help with depression

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Glenbooth
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help with depression

Post by Glenbooth »

I am new here but I hope I can find the help I need. My wife has struggled with depression for many years she has tried many many different medicines none of them really work well. She is tired of talking to doctors and try new medicines that don't really work anyway. now we are looking for alternative solutions to Conventional medicine she is currently taking st. John's Wort and it helps a little but has not fix the problem. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas of other natural or alternative ways to treat depression that might help her?

braingrunt
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Re: help with depression

Post by braingrunt »

I understand exercise is very helpful, if that's an option for her, that she's not already taking advantage of. When I'm low, exercise is good medicine for me.
What tends to crush my wife, is that she can't stop thinking and making plans, often to the exclusion of sleep, and in general to the increase of sorrow. If your wife has that problem, if she can let things go, I believe it will be very good for her. But I haven't figured out how to get my wife to put down some of her burdens, and I certainly don't have the strength to pick up any more.

Best wishes to you and your wife.

Spaced_Out
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Re: help with depression

Post by Spaced_Out »

Glenbooth wrote:I am new here but I hope I can find the help I need. My wife has struggled with depression for many years she has tried many many different medicines none of them really work well. She is tired of talking to doctors and try new medicines that don't really work anyway. now we are looking for alternative solutions to Conventional medicine she is currently taking st. John's Wort and it helps a little but has not fix the problem. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas of other natural or alternative ways to treat depression that might help her?
A few random thoughts if you have tried everything else and no progress.
Depression is a psychological issue or spiritual issue - medication is only a temporary fix. One needs to deal with the underlying problems.
My very limited understanding is that depression is mostly caused by a feeling of hopelessness or we no longer have control of our environment/surrounding. To overcome this one has to do positive things and rebuild yourself. If one can get a depressed person to progress in one or two small things daily eventually one can work the issues out of your system. Study a course somewhere set a few goals and go from small things to big things. Doing spiritual things like temple attendance should help.
It is a very long road but a always a journey of a thousand miles starts with on step.

Yes exercise is considers by just about all health professional as being very beneficial. It releases natural positive hormones, a person sleeps better, and general fells healthy and more zest for life. It is also a means of improvement and progression.

A not so good scripture to use - but one that helped me
Moroni10:19 And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.
20 Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity.
21 And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope.
22 And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.

If we look more to others and don't internalize our own problems then forget about ourselves. Go work at a homeless shelter or hospital or some other pace where people need help and one soon forgets about your own little issues.

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kittycat51
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Re: help with depression

Post by kittycat51 »

Glenbooth, welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry for your wife (and you) Been there done that and I can say from first hand experience that it BITES! I wish I had the magic pill or answers to help. But maybe something I say might help.

Spaced Out stated that "Depression is a psychological issue or spiritual issue" I wholeheartedly agree with that! But let me add there are many physical things that can be out of whack. My hormones became messed up after the birth of my first son (many moons ago ;) ) It's like a domino effect after that. The body is an amazing thing and one little thing out of place can mess up everything else. For me much of my depression came from that and the ripple effect it had on my thyroid. Once I got a little help in that area, things calmed down greatly. I am not one for prescription meds. (They scare the heck out of me and I don't trust them for the most part) I have tried MANY different alternative things (like St John's Wort) learning which ones worked for me and which ones didn't. The saying of what works for one does not work for another is true with herbs. Trial and error.

The psychological thing really comes into play as well though!!! I will not get into all of the in's and out's of that. Suffice it to say, I would suggest she get someone she can talk to...REALLY talk to. I'm thankful for a patient spouse because I'm sure I've put him through heck :-s . To say that this life is a time of trials and tests is an understatement. Depression can really destroy a person. I think the Gospel and my family are the main things that have helped me survive. I've had many blessings given to me; they haven't healed me but help me cope, and to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I have come to realize that I want a celestial body when we only live in a telestial world.

Keep searching for answers, it's what God expects. And then even if things don't fall our way, remember the talk "But if Not" by Dennis E. Simmons.
God Bless you and your wife.

DesertWonderer
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Re: help with depression

Post by DesertWonderer »

Not sure how helpful this article is but it is interesting none the less: http://www.stress.org/why-do-women-suff ... nd-stress/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Why Do Women Suffer More From Depression And Stress?

