My Struggle With Depression. (Overcoming Depression & Anxiety)

Depression and anxiety often feel overwhelming, but breakthrough research shows that your brain is far more adaptable—and healable—than you might think. Food, supplements, movement, faith, and meaning all play powerful roles in restoring balance. Join me as I share my personal story and the habits proven to elevate mood, reduce anxiety, and renew the mind. Watch The Dr. Josh Axe Show every Monday & Thursday on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drjoshaxe?sub_confirmation=1 🎧 Early Access! Our listeners enjoy every episode before anyone else! Tune in below and join our exclusive group of listeners → Spotify: https://bit.ly/DrJoshAxeSpotify Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3JDvWcS Order my NEW BOOK, The Biblio Diet → https://bit.ly/4oPEP3t Watch my free training on how to naturally balance your blood sugar and reverse your symptoms → http://DrAxeDiabetesClass.com Discover practical steps you can take today to start healing your thyroid naturally → http://DrAxeThyroidClass.com If you’re ready to start feeling like yourself again and balance your hormones, take my free class → http://DrAxeHormoneClass.com Uncover what’s really going on in your body with advanced biomarker testing for hormones, thyroid, and metabolism— plus a 1-hour consultation with a Senior Health Advisor! → http://mybloodwork.com Watch my episode on Dr. Amen’s podcast → https://youtu.be/iQNBE6c8I94?si=mw3zUYCXjUpdtSPa CONNECT WITH DR. JOSH AXE Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/drjoshaxe/ Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/DrJoshAxe/ TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@thedrjoshaxeshow/ X → https://x.com/drjoshaxe/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshaxe Website → http://thehealthinstitute.com Sign up for my newsletter → https://bit.ly/4oE9Jf3 Ask Dr. Axe → http://speakpipe.com/drjoshaxe Links https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-by-the-numbers/ https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db377.htm https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30591059/ https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/smiles-trial/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9641984/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9962071/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339844781_Effect_of_4_weeks_daily_wild_blueberry_supplementation_on_symptoms_of_depression_in_adolescents https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1505700/full https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2809727 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9268228/ https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1472612/ https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article-abstract/83/3/e751/7697880?redirectedFrom=PDF https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032717327131 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9444416/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4946846/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24632894/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27103682/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589635/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6750292/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6750292/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12252077/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9228580/ https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/18/1203 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11778651/ https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1458418/full https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/18/any-amount-of-alcohol-consumption-harmful-to-the-brain-finds-study https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9873947/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10740995/ https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.669042/full https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP4595 DISCLAIMER This content is strictly the opinion of Dr. Josh Axe and is for informational and educational purposes only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 0:02Speaker 00

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• 0:57Josh Axe?

  What if I told you that the most powerful antidepressants in the world aren't pills? It's your dinner plate and your purpose. Now, new research shows that changing what you eat on a regular basis tied with spiritual transformation is a more effective medication than traditional medications for depression and anxiety. And today I'll be walking you through the exact foods, the supplements, the daily habits, and the spiritual practices that have been proven to rewire your brain chemistry and transform your mood and mind naturally. Welcome to the Dr. Josh Ak Show.

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• 2:23Josh Axe?

  Well, I'm incredibly excited about today's episode because we're going to be diving into how to truly cure and heal depression and anxiety and transform your mood. Listen, if you're a person who has struggled with depression, if you've struggled with anxiousness, if it's also impacted your health, you know, what I've noticed in working with thousands of patients is that when you have depression, that affects your immune system. It can increase your risk of autoimmune disease, cancer, and a number of other health problems. I've seen anxiousness cause major digestive issues and other health issues as well, impacts sleep, causing issues like insomnia. So there's no doubt that our mood greatly impacts not only our mental health, but it also impacts our physical health. And so today's episode,

• 3:07Josh Axe?

  it'll be a real blend of diet and physical remedies along with spiritual and mindset remedies that are so important for improving mood. I love this quote by Jim Carrey says, "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they've ever dreamed so they can see that it's not the answer." Okay, now depression and anxiety don't discriminate. Even those who have it all can lose joy and direction. In fact, one of the things you'll notice even reading the Bible is you have these amazing saints who are called by God to do things, and we see everybody from King David to Jonah to Hannah to other spiritual figures in the Bible who also struggle with depression. We see today's celebrities, everyone

• 3:52Josh Axe?

  from, you know, I'm thinking about Justin Bieber and many other people who deal with depression as well. And here's the great news is that both today's modern science, ancient medical wisdom, and the Bible have the cure to depression. And today we'll explore what science, spirituality, and ancient wisdom all agree on. The path to joy, happiness, and mental wellness starts inside the soul, but even food impacts us in this way.

