Archive for category Herbs
Herbs That Calm Also Help Feelings of Depression and Anxiety
Posted by admin in Anxiety, Depression, Herbs on January 9, 2012
You’ve probably already read, have seen or watched testimonials about calming herbs and how they can help with anxiety and depression. I am a firm believer, have seen many times, and experienced personally the wonderful healing properties that natural medicines provide for the permanent relief of any symptom you may be experiencing. But don’t take my word for it because even conventional doctors are now using supplements for their patients, along with the ever growing field of integrative medicine.
Supplements add to your nutritional health and so to gain the most from them, your core eating habits must be optimal for healing. You can’t eat donuts and coffee for breakfast and expect the supplements to work very well. Also, exercise has been proven to be as effective as any prescription drug like such as Prozac. Not enough sunlight can cause a deficiency in Vitamin D, especially in the winter also causing depressive symptoms. Lastly getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night can help regulate hormones and ease stress.
There are many factors at work in feelings of anxiety, stress and depression including thyroid function, the hormones estrogen and testosterone, along with low levels of the brain neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Supplementing and your daily lifestyle choices mentioned above can go a long way in helping to balance your health. But, if you still are feeling anxiety and depression you can try the following list of supplements on your own, making sure to use only one particular supplement at a time, along with lifestyle choices, or make an appointment with a doctor at an integrative medical center which combines traditional medicine along with alternative treatments. Integrative medicine for depression and anxiety can include calming herbs in medicinal form, acupuncture, and treatments aimed at the whole being and not just one piece of the illness puzzle. Read the rest of this entry »
Vitamins and Herbs: Don’t Let the Winter Blues Make You SAD!
After the heat of the summer and the rainy fall we all look forward to winter – it’s cool weather, warm clothes and holiday cheer…but as the holiday season winds down and we have months to go in the winter season, we become sluggish and dread the dark days and cold weather. Waking in the dark and coming home from work in the dark hinders our exercise routines: causing fatigue and sluggishness – which leads to too much sleep and ultimately weight gain for a lot of us — paired with low moods and symptoms that mimic depression. It is well known that those suffering from depression have a worsening of symptoms in the winter and while roughly 3% of the population has been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), countless others have what is termed the “winter blues.”
So while any depression symptoms or SAD should be handled by your clinical physician, those of us who tend to experience more mild symptoms related to the darkening winter season there are some natural ways we can try and enhance our mood and energy while we await the spring sunshine.
Vitamins & Supplements to help with your Winter Blues
Vitamin D – the sunshine vitamin! The best source of vitamin D is sun exposure, which is needed for the body to synthesize vitamin D and though very little exposure is needed for this conversion, even that is hard to obtain in the winter months in most parts of the country. The fact that vitamin D deficiency is widespread (over 70% of the US population is thought to be vitamin D deficient) the need to utilize supplements to obtain adequate vitamin D levels seems like a necessity. These low levels may also underlie the winter blues. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that likelihood of having depression in people with vitamin D deficiency is significantly higher compared to those whose levels are sufficient. Read the rest of this entry »