Chairman's Blog
Posted by Administrator January 2, 2014 1 Comment
woman depressedAs noted in a recent blog, women are twice as likely to experience major depression than men. They are also up to three times more apt to suffer from anxiety disorders or to attempt suicide. The reasons for these gender differences are not clear, and some believe such statistics are exaggerated because females are more “sensitive” and therefore more likely to report such symptoms. On the other hand, a variety of observations tend to confirm that these disparities are valid, such as the following half dozen.

1. Hormonal differences are usually cited as the major explanation. Compared to men, women experience much more fluctuation in hormone levels that are associated with symptoms of depression. In addition to premenstrual dysphoric disorder, up to 15% experience postpartum depression. Depression is so common during the menopause, that involutional melancholia was an established psychiatric diagnosis up until 1980. Women are also more apt to suffer from hypothyroidism, which is often associated with depression.

2. Women have a stronger genetic predisposition for depression than men based on identical and fraternal twin studies, as well as documented and detailed family history records.

3. Women tend to be more involved in personal relationships than men and suffer more when they are disrupted. More married women and housewives have increasingly entered the workforce and find it difficult to juggle job and family responsibilities, such as caring for an elderly relative. A major European study covering over 30 countries with a combined population of 514 million people recently reported that depression in middle-aged women had doubled in 40 years because of these pressures. Women between the ages of 25 and 40 were three to four times more likely to become depressed than men.

4. Women live longer than men and extreme old age is often associated with bereavement, loneliness, poor physical health, and other factors that predispose to depression.

5. Women are more likely than men to consult a physician if they do not feel well or have symptoms of depression, and are therefore more likely to be diagnosed. There is also some evidence that both male as well as female physicians are more apt to make a diagnosis of depression in women than men with identical complaints.

6. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD syndrome) is four times more common in women than men, and its incidence increases the farther away you live from the Equator. For example, Tromso, a city in Norway 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, has close to 50 days during the winter when the sun is never seen. This period is referred to as morketi den (murky time) and as one psychiatrist noted, “The whole city slows down, people’s concentration and work capacity are reduced and they are always tired. There is a definite increase in depression, particularly in women.” Sales of sleeping pills, tranquilizers as well as “pep” pills rise sharply as do accidents. The sun’s return after 7 weeks is celebrated as Soldag (Sunday), and the first rays are greeted with tears, prayers and special wishes, children are sent home early from school and everyone stops working.

As will be explained in a subsequent blog, career oriented single working women may be at particularly increased risk not only for anxiety, depression and heart disease, but also breast and ovarian cancer, so stay tuned. Additional information on all the above can be found at http://www.stress.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Paul J. Rosch, MD, FACP
Last edited by DesertWonderer on December 13th, 2016, 3:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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gclayjr
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Re: help with depression

Post by gclayjr »

GlenBooth,

I don't have any easy answers, but if you or your wife wonders why me, or am I "broken"?
This may help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrNqGqy5kbQ

I apologize if this is an obvious thing that you have already seen.

Regards,

George Clay

Juliet
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Re: help with depression

Post by Juliet »

Glenbooth wrote:I am new here but I hope I can find the help I need. My wife has struggled with depression for many years she has tried many many different medicines none of them really work well. She is tired of talking to doctors and try new medicines that don't really work anyway. now we are looking for alternative solutions to Conventional medicine she is currently taking st. John's Wort and it helps a little but has not fix the problem. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas of other natural or alternative ways to treat depression that might help her?
I had serious unrelenting depression until I found out I had been suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Basically you are abused so much that you can't process the trauma and so it stays in your emotions, you have no memory of it. Eye movement desensitization reprocessing helps a lot but get ready to have the flashbacks of the abuse return. I am happy to say I no longer have depression at all. Sharon Reece's book Healing Broken Wings, and the book Feelings Buried Alive never die, and the website process-healing.com were essential to me before my memories came up. Also my story is on http://www.gospelinsights.weebly.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Best of luck!

