Depression & Anxiety

Many people are not ready to try medication to cope with feelings of depression or anxiety but are overwhelmed by the world of natural remedies. Not only does the underlying condition need to be addressed, but also the nutritional and lifestyle factors that contribute to it. A holistic approach is required when treating depression and/or anxiety. A Naturopathic Doctor will design a comprehensive treatment plan specifically for you.

Treatment could include any or all of the following modalities, among others:

• Lifestyle changes
  
• Supplements
  
• Homeopathic remedies
  
• Acupuncture

The other benefit of seeing a Naturopathic Doctor is that they can help you understand when medication is a good option.

Depression

The word depression is used loosely. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say “I’m feeling a bit depressed today,” but it is important to realize that clinical depression can gravely affect your life. It’s not something that you can just “buck up and get over” — it is a medical condition that requires treatment.

The official definition of clinical depression, according to the American Psychiatric Association in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), is based on the following eight primary criteria:

• Poor appetite with weight loss or increased appetite with weight gain
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Physical hyperactivity or inactivity
• Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities or decrease in sexual drive
• Loss of energy and feelings of fatigue
• Feelings of worthlessness, self-reproach or inappropriate guilt
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

If you have experienced five of these symptoms for at least a month, clinical depression is indicated; four symptoms means clinical depression is likely. Clinical depression is also referred to as major depression or unipolar depression.
Commonly depression is associated with some other condition and is often seen in patients with:

• ADHD (especially adults)
• Thyroid conditions
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Addictions
• Diabetes
• Chronic pain and/or inflammation
• Cancer
• Multiple sclerosis
• PMS or PMDD
• Stress and/or low adrenal function
• Food allergies
• Sleep disturbances

Prescription drugs (such as birth control, anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids and sedatives) can also cause depression. The list could go on and on, but whatever the cause, there is help.

Anxiety

Anxiety commonly occurs with depression and therefore gets lumped in with it; however, many people experience anxiety without depression. Anxiety can vary in severity from mildly annoying to debilitating. Someone recently said to me “Everyone has distressing thoughts — anxious people just can’t let them go.” That’s really the key feature of anxiety. Worry and fear are sustained long after most people’s thoughts would have moved on. This obsession with specific thoughts is what’s abnormal, not the thoughts themselves.

Some of the following symptoms are present with anxiety:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Sleep disturbances
• Fatigue
• Muscle tension
• Restlessness