Dealing with Depression Naturally

I have not been able to find anything on Brain Zaps. From what I've read it is related to serotonin levels. People coming off of anti-depressants seem to get them. However my elderly father is now experiencing them and I'm wondering if it's due to aging and depletion of serotonin levels. I've read Omega 3 oils, b-6, b-12 and 5HTP are very effective. Has anyone had luck with these remedies?

Hello all it is early days but caught up with a friend who suffers depression and anxiety and is on different meds, twice a day. She was strangely severely affected by afternoons. She about 6 weeks ago started my suggestion of the spoonful of linseeds (flaxseeds) soaked overnight in water, consumed in the morning. As it had been awhile I asked her how she was doing on it. Apart from actually enjoying drinking the seeds, she grasped my hands to advise she no longer had the dark cloud over her head in the afternoon, and often didn't take her afternoon antidepressant because she didn't need it. We both had tears in our eyes at this development. Hope this encourages someone who needs it.

If you suffer from the occasional blues or even extended depression, St. John's wort is the herb for you. There have even been scientific studies that show St. John's wort to be as effective if not more effective than Prozac.

My wife and I have been using it whenever needed for years. Always great results. As with all herbal remedies, you probably want to pay attention to the quality and the place or origin. Personally I avoid everything from China. If you can get something locally, I think that is much preferred.

As I said in my recent comment, he was dehydrated and the doc said it caused his depression and water cured it. My whole point to that comment was to make people THINK about looking back at their eating habits as in do you eat alot of salty foods, drink alot of coffee, etc? If you do then it's logical to conclude that you might be dehydrated and need to drink water.

I just wanted to let everyone know that dehydration can cause severe depression. My boyfriend was depressed and was also dizzy. I took him to the ER and they ran tests on him and found that he was severely dehydrated due to exercise, eating too many salty foods, drinking coffee and soda, etc. His doctor said that the dehydration caused his depression, so they gave him 3 or 4 I.V. bags of water. After all that water, my boyfriend said he felt fantastic and his depression was gone!

I hope this info helps someone else because who would think something as simple as water could help depression!

Hi Gary, could you send a photo or the name of the exercise. I think most people don't understand your exercise.

A one inch piece of fresh organic raw ginger, chewed and swallowed with water. Effective within minutes. Suicidal thoughts and depression had been happening for a few hours. Took more as needed, 3 or so times over the next few hours. Continued as needed over the next few days.

Major depressive disorder

I had major depressive disorder from age 4 until age 26. I'm 41 now, no problems with it. I was so bad I would have to snap my wrists with a rubber band to keep my thoughts from cascading downwards and had to go inpatient a number of times.

At age 19, I began a yoga teacher training program. I began a slow turn to vegetarianism because of a book I read to help migraines. When I did this, 75% of my MDD lifted, and my mind cleared up for the first time since I could remember. I even tried to go back and immediately the depression set in along with a newfound anxiety. That's when I committed to full vegetarianism.

It wasn't a cure-all, though, and I have to say the truth that I found a higher power that loved me and I felt it express very strongly to me. Once during a time period of self-harm I said no one loves me and I just clearly felt a strong response that he loved me. In that moment, I committed never to self harm again but it took time to get away from music that was always in lack. Always missing something. I had to turn to music that was talking about gaining and positive ideas.

I was still struggling with the MDD, but I began to respect myself and say that I would not be in a relationship with someone who did not love me. Therefore, no more intimate relations with those who are not truly wanting to be with me. This change probably brought me to 80% without major depressive disorder and kept me from going under water emotionally. I joined a program for that.

Once I found out that I had a learned eating disorder, and went into treatment with a nutritionist who balanced my food, and began to work on the reasons behind it, I would say that my major depressive disorder was gone at 100%. For whatever reason, the consistent nutrition at certain times unlocked the key to my major depressive disorder it was like I was saying that I deserve to have food and I deserved to have life. I also had to work on getting out of other people's business and began attending a program for that. I can only control what I do but of course one has to set up boundaries for things that are wrong. (I guess the best way to summarize that is that I learned how to interact with people in my life or family in a way that set up boundaries).

