Mental health and cognitive issues are a true pandemic. Whether it’s mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, and addiction, or issues related to brain function such as poor memory, brain fog, ADHD, or the increase in early onset cognitive decline for people over the age of 50, more people than ever are complaining about suboptimal brain function.
In this article I cover why we are seeing the increase in mental health issues, and the best supplements for depression and anxiety.
Why are we seeing an increase in depression and anxiety?
There are various reasons for the increase in people experience symptoms of depression and anxiety. Let’s looks at some of the contributing factors.
Extreme Stress
Never before in human history has chronic stress been so high and constant. Increased financial worries, lack of control over politics, global fear, and more have contributed to heightened chronic stress.
Increased Sugar and Carb Consumption
A diet that consists of highly refined carbohydrates and eating lot’s of sugar is linked to high blood sugar levels, and that leads to an unstable mood, depression and anxiety. Furthermore, refined carbohydrates may contribute to inflammation of the brain, lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s, and worsen seizures for those with epilepsy. Low-carb diets, intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets have been directly correlated to helping people get off their anxiety and depression medications.
Degradation of our Food Supply
Not only is eating processed foods, vegetable oils, and GMOs leading to lowered brain function, but furthermore, GMOs in non-organic food supply disrupt the gut and are causing most people to have issues detoxifying sulfur foods, leading to a suppressed immune system. In other words, eating foods with GMOs, could cause “healthy” sulfur foods including broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and egg yolks, to back up the liver, hinder detoxification, cause leaky gut, and lead to poor physical and mental performance.
Amyloid Proteins
Amyloid proteins in conventionally raised meats like chicken, turkey, pork, and beef are increasing the amyloid burden in the body, tripping up the gut, and leading to autoimmune disease and brain fog. Amyloids are misfolded proteins that get deposited in the body without being broken down into usable amino acids.
So not only are they not helping build healthy lean muscle and tissue, but they are being deposited in the brain, leading to dementia and Alzheimer’s, and are encouraging the overgrowth of gut pathogens. As a result, inflammation, malnutrition, and autoimmunity manifest and worsen brain activity.
Spike Protein
Spike Protein, a vital element of the SARS-CoV-2 virus triggering COVID-19, plays a crucial role in infecting human cells.
However, beyond its infection potential, Spike Protein is implicated in deteriorating health conditions within the body including the brain and causing mental health disorders. Notably, it contributes to elevated rates of insulin resistance, a condition linked to impaired insulin regulation, hormonal regulation, oxidative stress, water retention, and inflammation, primarily affecting the ACE2 receptor.
Furthermore, this protein is associated with heightened cholesterol levels, gastrointestinal problems, insulin resistance, all of which can indirectly exacerbate mental health conditions.
Low Dopamine
Due to “free” and easy access to many addictive behaviors or substances like gambling, pornography, social media, alcohol, and vaping, the base level of dopamine in the body lowers, causing one to need “more” of the substance to feel “normal”. Without the behavior or substance, low dopamine leads to depression, anxiety, and low motivation.
Lack of Movement
Due to work, school, gaming, and social media, people are opting to be sedentary and not exercise. Exercise is the quickest way to increase endorphins (the feel good hormones) and to increase Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). BDNF has been shown to improve mood, alleviate depression and increase mental performance.
Best Supplements for Depression and Anxiety
Feeling overwhelmed by anxiety or depression can be debilitating. Supplements have gained popularity as potential allies in managing depression and anxiety. By targeting specific neurotransmitters and biochemical pathways, certain supplements may offer relief from symptoms such as excessive worry, sadness, and fatigue.
As a board certified supplement expert, the following are my favorite supplements to help alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Mental Health Bundle
I’ve put together an essential Mental Health Supplement Bundle containing hand picked supplements to help boost motivation, enhance focus, expedite learning, combat fatigue often experienced by depression, fight anxiety, and support mental, physical, and spiritual balance.
The Mental Health Supplement Bundle is a combination of 4 supplements containing ingredients to help boost the immune system, increase cognition, enhance learning and memory, relax the mind, support healing of the gut, improve serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, curb sugar cravings, help stabilize blood sugar, and give you the strength to put one foot in front of the other!
