¿Debería aplicarse la máxima hipocrática «Que el alimento sea tu medicina» a la salud mental? Sin duda, afirma la Dra. Bonnie Kaplan, profesora de la Universidad de Calgary y pionera en un campo de investigación en auge sobre el papel de la dieta y la nutrición en la salud cerebral. Explica que la comunidad médica y psiquiátrica está redescubriendo las numerosas conexiones entre la alimentación y las enfermedades mentales tras más de medio siglo de dependencia, principalmente, de medicamentos recetados para aliviar los síntomas.
“A partir de 1950, aproximadamente, se produjo una explosión de investigaciones sobre medicamentos”, afirma. “Las grandes farmacéuticas se hicieron cargo del tratamiento de las enfermedades psiquiátricas y perdimos siglos de conocimiento”.
Antes de eso, sabíamos más. Kaplan menciona la edición de 1855 de The People's Home Library, un libro de referencia en las estanterías de los colonos de Norteamérica a finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX. En él, el autor T.J. Ritter diagnostica la causa de la mayoría de las afecciones psiquiátricas como una «nutrición deficiente». Ritter afirmaba que, para la mayoría de las personas, mejorar la dieta podía contribuir a mejorar la salud mental.
Pero, según Kaplan, los profesionales de la salud mental del siglo XX a menudo no comprendieron el mensaje que Ritter —y Hipócrates mucho antes que él— querían transmitir, al tratar a los enfermos mentales con suplementos de un solo nutriente o mineral a la vez.
“Estaban viendo resultados mixtos, porque eso es simplemente ridículo”, dice. “Necesitamos [los nutrientes] todos juntos en el equilibrio adecuado”.
Pronto podríamos ver a psiquiatras recetando frutas y verduras en lugar de Prozac, gracias a una reciente serie de investigaciones académicas que demuestran el poderoso efecto de la alimentación en la salud mental. Kaplan ha sido pionera en este campo, publicando varios estudios que vinculan la ingesta de nutrientes con la mejora de los trastornos del estado de ánimo tanto en adultos como en niños. En un estudio de 2012 con su colega Karen M. Davison, Ph.D., RD, publicado en el Canadian Journal of Psychiatry , las autoras reclutaron a 97 adultos diagnosticados con un trastorno del estado de ánimo para que registraran su dieta y su estado de ánimo (cómo se sentían a lo largo del día) durante un período de tres días. Al final del estudio, Kaplan y Davison descubrieron que la ingesta de vitaminas y nutrientes de los participantes estaba asociada de forma consistente y fiable con un mejor estado de ánimo y una mejor salud mental.
Otros estudios han mostrado resultados similares e incluso han identificado dietas específicas que parecen estar asociadas con un cerebro más sano. Los estudios epidemiológicos, por ejemplo, han vinculado una dieta mediterránea rica en verduras, frutas, frutos secos y abundante aceite de oliva con una mejor función cerebral. Pero la dieta para una buena salud mental no se limita a la comida de conejo. En un análisis de 2011 de más de 5000 noruegos, Michael Berk, profesor de psiquiatría en la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Deakin en Australia, y sus colaboradores encontraron tasas más bajas de depresión, ansiedad y trastorno bipolar entre quienes consumían una dieta tradicional de carne y verduras que entre las personas que seguían una dieta moderna rica en alimentos procesados y comida rápida, o incluso una dieta saludable a base de tofu y ensaladas.
“Las dietas tradicionales —el tipo de alimentos que tu abuela habría reconocido— se han asociado con un menor riesgo de problemas de salud mental”, declaró Berk a The Washington Post .
Seamos realistas: es necesario un enfoque integral para la salud mental, y hay ocasiones en que quienes padecen diversos trastornos necesitan una pastilla (o varias) además de una alimentación equilibrada. Pero con un sólido respaldo de nuevas investigaciones e incluso una sociedad de investigación internacional recién formada, Kaplan sueña con el día en que hayamos restablecido un equilibrio adecuado entre la atención médica y nutricional de la salud mental, algo que Hipócrates reconocería con mayor facilidad.
