subject: Alternative Medicine For Depression: Advice And Hints! [print this page] A chemical asymmetry in the brain is the usual cause of Depression Depression, like other illnesses, must be taken seriously as it can lead to severe consequences like sadness, headaches, sleep deprivation and nervous breakdown.
Surveys done recently have shown that some 10% of the poplutaion of the world suffers from one or another forms of depression and it is a widespread problem. According to the outcomes of U.S. National Comorbidity Survey confirmed that 17.3% of the American population suffered a string of serious depression and about 24.5% experienced an anxiety related illness at some point in their lives.
There are not only various psychological reasons, depression may also be hereditary from parents. It is also a side effect of lots of medicated treatments involving conditions, such as high blood pressure and cancer. Depression can exist in a number of forms, such as maniac depression, schizophrenia, psychotic depression and dysthymia even though symptoms of each kind of depression may appear simillar.
In proportion women tend to have depression twice as much as men. The treatment techniques of depression involve methods, such as antidepressants medication and Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Whether these medical treatments are effective is still a debatable topic and hence alternative treatment techniques are sought, some of which are described below:
*Meditation: Meditation can be very beneficial for curing depression, regardless of the psychological or biological depression. For patients suffering from depression a meditation technique known as Metta Bhavana or loving kindness meditation has been found to be beneficial. It is practised by Buddhist people and focuses on enlightening love. Another type of meditation technique is Mindful meditation that is good for patients with depression, it helps in bringing the mind to a relaxed state, free of concerns and stress.
*Herbal Medication: Herbal medication would require a rich diet of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B-6, follic acid and magnesium. All these components are capable of introducing natural 5-hydroxytryptamine, which is a mood enhancing neurotransmitter. A doctor must be consulted as a precautionary measure prior to jumping on to herbal treatments.
*Reflexology: It was invented by Chinese people and which is, a lot of times, misinterpreted as acupuncture. In Refloxology the chemical composition distortions of the body is effectively treated by stumulating reflexology pressure points located in the foot. As each reflex point in the foot serves a particular purpose, it is most important in the treatment process to find the specific reflex point that alleviates depression.
*Tissue Salt: As a short term measure Tissue salt can be very beneficial treatment. It is available in the form of tablets and prepared from kali phos, nat mur, nat sulph and calc phos. All these ingredients have the property of discarding the bad feelings like hopelessness and sorrowfulness.
*Homeopathy: Homeopathic remedies involving ignatia, pulsatilla, sepia and aurum have been found very effective in curbing depression.
