Depression is so much more common than we may think, it being one of the most common mental health disorders in our country. Before you go for prescription medications to improve your health, try some of these home remedies for depression.
Healing Home Remedies for Depression
Depression is so rampant these days and people are becoming disabled with depression at increasing rates. Anti-depressant medication comes with its problems – namely scores of side effects that are sometimes as bad as the condition itself! Thankfully there are safer effective natural remedies for depression that you can investigate on your own or with the help of a trusted health care practitioner.
1.Exercise
Exercise has been proven in several studies to be just as effective for mild to moderate depression as anti-depressant medication or therapy. Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins – the body’s happy hormones. The difficulty lies in actually getting the depressed person to exercise in the first place!
2. Omega 3s
Omega 3 fatty acids are showing amazing promise in studies as a natural remedy for depression, especially among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, who are often unable or unwilling to take the risks of anti-depressant medications. Omega 3 fatty acids inhibit inflammation, which can play a role in depression. While you can obtain Omega 3s from foods such as salmon, grass fed beef and flax seeds, supplementation is easy and inexpensive too.
Sunlight
Sunlight is also absolutely essential for good health and good mood. Far from being an evil cancer cause, the sun is our friend especially if we have a mood disorder. Some people are especially sensitive to light deprivation. If you become blue on overcast, rainy days or in the wintertime, this might be true of you. While it’s easy enough to simply spend time out of doors in nature, you might need to invest in a lightbox to use during the winter that will expose you to light that mimics the sun’s rays. Sometimes insurance companies will reimburse you for these products if you can get a diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Nutrition for Depression
While it may be difficult to believe, food plays a powerful role in how we feel. Eating spicy foods for example, cause the body to flood itself with endorphins. Eating white flour products and sugar, on the other hand, cause blood sugar imbalances that can lead to chronic mood disturbances. If you think this may be contributing to your low mood, try eating a high protein diet with frequent small meals – such as every 3 hours. Focus on whole foods and avoid caffeine and other stimulants.
Over the last few decades, research done by scientists has found that there are more links between diet and human emotional health than they previously thought. Armed with this knowledge, and entire new field way of looking at nutrition has emerged and people are now considering the serious implications of this newer information, but what kinds of changes can people make to help with their moods? Here are some changes you can make to your diet that will help treat your anxiety, depression, and stress more
naturally.
Antioxidants
Along with their ability to fight cancer, antioxidants help to combat depression as well. Some components of depression can be caused by the over taxing of the immune system and general physical health of your body. If you can relieve some of that stress, the body will become more balanced and may experience some mood improvement effects. Vitamin C has been long associated with its ability to improve the mood of
humans, and continues to be a good choice as addition to any diet. They are also great at fighting inflammation that can contribute to feeling annoyed in general.
Complex Carbs
An overabundance of sugar in your diet can affect your mood negatively. These sugars that are food in snack cakes and the confectionery that is popular seem to have a negative effect on serotonin levels. On the contrary, complex carbs like those found in vegetables like broccoli, and starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes are associated with calming effects on the brain. This calming effect will definitely be needed if a person is suffering from some type of anxiety that either stems from a source of a lack of the
proper chemical responses in the brain. Being sure to get some of these a few times a week can greatly help to improve your wellbeing.
Selenium
Selenium is one of the nutrients that science isn’t entirely clear on whether or not can be supplemented. This is why most nutritionists just say that people should concentrate on getting their selenium from the food that they eat. Foods that contain selenium tend to be things like beans, lean meats and whole grains. The one thing that they do know for a fact is that having low selenium can definitely be a factor when you have low serotonin and are feeling like you are approaching a foul mood.
Aromatherapy Home Remedies for Depression
Essential oils have been used in therapeutic ways for thousands of years. They offer numerous healing benefits. There’s is a lot of buzz around aromatherapy, especially in the natural wellness and holistic medicine communities.
A 2013 article published in China, however, proposes that aromatherapy may work by stimulating serotonin pathways in the brain. Serotonin itself is an important messenger molecule in the body that helps us to feel relaxed and is an important part of many mood regulating medications.
While this is an engaging theory, the easiest way to measure mood is still with psychological assessments and questionnaires rather than by checking the levels of these messenger molecules.
All of the following studies used these methods, which some people consider to be unreliable and anecdotal. But feeling better is feeling better, right?
There are other herbal remedies that have been effective for many individuals who are depressed, and it’s certainly worth exhausting these options before considering expensive, potentially dangerous medications. Talk with a Naturopath about your feelings and see if you can find a plan that will help you feel happier again.
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