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The poignant William Styron, author of “Sophie's Choice,” once described his own descent into the darkness of depression in his memoir “Darkness Visible” as “…blackness without peer, a blackness filled with gloom crowding in on me, a sense of dread and alienation, and above all, stifling anxiety.”'
Like Styron, the sufferers of depression may feel an all-encompassing and unrelenting darkness. What we now understand from a natural medicine perspective is that depression has many causes, and that this depression is highly treatable and preventable when a full understanding is embraced.
It is very important to distinguish natural cycles of platitude and introversion from deeper states of depression. These states can range from “the winter blues,” to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or even full-blown clinical depression. Though uncommon in our sunny state of Colorado, extended cloud-covered days may lead to a sense of melancholy or fatigue coupled with increased cravings for carbohydrates or stimulants like caffeine. This is true of my own experiences in the Pacific Northwest. Ever wonder why Seattle has such a developed coffee culture? In contrast, people with clinical depression are the unwilling participants in severe fatigue, a lost sense of reality, anxiety, sleep disturbances, depressed mood, and a general loss of interest or pleasure in life.
Our fast-paced culture has seemingly lost a sense of natural cycles. The upcoming Winter Solstice on Dec. 22 will bring with it the shortest day of the year and colder temperatures where our bodies require less activity and more sleep. Yet now we rush around with the expectations of the holidays, make resolutions of how we should eat less, work out more, do more of this or more of that. Is it really surprising that under these stressful conditions we might feel guilty, inadequate and somehow incorrect in our ways? Our ancestors were probably indoors much of the time minding food stocks, mending garments, reading, writing, telling stories or singing songs. Respect for the cycles of nature is important, but it is only a part of the tale, as we can control many other factors that can help depression.
Exercise… we know it helps depression greatly, by increasing the body's natural production of endorphins. Pleasurable exercise (who wants to do any activity they dislike?) can positively affect mood and help with depression. In fact, as little as three hours per week of aerobic exercise can profoundly reduce the level of depression.
Food allergies have been shown to trigger mental symptoms including depression. These are reactions to foods, sometimes taking days to manifest, that have a detrimental affect on our system. This is especially true of people who do not respond to other natural or conventional approaches, such as anti-depressive medications. This means that eliminating offending foods is an important part of depression that people can control. There is also evidence that restricting sugar and caffeine in people with depression can elevate mood. Interestingly, psychiatric patients who are heavy coffee drinkers are more likely to be depressed than other such patients. An explanation may be that depressed people are more likely to seek the “lift” associated with coffee, however caffeine may actually be the cause, especially considering that a symptom of caffeine addiction can be depression. You may want to try the simple test of avoiding caffeine as well as sugar for one week to see how it affects your mood.
Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine once said, “Let our food be our medicine and our medicine be our food.” Specifically, the amount and type of dietary fat consumed may influence the incidence of depression. Previous studies have found that diets designed to lower cholesterol levels may reduce death from cardiovascular disease, but may also heighten the incidence of depression. Does low cholesterol cause depression? It appears not, since people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs show no adverse affects on mood. The connection more likely has to do with the balance of fats in the diet. A high intake of omega-6s (as from corn and soybean) relative to omega-3s and an inadequate intake of omega-3s (e.g., from fish and fish oils) have been associated with increased levels of depression. In contrast, people who eat diets high in omega-3s from fish have a lower incidence of depression and suicide.
As well as good fatty acid supplementation, the amino acid L-tyrosine or the tryptophan-precursor 5-HTP can be beneficial for depression. L-tyrosine, for example, can be converted into norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that affects mood. Women taking oral contraceptives have lower levels of tyrosine, and some researchers think this might be related to depression caused by birth control pills. L-tyrosine metabolism may also be abnormal in other depressed people and preliminary research suggests supplementation might help.
