Mental Health

Endo cannabinoids are chemical messengers in the central and peripheral systems that control many of our bodily functions, such as sleep, eating, temperature, memory and pain. Research suggests that dis regulation of this system is linked to conditions such as depression and anxiety. Cannabis may act on cannabinoid receptors and lead to dis regulation of the endogenous endocannabinoid system, potentially increasing the risk of psychiatric disease.
 
Transcript: "Okay. How do endo cannabinoid work? So endo cannabinoids are chemical messengers in both the central and peripheral systems, some nervous systems and um they mainly control some of our most critical bodily functions such as sleep, eating, temperature, control, memory and pain.  These messengers also act on receptors located throughout the limbic system of the brain that greatly influenced emotional processing and control. There is significant research suggesting that the dis regulation of this system is implicated in conditions such as depression and anxiety.  Additionally, stress is an established and prominent inducer of sustained changes in these cannabinoid signaling pathways. In a past video, I have discussed the substantial research that     has  established on the role of cannabis use in brain development and maturation and the risk of development of psychiatric disease. It may seem like this goes against the reason that most people report using cannabis both medicinally and recreationally, which is having a relaxation or physiologic effect. Both the perceived effect of Anxiolysis   and an increased risk of psychiatric illness can exist at the same time, they're not mutually exclusive. And I think this is what's really important to understand, cannabis does act on cannabinoid receptors dispersed widely in the nervous system and can often lead to dis regulation of the endogenous endocannabinoid system leading to an increased risk of psychiatric disease."

Vitamin B6, B8, and B12 supplements, omega-3 fatty acids, and a ketogenic diet are nutrients or supplements that may help with schizophrenia. However, it is important to be monitored by a doctor and be aware of potential side effects.
 
Transcript: "Okay, what nutrients or supplements could help with schizophrenia? I'll start off by saying that this is a hot topic and we do talk about this a lot as far as thinking about what can be helpful in management of the symptoms of schizophrenia. I will say that none of this takes the place of the medications that we have, but certainly supplements and certain vitamins can be helpful in management of symptoms and the data has shown that to be true. The one that we think about the most is the vitamin B, so vitamin B6, B8, B12. And we think about that one not only in increasing cognitive function, but we also think about it in actually the improvement of symptoms associated with the side effects of some of the medications that we use in schizophrenia, particularly tardive dyskinesia, which is one of the more feared yet very common side effects of long-term use of antipsychotics. So that can be helpful in sort of slowing down the progression of tardive dyskinesia. I will say that high dose vitamin B6 can have chronic long-term effects, like negative effects specifically with nerve function, so it's important to be monitored by a doctor. Some of the other supplements that we think about that could be helpful are omega-3 fatty acids. There's some evidence of anti-inflammatory function that it has improvement in cognitive deficits. The other one that's a little bit more nuanced and we've been studying more lately is the ketogenic diet, which the thought is that there is some brain energy restoration that occurs with ketosis, and this has been shown to improve symptoms of schizophrenia."

Hormonal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle can affect a person's resiliency, making them more vulnerable to anxiety and other conditions such as PTSD.
 
Transcript: "So how does one's menstrual cycle impact anxiety levels? In short, hormonal oscillations can change people's resiliency. And so at times like the week before the start of your menstrual cycle or at times of ovulation, where you have, for example, a decrease in progesterone or estrogen, body's resiliency in the central nervous system can change, which could change to being predisposed to having anxiety, especially if you have an anxiety disorder that is undertreated or untreated. So these are more vulnerable times where your body's internal molecules essentially are changing. And depending on these oscillations, one can be more prone to becoming anxious or depressed or even other conditions such as trauma and trauma-related disorders. So let's say if you have someone who has PTSD, you can have worsening symptoms of PTSD. This makes sense. Thanks."

To prevent relapse, stay engaged in recovery-oriented activities, be aware of the stages of relapse and take appropriate actions to address them, prioritize self-care, seek help when feeling overwhelmed, triggers or any one of those things, be honest with yourself and identify any maladaptive habits.
 
Transcript: "Hi, so what steps can people take to prevent relapse if they've been in recovery for a while? I'd say the first thing is staying engaged in recovery-oriented activities. Be aware of the stages of relapse. Those are very important when it comes to emotional signs. You want to pay attention to that. What does it look like, whether it's mental, those physical relapse. And taking appropriate actions to address them. Self-care. We've got to prioritize self-care. It's so essential, eating healthy, dieting, sleeping, taking your medications, seeking help when you're feeling overwhelmed, triggers, any one of those things. You want to seek help right away. Don't wait until it's about to burst. Be honest. Honesty is so important and key. With yourself, it plays a role. I'm not feeling good. I'm feeling more triggered. Identify that. Adhere to the rules and structure and then modify maladaptive habits. Hopefully that answered the question."

I don't believe in setting boundaries based on what you think other people's needs may be, but rather you should focus on your own needs first and then express them calmly and politely to the other person. Negotiate from there.
 
Transcript: "I mean the short answer is that I don't. I think that part of the problem that people have with setting boundaries is they are too focused on the needs of others and not focused enough on the needs of themselves. So when you are starting to figure out what your boundaries actually are, it's in your best interest not to think about other people's needs initially. And then when you are going to set your boundaries, it's still up to them to set their boundaries also. I don't want you to get into the habit of over-functioning and setting boundaries based on what you think that they need or you think is going to work for them. That's not your business. It's your business to manage you. So once you figure out what's going to work for you, very calmly, very politely, whatever it is, express what you need and then you can negotiate what the other person. But I don't want you to be in the process of negotiating yourself down before you even start talking to the other person with whom you would like to set those boundaries."

The most effective cognitive behavioral treatments for OCD are exposure and response prevention therapy, which involves exposing the patient to stress-inducing situations or thoughts without allowing them to engage in compulsive behavior, and cognitive restructuring, which involves challenging irrational thoughts and replacing them with rational thoughts that are based in reality.
 
Transcript: "What are the most effective cognitive behavioral treatments for OCD? So CBT for OCD is probably the most helpful thing to engage in for OCD. Medications are certainly helpful, but medications usually are used to help to get people to a place where they're actually able to participate in the CBT for OCD, which really takes them the rest of the way in their their treatment. So I'll say that the most common type of CBT we think about in OCD is called exposure and response prevention therapy. And what this is is a type of therapy that involves exposing the patient to stress-inducing situations or thoughts without allowing them to actually engage in the compulsive behavior that they have been so programmed to engage in in order to lice the symptoms of anxiety that come up. So the fact the idea of preventing them from doing this allows the patient or forces the patient I'll say to kind of sit and face the anxiety that comes up and over time this anxiety fades and they become desensitized to it. And when you're able to do this progressively in a safe environment with a facilitator, you kind of go in a sort of a stepwise fashion and in being exposed to more anxiety-inducing situations or thoughts or obsessions as the treatment goes on. The idea really is to increase anxiety and be exposed to that anxiety in order to learn how to become desensitized to it. The other type of CBT that's effective in OCD is cognitive restructuring which essentially involves challenging any irrational thoughts or thinking patterns and replacing them with rational thoughts that are based in reality."