Winter is a tough time for many people. The shorter, dreary days and the colder weather can have a depressive effect for many of us. Last winter was particularly dreadful for me. We had moved back to the northeast after living in North Carolina for many years. In NC, the weather was more moderate than the north with many sunnier days.
I wound up going into a depression worse than anything I had ever encountered. After all, I have had periods of gloominess on and off for most of my adult life, but it was not as severe as last winter. During this time, I was facing things in myself that I was not happy, my husband was out of town Mondays through Thursdays, we had just moved to a place with few contacts, my daughter was starting preschool, etc. Things were challenging and I was slightly depressed. Then, it happened. Three weeks straight in December without a day of sunshine.
In addition to these factors, I had also been dealing with a chronic and constant pain situation for several years. To say I was frustrated about my situation is an understatement. While I had understood the nature of my injury and believed a chiropractor could help me, after trying many out during that time, I was beginning to believe that surgery (to my spine) was the only thing that would help me. My fear of surgery to a part of my body that could leave me paralyzed with a slip of the hand had kept me from giving in to the surgery. But after years of dealing with constant pain, I was starting to feel like I was “losing” it.
For me, I was helped out of this situation by several factors. First, my family rallied around me, despite their stressful and busy lives. I will always be grateful to their generosity and support. Secondly, my sister found an incredible social worker who was able to identify in a few short visits some of the causes of my depression. Literally, I had about 4 to 5 visits with him with terrific results. During this period I had also started taking some specific supplements to help give my body the nutritional support it needed.
Lastly, I found a very well known chiropractor who had taken on my case. He invented a new technique called Koren Specific Technique. The focus of this style of adjusting is finding out what the priorities are for adjusting the body and adjusting in a very specific manner, including the bones of the skull. While having me think about my depression, he identified some cranial bones that needed to be corrected. After the second or third visit, the “chemical” nature of my depression lifted. He was also able to correct the chronic pain situation in less than two months. As I mentioned, I had been dealing with this daily for years. It’s not surprising to learn that I studied with Dr. Koren and now use his technique as well with amazing results. Not only do I use it to identify what areas of the body need adjusting, I also use it to determine what other natural remedies a patient will also benefit from (ie acupuncture, digestive work, homeopathy, etc.) and how often they need to do that treatment.
I am so grateful for this experience that I hope that others can learn from it and help themselves with this sometimes debilitating problem.
Depression is a tricky subject and that is the reason why so many people struggle with it for years. What might help one person might not have any effect on someone else. One person might benefit from “talk therapy”, while another will benefit from simply taking an excellent vitamin or receiving “hands on healing”. Another person might need several types of therapies for improvement. Let’s first look at the causes of depression. Understanding the cause is the key to the getting better. But even understanding the cause and what might seem like an appropriate treatment, you might still be suffering because there are additional tactics you might need to take.
I want to state very clearly that the suggestions made here are not a replacement for counseling if you suffer from mental illness and I am not recommending that you stop any medication without consulting with the doctor who prescribed it for you.
Stress/Emotional. There are many factors that fall in the stress category. Are you overworked in your job? Do you feel torn between having to work and spending time with your family? Is your job stressful? Do you have relationships that are unresolved, either personally or professionally? Do you have insomnia? Were you or are you dealing with an abusive relationship? Are you still grieving over a death or a loved one? Have you been or are you currently a caregiver for an elderly, sick (and maybe dying) or disabled friend or family member? Are you dealing with a post-partum depression? Are you overly concerned about finances? Are you in a co-dependent relationship? Do you feel lonely (new to an area or feel a lack of community)?
Biomechanical/Structural. Were you involved in a trauma (car accident, winter injury, etc.)? Do you have an unresolved physical trauma from your childhood? Are you uncomfortable while driving in your car or sitting in your office? Do you have poor posture? Are you in constant physical pain?
Chemical/Nutritional. Are you eating healthy or eating for comfort? Do you eat sweets daily (be honest) or even several times per week? Are you taking medications with a potential side effect of depression? Do you have a history of taking prescription medications for a variety of illnesses? Have you had your hormonal and thyroid levels checked? Is your diet comprised mainly of processed or prepared foods? Do you primarily eat organic fruits, vegetables and meats? Do you use healthy cleaning solutions in your home? Are you exercising on a regularly basis, and what type of exercise are you getting (ie walks, gym, pool, yoga, etc.)