• 4:22Josh Axe?

  Now I want to share with you some personal examples of the times in my life. There's two specifically where I struggled with the greatest level of depression and anxiety. One was when I was 21 years old, another when I was 42 years old. And I also want to talk to you about how I've worked with thousands of patients with depression, anxiety, and how we were able to, in most cases, cure and remedy their depression and anxiety. Now, for me personally, it really started when I was 21 years old. This is the first time I really experienced what I would call a certain level of depression. I was in college and I went away to college and for my first two years, I kind of, I wasn't really involved in church for the first time in my life. I was really going out and just partying. I started drinking alcohol.

• 5:07Josh Axe?

  And I just started feeling this great sense of lack of meaning in my life. And I had this low-grade depression and I realized it's because I didn't have God in my life and I was really lacking any sense of purpose. One of the things I realized at the time was I was surrounded by a very different group of people at the time. These people were not necessarily encouraging. They weren't iron sharpens iron. They weren't the sort of Christian people I'd surrounded myself with that were looking for my best interest and wanting me to grow. And, and, and so I prayed this prayer. I said, "God, would you send a flood of just positive Christian influences and men into my life?" And I decided to show up to a church event on a Wednesday night.

• 5:47Josh Axe?

  This is a college campus event and I ended up meeting other men my age, who then I built actually lifelong friendships with some of them. And, and it literally completely changed my entire mindset and my entire demeanor. I went from being depressed and feeling like I had this emptiness and lack of meaning in life to filling myself with God and connecting with other people and feeling like, "Wow, I have eternal significance." And that radically changed my life. And so really the key for me at 21 years old was rediscovering God.

• 6:25Josh Axe?

  And finding a purpose in life and that was to love others, love God, make earth a heavenly place and it changed my life. And so that was my experience. And then at 42 years old, this was years later when I had my spinal infection. And so this was just really, you know, two to three years ago. And, and I was diagnosed with a spinal infection and was told I would likely be permanently disabled. And, and that hit hard and I didn't walk for an entire year. So I was in bed, bedridden for an entire year. With my diagnosis being that you will never be the same, that your spine is decayed and degenerated to the point we're gonna have to probably do a spinal fusion and you're gonna have chronic pain every day

• 7:09Josh Axe?

  the rest of your life. This is what a doctor told me. And, and so, and I'll tell you there, my depression, the first time at 21 years old was due to a lack of purpose and a lack of God in my life. The second time I struggled with depression was a lack of hope. The way that I remedied that was I went to God again and I said, God, you are the great physician, not this physician. I pray for a healing miracle in my life. And something I realized at the time was focusing on the negative, focusing on the wrong things, that's not gonna help me heal. I needed to focus on my best possible outcome. And you know what? Living and what I decided to do as well is what is my, what can my best possible outcome

• 7:53Josh Axe?

  be? It's a healing miracle. It's I am walking. In fact, I'm just as good or better than before. I'm running, I'm throwing my two-year-old daughter in the air in the pool. I'm, you know, imagining all those things I was gonna do in my 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, being physically active and healthy. And I focused on that. And I did it while living in a state of gratitude and praise. Every day, multiple times a day, I would sing praise and worship music. So I would say, thank you, God, for healing me. Thank you that you're working out a miracle in my body. And it was really just a perspective shift. I went from focusing on what the worst outcome could be to changing my focus on what a God-sized miraculous hopeful outcome, the best possible outcome could possibly be. And I just focused on that.

• 8:37Josh Axe?

