Depression
How Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements May Help
 

Having clinical depression is not the same as feeling sad or blue, which happens to all of us at one time or another.  Being clinically depressed means you are so depressed that you cannot function normally.  Many people with a milder form of depression can be helped by nutritional solutions.  Even those with clinical depression seems to get better faster if they add some nutrients to the medication they are taking.
 

Common Symptoms of Depression
 

Strong feelings of sadness and hopelessness, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia or oversleeping, weight loss or excessive appetite and weight gain, excessive worry, constipation, inability to concentrate, and thoughts of suicide.
 

Common Causes of Depression
 

Some depressions are set off by some life event, such as the death of a close loved one.  However, there seems to be a biochemical basis for many depressions, stemming from inherited tendencies and/or nutritional deficiencies.  In fact, food and proper nutrition is a key to good brain health.
 

Vitamins, Minerals and Other Nutritional Supplements
 

If you have read the section on B vitamins, you will know that many of the B vitamins are heavily involved with your mood, so getting enough of the B complex is really important.  Coenzyme Q-10 is a pro vitamin that can help to oxygenate your brain, and magnesium is a mineral that can help calm you down if one of your depressive symptoms includes anxiety.  Some studies have shown that getting enough vitamin C is also important, and we would say to get your vitamin C with the natural camu-camu  and/or Goji berry as it seems to have something else in it that helps elevate mood in addition to the vitamin C.  Noni Juice has also been reported as helpful in elevating mood*.  In addition, some studies have shown that the essential fatty acids DHA and EPA can help with your mood as well as anti-depressant drugs for moderate depressions*.  You can get these from fatty fish as well as fish or cod liver oils. 

Some herbs that people have used for depression include St. John's Wort, ginkgo bioba and ginseng.

Recommended Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements*

• Cod Liver Oil, Fish Oil or Essential Fatty Acid Oil
• B Complex Vitamins and/or Nutritional Yeast
• C Complex Vitamin, especially from camu-camu berries
• Goji 100 Berry Juice
• Noni 100 Berry Juice
• Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) if you think you are not digesting your protein properly
• Lecithin or Brain Food with Lecithin
   

Food Choices
 

Sufficient protein intake is important since that will help your body to make neurotransmitters.  Eating whole foods and eliminating junk food can also make a difference, especially over the long term.*    Artificial ingredients such as aspartame have also been linked to depression, so stay away from them.  Fatty fish like salmon, anchovy, mackerel, herring and sardines, along with cod liver oil and pumpkin seed and pumpkin oil, can supply the much need omega 3 fatty acids that are important for good brain health.
 

Other Ideas
 

Getting exercise and some sun on the skin for vitamin D every day can be helpful, especially in cases of mild to moderate depression.*  Some studies have shown that  neurotransmitter imbalances can result from treated water, so you might want to drink a good source of bottled water or get a good water filter for your home.  Don't forget that during an average length shower, you absorb and breathe in more chemicals than from drinking a gallon of that water, so a good shower filter is also indispensable.  Lastly, in addition to adding vitamin and mineral rich food to your diet and adding some vitamins and other nutritional supplements, you might want to try some breathing exercises or a massage.

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Healthy Vitamins & Nutritional Supplements