This morning I got up early so that I could go for a short hike in the redwoods before facing the masses at Costco. I had been feeling kind of blue the night before, as all of the kiddos were at sleepovers, and I was by myself in the house at night for the first time in almost 3 months.
My mood started lifting on the drive to Wunderlich County Park. I parked, put on my hiking boots and began my climb up the hill to my favorite spot, Alambique Flats.
I said hello to the horses in the corrals, waiting for the day’s riders, stood for a moment at an ancient majestic tree, and watched for deer. It wasn’t until I was sitting on the bench in the Flats listening to the creek that I realized something new about why I love hiking and being out in nature so much.
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I’m super excited to announce that the Oasis Wellness Podcast Series has been born. The first podcast will be going live on Thursday morning. Our guest for the inaugural podcast is none other than my colleague and mentor, Gerald Roliz, certified nutrition consultant and author of The Pharmaceutical Myth. You definitely want to hear this podcast.
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We all know someone whose life has been touched by depression in the forms of major depression disorder, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder. Depression is the leading cause of disability both internationally and here in the U.S.
According to a 2011 article (http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/astounding-increase-in-antidepressant-use-by-americans-201110203624 ) from Harvard University, anti-depressant use in the United States QUADRUPLED between 1994 and 2008. 10% of Americans are now taking some type of anti-depressant medication, spending at least $11 BILLION per year.
And yet, even the American Psychological Association acknowledges that at least half of the people on anti-depressants don’t benefit from the drugs but rather the placebo effect. Many drugs have blackbox warnings because they cause suicide, one of the very outcomes they are supposed to prevent.
There is something very wrong here.
The reality is, depression is not a Prozac (or Zoloft or Lexapro) deficiency. New research is coming out every day that mental health disorders almost always take their root from some type of nutritional deficiency and/or inflammatory condition, whether in the brain itself, in the digestive system, or elsewhere in the body.
But don’t take my word for it. In a new series called the Depression Sessions, my friend and esteemed colleague, Sean Croxton at Underground Wellness, has put together 22 interviews of some of the leading experts in depression, nutrition and mental health. These FREE sessions are not to be missed.
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