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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ002115A
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00:23 Most people remember Abraham Lincoln as the
00:27 American President who ended slavery in the United States. 00:30 What many don't know is that Lincoln suffered from 00:34 profound melancholy, or what today would be called 00:37 major depression He was prone to mood swings, breakdowns, 00:42 and feelings of worthlessness. 00:44 However he didn't allow depression to keep him down. 00:48 In fact he employed certain strategies in order to alleviate 00:53 his sadness. He often told jokes and stories to improve 00:57 his mood and found an outlet for his feelings in reading 01:01 reciting and composing poetry. 01:03 In this program called Dealing With Depression, 01:07 our guest Dr. Neil Nedley will suggest many practical things 01:12 we can do to improve our moods and make us 01:15 healthier and happier. 01:27 I once heard a story about a boy named Winston 01:30 who faced a tremendous amount of physical and mental 01:33 challenges. At the age of three Winston fell off a donkey 01:38 and suffered a brain concussion, at eleven he developed pneumonia 01:42 and struggled for his life. When he was 18 he fell nearly 01:47 ten meters, ruptured a kidney and the healing process took 01:52 many weeks. 01:53 Now if that wasn't enough, he also had a father who abused him 01:58 verbally, telling him he was leading an idle, useless and 02:02 unprofitable life and that he would deteriorate into a 02:07 shabby, unhappy and futile existence. 02:10 Well, he seemed to be proving his father right when he 02:14 twice failed to pass the entrance exam for the college 02:18 he wished to attend and he was severely depressed. 02:22 But depression is not the end of Winston's story, 02:25 far from it, you may have heard of him. 02:29 His name was Winston Churchill. 02:32 Winston should become Prime Minister of the UK not just once 02:36 but twice. He would also win the Nobel Prize for literature 02:40 and be the first person to be made an honorary citizen 02:44 of the United States. Winston didn't let depression 02:49 get him down and we now remember him as one of the most 02:53 successful war-time leaders during the 20th century. 02:56 Depression doesn't have to be the end of your story either 03:01 our guest Dr. Neil Nedley is here to share with us 03:05 many practical and helpful ways in which we can deal 03:08 with depression. He's a fulltime practicing physician in 03:12 Internal Medicine with emphasis in Gastroenterology, 03:15 Mental Health, and Lifestyle Medicine. 03:18 He's also the author of books such as "Depression the Way Out" 03:23 and "The Lost Art of Thinking." 03:25 Dr. Nedley, welcome to Australia and we're delighted to have you 03:30 on our program today. Thank you, glad to be here. 03:32 We're talking about depression, how big an issue is depression 03:38 in today's world? 03:39 Some have described it as an epidemic. 03:42 Actually there are each successive generation since 1915 03:47 has had more depression. And now it's so common that it's 03:53 the number one cause of disability worldwide. 03:57 People are more likely to miss work in their productive years 04:01 of their life due to this illness than any other illness 04:05 by far actually the second leading cause is way down 04:09 the list as far as numbers. And so we are dealing with 04:14 a massive issue and it's in every country in the world. 04:17 What actually is it? What is depression? 04:21 Major depression, sometimes we call it endogenous depression. 04:25 It actually requires five of nine symptoms to be diagnosed. 04:32 This is how every psychiatrist, psychologist in the world 04:35 will diagnose it, it is based on the DSM5 criteria, 04:39 the psychiatric bible. 04:40 And most people when they think of depression think of symptom 04:44 number one which is Deep Sadness. However, you would also 04:50 qualify for symptom number one if you're not sad but 04:53 if you have emptiness. You don't have to have these symptoms 04:57 all the time, just the majority of the time for two weeks 05:00 to qualify for all nine, so if you're happy one day 05:04 and sad another but sad the majority of the time for two 05:07 weeks or emptiness then that would qualify for symptom 05:10 number one. Symptom number two. Apathy-This is when you wake up 05:16 in the morning and you are not excited about the day. 05:18 You wake up and get up out of a sense of duty and 05:22 responsibility but you actually start losing interest in things 05:27 that you used to enjoy. That's distinctly abnormal particularly 05:31 if it's occurring the majority of the time 05:33 and that would be symptom number two. 05:34 Symptom number three are. Weight or Appetite Changes. 05:40 This is...The most common is weight gain...One of the reasons 05:44 why Australians and New Zealanders starting to gain weight 05:48 actually has to do with the rates of depression going up. 05:51 Many people self-medicate particularly with sugary foods 05:55 for this condition. And it does make them feel better 05:59 but of course, it complicates things. 