Holistic Recovery: Natural Healing for Depression

Being depressed can make you feel helpless. You're not. Along with therapy and sometimes medication, there's a lot you can do on your own to fight back. Changing your behavior -- your physical activity, lifestyle, and even your way of thinking -- are all natural depression treatments.

I’ve been on depression medication since I was 9 years old, well technically it was prescribed for anxiety in the beginning, but soon I was treated for both. In 3rd grade I was able to say, rather clumsily, “I am taking chill pills because there is an imbalance of serotonin in my brain.” Depression is like a worn-out unwanted companion that constantly clings to me, a burden, yes, but very familiar. Over the years I have realized that there are a lot of things that I can do that don’t require prescription medications to help keep my mood fluctuations under control. They take time and effort (there is no quick and easy fix!), but its well worth it in my mind. I still have not weaned myself off of my medications entirely, but it is a goal that I someday hope to achieve and one that I constantly strive for.

One to two grams of fish oil daily may help to alleviate mild depression. What are the other natural therapies Dr. Weil recommends?

By Pina LoGiudice ND, LAc and Peter Bongiorno ND, LAcDirectors of Inner Source Health