“En mi mundo ideal, la dieta y la nutrición son el tratamiento principal”, afirma. “Y los medicamentos se utilizan como complemento”.
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I think the 'rabbit food' phrase was poorly chosen but was trying to suggest that vegetarianism is not necessarily always an appropriate move. It depends on each individual's personal needs.
Your body is meant to eat the foods that grow or live near you in season. It is all about balance. Native medicine practitioners strive to ease the body back into balance.
Finally people are remembering that food is what makes your body right or wrong! I was offered anti depressants and anti histamines when I was really suffering from hypo thyroid, adrenal exhaustion and a totally whacked our hormone balance (ALL estrogen all the time!). It took an MD/ND/Endocrinologist to properly diagnose me, prescribe Armour Thyroid (which I am now gradually reducing in dose because my thyroid is recovering), help me deal with the adrenal exhaustion (six months in bed- yuck!- but it worked along with magnesium baths and supplements) and prescribing bio-identical progesterone to re-balance my hormones. BUT! But she also carefully examined my diet, made just a couple of tweaks (I eat mostly "paleo" in style) and said I was a lot healthier because of my diet than I otherwise would have been. Without this diet I'd be diabetic by now, clinically depressed, probably still hypo thyroid (I tested as "low normal"), suffering from chronic fatigue and with no light at the end of that tunnel.
[Hide Full Comment]Thank you for validating what Native Americans and other traditional peoples have known for centuries (not that we need anyone's validation): plants have healing qualities. Long before anyone knew about science or doctor's, my ancestors could go into fields and/or forests and find exactly what they needed for any given ailment, mental or physical. It was common knowledge passed down by the elders to the rest of family and tribe. For example, willow bark was/is commonly used to relieve pain. It was the basis for aspirin being invented. Go to University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health's website and type "willow bark" in the search box and read more about science validating what many have known for centuries.
A big problem in health care today is that the people are so disconnected from what the earth can provide. This is due in large part to the pharmaceutical and big ag industries. They've kidnapped our ancestors' knowledge and get paid an abundant ransom by all of us on an installment basis. Want to pay less for health care? Learn the medicinal value of plants.
[Hide Full Comment]Rabbit food? Really? Come on, guy! Seem more educated than that.
Hippocrates was vegetarian. His quote need to be used when you advocate vegetarian food. He didn't advocate meat. secondly, 'people is what he eats'. Meat can never be reason for mental health. we will never be happy by harming other living beings. This is not a 'daily good' for anyone.
Referring to a plant-based diet as "rabbit food" is not helpful. Plant-based diets can be hearty, extremely nutritious, and are one of the most important changes you can make as a individual to reduce the suffering of animals, humans (the workers that must slaughter and process the animals), and the planet. Your implicit suggestion that a diet of meat is "traditional" is problematic as well - traditional for whom? For which culture? Some cultures consume high amounts of meat, and others don't - as you had just stated in the sentence about the Mediterranean diet.
This makes a lot of sense to me! I recently got diagnosed with "bipolar disorder." Though I wasn't convinced that this was a correct diagnosis, what was true is that I was experiencing a lot of emotional turmoil for several months and my body felt exhausted as a result. Taking the bipolar medications that the doctor prescribed just didn't feel like the right thing to do. Rather, it felt right to change my diet and look into vitamin and mineral supplements. It also felt right to exercise more and work with a psychotherapist weekly.
I started a candida diet about a week ago (no dairy, no sugars--not even fruits!, no wheat, no processed foods, and many other "not allowed" foods), and I've been taking supplements that the naturopathic physician suggested. As I look back on the past week, I realize I haven't cried! Before starting the diet, I was crying a lot (almost every day, and sometimes for long periods). This past week, I've felt less sad and more balanced. I've done this diet in the past, and it's always worked very well for me. I am still looking into minerals and vitamins to further support my health. But so far, so good!
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