I have not had a problem since maintaining these changes and I'm super lucky and wanted to share with others.

Which brand do you recommend is better?

I have enormous help with depression by avoiding all animal protein and limiting plant protein. (Plant protein is nuts, beans, and seeds.). Also avoid GMO foods because the high pesticides on them contributes to depression. Also avoid wheat, oats, and barely unless they are organic because in a process called "desiccation, " they are sprayed with pesticides a few days before harvest. Also experiment with avoiding nightshade foods. Supplements that help are zembrin, inositol, and P5P ( active vitamin B6). But most crucial for overcoming depression is to minimize eating protein. It would be too lengthy here to explain how this strategy increases serotonin. Especially avoid animal protein. (don't eat anything with a face and avoid eggs and all dairy). You already know to choose whole grains over refined grains, and avoid sugar. (Most sugar is GMO beets, anyway.)

Next day:

This is a follow up to my post yesterday about depression. I want to explain the science behind my suggestions.

1. Avoiding protein for depression. Two reasons: a. Protein, especially animal protein, has high Branch- Chain amino acids. They compete with Tryptophan to enter the brain, and Tryptophan is needed to make Serotonin. More Serotonin = less depresstion. b.Protein is high in Choline. Choline is used by the brain to make Acetylcholine. As Acetylcholine goes up, Serotonin goes down. The ancient Greeks knew that Choline is associated with depression, hence the word "MelanCHOLIa."

2. Avoiding pesticides for depression: Pesticides including Roundup are Cholinesterace Inhibitors. That means they inhibit Cholinesterace. Your brain uses Cholinesterace to limit Acetylcholine. Too much Acetylcholine means less Serotonin. They are in inverse proportion of each other: as Acetylcholine goes up, Serotonin goes down.

So buy organic when you can, and when you cannot, especially avoid GMO foods (get lists online) since they are the most heavily sprayed. Also avoid wheat, oats, and barley unless organic, because although they are not GMO foods, in a process called "desiccation, " they are sprayed a few days before harvest, and then not washed, so the pesticides go directly into the grain.

Note also that in whole wheat, the wheat germ is high in Choline. See above on choline.

You can wash pesticide off produce by soaking for 30 SECONDS in boiling water. But for grains the pesticide goes inside, and you can't soak bread, flour, etc.

A final note on pesticides: Animals are given GMO grains to eat. That means their foods are doused with pesticides, usually Roundup (glyphosate), known to cause Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma. The pesticides reside mostly in the animal FAT.

So I advise avoiding both animal PROTEIN and animal FAT.

3. Here is a helpful strategy to increase your Serotonin: For the times you do eat high protein, you wait a few hours, then eat high carbohydrate foods, especially without added fats. (Fats slow down this process.) This will increase Serotonin because the amino acids from the protein will still be in your blood. The carbohydrates will call forth Insulin, which not only drives down blood sugar, but also pushes amino acids into the muscles, except Tryptophan. That one insulin leaves alone. Without the Branch-chain amino acids in your blood, your Tryptophan is now free to enter your brain, where it creates Serotonin. Please note that fruit, which is also a carbohydrate, will not work for this method because fructose is metabolized differently. Of course fruit being low protein is great for this diet, but it just won't work to drive amino acids into your muscles. For that you need carbohydrates, and please do this responsibly with COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, not the refined sugary products that are the bane of modern society.

Plant foods that have high Tryptophan are the best for this method: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

Also: some persons have a mutation on the BCHE gene that codes for Butyrylcholinesterace. As a result these persons have higher Acetylcholine in their brains. For them, avoiding choline is especially helpful, as well as avoiding Nightshade plants. (Potatoes, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers, Tobacco). Also avoid Fluoride. You can find out if you have this mutation by getting your genes tested by 23andMe, and then uploading your results to Promethease.com. If you have it, it will show up near the beginning of your report.

