Alternative Health Supplements and … Your Hypothalamus

As far as biological science has progressed, much of the way the brain works remains a mystery to us! Along the way we have learned a few things about how the brain works, and alterntive health products as well as common sense mainstream methods for treating various conditions. If you are just discovering the enormous range of alternative health products and wondering about the regions of the brain they refer to, today we are investigating the hypothalamus, its functions, pathologies and how its function can be improved in some cases of deficiency.

What does the hypothalamus look like, and where is it?

The hypothalamus is located just above the brain stem, and directly below another region known as the thalamus (from which it derives its name). It is one of the older parts of the brain, speaking in evolutionary terms. It is also very, very small -- roughly the size of an almond in humans.

What does the hypothalamus do?

This little gland has various functions related to maintenance of normal body processes. Its jobs include:

• Communicating with the pituitary gland to link the nervous system (sensory inputs) to the endocrine system (your glands and the hormones they produce)
• Controlling body temperature
• Controlling hunger and thirst
• Helping regulate fatigue, sleep and waking cycles.

It is one or an assortment of these functions which alternative health products that focus on the hypothalamus generally aim to correct.

How does this little almond know what it is doing?!

We mentioned that this region of the brain links the sensory inputs from the nervous system to the hormonal outputs of the endocrine system. It does this using information from:

• Light inputs
• Pheromones and other odors
• Information that the brain relays to it from the activity of the heart, lungs, stomach and reproductive system including the gonads
• Stress
• Blood-borne stimuli, such as insulin, leptin and ghrelin (which change in response to the food you eat)

Alternative health products for the hypothalamus

Support for your hypothalamus from the alternative health products industry often comes along with thalamic and pituitary-support factors. These include substances like medulla concentrate, anterior lobe, ascorbic acid, pineal extract, papaine, and support for the limbic lobe, anterior lobe and posterior lobe.

Possible Side Effects of Mood Disorder Drugs: Alternative Health Products for Mood Support

With the recent release of findings that mood-disorder drugs could cause psychiatric disorders later in life, people are again turning to natural mood support methods to help. Drug free treatment of depression with alternative health products is becoming more and more popular, as people have more and more concern about standard medical treatments and their possible long term effects. We look at the recent finding, and your alternatives for mood support if you are concerned.

The Research

The study was done on animals, by researchers at the Georgetown University Medical Center. The results were released in October of 2009. The research builds upon an earlier finding that there are some neurons in the brain which die when these drugs are given to immature animals. We do have to temper the results with the realization that animals aren’t humans; however, when behavioral tests that determine autism and schizophrenia were given to the animals later in life, abnormalities were detected. This finding wasn't limited to the drugs that are known to cause neuronal death, either.

The study also named drugs which have little or no effect -- as understood currently. If you are concerned about the effects of traditional mood drugs on your brain, what can you do?

1. Exercise

Almost every person in the Western world currently gets less exercise than our bodies require for optimal functioning. The way our economy is set up, there is now little physical activity required to meet everyday demands, whether you are working in paid employment or cleaning the house. Exercise is also vital for proper brain function, and plays a critical role in maintaining good mood, even more than alternative health products. In most cases, being able to get more exercise involves a rethink of your priorities, and the realization that you may need it to actually enjoy life!

2. Drug free treatment of depression and other mood disorders

For those who have started to feel low already, it can be difficult to drag yourself out of the cycle of television and bad food to build yourself back up from down. You can get a great kick-start with some of the many alternative health products on offer, including:

• Sublingual adrenal cortex extract, for help with stress-induced fatigue and exhaustion, withdrawals from alcohol or other drugs, general fatigue, and low everyday moods.
• Sublingual melatonin, which improves mood naturally by improving the quality of sleep. It is rapidly absorbed, and some formulations are made to avoid the traditional hangover effect the next day.
• 5-hydroxytryotphan is part of the conversion process of L-trytophan, another popular alternative health product, and eventually becomes serotonin.