Anxiety Depression and Alternative Treatments.

Let's start out by defining depression and anxiety so we can better understand some of the alternative treatments that are recommended.

Depression is usually characterized by a sense of hopelessness and despair. It sometimes manifests itself as extreme sadness. Depression in everyday life refers to sadness and despair, while clinical depression refers to severe symptoms that interfere with the everyday life and last for over 2 weeks.

"Anxiety disorders come in two basic forms: Chronic anxiety and panic disorders. The chronic form involves a recurring sense of foreboding and worry accompanied by mild physical symptoms. On the other hand, panic attacks come on suddenly and unexpectedly, with symptoms that are often mistaken for a heart attack or another life-threatening condition. There is sometimes a feeling of not being able to get a full breath of air. Symptoms come on suddenly and diminish suddenly and can be quite frightening."


"Add some fresh Rose petals to a cup of boiling water. Add sugar and drink whenever feeling depressed. An Apple eaten with milk and honey is very good to uplift a mood. Good Home Remedy for Depression.

Blanch 5-7 rosemary leaves in a boiling cup of water, add honey, wait 3 minutes and drink. Cook 3-4 tablespoons of oatmeal to 1 cup of rice milk or soy milk, boil and stir for a minute on law temperature. Can add nuts, almonds, dried fruits, maple syrup or honey.

Stir 1 teaspoon of lavender leaves to a cup of boiling water, cool and drink 3 times daily.
Nutrition:
There is a strong correlation between anxiety/panic disorder and low levels of certain vitamins and minerals. There are several things you can do to restore this balance in your body:


Take Omega 3 Fish Oil Capsules 400mg daily
Take calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and b-complex vitamin supplements

Avoid refined sugars and carbohydrates, and instead eat foods low in sugar and containing whole grains Avoid coffee, tea, and cola sodas (or any other drinks with caffeine)
Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, as these tend to use up your bodies supply of important vitamins and minerals when your body metabolizes them
If you consume artificial sweeteners, stop! Splenda, Nutrisweet (Aspertame), and Sugar Alcohol should be avoided. Stress Reducers:
Relaxation and Meditation are also effective measures in the treatment of depression. The best method of relaxation is to practice shavasana or the dead pose Meditation involves training the mind to remain fixed on a particular external or internal location. Mediation helps to create balance in the nervous system.

Lying down, in a dark room, maybe getting a 1/2 hour of sleep will always make you feel better.

Biofeedback
"Various yogic asanas such as halasana, paschimottanasana, sarvangasana, shavasana, shalabhasana, vakrasana, bhujangasana and pranayamas like kapalbhati, bhastrika are highly beneficial in the treatment of depression."

Get plenty of exercise
Seek Counseling
Old wives tales (or actual remedies?):
Eat Nuts, cheese and a spoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water.

Eat at least 5 bananas a day, Reduce to one in time.

Eat a lot of pumpkin seeds.

Warm avocado leaves and put them on forehead.
Get into a warm bath with a lot of salt and relax.