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| | | From: Rene (Original Message) | Sent: 4/12/2005 12:05 AM |
| | ask our experts |  Seeking Answers about Antidepressants
"I’ve been taking anti-depressants for four years. I’ve tried to wean off them, but I’ve always had rebound side-effects. What do you recommend?"
Carolyn DeMarco, MD: Certain antidepressants have strong rebound effects. If you go off them suddenly, you may have a sudden worsening of symptoms and feel really awful. The April 2003 Health Canada bulletin on adverse drug reactions reported more withdrawal reactions with paroxetine (Paxil) than with any other antidepressant of the same type (Prozac, Zoloft or Celexa). Symptoms of withdrawal include dizziness, vertigo, unsteady gait, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, lethargy, muscle weakness, insomnia, vivid dreams, anxiety, agitation and confusion. Most withdrawal symptoms last days or weeks, but some are severe and last longer.
The question of whether you should go off your antidepressant at all depends on the severity of your depression and its patterns of reoccurrence. If you end up with severe depression every time you go off medication, long-term usage makes sense. The benefit of avoiding time wasted due to months of agonizing depression versus the risks of taking the medication has to be weighed.
If you suffer from mild to moderate depression, it makes sense to try to wean off your antidepressant, but very slowly. Most antidepressants should be tapered off gradually except Prozac, which can be discontinued abruptly because it stays in the body for a long time. In this situation, St. John’s wort may be helpful for you. This herb is prescribed in Germany 20 times more often than the top prescription anti-depressant. More than 20 studies have shown it to be effective in treating depression but without side-effects. It requires two to four weeks to develop its mood-elevating effects.
It has been previously recommended that St. John’s wort not be combined with drugs. However, this was based on an incorrect understanding of the mechanisms behind the herb’s actions. In her excellent book, All About St. John’s Wort (Avery Penguin Putnam, 1998), psychiatrist Hyla Cass, MD, suggests getting off antidepressants by starting St. John’s wort extract standarized to contain 0.3 per cent hypericin four weeks before you plan to quit the antidepressant (SSRI family like Prozac or tricyclics like Elavil). Take one herbal dose three or four times a day on an empty stomach in addition to your regular antidepressant. After the first week, cut the medication dosage to half and stay at that dose for two weeks, then at the fourth week go off the medication altogether. This process should be monitored by a qualified professional.
A very effective method of permanently altering the course of depression is through cognitive therapy. Some general practitioners and psychologists have been trained in this technique. More than two dozen controlled trials have shown that at the end of a 12- to 20-week course of cognitive therapy for only one hour a week, there was a 70 per cent reduction in depression and less chance of relapse.
Cognitive therapy is based on the principle that all thoughts are created by beliefs, attitudes, interpretations and perceptions. Negative thoughts causing depression always contain gross distortions. Cognitive therapy teaches patients how to correct those distortions. You can learn the technique yourself through Feeling Good Again,
The New Mood Therapy (Avon, 1992) and The Feeling Good Again Handbook (Plume, 1990), both by psychiatrist Dr. David Burns.
Rhodiola: Rising Depression Star
There’s a rising star in the land of antidepressant herbs: Rhodiola rosea. Also called Arctic root or golden root, this plant has been studied extensively in Russia for 35 years and has a long history in Eastern European and Asian medicine. It is only now becoming valued in North America for its adaptogenic effects, meaning that it helps the body adapt to stress, much like ginseng and licorice.
Rhodiola appears to enhance the body’s production of serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain vital for nerve function and maintaining mood. When stressed, one’s serotonin levels drop. Rhodiola rosea also stimulates other neurotransmitters necessary for the proper functioning of the central nervous system. Studies have shown that patients taking rhodiola experience impressive reductions in symptoms of depression, fatigue and sleep disturbances. A typical dose is 100 mg or more daily. Rhodiola rosea: A Phytomedicinal Overview by Brown, Gerbarg and Ramazanov (HerbalGram 2002; 56: 40-52) provides a comprehensive detailing of research, including many Russian studies not readily available in English. View online at herbalgram.org.
Feeling Down? 5 Health Tips to Enhance Healing
1. Exercise regularly, even if it is just a walk around the block, and inhale deeply through the nose. Studies have proven that low-to-moderate physical activity can put you in a good mood and offset feelings of anxiety or depression.
