Comments on: Prozac or Protein? A Holistic Approach to Dealing With Depression Without Antidepressants http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/prozac-or-protein-a-holistic-approach-to-dealing-with-depression-without-antidepressants Living Holistically means incorporating all aspects of yourself – your mind, body, spirit, community and environment. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:45:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Does Fundraising for Disease Pay Off?: The Solution | Living Holistically…with a sense of humor http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/prozac-or-protein-a-holistic-approach-to-dealing-with-depression-without-antidepressants/comment-page-1#comment-1313 Does Fundraising for Disease Pay Off?: The Solution | Living Holistically…with a sense of humor Tue, 17 Aug 2010 21:24:02 +0000 http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/?p=1880#comment-1313 [...] been given by people in these fields has improved your health? Why or why not? When you are prescribed medications for health problems, do these drugs make your problems go away, or do you find that you don’t get [...] [...] been given by people in these fields has improved your health? Why or why not? When you are prescribed medications for health problems, do these drugs make your problems go away, or do you find that you don’t get [...]

]]> By: Anne http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/prozac-or-protein-a-holistic-approach-to-dealing-with-depression-without-antidepressants/comment-page-1#comment-233 Anne Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:40:49 +0000 http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/?p=1880#comment-233 Really loved this post. I think you might be interested in a book called, "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine Aron. It speaks to some of the issues you raise about "being too sensitive" in great detail. As a very sensitive person myself, reading this book allowed me to understand more about the trait and past experiences. Best of luck with everything! Peace and light, Anne Really loved this post. I think you might be interested in a book called, “The Highly Sensitive Person” by Elaine Aron. It speaks to some of the issues you raise about “being too sensitive” in great detail. As a very sensitive person myself, reading this book allowed me to understand more about the trait and past experiences.

Best of luck with everything!
Peace and light,
Anne

]]> By: Sylvie Nalezny http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/prozac-or-protein-a-holistic-approach-to-dealing-with-depression-without-antidepressants/comment-page-1#comment-227 Sylvie Nalezny Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:02:20 +0000 http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/?p=1880#comment-227 Christine! You continue to amaze me with your spot on information and your ease of explaining it. I love this piece! Julia Ross's book changed my life too. Majorly important info. Just wanted to throw out that if you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis (which is often misdiagnosed as hypothyroidism), L-Tyrosine can make you feel better at first but then can "blow" out your thyroid. Emotional sensitivity and depression can also be hidden copper toxicitym, which affects many vegetarians. I really love Anne Louise Gittleman's book on that subject: Why am I always so Tired? Christine! You continue to amaze me with your spot on information and your ease of explaining it. I love this piece! Julia Ross’s book changed my life too. Majorly important info. Just wanted to throw out that if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (which is often misdiagnosed as hypothyroidism), L-Tyrosine can make you feel better at first but then can “blow” out your thyroid.
Emotional sensitivity and depression can also be hidden copper toxicitym, which affects many vegetarians. I really love Anne Louise Gittleman’s book on that subject: Why am I always so Tired?

]]> By: Christine http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/prozac-or-protein-a-holistic-approach-to-dealing-with-depression-without-antidepressants/comment-page-1#comment-226 Christine Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:24:53 +0000 http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/?p=1880#comment-226 Eva, I absolutely agree with you. And that's why I actually believe nutrition -- and specifically good quality supplements -- actually has to come first. Whether or not a person's depression was caused in part by nutritional deficiencies doesn't really matter--their body will become deficient due to being depressed. It's definitely a chicken or the egg situation. L-tyrosine, which helps with energy and a clearer outlook, is one of the first things that got me out of bed when I was pretty sick (and depressed) with candida. Tryptophan was used for many years before Prozac, and then was banned in a pretty shady way because of contamination issues right as Prozac hit the market. But it has been available again for the past few years (there is also 5-HTP, Tryp's precursor, which works better for some people). Sometimes when you are depressed, you don't even feel like eating or shopping period, much less cooking yourself or family a healthy meal. The helpful thing about these supplements is that for most people, they will feel an affect in 15 minutes, which gives them the energy and where-with-all to start to do some of the other things I mentioned. It still takes a great deal of time to heal, but it *can* be easier to quickly find a supplemental approach than the right medication. Still, other people I know have had to go on medication nonetheless. Ian, I definitely think this is true in all walks of life--restriction creates a stronger longing. I do want to note that for me in this situation, the release allowed me to fully integrate what I had been doing, and for other help to arrive in my life. Without that release, though, I don't think anything else would have worked, since one of my lessons to learn was to let go of the idea of perfection. Eva, I absolutely agree with you. And that’s why I actually believe nutrition — and specifically good quality supplements — actually has to come first. Whether or not a person’s depression was caused in part by nutritional deficiencies doesn’t really matter–their body will become deficient due to being depressed. It’s definitely a chicken or the egg situation.

