Depression

Depression is clinically defined as a depressed mood, a loss of pleasure and interest in life activities that persists for at least two weeks.

It is a serious mood disorder where you lose your ability to effectively cope with daily experiences.

You may also experience feelings of loss, anger, sadness, or frustration. How to beat depression? You can find the answers as we talked all about depression.

Typically, the symptoms need to last longer than two weeks to be considered depression.

Even though depression is very common it is frequently undiagnosed.

It generally involves emotional, mental, behavioral, and physical disturbances.

Common Symptoms of Depression

Insomnia (especially early morning awakening) or hypersomnia. Sleep disturbance is experienced by at least 90 percent of sufferers.
A significant change in appetite and/or either weight loss or weight gain
Fatigue and loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach, inappropriate guilt
Diminished ability to think or concentrate
Feelings of agitation, restlessness, irritability, or near-complete inactivity and withdrawal.
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. Feelings of hopelessness
Lack of libido
loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
Sudden bursts of anger- reported by up to 30 percent to 40 percent

It is not uncommon for anxiety and depression to co-exist together.

You can be anxious and depressed at the same time and there are many factors to consider when determining the cause or causes of depression.

Additional Strategies to Help Beat Depression – Diet and Lifestyle

It is also important that we look at your diet and lifestyle. Poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate the effect that stress and depression have on your body.

At Your Wellness Centre, we have a number of dietary and exercise plans that we can advise you to help you eat well and feel better.

This creates lasting changes and true wellness.

Other recommendations that can assist in your treatment of depression include the following:

Counseling: Counselling and therapy have proven benefits in the reduction of mood symptoms and improvement in overall mental health and attitude.
Relaxation techniques: There are many ways to use structured relaxation techniques to help control stress and improve physical and mental wellbeing.
Meditation: Meditation is one of the most popular techniques to achieve physical and mental relaxation.
Support networks: Developing strong social support networks can help you cope with sadness and depression. People with strong social support systems experience fewer physical and emotional upsets than their less-connected counterparts. Loved ones, friends, business associates, neighbours, and even pets may all be part of your support network.
Life goals: Having a firm purpose in life is associated with the tendency to have less anxiety and a lower incidence of depression.

Which Factors Contribute to Depression?

Chronic stress, especially early childhood loss or deprivation, biological factors where there are lower levels of neurochemicals, and genetic predisposition are all factors involved in the development of depression. Other aspects contributing to this mood disorder include:

Sleep disturbances
A degree of social isolation, and
Nutritional deficiencies (e.g. folate and omega-3 fatty acids)

Depression can occur straight after a stressful event or be delayed. This event may be a trauma such as a loss of a loved one, abuse, or a natural disaster. Depression can also be precipitated by other medical conditions (e.g., heart attack or cancer).

Other causes of depression are multiple and varied. One of the most common causes is believed to be food allergies or food intolerances. Other contributing causes are hypoglycemia, prolonged tension, stress, neurochemical imbalances within the brain, hormonal imbalances, gastrointestinal tract disorders, poor dietary habits, traumatic experiences, thyroid disorders, excessive consumption of sugar, lack of exercise, mononucleosis, genetic disorders, poor coping skills, and brain disease.

Another form of depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), occurs mostly during the winter period when exposure to the sunlight is typically reduced.

Further, longer working hours, not spending enough time looking after ourselves, financial problems and relationship issues can all upset the delicate chemical balance within our brains, so it is essential to address all these factors if you have tendencies to depression.

Advanced Testing to identify Nutritionally and Brain Chemical Imbalances

Advanced tests like Neuroendocrine Markers, testing for Kryptopyrole and Hormone levels as well as Live Blood Analysis may be used.

These tests enable us to identify specific nutritional and biochemical imbalances so that our naturopaths are able to manage your condition very specifically and individually.

For example, imbalances in, neurotransmitters or ‘brain chemicals’ such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA may be the underlying reasons for your depression. If identified correctly, well-researched natural medicines may allow your body to increase its own production of these important neurotransmitters.

Herbal medicine, homeopathy, and flower essences can also be useful in the treatment and management of symptoms of depression. We will prescribe the specific treatment to help your body produce its own natural levels of hormones and neurotransmitters so you can feel good again.

How to Beat Depression and How We Treat

We can beat depression using effective natural solutions if we are aware of the early signs of depression and seek appropriate help. Even though it is a term frequently used when someone is feeling down, depression is a serious illness.

Treatments at our clinic can bring you back into balance with a range of well-researched management programs and nutritional and herbal medicines designed to address depression, as well as help to resolve driving factors.

When it comes to helping you maintain your moods, we strongly believe that one shoe does not fit all. Any co-existing disorder or illness that may be contributing to your depression needs to be treated as well. This is why we are thorough in our approach to treating your depression.

Get in touch now

If you, or somebody you know, is suffering from depression or is feeling down, make an appointment with one of our experienced naturopaths. At Your Wellness Centre, we strive to offer you real solutions on how to beat depression and help improve your Depression and overall wellbeing.