2. Laugh. It has been clinically proven that laughter and humour can keep illness at bay and are especially important in cases of depression when negative thoughts have got you in a downward spiral. Rent videos, read books or go to movies or comedy clubs regularly.
3. Eat a well-balanced diet that focuses on natural, whole foods: legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, nuts and seeds. Ensure you get enough fresh fish and healthy fats and oils to keep up your levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Sixty per cent of the brain is composed of fat; the omega-3 fat DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is one-fourth of that.
4. Avoid processed and junk foods, caffeine, and alcohol. Not only are these foods nutritionally void, but they also contain unwanted chemicals and bad fats that can aggravate depression. Caffeine and alcohol provide false stimulation and leave you feeling worse afterwards.
5. Spend as much time outside on sunny days as you can, or if you life in a wet climate, replace all the bulbs in your home with full-spectrum lightbulbs.
| For further information click on the link below then "Health Tools" at www.AlivePublishing.com then put "depression" in the little search box & it will turn up a wealth of articles referring to approaches to support us through this challenge. |
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| | | From: Rene | Sent: 9/23/2005 5:00 PM |
Myricetin
Myricetin is a flavanol (bioflavonoid) closely related to quercetin. It occurs naturally in many fruits, berries, wines and fruit juices.7 It is easily absorbed, so small doses are needed. Myricetin has useful antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antihyperglycemic and detoxifying properties, yet its real interest in the context of stress is its ability to inhibit the brain enzyme serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT). SNAT converts the calming, antidepressant neurotransmitter serotonin to N-acetylserotonin, and then another enzyme (HIOMT) converts N-acetylserotonin to melatonin.
The stress hormone cortisol increases liver tryptophan degradation, in turn reducing brain serotonin production.8 By inhibiting conversion of serotonin to N-acetylserotonin, myricetin can, in effect, act to conserve brain serotonin. Serotonin is an essential neurotransmitter for maintaining a calm yet cheerful mood state under stressful conditions. People who suffer from “winter depression�?are often overconverting serotonin to melatonin during the daytime, due to the low light conditions (especially in the northern regions) prevalent in the late fall, winter, and early spring. Bright light prevents conversion of serotonin to melatonin, while dim light or darkness enhances melatonin production. Low serotonin/high melatonin in the daytime promotes depression, fatigue, weakness, the “winter blues.�?For those with serotonin balance problems, myricetin may be a simple natural remedy. |
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Reply
| | | From: Rene | Sent: 9/23/2005 5:07 PM |
SAMe Researchers have discovered that patients with clinical depression who have not responded to single-drug treatment may benefit by taking SAMe, an amino acid supplement, as an adjuvant therapy. Previous studies have shown that SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) may benefit people with depression. Consequently, the researchers of the current open trial set out to determine if combining SAMe with pharmaceutical antidepressants could improve the results for subjects who have not been helped by a single medication. The Harvard Medical School researchers studied 30 subjects who continued to suffer from significant depression after more than a month of treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors or the drug venlafaxine (Effexor). During the six-week study, subjects took their antidepressant drug along with an initial dose of 400 mg of SAMe two times per day. Two weeks into the study, the subjects increased their dose of SAMe to 800 mg twice a day. Patients had the choice to stay at or return to the 400 mg dose after consulting with their doctor. Researchers analyzed the participants with several standard tools for measuring depression symptoms. At the studys end, 50 percent of the subjects had significant improvement in their symptoms and 43 percent experienced complete remission of their depression. Two participants did withdraw from the study because of treatment side effects, but no serious adverse effects were reported. Gastrointestinal symptoms and headaches were the most common side effects. The researchers noted that the current study has many limitations such as small size, the lack of a control group and the fact that participants knew they were taking SAMe. The researchers concluded, Augmentation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or venlafaxine with S-adenosyl-L-methionine warrants a placebo-controlled trial in resistant depression. The researchers have received US government funding for a double-blind, placebo controlled trial of SAMe in combination with antidepressant treatment. In addition, a second study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will compare SAMe with standard antidepressants and with a placebo. Reference: Alpert JE, Papakostas G, Mischoulon D, Worthington JJ 3rd, Petersen T, Mahal Y, Burns A, Bottiglieri T, Nierenberg AA, Fava M. S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) as an adjunct for resistant major depressive disorder: an open trial following partial or nonresponse to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or venlafaxine. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2004 Dec;24(6):661-4. http://www.vrp.com/newsletterhtml.asp
