Home Remedies For Depression – A Natural Approach to Feeling Better

Posted on Oct 24, 2012 in Depression | 0 comments

Using home remedies or natural treatments for treating depression can be the best thing you do for yourself should you be suffering from the disease. Carry on reading to learn all the best natural remedies for depression, the common symptoms, cause and how to recognize clinical depression so you can help yourself or a loved one.

Depression symptoms are experienced by people who may be going through tough times in life. Depression is a medical condition that negatively affects the way you think, feel and act.

This can be triggered by several factors. For some it is caused by an abusive childhood while in others it can be caused by chemical imbalance in the brain which affects brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Other causes of depression include excessive use of alcohol or drugs, psychological tendencies like having low self esteem and going through stressful conditions. This can come in the form of financial stress, stress at work having to deal with hard work for long hours, family issues or even stress due to having to study for exams.

Clinical or severe depression has its symptoms but there are several ways a person can tackle this condition. More on that later in this article.

Recognizing Clinical Depression

There are several ways one can use to see when someone has these symptoms. It can be manifested physically whereby the victim suffers from headaches, digestive problems, fatigue, lack of appetite or binge eating even when one is not hungry and in others there is the constant loss of sleep which is called insomnia.

Some people experience a sudden change in behavior like finding it hard to concentrate and always seeming distracted, some may come out as indecisive while others lose interest in things that used to interest them. This may affect their sex life or how they relate with people in social settings. Some even stop taking care of how they look and may appear for an important function looking shabby and unkempt. It can also can also be seen when someone becomes overly emotional. Some people will start crying for no reason, others become agitated over very petty issues. There are some who will start feeling suicidal when they are going through this period because of feeling useless, guilty or disappointed.

Watch this informative video about the different kinds of depression.

Home Remedies

It seems that natural remedies for depression are the way to go… as those who are suffering from depression and are simply tired of taking drugs that will just not help them out with their illness as much as they hoped for. The natural remedies are the ones that most of the people who are suffering from depression will target, because compared to normal pills, there will be little to no side effects they will have to cope with.

Over the last few years there have been more and more natural depression remedies appearing on the market and no one can argue that many of them are really effective at what they claim to be doing. It’s well known that people who are suffering from mild to moderate depression and sometimes even clinical depression will not be able to alleviate their symptoms with normal medications and this is where natural remedies come into the picture.

To number some of the most effective remedies for depression they are essential oils, antidepressant herbs, certain vitamins and of course physical exercise paired with mineral supplements.

Eating fish or taking cod liver oil is one way for a person to obtain omega 3 fatty acids which are known to be good for the normal function of the human brain.

The brain plays such an important role as far as depression is concerned and thus it should be well taken care of. Eating food that contains green leafy vegetables, fruits or whole grains is also recommended because they provide the body with vitamin B which has folic acid. Folic acid is known to be deficient in people who display clinical depression symptoms.

One should stop excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs which is known to be a form of escapism. Get someone to talk to about any stress you might be going through. It can either be a friend, pastor or one can go ahead and organize counseling sessions.

Meditation, yoga or even aromatherapy is known to have very good effects as far as clearing the mind off any depressive thoughts is concerned. Endorphins are neurotransmitters which are released in the brain when a human does an activity and it produces a feeling of excitement or exhilaration.

Some of the ways one can go about triggering its production is doing regular exercises, having sex or eating spicy food.
Stress and Depression Tips:

Herbal Tinctures

depressed man

The herbal remedies for depression are best taken in the form of a tincture. People who suffer from mild depression will thus benefit greatly from tinctures like St John’s rose, wort, oats or vervain. Such tinctures can also be found easily in every herbal shop, but people can also opt to make their own if they know how to do it. After making a tincture or buying one individuals are advised to take two milliliters of it (with a tincture strength of one to two) dilute din water. The tincture has to be taken between two and three times in twenty four hours. A very good tincture we recommend that contains St. Johns Wort is the herbal remedy tincture Mind Soothe.

Sometimes people will also have some other medications they will need to take asides from that for their depression and if this is the case, they will need to consult their medical practitioner before taking such home remedies for depression.

Essential Oils

The good news when it comes to essential oils is that they can be put on the space between the person’s upper lip and nose or they can also be used in massage sessions. It’s never recommended that people who suffer from depression to apply these natural remedies neat on their skin. They will always need to be mixed with a carrier oil or with a base. As such, for creating an effective essential oil, people will need to mix fifteen drops of geranium, ten drops of bergamot, five drops of lavender essential oil in 2 tablespoons of avocado base oil, sweet almond, apricot kernel or grape seeds. On the other hand people can also use alternatively fifteen drops of geranium, twelve drops of nutmeg and eight drops of neroli oil.

If the individual is suffering from clinical or chronic depression it’s recommended to take three drops of jasmine oil and three of osmanthus oil. It will bring him or her the relief required for improving their state.

The mixes aforementioned are also effective if they will be used in a bath. People will thus just have to select their preferred mix and then sprinkle it over in their hot bath and then soak in it for around a quarter of an hour. Lastly when it comes to essential oils these depression remedies can also be poured on a handkerchief and sniffed. If this is the path the individual will want to follow, they will need to reduce the number of drops used.

Exercise

For those who didn’t know yet, exercising regularly will help them cope with their depression way better than they can imagine. Having the heart rate boosted for around one hundred and eighty minutes each week will help the body generate mood enhancers to improve the person’s mental state. It’s recommended to exercise in parks or in places where there are people and green spaces as they have a very positive effect on the mental health. If there is one activity of this kind that will have a very good effect on people that is gardening.

Chinese exercises of Tai Chi and Chi Gong are also deemed to be very effective when it comes to relieving people of their depression symptoms. Exercises that are based on controlled breathing will also provide a lot of relief for depression. Overall people who will exercise will overall have a better time coping with their depression, as exercise is superior to antidepressants because they yield a higher recovery rate and also account for very few relapses.

Vitamins and Minerals

The individuals who are generally dealing with depression will have their B vitamin levels on the low and that is why it’s recommended for them to take vitamin supplements and on top of that have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Vitamins B6, B12 are also very useful to correct any deficiencies in the body that will affect depression in a positive way. In order to improve mood even further people will also have to take if they want one selenium supplements of one hundred milligrams paired with calcium and vitamin D.

Getting enough iron is also recommended for people who don’t have adequate iron levels will have their depression affecting them even more and making their lives a hell. The iron levels can easily be checked by a professional. There are also homeopathic remedies for depression should people want to consider them.

The fact is that people who are dealing with depression will also need to balance their level of fats. Such people will have low levels of omega three fatty acid levels, so by eating more fish or taking fish oil supplements, this deficiency can be overcome. It’s recommended that people will thus get ten grams of omega three fatty acids per day.

Natural Herbal Remedy for Depression

CLICK THE BOTTLE SHOWN BELOW to find out more on MindSoothe herbal medicine!

Closing Thoughts

Depression is a complex disease, but the good news is the solutions above can easily help people cure it or cope with it very well in the case of bipolar disorder. Following the natural remedies for depression above, anyone will be able to improve their mood and step in the right way to curing or managing depression and greatly alleviating its symptoms.