World Mental Health Day: Tips from Dr. Bob DeMaria

World Mental Health Day: Tips from Dr. Bob DeMaria

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, and one of the best resources for a holistic approach is: "Dr. Bob's Drugless Guide to Mental Health." 

Since its release, this book has helped thousands of patients from all over the world, and in the video above, Dr. Bob shares some additional thoughts that are also paraphrased below, with links to additional resources. 

Excerpt from video: 

“I've been practicing since 1978 and I really have never seen as much anxiety and depression as what I am seeing right now. 

I was born in 1954, post-World War II. I lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis. People actually came to my house to build a bomb shelter. Could you imagine right now people going around thinking about creating bomb shelters? And of course, I lived through the Vietnam War. I had a draft number. I could have got drafted and had to go to the Service. So I've had a lot of stress in my personal life. And I could go on with it, just as I'm sure many of you could tell me the stories that have gone on with you. 

But back in the 1970s and '80s, I started to learn about mental health. Hence, I wrote my first book, "Dr. Bob's Guide To Stop ADHD in 18 Days". I got a lot of flack from those 18 days, because everybody thought I was being really arrogant, that I could magically cure ADHD in 18 days. It wasn't about me, it was about physiology. 

That's what I've been so fortunate to learn this. I have a degree in human biology. I used to teach human dissection. So I've really put my hands literally, into the subject of human function. So in the late '70s and early '80s, I learned about oil. You need oil for your brain. It's called DHA. If you're depressed right now, it's possible you have a low amount of DHA. We actually have a blood test. See, I didn't have a blood test back in the 2000s to be able to do this. But today, you could literally go to a lab, we use Labcorp, and have your omega blood tests checked. 

If you have depression, I'm going to tell you right now, you don't have to throw the dice to figure out what you need. If your DHA is low, that's like having an engine that's pinging, because it does not have enough oil in it. If you're a female, postpartum depression is an oil issue. A lot of times people don't realize, but young boys and men need more oil than ladies do. It's DHA. So DHA, I talk about in the book the very first chapter. It is a long-chain fat for your brain.. That's number one. You have to have good oil for your brain. And, you know, a lot of you are going to fast food restaurants, and franchise restaurants and you're eating food that you know you really are not empowering your body to be healthy. So good oil, is number one. 

Many of you also have anxiety. For whatever reason, anxiety patients for us are very hard to satisfy, because they always have something going on a million miles an hour in their brain. Most of the time you need B vitamins. Do you cry easily? Do mosquitoes like you? Do you have noise sensitivity? Does your blood pressure drop from a sit to a stand position? You need B vitamins. We use a product from Biotics called Bio-B 100s and then we have a B complex. We have two of them. The Bio-B Complex is a little bit more potent than the Bio-B 100s. Some of you, just a B vitamin alone will make a difference. So let's transition. (Contact us for nutrition)

When your body starts making this long-chain fat called DHA, it has to have co-factors. Co-factors are zinc, B6, magnesium. If you're eating sugar, and you have large pores on your face and white spots on your nails, you need zinc. You can get zinc from pumpkin seeds. But zinc is an important factor for optimal brain fat function. So a lot of you are having depression and anxiety, because you're not feeding your body right. You need to feed your body right. And if you don't, I told you all those stresses that I had in my life and I can go on with more. I have no depression and no anxiety. Well, Dr. Bob, you're lucky. It's not luck. I woke up at 4:25 this morning, and rode my bike for 15 miles. And I was born in 1954, so you do the math to figure out how old I am. So you need to create plans. So zinc was another. You already talked about B vitamins. Some of you could have some anxiety, and depression and mental challenges, because you don't have enough vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is deficient in those of you who have chosen to be plant eaters or vegetarians. 

If you want to be a plant eater, vegetarian. I, you know, that's good. I empower you for that. But, you're going to need to get some B12 in your body. 

Here are some easy, just things to do right now, because I could go on for hours talking about this: 

- You want to be in bed by 10 o'clock at night. Those hours before midnight are important for your adrenal glands. You want to carve out time to exercise every day. When I started this whole exercise, I used to get up at a quarter to seven in the morning. I was not exercising. So you have to carve time out. 

