Millions have problems with depression and anxiety. Why that is (apart from physiological reasons) would be a huge discussion in itself. But I wanted to share with others the success that my wife Judy has had with various natural remedies.
She has had fairly serious depression and post-partum depression, particularly from 1993 (when our second child was born) to 2000. She took Zoloft during that time, and it had several negative side-effects, such as making her what we called “zombie-like”.
We have had success controlling or eliminating several maladies by vitamins, herbs, homeopathy. I did some research on the Internet a few years back on Zoloft and natural alternatives, and discovered some very interesting information. The following amino acids all have to do with the brain and the areas of it which are related to depression and anxiety:
tyrosine (the best, if you choose one of these): 1500 mg/day
taurine: 1500 mg/day
GABA: 1500 mg/day(also, glutamine has similar functions and effects, too)
Judy has taken these successfully without side effects for about three years now. It worked for her. It replaced Zoloft. She feels great (and that is with four kids to take care of, at age 45, including a 2-year-old rambunctious little girl). St. John’s Wort is also effective for many people. And another supplement called SAM-e is pretty effective as well (but expensive as heck, so we got rid of it). Note: all of these generally take six weeks or so to get into your system and really start working.
Every day, she also takes chamomile (1000 mg daily) and black cohosh (1600 mg daily), which is a “female herb.” It is the leading supplement for menopause in Europe (my wife is starting that). [Dong quai is also helpful for many women] For severe anxiety, she takes chasteberry tea. Judy has reported that she did fine over Christmas and the last few months, which usually cause her (like many women especially, it seems) to have some depression. These last three supplements were what we added in addition to the amino acids.
There is also a homeopathic sleeping pill that is good for anxiety. My mother (big worrier) and son (autistic) have had success with that. It’s called Calms Forte (brand name Hylands). I bought it last time at our local chain drugstore (Rite Aid). It includes passion flower, avena sativa, chamomile, and other ingredients. Valerian root is also a good sedative and natural sleeping pill but it smells and tastes like dirty socks.
My wife and I both have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). That can cause depression itself (among many other symptoms; notably, headaches). If someone suspects that they have that (millions do without even being aware of it), it is crucial to start reducing or eliminating white sugar and white flour, and taking a time-released B-100 complex with all 11 B vitamins. Also, chromium (200 mcg daily) is essential for blood sugar metabolism. Niacin, one of the B vitamins, is good for depression, as is Calcium-Magnesium (everyone should take a 1000-500 mg combination every day). Protein is also most beneficial.
I hope this is helpful. These remedies are relatively inexpensive, they work, they get right to the cause of the problem, and they have few (if any) side effects. And it is always good not to use a drug if you don’t have to. I figured out much of this simply from Internet research and my general knowledge of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and natural foods, from 20 years’ experience.
In severe or moderately severe cases, however (the obligatory disclaimer), these things quite possibly may not work, and some drug might be necessary. Nothing (whether drug or natural treatment) works for absolutely everyone. If your doctor advocates natural remedies at all, it would be good to check with him or her. More and more doctors are not averse to natural medicines, because they have been so effective and it is hard to argue with success.
No need to needlessly suffer. Life is too short . . .
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For related articles, see my web page: Herbalism, Holistic Health, & Alternative Medicine (A Collection). Many articles were posted on my Facebook page. I hope to transfer most to my blog.
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(originally 3-13-04)
Photo credit: Baker131313 (4-15-09) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]
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