  And that helped heal my depression and I'll say this as well. I believe also that's why I'm 100% today and my back is fully healed and restored is partly due, or number one, the greatest reason is due to faith, gratitude, and hope. And by the way, I've seen a very similar thing as I've worked with thousands of patients. I've found that diet, by the way, does make a tremendous difference, which I followed a really healthy diet in those times as well. You know, a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, a lot of healthy fats, more proteins and amino acids, lower carbohydrate, more active in exercise, spending more time outdoors, and certain herbals, which I'll get into in a little bit, are very impactful according to clinical studies. So we'll get into all of the diet,

• 9:18Josh Axe?

  the supplements, the herbs, vitamins, all of that here in a minute, and natural treatments. And that made a big difference with my patients with anxiety and depression. But in addition to that, we can't look over the greatest causes of depression, which tends to be lack of faith, lack of purpose, identity confusion, lack of hope. Those key pieces that impact our mental and spiritual health are the greatest contributors to depression. And then the secondary is diet and lifestyle, which we will get into here in just a moment. But I've found working with patients, I always tried, I always do both. Even today, when I work with patients, I really look at them and I say, okay, let's do all the dietary things. Let's

• 10:02Josh Axe?

  do the blood work. Let's figure out the nutritional deficiencies. Let's correct that. And then in addition to that, let's look at childhood trauma. Let's look at your mindset. Let's look at where you're at spiritually and let's grow in those areas as well in order to address depression. Now, here are the current statistics. In the United States, more than one in five adults will experience depression at some point in their life and anxiety disorders affect nearly one in three. And by the way, one in five, this is clinical depression of serious depression. I would say closer to 80 to 100% have low-grade depression or a level of depression at some point in their life. Now, in Europe, the rates are even higher. Anxiety and

• 10:46Josh Axe?

  Depressive disorders affect around 20 to 30% of all adults, making them among the leading contributors to global disease burden. And people with depression have a 40% higher risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases like diabetes than the general population. So we see this, if you have depression, if you have anxiety, it causes other physical illnesses like heart disease, prediabetes, infertility, low testosterone, a number of health conditions. Okay. People with serious mental illnesses are nearly twice as likely to develop medical conditions. And over 13% of US adults take antidepressant drugs.

• 11:31Josh Axe?

  And that jumps to 25% among women over the age of 60. In fact, we're seeing a lot of young girls in high school start to take antidepressant and anti-anxiety drugs. Are you interested in functional nutrition tips to burn fat, reduce inflammation, improve your brain and energy levels and heal naturally? Then I want to encourage you to listen to my friend, Dr. Dave Jockers podcast, the functional nutrition podcast. This podcast is designed to help you with easy, actionable steps to improve your nutrition and lifestyle, understand your lab work and address the root cause factors that may be driving up inflammation in your body. Now, I've been friends with Dr. David Jockers for 20 years, and he's truly a world expert in functional nutrition, cellular healing, and so much more.

• 12:17Josh Axe?

  If you want to learn the best nutrition and natural healing tips, tune into the Dr. Jockers functional nutrition podcast on Apple iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever you can listen to podcasts worldwide.

• 12:30Josh Axe?

  All right, let's switch gears here. And I'm going to touch on a little bit more of the spiritual and psychological aspect in those studies here at the end. But I want to dive into the ideal diet, foods, supplements, and herbs for improving depression according to modern day functional medicine. And there was a landmark study that showed that a Mediterranean diet greatly improved symptoms of depression. In fact, it showed that people with major depression Who switched to a Mediterranean style diet and this diet is high in wild caught fish, omega-3 fatty acids, extra virgin olive oil, that that type of diet had a 32% remission rate versus only an 8% remission rate in the control group. So you see 25% of people

• 13:15Josh Axe?

  had a complete cure rate of their depression when they changed their diet. I mean, that's really significant there with this Mediterranean diet. And as I talked about, the diet includes, as we talked about, a lot of fish, a lot of olive oil, fruit as well. And it's very similar to, as I've talked about as well, a bibliodiet or a diet based on the Bible. And, and this is where, again, you're doing a lot of fish, you're getting red meat, as I mentioned, that's great for building the blood. So it's grass-fed red meat. It's fruits like pomegranates and figs, it's extra virgin olive oil. These sort of foods are incredibly healing to the body. And these results prove that both a Mediterranean diet and very similarly a biblically based diet,

• 13:57Josh Axe?

  improve brain health, reduce inflammation, restore digestive health, and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. And of all of those foods, the most clinically researched and back to fight depression are fish like salmon and taking a fish oil supplement. Your brain is made up of approximately 60% fat. And DHA, a specific type of omega-3, is about 40% of this. It makes up 15 to 20% of your entire cerebral cortex of your brain. And a meta-analysis study found that high EPA fish oil supplements can reduce depressive symptoms, including when paired with antidepressants.

• 14:42Josh Axe?