- You want to drink more water. I know it sounds simple, but I was just talking to Dr. Casen today, and people who don't drink enough water, don't have enough energy. 

- You may consider adding a B vitamin. 

- You may consider doing the Omega Test. 

In this book I talk about emotions, and health and mental health. So I want you to know this. Anger is a liver issue. Bitterness is a gallbladder issue. Sadness can impact your lungs. The spleen, which is very important for your immune system, is anxiety and worry. 

Did you hear what I just said? The spleen, which is very important for your immune system, is anxiety and worry. The kidneys are fear. So what I want you to know right now, you can make some changes. Of course, if you're on any medication, I'm not here to take you off the medication. You may consider having a consultation. I'm here to help make a difference in your life. Today, is a mental health day. And I want you to feel more empowered that you can control your future. I'm Dr. Bob DeMaria.” 

Links to “Dr. Bob’s Drugless Guide to Mental Health” 

Soft Cover 

Kindle 

Individual Chapters

Helping Depression, Anxiety, and Memory Loss Naturally - Mental Health Tips

Helping Depression, Anxiety, and Memory Loss Naturally - Mental Health Tips

Hi Everyone!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and below is the transcript of Dr. Anthony and Dr. Bob’s discussion on mental health, and more specifically, Dr. Bob’s Drugless Guide to Mental Health, as a blueprint for this conversation:

It's been about a year since Dr. Bob's Drugless Guide to Mental Health has been out. And I know that there's been a lot of people that have really responded well to the information that's in the book.

So, Dr. Bob, let's talk a little bit about why is mental health and the mental health book now more important than ever?

- People are stressed, So the book itself is going to give individuals some basic ideas of what you can do to promote optimal health of living, because your brain is impacted by all these emotions and all of these stresses.

- Now, for those that are out there watching this, what are a couple of simple, easy tips that someone can do to help improve their mental health?

- Well, probably the number one that all of you could do is minimize stress. And this is kind of interesting. Let's say somebody asks you to do something you don't really want to do, like make 12 dozen cookies with pink frosting and sprinkles on top. That is just not a part of your passion. So you have to learn something. If somebody asks you to do something you don't want to do just say, "I can't say yes," with a smile. And they're going to say, what does that mean? It's NO, we have so many people, well intended to have family members help and support them. I'm not telling you not to, but it's stress. And let me give you the real reason what happens here. There are glands in your body called adrenal glands. Adrenal glands make adrenaline or adrenal hormones. Well, that's made in part by something called tyrosine. Tyrosine is a protein, it's an amino acid. Well, tyrosine is a natural anti-depressant. That's important for you to know that. But tyrosine and iodine make thyroid hormone. So a lot of people have depression, Dr. Anthony, and or anxiety, and not only are their adrenal glands tired, they have low thyroid with cold hands and cold feet. And then they have depression. We talk about that inside of the book and what you can do to help improve brain function.

- So Dr. Bob, what about a test and what tests might you recommend if someone's like, you know what? I really like to investigate more mental health, my own health, what could they do and why should they do it?

- Well, I'll tell you, one of the things that you could do is take your blood pressure sitting and then standing. And if your blood pressure drops from a sit to a stand, you may have adrenal gland involvement. So that's one test you could do. Have your thyroid checked, TSH, T3, and T4. If the numbers are low, it's possibly because you don't have enough tyrosine. But if you really drill down a little bit further, you can have a test done called the Omega Test. The Omega Test is an evaluation of the oil inside of your body that impacts your brain. For example, DHA. DHA is fat for the brain. You want to make sure you have enough of that. On the other hand, if you have an elevation of Omega-6 fats, your brain is going to be in a state of inflammation. We also know by looking at a blood test we use called the Opti-Chem, if your alkaline phosphatase, I know it's a big word, but alkaline phosphatase is low, it means you could have a zinc need. Well, you need zinc for your memory. That's a part of mental health. And finally, we look at a person's uric acid, it's another serum test. And if that level is low, it could be a B12 need. And you need B12 Dr. Anthony, for your memory. It's amazing how many possibilities that we have that we can help a person drill down to find out what's going on inside of them.

