Change Your Life and Mood Using Natural Treatments For Depression

Natural treatments for depression will change and provide you a superior lifestyle benefiting you in other areas as well. It is so amazing how our bodies work; the cells and the chemical processes which keep our body healthy or ill.

Two such "chemicals" found in our bodies are serotonin and dopamine. They are responsible for our moods, stress, anxiety and sleep; not enough and this imbalance can cause depression. You can get prescription antidepressants which do increase serotonin levels, they also can cause weight gain; but if you want to feel really healthy and happy all over you don't need prescription antidepressants. Research has found that prescription drugs for depression ends up in the intestinal tract; but it needs to cross the blood brain barrier into the central nervous system and brain, which it does not. But if the body is supplied with the right type of nutrition, serotonin levels will rise.

Our serotonin and dopamine levels are affected by what we eat and you can raise the levels by diet! Not giving your body what it needs will result in depression, anxiety, and illness. For instance omega-3 fatty acids must be present for normal brain function. You must consume omega-3s because our body does not make them. Low ingestion of the good fats has been associated with depression. Even using antidepressants along with omega-3 have been shown to be more effective than using antidepressants alone. Salmon is an excellent source, or you can buy a supplement.

Natural treatments for depression should include folic acid or folate and B6 part of the B vitamins and tryptophan that assist the body in producing serotonin and dopamine levels, which are abundant in healthy foods.

Eat these foods to RAISE serotonin and dopamine levels; amino acids (protein), artichokes, asparagus, bananas, black beans, blueberries, broccoli, chicken liver, chickpeas or garbanzo beans, cottage cheese, cranberries, eggs, kidney beans, leafy greens, lentils, mangoes, melons, oats, oranges, poultry, prunes, raw almonds, red beans, sesame and sunflower seeds, spinach, strawberries, turkey and walnuts.

Do NOT eat these foods as they DECREASE serotonin and dopamine; sugary foods and saturated fat, white bread, cakes, cookies, caffeine and alcohol.

Once you get back on track with a healthy diet you can add coffee and alcohol back in moderate amounts, one or two cups of coffee per day or a glass of wine here and there, but if you are depending on them for a lift it isn't helping. The natural cure for depression could as simple as trying to eat well for the next six weeks as an experiment. Hopefully you will stick with it after you see and feel the difference it can make in your life.

If you feel that you may need a supplement to help with your natural treatment for depression you can try St. John's Wart. This supplement can interfere with a few prescriptions and over the counter drugs like HIV drugs, organ rejection drugs, oral contraceptives and antidepressants, so be sure and check with your physician if you are taking any of them.

Natural treatments for depression might include SAM-e a chemical found naturally in the body which increases serotonin and dopamine levels. Another chemical produced by our body is 5-HTP to make serotonin. Do not use 5-HTP along with antidepressants.

Remember though, if you are having other problems such as extreme or a persistent depression you probably need to see a physician to be sure that you do not have some underlying medical condition.

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