The Truth About Natural Treatments for Depression

The very important fact that I know by experience and I haven't seen included in The Truth About Natural Trteatments for Depression: It makes a great difference whether someone tries natural treatmrnts before or after having tried prescribed medication. If before, the natural substances usually work; if after, it is rather unlikely that anything good might come out of them ...

Don't assume that there are no reliable natural treatments for depression. You need to be careful what you are saying when you aren't a medical doctor!! I work for a medical doctor and there is great promise in this area - check out http://neuroassist.com/. Many of his patients and my own depression have been successfully treated WITHOUT medication.

With natural treatments you have nothing!!! With conventional treatment you have resulting deaths, side-effects and coverng up symptoms without treating cause. Read the studies! St. John's Wort was effective in not only mild and moderate depression but some success with more serious depression. Be aware of alcohol/wine as cause and/or worsening of depression! (see www.jrussellshealth.com as sub-topic under "Alcohol" - the dangers of smaller amounts of alcohol consumption. June Russell - russells@cstone.net

Why would you take something that would put you to sleep for PMS? Trytphan is a safe amino acid that was run off the market due to some tainted manufacturing-we did not take tylenol off the market when it was contaminated and it kills thousands.

I was under the impression that Drug Companies CANNOT patent natural products. You make it sound like if a natural product really worked the drug companies would patent it. This is not the case-and if they did it would automatically cost much more. I take an antiodepressant but still don't agree with your comments about natural treatments for depression. Natural is always better if it works.

What is more natural than talking? There are evidence based talk therapies, such as cognitive therapy, which are shown to be as effective as antidepressants, without the physical side effects.

I don't agree with the idea that depression can not be treated with natural supplements. My daughter is being treated by a naturopathic doctor for her chemical depression and it has been very successful. We did not want to go the pharmeticeutical route because of the possiblity of the depression becoming worse because she is a teen.

It's a funny story. The writer is very clear marketing for the pharmaceutical companies. Natural treatment is far better than chemical.

The fact still remains that no natural treatments have been proven effective in a controlled clinical trial. If you have a special situation, like treating a teen when you are justifiably worried about antidepressants, that's one thing. But I am confused as to why a natural treatment is preferred over prescription medicine for an adult. It is not automatically more desirable to put natural substances in your body - what about digitalis or poison ivy? Why is it a knee jerk reaction to assume that a chemical compound is bad for you? The other danger in treating yourself with a natural substance instead of going to a doctor for depression treatment is that some depression is caused by underlying medical problems such as thyroid disorders. If you don't see a doctor you won't uncover these problems. The important thing is to challenge your assumptions if you automatically think natural is better and make an informed decision about your treatment.

Something that i've personally experienced using St. John's Wort, and Gaba, is that for a small amount of time it did seem to be working, but then made my depression turn on full blast, where i got very angry, and/or started crying for no reason at all. After i stopped taking them, my depression went back to it's normal pattern of ups and downs. One thing i've read about neurotransmitters is that treating depression is a hit or miss science. Some things can have opposite effects for different people because of their blood chemistry. I would recommend going natural carefully. But definitely EXERCISE!! Getting out of the house and just simply walking around for an hour fixes me right up.

I think often people turn to naturopathic treatment because they get tired of playing 'eeny meeny miny mo' with pharmaceuticals. Doctors are clueless as to what will work for you. They just say take this for 6 weeks and let me know if it works or not--side affects be damned.

Clearly, there is evidence to at least 'suggest' that some natural anti-depressant remedies have been effective. And most certainly, there is abundant evidence that prescription Rx anti-depressants are reliably and statistically effective. The sad undercurrent of all of this is that there still remains a societal 'stigma' with respect to depression or any mental/emotional illness. This often creates a feeling of shame or even denial for the sufferer, actually adding 'insult to injury'. We don't feel embarrassed to take an aspirin for a headache, yet we feel uneasy about admitting that we might take a medicine for depression. Those who mock the rise in popularity of drugs like Prozac have certainly never faced the need for such drugs. Those who take these meds deserve society's compassion. We live in an 'un-natural' world... the answer to 'un-natural' problems may not always lie in 'natural' remedies.

How many times have I heard Dr. Edell say that the combination of talk & drug therapies are the best solution to treating depression? My wife's doc increases her dosage every time she brings up the topic of depression. Apparently Medicare doesn't pay enough for talk therapy.

