[YEA]  08/21/2007: Michael from Gig Harbor, Washington: "I started sungazing one year ago because I needed more balance in my life. I was depressed do to the lack of sunlight in Western Washington state. In the past year I have logged hundreds of hours of sungazing directly at the sun. Depression disappeared in a matter of weeks, my vision and night vision have both improved. I sleep less and have more energy then I have ever had before. Being in a good mood almost all of the time is another wonderful side effect."

11/21/2010: William from Charleston, Sc, Usa replies: "Michael, when you began sun gazing do you start off just gazing for a minute and progressively more each day? or did you start off gazing five or more minutes. I just began and this is what I do. Now the sun gazing guru Hiran Ratan Matek says to start gazing for a small moment, maybe less than a minute, then gradually in weeks or months doing it for 30 minutes or so? cannot remember exact time. The sun helps to clean the body, mind and spirit this is why you feel good."

11/22/2010: Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France replies: "I will post this question all over again as I got no answer! Aren't you afraid that it will burn your retina? Dr. Bates, the eye expert talks about it in his book but nowadays others say that it is very dangerous.... Is it, isn't it? I have a lot of eye problems like myopia, eye floaters and I am always on the look out for something which might help!"

11/22/2010: Lis from Ny, Ny, Usa replies: "Most people who sungaze do it when its relatively safe, that is within one hour after the sun rises and one hour within the time the sun sets. I believe Ted in other posts has even talked of not looking directly in the sun as well. And when it is done, you start at only 10 seconds a day and continue to build in 10 second increments until you reach 44 minutes. Some never go this high but still do experience some benefits. If you google you can find out more details. Often they say, if you have worries, then its better not to do it. Most people in sungazing forums I have read, experienced many positive results, not all of them experienced the miracles like not having to eat (or eat much at least) anymore but a few did. There were a few who developed eye problems of some sort. Anyways, regular checkups with the doctor and being observant of your own body should help you know if to stop or lessen it. I did it a handful of times and enjoyed it and did not feel any negative effects, especially when I did palming after (rubbing hands and gently covering eyes with them for a minute). I would have done it longer but I got lazy and the weather is on and off a lot.

Here is one place to read more info on sungazing
http://www.sungazing.com/652.html"

11/22/2010: Entheogens from Palo Alto, California, Usa replies: "I found the following link to be a bit more cautious and sensible as regards Sun Gazing. What I like is that this person (Vinny Pinto) is a Sun Gazer but is willing to play "Devil's Advocate" and consider the potential negatives to Sun Gazing. He is not afraid to sacrifice "Holy Cows", especially this notion that 44 minutes is some kind of miraculous number that you should shoot for:
http://sungazing.vpinf.com/"

[YEA]  Anita from Garland, NC: "Go out into the sun for a while. make sure u have on sunsrceen. if it is cold outside, just soak it up through the window. a great natural way to ease depression!"

10/23/2009: Davidnvegas from Las Vegas, Nv replies: "With all do respect to Anita, do not use sunscreen period! They are full of cancer causing toxins and block Vitamin D production. "Search the web for "cancer and sunscreen use". For prolong sun exposure wear a wide brim hat and a long sleeve shirt and pants.

Sunshine is a great way to get Vitamin D and most Americans are deficient. Vitamin D improves the immune system and with out a strange immune system you will be sick! Studies show that it can reduce your risk of cancer as well. It also improves mental well being. You need only 15-20 minutes of sun exposure a day over at least 50% (the more the better) of your skin if your fair skin, longer exposure if you have a darker skin tone. Search the web for "Vitamin D and Sunshine health benefits".

Best of health"

10/23/2009: Deb from Anywhere, Usa replies: "I have Sarcoidosis and was wondering about vitamin D intake. I have read that it is not advisable for persons with Sarcoid to take vitamin D supplements. Does anyone know for sure?"

11/22/2010: Lis from Ny, Ny, Usa replies: ""Sunscreens, even weak ones, almost completely block your body's ability to generate vitamin D. Rays cannot penetrate glass to generate vitamin D in your skin. "

"If you live north of 37 degrees latitude (approximately a line drawn horizontally connecting Norfolk, Virginia to San Francisco, California) sunlight is not sufficient to create Vitamin D in your skin in the winter months, even if you are sitting in the sun in a bathing suit. The further you live from the equator, the longer exposure you need to the sun in order to generate vitamin D. "

Source: drfranklipman.com/vitamin-d-faq"

[YEA]  01/22/2009: Dawn from York, UK: "I know many people had longstanding depression had the Thyroid hormone T3 added in by their psychiatrist and never felt better. It helps the uptake of other hormones. Works for me, after 25 years of depression."

