Depression is a major issue for a lot of people, and could make life difficult for not only the person affected, but the people around them as well. I'm a big advocate of the idea that by taking good care of your body, you can eliminate a great deal of health problems, which includes depression. However, the current trend seems to be that antidepressants are increasingly being prescribed with no consideration as to whether or not they are the best thing for the person. Are you feeling down? Here take this so you don't have to feel bad. Never mind finding an explanation for your feelings of sadness. Antidepressant medications will often be used as a quick fix for unpleasant feelings, and are given out like candy. But these medications can come with some serious side effects, so before you get that prescription for Zoloft filled, which you were given after seeing a physician for 5 minutes, take a look at yourself, and see if you can tackle the issue without relying on a magic pill. There are a few natural methods you might want to try first that don't include the complication 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 levels within your body have a huge impact on your emotional well-being. There is a condition referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder which is a term for depression that occurs during a particular time period of the year, specifically in the fall and winter months. The increase in seasonal affective disorder highly matches the seasons of the year when most people aren't able to get sufficient sunshine, and for that reason their vitamin D levels decrease. One study done in 1999 concluded that improvement in serum vitamin D amounts was substantially connected with an increase in depression scale scores. Therefore if you are like the 85% of Americans who don't get enough Vitamin D, start taking a daily supplement. I recommend beginning with 4,000 IU for females, and 5,000 IU for men. However it is essential to have your serum levels checked, and then modify your amount as necessary.
Together with exercise and vitamin D, another thing that may impact depression is the food you eat. A large number of dietary factors exist which can play a role in depression, but some of the major ones are Omega 3 fatty acids, folic acid(B9) and vitamin B12, and ingesting too little fat in the diet. If you have been limiting your intake of fat, you might be suffering from some negative consequences in relation to your cognitive well-being. When I hear a patient tell me they are ingesting a low-fat diet, what that commonly means is that they are swapping the calories from fat with calories from carbs. Fat is vital in aiding in the balance of the body's hormones, and diets low in fat can alter the balance of serotonin in the brain.
Most people most likely don't get sufficient Omega-3's in the foods they eat. Unless you're eating plenty of fish, or grass-fed beef, you could probably use an Omega-3 supplement. The ones you should be using are EPA and DHA, which are mainly derived from fish oils. Plant based supplements do exist which contain ALA, however most health advantages have been attributed to EPA and DHA. It is true that your body can change ALA into the other two, however for a lot of people, it's not very effective.
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.
Depression can be a major issue for a lot of individuals. But I recommend trying some natural methods to curing your depression first. Anti-depressants may be helpful in certain cases, but when you consider all of the possible side-effects they might induce, think about them being an option only if everything else has failed, as opposed to the starting point in treating your depression.
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 levels within your body have a huge impact on your emotional well-being. There is a condition referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder which is a term for depression that occurs during a particular time period of the year, specifically in the fall and winter months. The increase in seasonal affective disorder highly matches the seasons of the year when most people aren't able to get sufficient sunshine, and for that reason their vitamin D levels decrease. One study done in 1999 concluded that improvement in serum vitamin D amounts was substantially connected with an increase in depression scale scores. Therefore if you are like the 85% of Americans who don't get enough Vitamin D, start taking a daily supplement. I recommend beginning with 4,000 IU for females, and 5,000 IU for men. However it is essential to have your serum levels checked, and then modify your amount as necessary.
Together with exercise and vitamin D, another thing that may impact depression is the food you eat. A large number of dietary factors exist which can play a role in depression, but some of the major ones are Omega 3 fatty acids, folic acid(B9) and vitamin B12, and ingesting too little fat in the diet. If you have been limiting your intake of fat, you might be suffering from some negative consequences in relation to your cognitive well-being. When I hear a patient tell me they are ingesting a low-fat diet, what that commonly means is that they are swapping the calories from fat with calories from carbs. Fat is vital in aiding in the balance of the body's hormones, and diets low in fat can alter the balance of serotonin in the brain.
Most people most likely don't get sufficient Omega-3's in the foods they eat. Unless you're eating plenty of fish, or grass-fed beef, you could probably use an Omega-3 supplement. The ones you should be using are EPA and DHA, which are mainly derived from fish oils. Plant based supplements do exist which contain ALA, however most health advantages have been attributed to EPA and DHA. It is true that your body can change ALA into the other two, however for a lot of people, it's not very effective.
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.
Depression can be a major issue for a lot of individuals. But I recommend trying some natural methods to curing your depression first. Anti-depressants may be helpful in certain cases, but when you consider all of the possible side-effects they might induce, think about them being an option only if everything else has failed, as opposed to the starting point in treating your depression.
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For more informationon treating depression and other health problems, or if you want to find a Fort Collins chiropractor, come check out Essential Motion Chiropractic.
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