Optimum nutrition for your mental wellbeing

In 2018, stress in the UK accounted for 44% of all work-related ill-health issues and 57% of all working days lost due to ill health. With workplace pressure on the increase and an ever-growing tide of information hitting us hourly, a less than ideal diet and poor sleep can have a significant, negative impact on the brain. The current Covid-19 pandemic may also be adding to stress factors in your life. Nutritional therapy, however, can play a pivotal role in our physical resilience against stress, supporting our health so that we are more able to meet everyday demands.

Nutrition is a key to the wellbeing of both mind and mood. We will identify any biochemical or physiological imbalances that may be affecting your performance and how you feel. We will then use this information to work with you to create a tailor-made plan to improve your mood and emotional stability, memory and mental health — whatever your age.

In Britain, one in 20, or around three million people, are diagnosed with depression. More than just a bout of the blues, depression is not a weakness, nor is it something that you can simply 'snap out' of. Depression is a chronic illness that needs support. If depression is a part of your life, there are lots of ways that we can help.

You may have been told your depression is the result of a biochemical imbalance and you don’t know what your next step is, or you may be on medication for depression and it isn’t giving you the desired results. Perhaps you have not been diagnosed with depression, but you are suffering from panic attacks or anxiety or you are experiencing feelings of low mood, sadness, lethargy, stress, mood swings or lack of energy.

At the Brain Bio Centre, we will identify any nutritional and physiological imbalances that may be contributing to your depression. Once we have identified these imbalances, we will work with you to create a tailor-made plan that will aim to restore balance. We will provide a nutritional protocol to support the symptoms of your depression. As well as having positive effects on your mental health, the changes we recommend may also have a significant effect on lifestyle factors such as better sleep, increased energy levels and weight loss.

Our therapists have met many people who have experienced the dark shadow of depression as a major part of their life. It is possible through the inclusion of specific foods and supplements to lift this shadow.

Brain Bio Centre therapists have helped many adults and children with developmental, learning and behaviour issues. Perhaps your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, autism or dyslexia, has other learning difficulties, or you just feel that they are not reaching their full potential. Could this be due to a nutritional deficiency of vitamins, minerals or essential fats, a food intolerance or other biochemical imbalance?

We will work with you and your child to create a personalised nutritional programme based upon your child’s health history, symptoms, and test results.

We use simple biochemical testing to identify nutritional deficiencies and physiological imbalances that may be contributing to your child’s learning, developmental and behavioural issues. Once we have identified these imbalances, we work with you to create a tailor-made dietary and supplement plan that will aim to restore balance and get your child back on track.

As well as the positive impact these recommendations may have on the specific learning, developmental and behavioural issues, you may also see an improvement in other factors such as better mood, sleep, digestion, and improved concentration levels.

In Europe alone, one million people develop impaired memory every year, more than half of whom will go on to develop dementia. The positive news is that research indicates that early intervention with dietary and lifestyle changes reduces the risk of developing poor memory and may slow the progression of dementia (Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia).

At the Brain Bio Centre we can offer tests to assess your nutritional and biochemical status to allow us to provide you with a treatment plan tailored to your needs. For example, we may recommend a test that measures your homocysteine level, as this is commonly raised in those with dementia and is recognised as a risk factor by some authorities. If the level is elevated, we will provide you with a nutrition and supplement plan to restore balance; in this case with a focus on B vitamins.

Whether you have a specific health concern or not, or whether you simply want to support the health of your brain, particularly as you get older, we can help. By fine-tuning your nutrition and biochemistry, you support the health of body and mind, which means you may reduce your risk or improve symptoms of age-related memory or mental health problems, and are also likely to see an improvement in other age-related symptoms such as aches and pains, sleep problems and concentration.

The conventional treatment for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders is usually long-term antipsychotic medication. While this can be quite effective for the positive symptoms (such as voices, hallucinations and delusions), there is often little improvement in negative symptoms (such as concentration, motivation and enjoyment of life) meaning that the sufferer may have a poor quality of life. Additionally, side effects of medication can be considerable in some cases, and the newer antipsychotics (known as atypical) can cause weight gain and increase the risk for diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

We offer a nutritional approach that works well alongside conventional treatment and may improve symptoms. There may also be reductions in the side effects of medication. In some cases, the improvements in symptoms are so great that the patient’s doctor may take the decision to cut down or discontinue medication. We will communicate with your GP or psychiatrist, who remain responsible for your healthcare, and discuss whether nutritional therapy is an appropriate approach.

As well as the positive impact nutritional changes may have on your mental health symptoms, you may also see an improvement in other factors such as better sleep, improved concentration levels, and achieving a healthier weight.