Natural Remedies for Depression

Depression is a quite common psychiatric disorder, which is characterized by a symptoms including depressed mood and other emotional problems, fear of the future, overeating, sluggishness, and the decreased ability to have any pleasure in just about anything. Depression torments between 7% and 19% of the people in the US, with more than thirteen million American adults being diagnosed with depressive dissorders every year. Major depression causes more than 60% of suicides every year, primarily because only about a third of people with depression receive medical treatment.

Although the exact cause of depression is still questionable, there are many known natural remedies for depressive disorders. The premier natural remedy that can make a major improvement on your depression is a good diet, which actually plays a huge role in the seratonin levels in your brain. A diet that limits sweets, pies, doughnuts, sweet chocolate, candy, sugar loaded sodas and other foods packed with sugar can actually reduce the amount of poor moods, because sugary sweets are able to temporarily increase mood by increasing blood sugar levels. But, once the sugar level plummets, attitudes tend to end up lower than before and cause those disposed to depression to enter depressive periods. By keeping blood sugar levels steady, major depressive moods can often be prevented. Avoiding coffee and other drinks like 180, Diet Cherry Coca-Cola, Amp, Dopamine Energy Drink, Fixx, Inko's White Tea Energy, Snapple Tea as well as dart and Zoka Coffee espressos that are high in caffeine can also be beneficial. The same goes for any alcoholic beverages. Caffeine and alcohol can both worsen mood, by providing a short period of happiness that is usually followed by depression. Those with depression should focus on consuming foods that are able to trigger serotonin production, such as foods rich in B vitamins and magnesium. Nuts, green vegetables, and some varieties of fish can be beneficial, since they can actually trigger a good mood without being followed by a state of depression.

St. John�s Wort has been used in various countries for treating mild depression. Although it has not been shown to be effective in treating severe depression cases, it has been shown to actually increase synaptic levels of biogenic amines, such as nor epinephrine. Various studies have been performed, and have shown that St. John�s Wort has actually been as effective as various prescription medications for depression. When used by patients diagnosed with mild depression, it can relieve many of the symptoms, included but not limited to extreme mood changes, loss of appetite, insomnia, and negative feelings. Exercise is one of the most useful natural remedies for depression, because it can lessen some of the symptoms of depression while keeping the body buff. Exercise has been shown to improve overall mood, increase energy, and reduce the effects of sleep loss in those suffering from depression. Exercise has been effective in treating mild to moderate depression, but may take longer than prescription medications to show results.

Seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that only occurs during certain parts of the year, has been shown to be successfully treated by exposure to artificial and natural sunlight. It is used as an alternative to prescription depression medications, and works by regulating the body clock. Exposure to artificial and natural sunlight can actually trigger chemical changes in the brain, such as serotonin and melatonin production which can increase sleeping patterns.

Depression is a problematic medical condition, but mild cases can easily be improved with the help of natural depression remedies. Prescription medication are plagued by possible serious risk factors and side effects, but using natural methods can improve the medical condition without any similar problems. Changing routine activities such as diet, exercise, and even hobbies can help to improve depression periods decreasing your depressed mood and other emotional problemsand anxiety, making those diagnosed with depression able to live a happy and normal life.

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Added April 15, 2009
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