Depression

[linea]

Hey there! I have some loved ones who suffer from depression. However, they would like to avoid taking any kind of drugs to cope with it. I was wondering if anyone out there knows of a certain diet, or types of foods, that could help to alleviate some of the symptoms of depression. Has anyone tried something that they find works for them? I have tried googling some things, but it is easier to get someone with first hand experience. I realize that it wouldn't be a "cure all", but it would be nice if there was some diet out there that could at least improve the condition. Do some meal plans or foods work better than others? If anyone here could give me some information it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[kana_marie]

Different herbs and spices are what's going to have any kind of effect. Lavender is great for calming down. And then the most popular, chocolate. It releases the same chemical in your brain that you experience during "intimate moments". I posted a link where you can find out which herbs and spices are your best bet.

http://www.thehomesteadgarden.com/12-herbs-spices-depression-resources/

 

[Lullabelle]

I suppose it depends on the severity of their depression, sometimes drugs are the best way to go along with counselling.

 

[Food4thought]

In the short term, St John's Wort is a good alternative natural remedy. You can get it in tablet form from health supplement suppliers. When I took St John's Wort I no longer had any bad dreams and it stopped me from feeling anxious.

The other natural antidepressant is walking. Physical exercise releases a chemical in the brain that makes us feel good, and a lack of it causes depression. Any form of exercise is beneficial but walking is the best remedy, because it gets you outdoors into the world at large. If you are a long way from the countryside, you should be able to find an urban park or open space to walk in.

 

[Lullabelle]

In the short term, St John's Wort is a good alternative natural remedy. You can get it in tablet form from health supplement suppliers. When I took St John's Wort I no longer had any bad dreams and it stopped me from feeling anxious.

The other natural antidepressant is walking. Physical exercise releases a chemical in the brain that makes us feel good, and a lack of it causes depression. Any form of exercise is beneficial but walking is the best remedy, because it gets you outdoors into the world at large. If you are a long way from the countryside, you should be able to find an urban park or open space to walk in.

St John's Wort can work against an ingredient in a contraceptive pill, not sure which but something that needs to be looked into it a female decides to take it. Exercise is good for everyone and definitely worth doing.

 

[Rosyrain]

I think it really depends on if the family members are clinically depressed, or if the depression stems from just things going on in their lives at the moment. If the depression is clinical, then I believe medicine is just about the only long term remedy, however their may be some naturalist doctors who could give suggestions on some herbal remedies. If the depression is a result of things going on in their lives at the moment, then a good dose of sunshine and caring friends will aleviate the pain. I have been dealing with some emotional pain lately, as I described in another thread and found that getting out in the sun yesterday with a good friend and just talking it out made me feel a whole lot better. The issues still need to be resolved, but at least I was able to forget about my troubles for a little while.

 

[thestoryteller1]

St John's Wort can work against an ingredient in a contraceptive pill, not sure which but something that needs to be looked into it a female decides to take it. Exercise is good for everyone and definitely worth doing.

I am 100% supporting St. John's Wort and I am a female. At home, we have a lot more herbal teas than I have seen in other countries. St. John's Wort is one of the extremely popular herbal teas. It's known for a lot of good healthy effects other than stress-relief and it is sold in tea form in practically every supermarket, just as often as you would see mint tea for example. It's also known to be just as effective as anxiety medication, if you drink it daily. So just because it's part of contraceptives doesn't mean that it does anything contraceptive exactly- may be it's added because of the calming effect.
The only thing I would say is rather than getting a pill, which may contain more than the simple herbal extract, find a place to get the tea. Totally worth it. I drank it as part of my recovery when I was so depressed I could barely get out of bed. I did a lot of other things of course (like venting), but this was surely one of the things that helped me. If I ever was depressed again, this is the first thing I would buy. It's not magic cure, you still need support, counseling, venting or other things (depends on the case) but it does help with the anxiety part of the depression.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I am 100% supporting St. John's Wort and I am a female. At home, we have a lot more herbal teas than I have seen in other countries. St. John's Wort is one of the extremely popular herbal teas. It's known for a lot of good healthy effects other than stress-relief and it is sold in tea form in practically every supermarket, just as often as you would see mint tea for example. It's also known to be just as effective as anxiety medication, if you drink it daily. So just because it's part of contraceptives doesn't mean that it does anything contraceptive exactly- may be it's added because of the calming effect.

