 More than 1 in 10 Americans take antidepressant medications,
a 400% growth over the past 20 years.
And antidepressants help thousands of patients who could not function without
the use of these drugs. Likewise, pharmaceutical medications can be a
lifesaving component of therapy for serious mental illness, like bipolar
disorder or schizophrenia. But there are also thousands and thousands of
patients with emotional imbalances and disorders who seek alternative methods
of care with great success.
Let me be perfectly clear. I am not opposed to
antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications – I have seen them work wonders for
many patients. But I do think that our medical culture is too quick to prescribe
antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications: I think that many patients could
lift their mood and treat their anxiety and depression successfully without
introducing medications, or could increase the efficacy of their medications
and thereby cut the dosage to reduce side effects by modifying their lifestyle
and introducing natural therapeutic tools to manage emotional imbalances.
Please remember that you should NEVER stop taking a
psychiatric medication or reduce the dosage without consulting with your
psychiatrist. But these tools may enable you to get to a place where you are
ready to have that conversation, or may prevent needing to use medication in the first place. 1. Diet To combat anxiety, here are the top three dietary things you
should do: Stop eating sugar, limit caffeine use, and increase consumption of
whole grains. For depression-type symptoms: Cut out dairy, stop eating sugar,
limit the amount of red meat you eat, and increase consumption of leafy green
vegetables. You can also incorporate foods into your diet that have a known
effect on the mental-emotional system – you can read details about those foods
here. Anxiety and depression or the negative feelings associated
with stress do not arise on their own – they are connected with the health of
the rest of our body. And more and more
research shows that the food we eat directly affects our mood and emotional
health.
So maintaining a healthy diet has a lot to do with maintaining emotional
stability. Follow all the general guidelines for a holistic-minded healthy
diet: Eat cooked meals whenever possible, full of nourishing grains. Be sure to
include protein in each meal. Make sure you are getting enough vitamins and
nutrients from your food – include nutrient-rich vegetables like kale,
broccoli, and chard in your regular diet. Drink enough fluids (at least 8
glasses of water per day), but try to drink only room-temperature water rather
than cold water. Avoid processed foods
whenever possible. Only eat foods when you know and understand every ingredient
on the label. Eat organic meats and eggs.
Include wild fish in your diet if possible.
2. Exercise Numerous scientific studies over the years have shown that
exercise can help ward off feelings of depression and can help us cope with
anxiety, fear, and stress.
Exercise helps your body release feel-good chemicals called endorphins, which
directly affect your mood. It also helps the body to reduce inflammatory
chemicals which may play a role in certain mood disorders. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine
perspective, we know exercise helps improve mood because it gets the qi moving
– our body’s energy wants to flow, and when it gets stuck, emotional issues
often ensue. Some modern research even shows that exercise routines – when
adhered to – can help patients with more severe depression, who don’t respond
to medication therapy.
3. Stretching  Again, our bodies need to – want to – move. When energy
flows smoothly throughout the body, our emotions are at ease. Stretching helps
to soothe out the part of our bodies in which we hold tension, store negative
emotions, and unintentionally cripple ourselves in the long run. Research shows
that activities that involve lots of stretching – like yoga and Tai Chi
– can improve mental-emotional function. Include stretching as part of your daily morning routine – be sure to
hit all the major muscle groups and hold each stretch for a minimum of 30
seconds. After 5 minutes, you’ll feel like a new person.
4. Meditation Numerous scientific research studies have shown again and
again that meditation and mindfulness-based relaxation techniques can improve
anxiety and depression. A meta-analysis of clinical trials in 2010 concluded
that “mindfulness-based therapy is a promising intervention for
treating anxiety and mood problems in clinical populations.” Further research is still being carried out, but major medical institutions
like Mass General Hospital have whole centers devoted to meditation and the
relaxation response.
Additionally, modern research has shown us again and again that meditation
actually physically changes our brain,
so that we are better equipped to deal with negative emotions.
5. Acupuncture
Acupuncture can be a great way to deal with anxiety,
depression, or the effects of stress. It can also be a great adjunctive
technique for more serious emotional disorders, and can work alongside
pharmaceutical medications. Acupuncture realigns the body’s systems so that the
energetic heart – the seat of our emotions – is properly nourished. It also
ensures the smooth flow of energy throughout the body and treats common physical
symptoms of anxiety and depression, such as trouble sleeping, lethargy and
fatigue, palpitations, muscle tension and/or weakness, and changes in appetite.
It also treats the emotional symptoms themselves, and can help us deal with and
get through times of sadness, anger, grief, despair, frustration, nervousness,
and even panic and fearfulness. You can
learn more about how acupuncture views the emotional being here.
6. Aromatherapy I am not an aromatherapy practitioner by any means, but here
are a few scents that I have discovered over the years that are used in various
traditional healing systems to promote relaxation, reduce anxiety, and ease
tension and stress: sandlewood,
chamomille,
and lavender.
To combat depression and lift the spirits, try Jasmine
or orange.
7. Chinese Herbal Medicine Chinese Herbal Medicine can also be a great natural
treatment for emotional imbalances. CHM
works on the same principles as acupuncture to address the energetic imbalances
leading to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Chinese Herbal Medicine utilizes natural substances – plant, animal, and
mineral products – to nourish the body’s emotional centers and treat common
symptoms of emotional disorders. Clinically, we often use Chinese Herbal Medicine to treat postpartum
depression and anxiety, anxiety-related insomnia, menopausal anxiety and
depression, and symptoms of stress. Chinese Herbal Medicine can be prescribed
by a licensed practitioner in conjunction with pharmaceutical drugs to treat
more serious mental-emotional disorders, such as bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, ADHD, or panic disorders.
While scientific research into CHM is in its early stages, a
recent bench science study found that Xiao Yao San – a very common CHM formula
for symptoms of stress and/or depression – moderated neurotransmitter levels
associated with depression in rats. 8. Vitamins and Supplements
A lot of times, our emotions are thrown off because we are
not getting the vitamins and nutrients that we need. This is why eating well is so essential to
good mental and emotional health. However, supplementing can also be a good
idea, especially during the winter or during particularly hard times. It is
important to get professional consult about which vitamins or supplements you
should be taking – ask your doctor, or schedule a visit with a naturopath or
osteopathic physician. The one supplement that I am very comfortable
recommending to patients who suffer from anxiety or depression is Omega-3 fish
oils. You can read all about the emotional health benefits of Omega-3’s here.
CNN Health also has a comprehensive overview of commonly
recommended supplements for depression and anxiety, and the current level of
research conducted for each.
9. Massage Human touch is invaluable in balancing emotions and helping
with psychological and mood disorders. Massage can be a terrific adjunctive
treatment for anxiety disorders, as it releases muscle tension, helps us work
through emotional issues by working on the physical muscle areas where those
emotions are stored, and promotes a sense of calm and relaxation. Massage can also help us break out of the
cycles of stress and tension that often dominate our life, thereby allowing us
to walk the world in a more emotionally balanced state.
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