Holistic cures for depression

Depression in America

An estimated one in ten adults across America report suffering from depression at some point in their life. Depression can disrupt anyone’s life. It is reported that people suffering from depression can have a hard time recovering from illness, are likely to miss work, and may become predisposed to addiction. This is a serious condition which needs serious help. Depression is often “treated” with psychiatric drugs like Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, and Cymbalta. These drugs have dangerous side effects and can even cause dependence and addiction. Even without the long list of severe side effects, such as aggression and suicidal thoughts and actions, the factor of drug addiction alone is enough to steer many of us away from the pharmaceutical route.

Eight Holistic Cures

There are other solutions to depression besides psychoactive drugs. The holistic or natural route is increasingly spotlighted and preferred as it does not involve all the complications and health risks of drug use. Here are just eight of many holistic solutions:

1. Ensure you are eating a nutritious diet and are sleeping consistently 

Improper eating habits can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies which can cause a person to feel depressed. Ensuring your diet is healthy and nutritious can solve the majority of these dietary depressors. A key part of a good diet is plenty for fruit and vegetables. Fruits, veggies, and nuts are high in essential vitamins and minerals that all human beings need. Most experts recommend 7 ½ - 9 hours of sleep every night for adults. For some people, this amount of sleep is simply impossible. However, it’s important to set up your schedule and your life to get at least 7 ½ solid hours of sleep per night.

2. Take your vitamins 

While pretty much everyone should take some type of multi-vitamin, there are certain vitamins that help specifically with depression. These vitamins are:

• Vitamin D
• Omega 3 (Fish oil)
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B5
• Vitamin B6 
• Vitamin B12

3.  Remove refined sugar and artificial sweeteners from your diet

Sugar can make you feel good in the short term, but after the sugar high wears off all you feel is tired or bloated. Removing refined sugar products like cookies and candy from your diet will help remove that crash from your day. Artificial sweeteners are factually just as bad, or worse, than processed sugar. The artificial sweetener aspartame has been linked to depression. More items contain aspartame than you probably realize. Check the ingredients of anything marked “sugar free.” It could have aspartame. Barring allergies, opt instead for natural sweeteners like honey or stevia.

4. Get exercise

 Everyone is telling you to eat right and exercise. Well, it’s time to listen in. Exercising can increase endorphins – which is the chemical your body naturally makes when you’re happy. So, it’s time to get outside, get moving, and exercise. Walking, running, basketball, football, baseball, tennis, weights, aerobics – pick one and do it.

5. Laugh Laughter is a stress reliever and a depression fighter.

It increases good hormones, relaxes you, and generally makes things more pleasant. So, read a funny book, talk to that friend who always cracks you up, take five minutes to watch a comedy skit on YouTube, or do something with people you enjoy.

6. Do something new

Changing up your everyday routine will make you feel less stuck in a rut and more adventurous. Adventure and challenge provide focus and fun. So, volunteer at the youth center, learn Italian, take up the guitar, or go on a road trip. Break up the routine.

7. Set goals for yourself If you feel depressed, set up and reach for new goals.

Perhaps you always wanted to write a book. Join the National Novel Writing Month movement or just start writing. Setting goals, big and small, and working towards their attainment can work wonders for your self-esteem and state of mind. Don’t hold back.

8. Find out about allergies or deficiencies

Depression can be caused by allergies, other illnesses, or nutritional deficiencies. Some drugs can actually make the situation worse because they aren’t fighting the correct cause – they are only fighting a symptom. Get your health looked into thoroughly. A physical, treatable condition could be at the root of the problem, causing a feeling of depression.

Doing something about it

While depression is a major problem in the US, there are methods of dealing with it that don’t involve taking dangerous and addictive medication. While there is nothing wrong with seeing a doctor for your depression, the “pill to mask a symptom” approach is proving entirely unworkable. It is a very smart idea to look into how your nutrition and all the other factors noted above can affect your mental health. When you have gone through these systematically, you many find you are no longer depressed – and that would be worth it!

Sources

www.CDC.gov
www.HelpGuide.org
www.LiveStrong.org

Can Tobacco Use Lead to Drug Abuse?

Considering the 400,000 tobacco related deaths each year one would think tobacco has more than enough complications; however, a 2000 study conducted by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health shows that tobacco use increases one's risks of using illegal narcotics. The researchers used data gathered by the 1994 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. This data concluded that of the 17,809 respondents, 65.8% of participants who smoked were:

• 7 Times more likely to have tried marijuana

• 7 Times more likely to have tried cocaine

• 14 Times more likely to have tried crack

• And 16 Times more likely to have tried heroin

These results were even more concerning when applied to the younger age groups. The 12-15 age range smokers were 44 times more likely to have tried crack than their older counter parts. While the number of people who smoke has decreased from around 40% to less than 30% ,the rates for drug rehab applicants have almost tripled. When interviewed about habits nearly 85% of applicants admitted to being smokers. Among the five categories of primary drugs surveyed heroin users had the highest levels of smoking habits. Additionally, frequency of primary drug use and frequency of overall drug use correlated with cigarette smoking.

Tobacco and Teens

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has stated, "the experience of smoking can teach youngsters to use a psychoactive drug to influence mood and alertness, as nicotine does, and then reinforce that behavior.Smoking cigarettes prepares young people for the relevant mode of ingestion for one of the next drugs in the sequence - namely marijuana." In general smoking is the first drug experience peers share; similar to the use of marijuana it is hidden and outside most societal acceptance standards. Smoking introduces teens to the sensation of inhaling a drug and desensitizes them to the feeling of smoke entering their lungs.

• Tobacco is generally the first drug used by young people who enter a sequence of drug use that can include tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and harder drugs.
• Illegal drug use is rare among those who have never smoked and cigarette smoking is likely to precede the use of alcohol and illicit drug.
• The amount of tobacco use is directly related to other drug use.
• Tobacco is officially recognized as an addictive drug.
• There is a dramatic association between smoking and illicit drug use.

Gateway Drug Theory

The "gateway drug theory" describes the phenomenon in which an introduction to drug-using behavior through the use of tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana is related to subsequent use of other illicit drugs. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) provides the following illustrations:

• Among 12-to 17-year-olds with no other problem behaviors, those who drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes at least once in the past month are 30 times likelier to smoke marijuana than those who didn't. These correlations are more pronounced for girls than boys: for girls, 36 times likelier; for boys, 27 times likelier.
• Among 12-to 17-year-olds with no other problem behaviors, those who used all three gateway drugs (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana) in the past month are almost 17 times likelier to use another drug like cocaine, heroin, or LSD. These correlations are stronger for boys than girls: for boys, 29 times likelier; for girls, 11 times likelier.