Global studies show that 15 to 20% of adults today suffer from depressive symptoms and at least 12% of them suffer from depression. Why is it like that and what can you do about it?
Feel the emotions – sadness, fear, agony or irritation is a normal part of human nature. However, if you leave these feelings unsolved or untold, depression may result.
The most common and confident way to heal depression, is to let your doctor prescribe antidepressants. But there’s a lot you can do on your own to fight back. Changing your physical activity, lifestyle, and your diet – are all natural depression treatments.
These 9 tips and suggestions below can help you feel better – starting right now. But firstly about the symptoms and about the relationship between depression and metabolic disorder.
Unreleased and unresolved feelings
The word depression comes from the word depress which stands for suppression. So, these are traumas that have been suppressed and set aside. Traumas can be, for example, the loss of a loved one, the pressure of parents to be successful, the embarrassment of harassment, the fear of loneliness, coping or aging, and so on.
This means that a person pushes down unspoken feelings because they do not dare or know how to deal with their feelings and situations.
This impure, negative energy starts to look for an exit and usually reveal itself as fear, mood disorder, depression, anxiety, stress, and so on. With anxiety and depression, your body simply shows that the problem needs a solution.
Depression and anxiety show that a person does not know himself. Not taught to look at yourself, to lead emotions and to work with your inner world. Also, in this fast-paced and transforming world, the achievement culture and the plurality of responsibilities are not favored for viewing.
People just do not have time to think their thoughts and to organize their so-called internal files. Just as it is necessary occasionally organize your files in computer, it is also necessary to organize your inner world.
Depression and anxiety can be caused by a number of other factors, such as:
- Genetics
- The environment
- Life-threatening lifestyle
- Complex and incomplete relationships
- Unresolved emotional problems
- Lack of nutrients in the body
- Misuse of drugs or alcohol
- Lack of balance of brain chemistry or other health conditions
All of these reasons listed above need solutions or professional help.
The beginning and a process of depression
Depression as a disease is generally sneaky at start. Depression can be:
- Instant or Depressive Affect – A mood that lasts day or days.
- Clinical Depression – which lasts several months, even years.
Persistent disorders cause disability, impair the quality of life, and begin to interfere with your daily routines. Experiencing mood disorders can be an unpleasant experience for those affected and their family. But it can also be a potentially dangerous situation leading to other health complications or even self-harm.
Common symptoms and warning signs of depression
Depressive disorders are characterized by a persistent feeling of:
- Sadness or hopelessness.
- Temporary suicidal thoughts or acts.
- Functional impairment of daily social and work activities.
So depression, is a mood disorder characterized primarily by depressed mood, narrowing of the circles of interest, loss of joy of life, and loss of energy. Those symptoms are often accompanied by rapid fatigue (even after a little effort) and reduced activity.
Some of the following symptoms of depressive disorders occur in people with depression almost every day, for weeks, months, and years:
- Lack of interest or pleasure in traditional daily activities and relationships. You don’t care anymore about former hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure.
- The mood of depression lasts for most of the day.
- Lack of energy. Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete.
- Insomnia (sleep problems) or hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness during the day).
- Feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, hopelessness and/or guilt. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.
- Lack of concentration or lack of judgment.
- Thoughts of death or suicide.
- Appetite or weight changes. Significant weight loss or weight gain—a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
- Anger or irritability. Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone gets on your nerves.
- Reckless behavior. You engage in escapist behavior such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.
- Concentration problems. Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.
- Unexplained aches and pains. An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.
People suffering from anxiety disorders experience constant worry, fear, or panic, often in situations where most people feel comfortable or free.
Relationship between depression (including anxiety, irritability, panic attack, stress) and metabolic disorder
Stress directly affects the nervous system, which is closely related to intestinal activity. The nervous system can be divided into two – sympathetic and parasympathetic.
The sympathetic nervous system assures the functioning of the body in stress or danger situations. Parasympathetic when the body is at rest. In a state of danger, the body seems to be freezing – you have to decide whether to fight or escape. Any stress gives the brain a signal of danger. The sympathetic nervous system turns on.
When the sympathetic nervous system launches, the body sends all the resources (blood supply, energy, nutrients) to the head and muscles in order to instantly find the power to fight or escape. This condition is at the charge of all other systems of the body.
In case of constant stress, the blood supply to the digestive system and the transport of nutrients to the tissues and cells is disrupted because all the attention and energy is constantly on the muscles. It also exhausts the muscles.
