Alternative cures for depression?

I have heard of using things like 5htp, St. Johns Wort and Fish oil. Has anyone had expereince with these, do they work, and is there anything else that help? I am not considerin...

I have heard of using things like 5htp, St. Johns Wort and Fish oil.

Has anyone had expereince with these, do they work, and is there anything else that help?

I am not considering anything pharmaceutical at this point.

sharbysyd	I experienced chronic, low-grade depression for many years. Since I did not want to take medicines for it, and I strongly believe in wholistic treatment, I tried many more natural ways of helping it. This is what I found to be very helpful: 1. Cut back or eliminate refined sugar. Something about eating too many sweets has always caused me to feel depressed and anxious. I've heard this from other people too. 2. Cut back or eliminate white flour products. These turn to sugar. 3. Make sure to get enough protein - I try to get 1/2 my weight in grams of protein per meal and this really helps - try it for 2 weeks and see if you notice a difference. If you are a vegetarian (which I used to be) it can be very difficult to get your protein unless you eat a lot of the packaged fake meats out there. I found out about the protein connection through a book called Sugar Addicts Total Recovery Program 4. 5HTP - I found this to be very helpful for times I would cry for no apparent reason - back when I tried to be a vegan, I wasn't getting enough protein and I had to take 3 tabs of 100 mg of 5HTP to function emotionally. I was on 5HTP for over a year - once I started getting enough protein, I was able to stop. I noticed that 5HTP works in about 20-30 minutes to help lift the mood. I now take it on those rare occasions where I don't get enough protein and my mood drops. 5. Exercise is helpful. 6. Journaling or heart-to-heart talks with others has been helpful for me. 7. I believe I have blood sugar imbalances and have started making sure that I eat at regular times - I try to not let more than 5 hours go between meals - this seems to help with depression. It also helped greatly with insomnia. 8. Flax Oil - I started taking 2 TBSP of Flax Oil per day about a year ago and although the things I mentioned above helped my depression a lot, I still had ocassional bouts of it, it seemed to virtually disappear after adding the Flax Oil. The flax oil also helped with insomnia. The flax oil probably works similar to fish oil - I'd do a lot of research before taking fish oil though, due to the toxicity of fish. There is some controversy regarding flax oil and it's stability, so you might want to research that too - but it helped me immensely. 9. The book Feeling Good by David Burns - I noticed that others have mentioned this book. It is an excellent book that I tried and it works really well. I highly recommend it. 10. Avoid alcohol - alcohol turns to sugar. I've noticed on those infrequent occasions when I have a few drinks I have a little more depression. 11. 12-step groups - if you have any kind of addiction, try joining a 12-step group for it (alcohol = AA, food = OA, etc, if you know an alcoholic = Al-Anon, anyone = CODA ). There is a 12-step group out there for everyone and they do a lot to help build friendships, self-esteem and give more meaning to life. 12. Make sure you don't have a thyroid problem. I do and I think that at least part of my depression had been caused by that. I found no alternative treatment for thyroid that worked and did start taking Synthroid for that. I noticed when my levels were off, the depression would increase. 13. St John's Wort - I did try that for a while and from what I remember, it helped but I ended up having some sort of problem with my eye where I couldn't wear my contacts for a few months - and I thought maybe it was caused by the SJW so I stopped it. The problem may or may not have been from the SJW, but I didn't end up taking it again. I hope that helps and good luck to you. I would try as much alternative as possible and just use drugs as a last resort. If you try any or all of the above recommendations, you should know within about 2 weeks of taking them if they help.

angeloffaith777	i write a lot when im depressed. of course if you're clinically depressed i say go for the counseling and medicine that they prescribe. no one wants you to get hurt or something b/c you're upset. however, i pray and write a lot...and cry. it helps. :) hug God bless you and take care! IM or email if you ever need anything.

chrisbrown_222	www.internationalhealers.org I have a good track record and will help you chris

mickjam	How bad is your depression? Try these things, but if you don't see a change big enough to make a difference, talk to your doctor. It's okay, you're not weak for admitting a problem. I've taken 5HTP, and St. Johns, and Fish oil. I've also taken antidepressant medications. The only one that worked substantially for the depression I was experiencing was the prescription medicaiton. This, with lifestyle changes helped me get over it. I still think the best thing for depression, for me has been a girlfriend. Until we broke up, and then it's just more pain.

♣	I agree with trying B complex vitamins first. Also, as much as I hate going to doctors, I would recommend checking that you aren't deficient in any vitamins/minerals etc. and look at your diet, sleep patterns, amount of exercise. Fish oil should help, and if it doesn't it will be benefiting you anyway because most people don't get enough omega 3.

z	Try the book "Feeling Good" by Dr. David Burns, M.D. It describes cognitive therapy techniques which can be used as an alternative or in addition to pharmaceutical therapy.

hope	I have used St Johns Wort and found it to be pretty good. Many depressed people are lacking in the B-complex vitamins. Why don't you try loading up on these first. They make me feel good about myself and give self confidence. Good luck Hope

B H	Take a look at the book: Feeling Good: - The New Mood Therapy, by David D. Burns. It's helped me a lot and has some excellent information on dealing with depression without drugs. It's mostly based on cognitive therapy. It was about $7.00 on Amazon used.

GotMangosteen?	I have many health issues and was also diagnosed "clinically depressed". I was on several anti depressants, the last one was Effexor. I began drinking Xango and it helped me tremendously and am not on nooooo meds! I think it could help you..do your homework on it! Try it I think you will like it! www.anotherdayofsuccess.com is one u can hear about the juice itself, but really just check it out on the net. You can go to www.pubmed.gov and type in xanthones/depression and see studies done on it all over the world for many years! Hope to hear from you...God bless

scott1x	Those things may help, but while they are not "pharmaceutical," they are chemical. There is strong evidence that depression can be exacerbated or stimulated by brain/body chemistry. The most "natural" alleviation of depression may be natural endorphins that can be released by vigorous activity or sex. A long walk, brisk run, biking session followed by..... OK, it may not be an instant cure, but it is a step in the right direction.

vanay	There are NO CURES!!! either pharmaceutical, or alternative! You need to ask yourself, is this?...just feeling a little 'down'? Or, is this real-knock down, drag out "depression"? If it is depression, you need to see a physician, you can still look into alternative 'treatments', St John's Wort, Kava Kava, Melatonin, to name a few...you need to look at your diet, as well. Just don't go and try to 'fix' everything, without looking into the whole picture!