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natural rememdies for depression

Hey, I am not advocating to anyone to stop their medications. That is something only a doctor can decide with you. But I am looking for some ideas of natural remedies you have tried and continue to try to suppliment your medications and make them more effective against depression.
I like the following : meditation, green tea, chamomile tea, exercise, natural light exposure, talking to friends...
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Avatar universal
Be aware that supplementing medication is not easy for the average layperson to do safely -- medications have a lot of contraindications against taking some of the best "natural" remedies for depression.  I put natural in quotes. because some natural remedies aren't all that natural, they're still pharmaceutical products, but because they do use substances found in nature they can't be patented.  Because that takes most of the big money out it, most people don't know these things exist.  You can take things that help protect you from some of the long-term harm from taking medication, and some substances, such as chamomile, are so mild they don't interfere much with medication but even chamomile affects GABA to a tiny extent so it does amplify any benzos someone might be taking.  You have to know this stuff to use it properly, which means not only what to take but when to take it so you prevent conflicts with your meds.  Once you decide to go the medication route, you've blocked off most of the best herbs and amino acids that help do the same things.  A good book for anyone to read for an overview of some of what's out there -- and know that a holistic approach would combine several remedies and techniques, not just use one or two things -- is Natural Highs by Hyla Case, a psychiatrist at UCLA.  Personally, I know natural medicine more than most because I managed health food stores for many years, and that forced me to learn the stuff and interact with many of the strongest forces behind the modern complementary medicine movement, and I'm still far from an expert on it -- there are plants all over the world people have used for health.  But it's rare any one or combination would be as strong as artificially altering your brain function, which is what medication does, so it does require therapy and all the other things everyone tells us to do.  No guarantees anything will work, including medication, as individuals vary in how their systems absorb and use what we ingest.  Good hunting.
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My spellcheck on Safari is driving me nuts -- used to use Mozilla but had to switch because for some reason Mozilla drives my computer to overwork.  The name is Hyla Cass, not Case -- Safari doesn't seem to know a proper noun from a word.  
Tbd
LarryesqExternal User
You might want to check out this study.  If you do, and decide to give it a try, be sure your are purchasing BCM-95 Curcumin--there are a lot of "supplements" out there that make all kind of claims and actually do contain Curcumin, but if it is not BCM-95 it is not absorbed by the body nearly as well and the effect is not clinically supported.  

Goel A. Depression Study Published on BCM-95 Curcumin; Natural product equaled effectiveness of prescription drug in clinical trial. July 11, 2013. Accessed at http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/depression-study-published-on-bcm-95-curcumin-215101301.html  
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Avatar universal
You can overcome by depression by doing mediation regularly. Meditation is a simple technique that, if practiced for as few as 10 minutes each day, can help you to control stress, decrease anxiety, improve cardiovascular health also gives relaxation (Urban Buddha)
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your response.
I was thinking more along the lines of exercise, meditation, yoga, and other physical and mental activities that we can do in addition to medication. But you do bring up a good point about using herbal supplements that are are labeled to 'treat/cure' depression.
Thanks for your input into this topic!
I believe that there is no magic pill that we can ingest to cure depression. I believe in a holistic treatment system with all forms of self care being prescribed. It took me years to accept this way of life as I was a bit lazy in my younger years. But now that i can see things with more perspective than I realized I really have to treat everything not just one part of the problem when I am depressed.
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You're right, there is no medication that "cures" depression or anxiety, as scientists don't know what biological processes cause it.  The drugs suppress bad thoughts when they work and amp up good thoughts, but they don't do anything about the source of the problem.  Therapy does do that.  It doesn't necessarily work for that many people, but when it does work, you are cured because you don't think the thoughts that drive us crazy anymore.  It never worked for me, but I still recommend it for everyone before they go on these difficult meds.  The meditation, etc. is great -- even if it does nothing for your anxiety, it will allow your body to stay healthy despite it.  Keep it up.
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