Depression

What you need to know

Depression is a complicated disorder and its effects can vary from person to person. Anyone diagnosed with clinical Depression should seek medical advice, however, for mild to moderate Depression, nutrition and complementary medicine and therapies can be useful.

The most useful Supplements:

Deficiencies of many nutrients including Biotin, Calcium, Copper, folic acid, Iron , Magnesium,  Potassium,Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, Vitamin C,Zinc and essential fatty acids are associated with Depression. Therefore, in addition to a well balanced diet, it is advisable to take a hi-potency multivitamin and mineral as well as a fatty acid supplement, to help correct any deficiencies.

  • 5HTP

100mg to 200mg daily
  • DLPA

500mg per day
  • L-Phenylalanine

500mg to 4,000mg per day
  • Multiminerals

1 tablet in the evening
  • Fish Oil

3g per day
  • Vitamin B6

100mg to 500mg (combine with Magnesium)
  • Vitamin C

1,000mg per day

Other supplements which might bring relief include:

Acetyl L-carnitine, Inositol, NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide), Phosphatidyl serine, L-Tyrosine

The most useful Herbs:

  • Siberian Ginseng

1,000mg to 3,000mg per day
  • Ginkgo biloba

120mg to 240mg standardised extract daily
  • St Johns Wort

900mcg to 3,000mcg of standardised hypericin
  • Evening Primrose Oil

3g per day
  • Vervain

500mg 3 times per day

Other herbs that could help:

Basil, Damiana, Hops, Lemon Balm

Homoeopathy

The following remedies have been beneficial for many people. A homoeopath may offer others depending on your individual symptoms.

Dietary changes that may be beneficial:

If you have a blood sugar imbalance, then this could be part of the reason for your depression. A general reduction in refined sugar, caffeine and alcohol could help, as could eating little and often. Please refer to the advice found in the hypoglycaemia section to find detailed information on your dietary needs.

Food sensitivities have been linked to depression. Please seek professional guidance to help determine whether this is relevant in your case.

Restricting intake of caffeine and sugar can often help.

Other useful advice:

Useful therapies include:

If you are already using SSRI drug medication e.g fluoxetine (a type of anti-depressant) for your Anxiety and you suffer from loss of libido as part of its side effects, it may be worth trying the herb Ginkgo biloba as it has been shown to reduce this.     

Other anti-depressants can cause deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals, yet another reason for taking a good multivitamin and mineral on a regular basis. 

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This information is licensed for use by Wellbeing Information Systems Ltd ("WIS"), and protected by international copyright law. All rights are reserved. (email info@wisinfo.co.uk).
The information provided by WIS is for guidance only. Whilst it is based upon the expert advice of leading professionals, and extensive research, it is not a substitute for diagnosis by a qualified professional. Always consult your doctor, pharmacist or qualified practitioner before making any changes or additions to prescribed medication.