I've tried acupuncture and chineses herbs for years, homeopathy, vitamins,Sam-E,St. John's Word, massage, bach flower remedies, psychic healing and years and years of talk therapy. Nothing helped much and I refused medications because I am sensitive to drugs and feared side effects. Finally a therapist recommended a psychiatrist who is a master at drug therapy. He started me on sub-pediatric doses and then we worked up to adult doses. He listened to me when I had weird side effects was patient and had me try different drugs and drug combination until we found something that worked well for me. He didn't just go by the book, but listened to what I experienced and my particular physological responses. I am much clamer and mellower now. I do still have some hard times emotionally, but nothing has worked as well as depression meds.

On the subject of "naturals," remember to consider what else you do to your body every day. Exercise? Smoke cigarettes? Drink diet soda? Eat junk food? It all adds up, you know.

I always enjoy reading your comments and want to add that there are many many natural ways of treating depression naturally. From what you described to yoga, meditation, color therapy to avoiding foods with amino acid Phenylaline including artificial sweatners like Equal or NutraSweet which are in all diet sodas. One can also try Ayurvedic medicine and homeopathy - which have proven to be great for depression.

Boy that was a rant!

 

I really don't think your wholesale indictment of alternative treatments is justified.

 

Many people have been helped using these treatments.

 

I think it is fair to point out that when anti-depressants are shown to be effective, they are only slightly more effective than placebos.  Studies show that only 40% of people (at most) are helped with a given anti-depressant, and of these no more than 50% of them have their depression completely abated.  It has been shown that at least 10-20% of people trying multiple treatments fail all treatments.

 

If you have benefited from ADs, I am very happy to hear it.  But many people don't benefit or only have a marginal benefit, with often suffering through horrible side effects.

 

Personally I have been fighting depression for nearly 20 years, with only slight improvement with ADs.  (I have tried nearly everything out there).

 

In the last 3 -4 months I designed a protocol (approved by my doctor) that included a stimulant (amphetamine), light therapy, exercise, a bipolar antidepressant (despite being told that I am not bipolar), and 3.6 grams of fish oil.

 

This protocol has been very successful, taking me from very severe depression, to being virtually free from it.

 

So I say that if the quick fixes don't work, or the side effects are ridiculous, find a doctor who will work with you.  Consider natural medications, a variety of pharmaceuticals, and exercise.

 

Richard

I couldn't even read the whole article It's obvious the writer is pro meds "lets medicate the world". Soon enough everyone is going to be walking chemically coded zombies. Naturalistic methods are for prevention and maintenance. At least with natural methods of coping with depression your not left being incapacitated.Why doesnt the FDA investigate on vitamins,herbs and supplements because they won't be making as much money. The govenrment makes money on us being sick. The drugs that are approved by the FDA have been known to cause extreme side effects. I suggest to the writer that she does more research before she starts bashing natural methods.

my son is almost twenty yrs old and is seeking help for his depression .He has in the past tried suicide i.e pill overdose.I am wondering is there any other treatment for example accupuncture for insomnia where there are no pills consumed as I am scared of another case of overdosing.He was diagnosed with ODD as a child and stopped taking his meds for his condition because he saw the word anti phsycotic on the box containing the pills.He is seeing a specialist at present but is not opening up to him I would appreciate any information you can give me .Thank  you Dee Hu rley..............His Mom.

I have two pdocs telling me I went through the spetrum of pills and that is all they can do. I refuse to believe that so for my benefit I looked into alternatives. So when the prescription meds run out than what?

I think we can all agree that clinical depression is due to a chemical imballance.  The easy fix would be to pop a pill and have the problem go away.  Is this the best solution?  I don't feel it is.  There are natural ways to stimulate these chemicals you may lack.  Like the original poster mentioned, exercise is a main one.  I feel the way you live your life will also have a big impact on things.  Eating right, finding ballance between work, friends, love, family, personal activities, etc., avoiding situations that make you unhappy when possible but also challanging yourself to work out difficult problems, go through awkward experiences and do things that are not neccesarily the norm for you and may even frighten you a little.  A combination of these things will not only help with your depression, but will lead to a better life long term.  I like to think about things when I get depressed.  Why am I sad?  What can I do to make myself happy?  Then I do those things.  True we cannot always exercise on the spot when we feel depressed, but medicine should not be an easy out.  Find someone to talk to.  Try to get to the root of your depression.  And if by chance after trying all these things, you cannot get the stability you need, then talking to someone about medical treatment might be a last resort.  Too many people these days think their problems can be solved with a pill.  Whether it's depression, obesity, hyper activity, etc. the instant gratification way of life that is instilled in peoples minds these days is not the best solution.  That's just my 2 cents.