Depression
Natural Remedies

Dealing with Depression Naturally

Cayenne
Posted by Marlo (Hattiesburg, Mississippi) on 12/01/2009
★★★★★

Depression Remedy

Whenever I feel a depressive mood coming on I simply pour myself a glass of juice or tea and add about 3 dashes of just regular grocery store bought cayenne pepper, drink up and in seconds I begin to feel much better and relaxed. Works really fast! No need to even stir the cayenne into the drink.


Vitamin D
Posted by Earthfirst (Chicago, Il) on 10/27/2009
★★★★★

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.

Sunshine
Posted by Deb (Anywhere, Usa) on 10/23/2009

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?


Sunshine
Posted by Davidnvegas (Las Vegas, Nv) on 10/23/2009

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


Magnesium
Posted by Jennifer (Chicago, Il) on 10/09/2009
★★★★★

Feeling extremely depressed, anxious, panicky, I first stsrted taking Magenesium Glycinate, which I thought worked well until I ran out read a little more about different types of Magnesium and went to my local health food store and bought Magnesium Citrate, 200 mg. I started taking 400 mg. in the morning and 400 mg. at night before I go to bed and I can't believe how much better I sleep on Magnesium Citrate! I just wanted to highly recommend it for depression and/or anxiety, it seems to relax your body and take you in to a deep sleep throughout the night.

Grape Jelly
Posted by Isis (Detroit, Illinois) on 08/19/2009
★★★★★

Me & My freinds notice that when u eat grape jelly, it improves yr mood


Cold Showers
Posted by Connie (Manitowoc, Wisconsin) on 08/02/2009

Have you tried eliminating glutamate/excitotoxins from your diet? MSG, aspartame, etc.? I feel much better for it. That and adding borax, vitamin C, and turmeric. This is a great site. :)


Cold Showers
Posted by Shannon (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada) on 08/02/2009
★★★★★

I recently started taking alternating hot/cold showers. I start off quite warm then gradually make it as hot as I can for about 3 minutes then switch to cold for about 1 minute. I do 3 cycles and gradually make the hot hotter and the cold colder each cycle. I've only been doing this for 2 weeks now but the chronic headaches I've had for 30 years have lessoned (only 1 in the last 10 days-absolute heaven) and I've mysteriosly lost 8 lbs. (I'm quite obese) without changing my eating habits. The fact that it has been stinking hot the past 2 weeks and I'm sweating to death with no air conditioning could also be a factor for the weight loss! LOL My body temperature stays cooler for a few hours after my shower, even in this 30+ weather. I've also been doing some awesome meditations, listening to binaural beats and watching subliminal videos so it could be a combination of everything.

When I went to my Dr. last week and he asked how I was, I told him he'd better sit down. I've suffered (and I do mean suffer-suicidal thoughts daily) chronic depression for the last 17 years. I've gone off meds 3 times - once for 4 years even- but always end up crashing and need to go back on. Anyways back to the Dr. appt... I told him I had been HAPPY!!!! for 7 whole days and I hadn't cried since Sunday. The reason I cried was because I didn't know how long this would last. Had a bum day yesterday but not too bad today.

I thought it could be the combination of all the above or just my meds kicking in after trying 3 different kinds in 2 months. Not until I read all these posts did I think my showers could actually being contributing to my emotional well-being. Being 45, back in college with a bunch of 20 year olds, dealing with my disrespectful, pot smoking 17 year old son, chronic headaches and migraines, depression, hormone hostage (peri-menapause)... well I can use all the help I can get. I've also developed tennis elbow from being on the computer most of the day for school and homework. The showers haven't helped with that yet so I'm going to try emmursing my arm between my 2 kitchen sinks in hot and cold water.

Thanks for reading and I will definitely be checking out more of this website and referring my friends to it.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Angelealaahna (Navarre, Fl) on 08/02/2009
★★★★☆

Well I'm back my depression has 65% gone since taken Acv June 10-09..update as of today I lost 1 more pound making it a total of 8pounds since june...WTG ACV

hips was a 40 now they are a 39
leg was a 24 1/2 now they are a 24
waist was a 34 1/2 now they are a 34

I'm still eatting the same food and excerise only thing changes is that I found out about ACV


Acetyl L-Carnitine
Posted by Sveta (Des Plaines, IL) on 07/28/2009
★★★★★

Having been suffering from bipolar, bulimia, anxiety disorder and depression for 5 years. Tried ACETYL L-CARNITINE. Have one thing to say, it's freaking amazing! I'm surprised you don't hear about it much. It helps my anxiety better than cold showers, antidepressants, and even Xanax! I'm so happy that that i found out about it. It's like the hell I've been living in for years is over. This supplement has the strength of a prescription drug. I advise everyone who has anxiety problem to give a try. Though I need like 50 mg a day instead of 5000 the way they recommend. 5000 is too much for me to tolerate. Find your dosage. And never give up. Try every supplement for depression and anxiety out there, one by one. Some will do nothing, some will make you feel worse, but there'll be one, two, or even more that will help you and make your life a beautiful and joyful thing to have. Good luck everyone.