Unhealthy body. Do you feel like your immune system is compromised and that you are frequently sick? Are you dealing with a chronic illness or disease process? Are you frustrated with your body not responding to treatments the way that you’d like it to? Do you have a lot of food or environmental allergies?
While I can’t possibly list all of the potential causes of depression, I hope that you’ve been able to identify either a category or actual cause that I’ve listed here. Let’s now talk about some steps to helping you.
Nutritional. I list this first because whatever the cause of your depression might be, if you are not addressing your body on a nutritional level, then it will take much longer for you to feel healthy. While under a lot of stress, as when you are depressed, your body needs additional vitamins and minerals than when you are “healthy”. Most people when they are depressed or stressed do not eat healthy. They tend to eat more sweets and comfort foods and rarely eat fresh vegetables and fruits. While chocolate can release serotonin which can elevate your mood, sugary foods (this includes grains which quickly break down into sugar) can initially give you energy…and then the “crash”. You know that feeling after that quick sugar high. You feel like crap and just want to take a nap. For some, it’s a depressed feeling.
So, while you might not have time to make yourself a salad every day, there are a few things you can do to support your body nutritionally. First and foremost, take a really good multivitamin/mineral daily. You’ll need to go to a Whole Foods or excellent herb/vitamin shoppe and purchase their best vitamin. Or, go to your local chiropractor or naturopath who sells quality vitamins. Make sure that whichever brand you buy that it is organic and whole foods based (ie Thorne, Solgar, Innate Response, Rightfoods, Standard Process). Personally, I don’t love taking vitamins so I take a high quality “Greens” in the morning that has the equivalent of the vitamins and minerals found in a nutraceutical. If you decide to go the Greens route in the morning, make sure it does not contain sugar, artificial sweeteners and is organic. Then, take your multi in the afternoon and evening.
Use a custom digestive enzyme so that you’ll get more nutrients from your food. When you work with a professional trained to help you find the right enzyme, it will help your body in many ways. First, you’ll find a decreased craving for sweets, which is important for someone overcoming depression. Secondly, you will feel full faster, so there will be less of a tendency to overeat. Lastly, the right digestive enzyme program will help your body heal itself from a variety of health problems, so you’ll find an increase in energy and immune system function. While it’s OK to find you’re a vitamin on your own, it’s essential to work with someone trained in digestive enzymes to get the correct formula for your particular age, weight and health. Different ages and health problems require a gentle formula and taking the incorrect one can lead to a worsening of some health problems. Work with either a naturopath, a nutritionist or chiropractor trained in these supplements. I use Transformation Enzymes, and if you wanted to find someone local, give them a call.
Give up sugar (and other food additives including MSG) for two weeks. Read the labels of everything you eat. You’d be surprised at how many pre-packaged foods that contain sugar and other chemicals. When going out to eat, ask the server if the food you plan on ordering contains sugar. When I was suffering from a milder depression many years ago, I discovered a relationship between sugar and depression. At that time, I eliminated it from my diet totally for two years and that alone helped me. Try it for two weeks and see if you feel a difference in the way you feel…you might be surprised.
Exercise. Finding the right exercise is almost as important as exercising. When you exercise, you release serotonin, which is a natural mood enhancer. While yoga is a great way to relieve stress, if you are a “Type A” person, doing a flow class might not give you the same stress relief as doing a class where you have to stay in a pose for a longer period. For those that been under stress for so long and their sympathetic (fight or flight adapters) are in a hyper mode, they would do best with a restorative yoga class. Either way, it is best to find a teacher that will watch you do your poses to make sure that your alignment is correct to avoid injury. Personally, I really like the Anusara style of yoga, but, finding the right teacher who will support and empower you is most important. (Go to www.anusara.com if you’d like to find an Anusara teacher near you.) If you do yoga, find time to do some sun salutations in the morning before you start your day.
