Alternative Treatment for Depression

Using Vitamins, Herbs, and Other Supplements to Heal Depression

2006-02-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

The topic of supplements to help heal depression covers a very large territory. This category includes vitamins, minerals, various herbs, amino acids, essential fatty acids (you may have heard of fish oils/Omega-3 fatty acids), specific compounds such as SAMe (s-adenosylmethionine), and other things such as flower remedies. There are truly an amazing number of supplements that can help cure depression.

Caution: As the common caution goes: always consult with your health care practitioner before starting a supplement program. I'm not a doctor, and I don't know you, so consider this informative, not prescriptive.

Here's an overview, and then I'll cover each category in some detail in the next series of posts. Of course, each specific supplement could probably have its own post, but I'll focus on the main information and give you links.

Vitamins. A lack of certain vitamins, or an imbalance in vitamins can cause depression. The most common problems are with a lack of B-complex vitamins. Recently, Vitamin D has also been receiving some attention, especially for depression in the elderly and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Minerals. Minerals are less directly implicated in depression, although for example chromium may help in cases of atypical depression, where one of the symptoms is increased appetite. And of course anemia (low blood count) causes fatigue, and fatigue can certainly feel like depression or contribute to it. Minerals are also important, because a deficiency in any essential nutrient will result in some metabolic process(es) that are not running as well as they could.

Herbs. There are a number of herbs that are either used directly to heal depression (St. JohnÂs Wort is certainly the most famous), or to help alleviate some of its symptoms or milder forms (I tend to think of these latter herbs more as herbs that are stress-reducing or soothing). There are alnumbernmber of Chinese herbs. Because Chinese herbs are usually prescribed by an acupuncturist, I will be including them in the discussion of acupuncture for depression. Note: if you are already on medication, you have to make sure that any herbs you consider taking are not counter-indicated.

Amino Acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and there are several amino acids that remedy specific types of depression. Helpful amino acids include GABA, 5-HTP, DL-phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine. You could add trimethylglycine (TMG), a precursor for SAMe, to the list of helpful amino acids, too. You need to look at your symptoms to figure out which amino acids would be helpful for you.

Other Supplements. Two of the most powerful and renowned alternative depression supplements are in this category: Omega-3 Fatty Acids and SAMe. This category also includes pre-formulated anti-depression compounds. I have not personally tried any pre-packaged compounds, so I can't comment on those except to the degree that they contain substances known to help reduce or cure depression. It would be very interesting to hear back from you about things you've tried that have worked or haven't worked.

Everything Else. There are a number of other things you can take, including flower remedies, homeopathic preparations, and tissue salts. Homeopathy will get its own post or two; flower remedies, tissue salts, and aromatherapy I do not consider supplements -- they are more adjunct treatments. Because they work really well to cure depression in some people, I will also be providing information on them. You can see what I mean when I say that there are a lot of options in alternative depression treatment!

My recommendations for using exercise to heal depression

2006-01-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

(Note: if you're new to this blog, you read the other posts on exercise by starting here, get the overall program for healing depression, and information on nutrition for healing depression. An overview of the alternative approaches for healing depression is here.)

Figure out what works for you: my recommendation would be to...you guessed it: figure out what works for you. Of course, you need to make sure that you don't have any medical conditions that would be adversely affected by starting an exercise program (or figure out how to work within the limitations you may have).

Getting started: To get started, think about what motivates you. I'm very goal-oriented, so I need to be able to measure what I do (I walk, and using a pedometer really makes a difference in how many steps I get in). When I started exercising (not being the naturally sporty type), it took a larger goal: I signed up for a fund-raising walk (the Avon Breast Cancer walk), and the fear of being totally embarrassed because I wouldn't be able to do enough of the walk kept me going.

Getting and staying motivated: Other motivating factors can be whether your form of exercise is done indoors or out, in a group or solo, the speed of the activity, whether it’s competitive or not, and how good you are at it. Even introverts (and depressed people) can benefit from having an exercise buddy – because something you won’t do for yourself you probably would for your buddy (like get up and go out for a walk when you’d really just rather lay on the couch). Plus it can be good to have that contact, if you're usually isolating yourself.

My experience with using exercise to heal depression

2006-01-23T10:04:00.000-08:00

(To get the overview on exercise for depression, check out Part 1 and Part 2.)

