Natural Solutions for Depression
Natural Solutions for Depression
By Dr. LuLu Shimek
Are you depressed? Running out of options or choices to feel like yourself again? There are many natural solutions and alternatives that will help lift the cloud of depression that can weigh you down.
First of all, what is depression, how do you know if you are depressed and whether or not to seek out help from a healthcare provider? Depression is a mental health disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in normal day-to-day activities. Depression may require long-term treatment involving natural therapies and psychotherapy to help discover the root cause.
Depression has a variety of causes, including: food allergies, heavy metals, nutritional issues, medications, recreational drugs, alcohol, nicotine, sleep problems, stress, loss of a loved one, financial stress, toxic mold, emotional trauma or medical conditions. These medical conditions may include a new serious diagnosis, life–altering or threatening illness, infections, chronic pain, PMS, postpartum, peri-menopause or early menopause, hypothyroid, insomnia or sleep apnea. Seek out an alternative health care provider to have thorough testing completed.
Symptoms of Depression
During bouts of depression, it’s not uncommon to have several symptoms occurring most of the day and these may include:
Feelings of sadness or hopelessness
Angry outbursts and frustration
Loss of interest activities of pleasure
Sleep disturbances
Fatigue
Weight loss or weight gain
Anxiety
Feelings of worthlessness or self-blame
Trouble concentrating or memory loss
Suicidal thoughts
When to see a doctor
If you are feeling depressed, make an appointment to see your primary care provider or mental health professional as soon as you can. Also seek out a friend or loved one, a healthcare professional, a spiritual leader, or someone else you trust to talk to about your depression.
When to get emergency helpIf you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Line 1-800-273-8255.
Natural Solutions for Depression
Nutritional Interventions:
Observational studies of women found an association between the Standard American Diet consisting of fried foods, high in refined carbs, sugary foods, and beer and increased depression and anxiety symptoms. Instead, eat a healthy well balanced diet focusing on fruits, veggies, fish, nuts, legumes and whole grains to decrease depression.
Food reactions and sensitivities have been linked to depression in some studies and researchers believe that the food reactions were actually the cause of the depression. A simple food allergy test can be done to determine of food allergies are the root cause of the depression.
Avoid refined carbohydrates and sugar that can cause a spike in blood glucose or insulin and lead to decreased energy levels or weight gain.
Lifestyle Changes:
Many studies have shown exercise to be an effective treatment for depression especially thirty minutes of cardio each day which can also help with symptoms of insomnia. So get outdoors!
Meditation and Yoga have shown to be very useful adjunct therapies to other natural treatments for reducing stress and anxiety.
Develop and foster nurturing relationships to help provide a framework of ongoing support and assistance managing stress.
Botanical Medicine and Supplements:
Several trials with St. John’s wort 300 mg three times per day showed a similar treatment effect to antidepressant medications.
Studies have shown Tryptophan at 1000 – 2000 mg three times per day was similar in effect to tricyclic antidepressants.
An 8-week trial found that Vitamin D, 400-800 IU/day was superior to fluoxetine in controlling depressive symptoms and symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
B vitamins are involved in brain and hormonal function and research shows that low levels b vitamins are linked to increased symptoms of depression.
Other botanical herbs that have been shown to be helpful with depression include: Ginkgo, Lemon balm, Black cohosh, Red clover, Tulsi, Rhodiola and other Adaptogenic herbs.
Resources
PMID: 19901139; Long-term effects of a very low-carbohydrate diet and a low-fat diet on mood and cognitive function. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Nov 9;169(20):1873-80.
PMID: 2664599; Food sensitivities and psychological disturbance: a review.Nutr Health. 1989;6(3):135-46.
PMID: 11282860; The effectiveness of exercise as an intervention in the management of depression: systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials.BMJ. 2001 Mar 31;322(7289):763-7.
PMID: 18459121; Meditation with yoga, group therapy with hypnosis, and psychoeducation for long-term depressed mood: a randomized pilot trial. J Clin Psychol. 2008 Jul;64(7):806-20.
PMID: 386715; Symptom reduction in depression after treatment with L-tryptophan or imipramine. Item analysis of Hamilton rating scale for depression. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1979 Sep;60(3):287-94.
PMID: 9539254; Vitamin D3 enhances mood in healthy subjects during winter.Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1998 Feb;135(4):319-23.
The contents of this article are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.