I did a ton of research, and I hope you will benefit from it, as I am.

Think about this: in our parents' day, before factory farms, meat was expensive so animal foods were occasional. Now meat is cheap, so animal foods are abundant in our meals. Suicide rates have skyrocketed, and school shootings are frequent. Low serotonin, now epidemic in society, is a major player. It's Karma: we kill animals, and they kill us.

Two other suggestions:
1. Pay extra attention to your sleep. You can try the various supplements and sleep on grounding sheets. Sometimes a lack of good deep sleep masquerades as depression.

Currently a pricey supplement called Kavinace Zem is helping me sleep, and I am experimenting by trying its ingredients as separate supplements: Zembrin, Phenibut, and Blueberry Extract. Note that Zembrin (an African plant) works like Prozac, Zoloft, and that class of antidepressants: Zembrin increases Serotonin by blocking its reuptake, so your brain makes more use of its supply. Inositol and P5P also help me with sleep and mood, I assume by increasing Serotonin.

2. Be careful about eating too much nuts/seeds/ nut butters. These foods are high in Arginine, which viruses need to replicate. Sometimes chronic low-grade viral infections masquerade as depression. Do you feel achey and feverish along with your depression? That is a sign of viral presence. You can balance out the Arginine with a comparable amount of Lysine foods or Lysine supplements.

A final word: on this diet your main course is whole grains (organic) and vegetables. Fruit too, best absorbed BEFORE a meal. Small amounts of healthy fats are fine, avoid omega 6 fats in favor of olive oil and especially omega 3 like flax and walnut oil. FATS DO NOT HAVE PROTEIN, even when derived from protein foods. The only thing is that fats slow down the release of insulin that you need to create serotonin, as explained above. So be sparing and just experiment.

I have enormous help with depression by avoiding all animal protein and limiting plant protein. (Plant protein is nuts, beans, and seeds.). Also avoid GMO foods because the high pesticides on them contributes to depression. Also avoid wheat, oats, and barely unless they are organic, because in a process called "desiccation, " they are sprayed with pesticides a few days before harvest. Also experiment with avoiding nightshade foods. Supplements that help are zembrin, inositol, and P5P ( active vitamin B6). But most crucial for overcoming depression is to minimize eating protein. It would be too lengthy here to explain how this strategy increases serotonin. Especially avoid animal protein. (don't eat anything with a face and avoid eggs and all dairy). You already know to choose whole grains over refined grains, and avoid sugar. (Most sugar is GMO beets, anyway.)

Please comment on whether this helps you. It is saving me from unbearable misery. I did a great deal of research on this.

Did you first try worm tablets? Most of the time it can be the cause if nothing is working for you.

Foods that help with depression - Broccoli and ginger help me.

What brand do you suggest?

You can empty out the capsule and divide the contents in half with a knife. It is not precisely exact but quite close. This tip was given to me by a hospital pharmacist.

CAUTION: If coming off of an SRI (saratonin reuptake inhibitor) such as paxel, do not stop the SRI suddenly (cold turkey). Instead, cut your dose in half for a week then take 1/4 dose for the second week.

5HTP can be started at any time and will not interfere with an SRI. Start with 50mg/day of 5HTP, then increase to 100mg/day if required.

St. John's wort is very good, but it does have some fairly well known side effects, one of which is that it can cause hypersensitivity to sun exposure which is referred to as photodermatitis, so being aware of that may go a long way in preventing potential problems if you spend much time in the sun. Hives and other rashes is another common one, which again if you are aware of can go a long way in preventing complications.

https://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/st-johns-wort

Art

I was reading about using it for depression. I think it said it can cause sensitivity to sun exposure like some drugs also cause. Glad it works . Sun bathing works amazing for me for depression but it 's winter so I have to wait for the right season to soak up the vitamin D and whatever else the sun is giving me.