The bundle contains the following supplements:
Cognibast®
Cogniblast® is a cutting-edge nootropic containing ingredients that help to increase mental focus, energy, and memory in the short term and help protect the brain from memory issues and decline long term.
Accelerated Thyroid®
Most people with depression or brain fog have suboptimal thyroid function and metabolism. Accelerated Thyroid® is the most comprehensive thyroid supplement that helps increase mood, thyroid health, metabolism, fat oxidation, energy, and weight loss. Unlike any other thyroid supplement, Accelerated Thyroid® is enhanced with Scalar frequencies to help detox the thyroid from heavy metals and radiation in addition to healing the thyroid and reversing hypothyroidism.
Acceleradine® Iodine
Iodine deficiency is known to be the number one predictor of depression and brain fog. Iodine is able to detox the brain of toxins like fluoride and helps you become more in touch with your higher self. Furthermore, it improves metabolism and thyroid health so that the body has the physical and mental energy to face what it is confronted with on a daily basis.
Suboptimal thyroid has been correlated with higher rates of depression and mental illness.
Furthermore, Acceleradine® is antifungal, antiparasitic, antiviral, antibacterial and more; it helps minimize pathogens that can inhibit brain function. It also increases ATP by 18 TIMES; this increases cellular energy, metabolism, caloric burn, brain function, physical performance, wound healing, fat burning, healthy apoptosis (destruction of diseased cells), and more.
Apoptosis is the destruction of diseased and weak cells; there is a direct correlation between iodine and reducing diseased cells and foreign pathogens in the body.
Furthermore, when ATP increases, energy for the brain and body increases.
Acceleradine® also helps improve metabolism and physical energy by supplying the necessary iodine for thyroid hormones. As the thyroid is functioning optimally and the ATP is maximized, brain function becomes optimized.
Accelerated Methylene Blue
Methylene blue has a rich history as a therapeutic agent, having been employed for centuries in the treatment of conditions such as malaria and urinary tract infections. Recent scientific breakthroughs have unveiled its potential to address more complex neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and depression. These discoveries have positioned methylene blue as a groundbreaking compound with significant promise for brain health.
Accelerated Methylene Blue boasts an unparalleled 99.9% purity level, achieved through a rigorous filtration process that eliminates all metal contaminants. Beyond purity, we’ve incorporated a groundbreaking approach by being the exclusive methylene blue supplement to leverage GRANDER® Water Technology. This innovative system doesn’t merely purify water but revitalizes it, infusing it with beneficial energies and information to restore its natural balance. Unlike traditional water filters that focus on removing impurities, GRANDER® elevates water quality by optimizing its internal structure and enhancing its energetic properties.
Additional Mood Boosting Supplements
Accelerated Colloidal Silver™
Accelerated Colloidal Silver™ is my number one recommendation to “devitalize” foreign pathogens as it goes beyond any other silver supplement with bio-informational codes to boost the immune system more efficiently. When the immune system is compromised, mental wellness suffers.
Accelerated Gold®
Colloidal gold has been used for thousands of years to improve mood, help with anxiety and depression, increase IQ, and even improve spiritual connection. Accelerated Colloidal Gold® takes it one step further through its scalar technology which imprints bio-informational scalar codes to further help with anxiety and depression. It is alkaline whereas most gold solutions are acidic.
Accelerated Fast®
Accelerated Fast® turns your body into a fat-burning mode within 30 minutes and it taps into its own fat stores for energy right away. Taking Accelerated Fast® is the quickest way to stabilize blood sugar, reduce brain inflammation and start producing more of the happy neurotransmitters like GABA, dopamine, and serotonin.
When the body is running on ketones produced by the Accelerated Fast® combined with intermittent fasting and a low-carb diet, ATP production increases significantly, leading to enhanced mental and physical energy.
The liver is also where the thyroid hormone converts from T4 to T3, and as the liver function becomes healthier, the thyroid works better as well, increasing metabolism, mitochondrial function, and energy further. Depression is directly correlated to low-functioning thyroid. Additionally, the liver stores anger and frustration; so as it cleanses, negative emotions subside.