Exercise doesn't always help, and it doesn't always help right away. But if it doesn't, I'm convinced there's a reason. I used to get almost zero benefit from exercise. I would gain some muscle mass, but I hardly ever felt more fit from aerobic exercise. Plus it was always hard and exhausting, and it didn't really seem to do anything for my mood either (other than the feeling that at least I wasn't a complete slug/couch potato/loser). For the longest time, I was personally convinced that exercise probably benefited people with depression only because they were feeling more self-respect for doing "something constructive" than because it actually had a physical effect. After all, we get so much pressure from the media and well-meaning people around us to be active (to stop being..."so lazy"..."unhealthy"...[or insert the insult of your preference]).

That didn't change till I finally got diagnosed with a low thyroid, and got thyroid supplements. After that, for the first time in my life, I could understand why people might look forward to exercise and enjoy it! (Really!) And I actually got a lot more fit, and I could feel it. After the initial month or so of getting into the groove, I started to feel better, emotionally, too --not just right after having exercised, but consistently. So make sure you get your fundamental health in shape before you start doing other things -- if something feels too hard or isn't giving you results, there's always a reason!

The bottom line on exercise for depression: In my experience what they say about exercise is true: if you stick with it for a while, it often gets more enjoyable, and you miss it if you don't do it. But you have to get past that initial period (around a month for most people -- kind of like any new habit) before you really start to see a consistent, obvious pay-off (you will always get some shorter-term mood benefit just from doing a positive activity). Plus, how many treatments are there that actually have all kinds of other positive benefits (being more fit, having more energy/endurance, possibly losing weight or getting stronger physically)? As long as you choose something that works for you and is appropriate to your personal health and fitness status, it seems like a no-lose proposition to me.

Exercise for Depression -- Part 2

2006-01-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

(If you're just starting to read this blog, you can click here to get the overall program approach, here for information on nutrition and depression, and here to get the first part of the exercise info.)

So what "should" you do to get the benefits of exercise on depression?
Most importantly: set reasonable expectations. Adding exercise to your life when you are depressed, and already feel like doing anything is too hard, can be a real challenge. For some people, it can work to look at exercise like at any "prescription": you do it because it is part of the treatment plan.

For others, starting slowly is much more feasible. Doing anything more than you are doing right now is progress! If you can find an activity you like (or even enjoy), that will obviously increase your chances for sticking with it, but I think if you can just find something you don't actively dislike, you're already on the right track.

What type of exercise should you choose?
Recommendations from a lot of sources tend towards the standard aerobic exercise format: 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least 3 times per week (although somwhat more often, 5 times per week, may be preferable).

However, some sources indicate that other forms of exercise, including strength training (weight lifting), yoga, and taekwondo are also effective in generating a mood boost. Try making a list of all the types of exercise you can think of, and rank them in order of "best" to "worst" for you. Then pick one of your top five, and just do a bit of it.

It also helps if what you're doing is relatively easy, whatever that may mean for you. For me, putting on my walking shoes and grabbing my CD player is a lot easier than going to the gym...so I'm much more likely to do it. Then, if there's some other immediate pay-off (in addition to the lift from the exercise -- for me it's getting outside and getting some fresh air/looking at nature), that helps too.

How hard should you exercise to get depression healing benefits? Again, there is a wide range of opinions (let's not to be so crass as to call it disagreement). Some studies suggest that moderate levels of intensity are best (steady walking for example), and that too intense a level of exercise can actually be counterproductive. Some other studies see no difference between moderate and intense exercise, but suggest that too light an intensity has less of an effect on mood (although there was still some benefit).

Exercise for Depression -- Part 1

2006-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

If you've been depressed for any period of time, you've probably heard that exercise can help ease depression. What you may not know is that no one is really sure why it works (although everyone has an explanation), and that most forms of exercise seem to provide some benefit. If you want details, here's a good article on exercise and depression that summarizes various research studies. Most researchers seem to think that it's a combination of feeling good for doing something productive (increased self-confidence, etc.), and physiological benefits from exercise (stress relief, better sleep, and possibly an endorphin boost). I would add to that that if you get outside, you will get fresh air and light, and both can have a positive impact on depression (especially Seasonal Affective Disorder [SAD], the "winter blues"). Humans historically spent much more time outdoors (how else would hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists get food and other supplies?); spending lots of time indoors is a relatively novel phenomenon, and probably contributes to our woes. In any case, some studies suggest that exercise can be as effective as medication in conquering depression.

How quickly does exercise work to make people feel better? Well, apparently that depends on who you ask and how you measure. Many people feel measurably better after just 10 minutes of moderate to intense exercise. That feeling may not last very long initially, but the more consistently you exercise, the longer the effect. Some other studies have shown improvements in mood after 10 days, 2-3 weeks, or more than a month (so if you have heard that exercise takes longer than medication to work, there is a study to support that, just as there are studies to support the opposite conclusion). I do think there is some immediate benefit to getting your blood moving -- you feel physically more alert, and you feel a little less stressed, and you have accomplished something. All of those add up to feeling better.

