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Depression Health and Food

Natural Remedy That Better at Treating Depression Than Prozac

Natural Remedy That Better at Treating Depression Than Prozac

Natural Remedy That Better at Treating Depression Than Prozac

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One of the most frequently occurring mental health disorders seen worldwide, depression can have a serious impact on the life of a sufferer. People suffering from depression may experience a variety of symptoms that affect their ability to live a full and productive life. When someone is experiencing depression, they may perpetually feel anxiety, emptiness or sadness. They may feel there is no hope, and may be unable to feel optimism. They may also feel irritable, guilty, worthless or helpless and may lose interest in some of their favorite activities. Cognitive difficulties, physical pain and thoughts of suicide make depression a dangerous disorder.

 

Natural Relief From Depression

Though some people choose to attempt a prescription regimen designed to minimize their depression symptoms, others prefer to lean toward natural remedies that can produce the same corrective results without producing unpleasant side effects. Turmeric has long been used in a number of capacities as a natural medicine, A group of scientists at the School of Psychology and Exercise Science of Murdoch University in Perth, Australia performed a double-blind study with a controlled placebo to determine the efficacy of using turmeric to treat depression. The subjects of the study reported that after 4 weeks of taking capsules of curcumin, the primary chemical compound in turmeric, their self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression had decreased.

What is Turmeric?

Turmeric, a member of the ginger family, grows in India’s southwestern regions. The plant is rhizomatous, which means that its growth produces a dense root under the ground that can be harvested, dried and turned into the spice powder with which most people are familiar. In Indian folk medicine, turmeric is used to treat illnesses of the liver and stomach and is also applied to sores to encourage healing. The spice is also used in many Asian and Indian dishes to add an earthy flavor and bright yellow color.

RELATED ARTICLE: 6 Hints For Stimulating Your Vagus Nerve And Relieving Inflammation, Depression and Migraines!

Why Choose a Natural Remedy?

Choosing a natural remedy for depression over prescription antidepressants is an increasingly common practice. This isn’t particularly surprising when you examine the number of frustrating and sometimes serious side effects the medications can produce. Some people who are taking antidepressants experience nausea, sleep difficulties such as insomnia or daytime fatigue, bowel difficulties, loss of physical sensation, dry mouth and weight gain. Turmeric has been shown to reduce depression symptoms after 4 weeks without any unpleasant side effects. Additionally, obtaining even high-quality organic turmeric is less expensive than prescription medication, making it an economical remedy.

Lemonade

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Of course, there are many ways you can consume turmeric. It makes a nice addition to soups, stews, and chilis. You can purchase curcumin capsules at most vitamin or natural foods stores, which can offer a metered daily dose. Turmeric can also be used in beverage preparations like the one detailed in the following recipe. This delicious citrus beverage consumed daily will deliver the turmeric you need to make a difference in your depression plus plenty of healthy vitamin C.

Turmeric Lemonade

4 cups of cold filtered or sparkling water
2 tablespoons of freshly grated or powdered turmeric
4 tablespoons of 100% maple syrup, honey or Stevia if you are trying to avoid sugar
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons or limes
Juice of 1 blood orange (optional)

 

In a 64 oz pitcher, combine the juice of the lemons with the juice of the blood orange, the maple syrup, honey or Stevia and the freshly grated or powdered turmeric. Mix thoroughly with a long-handled spoon.

Slowly pour the filtered or sparkling water over the juice, sweetener, and turmeric blend, stirring to combine. Serve chilled or over ice. This recipe makes 4 servings.

A Great Natural Choice

When it comes to your body, avoiding chemicals – even the ones in some prescription medications – is usually what’s best. If there’s a way you can treat a physical or mental ailment naturally, it’s advisable to do so, since natural and herbal medications often produce effective results without negatively impacting the body in any other way. Like its cousin ginger, turmeric has been used for centuries as an effective folk medication, and given the low cost of the versatile spice, it is an accessible way for many people worldwide to alleviate depression symptoms.