  But overall, this is why if you have depression or even ADHD or anxiety, any sort of issue tied to mood disorders, the single most important thing you can eat is wild-caught fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, black cod, sea bass, any sort of fatty fish is going to be incredibly helpful, along with taking a fish oil supplement. Now, in addition, after that, green leafy vegetables like spinach are also very beneficial. Greens as well as legumes are rich in folate. And magnesium, these are two nutrients you need for mental well being. Folate deficiency is found in up to one third of patients with depression.

• 15:26Josh Axe?

  Folate also helps in the production of neurotransmitters. It also helps repair of the myelin sheath and other brain activities. In fact, it's also important because both vitamin B2, B9, which is folate, which is what we're talking about in B12 are also critical for something called your methylation pathway. So supplementing with B2, B9 and B12 can help enhance serotonin creation in your body. So there are multiple biological reasons, if it's more food related of why you have depression. I want to hit on a few of those. One is, listen, your brain is made of fat.

• 16:05Josh Axe?

  And if you're not getting enough fat and fat soluble vitamins, you're not going to be well, okay? You're going to have depression anxiety. So that's the first one. That's the most common, okay? And that's going to include omega-3 fatty acids. That's going to include healthy saturated fats. That's also going to include things like vitamin D, a fat soluble vitamin. So getting enough fat and fat soluble vitamins, that is the most common reason why you have depression from a dietary standpoint. One of, maybe the second or third most common is your methylation pathways. Okay, if you are not methylating properly, your body can't create certain hormones and neurotransmitters. So that's another major causative factor.

• 16:47Josh Axe?

  And this is where if you have the MTHFR gene variant, which you don't methylate as well, which means your detoxification pathways don't work as well. And your body has trouble then also creating cellular energy and some, some other things there. That's tied again to a vitamin B2, which is riboflavin. Folate and vitamin B12 deficiency can impact that. Now let's jump into another reason, which is your gut microbiome. If you have leaky gut or major gut issues and you're having proteins leak through the gut, like gluten and casein, heavy metals, parasites, and those are recirculating, causing brain inflammation.

• 17:27Josh Axe?

  That will also cause depression, anxiety, and even things like brain fog. So that's the third most common biological and the fourth is what I mentioned earlier, a blood deficiency. That's where you're living with low-grade anemia, maybe low platelets, low ferritin levels, and lack of oxygen in your blood. So if you have poor oxygen, poor iron and some of those things in your blood, if you stick out your tongue and it's a pale color, it's not like a bright pink or red, then that's a sign there and that's the other cause of depression. But those tend to be the most common reasons why people have depression. Now, I want to continue to talk more about the foods that are important for this and

• 18:08Josh Axe?

  berries and colorful antioxidant-rich fruits and herbs are also really, really great for mood, according to studies. Blueberries, blackberries, pomegranates are among the highest antioxidant foods on the planet. Several studies have found that just four weeks of daily blueberry intake improved positive mood and reduced depressive symptoms in children and young adults. Also fermented foods. Now, this is tied more to the gut microbiome that we talked about. Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi increase microbial diversity. A 2019 study showed that people who ate more fermented foods had lower social anxiety

• 18:50Josh Axe?

  symptoms, likely due to healthier gut-brain connection and less leaky gut. Did you know that around 90% of your body's serotonin is created in your gut? That's why it's one of those top four reasons why people get depressed from a dietary standpoint is due to leaky gut and unhealthy gut lining and because your body can't create the proper amounts of serotonin if your gut isn't healthy. So taking a probiotic supplement, getting more probiotic-rich foods, also more polyphenol-rich foods like berries that we talked about and pomegranate, extra virgin olive oil, that's also great for the gut there as well. And then here's the other big thing. Avoiding processed foods and sugar?

• 19:33Josh Axe?

  Here's what happens. You increase your sugar intake, insulin gets high. Well, insulin is a hormone. When that hormone gets high, you know what it does? That can decrease your body's ability to get rid of excess estrogen. That for men can lower testosterone. What happens, men, if your testosterone's low? You're not as motivated. You don't feel like working out. You, it leads to depression. Okay, women, a very similar thing. Estrogen gets too high or and progesterone gets too low. And then you know what that also does? That impact fact impacts your thyroid hormone. When thyroid hormone then gets off, you gain weight. Your hair gets thin, your energy goes down. That then leads to depression. So processed foods and sugar will make all of these things worse.

• 20:16Josh Axe?