06:01 But if the depression is sudden onset and severe, then you get 06:06 anorexia and weight loss loss of appetite. 06:09 Fourth symptom. Agitation. This is where the person is more 06:13 irritable than they used to be and sometimes they may need 06:16 to get help from others to ask them. Am I more irritable 06:21 then I used to be? A lot of times people don't recognize 06:23 this them self and a close one will say, oh yeah you're 06:26 much more irritable than you used to be. And so that would 06:29 be the fourth symptom. Fifth symptom are Sleep Disturbances. 06:32 Now with sleep disturbances it can go either way 06:36 either lack of sleep, common is insomnia, 06:39 not being able to go to sleep. Or hypersomnia where you're 06:43 sleeping too much. We have individuals that come to our 06:47 residential treatment program for depression they're sleeping 06:50 18/20 hours a day, wanting to sleep all the time, 06:54 barely awake long enough to survive to get enough food 06:57 in them. But the most common sleep disturbance is 07:01 early morning awakening. This is where the individual goes 07:05 to sleep but then they wake up too early and can't get back 07:08 to sleep and as the depression becomes more sever 07:11 the earlier they awaken. So they might start eventually awakening 07:15 one or two and they are not supposed to be up until six. 07:18 Sixth symptom is Lack of Concentration. 07:21 This is where when they're reading a book, they get to 07:27 the bottom of the page and they can't remember 07:28 what they read at the top of the page. 07:30 And they might even have trouble tracking a program such as this 07:34 by the end of it, you know, kind of losing track where 07:37 things are at. That's a significant issue and one that's 07:41 pretty common in those with depression. 07:42 Seventh as it gets more severe, Feelings of Worthlessness. 07:46 Then eighth, Morbid Thoughts. This is not just thinking 07:51 of ending your own life, or maybe homicidal thoughts 07:54 that would be morbid...but just preoccupation with death 07:58 death and symbols of death. And then the ninth symptom 08:01 is Fatigue. That's different than apathy, we talked about how 08:04 when you wake up in the morning you may not be interested 08:07 in the day. Fatigue is you don't have the energy, 08:09 you may wake up without energy or might run out of energy 08:13 too quick. And if any of those symptoms lasts the majority 08:17 of the time for two weeks, and you don't have to have 08:19 all of them, just five of nine that's major depression. 08:23 Two of nine, minor depression and it's taught to me in the 08:28 variant of normal to have one of those nine. 08:30 You mentioned that one of those first signs is sadness, 08:35 you mentioned sadness...Does that mean that everyone who is 08:39 sad or down is depressed? 08:42 Well, that's a good question and the answer to that is No 08:46 because you can be sad for a good reason and not have any 08:50 of those other symptoms. But if you are sad even after a 08:54 loss, you know, a disappointing loss in your life, 08:58 and you have five of nine symptoms, then that would be 09:02 not just sadness that would be depression. 09:05 The other flip side of that is you can have depression 09:09 and not be sad. 09:11 You might just have the apathy or you might have emptiness 09:15 or lack of concentration in those other symptoms. 09:17 And so a lot of people actually don't recognize they have 09:21 depression because they don't have necessarily the deep 09:24 sadness or the crying spells. 09:26 What are the effects of depression? 09:30 The effects are many. Depression would be bad enough if it just 09:35 did those things, but unfortunately it does a lot more 09:39 it actually Increases the Risk of Mortality significantly. 09:42 It increases the risk of stroke, increases the risk of 09:45 Heart Attack, particularly in those who have had 09:47 Coronary Artery Disease. It increases the risk of death 09:51 from cancer, it increases the risk of death from Pneumonia, 09:55 and it also increases the risk of death from Suicide. 09:59 And suicide has become far to common in our society 10:06 and the number one cause of that is depression. 10:09 We know that depression affects people right across the 10:15 spectrum. Leaders in society even champion young 10:21 sports people. Everyone is prone so there are some people 10:25 that think, hey, I've never had this, I don't understand it 10:28 I'll never get it, not true. 10:29 You have enough underlying causes and any brain will 10:33 actually begin to suffer from it. 10:35 Are there other affects, financial for example? 10:38 Yes there are, significant financial affects, 10:41 in fact studies have shown that you lose if you're in 10:45 your career years, you will loose $10,400 per year 10:50 of personal income on average than if you were not depressed. 10:54 And the toll on the family, if someone puts up with 11:00 depression their whole life and never gets it solved, 11:02 the financial toll on that 11:06 and that is very significant. 11:09 I'd say. It's great that you are hosting a program like this 11:12 because many people think they have to put up with these 11:15 symptoms for life but there is a solution and 11:18 they don't have to. And it's worth investing in the solution 11:22 because it will be the best investment they can make. 11:25 How does depression affect people regarding their 11:29 relationships, family, work relationships and so forth? 