Natural Help for Dealing With Depression
Depression is no fun at all and is different than just being unhappy. You don’t care about things that you once did. You sleep too much or can’t sleep at all, lose your appetite and so on. Genetics, personality, brain chemistry and environment are all risk factors, but it is entirely treatable. In the medical field the answer to relieve depression is almost always drugs, but there are also natural products that can help someone dealing with it.1
Phosphatidylserine (PS) For Function
Every cell in your body has a membrane made of phospholipids that surrounds it. It consists of a special type of fat, with a little bit of protein, carbs and cholesterol. Like the front door of your home, keeps good stuff in and bad stuff out. It just so happens that in your brain cells, one of these phospholipids, called phosphatidylserine, or PS, is really common.2 If you always have enough PS, you always ensure maximum brain function. Thus, you lower your risk for brain-related problems. In fact, studies have shown PS to be effective in treating a slew of them, including depression.3
St. John’s Wort To Control Brain Chemistry
Two common causes of depression are excessive re-uptake of serotonin and nor-epinephrine, two chemicals in the brain connected to mood. Your brain cells release them as a way of communicating with one another. Once released, enzymes recycle them and the process begins again. Of course, this all happens in fractions of a second yet in some folks the process actually works too fast and something is needed to slow it down. Many drugs on the market do this to relieve depression such as Cymbalta®.4 Interestingly, St. John’s Wort is a natural herb that does the same thing. Studies have shown it to be an effective tool in treating mild to moderate cases. Although it is a great option, it does interact with many medications, so be sure to check if you are taking any drugs.5
5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) to Relieve Depression
Scientists have know for a long time that depression results from an issue with brain chemistry. Most notably, neurotransmitters like serotonin are heavily involved. Maybe this is why drugs are often thought to be the answer rather than a natural cure. Nonetheless, the problem can often be the production of serotonin itself. The brain makes sertonin and does so by chemically changing tryptophan, an amino acid, into 5-hydroxytryptophan (5HTP) and then to serotonin. However, eating tryptophan does not guarantee enough 5HTP, so no, eating more turkey won’t do the trick. Your body still only produces a certain amount. However, the consumption of 5HTP does provide much more insurance that proper amounts of serotonin will be produced and studies have shown that supplementation of 5HTP does in fact have a positive effect on depressive symptoms as more serotonin is made.6
