11 Natural Treatments For Depression: An MD’s Tips For Skipping The Prozac

As an MD, I've watched too many of my colleagues yank out anti-depressant samples every time a patient starts to cry. So on behalf of physicians everywhere, let me apologize for our trigger-happy prescription-writing behavior. I don't mean to diminish the pain someone who is depressed might experience. But tears are healthy. Sadness doesn't always need treatment. And it's important to remember that the pain muscle and the joy muscle are the same. If you can't feel one, you won't feel the other.

That said, clinical depression sucks, and if you're someone who suffers from it, my heart goes out to you. I'm in no way intending to diss anti-depressants or suggest you ignore your doctor's advice. I know anti-depressants can be life-saving for people. But unless you're suicidal or otherwise in dire need of urgent medication, before you dose up on side-effect laden pharmaceuticals, it's worth considering some natural treatments that might help lift your mood.

How To Treat Depression Naturally

1. Consider why you might feel depressed.Sometimes depression is a symptom of something circumstantial in your life, rather than biochemical imbalances. Does your job require you to sell out your integrity every day? Have you been unable to admit that you need to end your marriage? Are you feeling spiritually disconnected or sexually restless? Are you suffering from creative blocks? Is your body failing you? Are you facing financial ruin? Be honest with yourself about what might be off-kilter in your life, and make an effort to get to the root of why you might be feeling depressed.

2. Move your body. Exercise releases happy-making endorphins, which act like natural anti-depressants. Runner's high, anyone?

3. Never skip a meal. Keeping your blood sugar stable reduces mood swings.

4. Eat a serotonin-enhancing diet. Many anti-depressants like Prozac act by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin by receptors in the brain, thereby increasing serotonin levels. But you can increase your brain's serotonin levels by eating foods that boost your serotonin levels naturally.

Serotonin-enhancing foods include:

A. Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids (such as wild salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, and anchovies, which are even higher in omega-3 fatty acids than other fish)

B. Healthy fats like coconut oil

C. Eat a high protein diet, especially proteins high in tryptophan, like free range turkey

5. Avoid caffeine, which reduces serotonin levels. If you need an energy boost, supplement with L-Tyrosine (500 - 1000 mg).

6. Expose yourself to sunlight, which can boost mood and increase Vitamin D levels. If you live somewhere that gets little sun, invest in a therapeutic light box.

7. Try mood-enhancing supplements: (DISCLAIMER: Although you can get these supplements over the counter, I always recommend doing this under the care of a physician, since supplements can have side effects and risks and can interact with other medications.)

A. 5-HTP 50-300 mg up to three times/day -- start at 50mg in the morning. Converts directly into serotonin. If you are taking too much, you will feel sleepy or have runny stools. Also usually helps with anxiety, although sometimes it can paradoxically cause anxiety. Must use with great caution if you're taking an anti-depressant.

B. St. John's Wort 300mg three times/day. If you don't feel better within a week, slowly increase your dose to a max of 600mg three times/day. May decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills.

C. SAMe 200mg on an empty stomach twice/day. Increase your dose every two weeks to a maximum dose of 600mg twice daily. This can be a very effective antidepressant, but it can also be expensive. Side effects at higher doses include GI upset, nausea, agitation, andinsomnia.

D. L-Theanine 100-600mg daily. Reduce if you feel sleepy. Found in green tea.

E. Fish oil (DHA/EPA) 1-3 g/day with food.

8. Meditate or try guided imagery. Meditation's effects on mood are well documented. Settling your mind can lift your mood, in addition to a whole host of other health benefits.

9. Get your hormones balanced. If your thyroid, adrenal or sex hormones are out of whack, your mood can get all wonky. See a good integrative medicine doctor and ask them to order and interpret the following tests:

Thyroid gland tests - TSH, free T4, free T3, total T3, thyroid antibodies

Adrenal gland tests - cortisol, DHEA-S, pregnenolone

Sex hormone tests - estradiol, progesterone, free and total testosterone

10. Make efforts to bolster your mental health by being more authentic in all aspects of your life. Too often, we walk around wearing masks, pretending to be something we're not. We fake it at the schoolyard, in the boardroom, in the bedroom, at church -- and then we wonder why we wind up depressed. Consider signing up for this e-course about getting in touch with your authentic self(link is external). Practice letting your freak flag fly and watch how your mood lifts.

11. Talk it out. See a therapist, psychiatrist, or life coach(link is external) and express how you feel. Sometimes just finding someone you trust who will help you work through your feelings can make all the difference in the world.

If all else fails and you need anti-depressants, don't beat yourself up. Sometimes you can do everything right, and if your imbalance is biochemical, you may need the drugs. But don't forget to nurture the rest of you too. Depression, like most physical and mental illnesses, is multifactorial and requires a global investigation of your whole health -- not just your mind and body, but your relationships, your work, your financial picture, how you express yourself creatively, how you satisfy yourself sexually, your environment, and whether you're letting your Inner Pilot Light (aka authentic self) shine.