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Alternative Medicine For Depression

How Ayurveda Can Improve Your Mental Health

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It’s normal for you to feel fearful, anxious, sad, confused or forgetful sometimes. These are the hills and valleys of emotions that we all experience in our daily lives. But if your thoughts and emotions trouble you frequently and disrupt your life, it could be a sign of depression or mental illness. Here we'll look at Ayurveda, the ultimate alternative medicine for depression.

But first, let's define depression.

What is Depression?

Depression is a prolonged state of sadness or a feeling of hopelessness, which is often accompanied by no highs or lows.

It represents a mere bland existence that often leads to thoughts of suicide.

You can know if you're depressed if you have five of the nine symptoms listed below for at least two weeks:

  1. Feel sad, hopeless, tearful, empty nearly every day
  2. Take no pleasure or interest in daily activity
  3. Significant weight loss or gain
  4. Restlessness or hyper-agitation
  5. Fatigue, loss of energy or motivation
  6. Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
  7. Inability to think or concentrate with indecisiveness
  8. Changes in sleep – Insomnia or hypersomnia
  9. Thoughts of death or a plan to commit suicide

The State of Mental Health Around the World

alternative medicine for depression

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 350 million people have some psychological problem.
 
One surprising study concluded that depressed people have as high a risk of having a heart attack as those who are obese. So these are not harmless conditions, but illnesses that have serious health consequences.
 
Even though the prevalence of mental illness is as high as one in every five people, it still carries a social stigma. For this reason, many people (and their family members) are reluctant to seek treatment.
 
Unfortunately, if you leave a mental illness untreated, it can result in suicide. Unfortunately, this recently happened to my dear neighbor who took her life. Sadly, few people knew the depths of her desperation.

Alternative Medicine For Depression

So, it got me thinking about alternative medicine for depression… Specifically Ayurveda… and how it addresses some of the root causes of mental illness missing in conventional medicine. Many of these root causes can masquerade as a mental illness, but in fact, they are actually treatable. And once resolved the outward manifestation may resolve on its own.

The beautiful thing about Ayurveda is that you can combine it with Western medicine to achieve optimal mental health and well-being

When most people start to notice symptoms of depression (or anxiety, chronic stress), they visit their doc and ask for a quick fix, usually an antidepressant. In the U.S. alone, one in six Americans is taking some drug for a mental imbalance.

In 2016 the top-selling drug for depression was Abilify. This is the drug my neighbor was taking. So apparently it's not working when alternative medicine for depression could be a natural solution that works!

Pharmaceuticals and Depression

Many health care professionals will tell you that depression is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain. Pharmaceutical companies tell us if we take their drug, the imbalance will correct, and we'll be cured.
 
Unfortunately, for many people like my neighbor, this is not the reality. Surprisingly, there is little research to support the theory that brain chemical imbalances cause depression.
 
Mental illness is not about the brain.
 
In fact, mental illness is not different from the root cause of most diseases. They are about the health of the entire body. And what is the cause of most disease? Inflammation.

Depression and Inflammation

Inflammation is only beneficial if it is short-term. For instance, if you are fighting off an infection to help you heal from a wound. But, chronic low-grade inflammation is not beneficial to the body at all. Low level inflammation that is always manifesting in your body in this way is something labeled as depression or anxiety.

But, inflammation can be a doorway that you can walk through to explore what's really happening in your body and mind. It's an invitation to find out the underlying root cause.

Other Common Causes of Depression Include:

The Understanding of Mental Health in Ayurvedic Medicine

alternative medicine for depression

Ayurveda has so much to offer for anyone with depression, anxiety or chronic stress. The best part is there are no side-effects, so there's no need to worry about problems of dependence and addiction.

Psychiatric drugs are some of the hardest drugs to get off. Once you start weaning from these drugs, it can be difficult to stop taking them.

The 3 Doshas

Ayurveda uses the concept of three doshas; Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Ayurveda breaks down any disease into subtypes. For instance, you can have a Vata, Pitta or Kapha type depression and each is treated differently.

When the doshas become unbalanced, it can affect us mentally causing disturbed emotions and thoughts. This is usually reflected on a physical level also and visa versa.