11:33 It does have significant social effects, in fact, everyone 11:37 with depression has a social complication. 11:40 In other words, it will adversely affect relationships. 11:45 There are challenges in a relationship if you are married 11:48 to someone with depression, obviously there are challenges 11:51 particularly if they are more irritable or more withdrawn 11:53 or they have the apathy, there's going to be effects on the kids, 11:57 there's going to be affects on workmates as well. 12:00 So Dr. Nedley is there hope for anyone suffering 12:04 with depression? Absolutely, tremendous hope, 12:07 there is a solution for this disease but the solution 12:12 but the solution depends on the causes that are active 12:16 in the individual. And there are many different causes of 12:20 depression, in fact, is our contribution to research. 12:24 We publish a Peer Review Article called The Nedley Hypothesis. 12:29 In the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine it goes into 12:33 over a hundred causes of depression but we can categorize 12:38 them 10 different ways and what our research shows 12:42 is once you get four categories of causes, you're going to have 12:46 depression, but out of those 10 categories, eight of them 12:50 are completely reversible. And so that means there is hope 12:54 for everyone with depression because if we can reverse 12:58 eight out of 10, even if you have two causes, 13:02 that's not enough. The brain is resilient enough to handle 13:05 two, but it can't handle four or more. 13:09 So, we need to find out what these causes are. 13:12 Yes, exactly, well one of the most commonly known causes 13:17 is the Genetic cause. But the genetic cause is not prevalent 13:22 in most people with major depression. 13:24 In a lot of people unfortunately have been told that they have 13:28 been born with this chemical imbalance and thus they have to 13:32 take these drugs for the rest of their life 13:34 They may not have a genetic hit at all, but even if they do 13:38 have a genetic hit they actually will not experience depression 13:42 if they don't have other causes on board. 13:44 But we do need to recognize genetic flaws can increase the 13:48 risk and that is one of the categories. 13:50 Second category has to do with how we're raised. 13:54 If we're raised with trauma, abuse, in an unloving, 14:01 unacceptable environment, that has actually scarred our brain 14:04 to an extent, not enough to cause depression on its own 14:09 even with genetics, but it's enough to cause two categories 14:13 hits and then you only need two more and then you will 14:16 experience depression...Now those first two are the ones 14:20 that we can't reverse. The third category of causes are lifestyle 14:24 causes. This has to do whether you are on a regular 14:28 exercise program, physical exercise and physical fitness 14:32 helps the brain. And if we are not fit, we're not only adversely 14:37 affecting our bodies, we're adversely affecting our brains. 14:40 In addition, there is another type of physical exercise, 14:44 exercising with our hands has been show to help, 14:47 not only not only treat depression but help us 14:50 resist it and so doing something repetitively like washing dishes 14:55 for 20 or 30 minutes a day can be helpful. 14:57 The other lifestyle factors have to do with getting enough 15:02 bright light, being out in the sunlight for instance helps 15:05 at least 30 minutes a day and then having fresh air. 15:09 The fourth category has to do with our sleep/wake cycles. 15:13 Our regularity and many people depression are all over the map 15:18 as far as their regularity it helps us to be on a regular 15:21 schedule. In particular, early to bed, early to rise 15:25 has another benefit with the brain. 15:28 Fifth, addiction hits. 15:29 And it doesn't matter what the addiction is, 15:32 whether it's alcohol, whether it's even caffeine which can 15:36 play a role, whether it's non- substances like pornography 15:41 or gambling, these types of things actually adversely affect 15:47 our brain chemistry. The sixth one are nutrition hits. 15:50 And this is an area Gary that a lot of people don't recognize. 15:55 What we put into our body, actually does get turned into 15:59 neuro-transmitters, it's very important for our mental health. 16:02 And many people have told me when they come for treatment 16:06 and for depression that I'm the first one that ever asked them 16:09 about what they're eating and of course that can produce some 16:13 significant benefit once we alter that in a positive way. 16:17 What should we be eating? 16:18 Well, we should be eating foods that have enough Tryptophan, 16:22 Tryptophan is the least abundant amino acid that gets turned into 16:25 Serotonin in the brain. We also should be eating foods with 16:29 enough Tyrosine and also to get the Tyrosine into the brain. 16:33 So these are sub-nutrients we call them amino acids critically 16:38 important for brain chemistry. 