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    x2scorp's Avatar
    x2scorp Posts: 29, Reputation: 3
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    #1

    Aug 30, 2007, 03:42 AM
    Fighter of depression
    What kind of foods help subside depression and is there any herbal remedies that gives one energy who fight depression?

    Thanks,
    Melissa:cool:
    JohnSnownw's Avatar
    JohnSnownw Posts: 322, Reputation: 51
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    #2

    Aug 30, 2007, 07:17 AM
    I have heard that there is a specific herb that may be able to help, it is not legal to the average person in the U.S. though. If cooked in certain pastries, such as brownies and the odd cookie... ;) Sorry, just couldn't help myself.

    Here is some real info on foods that fight depression:

    Certain foods help fight depression, says new study; salmon and walnuts among items named

    Nutritional Blockbusters that Fight Depression

    Fight Winter Depression with the Right Diet, on MedicineNet.com
    AKaeTrue's Avatar
    AKaeTrue Posts: 1,599, Reputation: 272
    Ultra Member
     
    #3

    Aug 30, 2007, 07:37 AM
    After many years on prescription antidepressants, I went all natural and take herbs.
    I have to say I feel better now than I ever did before.
    I eat organic foods and shop at places like the Fresh Market and Whole Foods because even their BBQ sauce and catchup is organic (I got to have that kind of stuff).
    I don't rely on just a single food source to help with depression because that never worked for me.
    However, I do feel a big difference with not consuming all the preservatives, steroids, and chemicals put on food these days, so I just make sure it's organic and eat what I'd like.
    I take the herbs St Johns Wort, 5-HTP, and SAM-E.
    I'm more than happy to explain more if you're interested.
    gallivant_fellow's Avatar
    gallivant_fellow Posts: 157, Reputation: 31
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    #4

    Sep 15, 2007, 08:22 PM
    Intense exercise fights depression, it makes you fit too. Exercise is a little harder than eating from my experiences though:) .
    Ygramul's Avatar
    Ygramul Posts: 18, Reputation: 5
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    #5

    Sep 19, 2007, 09:25 PM
    Earl Gray Hot Tea.
    The fragrance and taste unique to this blend is taken from the rind oil of an orange-like fruit called bergamot. It is a natural mood-stabilizer. (This is why the British remain calm in the face of any tragedy.) Plus, if you get it in a black tea, you get the added benefit of time-released caffeine which lasts longer than a cup of coffee, without making you anxious like coffee can sometimes do. Also, black teas help to soften the walls of your veins and arteries, which allows blood to flow more freely. The more freely your blood flows, the better your circulation for natural energy and greater blood-flow to the brain, which controls most moods.
    buzzman's Avatar
    buzzman Posts: 54, Reputation: 9
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    #6

    Sep 19, 2007, 10:05 PM
    I have searched for a very long time to find out what works in this area. There is a herb called "E3". It actually works. Also, immerse yourself in positive situations and friends. Negativity can really add to the effects of depression. Exercise also stimulates hormones that aid in strengthening your energy and mood. I know this works because I have lived it.
    JohnSnownw's Avatar
    JohnSnownw Posts: 322, Reputation: 51
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    #7

    Sep 20, 2007, 04:12 PM
    nikki_22 disagrees: I don't think advising people to do illegal drugs is very helpful.
    Obviously, I was joking.
    firmbeliever's Avatar
    firmbeliever Posts: 2,919, Reputation: 463
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    #8

    Sep 20, 2007, 04:38 PM
    Here's something you might like to read.
    Please do bear in mind that anti-depressants natural or otherwise only help in the physical changes, the mental part has to be dealt with individually by seeking professional help or other alternative therapies.
    And depression may not go away just by changing a diet even though it helps a lot, the issues causing depression has to be dealt with to move on and away from depression.
    ----------------------------
    http://www.immunesupport.com/library.../1/T/CFIDS_FM/
    Nature's Anti-Depressants