Symptoms of a Vata-Type Depression

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  • Insomnia
  • Lots of mood fluctuations throughout the day
  • Anxiety and fear
  • Restlessness and agitation
  • Weight loss and poor appetite
  • Loss of pleasure in life
  • Inability to concentrate and indecisiveness
  • Body aches and pains, headache, etc.,
  • Excessive talking or at a variable pace, sometimes fast, sometimes slow
  • In women, their menstrual cycle stops.

Symptoms of Pitta-type Depression

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  • Irritability
  • Self-critical
  • Blaming other or themselves
  • Anger
  • Feelings of failure
  • Aggression or outbursts
  • Low self-esteem or feelings of worthlessness
  • Tendency to put themselves or others down
  • Keeping negative feelings inside while faking a smile outside

Symptoms of Kapha-Type Depression

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  • Feeling dull or heavy
  • Very little speaking
  • Withdrawal from social gatherings
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in life
  • Weight gain from over-eating
  • Emotional eating
  • Sluggish or slow movement
  • Melancholy or gloomy outlook on life
  • Negative thoughts

Holistic Treatments for Mental Illness

No matter what your body/mind type, Ayurveda believes one of the first things you must look at is your diet and lifestyle.

There are general recommendations that benefit all, and others that are specific to your unique body/mind type.

Ayurveda views each human being as a unique combination of body, mind and spirit, including the psychology and emotions. It incorporates rejuvenation, longevity and self-realization therapies utilizing:

Ayurveda, Chronic Stress, Anxiety and Depression

I have seen first-hand how alternative medicine for depression can help. You can avoid dangerous drugs and end the emotional roller coaster.

If you're considering an alternative medicine for depression, anxiety or chronic stress I know of no one more qualified to guide you than Harvard trained physician, Dr. Akil Palanisamy.

I just finished taking his course Ayurveda, Chronic Stress, Anxiety and Depression.

alternative medicine for depression

You won't find such a convenient, comprehensive treatment plan laid out in an online course by a world-renowned medical expert anywhere else.

Dr. Akil is warm and has a down-to-earth style. He'll give you confidence that you can make micro-level changes to help you address the underlying cause of depression, anxiety or chronic stress.

The course is well-organized and exceptional. It brings the caliber of a talented doctor, the principles of modern medical science as well as the ancient Ayurvedic principles of healing, together in the most practical, usable way.

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You will learn:

1. A comprehensive and natural approach to resolve the underling cause of depression (anxiety and stress)

2. The most common correctable root causes of these problems that are overlooked.

3. How to approach mental health from an Ayurvedic perspective and note the distinctions between the Vata, Pitta and Kapha body/mind types. (If you don't know your body type, you can learn from the course.)

4. How to practice subtle yet powerful techniques of Ayurvedic meditation and breathing practices that have an immediate impact on your mental and emotional state, through the bridge of the mind and body.

Your body has tremendous ability to heal, often faster than you might expect. Always remember, YOU CAN GET BETTER.

Begin your journey of healing and transformation today by checking out Dr. Akil's course. I highly recommend it. Even though I do not suffer from depression, after my neighbor passed on, it helped me understand her condition better and eased my grief. I only wish I had taken it sooner because I feel I could have helped her with what I learned.

Please promise me one more thing… You won’t hesitate to ask me any questions you may have about the course in the comment area below. I’m here to help you out, and I would love nothing more than for you to be the healthiest and happiest version of yourself possible. Let me know if you need anything, and I will be sure to get back within “hours” most of the time.

I look forward to helping you!

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Written by Jackie Parker

2 Comments

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  1. This was an amazingly perfect discovery for me today. I’m having a particularly rough day.

    I also suffer from chronic depression, but I have had very bad experiences with psychotropic drugs. I agree, there is no science behind the idea that there is a chemical imbalance in our brains. But there is always an underlying health issue that causes depression.

    I’ve been working for years to address and fix my health issues, which are mostly hormonal and auto-immune related. I have had some success, but I’m always looking for more answers and solutions to my despression.

    I have surprisingly never heard of Ayurveda, but the information you have on it is amazing. I will definitely be researching this more and consider doing the course you did. Thank you so much for sharing.

    • dearest Sunny… Thank you so much for connecting. Ayurveda has so much to offer you and you won’t regret taking Dr. Akil’s course. It’s been so helpful to me since I lost my friend. If you have any questions or I can help in any way, please email me directly. Much love to you, Jackie

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