Depression, a psychological condition that affects millions of people globally is as old as mankind. This condition poses a serious public health problem due to the fact that it can cause more significant problems to human beings than some chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. To fight depression without side effects and the attendant high cost of psychiatric medications, there are many natural options open to man.? RALIAT AHMED writes.
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person’s thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being.
Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or? have difficulty in concentrating, remembering details or making decisions. Some may even contemplate or attempt suicide.
Insomnia, excessive sleeping or even loss of sleep, fatigue, loss of energy, or aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment could all be symptoms of depression.
While people may think that depression is a developed world’s problem, it is amazing to know that a lot of people even in developed countries also suffer from this psychological condition. It is easy to slip into a state of depression without knowing it. All the factors depression-inducing factors are ever present around us – the usual insecurity (fear of armed robbery attacks right in your own home or on the road or streets), lately bomb threats, lack of electricity, not making ends meet, getting from one point to another in traffic challenges etc
All of these challenges have since taken roots in Nigeria and become part of our daily lives.
We live in a society infused with pharmaceuticals and drugs to treat everything from depression and sleep to anxiety and so on. Drug companies constantly come out with different kinds of prescription drugs which according to them are suitable for the cure or treatment of any disease or condition, depression inclusive. As a result, many people believe that these drugs are the only option they have to ease the symptoms of their condition. However, in the case of fighting depression there are natural ways of going about it without necessarily resorting to taking medications.
Meditation is one of the most powerful solutions for curing depression. It involves sitting quietly, breathing deeply, focusing on the present and becoming aware of one’s thoughts without judging them. Meditation helps the body to relax, but more than that, it has been found to lift mood and decrease stress when practiced daily. There’s also some evidence that it may help with mild depression.
Aerobic exercise apart from relieving stress and tension can stimulate the release of mood-boosting endorphins and other brain chemicals.
According to an aerobic instructor, Mr. Edwin Okafor, regular aerobic exercise works just as well as an antidepressant for treating major depression.
He explains: “Exercise helps fight depression in a number of ways, which may include, releasing feel-good brain chemicals such as neurotransmitters and endorphins which ease depression, reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression and increasing body temperature which may have calming effects”.
Apart from the physical benefits of exercise, it has many psychological and emotional benefits such as boosting confidence and taking away worries which can get one away from the cycle of negative thoughts that cause anxiety and depression,” Okafor said.
Depression can also be treated using acupuncture. Acupuncture is the practice of inserting thin needles into specific body points. to improve health and well-being. Acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system and cause the release of neurochemical messenger molecules. The resulting biochemical changes influence the body’s homeostatic mechanisms, thus promoting physical and emotional wellbeing.
Herbal remedies such as St. John’s Wort also known as hypericum perforatum L. is said to relieve depression by causing the release of neurotransmitters? i.e brain chemicals that influence mood.? St. John’s Wort may be helpful for mild to moderate depression, and it has fewer side effects than antidepressants do, says a medical research.
A traditional medical practitioner, Dr. S.S Sheriff says that herbal remedies are highly effective in the treatment of depression. It tones the heart by sufficient blood supply to the brain.
It is believed that when there is shortage of oxygenated blood supply to the brain, it can make a person slip in to depression,” he adds.
? Sheriff however notes that there are series of herbal remedies used in the treatment of depression depending on the symptom presented by a patient
In a recent study of depressed patients, researchers at Brown University and Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, found that those who participated in eight weeks of Yoga classes experienced significant decreases in symptoms as well as increases in mindfulness and in taking the initiative to solve problems.
Mr. Okafor explains further that by reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga modulates stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal, for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and easing respiration.?
? There is also evidence that Yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body’s ability to respond to stress more flexibly,” he says.