I have cut down on caffeine, I drink lots of water, and I take a multivitamin and St. Johns Wort every day. These things haven't cured my depression, but it has become more manageable. I still have a sweet tooth though, I eat a Snickers bar almost every day. Probably not good.
Cure depression with a good diet
by RubyTuesday 28 Replies latest watchtower medical
-
-
RubyTuesday
It is most unfortunate that some people refuse to take responsiblity for their own well being.Studies are now proving that people that take antidepressants have a higher rate of suicide.If you exercise and eat right you won't have a chemical imbalance.
-
DanTheMan
Studies are now proving that people that take antidepressants have a higher rate of suicide.
Than who? Than severely depressed people who *don't* take medication, or the general population?
Correlation does not mean causation, and I wonder what the suicide rate would be if they didn't take the medication.
-
-
Big Tex
If you exercise and eat right you won't have a chemical imbalance
Tap the brake a little.
If your position is that a good diet, i.e. low in sugar, and some type of aerobic exercise can help with depression then I'm on board. Absolutely you are correct. However it is not a cure for depression, especially if the depression has a physiological cause. This sort of reminds me of some of those quack remedies the Witnesses used to try. In the 70's it was vitamins. That would cure all your ills. Then it was bee pollen. Then it was special diets.
I'm not saying that any of those things are bad or don't help some people. But it is not a 100% cure in 100% of all cases of depression. When I was suffering through the worst of my depression back in the 80s, I was on the best diet possible. But I was still depressed. That depression did not lift until I faced some pretty heavy duty issues from my childhood. I tried anti-depressants and they didn't work for me.
At the other end, Nina is beginning menopause right now. I don't pretend to know anything about the physical changes that go on in a woman's body at this time, but I do know is that it was crippling her. It affected her job, and ability to function around the house and with the children. She tried the lowest dose possible of an anti-depressant and the difference is night and day. Yes she does work out and is on a much better diet than I am! By your logic that should have been good enough, but it wasn't for her.
It is irresponsible to put that level of guilt on someone suffering through depression. It's all your fault. No it's not! I heard enough of that crap from the elders. Ruby, there are not simple black and white solutions to all of life's problems. My depression was situational, and I desperately needed talk therapy. Nina's was physical, she desperately needed medication to help her through. Both solutions are short term in that we did not need to continue with them for the rest of our lives. In our cases, diet and exercise was not the only solution. Can it work for some? Maybe, and I have no doubt it helps but it will not cure all forms of depression in all people 100% of the time.
Chris
-
jgnat
Diet and excercise can help, but it does not cure all types of depression. This statement is dangerous:
If you exercise and eat right you won't have a chemical imbalance.
What about inherited imbalances? My mother has Bipolar Disorder. She is missing a chemical in her brain that keeps her from being balanced. The metal Lithium controls mood swings in those with Bipolar Disorder, and allows them to live relatively normal lives in the community. First Lithium, then a wide range of anti-depressants and psychotropic drugs have allowed us to empty our mental hospitals. Prior to the use of such drugs, brutal restraint methods and treatments were the order of the day. If diet alone would have solved the problems of people with severe mental illness, don't you think we would have figured that out long before now?
I worry about people who suffer chronic or severe bouts of depression, who are afraid to take a medication that could drastically improve their quality of life. I do agree, though, that along with medication, the person needs to look at their life, make productive changes, see a counsellor if necessary, consider their diet and sleep cycles, and overall make positive changes for their life. For a person deep in the throes of depression, however, undertaking these changes is like climbing mount everest in a space suit through six feet of jello. Exhausting.
-
Big Tex
The first link Ruby provided is a bit misleading. It is an article regarding the use of anti-depressants in children. Here's the first paragraph:
Strengthened warnings about the risk of suicide ideation and attempts with antidepressant medications in children should be communicated to physicians and consumers as soon as possible, a joint FDA advisory committee told the agency Feb. 2.
The second link is basically someone's spinning facts and playing fast and loose with quotes.
Drug regulators have reported that Paxil, which is closely related to the other SSRIs, may increase the risk of suicide among teenagers and children, especially during the first few weeks of treatment. Regulators have recommended that no new Paxil prescriptions be written for patients under the age of 18 years. Some say the suicide risk may extend to adults as well.
Again, this possibility is referencing children. And who are "some"? This site is subjective, and has an agenda.
I have heard some bad news stories about Paxil, and candidly I'm not a fan of it. I know of a couple of friends who have been seriously harmed by using anti-depressants. I also think anti-depressants are prescribed way, way too much and by physicians who do not completely their potential impact.
But it is a quantum leap to go from quoting "drug regulators" who reference possibilities in children, and then throw all anti-depressants out and say they "do not work". That is irresponsible.
-
talley
Along with this discussion of depression and diet is an excellent book I found a couple of years ago entitled " Lights Out ..sleep, sugar and survival" by T.S. Wiley with Bent Formby, Ph.D brief quote from back cover: ' With research gleaned from the National Institutes of Health, T.S. Wiley and Bent Formby deliver staggering findings that challenge everything you've ever heard about obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and depression. Americans aren't just sick and tired of struggling with their weight and battling disease, they're actually sick just because they're tired' Main premise of the book is that we need to be in the dark at least 9.5 hours a night seven months a year according to the solar season, and when we don't, how it affects our hormones and endocrine systems... Look for the book at your local library and if it does not have it, order it on 'inter library loan'. talley/Judy
-
shamus
http://http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/
Check out the link above to see how depression has been linked to "hypo-hypo-glycemia". No, I did not misspell that word. It is a hybrid form of hypoglycemia that causes drastic ups and downs in your sugar level.
Thanks for all the good links!
-
alias
It is most unfortunate that some people refuse to take responsiblity for their own well being.Studies are now proving that people that take antidepressants have a higher rate of suicide.If you exercise and eat right you won't have a chemical imbalance.
And it is most unfortunate that some judge and unecessarily fault individuals for biological imperfections. How do you know that "people" aren't taking responsibility? Just because they have a differing viewpoint and know from their own experiences what works best? How sad.
Some interesting things I noticed about the iVilliage article was that in the opening paragraph it stated "If you're trying to beat the blues"... That alone indicates that it's not aimed at serious depressive disorders.
Notably, it also did not use end-all words like "cure" or "eliminate" like the title of your post. Instead the title was "Depression Relief" and the article correctly used ideas conveying "mood boosting", "even keel" and suggested a diet which included St. John's Wort tea, an herb that many use to "self-medicate."
Even funnier were the ads below the article promoting depression medications.
alias