Tif, medications may cost less than herbs in terms of dollars up front for relief. But the long term cost to health of some medications may not be worth that initial savings.

Buying pre-made supplements can get pricey. But there are lots of herbs that are cheap by the pound and then a tea can be taken. It is more work than a pill, but in the long run may be worth the trouble.

Natural treatments are cheaper only when comparing with the full price of the prescrption medication. Many people with insurance only pay $3, $5, $10 or possibly a $20 copay. Many supplements can cost $29-$69 or more. Oftentimes the prescriptions end up being far less expensive. Unfortunately, natural treatments aren't affordable to many on a tight budget.

St John's Wort hands down the best

My wife was suffering from depression. She started taking St. John's Wort once or twice daily plus sublingual vitamin b12 and the depression is gone. St. John's Wort has been shown to be more effective against depression than Prozac. Go for the natural stuff, it doesn't cost much and has no side effects. Don't let the big Pharma run and ruin your life.

Depression Cure:

I can't believe no one has mentioned vitamin D, but more specifically, UV light. I already take 2,500mg of D3 daily, but perhaps it's not enough because I've been battling Mycotoxicosis for over 5 years. Between that and working a night shift, I got lazy and only tanned (yes, tanning beds! ) once last week. Big mistake! I became unbelievably depressed with constant suicdal thoughts for four days. I finally went tanning (12 minutes in a low level bed), and within 30 minutes, my depression was GONE. My face even filled out (it was getting disgustingly hollow), and my body became less bloated.

I highly suggest labelling this cure as UV light if you don't want to mention the controversial tanning bed, but don't just say D3! I think I took 10,000IU at the beginning of the week, and it wasn't enough to make up for lack of tanning. Nothing compares to your body making its own vitamin D. It's common sense - humans need sunlight. Believe me, if the weather wasn't so crappy here in Jersey, I'd be tanning my butt outside.

Originally I took Armour thyroid, before their formula change. When I reached 2 grains, the depression vanished and my basal temp. was normal. Basal temp. under arm) must be taken as soon as you awaken in the am, and are still in bed. Read the easy to read book Hypothyroidism by dr Broda Barnes, which explains the very simple protocol. In my case, years of depression had nothing to do with life circumstances.

Hello, I have a cure for depression to share with you!!! Simply sage the herb you cook with. I started with half a tablespoon daily and worked up to one tablespoon in the span of one week. I mix it with a little honey to form a paste and swallow with my coffee in the morning. Within days I had no more depression, which I have had since my early teens! Very inexpensive to buy a bottle of sage, this is a mircle cure! Can also use fresh sage leaves and brew into a cup of tea.

Update: I just want to add that my dreams when doubling the dose to 100mg/day have been not so much weird but vivid and funny. I quite often find myself waking up laughing so that's okay. Obviously not everything affects everyone the same and 5HTP is a good example of this.

To Misty: I have been taking 5HTP 50mg per day for three months and find that it's really effective for depression. However, if I double the dose to 100mg I do have some weird dreams so maybe try dropping your dose.

Many people have reported the benefits of magnesium chloride oil applied topically here on EC, but magnesium chloride tablets are also well absorbed and according to the recent study link below, at the proper dose can have a significant impact on depression in people. This is important because many of the side effects from prescription antidepressants can be hard to deal with and even unhealthful, so alternatives like magnesium chloride tablets which are more likely to have healthful side effects are very useful in the treatment of depression.

