Questions to ask your doctor

The “blues” aren’t all in your head, they also reside in your body. Feeling down can
be linked to certain physiological conditions. I’d encourage you to have a physical
exam and ask for specific tests to be conducted so you know what you’re dealing
with physically.

My friend and partner in Positively Sunny, Kathleen Johnson, provided these really
helpful ideas.

There are three key pieces of information that will be helpful to ask your doctor to
measure:

 Check your vitamin D level. Ask your doctor to measure the level of 25-
hydroxy vitamin D in your blood. Good results are about 50 nmol/L (30
ng/mL), and anything less than 20 nmol/L is considered inadequate.

 Another useful blood test is for homocysteine, an amino acid in your

blood. It is pronounced homo-sis-teen. The levels of homocysteine go up
when you don't get enough of the B vitamins folic acid, B6 and B12. High
levels of homocysteine have been found in people with depression.
Although many labs consider a level under 15 to be normal, under 9 is
optimal.

 Thyroid problems may be related to depression. A thyroid panel of blood

tests will tell your doctor if it contributes to your low mood. TSH, short for
thyroid stimulating hormone, should be under 1.0 for optimal mood.

We’ll suggest ways to address the first two issues in the “eating positively” section of
our blogs. If your doctor uncovers issues with your thyroid, we suggest that you
consult with her about medical interventions.

I’d also suggest that you confer with your doctor about your sleeping habits. Erratic
sleeping patterns can cause a rise in cortisol, the flight-or-flight hormone, and that, in
turn, can cause depression. Plus, feeling groggy all of the time is simply a downer.
You may have sleep apnea or another completely addressable issue.

Clinical depression is nothing to mess around with, and the ideas Kathleen and I are
sharing will not solve issues of mental illness, abuse, addiction or clinical
depression.
If you are experiencing abuse or suffering from addiction, get help. If you are
clinically depressed, get help. If you try our ideas and get no relief, ask for help from
a mental health professional.

Life’s too precious to spend your days down in the dumps. Asking for help and
needing support is human.

Which problem would you rather have? Suffering in silence for another day or
waking up to the realization that we need each other and being willing to ask for
help?