by: Mike Lovell
Unless you have experienced the crushing weight of severe depression, it is very difficult to understand, much less empathize with the individual battling this condition. Each year depression affects 5-8 percent of adults in the United States, which means about 25 million Americans will have an episode of major depression this year alone, with only half of those affected actually receiving any kind of treatment (Ken Duckworth, 2013). This malady is not limited to those outside of the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, but seems to affect saved and lost alike in equal numbers. Pastors and church counsellors are encountering a growing number of born again believers falling prey to this sometimes debilitating condition rendering them ineffective in the work of God.
In the past our independent Baptist churches haven’t dealt with this condition very effectively, either because it was never considered anything other than a guilty conscience, not being right with God, or just having no clue with how to deal with the growing numbers in our churches being affected. In my practice, the number of clients who are on or have been prescribed antidepressants is high. What is disappointing is the fact that studies show the ineffectiveness of these drugs in all, but severe cases of depression, and even then their effectiveness is almost undetectable (Kirsch, et al., 2008) (Jay C. Fournier, 2010).
Emotionally, depression presents itself as: constant sadness or an empty feeling, irritability, hopelessness, feeling worthless or guilty for no reason, and loss of interest in favorite activities. While physical symptoms are trouble sleeping, low energy or fatigue, significant weight change or appetite change (Lawrence Wilson M., 2014). Many of the people I work with in my clinic come due to depression or it’s a major concern in their symptomology. After conducting a hair analysis, I find there are three major reasons for this condition; lack of energy, toxic metals and/or spiritual warfare.
It is difficult to understate the effects of fatigue and exhaustion when it comes to depression. Everything is more difficult when your energy reserve is exhausted. The world becomes overwhelming and every little wrinkle becomes a mountain and every small problem becomes an unbearable weight. Energy loss, or fatigue, is generally a result of a very slow acting thyroid and adrenal gland. In fact, when you think about it, depression is just the body’s way of telling us that it’s too tired. These people usually drag themselves through the day grabbing anything that will stimulate their adrenals such as coffee, sugar, energy drinks, worry and even anger. But, when energy levels are restored, life and its challenges are not so daunting and the everyday responsibilities are met with resolve. Most people who use stimulants experience a brief reprieve, “brief” being the operative word; however, the main result is the irritation of an already tired adrenal gland and nervous system while depleting the system of necessary nutrients. The focus should be to restore those depleted nutrients by eating a lot of cooked vegetables and avoid those foods that upset digestion such as wheat, fruits, sweets, some nightshade veggies and all refined or overly processed food.
Toxic metals devastate the body’s energy system at many levels. These include the Krebs cycle, electron transport system, energy-producing glands and glucose handling systems of the body. By replacing vital minerals in enzyme binding sites, it makes the normal function of the enzyme incomplete causing eventual breakdowns to the system (Lawrence Wilson M. , Restoring the Bodies Energy System, 2013). I tell my clients that this is equivalent to having a fine-tuned Ferrari, but using Hyundai replacement parts and expecting it to run right. Another way to look at this is like using the wrong key in a lock, it may go in but it can’t turn the mechanism. To fix this problem, we must remove the wrong key or the wrong parts and replace them with the right ones. This is what a nutritional balancing program accomplishes resulting in a more efficient response in energy production.
Spiritual warfare, or sometimes just a misunderstanding of what God is trying to accomplish in your life, is a cause of depression. For some reason, born again believers in the Laodicea age have no concept of a real Devil or his hatred for the body of Christ. For them, Job is just a story in the Old Testament and Paul was a super Christian operating in a realm that we are not qualified to approach. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Regardless of your perceived position in Christ, you are a target of the Devil and he hates you with a passion. His goal for you is either death or destruction of your testimony in the world. This can be accomplished through the tempting of your flesh and will to make wrong life decisions forcing God to correct you as His son. The strength of your pride will determine the length of your fight which in turn forces your defense mechanism to over work and eventually fall to exhaustion, disease and depression. This is why we are told in Ephesians 4:27 not to give place to the Devil, and in Romans 12:2 that we are to renew our minds since this is a real battle ground.
There are times when we misunderstand the trials that the Lord puts in our life. These are designed to keep us from becoming double minded in our ways (James 1:3-8), and we see them as a cruel joke played on us undeservedly by the Lord. This again, becomes a fight between the will of God and the will of our pride, the net result being stress on our energy production and the eventual wearing down of the system. When the Bible tells us that a “merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22), this speaks of a person who is content in the will of God and has found that peace from God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
For millions, depression is a daily fight that seems to have no end, but as we have seen, there are causes that can be corrected through nutrition and a walk with God.
Mike Lovell
Hormone Age Management
225.928.1791 office
References
Jay C. Fournier, M. (2010, January 6). Antidepressant Drug Effects and Depression Severity. Retrieved from JAMA: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=185157#COMMENT
Ken Duckworth, M. (2013, April). What is depression? Retrieved from National Alliance of Mental Illness: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=depression
Kirsch, I., Deacon, B., Huedo-Medina, T., Scoboria,, A., Moore, T., & Johnson, B. (2008, Febuary 26). Initial Severity and Antidepressant Benefits: A Meta-Analysis of Data Submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved from Plos Medicine: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0050045
Lawrence Wilson, M. (2012, September). Anxiety and Panic Attacks. Retrieved from Cente For Development: http://drlwilson.com/Articles/ANXIETY.HTM
Lawrence Wilson, M. (2013, November). Restoring the Bodies Energy System. Retrieved from The Center for Developement: http://drlwilson.com/Articles/ENERGY.htm
Lawrence Wilson, M. (2014, August). DEPRESSION AND HOW TO OVERCOME IT. Retrieved from The Center for Developement: http://drlwilson.com/Articles/depression.htm
The Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014, Febuary 21). Depression (major depressive disorder). Retrieved from Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/basics/definition/con-20032977