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Depression mental health

10 Things Anyone Who Loves A Woman With Anxiety Should Know

10 Things Anyone Who Loves A Woman With Anxiety Should Know

10 Things Anyone Who Loves A Woman With Anxiety Should Know

When a woman experiences a physical injury, her treatment and recovery can be understood by the injury’s physical characteristics over time and usually her needs can be easily identified and met. For example, if she has a broken leg she may not be able to move and must require assistance bathing, driving, cooking, etc. An x-ray and physical exams by a doctor can help track healing of the leg. When a woman is diagnosed with a mental health disorder, treatment and recovery can be more complicated. Anxiety is an “injury” that requires a strong commitment from a woman who is living with the disorder as well as from loved ones providing support. It is understood due to modern advances in the field of psychology. The following is a list intended for individuals who love a woman with anxiety.

Things Anyone Who Loves A Woman With Anxiety Should Know

1. She is not alone with her diagnosis.
According to the Anxiety Disorders Association for Americans, women are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety as men. Millions of women are living with the condition annually.

2. She is no less a woman for having anxiety.
Women from various backgrounds who are diagnosed with this mental health disorder lead successful, productive lives. They have proven to be functioning mothers, daughters, wives, and professionals in our society.

3. Anxiety is best dealt with when understood.
Books, movies and support groups can help loved ones understand anxiety from a medical and social perspective. Utilizing resources can empower everyone.

4. She has personal limitations that must be respected.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), anxiety can present itself in several different ways. Her diagnosis will determine what her limits are. For example, if she has social anxiety, loved ones must acknowledge that she may not be comfortable attending all social gatherings. She should not be mocked or criticized if she cannot attend. During the summer months, if she’s been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), she may prefer to stay indoors most of the time. Researchers have discovered that high temperatures and changes in a woman’s brain chemistry during the summer months increase anxiety. Understand her triggers and respect her limits regardless of the type of anxiety she lives with.

5. Her symptoms can easily be mistaken for other conditions.
According to the NIMH, some of the symptoms of anxiety include irritability, sweating, sleep disturbances and difficulty concentrating. One must learn how to differentiate these symptoms from those associated with menstruation and other issues women experience.

6. You may lose sleep.
A woman with anxiety may spend many nights wide awake. A partner sharing the same bed can find this challenging particularly if they work the next day. Communicate and make adjustments in the bedroom when necessary.

7. The couple that can relax together tends to stay together.
According to medical experts, exercise and massage can alleviate anxiety. Loved ones can help rid their relationship of stress due to anxiety by exercising and getting a couples’ massage. A woman with anxiety will appreciate efforts to help keep her calm.

8. Tough love doesn’t work.
Avoid putting pressure on your loved one to change quickly. Avoid acting like her therapist. She does not need negative comments made about her condition; nor does she need advice. She needs someone who is patient, forgiving, and flexible; she needs to always feel loved.

9. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries.
A woman with anxiety needs to feel secure but if she is constantly making requests to do this and if the requests begin to affect your relationship, according to the Anxiety and Depression Organization of America, boundaries must be set. Catering to each and every request in order to ease her anxiety can actually have the reverse effect; it can increase.

10. The relationship will get better with time.
Loving a woman with anxiety can be challenging. With the above recommendations, one’s experience can be a healthy one and the love between both partners can become stronger.

The woman you love can heal from her “injury” just as if she had a broken leg. She may experience a lot of pain along the way. With acceptance of the disorder and with focus on recovery, much can be gained.

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Depression mental health psychology

How Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Affect Your Health

How Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Affect Your Health

How Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Affect Your Health
By Andre Carvajal
Edited By Stephanie Dawson

Stress is a response to a stressor, anything that challenges our system and forces us to adapt to new circumstances. The brain interprets the stressor as a potential or imminent danger. Having, maintaining, or losing a job, relationship issues, or any situation is a potential stressor. The stress response includes biological, physiological, psychological and cognitive adaptations to overcome fear from this stressor. Stress is not bad by itself, we need a healthy amount of stress to live and keep us alert. Intermittent or controlled stress can make us more resilient with a better capacity to cope with stressful routines or events.

