Depression: Recommended Remedies
Depression: Causes, Evaluation Criteria, and Recommended Remedies from the Perspective of Naturopathic Medicine and Holistic Yoga Practice
Statistics show that one in four women and one in ten men experience this suffering at least once in their lifetime. In Sweden alone, there are estimated to be over 2 million people affected by depression due to their inability to adapt to social difficulties. Particularly during periods marked by certain challenges (unemployment, exams, illness, divorce, job changes, marital disputes, deaths), many individuals experience transient feelings of sadness, dissatisfaction, discouragement, apathy, malaise, and pessimism, sometimes even leading to suicidal thoughts. If a person cannot overcome such negative states within two weeks, they may be suffering from a form of depression.
Depression can occur at any age. Experts believe that half of the people who have experienced a major depressive episode will experience another at some point. Many people are tempted to seek refuge in alcohol, tobacco, or even drugs. These substances may temporarily improve mood, but the "euphoria" quickly dissipates, replaced by a much more agonizing agony than the original depression. Nerve cells are negatively influenced by the action of tobacco and drugs, becoming weakened and exhausted, thus causing the depressive state to become chronic.
Not every bout of sadness is depression. Anyone can feel unwell at times, but this does not necessarily mean they suffer from clinical depression. No one is immune to occasional low moods, and everyone experiences sadness or discouragement when faced with loss. However, if these feelings persist or intensify over time, a serious imbalance may be present.
The Montgomery-Asberg Scale indicates several criteria for evaluating depression:
- Complete lack of interest in almost any activity that used to bring pleasure, accompanied by a heartbreaking feeling of emptiness and lethargy.
- Profound inner sadness – the individual feels helpless, hopeless, and devoid of any hope.
- Irritability.
- Feelings of worthlessness.
- Inability to concentrate, think, and make decisions.
- Pessimistic thoughts, feelings of guilt and self-censorship, inferiority complexes, and remorse for acts considered reprehensible or "sins."
- Suicidal thoughts and preparatory plans; depressives falsely believe that life is no longer worth living, and suicide attempts often succeed.
- Reduced duration and depth of sleep.
- Noticeable changes in appetite.
- Lack of energy, weakness, fatigue, lethargy (feeling of tiredness, boredom).
For many victims of depression, these physical and mental states persist day and night, seeming endless and often unaffected by happy events or good news. Some people are so dominated by feelings of despair that they cannot gather their strength, no matter how much encouragement they receive from those around them (family, friends, colleagues). Depressive individuals do not heed any advice and reject help from others because they feel so hopeless that everything seems meaningless.
Mental Illness or Neurological Disorder?
Doctors do not yet fully understand the exact mechanism that triggers depression. For a long time, psychiatry considered it a mental illness originating from the repression of painful emotions such as anger and sadness. Today, it is known that genetic factors are involved in the genesis of the disease, and recent research indicates the presence of imbalances in endocrine hormones (cortisol) and brain neurotransmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine).
However, researchers do not know whether these imbalances cause depression or if they occur as a consequence of the disease. Medications administered (serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, lithium, MAOIs) quickly block the biochemical phenomena of depression, but their long-term effectiveness is low, with allopathic doctors also recommending psychotherapeutic methods.
Diet
Dr. Elsan Haas, director of the "Preventive Medical Center of Marin," recommends in his work "A Diet for All Seasons" that depression sufferers adhere to a purifying diet for 2-3 weeks. During this period, the consumption of milk, sugar, meat, preserved foods, and pasta should be avoided, replaced with fresh, sun-ripened vegetables and fruits. These lead to "a rebalancing and better stability of the psyche."
Dr. Brigitte Mars, a specialist in herbal medicine and nutrition (Boulder, Colorado), emphasizes the importance of liver detoxification in patients suffering from depression, as their livers are found to be sluggish and blocked. Therefore, she recommends avoiding fats – butter, margarine, meat, as well as "snack foods."
Another expert on depression, Tierona Low Dog, points out that B vitamins (especially B12) can work wonders in healing it but has a serious reservation about taking them in pill form. Much more effective is assimilating vitamins directly from food by following an appropriate diet.
The following dietary recommendations, which have been applied in practice with very good results for many patients, are offered:
1) Cereals: wheat 200g/day, buckwheat 100g/day;
2) Vegetables: onions 1-2/day, leeks 100g, celery 100g;
3) Fruits: apricots, hazelnuts, walnuts 100g, black currants 75g, bee pollen 30g/day.
Herbal Medicine
In Western Europe, the plant called "St. John's Wort" has a long tradition of use as an antidepressant, with research showing that it acts similarly to MAO antidepressants but without their adverse effects.
