Rapid Therapy for Depression with Avea
by Dr. James Howenstine, MD
Approximately 10% of the persons visiting physicians in the United States
are depressed. Pharmaceutical drugs are widely dispensed to treat depression
but all have disturbing side effects. Safe alternatives will probably
be readily accepted by the US public.
Depression can be found in individuals who are:
- Lacking the essential omega 3 fatty acids
- Using synthetic transfats in their diets (soy, corn, saffola, canola,
sunflower seed oils)
- Vitamin D deficient This can even be found in persons who cover themselves
with sunscreens and wear sunglasses when out in the sun. The RDA for
Vitamin D of 400 I.U. daily is set far below the correct requirement
for maintaining health of 1200 I.U. daily. As a consequence 60% to 70%
of US citizens are Vitamin D deficient.
- Depression and every psychiatric illness in the psychiatric nomenclature
can be found in persons with undiagnosed infections[1] (toxoplasmosis,
Lyme Disease {borrelia burgdorfi}, mycoplasma, fungi, yeast, parasites).
All the above conditions should be rectified before starting any therapy
for depression as many depressed patients will have a favorable response
to correction of these health problems.
How Safe Are Widely Prescribed Pharmaceutical Drugs Used To Treat Depression?
The two most widely used US pharmaceutical types of antidepressants
are the older tricyclics and the newer more potent SSRIs. Among the tricyclic
antidepressant drugs are amitryptiline (Elavil), Etrafon, Limbitrol, desipramine
Norpramin, doxepin Sinequan, trimipramin Surmontil, protriptyline Vivactil).
Significant side effects that can be seen with tricyclic antidepressants
include heart attack, stroke, abnormal electrocardiograms, low blood pressure,
coma, seizures, hallucinations, tremors, tardive dyskinesia (often permanent
movement disorder involving the extremities), neuritis, anxiety, insomnia,
fluid retention, paralytic ileus, inability to empty the bladder, constipation,
rash, hives, bone marrow depression, abnormal liver function, vomiting,
breast enlargement in males and females, impotence and weight gain. The
older tricyclic antidepressants have less SSRI effect than the newer SSRI
drugs.
The currently most popular category of antidepressants are the SSRI
drugs (selective, serotonin reuptake inhibitors) (fluoxetine Prozac, sertaline
Zoloft, paroxetine Paxil, citalopram hydrobromide Celexa.).
A serious under appreciated problem from SSRI drugs is gastrointestinal
bleeding in the elderly. Antidepressant drugs act by causing more serotonin
to be available to the brain where it promotes calmness, peace and contentment.
The greater the inhibition of serotonin uptake the greater the risk of
gastrointestinal bleeding. Taking SSRI drugs diminishes the amount of
serotonin that is available to platelets to cause blood to clot. Generally
the platelets use the excess serotonin absorbed during reuptake. When
this process is blocked by SSRIs there is less serotonin available for
platelets and formation of clots is less effective.
In a recent study published in the British Medical Journal 317,824 Canadians
in Ontario over the age of 65 were followed. During the study 974 of these
persons developed upper gastrointestinal bleeding. 41% of the bleeding
patients had been taking the high inhibition SSRIs (Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac).
The risk of bleeding jumped by 9% in persons using medium inhibiting SSRIs
(imipramine Tofranil and amitriptyline Elavil) when compared to those
on lower inhibiting drugs (desipramine Norpramine and doxepin Sinequan).
Patients who had previously experienced upper g.i. bleeding were 5 times
more likely to bleed again and persons in their 80s had a 3 fold greater
chance to bleed than persons who were between 65 and 70. The use of anticoagulants,
cortisone, or NSAID drugs at least doubled the risk of bleeding.
SSRIs can cause nausea, headache, dry mouth, anxiety, insomnia, diarrhea,
sexual dysfunction and tremor. The worst side effect is psychotic episodes
called serotonin syndrome. Persons on SSRIs over age 65 might want to
consider switching to a less dangerous non pharmaceutical depression therapy.
SAMe is quite effective but very expensive. B complex with supplemental
vitamin C and phenylalanine, omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil or flax oil),
or St. John's Wort (SJW) all can clear depressions. Drug interactions
can be seen with SJW which must not be taken with SSRIs as serotonin syndrome
may appear. Taken alone SJW is remarkably safe.
Few US citizens realize that the mass murderers who committed the Columbine
High School, Red Lake and other fatal school violence were nearly universally
taking Prozac or similar SSRI antidepressants. Eli Lilly Company knew
that Prozac could cause users to commit violent acts against self (suicide)
or against others (mass murders) but this information had been carefully
hidden as awareness of this information would have certainly hurt the
sales of this drug and other similar SSRI pharmaceuticals.
What Is Avea?
Tumeric (cucurmin) has long been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine
as an anti-inflammatory, to treat digestive disorders and liver problems
and for the treatment of skin diseases and wound healing. Cucurmin stimulates
the production of bile and facilitates emptying of the gall bladder. In
animals cucurmin protects the liver, has anti-tumor action, reduces inflammation
and fights some infections.
Avea is an extract from the root of Curcuma longa commonly know as tumeric.
Nutramedix has a proprietary formulation of cucurmin that is more effective
than conventional cucurmin because of special extraction and enhancement
techniques.
The primary uses of Avea are as an antidepressant, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
agent. Cucurmin has found wide acceptance as a valuable therapy to suppress
inflammation in persons found to have elevated CRP values and elevated
sedimentation rates Statistical analysis of large populations has revealed
that persons with elevated sed rates and CRP values are at greater risk
for heart attacks and strokes than persons with normal CRPs and sed rates.
Bringing CRP and sed rate values back to normal in these persons is believed
to stop arteriosclerotic injury to arteries. Presumably inflammatory changes
in the inner membranes of the arteries (endothelium0 are being healed
by cucurmin.
A study published in the June 2005 issue of the European Journal of
Pharmacology titled The effects of cucurmin on depressive-like behaviors
in mice looked at two animal models of depression. Neurochemical assays
showed that cucurmin produced a marked increase in serotonin and noradrenalin
levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus in the mice. Dopamine levels
were increased in the frontal cortex and striatum regions. Monoamine oxidase
activity was inhibited in the mouse brain.
The German Commission E reports that cucurmin has no known contraindications,
no known side effects and no known interactions with other drugs. In May
2005 toxicology studies were completed on Nutramedix Avea at the University
of Guayaquil, Ecuador. No toxic effects were seen even when the animals
were given doses 160,000 times the equivalent human dose.
Patients suffering from depression report relief from depression within
a few hours to a few days after starting Avea. A 38 year old woman had
been seriously depressed for more than 10 years despite therapy with several
different pharmaceutical drugs. When started on her first dose of Avea
she felt less depressed after 30 minutes. The depression was gone in 24
hours but the therapy was continued.
The dosage of Avea is 10 to 12 drops three or four times daily. Patients
who respond rapidly to Avea should remain on this therapy for one to two
months to allow the body to reset neurochemical balances in the brain.
Patients who have been taking SSRI drugs should slowly taper off SSRI
therapy over many weeks if they wish to terminate SSRI therapy.
Footnotes:
1. Strick, Frank Townsend letter for Doctors & Patients April 2004
pg. 123-125
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