dimanche 27 octobre 2013

Treating Depression Without Antidepressants

Depression is a huge concern for many people, and can create difficulties for not simply the individual affected, but it can also affect those close to them. I'm a huge proponent of the concept that if you take good care of yourself, you can avoid a lot of health conditions, which includes depression, but it appears that the growing tendency is that antidepressants are increasingly being recommended with no consideration as to whether or not they are in the person's best interest. Are you feeling down? Here take this so you don't have to feel bad. Forget about the real reason for your feelings of sadness. Antidepressants are frequently used as bandaids for unpleasant feelings, and are given away like candy. But these medications can come with some serious side effects, so before you decide to fill that antidepressant prescription you received after seeing a doctor for 5 minutes, take a good look at yourself, and determine if you can deal with the condition without turning to a magic pill. A few natural methods exists that you can try first, that don't include the danger of increasing your thoughts of suicide.
The initial thing you want to understand is whether your unpleasant feelings are situational. Are there details occurring in your life so that it makes sense that you're feeling depressed? Are you going through a lot of stressful situations currently? Death of a loved one, divorce, financial worries, other health problems, or virtually any stressful events in your life may contribute to depression. There are some researchers who think that taking antidepressants can prevent the brain from processing and working through some crisis. The good and bad of your emotional self are a part of life, so don't rob yourself by hiding them with a pill.
Would you like to know a secret cure for depression which has been shown to be as effective as, if not greater than drugs like Zoloft? It's nothing more than simple aerobic exercise. Numerous research studies show the great results physical activity can have on somebody who is experiencing major depression. A typical guideline is to get approximately two and a half hours of moderate intensity aerobic exercise weekly, which is roughly a half an hour five days a week. You want to do a type of exercise that raises your heart rate, so going for an easy walk is not going to cut it. Go swimming, jogging, or ride a bike, just find some sort of exercise you get pleasure from doing. The more you enjoy it, the easier it's going to be to stick with a routine.
Vitamin D amounts inside your body can have a huge influence on your emotional well-being. There's an illness known as Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD) which is really just a name for depression that only affects people at a specific time during the year, i.e. fall and winter. Interestingly, the increase in SAD solidly matches the times of the year when the majority of people aren't able to get sufficient sunlight, and consequently their vitamin D quantities decrease. One study done in 1999 concluded that improvement in serum vitamin D levels was significantly connected with improvement in depression scale scores. For that reason if you are like 85% of Americans and are lacking adequate amounts of Vitamin D, start taking a daily supplement. I typically recommend starting with about 4,000 IU for women, and 5,000 IU for men. However it is essential to get your serum levels checked, and then adjust your dosage appropriately.
Along with working out and getting more vitamin D, yet another thing that can affect depression is diet. A large number of dietary factors exist which may play a role in depression, but some of the major ones are Omega 3's, folic acid (B9) and vitamin B12, and ingesting insufficient fat in the diet. If you have been limiting your intake of fat, you may be experiencing some negative consequences in relation to your emotional well-being. When I hear somebody say they are eating a low-fat diet, what that usually indicates is that they are swapping the calories from fat with carbs. Fat is important in helping to regulate the body's hormones, and diets low in fat can alter the balance of serotonin in the brain.
Many people probably don't get sufficient Omega-3's in the foods they eat. Unless you're eating a lot of fish, or grass-fed beef, you might benefit from an Omega-3 supplement. The ideal ones to take contain EPA and DHA, which are primarily created from fish oils. Plant based supplements do exist that have ALA, however most health benefits have been associated with EPA and DHA. Your body is able to convert ALA into the other two, but for the majority of people, it's not very efficient.
There is some evidence that increasing your consumption of vitamin B9 (folate) and B12 can help depression as well. Depending on what types of food you eat, you might not be getting an adequate amount of these vitamins. B12 can be tough to obtain, specifically if you don't eat animal products. Adding to your normal diet with one of these can be an easy way to make sure your body gets the quantity it requires. One current study in 2005 recommended taking 800 micrograms of B9, and 1mg of B12 everyday to help treat depression.
Depression is often a major issue for a number of individuals. But I recommend attempting some natural strategies to managing your depression as the first step. Anti-depressants can be useful in certain cases, but when you consider all of the common side-effects they might cause, think about them as a choice if everything else has proven unsuccessful, rather than the first step for treating your depression.
If you want to find out more information on natural ways to treat depression, check out our links page. Come check out Essential Motion Chiropractic if you're looking for a Fort Collins chiropractor.


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