Healing Mental Health Disorders

Are you tired of struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, difficulty focusing, OCD, addiction, or another mental health concern and only being offered pharmaceutical options that simply suppresses how you are feeling? Are your thoughts and feelings governing your life, making you functionally incapable of maintaining the tasks of daily living? Do psych medications leave you feeling numb, fatigued, and disconnected?

At Aspen Integrative Medical Center we approach mental health concerns very differently. Our physicians are uniquely trained to identify the underlying causes of your imbalance and offer natural treatment options to help you feel better. If you are suffering from a mental health concern, you aren’t alone and we are here to help. Please give us a call at 928-213-5828.

If you or someone you know is having feelings or thoughts of worthlessness, a desire to self harm, please know help is only a phone call away at 1-800-273-8255 (National Suicide Prevention Hotline).

1 in 5 people have experienced a diagnosable mental health condition, but those numbers are likely conservative when you consider socioeconomic, ethnic, and other social variables that contribute to whether an individual is able to, or chooses to seek, mental health assistance in the first place. The prevalence of substance abuse and mental health concerns has boomed during the Covid-19 quarantine. Now 4 in 10 people report struggling with anxiety and/or depression.

Mental health disorders are conditions that affect a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, or behavior. These disorders can vary widely in severity and impact, ranging from relatively mild and manageable to severe and debilitating. Some common symptoms include anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), difficulty concentrating (ADHD/ADD), irritability, anger, addiction, eating disorders, and substance use. It’s important to note that mental health disorders can present differently for each person. For example every person’s anxiety is unique to them. Unique to their upbringing, experiences, biochemistry, and so forth. Because each person is unique treatment must be individualized to be effective.

Mental health disorders can cause secondary symptoms such as chronic fatigue, lethargy, low appetite, difficulty sleeping, and social isolation.

Mental health disorders can arise from a complex interplay of various factors, including:

1. Poor Diet: Eating a highly inflammatory diet (fried, processed foods) will disrupt the gut microbiome and cause systemic inflammation leading to abnormal mood control. Diets high in sugar and low in fiber/fat/protein will cause unstable changes in blood sugar levels further adding to fatigue, depression, anxiety, and irritability.
2. Lack of Exercise: Having a very sedentary lifestyle and not enough exercise will exacerbate mental health disorders. Exercise will release endorphins and other chemicals that will improve mood and overall sense of well-being.
3. Gastrointestinal Disorders: The gut is considered the “second brain” because of it’s connection to the nervous system through the vagus nerve and a majority of neurotransmitters are produced in the gut. For example did you know 95% of serotonin is made in the intestine? Improving the gut microbiome and resolving any imbalance (fungal overgrowth, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) can have dramatic effects on a person’s mental health.
4. Genetic Factors: At Aspen we frequently run genetic mental health wellness reports to determine if there are underlying genetic mutations contributing to your mental health concern. Some mental health disorders have a hereditary component, meaning they can run in families. Certain genetic variations may increase the risk of developing a particular disorder.
5. Abnormal Neurotransmitter Levels and Brain Structure: Imbalances in neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that help transmit signals in the brain, can contribute to mental health disorders. Additionally, abnormalities in brain structure or function may also play a role in some disorders.
6. Nutrient Deficiencies: Lacking key nutrients such as vitamin D, b vitamins, magnesium, and essential fatty acids can contribute to biochemical dysregulation. While food is the best medicine, supplemental vitamins and minerals is often needed to bolster nutrient levels.
7. Environmental Toxins: Mold toxicity and exposure to other environmental toxins such as glyphosate, heavy metals, etc can contribute to chronic stress and other mental health concerns.
8. Adverse Experiences and Trauma: Adverse experiences during childhood, such concussions, trauma, PTSD, abuse, neglect, or significant stress, can increase the risk of developing mental health disorders later in life.
9. Chronic Infectious Disease: Whether it is the persistence of a pathogen or imprint on the pathogen on the immune system and hormonal system, you can have mental health symptoms due to an infection. For example, Long Covid-19 is causing a variety of mental health symptoms including depression, fatigue, and anxiety. it is also common for pediatric OCD symptoms to be caused by Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus (PANDAS) or Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). Certain chronic infections like Borrelia (Lyme disease) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) must be ruled out as well.
10. Biological Factors: Physical illness, injury (concussions), or changes in hormones can sometimes trigger or exacerbate mental health symptoms. For example, certain medical conditions like thyroid disorders, adrenal insufficiency, or neurological diseases can affect mental health.
11. Psychological Factors: Individual differences in coping skills, resilience, and temperament can influence susceptibility to mental health disorders. Additionally, underlying psychological issues such as low self-esteem, negative thought patterns, or maladaptive coping strategies may contribute to the development of certain disorders.
12. Social and Cultural Factors: Socioeconomic status, access to resources, cultural beliefs, and social support networks can all impact mental health. Discrimination, stigma, and social isolation can also contribute to the development or exacerbation of mental health disorders.

