 |
Herbal Medicines for Depression
Author: Alien   | Posted: 10-01-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 8 | Rating: (50)  (?) 
 Most People experience depression at some point in their lives. It can be a normal part of grieving for somebody who has died, for example, or at the end of a relationship, or when your life changes in some way.
Many people have times when they feel bad about themselves or dissatisfied with some aspect of their lives. Mild depression need not affect normal day-to-day life, but things seem more of a struggle and less worthwhile. In the case of severe depression, sufferers may feel in total despair or suicidal. In such cases a physician should be consulted. Alternatively, you can contact appropriate telephone helpline services.
Symptoms of depression may include waking in the very early hours or sleeping for longer than usual, over or underrating, increased use of tobacco, alcohol, or drugs, social withdrawal, "negative" thinking, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, irritability, impatience, and loss of sex drive.
Treatment
Anything that improves self image or helps sufferers to understand and cope with their feelings is acceptable.
Aromatherapy Jasmine and bergamot oils are uplifting and refreshing, while lavender is calming and relaxing. Use a few drops in the bath, on a handkerchief, with water in a burner, or mixed in almond oil for performing a massage.
Massage Whether performed by a friend or qualified practitioner this can help you feel better.
Bach Flower Remedies Use Gorse for despair and hopelessness, Elm for a feeling of being unable to cope and Larch for lack of confidence. Remedies should be diluted with water.
Consult a qualified practitioner/therapist for:
Color Therapy Color affects our mood and behavior. Many people already know their color "preferences." A color therapist can help identify colors that may work therapeutically for you.
Expression Therapies Art, drama, or music therapy can help you express feelings that may have become buried by using your creative talents.
Cranial Electrical Stimulation This therapy can in many cases bring sufferers out of their depression within two weeks.
Talking Treatments Counseling can help yon find solutions to your current problems, while psychothrapy can help you come to terms with past events. Cognitive therapy can help depressed people overcome negative thinking and lack of motivation.
Postnatal Depression
After the birth of a baby it is common for some mothers to suffer a period of mild depression, sometimes called the "baby blues." This can last from a few hours to a few days. Postnatal depression begins later and lasts longer than a few days. It affects around one in six new mothers and seems to be caused by the extensive changes in hormone levels after childbirth.
Symptoms of postnatal depression include tearfulness and hopelessness, inability to cope, guilt, anxiety, panic, inability to concentrate, hostility to partner, sleep problems, loss of sex drive. The most severe form of postnatal depression - puerperal psychosis - is rare, affecting one in 500 women. Sufferers can become manic or deluded and out of touch with reality. If this happens a physician should be contacted as soon as possible.
Treatment
Adequate rest is important, but is difficult with a small baby. It is important to take some time out, even if it is only ten minutes with your feet up. Support from friends and family, and contact with other mothers can help in practical and emotional ways.
Diet and Nutrition Eating regularly is important. Vitamin B6 and a good multivitamin and mineral supplement may help.
Counseling Supportive counseling can help you explore your feelings and look at coping strategies.
Rate this Article:
Current: 5 / 5 stars - 1 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/herbal-medicines-for-depression-300704.html
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
How come I can focus & concentrate better, reading online, than reading a book or magazine?
By: ~!Question Queen Pinto Bean!~ | 18-07-2008
How come I can focus & concentrate better, reading online, than reading a book or magazine?
When I read online, I'm cool. But when I read a book or magazine, why do my OCD unwanted, intrusive thoughts start kicking in & disturbing me?
Antidepressant medication for people with Dementia ...
By: Mary Lou Green | 17-07-2008
Antidepressant medication for people with Dementia
How aggressively should antidepressants be utilized with patients with moderate to severe dementia and which drug/dosage appears to be the most effective?