This study is very helpful because it not only shows that mag chloride tablets are useful for depression, but it is also well tolerated with a very good safety profile. This study is also useful because it shows the dosing used and describes the benefit achieved. According to the study, some participants started to see benefit after just two weeks of supplementing. Participants of the treatment group took 4 tablets of magnesium chloride per day. This is the manufacturer who supplied the magnesium chloride tablets and the tablets are similar to those used in the study, but possibly 20mg more per tablet.

https://www.amazon.com/Alta-Health-Magnesium-Chloride-200/dp/B00IX05914/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1505075869&sr=8-3&keywords=alta+health+magnesium+chloride

As you can see from the study they used four tablets of Alta Health Magnesium Chloride at 500mg per tablet for a total of 248 mg of elemental magnesium per day. Magnesium chloride is well absorbed topically or orally. The tablets seem relatively easy to take compared to mag oil application to the skin everyday.

Here is a link to the full study:

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0180067

One important finding from the study is that some people may be able to get by with a smaller dose than what was used in this study.

Art

Hello, I am brand new to this site and a nobody. I will tell you I used to have horrible depression my whole life. I was suicidal as long as I can remember. What changed it? I went gluten free. It took a few months and I just kept feeling better and better each day. I am 54 and for the first time in my life I am free of depression. And guess what? If I get a hold of even a crumb of wheat, the depression will come back for about 2 weeks, feeling like I did before going gluten free. Now a days its much easier to find the gluten free substitutes for pasta make the transition easy peasy (and I'm a foodie). You can still have Mexican food as long as its a corn tortilla rather than flour, Yes you can eat fudge and ice cream on this diet too. It changed my life and I also lost 35 lbs even eating fudge on the holidays. It definately wont hurt. I can even think better..much better now.

Hope you know you are loved in this word..regardless

Jodie

Thank you God for directing me to earthclinic website. My depression and anxiety level was unbearable today, and I stumbled upon this Cold Shower Therapy by accident, tried my first cold shower, (5 minutes, ) and the effect has been AMAZING. Feel GREAT, and can see a future again for the 1st time in MONTHS, can't wait to get up and into another COLD shower in the morning..what a difference, I normally have to DRAG myself out of bed. Thank you earthclinic.

Take out of your diet all sugars, grains, pastas, breads, sweet fruits and you will see a great difference in your mood ....paleo diet or atkins....

It's important to confirm the MTHFR mutation for many reasons including the methylation process. GeneSight is a company that offers reasonably priced testing for both MTHFR mutations. (https://assurexhealth.com) I've been taking Thorne Research Methyl-Guard after testing positive for both mutations and I am starting to feel better after about 2 weeks. It's been a long road of fatigue, anxiety, and frustration for not understanding my symptoms and being dismissed by my PCP.

Vitamin C for depression.

I started taking 1,000mg of vitamin C per day for my skin and immediately started noticing an elevated, happier mood, for no apparent reason. I have tried many supplements for depression and anxiety over the years and I have to say that staying hydrated and taking vitamin C regularly have proven to be directly related to my ups and downs. I also found the following, which relates vitamin C to seratonin production.

Dr. Hugh Riordan also supports using vitamin C as a treatment for depression. He teaches medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He received the Linus Pauling Award from the American College for Advancement in Medicine. He believes that vitamin C is effective against depression because it increases serotonin production. That's the brain chemical that improves mood and promotes relaxation.

“Medical text books [used] to indicate that one of the most common effects of inadequate vitamin C is depression, " says Dr. Riordan. “But we very seldom go to a psychiatrist who measures our vitamin C level."

Glad to see you have found a real cure and shared it with others as depression is quite common and conventional treatment option are limited and come with negative side -effects.

I would like to note that I find it unusual that Molybdenum was not recommended to reduce the Copper, and Vit-B-6 was not recommended to reduce homocysteine as well as a metabolic enhancer of Zinc. And also why B-12 & Folic Acid was not recommended along with the TMG as methyl donors in reducing homocysteine, or simply taking SAM-e as the ultimate methyl donor as well as a great mood booster.

Seems most folks have their own angle and pinpoint problems & solutions from their reference points, maybe it's most profitable for themselves this way, I don't know; but in many cases and especially extreme cases of disease, one's best approach is as broad and holistic as possible (which you have done with a your approach here).