How To Heal Depression Naturally

I just found an interesting video on YouTube that covers some alternative remedies for the treatment of depression. The young woman in the video appears to genuinely believe that the advice she gives will benefit someone who suffers depression. I agree with most of what she has to say, but strongly disagree with a couple of the recommendations. However sweet and sincere she is, my guess is that she’s never experienced a suicidal bout of depression.

It’s a short video, so take a look and then I’ll tell you what I agree with and what I disagree with…

I agree that a diet that contains a healthy variety of nutrients is a good idea for everyone, not just for those suffering with depression. I also agree that supplements such as  L-Tyrosine and 5-HTP can help reduce the symptoms of depression, but that a healthy diet and supplements only provide a sort of "band aid" effect and don’t do much to cure the underlying cause of depression.

Here are other points with which I agree:

• Let go of the past and learn to live in the present moment is right on target

• Getting out in nature is an excellent recommendation - our bodies are composed of the same elements found in nature, so connecting with nature can be very healing on many levels

• Advice to follow a spiritual practice is helpful. It truly doesn’t matter what your beliefs are, it is your faith in a higher power (the Source that created all things) that can aid you is what’s important. Prayer and meditation are powerful.

• Creating a strong bond with family and friends without being dependent on them in a needy way

• A pet can be a tremendous source of comfort

Now, here are the points I take issue with:

"Love for life can pull you out of a depression" is a tricky thing. Do we really have the right to expect that someone will love us our entire lifetime? What if someone we believe will love us forever dies? It isn’t a good idea to give responsibility for the way we feel to someone else.

Asking the questions "What makes me sad? What causes this horrible part to my life that makes me feel like this, and then change it" is a form of thinking that will most likely cause us to feel that we are a victim of life’s circumstances.

She states that if you’rein a job or a relationship that isn’t satisfying, just change it. This brings to mind one of my favorite quotes:

“The significant problems we face in life cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."  ~ Albert Einstein

In light of the quote above, my advice would be to deal with the depression first, and once you’re feeling better, give consideration to whatever changes you think are necessary. It’s funny how the same circumstances look differently when you’re feeling good as opposed to when you’re feeling the symptoms of depression.

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Depression may be more of a problem than most of us believe that it is.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a report stating that the number of people who experience depression is doubling every ten years and that by 2020 it will be the most pervasive illness in the world and the second leading cause of death. WHO also states that depression currently ranks second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disabilities associated with illness.

What does this have to do with you?

If you suffer from depression (or know someone who does) you know all too well that it is a challenging condition which interferes with the enjoyment of life and leaves you feeling as if there is no hope that the pain will ever end. But, you may not have recognized the enormity of the problem.

Unfortunately, depression will touch almost every single person during their lifetime.  They will either experience it themselves or know someone who has. Those who do experience depression may suffer its hideous effects for decades or even for a lifetime.

Why is depression currently so pervasive? Furthermore, why is the number of people who will experience it projected to increase at such a rapid rate?  And, most importantly, what can we do about it?

Doctors can’t agree on the cause of depression.  Some say it is a chemical imbalance, while others claim it is a genetic problem. There are others who believe that depression is a “learned behavior.”

The most common treatment for depression today is therapy coupled with antidepressant medication.  This can become costly and time consuming without much success. The question remains… Is it working?

Some people do experience an improved mood when they are prescribed antidepressants.  But, think about this… any mind-altering drug, including antidepressants, has the potential to produce a positive improvement in mood. Is the improved mood that one experiences while taking antidepressants proof that they had a chemical imbalance to begin with.  Not in light of the previous statement.

What this information means is that if therapy and antidepressants were the answers to alleviating depression, the numbers of people suffering its debilitating effects would be decreasing or, at the least, the numbers would remain the same. However, as we’ve already discovered, that is not the case. So, in a nut shell, current methods are not the answer for most depressed people. But, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with either of these two treatments, but simply that, in most cases, they aren’t necessary nor do they provide the total relief a depressed person is seeking.

It is time for us to open our eyes and, most importantly, our minds to the possibility that since the medical establishment  hasn’t found the cure for depression, that they don’t understand what causes it.  It is my belief that only when we understand the root cause of depression, or any other illness, can we find the answer to truly healing it.

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