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Reverse Depression-like Symptoms

With: Dr. Achina Stein

About the Episode

Explore the causes of symptoms of depression and learn what you can do to start feeling better, faster.

Join American Board-Certified Psychiatrist Achina Palanki Stein as she dives deep into the root causes of depression and anxiety symptoms outside of clinical depression to determine what steps we can take to heal and enjoy our lives again!

What We Discuss

Find the Main Cause

Often, symptoms of depression are offered two modes of treatment: antidepressants and/or psychotherapy. But although fatigue, lack of concentration, sleep problems, loss of appetite, and burnout can look like clinical depression, this may not actually be the case.

Hypothyroidism, Vitamin B and folate deficiency, medication side effects, alcohol consumption, and drug use are traditionally known to cause depression-like symptoms. Trauma is another significant indicator of clinical depression, and having other medical issues causing depression symptoms can inhibit healing.

Infections, Autoimmune Diseases, and Gut Dysbiosis

Some foods cause inflammation, while others are known to reduce it, so it is essential to rule out gastrointestinal issues, gut dysbiosis, and food intolerance as sources of symptoms. Also, chronic infections take an enormous toll on the body and can throw it into disfunction. This can result in the body breaking down and not absorbing what we need to feel good from the foods we’re eating. Lastly, environmental toxins and stress also impact hormones, leading, again, to symptoms of depression.

Candida, Lyme Disease, Lupus, and many bacterial infections can manifest as symptoms of anxiety and depression despite depression not being the root issue. Chronic illness impacts the brain, and it takes an emotional toll. We don’t feel well, we’re irritable and short-tempered, we want to stay in bed, and we’re hard to engage, and that can look a lot like depression. It takes years of training to spot the differences, so exploring these is essential, especially if you’re not feeling better with the usual treatments for depression.

Reverse the Root Causes

Remove what’s causing inflammation and add what’s missing. By uncovering and treating potential root causes, you can start to feel better a lot sooner without having to wait for an antidepressant to kick in. For example, many people are deficient in B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc, adding to depression symptoms.

This approach can also apply to psycho-social areas. Many people who hit a snag with cognitive therapy end up circling the same issues without any improvement but find they’re able to move forward again after healing their gut.

The first step is to get evaluated by a physician to get the right diagnosis. Focusing on your diet is another excellent place to start, and find areas where you can supplement what you’re missing. Lastly, adding a probiotic can help heal your gut to start feeling better. The most important thing is that you have to create sustainable habits.

Avoid the “depression wastebasket diagnosis” by listening to this episode with Dr. Achina Stein!

Guest Bio

Dr. Achina Palanki Stein is an American Board-Certified Psychiatrist with over 25 years of practice experience. Dr. Stein uses functional medicine to help patients find the underlying or root causes of illness and the nutritional and biochemical imbalances that may be contributing to them. Since 2016, she has been seeing patients in her private practice called Functional Mind LLC, and after writing her book “What If It’s Not Depression?” In February 2020, she launched a companion program to coach those interested in working with her across state lines.