February 13, 2020
An interesting article was published this week in Psychology Today that talks about how inflammation in the body not only causes depression but also alters our mood and even decision making.
About 15 years ago I began to study this link. I even purchased the domain address inflamedbrain.com because I felt that one day this information would become mainstream.
And here we are!
The approach I take to treating patients often involves recommendations that lower inflammation in the body.
The fields of psychology and even sociology will likely evolve to incorporate this new information about how to help people lead more focused and clear lives.
In health,
Dr. Gina
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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
June 10, 2015
A new study finds decreased social anxiety among young adults who eat fermented foods. Further evidence of the connection between the gut and mood disorders, and hope for a better alternative to addictive benzodiazepenes.
In health,
Dr. Gina
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2 Comments | anxiety treatment, brain gut connection, Diet and Disease, Sickness Syndrome | Tagged: alternative medicine, anxiety, dr. gina nick, drgina.com, HealthBridgeHealing.com, Sickness Syndrome, the gut mind connection | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
May 12, 2015
Sickness Syndrome is becoming more mainstream! I have been speaking, publishing and applying this knowledge with patients at
HealthBridge Medical Center for years with great success.
Read below as a Johns Hopkins expert discusses one of the key underlying causes of anxiety and depression. Excellent news for people challenged with these issues as it means real, long term treatment with less side effects and more focus on true healing of the body.
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Anxiety and depression have been thought to contribute to gastro conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A Johns Hopkins expert explains how what’s going on in your gut could be affecting your brain.
Click here to read more…In health,
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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
June 24, 2013
Naturopathic medicine has known this for centuries but now there is some promising new research demonstrating that the health of the gut affects a woman’s brain, how she processes emotions and her response to stress.
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The Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com) – Dietary Changes To Gut Bacteria Can Affect Brain Functioning, Study Suggests – (Monday, June 17, 2013)
Dietary changes to the bacteria living in our guts could have an impact on brain functioning, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that regularly eating yogurt with probiotics, which contain “good” bacteria, seems to affect brain functioning in women. They said the proof-of-concept study shows it is possible to impact brain functioning by altering gut bacteria through diet.
The study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, was funded by Danone Research, which is the research arm of Danone, a company that produces yogurt and other dairy products. Some of the study researchers are Danone employees, but they had no role in the interpretation or analysis of results. Researchers noted that past studies have shown a gut-brain connection in terms of the brain sending signals to the gut. But this new study shows that the gut could also send signals to the brain.
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I have published extensively on Sickness Syndrome, a condition I identified where inflammation in the body triggers inflammation in the brain that is a cause of depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges. One of our treatment strategies for Sickness Syndrome, depression and anxiety, involves testing for, and then treating bacterial imbalance in the gut.
In health,
Dr. Gina
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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
December 29, 2012
A new study was just published in the Archives of General Psychiatry involving over 73,000 patients that points to the connection between inflammation in the body and depression. I identified this connection nearly 10 years ago, began publishing on it about six years ago, and coined the phrase “Sickness Syndrome” to help doctors to diagnose this prevalent cause for depression. I have been treating patients using this knowledge ever since.
It is time to take a new look at the underlying cause(s) of depression so that mainstream medicine can offer long lasting cures for this debilitating health challenge.
In health,
Dr. Gina
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2 Comments | Depression, Inflammation, Sickness Syndrome | Tagged: Depression, Dr. Gina Cushman, Sickness Syndrome, www.drgina.com | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
October 22, 2012
A new study, albeit on mice, further points to the link between inflammation and depression. I began publishing on this topic six years ago. In our medical office I see the real world connection between mood disorders like depression, and inflammation in the body. It is always a pleasure to watch patients as they heal from debilitating symptoms, when we address this underlying cause.
