![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 1 of 1. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by VanessaFlower on November 27, 2007, at 21:58:46
Hi all,
I'm 20 years old in my 3rd year of college. Lately, with every passing year, I've been falling into a deeper pit of depression. I feel irritable, moody, emotional, and I have trouble sleeping. Sophomore year in college I even started to feel a little schizophrenic... as in I was incredibly paranoid, and my brain felt really dry, like it was missing all its important nutrients. I felt like a piece of glass that was ready to crack at any moment.
Things got significantly better when I started taking whole food supplements. I could sleep a million times better, and felt generally better when I woke up in the morning.
One thing I've noticed in recent years is that I feel so much better when I have ice cream. I've generally avoided dairy products since I am allergic to casein (but I don't get an extreme reaction, just runny nouse, sneezing, etc. so I eat ice cream every once in a while to make me feel better). I suddenly feel more like myself-- optimistic, happier, MUCH better cognitive function etc.
I notice the similar reactions with yogurt -- except not as extreme. I notice that I have better mental abilities but don't notice much about my mood.
The question is.. why? Am I getting something from ice cream that I can't get anywhere else? Or something in a more easily absorbable form?
At first I thought it was the calcium, but even then, plant sources offer more bioavailable forms of calcium, and I eat plenty of vegetables.
Then I thought it was tryptophan... but then again, I eat meat too, and chicken, turkey, beef, etc. Why am I not getting the proteins from these sources? Are they not as easily absorbed?
Then I thought -- amino acids in general?? For the longest time, I've been wondering if I have celiac's disease. I never felt depressed as a child or pre-teen, and it wasn't until high school that I've noticed that I've been getting worse and worse. Also, I read somewhere that people who are allergic to casein could possibly be allergic to gluten. Maybe my absorption is inhibited and milk offers the protein spectrum in a more easily absorbable form?? I have no idea and may be way off the mark, but I'm desperate at this point because the depression is becoming overwhelming. I can't keep eating ice cream just to improve my mood because I'm already mildly allergic to casein.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Health | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.