Can anyone recommend something for depression?

[AngelHeart]

Thats natural? I've tried St Johns wort but not did much good TBH. I really want to beat this but without anti ds if possible . Would love to hear of success stories ussing natual remedies xxx

[grotbags]

I had success with Rhodiola. This is meant to be a good herb for depression and it really did work for me. I take 5htp anyway to help me sleep, so I took the two together. SJW didn't work for me either.
I used the Swanson's brand for a bit, and another brand from my herbalist which I have now forgotten. The Rhodiola pooped out after 18 months because I didn't cycle it.

[Ingenious]

5-HTP had no effect at all on me. St John's Wort made the world a bit trippy but did not seem consistent or powerful enough. I tried for some time with different things including vitamins, self help books (including CBT) and in the end continued to get worse and worse... eventually a friend frog marched me to see a doctor as I had let things slip to the point of becoming suicidal. Medication has changed my life for the better, got off to a bad start with the wrong one for me (Citalopram) but ended up on a life changing drug called Mirtazapine which fits me like a glove.

Once the medication started to work I was motivated to try other things to supplement it, and these are the ones I have found most effective:

Exercise - This works wonders. I mean proper, daily, exercise.
Good diet - Forget 5 a day, aim for 10 a day. Fruit and veg galore.
Meditation - The only thing to get to the root of my issues has been mindful meditation. Well worth a try.

I am now looking to wean off the tablets at some point, but would not have recovered without medication as the foundation of this.

[PanchoGoz]

Gardening - washing the car - strimming - planting - outside activites like this with some good food that I love are the only things that work for me and continue to work when it strikes me again.

[suzy-sue]

All of the above ..and above all ;A good old belly laugh a day ,really works better than anything else for me ..xSue

[Phoenix11]

Get some relaxation. Make sure you are getting lots of sleep and are spending time to stop and smell the flowers.

[white43]

Thats natural? I've tried St Johns wort but not did much good TBH. I really want to beat this but without anti ds if possible . Would love to hear of success stories ussing natual remedies xxx

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned:

Omega 3 - 1000mg EPA a day
Inositol - it varies how much
Magnesium - Chloride or Glycinate.

I've used all three and the Inositol / Magnesium have been particularly effective.

[ashleybrownhd]

Depression becomes the part of daily lifestyle, with the busy and stressful life it is very common in people. The best way to avoid depression is to do yoga and meditation. These are very effective for the health of mind and body.

[mikes]

I know it will sound a little cliche but it really does work in my opinion.

There is no miracle cure, but if there were it would be vitamins as well as food. Im a firm believer that you are what you eat. I used to have a standard diet, whatever looked good in tesco & takeaways. When I changed that up for more healthy alternatives, my depression disappeared. I did start off with a really healthy green shake, so going from my poor diet to those was a big change. The amazing thing was I noticed a huge shift in the way I felt the moment I drank it. With something like that the rewards can come near instantly.

The fact is it is very difficult to get the vitamin intake you deserve these days doing a grocery shop at the local Tescos. Very few foods are good for you, and most of those that claim to be good these days claim to make you lose weight. Products that promote little fat, zero nutrients and a bowl full of sugar. Starving yourself of nutrients is not healthy. But this is all about battling depression anyway.

Getting lots of vitamins through your diet can be quite tough. Im a fan of the 5 a day system that is being promoted these days. Its not a bulletproof theory, but its a great tool to get you on the road to feeling better. I have a green shake every morning that will give me my 5 a day at the start of the day. Ive opted for the shake to save time and I use a blender rather than a juicer so the nutrients are released slowly rather than instantly.

I used to struggle in the mornings with my depression. With this shake I feel like I have energy in the mornings. I will get up to things, cleaning, doing those things that 'I have to do.' Its a big difference. I dont put things off, I am much more active. Its not a change I have brought about, it just naturally happened after I changed my diet. I didnt have to push for it at all.

So for me, changing the diet is the most important. Chances are if you are depressed and struggling, you may have reasons, but something may not be right in your body. I also think its the most important because it is more hands on. For sure you would get a great boost from taking in huge amounts of nutrients from food, but you have to prepare the food yourself too. It can keep you active, and it does become a hobby once you start feeling those boosts.

A simple meal I have that I always feel great after eating is pasta, with some boiled kale and a tin of organic red salmon. Its very simple, you only need to cook the pasta, bring the kale to the boil then simmer for 2 minutes. The salmon comes from a tin and you are good to go. You get so much iron, omega 3 and B vitamins from this easy to make meal and it only takes as long as cooking your pasta.

With vitamins, there are a few I take which I would recommend.

Krill oil or cod liver oil. Krill is the best source currently of omega 3.

Chlorella, a natural fresh water algae in pill form. It contains vitamins b1,2,3,6,C,D,E. Iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, folic acid amongst other things.

---------- Post added at 12:16 ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 ----------

Ive read quite a few reports on meditations effect on the mind and body over the past few weeks. It seems it does have a good effect on positive thinking and feeling. I am a fan of exercise, I must admit I dont exercise as much as I would like but I cant ever remember feeling down after exercising!

Heres the latest report I read on meditation - Apparently I cant share this because Im a new user. Oh well

Ive also read some good things about positive association. AKA thinking that you love everything. 6 weeks of wandering around, thinking that you love everything from the neighbours uncleaned garden to strangers on the street can apparently change the way you will naturally think about the world. It also has a quite soothing effect when you are feeling anxious.

[ashleybrownhd]

I would say don't go for any sort of medicines for treating depression as it lead to addiction. the best way to treat depression is through meditation. As with meditation you will get inner peace and it is very useful for treating depression.