Depressed adult child
By: Worried Mom | 17-07-2008
My 32 year old son in going through a very hard time right now. He was recently divorced, his new girlfriend whom he claims to love just broke up with him and he lost his job, so is behind on his child support and other bills. Nothing seems to be going right for him and he is very depressed. He has been so upset (near hysterics) that I have been considering trying to have him Baker Acted. I am very concerned about him and I don't know what to do. Any thoughts or advice would be very greatly appreciated.
Why don't I have a right to live normally?
By: ~!Question Queen Pinto Bean!~ | 16-07-2008
Please, please! I really need help. I'm sorry this is so long, but I need helpful advice. Right now, I'm about to cry, I feel nauseated, stomach tightening, about to gag, having the start of a panic attack, feeling like my life is ruined. Why can't I live life normally, because of my mental disability? My life is so complicated. No one really understands. No one cares. People treat me like I don't have a right to live, & family members hate me so much they want me DEAD. I'm not allowed to get a job, a car, or a husband, have kids, take a vacation, do what makes me happy, etc. without people judging me & telling me what I should & shouldn't do, & telling me how I should live my life. I'm tired of people hounding over me, feeling the need to MONITOR me 24/7 because they think I'm too stupid to know left from right.
It doesn't matter to others whether I have a college degree or not. I have a BA in Spanish, & people tell me, "I really don't believe you have a college degree. & you stole someone else's degree & made a xerox copy of it & put your name on there." (which is NOT true).
People DEMAND an answer for my personal business. I don't have a right to privacy. People look for excuses to trigger off my mental illness symptoms, just to feel powerful & get their kicks off of getting me wrongfully arrested or mentally institutionalized, evne if they feel they need to make up a LIE, just to get me put there, if their original strategy isn't working.
I just don't understand. & if I DO get a boyfriend or a job, family members, enemies, acquaintances, etc. do EVERYTHING in their power to get them taken away from me. My OWN twin sister hates me SO much, & she spread lies on me, saying I molested her kids, which is NOT true. She lied to her friends, saying I'm the lesbian, & she's the str8 one. She's the true lesbian, & I'm the heterosexual one. Everything she does wrong, she blames it on me. Or any difficult situation she goes through, she says it's ALL my fault (again, blaming me). We used to be in long-term foster care with abusive foster family members who hiked us up to argue, fight, etc., & students from school used to try to get us to argue & fight, too. 1 person would tell me, "Say girl! Your sister said you *********." [Sorry to sound graphic, but that's what they say].
The foster family used to beat on me & try to murder me, & give STRANGERS permission to "bust my @$$". They told me that I'm gonna wind up in jail or dead & deserve it. After we turned 18, the dumb social worker ENCOURAGED my foster mom to take my checks-my social security back pay & a trust fund from my dad. I didn't know any better. The social worker made me sign over my checks to the foster mom, & the foster mom did "who knows what" with my $$. I was young & didn't know any better. They lied & said that they were gonna give me the money later. I never received it. The bank said it was HER $$ & not mine. & the foster mom is so quick to jump down my throat over a 10-cent piece of gum, saying I spend up ALL my money. She would DEMAND an answer for how much $$ I have in the bank. When I was working during my Sr. yr. in high school, she made me give her my checks. I was very intimidated by her. Still am.
They're OBSESSED with talking about how I deserve to get my @$$ kicked, & saying that people have a right to do so. I don't bother anyone. I don't do anyone any harm. People are always controlling & meddlesome. They choose "ME" to pick on, misuse, take their anger & frustration out on, take advantage of me, etc. & when I call the cops, they lie & say that it was all in my head, & that I'm crazy & imagining things, making things up. THIS is NOT made up. Cops say they don't believe me because the people would get fake witnesses who weren't there to see the situation with their own eyes nor hear. The neighbors & the foster boys lie & say I was "cutting up", which means misbehaving.