It’s essential to recognize that mental health disorders often result from a combination of these factors, rather than any single cause. It takes a skilled practitioner to decide which of the factors must be addressed first. Additionally, not everyone with risk factors will develop a disorder, and individuals may respond differently to similar experiences or stressors. Early intervention, effective treatment, and support can help individuals manage and recover from mental health disorders.

Treatment involves diverse strategies to restore optimal function and balance. It’s important for these plans to be personalized and flexible as what works for one person may not work for another.

Lab testing and assessment helps us:

1.) Identify the underlying causes => Is it abnormal neurotransmitter levels, nutrient deficiency, chronic infection, gut dysbiosis, poor lifestyle, genetic factors, toxins, trauma? 2.) Create precise treatment plans specific to the patient

Collaboration between the individual, health professionals, and other supportive individuals is also key to developing an effective treatment approach. Regular monitoring and adjustments to the treatment plan may also be necessary to ensure ongoing progress and well-being.

Some common treatment modalities we use for improving mental health:

1. Lifestyle Changes: Adopting healthy lifestyle habits can support overall well-being and complement other treatments. This may include regular exercise, balanced nutrition, improving sleep, stress management techniques (such as mindfulness or relaxation exercises), and avoiding substances like drugs and alcohol.
2. Botanical Medicine: Complex, integrative herbal formulas can have numerous health benefits including calming the nervous system (stimulating the vagus nerve), improving hormonal levels (adaptogens), supporting neurotransmitter health, repairing gut:brain axis, and uplifting the mind and spirit.
3. Acupuncture: Especially helpful for promoting relaxation and improved overall sense of well-being.
4. Craniosacral therapy: Gentle hands on touch that allows the body to shift into a parasympathetic state. Also acts as somatic therapy working to release stored emotions from the tissues.
5. Stress Reduction: Mindfulness, meditation, etc. can promote relaxation, self-awareness, and emotional expression.
6. Neurofeedback: Involves gentle brain stimulation to help rewire and normalize brain waves. It is a safe, effective, and non-invasive treatment that helps down regulate or upregulate certain areas of the brain depending on your symptoms.
7. Detoxification: Gentle detox is typically the best place to start with fiber, water, meditation, and exercise.
8. Peer and Family Support: Involving supportive friends, family members, or caregivers in the treatment process can enhance outcomes. Education and support for family members can improve understanding and communication, leading to a more supportive environment for recovery.
9. Psychotherapy: Also known as talk therapy, psychotherapy involves meeting with a trained therapist to explore thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Different types of psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), or interpersonal therapy, may be used depending on the nature of the disorder and the individual’s preferences.
10. Homeopathy: homeopathy is the most popular form of medicine in Germany and different parts of Europe. Homeopathic remedies are dilutions of original substances such as minerals, plants and animals. We are able to match a patient’s symptoms to a VERY specific medicine. The premise of homeopathy is ‘like treats like’, therefore we match a patient’s specific mental health symptoms and match them with training and detail to a specific homeopathic remedy. When taken, the remedy helps to shift the body on an energetic and physical level back to balance by introducing the similar substance. It is safe to use along with psychiatric medications and is extremely affordable. It is safe for patients of all ages including infants to the elderly.
11. Medication: If unresponsive to natural medicine and lifestyle changes, medication can help alleviate symptoms of mental health disorders. Psychiatric medications such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, or anti-anxiety medications may be prescribed by a psychiatrist or other healthcare provider.