Health Goals: Natural Treatments for Depression
Here are several natural treatments for depression, which will help you achieve your health goals. I’ve included a quotation from Anne Hathaway, who coped with depression. Treating depression doesn’t necessarily require antidepressants or counseling - though both can be extremely beneficial, depending on the person.
Hathaway, who starred in The Devil Wears Prada, The Princess Diaries, and Get Smart, struggled with feelings of despair and hopelessness. Here’s how she describes it:
“I went through phases in my life when I was really out of balance. It’s not so much that I was depressed; I was in despair, which is a very tricky emotion,” says Hathaway. “It’s self-loathing. It’s hopelessness. It’s worthlessness. It’s a bad, bad place to be.”
Here’s how Hathaway overcame her feelings of despair and achieved her health goals, plus several natural treatments for depression. For a great escape from everyday life, check out The Devil Wears Prada - watching movies can be an effective natural treatment for depression! Click on the DVD cover for more information.
Health Goals: Natural Treatments for Depression
Though different people find different things helpful in treating depression, these natural depression medications and treatments are worth trying.
1. Get out of yourself. Anne Hathaway describes how she overcame her feelings of despair and self-loathing: “Now, my life has gotten much bigger. I’ve traveled. I’ve seen true suffering. And what I was dealing with pales when compared with what is really going on out there. So then it became not ‘Woe is me’ but ‘Let me help you.’ That changed everything. I was seeing myself as a victim, but I’m in a position of power, and now I’m going to make up for lost time.”
2. Explore natural treatments for depression. In The Brain Wash, Michelle Schoffro Cook describes two natural depression medications: St John’s wort and ginkgo biloba. “St John’s wort is particularly effective for depression, particularly for mild to moderate symptoms without the side effects often associated with drugs,” writes Cook. St John’s wort may not be as effective for severe or double depression, but if you’re not taking any antidepressants and are struggling with depression, it may be worth a try. “Ginkgo biloba improves neurotransmitter production in the brain and helps bring oxygen-rich blood to the brain to improve functioning,” says Cook. This natural herb may also help fight feelings of despair.
- Note about natural herbs and products: Never take St John’s wort, ginkgo biloba or any natural medicine for depression if you’re taking antidepressants like Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil or Effexor. Talk to your doctor before considering both natural treatments and antidepressants. It’s also important to talk to your doctor when you’re trying to achieve your health goals, especially if you’re taking any prescription medication.
3. Increase your physical activity. Though exercise is difficult when you can barely get out of bed or drag yourself to work, start slow. Go for short walks, swims, yoga classes or bike rides - the movement and oxygen may help you overcome feelings of despair and help you achieve your health goals.
4. Avoid refined sugars, unhealthy fats, caffeine, processed foods or fast food restaurants. Eat fresh produce and natural foods to help you achieve your health goals. “Investigate other factors that may contribute to depression, such as anemia, blood sugar imbalances, candida overgrowth, chromium, zinc and/or magnesium deficiencies, adrenal weakness, or toxic overload,” says Cook.
5. Focus on what you love to do. Paint, garden, read, write, daydream….immersing yourself in creative activities can alleviate feelings of self-despair. Expressing yourself and finding your self-identity can help overcome feelings of depression and achieve your health goals.
6. Watch funny movies, go to live comedy shows, tune in to your favorite funny tv sitcoms. Listen to uplifting, upbeat music. Research shows that laughter and music both change brain chemistry, which can lighten feelings of despair and hopelessness.
7. Drink plenty of water and get some sunshine. Natural treatments for depression can include the basics of life: air, water, and the sun. Oxygen, Vitamin D, and the sights and sounds of nature can soothe your soul - and they’re all natural treatments for depression and will help you achieve your health goals.
8. Increase your Omega-3’s, B-complex vitamins, fish oil supplements, multivitamins and minerals, and S-Adenosylmethionines (SAMe’s). Talk to your doctor to discover if these natural remedies can interfere with antidepressants, other prescription medications, or other natural treatments for depression.
Cook says, “While some health practitioners dismiss the symptoms as being ‘all in [the patient's] head,’ increasing volumes of research identifying this disorder as a physiological, not psychological problem.”
If your depression is a physiological problem, then overcoming depression may involve physiological treatments - such as those listed above.
If you found Health Goals: Natural Treatments for Depression helpful, try:
Comment by Marians on 3 August 2008:
Yay! Interesting…
Comment by Pam on 2 December 2008:
I agree with all of the above (having been depressed over the loss of loved ones) and would add (at the top):
Surround yourself with people who you love and make you happy. Whether it is family, friends, neighbors, etc…a support system is of the utmost importance. Lean on them, use them and envelop yourself in their love and positive energy. They will help you more than you can imagine.