depression

[Chillgirl]

Hi guys

Im trying to put together a program for myself with some holistic ideas for dealing with depression and thought I would share the info here:-

Social connectedness is important. In The Depression Cure, he argues that the brain mistakenly interprets the pain of depression as an infection. Thinking that isolation is needed, it sends messages to the sufferer to "crawl into a hole and wait for it all to go away". This can be disastrous because what depressed people really need is the opposite: more human contact.

Which is why social connectedness forms one-sixth of his "lifestyle based" cure for depression. The other five elements are meaningful activity (to prevent "ruminating" on negative thoughts); regular exercise; a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids; daily exposure to sunlight; and good quality, restorative sleep.

The programme has one glaring omission: anti-depressant medication. Because according to Ilardi, the drugs simply don't work. "Meds have only around a 50% success rate," he says. "Moreover, of the people who do improve, half experience a relapse. This lowers the recovery rate to only 25%. To make matters worse, the side effects often include emotional numbing, sexual dysfunction and weight gain."

Ilardi is convinced that the medical profession's readiness to prescribe anti-depression medication is obscuring an important debate. Up to 20% of the UK population will have clinical depression at some point, he says ? twice as many as 30 years ago. Where has this depression epidemic come from?

The answer, he suggests, lies in our lifestyle. "Our standard of living is better now than ever before, but technological progress comes with a dark underbelly. Human beings were not designed for this poorly nourished, sedentary, indoor, sleep-deprived, socially isolated, frenzied pace of life. So depression continues its relentless march."

Our environment may have evolved rapidly but our physical evolution hasn't kept up. "Our genome hasn't moved on since 12,000 years ago, when everyone on the planet were hunter- gatherers," he says. "Biologically, we still have Stone Age bodies. And when Stone Age body meets modern environment, the health consequences can be disastrous."

To counteract this Ilardi focuses on the aspects of a primitive lifestyle that militate against depression. "Hunter- gatherer tribes still exist today in some parts of the world," he says, "and their level of depression is almost zero. The reasons? They're too busy to sit around brooding. They get lots of physical activity and sunlight. Their diet is rich in omega-3, their level of social connection is extraordinary, and they regularly have as much as 10 hours of sleep." Ten hours? "We need eight. At the moment we average 6.7."

So we should all burn our possessions and head out into the forest? "Of course not," Iladi shudders. "That would be like a lifelong camping trip with 30 close relatives for company. Nobody would recommend that."

Instead we can adapt our modern lifestyle to match our genome by harnessing modern technology, such as fish oil supplements to increase our intake of omega-3. All well and good. But I can't escape the feeling that the six-step programme seems like common sense. Isn't it obvious that more sleep, exercise and social connectedness are good for you?

"The devil is in the detail," replies Ilardi. "People need to know how much sunlight is most effective, and at which time of day. And taking supplements, for example, is a complex business. You need anti-oxidants to ensure that the fish oil is effective, as well as a multivitamin. Without someone spelling it out, most people would never do it." Ilardi practises the programme himself. He's never been depressed, he tells me, but it increases his sense of wellbeing and reduces his absentmindedness (his college nickname was "Spaced").

It all makes sense, but will I try it myself? I don't suffer from depression, but wellbeing sounds nice. I'm not so sure about the fish oil, but I might just give it a go.

Enjoy the sunshine, get plenty of sleep ? and be sociable

▶ Take 1,500mg of omega-3 daily (in the form of fish oil capsules), with a multivitamin and 500mg vitamin C.

▶ Don't dwell on negative thoughts ? instead of ruminating start an activity; even conversation counts.

▶ Exercise for 90 minutes a week.

▶ Get 15-30 minutes of sunlight each morning in the summer. In the winter, consider using a lightbox.

▶ Be sociable.

▶ Get eight hours of sleep

[Chillgirl]

Treating depression without medication involves drinking a lot of water if you are feeling depressed. The body can survive for weeks without food, but without water our body and brain will begin to shut down. It is almost impossible to be happy when your body is dehydrated because your brain is not working properly. Try to drink filtered water when possible because many cities water have chemicals in them, and we do not know how this affects our brain.

When battling depression, it is important to keep stress in check. Stress will not only prolong depression, it will also make it worse. You need to examine your life and determine what is stressing you out. Once you have determined what are the main stressors in your life, you can develop a plan to minimize their impact or, if possible, avoid them altogether.

You may people feel depressed because they do not have any outside activities or interests. If your life has become boring and routine, try cultivating some interests. Try visiting the elderly, working with your hands or doing some house work. Having other interests can help you to feel better about yourself and increase your happiness.

