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HOW TO
TREAT DEPRESSION WITHOUT TAKING ANTIDEPRESSANTS |
We now have proof of what I've long suspected:
Antidepressants don't work.
That's bad news for the millions of Americans who
suffer from depression.
This condition can cause a depressed mood; loss of
interest or pleasure in most activities, including
sex; fatigue; sleep problems; feelings of
hopelessness and helplessness; and difficulty
thinking and making decisions.
Women have a 10 to 25 percent risk and men a 5 to 12
percent risk of developing severe major depression
in their lifetime.
Depression has different causes. And each cause
needs a different approach to treatment.
Yet many people believe that antidepressants drugs
are the answer. Today, one in ten Americans takes an
antidepressant.
Unfortunately, new research shows that they don't
work and have significant side effects.
In fact, most patients taking antidepressants either
don't respond or have only partial response.
And 86 percent of people who take these drugs have
one or more side effects, including sexual
dysfunction, fatigue, insomnia, loss of mental
abilities, nausea, and weight gain.
No wonder half the people who try antidepressants
discontinue them after just 4 months.
Now let's talk more about this new research.
A report published in a recent issue of "The New
England Journal of Medicine" looked at 74 studies
involving 12 drugs and over 12,000 people. Some of
these studies were published -- and some weren't.
You see, drug companies don't have to publish all
the results of their studies. They only publish
those they want to.
The report's researchers really had to dig to find
these unpublished studies. When they did, they found
that 37 of 38 trials with positive results were
published, while only 14 of 36 negative studies were
published.
And the negative published studies were twisted to
imply the drugs worked when they didn't.
Now that really is depressing news -- and there's no
easy fix.
However, Functional Medicine, on which my approach
of UltraWellness is based, can help.
Functional Medicine doesn't rely on drugs to
suppress symptoms, but uncovers the root causes of
depression.
Let me tell you about a few of my patients.
A 23-year-old woman had been on various
antidepressants throughout her childhood and
adolescence. We discovered that she had food
allergies, which cause inflammation. And recent
studies suggest that inflammation may be related to
depression.
The patient eliminated her food allergies and her
depression disappeared. She was able to stop taking
her medication -- and she lost 30 pounds to boot.
A 37-year-old had depression that didn't respond to
drugs, plus fatigue and a 40-pound weight gain.
When we got the very high levels of mercury out of
her body, she soon became happy, thin, and full of
energy.
And a 49-year-old man had taken antidepressants for
years but was still severely depressed.
We treated his severe deficiencies of vitamin B12,
B6, and folate. Now he's free of depression.
As you can see, antidepressants are not the answer.
We need different solutions.
Try the following measures to help alleviate
depression. They are based on Functional Medicine
which is the foundation of my practice and the core
of UltraWellness.
1. Try an anti-inflammatory elimination diet that
gets rid of common food allergens.
2. Check for hypothyroidism.
3. Treat vitamin D deficiency with at least 2,000 to
5,000 U a day of vitamin D3.
4. Take omega-3 fats in the form of 1,000 to 2,000
milligrams (mg) a day of purified fish oil. Your
brain is made of up this fat.
5. Take adequate B12 (1,000 micrograms, or mcg, a
day), B6 (25 mg) and folic acid (800 mcg).
6. Get checked for mercury.
7. Exercise vigorously five times a week for 30
minutes. This increases levels of BDNF, a natural
antidepressant in your brain.
These are just of few of the easiest and most
effective things you can do to treat depression. But
there are even more, which you can address by simply
working through the 7 Keys to UltraWellness.
References
(1) Turner EH et al. 2007. Selective publication of
antidepressant trials and its influence on apparent
efficacy. New England Journal of Medicine. 358:
252-260.
(2) Eaton WW, Kalaydjian A, Scharfstein DO, Mezuk B,
Ding Y. 2007. Prevalence and incidence of depressive
disorder: the Baltimore ECA follow-up, 1981-2004.
Acta Psychiatr Scand.116(3):182-188.
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