are there any safe natural remedies for mild depression?

6 Responses to “are there any safe natural remedies for mild depression?”

1. KC Tex Says:
   October 9th, 2009 at 12:38 pm

   I have never tried it but Saint Johns wart is suppose to be good
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2. Hannah J Says:
   October 9th, 2009 at 1:11 pm

   I’ve heard that St. John’s Wort (an herb) can help.
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3. Shan Says:
   October 9th, 2009 at 1:21 pm

   The wort (Hypericum Perforatum) is often effective, but there are things which you need to know about it (see section 2, at ezy build, below). Use in combination with a multidimensional approach to treating depression, naturally, to enhance its effect. Depression: I suggest: (1.) Take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or grapefruit, or their FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it. (2.) Work up slowly to 30 - 60 minutes of exercise, daily. (3.) Occupational therapy (keeping busy allows little time for unproductive introspection, and keeps mental activity out of less desirable areas of the brain). (4.) Use daily, one of the relaxation methods in sections 2, 2.c, 2.i, or 11, and/or yoga, Tai Chi, and/or the EFT, in sections 2.q, 2.o, and section 53, (whichever works best for you) at ezy-build, below. (5.) Initially, at least, some form of counselling, preferably either Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavio(u)ral Therapy. (6.) As options, if desired, either a known, effective herbal remedy, such as St. John’s wort, or supplements, such as SAMe, taken with a vitamin B complex which is certified as being 100% of natural origin, or Inositol (from vitamin and health food stores, some supermarkets, or mail order: view section 55). Also, 80% of people in the Western world have low magnesium levels, and these are known to cause depression & anxiety. Try the magnesium supplement types shown in http://www.real-depression-help.com/ Some of these will be available in pharmacies, or supermarkets. An improvement can be noticed in as little as a week, if a deficiency is the cause, but certainly within 3 weeks.

   Start a mood chart/thought record, and record all negative thoughts. Whenever you notice a negative thought, record the mood (disappointment, sadness, frustration, hopelessness, anger, etc.) and rate it, from 1; the lowest, to 100; the strongest you have ever felt. Have 3 columns, and in one, write down the thought. For example: Mood: Lonely: 90/100. Thought: "I feel like I will be alone for the rest of my life". Then, although this can be painful, it is very important; record every piece of evidence in support of this: "I am alone right now. I have been for some time. There is nothing to prove this won’t continue". In the last column, write down all the evidence refuting this: "I used to be fairly sociable, and enjoyed being with friends. Change is inevitable in life, and nobody can state the way things will be in the future, for sure". "Most people recover from depression, in time, and I rarely felt lonely, until becoming depressed". Then read again what you have written. Give it a moment, to let it sink in, and rate that mood again, possibly putting it in brackets, and/or in a different color, but try to stick to a standard practice, for greater ease of review, later. Example: Mood: Lonely: [70/100].

   If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and, instead of taking around 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements for the winter months only! (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Optimal levels are 50 - 55 ng/ml (115 - 125 nmol / L). It should be above 32 ng/ml.

   Don’t use medications and supplements together, without medical advice, except for Omega 3, which is safe, anytime. Take enough supplements to attain, or exceed the levels (no possibility of overdose) of those every day, with an orange, or the juice of a freshly squeezed orange, grapefruit, or other antioxidant.
   (make sure the epa is higher then the dha) important for adults… kids need the opposite levels: more dha than epa, but all are beneficial, if you can’t achieve the recommended proportions.

   Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels, (60% of depressed people have low vitamin D levels!) using the 25 Hydroxyvitamin D test. Those people who receive adequate exposure to sunlight, daily, won’t need the vitamin D from cod liver oil, but many people, particularly those in latitudes far from the equator, find this difficult to achieve.

   If the above is insufficient for you, after several months, (unlikely) try one of the alternatives, such as the neurofeedback, magnetic, or low current electrical stimulation, or EMDR therapy, (see section 33, at ezy build) keeping ECT back, as a last resort. There is a quiz about depression, through sections 1, and 2, at ezy build, below: print the result, and take along to your primary mental health care provider. With depression, there is a choice of possible treatment types which needs to be made, and you can decide to use either allopathy, (modern Western medicine) with its reliance on antidepressants and therapy, or alternative treatments, which I advise trying first. This is because antidepressants are known to increase the rates of suicide, homicide, and aberrent behavio(u)r, particularly with young people, and often have unwanted side effects, such as sexual dysfunction, and/or weight gain.

   Tests have shown that apart from clinical (major) depression, their results were not significantly superior to those taking a placebo (inert, or "sugar pill"). Antidepressants retain a degree of long term effectiveness for only around 30% of people. There is a saying in the mental health field: "If the only tool you have in your kit is a hammer, you tend to treat everything as a nail". So it goes with doctors, and their prescription pads: handy, quick, and convenient, when trying to manage their large list of patients, and often allocating only several minutes to each.

   Most of them are only trained to provide antidepressants and referrals for therapy, with those whose depression is resistant to those treatments being advised to have ElectroConvulsive Therapy, (ECT) with its risk of permanent, partial memory loss. Therapy, while often effective at first, becomes "same old, same old" after a while, for many people.
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4. Kathy Says:
   October 9th, 2009 at 2:04 pm

   Now this I know…

   I went through depression for years, not bad enough to be hospitalized and regular doctors wanted to throw medicine at me that just made me sleep through it or pumped me up artificially.

   When I saw a great counselor - she made me do fast walks - takes lots of self-discipline, but she monitored me and my depression. Even in the rain and snow - I went for my brisk walks - with arms swinging, looking forward, noticing 3 beautiful things along the way and speaking to myself about how wonderful the world was.

   I eventually got up to 7 miles a day - not my idea of fun - but it did the trick. When I was no longer depressed all the time, I backed off to about a mile or two each day. The exercise (getting your heart rate up) and the self-talk and mostly looking for beautiful things - they are all around you, but depression helps you miss them.

   If you can do this on your own, you will find you will feel better and not have to go through psychotherapy. However, if you have issues causing the depression, go see someone good - if the first one doesn’t suit you keep trying till you find one who is upbeat and truly helps you find your solutions.

   But in any case, the brisk walking will do wonders for you - try it for a week - every single day - morning or evening or both… it will amaze you. And, stay off the sugar - or at least cut way back. Sugar is a great depressant, like alcohol.
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5. Adam M Says:
   October 9th, 2009 at 2:10 pm

   St. John’s wart. You can buy it at GNC or any herbal store.
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6. Lean Stream Says:
   October 9th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

   Inhale / Exhale
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