Try to get outside as much as you can when suffering from depression. Even if it is just for a quick walk every day, getting some sun and fresh air can make a world of a difference for controlling depression symptoms. Sitting inside all the time will just make you feel worse.
A good tip that can help you out of your depression if you just broke up with someone is to cut off all contact with them. Communicating with your ex will only bring up negative feelings. You need time to recover and it?s best to not talk to your ex.

Treating depression without medication can easily be accomplished if you steer clear of modified and processed sugars. Avoid high fructose corn syrup and sugar substitutes. Your health and well being can be negatively impacted by too much sugar of any kind in your diet. A diet with too much sugar can be a one way ticket to depression, mood swings, and diabetes.

If you are the social type, then consider joining a depression support group. Depression support groups offer two things. The most important is a safe space to share stories and learn that you are not alone. Support groups are also a great place to learn practical tips for mitigating symptoms.

Many experts have found that the rhythmic breathing and slow stretching moves in yoga exercises can elevate mood and provide an enhanced sense of well-being in depressed persons. Yoga classes are increasingly easier to find at local gyms and the ymca, and the classes offer great opportunities to get out of the house, find new friends and explore the community. If, however, a class is not quite your style, there are many excellent dvds you can find at the library that offer yoga training for beginners all the way up to the most experienced masters.

The number 1, best way to conquer depression is to take action. Decide what your problem is, how you can alleviate it, and start taking action to make your life better. Taking action will occupy your mind, which in turn will prevent you from dwelling on negative thoughts. As you start to see tangible results from the actions you are taking, you will build positive self-esteem and begin to feel better about yourself.

Treating depression without medication involves spending time outdoors. The sun is full of vitamin D, which may help those with depression, and the change of scene will be enough to take your mind off your troubles for a little while. Try to stay outside for at least half an hour a day to see results.

A great tip that can help you get out of a depression is to watch your favorite movie. Watching a movie that you like can put you in a much better mood. It?ll take your mind off of what?s troubling you and you?ll be able to reflect on it later.

Take a realistic accounting of your life and goals is a good treating depression without medication method. Many depressed people believe that they can not be happy without a relationship, or higher income, or maybe various things and material possessions in life. Take account of what is really important by challenging this negative thinking and learn to accept the situation as it is.

One way to help with depression is to do your best to remain positive about everything no matter what the circumstance. This is important because as long as you remain positive about situations, you put yourself in the best possible position to find a work around if one is needed.

People who suffer from depression should make sure they get an adequate amount of exercise. Studies have shown that one of the best ways to combat all types of depression is to keep your body active. Activities such as running, tennis and walking have all been shown to reduce depression.

Treating depression without medication is an incredible challenge. However, even though depression is difficult, there are a wide array of options for anyone who?d like to improve their condition. No matter what path you choose, the tips from this article will ensure that you can make the decisions that are best for you.

[Nelz]

Thank you for that info! Im sure most or all of you know, my wife battles with depression. I will show her this for sure.

Please share anymore you find, Im going to start my own little research paper here in a bit on that topic.


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[techie]

Chill that is a terrific post. Thank you !

[stella123]

What a fantastic post I am currently taking anti depressants and hate them hoping to get off them soon.

thank you for posting this x

[Chillgirl]

this is another link which included this statement which fascinates me as Im currently reading a lot about inflammatory foods and how much they affect us and diseases such as arthritis and alzheimer's

Why Antidepressants Don’t Work for Treating Depression


Food allergies cause inflammation, and studies now show inflammation in the brains of depressed people.

[RingingCedars]

Chillgirl;1246791 wrote: Hi guys

Im trying to put together a program for myself with some holistic ideas for dealing with depression and thought I would share the info here:-

Social connectedness is important. In The Depression Cure, he argues that the brain mistakenly interprets the pain of depression as an infection. Thinking that isolation is needed, it sends messages to the sufferer to "crawl into a hole and wait for it all to go away". This can be disastrous because what depressed people really need is the opposite: more human contact.

Which is why social connectedness forms one-sixth of his "lifestyle based" cure for depression. The other five elements are meaningful activity (to prevent "ruminating" on negative thoughts); regular exercise; a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids; daily exposure to sunlight; and good quality, restorative sleep.

The programme has one glaring omission: anti-depressant medication. Because according to Ilardi, the drugs simply don't work. "Meds have only around a 50% success rate," he says. "Moreover, of the people who do improve, half experience a relapse. This lowers the recovery rate to only 25%. To make matters worse, the side effects often include emotional numbing, sexual dysfunction and weight gain."

Ilardi is convinced that the medical profession's readiness to prescribe anti-depression medication is obscuring an important debate. Up to 20% of the UK population will have clinical depression at some point, he says ? twice as many as 30 years ago. Where has this depression epidemic come from?