MegaSporeBiotic™
This unique probiotic blend aims to recondition the gut instead of reseeding with probiotic strains that cannot survive digestion or colonize the gut. MegaSporeBiotic helps control the “bad” bacteria that lead to bloat and dysbiosis and grow the “good” bacteria. It has been shown to help with E. Coli, Salmonella, H. Pylori, and more.
Without an intact gut lining, the body is not able to produce happy hormones. This is the cause of most anxiety and depression.
MegaSporeBiotic is a probiotic blend of 5 Bacillus spores that help maintain a healthy gut barrier and immune function. The bi-phasic life cycle of the Bacillus spores allows them to remain dormant in until they reach the gastrointestinal tract. Once inside the large intestine, these dormant spores can change into their active, vegetative forms and begin colonizing in the gut.
MegaSporeBiotic RECONDITIONS the gut instead of reseeding with probiotic strains that cannot survive digestion or colonize the gut. As the gut heals, hormones such as serotonin, GABA, and dopamine are able to be produced at the normal level.
Lifestyle Hacks to Boost Your Mood
Exercise
Physicians and health experts have touted for years that exercise is one of the best ways to improve mood. It naturally increases your endorphins or your “feel-good hormones.” It has also been shown to be the quickest tool to increase BDNF, which has been shown to alleviate depression and improve creativity.
I recommend two sessions of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) a week, along with a few sessions of endurance and weight training. If nothing else, go for a walk, and you will still gain benefits.
Intermittent Fasting
By squeezing your mealtimes into a 6-8 hour period with intermittent fasting, you are giving your gut a chance to heal, reduce the inflammation in the brain and body, and start producing the serotonin, dopamine, and GABA hormones that are needed for strong mental health. Pairing intermittent fasting with the Accelerated Fast® enhances Autophagy, or the “clean up” of the diseased and weak cells, and increases ATP. As ATP increases, cellular energy increases in the brain and the body.
Cutting Out Sugar, Carbs, and Processed Foods
As you stop eating sugar, carbs, processed vegetable oils, and processed foods, the inflammation in the gut decreases, nutrients you are taking in are absorbed more efficiently, and your blood sugar is stabilized. The vegetable seed oils, chemicals, and GMO ingredients in processed foods tear holes in the intestinal lining, making it impossible for the body to produce happy hormones in the gut.
Focus on Eating Wild Animal Protein
Wild animal protein like bison, lamb, deer, elk, wild fish, and organic eggs delivers the most nutrients out of all food consumed. The nutrients in wild animal protein are necessary for the building blocks of healthy neurotransmitters, hormones, and metabolism for brain and body energy. On the contrary, poultry and conventional beef not only have inflammatory fats but also have amyloid proteins that can disrupt the gut, deposit in the brain, and lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Learn more about foods to avoid and which ones are best to help your depression and anxiety in my Accelerated Food Guide.
Sleep 7-8 hours Every Night
During sleep is when not only the body recovers from the day, but also the brain recovers, reducing the inflammation and executing the “maintenance” of the brain.
Gratitude Journaling
Stress and negativity are at an all-time high, leading to focusing on the negative. Instead, actively focus on the silver linings daily and start writing down at least three to five things you are grateful for. Don’t write down the same things everyday, but try to search for new things to focus on every time you sit down to write.
You can access your free gratitude journal from grateful.org
Prayer and Manifestation
Regardless of your religious beliefs, prayer and focusing on what you imagine and hope for is more powerful than any supplements. Wake up and imagine your day as you want it to go before you get out of bed. Act as if it has already happened and be grateful for it. You will be shocked at how your day will change for the positive when you do this.
It’s essential to approach supplements for anxiety and depression with a holistic perspective. Combining supplementation with a balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management techniques can enhance overall mental health. Remember, finding the right approach often involves trial and error. Patience and open communication with a trusted health professional are key to determining the best course of action for your specific needs.
Sara Banta
Sara Banta is a Stanford University Graduate with a Degree in Economics and Psychology, and a certified Natural Supplement Expert & Graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sara is the Founder of Accelerated Health Products and host of the health & wellness podcast, Accelerated Health Radio.
