Crunching at depression: Can natural cures work?

I have been a LONG TIME sufferer of moderate to severe "medication resistant" depression. This means, that for the past 16 years I've tried every medication out there for depression. (Okay, not all of them, but it sure feels like it!) In the interest of disclosure...I've tired prozac, zoloft, lexapro, welbutrin, Paxil, ritalin (not an anti-depressant but they thought maybe it would help?) and finally effexor XR. I'm still on the Effexor, at a whopping 300mg a day. And I'm not ready to give it up just yet...but it does come with some wicked side effects and I know it's ADDICTING and causes terrible withdrawal symptoms. But, it's the first thing that has ever worked for me.

That being said...there are also natural options out there, and yes, I've tried some of them them as well. Now, depression is NOTHING to sneeze at. It comes with some serious problems that I'm only to familiar with, including anxiety, apathy towards life, serious suicidal and homicidal thoughts. It shouldn't be taken lightly and if you choose to go the a natural route, it's best still to do so under the guidance of a doctor, preferably a psychiatrist who knows how these things work in the body/brain. Not all physicians have a lot of training in psychology and while they are usually willing and able to start you off down anti-depressant lane, they can't manage you for the long haul. So, that's my disclaimer for this post, what are the natural options? Do they work? Keep in mind, this is all informational and not intended to be medical advice, for that please go to your doctor!

St. John's Wort: This is probably the most well known and popular of the over the counter/herbal depression remedies. It's derived from a plant (the flower of the St. John's Wort plant, actually) and has been studied with some decent results in improving mood. But it needs to be taken with caution, especially if you're using it in conjunction with other medications. It's been found recently to allegedly act as more of an MAOI type medication rather than an SSRI.  Which, if you don't know, MAOIs are an older class of anti-depressants that come with a HUGE list of interactions with other drugs, and foods. There is no stable dosing currently in the U.S. on herbal formulations, so traditionally it's best to stick to brands that are well known for quality and purity to ensure you're going to get an accurate dose.

SAM-e: Another popular over the counter remedy, SAM-e is a complicated byproduct of breaking down other chemicals in the body. I won't go into great scientific details, wikipedia can do that for you, but basically it occurs naturally in the liver. What sparked interest in it at first, was that people suffering from alzheimers were found to have lower levels of SAM-e than the average population. Still, this is not understood why. In the USA it's sold as a supplement and boasts treating several ailments including depression. Now, this one I have tried and I can honestly say from personal experience...it didn't help or hurt me one way or another.

GABA: This is an ammino acid that is part of the seratonin cycle or "chain" that occurs in your body. I tried this one on the reccomendation of my psychologist (Note...NOT my psychiatrist) for anxiety/panic attacks. But reading further I've found that this in it's current, OTC form does not cross the blood/brain barrier readily to acutally do what you need it to do, so it's use is iffy. I took a sub-lingual form and I did notice a certain amount of sleepiness after taking it....so it did have a calming effect. You need to be careful taking this or anything on the seratonin cylce (5-htp or L-tryptophan) if you are taking an SSRI because there is such a thing as TO MUCH seratonin, and it could actually be life threatening. Again, always check in with your doctor on what supplements you take.

5-htp: Another amino acid along the seratonin cycle. Usually you'll find this marketed for insomnia, but my psychologist suggested it might help with calming my overly anxious self down. I took some, and I found it helpful. I took it for about 6 months and I had a marked reduction in anxiety attacks, but maybe it was just from sleeping a bit better, since I did notice I tossed and turned less at night while on this. I stopped taking it when the anxiety lessened and haven't taken it since. Please see above about using it cautiously if you're already taking an SSRI.

L-Tryptophan: Tryptophan is a buzz word you may have heard, especially around thanksgiving! What? Why is that you say? Well...tryptophan is the amino acid that is found naturally in abundance in turkey that everybody swears makes them sleepy. And it does make you sleepy, but it's also a part of the seratonin cycle. Now, there was a scare awhile back as a bunch of tainted L-tryptophan reached the US markets, so it's harder to find these days as a supplement. I found mine at the vitamin shoppe. I took this, along with 5-htp for about 6 months then backed off it. I had good results using both of those together, but again...it's something to do with caution! Tryptophan does occur naturally in many other foods besides turkey, mostly in protein rich foods.

