Depression (major depressive disorder) is a complicated issue and by definition can only be diagnosed if a patient has persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest not just for days but for months in a row.

It can stem from a neurotransmitter imbalance. In such case, a visit to an MD is warranted who will prescribe specific pharmaceutical medication that will help the patient.

It can stem from a chemical imbalance. In such cases, your body is missing the building blocks that are needed to create a natural cycle of neurotransmitters, necessary to make your brain feel good. A visit to a nutritionist is warranted in such cases. Some of the supplements that have been shown to help by research are: St Jones Wort, Fish Oil, Omega 3/6 supplementation, 5-HTP, Gaba, Rhodiola, CoQ10, L-Tyrosine, magnesium and Ashwagandha. If you are taking prescribed pharmaceuticals, it is important to consult with an MD, before taking any of the above, as they may affect the chemistry of a pharmaceutical agent, and may make you feel worse.

It can have psychological roots, such as after a motor vehicle accident, where a patient can feel sad due to not being able to execute certain functions of daily living as before the accident.
In such cases, a visit to a psychologist is warranted, who may offer cognitive behavioral therapy to overcome depression.

Depression may also stem from neuromuscular skeletal reasons. For instance, when the upper neck goes out of alignment, it can negatively affect the brain and the spinal cord in three main ways.
One is it prevents proper blood drainage from the brain. When that happens, it may cause depression and anxiety. By getting that upper neck in good alignment by correcting the misalignment with a specific adjustment, you’re ensuring good blood drainage through the jugular vein.

Secondly, when the upper neck is out of alignment, you’re affecting cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. When you’re not getting good, healthy CSF flow into the brain, it’s just not going to work right. CSF brings electrolytes and nutrition feeding the brain. If you’re not feeding the brain what it needs, you can’t expect it to work right. By getting that upper neck in good alignment with a specific adjustment, that CSF flow will happen properly and the brain will function much better, thus improving anxiety, depression, and different mood issues.

Lastly, upper neck misalignment may cause brainstem tension. The brainstem is like the circuit breaker in the human body. No matter what issue you have – anxiety or depression you want to make sure that the brainstem is in good alignment because that controls your immune system, your heart, everything you don’t think about. By getting that in good alignment, you’re going to automatically allow everything else to function better. It’s kind of like if the circuit breaker trips and the lights go off, you can change the light bulb, you can get an electrician and they can work on it but until you go to that circuit breaker and flip that switch, nothing is going to work right. If your upper neck is out of alignment, a chiropractor can help by realigning your neck.