When it comes to mental health, can supplements play a therapeutic role, or are they just "expensive urine?" Well thanks to researcher Professor Julia Rucklidge from Massey University, we have some answers.
On analysing the scientific basis for the efficacy of S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe), a recent comprehensive review shows the beneficial effect of supplemental SAMe as a potential alternative to or adjunctive therapy for use with antidepressants.
Improvements in brain white matter may be a good predictive measure of omega 3 benefit in depression.
"The success of antidepressant drug therapy is not high, with studies suggesting 19-60% of patients are unresponsive to the treatment". Optimal methylation seems to be one very important piece of the mood puzzle.
Depression and anxiety disorders are exploding in prevalence. It is believed that at least 3 million Australians, at any given time, suffer from these conditions. And, while we do have standard medication for many psychiatric and psychological conditions, research shows that anywhere between 60-90% of people prescribed antidepressants fail to get a benefit that is superior to placebo. What these statistics suggest is that we are not addressing the underlying causes.