Homeopathy for Depression

Are you feeling low, even depressed? Let homeopathy lift your mood.

Did you know ‘feeling blue’ is not just an expression – the image of a depressed person’s brain scan is mainly blue as shown below in the right image.

What is depression?

Depression can be a temporary passing experience or a deeply disturbing condition that may lead to suicide. Experiencing severe despondency and dejection, accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, as well as a condition of mental disturbance, typically with lack of energy and difficulty in maintaining concentration or interest in life

Except in cases of minor depressive states, professional attention is generally recommended to help a person go through this emotional experience in a conscious manner.

Symptoms of Depression:

Psychiatrists classify cases as Depression if they have been continually depressed for a period of at least two years and in addition display any three of the following symptoms:

• Low self-esteem or lack of confidence
• Pessimism, hopelessness or despair
• Lack of interest in ordinary pleasures and activities
• Withdrawal from social activities
• Fatigue or Lethargy
• Guilt or ruminating about the past
• Irritability or excessive anger
• Lessened productivity
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

Whatever the reasons for suffering, such as not recovering from grief or loss, chemical imbalances, post-natal depression or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), homeopathy can reduce the severity of the symptoms in conjunction with lifestyle and dietary changes.

Homeopaths, like modern-day physiologists, understand that symptoms of illness represent the body’s defences in its efforts to adapt to and respond against infection, environmental assault, or stress of some kind. As discomforting as symptoms can be, they still represent the living organism’s best efforts at the time to try to defend and heal him or herself. Such defences are an innate part of our evolutionary efforts to survive.

Why Homeopathy Makes Sense for Depression:

Homeopathic medicines are not prescribed based on the person’s diagnosed disease but on the unique way the person experiences his or her disease. In other words, homeopathic medicines are prescribed based on the totality of various physical and psychological symptoms, not just a single symptom or disease label. Although the selection of the correct homeopathic prescribing is more complex than the use of conventional drugs or even many herbal preparations, the system of prescribing that is individualized to the whole person is intellectually sound… and its results are often significant if not substantial.

Numerous studies have shown benefits in using the herb St. Johns’ wort to treat mild to moderate depression. However, homeopaths generally find that it is preferable to prescribe individualised homeopathic remedies to attain better long-term sustained results without having to take continual doses of any medicine. In fact, a recent study in a medical journal published by Oxford University Press found that individualized homeopathic treatment is as effective and is safer than Prozac in the treatment of people with moderate or severe depression. (Adler UC, Paiva NMP, Cesar AT, Adler MS, Molina A, Padula AE, Calil HM. Homeopathic individualized Q-potencies versus fluoxetine for moderate to severe depression: double-blind, randomized non-inferiority trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Aug 17 ) http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/nep114v1)

Testimonial:

“I am so thankful to Danielle and her homeopathic magic!  I was particularly skeptical about homeopathic remedies but after feeling particularly low and depressed for some time and at my wits end as to how to pull myself out of it I turned to Danielle to see if there is any way that she could help me.  Our first session was a tearful one but I was already feeling a little more optimistic after leaving her and waited patiently for my remedies.  It’s hard to pin point exactly when things began to improve but they certainly did and rapidly!  After our 3rd session I was feeling miles better and together we made the decision that I could try and stop taking the remedy and see if I could keep my mood and optimism high.  As much as it would have been lovely to see her regularly, there really was no need and I was back to my old self again.  For anyone that is skeptical like me I strongly advise just giving it a go as it could be the perfect natural solution.  I’ve heard of homeopathic remedies working for more physical symptoms such as hay fever but really wasn’t sure it could help with something such as depression but I was wrong!  Danielle is such a lovely lady and a wonderful homeopath to see especially if you are feeling very down.  Big thanks Danielle for getting me back smiling again! ;)” CC

A word or two of caution:

There are so many homeopathic med­icines that can be used to treat the numer­ous symptoms of depression and anxiety that it can be difficult to know where to start. It is important to make sure that your symptoms are not due to another illness such as an underactive thyroid or a stomach ulcer, so please talk to your GP first to make sure of the diagnosis before starting homeopathic treatment.

Cases of bipolar, manic-depression, risk of suicide or schizophrenia, require long-term counselling/therapy and psychiatric referral with homeopathy as an adjunctive therapy.

Disclaimer:

As a homeopath I do not diagnose, treat or prescribe for any particular symptom, disease or condition. Instead, I work on increasing the general vitality and constitutional strength of those who seek my advice. I am a professional homeopath and not a medical doctor, and therefore those who work with me must retain the services of a primary care physician for appropriate evaluations and check-ups for themselves and/or their children.