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”