If someone yells @ me & tries to publicly humiliate me for NO reason, & others laugh, OF COURSE I'm gonna throw a fit! They find it AMUSING that I'm 24 & still get bossed around & told what to do. When the foster mom's family members come over, she yells @ me for DUMB reasons, & her family get their kicks out of seeing me be verbally & mentally abused. & she's always starting trouble with me, & when I verbally retaliate, they're READY to jump in & POUND my face into the ground like that (I think it's called a power driver) thingy that construction workers use to break up old cement off the ground. But anyway, when she goes off on me, they LAUGH. They would choke me, beat me, put me in wrestling moves where I can't breathe, & I'm suffocating & smothering.
I HATE 99.9% of people I know. Family or not. Past & present. I'm afraid to leave the house & venture out & make new friends. I'm glad I'm out of this situation with them now, & I have my own apt. But now I have to put up with this from my biological family. EXACT SAME TREATMENT & ABUSE! My past abuse treatment is incorporated into my intrusive, unwanted OCD thoughts.
I see a psychiatrist & a counselor, but the 50-minutes, once a week sessions aren't enough for me to say what I need to say. I feel like I have NOBODY. I only have 1 friend. That friend is out of the 0.1% people that I DO like & love.
I can't even go swimming or listen to my favorite songs on my mp3 player without being considered WRONG or a danger to society. I mean, how can listening to music be a danger to myself? How can going swimming or taking a hike/walk be a danger to myself & others? People always think it's THEIR place to punish me from doing what makes me happy, or make me punish myself.
I see people my age married with kids, a good job, people younger than me financially better off than me & OWNING BUSINESSES! I can't even host or throw a casual small party without someone going OFF on me, yelling @ me, & telling me that I shouldn't try to throw a party because I don't know what I'm doing. I can't even have a family get-together @ my house or their house because my holiday would be a disaster with them ganging up on ME & disrespecting me.
It's not fair how my twin sister gets treated better than me because she strives for popularity, & I'm considered the antisocial geek. & they say I'm jealous. I have no need to be jealous of wrongful favoritism.
We weren't supposed to have any contact with our birth family until after we turned 18 because shortly after birth, my birth mom tried to smother me & kill me because she said she was jealous of how my grandma chose me as the favorite because I was a pleasantly plump baby. We were newborns/infants. & my twin had to stay in an incubator for a long time. My mom is a schizophrenic who uses street drugs & overdoses on steroids. Her mind is so messed up. & people think that just because my mom is schizophrenic, that makes me crazy, too. I don't suffer schizophrenia.
Before we turned 18, my twin sister would sneak over there, & she told the family EVERYTHING bad about me before I can even meet them. Then, when I met them, it was like a disgrace.
My twin sister has been struggling with her sexuality with all her life. She was in the closet & in denial for yrs., & figured if she married a man who resembled a female & had 3 kids for him, then that would "prove" to the WORLD that she's NOT gay. I never knew she was really a lesbian until now she calls herself a stud. I have nothing against the LGBT community, I'm not homophobic. My friend is BI. She's 1 of the 0.1% of people I love. People think my twin sister has more sense than me, just because she's ghetto & hard, & I'm not. She tries SO hard to try to please & impress the world, when I'm out to please myself. But others won't allow me. Even as an adult, if I try to go to the store to get groceries, meddlesome people (family or not) are always like, "Where are you going? Does yo' mama know where ur at!? Get yo' @$$ back inside...NOW! Before ' I ' bust yo' @$$!" & once again, everyone around laughs. Even though I'm 24, 15-yr. old teens talk to me this way, & their parents tell them that the child has every right to bust my ***.
My foster sister's stepdaughter told me @ age 15 that I shouldn't EVER have kids! & this is very bothersome to me. After she left to go back to her mom's house when she turned 16, she got pregnant AS SOON AS SHE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY. & people agree with her "a child's" opinion that I should never produce kids. Why is it OK for my twin sister to get married & have kids, & not me? & also, that same girl (the foster sister's stepdaughter) stole my cellphone @ age 15, using it to call men out of town @ night to talk sexual dirty talk, & she ran up ALL my minutes. She snooped through my phone & listened to my messages. & she had NERVE to say that I'm always complaining about people doing me something. OK. If someone stole your cellphone & did you all these things. Wouldn't you complain, too? Wouldn't you PROTEST against this unfair treatment?
