Natural Remedies for Depression | Holistic Treatments & Supplements

B12

Posted by Alicia319 (Seattle, Wa) on 10/28/2014
★★★★☆

I have been taking the carbomazapine for depression and anxiety for 9 years. The doctors arent sure if I am bi polar or not the therapist both have said no. I have suffered with major depression for many years over 35 now. I decided to try b12 500 mg it is working great with my medication 250 mg at bedroom and the b12 in the am. they wanted to change my med but I don't want to. Why is the b12 working so well? I feel so much better, I am allergic to many anti depressants.

OTC Natural Lithium

Posted by Dave (Fountain Inn, Sc) on 07/24/2014

Hello Lilac,

Depression issues ...

You're a wealth of information. I've experienced a recent family death and have taken it worse than the loss of mother and father five years ago (one lost five years ago and the other 6 and a half).

I found "colloidal gold" seemed to even me out a lot. It is a calmer and kept the feelings of "desolation" from being too extreme. And I more easily emerged from those moments of "melt down" faster. I also found simple reading from Scripture is helpful...from the Book of John in the NT and the Psalms.

I wonder if you have read about Colloidal Gold's effect. Also have you tried valerian?

Based on your post I'll try to get off computer at night...ha...I'll try anyway...

dave

L-Tyrosine

Posted by Timh (KY) on 07/18/2014 2041 posts
★★★★★

For immediate relief of mild depression, take the amino L-Tyrosine plus the herb St Johnswort. The supplement SAMe is also good for mild depression and also boosts detox systems.

Niacin

Posted by Jo (New York) on 02/13/2014
★★★★★

My daughter suffered from depression and I found a doctor who advocated niacin we tried it, she was 20 and found that the flushing was painful and then she switched to non flushing Niacin. Now still on Niacin at 21, we have come to realize she must not go a day with out it and we have even increased the dose, she is vitamin B dependant! We have also noticed a remarkable difference when she adds Omega 3's it helps her even more and she notice a loss in weight. She might be bi polar, it runs in the family, but NIACIN has been a MIRACLE and EVERYONE should try it!!!!!!

Bach Flower Remedies, Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Posted by Mary H (St Petersburg, Florida) on 08/11/2013
★★★★★

I have been using the Bach Flower Remedies (BFR) to help me with a bad, bad bout of depression and it didn't seem to be working for me. In desperation I read about Acetyl-L-carnitine (ACL) and it being an amino acid (a building block for proteins) that is naturally produced in the body. It helps the body produce "energy. " BFR works on energy so, I started taking the ACL and later that 1st night when I took the BFR it started to work almost immediately. That horrible knot in my stomach started to come on done. This morning when I awoke the knot was back and felt like I was at the end of the world again. I put the BFR drops in my coffee and sipping my coffee I could feel the knot being undone again. You just have to get past getting out of bed and I know how hard that can be.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Ken (London, Uk) on 02/15/2013

Eliminating gluten and sugar might be a good place to start for your depression. I also recommend at least 45 minutes of cardio exercise 3-4 times a week. This will help immensely. Also check your magnesium levels.

5-HTP

Posted by Frank (Lebanon, Beirut) on 02/10/2013

Other supplements for anxiety and depression include: omega 3 vitamin D, Magnesium zinc and B12

Also B6 B9 and (Vitamins A, C, E and selenium to help you get rid of the extra toxin load causing your anxiety)

Vitamins are best absorbed through food. for example omega 2 through flax seeds, zinc and b12 through liver of goat, or sheep or chicken or even cow.

vitamin d through sunlight or you can take pill 5000IU a day cuz its very imp
vitamin a: carrot juice apricots
vitamin c brocoli lemon guava kiwi strawberries parsley yellow bell pepper etc
magnesium through magnesium chloride oil rub
vitamin e through almonds, spinach, almond oil, hazelnuts spinach
selenium through brasil nuts, mustard seeds and garlic are the best sources.

These are power foods that can be used instead of supplements if used properly.

Also load up on potassium food to alkalize your body, like avocado, potatoe peels, banana, pumpkin and goji berries which are very rich in potassium and nutrients.

5-HTP

Posted by Amy (Los Angeles, Ca, United States) on 02/10/2013

I had a feeling that weaning with a capsule would entail what you suggest. I just wasn't sure how to begin, so THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I shall proceed with your suggestion. By any chance, do you know how, when, and how much to start adding the supplements, like 5-htp?

Amy :)

Niacin

Posted by Kimi (San Diego, Ca) on 02/03/2013

The doctor's name is Andrew Saul and the documentary is called "Food Matters". His books are a "must-read" and the documentary is priceless!

Dietary Changes

Posted by Anon (Anon) on 01/25/2013
★★★★★

My depression is food related. Eating bakery that's not gluten free will bring on depression nearly immediately. Also, when I cook or choose what to eat, I pay attention to how I feel because sometimes I pick up something to eat or season the food with and immediately get an intense twinge of depression that goes away when I put the item back.