  Of course, toxins will also decrease estrogen and testosterone or impact estrogen and testosterone negatively. So diets high in processed foods, refined sugar, refined grains and unhealthy fats lead to a higher rate of depression and anxiety. In fact, a 2023 study conducted on over 31,000 US women found that those with the highest intake of ultra-processed foods had a 49% higher risk of depression compared to those with the lowest. So think about that. Nearly a 50% higher risk of depression with an unhealthy diet. So we see there a very, very deep connection between your diet and your mood. And by the way, there was another study that was done in 2023.

• 21:01Josh Axe?

  This was where they took 17 studies combined. And this was on 385,000 people. And they found that ultra-processed foods were associated with a 53% higher odds of common mental disorders, including depression and anxiety. So simply switching to less sugar, less refined grains, less processed foods and more whole foods. Apples and pomegranates and berries and and whole organic meats like a grass fed burger and wild caught salmon fillet and rice and sweet potato and extra virgin olive oil, just eating real food, real whole food is one of the greatest cures for depression. All right, let's now dive into the supplements. By the way, supplements and lifestyle have been recommended for thousands of years.

• 21:45Josh Axe?

  The ancient Greeks used saffron for depression. Hippocrates prescribed sunlight and exercise and even fasting. These early healers knew how physical things impact mental and spiritual things. The first one here is saffron. Now, this is something I covered on a friend of mine's podcast, Dr. Daniel Amen, and we talked about saffron. It's his favorite herb. He's known as the brain doctor. It's his favorite herb for depression, but numerous studies have shown that around 30 to 90 milligrams of saffron is as effective as SSRI drugs for treating mild and moderate depression with far fewer side effects.

• 22:27Josh Axe?

  These results were found in one meta-analysis on 11 different trials with over 580 participants. So this isn't one study. This was 11 studies combined showing saffron is likely the most effective natural antidepressant on the planet. And beyond depression, it was also shown to improve anxiety scores by 33% and have great benefits for reducing brain inflammation, supporting your neurons, reducing oxidative stress, which also acts as an antioxidant. So saffron is at the very top of the list of herbs for depression. Next up is ashwagandha and other adaptogenic herbs.

• 23:06Josh Axe?

  An eight week study found that ashwagandha significantly reduced anxiety, morning cortisol and inflammatory markers versus the placebo. So we see this as well, ashwagandha, what it does when it lowers cortisol, right? That improves insulin, that improves all your other hormones. And oftentimes, depression is linked to hormone imbalance very, very often, very often, obviously, because serotonin in a way is a neurotrans Hormone in that way as well. Number one, saffron, number two, ashwagandha, number three, SAM E. SAM E is involved in methylation and neurotransmitter synthesis. It improves mood by increasing the availability of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

• 23:49Josh Axe?

  These are three key brain chemicals that regulate mood, motivation, and focus. So again, it's really key here for your adrenals, for your brain, for serotonin in the gut. So SAM E is really effective predominantly though, because it improves methylation, as we talked about earlier, and it was shown to be nearly as effective as SSRi drugs. And this is why, you know, what you can do in many cases, rather than taking the synthetic drug that's going to have major, major side effects, you can combine many of these herbs together with improving your diet and these herbs and have a tremendous improvement. Another herb I really like, there's great clinical research on is Saint John's Wurp.

• 24:30Josh Axe?

  In fact, there was a multi-study review that found that it was as effective as SSRi drugs for mild to moderate depression as well. So we see it being as effective without the side effects. And then vitamin D, right? Vitamin D acts like a neuro steroid hormone, influencing serotonin production and brain inflammation pathways. If you are lower than 30, you absolutely have to take vitamin D. But even if you're lower than 50, you really want your levels to be up there closer to 80. And, you know, and I would do, if it's low, 10, 5,000 I use twice a day with a really healthy diet to make an impact. And then once you get closer to that range, well above 50,

• 25:14Josh Axe?

  you could drop to 5,000 I use daily. But the best way is actually get sunshine as much as you can on a regular basis. Next up is omega-3 fish oil. Taking an omega-3 supplement, especially ones high in EPA and DHA, will have the most meaningful impact on your overall depressive symptoms. So again, you want to take EPA and DHA there as well. And then in terms of nutrients, we talked about the B vitamins earlier, the B2, B9, B12, basically taking a A mitochondrial supplement or a methylation based supplement that has methylated B vitamins. That's what you'll want to take for those along with magnesium. In particular, magnesium threonate is probably the most effective because it crosses the blood brain barrier.