    By Source: Healthwatch
    ImmuneSupport.com

    01-01-1999

    It's a sad fact that mild to clinical depression troubles a sizeable portion of our population. (Medical experts estimate that at least one million prescriptions for the anti-depressant drug Prozac are written each month in the United States.) Despite the fact that depression is so chronic and widespread, its diagnoses and treatment are extremely diverse and hotly debated. Worst of all, Prozac and other anti-depressant drugs often induce a spectrum of undesirable side effects in many users. According to clinical research study results published in Int. J. Psychopharmacol. 8: 267-69, 1993, 21% of patients taking Prozac experience nausea, 20% headaches; 15% anxiety and nervousness, 14% insomnia; 12% drowsiness; 12% diarrhea; 9.5% dry mouth; 9% loss of appetite; 8% sweating and tremor; and 3% rash. Furthermore, in studies where sexual side effects were thoroughly evaluated, 43% of men and women taking various antidepressants and 34% taking Prozac reported loss of libido or diminished sexual response.

    The good news for those with the blues is that clinical studies prove that depression may be successfully treated with safe and natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals. The following supplements discussed below are some of the best-documented natural remedies for depression.

    St. John's Wort Extract: A perennial plant with golden yellow flowers, St. John's Wort is perhaps the most thoroughly researched natural anti-depressant in the world. In twenty-five double-blind controlled studies, 1, 592 patients taking the typical dosage of 300 mg. three times daily, no significant side effects have ever been reported. Growing throughout Europe and the United States, the plant has been used as a nerve tonic since the time of the ancient Greeks.

    Clinical studies indicate that St. John's Wort can positively change brain chemistry. Specifically, an extract of the plant, standardized to contain 0.3 per cent hypericin, can help remedy depression. St. John's Wort's anti-depressive actions are partly due to elements such as hypericin and flavonoids, which minimize the breakdown of various neurotransmitters, including serotonin. Hypericin, the active ingredient, causes an inhibition of serotonin re-uptake. (Serotonin is the brain's built-in, natural antidepressant and tranquilizer. Most physicians and researchers studying decreases in serotonin function view this as a prime cause of depression, anxiety and insomnia.) Various double-blind controlled studies of St. John's Wort have also found that it helps improve memory and sleep quality, as well as psychological symptoms such as anxiety, apathy, insomnia, anorexia and feelings of worthlessness. In his recently published book, "Optimum Health," (Bantam Books, 1997), Stephen Sinatra, M.D. recommends taking 300 mg. of St. John's Wort three times daily.

    According to Steven Cherniske, M.S. a nutritional biochemist and author of "The DHEA Breakthrough," (Ballantine Books, 1996), "St. John's Wort is safe, effective and unlike other herbs, works well in combination with a variety of herbs. Consumers would do well to remember that herbs are just chemicals in plant packages," he says. "Some herb combinations can produce undesirable effects, but St. John's Wort is very well-tolerated."

    Kava extract: For centuries, the roots of the kava plant have been brewed by Pacific Islanders and made into a drink that is still ritually consumed for the mild euphoria, increased sociability and body/mind relaxation that it promotes. Unlike popular prescription anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium or Halcion, kava never causes significant side effects or loses effectiveness after repeated usage, and it is non-addictive. Additionally, while it relaxes individuals, it never impairs mental functioning as Halcion and Valium so often do. Indeed, neuropsychobiological research studies published in the scientific literature prove that kava enhances overall mental functioning.

    While scientists are still researching exactly how kava produces its anti-anxiety and anti-depression effects, they have isolated its primary active components, which include substances known as kavalactones. On the basis of clinical studies and pharmacological research, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom and other countries have approved kava preparations for the treatment of nervous anxiety, insomnia and restlessness. These approved preparations are extracts standardized for kavalactone content (usually 30 to 70 per cent). For an anti-anxiety remedy, 45 to 70 mg of kavalactones, three times a day, is the recommended dosage. It's also worth noting that studies on menopausal women report that kava can reduce anxiety, improve concentration and diminish the severity of hot flashes.

