When Anti-depressants Fail, Can You Turn To Natural Depression Treatments?

Leery of harsh side effects from prescription drugs

, many are turning to alternative sources for treatment of many illnesses and conditions, including the use of natural herbs, hormones, and plants.

Depression is one of those conditions that, while not specifically physically debilitating, can affect you to such a degree that even getting out of bed in the morning seems painful. To suffer from strong feelings of sadness, loneliness, a lack of self-worth, and even suicidal thoughts day after day can bring take you to the brink of insanity. You would do just about anything to feel good again, and if you're not careful, long-term depression can lead to drug and alcohol abuse. Anti-depressants may give some relief, but people often find that the shadow life they then lead, devoid of any strong emotion whatsoever, isn't much of an improvement.

St. John's wort is one herb that has been studied and found to be a natural mood enhancer against low grade melancholy. When that doesn't help, anti-depressants are often prescribed. But what do you do when you don't like the anti-depressant and St. John's wort isn't strong enough? Are there natural depression treatments that don't include a long list of possible negative side-effects?

SAM-e might be the answer for you. Not an herb or hormone, SAM-e (formally called s-adenosylmethionine) is something that naturally occurs in all living cells. SAM-e is the substance that controls methylation, a process that occurs in your body about one billion times per second. It affects everything from fetal development to brain function, including regulating the actions of various hormones and neurotransmitters like serotonin, melatonin, dopamine, and adrenalin.

Its far-reaching effects are so vital that without SAM-e, which allows methylation to happen, there would be no life as we know it. A lack of SAM-e in the body allows a surge of homocysteine (think of SAM-e and homocysteine as two faces of the same molecule, one good and one bad), which blocks the production of SAM-e and greatly increases your chance to develop all kinds of health issues, including heart attack, stroke, and depression.

Should you run right out and buy bulk SAM-e if you're depressed? It won't hurt you, and it might very well boost your body back to a state where you can feel happiness without a laundry list of side-effects, according to studies. While the FDA hasn't run extensive tests, many European studies have been conducted, and the consensus there is that it is highly effective - as effective as anti-depressants but without the toxic problems.

In any case, SAM-e is essential to your health. Eating a diet high in B vitamins will help, and if you need a boost, buying SAM-e as a supplement from a reputable source to fight depression and stay healthy might just be your ticket to living life the way you want to.

by: Art Gib

POST COMMENT

What Depression Does To Your Performance Depression Is A Serious Issue Which Should Be Sorted Out Depression Treatment: The Common Side Effects Of Antidepressant Depression: Keeping It Low Great Gatsby Setting As A Prequel To The Great Depression Look To Naturel - Defeat Depression Together With The Very Best Anti-depressant. Learn The Cure For Tinnitus Related Stress & Depression Managing Depression With Pittsburgh, Pa Help The Treatment For Depression: Pittsburgh, Pa Specialists Help Treatment For Seasonal Affected Depression Can Insomnia Cause Depression? Stop! It May Be That You Are Suffering With Depression What Are The Different Types Of Depression According To Symptoms