I believe that the problem stems from St John's Wort interfering with the contraceptive pills effectiveness, nothing more.

 

[Berties]

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/healthy-diet-depression.aspx
A over veiw what should be eaten and drank to help elevate symptoms

 

[Diane Lane]

Natural light can help, so even if the person doesn't want to leave the house, make sure the blinds/curtains are open, to let it in. If they don't want to get out of bed, have them at least get up and out to the couch or a nice comfortable chair. Often, taking baby steps can help them see progress, especially when it's pointed out, and keeping a diary of the steps can make it more concrete. Once they've been getting up regularly and out of bed into natural light, they can progress to going outdoors and sitting there. The eventual idea is to go for the walks as mentioned above, but sometimes doing that is a process, and often they will need support to do these things. If the depression is severe, it's best to have the person see a specialist, but if it's situational, such as when a person loses his/her job and becomes down, sometimes behavioral changes such as those I've mentioned can help.

 

[Rosyrain]

Eating heavy foods can also make you feel worse because you have to carry around that weight in the pit of your stomach. Eating heavy meals also makes you very sleepy, which is the opposite way that someone with depression would want to feel. I like the article that Berties posted because it talks about getting plenty of fruits and vegggies into your diet if you have depression. The nutrients will give you more energy so that you can try to go about your day.

 

[Lullabelle]

I believe that the problem stems from St John's Wort interfering with the contraceptive pills effectiveness, nothing more.

That was what I meant I just didn't word it correctly.

 

[HornedDemoN]

You should check out a great book on this subject, called The Ultramind Solution (by Mark Hyman). He explores the topic quite deeply, explaining how food actually affects our mood and general stability throughout the day. I was pretty skeptical at first and didn't consider the possibility of food playing such an enourmous role in how I feel, but I swear - it's true. And the more you strive to eliminate bad foods from your diet, the better you'll be feeling. I wouldn't say that this is the only cause of depression, but it's a really, really, really significant part of it, so I urge you to check out that book...

 

[linea]

Different herbs and spices are what's going to have any kind of effect. Lavender is great for calming down. And then the most popular, chocolate. It releases the same chemical in your brain that you experience during "intimate moments". I posted a link where you can find out which herbs and spices are your best bet.

http://www.thehomesteadgarden.com/12-herbs-spices-depression-resources/

Great, thanks for your help. I am rally glad that chocolate is helpful haha and yes, I didn't even think of lavender, but I guess that is a pretty obvious one. We may have to try chamomile tea too.Thank you very much for the link , I will check that out for sure !

In the short term, St John's Wort is a good alternative natural remedy. You can get it in tablet form from health supplement suppliers. When I took St John's Wort I no longer had any bad dreams and it stopped me from feeling anxious.

The other natural antidepressant is walking. Physical exercise releases a chemical in the brain that makes us feel good, and a lack of it causes depression. Any form of exercise is beneficial but walking is the best remedy, because it gets you outdoors into the world at large. If you are a long way from the countryside, you should be able to find an urban park or open space to walk in.

Great thank you, I will try St. John's wort. It would be perfect since the people I know suffer from a combination of anxiety and depression. Walking would be perfect too, I just hope that I will be able to convince them to go out. But, maybe I will be able to get them to exercise inside first and then work up to getting them out of the house.

You should check out a great book on this subject, called The Ultramind Solution (by Mark Hyman). He explores the topic quite deeply, explaining how food actually affects our mood and general stability throughout the day. I was pretty skeptical at first and didn't consider the possibility of food playing such an enourmous role in how I feel, but I swear - it's true. And the more you strive to eliminate bad foods from your diet, the better you'll be feeling. I wouldn't say that this is the only cause of depression, but it's a really, really, really significant part of it, so I urge you to check out that book...

Awesome, thank you very much. I will definitely check that out! Willing to try lots of different options!

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/healthy-diet-depression.aspx
A over veiw what should be eaten and drank to help elevate symptoms

This link is really helpful, thanks for posting!

 

[kammy]

Over the years whenever I am going through a state of depression lavender and chamomile tea as always helped to calm me and enables me to have a blissful sleep. At times I will also put a few drops of lavender on my pillow which really works wonders for me.