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| | | From: Rene | Sent: 11/20/2006 8:03 PM |
Depression: An illness, not a weakness Oct. 17 2006:- More than three million Canadians will experience a major bout of depression at some point in their lives, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. Most of them will be women and most will be between the ages of 22 and 44. A study released by Statistics Canada on Oct. 17, 2006, found that slightly more than one million adults reported a "major depressive episode" in the year before they were interviewed. Seventy per cent of those surveyed held jobs. In 1998, StatsCan estimated depression cost Canadian employers more than $14 billion in lost productivity. The World Health Organization reported that in 2000, depression was the leading cause of short-term disability around the world. However, depression is a highly treatable illness: 80 per cent of people who seek help can be successfully treated. But 15 per cent of those diagnosed with a severe depressive episode commit suicide. I'm feeling down. Am I depressed? Not necessarily. It's normal not to be in the best of moods all day, every day. However, you may be depressed if you're experiencing: <DIR> <DIR> A major drop in your mood that lasts most of the day and is consistently low for two weeks or more. A loss of interest in things you normally love to do. Changes in sleep patterns. Loss �?or increase �?of appetite. Inability to concentrate or function at work. Irritability at home or at work. Grudges against people you perceive have wronged you. Decreased sex drive. A desire to avoid other people. Overwhelming feelings of sadness or grief. Unreasonable feelings of guilt. Thoughts of death or suicide. </DIR></DIR> Are there different types of depression? There are three main types: Major depression <DIR> <DIR> Interferes with work, study, sleep, eating habits and activities. Depressive episodes may strike some individuals once, but more commonly occur several times in a lifetime. Primary symptoms include sad, anxious or "empty" moods; hopeless feelings; a sense of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness and a loss of interest in activities. Fatigue or insomnia may be symptoms as are changes in sleep habits or appetite. Thoughts of death or suicide can suggest depression, as can physical symptoms that don't respond to treatment. Strikes women twice as often as men. </DIR></DIR> Dysthymia <DIR> <DIR> Dysthymia lasts longer than major depression, but is less disabling. A dysthymia sufferer can function although depressed feelings generally prevent the individual from functioning well or feeling good. Many people with dysthymia also experience major depressive episodes at some time. Characterized by a lack of enjoyment in life that normally lasts at least two years. Over a lifetime, dysthymia can have severe effects: high rates of suicide, poor functioning at work and social isolation. Strikes women twice as often as men. </DIR></DIR> Bipolar disorder Sometimes called manic depression. Least common form of depression. Dramatic mood swings are typical. Symptoms include abnormal elation, decreased need for sleep, increased sexual desire, markedly increased energy, and inappropriate social behaviour. Left untreated, a manic episode could worsen into a psychotic state. Strikes men and women equally. What causes depression? There is no one cause of depression. It can be triggered by a specific traumatic event in your life, a biochemical imbalance in your brain or your outlook on life, if it's particularly negative. There can also be other factors that make some people more prone to depression than others, such as a family history of the illness. Depression could also follow prolonged stress on the job. Judith Berg, a Vancouver-based therapist, says workplace depression can result from stressors such as high demands over which you have little control. She says enlightened employers are looking for ways to address those issues. "In the last five years, they've moved away from the old health promotion model into looking at what can they do in the organization to reduce the stress." How long does depression last? It depends on the person, the depth of the depression and the help available to the person suffering from the depression. If left untreated, depression may lift on its own after several weeks or months. With professional treatment, it could end much more quickly. Depression is rarely permanent. But once a person has suffered an episode of depression, they are more likely to experience it again. How is depression treated? Those who realize they are suffering from depression benefit from professional counseling and �?possibly �?medication. There is a wide range of anti-depressants on the market that have been approved in the treatment of depression. Medication does not normally "cure" depression. But it can help people get through their daily routines. From: http://www.cbc.ca/health/ |
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Reply
| | | From: Rene | Sent: 1/15/2008 6:39 PM |
I came across this in my travels this morning & feel as if it's worth passing on.............. Moodiness / Depression
Other Names
Irritability, Inconsolability, Mood Disorder, Mood Disorders, Depression, Bipolar, Bi-Polar.
