Guest blog by: Candace Robertson
Depression doesn’t just hurt the diagnosed individual it causes a painful ripple throughout an entire family all the way down to the grandchildren. Friends and family want to offer support and to fix what ails the one they care for, but we can’t help but feel powerless to save them from that sinking feeling. 
The problem with the treatment of this mood disorder is that if effective treatment is not applied the chances greatly diminish with each new anti-depressant used.
To all depression sufferers, it is well understood that the three main neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine work together, in a healthy brain, to keep mood in a healthy range and stabilize when needed. These chemicals inspire compulsions and memory (serotonin), pleasure and motivation (dopamine), as well as alertness and energy (norepinephrine). It is far more effective to treat more than one defective neurotransmitter because depression usually presents a combination of compulsive negative thoughts, a distinct lack of pleasure from activities and interactions, as well as acute lethargy/difficulty completing tasks, which are all signs of imbalance. Therefore, the pharmaceutical management of only one or two transmitters contributes to too many patients having to complete several rounds of treatment trails in order to find one that is effective for their symptoms. But, research shows that the efficacy of therapy and pharmaceutical treatment diminishes significantly with each try. Now with the completion of investigative studies completed by Ginsberg, et al. and Fava, et al. in 2011 respectively, there is supported proof that the introduction of critical nutrients at its most absorbing state in the blood stream.
For our family members who are suffering, we should be looking into the expanding research and trails on the relationship between diet and illness. All significant processes from DNA synthesis to nutrition absorption after the process of digestion occurs on the cellular level. As stated earlier, the mood disorder known as depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain. However, these medications don’t take into account the genetic, lifestyle, and individualized effect that the disease has on the patient, your family member. Folate is an excellent example of a necessary nutrient that keeps the brain and body functioning at optimum.
L-Methylfolate is the most useful form of folate on the cellular level. It has the ability to assist in the processes of healing the body and coerce its natural stasis of balance. Health and healing of a depressed patient’s emotions occurs when you have the right levels of nutrients such as folate to encourage proper production of the necessary neurotransmitters in combination with traditional psychiatric treatments. You can be your loved one’s health advocate and mention the individual Ginsberg, et al. and Fava, et al. 2011 investigative studies that displayed the benefits of adding an L-Methylfolate medical food such as Deplin ® to anti-depressant treatment in order to regulate Serotonin, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine levels in the brain as a combination therapy. It is all natural and proven productive in the fight against the symptoms of depression, turning sufferers into survivors of this mood disorder.
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