Depression, as the single most common for of mental illness out there and one of the most debilitating, can make living a normal life a losing struggle. Though everyone will have some amount of depression in their lives, some people have a physical condition that results in unmanageable amounts of depression even when there is no good reason for it.
Because the causes for this condition are so varied and poorly understood, treatments for depression are likewise varied and often ineffective.
The good news is there are a lot of different treatments for depression, but to someone struggle with the condition they can all seem somewhat daunting. While antidepressants have been very effective for many people, they are not without plenty of side effects.
There are natural cures for depression as well. In fact most forms of treatment for depression are natural cures for depression. It wasn’t until more recent years that ‘unnatural’ cures for depression were even developed. One very natural cure for depression that works for many people is getting more frequent exercise.
While it may seem hard to fathom how going for a run will make you feel happier, regular exercise has been shown to lead to reduced anxiety and depression in many different recent studies. Both depression and anxiety result from imbalances in brain chemistry, but brain chemistry is directly linked to our lifestyle and health habits. We’re not meant to lay around all day, or sit at a desk for hours on end. Our bodies and brains are still in ‘hunter and gatherer’ mode, and just being inactive is often enough to mess up our brain chemistry.
Another natural ‘cure’ for depression is of course therapy. Talk therapies have long been shown an effective treatment for both anxiety and depression. Additionally, support groups or any kind of encouragement from peers struggling with similar illnesses is also effective. These are of course natural treatments for depression.
One other natural cure for depression that many people find effective are boosting the amount of time they spend in the sun. Some amount of sunlight exposure seems to be linked to serotonin production, so that’s another reason why going out for a run may help.
Finally, the supplement SAM-e (‘sammy’) is often effective for many people. It is available without prescription and serves as an additional natural cure for depression, as it is a chemical made naturally by your body. While it is expensive, it has a high rate of improving symptoms of its users, and can be used safely in conjunction with antidepressants.
