Understanding Mental Health: What Every Christian Woman Should Know

Attempting to cultivate optimal mental health without an integrated focus on spirituality, nutrition, mineral support, and taking into consideration the changing seasons, will likely keep you stuck and frustrated. Here is why:

In order to build resilience, your body needs a balance of resources.

These include things like minerals, nutrients, sunlight, community and movement.

If it lacks them, it will perceive scarcity and your impulses will follow.

You’ll be easily pushed into a state of collapse and overwhelm and have a low tolerance for stress or change.

On the flip side, if certain resources are too high, it can create a state of overwhelm and neurotoxicity. You’ll feel on edge, irritable, easy to anger, like life is happening too fast and as if you cannot catch your breath.

These are also innate physiological impulses, not just emotionally driven, caused by “demonic influences,”

or “negative thinking.”

An example of resources being too high or too low, can be seen in the relationship between copper and zinc in our body.

Low zinc is associated with depression and replenishing it has been shown to reduce depression. But what people do not realize is the body is interconnected, including minerals and zinc has a relationship with copper.

Low zinc, can lead to high levels of unbound copper in the body which is why simply fixing the zinc without also supporting the downstream effect that has happened over the years, will likely keep you stuck and cycling.

Here is an example:

Copper in the body has a relationship with histamine.

The relationship between copper and histamine is primarily linked to the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO), which is responsible for breaking down histamine in the body. Copper is a cofactor for DAO, meaning that it is necessary for the enzyme's proper function.

Without bioavailable copper, and adequate levels of it’s partner ceruloplasmin, DAO activity can be reduced, potentially leading to higher levels of histamine in the body.

This can contribute to symptoms associated with histamine intolerance, such as headaches, hives, anxiety, digestive issues, brain fog other allergic-like symptoms.

Histamine is not the enemy. We need it. But when it is imbalanced or elevated in the body, it can lead to overstimulation of the nervous system. This overstimulation can manifest as increased anxiety, irritability, and even panic attacks in some individuals.

This experience can worsen in Spring, as spring brings exposure to more environmental factors like pollen that may further increase the histamine load in someones body. This is likely why mental health admissions, particularly for conditions like bipolar and depression, tend to be higher during spring.

This is also likely why so many histamine and bile supportive foods begin blooming in Spring like foods rich in Vitamin C and Quercetin. Nature is a God given gift and reveals His provision for us, if we start paying close attention.

This experience can also worsen throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle. This is because copper is also associated with estrogen, and too much estrogen will cause the body to retain copper, heighten histamine, and may lead to rage, irritability, anxiety, and symptoms of PMDD.

When we live disconnected from the seasons and disembodied, failing to see how the world around us impacts our physiology and attempt to isolate our mental health from our physical health, it keeps women feeling stuck and defeated.

There are ways to support this dynamic holistically.

This is why an integrative/functional approach to trauma, where the mind, body, Spirit, and environment are honored, can be so life changing for many women.

Here are some examples:

Biblical meditation, mindfulness, vagus nerve support, and breathing exercises, can help regulate stress levels, which in turn can influence the body's physiological responses, including the immune system and histamine production.

Completing a Hair Mineral Analysis can give you a baseline understanding of your mineral status and physiological stress response and help you create an individualized plan.

Allowing yourself to feel seen, supported, and challenged to grow in group sessions creates feel good hormones, and opportunities for co-regulation, which helps reduce stress and anxiety and equips you to build resilience.

We offer this in our monthly group calls led by our Integrative Somatic Practitioner, Johnna.

If you feel stuck and find yourself asking, “where do I start?” or are simply curious about how to support your body as a whole,

Here are a few recommendations:

If you are self motivated and want a self paced option:

In my 12 Week Nervous System Realignment Program, I teach you how your God designed nervous system works and equip you with tools to help you transform your mental health and relationships.

You also receive access to me in a group setting for questions along your journey.

2. If you have been trying to self navigate but feel stuck: stop guessing, quit buying random trendy supplements, stop relying on automated reports, and invest in an individualized approach.

Inside my monthly Tier 2 option, you can request functional labs, receive recorded feedback from me with an individualized protocol creation, and have monthly chat access to me as you implement your recommendations.

Resources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5728160/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10418389/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6273625/