[Closed] natural depression remedies?

Is this a cry for help ?

St johns wort - basically the same as prozac. Have a goodgoogle on it and it potentailly interacts with other drugs

St johns wort is supposed to be good, very popular in Europe I believe.
Edit, too slooooow...

cuddle?

Masterbation?

Depends entirely on why you are depressed.

Making sure you have a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg should help.

If you want to take something thenSt Johns wort is supposed to be good for some people

It isn't "basically the same as prozac" as the medical profession aren't entirely sure how it works. Anti-depressants affect the neurotransmitter chemistry in the brain, and different drugs work on different neurotransmitters. Prozac is a SSRI type anti-depressant There are also many others which will work differently. Some people may respond badly to SSRIs, but not to one of the others.

If you have gotten to the stage where you think you might need some kind of medication to help lift the mood, whether it's "natural" or a drug based therapy, then seriously consider going to see a Dr just to talk through your options, and possibly get a referral to some cognitive behavioral therapy.

nicoteen 🙄

dan - st johns wort is an ssri

Cashew nuts. Meant to be similar to some prescribed ones. Small handful a day is the amount I've heard in one or two places.

Even if they dont work, probably faily good for you anyway.

Talking of natural cures, don't underestimate sleep. Good quality, regular sleep.

a mate suggested st john's wort.
gonna give it a try, cheers.

dan - st johns wort is an ssri

I was under the impression that it works [i]like[/i] an SSRI but because it has a broader scope for inhibition of other neurotransmitters, wasn't classed as an SSRI

Ok - dan 0- maybe. I was trying to give a simple explanataion

Ton - check with your doctor it interacts with other drugs

Don't take St John's Wort if you're on the pill 😉
I would recommend the [url= http://www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk/ ]Mood Juice [/url] nhs Scotland website.

teej, i will cos i am on a few at the mo, cheers.

Good diet, no boozing, no cigs, no drugs, early nights and exercise.

Time.

And the knowledge that you're far from alone in being visited by the black dog.

ton - also ask your Doc if any of the drugs you are taking could casu depression - IIRC some cardiac drugs can

google should be able to help you check a lot of this stuff out

teej, warfarin, digoxin and bisoprolol.
the last one is the problem causer i think.

Spending time with friends, the real ones who stick by you in difficult times.

Maintaining, even increasing, your amount of planned activity during the day, focusing on activities that seem most worthwhile, or enjoyable.

Personally found st Johns to not work although friends say it worked for them. 5-htp is suposed to be good also, again it didn't work for me.

I hope your ok, and find something that works for you. I found eating better was the biggest change. Thankfully off medication now.

Care of the elderly is my field 🙂 Perhaps not the best of help

You will also be reacting to the loss of cycling both physically and emotionally which will not help.

Nowt better than a daily routine that has a bit of structure, and which involves regular work / chores / discipline which at the end result in you feeling a sense of satisfaction and achievement. And has an appropriate quantity of rest and recreation time.

I see my kids watching crap TV and reading the tabloids and thinking that would drive me mad.

Try doing something like learning an instrument and making it a mission to do at least 20 minutes practice every day. Last year when I did 50 days riding my bike at least 1hr every day I felt really good about it.

Ton, I believe you should avoid St John's Wort if taking warfarin or digoxin. I'd ask my pharmacist wife but she's out the moment

[i]avoid St John's Wort if taking warfarin [/i]
Absolutely. You'll finish up with a low INR + an increase in warfarin dosage which may well cause problems when you stop the SJW.

Read about a Russian study years ago about the efficacy of corporal punishment.......the mood of test subjects improved dramatically after being administered (I'm not making this up!)

I'm bloody sure it [i]would[/i] when the beating stopped.........

Good diet, no boozing, no cigs, no drugs, early nights and exercise.

I remember being advised this stuff by the quack when I was suffocating in the maw of the dog..

I struggled on under his guidance for a while but I eventually resorted to good old common sense and peer pressure and started living a lifestyle that was [i]exactly the opposite[/i] to what the GP was trying to sell me..