Omega-3 fatty acids: (and 6...and 9...). In the US today, following a Standard American Diet (SAD diet) we are deeply deficient in omega 3 fatty acids. More and more research is coming out on this and it turns out, these acids are vital to our bodies for everything from cholesterol synthesis to mood support and so on. You've probably all heard about fish oil being good for your heart. Well, now you know it can also be good for your mood! In fact, it's on our regimen for ADHD/Autism care for my son because it's so vital for brain function. If you add this as a supplement, don't just go getting any brand though, look to make sure that the brand of fatty acids you are buying is 1. PURE and 2. balanced. You probably get a boat load of omega 9s from rancid oils (corn, safflower, canola...) but you still want to get it from a good source in good balance along with omegas 3 and 6. The brand I personally use is Nordic Naturals, who does quality checks on their fish to ensure they are free of heavy metals (like mercury). They're not the only brand out there that does this, I'm sure, but they're easily accessible to me from amazon.com.

B Vitamins: They have been linked to mental health for a long time now, but research continues to show that people who suffer depression are low in b-vitamins, particularly vitamin B-12. It's unclear why this is, but a good B-complex will help with this, along with a diet full of plenty of fish, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables. I've had bad personal experience with B-vitamins (the taste makes me feel queasy). I've started taking them in a gummy form though and this seems to help. I can't speak from personal experience though on this one since I've not taken it long enough. Just be sure, as with any vitamins, to watch dosing if you're also taking other vitamins/supplements that might have the same ingredients (like a multi-vitamin).

Glutathione: This is a set of amino acids that have been recently studied and shown to have some effect in treating severe depression. They are synthesized naturally in the liver, however, people with depression are found to be low. To get this in over the counter form, you would buy the amino acid N-acetyl cysteine, or NAC as it's commonly marketed. This is the precursor for natural Glutathione production. This is another one, I have personal experience with. I started NAC about two years ago, and continue to take it today. I do think it's been helpful to me and I've had no side effects one way or another while taking it. I found it at the vitamin shoppe and have also ordered it OL from amazon.com (along with my fish oil supplements).

Diet AND yes, EXERCISE: Diet plays a HUGE role in our health, mental health included. Think of it this way...pretty much everything you intake into you body is a drug of sorts, causing a chain of reactions to go through your system. Adding in a bunch of junk (processed foods, preservatives, garbage carbs like white flour..) only gums up these reactions, making them either over exaggerated or non-existent. Our bodies simply weren't designed for the types of food now available to us. Not on a routine basis anyway. So opt for shopping the perimeter of the store only, where all the fresh meats, veggies, fruits and dairy are kept. Stay away from the interior regions at all cost, except for maybe some frozen veggies and dried beans/rice (if you're eating grains. I'm not at this time). Shoot for organic meats IF you can. Right now....alas...we can't. Our budget and the need to feed 6 individuals doesn't allow for this. We do what we can, when we can.

And yes, I said exercise. Routine exercise is important, but it's especially important if you suffer from depression. Moving gets the blood flowing and creates a better level of hormones in your system, which can greatly affect your mood for the better. Added bonus if you do your exercising outside, you get a does of sunshine which helps your body in the natural production of vitamin D, another vitamin whose deficiency has been linked to depression (and most women in the US are deficient in vitamin D, thanks to our avoidance of the sun.)  Get out and try to walk at least 30 mins a day. This can be in short spurts, or all at once, it doesn't matter.

Good old fashioned therapy is also something that I want to included on this list. Therapy allows for a safe environment to express your fears, concerns, frustrations, pains...all to somebody who will listen, help you to problem solve and who is hopefully compassionate to what you are going through. This is very helpful in helping you to process what is at the root of the depression. But in order for it to work, you have to approach it from the angle that you are READY to change what is broken, ready to work and ready for the feed back. This has to be true of any approach to tackling a mental health issue, holistic or conventional. It will NOT work if you're not ready for it to work. Nothing can take root and make changes in your mind and body if you aren't open to allowing it. As somebody who has worked in a mental health setting, I'd say being READY for healing/changing and working on your illness is the number one step to truly recovering.

I hope you found this helpful. Obviously this is just the tip of the holistic depression iceberg. As always, do some research and let me know if you have any other holistic therapies up your sleeves. I'm always reading up myself, trying to figure out what is helpful for me and what isn't and I'd love to hear what else is out there!