Continual muscle tension sooner or later leads to muscle stiffness and pain.
Tight muscles do not pass through water, blood, or energy well. From this it can be concluded that fibromyalgia (muscle tension and pain) can become stressful. I this case you can find help from increased doses of B vitamins and magnesium, which are necessary for the nervous system.
In state of stress, as blood supply is elsewhere, people also have no sexual desire. The sexual desire arises in a relaxed and restful state. Permanent and long-lasting stress results in underfed cells, and causes cell damage (oxidative stress), as nutrients, water and oxygen simply will not reach to cells in sufficient amounts.
When body cells are hungry and collapsing, one cannot be happy and in good mood. Adding one-sided unhealthy and nutrient-poor diets, little water and movement to this can lead to serious chronic illnesses.
The most effective natural ways to treat depression
Before purchasing antidepressants you can try other natural treatment methods.
1. Change Lifestyle
Reduce Smoking, alcohol and coffee.
2. Healthy Diet
Look over your diet. You might suffer from food intolerance and food allergies. In the case of food intolerance, the non-digestible food is a poison on the body that adversely affects the nervous system. Celiac disease causes depression. Wheat, dairy, sugar and meat products are the main foods that your body may not tolerate.
3. Less Sugar
Reduce the consumption of sugar products – they cause acidification of the body. Inflammation and various serious illnesses occur in an acidic environment.
Excess sugar damages the nervous system.
4. More vitamins, minerals, fat and amino acids
Let your levels of vitamins, minerals, fat and amino acids be measured as much as possible. Missing micro- and macro-nutrients cause anxiety in the body, so the body simply has no substances to keep it running and build itself up.
For example, brain cells consist of a large amount of fats. If a person does not eat fats such as fish oil, olive oil, hemp oil, walnut oil (omega 3, 6, 9 fats), then the brain is panic because there is no essential substance for brain and brain activity.
The lack of magnesium and B vitamins causes disturbances in the nervous system causing anxiety, irritability, and so on.
5. More water
A person consists of 60-70% water. So if there is no water, no process in the body can function. Water is one of the most important substances that absolutely every part of the body and cell needs.
6. Physical exercise
Move more! Physical movement is the best tool for releasing negative energies and a hormone serotonin manufacturer. The movement burns the sugar in the body (calories). Burning sugar (carbohydrate) releases energy in the body. The more movement and oxygen, the more the mitochondria “cell power stations” in the body cells are generated. They are responsible for energy production.
7. Eliminate possible thyroid dysfunction and possible anemia
Measure and eliminate possible thyroid dysfunction and possible anemia. Because vitamin c and iron deficiency, yeast and dysbacteriosis are diseases that also cause sleep and anxiety disorders and depression.
8. Try natural depression and anxiety-relieving supplements
In less severe cases, prior to chemical antidepressants, try natural anxiety-relieving supplements such as:
- 5-HTP (the amino acid from which the body produces serotonin – hormone hormone)
- B vitamins
- Vitamin D
- Magnesium
- Ashwagandha
All these substances are very much involved in the work of the nervous system, in the absence of which nervous system disorders and damage occur.
9. Balance your intestinal microflora
In addition, the intestinal microflora should be steered, as metabolic abnormalities are the main cause of depression.
- Clean the intestines (fine and large intestines) with high-fiber foods or food supplements.
- Eliminate parasites with antiparasitic plants (pumpkin seeds, black walnut, Neem, Pau D´Arco).
- Add anti-inflammatory agents such as curcumin (also used to treat depression), dandelion, vitamin D3.
- Replace harmful bacteria useful for eating probiotic foods such as acidified vegetables, sauerkraut, sour milk made from raw milk, kefir.
- However, acidified products may not provide the necessary amount of probiotic culture to cover the entire intestinal tract with beneficial bacteria. In this case, you can also use probiotics e. lactic acid bacteria as a dietary supplement.
Useful lactic acid bacteria are responsible for:
- Protecting the intestinal wall.
- Disintegrating and grinding food.
- Neutralizing harmful germs.
- Removing poison and debris.
- Maintaining our mental and physical health.
Go, if necessary, to a psychologist or therapist who can help clear up and relieve internal traumas and fears.
If depression has developed into very serious symptoms, let your doctor prescribe antidepressants if necessary to help to control the situation for a moment and gain time to find solutions.
Compiled by Maria-Helena Loik
Pixtures: Pexels.com, Pixabay.com, Shutterstock.com