Cold Showers
Posted by Sveta (Des Plaines, IL) on 07/23/2009
★★★★★

I just want to say that cold showers are great for major depression and anxiety disorder, but they don't help much if you don't shower your head. First, I was doing cold showers but was avoiding showering my head. It helped but I still had a lot of anxiety and depression going on. Then, after trying to SHOWER NOT ONLY MY BODY BUT MY HEAD too with cold water (I was told it's good for hair loss), I felt like I was born again. Plus, my hair doesn't seem to fall out much any more.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by AngeleAlAahna (Navarre, FL) on 06/25/2009
★★★★★

I guess I been depress all my life but always can snap out of it quickly But for going on 2 yrs now I been deeply depress more than I ever had in my life, I didn't want to take pills so I just left it in God's Hands WELL I been reading this site for a couple of months and last month I decided to try ACV for weight 181 pound 5ft6 but with a stomach left from surgery ..I NOTICE JUST LAST WEEK I HAVEN"T FELT DEPRESS ANY LONGER..I make A Hugh jug of AVC with honey and mix it with juice and I sip it the whole day, I will be updated on my weight. THANKS EARTHCLInic


St John's Wort
Posted by Ethan (Nashville, Tennessee) on 06/09/2009
★☆☆☆☆

I only tried this for about a couple months. I would take 2 pills every day. I was more depressed then when I first started. I have found that other natural cures have been more effective with me such as non processed foods, fish oil vitamins, fresh fruit, leafy green vegtables, and berries. I am trying apple cider vinegar now since it seems to have worked for others that responded here.


Acetyl L-Carnitine
Posted by Robin (Minneapolis, MN) on 06/06/2009
★★★★★

I have had depression most of my life. Everyone's body chemistry and brain make-up is different and that is why dr's have a hard time finding the right meds for people with emotional problems. Anyway, I have just put up with it all these years as I don't like taking Rx. By accident, in taking some acetyl-l-carnitine, I finally realized I wasn't depressed anymore. Not happy, just not down in the pits for a change.

I think Americans are having to eat such nutrient deficient foods that synthetic supplements can't completely cover as good as Mother Nature can; that whole populations are having subclinical and even clinical deficiencies that are being labeled as 'this or that problem' instead of what it really is!

Anyway, I was taking 500mg/day on empty stomach. Another thing it is good for is the heart. L-carnitine is better, but this other helps some with the pressure on the chest also.


Cold Showers
Posted by Bill (East Stroudsburg, PA) on 05/29/2009
★★★★★

I suffer from periodic severe depressions. I have taken every drug known to science and have undergone shock treatment. By accident this spring I discovered that a long, very cold shower, as long as I can stand it provides the best treatment I've had in 50 years. I can only assume it is not suggested by doctors because the drug companies don't recommend it.


5-HTP
Posted by Denisse (Long Beach, CA, USA) on 05/07/2009
★★★★★

5-HTP for depression. This little pill did wonders for me. I had been feeling depressed for around a month due to heavy family problems. When I finally put all my symptoms together (oversleeping, hopelessness, sadness, emotionally unstable) I instantly came to this site. Cold showers did not appeal to me at all; I live in sunny CA and still get cold. I ordered the pills and thankfully they came the next day. I take one or two (depending on how I am doing) 100mg pills a day. My mood has definitely improved and I am finally returning to my normal self. They also seem to have reduced my terrible headaches. I recommend 5-HTP to all!

Cold Showers
Posted by Rob Dillon (San Francisco, CA) on 05/04/2009
★★★★★

I feel sad for a very odd reason. Why on earth did I not find this simple cold water shower cure earlier. I suffered from a lot of diseases all life and this cold water shower cured this. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AND A MUST FOR EVERYONE WHO WANT TO STAY HAPPY AND HEALTHY.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Nicole (Laguna Niguel, California, usa) on 03/25/2009
★★★★★

Hi, I had been suffering from depression ever since my parents got divorced 3 years ago; as an only child I had no one to talk to I had counseling, I exercised, but nothing seemed to work until I came across earth clinic. I decided to try the apple cider vinegar and it's been great I feel SO MUCH BETTER I SERIOSLY CAN'T BELIVE IT!!! I have been drinking 2 teaspoons of ACV 3x a day and my moods are so much better I'm almost as I used to be my mom can't believe it! I hope this continues to work... I find it less awfull if I drink the AVC with a cup of lemonade the taste is so much better thank you Earth Clinic =]


Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Brenda (Edmonton, Canada ) on 03/23/2009

I have been surching a lot on where to find Sugar Beet Mollasses. Still have not found anything....I do have a suspicion, if one goes into their local Chinatown supermarket, and say In Mandarin or Cantonese for Sugar Beet Mollasses they just may find it!!
Perhaps someone Asian on your staff or board will attempt this..
I did find:
http://www.answers.com/topic/sugar-beet
http://www.answers.com/topic/uridine

I am not sure if taking(5 grams per day) of yeast is healthy though so I thought I better post you first.
Thank you.
Good Luck to all.


