Coping with Depression using Natural and Alternative Medicine Treatments

A state of mind characterized by pessimism, feeling of inadequacy, gloom, sadness, frustration, anxiety and external manifestation in terms of prolonged periods of inactivity is depression. Depression is dangerous – it leads to health problems like obesity and negatively impacts our life and people who live with a person suffering from depression. The intensity of depression varies from mild to extreme but the consequences are discouraging.

While there are conventional medicines to cure a person, no medicine can root out depression completely because depression is a mental state and if the person is unprepared to bring positive change in life; conventional medicines can only provide short-term relief.

In the article you will read about coping strategies and usefulness of alternative medicine treatments – both should function together for the change in the mental state of the depressed person.

Coping Strategies:

These strategies involve creating changes in the life of the depressed person. Remember that the changes cannot be forced or coerced; the person needs to be mentally ready to cure depression.

Loneliness or isolation increases depression. A depressed person should always be in the midst of people who care about the person. The strategy is not to allow the person a chance to delve into negative thoughts at all. Among people, the person will be inclined to join conversation and activities going around and this will act as mood up lifter.

If friends and family do not cooperate in helping the person cure depression, it will be terrible. In this situation, the person becomes more depressed and since he cannot share his feelings, he isolates himself from the world. In extreme cases, the person is self – destructive. To remove these possibilities, a depressed person should have some medium to express his feelings and sentiments. He can write his thoughts in diaries or maintain regular journal. Every negative feelings, anger, pessimistic feelings, sadness, fears, pain should be written down. The person will feel relieved.

Several communities online or offline have support groups that focus on interaction with people in similar situation. Depressed person can join these groups. The instructor teaches several coping strategies and encourages communication with fellow group members by letting other know their own personal experiences. Sometimes these communities also invite people who have previously been a part of the group and share their experiences. Knowing that depression can be cured is a morale booster.

 A depressed person should divert their mind to constructive activities. Admittedly, when somebody is depressed, concentrating on work or other activities is difficult but it needs to be done. Completely get involved whatever work you have, take new projects, join hobby classes, take dance lessons, refurnish your house etc. Anything will do as long as it can keep the person busy whole day.

Alternative Medicine Treatments:

In a research conducted on 3000 depressed women by the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, 43% believed that conventional medicines were ineffective as compared to the long term benefits of alternative medicines and therapies.

Below are given concise descriptions of the therapeutical methods:

An herbal supplement used to treat depression for centuries. It is not recognized by FDA as a treatment but in Europe, the supplement is popular and effective too. Useful for treating mild and moderate depression.

All alternate medical depression treatments should be accompanied by healthy and nutritious diet. The person should have diet rich in serotonin (carbohydrates), vitamin B, zinc, iron, magnesium and others. Deficiency in these nutrients will increase anxiety and insomnia levels. Experts suggest that carbohydrate foods like bananas and potatoes lighten up the mood. In fact, some people find relief with spicy food. Avoid bland food as well.

 Ancient Indian medical system that defines depression as an imbalance in the three ‘doshas’ of the human physiology – kapha, vata, and pitta. An imbalance of these elements creates feelings of depression. An Ayurvedic healer first analyses which ‘dosha’ the depressed person has as that is his primary ‘dosha’ and the remaining are secondary. Treatments vary on the combination of primary and secondary ‘dosha’ of the person. When under Ayurvedic treatment, conventional medicines should not be used. Ayurvedic healing is holistic as it strives to make the person recognize and become ‘one’ with the inner self.

Install spectrum lighting equipment in the house. Sit under the lights for a minimum of 20 minutes daily without any interruption. The wide array of lights emitted through infrared near – ultraviolet rays helps in increase the serotonin level in the brain. As said earlier, serotonin in foods has the same impact – make the person ‘good’.

Some other alternative treatments are Tai Chi, Chiropractic, Acupressure, Meditation, Native American Healing, Chinese Medicine and Reiki.