Then there is the question of how long the effects of exercise last down the road. There seems to be some general agreement on that -- the longer you have exercised, the longer the benefit extends after you stop. One study showed that participants in a 7-week exercise program still felt measurably better (emotionally and physically) after 5 months.

More in the next post on what to do: the types of exercise, intensity, and how to get motivated.

It's Wet in California

2006-01-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

A slight digression from the general topic...

It's been an ...exciting... few days out here in Napa. The link has some local photos. I, and most of the people I know, were very lucky -- in many cases the water came close to the house, but didn't actually flood anything. The creek next to my house took on the characteristics of a raging river, but "only" made it to the top of the lowest step of the front porch (it went from about 3 feet wide to about 40 to 60 feet wide, and from about 1 - 2 feet deep to about 10 - 12 feet deep.

I have a whole new respect for the power of water; debris along my little creek includes an entire garden gazebo plus contents (in many pieces, but some quite large), a plastic water tank (about 8' high and 8' in diameter), a big rug, some really large new rocks (several feet across), and several new gravel/rock banks in what was formerly just a field. The banks of the creek eroded a lot, and the old well house just got swept away. The bridge across the creek is damaged -- lots of erosion, and the gas line that was hung under the bridge is now rather curved (yes, it used to be straight). The parking area in front of the house is swept totally clean (no more taking out blackberry vines or sweeping leaves for me). The water also removed a good part of the paving. My neighbor tells me he has been here for 50 years, and it has never been this bad (not even close -- the water rose three feet higher at his property than it ever had before).

Please send good thoughts to all the people who did suffer flood damage, and consider what you can continue to do to make sure that the survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita get the help they need.

What do you want to know about alternative depression treatment?

2005-12-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

To better focus the content of this blog, I put up a survey at zoomerang.com. Here's the link. It's completely anonymous (no tracing back of anything), and I would really appreciate it if you would take about 2 minutes to let me know what your interest is, and what you already know about the subject of alternative depression treatment. The survey will be up for 7 days.
Thanks!

Nutrition -- The Basis for Healing

2005-12-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

Eating right for your particular biochemistry is one of the most fundamental things you can do to help heal yourself from depression. For some people, it's all they need to do. The first thing is to dejunk your eating habits. The general concept of healthy eating is simple: emphasize fruits and veggies, and minimize processed food. Beyond that, only one thing is sure: your diet/eating plan has to be customized to you. There are a couple of things to consider:

1. What is your metabolic type (what ratio of protein, fats, and carbohydrates works best for you)?
2. Do you have food allergies?

The metabolic type concept is great -- it basically says that different people process food differently (there's a news flash, I know), and that we all have an ideal mix -- from high carb/low protein to high protein/low carb. Here's a link to a short test on mercola.com that will help you get a sense of where you fall in that range. Go for the info and ignore the diet hype, you're doing this for your health and peace of mind. Once you have an overall sense of where you fit, then you can experiment and tweak your diet by seeing how you feel day-to-day relative to how you are eating.

Food allergies can cause emotional effects (just for example, depression...), brain fog, asthma and other "typical" allergy symptoms, gastro-intestinal problems, food cravings, and just about anything else you can think of. Food allergies are tricky -- there is no easy, guaranteed way to test for them, and there isn't even agreement on what constitutes a food allergy. Some people call them food intolerances if they don't cause standard allergy symptoms -- but whatever you call them, they matter. Semantics aside, there is agreement that many people have food allergies/intolerances. If you have them, figure them out, and get rid of them, you will experience great improvement in how you feel; I can tell you so from personal experience.

Common food allergies include wheat (or all gluten), soy, eggs, milk, nuts, shellfish, citrus, and chocolate. But one can develop food allergies to anything. A big hint is any food you can't live without -- because food allergies ironically can cause an addictive cycle. Another hint is normal foods you have an aversion to (that would be carrots and turkey for me). Food allergies are also tricky because effects don't always show up right away -- sometimes it can take 24 to 48 hours to have a reaction.

The simplest (note that I did not say "easiest") way to determine if you have food allergies is to cut out a particular food group for a while (the minimum recommended time is 4 days) see how you feel (known as an elimination diet), and then reintroduce that food and see if you notice any changes. I inadvertently did this when I went on a low carb diet. I hadn't really noticed the changes, but when I went back to eating wheat, all of a sudden my exercise asthma came back with a vengeance, all my other allergies kicked back into high gear, and I got clumsy again. So I cut out the grains again, and all the symptoms went away. This happened a number of times (I didn't say the lesson stuck easily), but wanting to breathe is a powerful incentive, so now I avoid wheat and gluten entirely. Here's a link to a slightly more detailed description of food allergies and elimination diets. Other options are to have blood tests, or to do kinesthetic (muscle) testing.