Ignatia-Homaccord:- 1 fl oz / 30 mL Specifically Formulated For External Sources of Depression.
Adults: In general, 10 drops 3 times daily. In acute cases, initially 10 drops every 15 minutes (for a period of up to 2 hours). Long-term administration of this preparation (for several months) must be supervised by a therapist.
Ingredients 100 mL Contains:
Ignatia amara D4 - 0.5 mL
Ignatia amara D10 - 0.5 mL
Ignatia amara D30 - 0.5 mL
Ignatia amara D200 - 0.5 mL
Moschus D6 - 0.5 mL
Moschus D30 - 0.5 mL
Moschus D200 - 0.5 mL
35 vol. % alcohol [http://www.zooscape.com/cgi-bin/maitred/GreenCanyon/questf100012/jornada32881741] provides a whole catalogue of Homeopathics with a general description of their use and a newsletter one can sign up for.
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Reply
| | | From: Rene | Sent: 1/15/2008 7:02 PM |
Depression and Immunity
by author Lorna Vanderhaeghe, BSc
The sad fact is that one in five of us will suffer depression at some time in our lives. More than 20 million North Americans are afflicted with some form of depression, and it occurs twice as often in women as in men. The intensity may vary from mild to severe, and it may happen only once or recur throughout one’s lifetime.
While everyone feels down at some time or another, depression is a severe state of unhappiness that imposes itself on a person’s state of mind and affects his or her habits and normal conduct for at least two consecutive weeks. In some cases, depression can last months or even years before a diagnosis is made or treatment is sought. It often starts without a clear reason, is intense and can last for long periods.
Emotional trauma, the loss of a loved one and extreme stress are a few factors involved in the onset of depression. However, depression is more than sadness or the result of negative situations in our lives; it is a biochemical change in the brain. Depressed people have low levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Food allergies, nutritional deficiencies and thyroid disease can have a profound effect on the biochemical activities in the brain. Depression has also been thought a consequence of serious and life-threatening diseases. Now the basis for depression will have to be rethought, as researchers are discovering that an overactive immune system may be the cause of severe depression.
Immune-Boosting Drugs and Depression
Over the last decade, reports have surfaced that those who have been prescribed powerful immune-boosting drugs such as interferon for hepatitis and cancer have experienced life-threatening depression with suicidal feelings. As a result, scientists have sought answers and, although the jury is still out, a hyper-stimulated immune system may just be the cause. This is the complete opposite of what was believed in the past. Depression was most often thought of as a symptom of weak immunity. Now, for many people with depression, treatments look at ways of regulating the immune system and controlling the inflammatory process that is involved in fighting viruses and other invaders. In other words, keeping the immune factors that regulate the immune system in balance. See Treatments That Work: [http://www.alive.com/site_4/252_56_table.pdf]
Overactive Immunity
Michael Maes, a psychiatrist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, was one of the early researchers who thought that weak immunity was associated with depression. But he recently found that immune cells (including natural killer cells and macrophages) from those with depression were very overactive and secreted too many inflammatory immune factors. Other scientists are also making the connection between hyper-stimulated immunity and depression by looking at conditions affecting depressed individuals. Depressed people often have higher temperatures, suggesting they are fighting an infection, which results in an increase in inflammatory immune factors. As well, depressed people are three times more likely to die of heart disease. And as we now know, arteriosclerosis (blocked arteries) can be caused byinflammation in the arteries from bacterial infections.
So, what happens in the immune system to promote depression? We know that when the body is under attack, from a virus for example, immune cells secrete large amounts of inflammatory immune factors whose job is to destroy the virus. This boost in the immune system, when allowed to go on for too long, may be what affects mood and causes depression. Serotonin levels are known to be low in those with depression, and research has shown that immune-boosting substances can deplete tryptophan, a precursor used by the body to make serotonin. One third of people taking immune-boosting drugs get depressed. Nobody correlated this to an overactive immune system because it was just assumed that, if you were being treated for cancer or other serious diseases, the depression was a side-effect of the disease, not the treatment!