[YEA]  01/22/2009: Mary from Regina, Canada replies: "Hi: I am so glad someone brought up T3(liiothyronine) therapy and depression. A very common effect of both clinical and sub clinical hypothyroidism is depression. Sometimes people who are depressed are misdiagnosed as not having hypothyroidism because the blood tests are negative. A true test if you are depressed and want to see if it is a symptom of hypothyroidism is to take your temperatue under your arm, three hours after waking, then 2 more times every three hours. Average these and they should not be below 37 C. If below, could be cause of depression and a host of other symproms. see www.wilsonstemperaturesyndrome.com This has helped me greatly, Mary"

01/23/2009: Gean from Salina, KS replies: "I was pretty sure my husband had the Wilson Temperature Syndrome, as his temp. was consistently around 97.2 F throughout the day, plus a host of symptoms (for years). We tried many things such as MMS, MSM, cod liver oil, flax seed, acidophilus, ACV, ACV garlic and honey, coconut oil, you name it, plus of course healthy diet. Nothing worked. Finally a couple months ago he started taking Turmeric root, 1000-1500mg a couple times a day, along with acidophilus. Temp has been above 98.2 ever since. Also more energy and motivation, more clear thinking. Apparently some chronic inflammation was messing with the hormones, causing low body temp."

[YEA]  11/28/2005: Phoebe : "I have found journalling and painting really helpful in understanding the roots of my depression, which tends to be seasonal and occasional but severe. Making myself sit in the morning and blurting out whatever comes into my head without any censor (it's quite hard - try it!) is brilliant - as long as you do not show it to anybody - the more private you can make it the better it is for having a good old rant at the world without hurting anyone's feelings!! Also taking loads of rough paper and cheap paint and just doing the same with the paint, using colour and shape to express feelings. Learning to allow 'negativity' and 'mistakes' through these processes, is really helpful for moving through depression. Freestyle dancing is also excellent..Read Gabrielle Roth - 'Sweat Your Prayers' for in-depth information on dancing yourself through many states of mind and finding incredible strength. Good Luck! Oh and don't forget the positive thoughts and affirmations!! Phoebe."

[YEA]  04/09/2006: Lad from Maryland: "GH3 (I used a more complex type "GH7") is a mild, reversible MAO inhibitor. It does lift your mood. Sceletium, or "Kanna" herb is reputed to work faster and better than SJW, and I found it to be very useful too. Also, gotu kola is a good all around herb for depression and anxiety."

[YEA]  02/01/2012: Sandy from Melbourne, Australia: "It is well known that depression is caused (at least in part) from nutritional deficiencies. Urine therapy is perfect for fixing mineral and electrolyte imbalances. Most people believe urine is a waste product. This is incorrect. The body can only process a certain amount of vitamins and minerals at any one time. The test is lost through urine. This makes urine very high in nutrients. Why waste it? Make sure you haven't eaten or drunk anything for at least 2 hours before you ingest urine to make sure you body is ready to accept the nutrients. Try not to mix it with other liquids (eg juice) and the body may absorb those vitamins instead. Secondly I would recommend a remedy that can be used in conjunction with urine therapy.

Energy fields emitted by crystals can help balance weak chakras. (another proven cause of depression simply google it and you'll find plenty of evidence). Simply hold the crystal to your forehead (I use tape. The longer it stays there the better) and within a week you should start to feel better. Which crystal you use may depend on your zodiac simply research which crystals are best for you or you may want to use your birthstone (also good). Let us know if you try either or both of these suggestions and if they worked for you!"

[YEA]  10/27/2009: Earthfirst from Chicago, Il: "depression cured with vitamin D

depression has pretty much been a part of my life since i can remember. after trying every anti-depressant my doctor could dispense i turned to the internet to search for a more natural approach. since my depression worsens in the winter months i made the connection with a Vitamin D deficiency. since 30 minutes in the high summer sun provides 20,000iu yes twenty thousand IU (International units) of vitamin d i realized my 400iu supplement was not cutting it. i started taking 10,000iu on sunny days and 20,000iu when it's cloudy. i have never felt better in my entire life. coconut oil helped and i continue to take it, so did vitamin b supplements. but the vitamin d deficiency was surely the culprit. don't accept feeling miserable, change your habits. i have read that doctors can offer 50,000iu daily by prescription so i felt that i could take 20,000 without complication. its important to use common sense, if you're at the beach in the sun all day then take a few days off of the vitamin d."

[YEA]  03/07/2013: Heather from San Diego, Ca replies: "Yeah. This is a no brainer for depression. If you are depressed, and not getting sunshine (10 minutes a day) get at least 1,000 mg per day of Vitamin D. Double that in the winter. Some people may need more. Generally, if you live in an area known for sunshine (in the States that would be California, Hawaii, Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc.) 1000 mg per day might be enough, unless you live in a house with the windows closed and rarely go outside.

If you live in the north, where there is less sunshine, at least 2,000 mg supplement is needed; doubled in the winter.

This helps enormously with depression, much more successful than any anti depressant prescription medication.

Give it a few weeks to see how you feel.

Don't take it if you are a surfer, outdoorsy type, or don't wear sunblock.

