Managing Depression: Could You Go Au Naturale?
June 16, 2007 by Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
I like to keep things light on the weekends, which is why I’ve decided to address current trends in treating depression with natural remedies. Well, that and the fact that I keep running into tons of websites dedicated to natural ways to treat depression.
I like to use natural products when I can. Well, some of them aren’t always 100% natural, but they’re substitutes for medication. For example, I can sometimes avoid popping an Advil because I keep a bottle of a therapeutic formula lotion designed for headache relief on my desk and a heating pad handy for muscle aches and cramps.
However, the most I’ve done to naturally treat depression has been sprucing up my personal recovery plan with diet changes, more exercise, developing both sleep and work schedules, and learning not only how to relax but also how to make time to relax.
I’ve recently discovered the word around the mental health communities is that there are several other natural remedies you can use to help treat and manage depression.
Read on.
Most of the information I’ve researched has included the following as natural ways to manage depression:
- B vitamins/folic acid, which is deficient in depression patients and supposed to help folks respond better to anti-depressants.
- St. John’s Wort, which is supposed to help when you’re feeling sad, nervous, worried, or can’t sleep well. (Can also interfere with other medications you’re taking.)
- Omega-3 fatty acids, which are a form of fat that helps with proper brain function.
I also found that some psychologists are even marketing their own forms of natural depression remedies. (How legit and safe these are, I don’t know.)
Home Remedies and About.com’s Alternative Medicine section both branch out from the common three natural remedies for depression listed above.
I doubt I’ll be using any of these natural remedies as sole ways to treat depression. I also doubt I’ll ever use St. John’s Wort, given its risks. Yet, the folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids interest me.
Does anyone have any experience with these or other natural remedies for depression treatment? Willing to share with us?
My parents are big believers in the omega-3 fatty acids! They take capsules of them daily. Both my parents claim to have experienced benefits from this. They started taking them to offset borderline ’senior’ moments (forgetfulness), and say it really works, as far as helping with recall. My dad has high blood pressure, and I think his physician recommended this too, for heart health.
Right, those omega-3 are very good far you, in many ways. It’s believed they help raise your HDL levels, which, combined with exercise can help prevent stroke or MIs. Trout and wild salmon are full of them!
I snooped around GNC the other day and made some mental (health) notes – does anyone know if I should talk with my doctor before beginning some kind of regimen with fish or flaxseed oil?
I take both the flax and fish and I’ve not talked to my doctor before hand.
I will say though, it doesn’t do any good, or little good for mood disorders such as Bi-polar. I still have very bad days or my up and down times, but it’s not AS bad as when I was taken my meds when all I felt was flatlined.
The fish and flax put “emotion” back into my life, if that makes sense.
pal…
Thanks Pal, it makes sense.
I’m luckily one of the BPs who doesn’t feel flat due to my medicine. (Not that I didn’t in the beginning, but things have worked themselves out.)
These oils may not be for me, then.