16:40 We also need the Omega 3 fatty acids and it's better to stay 16:44 away from some foods like the arachidonic acids. 16:47 In general, more plant-based diet helps with those types 16:50 of things, but then they're specifics as well. 16:53 So, give us some idea as to the good foods that help... 16:57 Pumpkin Seeds for Tryptophan, also gluten, what we call wheat 17:03 meat is a source of Tryptophan. Soy, Tofu are a good source 17:07 of Tryptophan. Tyrosine, it would be watermelon 17:11 actually mustard greens, Spirulina is a good source of 17:16 Tyrosine. The Omega 3 foods would be things like 17:19 Chia seeds, Flax seed, spinach 17:22 is also a good source and so, and these foods can make 17:25 a very significant difference in regards to brain chemistry. 17:28 We've gone through now to nutrition. Number 6, yeah. 17:32 Number 7 are toxic hits. And so things like mercury 17:36 One of the disadvantages of fish is that it's the most 17:40 toxic laden food in our food in our food supply and it's the 17:43 number one source of mercury and mercury can actually cause 17:46 depression, lack of concentration, drop in IQ, drop in our ability 17:51 to manage our emotions Eight hits are Social hits. 17:56 Now not everyone with depression has a social cause. 17:59 Everyone has a social complication, 18:02 we talked about that earlier but having a social cause 18:06 indication might be if you're living in an isolated social 18:11 atmosphere. That could certainly be an indication but there's 18:16 other social cause as well, significant stress, 18:18 those type of things can play its role. 18:20 Ninth are medical conditions. Like a thyroid condition, 18:24 or maybe post-traumatic head injury, that would be a medical 18:28 condition that causes inflammation of the brain. 18:31 And then the 10th would be frontal lobe. 18:34 This has to do with the front part of our brain 18:38 which is the area that is spirituality, morality, and 18:42 that will play a role. 18:43 And in the last 15 years through spec-scans and other scans- 18:49 we have found out that's one characteristic that is present 18:52 virtually in every depressed individual is a drop-in 18:56 circulation and activity of the frontal lobe of the brain. 18:59 So there's certain lifestyle issues that can help that 19:02 for instance. Changing our type of music can improve 19:06 the frontal lobe circulation. 19:08 Actually getting rid of rapid scene entertainment television, 19:13 those type of things. And then focusing in on 19:16 spiritual material, just analysis of spiritual material 19:20 like reading the Bible has been shown to be helpful. 19:23 One of the many reason why studies show that religion 19:27 and those that believe and read and analyze the Bible 19:30 will not only actually have less depression, but if they 19:32 do get it, they have more rapid recoveries. 19:35 Now, there is still a stigma surrounding depression, 19:40 what's your opinion on that? 19:43 Well, it's unfortunate but many people because of the stigma 19:47 don't get the help that they need. 19:49 So we need to get rid of the stigma, recognize that all of us 19:53 are prone to it. And, if we get the real treatments, 19:56 not just the covering treatments which may or may not work, 19:59 but get the real treatments that reverse those underlying 20:03 causes, a transformation takes place. 20:06 So, is it true that being depressed can increase the risk 20:11 of some diseases? 20:13 Absolutely. Yeah. It increases the risk of a number 20:19 of conditions but particularly asthma, chronic headaches, 20:26 migraine headaches, tension headaches, those are often 20:31 caused by depression. 20:33 We've had so many people come to our program and after 20:37 five days, we run a 10 day residential program, 20:39 after five days that they have been having for years are gone 20:43 and they are throwing away all of their headache medicine 20:46 away by the end of the program recognizing they are not going 20:49 need it anymore. And so, it not only can cause bad affects 20:54 increasing mortality, but it also can cause bad 20:58 physical affects. Increased risk of disability, physical 21:03 disabilities either whether you end up in a nursing home 21:05 or not has more to do with your mental health when you age 21:07 than your physical health. 21:09 Our brain affects really our whole system and there is a lot 21:13 of conditions that we can have even memory loss for instance 21:17 that we might think has to do with age, might actually be due 21:19 to depression, and once the depression is cleared up, 21:22 the memory can get better. So there are profound multiple 21:26 effects depending on the individual on depression 21:30 affecting them physically. 21:31 What is the most common treatment for depression? 21:36 and how effective is it? The most common treatment is 21:40 medicine, but it's not very affective, 21:44 it has limited affect. The Journal Nature Magazine 21:48 mentioned that only 13% of individuals in the best studies 21:54 can improve their function. Twenty percent will actually 21:58 have a significant lifting of their bad mood and then 30% 22:03 won't get better at all with any medicine. 