Can depression be an allergic reaction? How DOES food influence mood?

New science is showing that depression is in fact an allergic reaction, or an immune response, to inflammation.  Inflammation is normally a beneficial immune response, but it can sometimes go unmediated, leading to chronic inflammation - attacking the body’s own tissues and resulting in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and ulcerative colitis and mood disorders.  Evidence includes data that shows depressed individuals with elevated blood levels of the proteins that signal chronic inflammation.

How exactly does the inflammation create depression?  Those inflammatory chemicals, cytokines, can pass through the blood brain barrier and into the brain. Once they get there, the cytokines can wreak havoc on basic neurological function such as neurotransmitter release and reception.  Once our neurotransmitter function is out of balance, this can lead to depression, anxiety and other mood related issues.

And what role does food play in this chain of events? Many foods we eat contain proteins that activate our body’s immune systems and create chronic low levels of inflammation.  My job is to work with you to identify those foods that may be setting off this inflammatory cascade in your body, and develop dietary, supplement or herbal recommendations to mitigate that inflammation and improve your mood.

Jumpstart Program:

  • Three 45-minute coaching sessions in person or via Skype/FaceTime
  • Completed Health Timeline and Matrix (portable for use with any health practitioner)
  • Initial action form
  • A follow up call to assess effectiveness of recommendations

 3 Month Program:  support as we eliminate or add certain foods from your diet to understand their impact on your symptoms and goals.  Coaching continues as we test our changes and define a steady state diet

  • Bi-Weekly 45-minute coaching sessions in person or via Skype/FaceTime
  • Completed Health Timeline and Matrix (portable for use with any health practitioner)
  • Text support between the hours of 9-5pm, Monday through Friday
  • Travel/restaurant support with one-week advanced notice
  • Meal planning
  • Supermarket training / Pantry Makeover – where to find the foods you need
  • Review of supplements / herbs
  • Healthcare matrix that you can use with health professionals going forward

A la Carte Coaching sessions

Please contact me for pricing