    Steven Cherniske notes that although researchers have documented kava's extremely beneficial neurological effects, they have yet to fully determine how it acts in the body. "Kava appears to work in a completely different manner than say, tryptophan, serotonin, and melatonin do," he says. "Primarily, it appears to modify what could be called electrochemical activity of the brain. It does some interesting things involved with GABA, a vital substance that produces filtering mechanisms for information going into the brain from any sensory input. There's good evidence that kava increases the number of binding sites that are sensitive to GABA," he says. Because these filtering mechanisms help the brain prioritize tasks and actions, it follows that the more binding sites for GABA, the higher the coping skills of the individual.

    "Kava can benefit those who feel overwhelmed in part because of impaired coping skills: ingesting kava makes it easier for their brains to make plans, to prioritize their tasks and actions, thus promoting a sense of increased control and mastery over their lives," Cherniske notes. "Kava makes them feel better, he says, "Because coping is all about having control, and kava can definitely help you there." Cherniske notes that kava overuse results in a fairly well-defined dermatological problem: "A rash or eczema-type condition will develop if you take too much of the stuff," he says.

    Amino Acid Therapy: Amino acids are the individual building-block units of protein. Some of them function as neurotransmitters or precursors to neurotransmitters. Many physicians and patients have found that amino acids such as L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine can be effective remedies for treating depressed people with low energy. (These substances are also popularly referred to as phenylalanine and tyrosine.)

    Peer-reviewed medical journals such as Adv. Biol. Psychiatry have published articles on "Tyrosine for depression" (10:30-46, 1983) as well as phenylalanine's role in affective disorders (10:137-47, 1983). Phenylalanine, besides being converted to tyrosine, can be converted to phenylethylamine (PEA). According to Michael Murray, N.D.'s 1996 book, "Natural Alternatives To Prozac," (William Morrow & Co. Inc. 1996) PEA has "amphetamine-like stimulant properties and is suggested to be an endogenous stimulatory or antidepressive substance in humans." Chocoholics may be interested to know that PEA is also found in high concentrations in chocolate, which may explain why so many people, particularly depressives, crave chocolate or become addicted to it.

    The mood-elevating actions of supplemental tyrosine could be related to its boosting of PEA levels. Eating high protein meals can also help elevate tyrosine levels. Most health care professionals suggest taking 1 to 2 500 mg. of L-Phenylalinine per day. As for L-Tyrosine, 500 mg. 1 to 3 times a day is recommended.

    The amino acid formula 5HTP can also be helpful in remedying depression because according to Cherniske, "5HTP is a precursor to serotonin so when the brain is given this, it knows exactly what to do with it; it turns it into serotonin." Besides decreasing neuron firing, 5HTP helps reduce anxiety, chronic pain, and enhance sleep."

    Gingko Biloba
    : One of the wonders of the natural world, the gingko is the oldest tree known to botanists. The gingko tree family has existed in its present form for thousands of centuries; dinosaurs used to rest under its ancestor's leafy boughs. One of the reasons gingko is a useful anti-depression aid is because its primary mechanism of action is to improve cerebral circulation. It does this, in part, by inhibiting the action of a substance called platelet-activating factor, which interferes significantly with cerebral circulation. And it does this minus side effects. Gingko Biloba is known to increase oxygenation of brain tissue, and because it excels at stimulating cerebral blood flow, gingko extract is used by many people who suffer from migraine headaches, which researchers have found to be closely associated with disturbed cerebral circulation. "Because gingko increases micro-circulation in the brain and increases oxygen uptake by brain cells, it significantly reduces risk for stroke," says Cherniske. "The depressed or anxious person can literally feed their brain with this to feel more in control and more capable."
    ----------------------------------------

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