The answer, he suggests, lies in our lifestyle. "Our standard of living is better now than ever before, but technological progress comes with a dark underbelly. Human beings were not designed for this poorly nourished, sedentary, indoor, sleep-deprived, socially isolated, frenzied pace of life. So depression continues its relentless march."

Our environment may have evolved rapidly but our physical evolution hasn't kept up. "Our genome hasn't moved on since 12,000 years ago, when everyone on the planet were hunter- gatherers," he says. "Biologically, we still have Stone Age bodies. And when Stone Age body meets modern environment, the health consequences can be disastrous."

To counteract this Ilardi focuses on the aspects of a primitive lifestyle that militate against depression. "Hunter- gatherer tribes still exist today in some parts of the world," he says, "and their level of depression is almost zero. The reasons? They're too busy to sit around brooding. They get lots of physical activity and sunlight. Their diet is rich in omega-3, their level of social connection is extraordinary, and they regularly have as much as 10 hours of sleep." Ten hours? "We need eight. At the moment we average 6.7."

So we should all burn our possessions and head out into the forest? "Of course not," Iladi shudders. "That would be like a lifelong camping trip with 30 close relatives for company. Nobody would recommend that."

Instead we can adapt our modern lifestyle to match our genome by harnessing modern technology, such as fish oil supplements to increase our intake of omega-3. All well and good. But I can't escape the feeling that the six-step programme seems like common sense. Isn't it obvious that more sleep, exercise and social connectedness are good for you?

"The devil is in the detail," replies Ilardi. "People need to know how much sunlight is most effective, and at which time of day. And taking supplements, for example, is a complex business. You need anti-oxidants to ensure that the fish oil is effective, as well as a multivitamin. Without someone spelling it out, most people would never do it." Ilardi practises the programme himself. He's never been depressed, he tells me, but it increases his sense of wellbeing and reduces his absentmindedness (his college nickname was "Spaced").

It all makes sense, but will I try it myself? I don't suffer from depression, but wellbeing sounds nice. I'm not so sure about the fish oil, but I might just give it a go.

Enjoy the sunshine, get plenty of sleep ? and be sociable

▶ Take 1,500mg of omega-3 daily (in the form of fish oil capsules), with a multivitamin and 500mg vitamin C.

▶ Don't dwell on negative thoughts ? instead of ruminating start an activity; even conversation counts.

▶ Exercise for 90 minutes a week.

▶ Get 15-30 minutes of sunlight each morning in the summer. In the winter, consider using a lightbox.

▶ Be sociable.

▶ Get eight hours of sleep
Such fundamental knowledge that really works. Compliance is key. I think he left out one very scary side effect and that is suicide particularly when antiD's are mixed with alcohol. See Prozac Nation. Thanks for spreading the good news Chill.

[Supercrew]

Great post Chill! I have found that all of the above work well, especially if you get rid of all alcohol. I also try to stick with a anti-inflammatory diet, and I do alot of mediatation daily. My goal for 2012 was to be the happiest, healthiest person I can be, and I focus on that goal daily.

For the record, I have been depressed for at least the last 10 years if not longer prior to me quitting the booze. I never went to a Dr. because I heard of the side effects of the drugs and I didn't want to have to take a pill to be happy....but I thought drinking was happiness in a bottle!

I was almost going to post some info in the forum about beating depression without drugs, but I didn't want to offend anyone who truly believes that anti D's are the only solution for them and they saved their life. I got pretty beat up in another forum when I put out my beliefs on depression...didn't want to make that mistake again!

[Chillgirl]

Supercrew - I'd love to hear your beliefs about this whole subject. I totally realize this approach is not for everyone and that's why I put it under Holistic Healing. Just like our different methods for dealing with AL we have to go with what's right for us and this is certainly not for everyone, unless you believe in something its not going to work. As with my whole philosophy to life meds would only be an option if I had totally exhausted each and every other possibility.

When speaking to my Doc about it he asked why I didn't want AD and I told him I didn't want to feel happy unless I really was. He actually totally agreed with me which was so refreshing!

Even before I reached this recent low, I had noticed myself the link between sugar and my feeling down although I'd never read anything about it. To now see this is a recognized link is a relief and at least I feel I can now make changes to correct this in my diet. I also had no idea drinking water is vital and as its winter I'm rarely drinking it and realize I drink too much coffee which has the complete opposite effect.

[startingover]

Chill, this is brilliant to read. Thank you. As you know, I take ADs and have tried coming off them a couple of times unsuccessfully. BUT I have managed to half the dose.
After reading this, I am going to up my supplements especially the omegas and Vit D. I have always taken supplements and watched my diet to a degree but I think over the last couple of years I have let certain elements of my diet slip. I think its as a reward for giving up drinking!!!!! I am going to radically reduce or eliminate the sugar in my diet and increase water for starters.
I am so proud of you for not giving in to this and sticking to your guns.