Blog Posts

Can Olive Leaf Extract Help With Depression?

9/25/2019

Could yeast infections impair recovery from mental illness? A case study using micronutrients and olive leaf extract Published in Advances in Mind-Body Medicine Journal suggests this is possible, and is worthy of further study.

Micronutrients in the form of Truehope EMP are increasingly used as treatment, or adjunctive treatment, for psychiatric disorders including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mood disorders, stress, and anxiety. Our proprietary 4 Step Manufacturing Process which formulates the nutrients closer to how nature would provide them, dramatically improves absorption over the standard one-step manufacturing processes.

However the use of micronutrients such as EMP, are only as effective as your ability to absorb them. Poor gut health, especially the presence of yeast infections such as Candida Albicans can mean you’re not absorbing as many of the nutrients from your food and supplements as you might think.

Our investigations have shown us the effectiveness of micronutrient treatments on psychiatric symptoms are diminished when participants experience yeast infections. In this case study the participant was followed systematically for 3 years. An increase in psychiatric symptoms (ADHD and depressive mood) was noted when they became infected with Candida. When Truehope Olive Leaf Extract (OLE) and probiotics were added to their regimen however, symptoms improved.

Olive leaf extract has many benefits (including cardioprotective), but in this case it was the ability to kill Candida and ward off future overgrowth that helped. The active ingredient oleuropein targets various factors that the fungal infection needs to survive and inhibits Candida from growing. The probiotics would further support enhanced intestinal integrity. In turn, the healthier gut will experience improved nutrient absorption.

This case study shows us that micronutrient treatments can be compromised by gastrointestinal infections such as Candida Albicans. This highlights the importance of considering gut health when treating psychiatric disorders with nutrients.

In addition to absorption issues derived from infections, the mechanisms of the gut-brain axis will also have positively influenced the results in this case study. Communication between the gut and the brain works in both directions (from the brain to the gut, and from the gut to the brain). The connection is through the vagus nerve. To optimize your brain health, it is therefore important to optimize your digestive health, and vice versa. This is why if you visit a Holistic Nutritionists or Naturopathic Doctor, they will make it a priority to heal your gut, as a way to improve your mental health.

When taking Truehope EMP, it is worth adding olive leaf extract if you suspect you might have a yeast overgrowth. Truehope OLE is a natural liquid extract directly from the olive leaf, standardized to 17% Oleuropein. The antibacterial, antifungal effects of Oleuropein are well-known and are even thought to help reduce the need for pharmaceutical antibiotics.

Can Vitamins and Minerals Improve Your Mood?

9/18/2019

We are often asked whether vitamins and minerals can really help improve your mood. How can it be possible that something so benign, compared to what a doctor might prescribe, might actually be effective?

It’s easy to forget that what we eat affects our brain. In Canada, we have an increasing reliance on processed and packaged food that certainly help with convenience, but are not full of the vitamins and minerals we need to functional optimally. Plus, our fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses, beans, and animal proteins are not as nutrient dense as they used to be, due to industrialized farming practices.

You can change the way you eat to include the essential nutrients to beat depression and to generally support brain health. You can also explore how amino acids support brain health, ensure you’re getting enough dietary protein, and supplement with Truehope Freeminos.

You can also take Truehope EMP, our micronutrient formula studied for it’s mood-stabilizing effects.
"Life Changing for me!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2XM38yO7_c
Dr. Charles W. Popper MD, psychopharmacologist and psychiatrist at Harvard University’s McLean Hospital reported the results of his clinical experience with Truehope EMP in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Twenty two of his patients (10 adults, 9 adolescents, 3 pre-adolescents) who met the clinical criteria for bipolar disorder took Truehope EMP. Nineteen (86%) responded positively to the micronutrient formula. Fifteen of the patients had been taking medications alongside the Truehope EMP. Eleven (73%) of these patients were able to gradually lower their dosage with the help of Dr Popper, and eventually stop taking their medications. They were stable enough to only take the micronutrient treatment!

There’s a long history of the mineral Lithium being used for its mood stabilizing effects so it’s unsurprising that minerals would have an effect on mental health concerns such as Bipolar Disorder.

How to Ask Someone if They’re OK?

9/11/2019

On average in Canada, 10 people die by suicide every day. Of the approximate 4000 deaths by suicide each year, more than 90% were living with a mental health problem.

With World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, we’re encouraging you to help spread the awareness of suicide prevention. Read our article Suicide Warning Signs You Should Know, then learn the nuances behind asking someone if they’re ok.

Reaching out to family, friends, colleagues and even strangers can dramatically reduce distress. When you offer your support to someone who is struggling to cope, a non-judgemental and compassionate ear can change the course of their life. Listening is a gesture that goes a long way, so take a moment to notice the people around you, and start a conversation when you notice something is different.

Begin by checking in with yourself Make sure you’re in a good mental headspace. Ensure you’re in the right setting, and have enough time in the moment to give to the conversation. Be prepared to practice active listening with no preconceived ideas, and no judgement. Understand that you can’t fix everyone’s problems even if you’d like to, but you can be there for them. Remember the person may not be ready to talk, or may not want to talk about it to you. Be prepared should someone say, “No, I’m not ok”.