- Okay, so in your experience too, and I know that you talked about this in the book as well, what have you seen with people that have received chiropractic care and their mental health? Is there a correlation? What have you noticed?

- You know, it's really, that's a tremendous question. We have people that will come in with major anxiety. It just happened to me last week. We had an individual come in, we take posture pictures. The person's posture was like this. You can literally see the frown on her head, even with the mask on. Gave her her very first spinal correction, to her upper cervical spine. And when she came in this week, on Tuesday, her whole life was changed. We had a gentleman that was so kind to write a testimony in our book, and after his first or second adjustment, his anxiety was gone. That's a big deal.

- Okay, so for anybody that's out there, what would you tell them about if they're interested in the mental health book, why should they consider getting it?

- Well, it's going to give you a roadmap from the beginning to the end. We talk about antidepressants and we're not telling anybody to get off their antidepressants. We talk about how fat does impact your brain and how to measure it. A variety of nutrients. We even have all the different types of tests that you can do. But one area that I failed to mention that's really, really important is that mental health itself impacts organs. For example, your liver is the organ of anger. The gallbladder is bitterness. The lungs are sadness, kidney is fear. And here's the last one, that's so significant. The spleen, which is a part of your immune system, is anxiety and worry. So people who have a lot of anxiety and worry Dr. Anthony, their immune system is weak. So if you want to learn more about what I just said, by getting the book we're going to give you the building blocks that you need to create optimal, happy mental health.

- So I'm Dr. Anthony DeMaria. This is Dr. Bob DeMaria. I hope you enjoyed this information on mental health and we hope that you have an excellent day.

The Drugless Approach to Anxiety and Depression

Hi Everyone!

Our March "Half-Hour to Health" was on a subject in which we have helped many of our practice members overcome with chiropractic and nutrition: Anxiety & Depression.

Below are our notes and the video with Dr. Bob. Please pass this on to anyone who you know can benefit!

The Drugless Approach to Anxiety and Depression

Why are we as Chiropractors talking about mental health?  

Brain & Nervous System – Current research is showing that chiropractic care alone can increase brain function by 20-50%!

How does someone’s mental health impact their body and current state of health?  

Humans are the only animals who regularly experience a stress response without an actual stressor present.

- How many adults have depression? Estimated that over 3 million American adults have depression

- How many adults have anxiety? Over 40 million adults over 18 have anxiety.

- Research shows 1 out of 7 U.S. children aged 2 to 8 years had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder (MBDD), from CDC.

Depression:

1. Studies have repeatedly shown antidepressants work no better than placebo for mild to moderate depression, yet carry a significant risk of side effects.

2. Depression is likely the result of multiple environmental and biological factors, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, nutrition, medications and medical problems, among others.

Anxiety

- What is it? Fear or nervousness of what might happen. Fear of the unknown?

- Body Signals: signs of apprehension, restlessness, upset stomach, shortness of breath, fatigue, insomnia, increase heart rate, sweating, and many others.

Best ways to combat anxiety and depression (NATURALLY):

A. Chiropractic

B. Omega 3 – (Optimal EFA, Bio-Omega 3, Flax Oil)

C. Magnesium

D. B Vitamins

E. Exercise

F. Clean Eating – vegetables, proteins, good fats

G. Gut Health

Upcoming Westlake Events:

April Half Hour to Health: How to improve your breathing and allergies naturally!

Weds. April 4th at NOON and Thurs. APRIL 5th at 6 PM – No registration required!

Monday April 16th @ 6PM- Create a breast health strategy!  Come learn more about a different approach to breast health and the innovative technology of Breast Thermography.

Help us reach our community!  Who do you know that would benefit from this information?  Do you have a business that would be interested in having us speak?  Contact us, info@druglessdrs.com to schedule us for your next event.