Holistic Protocol for Depression

By: Catherine A. O’Connor CNC, CRP, RYT

Depression can be a horrible debilitating disease. It not only affects the person who is battling, it can also affect their family members and their friends. It is not something that can be seen or measured, which in my opinion makes it that much harder to detect. It also makes it harder to learn how to cope, and treat it. There is also somewhat of an embarrassment attached to being depressed, and although we all know that there is nothing to be ashamed of, the feelings do often present themselves.

You do not have to face depression on your own, and truthfully once you start talking to people about it, the easier it will become for you.

Take a journey on your path to wellness holistically. With depression it is advised that you increase your serotonin (the feel good hormone), and balance adrenal fatigue. Here are some suggestions on what you can do holistically to help with the feelings of depression.  

 

• First and foremost, talk to a family member, talk to a friend, seek a licensed mental health counselor, maybe do all three. 

• Receive a Reiki treatment, and/or learn how to give yourself Reiki. Read more about Reiki here. You can take a class with me, it would be my honor to teach you.

• Eat at a baked potato daily. The magic of a potato boosts all the feel good hormones including serotonin. You must choose an organic potato, (we can talk about why you should change your diet to be completely organic at another time:). Conventional potatoes don’t have the same effect on the body that organic potatoes do. Also bake the potato in the oven, not the microwave (again, if you want to know why, that’s a long lesson for another time).
• Manage your stress. In my experience, stress is the #1 cause of disease. People learn to cope and/or compartmentalize the stressors in their lives, it may not always be realized and can have a real impact on your health. Even if you believe you are a person who knows how to relax, you can still benefit from meditation.

  There are many basic ways to help you reduce stress.  Meditation and/or Reiki are great complementary Alternative therapies to lower stress.

• Ketamine Therapy helps tremendously with depression. At Zen Medicine, we specialize in amazing treatment. For more information about Ketamine Therapy visit Zen Medicine. 
• Find an Acupuncturist; specifically, one who specialized in 5 Element Acupuncture (AKA 5 Phase Acupuncture). Five Element theory has been used for more than 2,000 years as a method of diagnosis and treatment. Rooted in ancient wisdom, it is an effective and unique system of medicine that diagnoses and treats the cause of disease.
• Find a Chiropractor; specifically, one who specializes in pediatric care or neurology. A licensed Chiropractor will address health conditions associated with the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Using gentle, noninvasive and drug free, chiropractic adjustments to treat, resolve and prevent a wide range of health problem.
• Boost your body’s immune system. Take a good probiotic. Zen Medicine has created Purecell Probiotics.  The most comprehensive combination of unique strains of probiotics, prebiotics, and phytobiotics.

• Exercise: Yoga!  Yoga is exercise; practice the poses, yes great! Use your muscles, whoo! In addition to the exercise of it… Look for a yoga teacher that will do breath work, and try to find someone who also does a meditation during class. Breath work for depression is so very good for you. A Hatha (not hot yoga, don’t confuse the two they are very, very different classes.) yoga class usually practices breathing & poses, and some include meditation too.

 

• Smile at yourself in the mirror. I know it sounds silly, but many, many, many studies have shown that smiling is the #1 way to increase serotonin! Your brain sees you smile & says oh I must be happy. Crazy, maybe, but it really works.

 

• Vitamin D ~. Especially in the winter most people are vitamin D deficient. You can ask you Dr. to check your levels if you choose

• Finding a salt room can be beneficial for those who suffer from depression. Organic Spa Magazine has a great article on salt rooms. You can read it here.

 

• Meditate to calm peaceful music before you go to sleep. You can find meditations on my website: Inspired-By-Life.net/Meditation

 

• Diffuse Lavender essential oil while you sleep.

 

• For the adrenals drink an infusion of Ginseng tea, and/or Licorice tea. To make tea you steep the tea in hot water for 3-5 minutes. To make an infusion steep the tea in hot water for 10 minutes.

 

• Use/Take oil and seeds from the Borage plant. This beautiful plant is high in essential fatty acids which are highly important for optimal health. Studies have shown Borage helps with mild depression.

 

• Bach flower remedies are really great for so many ailments. Read the different choices & pick which one that will suite you best.

 

• Bach stress pastilles are great to have on hand, even my kids like them.

 

• Lastly, try to find the source of you depression Is it a chemical imbalance? Is it a loss of some kind: loss of love, loss of life, loss of lifestyle, loss of relationship? Is it fear, envy, or betrayal? Find what the root of the problem is, and you can then work toward a solution. Call Zen Medicine to have a compete evaluation and start your journey to happiness today!

 

Peace, Love, & Gratitude to you, always…