How to start the conversation Be yourself! Be friendly and ask if everything is ok, mentioning the changes you may have noticed. For example you might mention to a work colleague, “I’ve noticed you’re quieter than usual and haven’t been coming out for lunch with us lately. Are you doing ok?”.
If they are ok, they’ll appreciate you care enough to ask. If they don’t want to talk, respect that and say you’re always there if they need you. You might also suggest chatting to someone else if you’re not the right person.

Practice active listening Concentrate on fully listening, rather than compiling a reactionary response while they talk. Don’t rush or interrupt them. Don’t judge them for how they’re feeling. Acknowledge that the situation seems tough for them. Be patient and quiet, even as they pause to gather their thoughts. Encourage them to explain more by asking questions like “How does that feel?”, or “How long have you been feeling this way?” Show you’re listening by repeating back to them in your own words what you’ve heard, asking if you’ve understood properly.

Be encouraging Be a friend, and ask how you can be there for them. Ask them if there’s anything enjoyable or relaxing they can do for themselves right now. If they’ve been feeling this way for 2 weeks or more, encourage them to go see a medical professional. You might even offer to help them find the right person to talk to, or to support them by taking them to their appointment.

Remember that as a friend, you can check back in on them. Put a reminder in your calendar to call them every week or two to ask them how things have been going since you last chatted, and again, listen without judgement.

Taking the effort to be there for someone, to show you care with genuine concern can make a real difference in someone’s life and is a simple practice that helps lower the risk of suicide.

Self Compassion as a Path to Emotional Resilience

9/4/2019

Our modern Western culture demands we have high self esteem in order to be healthy and happy. As adults, our professional achievements, salaries, sporting accomplishments, family successes, and vacations all feed into our sense of self worth. Our kids all receive gold stars so that each one can feel proud and special, and everyone's a winner on the soccer pitch.

The need to continually evaluate ourselves positively comes at a high price.
High self esteem is actually based on being special and above average. It requires us to feel like we are better than others. To maintain our achievement-driven self esteem, we are constantly evaluating ourselves compared to others. We even put ourselves down when we don’t meet our own high standards!

Kristin Neff PhD says, “We swing wildly between overly inflated and overly deflated self-esteem, an emotional roller coaster ride whose end result is often insecurity, anxiety and depression.”

Our self esteem is fragile and reliant on our latest success or failure. Self-compassion is the alternative, and is based on being kind to ourselves even when things go wrong. Self-compassion teaches us to say the same kind words to ourselves as we’d say to a friend who was having a hard time. It teaches us to be mindful of the cold, critical inner voice telling us we’re not good enough, the voice that insists we push through even when exhausted, that chastises us for not looking like the ideal, that tells us we should be farther ahead in life.

Self-compassion recognizes that as humans we are imperfect and that we all struggle at times, and are all connected by our common humanity. When we practice self-compassion, we don’t need to see ourselves as better than others to feel good about ourselves. We also don’t need to have special traits such as being fit, smart, pretty, slim, talented, or wealthy in order to feel worthy of being kind to yourself.

When you practice self compassion, you don’t need to hide your imperfections, mistakes, or failures. You learn that you have weak points just like everyone else, and it’s ok to be kind to yourself regardless. You can practice this by imagining what you might say to a loved one in your situation, then say it to yourself. You might even write a letter to yourself if that’s easier. Here’s how you can get started, using an example of being stuck in traffic:

- Notice you’re struggling. Acknowledge it and name it. “Wow, I’m really having a hard time with this! I’m so frustrated that I might be late for work!”

- Recognize the common humanity in this situation. In other words, you’re not alone; everyone struggles at times. “Nothing in life is perfect and we all have hard times. I’m certainly not the only one on the road today feeling the time crunch in all this traffic!”

- Be kind to yourself by saying what you might say to a friend in this situation. “I really didn’t give myself enough time this morning to get past all this new road construction! I made a mistake, and that’s ok. While it’s going to make me late, there’s nothing I can do about it right now. There’s no point in getting stressed about it, or getting angry at the other drivers. I’ll let work know, then turn on the radio and enjoy the extra time I have to listen to some music. That way I can arrive at work calm, in a good mood, and catch up on the time I missed.”

It might seem contrived and unnatural at first to speak kindly to yourself, but give it time. When we were young, we were taught to be kind to others, but not how to be kind to ourselves. Consider it a new skill that will take time and mindfulness to develop.

“Research indicates that in comparison to self-esteem, self-compassion is associated with greater emotional resilience, more accurate self-concepts, more caring relationship behaviour, as well as less narcissism and reactive anger.” Kirstin Neff

Practicing self-compassion allows us to see ourselves for who we really are and teaches us how to be kind to ourselves, whatever our failures. It allows us to detach from our achievements, appearance, income, social standing - things our self-esteem thrives on - and to be happy just as we are, right now.

This is a big topic. If you’re interested in learning more we recommend the books “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself” by Kristin Neff, and “The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions” by Christopher Germer.

Author

We want to provide nothing but the highest quality information and advice for our followers to improve their health, which is why at Truehope Canada, we're happy to say our writer is a Certified Life Coach and Registered Holistic Nutritionist.
We know, we're excited about this too!

Categories

Previous Posts

April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018