Mood disorders like depression or anxiety absolutely devastate our health and cause profound negative life consequences. Depression and anxiety can be debilitating and severely affect your life and ability to perform everyday tasks. Roughly 28 million Americans -- one in every ten -- have been taking antidepressants, yet very few people are aware of the dangers of these drugs, nor are they aware that better, safer alternatives exist.

Now, everyone experiences times when they feel sad or anxious and don't enjoy life. For some people the emotional pain becomes so severe or prolonged that it becomes a problem. This is depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 19 million American adults suffer from depression every year. Over 18 million people suffer from anxiety disorders. Anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status, can suffer from mood disorders. Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression than men.

Depression changes the way a person feels, thinks, and behaves. A disease that affects millions of Americans each year is caused by an imbalance of certain biochemicals in the brain, called neurotransmitters. These biochemicals allow the brain's cells to communicate with one another. Two neurotransmitters that tend to be out of balance in depressive people are Serotonin and Norepinephrine. An imbalance in Serotonin may cause the sleep problems, irritability and anxiety characteristic of depression, while an imbalance of Norepinephrine, which regulates alertness and arousal, may contribute to the fatigue and depressed mood.

Researchers have also found that depressed people have imbalances in Cortisol, another natural biochemical the body produces in response to extreme long-term stress, anger or fear. In handling stress the brain uses large quantities of neurotransmitters. (Neurotransmitters induce or inhibit brain impulses.) At some point, the amount of stress we endure causes the brain to run out of neurotransmitters.

The human brain is very capable of automatically manufacturing the quantity of neurotransmitters it needs if it is given the raw materials (nutrients from foods and nutritional supplements) to do so.

However, because of the number of stressful situations we are faced with daily and the poor quality of food we eat, we don't have a sufficient supply of the raw materials the brain needs to manufacture enough neurotransmitters, it requires to function normally.

It is critical that sufficient amounts of neurotransmitters be present daily in order for the brain to be chemically balanced. When there are insufficient amounts of neurotransmitters, symptoms of depression or anxiety are experienced which include, but are not limited to:

* Feelings of guilt and worthlessness,

* Feelings of negativity, pessimism and hopelessness,

* Sadness, anxious or emptiness,

* Difficulty concentrating and staying focused on a specific task,

* Avoidance of family members and friends,

* Sleep Difficulty,

* Difficulty managing mood swings,

* Loss of energy, helplessness, fatigue, low self-esteem,

* Change in appetite.

While there are many prescription drugs available, they are not entirely safe and often lose effectiveness over time. Side effects of the commonly prescribed drugs include neurological disorders, such as disfiguring facial and whole-body tics that can indicate brain damage; sexual dysfunction in up to 60 percent of users; debilitating withdrawal symptoms, including visual hallucinations, electric shock-like sensations in the brain, dizziness, nausea, and a decrease of effectiveness in about 35 percent of long-term users.

Case studies also show a direct link between use of these drugs and suicide and violence. Dr. Stewart at NeuroWellness offers hope with custom-designed, well researched alternative treatments including neurotransmitter and nutritional supplementation. These alternatives are effective not only for depression and anxiety but also for a wide range of problems, including: ADD/ADHD, chronic pain, insomnia, and eating disorders. In most situations this approach has successfully reduced or eliminated the use of prescription drugs for our patients