Can it be hard to do this? Of course, but once you're through the first steps, you'll feel so much better, it'll be totally worth it. Also, if you have a lot of food allergies, there is hope (you won't have to subsist on broccoli and rice for the rest of your life) -- things like NAET and TAT can cure food allergies.

By the way, if you've just started reading this blog, you'll want to look at the overall program to get a sense of where nutrition fits in.

How to put together a personal program for healing depression naturally

2005-12-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

So if you've decided (or been forced to) use natural methods for healing depression, where do you start? Well, I think of it as a series of 5 five steps. The first step is definitely ruling out any underlying medical condition (for example, a low thyroid can cause depression and its associated physical symptoms. So can heart disease, or excessively low cholesterol [bet you didn't know that!]). The next step is getting your diet in order. If you are eating in a way that doesn't work for your body type, or things you are allergic to, that could cause a lot of your symptoms. Then there is the issue of exercise -- something that seems very hard to even conceive of doing if you're already depressed and feeling tired. I actually think that a lot of the benefit associated with exercise comes from just being outside -- sunlight (and increased Vitamin D) are very healing for depression. But find some kind of movement that feels good.

Then (step 4) you need to add those natural supplements/herbs that work for you. Finally, there's the mental/emotional piece. Getting your biochemistry in order (which is really what you're doing with the first 4 steps) makes it possible to heal your acquired negative thinking patterns. And trust me, we all have them (at least if we had a childhood on this planet, we do)! But if you've been depressed for a while, you're probably better than a lot of people at seeing the half-empty part of the glass. Getting your biochemistry in order just means that you are no longer depressed; getting your mental/emotional house in order allows you to actually be happy! And of course, the two processes support each other: the better you feel physically, the easier it is to tackle emotional challenges, and the better you feel emotionally, the easier it is to make changes in how you treat your body. I'll talk about each of these steps for healing depression naturally in more detail in upcoming posts. There is a lot of information on each of them. The overview of what's out there is in this previous post.

Natural Depression Remedies -- The Overview

2005-12-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

I've been actively searching out natural approaches to healing depression for at least the past 8 years (and that doesn't count many more years spent in conventional therapy). From my perspective, the various approaches can be grouped like this:

Nutrition/eating patterns (jump ahead to read more)
Exercise (both aerobic and more meditative forms such as Yoga and Tai Chi; read more here)
Vitamins, herbs and other supplements
Eastern and Native Medicine (e.g., Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine/Acupuncture)
Mental/emotional therapies
Energy Medicine (here's a link with a definition; I include things like Reiki and Bach Flower Remedies in this category)
Conventional counseling/therapy

As most of us who have suffered from depression know, there is no one magic bullet for healing depression. I think this is even more true for natural approaches to healing depression.

Basically, you're looking to balance your body-mind system at a more emotionally stable and upbeat level; that will likely take a combination of approaches. It certainly did for me. Respect yourself and your individuality enough to figure out what is exactly right for you.

I'll be sharing what I know about each of these categories, and what has worked for me. I would also love to hear about what you are doing that is working for you. I'm convinced that there is a solution out there for everyone, but it is going to be relatively specific to the individual. It's like weight-loss diets: every diet out there works for somebody (sometimes very few somebodies), but no diet ever works for everybody.

The goals of this blog

2005-12-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

I'm creating this blog to help people recover from depression using alternative, non-medical (drug-free) approaches. I suffered from depression from at least age 10 until about 4 years ago (30 years). I'm happy and healthy now. I want to share what I've learned about healing from depression, and I want everyone to know that there are ways to get better -- without horrible side effects and even if you can't tolerate medication.

I definitely believe in the need to individualize the process/program for each person. One size fits all is as much a myth in healing from depression as it is in clothing. Besides: do you want something that just kind of works ok, or do you actually want to feel as good as you possibly can? What combination of natural/alternative remedies will work for you is something that you can figure out.

There are a lot of natural healing approaches out there, and more information is being developed all the time. However, when you go to most of the boards and forums and official websites, there is little information on natural/alternative cures and remedies. Most of it is very drug-focused, with some information on therapy thrown in.

Are you ready to heal? Stay tuned for all kinds of information on alternative approaches to healing depression. The next post will provide an overview of the many possible remedies.