The black dog still visited.. in fact it brought a whole pack of hellhounds with it.. but at least I always knew why it was coming and when to expect it.. and the times in between were some of the best of my life..

Years later and back on the wagon and I have to say that I'm doing just fine.. the dog still visits occasionally.. but now it sits whining just outside the fence at the end of the garden.. begging pathetically for a bit of attention..

Good diet, no boozing, no cigs, no drugs, early nights and exercise.

Having to comply with such requirements would make me depressed. 🙁

One of the greatest ways to deal with and combat depression is to have someone to talk to; someone who will listen and not judge. Wether professional or otherwise, this is vital if you are to drag out those demons and face them. Facing them on yer own is proper frightening.

Ton, why not ask your doc about the possibility of counselling/therapy? Can't hurt to try.

Better in the long term than any drugs. Using drugs to treat mental illness can be like using a sticking plaster to treat a severed limb...

I agree with a lot of whats been said, I find alcohol makes me depressed if I do it too often and exercise is brilliant.

I'm an acupuncturist and good quality acupuncture is great for depression. You need to see a good one though, there is a big difference bewteen good and bad acuopuncture. I'll help you find a good one in your area if you're interested.

I first used acupuncture when I was on the verge of a breakdown! It was a huge relief. It is possible to find help without taking drugs.

Someone with the login of 'theendisnigh' helping out on a depression thread! 😮

I don't think that there is any sound medical evidence that it works

but try meditation. Just by a cd or go on a course. Needs perserverance and but has no side effects

New side hobby e.g. photography (possibley of mountain biking, say events?). I can recomend a forum where people will help you learn if you are happy to get envolved...

acupuncture works really well for depression. I know this from my own personal experience and I also see it regularly helping people in my practice. You shouldn't rubbish things you have no experience of.

I agree that meditation is great.

I agree my username is not exactly fitting to such a topic!

I've been thinking a bit more about this and furthur to my earlier post.. I should add that I had some of the best friends on the planet on my side..
Sometimes they were supportive.. and other times they cut me to shreds.. but they were always [i]always[/i] there for me..

another part was definitely opening myself up to new experiences and ways of thinking.. meeting new people and listening to ideas that I might previously have dismissed as ridiculous..
trying activities that I thought I couldn't possibly enjoy and mixing in circles that were way out of my usual sphere..

for example I found meditation and massage and yoga and aromatherapy really good which was a bit of a shock.. I ended up on a new age commune and learned a lot of good stuff.. as well as having a very err.. transcendental experience..
from someone else I also learned to appreciate structure and routine and organisation in my life..
getting drunk and fighting was another new hobby that I discovered a previously unknown love for.. as well as watching the footie and getting in on the chanting..
at one point I even developed a love of folk music although thankfully that has mostly passed now..

so it just goes to show that you can never really know what's around the corner..

St John's Wort got banned today thanks to Big Pharma lobbying the EU so they can increase profits.

Hmmmmmm

accupuncture and depression. I am westernmedicine trained but interesd in and sceptical of alternative medicines.

Acupuncture does have effects beyond placebo - I don't think there is any doubt of that now. I did a search for evidence about acupuncture and depression and the was no evidence I could find that it works - recent Cochrane review for example came down against it working. However there is some limited evidence that it might work but not enough and not good enough to be at all convincing

However - IMO its the sort of condition that might be helped by acupuncture and the nice thing about acupuncture is that it can do no significant harm so perhpas is worth a try. I was amazed by the power of the acupuncture I had to help stop smoking

+1 for meditation. I have suffered depression a lot in life and meditation certainly helps. It kind of helps put things into more perspective.

It's not a quick term solution in the same way as a pill is but it certainly has helped me.

Cannabis...strain dependent, taken in [i]small doses[/i], works for many people. Reliable supply of differing strains is likely to be a stumbling block for most people. We're a bit backward in this country...

Emerging evidence that a daily cold shower is effective

what was it Hunter S Thompson said..?

'I'd hate to advocate drugs.. alcohol or insanity.. but they've always worked for me..'

