Natural Treatment For Depression

Depression is a hard thing to shake. It may be considered the antithesis to healthy living. But there is a natural treatment for depression that is not only free, but provides many other health benefits besides.

This treatment is regular exercise.

Yup.

You know that exercise helps you to maintain a healthy weight and a healthy heart. You may also be aware that it helps to raise your HDL and lower your LDL. But were you aware of the mental health benefits of exercise?

How exercise can prevent/diminish depression

• Exercise boost the levels of “feel good” hormones – seratonin, dopamine, norepinephrine – in the brain and body.
• In studies exercise has alleviated the symptoms of depression as effectively as an anti-depressant drug.
• Exercise improves learning. When your brain is growing, your mind is more alive, and you are more interested in life.
• When you exercise, you both feel and look better, which boosts your self-esteem, which reduces feelings of depression.
• Exercising intensely – such as running as fast as you can for thirty seconds in the middle of a walk – brings on feelings of euphoria.

“But wait! There’s more.”

Like with any health condition, there is no silver bullet that will automatically cure depression. Especially if your depression is severe, you need to do several other things along with getting regular exercise.

• Eliminate processed foods from your diet. They contain chemicals that can adversely affect brain function. They also lack the nutrients your brain needs for optimum function.
• Take a whole-foods based supplement that is high in B-vitamins. The B-vitamin complex is powerful in improving both mood and brain function.
• Eat more raw foods. A diet high in cooked foods depletes your body from the energy vital to your sense of well-being. Raw foods also contain more nutrients.
• Force yourself to socialize. Even if all you do is have lunch with one friend once a week, that sense of connection and community will do wonders for your self-esteem and help you to have a more positive perspective on life.
• Fight off depression with essential oils. Whether rubbed into your scalp or taken internally, several essential oils such as chamomile, lavender and rosemary can turn a bad mood within minutes.

Your natural treatment for depression is just a pair of tennis shoes and a sidewalk away! Combined with the other treatments listed above, the mental health benefits of exercise will do miracles in your mind.