L-tyrosine, which helps with energy and a clearer outlook, is one of the first things that got me out of bed when I was pretty sick (and depressed) with candida. Tryptophan was used for many years before Prozac, and then was banned in a pretty shady way because of contamination issues right as Prozac hit the market. But it has been available again for the past few years (there is also 5-HTP, Tryp’s precursor, which works better for some people).

Sometimes when you are depressed, you don’t even feel like eating or shopping period, much less cooking yourself or family a healthy meal. The helpful thing about these supplements is that for most people, they will feel an affect in 15 minutes, which gives them the energy and where-with-all to start to do some of the other things I mentioned. It still takes a great deal of time to heal, but it *can* be easier to quickly find a supplemental approach than the right medication. Still, other people I know have had to go on medication nonetheless.

Ian, I definitely think this is true in all walks of life–restriction creates a stronger longing. I do want to note that for me in this situation, the release allowed me to fully integrate what I had been doing, and for other help to arrive in my life. Without that release, though, I don’t think anything else would have worked, since one of my lessons to learn was to let go of the idea of perfection.

]]> By: ian http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/prozac-or-protein-a-holistic-approach-to-dealing-with-depression-without-antidepressants/comment-page-1#comment-225 ian Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:13:44 +0000 http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/?p=1880#comment-225 "this release of refusing to try antidepressants created the opposite effect: I no longer needed them." Very interesting- just read a passage in The End of Your World by Adyashanti, and he speaks directly to this. He says the very act of trying to not need something makes it stronger, because you are in effect, making it real through your struggling. As you discovered, as soon as you release the struggle, the need disappears. “this release of refusing to try antidepressants created the opposite effect: I no longer needed them.”

Very interesting- just read a passage in The End of Your World by Adyashanti, and he speaks directly to this. He says the very act of trying to not need something makes it stronger, because you are in effect, making it real through your struggling. As you discovered, as soon as you release the struggle, the need disappears.

]]> By: Eva http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/prozac-or-protein-a-holistic-approach-to-dealing-with-depression-without-antidepressants/comment-page-1#comment-224 Eva Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:53:31 +0000 http://www.holisticwithhumor.com/?p=1880#comment-224 These are excellent tips, Christine! I think exercise is especially key - it's astonishing how movement can affect our states of mind. Of course, the catch with nearly all of these points (though the food options are more manageable, perhaps - buy the good stuff on a good day and have no bad stuff to binge on, on a bad day) is that when you're severely depressed, you can't make yourself exercise or any of the other good stuff. Inertia (paralysis, whatever you want to call it) becomes a self-sustaining symptom. These are excellent tips, Christine! I think exercise is especially key – it’s astonishing how movement can affect our states of mind.

Of course, the catch with nearly all of these points (though the food options are more manageable, perhaps – buy the good stuff on a good day and have no bad stuff to binge on, on a bad day) is that when you’re severely depressed, you can’t make yourself exercise or any of the other good stuff. Inertia (paralysis, whatever you want to call it) becomes a self-sustaining symptom.

]]>