Taking long walks (by yourself) or swimming in a pool can give you time for reflection and relieve stress. Any form of exercise you can find time to do that will allow you to release built up stress in your body is great…just find the time for yourself. For me, I really like connecting with nature, so I will take a quiet walk and feel the beauty of nature around me.
Chemical. I will state again that I do not have the license to suggest either taking prescription medications or stop taking them. For those that are not on medications but feel that you need it, please consult with a physician. For me, I did not want to take anti-depressants. I had taken so many medications for every health problem that I had growing up (until I was 29 to be exact), that I didn’t want to rely on them. I felt that if I was numbed by the medications I wouldn’t have the drive to look at the cause and take care of it and I do believe that it was why I am able to be in the positive mental state that I am in today. I realize this approach isn’t for everyone, but for those that would like to solve this problem without medications, consider following the advice in this article closely. Wanting to solve this problem is half the battle.
To address the chemical effects of depression beside the nutritional aspect, consider homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture or yoga. There are pathways in the body in the body that can have blockages. In chiropractic, it is the nervous system. In acupuncture, it is the meridians. In yoga, they talk about the chakras. In homeopathy, it is vibrational. If there are blockages in any of these pathways, it can cause in imbalance in your bodily systems, or a lack of health. Your body just won’t function well. Personally, I have had success with all of these types of modalities for a variety of health problems. It is just a matter of finding the right one (s) for you, and blending several will usually get you faster results.
For instance, I love that yoga is something I can do for myself. I feel more grounded and find it empowering. I use contemporary homeopathy in practice to help patients with a variety of health issues relating to depression and emotional imbalances. As I mentioned before, I’ve also had success helping patients using Chiropractic, and have been helped myself. While I have never tried acupuncture for depression, I’m sure there are people that have been helped with it. For those that feel that there is their depression is in their body, try energy healing (ie Reiki, therapeutic touch or Reconnective Healing).
If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) from lack of sunlight, look into getting a full spectrum light (google Seasonal Affective Disorder to get a list of places you can get this light). Find someone that has one and try it out first if you’re not sure if it will help you.
Talk Therapy – Finding the right therapist can be essential to solving your depression issue. I believe that the best therapist is someone who will give you things to work on in-between visits AND hold you accountable. While talking about the issues that led you to become depressed are important, it seems that getting over those feelings is what’s important. When I was going to someone who was not right for me, I would spend each session “talking” but never getting past those issues. I felt like I was just going around on a merry-go-round without a way off. When I found the right therapist, we were able to get to these issues quickly with fantastic results.
Healthy Body. If you are dealing with a chronic pain situation that was caused by a trauma, I can’t think of anything better than chiropractic. Not just because it helped me, but I’ve personally have seen many people with chronic pain whose lives have been changed by receiving chiropractic care. Chiropractic works directly on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems of the body, which seems to be the cause of most chronic pain situations. Consult with a chiropractor and find out if he or she thinks they can help you. Massage therapy is also a terrific modality, although it only addresses the muscular system.
Have your endocrine system checked out. As I mentioned before, a hormonal imbalance or a thyroid problem can cause depression and insomnia. Digestive enzymes, acupuncture, ayurveda, chiropractic, homeopathy and yoga can all help to resolve endocrine disorders without the need for medications. [Work with your doctor before going off any medications for these types of health problems.]
Take Control of Your Life. While talk therapy can be very useful, you can also take charge of your life in the following ways. Create an affirmation that you recite several times a day. Make it succinct so that you can memorize it, but list all of the positive things you’d like in your life. Write it down and place copies around your home and work so that you can be reminded daily to repeat it until it becomes second nature.
Make a list of the things in your life that you are concerned about and try to figure out the ones that you can control and those that you can’t. Focus on the things that you can control. This will empower you and stop thinking about the things you can’t control.
Surround yourself with positive people. Being around negative people who only want to talk about all the things going wrong in their life will not help you. Smile, even if you don’t feel like it, as it will allow you to feel better. There are receptors in the brain that will release positive mood enhancers simply by smiling.
Whatever path you choose to a happier you, just remember that sometimes people need several things to help them resolve a problem with depression. Using just talk therapy or taking vitamins might not be the answer. Combining therapies has a synergistic effect and will result in a better outcome. Start today and kick those winter blues!