Magnesium

Posted by Celia (Seattle, Wa) on 08/18/2011
★★★★★

I would like to share my wonderful discovery of the power of simple magnesium to alleviate depression. I had been taking a powdered form of magnesium every night before bed, which made me feel Calm and relaxed. Then I stopped taking it. I began to suffer a lot of mood problems when stopping it, and when I resumed the powdered magnesium citrate, I couldn't believe how much better I felt the next day.

I also use a combination herbal therapy for Mood Support, which works well. And every day I take vitamin D at 4000 mg, fish oil, and something called lithium orotate, a safe, commonly found supplement for brain and mood health. (Don't let the word lithium scare you. Unlike the drug lithium, lithium orotate is safe to take and you don't need to have your blood tested. Please look up lithium orotate online for more info.)

But to me, the most important missing link in the puzzle was magnesium. You can buy it at the drugstore, but I do suggest taking at least 700 mg a day to begin to see results. I stagger the dose, taking 200 mg magnesium citrate tablets twice a day at work, and then taking the wonderful fizzy magnesium drink at night as a hot tea, which makes me feel very sleepy and Calm.

Magnesium

Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 08/18/2011

I read yesterday that the best way to get magnesium into you is to take it transdermally... Through the skin. A great way is to use magnesium oil and rub it on the skin but the best way is to swin in the ocean.. it is a veritable magnesium bath. The reason racehorses swim in the ocean after a race to relieve their muscles.

So if you live near the ocean go for a swim every day to relieve your depression or aches and pains. Or grab a bucket of sea water and soak your feet!

5-HTP

Posted by Gtijes (Allentown, Pa) on 08/24/2010

Hey, I have always struggled with depression and anxiety since I was young. However, it wasn't until my father passed away very suddenly that I started taking lorazepam & citalopram for extreme anxiety and depression. I am really not into prescriptions unless absolutely necessary. Does anyone know how to start to switch off of prescriptions onto 5-htp? I can never find any answers if it's ok to start weaning off of the prescriptions and introducing the 5-htp right away. Anything you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I really want to get off of these meds right away. Thanks!

5-HTP

Posted by Anonymous (World) on 08/25/2010

I agree. But ideally you should do this with the assistance an experienced professional who is willing to help you with the switch and is aware of your medical history. If you want to do it alone, make sure that, at the very minimum, you are very knowledgeable about the risks involved, and talk to people who have done it as well. Even so, consider the risks: this change can trigger a serious reaction, these are anti-depressants we are talking about. Any change in your existing drug regimen will result in chance for your brain chemistry. Be safe.

Rhodiola and St John's Wort

Posted by Felista (Las Vegas, Nv, Usa) on 02/11/2010

I, too, suffer from these. I have been doing a ton of research, and I will share with you the three best supplements for women with PMS/depression/anxiety. From what I have read, they are safe, with few negative side effects, unlike St. John's wort, which can cause sun sensitivity, and interacts with some medications. #1 & 3 have been found in studies to work as well as SJW or even SSRI's.

1. Chasteberry aka chinese vitex - helps balance hormones. People with PMS usually are progesterone deficient, and this helps balance that out.
2. L-Theanine - found in green tea, but can be found in supplemental form. Very calming, takes the edge off. Does not make drowsy. Safe.
3. Inositol - found to be particularly helpful with depression, bi-polar disorder, and OCD.

I would also highly recommend taking an Omega 3 supplement in conjunction with, specifically B-12, Folic Acid, B-6 and including a B vitamins complex.

When I do these, as well as avoid too much sugar and get regular sleep, I feel like a new person. If I slip and don't do these things, the monster comes out.

Important note: Anything involving balancing hormones or deficiencies usually takes at least three cycles to notice the positive effect. It's not usually a try for a day or two thing. Also, trying one at a time helps you to see which one is actually helping or not. It's not an overnight solution. This kind of thing takes time and patience, but I believe there is natural help out there with these things.

Good Luck. Sorry this didn't have to do with Rhodiola, but I had to share.

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.

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.

Fish Oil

Posted by Ian (Oldham, Manchester United Kingdom) on 05/09/2012
★★★★★

After years of ups and downs and depression, I must have tried almost every supplement and pharma pills also. My conclusion is that for myself a good quality pharmaceutical grade fish oil really is excellent at stabilising and improving mood. I use one but others available. Also I've found vitamin c works well to improve my mood also, having read about "histadelia" and high histamine levels that could be the reason as vitamin c is a potent anti -histamine. Commonly touted remedies such as tryptophan made me worse as does any ssri like prozac. Also selenium seems to affect my mood in a negative way also. I guess the bottom line is we are all different biochemically and have to experiment on what works for yourself, though for anyone with these symptoms I'd suggest everyone reads about histadelia and histapenia and the roles of histamine in mood.

Fasting

Posted by Rachelle (Roseland, NJ) on 11/14/2008
★★★★★

I have suffered from depression and "dark moods" for years. I am very much against taking prescription drugs as I believe they do more harm than good. However, about 6 weeks ago I was feeling so depressed and dark that I began to consider going to the Dr. for a prescription antidepressant. I thought, maybe I'm just adding to my suffering by being so against modern pharmaceuticals. Anyway, I turned to Earthclinic and read about 5-HTP and decided to give it a shot. I bought extra strength 5-HTP in the form of L-5 hydroxytryptophan, 100mg per capsule. I started off taking 2 capsules first thing in the morning before eating. Did this for about 3 weeks. I increased the amount to 3 capsules per morning and have been doing that since. I first noticed that my moods were more "neutral" instead of depressed and I took that as a sign of improvement. I presently feel good and not depressed.