Herbal specialist Low Dog recommends valerian tincture 3-5 ml 2/3 times a day for neurotic manifestations, irritability, and restlessness.
Passionflower has a similar MAO inhibition effect, calming feelings of anxiety. When combined with chamomile, it soothes digestive nervous manifestations.
Oat coffee, 2-3 cups daily, has a calming effect on the nervous system and invigorates.
Dr. Mars recommends Gingko Biloba tincture (available at pharmacies as Tanakan – solution, which is also available on prescription).
From the European flora, the most effective plants are as follows:
1) Valerian...100g
2) Mugwort...100g
3) Lemon balm...100g
4) Marigold...100g
5) Coltsfoot...100g
6) Rauvolfia...100g
7) St. John's Wort...100g
8) Rosemary...100g
9) Sage...100g
10) Basil...100g
The plants are finely ground with an electric grinder, mixed in the given quantities, and administered one teaspoon (5g) four times a day from each plant mixture, consecutively. They are kept sublingually for 15 minutes, then swallowed with mineral water.
These herbal mixtures can also be used for aromatic baths: 200g mixture (powder) soaked for 24 hours in 500ml water, then added to warm bathwater. Dr. Mars suggests adding a few drops of lavender or jasmine oil to the bath, with medicinal plants.
Yoga Techniques
Yogic exercises stimulate the production of endorphins and raise serotonin levels in the blood, explaining the pleasant euphoric state that occurs at the end of a yoga session. American psychiatrist Mark Gold asserts:
"It is impossible to suffer from depression when practicing yoga."
Yoga helps regulate the endocrine system and induces a state of inner peace in the mind.
Yoga teacher Barbara Kaplan, from Oakland, California, states that in the case of depression, there is an energetic blockage in the heart area (ANAHATHA CHAKRA), and individuals are unable to open up emotionally. They even have a physical posture of slouching, with drooping shoulders and a sunken chest, which perpetuates the crisis and worsens the condition. (Such observations are confirmed by psychoanalysis. Depressives are aware of this emotional crisis, cannot overcome it, and suffer because of it).
She recommends body postures that open the chest: ARDHA-CHANDRASANA (half-moon posture), BHUJANGASANA (cobra posture), CHAKRASANA (bridge pose), SHALABASANA (locust posture).
Koplan – YOGA therapist of the Phoenix Rising Foundation, USA – recommends inverted postures: SARVANGASANA (shoulder stand), SHIRSHASANA (headstand), as they regulate sleep and brain processes by accumulating blood in the head. However, he emphasizes that these exercises should be learned and practiced under the guidance of an authorized yoga teacher.
"YOGA eliminates apathy and lack of interest through specific exercises – ASANAs, which it offers... Exercises that bring the chest forward awaken the capacity to give or receive love. The hero's posture (VIRASANA) or Sun Salutation (SURYA NAMASKARA) help eliminate anger and become aware of personal power."
Miraculous Methods without Medications
Cheri Huber, author of the book "Depression Seen as an Opportunity for Spiritual Practice," recommends asking ourselves the following question during depressive states: "How can I take care of myself when I feel like this?" and then applying the same treatment as we would to a loved one. The author even suggests a party in honor of depression:
"Bake yourself a small, black cake. Don't add anything to make it rise or taste good. Paint a giant, dark and depressing painting. This will show you the negative state you're indulging in. All these troubles that seem like real obstacles in life can actually be impulses to self-overcome."
Dr. Patrick Miller, in "The Book of Practical Faith," recommends:
"Return to nature. Activate your body, preferably through play. Replace feelings of guilt or other negative beliefs with those of humility and trust."
Dr. Alexander Lawen highlights the release of endorphins and other beneficial substances for the brain during lovemaking with erotic-amorous continence, within a loving couple. Chinese medicine also recommends various erotic positions for combating depression, performed as a couple, at certain well-specified times by a doctor.
Tierona Low Dog suggests walks in the garden, contemplating the sunset, or a child's smile. Dr. Mars emphasizes the importance of exposing the entire body naked to sunlight for maintaining a state of happiness. Light acts on the pineal gland, stimulating the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and mood. During the winter months, when the sun barely appears, many people suffer from depression and certain seasonal affective disorders, says Dr. Mars, suggesting exposure for 20 minutes/day outdoors and replacing yellowish light bulbs with white light-emitting bulbs (halogen bulbs) – full spectrum.
Don't forget laughter therapy! Buy joke books, humor magazines, comedy movies. Lock yourself in and watch a few good comedies. Act out comedic scenes to your friends and colleagues, enjoy yourself, and laugh heartily.
In the members’ site, you hav access to yoga techniques, which you can practice in your own place, in your own space!