• 26:00Josh Axe?

  Several studies have shown that magnesium threonate had positive impacts on depression in just six weeks. And then outside of supplements, exercise, of course, is very important. In fact, it is more powerful in many cases than actually taking an SSRI drug. In fact, studies show that even moderate aerobic exercise, like walking 30 minutes, three to five times a week can reduce depression, often rivaling antidepressants. And then a 2023 meta-analysis of 97 different studies found that exercise is 1.5 times more effective than SSRI drugs for mild to moderate depression.

• 26:42Josh Axe?

  So think about this, exercising, just regularly exercising is more effective. It outperforms antidepressant drugs every single time. Now, let me ask you this, why, why are so many doctors not prescribing exercise first and diet first? When studies are showing that herbs, diet are equally as effective and exercise is more effective at treating depression? And then meditation is also very effective. An eight-week trial in over 200 people found that mindfulness-based stress reduction. And the way that I encourage you to do this is meditate, read the Bible and meditate on what it means and think about it for your life. Just go deep spiritually. Meditate in that way is incredibly beneficial.

• 27:25Josh Axe?

  And there's also studies showing that infrared sauna, changing your body temperature, getting cold, getting hot, has a great impact on this. And there I would just recommend, take a cold shower, get in an infrared sauna. Those also have a positive impact on our mood. And then being in nature, of course, we know in Japan, they call this forest bathing. This has been shown to show a measurable reduction in cortisol levels, improving HRV balance. Overall, just really improving the health of your nervous system. You know, I can tell you, it's interesting, Chelsea and I went snow skiing twice last year. We went to Park City, family vacation, a great time. You know, I'm a snow skier, she's a snowboarder. And we brought the girls, we taught Arwin to snow ski and snowboard, put her in lessons. Her and I also went tubing and sliding, we had a great time.

• 28:11Josh Axe?

  And we got back from that vacation, we went for a week both times. And I went to see, I see an acupuncturist every other week. And he would feel my pulse and he would say, he told both Chelsea and I, he said, wow, he said, this is the best I ever have felt your pulse this year after we went both times. And I think part of it was, we were outside playing in the snow with the girls all day, every day. But there was something about just being in that state of nature, fresh air, what we were getting. And then a similar thing happens when you go to the beach, but just being in nature itself has so many benefits for our mental health. Now, here's a few other things I want to mention. Avoiding alcohol and sleep deprivation have a major impact on your mental health.

• 28:55Josh Axe?

  Alcohol is a depressant. Now, when you're drinking it, it lifts your mood. But right after, it decreases your mood. So you might feel good and happy for three, four hours. But then for the next 24 to 48 hours, you will feel worse at least. It disrupts your REM sleep and your deep sleep cycles. And heavy drinking is known clinically as a major risk factor for depression. In fact, one study showed that even moderate drinking shrinks the gray matter in your brain and increases your depression risk. And sleep loss, even for one night, impairs emotional regulation and worsens your mood. Okay, so we know that that's big there as well. And then last major negative before I touch on just the last few positives, things that can really impact you.

• 29:40Josh Axe?

  And then we'll close up is this, limiting social media. A 2022 study found that reducing social media use to just 30 minutes per day for three weeks significantly lowered symptoms of depression and loneliness. It also found that a two-week social media detox improves smartphone and social media addiction as well as sleep, satisfaction with life, stress, perceived wellness, and better relationships.

• 30:07Josh Axe?

  So listen to this, you don't have to completely do away with social media, but if you just said, I have 30 minutes a day, you put it in your schedule and that's all you use it period. The benefits are tremendous, or do a full detox, two weeks of no social media. Only has benefits, only has positive benefits. And new research shows that excessive social media use actually decreases the gray matter in your brain, increasing your risk of pretty much any brain issue. Everything from Alzheimer's to low self-esteem to depression dramatically. Now I want to dive back into this idea that our spiritual and mental health is tied to, believe it or not, your spiritual and mental health. Okay. Jordan Peterson, the famed psychologist, says this on healing depression.

• 30:49Josh Axe?

