Positive Choices

Anxiety and Depression.  A faith-based approach

Week 5 Water, Value Systems

Water

Research:

Iran: plain water decrease anxiety and depression in all age groups.

Lowest level water intake (2 glasses/d) had double risk of anxiety and depression compared to 6 glasses/d.

France 2014: Switched water drinkers  low(1 qt/d) and high (2-4qts/d).

Measured change in stress level.  Low water drinkers when drinking more water less stress

The high drinkers, when they restricted to 4 glass/d increased their stress

Habitual water intake in young women

High water drinkers had less tension

depression – less in high water drinkers

confusion – slightly improved in high water drinkers

total mood disturbance – improved in high water drinkers

Increasing water intake led to significant mood improvement in habitual low drinkers, who reported less fatigue, less confusion, less thirst, less sleepiness

Mild dehydration in young healthy women. Took people and purposely dehydrated them.  1.36% (3 pounds of water weight) dehydration.

Lower ability to concentrate, more HA, increased perception of task difficulty.

Anatomy

Lower water intake causes lower diffusion of neural transmitters.  Directly affects removal of neurotransmitters.

How much water should a person drink?  (These are approximations) 

Formula:  Weight in pounds/2 = oz of water daily

For people less than age 50, consider adding 1- 2 glasses/ day 

For people 60-69 subtract one glass per day. 

For people 70- 79 subtract two glasses per day.

For people 80 +    subtract ~ three or four glasses /day.

What temperature?  Warm water  ~ 100- 110 degrees 

The warm water opens the pyloric sphincter in the stomach. 

• cures constipation, helps diverticular disease.  (85% of Americans over 65)
• vaso-dilates.  Biggest difference in people who have headache.  Decreased HA frequency.

However, any water is better than none.

The rest of the water during the day – there is no instruction on time or temperature of water intake. 

What about flavoring?

Lemon or herbal tea is better than no water.  Water alone is always best.

Discourage sweeteners.  Affect appetite – people who drink sweetened beverages (even zero calorie ones) on average eat 200 calories more/day than people who do not drink sweetened beverages.

Neurotransmitter – Dopamine

Produced in pons.

Levodopa converted to Dopamine. 

Minor percentage of the nerves in the brain.  <1/1000% of all CNS neurons.

But, crucial for regulation.

Mesolimbic pathway

Starts in Ventral Tegmental area.  Those neurons project into amygdala/limbic system.  Has to do with emotions and rewards.  It blocks the Amygdala.

This is affected when people have drug problems.

Food, sexual activity and addictions.  Helps people to feel better.

Mesocortical pathway

Starts in pons projects to prefrontal cortex.

Has to do with cognition.  Prefrontal cortex.  Initiative, drive to get things done.

This affected when people have ADHD.

Attention, working memory and cognition.

Nigrostriatal pathway

Starts in substantial nigra and projects to basal ganglia.

Parkinsons, movement.

Eating food increases dopamine.  Particularly in mesolimbic pathway.

This is the mechanism for why eating food makes people feel better temporarily.

Cocaine can cause large Dopamine surge.  Strong positive feedback.

But can build tolerance.  Then normal amount of dopamine, does not register.

Tolerance is when the brain produces less dopamine and less dopamine receptors.

Mental Health

Review

Thoughts

Week 1 – meaning and purpose  Jer 29:11   

Week 2 – by beholding we become changed  2 Cor 3:18

Behaviors

Week 3 – speech – speak and act consistent with your faith not your feelings  Num 14:28

Week 4 – Altruism – Its good to be good  2 Cor 5:14-15

This week – value systems

Value Systems

Actions are driven by value systems.  People don’t say their value systems, but their actions shout their value system.

1) Teen values – sex appeal, gender attraction,  physical appearance, athletics.  Communicate with clothes

2) College values – education.  Communicate with sweat shirts and bumper stickers

3) Job and Money value – we stay in this value system a long time.  “More” syndrome keeps people in this value system.  Communicate with car and house.

4) A few people – Prestige – have everything they want.  They want to be chairman of board. 

5) Leisure value – Leisure is utopia – I can do whatever I want.

6) Health value – Nothing makes any difference if we don’t have our health.

But, each value system actually turns out to be a mirage.

Ecclesiates 2:10 – I denied myself nothing that my eyes desired.  The conclusion of the matter

Everything is meaningless, there is nothing gained under the sun.

There is a higher value system:

Hebrews 11:24-26 Moses chose to suffer disgrace with people of God, rather then enjoy the pleasures sin for a short time.  He was looking ahead to his reward.  God was in first place.

First Place – putting God in first place.

We were introduced to this in Guam with a diet program.  But it is not just food and exercise.

The diet program had memory verses to memorize.  Even before you feel overwhelmed, ask God to take First Place. Then you can have confidence that God will fulfill his promises to you in each of these areas in your life.  

Miraslava, God protected all her value systems.

Phillipians 3:4-9  Paul – whatever is to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ Jesus.

When Christ is in first place, He protects all the other value systems.