It is critical to understand that human beings can improve the health of the brain through natural, mental, behavioral, and nutritional remedies. Throughout this blog, you will find posts regarding numerous effective methods to improve the health of your brain without medication.
There is a theory that the concept of a chemical imbalance in the brain was created by the pharmaceutical industry. They want us to believe that when we are diagnosed with mental illness, the only solution is medication. In actuality, the neurotransmitters in the brain may function less effectively when someone becomes ill, mentally, or emotionally. Neurotransmitters travel around in the brain kind of like little highways with bridges that open for ships to pass through. There are times when the neurotransmitters may try to traverse that space which is open (kind of like a draw bridge) but they don’t make it to the other side and may pool in the space in between. It is also possible for too many to traverse, where one may need more in the space between. There are numerous ways the neurotransmitters need to function that can get derailed during a mental health crisis.
Another piece of the puzzle are the neurons, how many, how few, and how healthy. Research has shown that when people experience a period of anxiety, depression, or mania, the neurons in the brain literally die back, like flowers going dormant in the winter. When we exercise, simple walking will do the job, for 45-minutes per day, within six weeks, more neurons are visible on an MRI.
Research actually shows that these tools, if used correctly, work as or more effectively than medication. Often, the research on the use of medication is aimed at acute mental illness, meaning short duration during difficult times. Rarely, medication is researched for long-term use.
When someone suffers from mood instability or anxiety, cognitive issues are often a result. In depression, thoughts become unreliable. Intelligent people can trap themselves in seemingly rational, yet negative corners. Their thoughts are irrational but they believe the thoughts are factual. In mania, thoughts become either too fast or bounce around a lot. People can have thoughts that encourage them to do exciting but potentially dangerous things. During the episode, these may seem like great ideas. Thoughts can become derailed during a psychotic disorder, traversing onto disconnected, difficult to follow tangents. So, thinking problems can be caused by illness, but be careful to accept the chemical imbalance theory as many times a healthy lifestyle can correct these problems.