Focus!
Even less vigorous activities, such as T’ai chi or yoga, may help lower blood pressure and ease stress, Marsh said. “People who exercise also tend to feel that they have more control over their life,” she added. That’s important, since a persistent feeling of helplessness is a hallmark of depression.
According to Marsh, the science is much less clear when it comes to the effectiveness of supplements and herbal medicines. For example, there’s little good data to support the use of either folate or the B vitamins in warding off the blues, she said.
Perhaps the most talked-about herbal therapy for depression is St. John’s wort, but “the evidence that it can help moderate-to-severe depression is very poor,” Marsh said. “Even for mild depression, it’s unclear what the correct dose should be — the studies have been all over the map.”
Marsh also warned that both St. John’s wort and prescription SSRIs get metabolized through the liver. “They both affect the liver, and it affects the metabolism of the antidepressant,” she said.
“A lot of people combine antidepressants and alternative medicines — we see that all the time,” Marsh said. It’s a dangerous mix, however, because adding St. John’s wort to an antidepressant might boost the risk for side effects. The herbal can also trigger photosensitivity in users, causing their skin to quickly turn “beet-red” if they go out in the sun, she said.
“It shouldn’t be given during chemotherapy, either, that can be very dangerous,” Marsh added.
The bottom line, according to Marsh, is to always let your doctor know what over-the-counter medications — herbal or otherwise — you might be taking.
Physical Touch
Finally, non-pharmacologic interventions such as massage therapy, acupuncture or aromatherapy are great at easing short-term stress, “but the real issue, when it comes to depression, is what is the effect over the long term?” Marsh said. Right now, nobody really knows, she said.
One thing the science does show, however, is that contact with others — friends, family, clubs and group activities — can boost mood and help ease depression.
“If you’re socially isolated, especially, just reaching out can help,” Marsh said. “It can have a huge impact on how people see themselves and help them to ‘re-orient.’”
Marsh stressed that most of the interventions listed above certainly won’t hurt, and taken together, probably will help boost mood.
“They’ll certainly improve your physical well-being and transiently, at least, your mental well-being, too,” she said.
Easing Depression Without A Prescription was originally published on blackdoctor.org
