How To Treat Depression Naturally

No one is happy all the time. Sadness represents an appropriate response to misfortune. For the psychologically hardy, low moods soon lift. Significant loss, however, produces grief, which can endure for months (for some people, depression can complicate normal grief). Barring tragedy, most people experience episodes of low mood against a backdrop of psychological well-being.

Depression isn’t part of the normal emotional fabric. It burdens people with persistent unhappiness and an inability to derive pleasure from activities, even those that once brought joy. As opposed to “the blues,” it impairs a person’s ability to function. This debilitating illness is all too common. According to the World Health Organization, depression affects 121 million people around the globe and places second behind heart disease as a leading cause of disability. About 16.3 million Americans over the age of eighteen experience some type of depression. Major depression strikes 20 percent of women and 13 percent of men.

This illness does more than engender sadness. Depressed people often feel irritable, angry, worthless, and ashamed. Thinking becomes irrationally negative. (“Nothing’s any good. I’m a burden. I’ll never get better.”) Physical symptoms include increased pain, changes in appetite, and sleep disturbances.

In addition to major depression, other depressive illnesses include seasonal affective disorder (depression during the short days of winter), premenstrual dysphoria (depression around the time of menses), dysthymia (lowlevel depression that endures for at least two years), and bipolar disorder (formerly called manic depression and marked by alternating episodes of depression and mania).

Major depression is a serious illness. Not only does it diminish quality of life, but it raises the risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Like any other disease, it warrants professional treatment. The following recipes and tips are designed to buoy normal bouts of low mood and prevent depression. Please do not use these remedies as a substitute for professional treatment. If you think you are clinically depressed, get help.

Recipes to Prevent and Treat Minor Depression

Scatter Joy 
One morning, while riding my bike to work, feeling a bit grumpy, I tried smiling and saying, “Good morning,” to every creature I passed—pigeons and ducks included. I felt positively joyous once I arrived. ~ LBW
You
Another human
Preparation and use:
Smile at someone. It could be an acquaintance, friend, family member, or animal. If you feel so bold, say hello to a stranger (unless you’re concerned about your safety).
Yield: multiple applications
How it works:
Smiling and spreading laughter and goodwill can reduce pain, decrease stress hormones, enhance immune function, buoy mood, and heighten alertness and creativity. Apparently your body doesn’t know the difference between spontaneous mirth and simulated laughter. Either way, health benefits occur.

Mindful Massage
2 tablespoons (30 ml) unscented lotion or vegetable oil 10 to 12 drops lavender essential oil, or your favorite
Preparation and use:
In a serene setting with your favorite calming music; slowly and deliberately add the lotion to a teacup. Drop in the essential oil. Mix with a spoon or chopstick. Dip one hand into the lotion and massage it into the opposite arm, thinking about the smooth feel of the lotion against your skin, the aroma of lavender, and the joy of the motion. When finished, pause. Appreciate your bodily sensations and the setting. Now massage your opposite arm, then each hand, leg, and foot, focusing on the slow, soothing motion of the massage and the velvety feel of the lotion against your skin. Take an appreciative pause as you finish each body part. Finish with your face, neck, and chest. Close your eyes for a few moments, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
Yield: 1 application
How it works:
Mindfulness, by definition, helps you focus on the present moment, which can stop you from brooding. It can also help you appreciate the beauty around you. In a study involving pregnant women, mindfulness reduced symptoms of depression and facilitated maternal-infant bonding.

Cook Up Some Optimism
This easy practice becomes infectious; you’ll see how the power of positive thinking in the most dire situations can help build a foundation for future challenges.
Your imagination
A piece of paper
A pen
Preparation and use:
Think of an upcoming event you’re not looking forward to. Perhaps you’re even dreading it. Draw a line down the middle of the page. On the left, write down all the negative, pessimistic things you’re thinking. (For instance: Maybe you’re going to get a root canal. You’re thinking it’s going to hurt, you’ll have to miss work, you’ll be behind schedule, you’ll drool, and the dentist will keep asking you questions with his fingers in your mouth.) On the right, list the positive. (For instance: Your dentist will use anesthesia to dull the pain. You’ll likely have less pain in the long run. Your tooth will look better. Maybe you could listen to an audio book, podcast, or music while it’s being done. At the very end of the list you can write that you’ll have the procedure behind you.)
Yield: 1 session per dreaded event
How it works:
Envisioning all aspects of a situation helps us balance the ups and downs and to see it in a neutral, if not positive, light. You may be surprised how many positive points you see in any situation. Thinking positively can gradually infiltrate all your planning and your life. Recipe Variation: Try positive mental rehearsal. Envision an upcoming event turning out well: Maybe it’s a big presentation at work; maybe it’s a meeting with a friend or sibling you’ve had a disagreement with. See it in every detail. Use all your senses to lay your mental foundation for a positive event.

When simple Doesn’t Work

Several dietary supplements have antidepressant effects. However, we recommend that anyone with symptoms of depression that are severe or last more than two weeks see a doctor. The two of you can decide if dietary supplements are right for you.

The best-researched supplement for depression is St. John’s wort. Studies show that for mild-to-moderate depression, standardized extracts work better than placebo treatment and are on a par with synthetic antidepressants, though with fewer side effects. Because St. John’s wort can increase sun sensitivity, fair-skinned people should take precautions to avoid sunburn. Also, this herb hastens the body’s breakdown of many medications, lowering levels in blood. If you’re taking medication, check with your doctor before adding St. John’s wort. Do not take it with prescription antidepressant drugs (serious side effects can occur). Two herbs, rhodiola and saffron, show promise in managing depression.

Studies indicate that supplements with S-adenosyl methionine (SAMe) can improve depression symptoms. Although SAMe has been shown to improve response to conventional treatment, it should not be combined with antidepressant drugs without physician monitoring. People with bipolar disorder shouldn’t take St. John’s wort or SAMe because of the risk of triggering mania.

Preliminary research suggests that fish oil and folic acid (a B vitamin) supplements can improve symptoms of depression.

When to call the Doctor
If you have signs and symptoms of depression, you deserve proper evaluation and treatment. Depressed people often feel guilty about their illness and unworthy of treatment. If you feel that way, tell yourself that’s the disease talking; you deserve to feel better.

The diagnosis of major depression is the presence of five or more of the following signs and symptoms for two weeks or longer:
• Persistent sad mood and, often, exces - sive crying. Irritability can accompany low mood.
• Markedly reduced ability to feel pleasure, even for things that formerly brought joy and satisfaction
• Sleep disturbances. People may sleep more or less than usual. Either way, they feel exhausted by day. Early morning awakenings are common.
• Fatigue
• Increases or decreases in appetite and consequent weight gain or loss
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, and making decisions
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and guilt
• Suicidal thoughts and actions. A bleak outlook that life is no longer worth living and will never improve can lead to people to contemplate, plan, attempt, and actually commit suicide.

If you or someone you know voices ideas of suicide, take it seriously. Get immediate help. Call a suicide hotline (www.suicidehotlines. com) or a psychiatrist. If suicide seems imminent, go to the emergency room.