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Joel
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Re: help with depression

Post by Joel »

Marijuana helped a past co-worker with his depression. He did not smoke it but ate it instead.

bethany
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Re: help with depression

Post by bethany »

A friend's daughter had paralyzing depression for a few years, pretty much functionless. She found q96 and had a miraculous and immediate turn around. Within 2 weeks she quit her meds. (Not that suddenly quitting meds is advisable, it can be dangerous)

OCDMOM
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Re: help with depression

Post by OCDMOM »

I heard on the radio they did a study at Harvard that showed St. John's Wort was as effective as Prozac, BUT the cheap kind does not work.

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passionflower
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Re: help with depression

Post by passionflower »

Here is some more ideas:
!. Accupuncture.
2. "Mindtrac" ( A Christopher formula originally made up for children with ADHD that has been shown to work remarkably well for adult depression)
3. Eat a seriously SERIOUSLY healthy diet, get enough sleep, sunshine, and oxygen.

You didn't mention this, but does your wife sleep well? A common symptom of depression is waking up every night at about 2-3 AM. I think the best sleep inducing aid known to man is Valerian Root Extract.

So, if your wife has a purely physical problem centered in the nervous system, here is my suggested protocol:
Get Mindtrac, Valerian Root Extract, and set her up for a diet consisting of mostly whole grains, fruits and veggies ( For instance, one huge bowl( like a serving bowl, not a soup bowl ) of steamed vegetables every day, one HUGE bowl of raw vegetables every day, one HUGE bowl of raw fruit). No sugar, refined flour or other processed foods. In fact, for most people I would suggest not eating anything that even tasted sweet ( outside of whole fruit). For water she should only drink distilled.

About every four hours(during the day) she should have a dropperful of Valerian Root extract in distilled water, along with the daily suggested dose of Mindtrac. Depending on the depth of the depression, she should take her about 3 days to a week get groggy enough to start sleeping through the night. No one can heal of anything if their body cannot rest, so this is paramount. People who are depressed ( if the depression is centered in the nervous system) tend to be very on edge, too. They MUST rest!

Meanwhile get her on accupuncture. Chinese medicine is the best equipped healing modality out there when it comes to dealing with troubles in the brain.
You said your wife has discontinued several types of medicines? I hope these were not prescription meds. Under NO circumstances should someone go cold turkey off a psychotropic drug. However, accupuncture can take one off of a drug of this nature slowly, safely and under supervision.

Handle the brain with care! It is the most important organ of the body and actually very little is known and understood about it. Of course, no one is any better than the brain they have. Some mental illness is definately inherited. But nevertheless, healthy habits and a positive environment can overcome this to at least some degree. Genius can also be inherited, but once again, healthy habits and a positive environment are a plus factor in its' development.


On the other hand, if your wife is suffering from hormonal depression, you need to get her some lab testing done to see what hormones are causing all the havoc. It is not uncommon anymore to be low thyroid with exhausted adrenals. Sad to say, too many women have been diagnosed with chemical depression ( they can do this without any lab tests!) when the real culprit was out of balance hormones caused by overworked and exhausted glands. If this is the case, there is a lot of hope both on the medical and natural spheres.

Depression is often a psychological problem. Today, in referring to depression we could say it is the symptom and final result of, to put it in lay terms, a perfectionist control freak. These days, among women, controlling behaviour is the most indulged in coping mechanism. There have always been controlling women, but feminism has taken this trait out of the closet and glorified it in the "have it all, do it all, be it all, and it doesn't matter who we have to walk on to get it all" feminist world we all live in. As a result of this, women feel like they are, in some form or fasion, never enough, constantly suffer from unsatisfying emotional connections, worry and obsess over everyone and everything, and feel demanded on all the time. There is new bar out there that no woman can completely reach. It is masculine in nature, and makes women just plain mentally ill, which down the road translates into physical illness at some point, meaning depression for many.

Women are not really "small men". Neither are they created to fit into today's politics or fashion.

I have been very gratified to see much about this problem coming out in print lately. And not from professionals ( you never get new discoveries from the "experts". You have to go outside the walls of your professional parameters to find really good things)but from women themselves who nearly destroyed their own lives before the politically incorrect truth finally dawned on them.