I had good Vitamin D levels per the doctor before supplementing it because I drank milk with Vitamin D. That is not enough, however, to help with depression. San Diego is known for its sunshine, but that didn't help me because I was depressed, rarely left my house, and would apply sunblock to my face and wear a hat in the sun for wrinkle prevention. (The one year I didn't do this, hoping to get more vitamin D, I got lots of new wrinkles on my fair skin.)

Vitamin D is CHEAP, especially at Costco where you can get 250 USP pills for $9."

03/07/2013: Tim from Cincinnati, Oh replies: "I assume that you mean 1000 I.U. of vitamin D instead of mg. Vitamin D is usually sold in I.U. and 1000mg of vitamin D is equivalant to 40,000,000 I.U."

[YEA]  05/03/2007: Renee from Pontiac, Michigan: "When i'm feeling stresssed, irritable, or so sad i want to die, i just drop everything and go for a walk! It's okay to stop thinking about everything all at once! I don't even think about where i'm walking to, i just go. Taking deep breaths along the way and just enjoying the control is the best way to go. I used to suffer from anxiety and bi-polar disorder, but walking, healthy eating, and love for myself and everyone else have cured it!""

[YEA]  03/07/2013: Heather from San Diego, Ca replies: "Yea. Even the shrinks know that walking is a better cure for depression than antidepressants. It's the first thing any shrink will tell you to do.

Trouble is, depressed people often don't feel like walking.

Force yourself to walk, but if the idea really sucks to you, and makes you miserable thinking about it, try to put a (fake if necessary) smile on face and start counting your blessings - finding things to be grateful about, instead of focusing on the fact that you don't want to take a walk.

I try to notice things while walking -- birds, what the road construction crews are working on, what is making a particular noise, children, trees. This gets me out of my head and away from my troubles, and also prevents me from getting too bored while walking.

Walking daily increases health and happiness, and helps a person to sleep better."

02/10/2013: Desmond from Blawclee, Leinster, Southern Ireland: "DEAR SIR OR MADAM: Just as a matter of interest, what happens if I take, say, 2 liters of water every day to dispel my depression? I mean, won't the water just flush out all the vitamins and minerals that my body has inside? I really would welcome a reply for which I thank you."

02/11/2013: Mmsg from Somewhere, Europe replies: "Desmond, you are right, plain water in large amounts do NOT help, at least did not help me for any issue and only made my mouth strangely dry... Then I read to have a lick of salt - I take grey sea salt - with each cup of water. I now drink much less with much better results."

[YEA]  03/08/2006: Courtney from Caldwell, Idaho: "A tall cold glass of water with a slice of lemon and peter sterling's cd's cures depression and anxiety. i have not been diagnosed with depression, but it runs in my family and i get it often. it is always accompanied with anxiety. i have found that if you just put peter sterling's music on, and just sit back and SLOWLY sip a glass of lemon water, it will help you relax and brighten your mood."

05/08/2013: Amanda from USA: "I have been on Effexor 75mg er for about 6 months for anxiety and depression. I have had bad side effects and weight gain. How do I get off this poison and what do you recommend to help in this process? All help will be appreciated."

05/08/2013: Joy from Battleground, Wash replies: "I took it for a year in the 90's. I would say get down slowly to the lowest dose and then take it every other day and then every third day untll you are off the stuff. Your neck and shoulders can start to tense as your emotions return.... Ice and heat and massage. Hand held vibration massager. Don't let them get damaged like mine did. I went off prozak too and my shoulder, neck , spine really got hit hard and I was on a low dose.... Walking is good and drink water to deal with detox. Don't try to diet at the same time, too much stress all at once. Love, JOY"

05/08/2013: Liz from Boston, Massachusetts replies: "The good news is, since you're taking a low dose and haven't been on it all that long, tapering off should be relatively easy for you.

The best advice is to go slow. The slower the better. Since you're taking the extended release version, the only lower dose is the 37.5mg capsules. (The immediate release goes as low as 25mgs and since they're tablets, they can be split into lower doses for a slower taper. The XR cap's don't go lower than 37.5mg.)

It's typically recommended to take the 37.5's for a week to ten days, then take a 37.5mg capsule every other day for a week to ten days, then you go off entirely.

I think you'll do well since your dose is low and you've only taken them for six months. All best!"

05/09/2013: Wishing from You, Well replies: "I googled and read that some people go off Effexor by bridging with Prosac. I believe Prosac has fluoride in it so be aware of that.

Wishing YOU well!"

[YEA]  07/04/2007: Hazel from London, England: "I had psychotic depression after my childs birth. I didn't sleep for days. A reflexologist told me this. You wiggle one toe, then the next one, then the next one and so on. Over and over. It works brilliantly, try it tonight!"

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  03/09/2010: Joe from Hartford, Ct replies: "Can you go into detail a bit more about this? Do you wiggle both feet or just one? How long should you wiggle for? I tried it and it seems to have lessened my depression and would like to know more about this method."