here is how to find her:


website: lauriehammer.com 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecalmmomcommunity/, 
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2yYNVnRQtakHbIjTK8nQVJ?si=YGzmZJrdRMiyOy7genv90Q&nd=1&dlsi=767b359cbd974ff9

Dr. Barrett is back for a second episode about Migraines!  She did an interview with me about two years ago AND NOW has new information to share!Did you know that migraine is the #1 cause of disability in women under 50? New science and technology is allowing us to find and fix the hidden causes of headaches rather than simply masking the pain with headache pills.Dr. Barrett’s work has been featured in publications like Womens World and Business Insider. She did a TEDx Talk in 2023 about the limitations of prescription medications and what we have learned about the hidden causes of headaches. She envisions a world where people actually recover from headaches, rather than just cover them up with a pill.Dr. Barrett trained at Stanford, is a Board certified neurologist, a functional medicine practitioner, and a yoga and meditation teacher.She is the founder of Migraine Relief Code, which offers online courses to teach headache sufferers how to use new tools like genetic testing and wearable health devices to help them relieve pain and get back to the lives they love. We discussed: 


What the turning point was for her to find other tools to resolve headaches
Wearable health devices can give you priceless information about what's going on in your body
How chronic illness causes chronic stress on the body, and that has to be treated along with the illness



She offers a FREE migraine class at migraineclass.com and a FREE quiz at theheadachequiz.com. You can find her at:



Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/migrainereliefcode⁠ 
Instagram: ⁠@ameliascottbarrettmd⁠ 
Website: ⁠ameliascottbarrettmd.com⁠

We haven't talked about genetics in quite sometime. The technology around genetics, nutrigenomics testing, and the knowledge base around epigenetics has sky-rocketed over the past 10 years. We no longer need to do the 23&me and filter the raw data through different programs for interpretation. Dr. Chrissie took her health and her children's health into her own hands when the medical system failed them. She almost lost both of her children in the span of a few weeks. Her health declined rapidly and was bedridden. She says it was functional medicine and nutrition that saved her - not the dozens of medications that were prescribed. They might work for some people but not everyone. Dr. Chrissie Williamson's Nutritional Genomics Institute (NGI) and its innovative OmicsDx Genome Panels are reshaping our approach to healthcare and nutrition, recognizing the absence of a one-size-fits-all solution. Through groundbreaking research and personalized genomic analysis, NGI empowers patients to understand how their unique genetics, biochemistry, mindset, and risks influence their health. With a focus on sustainable, personalized lifestyle changes, NGI is at the forefront of emerging technology and medicine, empowering patients to take control of their health destiny.Dr. Chrissie, a nationally recognized Certified Nutritional Specialist (CNS) and Licensed Dietician/Nutritionist in Maryland, earned her DCN (summa cum laude) from MUIH and her master's degree (summa cum laude) in human nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. Based in Richmond, Virginia, she envisioned integrating a primary care physician's office with genomic, phenomic, and functional medicine specialists, seamlessly blending with laboratory data and appointments, and brought this vision to life at GenMedx.We discussed:


The most common missed diagnoses of depression 
What cofactors are needed for the different types of depression
The biochemistry of depression and anxiety
What donors are and how are they related to stress


Let her know that you watched this video and she will provide a Free Genome Kit after the Initial Appointment.

You can find her at:


https://www.nutritionalgenomicsinstitute.com/ 


https://www.ngigenmedx.com/

She is brilliant and answered a question that I have been wondering about for years!

Being a woman can be tough sometimes. We are emotional beings, and because of this, our “complaints” can be dismissed as being emotional, overreacting, and even “PMSing.” However, some people have such severe symptoms, that they are given a diagnosis of a major mental health disorder and handed a prescription for an antidepressant. Yes, there is research that shows that Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder can be treated with an antidepressant. Some women benefit from this, but the medication is solely suppressing the symptoms and not actually correcting the problem. Medication is a great temporary fix, but one must take it long-term. Wouldn’t you want to just fix the problem in the meantime and taper off the medication?

I had several patients who’ve been on this merry-go-round of medication and even been admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit because they were told it was “all in their head” – a new psychiatric disorder. These patients have gotten better with cleaning up their diet, detoxing their bodies, regulating their bodily rhythms, learning how to manage stress, and taking supplements to balance their hormones. Some people need to go the extra mile and take bio-identical hormones.