22:07 They're called treatment resistance, 22:09 you can keep increasing the dose, adding medicine, 22:11 it's not really going to change it, they need other treatments 22:15 obviously besides medicines. 22:16 And then those in the middle about 50% in the middle 22:19 that improve somewhat but if you would talk to them, they still 22:23 have significant major depression. 22:25 So from what you are saying should people who are 22:28 on medication simply stop taking it? 22:30 No. Absolutely not. Before you even think about stopping 22:36 those, you have to have your depression reversed first. 22:40 And so, if you are on an anti-depressant certainly don't 22:44 stop taking them. But if you have the underlying causes 22:49 reversed, the good news is, you'll eventually be able 22:52 to stop taking them because you don't have the causes 22:54 on board. But again, only do that with your physician 22:58 weaning you off in the appropriate manner. 23:00 Dr. Nedley your book Depression the Way Out, 23:04 outlines the way out of depression. 23:06 Can you tell us what that way is? Where do we start? 23:09 Well, that's a great question and the way out is started 23:17 finding the causes. First acknowledging that you have it, 23:23 so you have to be diagnosed with it for the way out 23:25 and then secondly, finding the causes that are active in you, 23:30 and then third, getting on a comprehensive treatment regimen 23:34 and it's going to reverse those causes. 23:36 It's simpler than it sounds but unfortunately in today's world 23:42 we're not using that type of approach. 23:47 In our next program together we're going to look at the 23:50 solutions. Yeah. And I know that everybody interested 23:54 in this topic will want to know what the solutions are. 23:58 Absolutely. Well, I think we've been given some excellent tips 24:03 on how to live a happier and healthier life. 24:05 It's not enough to diagnose the cause of depression 24:09 we need to know how we can deal with it and treat is as well. 24:13 Why not make a decision right now to implement these changes 24:18 in our lives as we pray. 24:20 Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for your infinite 24:25 wisdom. We know that you care about our lives 24:28 and want us to live them to the full. 24:30 We pray that you will help us as we try to be happier 24:34 and healthier. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen. 24:39 Have you ever seen an Ostrich bury his head in the sand? 24:46 Ostriches bury their head in the sand as a defensive position 24:50 to avoid being seen by predators. 24:52 The metaphor of burning ones head in the sand 24:55 is used to imply a person trying to avoid something. 24:59 Sometimes people aren't all that different than Ostriches. 25:04 There is still some stigma around depression, 25:08 although not as much as there used to be. Consequently, 25:12 some people would prefer to bury their heads in the sand 25:15 and not acknowledge depression or ask for help but it doesn't 25:19 have to be that way 25:21 There are many practical things that you or your loved ones 25:24 can do in order to deal with depression. 25:27 Perhaps you don't have depression but know someone 25:30 who does. Either way, this information needs to be shared. 25:35 I believe this so strongly that I want you to have this book 25:39 "How To Cope With Anxiety." 25:41 This book is our gift to you and it's absolutely FREE. 25:45 There are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 25:48 So make the most of this wonderful opportunity 25:52 to receive the gift we have for you today. 25:54 Here is the information you need. 25:57 Phone or text us at 0436333555 in Australia, 26:03 or 0204222042 in New Zealand. 26:08 Or visit our website at www.tij.tv to request today's 26:15 free offer, and we'll send it to you totally free of charge 26:19 and with no obligation. 26:21 Write to us at GPO Box 274 Sydney NSW 2001, Australia. 26:27 Or PO Box 76673, Manukau 2241, New Zealand. Don't delay. 26:35 Call or text us now. 26:37 The Incredible Journey and Pastor Gary Kent, 26:41 with Pr. Louis Torres and Carol Torres as the principle 26:44 trainers are opening a Bible College in Sydney, in February 26:48 of 2020. This fourteen week program will give you the skills 26:52 you need to be an effective co-laborer with Christ 26:55 to carry the message of a crucified, risen and soon coming 26:59 Savior to the whole world. For more information 27:01 and to register, phone or text us at 0481.31.5101. 27:08 Email us at info tij.tv or visit our website at tij.tv/events. 27:16 If you've enjoyed today's journey, be sure to join us 27:22 again next week when we will share another of 27:26 life's journey's together and experience another new and 27:29 thought provoking perspective on the peace, insight, 27:33 understanding and hope that only the Bible can give us. 27:37 The Incredible Journey truly is television that changes lives. 27:43 Until next week, remember the ultimate destination 27:47 of life's journey. 27:49 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth and God will 27:52 wipe away tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, 27:56 nor sorrow, nor crying, there shall be no more pain, 27:59 for the former thing have passed away. |
Revised 2021-04-19