If you think your wife fits into any of the psychological issues above, try any of the books by Laura Doyle ( she has a website ). Suzanne Venker might also be helpful ( haven't read her but she looks good ). Martha Cilley, the "Flylady", who has a world wide audience of over half a million women, and outdid Steven Covey with her calendar, deals with the issue of control that is problematic in sooooo many women's lives. She uses the term "perfectionism" but she really means "control". Martha Cilley has probably brought more women out of depression than all of the psychiatrists and psychotherapists around the world combined!

There's my take on this Glenbooth. Hope something here was helpful.
Last edited by passionflower on December 14th, 2016, 1:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

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letsjet
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Re: help with depression

Post by letsjet »

My wife suffered from depression for years. She went to a different doctor who correctly diagnosed Insulin Resistance.

She was give diabetic medication, not insulin, but something else. She came out of the depression and was also able to became pregnant. Going to right doctor made a huge difference in the quality of our life!

Depression had many causes. Insulin Resistance is something to look into if you haven't already done so.

Spaced_Out
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Re: help with depression

Post by Spaced_Out »

If you are into the prepping and survival scene ThePatriotNurse has put up a video on Depression for the holidays.

Spaced_Out
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Re: help with depression

Post by Spaced_Out »

Joel wrote:Marijuana helped a past co-worker with his depression. He did not smoke it but ate it instead.
That is very dangerous, and one should not joke about these things...

I have counselled many depressed people who used various drugs and all you end up with is a depressed person who now has an addiction on top of it.... and it is much worse....

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Joel
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Re: help with depression

Post by Joel »

Spaced_Out wrote:
Joel wrote:Marijuana helped a past co-worker with his depression. He did not smoke it but ate it instead.
That is very dangerous, and one should not joke about these things...
Not joking, that was his experience.

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Mark
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Re: help with depression

Post by Mark »

Glenbooth wrote:I am new here but I hope I can find the help I need. My wife has struggled with depression for many years she has tried many many different medicines none of them really work well. She is tired of talking to doctors and try new medicines that don't really work anyway. now we are looking for alternative solutions to Conventional medicine she is currently taking st. John's Wort and it helps a little but has not fix the problem. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas of other natural or alternative ways to treat depression that might help her?
2 suggestions for your sweetie. Natural progesterone for one. Has helped my wife and her nutritional clients immensely. Secondly ketones. Go on ketogenic diet and take exogenous ketones. Both options will help with depression.

Dlight
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Re: help with depression

Post by Dlight »

I spent a lot of time writing this, so I hope this helps give you some options. I have dealt with depression most my life. I have tried the various pharmaceuticals but did not find them helpful for me. Counseling made things worse. The problem is that each persons body is so complex and each persons physiology and circumstances are so unique that the cause of depression can be very difficult to diagnose. For some people the problem arises from feeling like they aren't fulfilling their purpose, others it could be hormonal or the brain not producing certain chemicals.

However when you've tried many things, it may start to feel very hopeless that you can ever get out of depression, but remember there is always more you can try.

There are many different doctors who approach this from different aspects. I will share with you several things, and it will be your choice to meditate upon this and decide what is best for your family, financial ability etc...

The first and probably most generally effective (and expensive option) would be to find a place that really helps her through various modalities. Think of it as a complete reset.http://thebridgerecoverycenter.com/ is one such place located in Southern Utah that has had lots of great success. Its basically a month long healing retreat focused on treating various problems including anxiety and depression. However the cost of about $12,000 for a private room can be prohibitive. (this is why I have not been able to attend personally) IF you contact them they may have a scholarship option which reduces the cost by about 1500. If I could afford this, hands down it would be my first option.

If this is just too expensive, a doctor I can recommend based on a lot of reviews is Dr. Nemechek. He is a DO (a real allpathic doctor) and he is using a unique approach to healing that is worth looking into since I doubt your wife has tried anything like it. His approach is by treating autonomic dysfunction and the body as a whole, and this can sometimes help with things like depression as well as a whole host of other issues, he is located in Arizona but is available to to consultations of the phone or skype. He runs somewhere in the neighborhood of 700-800 for the first visit. I have yet to try him, because I am dead broke and he doesn't take insurance, but if I could he would be my second stop.

http://www.drbuckeye.com/dr-ns-approach

If ou are like me and have limited resources, something that is less expensive and has worked for me is a combination of supplements that I have come to use based on years of trial and error and research. This combination has helped me keep my problems under control.