Stress, Cortisol and Inflammation
The stress/cortisol connection is important to preventing and treating depression. Cortisol is very important because we need it to regulate immune function. But a proper balance iscritical. When we are in a stressfulsituation, our adrenal glands secrete cortisol, causing an increase in inflammatory immune factors. This event is normally short lived and when the cortisol is no longer needed, our brain sends signals to stop it from being released. Cortisol levels then go back to normal, and the immune factors also revert back to balanced levels. But in depressed people, the brain fails to control cortisol and levels remain too high. Inflammatory immune factors secreted by our immune cells also cause an increase in cortisol secretion, adding to already excessive levels and thereby promoting depression.
Stressful events, high cortisol levels and the resulting inflammatory response, as well as viral infections, probably all play a role in altering mood. So what do we do if we have depression? See the accompanying chart for suggestions. Regulating or balancing immune function may turn out to be the best strategy.
Depression and Essential Fatty Acid
Research has shown a possible link between a deficiency of essential fatty acids (EFAs), particularly the "omega 3s," and depression. It is an interesting story that goes something like this: Cell Membranes Our nerve cells (neurons) have a membrane, a sort of capsule that keeps all cellular bits and pieces inside where they belong. The makeup of this membrane is affected to a significant degree by diet. More EFAs in the diet means more EFAs are available for use in cell membranes. This can have a significant effect on the quality and function of a membrane.
EFAs help to keep a membrane "fluid." Picture a bottle of flax oil and a tub of lard. Both are forms of fat, but their fatty acid contents give them very different qualities. Flax oil, high in unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids is fluid, flowing. Lard, full of saturated fatty acids, is hard and flows nowhere.
At the point where two neurons meet, a point known as a "synapse," a fluid membrane becomes particularly important. Synapses are where neurons "talk." The conversation is mostly an exchange of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters, particularly serotonin, are a major focus in depression research. Serotonin is a "feel good" chemical and if levels are low and/or if serotonin does not pass properly between neurons, people may become depressed.
If a synaptic membrane in less fluid, neurotransmitters may not be transferred as efficiently as they should be. Increasing your omega-3 intake may help.
"Depressed" Blood
Studies show that red blood cells of depressed patients have low levels of certain omega-3 EFAs and that the degree of this deficiency may be correlated with the severity of the depression that is experienced. Depressed patients have also been found to have higher levels of inflammation-promoting substances called series two prostaglandins. A popular naturopathic approach to inflammatory conditions is to prescribe high doses of omega-3 fatty acids, usually in the form of flax or fish oils, to reduce the levels of these prostaglandins in the body. Now this time-honoured treatment may help to ease depression as well. Interestingly, some of the prescription drugs used to treat clinical depression are also known to manipulate prostaglandins levels.
Why Fish Oils?
The omega-3 EFA most effective in easing depression is likely to be fish oil. Cultural studies show a correlation between a population’s incidence of depression and its fish intake: more fish, less depression. Biochemistry offers more support for this argument. The type of omega-3 fatty acid incorporated into nerve tissue in greatest amounts is docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the very EFA high in cold-water fish such as salmon and mackerel. The omega-3s in flax oil must first be converted to DHA before the brain can use them to build cell membranes. Rats are quite successful in accomplishing this conversion; humans have a harder time of it. So if you are targeting neurons and nerve function, supplementing with DHA or fish oil may be more efficient.One word of caution: when using fish oils, be sure to select supplements known for their purity and a policy of testing to ensure products are free of contaminants. See Paxil antidepresant may up suicide risk [http://www.alive.com/site_4/252_60_table.pdf]
Source: Serenity Aberdour, ND has a particular interest in the natural treatment of depression and digestive disorders.
From: [http://alive.com/1503a4a2.php] Note: prior links to Alive Publishing, etc are invalid ~ articles and other information may be accessed through this current URL
Lorna Vanderhaeghe, BSc, is the author of several books, including the best-seller Healthy Immunity: Scientifically Proven Natural Conditions from A-Z (Wiley & Sons, 2001). Her latest book is No More HRT: Menopause Treats the Cause (Quarry Books, 2002). She is also senior editor of alive’s Encyclopedia of Natural Healing (2002) and associate editor of alive.
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