Disruptions in emotional well-being, including depression, have been linked to serotonin imbalances in the brain. Supplementation with 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) may increase serotonin synthesis. Researchers are studying the possibility that 5-HTP might help people with depression. Some trials using 5-HTP with people suffering from depression have shown sign of efficacy. IMPORTANT - 5-HTP is converted to serotonin in the brain, and taking it with fluoxetine (Prozac) may increase fluoxetine-induced side effects. This is also true for alcohol, St. John's wort, and L-tryptophan. Until more is known, do not take 5-HTP or St. John's wort with any anti-depressants, including fluoxetine.
Melatonin might also help some people suffering from depression, especially with sleep disturbances. Preliminary double-blind research suggests that supplementation with small amounts of melatonin may reduce winter depression. There is a possibility that high-dose melatonin could worsen depression, so it should only be used for this purpose under a doctor's supervision.
Let's not forget herbal help for depression. People taking St. John's wort continuously over six weeks show an improvement in mood, the ability to carry out their daily routine, a lightened mood, increased hope, a better sense of worth, elevated energy and enhanced sleep. St. John's wort extract has also been compared to several tricyclic antidepressants. These medications can be useful tools in the treatment of serious depression, but their side effects warrant extreme caution. In contrast, the improvement in symptoms of moderate to severe depression was similar, with notably fewer side effects, in people taking St. John's wort.
Despite two well-publicized double-blind studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluding that St. John's wort is not an effective treatment for depression (each of which have potential flaws), the bulk of the scientific evidence indicates that St. John's wort is an effective treatment for moderate to severe depression.
Finally, other methods such as acupuncture and certain yoga rhythmic breathing techniques can be helpful for depression. There are many natural and safe techniques to help us beyond darkness and despair into the light beyond.
*This article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be specific health advice or treatment. If you are on any anti-depressant medications, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the advice contained in this article.Dr. Christopher Lepisto graduated as a naturopathic doctor from Bastyr University in Seattle, Wash. He is a native of Grand Junction and opened his practice here in 2004. Previously, Dr. Lepisto lived and worked in New Zealand, where he developed a special interest in indigenous herbal medicines. Dr. Lepisto is in practice at the Integrative Medicine Center of Western Colorado, at www.imcwc.com, or 250-4104.
Like Styron, the sufferers of depression may feel an all-encompassing and unrelenting darkness. What we now understand from a natural medicine perspective is that depression has many causes, and that this depression is highly treatable and preventable when a full understanding is embraced.
It is very important to distinguish natural cycles of platitude and introversion from deeper states of depression. These states can range from “the winter blues,” to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or even full-blown clinical depression. Though uncommon in our sunny state of Colorado, extended cloud-covered days may lead to a sense of melancholy or fatigue coupled with increased cravings for carbohydrates or stimulants like caffeine. This is true of my own experiences in the Pacific Northwest. Ever wonder why Seattle has such a developed coffee culture? In contrast, people with clinical depression are the unwilling participants in severe fatigue, a lost sense of reality, anxiety, sleep disturbances, depressed mood, and a general loss of interest or pleasure in life.
Our fast-paced culture has seemingly lost a sense of natural cycles. The upcoming Winter Solstice on Dec. 22 will bring with it the shortest day of the year and colder temperatures where our bodies require less activity and more sleep. Yet now we rush around with the expectations of the holidays, make resolutions of how we should eat less, work out more, do more of this or more of that. Is it really surprising that under these stressful conditions we might feel guilty, inadequate and somehow incorrect in our ways? Our ancestors were probably indoors much of the time minding food stocks, mending garments, reading, writing, telling stories or singing songs. Respect for the cycles of nature is important, but it is only a part of the tale, as we can control many other factors that can help depression.
Exercise… we know it helps depression greatly, by increasing the body's natural production of endorphins. Pleasurable exercise (who wants to do any activity they dislike?) can positively affect mood and help with depression. In fact, as little as three hours per week of aerobic exercise can profoundly reduce the level of depression.