St John's Wort got banned today thanks to Big Pharma lobbying the EU so they can increase profits.

Herbal remedies need to be regulated - we're not asking for anything serious that you'd apply to a real medicine, like a clinical trial, or even a hypothesis on mechanism of action, just consistent composition, formulation and something vaguely approaching good manufacturing practice.

This is actually good news for herbal preps like St Johns Wort that have a degree of anecdotal evidence behind them. It will clear the industry of the quacks who prey on the gullible. If St Johns Wort really works, then there will be a new, regulated market for ethical herbalists to provide it.

St John's Wort is best thought of as a toxic plant with some antidepressant side effects (it's actually a MAOI not a SSRI).... the evidence suggests it probably does work better than placebo (placebos work pretty well in depression anyway) so might be worth a go if you're not on anything else for it to interact with.

Regular exercise, healthy diet, social interaction, good sleep and not ruminating about things are 'natural' ways to combat depression - the catch is that they require effort and motivation and insight that if you're truly depressed you might not have - that's where the drugs come in useful. Oh, and stop drinking any more than a tiny bit of alcohol (if you are).

This is a bit of a leftfield one, but I once knew a shrink that told his female clients to "put a bit of make up on every morning". He was ridiculed for this by many, but seemed to get very good overall results. He gave me insight about the method, he was trying to instill pride, increased self image and that type of thing.

So, might be worth taking a step up in your presentation. Could be as simple as ironing your tee-shirts for a few weeks (assuming you dont all ready), or wearing cuff links instead of buttoning if that is more your style. Cost nothing, could be worth a try.

Of course, you could follow the doc's direct advice and try make up!

i wont bother with the st johns wort untill i see the doctor.

[i]and not ruminating about things are 'natural' ways to combat depression[/i]

that is is the key with depression. In fact a lot of the advice ie. exercise, routine, good sleep etc. are really tied to giving you less time to ruminate. It's easy to say don't do but really really hard not to.

Don't want to bang on about meditation but this is where it really helps. When you meditate you can begin to see more clearly how your mind works, the constant stream of thought going on, and when you are under the influence of depression the way that certain thought patterns keep recurring. It also teaches you to pay attention to what is happening right now rather than ruminating about things which invariably is either about things that have happened or more often things you fear are going to happen.

mancjon

the key is living in the now. I find this hard. I'm a cheery person but I'm cheeerier in the new

I'm a great fan of BJ's......receiving end.

Failing that my dogs give me no end of pleasure (absolutely no relation to previous sentence)

alcohol and nachos. not really.

Ton - look up "The natural way to beat depression" by Prof Basant K Puri (soft copy £8)

He is a Consultant Psychiatrist at a London Hospital and teaches at Imperial College. In recent years there has been a lot of interest in the use of Omega 3 oils to combat depression and schizophrenia especially ultra pure EPA (no DHA) a pure form of Omega 3 oils.

VegEPA.com sell it online. Take care if taking blood thinners (aspirin, warafin) as Omega 3 will also thin the blood.

EDIT saw your earlier post re taking Warafin, so again I wouldn't start this approach without speaking you your GP/consultant.

Suggest the doubters read these

[url= http://www.prisonplanet.com/herbal-medicines-banned-as-eu-directive-comes-into-force.html ]http://www.prisonplanet.com/herbal-medicines-banned-as-eu-directive-comes-into-force.html[/url]
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/01/new-eu-rules-on-herbal-remedies ]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/01/new-eu-rules-on-herbal-remedies [/url]

[url= http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/223342.php ]http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/223342.php[/url]

No doubt some of you think government sponsored anti flu vaccines are a good idea, too?

didnothingfatal Stop being hysterical

Under the directive, herbal medicines will now have to be registered. Products must meet safety, quality and manufacturing standards, and come with information outlining possible side-effects.

seems perfectly reasonable and no barrier to st johns wort being sold. infact

Commonly used ingredients[b] already registered[/b] include echinacea, which is used against colds, St John's wort, used for depression and anxiety, and valerian, which is claimed to ease insomnia.