Hey Guys I'm Dr. Jason Barker with the Natural Athlete's Clinic and I wanted to make a video
today about Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Otherwise known as S.A.D.
So this is seasonal depression.
You tend to see this ramp up in the fall and get worse through the winter
and then a person who has this starts to feel better in the spring.
And essentially this is a biochemical imbalance that's precipitated by a lack of daylight/less
sunlight.
Seasonal affective disorder starts at the same time of year and ends around the same
time of year for people who suffer from this.
So this is different than clinical depression where a person is going to be depressed year
round.
So we don't know all the causes but some of the main ones are that we know that when we
are exposed to less sunlight, we tend to make less of one of our feel good hormones which
is known as seratonin.
So serotonin levels go down and then conversely, the more dark that we are exposed to, we tend
to make more of our melatonin.
Melatonin is our sleep hormone and it helps us sleep.
So one thing you'll see is you are suffering from S.A.D. is that you will want to sleep
more.
Ironically though, the melatonin balance or the production gets imbalanced so it also
can lead to sleep disturbances.
So, what are the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder?
Well, it is essentially depression, it's low mood, you're not motivated, you tend to gain
weight, you tend to have pretty intense cravings for simple carbs - breads, pastas, things
like that.
That obviously helps you gain that weight.
So how can we take care of seasonal affective disorder?
Well, the best medicine is exercise.
So there are lots and lots of good studies that people who go to the gym and even under
the commercial lights inside buildings - that light actually helps them and so does the
exercise.
Just three to four hours a week has been compared to or as effective as taking regular anti-depressant
medication.
However, if you are depressed, you really don't feel like going to the gym.
Although most people watching these videos are probably pretty avid exercisers.
So if you are exercising and you're still feeling like you have S.A.D. there are three
other natural medicines that I really like to use and that I found effective with patients
in the clinic.
First one are essential fatty acids or we get these from fish oil - so just straight
Omega 3.
Make sure you are only taking Omega 3's.
Probably a dose of around 2,000 miligrams a day is very helpful for balancing emotions
and supporting mood.
Of course you should be taking fish oil or Omega 3's year round because they have so
many great benefits namely they are a very powerful anti-inflammatory.
Second natural medicine I like to use is 5-HTP or 5-Hydroxy-Trytophan.
This is an amino acid complex.
It's a tryptophan donor in our body.
So your body will snatch up that tryptophan and make serotonin out of it.
Serotonin of course, will help lift your mood.
So you may be worried about taking 5-HTP and getting a little bit drowsy.
You don't tend to see that side effect in a lot of people.
It can certainly happen but usually as soon as you take that and you're low in serotonin,
your brain will synthesize that tryptophan and make that serotonin out of it, so you
should not too drowsy taking it.
And the third natural medicine we like to use a lot is St. John's Wort.
So you've probably heard of this herb - it's very well studied and been around for a very
long time.
St. John's Wort is great stuff because it elevates serotonin and it elevates dopamine
- our two main mood hormones.
So, of all those things that I just mentioned, of course exercise is going to work the quickest.
The next most effective medicine that you can use is the 5-HTP.
That works pretty quickly.
That'll raise your mood today as soon as you take it.
Omega 3's will start to work within a week or so you'll notice a change.
St. John's Wort unfortunately takes several weeks for it to kick in and start working.
So if you're using this and you're experimenting with it, make sure that you give your body
enough time to incorporate it and let it start to work its balance out.
Okay so if you found this video helpful please give it a like.
If you know somebody who suffers from seasonal affective disorder which about 20% of the
population does, please share it.
And of course please subscribe to our channel.
We've got a lot of great videos and we're always making new ones.
Alright thanks guys, hope you feel well this winter!