In health,
–Dr. Gina
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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
April 12, 2011
A recent article in the New York Times discusses several large studies that link seasonal allergies to depression and anxiety. The cause is an increase in inflammatory cytokines that lower serotonin levels. This is a classic example of Sickness Syndrome Depression, a condition identified years ago and finally gaining media attention. We often see cases of wrongly diagnosed anxiety and depression at our practice where patients are prescribed antidepressant medications instead of being treated for Sickness Syndrome Depression. To learn more about the syndrome click here. One treatment that is not yet mentioned on the site but that we have recently been using successfully in practice to treat Sickness Syndrome Depression and other psychiatric illnesses with an inflammatory component is BRM4 by Daiwa Health Development– an immunomodulator that alters levels of inflammatory cytokines throughout the body. The effective dosage is 4 capsules three times per day for 4 weeks, and then 4 capsules per day thereafter.
In health and healing,
–Dr. G
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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
December 13, 2010
A new article published in the November/December issue of Psychology Today reveals that gastrointestinal disorders, like infection, inflammation, and IBS cause anxiety and depression, and that probiotics may replace prozac and Valium as drugs of choice for some psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression. This concept, first introduced over 5 years ago and referred to as Sickness Syndrome, is finally gaining the attention of popular media channels.
For those of you who are experiencing anxiety and depression, there are options available to you that go beyond masking symptoms and address at least one of the underlying causes of why you are feeling the way you do. We see the success of naturopathic medicine in treating anxiety and depression in our medical practice everyday, and treating digestive health is often the first step.
In health and wellness,
–Dr. G
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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
June 10, 2010
Even at low levels generally considered to pose little or no risk, exposure to environmental lead might increase – by as much as 2.3 times – the risk of depression and panic disorder but not of generalized anxiety disorder. That was the suggestion of a Canadian study appearing in the December, 2009 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Gender and ethnicity were also factors and the researchers stressed that lead exposure cannot be determined to be a cause of these psychological problems.
One of the main, and often overlooked, sources of heavy metals, including lead, is our water supply-both drinking water and shower water. I recommend investing in a quality water filtration and ionization system to all of our patients. The link between heavy metal exposure and mental illness suggested in this study and proven in many others (including practical, real life studies completed with patients at LTP Medical) is one of the reasons why we always test patients with mental health challenges for exposure to environmental toxins including heavy metals and treat them using the LTP Medical Custom Purification Program to remove the toxins from their systems. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to see immediate benefit in patients suffering needlessly with these challenges. Other treatments include custom amino acid therapy, fatty acid therapy, orthomolecular therapy, hormone therapy and food allergy testing and treatment.
In health,
Dr. G
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3 Comments | Depression, Heavy Metals, Latest Nutritional Research, Naturopathic Medicine, Orthomolecular Medicine, Orthomolecular Psychiatry, Purification, Purification Program, Toxins and Detoxification | Tagged: Depression, detoxification, dr. gina nick, drgina.com, environmental toxins, heavy metal detox, heavy metal toxicity, LTP Natural Medical Center, LTPMedical.com, Sickness Syndrome, vitamin deficiencies | Permalink
Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
April 2, 2009
A new study done by researchers at my alma mater, UCLA , further confirms the connection between stress and inflammation. In this study researchers found that stress during the teen-aged years leads to silent inflammation as an adult, which then increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. I will also add that it increases the risk of depression, anxiety and other mood disorders and a condition called Sickness Syndrome that is best treated with Naturopathic Medicine.
You can take a free assessment on-line to see if the depression, anxiety, sleep disorders or weight gain you are experiencing is due to this syndrome by clicking here:
The foundation protocol that I use to support the health of patients who have Sickness Syndrome can be found here:
For more information about the condition click here.
It is amazing to watch as people pull out of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, weight disorders and severe mental health challenges without the use of prescription medications (in fact I often have to work with their prescribing doctors to taper them off the medications so that their body and mind can get to a balance point, and benefit from the natural medicines). Naturopathic Medicine works so well! I am always amazed by the the body’s ability to heal itself when you give it what it needs, and remove the barriers to cure (e.g. stress, drugs, food allergies, hormonal imbalances, structural imbalances, toxicities, digestive imbalances).
–Dr. G
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Posted by Dr. Gina Nick
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