I would just like to add that I recently added fasting to my health protocol. I read a fascinating book called "The Miracle of Fasting".

They say in this book that fasting helps emotional issues as well as physical ones. I have done a 24 hour fast once per week for 2 weeks in a row and I believe that it has contributed to my feelings of well being. I plan on continuing doing a weekly 24hr fast.

Hope this helps.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Lisa (Jerusalem, Israel) on 08/07/2008
★★★★★

I had tried a lot of things to beat depression, Including: St John wort and different traditional medications. Molasses worked - no side effects. It is just a healthy food to eat. I have about 1- 2 table spoons a day. TO make it easier to eat I made a made a molasses based taffy.

Dancing

Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 06/05/2008 489 posts

Yea and congratulations. DANCING is a whole lot more fun and safer than popping antidepressants (which I have read are mostly fuorides, which is another excitotoxin or neurotoxin). The only adverse side effect I ever heard of from dancing was, my physical therapist, telling me that one of his male patients said his knee went out on him while he was dancing - Must have been "break" dancing, huh?

Couch Exercise

Posted by Gary (USA) on 05/09/2008

You would lie on the arm of sofa with your stomach. Legs on couch and head off. Use your arms like a pushup to help straighten your body. Your legs may want to raise up but you`ll have to secure them somehow.

In the exercise, I use my arms to help me straighten myself almost like a push up. Most people will not be able to do it without using their arms. I guess whats important is to use back muscles without straining them of course. Also, I just want to tell people with depression to go to a chiropractor,therapist or qualified trainer. This gets dismissed because they don`t have back pain. Spend $30 It could be the answer. It`s well worth it. Hope this helps.

Rhodiola

Posted by Henry (San Francisco, California) on 05/20/2008

Who knows what these acronyms mean? Please speak in plain English. What are UTI's, VCO??

EC: UTI: Urinary Tract Infections VCO: Virgin Coconut Oil

Rhodiola

Posted by Sara (West Palm Beach, Florida USA) on 03/25/2008
★★★★★

I took this for fatigue, stress and a bit of low mood. I took it for 2 months and noticed I wasn't tired anymore and could deal with things more. I finally had energy to do things that I didn't before . Caffeine didn't work because I believe I stressed out the adrenals.

I really noticed that this worked when I stopped taking it for a week to cycle it. Back to being tired and not wanting to do much.

This herb has given me my life back. It sounds cliche, but it's true.

5-HTP

Posted by Kellie (Vancouver BC, Canada) on 01/13/2008
★★★★★

Hi I found 5 htp a couple of years ago on the internet, looking for something to help my sadness and depression, so i heard about 5 htp , well i was desprite and i took 2 100 every day , it helped me so so much, I go off it some times because the side effects for me are, it makes me get my period more often , mind you i think that is when i was taking 300 mg . and also it has caused me to get itchy palms of my hand ,and the back of my head . but now that iv gone down on them and taken a break for a few months , im good . but i have to go on them because it helps me so much for depression. i have just discovered the 5 htp with 200 mg L- Ter , wow as far as I'm concerned its a bloody miracle. it changes my whole mood . makes me very happy .but for sure one other side effect I'm not as hungry when im on it . and i dream more vividly. but as far as I'm concerned it's a wonder drug, sorry for the spelling. let's just hope the drug companies don't take them away.

Cold Showers

Posted by Remy (Buffalo, NY) on 09/22/2007
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

Please tell website users that they have to be very careful if they have low body weight and use the "cold shower" method to alleviate depression. I have low blood circulation and several health problems because I am suffering and loosing to an eating disorder. Cold showers can be dangerous!

For people who are "underweight" it may be a good idea by slowly decreasing the temp. each time you take a shower, followed by taking your temperature afterward.

Core Temp. Side Effect
95 Shivering
90 Confusion
85 Lethargic
80 Coma
78 Death

Measuring the length of the shower is important, as the longer you expose your self to cold water, the lower your body temperature will drop.

I hope this helps, and as always; if you think you may have an eating disorder, you may have one, or develop one!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Suzi (Dayton, Ohio) on 11/19/2006
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar cured my sore throat, sinus infection, loose stools, gas, lack of energy, depression, decreased my appetite, cleared up a dermatological problem. My sister got me started taking _______'s organic ACV 1 tsp in 8 oz spring water 3 times a day. At first I tried it because I had a sore throat that was immediately gone, my sinus infection went away within 24 hours or so. I have IBS and have been battling foul-smelling loose stools for years. Within a couple of days my stools were formed with almost no odor. I feel 100% better. My appetite just dropped and I'm not getting fatty food cravings like I used to and I've lost 22 pounds so far. Also, I have had big painful butt boils off and on for years and my hindquarters cleared up within a couple of days.