Re: New to this board. Anyone tried natural methods
I've only gone the alternative route, so I'll share my experience. I started with St. John's Wort and took it for almost two years. It really made a difference and I highly recommend it to anyone with mild to moderate depression. SJW has to be taken for about four weeks to notice the full benefits. A family situation caused my depression to take a turn for the worse and I started looking for other natural alternatives. After trial and error with various supplements, I discovered something by accident when looking for an alternative to relieve a tension headache, something I rarely ever have. I bought some Rosemary capsules and soon forgot about the headache because I noticed my mood was much better than it had been for quite some time. I figured the rosemary had to be the reason. It turns out rosemary has been used since ancient times for it's medicinal values, one of which is being an antidepressant. I take the rosemary every day and also started taking Cayenne capsules to boost my energy. Cayenne is well known for increasing blood circulation and it's a general stimulant. The two seem to be a good combination for me. Now I still have depression but I'm better able to manage it. There are many alternatives out there and doing the research can help determine which one is best for you.
Last edited by isolated one; 05-02-2004 at 05:40 AM.
Re: New to this board. Anyone tried natural methods
SJW didn't help me, but that doesn't mean it's bogus, I guess people react in different ways to the same meds, and that applies too to herbal remedies. Valerian root was very helpful for insomnia and anxiety, as well as passion flower. And what really helped me beat depression was CBT.
Re: New to this board. Anyone tried natural methods
Hi Judy-
The answer for me was cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt). I was on meds for many years before I found cbt and it cured me and got me off meds in a remarkably short period of time. Best of all once you learn the tools in cbt you have them forever so you are able to give yourself relief almost instantly whenever you are feeling stressed, anxious or down. It's all about using the tools to learn to think more clearly and accurately about things and once you do your anxiety, panic and depression will miraculously begin to lift before your eyes. My favorite starter book on cbt is "been there, done that? Do this!" by sam obitz. Like anything in life the more you put in the more you get out of cbt.
Billy
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Re: New to this board. Anyone tried natural methods
Well,,,this isnt for depresion,,but I used to get "Tryrptophan"(sp)..from the health food store...It worked GREAST,,I was off my sleeping pills..which by the way i was taking for over 20 yrs~~
Too bad for me they Banned all sales of the tryptophan,,,(im in canada)
I tried SJW..it did nothing for me,,same with Kava Kava.
Now & then I will take melatonin,,hard to tell if it really helps?
& yes, im STILL taking sleeping pills~
Re: New to this board. Anyone tried natural methods
I have a really brilliant chiropractor. I think if I see him every week, I'd be "cured." After I see him, I always feel "up" the rest of the day. Too bad he works 2 cities away.
I'm also trying fish oil, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Then again, I have "severe" depression, so herbal remedies and supplements aren't likely to help me.
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Re: New to this board. Anyone tried natural methods
Yes! I highly recommend St. John's Wort, and not just for "moderate" depression either. If you go look at the clinical studies, STJW scores just as high as prozac and other prescriptives (what they don't tell you is that the effective rate is 51% for ALL).
I was on the bleeding edge of prozac...was on it back in the early 90s for about 3 years. Hated the side effects but it did save my life.
Years later I felt a reoccurence coming on, coupled with what my doctor told me were full-fledged panic attacks. She told me to get used to it because these would just get worse the older I got. Wanted me to go on xanax (which was bleeding edge then too...) After doing a little research I decided to give STJW a try...thought nothing to lose.
For me the effect on the panic attacks was almost immediate. They just stopped. So I kept taking it just for that...and the depression lifted as well but gradually (with prozac it took like 1-2 days). No side effects. Plus after about 6 months I began forgetting to take it and eventually realized I was "ok" again. Every time I start feeling anxious or too blue I take it for a few days...it seems to bring things back into balance. I have had only 1 panic attack since that day I ended up in the ER, and it was fairly mild. Again, STJW did the trick.
The best STJW seems to be in elixir form (fairly inexpensive too). I started with capsules the first few years but now just keep the elixir handy.
NOTE: If you're suicidally depressed I'd encourage the prozac/prescription route NOW because they do work faster. Long-term treatment and to prevent relapses I'd definitely recommend STJW because my experience is that it's a rebalancer somehow...
-a