Magnesium Chloride (applied transdermally and by visiting a magnesium float spa and supplemented in capsules) (if you have not heard of a float spa, look into it, very helpful to me) The idea is to try and get about 1000 MG of magnesium a day from a good source (not the junky stuff). research magnesium and its role in the body, and you will be amazed to discover that we are almost all deficient and it is so important in things like brain function and depression.
http://www.integratedhealth.com/supplem ... -8-oz.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fish oil 1500 DHA each day this is brain food and we get so little of it in our diets, very helpful for proper brain function.
https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Naturals- ... =dha+extra
Vitamin D once daily

CBD oil

Made from hemp, it is completely legal and contains cannabinoids. The CBD in the cannabis plant is non psychoactive and in reality is the true healing power of the plant. It is a known anti anxiety, anti depressant and has a whole host of other therapeutic compounds. I would high recommend you research this along with the endocannabinoid system of the human body.

Info can be found here:
https://www.projectcbd.org/condition/18/Depression

I recommend the oil found in the link below ecause its of a higher purer quality than most I have found. they offer various options, and I think you can get a free vial of it somewhere on the site. 15 drops under the tongue and hold for 2-3 minutes before swallowing for the first 3 days, then just as many drops as needed each day to keep the same effect.

https://cbdbrothers.com/product/cbd-oil ... -17-4-cbd/

Finally a really informative doctor I recently came across a few days ago has a great website where he helps people to treat themselves. I am in the process of exploring his modalities and they seem very sound based on my prior knowledge. If you really want lasting health, you should seek to become your own doctor as much as possible. This website introduces a "Natural Allopathic Protocol" which if followed should heal most issues.

http://drsircus.com/protocol/

If you need any help with any of this please PM me and I'll be glad to help further.

butterfly
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Re: help with depression

Post by butterfly »

Recently I started visiting a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (mainly out of curiosity- I really didn't know much about what they believed). I was shocked when every lecture was about how to be happy and rid yourself of depression, anxiety, anger, etc.
At church, we teach that we can be happy, and that we should be happy, but we don't really explain how to accomplish that. We say things like "endure to the end" or "just have faith", but the teachings at the monastery were like taking college courses about the emotions, the mind, why our mind thinks incorrectly and how to set it straight again.
Sometimes just having more knowledge can be very empowering when it comes to depression because you're able to separate yourself from the depression. This gives you hope and space to overcome it. Just another option to consider, it's been very eye-opening for me.
I'll keep your family in my prayers.

JohnnyL
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Re: help with depression

Post by JohnnyL »

Find a great muscle tester and do Now Healing, BodyTalk, Body Code, EFT, etc. It's worked so many times for us, with all manner of problems.

Emotional problems->physical problems. Take away the higher plane/ finer matter problems, and the lower plane/ coarser matter problems will correct.

Even though it seems like "your body needs X so it can work", that's not what energy healing shows all the time.

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kittycat51
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Re: help with depression

Post by kittycat51 »

JohnnyL wrote:Find a great muscle tester and do Now Healing, BodyTalk, Body Code, EFT, etc. It's worked so many times for us, with all manner of problems.

Emotional problems->physical problems. Take away the higher plane/ finer matter problems, and the lower plane/ coarser matter problems will correct.

Even though it seems like "your body needs X so it can work", that's not what energy healing shows all the time.
Muscle testing has helped me a TON in various areas of health. :)

Another basic vitamin besides Vitamin D (which is huge! This is why people get so depressed in the winter is because they are not outside soaking up sunshine and glorious Vit-D.) is your B-Vitamins. They are the 'nerve' vitamins.

Something that has helped a couple of my boys is NOW brand "True Calm". My one son told me it helped as much if not better than the Pharmaceuticals he was talking.

davedan
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Re: help with depression

Post by davedan »

SAMe (S-adenosyl methionine) is the major precursor to neurotransmitters. Can be purchased OTC at GNC, vitamin shoppe

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