The After Effects of Mental Trauma: Contemplating Robin Williams II

On my
homepage, I discussed the recent untimely demise of a beloved actor, comedian,
humanitarian, and genuine human being, Robin Williams.

Many are
not aware of my absolute obsession of the film Patch Adams or how Robin’s portrayal in Dead Poet’s Society was my father’s gift to me to encourage me to
follow my dreams on “the path less chosen” in my approach to holistic
healthcare.

With all
the lingering emotional impact of Robin William’s death, many are attempting to
find solutions and causes as to why such a tragedy occurred. As mentioned in
part I of this blog topic, the answer does not lie in a narrow-sighted
viewpoint of fixing one biochemical pathway. Rather, all the other factors that
come into play for an individual should be considered.

In regard
to mental health, the first step for any practitioner should be to evaluate if
any underlying disorder is causing the brain to misfire. For example, all of
the following should be considered when one is experiencing a mood disorder:

·thyroid
and hormonal imbalances

·gut
dysfunction

·environmental
toxins

·microbial
overload (including Lyme disease)

·nutrient
deficiencies

·chronic
inflammation

·genetic
predispositions

·lifestyle
factors (stress, movement, relaxation)

·social
support and relationships

·beliefs
in health and spirituality

·neurological
issues

·dietary
factors and food triggers (see part one)

Below are
some additional tools for addressing underlying causes of emotional imbalances
or neurological issues:

1. Coping
Mechanisms for Trauma and Stress

Our society
thrives on the “more is better” and the “if you’re not stressed and busy, you
aren’t working hard (or are good) enough” mentality. Therefore, resources such as mind-body
medicine, EFT, and emotional support are vital for a brain to remain
functioning and responsive verses reactive and operating from its
emotional-limbic brain. Long-term stress on the brain can negatively impact memory,
emotions, and hormones. In fact, UC of Berkley News Center recently reported:

University of California, Berkeley,
researchers have shown that chronic stress generates long-term changes in the
brain that may explain why people suffering chronic stress are prone to mental
problems such as anxiety and mood disorders later in life. Their findings could
lead to new therapies to reduce the risk of developing mental illness after
stressful events. (2)

2. Looking
Into the Brain

Psychiatry
is the only specialty of medicine that doesn’t look at the organ they are
treating before they prescribe. However, Dr Amen is a neuroscientist and
psychiatrist that will. He uses a type of brain imaging technique, SPECT
imagery, to determine brain functioning which can diagnose over activity or
under activity in certain regions of the brain. By visualizing areas of
disturbances, specific recommendations can be made to balance out and correct them.
(3)

3. The
Gut-Brain-Gluten Connection

Our gut is
responsible for making the majority of serotonin in our body, modulating chemical
signaling of inflammation, and assisting with detoxifying, digestion, assimilation,
and absorption. Therefore, it plays a key role in how we feel.

This means
that if one is eating a food which triggers a systemic inflammatory response,
mood issues can result. Dr. O’Bryan sent
out an E-blast documenting how gluten plays a role in neurological imbalances,
psychiatric disorders, and Parkinson’s disease. I’ve listed these references
below. (4-7)

4. Genetic Predispositions

Next week,
I’ll be discussing in more detail how exposure prenatally to toxins can affect
a child’s brain development.

Several variants
in enzyme pathways that we are born with can also play a part in detoxification,
brain health, and resulting mood. Specifically,
single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPS) can affect body and mental health by
modulating the ability to make neurotransmitters, detoxify, and support the
immune system.

HOWEVER,
just because a SNP is found in one pathway doesn’t mean that a nutrient or
intervention should be used blindly to support it. This is because other SNPs could also be and
need to be considered in conjunction with all others. Examples of SNPs related
to brain function include methylation defects, impaired creatine synthesis,
impaired cystathionine synthesis (CBS SNP), and methyltransferase SNPs. It’s
also important to note that environmental factors such as diet, stress
modulation, and toxic exposure will determine how much of an effect these SNPs
have on symptoms.

One should
be especially cautious with those displaying severe mental issues, according to
Dr. Walsh. For example, many are supporting methylation defects by
supplementing with natural forms of folic acid. In some instances, this can be
used without much negative effects, as in autism cases. However, for people who
have methylation defects and have severe psychiatric issues, folic acid can
affect serotonin, norephinephrine, and dopamine transporters and cause more
mental imbalances, even in the presence of a methylation SNP.

I was
exposed to Dr. Walsh a few years ago and recently listened to a 75 minute
presentation by him. (8) I was mesmerized by this truly individualized and
detailed approach. In it, Dr. Walsh
summarized the common factors in his research for mental disorders which
include:

·Zinc
deficiency

·Copper
overload

·Methylation
disorder

oOver
methylation as a result of disorders of SAMe metabolism

·Folate
metabolism disorder

·Pyrolle
disorder (inability to metabolize pyrolle- zinc and B6 are needed)

·Toxic-Metal
Overload

·Fatty
Acid Deficiency (9)

Dr. Walsh’s
Institute is another resource that I refer to as needed for extreme mental
disorders. He is able to “peer into the
brain” with a client history and blood and urine markers. (10)

Back From Ork to Robin

It may be
helpful to suppress symptoms in an acute trauma or an overwhelming response to
a chronic disease; however, this approach used long term could backfire if the
cause is ignored. It is important to
individualize our approach. This is especially true if a medication is used to
affect methylation and serotonin transport that is improperly prescribed in the
mentally ill.

Next week I’ll
discuss the topic of: Toxic Guts, Toxic Foods, Toxic (Kid) Vitamins, and Our
Brain Health. I’ll also provide solutions on how to empower your body and brain
to stay healthy and vital from baby to baby boomer!

Sources:

1.Ortner,
N. Thoughts of Robin Williams.thetappingsolution.com. August 14, 2014.
http://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/robin-williams/

2. Sanders, R. New evidence that
chronic stress predisposes brain to mental illness. UC Berkley News Center.
February 11, 2014

3. The Amen Clinics: amenclinics.com
4. Transglutaminase 2 exacerbates α-synuclein toxicity in mice and yeast.
FASEB J. 2014 Jun 26. pii:
fj.14-251413. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:
24970392

4. Blockade of enzyme activity inhibits
tissue transglutaminase-mediated transamidation of α-synuclein in a cellular
model of Parkinson’s disease. Neurochem
Int. 2011 Jun;58(7):785-93. doi: 10.1016/j.neuint.2011.03.004. Epub 2011 Mar 31

5. Coeliac disease: noncoeliac gluten
sensitivity–food for thought. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014
Jul;11(7):398-9. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2014.91. Epub 2014 Jun 17.

6. Gluten Sensitivity Presenting as a
Neuropsychiatric Disorder. Gastroenterol Res Pract. 2014; 2014: 293206. Published online Feb 12, 2014. doi:
10.1155/2014/293206.

7. Klein, S. Parkinson’s Disease And
Depression Can Make Each Other Worse. The Huffington Post. August 14, 2014.

8. “The Role of Methylation and
Epigenetics in Brain Disorders” presented by William J. Walsh, PhD, August
13, 2014.

9. Walsh Research Institute. http://www.walshinstitute.org/the-walsh-approach1.html