  He teaches that meaning, not happiness, is the antidote to despair. So finding your meaning in life, finding meaning in life. And so this is what it is. It's, and I've shared this before on the show, if you go back and watch some of the past episodes where I've covered things like finding your purpose in life and your identity. But you know, if I believe my role as a father has no meaning at all. That leads to depression versus if I believe that I'm going to live for eternity and I'm raising kids to live for eternity. And being a father is one of the most important roles and jobs in the entire world. That I am raising up divine human beings and I'm going to help them grow in their character to become Christ-like,

• 31:31Josh Axe?

  where they become world changers. And I'm going to help find their unique gifts and skills that God's given them and elevate those and take those to the highest level possible. And I see that as a role that has eternal and massive, massive significance. Whoa. You know, I remember another psychologist says this. Both Mother Teresa and Hitler, both of them had parents. And so thinking about if they knew that at the time, wow, you know, being able to realize that the way you raise your kids is so important. So my point is this, and what Jordan Peterson's point is this. You want to live a life worth living. You want to live a life of meaning. You want to tie great meaning to what you do.

• 32:13Josh Axe?

  And this is why I think religion is so important and believing in God is that when everything you do has eternal significance. It gives your life more meaning and purpose. Jordan Peterson says this, "You have to carry a load that is worth bearing." He encourages taking more responsibility, creating structure in your life, telling the truth. "Three Habits That Give Life Direction and Restore the Dignity and Self-Respect." And then one of my favorite books of all time is by Viktor Frankl. He is a survivor of the Holocaust. He wrote the book, "Finding Meaning in Suffering and Man's Search for Meaning." And when I read "Man's Search for Meaning," I read this when I was dealing with my spinal issue and I was living in a state, I felt I was dealing with depression.

• 32:54Josh Axe?

  And I read the book and it gave me such hope because if somebody can have hope in those circumstances, then so can I in my circumstances. He wrote this in his book, "Man's Search for Meaning." "Those who have a why to live can bear almost any hell." When you have a big purpose in life, you can bear almost anything and it gives your life meaning. Frankl saw purpose as the single greatest predictor of psychological survival for those in the Holocaust. Purpose transforms pain into something usable, into something good. You know, when my mom went through her cancer battle, she had a level of, she had depression, she had anxiousness when she was going through it.

• 33:36Josh Axe?

  But now she has greater purpose in her life after cancer than she did before because she turned her pain into purpose. You know, the great saint, Saint Francis of Assisi, said this, "Where there is despair, let me sow hope."

• 33:52Josh Axe?

  You know, if you or someone you know is battling depression or anxiousness, sow hope. That's the key, sow hope. It's one of those three great virtues that the Apostle Paul talks about. He says, you know, he says, "Faith, hope, and love," right?

• 34:12Josh Axe?

  Hope, so sowing hope, looking at the best side of things, believing the best possible outcome, living in a state of gratitude, that is a cure for depression. Remember, when it comes to finding purpose and fulfillment, there's the Harvard's Human Flourishing Program that found people who attend weekly worship services.

• 34:32Josh Axe?

  Live 17 to 14 years longer on average. If you're going to church or synagogue on a regular basis, you will live 17 to 14 years longer. Think about the power in that. Even if you're not religious, why would you not do it? If you, if you're into longevity, regular prayer and service correlates with 30% lower risk of depression. If you pray regularly, faith, communities increase oxytocin and reduce loneliness. So we see that having a sense of faith and purpose is so connected to creating the right neurochemicals, to resilience and living a meaningful life. Here are some Bible verses I would encourage you to meditate on when it comes to beating depression and anxiety.

• 35:14Josh Axe?

  Psalms 34 18, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Read the Psalms regularly, including Psalms 34. Jeremiah 29 11, "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you, plans for a hope and a future." And then Philippians 4, 6 through 7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but with everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will go on your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." And Romans 12, 2, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Take every thought captive. Be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Listen, depression and anxiety are complex, but science is clear.

• 35:59Josh Axe?

  Food, supplements, movement and daily habits play a massive role in how our brains function. And the Bible and psychology is clear today. Living out your life purpose, spending time in the Bible, be, building close relationships with others and with God will also help you overcome depression. Everything from saffron to salmon, from prayer to meditation can make a big impact in your brain in fighting depression and anxiety. I want to say thanks so much for tuning in here to the Dr. Josh Axe Show, where each and every week we explore how to grow in body, mind and spirit, and take your health and your life to the next level. By the way, the greatest thing you can do to support the show is subscribe. Listen, there are so many people today living and struggling with

• 36:43Josh Axe?

  depression and anxiety. Share this episode. It's going to be great medicine for all who listen. And again, thank you so much for subscribing. I'll see you on the next episode.