Modern life has several stress-related ailments that are top causes of death and hospitalizations including heart disease, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, allergies, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia just to mention a few. Chronic stress is responsible for this, a chronic stressor is one that lasts for an extended period of time like poverty, unemployment, and abusive relationships.The effects of stress are worse when unpredictable. In lab tests a rat exposed to chronic and unpredictable stress changes behavior and brain synergy. People have different capacities for dealing with stress and we react according to life experiences using different strategies. Some react to stressors with allergies, chronic pain, cramps or headaches, others suffer from hyperhydrosis, some dwell on situations they cannot change, or develop phobias or obsessions to relieve anxiety. The stress reactions of our body are related biologically to an over-activation of the sympathetic pathways. Each time we are stressed we activate this system that affects our behavior, feelings, and responses because of hormones, neurotransmitters, and autonomic nerve pathways that regulate physical responses to stress.

When we are stressed our bodies produce two crucial hormones commonly known as bad hormones for their relationship with stress, adrenaline and cortisol. They are essential to many bodily functions as neurotransmitters and facilitating survival responses. Cortisol is responsible for many immune reactions, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and assists with blood sugar regulation. This hormone is the natural guardian of our body toward stressors and is produced in reaction to stressors supporting the immune system. Any imbalance will depress the immune system and affect all bodily functions.

How Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Affect Your Health

Some researchers show that high levels of adrenaline correlates to better outcomes in mathematics, reaction time tasks, and demanding activities for extended periods that demand high concentration. Other observations of the positive effects of high adrenaline were students with high levels of adrenaline, measured through blood samples, were more satisfied with school, their level of social adaptation is better, and they are more emotionally stable than students with low levels. Researchers have created a hypothesis using several studies to show that some bursts of adrenaline and other stress-related hormones could be beneficial if they are applied intermittently, not chronically. Stress hormones can help people deal with daily stress without heavy consequences.

Similar effects happen with cortisol, intermittent repetition of stressors can make an organism more resilient and able to cope with stressors. In major depression or bipolar disorder high levels of cortisol have often been found, as in many other chronic conditions or chronic exposure to stress. This abnormal rise of cortisol levels in clinically depressed people shows a clear relationship between stress and depression. Chronic stress can depress the immune system, creating a spiral of depressive symptoms such as fatigue, lack of energy, lack of motivation, negative thoughts, and higher sensitivity to pain.

Stress-affects-the-body

Stress alone does not cause depression, most people can handle death of a relative, job loss, an accident, or a breakup without developing depression but many simply cannot. Depressed people are also less resistant to stressors and are more affected by stress-related reactions than others. Learning and development are slowed and the person may feel high stress toward socialization which can lead to social incompetence and isolation.

Mizoguchi K, Yuzurihara M, Ishige A, Sasaki H, Chui DH, Tabira T (2000). “Chronic stress induces impairment of spatial working memory because of prefrontal dopaminergic dysfunction”. J Neurosci 20 (4): 1568–74.
Leistad, R.. Stovner, L. White, L., Nilsen, K., Westgaard, R & Sand, T. (2007) Noradrenalide and cortisol changes in response to low grade cognitive stress differ in migraine and tension-type headache. The journal of headache and Pain , 8(3), 157-166.
Effects of prenatal exposure to a mild chronic variable stress on body weight,preweaning mortality and rat behavior R.J. Cabrera,; E.L. Rodríguez-Echandía, A.S.G. Jatuff and M. Fóscolo Brtazilian Journal of Medical and Biological research (1999) 32: 1229-1237

Mary F. Dallman, Seema Bhatnagar Chronic Stress and Energy Balance: Role of the Hypothalamo‐Pituitary‐Adrenal Axis Source: Supplement 23: Handbook of Physiology, The Endocrine System, Coping with the Environment: Neural and Endocrine Mechanisms
Photo Credit: http://www.heartmath.com/infographics/how-stress-effects-the-body.html