mercredi 15 mai 2013

Tackling the Problem of Depression: Natural Methods You Can Use Today

By Chuck Anderson


Depression is a big issue for several people today, and can create difficulties for not only the individual impacted, but the people around them as well. I am a big supporter of the notion that through proper self care, you can avoid a great deal of health conditions, including depression. The current trend seems to be that antidepressants are being recommended with no consideration as to whether or not they are the right solution for the person. Are you feeling down? Here's a pill so you don't have to feel sad. Forget about the real reason for your depressive mood. Antidepressants are frequently used as band-aids for unpleasant feelings, and are given away like candy. But these drugs are not without some serious side effects, so before you decide to fill that antidepressant prescription you were given after seeing a doctor for 5 minutes, take a good look at yourself, and see if you can handle the condition without resorting to a magic pill. A few natural methods exist that you might want to try first that don't have the side effect of increasing your thoughts of suicide.

To begin with, what you need to understand is whether your depressive mood is situational. Are there things going on in your life so that it is reasonable that you're suffering from depression? Are you dealing with several stress filled situations at this moment in your life? Death of a loved one, divorce, financial worries, other health problems, or essentially any stressful circumstances in your life can give rise to depression. There are a few researchers who believe that taking antidepressants prevents the mind from processing and working through some crisis. The highs and lows of your emotional self are a part of life, so don't rob yourself by covering them with a pill.

Have you heard of the secret treatment for depression that has been shown to be as effective as, if not superior to drugs like Zoloft? It's as simple as plain old aerobic exercise. A number of studies show the great results physical activity can have on a person who is experiencing depressive disorder. A basic rule is to perform roughly 2.5 hours of medium intensity aerobic exercise each week. Spread out over five weeks, that's only thirty minutes per day. You should do an exercise that increases your heartbeat, so taking an easy walk probably isn't going to cut it. Jog, swim, ride a bike, just find some sort of exercise you get pleasure from doing. The more you like it, the easier it's going to be to keep with a schedule.

Vitamin D quantities inside your body can have a huge influence on your emotional well-being. There's an illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD) which is really just a term for depression that only affects people at a specific time of the year, i.e. autumn and winter. Interestingly enough, the rise in SAD highly correlates to the seasons of the year when the majority of people aren't able to get enough sunlight, and therefore their vitamin D concentrations decrease. One study performed in 1999 concluded that improvement in serum vitamin D amounts was significantly related to improvement in depression scale scores. So if you're similar to 85% of Americans and are inadequate in Vitamin D, start taking a daily supplement. I recommend starting with 4,000 IU for females, and 5,000 IU for males. However it is recommended to get your serum levels checked out, and then alter your dose appropriately.

In addition to physical exercise and vitamin D, yet another thing that can have an effect on depression is diet. A large number of dietary factors exist which may play a role in depression, but some of the primary ones are Omega 3's, vitamin B9 and B12, and not getting enough fat in the diet. If you have been limiting your intake of fat, you might be dealing with some negative effects in relation to your mental well-being. When I hear a person tell me they are consuming a diet low in fat what that usually means is that they are replacing the calories from fat with carbs. Fat is vital in assisting in the regulation of the body's hormones, and low-fat diets can cause an imbalance of serotonin in the brain.

The majority of people quite possibly don't get enough Omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. Unless you're eating a lot of fish, or grass-fed beef, you might benefit from an Omega-3 supplement. The best ones to take are EPA and DHA, which are predominantly produced from fish oils. Plant based supplements do exist containing ALA, however most health improvements have been associated with EPA and DHA. Your body is able to convert ALA into the other two, however for most people, it's not a very efficient process.

There is some data which suggests that boosting your consumption of vitamin B9 (folate) and B12 might help depression as well. Depending on what varieties of food you eat, you might not be ingesting an adequate amount of these vitamins. B12 can be tough to get, especially if you don't eat animal products. Supplementing with one of these can be a simple way to guarantee your body gets the quantity it demands. One recent study in 2005 advised using 800 micrograms of B9, and 1mg of B12 daily to help treat depression.

For a number of people, depression can be a very serious issue. But I recommend attempting some natural approaches to curing your depression before trying anything else. Anti-depressants may be helpful in certain cases, but when you consider each of the feasible side-effects they are able to bring about, maybe you should think about them being an possibility only if all else has proven unsuccessful, instead of the starting point for treating your depression.




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