natural remedies for depression?

Question

i've been battling depression my whole life, and i can usually tolerate the symptoms without medication. i recently quit smoking (about a month ago), so my symptoms are getting a little unbearable. i was wondering if anyone knew of any natural or herbal remedies for depression. i can't take st. john's wort because i'm on the pill...does anyone know of anything else that works?

Answer 1

1. Exercise. Walk for 30 minutes as soon as you get out of bed in the morning every day for 3 weeks. It is best to have a set time to start, and don't ask yourself if you feel like going, just go. Go by yourself and don't take a radio/Walkman etc. After 3 weeks, if it has helped you will want to keep going.

2. Diet. Fresh raw vegetables, a balance of protein foods and complex carbohydrates are all important. Have a food preparation day once a week, then you don't have to bother every day. A large amount of salad can be stored in the fridge and used each day, for example.

3. Supplements. B complex vitamins; extra 400 mcg Folic acid; essential fatty acids, particularly omega-3; magnesium; vitamin C.

4. Foods. Bananas, peas, sardines.

5. Herbs. A selection other then St John's Wort includes ginkgo biloba, ginger, valerian, skullcap, passionflower and calamus root.

6. Relaxation. Yoga and meditation.

7. Art forms. Music, drama and visual arts.

8. Feng shui. Adjusting the balance between our emotional, spiritual and intellectual by way of Feng shui can be helpful.

9. Avoid. Fast foods, simple carbohydrates such as sugar, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, white flour products and caffeine.

10. Interaction with others may help. Try volunteer work

Answer 2

Believe it or not, but walking helps a lot with depression. And exposure to sunlight works on the pituitary gland and also helps. As for smoking, well the good news is that the nicotine has already left your body if you've been off them for a couple of weeks. You could also try guided meditation (which you can buy on cd). Another method, which will sound silly, is practice laughing in front of a mirror for 5 minutes every morning - sounds silly - but believe me, it does have a powerful positive effect on mood. Yoga classes are also good - particularly ones that teach proper breathing methods as part of the class. Also Lemon Balm, or Chamomile tea. The link between John's worth and the pill is a tenuous one at most, based on something like 1 swedish woman getting pregnant while taking both.. I don't remember the exact details - but I will look it up and update this post. M.

Update : http://www.contraceptiononline.org/contrareport/article01.cfm?art=213
... which gives some details on opinions in UK / Sweden / US, and also states "Unfortunately, no formal studies exist to support or refute the potential decrease in efficacy of OCs with use of St. John's wort. " [ OC's are oral contraceptives] ...

Also, many women find that their mood is also altered by the pill - so perhaps you should talk to your GP / Doctor about either switiching to a different oral contraceptive -or indeed considering a non hormonal contraceptive such as the IntraUterine device (IUD / Coil). : )

Answer 3

The best natural remedy I've found for depression is eating at least one Banana every day. I've been doing this for over 3 weeks now, and I've had a TERRIFIC experience with it. Don't think I'm joking about it...I'm very serious. Bananas contain high levels of tryptophan, the essential amino acid needed to produce serotonin. I'll give you a bit of background. I was depressed for about 5 years, taking anti-depressants for about 4 of those years. Near the end of the medication, I found myself very suicidal and severely depressed, so I decided to stop taking the drugs. It was hard going through the withdrawal: I was more suicidal than ever, and had a difficult time re-experiencing my emotions. That all leveled out, but I still felt pretty empty inside, without much happiness. I wanted to feel like I felt when I was younger; optimistic, happy to be alive. I started to think back to when I first started being depressed. I isolated a large part of it to a time that I was doing drugs, especially ecstasy. After a bit of research, I found that ecstasy damages the serotonin receptors in your brain, and depletes your brain of serotonin as well. I started to see a common thread between some facts. 1) I started getting severely depressed after taking ecstasy, 2) When I first started taking anti-depressants, they worked like magic , 3) I was beginning to experience anxiety and OCD-like symptoms . All of these facts have one chemical in common-serotonin. I decided to look for natural ways to increase the level of serotonin in my brain. I was like you, looking for a natural remedy. I finally came across some research that explained how eating bananas increases the production of serotonin in your brain. This might sound too simple, too stupid or whatever, but I promise you, I'm feeling 1000% better since beginning to incorporate one banana a day into my diet. I know it's not just "placebo effect"....I'm sleeping better, have more energy, and am more positive than I've been in a LONG time . Try it, and you won't be disappointed.

Answer 4

I'm with Snowluk - exercise, getting outdoors, and, HOT food. Get some spicy peppers going, enough to burn your mouth - that'll make you feel very alive.

I know if you're depressed it's hard to even get up the energy to even go out at all, but try it at least in little bits to start.

Answer 5

This has been my situation too and I use the foot-eye-mouth method for depression control. I use my feet to get into the car or bus and my eyes to see new people and things and my mouth to talk to people who are like myself or at least interesting to be with. Anything to depart from the social group that makes me depressed.

Answer 6

get involved with helping others less fortunate than you.. if you are in a climate with a long winter, get some sun somehwere - make some positive changes in your life - try and focus on the positive - - life can be very sad or happy, it depends on your perspective so - try and keep a good perspective - -

all things I have tried myself..

Answer 7

Exercise! when you exercise your brain releases "endophins" a natural "feel good" chemical