Hipokraten "Janaria izan bedi zure sendagaia" maxima osasun mentaleko arretari aplikatu beharko litzaioke? Noski, dio Bonnie Kaplan doktoreak, Calgaryko Unibertsitateko irakasleak eta dietak eta nutrizioak garunaren osasunean duten paperari buruzko ikerketa-arlo berpiztu batean aitzindariak. Dioenez, medikuntza eta psikiatria komunitateak janariaren eta gaixotasun mentalen arteko lotura ugari berraurkitzen ari da, mende erdi baino gehiago errezeta-botiken menpe egon ondoren, arintzeko.
«1950etik aurrera edo, sendagaien inguruko ikerketa leherketa bat izan zen», dio. «Farmazeutika handiek gaixotasun psikiatrikoen tratamendua hartu zuten, eta mendeetako ezagutza galdu genuen».
Aurretik, hobeto bagenekien. Kaplanek 1855eko The People's Home Library liburuari erreferentzia egiten dio —XIX. mendearen amaieran eta XX. mendearen hasieran Ipar Amerikako etxalde-jabeen apaletan zegoen liburu-liburuxka estandarra—. Bertan, TJ Ritter idazleak gaixotasun psikiatriko gehienen kausa "nutrizio inperfektua" dela diagnostikatzen du. Ritterrek baieztatu zuen jende gehienarentzat dieta hobetzeak adimena hobetzen lagun dezakeela.
Baina XX. mendeko osasun mentaleko hornitzaileek askotan huts egiten zuten Ritterrek —eta Hipokratesek askoz lehenago— azaltzen zuten puntua, Kaplanek dioenez, buruko gaixotasunak aldi berean mantenugai edo mineral bakarreko osagarriekin tratatuz.
«Emaitza nahasiak ikusten ari ziren, hori barregarria baita», dio. «[Mantenugaiak] guztiak batera eta oreka egokian behar ditugu».
Laster ikusiko ditugu psikiatrek Prozac-en ordez produktuak errezetatzen, hala ere, janariak osasun mentalean duen eragin handia erakusten duen ikerketa akademiko nahiko berri bati esker. Kaplan liderra izan da arlo honetan, mantenugaien kontsumoa helduengan zein haurrengan aldarte-nahasmenduen hobekuntzarekin lotzen duten hainbat ikerketa argitaratuz. Karen M. Davison lankidearekin, Ph.D., RD, 2012an egindako ikerketa batean, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry aldizkarian argitaratua, egileek aldarte-nahasmendu bat diagnostikatuta zuten 97 heldu kontratatu zituzten hiru eguneko epean haien dietak eta aldarteak (egun bakoitzean nola sentitzen ziren) erregistratzeko. Ikerketaren amaieran, Kaplanek eta Davisonek aurkitu zuten parte-hartzaileen bitamina eta mantenugaien kontsumoa "modu koherente eta fidagarrian" lotuta zegoela aldarte eta osasun mental hobearekin.
Beste ikerketa batzuek antzeko emaitzak erakutsi dituzte eta baita garun osasuntsuago batekin lotuta dauden dieta espezifikoak ere identifikatu dituzte. Ikerketa epidemiologikoek, adibidez, barazki, fruta, fruitu lehor eta oliba olio ugariz osatutako Mediterraneoko dieta garunaren funtzio hobearekin lotu dute. Baina osasun mental onaren dieta ez da untxi-janarekin hasten eta amaitzen. 2011n 5.000 norvegiar baino gehiagoren analisi batean, Michael Berkek, Australiako Deakin Unibertsitateko Medikuntza Fakultateko psikiatria irakasleak, eta bere kolaboratzaileek depresio, antsietate eta nahasmendu bipolarren tasak txikiagoak aurkitu zituzten haragi eta barazki dieta tradizionala kontsumitzen zutenen artean, janari prozesatu eta azkarrez betetako dieta modernoa jarraitzen zutenen artean baino —edo baita tofu eta entsaladaz osatutako dieta osasungarria ere—.
«Dieta tradizionalak —zure amonak ezagutuko zituen elikagai motak— buruko osasun arazoen arrisku txikiagoarekin lotu dira», esan zion Berkek The Washington Post egunkariari .
Izan gaitezen errealistak, ordea: osasun mentaleko arreta holistikoa beharrezkoa da, eta badira nahasmendu desberdinak dituztenek pilula bat (edo hiru) behar dituzten uneak, elikagai integral plater batekin batera. Baina bere aldean ikerketa-multzo berri eta sendo batekin eta baita nazioarteko ikerketa-elkarte berri batekin ere, Kaplanek osasun mentaleko arreta mediko eta nutrizionalaren arteko oreka egokia berreskuratuko dugun eguna amesten du; Hipokratesek errazago antzemango lukeen zerbait.
«Nire mundu idealean, dieta eta nutrizioa dira tratamendu nagusia», dio. «Eta botikak osagarri gisa erabiltzen dira».
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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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