People say I'm weak, naive, gullible, & vulnerable. That's why the choose ME to pick on. I hate when groups of people gang up on me, & I have no defense. The foster & biological family are so manipulative that they say if I tell anyone about the way they abuse me & encourage others to abuse me, then they're gonna take me to court for defamation & slander. But I'm telling the truth. I just have no one on my defense. & of course there's no video surveillance or tape recorder. So this is hard to prove in court. & they stalk my MySpace blogs & hack into my account & make threats to sue me. My foster sister's husband is supposedly a technology expert who knows all the hacks & everything. They make it like I'm REALLY supposed to be afraid of them.
I suffer OCD, Tourette's, anxiety, & depression, & I had 2 strokes @ age 5. @ I had hearing & speech problems & was at risk for pervasive developmental disorder when I was very young. & I also had a behavior disorder, but my behavior improved TREMENDOUSLY since 6th grade.
By 7th grade, I was a person who studied a lot & had my career goals planned & set. My family & the psychiatrist thought it was bizarre, & that I was talking out of my head because @ the age of 12, I had a desire to become a doctor. I tried to pursue a Biology/Pre-Med major in college because I wanted to become an OB/GYN becaause I'm very interested in women's health & childbirth because I think it is very amazing.
People took it out of context, saying that I'm pervertic for wanting to be an OB/GYN. I wanted to go to the Air Force, & the foster family pushed EVERYONE in the family to go, but I was eager to join, & they made up lies about me so the recruiters wouldn't accept me. They pushed my twin sister up to go, & when she got in, they were saying that I'm JEALOUS. Why didn't they say SHE was jealous when I graduated high school with 3.6 GPA ranked in the top 10% of my class? 39 out of 404, while my twin sister had to do to summer school. But anyway, I'm not for any comparison or competition. But people always try to compare us 2, & make it like she's better than me & looks better than me because she's hard & ghetto. & when people DECIDE to give her undeserved incentives that " I " worked hard for, that's not right. So why should I be jealous.
But over time, I've began to feel more & more depressed. I went through Hurricane Katrina, lost a lot of my belongings, in financial debt because of it. Now debt collectors are trying to sue me, but no employers want to hire me because according to them, I seem throwed off (throwed off, meaning ditzy & klutzy. Like my head isn't screwed on tight.) Well, of COURSE I'm going to seem mentally off if I had 2 strokes @ such a young age, right?
Many people tell me I dwell on the negative & the past & complain too much. I know I seem child-like, but I didn't get to live a normal childhood. I was always punished from social functions & social activities. Never get to watch TV or talk on the phone. Never got to go to the mall with friends. The foster family always felt like I needed to be chaperoned. & not because I'm gonna do anything bad. They just want to have a reason to get me punished again.
Like I remember this one time when my foster sister took us swimming, & I was in 7th grade. A kid offered to let me play with his swim toy. I think it was those floaties. & my foster sister punished me the ENTIRE evening! & every time people from school would see me, & tell me hi, my foster family would punish ME for saying hi back. & then when we would go to school the next day, that kid no longer had respect for me & was no longer my friend.
I can't have friends. I don't want friends. Every new friend I get tries to boss me around & control me, telling me what I should & shouldn't buy, when we go grocery shopping. & they yell @ me & publicly humiliate me in WalMart, & they're not looking out for my best interest, & neither do they care. They just want to have somebody to CONTROL! & then when I see them @ school (college campus) then next day, they turn their nose up @ me. & then I feel like, "Well, I'll be DAMN! If that was the case, I could've bought that 10-lb. bag of sugar that was on sale for $2.", for example.
