Improving Physical Health Improves Mental Health And Vice Versa

Now that we know that mental health is directly correlated to physical health and vice versa, what can we do to improve our overall health? On the most basic level, consistent exercise, sufficient sleep, a healthy diet, relaxation techniques, and positive mental reinforcement are the building blocks of mental and physical health improvement. Additionally, a healthier lifestyle leads to less drinking, smoking cessation, and limited junk food consumption.

Nothing Beats Exercise

Exercise is the single best way to improve physical health and mental health simultaneously. The amount of physical activity one performs has been directly correlated to mental health. Exercise reduces anxiety, improves sleep, and has a positive effect on depression. Exercise causes the release of dopamine, improving mental and physical health on multiple levels.

Do Counseling And Psychiatric Drugs Help Improve Mental Health?

Counseling and psychiatric drugs are the typical tools used to assist people with mental health problems. Do they work? In some cases, both counseling and psychiatric drugs assist those with mental disorders, but the success rates aren’t as high as we would hope. Talking to someone, a counselor or psychiatrist, is great if a patient is open to the idea and willing to take in feedback. Psychiatric drugs often mask the symptoms of mental illness but don’t do anything to correct the core problem. As soon as someone stops seeking counseling and psychiatric drugs, the anxiety, depression, or OCD kicks back in, making psychiatric drugs a Band-Aid to the problem at best.

Psilocybin Mushrooms – The Hidden Mental Health Secret

The latest research indicates that mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, OCD, and addiction, all stem from atrophy of the cerebral cortex. The only way to treat or better yet cure mental health conditions is to regenerate the neural structures that have atrophied. Fortunately, there is one surprising substance, psilocybin, that stimulates the brain to produce Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is responsible for repairing damaged brain tissue. BDNF promotes synapse formation, dendritic spine growth, and dendritic arbor complexity, all required for healthy brain tissue. Psilocybin is the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms. Fortunately, a microdose, something small enough to avoid hallucinogenic effects, is enough to promote BDNF secretion. In other words, psilocybin regrows the brain, treating mental conditions like depression at their structural core rather than breaking the brain down like many other drugs.

Psilocybin has shown significant promise in treating depression and there are ongoing studies, as the FDA has allowed psilocybin to be used to treat depression as a breakthrough therapy if all other treatment options have failed. In one clinical trial, 71% of participants reported a significant improvement in depression symptoms after consuming psilocybin and 58% were in remission a week later, an impressive result when compared to typical treatment options.

While not everyone may be receptive to psilocybin as a treatment option, it is a blessing that such a substance exists, as we now have a tool to treat a wide range of mental health conditions and in turn, treat physical health problems that stem from mental impairment.

Conclusion

Mental health illness and physical ailments go hand-in-hand. People with mental health issues often report physical maladies while people with physical illnesses often suffer from mental health diseases. Treating physical conditions that stem from mental health all comes down to improving psychological health. Start improving mental health by exercising, sleeping consistently, eating well, performing relaxation techniques, and practicing positive mental reinforcement, while abstaining from drinking, drugs, and smoking. If that is not enough, typical treatment options like counseling or experimental treatment options like psilocybin may provide relief. Don’t be a statistic, actively pursue a solution to your mental health problems so they don’t result in chronic physical ailments.