Depression

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Depression is either caused by a chemical (biological response) or an emotional (psychological response) condition.

Many of us feel blue now and then.

True depression is when it starts to be an integral part of your life.

There is no herb that can make your husband show you love or get your kids help you out.   We all carry emotional baggage.  It is tough to handle sometimes, I truly wish I could address these problems, but I am not equipped to help.

If you are in a lousy marriage or have an outside basis for your depression, I suggest you read FEELINGS BURIED ALIVE NEVER DIE. Bach Flowers can also be helpful.

And If your life is not lousy, chances are, your depression is at least partially biological (chemical).

There is a lot of stigma about depression, people will say to just snap out of it, or that you enjoy your depression.

No one truly wants to be depressed.

I know sometimes people don't do much to help themselves out of the depression. I believe that is because they have nothing to replace it with. To give up their depression would be to leave a vacuum in their lives.

If this is the case. The best thing is to fill that small space where the depression lies with something that will fill the void. My mother use to always say help others with their problems and you'll forget your own. Now that I am an old lady I realize how smart my mother was.

This article is about those who are depressed for biological reasons.

There are many possibilities for the chemical imbalance, the main ones are:

Cause	Accompanying Symptom	Suggestion
Liver	Poor night vision, Waking up at night (on a regular basis) and anger. Also for women heavy or clotty periods, tender breast I would consider either	Chinese Mood Elevator (formally AD-C) or Aggressive doses of Liver Cleanse Formula (formally LIV-A) and do caster oil packs.
Adrenals	A feeling of stress or impending doom. Can't  go to sleep until late and wanting to sleep in.	Pantothenic acid, potassium and HY-A
Myelin sheathing of the nerves	Noise and commotion bothers you. Having a hard time concentrating or not dreaming (should dream every night). Light sleeper.	Nerve Control (formally RE-X), Spirulina, and flaxseed oil
Brain chemistry or Hormone imbalance	The hardest to pin down, can have any of the above symptoms.	Blessed Thistle and Spirulina
Thyroid	Stinking thinking, paranoia, tired all the time, weight fluctuation, change in hair and skin.	Target TS II or Spirulina

Most of all don't think you are alone. I have had so many health problems, people are going to think I am making this all up, but I am not. I also had depression at one time.

I remember sitting in my living room and imagining the path that the bullet would go through my brain. I also remember sitting at the red light in a town I had lived in for 23 years and not remember the direction of a neighboring town. I truly thought I was ready for the loony bin.

Mine was a combination of nervous system and thyroid.

So if you are reading this, please realize that there is hope. I absolutely love every second of my life now. I have not had a down day in years. It is amazing, I am the happiest person I know.

I also believe that a close relationship to God is necessary.

The rest of the article I want to devote to:

Some doctor's "cure all"...... Chemicals Altering Drugs

It is a crime how flippantly the medical profession gives out Prozac. For years, I have been aggravated by the large number of people who tell me that they have been told that their problems (most of which have been proven biologically based) were all in their heads. Most of these people get relief by diet or supplements.

My very first encounter of Prozac abuse was a woman, whose husband had died. While her son was on his way to the hospital, he was killed in a wreck. At the funeral, a doctor friend of the family gave her Prozac. She came to me 2 years later saying that she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

I suggested that she ask the doctor to wean her off the mind altering drug. For the first time she was able to grieve her "very real" loss, and as she worked through that grief, ALL of her symptoms of Alzheimer's completely disappeared. Another six or better years later she is doing great.

The straw that broke the camel's back, and the reason for this heated article, is when a young boy of 6 didn't want to eat; he said that his stomach hurt.

After a series of very invasive tests, including putting a scope up his rectum, the doctor decided the boy was depressed and suggested that they consider drug therapy (Prozac). Can you imagine.. 6 years old and put on prozac?

After a consultation we concluded that they little boy had parasites. His mother put him on a parasite cleanse instead. After this boy passed pin worms and started to move his bowels regularly, his stomach and appetite were fine.

There have been many such cases. Evidently in these cases, depression was misdiagnosed. The first woman lost 2 people very dear to her. That was not unfounded depression.   THAT WAS GRIEF! What she was feeling wasn't a disease but a natural response to the events that were going on in her life.

The little boy wasn't suffering from depression; his doctor was suffering from incompetence.

I am not saying that there is no such thing as clinical depression, as a matter of fact, I believe that it does exist.   However, I believe that most depression is either a physical response, or it is a doctor's way out when he can't find out what is wrong with someone.

At first glance Prozac may sound harmless, but, looking at this mind altering drug more closely encourages its avoidance.

The nervous system and brain is soothed and calmed and we get our feeling of well being from Serotonin.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, which among other functions is a substance that chemically connects the electrical impulse of one nerve ganglia to another. After the second ganglia has received the serotonin, the body cleans out the excess.

Prozac (Fleoxetine) is a Serotonin re uptake inhibitor. It prevents the body from cleaning out the excess serotonin in hope of increasing the amount of available serotonin. Doesn't sound like an unsound theory, however, blocking this function disables the body's ability to regulate this vital substance. So as your moods and activity changes, the blocking of re uptake is constant.

The official list of side effects from Prozac are quite mild compared to what its critics list. I have had 2 personal friends and countless people I have talked to that report to me symptoms that are not in the official list of side effects.

These symptoms seem quite uniform they include: Sexual dysfunction (in both men and women), Bad dreams, Homicidal and Suicidal thoughts, Paranoia, and a Loss of concern about consequences of their actions.

The New England Journal of Medicine also cited a study done in the University of California in San Diego which reflects birth defects from a pregnant woman taking this type of drug. Because of this study and another reporting high risk of miscarriage, March of Dime is expected to soon advise all pregnant women to stop taking Prozac and similar drugs.

The fastest growing target groups are juveniles and college students. Prozac is now the widest prescribed antidepressant in the U.S. $1.3 BILLION Dollars worth of Prozac prescriptions where filled in the year of 1994, and its usage is still rising. The number one prescribed drug is Zantac (an antacid) the second is Prozac.

There are countless natural ways to help the body's availability of serotonin such as: Exercising, increasing Amino acids (especially l-tryptophan), and improving liver function, building Nerves (myelin sheathing) Cutting out coffee (I would include tea with that) Adding B complex, Supporting the Thyroid.

I have a friend that had very bad depression problems and she took L-tryptophan (which was taken off the market in 1989). I would suggest that you see a natural health practitioner for guidance on dietary sources.

If you or someone you know is on Prozac I suggest that you try balancing your own serotonin levels and tell your doctor that you want him to work with you to get off it.

Do not stop abruptly or Do not go off it yourself; it is suspected that many people have contemplated killing themselves or others while quitting cold turkey.

It is a sad affair that doctors dispense Prozac (or Zoloft, Paxil, Lovan and Luvox - same drug family) with not much more thought than they used to dispense lollipops in my day. Please remember that although it is given so liberally that does not mean that it is safe.

The focus of this site is to "educate, validate, and suggest alternative methods for the treatment of health conditions," which are not readily available to those who go through mainstream programs.

To help ensure good results, high quality foods and supplements are vital. Knowing that the cost of supplements can get overwhelming, we provide a wholesale store.

This is a courtesy, not a requirement for you to ask your questions. We are here to help people, not just gain customers.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

***When working with natural health it is beneficial that you have an understanding of the signs of a healing body. ***