& the only friend I have, she's the ONLY one who doesn't treat me like this. I ain't gon' lie. She USED TO at first, but then as she got to know me, she started to have more respect for me. The guys, who sexually want her, try to to make up lies against me, & they want her to delete me out of her life so they can have her all to themselves. & they think we're sleeping together since we hang out so much. Well, I'm hetero, & she's BI. I have no desire for another female. I want to get married & have kids. But that looks unlikely to happen. =(
People don't care about me. Not even my family. It's like, I'm supposed to be single, helpless, & child-like for the rest of my life. I hate being 24 & getting yelled @ by a 14-yr. old BOY. I hate that the foster family allowed the 12-yr. old BOYS to send me to my bedroom as time-out. & those boys got a KICK out of that, too. People say " I " have poor social skills. People scream AHHH & run when they see me, they try to avoid me, they treat me like I'm a pest. & other people say that people don't treat me like this for no reason, & they think that I MUST'VE provoked them to abuse me. So, the fact that I EXIST is provoking you? I'm 24, & a 13-yr. old tells me not to buy McDonald's, & I ignore HIM & do it anyway. & he aims for knocking ALL my teeth out. He doesn't succeed, but he busts my lip. The cops get called, & the foster mom lie & say that I tripped over a rock & fell on concrete or something. Or they say I choked myself, when the foster brother put his knee in my throat & tried to murder me over an argument over something he had nothing to do with. Even the MEN in the family 6'7" tall & try to hurt & try to kill little bitty me, 5'2". & they punch me & pound on me with ALL their strength & might. Last time this happened was like 2 yrs. ago, but it's still bothersome to me. People think I'm an attention-seeking drama queen, when I'm not. When I get sick, they lie & say it's all in my head. It's not. Sometimes it's the side effect of the psych meds. Sometimes it's Irritable Bowel Syndrome pains.
People don't want me to be an adult. 1 time, I tried to take my older brother in because he's a lot like me, but he needs people to take care of him because he's more mentally disabled than I am. But we're alike in many ways. The "foster" sister overheard my conversation & ran & told my foster mom, & the foster mom tried to STOP me from trying to take care of my brother. I'm totally different than my twin sister. & this brother surprisingly gets more respect than me, but we still get treated the same way sometimes. & the foster sister's husband tried to butt in. & he told me that I put myself in the position to DESERVE to be abused for dealing with my family because I keep putting my hand in the fire by dealing with them. Well, dealing with HIM-the foster brother-in-law, I guess I'm putting my hand back in the fire. Lots of my situations I could not escape from because of lack of money & access to available resources.
In conclusion, I just want to know if this is normal. I know it's not, but what do YOU think? How would you handle dealing with this? How would you feel to have to question the morality of everything you do, think, or say? Would it drive you INSANE to question to yourself if what you're thinking, saying, or doing is rational, logical, making sense, or not.
Many people tell me that they couldn't deal with the $hit I had to take off of people for so many yrs. They said they would've committed suicide LONG time ago! Many people think I'm weak because I obsess over this & can't get this out of my head. But then, they say I'm very strong for still @ least TRYING to pursue my career & not giving up.
Sorry so long, & thanks for reading.
Why do i feel like nobody loves me?
By: Cowboy | 16-07-2008
why do i feel like nobody loves me?
I had asked abot 11 days ago this question:
By: Edwin | 14-07-2008
I had asked abot 11 days ago this question: "The Medical-Psycological condition is often referred to as the "Burning Man" syndrome. What does it entail?"
Any takers?
Q&A Powered by: 
Latest Alternative Medicine Articles
How Can You Benefit From Essential Oils
By: George Key | 25/07/2008
Essential oils are liquids that are taken from the leaves, flowers, roots or stems of plants or flowers. Essential oils are typically clear and sometimes amber or yellow in appearance. They are highly concentrated and have many great and versatile uses. They can be used to help relieve stress and anxiety, thin out congestion in the lungs and chest and even clean the house.
How to Find the Best Male Enhancement Pill
By: Holly Franklin | 25/07/2008
Male enhancement pills are a new male enhancement alternative this article explains how they work and how to find the right one for you.
