Nestled among the psychiatrists who habitually prescribe prescription drugs to their depressed patients, are a few who believe that nutrition, not medication, is the key to mental wellbeing.
Whether it's in response to an increasing distrust of antidepressants or a natural follow-up to studies that have linked nutrients to the control and reversal of psychological disorders, nutritional therapy is becoming a legitimate field. "There have been huge advances over the past few years finding that nutritional intervention can treat many behavioral and mental conditions we used to think were untreatable," explains Lewis Mehl-Madrona, associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.