5-HTP and Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate
Posted by Tim (Perth, Western Australia) on 03/13/2009
★★★★★

I am a 46 year old male who has suffered from regular bouts of depression for most of my adult life. These depressed episodes were not usually linked to any situational cause and indeed could be very difficult to understand for my family because there was no obvious trigger or reason why I was depressed. The symptoms presented as physical as well as mental and I would suffer from joint pain, lethargy and extreme nausea and in severe bouts even cold sweats and shivering that would last for days and sometimes a week. I have tried prescription anti-depressants but the side effects were almost as bad as the ailment so I resolved to put up with the ups and downs (I only probably had episodes bad enough to take off work maybe twice a year).

About 2 years ago someone put me on to 5 Hydroxy Tryptophan or 5-HTP as a precursor to serotonin production and I decided to give it a try (the potential for weight loss was an added incentive) and I found the results somewhat hit and miss until after some research and experimentation I hit on the combination of 5-HTP (100mg) combined with Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate (15mg) (the active enzyme version of vitamin B6 and assists in the conversion of the 5-HTP to serotonin) taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (I avoid eating for at least half an hour). The theory from my research into taking it on an empty stomach is that this avoids the 5-htp metabolising into serotonin in the stomach before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Further, I have found that the active version of B6 is more effective than the common variety version (pyridoxine) because I think I struggle to metabolise the pyridoxine variety into the active enzyme and therefore have a natural B6 deficiency (probably why I don't produce enough serotonin).

I haven't had a bout of depression for over 12 months now despite the fact that I have experienced (as many others have over the past 4 months) the most stressful and extreme anxiety creating environment of my professional life.


St John's Wort
Posted by Heidi (Ogden, UT USA) on 03/08/2009

WARNING! If you have bipolar disorder, avoid St. John's Wort. My husband has BPD, and used st john's wort for a full year before having any side effects, and when they came, they were a DOOZY!

He said he felt like his brain was sitting on a frying pan and sizzling, and if he'd had a gun, he would have shot himself in the head, not because he was suicidal, but simply to bring an end to the sizzling sensation.

It took a year for the herb to saturate into his system enough to bring this on, but it was a VERY unhappy side effect for him. It lasted an entire afternoon, three or four hours of brain sizzle. Not something he ever wants to repeat.


St John's Wort
Posted by Sandra (Inchigeelagh, Cork, Ireland) on 03/07/2009

I just wanted to mention a possible side effect of St John's Wort. I started taking a German preparation (they have done some of the most extensive studies on the herb, and regularly prescribe it for depression). 900 mg once a day. I happened to go to my doctor a week after starting. My usually normal blood pressure had skyrocketed to 180/100. I had been feeling a bit jumpy and recognised the feeling as I had previously experienced a massive increase in my blood pressure from taking licorice. I immediately stopped taking St. John's Wort and within two days felt a lot better in terms of the jumpy-ness. I will not have my blood pressure taken for another few weeks, and unless you hear from me again you can be sure it's back to normal.

I've read studies that say the herb does not affect blood pressure, but I can't help thinking that the people in the study were not super sensitive like myself.


Dietary Recommendations
Posted by Rick (Montreal, Quebec) on 02/11/2009

Greetings Charles, There are many substances in nature that are useful to treat depression. Rather than try a hit or miss approach, I would suggest you find a book that will help you understand what is happening and what to do about it. An excellent choice is a book by Gabriel Cousens, a noted psychiatrist who uses natural means to cure depression.

http://www.amazon.ca/Depression-Free-Life-Gabriel-Cousens/dp/0060959657

Next suggestion, water... www.watercure2.com I think learning about the effects of water would be a solid foundation in any quest for better health, mental or physical.

All of the best Charles,


Dietary Recommendations
Posted by Sid Davis (Springfield, Missouri, USA) on 02/11/2009
★★★★★

When I was younger I was sad most of the time and often had bouts with fear. Mine turned out to be dietary. I ate a standard US diet with plenty of sweets and refined foods. I also drank a few times a week and the drinking would deplete my body even more than just the crummy diet.

On the insistence of a friend, I started taking a high dose multiple vitamin from a health food store, plus a separate vitamin B supplement, separate vitamin C supplement, and separate calcium, magnesium, zinc supplement. I also cold turkey cut out all refined sugar, soft drinks, coffee, and refined flour. I ate about three pieces of fresh fruit a day and had three servings of fresh vegetables per day. I got my protein from meat and cheese, and ate whole grains like whole wheat bread and brown rice. I also exercised 20 minutes a day, five days a week which I had to force myself to do at first.

It worked for me and 35 years later I still follow this regimen, although not quite as strictly as before. I continue to be optimistic and I think I have a normal energy level for someone 65. Once I started to feel better, I experimented with dose levels, but I take well above the recommended daily allowances every day.

My own view is that medications just cover up the symptoms and may actually contribute to the problem. I hope you are able to change your life to one that you enjoy living; time keeps running out.

It worked and I continue today to be optimistic and have normal energy for a 65 year old.



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