We can never have too many podcast episodes about hormones. Take from Dr. Jen who will tell you somethings about Skinny PCOS and infertility in today’s episode called You Are Not Crazy! It’s Your Hormones.We discussed:


Post-partum sxs including depression
How do you know if you are in peri-menopause? What are the early signs?
Why you’re suddenly gaining weight though you are doing everything right?
An easy replacement for meditation if it’s not for you?
One modality to balance hormones other than supplements or BHRT

Jennifer Roelands, MD, is double-boarded in integrative medicine and OB/GYN. She completed her residency at Duke University and her integrative training through Andrew Weil Integrative Medicine Center. She is the founder and SHEO of Precision Health MD, which provides comprehensive health care by combining the best evidence-based therapies from conventional, naturopathic, and holistic medicine.

Her areas of expertise include women's health, including PCOS and menopause, gut health, and longevity medicine, focusing on metabolic health. She employs various therapeutic modalities such as nutrition, lifestyle modification, nutrient IV therapy, botanical medicine, and hormone replacement therapy.

Not only is she practicing clinical medicine, but she also serves as a medical advisor/consultant to companies such as GSK, Pureance, and Pario Health. And is a speaker and podcast host of Ignite Your PowHer.
I know I said in the interview that she would share the Metabolic Health Guide, but thought this was even better! Check out the Perimenopause/Menopause Quiz here: https://precisionhealthmdoc.com/perimenopause-menopause-quiz/

You can find her at her website: precisionhealthmdoc.com and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/drjen.md/

I am sure if you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve heard me talking about cortisol and the stress response. As I’ve been doing this work with people we usually start with food, do some testing to address the gut, find those nutrients that are missing and replacing them, and removing toxins. However, if you are in fight-flight with surges of cortisol in your body, you won’t get well. This might be an area of focus if you find yourself spinning your wheels. Your body heals when you are in parasympathetic mode – the rest and digest mode.

That’s where Dr. Pingel comes in…

Dr. Pingel, a licensed naturopathic physician, is known as the Adrenal Whisperer. She has dedicated nearly 15 years of her career as an adrenal and stress expert.

She helps women go from Wired and Tired to Calm and Connected so that they can truly enjoy their life with Energy & Authenticity. Dr. Pingel has appeared on nearly a dozen TV shows including: The Dr. Axe Show, Ask the Expert with JJ Virgin, and many others. She has contributed to many publications, most notably: Mind Body Green, Prevention Magazine, Yoga Journal, and more.

She is the author of the Best-Selling Book, Total Health Turnaround, and the creator of many online health programs: The Total Energy Turnaround, 30-day Total Health Turnaround, 7-Day Ultimate Detox, and 30-day Walking for Weight Loss. Dr. Tricia Pingel, NMD

We talked about:
✅ What adrenal stress is
✅ How adrenal stress causes depression and anxiety
✅ How we have adapted to stress
✅ How stress is connected to major health conditions in our society

She is happy to share a free cookbook called THE TOTAL HEALTH FAMILY COOKBOOK filled with nutritious recipes that help replenish nutrients lost to stress.

If you want to learn more about Dr. Pingel, check her out at her website, Instagram, and Facebook account:
✅ http://www.drpingel.com
✅ Instagram: @drpingel
✅ Facebook: Dr. Tricia Pingel

It’s nice to find a person in the integrative/holistic/functional medicine world who not only treats mental health issues but has literally lived the experience to tell it. She doesn’t just talk the talk; she has walked the walk. She helps others on their journey as well. Dr. Christina Bjorndal, ND brings her lived experience with depression (suicide survivor), anxiety, bulimia, and bipolar disorder type 1 (psychosis survivor) as well as her clinical training as a naturopathic doctor, along with her additional training in mind, body medicine when striving to address patients’ mental health concerns. Having overcome many mental health challenges, Dr. Chris is a gifted speaker and best-selling author who has shared her wellness philosophy with platforms such as Mariel Hemingway’s Out Comes the Sun show, the Jenny McCarthy show, the International Bipolar Foundation, and many health summits and docuseries. She is recognized as a top ND to be followed by two independent organizations. I love the title of her book “Beyond the Label” because so many people believe that having a diagnosis solves everything. The label gives some comfort that there is a name to it,  that it exists in others, that there are medications for it and research about it.  That’s about it. Her book is a comprehensive guide to naturopathic mental health to go beyond that label. It is excellent because she has been able to come from the depths of severe mental illness which many integrative or functional doctors don’t think is possible. She has written a total of four books on mental health as well as created two courses.  We discussed:


Her story of regaining her mental health
The 4 foundations of health that are important to address in patients' overall health
How to support the physical level of health when addressing mental health
How to trust your intuition/heart

Here is the free guide for The 4R Tool for Working with Difficult Thoughts.You can find her at her website - https://christina-bjorndal.mykajabi.com/She is a beacon of hope for many people. Enjoy!