Who Is Affected By Depression?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells us that 1 in 10 Americans report depression and the World Health Organization states that over 350 million people worldwide suffer with depression.
The Impact of Depression
Some of the major results of depression are restlessness, irritability and pessimism. Depression not only affects the individual experiencing it, but also those people close to them. It is caused by a number of different factors including psychological, social, and most commonly physical.
Depression is also thought to be the result of altered serotonin levels in the brain. It is yet to be fully determined as to what causes the altered serotonin levels, but several recent research studies have indicated that it is likely the result of some sort of trauma. In particular trauma to the neck and upper back can cause an increase in risk of depression. The trauma doesn’t have to be immediate however. Even accidents that happened years ago can eventually manifest with altered serotonin levels.
Trauma to the body commonly affects the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Chiropractic has been proven time and time again to help with this type of trauma. By correcting spinal problems and alleviating pressure on nerves the body functions at a much higher level. This helps with the physical cause of depression.
In addition, since depression is linked to altered nerve impulse transmission as well as altered serotonin levels and other neurotransmitter levels, chiropractic care can help. The very nature of the chiropractic adjustment is to improve nerve transmission and in turn assist with neurotransmitters.
Case Study Showing How Chiropractic Helps With Depression
A case study published on June 20, 2013, reports on the results of a case series showing chiropractic helping patients with depression and anxiety. This case series was looking for follow up on previous surveys showing that chiropractic patients felt chiropractic care helped with their mental and emotional states.
The authors begin by reporting that a previous study showed that in a survey of 2818 patients who completed chiropractic care, 76% of those patients reported a mental/emotional improvement, as well as positive changes in stress and life enjoyment over a period of several months following the chiropractic care. Additional prior studies also showed chiropractic care assisting patients with these types of mental health disorders.
This case series study involved six patients who responded to an Internet posting looking for people suffering from mild to moderate depression or anxiety who wished to be a part of a study involving chiropractic. The patients were not under any psychotherapy at the time and were given tests using standard scales of psychological testing to determine and measure their mental state prior to and after the chiropractic care.
All six of the participants also suffered from a variety of problems including musculoskeletal pains, asthma, hypertension, gastrointestinal issues, and sleep disorders. Those who were taking medications made no changes to their medications during the study to rule out any improvement due to medication.
The results of the study were recorded for five of the six participants as one participant left the program due to a family emergency. The remaining five participants all showed positive results in most of the areas that the researchers measured. All five also showed positive test results for a decrease in nerve interference from subluxation. All five participants showed a “…significant decrease in depressive symptom ratings.” All five measured a “…significant decrease in anxiety.”
Treatment for Depression in Augusta GA
Regardless of what may be causing depression for a certain individual, it is a wise decision to be checked by a chiropractor in Augusta GA that specializes in depression and anxiety disorders for any signs of spinal trauma that could be causing and/or contributing to the problem. There is hope for those with depression if they will just take the right steps.
The Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic Blog is written by Dr. Mark Huntsman.
Augusta GA Chiropractor Georgia Clinic of Chiropractic provides customized treatments to Augusta GA, Martinez GA, and Evans GA patients. Visit the main website at www.georgia-clinic.com for customized chiropractic in Augusta GA.
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