Food allergies have been shown to trigger mental symptoms including depression. These are reactions to foods, sometimes taking days to manifest, that have a detrimental affect on our system. This is especially true of people who do not respond to other natural or conventional approaches, such as anti-depressive medications. This means that eliminating offending foods is an important part of depression that people can control. There is also evidence that restricting sugar and caffeine in people with depression can elevate mood. Interestingly, psychiatric patients who are heavy coffee drinkers are more likely to be depressed than other such patients. An explanation may be that depressed people are more likely to seek the “lift” associated with coffee, however caffeine may actually be the cause, especially considering that a symptom of caffeine addiction can be depression. You may want to try the simple test of avoiding caffeine as well as sugar for one week to see how it affects your mood.
Hippocrates, the founder of modern medicine once said, “Let our food be our medicine and our medicine be our food.” Specifically, the amount and type of dietary fat consumed may influence the incidence of depression. Previous studies have found that diets designed to lower cholesterol levels may reduce death from cardiovascular disease, but may also heighten the incidence of depression. Does low cholesterol cause depression? It appears not, since people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs show no adverse affects on mood. The connection more likely has to do with the balance of fats in the diet. A high intake of omega-6s (as from corn and soybean) relative to omega-3s and an inadequate intake of omega-3s (e.g., from fish and fish oils) have been associated with increased levels of depression. In contrast, people who eat diets high in omega-3s from fish have a lower incidence of depression and suicide.
As well as good fatty acid supplementation, the amino acid L-tyrosine or the tryptophan-precursor 5-HTP can be beneficial for depression. L-tyrosine, for example, can be converted into norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that affects mood. Women taking oral contraceptives have lower levels of tyrosine, and some researchers think this might be related to depression caused by birth control pills. L-tyrosine metabolism may also be abnormal in other depressed people and preliminary research suggests supplementation might help.
Disruptions in emotional well-being, including depression, have been linked to serotonin imbalances in the brain. Supplementation with 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) may increase serotonin synthesis. Researchers are studying the possibility that 5-HTP might help people with depression. Some trials using 5-HTP with people suffering from depression have shown sign of efficacy. IMPORTANT - 5-HTP is converted to serotonin in the brain, and taking it with fluoxetine (Prozac) may increase fluoxetine-induced side effects. This is also true for alcohol, St. John's wort, and L-tryptophan. Until more is known, do not take 5-HTP or St. John's wort with any anti-depressants, including fluoxetine.
Melatonin might also help some people suffering from depression, especially with sleep disturbances. Preliminary double-blind research suggests that supplementation with small amounts of melatonin may reduce winter depression. There is a possibility that high-dose melatonin could worsen depression, so it should only be used for this purpose under a doctor's supervision.
Let's not forget herbal help for depression. People taking St. John's wort continuously over six weeks show an improvement in mood, the ability to carry out their daily routine, a lightened mood, increased hope, a better sense of worth, elevated energy and enhanced sleep. St. John's wort extract has also been compared to several tricyclic antidepressants. These medications can be useful tools in the treatment of serious depression, but their side effects warrant extreme caution. In contrast, the improvement in symptoms of moderate to severe depression was similar, with notably fewer side effects, in people taking St. John's wort.
Despite two well-publicized double-blind studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluding that St. John's wort is not an effective treatment for depression (each of which have potential flaws), the bulk of the scientific evidence indicates that St. John's wort is an effective treatment for moderate to severe depression.
Finally, other methods such as acupuncture and certain yoga rhythmic breathing techniques can be helpful for depression. There are many natural and safe techniques to help us beyond darkness and despair into the light beyond.
*This article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be specific health advice or treatment. If you are on any anti-depressant medications, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the advice contained in this article.Dr. Christopher Lepisto graduated as a naturopathic doctor from Bastyr University in Seattle, Wash. He is a native of Grand Junction and opened his practice here in 2004. Previously, Dr. Lepisto lived and worked in New Zealand, where he developed a special interest in indigenous herbal medicines. Dr. Lepisto is in practice at the Integrative Medicine Center of Western Colorado, at www.imcwc.com, or 250-4104.
