Depression is a major issue for a lot of people, and could make life difficult for not only the person affected, but the people around them as well. I'm a big advocate of the idea that by taking good care of your body, you can eliminate a great deal of health problems, which includes depression. However, the current trend seems to be that antidepressants are increasingly being prescribed with no consideration as to whether or not they are the best thing for the person. Are you feeling down? Here take this so you don't have to feel bad. Never mind finding an explanation for your feelings of sadness. Antidepressant medications will often be used as a quick fix for unpleasant feelings, and are given out like candy. But these medications can come with some serious side effects, so before you get that prescription for Zoloft filled, which you were given after seeing a physician for 5 minutes, take a look at yourself, and see if you can tackle the issue without relying on a magic pill. There are a few natural methods you might want to try first that don't include the complication of increasing your thoughts of suicide.
To start off, what you need to comprehend is whether or not your unpleasant feelings are situational. Are there details going on in your life so that it makes sense that you're feeling down? Do you find yourself currently going through a lot of stressful situations? Divorce, death of a loved one, health problems, financial worries, or essentially any stressful events in your life might contribute to depression. There are a few researchers who think that using antidepressants may prevent the brain from being able to process through the crises in a persons life. The fluctuations of your emotional state are a part of life, so don't cheat yourself by hiding them with a pill.
Most people don't know that there's a secret approach to depression which has been proven to be as good as, if not greater than antidepressants. It's nothing more than simple aerobic exercise. A number of research studies show the great results exercise can have on an individual who is experiencing major depression. A basic rule is to do approximately two and a half hours of moderate intensity cardio workouts each week, which is about thirty minutes five days per week. You want to do an exercise that increases your heartbeat, so going for an easy walk will not be vigorous enough. Jog, swim, ride a bike, just find a physical activity you enjoy doing. The more you love it, the easier it will be to stay with a program.
Vitamin D quantities inside your body can have a huge influence on your emotional well-being. There's an illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD) which is really just a term for depression that only affects people at a specific time of the year, i.e. autumn and winter. Interestingly enough, the rise in SAD highly correlates to the seasons of the year when the majority of people aren't able to get enough sunlight, and therefore their vitamin D concentrations decrease. One study performed in 1999 concluded that improvement in serum vitamin D amounts was significantly related to improvement in depression scale scores. So if you're similar to 85% of Americans and are inadequate in Vitamin D, start taking a daily supplement. I recommend starting with 4,000 IU for females, and 5,000 IU for males. However it is recommended to get your serum levels checked out, and then alter your dose appropriately.
In addition to physical exercise and vitamin D, yet another thing that can have an effect on depression is diet. A large number of dietary factors exist which may play a role in depression, but some of the primary ones are Omega 3's, vitamin B9 and B12, and not getting enough fat in the diet. If you have been limiting your intake of fat, you might be dealing with some negative effects in relation to your mental well-being. When I hear a person tell me they are consuming a diet low in fat what that usually means is that they are replacing the calories from fat with carbs. Fat is vital in assisting in the regulation of the body's hormones, and low-fat diets can cause an imbalance of serotonin in the brain.
The majority of people quite possibly don't get enough Omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. Unless you're eating a lot of fish, or grass-fed beef, you might benefit from an Omega-3 supplement. The best ones to take are EPA and DHA, which are predominantly produced from fish oils. Plant based supplements do exist containing ALA, however most health improvements have been associated with EPA and DHA. Your body is able to convert ALA into the other two, however for most people, it's not a very efficient process.
There is some data which suggests that boosting your consumption of vitamin B9 (folate) and B12 might help depression as well. Depending on what varieties of food you eat, you might not be ingesting an adequate amount of these vitamins. B12 can be tough to get, especially if you don't eat animal products. Supplementing with one of these can be a simple way to guarantee your body gets the quantity it demands. One recent study in 2005 advised using 800 micrograms of B9, and 1mg of B12 daily to help treat depression.
Depression can be a serious issue for a number of men and women. But my advise is to try some natural strategies to curing your depression as your first step. Anti-depressants may be useful in some instances, but considering each of the potential side-effects they can lead to, think about them as an alternative choice if everything else has failed, rather than your first option in treating your depression.
To start off, what you need to comprehend is whether or not your unpleasant feelings are situational. Are there details going on in your life so that it makes sense that you're feeling down? Do you find yourself currently going through a lot of stressful situations? Divorce, death of a loved one, health problems, financial worries, or essentially any stressful events in your life might contribute to depression. There are a few researchers who think that using antidepressants may prevent the brain from being able to process through the crises in a persons life. The fluctuations of your emotional state are a part of life, so don't cheat yourself by hiding them with a pill.
Most people don't know that there's a secret approach to depression which has been proven to be as good as, if not greater than antidepressants. It's nothing more than simple aerobic exercise. A number of research studies show the great results exercise can have on an individual who is experiencing major depression. A basic rule is to do approximately two and a half hours of moderate intensity cardio workouts each week, which is about thirty minutes five days per week. You want to do an exercise that increases your heartbeat, so going for an easy walk will not be vigorous enough. Jog, swim, ride a bike, just find a physical activity you enjoy doing. The more you love it, the easier it will be to stay with a program.
Vitamin D quantities inside your body can have a huge influence on your emotional well-being. There's an illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD) which is really just a term for depression that only affects people at a specific time of the year, i.e. autumn and winter. Interestingly enough, the rise in SAD highly correlates to the seasons of the year when the majority of people aren't able to get enough sunlight, and therefore their vitamin D concentrations decrease. One study performed in 1999 concluded that improvement in serum vitamin D amounts was significantly related to improvement in depression scale scores. So if you're similar to 85% of Americans and are inadequate in Vitamin D, start taking a daily supplement. I recommend starting with 4,000 IU for females, and 5,000 IU for males. However it is recommended to get your serum levels checked out, and then alter your dose appropriately.
In addition to physical exercise and vitamin D, yet another thing that can have an effect on depression is diet. A large number of dietary factors exist which may play a role in depression, but some of the primary ones are Omega 3's, vitamin B9 and B12, and not getting enough fat in the diet. If you have been limiting your intake of fat, you might be dealing with some negative effects in relation to your mental well-being. When I hear a person tell me they are consuming a diet low in fat what that usually means is that they are replacing the calories from fat with carbs. Fat is vital in assisting in the regulation of the body's hormones, and low-fat diets can cause an imbalance of serotonin in the brain.
The majority of people quite possibly don't get enough Omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. Unless you're eating a lot of fish, or grass-fed beef, you might benefit from an Omega-3 supplement. The best ones to take are EPA and DHA, which are predominantly produced from fish oils. Plant based supplements do exist containing ALA, however most health improvements have been associated with EPA and DHA. Your body is able to convert ALA into the other two, however for most people, it's not a very efficient process.
There is some data which suggests that boosting your consumption of vitamin B9 (folate) and B12 might help depression as well. Depending on what varieties of food you eat, you might not be ingesting an adequate amount of these vitamins. B12 can be tough to get, especially if you don't eat animal products. Supplementing with one of these can be a simple way to guarantee your body gets the quantity it demands. One recent study in 2005 advised using 800 micrograms of B9, and 1mg of B12 daily to help treat depression.
Depression can be a serious issue for a number of men and women. But my advise is to try some natural strategies to curing your depression as your first step. Anti-depressants may be useful in some instances, but considering each of the potential side-effects they can lead to, think about them as an alternative choice if everything else has failed, rather than your first option in treating your depression.
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For more informationon treating depression and other health problems, or if you want to find a Fort Collins chiropractor, check out Essential Motion Chiropractic.
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