HGH Supplements for Bodybuilders
By: Steven Walters | 24/07/2008
HGH is proven to slow the effects of aging and give us the benefits of a younger appearance and more energy and vitality. Find out how to determine the best HGH products out there.
Chelation Therapy Has Been Approved by the Fda as a Treatment for Lead Poisoning
By: Raphael | 24/07/2008
Chelation therapy with EDTA has been approved by the FDA as a treatment for lead poisoning only. However, since heavy metals poisoning can be responsible for major diseases, in alternative therapy, it is used to treat heart disease, cancer, gangrene, thyroid disorders, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, psoriasis, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and the improvement of memory, sight, hearing, and smell.
Bladder Infection - Why Curing Your Urinary Tract Infection Naturally Could be the Best Decision You Make
By: Joe Barton | 24/07/2008
You have a bladder infection and you need to seek treatment. But what is the best way to treat urinary tract infections? Here are 8 do's and don'ts for urinary tract infections.
Kidney Pain! - How to Pass Kidney Stones Naturally at Home
By: Joe Barton | 24/07/2008
Ouch! The kidney pain you are feeling is very similar to child birth. But you can pass kidney stones naturally and forget the pain with these simple and effective remedies.
Preventing Heart Diseases Through Chelation Therapy
By: Alien | 24/07/2008
During our normal living, our body makes contact with numerous harmful toxins that causes the body to suffer from various health problems and diseases hampering the life cycle of the individual. It decreases the quality of living of most of the people who comes in contact with these harmful toxins.
Know About Chelation
By: Alien | 24/07/2008
Chelation therapy is a procedure to remove toxins and metals from your body. It is also known as "miracle cure" by many people suffering from atherosclerosis.
More from Alien
Using Information From Testing
By: Alien | 25/07/2008 | Fitness
Perhaps clearer explanations of management methods are needed. There are several methods of managing insulin, as follows: Method 1: Complete Management by the Physician. The physician mayor may not have the patient do self-blood-sugar monitoring.
Diabetes - Gaining Their Support
By: Alien | 25/07/2008 | Fitness
You can help your family in many ways, some of which may be quite subtle. One way is to see that your family receives diabetes education. This gives them some understanding of how they can be of assistance.
How is Diabetes Monitored?
By: Alien | 25/07/2008 | Fitness
Diabetes is known to cause high blood-glucose levels, but how do you know to what extent this has occurred to you? When insulin is too low and glucose levels are too high, glucose is not getting into the cells.
Diabetes - Self Esteem and Family Support
By: Alien | 25/07/2008 | Fitness
Your self-esteem involves who you think you are, what strengths you feel you have, and what you feel you have achieved. Your level of self-esteem will have a great deal to do with how you react to having diabetes.
Meal Planning
By: Alien | 24/07/2008 | Fitness
Meal planning involves learning how to choose foods and eating the appropriate amounts. The so,called diabetic diet is no different from the diet that all people ought to be eating.
Proteins and Other Nutrients
By: Alien | 24/07/2008 | Fitness
Proteins have four calories per gram and are the most slowly absorbed foods. Until the early 1980s, fats were considered to be the slowest-absorbing of the three food groups. Research from a university on the East Coast determined otherwise.
Cosmoceuticals - How to Choose a Brand That Really Works
By: Alien | 24/07/2008 | Skin Care
For the sake of your skin, and to get the very best results use a cleanser, moisturizer and other products fro the same skin care line. These products are scientifically formulated in the laboratory to work synergistically.
New Science and Technology for the Perfect and Fabulous Skin at Any Age
By: Alien | 24/07/2008 | Skin Care
We all want glowing, radiant skin no matter what our age. Today there are plenty of true skin-care miracles that can deliver amazing results. Few consumers really understand what, precisely is inside each bottle of serum or jar of cream that they buy and why it is supposed to improve their skin.
|
|
Health 
