Depression is a worldwide public health problem that affects millions of people every year. Due to recent reports that depressed individuals have an altered gut microbiome composition, there is speculation that treatments that influence microorganisms in the gut could potentially lead to alleviation of depressive symptoms. Apple cider vinegar has been studied extensively for its health-promoting properties and benefits. Apple cider vinegar’s main ingredient is the short chain fatty acid, acetic acid. Short chain fatty acids have been shown to improve mood state and depressive symptoms, as well as amplify the effect of prebiotics in restoring the gut microbiome. This experimental design study examined the effects of ingesting 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (1 g acetic acid) twice daily with a meal on the levels of urinary metabolites in 14 college students compared to a control group of 11 college students that took one vinegar supplement tablet (0.015 g of acetic acid) daily for 28 days. All participants were healthy, normal to underactive (< 300 minutes of moderate exercise a week), and free of chronic or acute illnesses. Urinary metabolite analysis revealed a significant production of enzymes involved in the hexosamine pathway in the liquid vinegar group compared to baseline levels. However, anticipation of an alteration in tryptophan metabolites, a possible consequence of altered metabolism of gut microflora, was not observed. These data suggest that apple cider vinegar might be a potential treatment for depression through the production of hexosamine pathway enzymes.

Latinas face among the highest documented rates of depressive symptoms among all adolescent groups. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2018 Youth Risk and Behavior Survey, 46.8% of Latina adolescents reported feeling sad and hopeless on a daily basis. As a Latina myself, I found myself wondering how we could direct power back to our Latina youth. I turned to the tradition of storytelling, an integral practice in Latino/a communities. Storytelling is a social and cultural tradition, which upholds intergenerational connection, understanding, and education. While many Latinas engage with storytelling in the family space, I wanted to foster a safe space outside of the household for Latinas to connect with one another. I was inspired by psychologist Dr. Lillian Comas-Diaz's concept "Spirita," a synthesizing spirituality among women of color which places emphasis on understanding the shared traumatic experiences and drawing joy from empathetic connections and commitment to creating community with one another. From here, I developed a website called "Sanando Juntos," or "Healing Together," teaching Latinas how to use storytelling as a tool to better understand themselves as well as create a space to foster connections with other Latinas. In order to develop a theoretical framework for the website, a literature review was conducted observing successful methods of digital storytelling in adolescent audiences. I then used this research to develop the main pillars for the website, a storytelling workshop, safe-space building, multimedia approaches, and peer-to-peer interaction. With many young Latina girls disproportionately suffering from suicidal ideation and depression, Sanando Juntos acts as a way to break down the stigma surrounding these difficult conversations while empowering and connecting like-minded Latinas. The final website can be viewed at https://sanandojuntos.com.