This is the second installment in my series on Stephen Ilardi’s book The Depression Cure.
Ilardi pinpoints six differences between the American lifestyle and the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and shows that peer-reviewed studies have shown each of these factors has been demonstrated to cause depression. Ilardi’s six factors are:
1. Omega 3 fats.
2. “Anti-rumination” strategies.
3. Exercise.
4. Sunlight exposure.
5. Social connection.
6. A good night’s sleep.
I’ve talked about an easy way to check off elements 3 and 4 at the same time: just go for a thirty minute walk in the sun three times per week.
Now it’s time to talk about the first element: Omega 3 fats. Ilardi recommends taking supplements of Omega 3’s that contain 1000 mg EPA and 500 mg DHA. I’ve had trouble finding a brand that has this exact ratio, but I have found a supplement that comes very close (800 mg EPA and 600 mg DHA). He also recommends taking a multivitamin and a tablet of vitamin C everyday so that you get the antioxidants that are needed with the Omega 3 supplement (he explains why antioxidants are necessary when taking Omega 3’s, which I won’t repeat here).
Some studies have shown that depressed people tend to have low levels of Vitamin D in their blood, and so he advises taking 2,000 IU of Vitamin D per day for 12 weeks. I have personally taken about 10,000 IU per day for the last couple of weeks, due to the fact that supplements often absorb poorly, and, more over, evidence is mounting that human beings not only can tolerate, but actually need much more than the recommended 400 IU per day. (Note that I am not giving advice in this blog post on what YOU personally should do, just reporting what I am doing).
Last but not least, he advises taking Evening Primrose Oil once per week (it contains a substance that reverses the inflammation that Omega 3’s can sometimes cause).
So, here is the recipe:
Omega 3’s (1000 mg EPA and 500 mg DHA) – I take once per day.
Vitamin C tablet – I take once per day.
Multivitamin – I take once per day.
Evening Primrose Oil – I take once per WEEK.
Vitamin D (10,000 IU) I take once per day for twelve weeks only.
Addendum: An Objection Addressed.
It might be asked why you should take an Omega 3 supplement instead of just eating foods naturally high in Omega 3’s (like tuna, salmon, sardines, etc.). You could, but changing diets, combined with the fact that many foods don’t contain the amount of Omega 3’s that they used to due to farming techniques (grass-fed cattle contain more Omega 3’s than their standard, grain-fed counterparts) mean that a supplement is the best choice.
